Arctic Winds

Chapter 3

Samantha didn’t know why she trusted him, but she did. Growing up, she’d been taught to be wary of other animals, especially those bigger than herself, which admittedly was most. In her human form she just squeaked past five feet tall, but in her fox form she was barely one foot high and three feet long, tail included. In the winter, her snow white fur puffed out and made her seem bigger, but she couldn’t rely on illusion to keep predators at bay.

She always kept a wide berth around the wolf territories. Not only were the wolves fierce and deadly, but they were extremely territorial. Instead of killing her, these wolves were welcoming her into their town, trying to make her pack. It was beyond understanding. Inexplicably, she felt comfortable and safe around Jason and his brother.

While Ethan had made her comfortable with his teasing manner, Jason had been less outwardly welcoming. However, all his frustration was directed at his brother, and when he put his arm around her, she had an overwhelming desire to snuggle against his side, bury her nose against his chest and breathe in his scent. The butterflies were back tenfold.

When Ethan had done the same, her animal senses had stood at attention, waiting for any reason to bolt. Yet her fox had curled up and settled in with Jason. It instinctually trusted him and she was willing to listen to intuition, for the time being.

“I walked here, so I’ll ride with you and introduce you to Laurie. She owns the bookstore. It’s not far, and you can keep your car in the lot behind the store,” Jason suggested.

Samantha nervously wondered about the intelligence of letting a strange man into her car, never mind the fact he could shift into a wolf. He’d been nothing but nice to her, but that didn’t mean she should tempt fate. But she supposed if he had wanted to rape or kill her, he could have done it at any time. Premiers were a law unto themselves within their pack. He could easily have dragged her from the diner and killed her already. Besides, if she was going to live here, she might as well trust their Premier, of all people.

Jason noticed Samantha’s moment of hesitation before leading the way to her car, but he let it pass without comment. She didn’t fully trust him yet, which was something he’d have to work on. It was his job as Premier to make sure every member of his pack felt comfortable coming to him with problems. Many leaders didn’t see it as he did and used fear or dominance to rule. Jason ruled with reason and justice. How could he fix problems if no one ever came to him for help?

He loved his pack, and as far as he could tell they were happy under his leadership. So happy, in fact, many other leaders came to him for advice–something he never foresaw when he took over two years ago and became one of the youngest wolf Premiers in shifter history.

“Turn left after this light.” He motioned. “The store’s right there.” He watched Samantha out of the corner of his eye. She must trust him to some degree or she would’ve never let him into her car. He’d have to build onto whatever already existed. Creating a foundation was key to any relationship, especially the one he planned to have with her.

Jason was tempted to ask her to dinner tonight, but he knew foxes tended to be hesitant in new situations and he didn’t want to scare her off. He had to proceed with caution. If he came on too strong, she would run, but if he didn’t snatch her up soon enough, he was worried someone else would. Samantha was stunning, and the men in this town acted like a dog with a bone when someone new appeared.

He mentally slapped himself. A dog with a bone? The woman was obviously addling his brain. As soon as he had climbed into the car, Samantha’s scent surrounded him. It made him want to pull this little fox into the backseat and have his wicked way with her. The whole ride over he had to force himself to pay attention to the road and not bask in the warm feeling her scent inspired.

He had to play his cards right. He would take things slowly but make sure to keep tabs on her. One way or another, she would be his. His wolf would settle for nothing less.

Samantha looked around the bookstore as she entered. It was larger than the outside made it seem. Not only were there bookshelves but small nooks where large brown leather chairs and small tables invited customers to stay. A fire crackled in a fireplace by one of those nooks behind a beveled glass and wrought-iron screen. Cozy and welcoming. She could, without doubt, fall in love with this place.

A woman stood behind the counter. She looked at the pair as they entered, running her eyes over Samantha, sizing her up. . The woman was not traditionally beautiful but striking. Samantha was sure even in a crowded room, every eye would be on her, especially the men’s. With her dark brown, shoulder-length hair and high cheekbones, surely she was one of the most popular women in town.

