ChangingPaths (9 page)

As her voice trailed off, he nodded, “But we have to be
careful with Rain. She doesn’t need any more craziness in her life right now. I
know. Just moved. New school, new town, even new family to get used to. She’s
got a lot on her plate.”

Her smile melted him. Simply melted him. The gratitude for
his understanding made his throat tighten. It made him want to hunt down
whomever had made her not expect that understanding and pummel him. It made him
want to devour her, so he moved another step back.

Right into the sink. Cursing as he jammed his hip, he
twisted away only to trip over his toolbox, causing it to clank against the
wall. When he landed on the toilet, she collapsed with whoops of laughter. Rain
came running.

“What? Mom! Give G-Man some privacy!” Her shocked voice
provoked more laughter from both adults. It took Rain a minute to realize that
he had fallen in that position. When she did all three of them began to laugh.
It only stopped when Rain protested that she really did have to pee.

Once she was out of the bathroom he went back in to replace
the U-joint and fix the faucet. Harmony told them to wash up. He sat down to
salad while the meatloaf finished up in the oven. The conversation between the
three of them was easy. Rain was full of questions about things to do in the
area and about Harmony’s relatives.

Between questions about Willow and Pete, Harmony put the meatloaf
on the table. She added a bowl of beans she’d had heating as well. He let the
conversation float around him at times even as he enjoyed Harmony’s cooking.

“That was the best meatloaf, Harmony. Seriously good.”

Rain nodded. “Mom is a good cook when she leaves all that
other stuff out.” Then she looked at her mother. “Can I go over to Keme’s to
study? I forgot to ask earlier. He and some of the other kids have a group-study
thing. They told me I could come. I know how to get to his place.”

Harmony agreed. While Rain cleared the table he leaned back.
Watching her in the kitchen showing Rain where things went in the still-unfamiliar
home, he realized he felt at peace. Realized he could get used to this sort of
thing. Realized he wanted to know her a lot better and it wasn’t just about
sex. The thought made him want to shift and run until he hit the Arctic Ocean.

She turned to smile at him then responded to a question from
Rain. He sat forward. He wasn’t a coward but something about this woman and her
pup terrified him. Maybe he needed to take a step back.

“Hey, I’m happy to drop Rain off at Keme’s if you want. I
have to get going anyway.”

The light dimming in her eyes wasn’t lost on him. And it
made him feel like a total dick. Her daughter was going to be out of the house,
but instead of using that as a reason to stay he was grabbing at it as if it
were a life raft to get out of this overwhelming emotional morass. He didn’t
just feel like a dick. He was one.

She avoided his eyes as he left with Rain. He had leftovers
they’d both insisted he take but he felt as if he were leaving something larger
behind. He finally caught her eyes as her daughter slid into his truck. He put
everything he had into the smile he sent her. Relief washed over him when she
smiled back. Feeling less of the world’s biggest ass, he maneuvered his truck
in a three-point turn.

“So, G-Man, if you don’t want to talk to me about you, how
about my mom?” The question was so unexpected he nearly drove off the road.

“What? What about your mom? She’s a nice lady. A good cook.”
He didn’t add that she had the body of a goddess with breasts that made his
mouth ache to suck. God, he shouldn’t even be thinking about her mother’s
breasts when she was in the car. He counted to ten, waiting for the next teen
strike. He’d rather have a live cobra in his passenger seat.

“Yeah. Right. I’m not a kid, you know. I can see how you
look at her. And she smelled like you tonight again. Like she did when she came
home. So what’s up with that? And why can I smell that? It’s like the air up
here is better or something. I can smell all sorts of things. I even think I
smelled my dad.”

He watched his knuckles whiten on the wheel when she
mentioned her father. A growl rolled out of his throat before he could stop it.

“Wow. Where did that come from?”

He laughed it off as a digestive issue but didn’t think Rain
bought it. Still, it did serve to keep her quiet for the remainder of the trip.
After securing Keme’s promise to see her home by ten he headed for the lodge.
He needed to talk to Micah.

“Well just bite me, Gareth!” Harmony threw the dishcloth at
the sink, cursing when she missed. She bent to snatch it off the floor then
froze. Tom’s scent nearly overwhelmed her. She sensed him just as she heard his
footsteps. How the hell had he found her?

She didn’t have time to think. He yanked her up by her hair.
His breath hit her cheek in hot, harsh breaths. “Miss me?”

With her back against the hard edge of the counter, she
grabbed at the pain. Better that then the fear shriveling her spine. She took a
deep breath then hissed out, “No.”

“Well I’m sure I can give you reasons to miss me, love. I’ve
missed you. I don’t know why you have to be so stupid. You didn’t think you
could take what’s mine and leave did you?” He gave her head a shake as he
smiled down at her.

“Yours? I’m not yours and neither is Rain.” Her voice
sounded guttural, almost harsh in her ears.

With another shake, he laughed. Spittle sprayed on her
cheek. “Growl at me? You would growl at me? I’m your mate, bitch. You come back
to this place so now you think you’re better than me? You’re still one of the
Denied. You’re nothing to them.”

