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Rocky

A Month Earlier

Ain’t nothin’ quite like the Tennessee mountains after dark, quiet as a graveyard, with a scent of pine and secrets hangin’ heavy in the air. I cracked the throttle on my Harley and let the engine growl up the pass, the wind slicing through my cut, sharp and familiar like an old scar.

We’d had church earlier that night, Royal Bastards’ business, and I was still burnin' from it. Knox, our president, was dead set on keepin’ the supernatural side of our club locked tighter than a virgin in Bible school. Not that I blamed him, but hell if that ain’t gettin’ harder by the day to keep it from the whole damn club.

After what went down with Mark, the fucker fakin' his death and kidnapping Eliza and Emma, brothers had started askin' questions. And with Eliza likely bein’ knocked up with Knox’s fox-shifter baby now, and him planning to ask her to marry him, share our secret with her, well… the days of keepin’ shit quiet were numbered.

Me? I kept my wolf on a tight leash. I had to. One wrong shift, one slip of the tongue, and everything we built would go up in smoke.

That’s why I was ridin’ solo tonight. Clearin’ my head. Givin’ my wolf some room to breathe without lettin’ him loose .

I pulled off the main trail, tires crunchin’ over gravel as I coasted into a clearing near the overlook, Sharp’s Ridge, high up above Knoxville, where the moon hung full and fat over the hills like it was watchin’ me real close. I killed the engine and listened.

Something felt… off.

I stepped off the bike and let my senses stretch. My boots were silent in the soft pine needles as I moved through the woods. It was late enough that most folks were home, tucked safe in bed. But not tonight.

I caught a scent. Smoke. A hint of perfume, sweet, citrusy, familiar. My brow furrowed. That smell…

Birdie.

Eliza’s best friend. Blonde, bubbly, loud as a summer creek and about as unpredictable. Last I heard, she’d said somethin’ about gettin’ away for the weekend. But out here? Alone?

I followed the scent like a bloodhound, my wolf pricking up inside me. Didn’t take long before I saw the flicker of a campfire through the trees, a small flame cracklin’ in the middle of a makeshift ring. And there she was, sittin’ on a foldout camp chair with a book in her lap and one of those tiny flashlights clamped between her teeth.

“Jesus, Birdie,” I muttered under my breath. “What the hell are you doin’ out here alone?”

My wolf stirred the second I caught her scent. Campfire smoke and somethin’ citrusy, like oranges and sin. It clawed at my chest, restless, curious. Birdie wasn’t supposed to be out there in the woods. Some marketing manager, she was supposed to be on a patio somewhere with a mimosa, talkin’ about hashtags and brand deals. Not huddled by a cracklin’ fire with dirt on her sneakers.

Made me wonder what else I didn’t know about her.

She hadn’t seen me yet. Her back was to the fire, hair pulled up in a messy knot, legs kicked out under her oversized hoodie. Girl looked like she hadn’t a care in the world.

But I did. I had plenty.

I stayed hidden, not wantin’ to spook her. I’d just turn around, keep ridin', check on her later.

Then I heard it. Low, guttural, wrong.

A growl.

Not mine.

Shit.

I dropped low, instincts kickin’ in hard. My eyes scanned the tree line and I saw it. A shadow movin’ too fast, too silent to be a bear or some regular critter. I’d smelled somethin’ off at the club lately. Something sour. Thought it might’ve been my nerves. Now I knew better.

Birdie stood, flashlight droppin’ from her mouth.

“Hello?” she called out, squintin’ into the trees. “Is someone there?”

Hell.

She took a step toward the sound, like she ain’t never seen a horror movie in her damn life. And that thing, a rogue, maybe a twisted shifter gone feral, came right for her in an unrecognizable blur.

I didn’t think.

I shifted.

Bones cracked, muscles twisted, and fur split through skin as the beast in me took over. It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t easy, but it was fast. One moment I was a man, the next I was four paws and pure fury.

Furry fury, like my ma’ used to say.

I barreled into the other creature mid-leap, teeth bared, claws swipin'. We rolled in the dirt, limbs tanglin’, jaws snappin’. It was strong but sloppy, untrained. And I was pissed.

I sank my teeth into its neck and threw it off, watchin’ it skitter back into the shadows, whimperin’ like a kicked pup. I could’ve chased it. I wanted to. But then I heard her.

Birdie was screamin’.

I turned.

She was on the ground, knees scraped, eyes wide as dinner plates as she looked at me, my wolf self, lit up by the firelight. She didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. Just stared, frozen .

Shit.

