by Kimber White
“You wanna fill me in?” I asked.
“It’s nothing,” she said, but the hives on her chest blossomed. It happened when she got angry or nervous. At the moment, Nikki was both.
I grabbed her phone before she could stop me and pulled up her recent calls. The last incoming call started with three sevens, marking it as an on-campus number.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said, taking a wild stab. “Was that Joel?”
Nikki forced another smile. It was no good though. She was freaking out. Joel Wisher was a campus police officer and nearly thirty years old. He’d been sniffing around Nikki for weeks. The guy was a straight-up creep who clearly didn’t know how to take no for an answer. He’d asked Nikki out a few times and sent flowers to our room last week. She’d been as polite as she could be turning him down. Nikki’s reaction now got my blood pumping. Joel had been a nuisance, sure, but Nikki looked terrified.
“Hey,” I said, touching her arm gently. “Don’t lie to me. That was Joel, right? How did he get your number?”
The second I asked, the truth burned through me, and if I were prone to it like she was, I might have sprouted hives too. Joel probably had access to the student information. If he’d pulled Nikki’s cell phone, it meant he’d abused his position and invaded her privacy. No wonder she was so freaked.
“Nikki, we need to call Joel’s boss. This is not cool of him to contact you like that.”
Nikki shook her head. “Can we just forget about it for now? Joel’s harmless. Probably. You heard me. I told him never to call me again. I don’t know how much more clear I can be. He’ll go away.”
I wanted to press her to do more. None of Nikki’s rebuffs hadn’t made Joel go away yet, and this phone call was pretty bold.
“Nikki, come on. We both know what he is. God. What they all are. You can’t mess around with a guy like that.”
“Eve, I mean it.” She practically shouted it. Nikki’s voice echoed off the dorm room walls. “Just leave it alone, okay? I can handle it. I promise. I just need to get a little air. If you don’t mind, I’m going to head down to the fitness center and get in a run.”
She rose from the bed and gathered her hair in one hand. Nikki wound a rubber band around it, piling her hair on top of her head. She forced another smile and grabbed her running shoes from the corner.
“Sounds like a great idea,” I said. “Why don’t I head down there with you?”
“I’m not trying to be a bitch,” she said. “But do you mind if I do this one solo? It’ll help me clear my head so we can fill it with Psych bullshit later. That is, if you’re still willing to help me.”
I leaned back against the wall. Nikki’s hives had gone away and her smile looked genuine. Standing tall in the center of the room, she put her hands on her hips. The old Nikki was back. Maybe Joel’s call had just caught her momentarily off guard.
“Sure,” I answered. “On both counts. Have a good workout.”
Nikki didn’t stick around to discuss it any further. She slipped her shoes on and bounded out the door. As I heard her footsteps head down the hall, I went to the window. We had a third-floor room. I could see most of the quad from here.
Birch Haven College was small. It consisted of six four-story buildings made of red brick with crawling ivy up the sides. There was Camden Hall, the dormitory where we lived. The other dorm was Covey Hall. All classes took place in either Dwyer or Loveland Halls. The fifth building, housed the campus physical plant as well as the campus police. That was Wyatt Hall. Broward Hall was for all the administrative offices.
Birch Haven proper was an unincorporated town laid out like the spokes of a wheel with the college as its hub. In each quadrant, the townies lived and worked. Just two hundred students attended BHC. The sign out front said the town itself had a population of seven hundred. I don’t know where that number even came from. The streets off campus were always eerily bare.
When I first came here, the place had seemed idyllic. It was that. Each tree-lined street had clean, well-kept sidewalks with dark green grass over every manicured lawn. You couldn’t find trash on the street, not even a cigarette butt tucked against the curb. We had a bank, a grocery store, a nondenominational church, even a park tucked along the banks of Rough River. A high, circular brick wall lined the perimeter of the town. No one went in or out without the notice of the watchful eyes of the Birch Haven Police Department. The campus cops worked for them.
