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  By D.M. Turner

  Copyright 2015 by D.M. Turner

  Cover designed by the author

  Fireplace photo by “Tomasz Zajda” of DPC

  Large wolf photo by “nialat” of DPC

  Small wolf photo by “Animalist” of DPC

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or any information retrieval or storage system without the prior written permission of the author.

  BISAC: Fiction/Christian/Fantasy

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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  Campbell Wildlife Preserve

  Outside Flagstaff, Arizona

  Home of pack alphas Ian & Sophia Campbell

  Monday, April 30, 2018

  SOPHIA flopped onto her back from staring at the flames dancing in the fireplace, trying to stuff down irritation. It wasn’t his fault. Not really. Circumstances being what they were, it was no surprise that Ian was distracted. She needed to cut him some slack. They’d had a long night with the full moon’s events, and a weird morning, after days of unrest, so she needed to get some sleep.

  A glance at the clock on the nightstand said it was almost noon, but Ian still hadn’t come to bed.

  Not his fault I’m on edge and irritable. I can’t take it out on him.

  The bedroom door opened, and Ian quietly made his way to their bathroom, shutting the bedroom and bathroom doors in his wake with barely a click. For such a big man, he sure could move without much sound. He could be a force to be reckoned with, or he could pass without more than the faintest movement of air, depending on the situation, his intent, and his mood. The low set of his shoulders attested to his weariness. He’d had too many worries over the past several days, with very little sleep, and it was beginning to show.

  Too many worries, and too little time for me.

  Sophia frowned. Why did she keep coming back to that? With all the things he had on his mind, she needed to be patient and understanding, not resentful of his straying attention.

  Peter’s and Clara’s deaths and funerals. The new wolf Michael continued to hide in the basement, unwilling to leave his cage. Carlos’ grief over Peter had made him temperamental and required supervision. FBI Agent Keesha Muller lurked around, creating concerns for the safety of the pack. Max’s apparent infatuation with said agent had been compounded by the fact he hadn’t shown up for the full moon run with the pack but had appeared first thing that morning barely able to walk and smelling like her.

  Was it any wonder Ian was preoccupied?

  Still, he needed to slow down and delegate. Let someone else deal with some of those things. Like Brett. That wolf was even older than Ian, not to mention the pack second. Surely he could carry some of the load, so Ian didn’t have to shoulder all of it alone. What was the point of having subordinates otherwise?

  The bathroom door opened, and Ian exited, wiping a hand over his eyes as he rounded the bed to lie down. He sank into the mattress as though his bones dissolved, without seeming to notice that she watched him.

  See? That’s what I’m talking about. It’s like I’m not even here. Is this how it’s going to be from now on? We haven’t even been mated a month, and he’s already dismissive of me.

  With a light frown, Ian sighed and turned his head on the pillow to look at her. “What’s wrong? I smell your anger.” He rolled onto his side to face her, tucking a hand under his bearded cheek.

  Did she want to add to his burdens by admitting the truth? Sophia shook her head. “Did you find out what happened to Max last night?”

  “No.” He covered a yawn. “He hasn’t returned to human form yet, so I haven’t been able to talk to him about it. He smells like Agent Muller and is acting almost despondent, so whatever it is can’t be good. His emotions are so jumbled in with physical pain, I can’t sort out what he’s feeling. I considered forcing his Shift so we can talk, but if he’s seriously injured, I don’t want to risk compounding matters. Jeremy’s coming to look at him this evening, if he’s not better. If I didn’t know better, I’d almost swear he waited until he knew the others would be gone before he showed up, but Max doesn’t avoid the pack.”

  She nodded and let a few moments of silence pass before asking, “Why doesn’t Brett help you more?”

  His frown deepened, in confusion. “With what?”

  “All the mess you’ve been dealing with.” She waved a hand. “Carlos. Michael. Max. Worrying over that FBI agent.”

  “I’m the alpha. Those are my responsibility.”

  Sophia growled softly. “That’s ridiculous. Just because you’re the leader doesn’t mean you have to take responsibility for everything that needs to be tended to. Surely you aren’t that obtuse. A good leader knows how to delegate to his subordinates.”

  Ian stared at her for a moment then rolled to his feet and stood over the bed. “What’s going on? You haven’t had any issue with our responsibilities as the leaders of this pack until now.”

  Our? Like he’d even let her help. “I hadn’t realized you expected to carry the entire load alone. You haven’t let me help with anything, any more than you’ve allowed anyone else. What use is Brett, if you aren’t going to delegate anything to him?”

  “I do so when necessary.”

  “You mean, like if you’re forced into it?” She sat up and glared at him. “What about just because Brett can handle it and you’re overloaded. You did well with that when the threat from Brimfield came to our attention. You let others shoulder the part of the burden that they were more than capable of carrying. You didn’t carry the burden alone.”

  “I’m not overloaded.”

  She growled. “Yes, you are.”

