Changing Focus

Reluctant to be a Pack Alpha, Micah Keeps Vigil has no hesitation about what he wants in a mate. A strong, intelligent, passionate and, most importantly, shifter female. He’s found her in photojournalist Olivia. She’s come to Micah’s lodge to write about winter sports.

Olivia isn’t expecting a gorgeous man who encourages her wilder nature with a sizzling erotic encounter in her room. Nor does she anticipate the amount of steam they generate in the sauna. With Micah’s hot body and Olivia’s innate sensuality they generate enough heat to melt the snow around the lodge.

One problem-Olivia isn’t aware she’s a shifter. She believes her vivid dreams are just that-dreams-and that her blackouts can be controlled with medication. There’s no way she’s been running through the woods on four feet! Micah has to convince Olivia to accept herself-paws and all-or lose her forever.

B
ook 3 in the Lusting Wild series, 2009

M
icah tightened his grip on the steering wheel as the truck fishtailed on the icy road. Easing his foot off the accelerator, he cursed under his breath.
Should have replaced those damn tires a hundred miles ago.
This blowing snow isn’t helping me stay on the road, either.

And the sex-charged dream from last night wasn’t helping him focus either. His cock twitched as he remembered the gorgeous she-wolf he’d run with and eventually caught in his night fantasy.
Tante
Kay could be right. It might be time for him to look for a mate. Micah lifted and lowered his hips, hoping to gain a bit more room in his jeans.

A particularly vicious gust of wind caught the edge of the tarp in the truck bed and Micah watched in the rearview mirror as it sailed off into the woods. No matter, he could always come get it in the morning. The tires slipped again and this time he couldn’t stop the truck from sliding.

He sucked in a breath, his heart racing as he fought not to tighten his grip on the steering wheel. He turned the wheel into the slide and swore violently. Taking his foot completely off the accelerator and tapping the brake were all in vain. With a shudder and a crunching of glass that caused him to wince, the truck came to a sliding halt in the ditch.

“Son of a…” He filled his lungs with air then let it out.

Micah took another deep breath then let his head fall forward onto the steering wheel in defeat, not pain. He snarled, knowing he faced a damn cold walk to the lodge. Pulling the collar of his wool coat up, he watched the snow swirling all around him. Micah shook his head. He hadn’t been home in nearly six months and now he’d been caught in what the weather forecasters predicted might be one of the worst storms all season.

Turning the truck off, he stuffed the keys in his jeans pocket and shoved the door open. Putting his head down against the icy wind, he squinted against the blowing snow biting into his skin.

Stepping out of the truck, he cursed again when the snow went right over the top of his boots. Slamming the truck door made him feel marginally better until the sound of what was left of his headlight falling onto the bumper reached him.

Three large steps brought him to the main road where he huddled into his jacket, gauging the distance to the lodge.
I wish I’d remembered to leave my hat and gloves in the cab instead of in my luggage.
He’d passed the turnoff to the reservation almost four miles ago, so his property line was about two more miles.

He calculated which was closer. The distance between the nearest house and his own warm bed was about equal.
I’ve come this far, might as well keep heading toward home.

No moon shone, but he didn’t really need her light. In spite of the blowing snow, he could see the shadow of the trees on either side of the road well enough to know that he needed to keep between them. Debating on whether or not to take his animal form, Micah decided against shifting.

For one thing, he’d have to leave his clothes in the truck and someone who knew his truck might think he’d been a victim of foul play. For another, he didn’t know whether there were guests in the lodge or not, and it wouldn’t do for him to show up naked on the front step if humans were about.

With his mind firmly on something warm to drink and the fire he’d build in the stone fireplace in his bedroom, Micah started down the road. He hadn’t gone more than a hundred yards from the truck when he caught a scent that didn’t belong. The trees, the carrion smell off to his right, even his own wool jacket, those things he expected.

This new smell, however, brought him to a halt. Staring into the woods on his right, he sniffed the night air and waited. Now the stinging snow didn’t bother him, in fact he hardly noticed it at all.

She stepped out from between the trees, her gray fur blending with the shadows between them. He saw her nostrils flare and knew she was catching his scent just as he’d caught hers. As focused as he’d been on getting home, if he hadn’t smelled her, he wouldn’t have noticed her presence, an indication of how tired he truly felt.

The unfamiliar scent marked her as “not from around here”. It carried that trace of something extra that marked her as one of his kind-a shifter. His animal self reacted immediately with his cock jerking slightly. Micah clamped down on that reaction. No way did he need a hard-on this far from the lodge. The she-wolf dropped her head slightly. With her silver-tipped light fur, she was even more beautiful than his dream lover from the night before.