I stood still, chest heavin', tryin’ not to look threatening. Tried to convey some kind of calm, like, Hey girl, it’s just me, don’t freak out , but it was no use. I was a fuckin’ wolf. A big one. Covered in blood.

I took a step closer, slow and easy.

She backed up so fast she tripped again, palms draggin' through the dirt. “No. No. No. Nope. Nuh-uh,” she muttered, talkin’ to herself now.

Smart girl.

But then she got brave, puffed out her chest. “Go on, get. Shoo,” she commanded.

I huffed, gave her one last look, then turned and bolted into the trees.

Couldn’t let her see me shift back. Couldn’t explain it. Not yet.

Not without draggin' her into a world she might never come back from.

I shifted back behind a ridge, clothes shredded, bruises already healin’. My heart was poundin’ like a jackhammer. Not from the fight. From her.

Birdie.

She was gonna be a problem.

Not just 'cause she saw me. But 'cause the sight of her, soft, wild, fearless even when she should be scared, it did somethin’ to me. Got under my skin in a way nothin’ had in a long time .

I pulled out my burner phone and dialed Knox.

He picked up on the first ring. “That you, Rock?”

“Yeah.”

“You good?”

I glanced toward the smoke risin’ through the trees. “Depends on your definition. We got a rogue. Came at Birdie while she was campin’.”

“Birdie? Eliza’s Birdie? She’s not exactly the camping sort.”

“Yeah. It threw me for a loop.”

Knox groaned. “Shit.”

“She’s okay,” I said. “I stepped in. Shifted.”

“You let her see?”

“No,” I lied. “Not really.”

There was a pause. He didn’t buy it, not for a second.

“You bring her in?”

“Not yet.”

“Bring her to the clubhouse, Rock. She’s in this now, whether she knows it or not.”

“Copy that,” I said, then hung up.

I stared at the phone a second longer, jaw clenched. I wasn’t ready for this.

Birdie was sunshine and fire, all in one breath. And me?

I was just a dog tryin’ not to bite the wrong thing.

But fate had teeth, and tonight?

It sunk 'em deep.

I stood in the trees a while longer, breath foggin’ in the cool mountain air, tryin’ to piece together what the hell just happened. My damn heart wouldn’t slow down. Not from the rogue. I’d taken down worse things on a bad day. No, it was her.

Birdie.

I could still smell her, sunshine and citrus and somethin’ warmer underneath, like honey heated over fire. It filled my lungs and made my wolf stir. He wanted to circle back, check on her. Nuzzle her soft skin, make sure she was alright.

I couldn’t let that happen.

Not with her wide eyes burned into my memory. The fear in ’em gutted me.

Birdie wasn’t like the club girls. She didn’t come to the Wild Dog lookin’ for trouble. She wasn’t part of our world, not really. Birdie? She still believed in good things, bright things. Shit I didn’t deserve to touch, let alone protect.

I found what was left of my clothes in a heap by the ridge and tugged my jeans on, wincin’ at the sting of healing cuts across my ribs. The shift had taken more outta me than I expected. Or perhaps it was the adrenaline crash that came from seein’ Birdie scared outta her mind. Either way, I felt like I'd been hit by a fucking freight train.

I kept low as I circled back around the campsite. She was still there, curled into herself by the fire, tryin’ to steady her breathing. Her flashlight was dead, and the flames had dwindled to embers. She clutched a campfire poker in one hand like it was a damn broadsword.

“Birdie,” I said low from the trees, human voice this time.

She jerked her head up, eyes wide. When she saw me, relief flashed across her face, quick, then gone. Suspicion slid in to take its place.

“Rocky?” she said, her voice shaky.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

She stood slowly, keepin’ the poker between us. Smart girl. “You heard that too, right? That… thing?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I saw it.”

“What the hell was it?” she whispered.

I shrugged, steppin’ closer. “Coyote maybe. Could’ve been a big-ass dog.”

She gave me a look like she wasn’t buyin’ it. “No. No way that was a dog. It came outta the woods like, like it knew I was here. Like it was hunting.”

My jaw flexed. She wasn’t wrong. “Well, whatever it was, I scared it off. ”

“Did you see the other one?” she asked, eyes narrowing.

Shit. My chest went tight. “Other one?”

“Yeah. There were two. The second one, it fought the first. I swear it saved me.”

She was watchin’ me now with laser focus, like she was tryin’ to read me. And I knew I was two seconds from givin’ somethin’ away. So, I gave her the most neutral damn face I could manage.

“You musta been shaken up. Probably just one thing out there, makin’ a racket.”

She didn’t look convinced, but she lowered the poker. “Yeah. Maybe.”

