First Shift (The Wolves of Rock Falls Book 1)

by AJ Skelly

  Cade was waiting right inside the door, knowing I wouldn’t be long after I called, and assuming correctly that I’d want time alone with Megan.

  “Dude. Don’t ever scare me like that again,” he said as he pulled me in for a tight hug and slap on the back. I gave him a quick squeeze across the shoulders in return.

  “I’ll do my best. But it looks like we’ll be having bigger problems with these wolves down the line,” I said, my mouth a tight line as I thought about it.

  He looked me in the eye, nodded solemnly and gave me one more slap on my freshly healed shoulder, then walked out the door without another word.

  I closed the door and wriggled out of my jacket before manning up and looking at Meg. I couldn’t stand to be away from her but couldn’t stand the torture of being near her only to lose her either.

  Her eyes were wide in her face, her expression unreadable as she stood by the sink. Hands clasped under her chin, she watched me like a hawk. My mouth dried. I cleared my throat.

  “Megan?”

  Her chin wobbled. “I thought I lost you.” Her strangled whisper filled the air between us. Before I had a chance to formulate an answer, she launched herself across the small room and collided into me.

  My arms came around her as she pressed her lips to mine, shocking me speechless. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders, her body pressing into me, her lips aggressive against my mouth.

  Fire swept over me as every cell ignited, and I kissed her back. My hands slid to her waist, and I heard myself groaning as her tongue swept my mouth. Sweet mercy, I was going to explode. Our mouths worked together, knowing part of this dance, eager to learn more. With her body tight against me, I could feel her curves, and it about drove me to my knees. A quick twist, and I rotated us around so that I pressed her back against the door, my lips claiming her mouth, moving to her neck and hovering there when she gasped. Her hands slid down my chest, fisting into my shirt as I kissed her collarbone and back to her throat.

  I wanted her so bad, and my self-control was waning fast. I knew I was in serious trouble when she kissed me full on the mouth and her hands trailed down over my shirt, muscles beneath taut with emotion, to rest at the top of my jeans, her hands pulling me even closer. Wolf pushed me. I wanted her to be my mate. To stay with me. To love me. Wolf urged me again and I wasn’t sure if I could keep kissing her like this without going too far. But I wasn’t sure I had it in me to pull myself back.

  “Sam.” Her breathless voice had me needing a cold shower. I pressed against her as my lips traced their way down her jaw.

  She groaned as my hands gripped her sides, and her head tipped to the side as I kissed behind her ear.

  “Sam, stop.”

  No. No! Wolf lunged forward, my body pressing against hers once more, committing every curve to memory as I felt a tremor shake through me. I screwed my eyes shut as I felt tears prick the back of them. This was it. It was the final rejection. Her decision was made. I wasn’t enough for her. She was leaving. Pain shattered my chest as I yanked my face and hands away from her body, bracing both my arms and my head against the door with her still enclosed in my arms but no longer pressed up against me.

  My breathing was coming out in pants, and I tried to drag a deeper breath in but felt choked as her rejection washed over me in great crashing waves that threatened to take me under and never let me surface.

  “Sam,” she whispered. I couldn’t look at her. Everything hurt. My heart was being ripped out and crushed and I couldn’t look at her without flying to pieces. Wolf howled something primal inside me, and I think a whimper may have escaped. I was pathetic. I couldn’t even face rejection like a man. Shame, anger, and loss burned in the back of my throat.

  “Sam, look at me.” Her soft breath on my cheek was agony. I shook my head, sure that one look at the pity in her eyes would be my complete undoing.

  Her lips were soft on my cheek as she placed a kiss, and I felt myself crumbling. “Megan, please.” My voice was raw. Did she have no idea what she was doing to me?

  “Look at me,” she repeated softly. Her fingers grazed my face, tracing up the stubble on my jaw and to my cheek, turning my face to her. I was powerless to stop her. At last, I opened my anguished eyes and looked at her. Her gaze was kind, sympathetic, but mercifully held no pity. Something else flashed in their depths, but I couldn’t read it.

  “Sam, I’m in love with you.”

