by Siobhan Muir
Jeff’s guts clenched again. “I can’t do that.”
When Gary raised a doubtful eyebrow, he explained, “She’s a candidate for Luna. If I’m near her when she changes this close to the full moon, it could be considered a breach in protocol.” Not to mention my desperate need to mate with her.
“Jefferson, someone has to get her to change or she could suffer much worse damage,” Gary insisted as he taped a gauze bandage over her side.
The door burst open, and everyone tensed for battle. Jeff only relaxed when Tawny flew into the room, her expression wild with fear and anger. She stopped as if hitting a wall and all the blood drained from her face when her eyes fell on Julianna.
“Oh Goddess above, is she all right?” Tawny dropped to the floor beside her brother.
“She has to change into her Sister form.” Why does my voice sound frightened and desperate? “I can’t do it because it’d be a breach of protocol, but she could be in real trouble if she doesn’t shift soon.”
“Okay, then.” Tawny briskly got to her feet. “Can she be moved?” Gary nodded, and Tawny leaned down, gently scooping Julianna into her arms. “Get the door, would you, Jeff?”
Jeff scrambled to his feet and held the office door wide, almost yanking it off its hinges. He tore through the storage room to the door leading to the loading dock, his mind swimming with the fear of Julianna’s mortality
Hold on, Julianna. Hold on for me.
As he pushed the back door open, Tawny slid past him and gave him an encouraging smile. She disappeared into the night with the woman he loved, and he felt as if the world spun in a gut-wrenching spiral.
Holy Goddess, please help her heal!
Jeff stood there in the doorway, trying to calm his raging emotions. Fear burned a hole through his gut, and he swallowed repeatedly around his heart lodged in his throat. If he hadn’t been clear how he felt about Julianna that morning, no doubt remained now. Love was the only thing that could hurt this much.
When the women disappeared from his line of sight, he turned and stalked back into the barroom. He clenched his jaw and swallowed hard to keep in his rage. He’d get some answers about those bastards. Why were they stalking Julianna? It stank like a setup, and someone knew about it. He just had to determine who did. He’d start by asking that little bitch, Lucy Caninus.
* * * *
Julianna woke in pain and itching discomfort as if she wore the wrong skin.
She kept her eyes closed, but someone shined a flashlight into her face and whispered, “It’s time to change into your Sister form, Julianna. Shift, return to the wild part of yourself. The pain will go away if you go to your Sister. It’s time.”
Sister…why does that term seem so familiar? Confusion reigned, but her needs pushed through the morass of emotion, and she shifted her attention to them. She wanted to run through the silver moonlight on all fours, racing the wind and singing to the Lady in the sky above. But something hurt. Why is there so much pain?
“Julianna!” the person barked sharply. “You must change. It’s time, and you have to help yourself. You must shift!”
She groaned. I’m so tired. Can’t I do this some other time?
A snarl tore through the air close to her ear, and she jerked in surprise. Anger quickly followed, and her Sister demanded release. Her mind filled with memories of the wind in her coat and the sights and sounds of nighttime serenading her.
Julianna felt her body begin to change shape, and everything seemed fine until agony ripped across her awareness like lightning. She screamed, and it turned into a howl of pain when she fully shifted into her Sister form. She panted as the pain ebbed, lying on her side with her head on the ground. Holy Goddess above, why do I hurt so much?
Someone whimpered next to her, and she slit her eyes open to look around. A sandy gold wolf with green eyes stared back at her, worry stamped on every muscle. The wolf’s tail lowered, and her ears flattened. She licked the top of Julianna’s head in supplication and whined a little.
Julianna just lay there and breathed. It felt better just to stay still. She urfed to tell the other wolf she felt better, but exhaustion stole her energy, and her fear faded away. The gold she-wolf backed up a little way from her and lay down with her head between her front paws, watching her carefully. Julianna closed her eyes and bounded off into the comforting darkness of sleep.
