Chapter 17
Sniff and Tussle
TEDDY
After I neatly stack my boxes in one corner of the minimally furnished dorm room, I sort through the suitcase for some clean clothes and head to the men’s locker room, desperate for a shower.
As the water streams down my head and back, I recall Sophie’s glower as I was leaving the cottage and heave sigh.
She’s obviously confused by my sudden departure, especially after I insisted on adhering to all the requirements of Miss Dragonfly’s will—including the need for Sophie to provide me with room and board.
Sophie probably thinks I’m too dimwitted to date, let alone become a proper boyfriend. Then I remember she’ll be seeing her prospective boyfriend later today, and I smack the damp tiles with the palm of my hand.
“Ouch!” I howl, forgetting about my cuts.
“You alright over there?” asks a man in the next shower stall. It takes me a few beats to place the voice; he’s Jake’s beta.
“Um… yeah... just having a moment,” I mumble.
“You up for a run? If you don’t mind talking while you jog, I don’t mind listening.”
I wonder what’s gotten into Jake’s beta, Rob Somebody; the guy was downright snippy last night.
Then it dawns on me Jake probably filled him in; as the pack’s number two, Rob has as much of a right as Jake to know what happened with my last pack, and why I need to put some distance between Sophie and me during non-work hours.
He’s probably the guy who’ll monitor me when the full moon comes around, which isn’t for another few weeks.
“That sounds good. I’ll be ready in ten minutes.”
“Meet you out front,” says Rob, turning off the water; his feet make squishy sounds on the floor as he pads away.
I stand under the shower spray for a couple more minutes, wondering if Sophie is thinking about me at all.
Nah… She’s not giving me a second thought.
On the other hand, I can’t get that feisty faerie out of my head. It’s almost like Sophie has taken up residence inside my heart, filling up all the vacant places with her sass and beauty and kindness, which she carefully hides beneath a layer of grump.
The fire station is quiet as I head toward the lobby, which is painted a soothing blue.
Pausing by the front door, I scan the assorted posters tacked onto the walls: fire safety tips, an estate sale, the dates of the various summer festivals, and a recruitment poster for volunteer firefighters, which I tap with my forefinger.
Evening training classes start this week.
“Sign me up,” I whisper, pulling open the door.
Rob is doing stretches on the sidewalk and straightens as I approach. His hair and beard look a bit paler in the sunshine, more of a sandy blond; he’s as tall as me and a bit stockier. “You up for five miles?”
“At least,” I reply. “Yesterday’s run was interrupted when I took a tumble, and the day before I drove for eight hours. I’m desperate for a good head-clearing.”
“Gotcha.” Rob nods. “The beach is too crowded at this time of day; let’s head inland.”
After I do some leg stretches, Rob leads me down a picturesque side street, past small cottages and larger homes, up a rather steep hill, and then onto a two-lane county road.
We jog in companionable silence, passing farmhouses, orchards, barking dogs, grazing cows, and even a llama farm.
I realize he’s waiting for me to say something, so I clear my throat and ask, “How much has Jake shared with you?”
Rob glances over. “Pretty much everything. I heard about your last pack, which sounds like a sorry mess; my condolences on your alpha. And Jake told me about Sophie. I didn’t see that coming…
and to be honest, I find it hard to picture the two of you together…
not that I’m doubting your feelings. Werewolves know when they’ve met their mate.
I’m just saying I’ve known Sophie all my life, and she’s a force all her own.
It’s going to take a strong, assertive man to win her heart. And… er…” Rob hesitates.
“Just say what’s on your mind. It’s not anything I haven’t heard before.”
“Fine.” Rob quirks an eyebrow in my direction. “You appear to be a pleasant, well-organized, rule-following werewolf—and not at all Sophie’s type.”
“But she’s my mate,” I huff out a breath. “So I’m going to have to find a way to win her heart.”
We run in silence for a spell, and then I ask, “What’s her type?”
“Tall, dark, and dreary,” quips Rob.
“Huh?”
Rob snorts. “Sophie appears attracted to troubled, broody guys; I’m not sure if she thinks she can ‘fix’ them, or she merely likes their edgy personalities. She’s not into squeaky-clean guys like you… or me.”
“Did you ask her out?” I snap, my pulse rising along with my temper, which is unexpected. I’m generally even-tempered and rarely roused to anything remotely approaching the hot anger suddenly coursing through me.
