by Moira Byrne
10
Ben
I gulped in a breath of air and bent over, my hands on my knees. Sweat ran down my head and soaked the bandana over my forehead. I could have ran in my wolf form, but I needed to think. When I went wolf, I was too easily lost in the moment.
A light breeze kicked up, cooling my sweaty skin. I stood up and raised my face to the sky, letting the breeze run through my hair. Various scents tugged at me, but they weren't as tempting as when I was in wolf form and I was able to ignore them. Instead, my thoughts circled back to the fight Aly and I had.
Why was she so upset about moving home with me? The job would be a good foot in the door. It wasn't like we couldn't come back and visit.
I transitioned to sit-ups. The same questions cycled through my mind over and over. I pushed harder, trying to exhaust myself so I could ignore my restless thoughts but it wasn't working. My muscles started to burn, protesting against the strain. It still wasn't enough to pull my mind away from Aly.
Back to running. I didn't want to go far from the house since I didn't know when Aly would return. I wanted to be here when she got back. We needed to talk.
Why was she so upset? Was it leaving Fayoak, or leaving with me? Why won't she talk with me about it?
Again and again. Every time I brought anything to do with the future up, she changed the subject, found a distraction, or pushed me away. Why?
After Aly had been gone for about an hour, I realized I had messed up. Badly. Her words played through my mind. Uproot my life, she had said.
I thought about our conversations. How her eyes would light up when she talked about working in the office for Peter Greenhaven. She had friends here. Family. A pack. But I had all those things at home, too.
It wasn't fair for her to ask me to give them up. I suddenly realized I'd been asking her to give all that up simply because I'd been with my pack longer. The thought alone made me want to shout in frustration. I hadn't even considered . . .
My wolf was torn. It wanted to be with its pack, but the pull to be with Aly was so strong. And there was Ana, too. Could I leave them to go back to my pack? Even for a great job? I didn't think I could. I didn't even want to.
I circled back to the in front of the house, winded, sweaty, and no closer to finding an answer to my problems than I had been when she left. Shit. What was I going to do? Guess it was lap around the property again. As I started to take the first step, I heard a vehicle come down the road.
I realized the sound was louder than a single engine. Two vehicles. And they were coming down the road fast. Alarm shot through me and I moved to the porch to get a better view of the road.
The vehicles appeared through the trees and I recognized Aly's car, followed closely by Charlie's truck. Was he chasing her? She gave me a worried look through the windshield of her car as she pulled into the driveway. I noticed a young woman I didn't know sitting beside her in the passenger seat.
Aly slammed on her brakes, turned off the car, and jumped out. The other door opened, and the young woman stepped out more cautiously.
"Aly, what's wrong?" I asked as I jogged up to her.
"Charlie can fill you in." She started rummaging through the purse, not even looking at me.
My back stiffened. Oh, Charlie can fill me in, can he? I ground my teeth to keep a growl from rumbling out of me.
"Aly, what—"
She held up her hand cutting me off as she pulled her phone out of her purse. She swiped her finger across the screen, then held it up to her ear. I heard it ring twice before it was answered.
"Aly, is this urgent?" I heard a woman answer. "I was just about to sit down with a patient."
"Sophie, we have trouble."
"The old pack?"
"None other," Aly said.
"Where are you?"
"Heading to the orchard."
"Good. I can't leave. I have to see to my patients, but I'll send help."
"We need to scare them off, not start a war."
"Got it. I've got just the bear in mind."
"Wait, Sophie—" Aly pulled the phone from her ear and scowled at it.
"What's wrong?" I asked. Why was she unhappy her sister was sending help?
"I wanted to warn her, not have her call for backup. I don't need backup."
"If your old pack is gunning for a fight, then you do. It sounded like she had someone in mind. The more allies you have in a fight, the better."
"Wolves." Aly rolled her eyes as she put her phone away. "We don't need anyone but him."
Jealousy roared through me as she waved in Charlie's direction. Charlie gave me a cheery smile. I kept my face blank so Aly couldn't see how much her words had bothered me.
