Wolves at the Door

  As Zack and I entered the huge warehouse, my eyes found Gina right away in her bright red gown. What was she doing there? Shouldn’t she be at an A-lister party? Searching the crowd, I found Alura too. I tried telling myself it was a good thing; it would give Zack and I more fuel for our imminent public quarrel. Still, it bothered me to have them there. Gina for obvious reasons and Alura because she was exactly the kind of girl he needed — beautiful, sweet and the same species as him. Unlike me.

  “Zack, I’d better not catch you dancing with anyone but Autumn,” Maya warned, appearing at our sides and giving him the evil eye. “Do you hear me? I still haven’t forgiven you for dancing with that slut earlier.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he answered solemnly, a smile teasing the corner of his mouth. “I’ll get started on that right away.”

  As he led me to the dance floor, I caught Gina staring at us. She looked way too smug. Whatever her scheme of revenge against me, it was already in motion. It had to be. And it wouldn’t be long before I knew all about it. Once Zack and I “broke up,” she’d be even smugger. Just great. I reminded myself again that our fight wouldn’t be real and he’d still be mine.

  Thinking about the impending doom wasn’t helping my mood. I needed a distraction. After a quick check around the room and seeing that Alura was too far away to sense the energy from our silent exchange, I asked Zack, What did you mean earlier tonight when you asked Alura if she’d been assigned yet?

  He raised my arm over my head and twirled me. Every newly matured female werewolf gets assigned to a pack and a mate, once they finish orientation.

  So if she’s been a werewolf for any length of time, she’s engaged or married? I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Alura was still at the other end of the room.

  Yeah. If she were married, she wouldn’t be allowed to leave her husband or the pack for more than a few days at a time. He held me a little closer and pressed his lips to my forehead.

  A fast song kicked up so we took a break from the dance floor to get refreshments. I spied Alura heading our way.

  “Great party, huh?” She smiled.

  As much as I didn’t want to like her, I couldn’t help it. There was something so genuinely nice about her. Exactly the opposite of Gina.

  “Yeah, John really pulled it off,” I said.

  Zack slung an arm around my waist. “What brings you here? I thought maybe you’d go to one of the cooler parties.”

  She grinned. “I thought this was the cool party. You guys are here, right?”

  “You should sit with us.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. What was I thinking? I glanced at Maya who was looking at me like I’d lost my mind for bringing in a fifth wheel — and a hot one at that. But I already knew hanging out with another werewolf was the worst idea ever.

  Alura accepted, choosing a seat on the other side of Zack. Maya quickly warmed up to her, asking where she was from and how long she planned to stick around. Soon, we were all talking like old friends, but I hadn’t forgotten that Alura might be the catalyst to end my ideal life with Zack.

  I wondered how our new relationship would weather the outside interferences once we were “single.” Would Alura view him as a prospect? I knew she was engaged, but she seemed too casual about being away from her fiancé who had been assigned to her. Maybe she didn’t love him. How easy would it be for her to fall for someone else?

  “You ready for another dance?” I asked Zack.

  “Absolutely.” He grinned. As soon as we got to the center of the room, the tempo changed and everyone slowed. “Perfect timing.” He flattened me against him and buried his face in my hair.

  I concentrated on the feel of his arms flexing around me, the warmth of his body, his musky scent, and the way he held me close on the dance floor with his cheek against mine. Everyone else fell away and it was just Zack and me. Peace settled over me and for the first time since we’d left Zack’s house earlier that evening, I forgot about shape-shifters, werewolves or ex-friends plotting revenge. I was just a girl, dancing at prom with the boy I loved.

  † † †

  In the early hours of morning, long after prom ended, we dropped Maya off, then me. I said good night to Trevor, gave Zack a quick kiss, and climbed out of the limo. I intended to go to their house shortly, but I had to dress down first. Sneaking into Zack’s room later would give me practice using his bedroom window so I wouldn’t get caught doing it after we “broke up.”

