“The heat’s outrageous today,” Priscilla said as she came around with a cold carafe of water. She placed it in front of them. “Wesley, why don’t you take her to your cabin to rest her head?”
Wesley’s cabin! She was happy that she could blame her pink cheeks on the heat. “That might be nice.” She cradled Jon against her, who yawned and rested against her. It seemed as if Wesley and Priscilla were close. She felt almost jealous, except Robert, another Clan member, seemed to be with her. They were nice.
“They’re mates,” Wesley explained as they walked the wooded path, dotted with other cabins and cottages, to his place.
“Mates?” she asked. “Like married?”
He chuckled. “Sort of. It’s our equivalent of marriage. We take a mate, but it’s for life. There’s very little option for separation except for death or domestic abuse which is harshly judged by the Clan elders. The latter happens very rarely.”
She raised an eyebrow. “That’s nice. Well, humans like to get divorced as much as they like to get married, it seems.”
He shrugged. “No judgment.” He glanced at her. “Do you want to get married?”
She laughed. “My parents would love that, but I’ve never been much of a traditional girl. I think they’re disappointed since I was an only child.”
“Only child, eh? I have a younger brother, but he’s off doing his service year.”
“Service year?”
“Every Shifter has to go do something that his Chief and Elders decide upon. It can be anything from a Clan exchange with another state or country. Sometimes, it’s a journey for humility. You do it when the Chief decrees you ready, usually from ages 18-25.”
“What age were you?” she asked. She loved how broad his shoulders were as they walked together and the promise of his lean body beneath his clothes. He smelled of pine trees and mountain air.
“24,” he said with a smirk. “My Chief said he wanted me to broaden my mind, learn humility, and get my ass kicked.”
“Your ass kicked?” She held Jon closer to her, but her mouth opened in a pleased scandalized gasp.
“He sent me to train with some of the toughest fighters. We have a sister clan in Maine, who train in martial arts. It was intense. I did learn humility and got my ass kicked,” he admitted with a chuckle. He scratched the back of his neck as though he was seeing his memories before his eyes. The tree canopy above them grew quieter as they walked. “I was a lot prouder before then.”
“Wow,” she muttered. “That must’ve been a sight to see.”
“I was in better shape too.” He winked.
She threw her head back and laughed. “You’re in good shape now!”
He smirked victoriously. “Oh, you think so?”
She’d fallen into his trap. “I’ll never tell.” Then she looked down at Jon. “Although obviously, I thought that a year ago, so you can figure it out yourself.” A deliciously charged silence fell between them. Finally, a cottage came into view. She gasped.
“It’s adorable!”
“You sound shocked,” he said. “Should I be offended?”
Her cheeks grew warm. “No! I just…wasn’t expecting that.” It was adorable. A cottage at the end of the lane with large flowering trees on either side of the house. An adorable white picket fence. “It’s something out of a fairytale. Is that a vegetable garden?” she asked with wide eyes.
“You’re exactly right,” he said with a grin, opening the gate for them. “I like to be surprising.”
“Amazing,” she muttered as she followed him through the beautifully manicured yard. It wasn’t large, but it was as if he’d plucked a perfect cottage from the European countryside and placed it in rural Alaska. He opened the door without a key.
“We never lock our doors here.”
“Noted.” She followed him inside and tried not to gasp again. It was utterly enchanting. A perfect rustic escape. She wanted to throw herself on his couch, which looked buttery soft and welcoming to her tired eyes.
“I’ll show you the guest bedroom if you want to lay down,” he said. Was it her or did his voice seem a bit higher than usual? She shrugged it off, feeling the ale and expended energy demanding a nap. “They’d brought by a crib for Jon.”
