Summer in Wyoming.
Everything about it is pure heaven to me. As I walk out the cabin’s back door toward the forest, the sun shines down through the trees, leaving rays of light in sporadic places; it’s breathtaking. Even if I weren’t a shifter and drawn to nature, I’d still think it was otherworldly. In all reality, it is. Shifters aren’t the only magical beings on earth. I’ve heard of fallen angels, vampires, and even demons, but the only other creature I’ve met was a fae prince who pretty much put my pack right in the middle of a faerie war. Thankfully, we didn’t lose anyone, but it did make my life harder.
The problem is I’m an unmated twenty-six-year-old royal arctic wolf, the last female royal in my pack. That alone makes me a target, both good and bad. That’s why I have Micah—my protector—to watch over me. For years, we hid away after my parents and some of the other Royal pack members, including Micah’s parents, were slaughtered. For a long time, everyone thought the royal arctics were dead, but now we’ve reunited, at least, some of us. Micah found his two brothers, and now I have my older brother, Colin, who is still unmated and loving life, and my sister, Bailey, is mated to the Teton pack alpha, Ryker. They just had a son, which officially makes me an aunt. Maybe one day I’ll get to find my mate and have children of my own. Do I see that happening? No. I’ve never gotten the chance to see the world. One way or another, that has to change.
Taking in a deep breath, I look up at the sliver of blue sky through the treetops. The ground is soft beneath my bare feet from the late-night rain. Everywhere I look, the grass glistens; the perfect painting. I take it all in and remember every detail to put it on a canvas later.
My thoughts are interrupted when I hear something behind me. Footsteps. They are very light and not meant to be heard, but I can sense them—a predator stalking its prey. I’m strong, taught to fight, even to the death if that’s what it takes.
Closing my eyes, I concentrate on the wolf closing in on me. He’s in human form by the smell of his skin. When we become our wolves, there’s more of an earthy scent to us.
“Did you honestly think you could sneak up on me?” I call out.
Laughter erupts behind me. “Maybe. You had that daydreamy look on your face you get when you’re not paying attention to your surroundings.”
Slowly, I turn around and glare at my friend and protector, Micah, with his whitish-blond hair and stark blue eyes, wearing only a pair of black gym shorts. Women everywhere always tell me how envious they are that I have him all to myself. It’s not what I want. What I want is for him to separate from me and find his mate. He deserves to be happy.
“That’s what I wanted you to believe,” I tell him. “If I appear distracted, others get careless and think I’m easy prey.”
Micah shakes his head. “Yeah, but you let me get too close to you. That’s a dangerous game, Faith.”
“But I knew it was you,” I say, wishing he’d ease up on me. All he wants is for me to be able to defend myself, and I know I can do that. I’ve spent my whole life training to fight. There has to be more to life than this. Lifting my arms over my head, I stretch my muscles out. “What’s on our agenda today?”
Micah squats a few times and stretches out his legs. “We have a landscaping job at the MacEntire house this morning. I figured we’d train and then head over.”
Nodding, I follow his lead and work on my legs. Back when we were in hiding, we were always in the yard working together. He’d cut the grass, and I’d pay attention to the details in the gardens. A couple of months ago, we decided to start up our own business, Lyall Landscaping. Micah doesn’t need the money, but I know he enjoys it. I love gardening, and so did my mother. Doing it makes me feel close to her, like she’s right there with me.
We stretch in silence, but I can feel his eyes on me. “What’s wrong, Faith? I can always tell when something’s on your mind.” He should already know because I’ve had this spiel with him numerous times, and every time he tells me to forget it. I look over at him, and he turns his head. “Seriously, Faith? Again, with that nonsense. How many times do I have to tell you I’m not going anywhere?”
Feeling my impatience wear thin, I jump to my feet. I don’t know why I ever thought I could get him to back down. “That’s the problem,” I snap. “Don’t you want to get away from me, to live your life without constantly worrying if I’m in danger? I want more for you. I feel like I’m keeping you from your mate. She’s out there somewhere.”
Micah’s jaw holds firm, and he stands. “I have no doubt, Faith, but my duty is here with you. I made a vow, and I’m going to keep it.” My wolf stirs inside of me, desperate for the freedom she’s never been allowed to have. I’d give anything to run through the woods by myself and to travel wherever I want. I don’t have the heart to sneak away in the middle of the night because I know all he’d do is search for me. That’s not the kind of life I want for him. Micah blows out a sigh and places his hands on his hips. “If you want me to break my vow, I will,” he states, staring at me with a twinkle in his eyes. “You know what you have to do.”
Groaning, I close my eyes. We’ve been through this a million times. He’s a royal arctic alpha, one of the strongest shifters in the world. I may be a royal too, but my strength will never be greater than his. Will I accept the challenge? Hell yeah.
I crack my neck and smile. “You’re on.”
His eyes glow for a second, and then he smiles. “I’m ready.”
I lunge first, and he jumps out of the way, grinning smugly like he always does when I miss him. All it does is fuel my anger more. I want my freedom so bad I can’t seem to think of anything else these days. Why can’t he see that’s what I need? He knows me better than anyone else.