Chapter Nine:
Rights of Passage
Julianna woke to find herself in a bed, but not hers. The room smelled of furniture polish and masculinity. She immediately knew she couldn’t be home. She’d never used furniture polish in her life.
Vintage wallpaper in gold and white stripes covered every wall, and an antique vanity with an oval mirror showed an addle-pated woman with crazy hair staring back at her. A single white closet door and an old maple bureau filled the space on the wall across from the bed. White cotton sheets tangled with her legs under a brightly-colored patchwork quilt. The window to her right allowed the sun to shine its light through the gauzy curtains, billowing from the breeze coming through the opened pane.
Where am I and how did I get here?
Scouring her memories, she recalled facing the pack at work and Eloise’s news. Ms. Cutter had been in the office with Jeff, and then…Julianna frowned as she tried to think. Images of a drink order, pool tables, and Baldy Tattoo flashed across her mind’s eye. The human had threatened her and stuck a knife into her side. Her memories became confused after that. Had Jeff been there? She thought she remembered his face bending over her, his eyes wide with anger and fear.
But that can’t be right. Jeff’s never afraid. Is he?
Sense memories of pain and light pushed to the forefront of her mind, along with a golden she-wolf.
Tawny, in her Sister form. When had Tawny arrived?
Julianna remembered Tawny staying with her, but then the memories ended. Now she rested here.
Julianna scented Tawny, Jeff, and Richard in the air of her room. They’ve all been here? Where was “here”, exactly? Wriggling her body out of the tangled sheets, she sat up, bracing her arms behind her. Two things became very apparent.
First, she wore nothing, right down to her sockless feet. And second, she felt no pain in her side, not even tenderness from an injury. Julianna paused, thinking hard. She distinctly remembered getting stabbed. Puzzled, she threw back the covers to look down at herself.
Nothing showed on her side between her ribs and the swell of her hip. No scar, no redness, not even a thin white line to show a wound. Her skin covered her body whole and smooth.
Julianna stared at herself for a few moments, her mind racing with the implications of what she saw. Or rather, what she didn’t see. No marks of any kind scored her skin, as if nothing had happened. She leaned back in the bed and pulled the sheet back over her body, mulling everything over.
Nice to know some of the myths are true. Werewolves do heal crazy-fast.
Julianna had turned her mind to what she needed to do next when the door opened and Tawny entered with canvas bag over one shoulder and a breakfast tray in her hands. Bacon, sausage, eggs, hash browns, a bagel, and a glass of water filled the tray, and Julianna’s mouth watered with the scents.
“Oh, good, you’re up,” Tawny said with a smile. “How are you feeling?”
“Good,” Julianna croaked, and grimaced. “Hungry, but better than I expected. How did I get here?”
“I brought you home after you shifted into your Sister form. You fell asleep and couldn’t hold the form for long, but shifting helped you heal.” Tawny grimaced. “Of course, you already know that. I’ve brought you some breakfast and a change of clothes from your place. Did you want to eat or get dressed first?”
“I’d prefer to get dressed, but I’m too hungry and it smells way too good.” Her eyes never strayed from the tray. “Just give me a T-shirt and I’ll eat before I take a shower.”
“Right.”
Tawny handed her the bag of clothes, and J
ulianna found one of her very low cut shirts in it, as well as a lacy bra and panties and her denim capris. She looked up at Tawny and raised her eyebrows at the choice of clothes.
“Don’t look at me,” she protested with her hands up to forestall any questions. “Jeff got the clothes.”
“Ah.”
Julianna pulled the shirt on over her head, and Tawny handed her the tray without comment, but Julianna scented unease from the other woman. Julianna intended to wait for Tawny to explain, but the silence lasted longer than she could stand.
“What’s wrong, Tawny? You look like you’re afraid I’ll bite your head off or something.”
“I have something to tell you, but I don’t know how.” Jeff’s younger sister sat poised, looking ready to bolt if Julianna made any sudden moves.
“Just tell me straight out and we’ll go from there, okay?”
