Ginger and Thyme (Kootenai Pack Book 4)

by Lynn Katzenmeyer

  Chapter Four

  The girl

  The shift back to human form was slow and painful. Once I was back in my skin, Cain handed me the clothes he’d left out the night before.

  “I was surprised to find your wolf in my bed this morning,” he said.

  My face heated. I hid my blush by dressing. The cloth irritated my skin. I tried to remember the last time I wore clothes, but it was fuzzy. It must have been before the wolf. I didn’t remember much before the wolf.

  For good reason. Now focus on the stranger

  He’s Cain, not a stranger

  If Cain was impatient in how long it took me to dress, he didn’t show it. His bright green eyes watched me with a lazy contentment. He’d asked a question.

  Right, my wolf slept in his bed. Was he upset? He didn’t seem upset. Did he know that he howled like a stuck pig in the night? Was it something he tried to keep hidden? Had I embarrassed him?

  “It was strange,” he continued, “Since my mate died, I haven't woken feeling rested. The nightmares of her are too much. I am in wolf form and she’s just out of reach. I run and I run, and I can’t catch up to her. She’s just a tail’s length away.”

  His mate died? My heart ached for him. Mates were important. I knew that. Losing a mate was the worst thing that could happen to a wolf. How was he able to smile after such a tragedy.

  “Sorry. I have a friend who’s been letting me talk through my grief. He’s always saying, ‘Cain pretending you aren’t affected doesn’t help anyone’ and he’s right. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

  I shook my head. I wasn’t uncomfortable. I just needed time to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

  “So, you got a name?”

  I shook my head again. If I had a name, it didn’t matter.

  “Well, I’m going to need to call you something,” he said, that easy grin returned to his face, “I’ve been calling you Ginger in my head because of your wolf’s fur. But-”

  “Ginger,” I tested the feel of the name in my mouth. It wasn’t a name I could remember being called. But I liked it, “Gin-ger… Ging-er…”

  “You like it?”

  I nodded and extended a hand, “N…nice to… to meet you, Ca..Cain. I’m G.. Ginger.”

  Stop stuttering, he’ll sense your weakness. It’s better not to talk at all

  Cain accepted my hand. His touch was warm and while his movements were soft, his skin was anything but.

  My heart raced at the contact.

  He’s going to trap you. Pull your hand and put you in a cage. He’s stronger. Let me out. Let me save us.

  My wolf fought to get free, but there was nothing to fear. I offered my hand and he accepted. He shook it once and dropped my hand.

  He let me go.

  This time.

  This was good. I was fine.

  “So, Ginger, how old are you?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Oh, been in wolf form that long? I tried the whole live as a wolf thing, but my wolf was too depressed to hunt and I was too stubborn to have the good sense to just die.”

  He talked about his depression conversationally. The way I’d expect him to talk about cars or what he wanted to make for dinner. Did that mean he was healed? Could he teach me how?

  “I don’t know how long I’ve been a wolf,” I explained.

  “Do you remember the year you were born?” he asked.

  I shook my head, “I don’t remember not being a wolf.”

  “Well you weren’t born feral,” he said, “Your speech gets stronger each word you say. And obviously someone taught you to read at one point or another. Do you remember your first shift?”

  I shook my head. I was so stupid. How could a shifter not remember their first shift? Their birthday? How old they were. Yet here I was.

  “Don’t stress about it,” he said, “If you don’t know, you forgot for a reason and I’m not trained to dig it up. We’ll focus on the future. How does that sound?”

  Future.

  Future? He thinks he has a future with you? He said his mate died. What do you think he did to her?

  He didn’t do anything to her. Cain wouldn’t have killed his mate. He still grieves her.

  I grieve that rabbit I killed doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy eating it.

  Shut up

  “Ginger? Are you okay?” Cain’s face was inches from mine. I didn’t see him move. I’d been so focused on arguing with my wolf.

  “Sorry, my wolf was-”

  “Oh, do you need to shift?” he asked, “We can go out back and my wolf can show yours the den boundaries.”

