Craig splayed his hands on the scarred wood and kept his eyes on them. “I don’t know. I don’t have any family, and I can’t go back to my apartment for now, not that I actually want to. I knew I’d have to leave my life behind when I grabbed the last shifters, but I thought I would have to hide, not that I would be welcomed into a pack of wolf shifters.”
“Is that a problem?”
Craig looked at Zach. “What, that I’m welcome here?”
“Yeah.” Zach’s expression was guarded, as if he expected Craig’s next words to hurt.
Craig shook his head. “No, quite the contrary, actually. I thought you would be the one to send me on my way as soon as I brought the shifters to you, but you let me stay without too many questions about the fact that I was a guard for the company.”
Zach smiled. “So where does that leaves you? Would you consider staying here? I’ll be honest—we want you to. Kameron needs more people he can fully trust to have his back, and more people who know how to protect the pack.”
Craig hesitated. He wanted to say yes, because he felt as if he had to stay. Gillham could be a good home for him. Could he really move in with dozens of shifters without a second thought, though? “I don’t know. I guess I can think about it. I’m not sure I could fit in.”
“There are other humans in the pack now. Not many, but there are,” Zach pointed out.
“But they’re all mated with a shifter. I’m not.”
Zach scrunched his nose. “Well, I thought that you and Jago...”
“What? No, no, there’s nothing between us. We’re just friends. He’s not my type, and I’m not his.”
“Am I your type?” Duncan asked with laugher in his voice.
Craig looked at him, really looked at him. Duncan was handsome, that was true. His eyes twinkled with mirth and his lips were curled into a wide smile, making him gorgeous. “Are you fishing for compliments?”
“Yup.”
“Okay then. You’re very, very pretty.”
Duncan splayed his hand on his heart. “Me, pretty? I’m way too manly to be pretty!”
The men around the table laughed, but still Zach didn’t let go. “You don’t have to be mated to one of our members to become a part of the pack. Sure, it would make it easier for some people to accept it, but it’s not necessary. We’re trying to make the pack grow up, and that includes accepting people who are different from us, be they other types of shifters or humans.”
“I’ll think about it, all right? And how does Thomas have anything to do with it, anyway?”
“I ordered him to show you around,” Kameron said, a wicked smile on his face. “He’s been a problem for a while, and it’s starting to get troublesome. I thought it would do him good to have something to do, and I have no doubts that you can take him if he snaps.”
They separated once lunch was over, Kameron and Zach heading for the office while Duncan went to patrol the pack’s borders. Craig was left alone, and he didn’t mind it one bit. He wasn’t used to the crowds he had been in since the day before, and he really did need time to think.
He headed toward the edge of the forest that surrounded the alpha’s house and slipped between the trees. He walked for a while, taking care to stay in sight of the house. He didn’t want to get lost and have shifters coming after him to get him back, especially not if he was going to become a pack member.
The day was hot and soon Craig was sweating and in need of a break. He found a small clearing with a stump near the edge and sat in front of it, leaning back and tilting his face toward the sky. The only things he could hear were birds and small animals running around. It was peaceful, and Craig thought he could get used to it, get used to living in Gillham. He wasn’t sure he wanted to live in a city, no matter how big, but becoming a human pack member scared him a little.
He didn’t know how the other members would take it, how they would take him working side by side with them. He knew shifters were stronger and faster than he was, and he wasn’t sure they would approve of him backing Kameron.
A noise made him open his eyes and look around. It was too loud to be a squirrel or even a rabbit, and Craig tensed, ready to fight if whoever it was attacked him. Always being ready to defend himself was second nature by now, and he rose to his feet, his eyes still moving around the clearing.
They stopped on a muzzle peeking from under a shrub. It was the only thing Craig could see of the animal, but he was pretty sure it belonged to a wolf. It couldn’t be a trained shifter, because it wasn’t hiding all that well, and it made Craig want to laugh. He knew there were kids in the pack, and it looked like one of them had stumbled onto him.
