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So, yeah, the she-wolf gave off good vibes, but chances were she was feeding me a familiar line of bullshit just like everyone else in my life.
“This is Clover,” Doone said before introducing the pack’s leader, Braeden, and his second-in-command, Joshua. Joshua, the cat, also happened to be Clover’s husband and he had brought a duffle bag into the cabin.
Joshua placed the bag to one side as Clover explained its presence. “No one said what your size was or what you might need, so I grabbed our catchall bag. You can return what doesn’t fit in a couple of days.”
I stared at her, shocked by the instant hospitality. Doone covered for me by thanking the she-wolf.
“So we’re saying wolfandcat?” Clover continued with a fascinated lilt to her tone. “And you shift as both?”
“Yes,” I agreed, heart pounding in my chest then almost stopping completely as I reminded myself that my vital signs were obvious to everyone. I also realized the two males, despite their rank within the pack, had decided to let the she-wolf interrogate me in her pleasant, outgoing way.
I didn’t mind, I just needed to keep sight of the fact that thiswasan interrogation disguised as a welcoming party.
“You’re the oldest cross between two shifter types that we know of,” she continued. “And most of the kids are too young to exercise their totem yet. But the oldest, a girl, is showing signs that she’ll be an Elk shifter like her father. Her mother is coyote.”
“This is some of the same shit that started the pack wars,” Mallory grumbled from his recliner.
“Not really,” Clover’s mate Joshua argued. “It was just something different sides rallied behind. It has always been and will continue to be about maintaining one group or person’s power.”
“True,” Braeden agreed. “And it doesn’t matter whether you’re ready to accept her or not, Mallory. She’s part of the pack now.”
Tears sprang to my eyes at their leader’s words. I couldn’t hide them even though my entire upbringing made me want to.
In one day—mere hours, really—I felt more like I belonged in Night Falls than I had my entire life with the Illinois leap. I was almost happy.
But I couldn’t forget my mother.
CHAPTER15
DOONE
Mosaand I walked the visitors back to their vehicles while Mallory remained inside. Braeden had his motorcycle. Clover was driving her Jeep with Joshua riding shotgun. The she-wolf couldn’t resist giving Mosa one last hug before climbing behind the wheel.
Standing about a hand’s width apart, we watched the trio disappear down Mallory’s twisting drive. We stood there even after the sound of their engines faded.
“Do you imagine they are making plans?” she asked.
“Quietly,” I answered. “Away from us and for the protection of the pack, yes.”
My heart slowed as the last half of my answer faded to silence. I had presumptively made the two of us a unit.
Out loud.
It was something I had been doing in my head since the moment I first laid eyes on Mosa. I wasn’t sure how “mates” found each other, but I was pretty sure I was just spinning fantasies in my head. Probably making her uncomfortable, too.
“Sorry,” I said, my voice little more than a whisper after the protracted silence. “I’m accustomed to living in total isolation. The man who raised me was the silent type, so nearly all of my socialization comes from used paperbacks.”
Instead of looking at me like I was a freak, Mosa smiled. She couldn’t hold the expression, her gaze focused on the sky darkening in the east. But she kept talking.
“Any particular author?”
“Well, Winston, the rancher, had a lot of Louis L’Amour—.”
“The Sacketts?” she interrupted, then laughed before I could answer. “My mom has video cassettes of the TV series.”
She laughed again, emotions other than merriment tinging the edges. “Now that I’ve seen Mallory, I think she watched them because Sam Elliott looked like the old wolf. At least I bet he did.”
Another laugh left her, this one a harsh, dry sound.
