Page 5 of Paw Prints in the Sand (The Northern Shifters #2)

Chapter Five

Yosemite National Park, CA

“ C an I have a coffee and the burger with fries, please?” I ask the waitress serving us. We’ve stopped for dinner at a small diner a few miles from Yosemite National Park. It looks like the diners from the movies but grimier. There are even three grumpy truckers sitting at the counter eating pie in silence.

“I’ll have the same but the double burger, please.”

“Sure thing, boys,” she says, smiling widely before returning to the counter. For a slim guy, Noah eats even more than I do. He burns through a shit tonne of calories when he uses magic, so he’s constantly eating.

Spotting a sign on the wall with a WiFi code, I quickly connect my phone, and messages begin pouring in. It’s been a couple of days since I last connected.

Niamh: How’s your trip going? Miss you. Call me when you can?

Da: I know you’re an adult now, but I haven’t heard from you for a few days so check in, please.

Da: I mean it.

Connor: Can I play on your Xbox?

Connor: You took too long to reply. So I played on it. Nice collection of ‘Men’s Health’ mags btw. Didn’t know you were so into learning the top 5 ways to grow a six-pack.

That little shit. This is why I need a lock on my bedroom door. I quickly reply to Da, telling him I’m alive and well, and return to Niamh’s message. She was online ten minutes ago, so I try giving her a call.

“Hey, Niffy.”

“So he does know how to use his phone. I thought that vein in Da’s forehead was gonna burst if you didn’t pop up soon,” Niamh replies dryly.

“Sorry. Not had any WiFi since we left Vegas. Gonna be out of range again for a few days after this as well. I’ll let Da know so he doesn’t worry.”

“He’ll learn to chill eventually. Maybe. How’s your trip going?” she asks cheerfully.

“It’s goin’ well. We’re just outside Yosemite National Park right now. I’m lookin’ forward to bein’ away from the cities for a while.”

“Taking lots of pics? You and Noah killed each other yet?”

“Yes, and not yet.” I smile. “How’s things back home?”

“Well, Con got a boyfriend and can’t keep his thoughts to himself, so I’m refusing to run with him until he locks that shit down. Will is having a mental breakdown about it but refuses to tell Con he’s in love with him, so he just moans about it down the phone to me every night. And I’ve got my first ballroom competition next week, so I’m a bit nervous about that, but I think it’ll be good.” She barely breathes and talks a mile a minute; I struggle to keep up despite a lifetime of practice.

“Who’s Con’s boyfriend? You’ll do great at your comp. Who’re you partnerin’ up with for it?”

“You know Kieron Cooper? Sarah’s brother? Painfully dull, but he has a pretty face, and I don’t get the feeling Connor’s in this relationship for the conversation. I’m hoping it’s a phase because there’s only so long I can pretend I give a fuck about ‘Football Manager’."

“Oi, dickhead; I like Football Manager. Kieron can stay," I interject.

“Nerd. Anyway, I’m partnering up with Danny Parker. I got a bit of a lucky break because Zoe Francis twisted her ankle a couple of weeks ago at cheerleader tryouts, so she’s out of action for at least two months. Hopefully, if Danny and I win this one, he’ll ditch Zoe for good because he’s really my best shot at going to regionals.”

"Well, that sounds like it sucks for Zoe, but I’m glad you’ll have a good partner for your competition. I’m sorry I won’t be able to go watch. Tell Da to film it on his phone for me?”

“It’s okay. Zoe’s a snooty cow, so I reckon this is just karma. I will do. I better go; Con's finally home. We’re going to the cinema to see Taken 2 with Will and Kieron. It’s gonna be hell on earth levels of awkward.”

“Can you tell Con to stay the fuck out of my room by the way? If he wants to play on my Xbox, he can set it up in his room.”

“He giving you shit about the magazines?”

“He told you??”

“Why are you surprised? When has Connor kept his big mouth shut a single day of his life? I’m ninety-nine percent sure he was probably yapping in my ear in the womb.”