  See, he wants to take me out back and kill me. He can’t be trusted.

  It’s fine. Have you ever ran with another wolf?

  That’s none of your business, pup.

  Wait, you have? Why don’t I remember that?

  My wolf didn’t answer my question. Something was going on with her.

  “I think that sounds nice,” I told him, “My wolf might be… um…”

  “Asocial?”

  I wasn’t sure what the word meant but I nodded.

  “That’s okay, my wolf will be social enough for the both of ours. Besides, Ursula will want to make sure your wolf knows the rules before she’ll let you stay. And I’d like you to stay, at least for a while.”

  “You… you do?”

  He nodded, “I’ve lived here for a few years, and rogue wolves come and go. I always hope they’ll stay. I miss being in a pack, but no pack will take me after… anyway, I have to get to working or the bears will kick me out. If a polar shifter named Arcadia stops by, it’s okay, she’s safe.”

  “Polar bear?”

  He nodded and his green eyes seemed to sparkle with amusement, “She works at the DMV and when she has spare time she makes IDs for the rogues the bears take in. I’ll tell her to stop by and get you a driver’s license so you can get a job if you want one.”

  “Oh, okay, yeah, that sounds good. I’ll warn my wolf.”

  “There’s more food in the cupboards, help yourself.”

  Chapter Five

  Rosemary

  Red Rock, Arizona

  5 years ago

  My heart raced. Tonight, was going to be it. I could feel it. A lifetime of dreams were going to be fulfilled as soon as I walked through that door.

  The rented community center thrummed with the soft voices of the packs inside. A printed paper on the door indicated for the “Desert Ecology Youth Forum” to follow the arrows to the meeting. Just as the invitation indicated.

  “Rosie?” My sister was not as excited. She clung to my arm like a child despite being a few minutes older than me. We were the last of our generation without our wolves or mates. And this was the last pack social before we’d have to return to the Spatsizi pack empty handed.

  I didn’t want to go back.

  Of all the packs we visited on our mating social tour, Red Rock called to me. I could feel it echoing in my bones. My wolf hadn’t arrived yet, but she’d be here soon. I just knew it.

  Thyme, not so much. Her eyes darted around the halls as we followed the signs to the meeting room. Thyme’s hands shook against my skin.

  “You’re going to wrinkle my dress.” I tried to separate from her, but she’d cling just as hard. We reached the room. The murmur of voices was almost as loud as the music.

  Thyme stopped in front of the door, frozen in place, “What if there isn’t anyone for us? What if-”

  I spun her around, holding her shoulders so our eyes met. Looking at Thyme was like looking in the mirror, almost. I had a small scar on my hairline and her hair was pulled in a simple ponytail. She didn’t like spending extra time on her hair, which was fine. Strangers liked to know how to tell us a part.

  “Ty, look at me. Take a deep breath.”

  She nodded her inhale rattled through her entire body.

  “Hold it for four,” I counted slowly in my head, “Let it out.”

&nbs
p; Thyme nodded slowly letting the air out in a controlled gust.

  “In,” I prompted her through another round of breathing before she calmed enough to listen to reason.

  “Have you called mom yet?” Mom was the only person other than me that could get Thyme to calm down and see reason.

  She shook her head.

  “Okay, why don’t you call mom and let her know we made it safe, okay?”

  “I don’t want to disappoint them,” she finally admitted, “Dad found mom at Spatsizi, I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to end up living in the desert.”

  I’d do anything to not go back to the plateau. Thyme would kill to never leave. I lived for summer, she hated heat. I was the social butterfly, she preferred quiet nights at home. She was the yin to my yang. The peanut butter to my chocolate. The Thyme to my Rosemary.

  The stupid names birthed from my mother’s love of Simon and Garfunkel likely started as a joke, but oddly suited us.

  “What happens if we end up in different packs?” Thyme continued, “Or the same mate? What if you get a mate and I don’t? Or worse, what if I get a mate and you don’t!”

  I cupped her cheek in my hand, “There is nothing that can keep us apart okay? Your mate could be in space and I’d build a rocket to visit you if you needed me, okay?”