The female made no aggressive moves toward him, no submissive ones, either. She simply watched him as closely as he watched her. Micah lifted his head to test the air for sign of any other shifters. He froze when she flinched.

His cheeks tightened as the wind picked up. But the wind blew no additional information his way. Either she ran alone or had come so far from her Pack that hers was the only scent he could catch. The dropping temperature and increasing wind caused her to lift her head to scent the night air as well.

Micah clenched his fists against the cold. At his miniscule motion, she bolted. Turning quickly away from him, she ran back into the shadow of the trees, her tail flashing at him through the snow her paws kicked up. It took all his willpower not to strip, take his animal form and follow her. The similarity to his dream caused him to seriously consider stripping and following wherever she led. And yet, he was tired, cold, and more than ready to sleep in his own bed again.

If she was staying around here, he’d find her again. Her scent lingered in his nostrils. He could find her in a crowd now. He acted as unofficial Alpha in the area so she’d have to come talk to him-get his permission to run in his territory. For the first time, Micah smiled at being home.

Instead of continuing to walk toward the lodge, he broke into an easy jog. The blowing wind kept the recently plowed road relatively clear. He definitely had something to look forward to. As Micah moved down the snowy lane, he tried to remember the last time he’d been interested in a female.

Micah was far from celibate, but his relationships had always been with females who wanted mutually brief liaisons. He firmly believed in taking only one mate and, as yet, he hadn’t met her. He knew he couldn’t take a human to mate. Micah had to mate with another shifter to ensure the continuance of his unique gifts. Only one shifter in each generation of his family had his particular gift, and more than likely he’d be the one to transfer that gene, not any of his numerous siblings.

Shrugging, he turned his attention back to his journey. No need to worry about that now. He’d never found the right mate and even though the wisest old woman he knew and his grandfather kept after him, he didn’t think he would soon. No matter that they both had predicted he’d find his mate soon.

His lungs burned from the cold air, but he could smell wood smoke. Micah increased his pace. The female had to be staying close. Either on the reservation or… He took a deep breath. She might be staying in the lodge.

If so, then she could be waiting for him to arrive. That thought caused his heartbeat to increase even more than the jogging. Something about that she-wolf had his blood burning.

By the time he reached the turnoff to the lodge he pumped his legs at a full-out run. He noted that Gareth had kept the paths cleared as much as possible. His boots crunched over the ground as locks of hair loosened from his habitual braid swirled about his face. The sled dogs stirred but he sent a mental acknowledgement so that they knew it was him. A few of the new ones whined but none raised the alarm as Micah ran up the steps to the wide porch encircling the lodge.

He stomped his heels on the boards to knock the snow off his boots and shook his head and shoulders as he reached for the front door. It opened and warmth enveloped him. Micah noted Gareth’s presence with a nod and an outstretched hand. “Good to see you, little brother.”

“Welcome home, Micah. Where’s the truck?” Gareth stepped back as Micah strode across the threshold.

“In the ditch not too far from here. We’ll need to go get it and the tarp in the morning.” Micah unbuttoned his jacket, shrugging out of it and tossing it onto one of the hooks by the door. Gareth shut the door behind him and leaned against it.

“In the ditch?”

Micah heard the humor in Gareth’s voice and looked at his friend. “Yes, in the ditch. Don’t say a word about the tires. I know I should have had them replaced. What’s going on here?”

Gareth’s face twisted into what passed for a grin on his scarred visage. “It’s been pretty quiet. We’ve got one cabin rented out to some honeymooners and one guest here in the lodge. She’s a reporter or something, here to do an article on winter sports. She said she’d emailed you about it. Her name’s Olivia Decatur.”

“Olivia Decatur? She’s one of us?” The two men walked toward the kitchen in the back of the lodge. Micah was glad to see the coffeepot full and the light indicating it was on. He poured himself a large cup and turned back toward Gareth who waved off the offer of coffee. Micah cupped his hands around the mug and took a sip, letting the warm liquid ease into his throat.

“I don’t think so. I mean, I did at first, but now I just don’t know. She has the scent, but she doesn’t act like one of us. She’s been here three days and the moon was full two days ago. She wasn’t out then, at least not that I know of.” Gareth turned his head away from Micah’s penetrating gaze.

