Chapter Thirteen

Table manners aside, things were the same as always. And after a meal that tasted a lot better than I expected, Bree and Jackson wrapped up the leftovers and headed home. Bree promised to return later that afternoon, but Jackson was her priority. If she had to call and cancel, at least now I knew why.

After everything she’d said about loyalty to her brother and watching them interact earlier this morning, it was easy to see that if anyone ever hoped to court Bree, they’d have to court her brother as well.

I didn’t mind Jackson, so at least I had that going for me. As for the wolf they’d run off the property and the potential threat to my life, I was still trying to wrap my head around all of that.

I’d love to think he wouldn’t enter my home, but that was before I realized he was a shifter and could easily open the front door all on his own. To say I was a little nervous was an understatement. Seeing a wild animal in your yard is one thing, but the thought of it getting inside the house is something else altogether.

So I cleaned.

Starting in the kitchen, I slowly made my way back to the bedroom. It was surprising, I realized, that even after Jackson’s fit in the middle of the night, the damage to the room was fairly minor. Sure, there might’ve been a broken lamp on the floor, and the bedsheets may have been hanging off the edge of the bed, but all things considered, the room was unscathed.

No doubt he’d done more damage to himself than anything else.

“It’s a good thing wolves heal fast,” I said as I leaned over to pick up what was left of the lamp from underneath the window.

Of course, that was something else I couldn’t quite understand. I might have been basing my knowledge of werewolves on what I’d read in my books, but the fact that Jackson needed a shaman to help him heal was out of the ordinary. Either that or all of the fiction in the world had gotten it wrong.

In fact, aside from their strength and ability to shift, Bree and Jackson didn’t act immortal at all. Hard to kill, maybe, but not supernatural. Not in the way I’d envisioned the creatures in my books.

It was one of the many things I’d have to ask Bree about later. After I finish with this room.

By then, maybe my mind would be more focused on the mysteries behind how they shift instead of the rogue wolf that was probably still out there patrolling around my yard.

I could only hope.

 

 

As promised, Bree arrived shortly after lunch. Her brother, however, did not.

“How’s Jackson?” I asked as she joined me in the living room.

Removing her coat, Bree offered me a watery smile. “Resting, thank god. He’s antsy, so he’s been shifting in and out all morning. The rest should do him some good.”

“What if he wakes up?” I asked as I settled on the couch. “Shouldn’t you be there with him?”

“He’s in a familiar space,” she assured me, following my example while leaving a cushion of space between us. “He won’t freak out. But enough about my brother. How are you? We were so focused on him earlier that I didn’t even bother asking how you were doing. I’m sorry about that. I’m just so used to tending to him first.”

“As you should,” I said with a quick nod. “He has injuries that need looking after. I was only a little freaked out. Not by you, but by that rogue or whatever he was.”

“Rogue is a good word for it,” Bree agreed. “I know you said you’ve seen wolves interact on your app, but how much do you really know about shifters?”

I offered her a partial shrug. “Mostly what’s written in books.”

“Meaning fiction.”

“Pretty much.”

“Forget all of that. Forget the phases of the moon, silver bullets, and natural healing. That’s more of a history rather than our reality. We’ve evolved throughout the years the same way humans do. We adapt, change, and find better ways of dealing with things.”

“Like injuries.” It wasn’t a question, and looking at her then with only kindness in her eyes, I knew it was the right answer. “Why did you need a shaman? If you’ve adapted, shouldn’t those old healing powers still work?”

“Under the light of a full moon, yes. Otherwise, only the strongest alphas and Silverbacks could survive. The alphas can only heal themselves, whereas the Silverbacks can share their gift with others when needed.”

“Doesn’t that tax them somehow?” Magic always has a price.

“It has its price,” Bree said with a nod, “but fortunately for us, we’ve done plenty of work on the side to gain an additional visit from one of the local healers.”

“How many are there?”

“Five. It might sound like a lot, but out here, it’s less than we’d prefer.”

“So if that shaman wasn’t available—”

“We’d be having a completely different conversation right about now,” Bree finished for me. “Jackson’s injuries weren’t life-threatening. Not initially, that is. However, if left untreated by someone other than myself, the infection from his bite would’ve spread. I suppose I could’ve contacted one of the witches we’ve met, but their price is a lot higher than I’m normally willing to pay.”

“And what is that?”

