by Kamryn Hart
“I-I don’t know,” she whispered as she looked down at her boots. Shame. He sensed shame.
Max decided not to press. He moved his free hand to her back and guided—sort of forced—her into the bathroom. He walked her to the sink and trapped her against his chest and the sink. He turned on the tap and made sure the water was the perfect temperature before putting her hand under the steady stream. He gently washed all her fingers on one hand and then went for the other. He could feel Ava’s fluttering heartbeat through her back and into his chest. She wasn’t fighting against him anymore, but he was afraid that if he didn’t act like a wall to keep her here, she’d dart away from him. God, and he still had a wicked boner, but that wasn’t what this was about. He wanted to take care of her. He wanted to make sure her fingers were allowed to heal all the way this time. Maybe if they healed and there were no more scabs to pick at, she’d be able to curb this habit.
After her hands were clean, he grabbed a couple paper towels and dried them thoroughly. His touch was light. He was determined not to make her hurt any more than she already was. The constant shake in her hands had him worried.
“I’m putting more of that ointment on your fingers and then I’m wrapping them up,” he told her.
“W-why?” she asked in barely a whisper.
“So that they’ll heal faster, and maybe the bandages will remind you not to pick at them.”
“You don’t have to.”
He didn’t have to what? Take care of her?
“I want to,” he said. His words were followed by a slight growl. He wasn’t angry, but his wolf and human sides were connected on a high of emotions.
“There’s no reason to fuss over me,” she insisted.
Max turned her around to face him and cupped her cheeks in his hands to make sure she looked him in the eye when he said, “Of course there is. And I don’t mind. I want you to be comfortable in Moonwatch. The shifters here are good people. They won’t hurt you. They’ve been doing their best to help me for two months even though I’ve made it really damn hard on them because I never cooperate. They haven’t given up on me. They won’t give up on you. I won’t give up on you, and I’m not going to stop fussing.”
Wow, did he really just say all of that? He clenched his teeth, afraid of what Ava would say in response. He meant every word, but wasn’t it too much all at once?
To his surprise, she smiled. It was a small, shy smile, but it was there. Her eyes were glossy with the threat of tears. He sensed relief from her. Pain too. The pain stretched far and wide. It was rooted deep inside of her.
“Ava,” he said her name softly, uncertainly.
“Thank you,” she said. “No one’s ever done anything like this for me before.”
Max cocked his head, confused, but he didn’t press for more. He needed to get her patched up and then he was going to take her to breakfast. As he wrapped her fingers up tight, he said, “If Nick tells you guys to shift in class today, tell him you have to wait for your fingers to heal.”
“You make it sound like you aren’t going to be there,” she commented.
“I’m not.”
“Why? You’re an Awakened Wolf too, right?”
Max grimaced. “My wolf doesn’t play well with others. I get solo classes.” Well, he did. He hadn’t gone to classes or let his wolf out once since he almost killed Nick a week ago. He still didn’t want to let that side of him out either. For now, his wolf was okay with that. He was allowing it. The wolf would never go away, though. Today, the idea of accepting his wolf didn’t seem so bad. Since Ava arrived last night, something inside of him changed. He was calmer, more himself—his whole self. Wolf included.
One thing at a time.
When Max finished bandaging Ava’s fingers, wrapping them up in gauze so she wouldn’t be able to pick at them so easily, he asked, “How do they feel?”
“Better than they ever have,” she said with a shy look up at his face.
Max grabbed a pair of gloves peeking out of the bag on her bed. She hadn’t worn them yesterday because the fabric probably agitated her fingertips. Now it wouldn’t. He took her hands and slid the gloves on, careful with each finger. Her cheeks were a constant deep red. Her arousal was thick in the air. The moment he stopped touching her, she grabbed his hand. He didn’t know how much more of this tension he could take. His body had never ached so much, and that stupid Lunas Sigil on his thigh was burning its way into his flesh.
“What’s up?” Max asked like a dumbass, like he didn’t know.
