Olivia scooted backward on the bed, ignoring the bunching of the spread. She grabbed a pillow, hugging it tightly to her chest.
“What do you mean ‘do I dream of wolves’?” The dull ringing in her ears made her feel as if she’d been hit on the head.
Micah crawled up on the foot of the bed from his position on the floor. She drew her feet up but he simply sat cross-legged in front of her. With his mouth set in a tense line and his eyebrows furrowed, he reminded Olivia of the…
“Wolf? You are telling me that you are…that I am…that everyone…” Her voice trailed off as she stared incredulously at the handsome but apparently crazy man in front of her. What he was intimating could not possibly be true.
Then Olivia remembered a dream she’d had as a small child. The dream had been of a wolf running through her backyard and transforming into her father. That, like the ones she had of herself running with wolves, was just her brain manifesting her internal beast in a way she could understand. Her therapist had assured her of that. Humans don’t turn into animals. She shook her head violently.
“No!” Flinging one hand up, Olivia bounced backward on the bed only to hit the wall. “You’re trying to drive me insane, aren’t you? Why, Micah? Was kissing you such a bad thing? Is this how you want to get rid of me?”
Micah dragged one hand through his hair as he shook his head. “No, Olivia. Remember when I said I thought I’d heard your last name before? Volksson? Do you know what that means? It means ‘son of the wolf’, Olivia. Many of our kind have last names that reflect their animal.”
“Reflect? Like a totem or a clan animal?” Her shoulders dropped six inches as she realized that she was overreacting. Giving a nervous laugh, Olivia reached out to pat Micah’s hand. “Oh my! You will never believe what I though you meant!”
“No Olivia, not like a totem or a…” Micah suddenly moved off the bed, his head swiveling toward the door just before it opened.
“Uncle Micah, you said we were going for a sled ride!” Talia oriented on Olivia with a pout. “You aren’t even dressed yet!”
Throwing a look at Olivia, Micah grabbed the child, lifting her high over his head. Turning her upside down, he nuzzled her hair until her giggles rang through the room. Olivia shooed them out so she could get dressed. Leaning against the dresser with one hand, she studied herself in the mirror for a moment.
“Olivia Marie, this is one weird ride you are taking. Get dressed. Write the story. Get out of here. That’s the plan.” Giving herself an emphatic nod, she skimmed out of her clothes and layered from silk long johns up to a thick wool sweater before heading downstairs to join Micah and Talia.
She couldn’t stop the grin when she saw Talia bundled to within an inch of her life. Micah’s look of determination as he wrapped a scarf around the child’s neck warmed Olivia’s heart. The man might not know it, but he was bonkers over the kid. A yearning for that kind of connection tried to make itself known and she ruthlessly pushed it aside. Entering the room, Olivia laughed.
“Trying to make Talia look like the poor kid from that movie?” Olivia staggered around holding her arms straight out from her sides. “I can’t move my arms!”
Infectious giggles erupted from Talia who immediately began mimicking Olivia. Micah grabbed for the trailing scarf but it was too late. He scrambled to his feet, chuckling.
“Fine! You do it then! And,” he waggled his eyebrows at her in a fair “evil villain” impersonation, “you are next, my dear!”
Talia screamed with glee as Olivia flung her hand up to her head. “Oh no! It’s the evil scarf wrapper!”
Micah pounced while she was distracted by Talia. Heat radiated from his arms as he pulled her against his chest. She saw a glint in his eye but before she could react, he kissed her then released her to the sound of Talia clapping her hands.
“Micah!” Olivia’s cheeks were hot and she knew she had to be scarlet.
“Here’s your coat and gloves, Liv. Grab a hat and put a scarf on or I will.” Micah scooped Talia up under one arm and headed out the door as he finished winding her scarf. Talia’s laughter echoed from the porch as Micah pretended to drop her, catching her just before she hit the snow piled by the stairs.
“Why that man!” Olivia couldn’t help it. She started to laugh. If he was trying to keep her off her balance, he was succeeding very well. The kiss he’d just given her had been a total scorcher and then he’d turned around and teased Talia. She pulled on the coat followed by the gloves. Tugging the hat down on her head, she threw the scarf over her shoulder and headed out the door.