“Perfect,” she said, but it was half-delivered. Her eyelids were beginning to sag. She yawned. “I can’t understand why I’m so tired.” He led her to the crib, which was situated in a hallway just outside the guest bedroom since the bedroom was a bit too cozy to fit the wooden frame. She tucked Jon in and then felt her eyelids flutter. Wesley’s powerfully frame brushed her as she took a step away from the crib. “I’m feeling so—” But she didn’t have time to finish; she was collapsing against snuggly flannel.
She inhaled as she drifted into darkness. Glorious darkness. Her bones and limbs felt so heavy. She couldn’t even lift her head. But it didn’t matter, she’d found a cozy and comfortable surface to sleep on. Something soft, but firm that smelled of mountains and adventures.
“You smell like home,” she whispered before she drifted into a perfect sleep.
Wesley
“Did you drug her?” he asked in a hushed tone into the clunky phone. All the Storm Clan households had landlines still, glorious plastic ones that were right out of the eighties. They were so easy to communicate with one another when you were too lazy to march over to interrogate your friends.
“What?” Priscilla asked. “Of course not. I mean, I slipped some love herbs into her ale, but that wouldn’t make her that sleepy. Horny…hopefully.”
He slapped a hand to his face. “You’re unbelievable.”
“Thanks,” Priscilla replied.
“It wasn’t a compliment. She collapsed against me.”
“Oh! How bold!”
“She looked drugged!” he protested into the phone, trying to keep his voice down between the gentle snoring.
“She’s a mother, Wes,” she replied with a dark laugh. “She’s exhausted. She met an entire supernatural Clan today, give her a break! You sound so worried.” She moved away from the phone and talked to someone in a low voice, likely Robert, to say, “Oh, she’s definitely the one.”
“Goodbye, Priscilla,” he said and slammed the phone down. He padded around his house quietly as the two humans slept. Had meeting his Clan exhausted them that much? He recalled his mother and father, strong and wonderful Shifters who had passed away from an unfortunate car accident, always telling him to make guests feel at home.
How could he make them feel at home? Was it a bad sign that they were practically knocked out after meeting his extended family network? He frowned, nursing a fresh bottle of ale from the fridge. Throwing himself onto his couch, he opened up a book on Shifter history. His eyes began to grow heavy himself. Before he realized it, his ale was gone, and he was slowly slipping into sleep.
When he woke, he was aware of a gentle hand on his arm. He grabbed it, his instincts acting before he could think. A gentle gasp greeted his ears as his eyes open.
“Sorry,” Natalie whispered. She looked absolutely adorable, her hair messed up and wild from her nap. “You were talking in your sleep. You look troubled. And—” She glanced at the clock. “I think maybe Jon and I accidentally overstayed.”
“Shit,” he said as he saw that it was dark outside. “Do you want me to drive you back? You can sleep here.”
“Jon is still sleeping,” she said, chewing her bottom lip. “I packed his baby bag well enough today, so we’ll be fine. But…do you think I could bother you for some dinner?”
He nearly leaped from the couch. “I’m starving you!”
She laughed softly and shook her head, her hair flying, the wonderful cinnamon smell going everywhere in his own home. “No. We ate so much at lunch, but I’m a bit hungry.”
“I’ll fix some roast beef sandwiches. Does that work?”
“Definitely.” She sat on one of the barstools around his kitchen island. “I’m not picky.”
�
�How’s your work going, by the way?” he asked as he set to work. His mother always told him that the right way to someone’s heart was through food. He was thankful that he stopped by the baker today for fresh bread. “And do you mind mayonnaise or horseradish? I usually do both and some onions.”
“No to the mayo, yes to the radish and onions. Work is fine. It’s a bit boring, but I like it.” She smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. “It’s great work if you’re willing to pay attention to the small details.”
“Oh yeah?” he asked. He laid out the bread and began cutting the fresh loaves with a large knife. “What kind of details?”
“Well, my work is all about small measurements. Milligrams, if it’s something like a metal or a nitrate. It’s interesting. There’s so much hiding in water and soil.”
He grinned. “You must’ve been quite the stunner in your high school, enchanted with chemistry and driving all the nerds wild.”
