He stomped his heels on the boards to knock the snow off his boots and shook his head and shoulders as he reached for the front door. It opened and warmth enveloped him. Micah noted Gareth’s presence with a nod and an outstretched hand. “Good to see you, little brother.”
“Welcome home, Micah. Where’s the truck?” Gareth stepped back as Micah strode across the threshold.
“In the ditch not too far from here. We’ll need to go get it and the tarp in the morning.” Micah unbuttoned his jacket, shrugging out of it and tossing it onto one of the hooks by the door. Gareth shut the door behind him and leaned against it.
“In the ditch?”
Micah heard the humor in Gareth’s voice and looked at his friend. “Yes, in the ditch. Don’t say a word about the tires. I know I should have had them replaced. What’s going on here?”
Gareth’s face twisted into what passed for a grin on his scarred visage. “It’s been pretty quiet. We’ve got one cabin rented out to some honeymooners and one guest here in the lodge. She’s a reporter or something, here to do an article on winter sports. She said she’d emailed you about it. Her name’s Olivia Decatur.”
“Olivia Decatur? She’s one of us?” The two men walked toward the kitchen in the back of the lodge. Micah was glad to see the coffeepot full and the light indicating it was on. He poured himself a large cup and turned back toward Gareth who waved off the offer of coffee. Micah cupped his hands around the mug and took a sip, letting the warm liquid ease into his throat.
“I don’t think so. I mean, I did at first, but now I just don’t know. She has the scent, but she doesn’t act like one of us. She’s been here three days and the moon was full two days ago. She wasn’t out then, at least not that I know of.” Gareth turned his head away from Micah’s penetrating gaze.
“No, I didn’t go to the Gathering. I haven’t been to one since you’ve been gone. There’s too much to do around here.” Micah let the remark slide. He didn’t want to argue or contest Gareth’s notion that no other shifters would accept him because of his scars.
“I think I saw her tonight.”
Gareth sat at the counter, not saying anything, just looking at him without actually meeting his gaze. Micah shook his hair completely out of the braid then tied it into a ponytail with the same leather thong that had been holding it in place before his run. “No matter, I’ll see her in the morning. What else is going on? How are the bookings?”
“We’ll be full in three weeks. The Gathering this past full moon wasn’t well attended because you weren’t here. As soon as word gets around that you’re back, I’m sure there’ll be some calls coming in. Everyone will want another Gathering to welcome you back. For sure, Pete will be glad you’re back. He hates being Alpha in your stead.”
Micah frowned. “You know how I feel about that.”
Gareth didn’t acknowledge his response. “I took the dogs out yesterday. They’re really starting to pull together well. I also did some repair work on the snowshoes and have all the skis ready to go. The snowmobiles are all serviced and gassed up.”
“Good work, Gareth. That’ll make things a lot easier in the next few weeks.” Micah sipped at his coffee as Gareth continued to tell him about the preparations for the winter season. Gareth seemed calmer than he had the last time Micah had been home. No fiddling with his patch or using his hair to hide the scars on his face. Maybe he’ll be able to rejoin a Pack soon.
Micah felt a great contentment welling up inside his body. Six months of the year he spent on the road, working for various bond-enforcement agencies as a bounty hunter. The rest of the time he devoted to the lodge and his business here. He wanted to end his bounty-hunting career and focus full time on the lodge. Now it seemed as though that dream could become reality.
Micah rubbed his jaw then poured himself another cup of coffee. Gareth got slowly to his feet, looking toward the back door. Micah knew he wanted to leave, but wouldn’t do so until given permission. What do I need to do to get it through his thick head that I am not Alpha? The other shifter insisted on following Pack rules here and that meant following orders from his very reluctant Alpha.
With a mental sigh, Micah nodded at Gareth. “Thank you for taking care of things around here, Gareth. I do appreciate it. Will you be back in time for breakfast?”
“Maybe. I think I make Ms. Decatur a little nervous, though, so since you’re back I may just stay away. I’ve been thinking about taking a few days off, if that’s okay with you?”
“You’ve more than earned it. Take as much time as you need. And Gareth?”
Pulling on his jacket, Gareth paused. “Micah, I already know what you’re going to say. I need to run and you know this Pack barely tolerates me.”
Micah watched out the kitchen window as Gareth moved across the clearing out back and into the woods. Something had to be done about Gareth. He had to expand his life beyond working at the lodge. If he’s running with the wild wolves, then we have a problem. Micah frowned. The way Gareth phrased it-maybe he’d already found another Pack to run with.
Surely he knew the dangers of staying too long with the wilds. He might lose the desire to ever shift back to human. Micah knew of two shifters who had done that. He’d only been a pup, but the devastation of the loss had affected everyone in the Pack from the Alpha down. Frantic meetings of the elders followed by hushed whispers and rumors among the young. Shaking his head, Micah pushed those thoughts aside. He wouldn’t let Gareth do that to himself, not if there was any way he could prevent it.
Turning the coffeepot off, Micah locked the back door, turned off the inside lights, leaving the front porch and outside security lights on, and headed up the back stairs for his private apartment on the third floor. When he reached the second floor, the scent of oranges and woman wrapped around him.
He drew in a deep appreciative breath. Sexy and sweet, this scent had to belong to the female he’d seen in the woods. Suddenly his homecoming seemed more promising than ever. Micah found himself smiling as he continued up the stairs to the third floor.
Olivia Decatur. He let her name roll through his mind again, wondering if he knew her clan. The surname wasn’t familiar, but that wasn’t so unusual. Shifters came from all over and he wasn’t vain enough to believe he knew all of their names.
Reaching his apartment, Micah stripped and headed for the bathroom. He’d use the shower to warm the outside of his body just as he’d used the coffee to warm the inside. Hot water sluiced down over his head, shoulders and back before hitting his feet and starting to thaw out his body. As he relaxed in the warmth, his thoughts turned back to his dream from the night before and the she-wolf he’d seen on the way home and then to Olivia Decatur. Perhaps it hadn’t been just a dream. Maybe it had been a sign. A sign that the woman meant just for him, the she-wolf he’d seen in the woods and the woman currently sleeping one floor below him were one and the same.
Thinking of his dream and the gorgeous she-wolf, Micah closed his eyes and put his head back. His soapy hand slid down his chest and stomach to grasp his cock. It had been a long time since he’d had sex in wolf form. His kind usually preferred to make love in human form, but it wasn’t unheard of for shifters to have sex in their animal forms. Curiosity about the she-wolf hit him hard.
She might be a redhead or a maybe a brunette. She might have a lot of curves or be very slender. His grip on his cock tightened. Holding on to his shaft, he slid his soapy hand up and down then over the head. Was she short, tall or somewhere in between? Regardless, he planned to spend more time with her-no matter what form they were in. The endless possibilities of the female form raced through his mind as his hand tightened on his dick. Stroking faster and faster from root to tip and back again, he felt his cock swell hot and heavy in his hand. He panted as he came close to the edge then squeezed the pulsing flesh to keep himself from coming. He wanted to enjoy this, not come right away.