He suddenly released her. Her head ached where his hand had
fisted. “Gotta run, love. I’ll see you and the kid later. You better pack. We’re
moving. I know a great little place in Mexico.”

She never saw it coming. His hand balled into a fist and
connected with her jaw. Stars burst in front of her eyes as searing pain
followed her down to the kitchen floor. She grabbed at a chair but missed. As
dark overcame her, she saw his boots moving away.

Gareth hunched his shoulders on the seemingly interminable
drive to the lodge. He knew Micah wouldn’t mind the after-dinner call. He had
an open-door policy for Pack members. But Gareth rarely asked for help—and
never for anything of a personal nature. Still, this felt important enough to
break that streak. He clenched his teeth then rapped on the door three times.

“Why are you knocking at the front door, Gareth?” Micah’s
tone was amused as he pulled him in. “We are in the den. Kids just went to bed.”

He followed the big man back to the smaller, cozy den. He
preferred it to the living room but the kitchen was his favorite spot. Why he
hadn’t gone to that door he couldn’t say. In a way it didn’t feel formal
enough.

“Talk to me.” Micah waved a hand at a chair but he remained
standing. Suddenly Gareth realized what he had to ask.

“Alpha, I come to you with a request.”

Micah’s face was a study in shock mixed with stunned
amusement. “Why Gareth, if I did not know better I would say you were asking me
to court my…”

His voice trailed off. Gareth assumed it was in response to
the deadly serious look on his own face. He nodded at Micah then continued.

“Micah, you are my Alpha, head of our Pack. Because of that
and out of a deep respect for you, I would ask your permission to court Willow
and Pete’s niece Harmony Johnson.”

He paused then gulped air like a drowning man. “Micah…I…she…I
don’t know what this is but it’s something. And it’s big. I—”

He snapped his mouth shut to end the stream of words as
Micah shifted. He stood his ground as the tree of a man loomed over him. In a
voice he rarely used with him Micah said, “Wolf, do you seek this woman because
she brings you a ready-made family?”

Red washed over his vision. His shoulders went from hunched
to rigid as his hands fought to not curl into fists. His voice rang out on a
sharp note.

“No. Never.” He willed his wolf back even though rage made
the beast itch under his skin. The shock of knowing he wanted to attack his
Alpha was enough to drive his beast back down. He forced himself to look at
Micah even though the act of looking his Alpha in the eye made Gareth’s fur
crawl.

“Micah, she-I-we kissed. Here. Then in my truck. Then in her
bathroom. And,” he sucked in more air, “I want to do it again. A lot more
again.”

At that, Micah stopped looming. He sat down so hard he
thumped. Olivia appeared in the doorway. “Everything okay?”

“Yes. I will fill you in. Leave us please?” Micah smiled at
his mate as she nodded then left. “Sometimes she actually does what I ask.
Progress.”

Gareth gave him a smile in return. If Micah was joking it
wasn’t as bad as he thought. He felt his wolf retreat fully. He sat down
opposite Micah. Leaning forward, he held his palms flat against his thighs. “No,
it’s not because of Rain. And it’s not
not
because of her either. She’s
a dammed good kid, Micah. Funny, smart and brave too. Asked me about my scars
then didn’t back down when I growled her off. But it’s Harmony that gets me.
She does something to my belly way deep down inside. I don’t know that I’ve
ever felt this way about a female.”

“Even that female you and your brother were forced to fight
over?” The question was low but didn’t bring the pain it used to.

“Yeah, even Brenda.” As he said her name for the first time
in nearly eight years he felt free in a way he hadn’t since that battle with
his brother. “Shit. This is bad, isn’t it?”

Micah let his head fall back as he let loose with a
full-bodied laugh. Even his hair seemed to shake with amusement. “Well, that
depends on your definition of ‘bad’ does it not? Olivia would tell you that it
is good but I am going to tell you it is both. Both because what you are
feeling is a full-fledged mating bond from where I am sitting. And that is good
because you deserve that happiness. Bad because that female is not fully free
yet. She has a lot of emotional baggage to unpack. Can you wait for that?”

He looked into his Alpha’s concerned brown eyes then away.
He shook his head. “No, I can’t wait for her to go through that alone. And she
doesn’t have to. I’ll be there with her. Micah, did you feel this way? I mean
for Olivia?”

Gareth knew it was a throwaway question the minute it left
his mouth. He’d been there to see the hell Micah had gone through with his own
mate. Was he ready to go through that if Harmony didn’t want him? What if she
didn’t want him? Then what? It wasn’t as if a mating bond happened every day.
Damn the woman. He hadn’t even told her how he felt. She’d just have to listen
then, wouldn’t she?

He didn’t register that he’d left his Alpha’s presence
without even a handshake goodbye. His hand was on the door when he heard Olivia’s
voice.

“Gareth? Are you okay?”

Her soft blue eyes peered at him over the reading glasses
she wore when doing close-up work on her computer. She touched his shoulder.
That touch had him turning into her for the Pack bond. Micah joined them as
they just held on for a few minutes. The ringing of his cell phone interrupted.

“Yeah? Wait, what? Slow down, pup. