by Lori Drake
He should’ve expected the question, but Chris shifted his eyes to the window for a moment before answering. Why not, indeed. On one hand, the trip could be just what they needed to sort things out. But if not… it’d simply be miserable, and he couldn’t tell her why. Anger and heartache tied his stomach in knots.
“Christopher?”
He must’ve been taking too long to reply. Chris dragged his eyes from the window. “Because my life has been turned upside down, and for the last two days, all I’ve wanted is to get back to living it. Maybe you’re right. Maybe a fresh start will be good for me, but I’m not running away from my problems.”
Adelaide studied him for a long moment, then nodded. “Very well. Samuel will go with her.”
Chris bit his cheek to keep from smirking. She’d get no pushback from Sam.
Adelaide stood, and Chris rose automatically in response. Rejoining him on the other side of the desk, she linked her arm with his and steered him toward the door.
“I know you’re going through a lot right now, Christopher. But this really will be a good thing for us. For all of us.”
He hoped she was right.
5
Three months later
Chris arrived in Seattle on a Thursday. Despite the novelty of being somewhere he’d never been before, his heart was heavy. Emma’s sentence had been handed down less than forty-eight hours prior, and he was still processing. One year wasn’t much in the grand scheme of things, but the idea of his gentle-hearted friend spending it in a state penitentiary was troubling at best. At least she’d be safe. He hoped.
Despite Jon and Sara’s continued reassurance that her downfall wasn’t his fault, they couldn’t deny that he’d played a part. Hell, he’d been the one to suggest setting up the bank account in the first place, ignorant of just what it might mean if Emma was caught impersonating him.
On top of it all, he was more than a little anxious about reuniting with Joey. There was more distance between them than ever; they’d barely spoken in months. She’d spent most of that time in Seattle with Sam, handling the myriad details involved in relocating the whole family. Would she even bother coming to the airport to greet him? Did he want her to? Shouldering his carry-on, he scanned the sea of waiting faces as he followed Jon and Sara to baggage claim.
Sam was easy to spot; his close-cropped auburn hair stood out in the crowd. Chris’s eyes tracked downward and found Joey standing next to Sam with her fingers tucked into the back pockets of her jeans. She too was searching the crowd, but hadn’t spotted him yet. He watched while she rose up on the balls of her feet and back down again, a restless movement mirrored in her roving eyes.
Then it happened, as inevitable as the slow march of the seasons. Their eyes met across the crowded space and he smiled in spite of himself. She smiled back, but there was a hesitance to it that made his chest tighten. Adjusting his grip on his carry-on, he shifted his eyes elsewhere.
Chris hung back while Sam and Joey received Jon and Sara, but he couldn’t avoid Joey forever. After a hearty handshake from Sam, he found himself face to face with her.
“Long time no see,” he said, unsure how long they’d been standing there looking at each other but certain it was awkward.
Smirking, she swatted his hand aside and stepped up to hug him tightly. Trying to keep the surprise from his face, he hugged her back with his free arm.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she said, holding on longer than necessary.
“Me too?” He wasn’t sure what to make of this development, which was probably why it didn’t occur to him to push her away. Holding her was easy; it was holding on to her that was the rub. And letting go… he wasn’t sure he’d done that yet, and her warm reception rekindled feelings he’d spent the last three months trying to bury.
Hand in hand, they followed their siblings to the baggage carousel.
“I heard about Em’s verdict. It sucks,” Joey said.
“Yeah. If you could’ve seen her during the trial, though… she was so brave.”
“She’s stronger than I ever gave her credit for, that’s for sure. I’m sure Jon did the best he could, but a year?”
“A year is good, actually. Could’ve been worse. With good behavior, she could be up for parole in a few months.”
“Then what? He knows where she is. It’s only a matter of time before he comes for her again.”
He glanced down, meeting her eyes briefly. The concern he saw there brought a smile to his lips. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were worried about her.”
