Chapter 3
THREE
Luke
I slammed the door of my cabin behind me. I’d just left Katie next door, where she and Eli were staying. Her curiosity had been obvious, but she hadn’t pushed me for answers, something I appreciated.
When I saw my birth father standing next to Katie, the violence that surged through me was almost overwhelming.
He didn’t look surprised to see me, suggesting he had been tracking me somehow.
He might even be watching the ranch. The man was a master manipulator, and I wouldn’t put it past him to do something to Katie.
Especially if he realized she was my mate.
He’d always told me mates were a weakness. He’d rejected his own and fled after scamming her out of her life savings. It was a story he’d told me more than once.
“Take advantage of that mate bond, boy. It makes a woman weak and a target.”
It wasn’t until I’d come to Shifter Ranch and seen my adoptive parents together that I’d learned what a mating bond should be.
But I worried it was too late for me. I didn’t doubt I was a better person now than what my early life had conditioned me to be, but there was still a darkness in my past I’d never fully escape.
And Katie was sunshine and light. Nothing should cast a shadow over her.
I splashed cold water on my face and rested my hands on the counter, head hanging down.
Repeating it over and over, drilling it into myself that the darkness would never touch Katie.
I wouldn’t let it. It would be easier if I kept my distance from her, but with Eli on the ranch, it was impossible.
My brothers would expect me to be the one to teach him, since we were both wolves, and I had no way to explain to them why it was a bad idea without bringing up my father.
I grabbed my hat, shoving it on my head. I tugged the brim down to shade my eyes as I walked over to their cabin. My mate was too perceptive, and I didn’t want to give her anything to read. I knocked on the door.
The door swung open, revealing a surly Eli. “What do you want?”
I raised a brow. “I was going to teach you how to shift on purpose, not just by accident, but if you aren’t interested, I can go away.”
The war on Eli’s face was obvious as he resisted displaying the eagerness that filled him. Finally, he shrugged. “I guess that’s okay.”
Katie appeared behind him, eyes smiling as she looked at me. “That sounds exciting. Just think, Eli, you’ll be able to turn into a wolf whenever you’d like. Who do you know who can do that?”
The corner of the teen’s mouth twitched, but he kept his expression bored. “Whatever.”
I motioned for him to follow me, hoping Katie would stay behind, but she didn’t.
We went into the pasture behind the main barn, and I turned to Eli.
“You need to understand the importance of controlling your shift. Outside of shifter havens, humans can hunt, and they often can’t tell the difference between a shifter’s animal and just an animal.
It’s why we try to only shift on our property here. ”
Katie frowned. “I’ve reached out to the nearest shifter haven, Shifter Alley, but it’s several hours away. The man I spoke to said he’d pass my number along to the wolf pack that lives there.”
“The Alley has a good pack. Very progressive. They might take Eli in. A lot of packs care too much about bloodlines.” I snorted, clasping a hand on Eli’s shoulder. “It’s one reason I wasn’t adopted by a wolf family.”
“You’re adopted?” The teen’s brow furrowed.
“All my brothers except for Declan were.” I gave him a knowing glance. “I was older than you when I finally found my home. We don’t always know what fate has in store for us.”
He huffed. “Fate? You believe in fate?”
I grinned. “Most shifters do. But I’ll tell you more about that another day. The first thing you need to do is learn control.” I studied him, narrowing my eyes. “Usual lesson plans for that start with meditation, but since you’ve already shifted once, we might need to fast-track a little.”
“Meditation?” He sneered.
“Yup. It’s important to center yourself and to know the difference between you and the animal inside.
” I sucked in a breath. “I’ll still show you some meditation exercises to work on in your own time, but you also need to understand how to shift so if you do it by accident again, you can shift back. ”
“I already did it once. I can do it again.” Eli jutted his chin out.
“You might find it a little harder to do on purpose.” I motioned for him to step forward. “Why don’t you give it a shot?”
He strutted a few feet away from us, a smirk on his lips. Nothing happened. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to force the shift. His body strained with the effort, and I let him continue for a few minutes before giving him instructions, my voice pitched low.
