Chapter Two
Bradley found himself walking east through the small town. The heat of the day had sent most residents indoors and the sun created a shimmering effect on the road.
He inhaled the scent of flowers spilling over the veranda of a nearby house, then enjoyed the lingering smells from the bakery that was shutting up shop. Farther on, passing the motel he knew Malec had stayed in with Raul and Flo, he wondered about shifting and seeing if any of their scent remained.
He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, frustrated by his own foolishness. Of course there wouldn’t be, it had been so long ago. His heartstrings tugged as he thought of the tight-knit unit they were. Flo was pregnant and by now he suspected would have quite a bump. Not that he knew much about that kind of thing. But the look in Malec’s eyes when he’d reported the news to Bradley and explained how it changed everything made Bradley long all the more for a special someone in his life to share momentous occasions with.
He reached the shade of a bus stop and came to a halt. He gazed into the distance, away from the ocean, and the longing for the forest came rushing back to him like a tsunami.
It was where he wanted to go.
Malec had told him where the Redwood Shifters camp was. He’d also told him he’d always be welcome.
‘You might be packless, Bradley, but you’re not homeless. If ever you want a pack, if you need a home, or anything, come to us. We’re in your debt for what you’ve done here, with these dogs. Our door is always open to you.’
The words ran through Bradley’s mind the way a sonnet might. Our door is always open . Maybe that was where his new yearning for the forest had come from. Malec’s words, the images he’d put in his mind, were persistent. Like a pleasant dream he couldn’t quite remember, they were stealing his thoughts in quiet moments.
He pulled on his T-shirt and dug into his pocket. He had a bit of cash left over from the dog food fund. He’d use it to get to the Redwood Shifters camp rather than hitching a lift. He wasn’t in the mood for small talk. Not now he’d made such a big decision.
As he turned to look up the road, a Greyhound bus appeared.
“Fucking fate,” he said, grinning. “It’s meant to be.”
The bus pulled up and he boarded.
“How far you going?” he asked the driver.
“Headed to Bakersville and down to Fresno.”
“That’ll do.” Bradley used his last few bucks to pay for the fare then found a seat at the back. He rested his head and stared outside at the heat-baked sidewalk. The air conditioning was welcome and for once, as the bus pulled away, he didn’t feel the tug of the ocean calling. He was happy to be leaving. He had somewhere to go, a place to be.
It was a new sensation and not at all unpleasant.
It took several hours before Bradley recognized the names of places Malec had mentioned. He knew to get off before the next town and look for a dirt track beside a forty-mile-per-hour sign and the giant stump of a fallen tree. It was a long shot, but a few miles before the town, Bradley alighted the bus.
“You sure?” the driver asked before shutting the door. “This is the middle of nowhere.”
“Yep, this is it.” The driver gave him a quizzical look, as though assessing whether or not Bradley was up to no good.
Bradley flashed him his best smile and did a mock salute. “Thanks for the ride.”
The driver’s expression softened. “Take care, son.”
The bus pulled away, leaving behind it a puff of fumes.
Bradley stood with his hands on his hips and looked upward. The tree foliage was dark and dense and the scent of pine strong. Through the canopy the sunlight struggled to pierce the branches and twinkled as if annoyed at being blocked out.
Bradley grinned. “Redwoods, here I am.”
He shrank into the forest. There was no one about, but out of habit he glanced around before taking off his clothes and tucking them under an azalea shrub—he might need them again at some point and he’d be able to sniff them out if he remembered roughly where he’d put them.
The cool forest air wrapped around his naked body as he hunched forward, enjoying the familiar tingle up his spine, neck and over his scalp. His mouth became wetter as he took on his dog face and his skin prickled for a moment before fur appeared—long golden fur. When he opened his eyes he saw everything with precision and in sharp focus. Breathing deep allowed a cacophony of new scents to flood his nose, and his paws sank into the mulchy pine needles.
He’d done the right thing, coming to the forest—he knew that with everything he was.
Heading off to the left, just out of sight of the road—because a stray dog on the highway always received attention—he trotted in the direction of where he hoped he’d find the small track to the Redwood Shifters camp. It wasn’t signed. The shifters didn’t want attention—that was the whole point of living in isolation with their mates, human or otherwise. They were pretty much self-sufficient and enjoyed roaming their territory and being away from curious eyes. Malec had told him there was nothing as liberating as being able to shift without looking over his shoulder. Everyone knew what everyone else was and no one raised an eyebrow when one body was shifted to another.
A small clearing revealed faint tire tracks in the undergrowth. It was only just a track, clearly not used often, but it was enough for Bradley to know he’d found what he was looking for.
Feeling pleased with himself, he set off at a trot, making his way up the hill. It was hard not to get distracted by smells—skunk, raccoon, the sweet earthy scent of mountain lion.
He halted and looked around.
Lion. Fuck.
He didn’t like cats at the best of times, and cats that were big enough to eat him were only second on his hate list to fleas.
But nothing had changed in the immediate area—the trees were still, the shadows the same—so he carried on, panting as he did so. The hill grew steeper—he reckoned the tracks must be from a truck or Jeep the pack used for their humans to get into town and back. A regular vehicle just wouldn’t hack it.
Soon forest scents were replaced with those of dogs. He sifted through them as he went, desperate to pick up traces of Malec or Raul. Malec’s would be strongest since he’d spent the most time with him.
But even so it had been a long time ago and the chances were he used the Jeep, too, for this stretch of territory.
Eventually he picked up the sound of human voices and the occasional dog barking. He paused and sniffed the air. He was confident he was close to the camp now and also impressed at how they’d hidden themselves away deep in a beautiful part of the forest. They were lucky to live here, in calm serenity and in harmony with the natural world.