  After changing into some sleep shorts and a tank, I sprinted over to Zack’s. Under the cover of a bush close to his room, I watched Mac and Cara’s window. Likely, they were asleep, but that’s what I’d thought before and been spotted. No shadows moved beyond the curtain, no whispers, and I could hear their steady breathing.

  Even if one of them woke, it didn’t matter. I had no intention of anyone knowing I was there. After shifting into a raccoon, I crept the several feet to the window. I waited on the ledge, my tiny paw scratching on the glass.

  Zack lifted the window and I squeezed through the opening, shifting as soon as I hit the floor. I stepped into his arms and laid my head on his shoulder. Running his hand over my hair, he rubbed his chin against my cheek. You always take too long to get here.

  The way he touched me made me feel so… loved. I had a powerful urge to tell him I loved him. But I restrained myself.

  I was thinking… Zack said, leading me to the bed. Maybe you should start eating meat again. If you’re satisfied, it might be easier to kill a werewolf without eating him.

  I crawled under the covers. So… you think if I weren’t denying myself, I’d have more control?

  Maybe. He scooted onto the bed and snuggled up against me. It’s something to consider.

  The meat thing is intense. I don’t want to deal with that craziness every single day. I turned on my side to face him. Using your logic, though, maybe we need to make out more so you have better control. You’ve been slipping lately, not that I’m complaining. I rolled over on top of him and snickered.

  You’re not very helpful. He suppressed a laugh and pushed me off.

  I giggled quietly, taking my usual position with my head on his chest. So what’s with the werewolves arranging marriages? Kinda behind the times, aren’t they?

  Yeah. They’re technologically advanced, but King Mortimer has been ruling forever and hasn’t changed much over the centuries. Neither have his subjects. Women are still property with almost no rights and they’re told who to marry.

  A thousand years of that crap. I don’t understand why the women don’t rise up against the system. I turned over and faced the other way, taking his arm with me and slinging it over my waist.

  The majority of werewolves have been around for centuries, Zack replied. The newly turned ones are outnumbered and much weaker. They don’t stand a chance. And the rare born werewolf like Alura would be raised to think just like them and wouldn’t know any different.

  Why do you think Alura was born and not turned?

  Because she mentioned Renzo being her uncle. I guess that doesn’t necessarily guarantee anything though. Zack scooted closer against my back, making me grateful to the guy who invented spooning. He deserved a medal. If you think about it, werewolves aren’t that different than humans. People had slavery less than a hundred and fifty years ago and women only got the right to vote in the last century, right?

  There goes any hope I had of shape-shifters being seen as equal any time soon, I said.

  I’m glad I wasn’t exposed to their way of thinking. Although it’d be a lot easier if I was more like them. Both of us would be safer. He softened the sting of the words with a kiss at the nape of my neck.

  It’s fascinating how you talk about werewolves as they and them, like you’re not one of them.

  I’ll never be one of them.

  No, you won’t. Maybe one day when the women are free, shape-shifters will be too. My lids closed against my will.

  Thank you for tonig
ht, Autumn. I had a great time.

  † † †

  Feather-light kisses rained down, caressing my cheek, my forehead and lips. I squeezed closer to the warmth, wrapping it around me along with the comforter.

  Autumn, time to wake up.

  I tried to quiet the voice in my head, but it wouldn’t obey.

  Autumn!

  Opening my eyes, I saw Zack. “Good morning,” I whispered.

  Time to go. The sun will come up any minute. He yanked at my covers.

  Blanket thievery. Brutal. I blinked and sat up, nodding.

  We’ll meet later, okay? It’s our last official day as a couple, he said. I definitely want some time alone with you before the big fight.

  See you soon. I planted a quick kiss on his nose and hopped out of bed to make tracks for home.

  My entire house needed a good scrubbing and I was desperate to do laundry. As I gathered my dirty clothes, my thoughts drifted to Gina. She’d tried to hook up with Zack before the dance, and he’d made it clear he wasn’t interested. By now, she had to accept nothing would happen between them. But maybe she wasn’t trying to snag him. Maybe she just wanted to cause enough friction so we’d eventually break up.