Joey snorted softly and blew a lock of hair out of her eyes. “Of course I’m worried about her. She’s my friend.”
“You’ve been distant with her. Hell, you didn’t even go to the trial…”
“Are you done?” Joey asked, releasing his hand. “I’ve been busy, okay? I don’t need a guilt trip.”
Chris winced. Not even five minutes, and they were already fighting. Sort of. “I wasn’t trying to give you guilt, I’m just saying… you know what? Never mind. Jon says that once she’s out, she can relocate as long as her parole officer knows where she is. She might even be able to get a transfer out of state approved. She could move up here.”
“That’s probably not a good idea. Wherever we are is the first place he’ll look.” Joey stuffed her hands in her pockets, eyes forward. “Hell, it might even be better if we don’t know where she is.”
“Better for whom? Her or us?”
“Both.” She darted forward to claim his bag, ending the conversation at least for the moment.
He decided not to pursue it further when she returned. They waited for the rest of the bags in silence.
The blast of cold air that greeted him as they stepped outside came as a shock. It’d been sunny and sixty-five when they left San Diego, but the sky over Seattle was cloudy and gray and the air was easily twenty degrees cooler. At least it wasn’t raining. Grateful that Sara had reminded him to bring a jacket, he slipped it on and zipped up before they headed for the car.
The ride from the airport to the house took over an hour. Chris spent most of it gazing out the window in silence, crammed into the backseat with Jon and Sara. He got his first glimpse of Mt. Rainier along the way, though its snow-capped peak was shrouded by low-hanging clouds. Their path tracked north and east, out of the city and away from the volcano but toward the North Cascades. Chris couldn’t help but crouch down and crane his neck to peer up at the impossibly tall trees that dotted the landscape. The needled evergreens were the tallest trees he’d ever seen, and the view took his breath away more than once.
Chris knew very little about the location that’d been chosen for the family’s new residence. He’d seen pictures of the house itself, but nothing more. In truth, he’d been avoiding it. He still felt like the whole family had been uprooted because of him, no matter what they said about it being in everyone’s best interests.
The road narrowed as it ascended into the mountains, winding its way along the curves in the landscape. By the time they turned off onto a private drive, they’d reached an elevation where snow lingered on the ground and dusted the tall trees. Chris turned his focus forward with interest, and soon the house came into view. It looked more like a mountain lodge than a home, with its cobbled stone edifice and towering chimneys, sprawled across the snowy landscape like something out of a brochure. Could something so remote and private be said to have curb appeal? If so, it had it.
“You expecting company?” Sam said, and Chris finally noticed the car parked at the top of the drive. It was an older-model Camaro with peeling and patched paint, rusty wheel wells, and a broken taillight. A man leaned against it, smoking a cigarette.
“No, but apparently company was expecting us,” Joey replied, chuckling.
Something in her voice gave Chris pause, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He studied the stranger through the window as Sam pulled the car up alongside the parked Camaro. The man was tall and thin, broad-
shouldered and muscular beneath his thick winter coat. While the car pulled up alongside him, he stubbed out his cigarette on the car’s fender. Chris winced. Even the old beater’s shitty paint job didn’t deserve that.
Joey was the first out of the car once it rolled to a stop. She threw open the door and hopped out quickly. “Hey! Is something wrong? I told you I’d…”
The door swung shut, cutting off the rest of her words along with whatever reply was made, even to Chris’s sensitive wolf ears. He opened his own door and climbed out, shivering as the cold air blew across his neck. He closed the door, turned his collar up, and tucked his hands under his arms as he caught the end of what Joey was saying.
“…not trying to hide them. But as long as you’re here, you might as well meet them.”
“Great minds think alike,” the man said before turning his attention to Chris. When he did, his eyes widened and he rocked back on his heels. “Holy shit, you must be Chris.”
Chris’s brows lifted. His eyes tracked from the stranger to Joey and back again.
“Chris, this is Eric. Alpha of the Granite Falls pack,” Joey said.
