Little Wolf (25 page)

Tim could take a clean breath for the first time since coming in to work. It didn’t clear his head. He scowled at the baby wolves. “I mean it. He doesn’t have a mate to do these things for him or to make sure all those grabby hands tourists back the fuck off. All right, what?” Tim finally gave in to the urge and put his head up to yell the question at the ceiling. “Yes, I know what I smell like, but
what
? What’s with the stares today?”

Albert patted him sympathetically on the shoulder. “Do you need me to get you something to eat, or are you still waiting for the sheriff?”

The fact that Tim hadn’t eaten because he’d been waiting for Nathaniel, and that Albert, and likely everyone else, knew it, was just
great
. Yet another embarrassing moment in a morning full of them. Tim shot one last searching look out the window, but when there was no sign of Nathaniel in the street, he stormed out from behind the counter to go get himself some food.

The people in the café cleared out of his way. Tim barely noticed.

T
IM
’
S
SHIFT
ended without even a glimpse of Nathaniel, but by then Tim knew why. The people coming into the café were full of wild stories about a bear, or something like a bear, sighted near town. Nathaniel and some of the park rangers had left to track it earlier that day. Tim heard the story so many times by five o’clock that he stopped responding, even when Graham informed him that it was dangerous for a lone wolf to confront a bear, even an adult were as impressive as the sheriff. Tim also learned, shortly before throwing his hands up into the air and growling, that Nathaniel had been mauled by a bear once when he was a deputy.

“Nathaniel is an asshole,” Tim declared to Albert and then to the rest of their little pack. The baby wolves had stayed for most of the day. Tim briefly suspected they were waiting for something before abandoning that idea. The baby wolves were young and seemed to hang out with one another for comfort. Albert was with Tim, and they were with Albert, so they were hanging around Tim too, though he couldn’t help but wonder what they were going to do after the summer. They were all graduating soon, even Graham, who must have skipped a grade, and probably going off to college. Only Albert didn’t mention any plans.

If they’d been alone, Tim might have asked about that. But they were never alone. And the sheriff was, as Tim insisted, an asshole, and left Tim on his own to go get hurt fighting a bear, so Tim wasn’t in the mood to ask anyway. What he asked, after Rebecca nicely offered to give Tim a lift to the cabin because Tim was too annoyed to use the numbers Nathaniel had given him to call the station, was the next time they were going to the Meadows, and if he was still invited.

The kids were actually pretty helpful to have around, and not only because Tim needed the ride home. They had taken to surrounding the counter when the gift shop had been full of people in the morning and again when people had come in to talk about the bear. Tim recognized a shield when he saw one, though he didn’t know who had put the kids up to it.

He thanked them by not complaining when he was wedged between Scott and Albert in Rebecca’s tiny car. He held in every gripe, despite the overpowering scent of lust from Scott, who had Samantha on his other side, and the embarrassed arousal from Albert. Graham’s scent in the front was harder to get a read on, and Rebecca was greatly amused for the entire ride in the hormonemobile.

Tim had never been so grateful to get out of a car, although seeing the cabin unlit and dark was not reassuring.

He had been in the cabin alone before, left there when Zoe and Nathaniel went to work or for a run. But at that moment there was no sign they had ever been there, and he had no word on when they’d be back. He was going to be in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by woods he couldn’t navigate.

His trepidation must have been obvious, but he waved off Albert’s offer to stay with him and went inside. He could make dinner. That’s what he could do while he waited. Not that he was waiting. He had no idea if—when—Nathaniel was coming home. He would make himself a sandwich, in silence, without the TV on, and listen for any approaching cars, or wolves.

He pulled the phone numbers for the station from his pocket and set them by the phone, then went to the fridge. A second later, he was back at the counter, wondering if he would even hear the footsteps of a wolf. How many times had Luca or Nathaniel snuck up on him? Making noise in the kitchen seemed like a dumb idea when he thought about that.

He left the kitchen entirely and went to the front window to listen. He kept hold of the bread knife, though he felt ridiculous.

A kitchen knife was such an embarrassing, puny, human weapon for a werewolf to use. If Luca burst through the door at that moment, sensing Tim had been forgotten, or worse, abandoned by Nathaniel after what had happened today, Tim wouldn’t have a chance.

