Page 19

I’m wrapped in soft, comforting dreams when I hear an odd, far-off scraping sound. I try to ignore it and dive back down into the dream, but it persists, a whisper of dissent at the edge of bliss.

The bright happiness of my visions surrounds me, a place where I’m relaxed and free. A place where I don’t have to be scared, and I know that Nico is safe. When I look around, I see Galen’s eyes clearly through the glow, and I reach out to him.

The ugly scraping sound cuts through again, dragging me towards consciousness. I know now I can’t hold on to this bliss. And even if I do, it’s still a dream I’ll have to wake from, eventually.

Sleep falls away, and I blink my eyes open. The weird scraping has been joined by a sharp bang.

It’s probably just a loose door caught in the wind.

Even though I tell myself it has to be mundane, my anxiety rises with every escalation of the sound. I’m about to wake Galen when he grumbles and sits up, rubbing his head.

“What the hell is that noise?” he asks.

“I don’t know,” I reply. “I’ve been wondering that myself.”

“How long has it been going on?”

“A few minutes, I think. I’m not sure.”

“I’m going to have a look. Go and check on Nico.”

Nodding, I jump out of bed and grab my robe, hurrying down the hall. Galen heads towards the kitchen and the back door.

When I look in on Nico, he’s peacefully asleep, his blanket wrapped around him and a little stuffed dinosaur in his arms. With his long lashes resting on his cheeks and tousled hair falling across his forehead, he looks like a little angel all tuckered out from doing good deeds.

I shut his door quietly and go down the hall to the kitchen. I find Galen at the back door, peering through the window.

“What is it?” I ask.

“I saw someone moving around the garden shed. I think there’s more than one of them, so I’m trying to get an idea of how many before I bust out there.”

“Good thinking,” I say. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Galen snorts softly with amusement. “I could take ten of them easily by myself. My worry is that if I get out there and catch one of them, the others will run, and I won’t find out what they’re up to.”

“Okay,” I answer. “That makes sense.”

I’m standing so close to Galen, I can feel the heat rising from his skin. He’s only wearing loose pajama pants, and my eyes keep darting over to linger on his muscular chest, sculpted arms, and broad shoulders.

Watching him take out ten enemy wolves would be quite a thing to see.

Stop it!

We hear the scraping noise again, and Galen points. “There, see? It’s the garden shed door. Someone left it unlatched, and I just saw someone go past.”

I shudder. “What are we going to do?”

“In a minute, I’ll go out. I think I’ve got a pretty good idea where they are, and I can corner them.”

We watch for a couple more minutes, and I still can’t stop myself from looking at Galen.

Getting close to him is a mistake. Even if he does want to be with me, it’s out of duty, not love, and there’s a part of me that just can’t be convinced.

I take a step back to put some distance between our bodies. My head and my heart might be steadfast in keeping space between us, but my body still hasn’t gotten the message.

“Okay,” Galen says. “I’m going out. Stay right here and get ready to call for help.”

“You got it,” I say quickly, grabbing my phone.

Galen opens the door silently, then slips out, staying close to the side of the house until he gets close to the bushes that line the yard. He drops out of my sight as he rounds the far corner and runs towards the back of the shed.

The door scrapes and bangs again, making me jump. I’ve barely recovered from the fright when growls and barks erupt from behind the shed. I take two steps forward, desperate to find out what’s happening, but terrified to leave the safety of the house.

I have to stay here for Nico, and to call for help if Galen’s injured. But I have no idea what’s going on back there.

Then I hear a series of sharp yelps, and Galen herds two wolves into the yard. He shifts back to his human shape and points at the two small wolves.

“Change now and identify yourselves. I don’t know you, which means you’re intruders on my territory. You’ve got exactly five seconds to explain why you’re on my personal property before I tear you apart.”

The two wolves shift into males who look very young, maybe even still teenagers. Both of them also look a little rough, as if they’ve been on the run.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Galen demands.

“I’m real sorry,” the dark-haired one answers. “I was snooping around looking for stuff I could use to make a fire, or other tools. We’ve been living rough for a while, and I didn’t mean any harm.”

“Yeah,” the other one says. “I’m sorry, too. We shouldn’t have been hanging around your place or stealing.”