“Okay.”
Tawny watched Julianna eat for a few moments more before she opened her mouth again. “Last night I was in the grocery store and saw Mistress Solaris. She looked pretty pleased with herself, but I didn’t dare say hello because I don’t think she likes me very much, and being beta, I can’t really just walk up and talk to her.”
Julianna tried to hide her grimace, but her mouth flattened. Tawny didn’t appear to notice.
“She was talking on her phone to someone and she said it had to be done that night and in a place no one would see anything. She complained that whoever she was talking to hadn’t gotten it right last night, and this was the best time to take care of it. Then she said, ‘I don’t care if you ruin the dumb bitch, just get rid of her.’ She said to call her when they’d done it and hung up.”
The food turned to dust in Julianna’s mouth, and a chill slid down her spine.
“She hadn’t seen me yet, so I stepped back out of sight and tried to figure out how to get out of the store.” Tawny fiddled with the ring on her right hand. “She walked around for a little while longer and saw me in the checkout aisle. She didn’t say anything to me, but when she stood behind me in line, I got a scent of her perfume. I don’t know any Moon Singers who wear perfume because it messes with our sensitive noses, but she wore a fruity scent, like apricots. It was strange.”
“What did you just say?”
“What? That it was strange?”
“No, before that. What did she smell like?”
“Apricots.”
“Damn.” Julianna lost her appetite as her mind made connections. “Have you told this story to anyone else?”
“No, I came to the bar last night to mention it to you and Jeff, but with everything going on, I forgot about it. Sorry.”
Julianna waved her off. “I have to talk to Jeff and your dad.”
“What, now?”
“Yes, right now.”
Julianna set aside the tray and scooted out of the bed, her mind racing. Could Brenda Solaris have organized the attacks on her? Would she really be that underhanded? Julianna combed her fingers through her hair and pulled it back into a messy ponytail with the hair tie Tawny gave her. She jerked on her capris and led the way out of the bedroom, following her nose to where Jeff and his dad sat talking over breakfast in the dining room.
Sunshine from the windows gilded everything, including Jeff’s hair and the muscles of his arm as he buttered some toast. Julianna had no idea such a mundane task could be so sexy, but Jeff’s motions sent cream straight to her pussy, and she exhaled in a soft sigh.
He turned his head and his eyes blazed with hungry intent when he saw her.
Focus. You’re here for something important.
“Julianna.” Jeff rose to his feet, but stopped as he noted her hard expression. “What’s wrong?”
“Other than being stabbed last night?” He snorted. “We didn’t expect you to be up so soon. How are you feeling?”
“Better than I expected.” She approached the table. “Thanks for giving me a place to stay last night and for breakfast this morning, Mr. Lightfoot.”
“You’re more than welcome in our house, Ms. Morris,” Richard told her evenly.
“Thank you, Alpha.” She nodded to him courteously. “May I sit down?”
Jeff jerked out the chair beside his, and she sank into it with a smile. “Thanks. I’m sorry to interrupt.”
“Not a problem,” Richard said. “Something the matter?”
Sitting before the Alpha, all Julianna’s initial suspicions seemed a little more far-fetched, and she hesitated to blurt them out. Could she really accuse Ms. Solaris of trying to take her out of the competition? What proof did she have?
She cleared her throat. “I’ve been thinking about what happened last night and in Leland, and I think they’re connected. I recognized the men last night as the ones from the salon, but after the first night, I can’t understand why they’d come after me again. Especially when I, well, kicked their butts.”
Jeff snorted, and Tawny gave a shy smile as she sat in the chair across from her brother.
“It just seems strange that they’d keep coming after me.” Julianna glanced over at Tawny, but the other woman studied a stubborn spot on her silverware. “Tawny told me about an experience she had last night that made me think it might have been a setup.”
“Oh?” Richard looked over at his daughter. “What happened?”
Tawny swallowed nervously, but she reiterated her story to her father and brother. Julianna watched Jeff’s expression grow colder and harder with each word. Richard’s face showed nothing at all.