“Ah. Nice to meet you.” Chris stepped up to offer a hand, which Eric shook firmly. Too firmly. Chris tightened his grip in response, locking eyes with him.
“Likewise.” Eric released his hand and stepped back, looking him over. “Man, you’re just the spitting image of your pops. He was a great man.”
“Uh, thanks,” Chris said, and tucked his hand back under his arm. He wasn’t sure what else to say, so he lingered there awkwardly while Jon and Sara came around from the other side of the car to be introduced. He’d known that members of his birth pack might still be around Seattle, but hadn’t expected to bump into any quite so soon.
While introductions were made, he observed the interactions between Eric and his family quietly. In his relatively short life, Chris had encountered a rare few people with whom he’d had an instant connection—people he’d instinctively liked from the moment they met. This was not one of those times. Maybe it was the way Eric’s smile was just a little too wide, or maybe it was that the congenial expression didn’t quite reach his eyes. Whatever it was, it set him on edge.
“It’s nice to meet you all,” Eric said, once introductions were done. “I just wanted to drop by and invite you to a little shindig we’re having down at the lake tonight. A little ‘welcome to town’ party. Come as you are, nothing fancy.”
Joey winced. “Tonight? I wish you’d said something, Eric. Mom might have something planned already.”
“She doesn’t.” Eric grinned and wound an arm around her waist, pulling her against his side. “I asked. Loosen up, baby doll.”
Joey shot Eric a look, but held her tongue. Chris’s eyebrows couldn’t possibly have climbed any higher without merging with his hairline. His stomach twisted in knots as unwelcome thoughts sprang up like weeds in the garden of his mind.
Sam cleared his throat, and Chris tore his eyes away from Joey and Eric. His eldest brother stood nearby with a suitcase under each arm and in each hand. “Can we sort this out inside? It’s cold as a well digger’s ass out here.”
Everyone chuckled at that, even Chris. Eric, however, laughed like it was the funniest thing he’d heard in days.
“Ha! Gotta remember that one,” he said, once he’d recovered enough to do so. “Anyway, I’ll leave you to your family reunion. I don’t want to intrude.”
“Thank you for the invitation. Maybe we’ll see you later,” Jon said, and withdrew, moving toward the trunk of the sedan. Sara went with him, leaving Chris standing there awkwardly for a moment.
“You’ll be sorry if you miss it,” Eric called after them. “There’ll be a live band and everything.”
“I thought it wasn’t anything fancy,” Chris said.
Joey rolled her eyes, lips twisting in a smirk. “It’s his band. Trust me, it’s nothing fancy.”
Laughing, Eric pulled Joey closer and leaned his head down to murmur, “I’ll show you something fancy later.”
It was one of those things a person wasn’t normally meant to overhear from several feet away, but Chris’s keen ears picked up every word. Eric met his eyes from afar, and his smirk said he knew it.
Joey gave Eric a playful shove. “Get out of here. I’ve got better things to do.”
Was it just Chris’s imagination, or were her cheeks pinker? His jaw tightened and he turned away, but not before the image of Eric leaning down to claim a kiss was burned into his brain.
Eric couldn’t leave fast enough, as far as Joey was concerned. Forcing a smile, she lingered outside until he pulled off down the driveway, lifting a hand to wave before heading for the house.
Of course he’d shown up. She hadn’t specifically asked him not to—that would have been suspicious. What she had done was mention how much she was looking forward to spending time with her family now that they were finally all together again. Was it too much to expect him to take a hint? Apparently, yes. As if it weren’t bad enough that she had to pretend to like the guy, she had to do it in front of Chris without giving him a heads-up.
Joey blew out a breath and pushed inside, where she found everyone still crowded in the foyer. She unzipped her coat and wiped her feet on the mat inside the door while the others finished exchanging hugs and greetings.
“It’s so good to have everyone together again,” her mother said. “Let’s adjourn to the library, shall we?”
A general murmur of assent followed, but as the family started to migrate in that direction, Joey caught Chris’s arm and held him back.