She closed her car door and hurried around the car to open the door by Ana's seat. The blonde woman quietly closed her door, watching everything with wary eyes.
Aly spoke softly to our daughter as she unhooked the carrier and lifted it out. I stepped forward and took the carrier. "I've got her."
Aly hesitated for a moment. She gave me a look I couldn't decipher before she let go of the carrier. I heard the door on the other side slam. I glanced up to see the other woman holding the diaper bag on her shoulder.
"Thanks, Izzy."
The woman nodded, giving Aly a shaky smile.
"Come on," Aly said to everyone. "We've got to hurry."
"Where are we going?"
"To the Greenhavens'."
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Charlie and Izzy were close behind us. Charlie now had the black and gold striped diaper bag on his shoulder. I blinked when I saw the flowered backpack hanging behind it. The bag must belong to Izzy because I couldn't see the ogre owning a bag covered in pastel flowers. It was Charlie, though, so I could be wrong. I still hadn't figured him out entirely.
Aly moved into a slow jog. "This okay for you, Izzy?"
"Yeah," she huffed behind us, "I can keep up this pace for a bit. We're not going too far, are we?"
"No. Yell at me if we're going too fast."
"Why didn't we drive?" I asked with a quick glance at Izzy. "Wouldn't it have been faster?"
"Nope. It's quicker to cut through the trees to the orchard."
I had no problem carrying Ana in her carrier seat, but moving through an unknown forested area with it in my arms was a new experience. I let my wolf come forward, but still found I had to focus on my surroundings to avoid running the bulky carrier into trees.
"What makes you think they're around here?" I asked as I slipped through the trees.
"They stood there long enough to make sure they left their scent. They wanted to make sure I got the message." Aly shook her head with a grimace. "And by message, I mean a not-so-subtle threat that they were following me and would happily target those closest to me."
Those bastards threatened Aly and my child. My vision flashed red. I had to pull my wolf back as it lunged toward the surface of my mind. It wanted me to shift and hunt them down.
"How . . . how much . . . farther?" Izzy huffed behind us.
I glanced back at her. This wasn't even a light jog for me, yet her pale face was bright red and she was breathing in hoarse bursts. Charlie was moving easily beside her, but there was a sheen of sweat on his skin.
"Aly, can you take these?" Charlie asked.
Aly stopped and turned around. I did the same, keeping my wolf alert and scanning the dense forest for threats. I didn't find anything, but that wasn't enough to set me at ease. Especially considering what Aly had told me about her old pack.
Charlie walked over to Aly and shrugged off the two bags. He handed them to her and she slung them over her shoulder.
Izzy was doubled over, panting, as she tried to catch her breath. "I . . . have got . . . to start . . . running."
Charlie stepped in front of Izzy. He turned so his back was facing her, then bent at his knees.
"Hop on," he said.
"What?" Izzy looked up in surprise. "I-I couldn't ask you to do that . . ."
"He's an ogre, Izzy. Of course he can carry you," Aly said.
"Sure can," Charlie said over his shoulder, grinning. "And you're not askin' me, I'm offerin'."
"Well, um, if you insist . . ."
Izzy shyly took a step closer, her hands nervously brushing down her skirt. "I should have worn pants," she muttered.
"You know Charlie's a saint," Aly reassured her.
"Cross my heart and hope to die, I won't have a single lewd thought."
With a deep breath, Izzy nodded, her expression resolved. She carefully put her hands on Charlie's shoulders and Charlie helped her onto his back, hooking his arms beneath her legs, then he stood up.
"Eep," Izzy exclaimed, the flush in her cheeks darkening.
He took a single step forward and, in a panic, her arms went forward and wrapped tightly around Charlie's neck. Charlie let out a strangled noise and I resisted the urge to let out a bark of laughter. I wouldn't have minded doing that myself a couple of times lately.
"Don't choke him, Izzy," Aly cried out with a laugh.
"Well, where am I supposed to hold on?" Izzy frowned. "I've never done this before."