I felt safe here. Protected. I’d grown up in a crime-ridden neighborhood near Hazard. Drug deals happened on almost every corner at a certain time of day. Birch Haven had been like stepping onto another planet. I’d spent the first few months here expecting bad things to happen. When they didn’t, that’s when I started to get suspicious.
Nikki would be gone for at least an hour. She’d left her Psych book open on the bed. I knew she’d probably never pick it up again before the midterm. It’s how she operated.
I grabbed a sweatshirt from our closet and headed outside. Pulling the hood over my head, I headed down the sidewalk and made way toward the western wall. No one ever came out here. You could follow the trail to the park. Beyond that, the riverbanks drew wildlife and peaceful sunsets. Postcard perfect. All of it. Still, a chill went through me as I crossed Franklin Street. Three more steps and I’d be off campus.
Straightening my back, I kept on going. The town library had just closed for the day. I’d only set foot in that place once. The college provided all the books I needed. But last month, I’d grown curious about the history of this town and the college itself. What I found there was barely enough to fill a brochure.
It had been little things that unsettled me at first. I’d met no one in this town over forty years old. That alone wouldn’t have bothered me so much. Birch Haven was new. Young. Vibrant. It was the gender demographics that made my blood run cold. Birch Haven was an all-women’s college. I’d known that going in. Hell, I’d welcomed it. Once I lit out of Hazard, I didn’t want any romantic distractions to keep me from my goal. I would get a degree in something useful. I’d earn high enough grades to keep my scholarship. I’d make something of myself and never be dependent on men like my mother had been.
Oh, there were men here in Birch Haven. Plenty of them. They made up the entire police department, city council, and virtually every position of authority or power in this town. No one talked about it. Hell, as far as I knew, no one but me even noticed it.
But even that might not have unsettled me all by itself. It was something else no one talked about that set off every alarm bell I had. At first, I hadn’t wanted to believe it. But, as far as I could tell, every man who lived and worked in Birch Haven, Kentucky was a shifter.
A cool breeze picked up as I headed into the park. Dusk now, the shadows grew long. An ivy-covered trellis marked the park’s entrance along with a sign warning park hours were strictly enforced. Sunrise to sunset. Anyone caught here after dark would be prosecuted for trespassing.
Why I chose to tempt fate that night, I’ll never know. I should have headed back the other way. Maybe it was something about the way Nikki reacted when Joel called. She knew what he was. We both did. His shifter eyes had blazed bright the first time he saw her. I’d seen them narrow to two red pinpoints from across the quad when he didn’t think anyone was looking.
There was something off about this town. There was something off about Joel.
The breeze turned into a gusty wind. The maple trees ahead of me swayed; their leaves shimmied and threatened to fall. It was almost time for that too. Another autumn in Birch Haven would usher in a brutal winter. It meant time was running out.
Wrapping my arms around me, I stepped to the edge of the park. Here, two trails split off. One went straight to the water. When it was warm enough, you could rent kayaks from the Birch Haven D.N.R. For the bargain price of twenty dollars, a shifter guide would take you down the laziest part of the river and back. No one was ever allowed to go alone. That was true eve
rywhere, though it had taken me a year and two months to realize it.
No one was ever allowed to leave Birch Haven alone.
They would follow you in subtle ways. A helpful police officer picked up Marley Wentworth last week when she got it into her head to walk to the next town. They were laughing and smiling by the time he dropped her off at Covey Hall. But, I’d seen his eyes then too.
When Nikki and I were newbie freshmen, we’d taken the hiking trail right in front of me now. Nikki wanted to leave the trail to pick wildflowers. We got lost. Out of nowhere, two rangers found us and brought us straight back to the park with a friendly warning to be more careful.
Now, as the sun melted away behind the trees, I pointed my toes back on that trail. There were no cameras out here. The park was the only place in Birch Haven other than the main entrance, where the brick wall didn’t cross. Zipping my hoodie all the way to my chin, I started down the trail and didn’t look back.