I chuckle at that; it sounds about right.

“Well, tell Con that if he touches my stuff again, I’ll show his new little boyfriend the self-audition tapes he recorded when he was eleven."

Niamh repeats what I said to presumably Connor, who must have walked into the room.

“You wouldn’t fuckin’ dare, Sammy!” he screeches at me, having snatched the phone off Niamh.

“Try me, you little weasel.” I hang up the phone before he can argue with me.

“I’m so glad I’m practically an only child,” Noah says dryly.

Noah technically has two half-sisters, Saoirse and Aoife. But his da, my uncle Rowan, left him to be raised by our great-grandmother, Orla when he was four. Shortly after, Rowan started a new life in the Limerick pack. He got married and had two daughters a few years later. I know Noah tries to have some contact with his sisters, but it must be difficult when the relationship between Rowan and him is so irreparably broken.

Despite Saoirse and Aoife also being my cousins, I’ve only met them twice, and once was at Mum’s funeral. From what I’m told, she was never very close with her brother, but then things really deteriorated after he left the pack because she could never forgive him for abandoning his son the way he did.

"I hope you're hungry. Here's your burgers and fries. Can I get you anything else?" the waitress asks sweetly.

There are sauces on the table already, so we both thank her, and she leaves us to our meal. I take a big bite out of my burger. Beef, melted cheese, and pickles are what my food dreams are made of. Gotta hand it to Americans; they make a mean burger and fries.

I pad on all fours several feet behind Noah, who’s looking for some kind of native shrub he wants to collect for a potion or whatever he calls them. I’m just enjoying being in my wolf form for the first time in a few weeks.

There’s so much thick forest here in Yosemite National Park that I was able to run for miles, weaving through the huge and imposing redwood trees. I’d seen photographs, but the reality of them was more overwhelming.

I come to a stop at the foot of one of the giant sequoias while Noah investigates some nearby overgrowth. I read online that these trees can live over 3,000 years. I wonder what they’ve seen? Survived? We must seem like fruit flies to them.

The base of the tree resembles the foot of a humongous elephant stomping through the forest.I read that these trees have naturally adapted to become fireproof, growing fibrous bark that can be two feet thick. I hope I grow a thick enough skin one day to be as resilient as a giant sequoia. But then I think it must be hard for anyone to get to the heart of it with such an impenetrable wall of protection, and that sounds more lonely than I can bear. It's probably not the best idea to project my insecurities onto a non-sentient tree.

“Sniff this, please,” Noah holds out a green plant with small pea-looking buds hanging off the end. I give it a sniff. It’s sort of earthy and sweet at the same time. I give Noah my best ‘what do you want?’ look. He’s used to reading my facial expressions as a wolf by now.

“I need around ten times this, and it took me an hour just to find one; think you could maybe lean into your inner spaniel and sniff some more out for me?”

This time, he gets my ‘don’t call me a dog when you want something from me’ look.

“You’re my favourite poodle.”

I sit back on my haunches and huff, not going anywhere.

“So sensitive. Please? I’ll do my little teleporting thing and bring back pizza for tea tonight?”

My mouth waters. Knowing him, he’ll go to New York and get the good shit too. Putting my pride to one side, I nose at the plant to commit the smell to memory and go in search of more.

Dear future Cara

We’re halfway through the trip now. This is our last night in Yosemite before we head towards some of the bigger cities in California. It’s been nice to have the space to run free in the forest.

We did the El Capitan trail today. We got up at the crack of dawn to do it before it was scorching. At the summit, I felt peaceful for the first time in a while. You know that feeling in your gut that tells you you’re on the right path? That you’re right where you’re meant to be? I felt that, and it was calming.

I’ve been out of range to email Sean for a while, and I miss him, but I know now that I need to do this. In one of his last emails, he told me that Alpha Robets wants to stand down soon, and he’s just waiting on Sean to tell him he’s ready to step up.