“No, I didn’t go to the Gathering. I haven’t been to one since you’ve been gone. There’s too much to do around here.” Micah let the remark slide. He didn’t want to argue or contest Gareth’s notion that no other shifters would accept him because of his scars.

“I think I saw her tonight.”

Gareth sat at the counter, not saying anything, just looking at him without actually meeting his gaze. Micah shook his hair completely out of the braid then tied it into a ponytail with the same leather thong that had been holding it in place before his run. “No matter, I’ll see her in the morning. What else is going on? How are the bookings?”

“We’ll be full in three weeks. The Gathering this past full moon wasn’t well attended because you weren’t here. As soon as word gets around that you’re back, I’m sure there’ll be some calls coming in. Everyone will want another Gathering to welcome you back. For sure, Pete will be glad you’re back. He hates being Alpha in your stead.”

Micah frowned. “You know how I feel about that.”

Gareth didn’t acknowledge his response. “I took the dogs out yesterday. They’re really starting to pull together well. I also did some repair work on the snowshoes and have all the skis ready to go. The snowmobiles are all serviced and gassed up.”

“Good work, Gareth. That’ll make things a lot easier in the next few weeks.” Micah sipped at his coffee as Gareth continued to tell him about the preparations for the winter season. Gareth seemed calmer than he had the last time Micah had been home. No fiddling with his patch or using his hair to hide the scars on his face.
Maybe he’ll be able to rejoin a Pack soon.

Micah felt a great contentment welling up inside his body. Six months of the year he spent on the road, working for various bond-enforcement agencies as a bounty hunter. The rest of the time he devoted to the lodge and his business here. He wanted to end his bounty-hunting career and focus full time on the lodge. Now it seemed as though that dream could become reality.

Micah rubbed his jaw then poured himself another cup of coffee. Gareth got slowly to his feet, looking toward the back door. Micah knew he wanted to leave, but wouldn’t do so until given permission.
What do I need to do to get it through his thick head that I am not Alpha?
The other shifter insisted on following Pack rules here and that meant following orders from his very reluctant Alpha.

With a mental sigh, Micah nodded at Gareth. “Thank you for taking care of things around here, Gareth. I do appreciate it. Will you be back in time for breakfast?”

“Maybe. I think I make Ms. Decatur a little nervous, though, so since you’re back I may just stay away. I’ve been thinking about taking a few days off, if that’s okay with you?”

“You’ve more than earned it. Take as much time as you need. And Gareth?”

Pulling on his jacket, Gareth paused. “Micah, I already know what you’re going to say. I need to run and you know this Pack barely tolerates me.”

Micah watched out the kitchen window as Gareth moved across the clearing out back and into the woods. Something had to be done about Gareth. He had to expand his life beyond working at the lodge.
If he’s running with the wild wolves, then we have a problem.
Micah frowned. The way Gareth phrased it-maybe he’d already found another Pack to run with.

Surely he knew the dangers of staying too long with the wilds. He might lose the desire to ever shift back to human. Micah knew of two shifters who had done that. He’d only been a pup, but the devastation of the loss had affected everyone in the Pack from the Alpha down. Frantic meetings of the elders followed by hushed whispers and rumors among the young. Shaking his head, Micah pushed those thoughts aside. He wouldn’t let Gareth do that to himself, not if there was any way he could prevent it.

Turning the coffeepot off, Micah locked the back door, turned off the inside lights, leaving the front porch and outside security lights on, and headed up the back stairs for his private apartment on the third floor. When he reached the second floor, the scent of oranges and woman wrapped around him.

He drew in a deep appreciative breath. Sexy and sweet, this scent had to belong to the female he’d seen in the woods. Suddenly his homecoming seemed more promising than ever. Micah found himself smiling as he continued up the stairs to the third floor.

Olivia Decatur. He let her name roll through his mind again, wondering if he knew her clan. The surname wasn’t familiar, but that wasn’t so unusual. Shifters came from all over and he wasn’t vain enough to believe he knew all of their names.

Reaching his apartment, Micah stripped and headed for the bathroom. He’d use the shower to warm the outside of his body just as he’d used the coffee to warm the inside. Hot water sluiced down over his head, shoulders and back before hitting his feet and starting to thaw out his body. As he relaxed in the warmth, his thoughts turned back to his dream from the night before and the she-wolf he’d seen on the way home and then to Olivia Decatur. Perhaps it hadn’t been just a dream. Maybe it had been a sign. A sign that the woman meant just for him, the she-wolf he’d seen in the woods and the woman currently sleeping one floor below him were one and the same.