I’d made no conscious decision to leave that night. If I had, I would have been smarter about it. I had no food, no water, not even my purse. In the back of my mind, I knew that would make it easier to explain. Just a silly college girl getting lost on the trail again. Harmless. Frivolous.
The woods grew denser. There was no boundary line, no natural marker to indicate where Birch Haven ended and the rest of the world began. Yet somehow, I knew. A small, gurgling creek cut into the ground. On the other side of it, the woods looked impassable.
I took one deep breath, then jumped the creek. My heart thundered inside of me. I knew I should turn back. It was getting cold. If I truly did get lost, it was dangerous out here. But maybe it was even more dangerous on the other side.
I scrambled up a steep embankment, clawing at the rotting leaves that had fallen to the ground. My pulse was a hammer blow between my temples. Righting myself, I stood up straight and started to run.
I only made it a few yards before a mountain seemed to rise up in front of me. Digging my heels into the earth, I tried to stop. It was too late. I tumbled forward and ran smack into it. Losing my balance, I started to fall. My eyes went up and up.
Of course, I hadn’t run into a mountain at all. It was a man. A shifter. His wolfish eyes pierced straight through mine, glistening silver. A growl ripped from his throat as he reached for me with lightning-quick reflexes and grabbed me before I hit the ground.
Three
Mac
I should have stayed hidden. The logical part of my brain screamed out a warning the minute she took her first steps off the trail. I felt her before I saw her. She was filled with heat and light. My wolf stirred as she got closer.
I had a fleeting thought that it had to be Lena. Why else would I be able to scent her so quickly? Of course, the moment I thought it, I knew it wasn’t her. This girl was shorter, leaner. Terror quickened her pulse as she made the decision to run.
I hadn’t meant to get near her. I swear it. But, my inner wolf seemed to take control and I found myself directly in her path. When she stumbled, I acted on instinct, reaching for her, protecting her. Electricity shot through my hands as my fingers gently closed around her arms. It ran a heated path through my veins, igniting my heart. It was as if a thunderbolt hit me dead center in the chest when our eyes met.
She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Oh, God. She was terrified. Of me.
I let her go and put my palms out in a non-threatening gesture. I wouldn’t hurt her. I would never hurt her.
“Are you all right?” I found the strength to talk. My wolf clamored to get out. I knew she could see it. Her eyes widened, but not exactly with fear. She was shocked, to be sure. But, instead of gathering herself to run, the girl straightened her back and took a step toward me.
“Am I…? Uh. I just...oh.”
She was beautiful. Her lips tightened, forming an “o” as her eyes flicked over me.
“You shouldn’t be out here,” I said, without thinking. She couldn’t know, but I meant it more for me than her. She shouldn’t be out here. She was from Birch Haven. I’d seen her earlier in the day walking with her friend, laughing. What the hell was she doing out here?
She took a step forward. The last few shards of sunlight came through the trees and lit her eyes. They were an arresting shade of green...no...hazel, with amber and emerald flecks. She had high cheekbones with a light dusting of freckles across them. Her full lips formed an almost perfect heart shape, turning down at the corners. A strand of hair blew in her face and stuck across her knife-edged nose. My fingers trembled with the urge to smooth it away.
I wanted to touch her. I wanted to know her name. I wanted to throw her over my damn shoulder caveman-style and get her far away from Birch Haven. The rumors were true. I didn’t need any more evidence. If she was here, it meant she’d probably already been chosen for someone.
The instant the thought hit me, it nearly drove me to my knees with predatory rage. No. Not this girl. I couldn’t let it happen.
She saw something in my eyes. Stepping forward, incredibly, she reached for me. Her light fingers hovered in the air a few inches from my face. She cocked her head to the side then sucked in a breath so hard her breasts heaved. My eyes went straight to them. She wore a bulky sweatshirt, but I could still make out the supple outline of her shape. She was thin, but not skinny. Wearing tight jeans, she had strong calf muscles and toned thighs.
“You’re not…” she started. “You don’t belong here either, do you?”