  “Promise?”

  I wrapped my sister in my arms, “The Moon Goddess never gives us more than we can handle. And she gave us to each other right?”

  Thyme nodded, “I bet my mate’s hotter.”

  I snorted, “Not a chance.”

  Thyme stayed in the hallway to call mom. I took a deep breath.

  Future mate, here I come.

  The room was sparsely decorated with streamers and a “Welcome to Red Rock” banner. Most of the attendees clustered around the refreshment table. There were a few couples off in quiet corners, heads bent low, the Blessing of the Moon Goddess compelling them to be as close as possible, but the rules of the human world forced their manners.

  I wanted to be one of them.

  “Hey, I’m Simon, can I get your name?”

  I hadn’t even noticed the check in table, “Oh, sorry, yeah, of course.” I babbled like an idiot,” I’m Rosemary of Spatsizi, my sister, Thyme is coming right behind me.”

  Simon grinned; he was cute. Tall, dark, and handsome.

  “So, you’re from here?” I asked as he scrolled through the sheet finding my name.

  “I am, most wolves can’t take the heat, so we don’t get a lot of visitors. This is a big event for Alpha Hill,” he said, “Dad always wants things done right.”

  “Oh, you’re the alphas son?”

  Simon winked, “Caught that, huh?”

  “Personally, I’m hoping to find my mate here. I love the heat.”

  Simon laughed, “Your opinion might change when you get your wolf.”

  “If my mate were here, it wouldn’t matter, would it? I go where he goes, right?”

  Simon stopped responding, his eyes staring in the distance, a goofy smile on his face.

  “Simon?” I snapped my fingers, hoping to continue our conversation. Maybe he could direct me towards his most eligible pack mates. But he looked like a man possessed. I’d seen that look a couple times at mixers. The wolf found his mate.

  “Rosemary, mom want-” Thyme came up behind me, her fingers grazed my arm as she tried and failed to wrap her arms through mine. She’d been intercepted by Simon, “Um… hi?”

  Simon stared at my sister like she was the only thing in the world, “You’re late.”

  “Huh?”

  He leaned closer and touched his nose to hers, “I’ve been waiting for you all my life, Thyme.”

  Thyme’s eyes flicked to me for just an instant. I gave her a wink. As soon as she turned back to him, it was like I didn’t exist anymore. The cute whelp was all over my sister. And she was just as into it.

  Lucky girl. If Thyme found her mate, maybe mine would be here too. Maybe Simon had a brother he didn’t mention. I meandered to the refreshment table, when I looked back to Thyme and Simon, they were gone.

  I made idle chit chat at the refreshment table with some whelps I’d met at other socials around the country. I didn’t need to reconnect with duds, I needed to meet a mate.

  I didn’t want to be a half a continent away from Thyme. Mom and Dad would be packing her bags as soon as Alpha Hill let Alpha Lafleur know of the Blessing.

  I eyed the room. More whelps and of age pups filtered into the room. Eyes widened; mates met. Thyme had not yet returned. Simon probably realized how much she hates large groups. Already my sister’s mate took care of her. Pack chaperones sat at a table in the center of the room, phones out ready to call their pack leaders as soon as mating bonds were confirmed. Negotiations for pack affiliation happened quickly. Mates wouldn’t be separated once found.

  A tall, broad, bearded man who looked significantly older than my sixteen approached me with intention. I didn’t recognize him from the dossier I studied before the trip and he hadn’t been at the pack chaperone’s table. He must be here for a mate. His lips quirked into a grin when he noticed me analyzing him.

  “Hey,” he said when he reached me, “I’m Angus Redford.”

  “Rosemary Willette. Are you here for the mixer?”

  “I’m here for you.”

  My heart raced. Oh, Moon Goddess, please tell me he was about to tell me I was his mate. This man looked like he belonged on the cover of a romance novel. He had dark wavy hair, dark brown eyes, and a dusting of a beard on his jaw line. His pressed dress shirt pulled tight against his arms and chest as if he’d worked out a lot since the last time he wore it.