Aly walked over to them and moved Izzy's arms so they weren't straight across Charlie's throat. Charlie made a show of gasping in a deep lungful of air.
"You about choked me out." Charlie chuckled.
Izzy's eyes went wide. "I-I'm so sorry . . ."
"He was joking, Izz-monster." There was a hint of softness to Aly's tone that took me by surprise. A moment later, she took the lead again and nodded ahead. "Come on, let's go."
She turned and started moving, this time faster than before. I followed her lead, but noticed she still kept her speed down. I glanced back at Charlie, and he seemed to be doing okay. He still didn't seem like he was a big fan of running, but I didn't think Izzy's weight impacted him at all.
"So, what's the plan?" I jogged up alongside Aly.
"Get to the Greenhavens'. Make sure Ana and Izzy are safe. Go hunting."
"Any ideas on where to start?"
"I figure they'll come here."
"Why here?"
"That's where they found me before."
"Yeah, that strikes me as odd," I said as we hurried through the trees.
Aly shot me a quizzical look. "Why?"
"How did they find you?"
"Do we really need to go over this again?" she snapped.
"No. That's not what I meant," I groused. "I know they followed me. I get that."
"Yeah, because you're a goddamned mercenary."
Anger started to roil in my stomach—until I glanced at Aly. Even as she stared at the terrain ahead, I could see the cheeky grin pulling at the corners of her lips. When I didn't reply, she glanced over her shoulder and laughed at the sight of my scowl.
"Too soon, huh?" she asked.
"Yeah, maybe."
"Hold on a minute," Charlie said from behind us. "What do you mean they followed you?"
"Bigfoot, leave it be," Aly replied. "Old water under the bridge."
Charlie grumbled behind us. I heard Izzy quietly shush him. I would have to remember to thank her later. The last thing I needed was for him to know about my stupid mistake.
"So," I continued doggedly, "I followed you to the orchard. In the car. No one was behind me. And then they show up on that tour. How did they know to find you there?"
Aly's mouth opened and then closed, a perplexed expression on her face.
"They followed you to Fayoak. Maybe . . . I don't know."
"Peter Greenhaven," Charlie said.
"What?"
"You spoke to Peter at the Trusty Trellis. Maybe they asked around too."
"Maybe," Aly replied hesitantly.
Before anyone could ask anything else, a house appeared through the trees. I didn't recognize the back of the house, but the landscape I could see on the other side looked familiar. It quickly clicked. Somehow, we had arrived at the back of the Greenhavens' house.
Aly ran up to the back door and we followed. She gave a quick double knock on the door before she opened it and walked in. We were in a mudroom with a washer and dryer on the right, and a bench next to a set of shelves on the left. The room was wide enough we had no problem fitting in. A doorway was ahead of us, and the open door led into a hallway.
Aly paused by the washer and set the diaper bag and backpack on top of the machine. She toed off her shoes and glanced back at us. Charlie had let Izzy down, and they stood next to me.
"Take off your shoes. It's one of Petunia's pet peeves."
"I've seen what she can do," I replied. "I sure as hell don't want to piss her off." I meant it, too. I set the baby carrier down on the bench and made quick work of taking off my shoes.
I looked down at Ana's face and chuckled when I saw she'd fallen asleep. With all the jolting from the walk, I figured she'd have been wide awake and cranky.
Aly glanced over at the baby and a soft smile lit her face. I sucked in a breath at the tender expression full of love. I wanted her to look at me like that. After we dealt with these intruders, she and I needed to have that long talk we had been avoiding.
"You're learning a lot quicker than most, wolfy," Charlie piped up with a chuckle. "It usually takes a few more plant whippins' for people to get the message. They make the mistake of thinking she's just some old woman. Nuh-uh, no sir."
Aly cocked her head to the side in thought. "Y'know, I think she's kind of my idol."
"I could see that being you in forty years or so," I replied.
It was then that I noticed Izzy looking at me with bright eyes. There was a soft smile touching her lips.
"You must know Aly very well." There was something meaningful in the way she said those words, her eyes flickering from me to Aly as if she was trying to make a point.