“Our soul.” This time, she smiled, completely letting me in on the joke. “Witches are real, but they’re hardly a threat and aren’t much use to us at all. Think of them as humans with complex chemistry sets. They’re still too young to fulfill our needs or the needs of any other supernatural.”

“Which is why you evolved to have shamans.”

“Exactly. That isn’t to say we don’t have some form of rapid healing when compared to that of a human, but it isn’t instantaneous. That’s where the Silverbacks come in.”

“No healing overnight, huh?”

“Not unless we get lucky and it’s a full moon, which it almost never is.”

I didn’t doubt it. “That other wolf, the one that was in my yard, do you think he’ll come back?”

“No.” She sounded so sure of herself, I almost believed her. “He wasn’t after you, but when you crossed paths, he decided to size you up. You see, this entire area, all the way from the east side of our home and halfway down the hill into town is our territory. It’s a lot of space for a pack as small as ours, but it’s been in our family for as long as I can remember. Of course, this means we spend most of our time checking the border for intruders or others who might want to push us out.”

“By fighting?”

“For some who don’t have the funds, yes. However, most of the fighting we do over our territory involves money. The strongest pack in the area has been after our land for years, but so far, we’ve been able to pay them off.”

“So, not only do you have to pay for your land to the local officials, but you need to pay an opposing pack as well? That sucks.” I couldn’t even begin to imagine the toll that amount of stress might have on one’s body.

“I know it’s hard to understand, and I’m not even going to try and explain why this scrap of land is so valuable to us, but we cannot leave. We won’t leave.”

“At the risk of sounding way too nosy, just how much do you owe?”

Bree took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “More than we can afford. It wasn’t too bad a few years ago, but because packs no longer fight one another wolf against wolf to avoid unwanted attention from the humans that live in the area, we had to improvise. Money seemed like the best alternative.”

“And now?”

“Even if we did decide to fight the other packs in our pelts, there are only two of us while there are a dozen of them. We’d get forced out of our territory either way.”

“And you’re sure that rogue isn’t part of that larger pack?”

“I doubt it. He didn’t look familiar. His smell was off as well. He’s probably just a scout for another small pack looking to expand or move into the area, neither of which will happen so long as my brother and I are here.”

“I’d offer to help,” I began, “but I have a feeling your wolf is too proud to allow it.”

“You’d be right,” Bree said with a warm smile, “but thank you for the offer. We’ll get through the season. We always do. This one’s already paid up, but someone will be around in the spring for another. By then, we should have more than enough saved up to get us to the summer.”

“Living paycheck to paycheck. I’ve been there before. The stress can overwhelm you.”

“I’m aware, but I assure you, we’re fine.”

I wasn’t convinced. However, not wanting to get between her, her brother, and the other packs, I let it go. Besides, there were other legal ways I could help, starting with repairs to the barn.

“Do you think once Jackson is well, you’d be interested in taking care of the barn?” I asked after giving it some thought. I’d played with the idea before, and now, I was sure of it.

“Carley—”

“What? I was going to have you do it anyway, remember? I know I could just tear it down to make a garden, but if I do, I’ll still need to hire someone to take everything down and remove all of the debris. There’s also the rot along the one corner of the house that needs looked at, and the tank behind the house that heats the water should probably be replaced. I don’t know if you can do that, but—”

She took me in her arms and gently kissed me on the lips, silencing any other words that may have slipped out. As soon as I leaned into her, she parted my lips with her tongue, deepening our kiss as she drove her fingers through my hair.

In the back of my mind, that small voice insisted this was wrong or that we were moving too fast. However, even as Bree pulled back to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, I didn’t leave her embrace. In her arms, I was warm. Safe.

And I’m not about to leave anytime soon.

The chores, the repairs to the house, and everything outside Bree’s territory could wait. All I needed, all I wanted was right inside the rancher, slowly stroking my hair as I listened to her breathe. To her heavy heartbeat and even breaths.

“You don’t breathe like a wolf,” I said to her as well as myself.

Bree chuckled, then dipped her head so she could meet my gaze. “Am I supposed to?”

“I don’t know. I guess I thought your heart would beat faster.” Instead, it beat as though nothing was going on at all.

“It can,” she admitted, sitting back as she held me in her arms, “but it’s rare. It usually only happens after a long run. Our lungs are stronger and our hearts are much of the same. But don’t you think for a second that just because my heart doesn’t beat as rapidly as yours that you don’t affect me just as much. Because you do,” she said, tilting my head back so she could kiss me on the lips again. “More than you could possibly know.”