Talia stood at the edge of the driveway, watching Micah gather up barking and bouncing dogs. He took them to the sled one at a time, checking each harness before putting it on the dogs. Olivia watched appreciatively as Micah bent over to attach the harnesses to the traces for the wicker sled. The curve of his ass in those tight faded jeans was enough to make her drool. She frowned when he turned to slide into an insulated jumpsuit. What fun was that?
“Okay, you two! Let’s go!”
Olivia followed the running Talia more slowly but her hurried steps reflected her excitement. A twinge struck her. This must be what it felt like to have a real family. Brushing the thought aside, Olivia took up a position in front of Micah. His gaze ran up and down her as he checked what she was wearing. Heat pooled in her belly when his look lingered on her breasts. She remembered what he had said about wanting her.
“This won’t do, Ms. Decatur.” His breath warmed her cheek as he grabbed her scarf to pull her close to him. “We have to make sure that delicate skin is protected.” He lowered his voice, “And I have to imagine what it would be like to have you tied up in my bed using this scarf.”
Before she could draw enough air to scold him, Olivia found herself gently pushed into the sled. The dogs were anchored somehow but she could feel the jerks and tugs as they tried to surge forward. The barking nearly deafened her. Talia clambered in place to rest between her legs and Olivia wrapped her arms around the child to hug her.
Micah covered both of them with a blanket he’d had draped over the sled. The seat under them was just a thin cushion, but no cold came through it from the snow below them.
She focused on the lead dog as Micah shouted, “Away”. Micah ran behind the sled and Olivia felt the impact as he jumped up on the runners. She leaned her head back to look up at Micah, only to get an eyeful of his erection. Olivia jerked her head forward again.
Even wrapped up as she was, Olivia could feel the bite of the wind but she didn’t care. The joy of the dogs as they ran was contagious. She watched as they headed down a path through the trees. All of the scenery seemed strangely familiar then she realized that she’d seen it in her dreams.
“Gorgeous, isn’t it?”
Micah spoke quietly. The dogs had stopped barking as soon as they’d started running. He explained that the animals would use all their energy for pulling the sled, not for barking at one another. She looked back at him, careful not to let her head brush his crotch again and nodded.
He pointed out various things including an immature bald eagle sitting high in the top of one of the trees as they zoomed down the path. Olivia almost wished she’d brought her camera, but knew the sights would stick with her long enough for her to add them to her article.
This was definitely Micah in his element. He was such an obvious part of this landscape and so comfortable here. In spite of the fact that he hadn’t been born here, this was his place in the world. Olivia felt a spurt of jealousy immediately followed by guilt. Micah couldn’t help it that he’d found the perfect home and she hadn’t managed that for herself yet.
Suddenly he pulled on the leads and called the dogs to a halt. He anchored the sled securely in the snow. Some of the dogs started barking again while others curled up to rest, covering their noses with their tails. Olivia could just tell the ones still barking were ready to run some more.
“I want to take you somewhere.” Micah helped Talia then Olivia out of the sled. Olivia watched as he spoke quietly to the dogs, patting some of them on the head, speaking to all of them as he passed them. “Follow me.”
Trees pressed in on them as they navigated a narrow path that Olivia knew she would have never seen. With Talia between them, she drank in the intoxicating scent of balsam mingled with what she now knew was Micah. How did he know I could do that though? Gotta pin him down when we get back and ask him about that.
“Oh!” A puff of white air accompanied her gasp of delight as she stepped into a huge clearing. On the far edge a large white wolf stood its ground. Olivia knew she’d have to write about how secure these animals were in showing themselves to humans. All this time she thought they’d be difficult to spot and now she was seeing her third one.
Talia glanced up at Micah who held a finger to his mouth while he shook his head. She nodded then reached for Olivia’s hand. The simple gesture brought tears to Olivia’s eyes and the knowledge that she needed to make sure Talia didn’t come to depend on her. This was just a working vacation and her editor needed her back at her desk at the end of it.