She laughed. “I was the nerd.” She shook her head as though remembering something funny from that time. “I learned how to dress myself and talk to boys after high school. None of the boys were worth the trouble, anyways,” she explained.
“Not for you.”
She blushed, and he enjoyed smelling the heat coming off her body. Warmed cinnamon. He held back a secret grin. Humans never really knew that they carried such signature scents, like a unique perfume for each person.
“You weren’t a nerd,” she said. It wasn’t a guess. He shook his head.
“Not at all. I should’ve read more. I like reading now,” he said. “At the Clan, I did my service year with, we had to meditate all the time. I used to think it was so boring at first, and then I got used to it. I started reading a lot more there. About my people’s history.”
“Maybe you can tell Jon when he’s older,” she said. His heart throbbed painfully. When could he tell him that? Natalie could leave next year after her work was done…
“Maybe I could.” He presented their finished sandwiches to her with a flourish. “Ta-da!”
She smiled, and she kept smiling throughout the night. They brushed against one another as they got ready to leave after Jon woke up. Wesley’s arms, powerful and full of Shifter energy, were begging to hold her. But he held himself back and buried the beast within.
When he dropped her off, she hesitated at her door. Something flashed within her eyes. Something desperate. But she said nothing and only gave him a quick hug.
“Thank you for today, Wesley.”
Gods, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her. He sat in his truck for a moment, debating marching back into her house and throwing her against a wall.
No. He’d caused enough chaos in his life. He took a deep breath and started the truck.
Natalie
Natalie had nearly kissed him. Well, in her head, she had. The moment where they said goodbye. She’d thought about throwing her arms around him and tugging his lips towards her.
She pressed a hand against her warm face, enjoying the coolness of her fingers. It’d been two weeks. She and Jon had been busy. He was waking up at night to fuss, his cries sometimes becoming howls in her dreams. Her work was producing strange results which she had to go over while Jon slept fitfully.
She breathed in, trying to remember Wesley’s smell. He was on a short trip to another part of Alaska. Helping another Clan or an extension of the Storm Clan. She pressed her cold fingers against her forehead. A headache was brewing.
Before he left, Wesley told her to call him if she needed anything. She didn’t need anything really. She wanted to call to complain, to invite him over for dinner. But what happened if she actually did kiss him this time? It would change everything. She sighed and glanced out the window. The night came sooner as Alaska crept into October.
She was about to pull away from the window when something caught her eye. Movement on the horizon. She held her breath as the shapes began to come into focus. Wolves. Storm Clan wolves.
There was one leading the pack. Her heart beat heavily against her chest. She tiptoed outside on the porch to watch them. Was it her imagination, or did the leader turn his head towards her? Wesley. But she couldn’t be sure. She inhaled, trying to summon the smell of mountains and pine needles.
A loud cry sounded inside. Jon had begun to cry. She tore herself away from the beautiful sight and went back inside. Her head felt woozy. She picked up her son and tried to cradle him, but her arms felt weak. Her eyesight jumped as she sagged against the crib. The headache was here, pounding.
A sound caught her attention. A wolf’s howl. Jon picked his small head up off her chest and gave a fearful cry. The last thing she remembered was a wolf stalking into the nursery and then mountain air and strong hands.
“You have a fever, Nat.”
--
She awoke among soft blankets and blissfully fluffy pillows. Her head ached, and her mouth was dry.
“She’s up!” A voice cried next to her. “Here, have some water, Natalie, please.”
Her eyelids fluttered open. Her gaze darted around the room. “Jon.”
“He’s fine,” came the voice, and a hand eased her back onto the pillows.
“There was a wolf,” Natalie said in a hurried voice. She suddenly realized that it was Priscilla next to her. The Shifter woman smiled.
“Wesley. He found you. You and Jon have a small virus, we think. That’s probably why you were so tired last weekend.”
“Where are they?” she asked. “Jon and Wesley.”