Fire burns within me, and I embrace it. I use every ounce of strength I have to attack him. He dodges me left and right, but I don’t back down. Sweat pours down my back, and my heart races so fast I’m afraid it’s going to burst. Out of all my training, something has to give. Micah never fights the same. He does it on purpose so his opponent can never figure out his next move. It’s a skill I’ve tried to hone, but he’s had many more years of experience than me.
Sucking in a quick breath, I veer off to the left instead of the right and turn my body away from him, sweeping my left leg behind his, knocking him off his feet. He lands on his back with a loud thunk. Without hesitation, I pin him to the ground, my body aching from exhaustion.
Micah looks up at me, wide-eyed and surprised. “Not bad.”
I want to celebrate my win, but I’m tired, both mentally and physically. Micah knows it too. His smile fades, and he sighs, but I cut him off before he can speak. “You could be so much happier if you just let me go. I promise I’ll be okay.” My eyes burn, but I refuse to cry. “I want you to be happy.”
His blue eyes stare right into mine. “I am happy, Faith.” His muscles tense underneath my grasp, and the next thing I know, I’m on my back, sucking in a strangled breath as the wind gets knocked out of me. He straddles my waist and winks. “Your emotions made you lower your guard.”
I’ve failed again. Growling, I prepare to push him off of me, but then the ground beneath us rumbles. Tree roots shoot up out of the grass and wrap around Micah’s wrists and ankles, jerking him off of me. He hits the ground hard, and a giggle echoes from behind me. I smile as I look over my shoulder at Laila, looking angelic in her white sundress and her bright red hair in loose waves down her back.
“I think Faith won,” she teases as she walks toward us.
I get to my feet, and Micah tries to fight against the roots, but they tighten around him. “She has to beat me without your magic,” he calls out.
Laila is a royal arctic just like us, but she’s also half-fae. That’s where her magic comes from. She’s mated to my good friend, Cedric, and they are expecting their first child in about five more months. Our pack is growing fast with all the newly mated females having babies, all of which will be considered royal.
Brushing the dirt off my clothes, I walk over to Laila. “What made you stop by?”
Her grin widens. “Honestly, I wanted to watch you guys train. I miss being able to spar with you both.”
“And cheat by using your magic?” Micah grumbles, huffing with impatience.
Laila bursts out laughing and holds a hand on her belly. “That too.” She turns to me and winks. “Another reason I’m here is to see if you could find some time to come by and look at the nursery. Cedric just finished painting the walls, but I was hoping you could add some finishing touches since you’re the artist around here.”
Ideas already start circulating through my head. “I would be happy to. Let me change clothes, and I’ll head over before Micah and I have to be at our job.”
Laila squeals. “Perfect. I’ll see you there.” She flicks her wrist in the air, and the tree roots immediately unwind from Micah’s body. He jumps to his feet and glares at Laila, but then he shakes his head and smiles. “You know I love you,” she says to him.
He waves her off. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
She giggles and moves closer to me. “I tried.”
“I know.”
Turning on her heel, she makes her way back to the front of the house. I can feel Micah’s eyes on me, but I keep my back to him; I dread facing him. “Shall we get back to training, or are you done?”
With a heavy sigh, I can still feel the weight on my chest. I wish he could understand how I feel. The guilt. The frustration. It hurts my heart to no end. “I’m done,” I say, feeling more defeated than I ever have before.
Micah blows out a breath and moves closer. “What’s changed in you, Faith? Things are different between us.”
He places a hand on my shoulder, and I turn to him. He’s over a hundred years old, but he doesn’t look a day over twenty-five. I take his hand and hold it between mine. One day, he’s going to make the perfect mate.
“I love you, Micah. You’ve been my only family for a very long time.” I squeeze his hand and pull him closer. “Ever since we joined the Teton pack and reunited with our families, I’ve seen the way the others live their lives. I appreciate you keeping me safe, and I’ll always and forever be grateful for your sacrifices, but when is it going to end? When are you going to live your life? And also, when am I going to live mine?” A tear slips down my cheek. “You have to let me go at some point.”
His gaze saddens as he wipes my tear away with his thumb. “I know.”
“You do?”
He nods. “I’m not an idiot, Faith. One day you’ll find a mate, and you won’t need me anymore.”
Hearing that breaks my heart. “I will always need you, Micah. We may not share the same blood, but you’re my family. All I know is that we both could use some freedom.”
Deep down, I know he has to want the same thing. Micah stares right into my eyes, and I’m prepared to hear him say it’s not going to happen, but that’s what comes out of his mouth.
“Okay,” he says, making my heart stop.
“Okay?” I reply. “Okay, what?”
He chuckles lightly and steps back. “I’ll give you some freedom.” Eyes wide, I start to shout for joy, but he holds up a hand. “It’s only a little bit, Faith. I’m not letting you go completely.”
I fling my arms around him. “Hey, at least it’s a step in the right direction.”
He hugs me back. “Come on. We have to get to Laila’s and then head to the MacEntire’s.”
Squeezing him hard, I kiss his cheek and let him go. “Thank you. This means a lot to me.”
He snorts. “Just stay out of trouble. Can you do that for me?”
I salute him. “You got it.”