I frown and cock my head to the side slightly, put off by their tone.

They just don’t sound sincere.

One of them glances at me, and I see a quick grin before he hides it behind an innocent expression and looks back at Galen.

Did I really see that?

The kids are still making protests, and Galen waves his hands at them. “Okay, okay. How many of you are there? I heard a few running off when I pounced. Great loyalty there from your pals.”

“They’re just scared,” the dark-haired one says, standing up. “I’m Dan, and I’m the leader, kind of. I’m sorry, and I really mean it. I shouldn’t have been snooping around. But since we’re here, I’d like to ask if we can camp on your territory.”

Galen stares at him. “How many of you are there?” he asks again.

“Four,” Dan says. “Sorry. Me and my pal Benny here, and Shawn and Jace, who ran away when you came. That’s it, I swear.”

Galen lets out a deep breath. “Look, I’ll let you camp, but over my boundary. I’m going to want some more information from you, especially if you want to stay for an extended period of time. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Dan says. “Thank you so much.”

“No more stealing,” Galen warns firmly.

Dan nods sheepishly. “It’s okay. We have a little cash and supplies. It’s just easier to lift stuff if you can.”

“I’m sure it is,” Galen says, his tone hard. “Get out of here.”

Dan helps Benny to his feet, and they run into the woods. I watch them go, my heart pounding right up into my throat.

“Was that wise, Galen?” I ask him. “They look like trouble.”

“I know they do,” he answers, leading me back to the house. “Don’t worry, I’m going to fully check them out. I want you and Nico in town first, though. If Nico’s at school and you’re in a public place, I know you’re safe. I can’t leave you here and go running around looking for these clowns.”

“Okay,” I say. “They really didn’t seem to be telling the truth.”

“I agree,” Galen says. “If they wanted to steal some stuff, I think they could have done it a bit quicker. I got the feeling they were looking for something.”

Chills run through my lower back and belly. “It’s very scary having them in our backyard,” I mutter, wrapping my arms around myself.

“I’m going to take care of it,” Galen says. “Get Nico ready for school, and we’ll head into town. Then I’ll get started checking these guys out.”

After we’re all up and dressed, we take Nico to the town bakery for breakfast. He’s all smiles and enthusiasm as we eat together and runs off to school with a big wave to both of us.

“He looks great,” Galen says, smiling. “He’s finally sleeping well and focusing on his schoolwork.”

“I know,” I answer, my chest glowing with pride. “Since we started helping him with his magic, everything is falling into place.”

I look over at Galen, and he’s watching me with a soft look in his eyes. He lifts a hand as if he wants to reach for mine, but takes it back at the last second.

There’s still so much space between us, and I can’t cross it. No matter how hard it is for me to hold back, the pain of giving in would be far worse.

“Okay, I’m going to pass on news of this incident and get some backup, as well as a couple of other things I’ve got lined up for the day,” Galen says. “Where should I take you?”

“Grocery store, please,” I answer, relieved to be on a neutral topic. We chat about food and household items we need, and my anxiety settles a little.

While I’m shopping, I find myself choosing things I know Galen likes. I’m surprised at myself that I even noticed his favorites, but the idea of making him happy excites me.

Careful.

My inner voice warns me, as it always does, but the draw of doing something nice for Galen doesn’t go away. I fill my cart and go through the register, setting my stuff up for a delivery later. I leave the shop with only one small bag and head down the street, thinking about getting a coffee while I wait for Galen.

I’m knocked right out of my thoughts when someone runs into me. I almost lose my bag and grip the paper sack as I stagger away, trying to stay upright.

“Hey, I’m real sorry! Gee, I totally didn’t mean to do that.”

“Hello,” I say warily, remembering the shifter from this morning. “Dan, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he replies. “I didn’t catch your name?”

He grins at me, and it’s just a little creepy. There is a hard sheen to his cool blue eyes, and I get the feeling he’s toying with me.

“Clara,” I answer. “And you met my husband, Galen. He’s the alpha.”

“Yes, yes, he is,” Dan agrees. “And you are a wolf, correct?”

He tilts his head slightly and narrows his eyes. I feel a flicker of fear in my ribs, making my heart pound and sweat break out on my brow.