Ava pressed her forehead into his arm as she continued holding his hand. He tried to stop a helpless sound from escaping his throat, but he did a miserable job of it. She was pressing herself again him, allowing him to feel her body. It didn’t matter that she was dressed in layers of warm clothes. She was being vulnerable in front of him, touching him when she drew away from him in fear last night.
“How are you so warm?” she asked.
He could ask her the same thing, but he didn’t. “We should get going if you want breakfast before class.”
Ava nodded, her face burning red. She let go of Max’s hand and followed him out of the motel. Max shoved his hands in his pockets so he wouldn’t get any ideas.
The cafe wasn’t too far away, and Max’s Volvo was gathering dust in Boise, so walk was what they did. It bothered him when he saw Ava shiver, though. He slowly took his hand out from his pockets and wrapped an arm loosely around her, resting his hand on her waist. She didn’t pull away. She snuggled closer to him and they fell into step easily.
Mate.
Max ignored the thought. She wasn’t his mate. They weren’t married. He hadn’t claimed her.
The rest of their walk was quiet, but the warmth between them spoke volumes.
The cafe was busy this morning like it was most mornings. All the guests in Moonwatch ate here regularly for breakfast and many of the residents did too.
“Hey, you two,” Willow greeted them with a big smile. She liked working at the cafe whenever she got a chance to. It was her regular job before becoming one of Nick’s Betas.
“Window booth?” she asked.
“Like always,” Max replied.
She led the way to a secluded booth in the corner of the cafe. It had a great view of the rest of downtown. Max always ate breakfast alone, but he liked watching outside, seeing what everyone else was doing. Seeing their smiles. Maybe he did it to torture himself with his own loneliness.
“The usual?” Willow asked as she held out a little notepad with a wolf on the cover.
Max nodded his head. “Yep.”
“What about you, Ava? Need a minute to look at the menu or do you want to leave your meal up to me?” She winked, brown eyes sparkling.
“I don’t have much money,” Ava said quietly.
“I’ve got you covered,” Max replied.
“Even if he didn’t, we could open a tab. You’d pay us back by working for a while.” Willow shrugged. “It’s pretty laid back here. It’s not like we don’t have enough to share. We’re providing for all our guests.”
Yes, Moonwatch was small, but they didn’t lack for anything. Blue Pack had become self-sufficient generations before. Max was paying for everything because his pride wouldn’t allow anything less, but it was nice Blue Pack could provide for Awakened Wolves who weren’t as well off financially as he was.
“O-okay,” Ava said uneasily. “Pick for me.”
“You got it.” Willow flitted away, weaving through the busy cafe with ease.
An awkward silence settled between Max and Ava. Neither one would look at the other. Max forced his eyes to the window while Ava stared at her lap. The hair on the back of Max’s neck prickled as he thought about her picking at her fingers again, so he tore his gaze away from the window and watched her instead.
“I’m not picking,” she said like she could tell what he was thinking. “I almost did, but then I touched the bandage and I remembered.” She ran her hand across
the burgundy colored wood table separating them. “I like how all the buildings here look like a set. The woodwork is so pretty. I like the wolves carved in places you wouldn’t expect.”
Max was intrigued by the architecture when he first arrived too. Every building was made with so much care. It extended to the motels as well. No building was complete without burgundy wood and wolf carvings. It was a tradition through and through.
“Yeah, they put a lot of heart into their home,” Max said. “Everyone’s united here, working toward the same goals. It’s nice.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Ava told him.
“Me neither.”
Willow returned in what seemed like no time at all. She had two plates of steaming hot food on a tray as well as two mugs of coffee. She set everything down with a grace Max had never seen in a human woman.
“Enjoy!” she announced, walking away almost as soon as she came.
Ava’s eyes were round like marbles. “This looks delicious.”
Max had to agree. She got a pastry that looked a lot like a croissant drizzled with chocolate. She had some hash browns on the side as well as some bacon and eggs. He had his typical stir-fry chock-full of four different kinds of meat.
“Ahhh,” Ava exclaimed as she carefully picked up her sweet pastry. Her eyes were as big as a kid’s in a candy store. Max was wearing a grin. He couldn’t help it. She was too cute.