“You can come out. I see you.”
A small yelp came from the shrub and it rustled. Craig sat down again, almost completely sure the wolf wasn’t going to attack him. The shrub rustled again and a wolf came out, looking sheepish. It was bigger than Craig would have thought, clearly not a child, but not a fully-grown wolf, either.
“Hi there, I’m Craig.”
The wolf sat down, tilting his head to the side like dogs often did. It was cute as hell and it made Craig smile. The wolf was definitely male, and Craig quickly averted his eyes. He wasn’t sure how shifters usually behaved with nudity, and he wasn’t sure they took offense for people looking at them.
The wolf inched closer and sniffed the air, but he didn’t run away.
“So, are you going to shift or am I going to have to talk alone like a mad man?”
The wolf’s mouth opened on what Craig could have sworn was a grin. It made his tongue slide out and loll to the side. Craig couldn’t resist anymore. He laughed, the sound loud in the relatively silent woods, and the wolf seemed to take offense.
He sat up and moved toward the trees without looking at Craig, disappearing in the shrubs. “Hey, I wasn’t making fun of you!”
The shrub rustled again, but instead of a wolf, a young man came out of it. He couldn’t be more than seventeen, maybe eighteen years old, and he thankfully was dressed. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
The kid seemed to be shy, so Craig raised his hand. “Like I said before, I’m Craig.”
The kid got closer and hesitantly shook Craig’s hand. “I’m Elias.”
* * * *
“Look, I don’t think it’s going to work, and you said you already talked to him, anyway.”
Kameron didn’t look happy at Thomas’s words. Thomas knew he shouldn’t try to get out of his alpha’s order, but he also knew he couldn’t spend time with Craig. It would make his wolf want the man even more than he already did, and Thomas couldn’t afford it.
“I thought we already talked about this.”
“We did, but you just said he was going to think about it. I don’t think talking with me will make him make a decision, at least not the one you want.”
“It might help if you were at least civil toward him, Thomas. I’m not taking back what I said. You’re going to show him around, explain how the pack works, and make sure to show him how good it could be for him.”
“But—”
Kameron slapped his hand on his desk. “Damn it, Thomas! Are you challenging me?”
Thomas looked down at his hands, making sure Kameron’s wolf wouldn’t think he really was challenging Kameron’s authority. “No, of course not.” It wasn’t easy to keep his voice under control, not when Thomas felt so desperate about the situation. “I just... there’s something more to it, okay? I can’t tell you what, but I’m not sure I can do this.”
He wasn’t sure if the fact that Kameron wasn’t answering was a good or a bad thing, so Thomas looked up and peeked. His alpha had a thoughtful expression and he didn’t seem angry, which was a good thing. “I may not understand what’s wrong, but until you tell me, I have no reasons to take my orders back. I’m sorry, Thomas, but you’re going to have to obey.”
Thomas nodded. He’d known it would go like this, of course, but he
’d had to try. “All right.” He got up from the chair and headed to the door. Just as he was opening it, Kameron spoke again.
“I’m sorry about all this, Thomas, I just don’t know what to do. I wish you’d talk to me. I wish you’d realize than I’m your friend as much as your alpha.”
Thomas hung his head. “I know that, Kameron. I’ll tell you as soon as I’m ready.”
He stepped outside and closed the door, hearing Kameron’s last words just as it clicked closed. “If you’re ever ready, you know where to find me.”
Thomas took a few minutes just to breathe. He felt lost and confused, and he didn’t know how to solve it, how to do it without hurting anyone. He didn’t know if Craig would want him, and on the chance the man did, Laura and the kids would be hurt, but if Thomas didn’t leave her, he would be the one to be hurt. He didn’t know what would happen if he denied his wolf, but he would have to find out soon if he didn’t do anything. Anyway, he already knew he couldn’t hurt his family, so the choice was already done. He just hadn’t acknowledged it until then.