Movement caught her attention and she looked at the wolf who still paced restlessly at the edge of the clearing. It seemed uncaring of their presence as it raised its nose to sniff in the air. Olivia squinted. Did that wolf have an injured eye? She saw that the right eye seemed glazed over and there were marks on its face like some sort of scarring. That’s odd. It looks a bit like Gareth.
“Time to head back.” Micah’s voice snapped her out of her reverie and Olivia took one last look at the animal. Foolish, Olivia, just foolish. It’s just some weird similarity, that’s all. She followed Micah and Talia back to the sled.
“Hop in the basket.” Micah waved toward the sled so Olivia assumed that was what he meant. Climbing in, she nestled into the soft blankets and held her arms out for Talia to join her. The trip home seemed shorter because the lodge showed up too soon for Olivia’s liking.
“That was amazing, Micah. Thank you.” She pressed a kiss to the small bit of skin she could see on his cheek then hurried into the lodge with Talia. As soon as she unraveled herself and Talia from the tangle of layers he’d insisted on, she put a kettle on the stove. Micah’s smile when he came in after taking care of the dogs rewarded her efforts.
“I thought we’d need some hot chocolate after that.” Talia danced around the kitchen in agreement.
“What’s this?” Gareth’s voice sounded as he came in from the hallway. “Micah, who is this beauty? Surely she isn’t related to your ugly self.”
Talia screeched when she saw Gareth and buried her head in Olivia’s side. “It’s the boogeyman!”
Micah shook his head wryly. “Talia, this is Gareth. He’s my friend and he works here. Don’t be afraid of him, honey. Gareth, this is Talia. She’s Shelly’s daughter.”
Shaking her head violently, Talia wrapped her arms around Olivia. “No. He’s mean. He’s glaring at me!”
Pulling the little arms off her waist, Olivia picked Talia up. “Honey, Gareth is a good person. He just has a scar on his face. Look at him again. Your Uncle Micah and I both like Gareth a lot. I think you will too if you give him a chance.”
Gareth had stopped in the door, fiddling with the patch over his eye, letting his hair fall forward and turning the scarred side of his face away from them. “It’s okay, Olivia. I’m sorry, Talia. I forgot I might scare you. I’ll go away so you aren’t frightened, okay?”
Pain radiated from the man and Olivia could smell a bitterness in the air that hadn’t been there before. Talia squirmed until Olivia set her down.
Approaching slowly, Talia tilted her head to gaze up at Gareth. “Mr. Gareth, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
The sweetness of the child’s apology caused Olivia to rapidly blink back tears. She moved the kettle off the burner and pulled cups down from the cabinet. She turned to see Gareth going to his knees in front of Talia who stood straight and tall, looking right at him.
“Will you marry me? You are the prettiest thing I’ve seen in my life.” The grin that split his face only made it halfway across because of the scarring, but Talia’s shyness melted away at Gareth’s teasing. Apparently all she’d needed was the go-ahead from Micah and Olivia.
“No! I’m not old ’nough to be mated. Uncle Micah, can I ask him if he is one of us?”
Micah’s wince puzzled Olivia. She spoke then. “Talia, of course he’s one of you. He lives here just like you and your uncle. Now come help me serve everyone, will you?”
Gareth soon had everyone laughing as he told stories he’d heard from Micah’s brother Kajika on one of his visits to the lodge. Apparently Kaj loved telling tales about Micah in his youth.
“And Kaj said their grandfather threatened to skin Micah and use him for a rug when he found out how that pony got into the elders’ meeting.” When Olivia and Talia stopped laughing, Gareth pushed back from the table.
“I’d better get back to work. Micah, can you give me a hand unloading the hay? And Talia?” Gareth reached out to tickle her. “Are you sure you won’t change your mind about marrying me?”
Olivia saw Micah say something to Gareth but couldn’t hear it because of Talia’s giggling response to the proposal.
“Why don’t we go take a nap, Talia?” Olivia stood up and held her hand out to Talia. She didn’t know much about kids, but she knew naps were good. And since the dogsled ride had tired her out, she felt pretty sure Talia was also feeling tired.
“Go on, Talia. I’ll come up later and if you are still awake, I’ll tell you a story about Gareth and a motorcycle.” Micah smiled as he left the kitchen with Gareth on his heels.