  My blood froze, and all thought processes stopped. She what?

  My mouth fell open, moving, though no words came out. She continued.

  “I choose to love you,” she whispered, her own eyes filling with tears. “I didn’t want any of this at first, but it happened. And in the midst of it all, I found a family, I found a second half of myself I didn’t know I had, and I found you. I was scared that I’d lose myself in the wolf, and never be me again, but then Wolf and I made peace, and in the end, I’d have to give up you if I want to stay human. And that’s too high a price. I love you. And even though I don’t think I fully feel the mate bond like you do, with my own free will, I will choose to love you each day from here on out. You and no one else.”

  Sparks edged my vision, and my heart started pumping again, galloping in my chest where it was momentarily frozen.

  “Megan.” My voice grated against the emotion lodged in my throat. “Are you sure?” I could have eaten my own tongue as the words left my mouth. “This is forever. And…and we’d have to—” I swallowed, hating myself for thinking it, let alone saying it. I wanted her more than anything. Every fiber of man and wolf screamed at me to take what she was offering and bind her to me forever before she could change her mind. But I couldn’t. I loved her. And as bad as I wanted her, we’d both hate me for eternity if I made any of this decision for her. I found my voice again before my courage deserted me and I let my body make the decision. “If we do this—and I want to in every possible way—there will be no going back. The full moon isn’t for a few more days. There’s still a chance you could be human. If you give yourself to me right now, the wolf bond will be sealed. There will be no returning to a different life. You’ll be bound to me forever, woman, wife, and wolf.” My mouth was dry. I had no words left. Just a desperate, wild hope that teetered on the brink of the black abyss of despair.

  Her eyes met mine and she smiled. “I’m sure.”

  A rush of air left my lungs and left me lightheaded. I couldn’t stop myself then, my lips came down on hers in a kiss that was gentle but held the promise of more to come.

  “I love you, Megan. So much,” I murmured against her lips.

  “I love you, too.”

  “Mm, one more thing,” I said as I regretfully pulled back. Meg arched an eyebrow at me, apparently not liking my lips’ absence any more than I did. I winked at her. She would like this. I dashed over to the top drawer of my dresser and pulled out what George Carmichael had given me weeks ago. It burned against my palm.

  When I got back to Megan, I hesitated. I wasn’t sure how I should do this. Plunging ahead, I dropped to one knee.

  “Megan…” I took her hand as her mouth fell open. “Will you,” I stuttered, “stay married to me?” I held out her grandmother’s ring.

  Her smile nearly split her face. “Yes. Yes, yes, yes!”

  I slipped the ring on her finger and scooped her up in a hug. It was mutual when we turned our heads and our lips met once more. It was a kiss full of promise. A kiss that quickly deepened into something much more.

  Her hands slid up my shirt, over the ridges of my stomach and up to my chest. I blissfully let mine wander, and a few minutes later we stumbled to the bed where we tumbled down together.

  It was awkward and beautiful. Neither of us knew what we were doing, and that was the awkwardness and the beauty of it. I was hers, and she was mine.

  Afterward, we lay together in the dark, content, still wrapped up in each other’s arms. Sleep came easy.

  Chapter 58

  Megan

 
The first hints of Friday sunlight peeked through the blinds and hit my eyes. I started to stretch and then smiled as I felt Sam’s arms still around me. Wolf nudged me. We were of one mind. She was here, and I knew without doubt that I could shift at will. She rubbed her head against me and gave me a wolfy grin.

  Sam stirred, his hand lightly squeezing my bare skin. He sighed in appreciation as his eyes cracked open.

  “Morning, Mrs. Wolfe.”

  I giggled. “My name hasn’t been officially changed yet.”

  “All in good time,” he replied, his fingers caressing my side. We lay still for a minute, and last night started replaying through my mind. With a sudden jerk, I bolted upright, clutching the blankets to my chest.

  “Oh no.” I gasped. “Oh no, oh no, oh no!” I wailed into the blanket, my stomach writhing with anxiety.

  “What? Megan, what’s wrong?”