I moved in and started kickin’ dirt over the fire. “You can’t stay out here alone. Not after that.”

“Rocky, I may not look it, but I’ve camped alone before plenty of times.”

“Not like this you haven’t.”

“I’m not some damsel, alright?” she said, defensive now. “I don’t need rescuing.”

I stepped close, real close, and looked her square in the eye. “Ain’t sayin’ you do. But you almost got torn apart tonight, Birdie. And you’re shakin’. You don’t have to act like you ain’t scared. I saw the whole damn thing.”

“What were you doing out here, anyway?” she narrowed her eyes at me .

“Rode to the overlook. It’s where I come to clear my head.”

“You too, huh? I needed to get away after all that mess with Mark.” She hugged herself.

“Alone?”

“A girl’s got to do what she’s got to do.”

“There’s no camping allowed out here. Park closes at dusk. If you didn’t see the signs.”

“Says no motor vehicles either, but it didn’t stop you.”

I smirked. “Well, the mountain bikers made some trails I couldn’t resist. Seems like neither of us give a damn about the rules.”

Her lip trembled, just for a second. She looked down at her scraped hands. “I don’t even know what I saw.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and reached for her gently, my fingers brushing the edge of her arm. “Come with me. We’ll ride back to the clubhouse. Eliza’ll wanna see you. You can clean up, rest somewhere safe.”

She didn’t move for a beat. Then she nodded, going for her backpack. It looked like she hiked in.

“You can get your gear tomorrow.”

“My car’s at the bottom of the hill,” she said, eyeing my Harley.

“You’re in no shape to drive. ”

When she climbed onto the back of my bike, I felt her arms wrap tight around my waist. And hell if my heart didn’t squeeze at that. She trusted me. Even if she didn’t know why she shouldn’t.

The ride back to the Wild Dog wouldn’t take long. Birdie pressed in close, her breath warm against the side of my neck. Every bump in the road sent sparks shootin’ through my blood. I gripped the handlebars tighter, not lettin’ myself think about the fact that her thighs were pressed to mine, that her scent was all over me now.

Not the time. Not with secrets hangin’ heavy in the air like a storm brewin’.

We pulled into the clubhouse lot just past midnight. A few of the boys were still up, Bandit the treasurer nursin’ a bottle on the porch, TNT our Sargeant at Arms and Smokey who was Road Captain shootin’ pool inside. The minute they saw me roll in with Birdie on the back, they perked up.

Smokey opened the door wide. “Well, damn. Ain’t that a sight.”

Birdie slid off the bike slow, wincin’ as her feet hit the pavement. “Hi,” she said, offerin’ a shy little wave.

“Eliza’s inside,” Smokey said, eyein’ me curiously. “She’s been askin’ about her.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, and ushered Birdie inside before anyone else could get ideas.

“Oh my god, Birdie! ”

They hugged like sisters, and I backed up a few paces, lettin’ ‘em have their moment.

I heard Birdie murmur, “I think I saw something out there, Eliza. Something not normal…”

Eliza’s eyes flicked to me over her shoulder. Like I’d done something wrong. She gave Birdie a squeeze. “Let’s get you cleaned up first, okay?”

They disappeared into the bathroom, and I sank onto the worn leather couch in the common room, rubbin’ my hand down my face.

“What the hell happened out there?” Knox’s voice came from behind me.

I didn’t flinch. “Rogue. Came at her hard.”

“You shift?”

“Had to.”

He cursed low. “You think she saw?”

“I think she saw more than she understands.”

He grunted, arms crossed. “I can’t keep it secret much longer, Rock. Eliza’s pregnant… my baby… he’s gonna shift someday.”

I nodded. “I know. We can’t keep pretendin’ we’re just a regular club.”

“We ain’t havin’ this discussion again.” He looked at me for a long beat.

“More brothers know, more use they can be.”

“Makin’ more wolves? You know I’m against that.” Knox bristled.

“Make more foxes for all I care.”

“What good would that do? Might as well put Pickles in charge of it.”

That warranted a laugh.

“And Birdie?” he asked.

I didn’t answer.

“Rock?”

I met his eyes. “She’s different. And if she keeps sniffin’ around, she’s gonna find out everything.”

Knox exhaled slow. “Then we better make sure she finds out from us. Not from a rogue. But I need time. I haven’t even broken the news to Eliza. I didn’t want her to find out like this.”

“I’ll go talk to Birdie. Quiet her down.”

Knox gave me a nod while I sprinted to the restroom.

Birdie wasted no time. “I wanna know what that was. And don’t you dare lie to me.”

Here we go.

The world had cracked open.

And nothin’ was ever gonna be the same again.