  Come Monday when she realized her wish had come true, would she still hold a grudge against me? And how hard would she pursue him now that he was supposedly single? She didn’t stand a chance of winning him over, but I’d want to smack Gina as she tried.

  Zack’s reactions to me yesterday proved his control wasn’t always perfect. I wondered again how far he’d gone with Gina when they’d dated weeks ago. Could she have tempted him to go as far as she’d hinted? I couldn’t think about the answer without wanting to pluck out my own eyeballs.

  Autumn?

  Zack, where are you?

  We can hear each other a block away. Cool.

  I smiled to myself. Yeah, pretty handy. What’s up?

  We need to arm wrestle, but it has to be in private. Your house is perfect.

  Lip wrestling sounded like so much more fun. Sure. When?

  I’m running some errands for my mom, then I’ll stop by. Do me a favor and have some real clothes on when I get there?

  I chuckled. See you soon.

  ~~~

  Chapter Fourteen

  Our palms locked against each other, elbows braced on the table as we mentally prepared ourselves for battle.

  “One…,” Zack said. “Two… three.”

  I drove my hand toward his. As if frozen in time, neither arm moved. He put more force behind his push, nudging my arm backward and I matched it.

  “Are you going to cry uncle?” he asked, after several moments of a standstill.

  “Ha! You’re just trying to distract me so you can avoid a beating.”

  Zack chuckled, which opened the door for me to gain on him. My arm budged an inch in my favor. “It was nice seeing Alura last night,” he said. “And Gina.”

  I lost my inch of momentum and ended up at our starting point. “You’re a shark, just like your mom.”

  “Yep.” His muscles strained against my arm. “I don’t think either of us will win this one.”

  Though my energy waned, more power simmered just below the surface. Maybe he’d give up before I did. Or not. “Shall we call it a draw?”

  Zack nodded and released his grip. “The older we get, the stronger we are.”

  “Yeah. So?” I tilted my head, wondering where he was going with it.

  “I wonder if we inherit our parents’ strength. You know, if the parents were ancient, would you be stronger than a shape-shifter with younger, weaker parents?”

  That made sense. Food for thought anyway. “You never read anything about that in your books?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  I mashed my lips together as I contemplated this new theory. Abruptly, he stood and tugged on my hand, one side of his mouth curving up mischievously. He slowly brought my arm up to drape over his shoulder then clamped onto my hips and yanked me against him.

  Uh-oh.

  He bent toward me but instead of kissing me, he nuzzled my neck. A web of tingles swept over my skin and I shivered. I dragged his mouth to mine and opened. His hand slipped under my shirt and his hot fingers on my bare skin woke me up from my Zack-induced haze. Obviously, Zack’s will power had completely deserted him. If he went any further, I wasn’t sure I could stop either.

  I flattened my palms against his rock hard stomach. “As tempting as this is… no. We need to go.” I backed away, turned and snatched up my purse before darting outside.

  He joined me on the front porch, grinning. “Once again, you saved me from myself.”

  I groaned. “Yes, well, it’s not easy. What are we doing today?”

  “I was thinking of a museum. There’s an arboretum just a few minutes from here, if you’d prefer that.”

  “The arboretum sounds good.” I beamed.

  † † †

  We held hands, ambling through the narrow paths past the exotic plants and the scents of fragrant blooms wafting up to invade my senses.

  “What exactly does your mom have?” I asked.

  “Autoimmune disorder.” He glanced at me, then faced ahead again, veering around a boulder. “Her body attacks itself. She takes suppressants to calm her immune system, but they leave her open to getting sick easily.”

  “That’s why she’s weak and stays in bed?”

  “She’s weak because over the years, the various illnesses have damaged her heart and lungs.”

  “I feel so bad for her.” I stared at the sidewalk as the cracks in the concrete passed under my feet.

  “Me, too.” He stopped, interlocking his fingers with mine and bringing the back of my hand to his lips. “She’s doing better, even up and around, since the antibiotics.”