Holy conflagration! How much worse will my reactions become when the full moon comes around, and I’ll be without Sophie?
“Chill out, wolf,” growls Rob in a commanding voice, and I’m grateful. I take some deep breaths and get my overactive imagination and racing heart back under control.
“Yeah, I asked her out a few times,” he continues. “Sophie turned me down flat each time… in the nicest possible way, of course, since I’m Jake’s beta and best friend.”
“Good.” My spike of unreasonable jealousy subsides, and we both laugh. After a quarter mile or so, I say, “You said Sophie likes tall men; I’m tall.”
Rob chuckles. “Okay, you’ve got that going for you… and she does seem to like werewolves. So perhaps you have a chance, a slim one, of convincing Sophie to date you. But you and I share those attributes, and they didn’t work for me.”
I shake my head. “I don’t understand how I can yearn for a woman who won’t even give me a second glance. It makes no sense.”
Rob sighs. “Who ever said love makes sense?”
I’m jittery as I climb the stairs inside Howling Shores Pub that lead to the second story, a large, open space with fitness equipment at one end and locker rooms at the other.
If I can’t join Jake’s pack, then I don’t stand a chance of being able to remain in Riddle Hill.
Where would I go? And how could I woo Sophie if I’m packless and homeless?
I glance down at my white, Oxford-cloth shirt and neatly pressed khaki slacks; maybe I should have worn something looser since I’ll need to shift, but how could I make a good impression in baggy sweats?
Pausing at the top step, I grit my teeth, determined not to allow self-doubt to gain the upper hand.
I try recalling something useful from my assertiveness training, but my mind’s a blank.
Then Jarrod’s grinning face pops into my head, and I can almost hear him say, “Hey, wolf cub. Lighten up and have some fun!”
I smile at the memory. You’re on, Jarrod.
“Hey, Teddy.” Rob must have been waiting for me by the stairs. “Let me introduce you around.”
We head toward Marv, who grins. “Teddy and I are well acquainted.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right.” Rob chuckles and then takes me over to Wes and his mate, a pretty werewolf named Maisie.
By the time we’ve made the rounds, I’ve met nineteen adult pack members; I’m good with names, but even I’m having a difficult time remembering all of them.
Most of the adults are married; their children are home with sitters this evening, but Rob told me when they have family events, their full pack numbers forty-nine.
Jake calls the meeting to order, and we sit on the workout mats scattered around the center of the wooden floor.
He runs through a pretty typical pack agenda: several complaints that Jake delegates to Rob and Marv to investigate, an update on the Riddle Hill Summer Fest in a few weeks, and a report on lone wolves in the area.
Apparently there’s a werewolf in Sturgeon Bay who’s not checked in with the pack, and then there’s me.
Everyone swivels their heads toward me, and I look at Jake, who gives me a nod.
“Teddy Barker worked for my step-dad’s aunt, Dragonfly Spellman, for three years.
During that time he was not a member of any pack.
” There are a few murmurs, but Jake raises his hand, and the room grows silent.
“Teddy has explained to me the circumstances in detail, which align with what I know about his last pack. Teddy has indicated his desire to join our pack, but as you know, I don’t make unilateral decisions when it comes to new members.
This is something for the pack to decide. ”
Jake waves his hand, and I stand up. “Teddy, it’s time for us to meet your wolf.”
The ladies head toward their locker room to change, giving us all some privacy as we strip down to gym shorts or loose sweatpants before transforming.
In an actual fight, everyone would shift on the spot, shredding a lot of garments in the process.
Werewolf families probably spend more on attire than any other species, given the number of times young cubs lose control and shift before peeling off their layers.
While I’m folding my clothes in a neat stack next to the wall, most of the guys are tossing their stuff onto the floor.
Arching my eyebrow at the messy piles, I transform slowly and methodically, retaining full control throughout the process.
I hear more than a few whines and even some whimpers escaping from some of the other guys, and I’m glad I’ve managed to remain quiet despite the discomfort.
I turn toward Jake and wait, not sure how he wants to run this part of the meeting. The women re-enter from their locker room and gather in a loose knot in the center of the room.
“Line up-p,” barks Jake through his muzzle. “R-reverss or-rderr!” Nineteen werewolves jostle into position; clearly they’ve done this before and know what their alpha expects. I notice Rob is at the end of the line, standing behind Marv, and I figure reverse order means weakest to strongest.
Looks like I’ll be challenging each adult wolf in the pack; it’s certainly the best way to assess my stamina and skills, but I’ve never fought nineteen adults in a row before.
