Wolf Tracks

Chapter Three

Keil pinched the bridge of his nose and TJ attempted to stand in one place and not fidget like a naughty school kid hauled in front of the principal.

“She’s your mate.”

“Screw it, Keil, I’ve told you a dozen times. If all you’re going to do is repeat ‘she’s your mate’ in a tone of voice suggesting I’m more than slightly brain-dead, we’re hardly going to get anywhere with this conversation, are we?”

Robyn laughed.

“It’s not funny,” Keil complained.

Robyn tugged his arm and cupped her mate’s face in her hands, staring into his eyes.

TJ watched as his brother and sister-in-law discussed him. He knew they were doing it, that talking-between-themselves thing mates could do. He sighed. Well, most mates. He doubted he and Pam would be able to, since she wasn’t wolf. Still, he wasn’t going to argue with fate.

She was most definitely the one. Kissing the woman had been better than any sexual experience he’d had before in his life. He’d been rapidly approaching the point where he would have embarrassed himself and come in his pants. Then he’d managed, again, to muck things up.

So now he waited to be disciplined like a disobedient puppy by his Alpha pair. What he wanted to do was figure out a way to find Pam and finish what they’d started. If she’d even speak to him after being rescued from the tangled mess they’d ended up in on the floor. Thankfully the lights had been dim enough everyone thought it was nothing more than his usual clumsy self, and not the two of them fooling around, that caused the accident.

A tug on his sleeve brought him back from his mental wanderings. Robyn smiled at him and used American Sign Language to talk to him. She signed slowly—he had learned a lot, but still wasn’t fluent.

“If Pam is your mate, how are you going to deal with it?”

TJ hesitated. “You mean, like will I tell her about being a wolf?”

Robyn nodded.

Shit, he hadn’t thought about that. Hell if he knew. He tapped his right fingertips against his forehead several times then flung his hand to the right, ending with his palm out and all five fingers raised.

Robyn blew out a long, slow breath. “You don’t know. So if we suggest you proceed slowly until you have figured it out, would that make sense?”

Fuck. “Why do you have to be so logical?” he complained.

“Would you prefer we ordered you to stay away from her until she leaves Alaska?” his brother asked. Keil came and stood next to Robyn, the two of them together an immovable wall.

“She’s my mate. You wouldn’t be so cruel.” Would they?

“We’re not trying to hurt you, but we have to figure out the best thing for the entire pack. If she is your mate, and I’m not denying it, it’s going to make things bloody awkward around here.” Keil crossed his arms and leaned back on the table. “We’ve finally got the pack to the point they aren’t complaining about full-blood and half-breed issues nearly so much, and now this?”

TJ ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“No, but it’s potentially pretty volatile to have a full human enter the mix.”

“I’m not giving her up.”

Robyn shook her head. She pushed Keil until he moved his bulk away with a sigh. “Fine, you talk to him. I’m going back to the party to make sure none of the pack gets into too much shit.”

Keil kissed Robyn before he left—a sweet and tender kiss—and TJ’s throat tightened with something between happiness and envy. He’d always wanted to have a mate. To have someone to care for and enjoy their company, like he’d witnessed between his older brother and his wife. And now? It was potentially within his grasp.

Robyn settled on the couch. She checked him over carefully and TJ’s skin crawled.

“If you’re planning on using your Super Alpha Powers of Obedience on me, I want to say upfront—that would totally suck.”

She laughed as she lifted her hands to sign at him. “Keil tries so hard to be fair to the pack he forgets to be fair to you. No alpha shit, just one question.”

He sat across from her. In the past two and a half years since Robyn had joined the pack, she’d come a long way from being clueless about werewolves. Being deaf didn’t stop her from being one of the most powerful—and creative—leaders he’d ever known. Maybe she had an idea of how he should deal with the mess.

“One question?”

“You don’t know if she wants you…”

Well, if the little episode in the hall meant anything.

“…for anything other than a fling.” Robyn stared expectantly.

