Heart of a Wolf

Jerry probably called my sister as soon as I left the building. What did she do when I didn’t show? If we waited too long…

“She’ll file a missing person’s report,” I told Ash without giving it a second thought.

“And good luck to anyone who tries to find their way here.” Ash’s face was hard to read, her eyes flickering the slightest bit when her wolf tried to make a short appearance.

But like a master, she managed to push her wolf back until only the golden ring around her iris remained. “You can always call her if you think it might help, but you probably shouldn’t tell her about this. You can’t expect her to come to terms with it when you haven’t done so yourself.”

“Are you kidding me?” I said with a tight laugh. “She wouldn’t believe me even if I did.”

“Come with me. You can use the phone in my office.”

Once she helped me to my feet, I carefully followed her back outside the shed, hoping more than anything else I wouldn’t wind up inside it again.

“Will I ever be able to walk out here on my own?” I asked, glancing back over my shoulder at the building we’d just walked out of.

“Until you get your shifts under control, that shed will be your home. While you might be a wolf, it will be some time before the one in your mind recognizes those within the compound as its family instead of wolves from another pack.”

Great. Not only was I a danger to my sister but the other wolves as well. That explained why Ash had someone sedate me when she did. Well, that and something about me possibly not surviving another shift.

Yeah… I honestly wasn’t looking forward to the days ahead. Especially not my upcoming phone call.

“What am I supposed to tell her?” I asked Ash as we neared a large building in the middle of the property.

“As little as possible,” Ash said, pausing outside the three-story building so another wolf could walk by. “We can figure out your family reunion later. Just…”

“Not now. I know.” I released a long breath and pointed at the large wooden doors in front of us. “Lead the way.”

Chapter Five

Ash stopped inside the foyer and removed her shoes, continuing up a set of stairs which spilled into what appeared to be a very large living room. To our right, a pair of sofas circled around a warm hearth. Candles of all shapes and sizes sat on the mantle above it.

A long stairwell sat opposite of it and connected to a series of balconies with waist-high railings. Scanning the few rooms I could see from my place in the living room, it was easy to see each of the rooms belonged to someone in the pack. That much became painfully obvious the moment we stepped through those double doors.

Wolves stood to either side of the doorway, their eyes fixed on me as we walked by.

Hyper aware of their hard gaze, I did my best to keep my eyes on the woman walking three feet in front of me.

She never stopped. She never slowed down. And as we neared her office on the lower level of the compound, I noted the chocolate wolf sitting outside.

“I thought I sent you to the nursery,” Ash said, her voice lighter than expected as she regarded the wolf.

“Cass can handle things down there, but someone should be with you.” Fallen glared in my direction, but her words were directed at the Alpha. “She shouldn’t be in here.”

“She needs to use the phone,” Ash said, running her hand over the fur between Fallen’s ears. She didn’t reprimand the wolf for speaking out of line, and her tone never changed.

“She has a family—”

“Which aren’t our concern,” Fallen cut in, rising to her paws before looking in Ash’s direction. “Alpha, please. Dani’s heart may beat in her breast but—”

“Not another word,” Ash said, her words clipped. “You’re not to speak—”

“Then when?” Fallen challenged, shifting into her human form so she and Ash could see eye to eye.

My heart skipped at the naked woman in front of me.

Toned muscle covered most of her body, her hair the same color as her wolf. Her complexion wasn’t nearly as pale as the Ash was, but she had the same exact ring around her eyes. A ring that quickly shifted from gold to silver, making me envious of the control she clearly had over her other form.

Fallen went on when Ash didn’t say anything, jutting out her chin as she spoke. “You’ve mourned long enough. The pack needs its leader and yet here you are tending to this…