“We’ll be right there,” Joey called after them. “I just want to talk to Chris for a minute.”
Chris extracted his arm and arched a brow, but held off on comment until the others were out of earshot. “What’s up?”
“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know Eric was going to show up. I wanted to tell you—“
“It’s fine.” His flat tone belied the words.
Joey winced and put a hand on his arm. “Just let me explain…”
He shrugged off her hand and shook his head. “You don’t owe me an explanation. It’s your life, do what you want.”
“That’s where you want to leave it?” She pressed her lips together and frowned at him, fists on her hips. The concern she’d had for his feelings swiftly evaporated when annoyance flared.
“It’s… where it has to be, I guess. Come on. We should catch up.”
Joey ground her teeth as he walked away, swallowing a growl. He wouldn’t let her explain. Sure, she could have forced the issue, but that wasn’t the point.
Fine. Think what you want, you infuriating man-child.
She caught up with him when he stopped in the archway the rest of the family had disappeared through, probably uncertain where to go from there. Joey stalked past him and led the way. The library at the lodge wasn’t as impressive as the library at the house in San Diego had been, but that was in part because it was bigger, and even with all of the books unpacked, there were still some empty shelves.
The only one to look their way when they entered was Ben. The youngest of Joey’s older brothers caught her eye and arched a brow. She shook her head slightly and mouthed “later” as she prowled over to a wing-backed chair and flopped onto it.
Jon cleared his throat once everyone found a seat. “Well, now that everyone’s here…” he began, reaching for his wife’s hand. “We have some news to share.”
Joey straightened in her chair, studying Jon and Sara with sudden interest. The breadth of Jon’s smile and the pretty blush his bride wore suggested one very interesting development.
“Holy shit. You’re pregnant!” Joey blurted, incapable of restraint in the excitement of the moment.
Jon shot her a “thanks for stealing my thunder” look, but Sara just laughed and nodded quickly.
“Oh! That’s wonderful!” Adelaide rose and walked over to stand in front of the happy couple. She leaned down
and took Sara’s face between her hands. “Congratulations, my dear. Did you hear that, Reginald? We’re going to be grandparents!”
Sara’s pale cheeks flushed a deeper shade, but her smile couldn’t be dimmed. She stood and let her mother-in-law wrap her in a hug.
Truth be told, Joey was somewhat surprised. She’d thought Sara might be unable to conceive. After all, Sara was closer to Sam’s age than Jon’s, and she’d been married once before. The lycanthrope fertility rate was fairly low on the whole, but the odds weren’t that bad.
Joey hopped to her feet and ran over to hug Sara too, not bothering to wait for her mother to finish. Sara laughed, and an air of joviality lingered in the room long after the hugging and shoulder-clamping ceased.
“My goodness, I don’t think I have any news that could top that,” Adelaide said, once everyone migrated back to their seats.
“I passed my first round of EMT exams with flying colors,” Ben supplied, but even he probably knew it didn’t come close. Nonetheless, murmurs of approval abounded.
“Really?” Chris said. “I had no idea you were interested in thrilling heroics.”
Ben grinned, lips peeling back in a Cheshire Cat smile. “It’s a great way to meet cute firefighters.”
Joey laughed and shook her head. “Like you need to meet cute firefighters now that you’ve got Brandon.” She said the name breathily and batted her lashes like the pesky little sister she was.
Chris’s brows lifted. “Brandon, eh?”
“You’ll meet him eventually,” Ben said.
“Is he…?” Chris asked, tilting his head.
Ben grinned. “One of us? Yeah.”
“Speaking of which,” Joey said, then cleared her throat and transferred her attention to her Alpha. “Eric’s throwing a ‘welcome to Seattle’ party.”
“Mmm, yes,” Adelaide said. Her lack of surprise confirmed that Eric had indeed spoken with her about it. “I think I’ll pass. I have to be up early in the morning, and I doubt it’s something I’d enjoy anyway.”