It’s like he knows.

“Technically, yes,” I answer, keeping my voice even. I deliberately end the sentence there, refusing to give him any more information.

“Any witches in this town?” he asks, a little too casually.

“No,” I answer firmly. “Well, not that I know of.”

“Interesting,” Dan says. “Really interesting little town. It was good of your mate to let us stay.”

“Yes, it was,” I reply. “But he hasn’t decided you can stay indefinitely, so be careful.”

“Of course,” he says very politely. “We certainly will.”

“Good,” I mutter, going around him. “Bye.”

As I hurry down the street, his words stick in my mind.

It’s really silly, but I can’t help feeling like he knew I had no shifter gene… and witch blood is in me, as well as my son.

When I finally slow down, I realize I’ve wandered into the outer edges away from the main street of town. Muttering softly with frustration, I take a side alley that will lead me back there, trying to ignore how empty the place feels.

As I reach the corner, I hear footsteps behind me. Nearly tripping over the gutter, I hurry into the narrow street, jogging a little to get to the next crossway.

The footsteps behind me get louder, but when I look behind me, I can’t see anyone. That scares me more than anything, and I break into a hard run.

As soon as I turn my back, I hear the footsteps again. I’m too afraid to look back now, and just put all my effort into running. I lose the groceries as I charge around a sharp bend, the paper sack falling out of my hands and sending apples rolling across the street.

It’s hard to draw a breath, my chest is so tight, but my feet don’t fail me. I keep running towards the end of the street, sure that there’s a turn at the end that will lead me straight back to town. When I get there, I almost scream in frustration when I find the only way through is blocked by a tall wire fence.

As the footsteps get louder and faster, I consider climbing it, but I know that even if I made it to the top, I’d get cut to shreds by razor wire. Gulping, I turn to face my stalker.

“Clara?” the voice floats around the corner, echoing around the stony walls. My lip trembles, and my hands shake, but I stand my ground as the man comes into view, fully blocking my path.

“Clara, are you alright?”

The voice!

“Galen?” I ask, taking a couple of steps forward.

“Yes, Clara, it’s me! What the hell is going on?”

“I thought someone was following me!” I cry, throwing my arms around him without even realizing what I’m doing.

“Someone was,” Galen chuckles. “Me.”

“Yeah,” I laugh, stepping away from him. “I guess you were.”

“What happened?” he asks.

“I had a weird encounter with that Dan guy,” I say. “Then I took a wrong turn, ended up down here, and when I heard your footsteps, I thought he was after me.”

“Why would you think that?” Galen asks, his voice low. “Did he try to hurt you?”

“No, nothing like that,” I reassure him. “It was just a weird conversation. Nothing threatening at all.”

“Okay, good. I haven’t had a chance to check them out yet—I had a meeting with Kit.”

“Oh,” I say. “He’s in town?”

“Yeah, just for the day. Had a few things to discuss. Don’t worry, I’ll look into these kids soon and find out what they’re doing.”

“It’s okay. I’m sure it’s nothing. I feel stupid getting so scared and running off when it was only you chasing me.”

Galen smiles, stroking my hair.

“I’ve always been chasing you, Clara. You don’t need to be scared anymore—I can protect you from anything.”

Except yourself.

“Thank you, Galen,” I answer. He opens his arms and I let him hug me, enjoying a moment of complete bliss snuggled against his warm chest with his heartbeat throbbing against my cheek.

“I’d like to take you out on a date tonight,” Galen says. “What do you say?”

I pull back and look into his eyes. More and more, I’m feeling like I don’t ever want to leave his side. It’s beginning to erode my common sense, and it scares me.

But it doesn’t change the fact that I really do want to go out with him.

“I’d like to, but I don’t want to leave Nico for too long,” I answer. “He’s been doing so well over the last week, I think he needs us with him.”

“Then we’ll bring him along,” Galen says. “Let’s make it a group date, all three of us!”

“Okay,” I answer, unable to keep the giant smile off my face. “I can’t say no to that—you got me.”

Galen hugs me, and as I let myself sink into the warmth of his arms again, I know, he really does have me, my heart, body, and soul—whether I’m ready to admit it or not.