Luca would laugh and knock the knife out of his hand, even if Tim made him bleed. Then before Tim would even think to try to shift, Luca would have him down. He might be there to take Tim to his uncle, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t have his fun first. Tim knew from experience he could struggle all he wanted and he’d never have Luca’s strength.

Luca could be outside right now, or in town already. If he was in town, he could have been watching Tim this morning when Nathaniel had made him come.

Tim returned to the kitchen to put down the useless knife and roll up his sleeves to splash water on his face. It didn’t calm him. He gave in to his growing fear and went to the windows to search for any sign of anything out in the trees. He couldn’t see a glimpse of reflective eyes or feel any shivering sensations of being watched. That meant nothing. His instincts were shit.

He finally opened the window. Hearing was better for him, always had been. If the phone didn’t ring, he would hear movement, maybe the howls Nathaniel had spoken of. He stared out for a minute longer, then went to sit stiffly on the couch. He turned on the TV, then turned it to mute to better keep track of what was going on outside, then tried to convince himself he was being stupid. If the others came home and found him cowering in front of a silent TV, he’d never hear the end of it. So he put on one of the movies he found in the cabinet by the TV.

Around midnight he heard a car engine in the distance, and nearly jumped up until he recognized the sound of Zoe’s truck.

He turned the volume a little higher and tried to lean back. Just a casual night by himself in a cabin in the woods, with danger lurking in every shadow. But he physically could not make himself any less tense, even when Zoe came in, looking harried and stressed until she laid eyes on him.

“You were supposed to call the station if you changed your plans,” she said shortly, then paused to study him. “You look like a tired sack of ass,” she added, but much slower, and then stepped over to close—and lock—the window.

Tim blinked. Zoe inhaled, a careful, deliberate action, then swept a searching glance around the room. She was assessing the situation, like the cop she was. Tim sometimes forgot she was a professional. But she’d trained with Nathaniel, maybe even the old sheriff. And she was Nathaniel’s unofficial lieutenant. That meant something.

He realized he hadn’t moved or spoken since her arrival and felt himself grow hot. She would know he’d been sitting here in silence, scared to death of nothing at all. She’d know everything.

“Nathaniel will be home soon,” Zoe offered in a level voice, then crossed her arms. “Did I mention that you were supposed to call if you changed plans? Especially if you left the café?”

“I can….” Tim’s mouth was so dry. “Fuck off, I’m fine,” he managed, in a horrible, croaking voice. He hadn’t thought anyone would worry.

Zoe made a sound like she doubted Tim was anything close to fine, but moved into the kitchen without pressing the issue. She returned the knife to the block, then calmly washed up. While Tim stared and tried to calm down, she microwaved two cups of instant hot chocolate and made popcorn. She then brought the chocolate into the room, grabbed the remote to turn the volume up to near-human levels, and went back to get the popcorn. She didn’t bother with a bowl.

For two weres, it wasn’t much of a dinner, but Tim didn’t say a word when she unbuckled her belt and radio and put them aside before plopping down next to him. She set the bag between them and began flipping channels as she munched handfuls of popcorn. She must have been tired from her day at work, but she didn’t seem inclined to sleep. Tim watched her for a while, waiting for another comment, but Zoe stared at the television as if whatever late-night old lady TV show they had wound up watching was fascinating.

He didn’t think she had truly been worried about him, at least, not in more than a general sense. But perhaps he should have called to tell her the kids were taking him home.

“You want a sandwich?” he asked at last, although it was late and they both should be in bed. He wouldn’t have slept, but he could have pretended.

Zoe glanced at him. “Sure. You wanna play?” She nudged a game controller on the coffee table with her toe.

He didn’t mean to smile at her, and wasn’t sure why he did. But he made the sandwiches, and they spent the next few hours playing video games and speaking only to talk shit.

Tim had to admit, somewhere around 3:00 a.m., right before he passed out sitting up, that Zoe might not be the worst.

