Wolf at Her Door: BBW Paranormal Romance

by Liliana Rhodes

  "I've already said too much," I said. "Pull over."

  "I didn't mean to cross a line," he said.

  She's close.

  It wasn't much more than a whisper, but I heard it easily. I even recognized the man's voice from long ago. Sitting up, I positioned myself between the two front seats and looked out the window.

  "Stop the car," I growled. "Now!"

  Rafael jerked the car to the side of the road as he slammed on the brakes. As Pinky got out of the car, I put my hand on Rafael's shoulder.

  "She's close, but this is something I must do alone," I said.

  "If you ever need anything, come to Night Shift. It’s close by and you'll be among friends there," he said.

  I squeezed out of the car and stretched my long legs. It didn't matter how many years I hadn't worn a kilt, I still longed for its freedom and comfort. Jeans were very restrictive, but it was a sacrifice I had to make to fit in with the times.

  As I closed the car door behind Pinky, the car sped off. Maybe Rafael wasn't so bad after all.

  Tall pine trees lined the two-lane road. As I walked on the shoulder, the dirt and gravel crunched underneath my boots. I didn't know where I was going, I just knew what the voice said. It was the same voice, on a similar road that guided me to her six months ago.

  Six Months Ago

  The night was clear and unseasonably warm, the perfect night for a walk. I wasn't sure where I was, but the voice was never wrong. In all the centuries I had spent looking for Heather, the voice was what helped me find her in the end. My attraction to a location was the best I could do on my own.

  The road opened up and the trees were gone. In their place was a small strip mall, and beyond that were several houses. It was a quiet area without many streetlights. I didn't think I had been to that area of Leeds Point before, but it didn't matter. I knew I was in the right place.

  Everything in me said she was near. I walked faster, feeling her close by. My senses came to life. I wanted to shift to get to her faster, but I had to be patient. I needed to look human, too. I had to remember that Heather didn't know who I was.

  A three-story brick building came into view as I followed a bend in the road. That's where I had to go. Running, I reached the edge of the building's gravel driveway at the side of the tall building.

  The lights were on in some of the apartments. As I came closer to the building, the murmur of voices rose. I ignored the sound as I usually did and walked to the mailbox to see if I could find her name.

  Heather always came back as Heather. The first few times she came back to life, I was surprised by her name, but eventually I came to expect it. She always looked the same, too. There were only a few differences between my Heathers over the centuries.

  I scanned the mailboxes but didn't spot an H. Disappointed, I took in a deep breath and forced myself to slow down. Starting at one end, I read each of the mailboxes until I read 'Mather, 3A'.

  Blinking, I looked at the mailbox again. Mather was too much of a coincidence. How could she have the same name from when we first met? It was impossible.

  Stepping onto the wide front lawn, I looked up at the third floor and waited. Several lights were on and the shades hadn't been drawn yet, but I didn't know if it was her apartment or not. With the windows open, I knew I'd be able to listen in until someone passed by the window.

  I closed my eyes to focus on one window in particular. I hoped to hear something, her voice, her name, anything to let me know that Mather really was her.

  "Dad, you know I love it when you come visit, but you knew I was going out."

  My eyes flew open. It was Heather. I took a step forward to run to the door, or climb up the brick to her window, then stopped. I needed to remember she didn't know me. I found her, now I needed to make her fall in love with me again.

  If I could just get one glimpse of her, it would hold me until we could meet. I looked towards the window again and waited. She had to walk past or close the blinds. She had to do something. I had to see her.

  The minutes felt like hours as I waited for a glimpse of her. I focused my hearing on her open window and listened in again.

  "I won't be back until late, but if you feel like going home, I'll understand," Heather said.

  And then I saw her. She moved to the window, the glow of the lights behind her making her glow like an angel. The dark red hair that was pushed behind her ear was straight and shoulder length like she always wore it. As she reached up to the top of the long window to close it, her shirt rose and revealed the thick curves I always loved.

  She turned around and two men, one older and one younger, moved into view. Even from this distance, I knew they weren't human. As I watched, the hair at the back of my neck stood as I recognized one of them. How could it be him?

  Undressing quickly, I shifted into wolf form and moved closer to the driveway again. A row of bushes lined the walkway leading to the driveway. It was dark enough that I could watch but not be seen. Now wasn't the time for us to meet.

  The younger man opened the car door for my Heather and I let out a low growl. His eyes flashed amber as he looked for me, but I knew he'd never find me. Unlike other shifters, my scent could not be traced. He closed her door and looked into the darkness at the bushes.

  I fought the desire to jump out and attack him. I didn't want him anywhere near my love, but as he entered the car, I saw her smile at him and my heart sank a little. Would Heather be better off without me?

  I didn't want to think about the many times Heather and I fell in love, only for her life to be ended brutally. Each time she lived, that was her fate, but maybe it wasn't. Maybe that was just her fate as my mate.

  I stayed hidden as the car drove away. The last time she died was the worst for me. It took me so long to get over her death. It was the least expected and therefore most brutal for me. What if she could have a life without me? What if that was why she kept coming back?