  His grey eyes narrowed. “You understood my responsibilities before, but suddenly have an issue with me doing what must be done? What’s changed?”

  “Seriously?” Sophia clenched her teeth. Calm down. Your temper being volatile isn’t entirely his fault. Don’t take it out on him. Just talk this through calmly. She took a deep breath. “You dealt with Carlos’ grief and temper, and he’s doing better now. He went home and back to work. I thought things would quiet down then, but you’re still fretting over Michael and Max and Keesha Muller. She hasn’t given us reason to worry so far.” She narrowed her eyes. “At least, not as far as I know. Are you keeping something about that from me?”

  “No, of course not.” He put his hands on his hips.

  “Fine. Then why worry so much about her unless and until she gives you good reason? Shouldn’t you let that situation rest in God’s hands?”

  Ian flinched. “You don’t understand how big a threat she poses. You haven’t seen what the government is capable of.”

  “Do you really think I’m that stupid?” She climbed out of bed, yanked the hem of his shirt down around her thighs to keep her adequately covered, and matched his pose. “I spent four years hiding what I am from everyone around me because I knew they’d freak out and do all manner of nasty things to me, and you honestly think I don’t have a clue how dangerous a government agent can be? I don’t exactly see our government through rose-colored glasses. You think I don’t know about the Japanese internment camps, the medical experimentation on our military personnel that’s gone on for decades, or some of the other evils the US government has perpetuated over the past 250 years? I may be young compared to you, but I actually do know my history, and not the revisionist version either. I’m not stupid.” She’d never expected to call herself “young” at forty-five. Being married to a man who was 175 years old had definite drawbacks.

  The muscles along both of his temples popped as he clenched his teeth. His gaze remained locked on hers.

  “I’m not telling you she’s no threat. I’m telling you she’s given you no reason to spend so much time worrying.” She cocked her head. “If the worst happens and the government finds out about us, do you have a plan in place to protect the pack?” Unless he was far different from the man she thought she knew, he’d have a detailed plan, with contingencies to boot.

  “Yes.”

  “Does the rest of the pack know about it?” She had yet to be told anything, since she was new to the pack and so much had transpired, but surely the others knew.

  “Not all of them, but most, yes.”

  “Then, why worry? Keep an eye on the situation. Have the others watching as befits their skills and jobs. Then trust God to give us the heads-up if the worst case scenario unfolds. He knows how much you want to protect everyone, and He cares even more about them than you do. He’ll help you protect them.”

  Ian’s gaze faltered. “I have trusted Him. It didn’t work out so well for Peter.” He closed his eyes for a moment then opened them and held up a hand. “I know. I know. It was Peter’s time, and I couldn’t stop his death. Everything and everyone is so... raw right now. Clara’s death compounded the grief over Peter’s, and the whole pack is hurting on one level or another. I can’t escape the scent of grief, and having the whole pack together last night made it worse.”

  “I know.” Sophia sighed and tried to smile. “But you can’t carry all of it alone. Especially now.”

  “Why now?” He cocked his head, his brows drawing together.

  She raised both brows. “You have a nose and use it better than I do mine, and you really have to ask?”

  He scowled then sighed and dropped his chin to his chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even notice. I’ve been so—“

  “Distracted, I know.”

  “Preoccupied.”

  “Same diff.” Sophia sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “No matter what you call it, you’ve been carrying everything alone and ignoring me.” She grimaced. She hadn’t meant to add that last part, despite the truth of it. Weren’t women usually married for more than a few weeks before they felt ignored and pushed aside? If so, she was way ahead of the curve, in a bad way.

  Ian blinked at her a couple of times. “Ignoring you?” His brows lowered. “I guess that’s a fair assessment, considering I didn’t even notice you were going into heat. Something that obvious shouldn’t have escaped my notice. If nothing else, I should’ve realized it when you were uncharacteristically distant and snarky with the pack last night.”

  Anger fled, and she lowered her gaze. “I tried not to be.”

  “Hey.” He closed the distance between them and cupped her chin to nudge her gaze back to his. His features had relaxed and softened. “It’s not your fault. At least, not entirely. I’m sorry, a ghràidh.” He shook his head. “It’s been a long time since I had a mate at my side. I’m afraid I haven’t adjusted from a couple of decades of bachelorhood yet.”

  His use of the old Scottish “my love” brushed away days of irritation. His tone of voice whenever he uttered the endearment melted more than anger. She smiled faintly. “And Brett?”

  “I’ll call him. He’ll have to deal with Michael and Max, and Agent Muller, if she continues to be an issue. At least, for a couple of weeks or so.” The right corner of his mouth quirked up. “He’s not gonna like it, but he can handle it.”

  Sophia nodded then stepped away and sat on the bed. “Just so you know, I think I’m going wolf for the next couple of days. I feel like I’m about to crawl out of my own skin, and that’ll only get worse before it gets better. It’s made me short-tempered already, so....” She grinned faintly. “It’s probably the safest way to avoid arguments.”