  “Did you just get your wolf?”

  His brow furrowed, “Huh?”

  “Because you look so much older than me. And your shirt doesn’t quite fit. If you’d just gotten your wolf, that made sense. The change from pup to whelp came with crazy changes. I mean, I wouldn’t know that because I don’t have mine yet, but any day now. I was just guessing your age. You could easily be sixteen or so just blessed by the goddess in more ways than one,” I bit my lip. He was hot. I was one lucky pup.

  “Um, no, sorry, not like that,” Angus’ baritone rumbled me out of my fantasy, with a slight laugh, “I am way too old for you. It’s my brother, he’s pretty sure you’re his Moon Blessed Mate.”

  It was happening. I couldn’t contain my excited squeal. I spun searching out for my mate. My mate. “You said he’s your brother?” well at least I knew the genes were good.

  He pointed behind him, “He’s a bit nervous to talk to you.”

  “Nervous? Why?”

  I looked around Angus seeking out a younger version of him. There wasn’t one in the area.

  “Sorry he hides when he’s nervous.” Angus turned away from me, yelling into the crowd, “Julian, Julian!”

  Julian. My mate's name was Julian. Okay that was a step in the right direction. But he was hiding from me?

  A head popped up from behind the refreshment table and a much younger, wide-eyed mini version of Angus stared right at me. Thyme gets a future Alpha and I get a deer in the headlights.

  “He’s the brains of the family, not great with people. We’re real proud of him, heading to medical school in Vancouver next week.”

  Moon Blessing were rarely outside of a three-year age gap. And while I wasn’t entirely sure how old the average medical student was, I was fairly confident they weren’t between the ages of thirteen and nineteen.

  “Medical school? Isn’t he a little young for that?”

  Angus laughed, a big, deep, room-shaking laugh. He patted my back as if I’d told a joke. I allowed him to lead me to where my mate stood, still frozen.

  “Jules is almost eighteen, a total wunderkind, the Redford pack’s own Doogie Howser. He graduated college before I did.”

  “Oh, that’s nice.”

  “Didn’t think he’d find his mate tonight, that’s for sure. I’ve been coming
to these things for over a decade and have yet to find my mate,” Angus didn’t seem depressed by that statement. I knew I’d be devastated.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “Eh, I got a good thing going right now, and with Jules finding his mate, that’ll take some of the pressure off of me.” Angus crossed the final steps and wrapped his arm over his brother’s shoulders and brought him over to me, “Rosemary, meet Jules, Jules, meet your mate.”

  “H…hi,” he held out a shaky hand to me.

  My mate was nervous. Cuuuttee. Well, there was one way to make him less nervous. I ignored his hand and wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing my lips to his.

  He stood stock still as my lips moved over his. Come on, man, kiss me back. After what felt like eternity he relaxed into my embrace and opened to me, kissing me back with an inexperienced fervor. That’s fine he’s mine and I’m his now.

  “Whoa now, get a room,” Angus laughed, patting my mate on the back, knocking his teeth into mine.

  “Ow,” I pulled away covering my mouth, hoping there was no blood.

  “Sorry bro. I’m just happy for you. But we have a flight to catch.”

  Jules checked his watch, “I didn’t realize it was so late,” he turned to me, his hands gently traced up and down my arms, “Can I get your number? I-”

  “Number? Bro, she’s your mate, she’s coming with. We just have to get her luggage on the way to the airport,” Angus laughed as if Jules told a joke, “But we got to get a move on.”

  “Oh, do we have time to talk to my sister? She found her mate and,” I sought out any sign of Simon or Thyme, but they were both missing.

  “Normally I’d say yes, but we need to get a cab and get to the airport,” Angus said, “Not to worry there will be plenty of time to catch up after we get you moved in.”

  “Well I need to talk to the chaperone-” I turned, looking for the Spatsizi pack representative. The one who had my passport and room keys.

  “Already talked to her,” Angus said. He pulled my passport out of his pocket and handed it to Jules, “now hurry on.”