O
F
COURSE
,
there was not the worst, and then there was waking up with his cheek on Zoe’s shoulder. Tim might like Zoe, but not enough to use her as a pillow. He wasn’t a touchy-feely baby wolf. He got to his feet before he was fully conscious, noting the bright morning light and the TV left on and the game characters onscreen twitching with inactivity. He dragged in a big breath, enough to know that Nathaniel was home, then turned.

Nathaniel was in the kitchen, in one piece. “I took a picture of you two and saved it on my phone,” he greeted Tim, teasing or serious, Tim wasn’t sure. Nathaniel had coffee, and every time he took a sip, his mouth was hidden from Tim. It might have been a good thing, but it didn’t feel like one.

Tim wanted that mouth on him and wasn’t likely to get it any time soon.

“No claw marks, I see,” Tim remarked crisply, then wiped at his cheek in case he’d drooled or had any creases from Zoe’s uniform there. Nathaniel was still in his uniform too, though it looked like he’d showered. Tim had to wonder how he could move so silently that he hadn’t disturbed the two other weres in the house, but didn’t ask.

Nathaniel raised his eyebrows. Tim raised his right back.

“You should see him in August when the full moon wackos come out,” Zoe piped in sleepily. “He always has to do everything himself.”

“That is exactly what I figured. And it’s exactly what I told those committee people.” Tim crossed his arms.

Nathaniel stilled. “The festival committee?” He lowered his cup of coffee to give Tim an entirely different look. “What did you tell them?”

“Oh no. This isn’t about that.” Tim was going to act as though he wasn’t blushing. So the committee had come to him, and so Nathaniel didn’t seem too surprised to learn that. So everyone in town knew they’d been macking on each other outside the sheriff’s station. So Tim had overstepped his bounds in giving orders to the local festival planners. It didn’t change the fact Nathaniel had been out all night facing down a real live bear. He hadn’t even had Zoe or another were deputy with him.

Tim realized he was scowling and made himself go into the kitchen to take some of Nathaniel’s coffee without asking. Zoe came in too, after a brief detour to the bathroom. She started poking around in the fridge.

“Did you two bond last night?” Nathaniel avoided every other awkward issue in the room with them. Tim glanced at him, then at his mouth again, then away. Nathaniel gave Tim a careful study while putting more cream in his coffee. “Is Zoe going to start hanging out around the gift shop all day too?”

Tim did not stop to consider how Nathaniel knew about the kids loitering around his counter the day before. “I do not have a pack!” Tim snapped at him. “Shut up,” he added, in Zoe’s direction. “I wouldn’t take you if I had one.”

“I’m crushed.” Zoe didn’t bother to raise her head from the eggs she was stirring.

“Sometimes I wonder if you even know what a pack is,” Nathaniel mused, not exactly in the calm, level tone most of the people in town were probably used to hearing. “Then I remember that you have no problem telling me everything you are thinking in fairly graphic detail, so I know that you don’t or I would have heard about it.”

Tim narrowed his eyes again and sat down across from Nathaniel.
Fairly graphic detail
, his ass. “Well, I know a wolf with a pack has a better chance against a bear than a wolf alone,” he snipped in return, silently thanking Graham for the knowledge.

“A wolf with a pack always has a better chance.” Nathaniel shut his mouth, then rubbed at his jaw. Tim didn’t think Nathaniel was about to apologize, and he didn’t. He’d made a decision to protect his deputies, a command decision. His uncle wouldn’t have apologized either.

Tim glared at him. “Risking one person makes sense when the person isn’t someone with a whole town counting on him. Generals in the front lines don’t always mean bravery. Sometimes it’s just stupidity.”

“Holy shit,” Zoe remarked, then ducked her head and continued whisking eggs.

Nathaniel worked his jaw. “Should I ask how you know this?”

“About you and the bear?” Tim tapped his fingers against the tabletop and smiled the fakest customer service smile he had, though it had always scared more humans than it had soothed. “The entire town told me yesterday. The. Entire. Town. They seemed to think I could do something about it.” He slammed down his cup of coffee, licked the spilled liquid off his hand, then picked the cup up again in a series of agitated gestures. He wasn’t thinking about Nathaniel clawed by a bear. He wasn’t, even if his heart was beating faster. “Zoe and I stayed up waiting for you.”