  Ian chuckled and nodded. “If that’s what you want to do, go for it. Just one question.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Is cuddling out, too?”

  She smiled. “No. In fact, if you avoid me completely, I might have to bite you.”

  He grinned. “As long as you leave my liver alone.”

  She laughed.

  ~~~

  “Are you sure about this?” Brett mumbled, casting wolf-Max and human-Michael a sideways glance from across the room. The two stood in the foyer waiting for him.

  Ian nodded. “Positive. You can handle both of them.”

  The man didn’t move to join the others. A frown furrowed his brow, and for a moment, the scent of fear rose from him.

  When was the last time Ian had seen his friend actually afraid of something? He couldn’t even remember. “I promise, my friend. You can handle this.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Brett lifted his head, turned on his heel, and headed for the front door. “Come with me, you two.”

  Max and Michael, both with heads down, complied with the pack second’s orders without hesitation or question.

  Ian followed and locked the front door. Then he retreated to his office and watched for the light on one computer screen that would let him know the inner gate had closed behind Brett and the others. He locked it—no one would be able to enter until he reset it. Brett would monitor the main gate from his own office until Ian and Sophia came out of seclusion.

  When he finally returned to the master bedroom, Sophia was curled up on their bed in wolf form, dozing. She opened her eyes and lifted her head as he entered. A soft whimper and a tilt of her head questioned him.

  “Max and Michael left a few minutes ago with Brett, and the gate’s locked. It’s just you and me now.” He smiled and laid a hand on her head, caressing one of her ears. Then he left her to close the drapes that covered floor-to-ceiling windows spanning the south and west walls of the room, shutting out the afternoon sun. He turned back to face Sophia. “Mind if I join you in wolf form?”

  Her nose swung side to side once.

  Ian undressed, dropping his clothes to the floor, and Shifted then climbed into bed beside his mate and curled up against her, moving with caution in case she didn’t want him that close. When Sophia laid her head back down on her paws, he relaxed.

  What if that agent continued to be a problem? She was human. They couldn’t exactly make her disappear.

  Sophia lifted her head, craned her neck to look at him over her shoulder, and growled softly, her gaze accusing.

  He nuzzled her nose and forced the tension from his body that had alerted her to unpleasant thoughts. Lord, everything outside the walls of our home is in Your and Brett’s hands now. Give him wisdom and direction, and give me peace with letting you both handle it.

  He laid his head across his mate’s shoulders and closed his eyes.

  ~~~

  Wednesday, May 2, 2018

  Lord, I’m going stir-crazy here. Ian sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, and leaned over to run his fingers through his hair. Darkness stretched to every corner of the room. Night had long since fallen, and Sophia slept on the other side of the bed, still in wolf form, which she had maintained the past couple of days. They hadn’t argued, but it had been very quiet in the house.

  He’d spent a lot of time alone in that house over the years before she’d come along. It had never seemed so lonely. It was hard to keep his mind occupied without being able to talk to her. Her scent had him so restless, he couldn’t even sit and read to pass the hours.

  He’d finally called Brett—claimed to just be checking in, probably for the last time for a week or more. He’d forced himself not to ask about Max or Michael. Brett hadn’t volunteered information either. Ian wasn’t sure how to take that. Was it good, meaning that all was fine? Or did it mean things weren’t going so great but Brett didn’t want to burden him with it?

  A change in Sophia’s breathing and the faint rustle of sheets alerted him that she stirred.

  He froze and waited. Would she settle back into sleep, or had he wakened her?

  The bed moved, and a warm hand gently touched his bare back, followed by soft lips.

  Tension swept through him. Without a word, Ian straightened, pivoted on the bed, and covered her lips with his.

  The vibration of her soft laugh assured him he’d interpreted her cues correctly. She was ready for more than cuddling.

  ~~~

  Thursday, May 3, 2018

  Well after sunrise, Sophia snuggled close to Ian. Her body pressed to the length of his, she sighed with contentment that would fade in only minutes to be replaced by need. She’d enjoy it while she could though.

  “It’s been so long... I’d forgotten.” His warm voice rumbled through his chest.

  “What?” She lifted her head to study him.

  “How... maddening the first stage of heat is.” He offered a cock-eyed grin. “The way my mate’s scent drives me to distraction and prevents me from concentrating on anything and anyone but her.” His gaze met hers. “You.”

  “It’s not exactly fun from my side either.” Sophia grinned. “I have to say, though, after spending the past few years alone in the mountains during my heats, I much prefer spending them this way.” She wiggled a bit, pleased when his breath caught.

  “Behave,” he growled softly.

  She nipped his collar bone. “Don’t be so bossy.”

  Ian rolled suddenly and pinned her to the bed, his wolf’s pale green eyes peering down at her with plenty of heat, and not a bit of it anger. Then he proceeded to show her, again, how him being bossy and totally focused on her wasn’t a bad thing.

  ~~~

 

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