  “That’s great. So much improvement in just a couple days.”

  “The last few weeks have been rough, but she’s not usually in bed all the time. It’ll be a while before I lose her.”

  “Which means you’ll stay here as long as she’s alive.” I gazed into his deep green eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck. When a couple and two children squeezed by us, I was vaguely aware we were blocking the trail.

  Zack averted his eyes. “Charles talked to the king’s people, which means it’s too late. I’m already on their radar. They’ll send someone else for me, Autumn. I’ll still have to leave when school is over.”

  “Yeah.” I dropped my arms and turned.

  He followed my lead, continuing our walk through the rows of plants. “I wish I had better news, but we need to be realistic.”

  “Let’s get something to eat,” I said, changing the subject.

  † † †

  When we’d seen everything at the arboretum, we walked the nearby streets of the quaint little town of Montrose, occasionally poking our heads into gift shops. Zack asked me about the places I’d visited and I regaled him with the stories of all the states I’d lived in — all but Hawaii, Alaska, and a handful of others.

  “It’s strange how much your parents move around. Almost as if they’re running from something,” he said.

  “Avoiding werewolves maybe?” I raised a brow.

  He shrugged. “You’ll never know until you find out. After today, we won’t be spending as much time together. You’ll have a chance to snoop around.”

  “Yeah… I guess we won’t be hanging out together if we’re broken up.” I stopped and stared unseeing through the window of a novelty item store. It wasn’t just about pretending we were only friends — we’d actually have to stay away from each other in public.

  “I can still hang out with my cousin and you’d hang out with Maya. So at school, for instance, we can sit at the same table. If our break-up fight isn’t too ugly, no one would think it was strange, right? If anyone asks, we could say we get along better as friends.”

  My chest pinched and I forced a smile. “It’s a great plan.”

  “It’s
a terrible plan,” he said. “But we don’t have a choice.”

  “Yes, we do. Let’s just skip the breakup and take our chances.”

  “And if we get caught by Alura and her uncle, then what?” he asked, his voice low. “You think we’d be as lucky next time? At least this way, we still have our nights. That’s better than death.”

  “Yeah, a lesser of two evils,” I whispered, a dull ache taking up residency in my chest.

  We sensed a presence at the same time and looked discreetly toward the end of the block. Alura headed our way with her uncle Renzo. As usual, she looked stunning, the skirt of her white sundress swishing around her thighs. He didn’t exactly look like a hobo either in his snug T-shirt and black jeans.

  Zack nodded toward the door of the store. I smiled and waved to Alura, then went inside. Moments later, the door creaked open, then shut. They’d followed us. Knowing Renzo would talk telepathically to Zack, I looped one arm through his and picked up a purple glass paperweight with my free hand.

  You seem to be missing a supervisor, Renzo said silently.

  Zack pretended to examine a picture frame. What makes you think Charles is missing?

  He hasn’t checked in with his supervisor for a couple days. Scouts don’t leave their recruit, especially without informing anyone. Something’s up.

  Charles and I spoke on Friday, but not since. Zack set the frame down and meandered down the aisle. I stuck close, wanting in on every silent word.

  Let’s assume the worst, that he’s dead, Renzo said. His absence would be noticed and there would be an inquiry into his death. And he’d be replaced by at least one more.

  That’s up to King Mortimer. I’ll just do whatever I’m supposed to, Zack said.

  And that’s what you want? Renzo asked. I would’ve loved to see his expression. But since I wasn’t supposed to be aware of their conversation, I let my gaze wander the shelves and pretended to be oblivious.

  Of course. My life is about joining a pack. Why wouldn’t I want that, to be with my own kind? Zack paused to pick up a figurine. “See anything you like?” he asked me.

  “Not so far,” I answered.