  My face flamed, and I could hardly bring myself to look at him. He propped himself up on his elbow, concern covering his face. My eyes darted to his face and away and then back.

  “Last night. We didn’t…I’m not…you didn’t. Oh, crap. Sam, what if I get pregnant?”

  His face relaxed, and I wanted to slug him.

  “You won’t.”

  My eyebrows probably disappeared into my hairline. “Seriously? It only takes once. Once. You know how many times Camilla Smith had sex? Uh huh. Once.” Camilla was a sophomore and seven months pregnant.

  “No, I’m not saying that. You won’t get pregnant this time. Not from last night.”

  I gave him a scathing look. “Is there some wolf protocol that has built in birth control?”

  He chuckled. “No. But if you were, you know, ready to have a baby, I’d be able to smell it.”

  My jaw swung open, and I turned horrified eyes on him. My brain raced a mile a minute.

  “You can smell if I’m…what, in heat?” the words screeched out of my mouth.

  He collapsed back onto his pillow, a laugh working its way up from his belly.

  “Well, I never thought of it that way, but yeah. I guess so.” His blue eyes twinkled at me before I pulled the covers up over my head.

  “This is so mortifying,” I mumbled. My whole body flushed with embarrassment. He sobered beside me and tugged the blanket back from my face.

  “Seriously, Meg.” His eyes were intense and vulnerable. “Do…do you regret it?” he asked softly.

  I looked at Sam beside me. He looked at me pleadingly, unsure of himself. Love swelled in my chest as I searched his face and looked in his blue eyes.

  “Not even a tiny little bit,” I answered as I leaned over to kiss him.

  ****

  We were late for school.

  ****

  I called Grandpa on the way to school.

  “Just now getting to school, Meggie-Girl?”

  “We’re running a bit late today.” I felt myself blush. “Um, I decided to stay a wolf. To stay with Sam.” Sam squeezed my knee, his cheek lifting as he kept his eyes on the road.

  “I’m so pleased to hear it, sweetheart. Sam is a fine young man. He’ll do right by you. Your Grandma Elsie would be proud of you, too.”

  “Thanks, Grandpa.”

  “I love you, Meggie-Girl. Swing by when you have the chance. I have a wedding present for you, now that it’s official.”

  I giggled. “Okay. I love you.”

  “Love you, too, Megan Elizabeth.”

  ****

  I finally ran into Rachel before lunch. She took one look at me and her jaw nearly came unhinged.

  “You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it!” her voice, starting in a hushed whisper was getting louder as her eyes got wider.

  “And I’d prefer the entire student body not know about it,” I whispered as I dragged her down the hallway where students had dispersed. She gaped at me, words completely failing her now. I’d never seen Rachel so speechless—not even when I shifted into a wolf for the first time in front of her.

  “Was it good?”

  Laughter burst from my throat. That would be her first question. “It wasn’t like what you always think it will be—I mean, it was kind of romantic—a little frantic, but also kind of awkward. It was…” I shrugged, searching for the right word. “…sacred,” I finished, serious again. “And it sealed the deal. Not just, you know, that.”

  Rachel nodded knowingly. “You chose him.”

  “I did. I do. He’s worth it.”

  She smirked. “Should I say congratulations?” Her nose wrinkled as a smile formed. My answering one felt too large for my face.

  “I’ll take congratulations. But let’s get in line. I’m hungry.”

  “Work up an appetite, did you?” she said snidely as she poked my ribs.

  “Shut up. Seriously. I could eat a horse.”

  ****

  The day ended on a high. I floated through every class. Wolf was with me. She would be forever. But more importantly, I’d be with Sam forever. The thought made me giddy. I was his as much as he was mine. A sappy sigh escaped as I rounded the corner to the gym. Sam was there, blue eyes twinkling at me, a secret, sly smile stretching across the whole lower half of his face.

  Skipping, I went over to him, and he bent down and kissed me quick. The bell was about to ring, and he still needed to get himself to class.

  “Have fun in gym, Mrs. Wolfe.” His breathy whisper in my ear made me giggle, and I felt Wolf stretch herself out, preening for Sam. I winked at him and turned to go through the door. A squeak escaped as he gave me a quick squeeze on my backside before sauntering off down the hall.

