Wolf Untamed by Alexis Calder

10

When Kyle insisted I take the bed, I was too tired to put up a fight. I climbed in and snuggled under the sheets. The blankets smelled like Alec. And why wouldn’t it? It was his bed.

My throat tightened as I thought about everything I’d learned. Aside from my pack hunting me, there was a chance my father’s family would kill me if they ever found out I was alive. Then there was this new news about Alec. I didn’t know if it was the truth, but if Alec sold me out to earn the cash to help me, where did that leave us?

Asshole could have explained it to you.I realized that if he’d told me, I’d have refused to comply. I would have taken my chances with the royal family rather than return to captivity in Wolf Creek. Alec would have known that. But he should have given me a choice.

Why would the shifter king even care about me? I was nobody and I had no interest in getting involved in royal politics. Shit, if not for the mark on my hip, I wouldn’t even be going back to Wolf Creek. It was possible the royal family would leave me be. Nobody knew my relation and it wouldn’t look great for them to take out a nineteen-year-old shifter just for being alive.

I could hear Kyle snoring on the couch. He offered to stay up and keep watch, but I insisted we both sleep. While I wasn’t convinced we were safe here, at least Alec’s cabin was outside the main camp. That was probably why we were stashed here. Kyle had resisted, but when I pointed out that tonight was our best chance at a good night’s sleep, he relented.

It was true, with the damage caused by the fire and the full moon tomorrow, we likely had one more night before they’d come after us. Ace didn’t miss Full Moon Ceremonies. He could send some of his henchmen after us, but I had to hope Alec’s theory that they’d avoid the camp was good. Hiding in the place I was most likely to go seemed counterintuitive, but it could save me if they figured I’d avoid it.

My thoughts were jumbled, leapfrogging between reflections about Alec, my mom, Tyler, Wolf Creek, and a million other directions. It felt like I’d never get myself calm enough to sleep.

Somehow, I settled enough to let sleep find me. I woke to the sound of running water and turned to see Kyle was missing from the couch. The bathroom door was closed, the sound of the shower carried through the tiny cabin. Sunlight poured in through the windows. It was warm and bright and far too cheerful compared to my mood.

I sat up and tossed the blankets aside. My mouth was dry and I had a headache, but it wasn’t as bad as it had been when I was in Wolf Creek. If anything, I was probably dehydrated.

To my surprise, I noticed there was a whole spread on the little table. A pitcher of juice, a few bottles of water, a box of pastries, and a bowl of fruit. Where had that come from?

The sound of the water stopped. I stood and stretched, then wandered over to the table and poured myself a glass of juice. Grateful for the food, I decided I should eat before I get any more bad news that ruined my appetite.

I was halfway through my second pastry when Kyle joined me at the table. His hair was still wet and like me, he was in the same clothes he’d been wearing. “You found breakfast.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I said.

“Someone named Sheila brought it by,” he said.

A flicker of guilt passed through me. I’d been here all night and I hadn’t stopped by to say hello to her. If Alec was right, and he’d left her out of his plans, it was possible Sheila really was my friend. I had serious trust issues. What if she was honestly just a nice person and I couldn’t let go of my own misconceptions?

“That was nice of her,” I said.

“She asked me to let you know her tent is open anytime,” he said as he took a bite of a muffin.

“I’ll go see her after we eat.” I did miss her and I wanted to see how she was doing. Hopefully, everything here had been boring and safe while I’d been away.

“Fill up, you’ll need your energy tonight,” he said, his mouth full.

“Do you think it’s a good idea for me to do it?” I asked. “Shift, I mean.”

“You need to learn,” he said. “It’s not healthy for a shifter to stay in human form forever. They say it makes you go mad.”

“I’ve heard that but how many of those shifters had a homicidal family after them?” I asked. “It still seems dangerous.”

“Pretty sure you already blew your cover when you shifted before, right?”

“But can’t they only connect while you’re in wolf form?” I asked. “It’s been a month. He doesn’t know if I’m still here. Unless Alec gave him all the details.”

“He’s helping you break the claim. He’s not going to come after you and the king won’t know about you until you’re an official alpha.” He reached for a banana. “Breaking that family tie with him will keep you safe. Once that’s done, nobody will know he’s your father. Besides, I’m pretty sure he’s locked up somewhere.”

“Which makes me wonder how Alec got to him in the first place,” I said.

“Probably better we don’t focus on all the details. I have a feeling we might be better off not knowing everything,” Kyle suggested.

“Why do I have to have so many connections to people I don’t want to be connected to?” I asked.

“The Tyler thing still baffles me,” he said. “Fate is a bitch.”

“Yeah, putting us together was beyond cruel,” I agreed.

“We’ll break your mating bond as soon as we can,” Kyle said.

“So, I guess I shift. Then we find the witch and break the claim so I can get back to all the other drama I was already involved in.” It sounded crazy when I said it out loud.

“It’s the right choice,” he assured me.

I finished my last bite then stood. “I’m going to find Sheila.”

He shoved almost an entire banana in his mouth at once. I wrinkled my nose. “Do you chew when you eat?”

He took a few very full chews, then swallowed. “Let’s go.”

“You don’t have to follow me everywhere,” I said.

He lifted his brows in silent comment.

I scowled. “Is this how it’s going to be? You follow me everywhere for the rest of my life?”

“Just till I know you’re safe,” he confirmed. “I’ll feel better when the claim is broken and you’re officially alpha. Till then, I have to keep you alive to make those things happen.”

“Fine. You might as well tag along.” I walked to the door with Kyle at my heels.

It was strange knowing that tonight I was going to try to shift. I’d wished for it for so long, then I accepted the fact that I’d never complete a shift. Standing at the precipice of gaining a connection with my wolf was unreal. I still had a hard time allowing myself to think it could happen.

Go figure, me actually getting to shift would make my life even worse instead of better. As I walked toward camp, I thought about my mom’s warning last time I’d seen her. She didn’t want me to shift no matter what. She’d stopped shifting herself, I was more sure of that now. Had she done it to keep me from getting curious and trying to shift? Had her lack of shifting turned her into what she was?

When I was young, I remembered her as a caring and loving mom. We finger painted with pudding, we played in the creek. She braided my hair and sang songs to me before I went to sleep.

She wasn’t always the way she was.

My heart ached as the pieces fell into place. She’d sacrificed everything for me. A wolf who doesn’t shift goes insane. We’d all heard that growing up. My mom changed over the years. She was a shell of the person she used to be. All because she stopped shifting.

My throat felt tight and my eyes were burning as I held back tears. Could that be fixed? Could a wolf who stopped shifting be healed? Or was she going to be stuck in this prison in her mind forever?

When I saved my pack, I was also going to save her. I’d shift, then I’d make her shift. Tonight was more important than I realized. It was my first step toward being the person I had to be. I was going to embrace the mark and be the leader my pack deserved.

“You’ll help me tonight?” I asked Kyle.

“Of course,” he said.

“At moonrise, I’m going to do this,” I said, more for myself than anyone else.

My wolf seemed to leap for joy inside me. I couldn’t help but smile. It was time.