“Jon is sleeping in Wesley’s room. Wesley went out to fetch some good soup from the Medicine Woman of our village.”
Natalie leaned back and sighed in relief. “Thank you.”
A sound came from the entryway, and Priscilla smiled. “I’ll let him feed you.” She floated away before Natalie could protest. Wesley stalked in with a pot in his arms.
“You’re up,” he said with a blissfully relieved smile. “I’ll grab you a bowl.”
Her stomach growled in response, and she sank beneath her covers. He laughed and went to put the soup up, coming back with a bowl on a tray. He helped her grab the glass of water next to the bedside.
“Lots of fluids,” he said. “That’s what the Medicine Woman said.”
“How did you find us?” she asked weakly, her voice cracking. He helped her sit up against the pillows.
“The little pup cried out. He’s gonna be good at howling,” he said with a crooked grin.
“Jon?” she asked in disbelief. He helped her with the large soup spoon. “You don’t have to feed me!”
“Ha, alright. And yes, Jon. I promise.” He chuckled. “I have a feeling he’ll be able to turn into a wolf, for sure.”
“Oh goodness,” she muttered worriedly and shoved a spoonful of soup in her mouth. She couldn’t remember anything tasting so good as that soup tasted at that moment. She moaned at the pleasure of it and then remembered he was there. She slapped a hand to her face and shook her head. “Sorry for that.”
He smirked. “Don’t feel sorry for anything. Get some rest. The midwives will take care of Jon.”
“Okay,” she said and sipped her soup. Other things were occupying her mind now.
She was going to kiss this Shifter again. The only question was when.
Wesley
Cinnamon Red stayed over for more than the one night. She was currently taking a hot bath, suggested by the Medicine Woman, in a special mix of herbs. Herbs that evoked delicious feelings as Wesley smelled them from the kitchen. He gritted his teeth. Unbearably delicious feelings for the human woman. He sucked in a breath, imagining her in the tub.
The young pup was still with the Midwives. Natalie had regained nearly all her strength. She would return to work and to her station tomorrow with Jon. Wesley’s heart battered against his ribcage like a wild run. With his sensitive hearing, he could hear her, sighing and sinking into the water. It was torture.
Worse, he’d smell something lately on Red. Somet
hing wonderfully naughty. Teasing. But every time he went to catch her eye, she was staring off into space somewhere. He was almost positive that she was thinking of him. Until the cold voice of reason reminded him that Natalie was a busy human woman who might be moving on after a year.
His ears perked up as he heard the bathroom drain. He pretended to be cleaning as she came out with a towel around her hair, wringing it dry. She was wrapped in his cuddly, plaid robe. He swallowed hard. The top of the robe was loosely affixed, showing a hint of cleavage.
“You ok?” she asked as she glanced at him. Something was flirty in her stare, the tilt of her chin. He swallowed again and thought about replying coolly. But the wolf inside him opted for something else.
“No,” he said gruffly. His nearness made her senses spin.
“What do you mean?” Her soft voice elicited a strong tremor of desire in his body, unlike anything he’d ever felt before. Him, a retired playboy, lusting after a human woman in his own bathrobe. The mother of his child, the wolf inside him reminded him.
And the wolf intended to get Natalie back.
She blinked her doe eyes.
“There’s an air between us,” he bit out. “And I don’t want you to leave after a year.”
She sucked in a sharp breath between her barely opened mouth. “What are you saying?”
He paused and stared hard at her. “Do you ever think about that night at the hotel?” He enjoyed her visible shiver. It was so violent that one of the edges of the robe sloped downward, exposing her naked shoulder. He gravitated towards her like a magnet. She shivered even more, which his ego enjoyed immensely. Her bare flesh teased him, the robe getting dangerously close to exposing other things.
He brushed his fingers on her exposed shoulder. Her mouth opened, her jaw slacks as he leaned down.
The Baby Shift- Alaska Page 3