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We shouldn’t be doing this. The thought ran through her mind over and over as they drove, but Giselle couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud. Her wolf was anxious too; she could feel it, ready to surface and at the same time uncertain whether or not it should. At least this time, if she met the lone wolf, she’d have another at her side capable of fighting.
“Where did you last see him?” Ash’s sharp tone snapped her from her thoughts.
“Park here, and we’ll run towards the foot of the mountain. We’ll be looking for a small creek that marks the boundaries.”
He pulled the car over to the side of the road. To the left was a beautifully landscaped neighborhood filled with modern two- and three-story homes. To the right, bare open desert waiting to be developed and yet, still untouched. It went on for miles, with only the mountains to stop it.
The sight of all that wide open space to run had Giselle’s wolf ready. She hardly even considered the embarrassment of stripping down in front of Ash before doing it, though as modestly as she could. Giselle wandered around the back of the truck, slipped off her jeans and shirt, tossed them in the truck, and immediately called her wolf up.
Tingling from the sudden shift and feeling the gentle breeze through her fur, she took off at a trot, reacquainting herself with her paws before glancing back to see that Ash had done the same.
Her wolf was gray and black with white paws; Ash was completely the opposite, solid black with not a speck of color anywhere. He appeared massive, with a lion’s mane of hair around his neck and a long tail. He stood a full head higher than she as well. At that moment, she felt very glad to have him on her side, but dared not show her apprehension at his stature for fear of him trying to impose dominance. She might be an Alpha in her own right, but by his sheer size, he would crush her in a fight.
The two came nose to nose as Asher sniffed her. She was tempted to do the same. Her wolf was curious and, if the situation were different, she might have allowed it, but they were here for reasons other than getting to know each other.
Asher, though, continued his inspection of her. Touching felt wrong, even if it was the wolf way. She’d been a loner for too long and didn’t want to partake. She nipped at him and turned away, taking off at a run toward their destination.
Giselle didn’t bother to look back; she knew Asher would be close behind.
Oh, how she loved the feeling of the soft dirt under her paws. The way she sank in ever so slightly with each press against the earth, and the little bit of dust that her paws kicked up behind her. Twisting through cactus and hopping over tufts of bushy grass, this was more fun than sitting in a classroom. Especially when she’d have been in chemistry at that moment, where Mr. Harper had it in for her.
Asher caught her and ran alongside, darting through the desert obstacles as easily as Giselle and with just as much enjoyment. Asher nipped at Giselle’s tail and darted off to the left. She growled playfully and gave chase, catching up quickly, and returned with a nip of her own at his heels before putting on a little speed and dashing ahead. The two continued their game of tag all the way to the creek, where Giselle came to a sudden stop. There it was, at the end of the small bubbling stream: the foot of the mountain with the cave she’d seen the previous night. This was the spot where the wolf had found her and Di. And, Giselle would have bet that the cave was his den.
She sniffed the air and ground, hunting for any signs of the other wolf – a bit of fur, a paw print, a scent trail to where he might have run off to. She hunted for any clue, but this was unfamiliar territory. Making sense of the smells around was difficult as there were so many to choose from. And the cloying dirt that had given wolves away in the past was too easily covered by the water running alongside them. No wonder he’d picked this as his spot.
She knew one thing – the cave had to be important. The lone wolf wouldn’t have been so protective if it wasn’t important, so that was the direction she needed to take. Giselle yipped at Asher and took off through the water toward the mountain. No more time for playing.
Asher followed. She slowed her pace and took her time weaving around rocks, following through patches of Joshua trees and over bulbous barrel cactuses, hoping to catch a sign of the other wolf. But there was no sign of anyone around now. She stopped at the cave entrance and gave a quick nod to Asher, and then sniffed at the air, hoping to pick up some trace of his scent.
Asher too sent his snout upward before looking back toward Giselle.
Luck wasn’t on her side. No trace. No smell. Not even a recognizable footprint was there at the spot. She decided to sniff around a bit more before entering the cave, just to be sure. No point in risking surprise when they were in no big hurry.
Nothing.
It was now or never. If the cave were the lone wolf’s den, she’d be risking everything going inside, but with no sign, no trace, not even a footprint to warn her away, the cave was the last place they should check.
She didn’t have a good way to communicate this to Ash. This was something that would need more than a tail flick or a waggle of her ears to properly convey. So Giselle did the best she could – yipped and tossed her head toward the cave.
Asher snorted and sat on his hind legs. Was that his way of saying no? She tossed her head again and pointed her snout at the cave.
Asher shook his.
Well, fine, I’ll do it myself, Giselle thought, and took a step toward the cave.
Asher growled and took a nip of her tail.
She growled as she turned to face him, baring her teeth in warning.
He must have understood then, and in his typical male way, he brushed past her and squeezed into the cave ahead of her.
Men!