Her cheeks reddened again when she caught him grinning at her. It was then he noticed the shake in her hands as she took a careful bite of the pastry. Max grabbed her fork, scooped up some eggs and held them out to her. She set down her pastry and gave him a questioning look.
“Take a bite,” he said.
Her face turned so red Max had to stifle a laugh. He talked in a soothing voice, “Nothing to worry about. No one’s looking. It’s just me and you.”
Ava’s lips quivered. Max thought she might turn down his offer to feed her, but she surprised him by slowly wrapping her lips around the fork and claiming the eggs he dished up for her. She chewed quietly, never taking her eyes off him. The way her eyes dilated got to his dick, but the way she shyly smiled at him warmed his heart. He never felt this way about anyone before. Not even Lizbeth, the woman he thought he wanted to marry.
He wanted to get to know Ava. He’d be her friend and make her as comfortable as possible. It didn’t seem smart to try to jump into anything more too fast. It couldn’t be that easy to move on. Could it?
Just as they fell into step on their way to the cafe, they created a smooth rhythm here. Max dished up her food, she took small bites. It was silent, but this was a comfortable silence.
“Your food is probably cold,” Ava told him after he fed her everything but her pastry. She picked up her pastry and took another delicate bite out of it as if to show him she could feed herself just fine. Holding a fork was just a little bit of a challenge with how her hands trembled in pain. Pain. Max hated that she was in pain. He’d take it away in an instant if he had the power to.
He proceeded to scarf down his food so he wouldn’t keep her waiting. He’d walk her to the Alpha Den and then go to Julie’s. Okay, fine. He probably knew exactly what she was going to tell him, but he needed to hear it from her anyway. He would try to deny it. One more time at least.
He was already losing the battle.
Maybe Julie would tell him Ava was his Fated Mate, and he would be able to accept it. The more time he spent with her, the closer he was to her, the more he felt like being with her like this for always was what his future entailed. He wanted it. He admitted it. He felt good around her. He felt whole. His wolf was calm, and every time she looked at him he got these crazy flutters in his stomach. His wolf side had already decided. He decided Ava was his the moment he laid eyes on her. The wolf side was being patient. The human side of him was coming around.
Chapter 8
MAX WALKED AVA TO the Alpha Den, the largest and most spectacular building in all of Moonwatch. To Ava, it made sense. It was the home of Blue Pack’s Alpha. Being Alpha of a wolf shifter pack was like being a king. And there was another reason for the extravagance. The building was meant to stick out so the Alpha was easy to find.
Ava tensed when she saw the Alpha, his mate, and some other wolves she had yet to meet gathered around him. Ava glanced at Max. She had been resisting the urge to hold his hand, but no more. She snatched his hand away and held on tight. She needed to feel his warmth. He said he wasn’t going to be a part of the class. She would have to part with him now. He had given her the best morning of her life. He made her forget about why she was here. She desperately wanted to hold on to that for a while longer.
“Everything’s fine,” Max told her as he gently squeezed her hand. He didn’t act surprised that she grabbed his so suddenly.
“Do you have to go?” she asked.
“Yeah, I have to go, but you’ll be fine. Great even.” He scratched the back of his head with his free hand and tilted his gaze away from her. “And I’ll see you later.”
Ava looked at the wolves gathered together. She imagined them all as lifeless puppets, property to be sold off to the highest bidder. She looked back at Max and tried to imagine the same thing. A sick feeling settled into the base of her stomach. How many of them would she hurt before the White Wolf claimed her life? She wished he would come and get it over with already.
For the first time in her life, she wanted to rebel. She didn’t want to hurt these shifters like Beatrice told her to. She wouldn’t be able to keep the distance she had learned through the years. The screaming would get to her. It would hurt her. It would kill her before the White Wolf came to take her away.
Reluctantly, Ava let go of Max’s hand. “I’ll see you later.”