Carissa’s laugher drifted to Thomas’s ears and he smiled. Yes, he would do the right thing for his kids, even if it meant he had to give up Craig. It wasn’t like Craig knew what Thomas was to him, and he would never find out, since Thomas had no intention of telling him. The human would be all right. Thomas’s wolf not so much, but he would work on it. He had to.
Moving away from the wall he’d been leaning on, Thomas headed to the kitchen. Carissa was there, talking with Zach and petting a small beige-colored cat. The cat was purring surprisingly loud for such a small frame, and he didn’t even react to Thomas’s presence. They were the only ones in the room at the moment, which was surprising, what with the number of new shifters in the pack.
“Where is everyone?”
Zach turned and smiled at Thomas. “Around, I guess. I know Andy took some of the new shifters to show them around, and Craig might be outside somewhere, since he’s not in the house.”
Thomas’s heart gave a little lurch at the sound of his mate’s name. He forced himself to smile at the alpha mate, but from the look on Zach’s face, he hadn’t managed to make it believable. “All right. Carissa, say goodbye to Zach and...”
“Justin. His name is Justin,” Zach said.
“Okay, say goodbye to Zach and Justin then. I’m going to head outside to get your brother and come back for you. It shouldn’t take long.” Elias had been adamant about wanting to stay in his wolf form and outside. Thomas was getting more than worried about it, but he had let it go for the moment. Still, he would have to have a chat with his son. It wasn’t healthy for him to pass so much time as a wolf, not when his human half needed to be out just as much as the wolf.
Thomas left his daughter with her new friend and stepped on the porch. “Elias! We’re going home.”
Thomas waited, but Elias was nowhere to be seen. He tried calling a few more times, but when his son still didn’t appear, he sighed and stepped down. He was going to have to look for Elias.
Thomas took his clothes off, knowing he would have better possibilities to find Elias in his wolf form. He shifted, shaking his fur out and raising his head to enjoy the light wind that caressed him. The wolf whimpered and started trotting, jolting Thomas out of his rare peaceful state of mind. Thomas stopped, wondering what had made the wolf move without even him being aware of it.
The wind picked up again, and with it came the most delicious scent Thomas had ever smelled. It smelled of sandalwood and grass, and Thomas didn’t have to wonder why his wolf had taken control for a few seconds. Only one thing could smell as good. Craig was in the woods.
It made Thomas hesitate for a moment, but he had to find Elias, so he tried to forget Craig’s scent and sniffed, trying to find his son’s familiar one. It was hard to concentrate when his wolf wanted to follow Craig’s trail, but he finally managed to find Elias’s.
Thomas hung his head and took a deep breath. Elias’s scent was twined with Craig’s, which meant they were likely together. Thomas would have to face his mate to get his son, and it was the last thing he wanted to do.
Still, he trotted the direction the scents came from, letting his wolf take control for the short ride. He took back control when the scents became stronger, indicating he was close. Thomas heard two voices, his eyes widening at the sound of his son talking. Even when Elias was in his human form, he didn’t talk much, so the fact that he was laughing made Thomas stop in his tracks. He knew he shouldn’t be spying, but he wanted to know what Craig was doing to make Elias laugh again.
Thomas crouched and inched his way under a shrub, taking care to make as little noise as possible. He stopped a moment, and when he was sure no one had noticed him, he peeked between the shrub’s leaves.
Craig was sitting down, his back against a stump, while Elias was sitting cross-legged in front of him.
“I swear it was the funniest thing I’d seen in a while. The guy ran away, scared to death, and the wolf shifter just started to make these weird sounds. I kind of thought he was having troubles breathing, you know, but when I looked better, he was just laughing his ass off! It was weird as hell to see a wolf laugh like that.”
Elias chuckled again and Thomas’s breath hitched. He might not want his mate, but seeing his son and Craig getting on like that still did something to him, something he couldn’t name.
“So you’re not used to shifters?”
“I am now, but I wasn’t then.”
“Are you going to stay here?”