“Relax your muscles. Picture your wolf. Remember how it felt to be in its body. The way the ground felt beneath your paws. The wind in your fur.”
“This is stupid.” The teen kicked at the ground, his jaw tense. “Feel the wolf? It’s ridiculous.”
“It takes time to get used to it.” I studied Eli. “You’ve only been in your wolf’s form once, so it’s hard to remember what it feels like. I can help force your shift to give you more experience. But you need to use that time to notice the differences between forms.”
I glanced over at Katie, who was watching us, her gaze curious. “You may want to turn your back for a minute. I don’t want to rip my clothes.”
I pulled my shirt over my head and reached for my belt. Her eyes lingered briefly on my bare chest, and I fought the urge to puff it out. It wasn’t until I undid the belt and button on my jeans that she turned away, cheeks flushed.
I shifted, and before I could stop my wolf, he padded over to Katie, pushing his head against her hand. She started, then tentatively stroked my fur, a small smile playing with her lips. “This is amazing. You’re lucky, Eli. You get to do something so cool.”
The boy’s cheeks reddened, but he drew his shoulders back as his gaze studied my wolf. I pulled away from Katie, despite my wolf’s protests, and faced Eli. I pushed out my wolf’s aura, calling to his animal half.
Eli gasped as his body changed. Forcing a shift was uncomfortable, but he needed to spend time in his wolf form, and not just when his emotions were high.
It took several minutes as his human half fought it. Most shifters grew up knowing they had an animal half, so they didn’t fight the change. But Eli’s mind still clung to the idea that he was only human.
Finally, his wolf stood in front of me, legs shaking. I nudged him with my head and gestured toward the pasture. His wolf followed me eagerly, but I started off slowly, giving him a chance to get used to having four legs beneath him.
I glanced over my shoulder to see Katie waving to us with a wide grin spread across her face. The pull to her was strong, but I pushed it down, forcing my wolf to continue moving away from her. As much as I wanted her, I knew I couldn’t have her. She deserved so much more.
Katie
Luke’s wolf dwarfed Eli’s and radiated a calm the teen didn’t have. Eli jumped around, occasionally stumbling, as if learning to walk all over again. Luke trotted along beside him, his movements fluid.
When they disappeared from sight, I turned back toward the barn. I didn’t know how long they’d be gone, or where they’d return. But I wasn’t worried about Eli being alone with Luke. Luke had been patient with the boy, and I knew instinctively that he was trustworthy.
I paused, hand on the gate, as my mind wandered.
The image of a shirtless Luke flashed through my head.
I bit my lip. Hopefully, the trust I felt wasn’t simply a by-product of my attraction to the man with the smooth muscles and smattering of dark chest hair.
I wondered what it would feel like to run my hands over his skin.
My face heated, and I squeezed my eyes shut, as if that would stop me from seeing the memory. I pressed my palm over my racing heart and took a series of slow, deep breaths, willing my pulse to return to normal.
It was inappropriate to have a crush on Luke. He was helping Eli. The teen was where my focus needed to be. Besides, I doubted the shifter would be interested in me.
I pushed through the gate, latching it behind me. I didn’t think this pasture held cattle, but I knew enough about ranches to close gates. The light breeze stirred my hair, and I took a minute to look around as I strolled along the fence line.
The summer sun was hot overhead, but the wind provided some relief. I passed a second barn and followed a trail through a grove of trees. The shade was welcome, though the sun still shone through the leafy branches, creating a dappled pattern on the ground.
I exited the trees into a large, flat, open area. A large tractor stood in the space, the bright green and yellow drawing my gaze to it. I moved past it, heading toward the fence. The bellow of cattle filled the air to my left.
I turned toward the sound, eyes widening at the herd of cows bearing down on me. I stilled for a moment in shock and confusion. What were they doing outside the fence?
The ground vibrated beneath me as they drew closer. I sucked in a breath and spun on my heel, running faster than I’d ever run before, certain they were gaining on me.
I threw myself at the tractor, cursing the distance between the ground and the step, and fumbled for the door.
As soon as it opened, I heaved myself inside, just as the cattle thundered around the piece of equipment.