My heart skipped at her words as heat filled my cheeks. “I think I have a pretty good idea.”

“Do you now?” Her voice was so low, I barely heard her. “And tell me, what does your heart say?”

“That this is right. That I enjoy your company.”

“Enough to join me on my next trip into town?” When I drew back, she smiled. “It’s kind of stupid, but there’s this dance of sorts they hold every few months. It’s usually a good excuse to get Jackson out of the house, to mingle, work up new customers and such like that, but there’s also great food and free beer if you’re into that sort of thing.”

“And the dancing?” I asked, doing my best to hide the anxiety in my voice.

“Completely optional,” Bree said without missing a beat. “I just figured since we haven’t been on a real date, it might be a good place to start. Not only that, but it’s about time you soaked up some of the local culture. Especially if you plan on staying here long.”

She gave me a pointed look, then smiled, pushing my anxiety away. She didn’t just want me to go to the dance with her, she wanted me to stay. Not just for a few weeks, either.

“I guess one dance couldn’t hurt.” I managed a small smile. “But I should probably warn you. I’m a terrible dancer.”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to be terrible together.” She pressed her forehead to mine, then gently cupped my face with her hand.

“When is this dance?”

“Friday night.”

I stiffened, pulling away from Bree while doing everything in my power to force back the nausea in my throat. “This Friday night?” That’s only two days away.

Two days wasn’t nearly enough time for me to prepare. Not for a first date and certainly not if she expected me to dance.

“Relax,” Bree soothed as she laced her fingers with mine. “I’ll be with you the entire time.”

“And what about Jackson?” Will he be okay? He was still healing, so surely—

“He’ll be thrilled to hear he doesn’t have to go.”

“If that wolf comes back while we’re gone—”

“You let me worry about the rogue and the other packs. I’ve been dealing with the likes of them for years. A night out won’t change anything.” Then, stroking my cheek with the backs of her fingertips, she said, “Let me be human for just one night, then I promise to go back to my old brooding self.”

“I didn’t say you had to do that,” I said, leaning into her touch, “but wouldn’t it be better if we stayed here? I could make dinner.”

“As much as I enjoy your cooking, I think we both could use some time away from home, don’t you?”

I wanted to argue. I wanted to use her brother as an excuse. However, looking at her with warmth in her eyes, I agreed.

“I’ve been cooped up in this house long enough.”

Bree perked up. “Then it’s settled. I’ll make sure Jackson’s occupied for the night, then swing by here around six. The dance doesn’t start until seven, but by the time we get into town—”

“It’ll be pretty close. Oh, if it helps, I could cook something for Jackson. That is unless he requires fresh kills.” I winced at the words.

“A warm meal would be fine. I’ll drop by town later this afternoon to grab a few things, then bring them here if that’s okay.”

“That’ll be fine.”

“Until then,” Bree said as she took my hands in hers. “Try not to worry. Jackson and I have been through this a bunch of times before. It comes with the territory. Literally.” She was trying to make light of an uncomfortable situation, and for the time being, it worked.

At least enough for me to walk her to the door, then the worries kicked in again.

“Relax,” Bree said, stepping in front of me when I looked far across the property. “I’ve already scouted the area. Whoever he was, he’s long gone by now.”

“Says the woman who can turn into a wolf whenever she wants.”

“I can,” she agreed, “but it’s terribly exhausting, so I’d rather not. Everything will be fine. You’ll see. Once Friday night rolls around, you’ll forget all about the wolf and be more focused on your feet.”

“I’m already there,” I said with a tight laugh, leaning into her when she took me in her arms again. “Are you sure we aren’t moving too fast?” It’d been so long since I’d been on a real date that I honestly wasn’t sure.

“My wolf would argue we’re moving too slow, but no. This speed is perfectly fine so long as it’s okay with you. It’s just a dance,” she said again. “And if things get weird, we can always come straight home.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“Okay, then I guess I’ll see you Friday night.”

“I’ll be around tomorrow,” she reminded me. “I need to drop off some food for Jackson.”

Nodding, I lingered in the doorway a while longer before wrapping my arms around her. “If I’m acting weird, it’s because I’m out of practice.”

“You and me both,” Bree said with a nervous laugh. “We can be awkward together.”

I joined her in her laughter, then saw her out, watching her long after she’d disappeared through the trees.

Outside the rancher, the air was bitter and cold. However, as promised, the wolf was nowhere to be found.

It’s fine, I assured myself as I turned to go back inside.

Everything will be fine.