Damn. “She’s my—”

“Mate. I know, but she’s not a wolf. You want her, and will always want her, but I don’t think it works the same with humans, does it?”

TJ shrugged. “Never thought about it. I mean, I know there are wolves and humans who are married, but most of them are outcast wolves, who live packless…”

His stomach fell. If he took Pam as a mate, would they expect him to leave? Granite Lake had always been his home, and while his mate was of vital importance, he didn’t want to give up his pack. His family. He dropped his head into his hands. Suddenly what should have been the most fabulous day of his life turned grey and cold.

Robyn touched his shoulder gently to get his attention. “We will never kick you out. If Pam is your mate, she’s a part of our family, no matter what.”

She stared at him for a little while and a nervous twitch started in his thigh. He jiggled his legs to try and hide his reaction. This was a lot more complicated than he’d ever expected it to be. Inside, his wolf fidgeted. It couldn’t understand why they were sitting here instead of sniffing out the delicious-smelling female who belonged to them.

“You need to give her time. If she accepts you as a human, you’ll have a better chance of her accepting you as a wolf. You can’t go off half-cocked on this one, TJ. Take the time, do it right and make it last.”

TJ snorted in derision. “How?”

“She’s registered for the next expedition with Keil’s wilderness excursion company. You’re going along as a guide. Give her a chance to get to know you a little better in a setting you’re comfortable in. See what happens, more than just physical attraction. But you must control your wolf.”

He and Keil had already been preparing for the next wilderness trip. There was a group of ten signed up, including Pam. While he appreciated Robyn had a point, having to court his mate around a large group of people was stupid. There might be safety in numbers and everything, but he didn’t want to have numbers. One plus one would be fine, thank you very much. An idea rumbled in the back of his mind and he tried very hard not to let anything show on his face. An excursion? Some time alone?

Oh yeah.

Loud clapping shook him from his reverie. Robyn lowered her hands and glared at him.

He leapt to his feet. “Sure, sounds great. Awesome idea, you know, taking some time to get to know her. You’re a genius. Gorgeous, and a genius. What did Keil ever do without you?” Babbling. He was officially babbling.

How fast could he get out of the room before she figured out something was amiss? He flashed her two thumbs up and dodged a footrest, aiming for the front door. “Well, gotta run. Lots to do in the next couple of days. Gotta get lots of sleep and keep my head and stay in control, right?”

He ducked outside before she could say anything like “What the hell are you planning and I forbid you to even think about pulling a fast one.” ’Cause what he had in mind was definitely on the not-going-to-be-approved list.

But this was his mate they were talking about here. Like Keil had waited longer than a day to claim Robyn. TJ headed back toward the hall, a brisk five-minute walk up the gravel road from his Alpha’s house. The music of the party carried through the air, and he hurried as fast as possible. The thought of finding Pam dancing with any of the other guys made the hair at the back of his neck stand upright. Oh no, waiting was out of the question. He pulled out his cell phone and made the first call. “Hey, Jared? Get your ass off the dance floor for five minutes. I need to talk to you.”

Pam threw herself on the couch in Maggie’s living room and groaned in frustration. Off in the distance she still heard dance music, but she’d lost interest after getting tossed to the ground like a piece of confetti. Well, not true. She’d brushed herself off, thankful for the dim lighting so no one saw how flushed her cheeks were. Still, accidents happen, and she’d been more than happy to head out onto the dance floor when the man of the moment had disappeared.

Great. So much for forever, the guy couldn’t even stick around for long enough to finish giving her an orgasm.

She clicked on the TV and flicked through channels listlessly. Maggie was gone with her true love, sexing it up wherever their bridal suite was. Pam had the run of the house and all she could think about was how lonely it was going to be to crawl into bed tonight.

Gack. Horny and morose, what an insipid combination. She was well on the way to hitting all the high notes for a pity party in under an hour.