  Thinking about the curse of my clan, I wondered if I needed to accept that I would never be with her forever. That no matter how many times I found her, she would be ripped away from me unmercifully. Maybe the reason she came back wasn't to be with me, maybe my one love was meant for someone else.

  Chapter Three

  Heather

  Six Months Ago

  As I got ready for my date that night, I never expected it would be one of the worst nights of my life. I was still in my bedroom getting ready while my apartment magically shrank because of the two men in the living room, my date Gavin and my father.

  Both were large, muscular men who might have drawn stares in any other town but in Leeds Point. Men like them were the norm, especially since Leeds Point was full of shifters. Not that my father was one, but he was so tall and muscular he could easily be mistaken for one.

  Unfortunately, I couldn't hide out in my room all night. Eventually I had to come out and pretend my father stopping by when I had a date was no big deal. Wasting time getting ready wasn't going to make things out there any better.

  I tucked my dark red hair back behind my ear, applied a peachy lipstick that I hoped didn't clash with my skin tone, and pulled at the hem of my top, hoping it hid my hips. From the right angle I thought I looked amazing and had the perfect amount of curves. Somehow, that angle only existed in the bathroom mirror.

  While my father sat on the recliner in the corner, Gavin sat with his ankle resting on his knee in the middle of my old beige couch. Neither of them spoke, but the daggers coming from their eyes said enough.

  "Pop, you know I love it when you come visit, but you knew I was going out," I said as I entered the room, wringing my hands nervously.

  "That's why I'm here," he said. "I knew you were hiding something from me when you hadn't introduced me to the new man in your life."

  "Father," I said between clenched teeth. "In the kitchen. Now."

  Pop stood up and snorted in Gavin's direction before turning towards the kitchen. His head looked like it glowed silve
r with his short hair, and I hoped when I reached his age I'd have such great grey. He was wearing the brown knit cardigan he liked to wear when it got cooler, which reminded me it was fall. I put my hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him out of the living room.

  Turning back, I forced a smile at Gavin, hoping he didn't think anything of this before heading into the kitchen. Gavin was by far the best looking man I had ever dated. With his broad shoulders and perfectly cropped blond hair, he looked like a sexy military man. His looks weren't enough though. We didn't click.

  Seeing him sitting there in his crisp white button-down shirt and khakis, I wished I felt the flutter and excitement towards him I always heard about between couples. It just wasn't there for me. Gavin was definitely not my dream guy.

  "That," Pop said as I entered the small kitchen. "That right there. That look on your face says it all."

  "What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to keep my voice down.

  "I know you, Heather. You and me, we've always been peas in a pod. Even your mother was jealous. I knew there was a reason you were keeping him from me."

  "For God's sake, Pop, I'm twenty-five, not sixteen. Give me a break, I hardly date to begin with. You know what he would think if I brought him home to meet you. I don't want him to get the wrong idea."

  "That you like him is the wrong idea?"

  "Fine, I'll admit it. You're right. Gavin's a nice guy but," I hesitated, unable to find the right words. "I don't know. Something's just not there."

  "So cut your losses now, sweetie, before things get complicated."

  Pop put his hand on my shoulder and I sighed. I knew he meant well, but it wasn't like him to get involved in my dating life. I couldn't help but think something was up.

  "You know I appreciate your advice, Pop. You know I tell you everything so now it's your turn to spill. Quid pro quo, remember? Why are you even being like this? You've never acted like this before. Not even when I was a child."

  "I don't trust him, Heather. There's something not right about him. I can't pinpoint it, but you know I can read people. I know people. I made a career using that to enforce the law, and the siren is wailing on this guy."

  "He's a nice guy, and he's a cop just like you were," I said. "I thought if you ever met you'd get along."

  I sighed as I turned to look towards the living room where Gavin waited. I really didn't care about dating, especially not him, but I was tired of being at home all the time. I couldn't admit that to my father though.

  "You know he's not right, don't you?" he said. "You need to trust yourself more, Heather. Sometimes intuition is a good thing. Stay home tonight, we can rent a movie and I'll make some popcorn just like old times. What do you say?"

  The idea of staying home in a pair of sweats, my hair up in a ponytail, and watching movies with Pop was tempting, but with Gavin in the next room, I didn't feel like I could back out of the date at the last minute. Unable to answer, I shook my head. I hated to disappoint my father, but I had to go on this date. Even if something inside me was agreeing with everything my father said.

  Looking at my father, his grey hair standing straight up from his dominant forehead, I wondered why he was being so pushy. As I searched his eyes, all I saw was genuine concern for me, not a father being foolishly overprotective.

  Although my father never admitted it, I always believed he had some kind of psychic ability when it came to people. It was something I didn't have, but I didn't need to to read my father. I knew him well enough.

  "I know I've kept a lot from you throughout your life," he said, his face serious. "There are things that now I wish I had been more open about. But we live in this town where anything can and usually does happen. I know you can take care of yourself, but please trust me. Listen to me. You're special, never forget that. You're meant for much better than him. I've seen things, Heather. He's not the man for you. You know I'd do anything for you, that's what love is. You deserve a man who will do the same. Is Gavin that man?"