She ducked inside after him. There was not much room, especially when his massive frame filled the space, but there was also something else inside. She scooted in as best she could and allowed the light from outside to shine in.
She’d half-expected to see a wolf; what she hadn’t expected was for the wolf to be made of stone.
Now she was well and truly confused.
Asher looked equally uncertain. They both stood still, shocked at the sight of a perfectly carved and what must have been hand-painted female wolf. Gray and white, with snowy paws and tail. She was beautiful. But what the hell was she doing out here in the desert? And in a cave, of all places?
When the moment of awe had faded, Asher pushed his way outside the cave again.
Giselle took a few extra minutes, still wondering of the origins of the statue. Was it some piece from the Strip that had been stolen and taken here as a joke? She’d heard of people and things being taken to the desert, but this was a whole new level of weird.
Stepping out into the bright sun again, she found that Asher had shifted.
Holy hell, that boy was hot! And the full frontal view was beyond words. She’d seen images of naked men before, but this was the real deal. Mr. Au Naturel! Giselle was never more relieved for the mask her wolf form provided because at that moment she’d have been fifty shades of red in her human form. She hardly registered that her tongue was lolling out of her mouth as she stared at him.
Asher didn’t looked bothered in the slightest to be naked in front of Giselle. What he did look, however, was annoyed. “So, we wasted the entire morning for what? A stone statue? Is that your lone wolf?”
Giselle had to shake herself from the stupor, still gawking at the naked hottie in front of her.
“Is this a game to you? I’ve seen you staring at me. Was this your plan to get me out here alone for yourself?”
Truth be told, yeah, she’d been more than happy to have alone time with him, but before she could shift and get the words out, he turned on his heel, growled, and started to walk away.
Giselle whimpered. At a loss as to what to do.
“Should have known better than to trust you.”
That was it. She shifted as quickly as she could and shouted, “Ash. Wait!”
He turned around, and the anger softened as he found her standing naked.
She did her best, crossing her legs and using her arms, to cover her breast and hair, but she wasn’t fooling anyone: naked was naked. And he was a boy. But at least for that moment, he wasn’t glaring at her angrily.
“This wasn’t a trick. I really did see someone last night.”
“Then why is there no trace?”
“I don’t know, okay? I just don’t. I can’t catch the scent, I can’t spot tracks. I’m sure this is where we were.” She was almost in tears between the embarrassment of being naked and the fact he wasn’t believing her.
“All animals leave behind traces of some kind. If there are none, then there was no one here.”
“But I’m sure this is where we were! The cave...”
“Give it up. I’m tired of this game. If your loner was out here, he’s long gone.” All the softness he’d had a moment before left, and she caught the anger flaring up again in his eyes. Even if that weren’t the case, the tone of his voice said clearly that he didn’t believe her. He might have earlier, but definitely not now.
“Let’s head back to the truck.”
Giselle shifted back to her wolf, feeling so thankful for her fur coat. She put her nose to the ground and kept searching. There had to be something. Ash was right: all animals did leave traces. He couldn’t have hidden his.
“C’mon, Giselle. I don’t want to leave you out here in the desert.”
She ignored him and kept going.
“Fine,” he growled. “I tried. You can walk home.”
Giselle turned in time to see Asher shifting back into his wolf form, and as soon as he took shape, he trotted away.
Well, she’d blown her chances with him, that was for sure. And the lone wolf was still nowhere to be found. How the hell was that even possible? She was certain she had been here the night before. She sniffed around a bit more before giving up in frustration and turning toward home. But, as she looked across the horizon, panic seized her chest. She wasn’t sure which was home was. Everything looked the same in the desert. And since she’d run round and round in circles trying to find the other wolf’s scent, there was no telling where her true trail outward was. She let the panic settle for a moment and decided to concentrate on finding Ash’s scent. He had recently left, so his trail should be fresh and easy to follow. It took a few minutes. Giselle doubled back and sent herself in the direction of the mountains, and finally after a bit of wandering, she found his scent. Damn, he even smelled good, too. Why did there have to be such tension between them? Finally, she’d found a family and it was everything she wanted. Too bad the fine print included a family feud with the hot werewolf boy’s father. Why was she so damn fixated on him anyway? He was just a boy. A very cute boy. A very, very cute werewolf boy. Gah. Life was just not fair.
At least she’d found the trail, and the creek. Things were beginning to look up. She took a quick splash as she crossed the water of the creek and stopped just on the other side to get her bearings.
Funny how the desert can turn you around. You think you’re heading in the right direction, and then suddenly you’re miles out of the way. She spotted a glint of light in the distance – Ash’s truck probably. As fast as he ran, she had no doubt he was already there, starting it up and heading back to what remained of the school day. She’d have to come up with an excuse. Taylor had seen her, and that meant she’d need to be ready with answers as soon as she got back to school.
And then she remembered her clothes were in Ash’s truck.
Damn it! She’d have to make a quick trip home before heading to school. What a crappy day this was turning out to be.