The question stunned me. She looked over her shoulder back toward the park on the other side of the creek. Realization slammed into me. She’d just crossed the boundary between Birch Haven and the next county over. Had she been trying to? What had she been thinking? And what might happen to her if anyone realized what she’d done? It occurred to me that this girl might be in even more danger than I was if the Chief Pack caught wind of either of us.
“No,” I said. “I’m not from Birch Haven, if that’s what you mean.”
Her neck snapped around and her eyes flashed with renewed wonder as she looked at me. I hadn’t planned what I did next. I knew I had no right, but I needed to know. I reached for her, letting my fingers brush the back of her neck beneath her honey-colored hair. I moved quickly, touching the delicate skin at the nape of her neck for no more than half a second. It was all I needed. My heart started to beat again, flooding with relief.
The girl was as yet unmarked. If she was meant for a member of the Chief Pack, he hadn’t claimed her yet. She pulled away, her eyes darkening for the first time with fear.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s just…” My voice dropped. I had no idea how to explain any of it to her. God only knew what she already believed. Any moment, she could scream, run away, or do something to alert the Chief Pack that I was here. Except, she didn’t.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Mac,” I answered, simply. Even that little bit of truth could get me killed.
“Mac,” she said once. Then again as if she were testing the sound of my name on her lips. Desire raced through me. I pushed it back, terrified of what it could mean. It couldn’t be. It didn’t happen like this, did it?
“Well, Mac,” she said, gathering her wits. “What the hell are you doing lurking around Birch Haven?”
“I could ask you the same question. Are you lost, or are you trying to get somewhere?”
The girl looked over her shoulder again. The fear running through her was palpable. It came off of her in waves. I wanted nothing more than to smooth her worried brow and tell her everything was going to be all right. I was here now. I wouldn’t let them come for her.
Except, I had no right. I had no means. This was merely a recon mission for now. Even if she wanted to leave, me taking her would draw every Pack member in a ten-mile radius. I’d never get her back to Mammoth Forest without being caught. Cold clarity washed over me. The safest thing this girl could do right now was turn around and go back the way she came.
“What’s your name?” I asked. “I told you mine.”
Slowly, she brought her gaze back up to mine. My vision tunneled for an instant and I knew my wolf eyes must have flashed. She didn’t flinch. She knew what I was.
“Eve,” she answered, swallowing hard. It cost her something to tell me, just like it had for me.
“Eve,” I repeated. It was perfect. Beautiful. Simple. Tempting.
“And that’s all you need to know about me.”
I raised a brow. God, she was fierce. She was human, but her eyes flashed with their own dark secrets.
“I doubt that,” I said, growing bolder. My inner wolf clawed at me. Her scent intoxicated me. Impossible as it was, I found myself wanting to taste her, feel her soft, supple curves pressed against me. It was dangerous to even think it. Giving in to carnal thoughts would make it easier for the Pack to scent me. Standing this close to her was madness. Except, I couldn’t help it.
“I have a feeling there’s a lot about you I need to know, Eve. But you’re not safe out here, are you?”
She wanted to tell me something. Her need to do it seemed to burn through her. But, she was scared of something. God, what the hell was the Pack doing to the women of Birch Haven? Did she know the fate that awaited her before too long? I could barely conjure it myself. Just the thought of any other wolf putting their hands on this woman damn near tore me apart. As it was, I had to focus on keeping my feet firmly on the ground. I just had to breathe. In. Out. Then in again.
“And I asked you what you’re doing here, Mac.” She took a bold step toward me. If I didn’t know better, it felt like Eve’s need to touch me burned just as hot as mine did for her. It couldn’t be though. Not now. Not here. It was just some trick. I’d been so desperate to find something out about my sister, I wasn’t thinking clearly.
“Are you looking for someone?” Eve asked. With just that one question and the penetrating stare she fixed on me, this woman seemed to lay me bare. Telling her my name had been a risk. Before I could stop myself, I took another one.