Olivia went up the stairs after Talia who trudged up them like her doom awaited her. The room in Micah’s apartment that had Talia’s things in it was cozy with a country charm. As she tucked the child into bed, Olivia brushed some stray hair back from Talia’s face.
“You like Uncle Micah, don’t you? You smell just like Aunt Jane does when she’s looking at her mate.” Earnest eyes stared up at Olivia making her squirm in the intensity.
“Husband. You mean Aunt Jane’s husband, honey. Mate isn’t the right word.” Olivia stood up to go.
“Husband or mate, we call them both. Does your Pack say it different?”
Olivia shivered. Was this some weird cult? “Go to sleep, honey. We can talk about it after your nap. You can help make dinner if you like.”
Closing the door, Olivia headed for her room and her computer. She had to get her impressions about the ride down while they were fresh.
Micah caught the bale that Gareth tossed and pitched it into place by the tack room. He knew his help wasn’t necessary-Gareth had done this particular task alone many times before-so he broke the silence.
“What did you want to talk to me about, Gareth?”
Gareth set down the bale he had in his hands and perched on it. The seriousness of his gaze told Micah he’d been thinking about whatever it was for some time. Rolling his shoulders relieved some of the stiffness in Micah’s shoulders from tossing the hay but not all. Gareth’s voice cracked as he started to speak.
“Look, I know it’s not my place to question you, but have you thought about sending Talia to the Pack in town to grow up in? Don’t get me wrong, Micah. You’ll be a great father to her, but kids need mothers. If Olivia is going to stick around, then she’s going to be important to the kid.” Gareth paused, taking a deep breath but still not meeting Micah’s eyes. “I think you need to tell Olivia what she is.”
Micah nodded. “That’s my thought too, Gareth. Not about Talia-she’s fine and I’ll make sure she stays fine. Liv, though, that’s a wolf of another color, isn’t it? I tried to tell her and she misunderstood me. Thought I was talking about totems and spirit guides.” Micah’s fingers tangled in his hair as he tried to comb it back from his face. “I don’t know what to do other than change in front of her.”
“It’s not just that, Micah. She could probably accept your changing. Some humans do. I mean, Slade and Tony both have human mates, right? Olivia’s not human. She’s one of us. Now that you’re back there’ll be a Gathering and you know it’ll be a big one. Everyone is going to want to see you. And the females.”
Gareth hesitated as a grimace crossed his face. “Well, you know they’re going to be all over you. And the males will be hot on Olivia’s tail. They’re always chasing any unclaimed female.”
Nostrils flaring, Micah bit out his words. “She is not an unclaimed female. She’s mine.”
Scooting back on the bale of hay, Gareth held his hands out placatingly. “I didn’t mean anything, Micah. I didn’t realize you were that serious about her.”
Micah sighed. “Neither did I. But Olivia is not fair game. Gathering or no, if any other male gets near her, I’ll tear him apart.”
He pivoted on the balls of his feet and headed back to the lodge. Time to show Olivia what he was. And more importantly, time to show her what she was. He glanced over his shoulder to see Gareth watching him.
“I’ll need you to stick around the main building for a while. Keep an ear out for Talia in case she wakes up.”
Without waiting for Gareth’s response, Micah mulled over his options as he headed back to the lodge. He knew he had to give her unalterable proof of his claims. That would be shock number one. The second shock he had planned was what had him jamming his hands into his thighs as though the repetitive thuds could ease the guilt building in him.
Forcing another shifter to change was something he did only in dire circumstances. He’d used his power to change another shifter for necessary healing when a shifter had been hurt too badly to effect the change themselves. He’d also used it on occasion as punishment. Forcing the change too rapidly could hurt.
His grandfather had driven home to him more than once that he could lose his power if he used it for ill. Many stories had been told to him about those ancestors who hadn’t heeded the warning and had been stripped of their ability, leaving their Pack vulnerable.
The lodge steps appeared in front of him too soon for his liking. He considered taking a walk-a long one, with Canada looking like a good first stop. Shaking his head, he laughed. What good is running, Micah? And isn’t that the question you ask others, not yourself?
Squaring his shoulders, Micah opened the front door.