“Ted-dy.” Jake waits until I join him before providing instructions in wolf-speak. “Walk-k dow-n-n the line, look-k each wolf-f in the eye… an’ you kno-ow the dril-l-l. Chal-l-lenge me last-t.”
I nod and take several deep breaths, hoping to quell my nerves enough to not lose my supper.
My stomach is nothing but a fistful of knots as I head over to the first werewolf, Maisie.
When we lock eyes, she lowers her gaze. I tap her shoulder with my right paw to indicate dominance, and she steps out of line, heading over to the opposite wall.
Well, that was easy… perhaps I’ll only need to fight half a dozen or so tonight.
Hah! Wishful thinking on my part; when I reach the fourteenth werewolf in line, a sturdy female, she locks eyes and then charges, knocking me to the floor.
I’m temporarily winded, but I’m larger and stronger.
We wrestle for a few moments before I manage to flip her onto her back, pinning her shoulders.
She looks away, breaking eye contact, which is the signal I’m looking for; she accepts my dominance, and the fight’s over. As I give her a hand up, she smiles.
I’m panting heavily by the time I reach Marv, who gives me a cheeky grin; I get the sense this big guy can’t wait to repay me for getting arrested.
I’ve managed to best every werewolf up until this point, but my cuts have re-opened on my hands and knees, and the last werewolf landed a punch to my gut that’s left me nauseous.
Our eyes lock, and Marv starts to look away, but it’s a feint; he charges sideways, slamming into me and sending me skidding across the polished wooden boards.
“Oof!” I mutter, scrambling to my feet. We lock arms in a semi-crouch and spin ourselves around, each of us trying to hook a foot around the other guy’s leg to trip him.
Marv taunts me through his snout, “Wittle Wolf-fy, what’z wro-ng-g?” Then he breaks free, jams his head into my stomach, and sends me reeling backward onto the floor. He pins me down, and I glance away to indicate he’s won.
We slowly rise from the floor, and he nods at me before accepting a towel from one of the women… but I’m not done yet. I still have to face the pack beta and alpha.
When I look into Rob’s eyes, he wrinkles his nose and folds his arms across his chest, never breaking eye contact.
Confused, I cock my head to the side. Wrong move; Rob spins around, landing a flying kick to my stomach, and I drop like a stone.
When he kneels over me, I avert my gaze, and he gives me a hand up.
I turn toward Jake and stare into the golden flecks in his irises; by now I’m bruised, bloody, and wheezing. Jake takes two steps, throws a right hook that catches me in the jaw, and I crumple to my knees. Jake flips me onto the floor, pins my shoulders, and I close my eyes; it’s finally over.
All that remains is for the Bay Howlers to decide if they’ll accept me into their pack. Rob helps me up and guides me into the locker room. Dropping my clothes onto one of the benches, he barks at me in wolf-speak, “Fir-rst aid-d kit… Bath-R-room. Shift-t. Wash-sh. Dr-r-ress. Wait-t.”
After he leaves, I lean one hand wearily against a locker, grimace at the bloody pawprint I’ve left on it, and head into the shower.
Thirty minutes later I’m bandaged, dressed, and standing in front of Jake, who’s flanked by his pack on either side of him; they form a semicircle around me. Someone’s cleaned up the blood stains on the floor, which smells of fresh lemon oil.
Everyone has shifted back into their human forms and clothes, but they look so solemn and serious that I can’t read the room. I swallow nervously, figuring I must have failed to win their approval. Then Jake grins and shouts, “Let’s welcome our newest pack member, Teddy Barker!”
After nearly dying in a fight with my last pack beta three years ago and wondering whether I’d ever fit in elsewhere, it’s finally happened—I belong to a pack again!
The room erupts in cheers and applause, and suddenly men and women are pumping my hand and clapping me on the back. I feel my eyes growing moist with gratitude, but I inhale a shaky breath, stuffing down my emotions.
There’s only one thing that would make this night perfect, and that’s having Sophie by my side.
Unfortunately, she has other plans for this evening.
I choose to ignore the pang in my chest when I think of Sophie out with someone else tonight. Instead, I follow Jake, Rob, and the rest of the pack downstairs for a celebratory brew, or in my case, root beer.
Tomorrow is soon enough for me to begin planning my campaign to win over Sophie Spellman Brownlee, my somewhat disheveled but undeniably delectable faerie boss.