“Is this her?” the woman asked Jason.

“Laurie, this is Samantha. Don’t let her rudeness fool you, Samantha. She may not have any manners, but we’re convinced she’s a good person deep, deep down.”

The gleam in Laurie’s eyes made Samantha worry Jason had pushed her too far. Jason would obviously win a fight against the two, but Samantha suspected the woman would do quite a bit of damage. She was taller than the average man and exuded strength and confidence.

Before Samantha had time to blink, the woman launched herself over the counter and straight at them. She quickly got out of the way as the woman threw herself onto Jason’s back. Incredibly, instead of going for his throat, the woman looked like she was giving him a noogie. What the hell was going on?

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” Jason laughed.

“You better be or I’ll tell Mom you said she didn’t raise me right.”

“Oh God! I take it all back.” Jason continued to laugh as the woman lithely jumped off his back and straightened her clothes.

“Laurie, why don’t you show Samantha the apartment, and I’ll watch the store for a few minutes?”

Laurie hadn’t missed the daggers in Samantha’s gaze the moment she launched herself at her brother’s back. She had dealt with women throwing themselves at her brothers her whole life, so she wasn’t terribly surprised. What did surprise her, however, was her brother’s decision to make Samantha one of their own so soon after meeting her. She wasn’t wolf, and she certainly wasn’t related to anyone around town.

As she unlocked the door to the small studio above the store, Laurie decided to withhold judgment for now. She pointed to the larger square key as she led the way to the door.

“This one will let you in the building, just the stairwell. The second is for the door at the top that will actually let you into the apartment,” she explained. “It’s not much, but it’s got a bed and a roof. The kitchen is small, but all the appliances work. Bathroom’s to the right.” Laurie pointed out a few things in the apartment as she watched Samantha for her reaction.

“This is wonderful!” Samantha exclaimed. Laurie would’ve thought it was sarcastic if she didn’t catch the gleam of wonder in Samantha’s eyes. She knew the studio wasn’t much, just a small room with a bed and a kitchenette on one side, but Samantha was gazing around as if Laurie had handed her the keys to Buckingham Palace.

“Jason never told me where you came from.”

“Oh, I’ve moved around a lot.” Which didn’t really tell her anything.

She almost started digging deeper but saw Samantha yawn widely as she sat on the bed.

“You must be tired. I’ll leave the keys on the counter here. I close the store at eight tonight but I’ll be around until then. Let me know if you have any questions or need anything.”

“Thank you…for everything.”

“Don’t mention it.” Laurie wasn’t sure why since they’d barely exchanged two sentences, but she already liked Samantha. Now she just needed more information.

“Everything settled?” Jason asked the moment Laurie walked into the store. He was sitting in one of the large armchairs facing the door, but jumped up as soon as she entered.

“Who is she?”

“I told you on the phone. She’s new in town, Ethan and I decided to help her and she needed a job.”

“I don’t doubt any of that. But I also know you, and I know you’re not telling me everything. So since I’ve now hired her and letting her live in my apartment, perhaps you should tell me the whole story, don’t you think?”

Jason sighed loudly and started muttering to himself. Laurie could’ve sworn she heard something about “meddling family” but decided it was best to wait it out.

“She’s got no one. She’s half-starved and collapsed in the diner. I don’t know the whole story myself. Could you just do me a favor and watch out for her?”

Laurie looked at him speculatively. Something was definitely going on. She’d never seen him so invested in someone, especially a virtual stranger.

“Fine. But keep me in the loop, okay? I know I’m not part of your officer core, but this is my pack, too, and you’ve put me in the middle without giving me any information.”

“I want to keep her around. I’m not sure why yet, but I sense she’s important to me. Does that satisfy you?”

“For now.”

“Vulture.”

“You love me.”

Jason crossed to Laurie, leaned down and kissed her cheek before leaving.