“Maybe. I don’t have any other place to be anyway, and here I could be of use.”
Elias nodded. “I’d like it if you stayed. I don’t have many friends, and it’s nice to talk to with you.” Thomas saw his son blush and look down and his stomach churned. If he didn’t know better, he would have sworn Elias had a crush on Craig. But it couldn’t be, right?
Craig smiled at Elias and Thomas felt jealous of his son. He wanted to be the one Craig smiled at. He gritted his teeth against the urge to go there and listened again.
“How can you not have friends? You’re what, seventeen?”
“Eighteen. I, well, it’s always been like this. I’m not really a people person, but I used to talk with my father at least.”
“Used to?”
“Yeah. He hasn’t been the same lately, and it’s weird. I know there’s something going on between him and my mom, but I don’t know what. They’re always fighting and yelling.”
“Maybe they’re having problems. It happens, you know.”
“I know. I just think that if they can’t solve them, they should separate.”
Thomas felt sick. He knew the kids had to have noticed something was wrong, but Elias’s words touched him.
“I thought mates couldn’t separate.”
“They can’t, but mom and dad aren’t mates. I don’t know what’s wrong, but I know it comes from dad. Maybe he found his mate and doesn’t want to tell us.”
Thomas watched as Craig leaned toward Elias and squeezed his shoulder. “Your dad will do the right thing. Maybe he found his mate, maybe not, but if he did, it can’t be easy to know you’ll have to hurt your wife and kids by divorcing. Maybe he doesn’t want anything to change.”
“But it’ll have to change sometime. If they separate because one of them found their mate, then I would be happy. It’s not like dad wouldn’t want me anymore, and he couldn’t help it, anyway. What’s the point in fighting it?”
Thomas couldn’t take it anymore. He rose from his position, careful of the shrub’s twigs, and moved out. He walked toward his son, who was now looking at him, and he noticed Craig tensing. He wasn’t the only one to see it, though. Elias turned to Craig and smiled at him.
“It’s my dad, don’t worry.” Then Elias turned back to Thomas and crossed his arms on his chest. “Dad, were you spying on me?”
* * * *
Craig watched as the bigger wolf t
rotted into the small clearing and stopped close to Elias. It had a weird spotted fur and he found that it intrigued him, even if it wasn’t that obvious. Craig also wondered how much the wolf had actually heard. If Elias was right and his father had met his mate but didn’t want to hurt his son, maybe it would be a good thing that the shifter had heard them.
The wolf barked and pointed his muzzle toward Kameron’s house, then barked again. He obviously wanted Elias to follow him there, but the kid wasn’t making things easy for his father. He looked as stubborn as they came, with his arms still crossed on his chest and his jaw set, so his next words didn’t surprise Craig.
“I’m not going anywhere with you, dad, not until we finally talk about what’s been bugging you.”
The wolf growled a bit a pointed his muzzle toward the house again, but Elias didn’t move. Craig made to get up. “I’ll go then.”
Elias’s head snapped toward him. “Why?”
“I’m sure you and your father want to have this talk alone.”
Elias didn’t look happy, but Craig got up anyway. He clasped the kid’s shoulder and squeezed. “If you want to talk again, I’m living in the alpha’s house at the moment. Come by any time you want.”
Elias nodded and Craig made to walk away, but the wolf placed himself in his path. Craig frowned and tried to move past it, but the wolf followed him, never moving away from his spot in front of Craig. It seemed to want Craig to stay there, and Craig didn’t understand why. “Why is he acting like this?”
“No idea. Maybe he wants to talk to you.”
“Yeah, well, that’s not going to be easy if he doesn’t shift back.”
“Dad, will you let the man go? Or do you want him to be here when you tell me why you’re still with mom if you don’t love her anymore?”
Craig cringed. Damn, the kid had a cruel streak. He could have waited for Craig to be gone before he started the conversation, but he clearly had reached the end of his patience.
Craig [Gilham Pack: 3] Page 3