A throat suddenly cleared. Loud and pointed. I looked ahead and met the cold eyes of Petunia Greenhaven. Her gaze raked over us, resting for a moment on our feet. I saw a brief flash of approval as she brought her eyes back up.
"Given your unexpected arrival at the back door," she spoke in a slow, measured tone, "I assume there is trouble?"
"Big trouble. The old pack kind," Aly said with a sigh. "Can Izzy and Ana stay with you while we try to get them off our tail?"
"Is my assistance required?"
"I just need to make sure these two will be safe. Otherwise, Ben, Charlie, and I can handle the rest."
Peter ambled over, hands shoved into his pockets. "Is this a party anyone can join?"
"Honestly, Peter," Petunia said, "this is quite serious."
He nodded slowly. "A serious party."
Petunia let out a sigh and slightly shook her head. Peter chuckled and reached out to brush his hand along her arm. Petunia shifted her weight a little and leaned into him, but her expression remained the same cold one.
"We're going to scout the area," Aly said. "I need some place safe for Izzy and Ana."
"Again, is my assistance required?"
"No," I spoke up before Aly could. "Between the three of us we should be okay."
Aly shot me a disgruntled look. "Do you mind? I can handle the logistics on my own."
"I was only saying—"
"You don't know what resources we have," she said sharply. "Maybe we do need Petunia's special set of skills."
"But you just said—"
Aly's eyes narrowed and shot daggers at me. I stopped speaking, but my temper simmered and I glared back at her. Her nostrils flared and she opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, the sharp snick of a shotgun filled the room. I snapped my attention to the doorway.
Peter rested a shotgun on his shoulder. "You two can fight about how you both think it's best for Petunia to stay here later. We've got this. If they're going to act like animals, I'll treat 'em like it. And with my little flower's help, we'll make sure they don't get anywhere near the house."
I frowned wondering who he was referring to when my gaze landed on Petunia's face. Sh
e had a slight smile as she glanced over her shoulder at Peter.
Oh. I usually wasn't this dense, but Petunia Greenhaven just didn't strike me as a 'little flower.'
I glanced over at Aly and saw a small smile curve at the corner of her mouth as she watched the older couple. Her eyes met mine for a moment and my heart stopped. Could that be us someday?
Aly's eyes darted away from mine and she moved to pick up the baby carrier. I leaned down and dropped a small kiss on Ana's sleeping head. Aly handed the carrier to Izzy.
With an excited smile, she looked at me and Charlie and said, "Let's go."
My claws dug into the ground as I cast about, searching for scents. I kept my ears up, alert for unusual sounds. Aly quietly prowled nearby, also scent tracking. Somewhere behind us Charlie stomped through the trees, making enough noise for five people.
I took a step forward. There. A strange cougar scent. The trail started by the road. I gave a sharp bark and Aly appeared by my side. She took a deep breath, then looked at me, her ears raised.
I lowered my nose to the trail. The scent was fading, so the cougar hadn't passed this way within the last few minutes, but it was definitely within the last hour or so. I glanced back up at Aly.
She moved where I just indicated I found the scent and lowered her head. A moment later she looked at me again and shook her head. She must not be able to smell it.
I flicked my ear at her and started following the trail just as Charlie reached us, his feet stepping on every fallen twig and branch. I flattened my ears to my head. I had no idea one person could be so noisy simply walking.
I shook off my irritation and put my mind to the task at hand. My wolf took the lead as I surrendered control. Suddenly, the fading scent trail became sharp once more. I was able to tease out multiple scents. Some barely noticeable. They must have been hours or even days old. To my wolf, however, they were as clear as if they'd passed through here only minutes ago.
I followed the trail at a jog, casting back and forth to see if any of the cougars had veered off. They all went in the same direction, following the same path. I realized they must have gone this way regularly over the past day or so.
I paused once, pulling my wolf back and letting my human mind come forward. Aly ghosted through the trees near me, quiet and low to the ground. Charlie's progress was easy to track thanks to his noise. Though I hadn't thought I was moving that quickly, he was falling behind.