Giselle was so lost in thought she’d no chance to pick up the scent of the predator right behind her. He was on her in seconds, teeth biting into the scruff of her neck. She yelped, more from the shock than the pain, though that quickly followed, and tried to roll and knock the offending wolf from her back. She could try all she wanted, but he was big and bulky, like a lead weight pushing her to the ground. Knife-sharp teeth ripped through her skin, even through the thick tufts of fur protecting her neck. Giselle squirmed and again tried to roll to either side, hoping to get some traction. The wolf on her growled and jerked his head, taking a chunk of fur with him as he ripped it from her flesh.
She yelped again, but this time was able to roll away without his teeth pinning her to the ground. She squirmed from under his body and stood, blood trickling down her neck. All instincts told her to run and she did, taking off at full speed, not chancing a look back.
The other wolf was right at her heels—she could feel the break of dirt behind her paws. He was practically upon her, and the snap of his jaws were so near her tail he might as well have been flossing his teeth with her fur.
Focusing on the distance, she saw the light glinting off of Asher’s truck. If she could just make it there, even if he was gone, she’d be okay. Her neighborhood lay just over the wall, and no wolf, not even a loner, would dare show himself to potential human watchers. At least... she hoped so.
With that thought she added to her own luck by letting out a loud howl, hoping that alone might deter her attacker.
In the moment she slowed to she let out her call for help, the other wolf was on her again, tackling her to the ground. This time, his teeth didn’t find the wounded scruff at her neck. His sharp canines latched on to her throat as he pinned her down.
She’d wanted to see this lone wolf. Hoped to find him. And now that might prove to be the last thing she did. His angry eyes bore into hers, molten lava with blind hatred. The larger wolf was black, just like Asher, but with one major difference: he was graying around the eyes, like a small mask to hide his identity.
She whimpered, the effort alone painful with his teeth so deep into her neck. If she could shift and use her words, she would beg for her life, but Giselle doubted that would do her much good.
She closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow, but the other wolf did not take it. He eased back and sat on his haunches.
She squirmed up back to her feet as fast as she could, ready to make a break for it or to fight, whatever she needed to do. Every instinct told her to run, but a tiny voice wondered why he’d spared her.
For a few silent moments the two eyed each other, neither making a move to attack or shift. Now that she was getting a better look, she could see that the graying hair of the other wolf covered more than just his face. He’d been solid black like Asher in his youth, perhaps, but he was no young kid now.
Giselle let out a sigh and sat down behind a rock. Sending her wolf back, she shifted forms. A huge gamble on her part, and one she hoped would pay out better than bringing Asher here.
Awkward with her lack of clothes to cover up with, she kept most of her body behind the large rock to avoid letting the stranger see anything more than her head and shoulders. “You spared me. Why?”
An answer would have been ideal. But the other wolf still sat silently, staring in her direction.
“Who are you?”
The lack of response was beginning to grate on her nerves.
Finally, after what felt like an endless awkward silence, the wolf shifted and sat down. Grisly old loner that he was, he certainly looked the part, down to his sunburned skin and matted hair. Giselle wondered if she’d seen him before, begging for money near the freeway onramps.
“You’re not part of either pack, are you?”
An odd way to start the conversation, but at least it was an answer.
“Nope. Loner. Just like you.”
“You’re hardly like me, pup.”
“Well, I don’t belong to any one family. I think we have at least that much in common.”
“I don’t belong to either of these two families, no.”
“So, what are you doing out here?”
“I should ask you the same. And why with the Thrace boy?”
She shrugged, not wanting to give him the truth – that they’d been looking for him “We had a date in the desert.”
“Hardly, or he wouldn’t have left you alone... Coward.”
“How long were you spying on me?”
“I could ask you the same.”
This was infuriating. “Who are you, and why are you here?”
“Sweetheart, go back wherever you came from. Leave my business alone, and I will forgive you trespassing on my land.”
“This isn’t your land. It belongs to Martina.”
“I thought you didn’t belong to any pack.”
“I don’t... yet.”
“Well, despite what Martina says, this is my land. When you cross that creek, you are in my territory, and I have every right to kill trespassers. You wouldn’t be the first, and you won’t be the last if you don’t listen up. Let that be your only warning.”
“What’s so special about the desert beyond the creek?”
“None of your business, pup.”
“Does it have something to do with that wolf statue in the cave?”
He snarled. “Leave my territory alone. I don’t like to kill pups, but I will if you bother me again.”
“That statue is important, isn’t it?”
The old wolf shifted and snapped his jaws at her.
Giselle hopped backwards and on instinct, called forth her wolf and shifted down too. She crouched low, slowly backing away, keeping the old wolf in her eye line.
Another snap of his jaws, a warning, and the old wolf turned and ran back towards the creek.
It wasn’t exactly how she’d hoped things would work out, but at least she’d made it out alive. She waited until the old wolf was out of sight before turning and heading home.