  I continued to float into the girls’ locker room. It was practically deserted. I glanced over at the bulletin board for the sports calendar and realized that the girls’ basketball team left early today for a game over in Centerville. That meant our gym class was going to have about seven people in it, and I knew at least three of them were out, because they hadn’t been in my earlier classes. With a smile still plastered to my face, fairly oblivious to the rest of the world, I went toward the lockers at the far side of the room where it opened up to the left into showers and a few rows of long benches.

  “Oh! Shelby, you scared me.” I gasped as my peripheral caught her reflection in the mirror inside my locker. I glanced over to find her staring at me, her eyes radiating hate like I’d never encountered. “Shelby? What’s wrong?”

  She stood, the muscles in her arms bunching as her hands twisted into fists. Her nostrils flared, and I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. She raised her chin and inhaled, her lip curling in disgust.

  “He was supposed to be mine! How many times do I have to try to kill you? Why won’t you just die?” She hissed the words. I had no time to process her meaning as her face suddenly melted, her jaw jutting out and canines protruding from her gums. Her eyes sank into her head and were pushed out to the sides as ears struggled through her hair. Black fur rippled along her arms as claws swelled from her fingers.

  My mind completely blanked in shock. The moment I registered that Shelby Atwood was indeed a werewolf, Wolf took over, and I shifted within two seconds, teeth bared, hackles raised, a dangerous growl sliding through my teeth.

  Shelby’s shift was arrested, and she morphed back into her skin, her clothes still intact.

  “No! How can you—” Her eyes went from feral to fearful, and her mouth parted, a shocked gasp escaping. Her pounding heartbeat reached my ears as we stared each other down. Wolf growled again, and Shelby turned and fled through the emergency door at the back of the locker room.

  Immediately, the alarm blared to life, and I looked around, realizing my clothes were in a heap of ripped pieces, and I was standing as a giant wolf in the girls’ locker room. Shifting back as quickly as I’d become a wolf, I snatched the towel out of my locker and shoved the remnants of my clothes back in right as Coach Theobald came dashing in, her hair coming loose from her ponytail and frazzling around her face.

  “What
happened?” she asked as she swiped an errant piece from her eyes.

  “I’m not sure. Shelby just took off out the door. No idea what happened.” I hoped I sounded normal and that my voice didn’t waver as the lie slipped off my tongue.

  Coach Theobald groaned. “I’ll go page the office. Also, don’t worry about suiting up. Use today as a study hall,” she said over her shoulder as she jogged back to her office outside the locker room.

  I heaved a breath as I looked down at my blue towel clutched tightly around me. That had been far too close.

  Sam. We need to go. Shelby Atwood is a werewolf. Can you get us excused from class?

  What? Are you hurt? What happened?

  She shifted on me—she wanted to hurt me. Wolf came out to play, and Shelby ran out the emergency exit. I need to find some clothes. I’ll be ready in five.

  Already have Dad calling in to excuse us both.

  Can your dad do that? Have me excused?

  His name was added to your school file as an emergency contact when we got married.

  I rolled my eyes, annoyed that this, too, had been done behind my back, but happy for it now.

  Megan? Are you safe?

  Yeah. I’ll fill you in more once we’re on the way.

  How could Shelby hide that she’s a wolf for the two years she’s lived here?

  I’d bet every hair on my hide that she’s related to Victor.

  I’d like to sink my teeth into his worthless hide.

  I wrinkled my nose as I shook out my used gym clothes. I didn’t have anything else at hand, but at least I had a sports bra. I looked again. Ugh. I had no spare underwear.

  “Megan,” Coach Theobald called.

  “Yeah, Coach?”

  “You’ve been paged up to the office. Sounds like you’re leaving early.”

  “Thanks! I’ll be right there.”

  I jammed on my wrinkled, T-shirt that could have smelled fresher and mesh shorts and hurriedly plunged every scrap of my ruined clothes into my bag to take home. I didn’t need any more raised questions. It was a miracle no one wandered in while Shelby and I had had our fur on.