He nodded his head in confirmation, gave her a little nudge with his hand on her back and turned to walk away. He held up his hand in a slight wave and then shoved his hands into his pockets. She watched him, unable to tear her eyes away. Her mouth formed the words, “Come back,” but they were given no voice.
“Ava!”
Slowly, Ava turned to face the other wolves. Gwen was waving her down with a soft smile on her face. Ava took a deep breath to steady her nerves, and then she walked up to Gwen. Her legs felt stiff like her joints were frozen.
“Good morning,” Gwen said. Her voice was as warm as it was last night. It was the same kind of warmth Ava heard when mothers talked to their children, but she had never had a mother, or mother-to-be, talk to her in the same way. It terrified her, and at the same time, she savored it.
“Good morning.” Ava gave a little nod of her head and glanced at the Alpha. He nodded back. “Max told me I shouldn’t shift today.” She held up her hands for emphasis. It was great she had an excuse not to shift because it was the last thing she wanted to do. It was harder to control the crazed wolf when she was the one on the inside.
“That’s fine,” Nick said. “I’m not shifting either.” He pointed to a wound on his neck that had come a long way in healing, but it still had jagged marks and tears. It was still an angry red. It reminded her of the mark she saw on Max’s neck, but Nick’s looked much worse.
“Hey, so everyone’s here,” the Alpha called. Any chit-chat died out as if on command. “We’re starting with a verbal lesson today because it’s important to understand all this stuff before jumping right into shifting.”
Ava was doing her best to at least pretend to pay attention to the Alpha by watching him, but her eye caught sight of a snowy owl circling above them in the sky. He looked elegant flying through the softly falling snowflakes, like he belonged there. She squinted to get a better look. Something about that owl was strangely familiar. When he landed on the roof of the mansion, she got a better look at him, but she still couldn’t place that feeling of familiarity. He stayed perched on the roof, studying all of them, her included, with eyes like gold plates. Ava forced her attention back to Nick.
“A few months ago, I was a damn i
gnorant Alpha,” Nick said with a huff. “My mate set me straight, though.” He wrapped his arm around Gwen. “Blue Pack used to be closed off from everyone else, and Gwen opened my mind to the possibility of there being more.” He chuckled. “And there’s a lot more out there than I ever dreamed. Even concerning wolves. I’m going to teach you everything I know about being a wolf, but there’s more out there than I can teach you. I’m still learning too, thanks to Trinity. Trinity is the largest group of shifters I know, an alliance of all types of shifters. They’re good people. They helped my pack about a month ago without expecting anything in return. They’re open to answering any questions and happy to serve. If you think Blue Pack isn’t suited to helping you, I can recommend you to Trinity. Got it?”
Everyone seemed to bob their heads up and down in unison.
“All right then.” Nick cleared his throat. “Since I was a pup, I was taught to respect the Moon because it chose me, my people, all of you. We are what we are because of the Moon. While that’s true, I had no idea the Moon had more than the Wolf under its care.” Nick looked right at the snowy owl perched on his home. “Cedric is a Moon Shifter, too.”
Whispers broke out and Ava’s skin went clammy against the cold. Cedric. Cedric Snow? The guy who went missing when he was supposed to inherit his family’s fortune by taking over the Crystal Caverns, ridiculously fancy and overpriced hotels located throughout the United States. Ava shuddered. It was him. That was why she recognized the owl. She was the one who captured his soul. She was fairly confident he didn’t and wouldn’t recognize her. Taming a shifter, breaking their spirit and reassigning their free will was a traumatic experience. So traumatic, his memories of her might not be intact. She had never prayed to any god, but right now she was praying to the Moon that Cedric wouldn’t out her. She wanted a little more time with Max. Just a little more. Then she would accept the White Wolf.
“All shifters are under one of the Celestial Trinity. The Moon, Earth, or Sun,” Nick continued. “Aside from giving us the power to shift, their magic is unique. The Moon’s power is called Lunas. The Earth’s is called Terros. The Sun’s is called Solsis. We’re gonna focus on the Moon today since it’s the deity I know the best and the one most applicable to us since we’re all Moon Shifters.