It hit me at the top of the mountain that one of the reasons Sean was so adamant I make this trip is because he knows it’ll be my first and last taste of freedom for a while.

Supporting Sean when he takes over won’t be easy. He hasn’t been in the pack for long and there are plenty of people who won’t be happy having someone they don’t know well as their Alpha. I think that’s where I have to bridge the gap. My family have been in this pack for generations, and people trust our judgement. I need to show them that I truly believe Sean’s the right Alpha for us moving forward.

Life for the next several years is going to be hard work. The skirmishes in Yorkshire have been getting more frequent. It’s like the Campbell pack can smell the changes happening and the unrest it’ll bring.

Sean says we just have to focus on watering our own lawn, and the daisies will grow. He has a lot of these phrases that I’m pretty sure he makes up on the spot, but I like them all the same.

I’m going to make the most of the next few weeks so I can come home and water my new lawn. Seasons change, and we need to adapt. I think I’ll be ready for Autumn when I get home.

From past Cara x

At the sound of footsteps outside the tent, I put the diary back in my bag. We’re getting up early tomorrow to do the same hike up El Cap. I hope I find some inner peace at the top like she did. Lord knows I could do with some.

Noah unzips the tent and climbs inside, carrying two large pizza boxes and a six-pack of beers. It smells greasy and delicious. His hair is damp, but it’s not raining here.

“Where did you go?” I ask out of curiosity.

“New York. Obviously,” he says right before stuffing a huge slice of pepperoni pizza into his mouth.

“This is why you’re my favourite cousin,” I reply before doing the same.

We demolish both pizzas and the six-pack of beers before settling in for the night. The temperature's dropped quite a bit, so I shift and lie across the width of the tent so Noah can use me as a pillow and for additional warmth.

The breeze outside whistles through the trees like a song for all the insects that are still wide awake. It’s so quiet I can hear my own heart beating. Beside me, Noah breathes evenly, but right as I’m about to nod off, he speaks quietly into the near-silent tent. “I think my birth mum might be a witch.”

I can’t reply, so I let out a huff of air so he knows I’m listening. If he’s chosen to tell me this while I’m shifted, it’s probably because he doesn’t want a reply anyway.

“I’ll probably regret searchin’ for her, but that’s why I’m visiting the coven in Oregon. I love Orla, but she won’t be around forever, and Rowan would rather pretend I don’t exist. He has his new family now. Given I’m a bit of an arsehole, she probably is as well. But maybe I got that from Rowan? I think I just want to know why? Was I such an awful baby that she couldn’t deal with me longer than a week?”

I let out a low whine because my chest physically aches at the fact he thinks this way. That any little baby could possibly do anything to deserve being abandoned. I want to shift and reassure him, but I know he doesn’t want that. As if to confirm my thoughts, he adds in a whisper, “Please don’t talk to me about this tomorrow. Night, Sammy.”

It's a while before I'm able to fall asleep after that, but Noah appears to nod off quickly. Maybe he needed to get those thoughts off his chest.

Losing Mum was by far the most painful and heartbreaking experience of my life, but there hasn’t been a single day that I didn’t know with absolute certainty I was loved by both my parents. Even on the days when the three of us terrorised them until they yelled, we always went to sleep at night with a kiss on the forehead and ‘I love you’ whispered in the dark.

Noah’s words almost make me grateful for the giant hole in my chest. Because for the first sixteen years of my life, my mum loved me so encompassingly that I had so much to lose.

Every time I connect to Wi-Fi on this trip, my phone blows up with messages from my da and siblings. Sometimes, I feel suffocated by them, but now it occurs to me that Noah rarely turns his phone on at all. And maybe that’s because he knows it won’t light up.

I go to sleep feeling desperately sad, and for once, it isn’t about what I’ve lost. I make a silent promise to Noah, my prickly cousin who’s also my best friend. A promise to make sure he always knows he has more than just Orla, who loves him unconditionally.