  "It's just a date, Pop," I said, tired of arguing with him. "It doesn't mean anything.

  "Promise me something. Promise you'll always trust your instincts. Listen to your gut, it'll never steer you wrong."

  He walked out of the kitchen and back into the living room. As he made himself comfortable on the recliner again, Gavin looked at his watch and stood.

  "If we don't leave now, we'll be late for the movie," Gavin said.

  "Go on, Heather," Pop said. "If you don't mind, I'll stay here and catch up on some TV."

  I shook my head, trying to hide my laughter. My father had never been the type of parent to wait up for me when I lived at home, but now he was going to sit in my apartment and do exactly that. I wanted to be mad at him, but I couldn't. I knew he was just doing what he felt was right. He was being a pain in my ass because he loved me.

  "I won't be back until late, but if you feel like going home, I'll understand," I said as I bent down to kiss my father's cheek.

  Before I straightened, my father grabbed my arm and looked deep into my eyes. He didn't say anything for a moment and I wondered if he was expecting me to magically read his mind.

  "I love you, Heather," he said. "In love there are many sacrifices, but never any regret."

  "Okay, Pop," I said, my brow wrinkling with confusion. "I love you, too. Are you sure you're okay?"

  He smiled softly and nodded. For a brief moment I thought I saw tears in his eyes, but then they were gone. I thought about staying home with him. I didn't care anymore if Gavin got mad for sitting around waiting.

  I'll miss you.

  Pop's voice blasted in my head. I looked at Gavin but could tell he didn't hear anything. I grabbed my head, feeling dizzy from the sound, and lost my balance. As I stumbled, my father stood up to catch me.

  "When you hear my voice, listen," he whispered before letting me go. "Be wary of the wolf at your door."

  His words sunk deep, frightening me. What did he mean? As I reached out to grab my father's hand, Gavin stepped forward and touched my back. I cringed involuntarily.

  "Everything okay? We should go," he said.

  I nodded to him even though I didn't know the answer. I turned back to look at my father as he sat back in the recliner and wondered what was wrong. I could tell he was keeping something from me. His eyes carried a sadness I hadn't seen since my mother died. I wanted to stay and talk to him, to tell him everything would be alright, but Gavin was pushing me towards the door and I stupidly went along.

  As I waved to my father, I blew him a kiss like I did since I was little. He smiled, lifted his hand up, and caught it. I always saw him as such a strong man, but at that moment, he looked weak. I kept thinking I should cancel the date, but I didn't have any reason to. Somewhere inside of me, in my gut as Pop called it, I knew I should have stayed at home with him.

  ***

  We drove in silence on the dark road towards the movie theater. I was always a night person, but tonight the trees lining the road and the lack of a moon felt like they were closing in on me.

  "Guess your father doesn't like me," Gavin said with a grin.

  "No, you know how it goes. I'm sure he's not the first overprotective father you've met."

  He shrugged. "Maybe he has a thing against his daughter dating a shifter."

  "I don't think it's that. He's never been that guy."

  "It wouldn't surprise me, you know. I'm sure you've heard how horny us wolf shifters are," he said as he wiggled his eyebrows at me.

  Forcing a laugh, I turned away from him and tried to look busy looking out into the darkness. Gavin had never been anything other than a gentleman the couple of times we went out, and it was odd for him to say something like that. I was probably just being sensitive.

  Gavin turned down an old abandoned road that once led to a processing plant. Since the plant closed, there was no use for the road. The trees were moving in closer and their roots had broken a lot of the pavement. The car jerked over the road
until Gavin pulled over and turned off the engine.

  "Did you make a wrong turn?" I asked.

  "No, I wanted to talk. You know this place gets pretty active at night. I send my rookies over here to give the kids a hard time."

  "But you said we were going to be late for the movie."

  "There is no movie," he said.

  He unbuckled his seatbelt and twisted towards me. Then he moved his arm in front of me, inches from my chest, and rested his hand against my door. I slid closer to the door, unsure what was going on but trying to move away from him.

  "What are you doing?" I asked.

  "We've gone a few dates already, and I haven't gotten even a kiss from you."

  "I didn't think this was anything serious, and I like to take things slow," I said, spitting out whatever came to mind.

  "Well, I don't like to move slow."

  As he leaned in to kiss me, I ducked and slid down my seat as much as I could.

  "What are you doing?" he asked, annoyed.

  "I...I don't know. I just don't want to."

  "Are you seeing someone else?"

  "No, I'm not."

  I stayed pressed against the door as far from him as I could. His eyes narrowed as he searched my face and read my eyes. I imagined this was how he interrogated suspects, and I didn't like it.

  He smiled sweetly at me then turned the key in the ignition, starting the car. As he pulled his seatbelt around him again, I felt more at ease. Maybe I was overreacting. I had definitely kissed worse in my time, why couldn't I just kiss him?

  The headlights came on, lighting the abandoned road in front of us. He turned towards me, the same smile as he had on his face before, but I could see in his eyes that he wasn't feeling it.

  "Get out," he said.

  He pressed the unlock button and the locks clicked open. He had to be kidding. I looked at him, unsure what to do.

  "I said get out. Do you need help?"