They slowed, still bellowing, and filled the area around the tractor, trapping me inside.
I gazed over the herd in the direction they’d come from, frowning when I caught sight of a wolf. From this distance, it wasn’t clear, but the colors and shape reminded me of watching Luke and Eli earlier.
The animal disappeared behind a hill, leaving me wondering if it really was a wolf. I pulled out my cell phone to call for help, but there was no signal. I didn’t know enough about cattle to risk walking through the herd. Was it safe? I didn’t want to get trampled.
I leaned back in the tractor seat and debated trying to drive the tractor through the herd, but I could barely drive a car. I definitely didn’t trust myself with heavy machinery.
I could just wait. At some point, someone would notice I was missing and come looking.
But the sun was still hot overhead, and it was even hotter in the tractor’s cab.
I found the horn and pressed it. It rang out long and loud, and the cows bellowed in response as they shuffled around the tractor.
I pressed it again, holding it down for several seconds.
Gabriel emerged from the trees a few minutes later, freezing when he saw the cows. I wasn’t sure if he noticed me in the tractor, so I opened the door, leaning out to wave at him. “Gabriel! Over here.”
His gaze flew to mine. He motioned for me to wait a minute and jogged back through the trees. It was another fifteen minutes before he reappeared with Luke and Austin, all on horseback. They worked quickly, like a practiced team, rounding up the cattle and moving them away from the tractor.
Gabriel and Austin continued herding the cattle away, while Luke swung out of his saddle to help me down from the tractor. He pulled me to him, his arms strong around me. His heart raced against my ear where he had cradled my head.
“What happened?” His voice was raspy, the words moving through me like a wave.
“I don’t know. I was walking, and suddenly I realized the cattle were coming at me. Luckily the tractor was there, and I reached it in time.” I wanted to nestle into him. The feel of his arms and his body pressed against mine was like coming home. Which was crazy.
I pulled back, and he loosened his hold on me, though I thought it was with reluctance. “I think I saw a wolf running after them, though. It disappeared behind that hill.”
His brows drew together. “A wolf? Are you sure?”
“No.” I shook my head. “It was far away, but the form reminded me of watching you and Eli earlier.”
“Eli gave me the slip.” Luke frowned. “Kid found his legs quicker than expected. Could it have been him?”
“Why would Eli do it?”
“Maybe he thought it would be funny?” Luke’s jaw hardened. “Wouldn’t be the first teen shifter to take advantage of his new form to cause trouble.”
“I can’t see Eli doing it. Sure, he’s pushed back against rules before, but he’s never caused any real harm.” I tucked my hair behind my ear. “I probably saw wrong. Or it was just a regular wolf.”
“We don’t have any around here. The presence of shifters on the ranch keeps them away.” His gaze scanned the landscape beyond me.
When his lips drew into a thin line, I glanced over my shoulder and saw a wolf trotting toward us. It got closer, and I recognized Eli’s wolf.
“Shift!” Luke barked the order, the patience displayed earlier gone. I laid my hand on his forearm, squeezing lightly. He tilted his head toward me, softening for a second before firming his mouth and turning back to Eli. “I said, shift!”
The boy shifted, and Luke removed his flannel shirt to toss at him. “Where did you go?”
Eli’s face settled into stubborn lines, but he said nothing.
“Did you chase the cattle this way?”
“No.” The teen scowled. “But sure, blame the foster kid. That’s original.”
“Katie saw a wolf. Was it you?” Luke crossed his arms. “She could have been seriously hurt. Being a shifter is not a game.”
“Luke.” I stepped between them. “If Eli says he didn’t do it, I believe him.”
Luke growled angrily. “Something drove the cattle this way. And I’m going to find out who it was.”
He stalked over to his horse, mounted it, and rode off in the direction his brothers had herded the cattle. I turned to face a glowering Eli, giving him a small smile. “Luke’s just worried. He’ll calm down.”
“Whatever.” Eli scoffed. “I don’t care.”
But he did. I saw it on his face. In the set of his shoulders. I rested my hand on his shoulder. “Enough about that. Tell me about your run. Was it as fun as I imagine?”