Julianna curled her hands into fists to keep from throwing something in her fury while she waited for the Alpha to speak.
Richard sat quietly for a few moments more before he asked, “What makes you think Ms. Solaris was speaking about you?”
“Tawny said Ms. Solaris wore perfume, the scent of apricots. It’s the same scent I smelled on the man who attacked me at the salon and last night in the bar. The scent wasn’t part of him. It was on him, like he’d come in contact with someone wearing it. And the scent is distinctive.”
“Is there anyone who can verify that?”
“I can.” Jeff raised his hand. “Ms. Solaris wore that scent on all the occasions I met with her, and I smelled it on the man in the bar last night, too. I thought it strange that a man would smell so fruity, but he’s human.” He shrugged. “I didn’t make the connection until now.”
“You said there were five men who attacked you at the salon.” Richard tapped the table with one hand. “Did any of the others smell like apricots?”
“No, just Baldy Tattoo.”
“Baldy Tattoo?” Richard raised an eyebrow.
“That’s what I called him in my head because he didn’t introduce himself.” Julianna grimaced. “He was bald and had a tribal tattoo on the back of his head that stretched from ear to ear.”
“I can verify that, too,” Jeff said. “Thomas removed the ball cap last night after he incapacitated Julianna’s attacker, and he had a shaved head and a spiky tattoo on the back.”
“Did you see any of the other men last night who attacked you at the salon?”
“No, Alpha, but I did see him with two friends, and since the Leland PD got two of the five attackers at the salon, I can only assume these other two were part of the three who got away.”
“Why were you anywhere near these men last night?”
“I took a drink order to the pool tables for a waitress who needed a break.” Julianna frowned. She recalled her unease at the time. “I thought it must have been a setup when I realized who the men were. Did anyone talk to Lucy?”
“I did.” Ice filled Jeff’s voice.
“What did she say, Jeff?” Richard asked.
“She said the man in the Raiders cap offered her a large tip to have Ms. Morris bring the drinks back to the table.”
“And she didn’t think that was weird?” Tawny asked.
“She said with everyone gawking at Julianna last night because of the rumors going around tow
n, she thought these guys just wanted to see the source of the gossip.”
No offense to Detective Caninus, but his family is idiotic, Julianna thought, but only said, “Great.”
“We have to do something about her, Dad.” Tawny dropped her fork.
“Who, Tawny?”
“Ms. Solaris! She can’t be allowed to get away with this. We have to, to…”
“To what, Tawny?” Julianna shook her head. “We have no proof that Ms. Solaris did anything unless Baldy Tattoo says something to implicate her. We just have a scent and a suspicious one-sided conversation.”
“But we know it was her!” Tawny threw her hands up. “I know it as much as I know anything.”
“Gut feelings are not admissible in court, Tawny,” Jeff remarked, and Tawny’s lips tightened.
Julianna drummed her fingers on the table. “We have no proof. But that might not be a bad thing.”
“What are you saying, Julianna?” Tawny looked aghast.
“Hear me out. If Ms. Solaris is the one behind the attacks, she thinks she’s gotten away with it, and it should make her overconfident. When she sees that I haven’t been ‘ruined’, there is a good chance she’ll make a mistake that’ll expose her manipulations.”
“But she should be held responsible!”
“She will be, but it’s not up to us. She has to condemn herself, and eventually she’ll get caught or try to bribe or manipulate the wrong packmember. I won’t play her game by her rules. Now that we’re aware of her involvement, we can guard against it better.” Julianna paused and turned her attention back to Richard.
“Alpha, I won’t challenge Ms. Solaris over this. I have too many other things to worry about that are more important than her antics for attention. But I wanted you to be aware of the direction of my thoughts in this matter.”
No one said anything for a few moments after Julianna’s statement. Tawny regarded her with amazed outrage, while Jeff wore his customary amused expression and Richard looked at her with calm attention.