He set off again, wondering about shifting, but his dog body suited him in the forest and he wanted his senses on full alert in case that damn lion he’d smelled showed up.
The trees thinned and a clearing came into view. To his right was a Jeep. Someone had left the hood up and a rag sat on the radiator. Bradley paused, tongue out, and surveyed the scene before him.
Cabins the color of pale sand were set about at angles to one another. Some appeared to have vegetable patches nearby and one had goats tethered outside. In the center of the cabins was a semicircular stone wall facing a fire. Men and a few women sat about and the scent of meat filtered toward him, mingled with the ashy smell of the gently dancing flames.
His stomach rumbled and he realized he hadn’t eaten since breakfast. He hoped there’d be some food they could spare. He wasn’t much good at hunting for his own dinner in his dog form, and relied on humans admiring him and feeling sorry for him. That reaction usually resulted in a tin of food or, better still, tidbits from their own plates.
A long low growl to his right caught his attention.
He turned, heart in his mouth, and still fearful of lion.
But it was a dog. A tall leggy creature who looked fast but not particularly fierce. Bradley wagged his tail and walked in a circle. He’d roll on his back and offer his belly if necessary.
The dog quieted and lifted its head as though sampling Bradley’s scent from a distance. Bradley decided the dog was placid and no real threat. Also he was likely a shifter, being where he was.
So, summoning courage and hoping to hell he’d spot Malec sooner rather than later, he walked toward the main area of the camp.
Pine needles underfoot switched to grass and his senses were assaulted with more sounds and scents. He scanned the area for Malec or Raul.
A huge guy with a gray beard stood chatting with a petite woman as he ate from a kebab stick. Another couple sat close, a butch-looking man in leathers and a slender mate. Around the other side of the fire, through the haze of heat he saw a blond man who was built like a wrestler and had stunning amber eyes. Bradley paused. Something about him made his hackles want to rise from the back of his neck.
He pushed the sensation away. He was entering another pack’s lair. He could be chased away at any moment. He had to put everything into being submissive and non-threatening.
The leggy dog was close behind. Bradley could hear its breathing and smell the tangy fresh air that clung to it—the scent reminded him of sex, sex and orgasms and coming and being hot and sweaty and filthy.
He turned and eyed the dog behind him, spotted the sparkle in his eye and was instantly envious. This dog, when in his man form, was clearly a very satisfied and indulged individual.
Is that how everyone is here? Utterly satisfied?
He continued walking, seeking out Malec’s face amid the crowd.
Suddenly he saw it. He was with Raul, of course, and beside them sat a woman with a huge pregnancy bump. He recognized her as Flo, though he’d only met her once and that had been brief.
His heart did a flip of relief. Thank goodness. Malec was the one who’d extended the offer of visiting the Redwood Shifters. The reason why he’d spent his last few dollars on the bus ride here. If he hadn’t seen him he didn’t know what he’d have done.
A large brown dog appeared before him, teeth bared and snarling. Bradley halted.
Fuck.
He hoped to hell Malec had noticed the sudden noise. This dog didn’t look half as friendly as the first one.
“Hey.” Malec’s voice. “Pedro…it’s okay.”
The dog before him continued to grimace, though the sound emanating from its throat quieted.
Bradley risked taking his eyes from the dog before him and watched Malec quickly making his way toward them.
“Bradley, is that you?” Malec came up close then ran his hands over Bradley’s ears, tickling behind them. “Fuck, how’d you get here?” He paused and rubbed Bradley’s chin. “No, forget that, it doesn’t matter…I’m glad you are here.”
Malec straightened and looked around. “Everyone, this is Bradley. He’s the young guy who took over the shelter I set up. I have a lot to thank him for.”
The huge dog standing before them shrank back into the small crowd.
“If it hadn’t been for him,” Malec went on, “I couldn’t have been here these last few months with my pregnant wife. Please…” He paused and looked at the guy with the beard. “Can we welcome him as an honorary guest?”
The guy he’d directed the question to cocked his head and surveyed Bradley. “He ran the shelter?”
“Yes. It wasn’t an easy task but he took it on with a smile. A true heart of gold.”
The man who Bradley now surmised was Alpha raised a glass. “In that case, welcome to the Redwood Shifters camp.”
Despite himself, Bradley released a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. Walking into a pack of dogs was scary enough, but a pack of shifters was definitely enough to make anyone nervous. And still he could smell lion. Surely they could too.
“Our home is your home,” Malec said, stepping back. “Why don’t you shift and join us for human dinner?”
Bradley glanced around. He wasn’t used to shifting in front of an audience. He always sought out a quiet, dark place and switched his body in privacy.
Malec chuckled. “You’re not going to shock anyone around here, buddy. Go for it.”
Bradley pulled in a deep breath. He guessed he’d have to get used to this if he was planning on hanging out with a group of shifters for a while. And maybe it would be refreshing to not hide who he really was.
He allowed the sharp tingle to travel up his spine and his brain to fill with the image of his human body. Within seconds he was rising upward, his dog legs turning to human limbs and skin appearing where there had been long fur. His focus blurred for a second, then returned not quite as sharp as before, and the scents in his nose dulled.
The whole camp was looking at him.
He cupped his cock and balls. “I…er…hello.” He grinned.
“Here.” A petite woman, the one who’d been sitting with the Alpha, stepped up and passed him a pair of denims.
“Thanks.” He took them with a grateful smile.
He turned and pulled them on, flashing his butt as he did so. But that didn’t bother him. He had a nice ass.
The jeans were a little big and sat low on his hips and bunched a bit around his feet, but that was okay. His modesty was intact once more.
Malec set his hand on Bradley’s shoulder. “Come on over, let me introduce you to everyone.”
It was then Bradley spotted him, at the end of the wall—the most intriguing and beautiful man he’d ever seen.