The door to the kitchen creaked, moving an inch, and she sat up to stare at it. She hadn’t heard anyone come in, but what with all the fun she was having watching The Price is Right, there could have been a dozen people in the next room.

“Hello?”

The door shifted again, and this time a silver-grey muzzle appeared, poking through the crack. Pam frowned. She didn’t know Maggie and Erik had a dog. She knelt on the seat cushion and watched more carefully. The animal took a few cautious sniffs, its nostrils flaring.

“Hey, what you doing?” All the signs were there for her to read—classic nonaggressive behavior, curiosity more than anything. Pam smiled. “Come on, don’t be afraid.”

Even though the beast didn’t act hostile, once its full head popped through the doorway, Pam swore.

“Holy shit, no one told me they kept wolves as pets here. Good…wolfie. Stay.”

The silver-grey creature had made it into the room and obediently sat at her command. Pam blew out a slow breath of air. Thank God for well-trained animals. She came around the couch cautiously to examine the wolf. It seemed to be staring back just as intently, panting softly, its tongue lolling to one side. She held out a hand and allowed herself to be sniffed.

“So, I’ve got a buddy for tonight. You tired of dancing as well? Going to hang with me for a girl’s night out?”

The wolf snorted, a gust of air rushing past her hand. Pam touched the animal’s muzzle gently, brushing the coarse fur, rubbing its ears.

“There you go. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” What a beautiful creature. She wasn’t sure what other lineage had been crossbred with the wolf, but the mix was stunning. Its fur was soft—softer than the German Shepherds she was used to working with. Pam unconsciously examined the beast like she would any of her partners. Whoever owned this animal took excellent care of it. She passed a hand along its belly and laughed when he jerked back.

“Oops, not a girl. Sorry about that. Still, I’d be glad for you to stick around if you don’t have any big plans for the night.”

She rose and the wolf stepped beside her heels. Very well trained, and to be honest, just the kind of company she needed after the strange ending to her evening. Pam curled up in the corner of the couch. The wolf laid its chin on her knee and stared at her with a completely lovelorn expression. She rubbed his head again. She loved how completely honest and simple an animal’s affection was. You could trust them to act according to normal patterns.

She missed her partner, but it had been time to let him retire.

“You like comedy or action movies better, wolfie? Come on, hop up. Maybe you’re not allowed on the couch usually, but tonight is a special deal.” She patted the seat beside her and suddenly there was a large furry rug draping itself over her legs. She scratched his neck, checking for a collar and a dog tag. “I don’t understand why the heck people don’t collar their pets. What am I going to call you?”

A long wet tongue smeared its way up the side of her cheek and she laughed out loud.

“Cool it, I don’t need a bath.” She grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and maneuvered him into a less accessible position. It might be a way of showing affection, but canine slobber wasn’t her favourite. She clicked the TV back on and tried to get into the show.

It was impossible. The edginess that had started earlier in the day still rode her hard. Damn TJ for getting her motor running then abandoning her. She tangled her fingers in the wolf’s fur and tried to relax. The lingering heat of the day and the rest of the day’s excitement finally got to her. Plus the warmth radiating from the wolf as he lay nestled alongside her. There was something comforting about having an animal around. She missed her partner. When she caught herself yawning for the third time in rapid succession she gave up, clicked off the screen and stretched lazily.

“Okay, wolfie. Time for you to head home.” She rose to push open the kitchen door only to see the animal’s rump disappear up the stairs. “Hey, where do you think you’re going?”

When she found him curled up on her bed, she laughed. “Bet you’re a bed hog. Fine, as long as you don’t snore, you can stay.”

She stripped off the sweats she’d changed into after abandoning the party before pulling on an oversized T-shirt. One hard shove moved him over enough she could crawl under the quilt. He didn’t do any of the usual canine things to settle down, just stuck his nose by her ear and licked her once before plopping on his belly close to her side. She chuckled and draped an arm over him.

Sometime during the night when she rolled over, he was gone. How poetic, she’d been dumped by another male. She sighed and slipped back into her dreams.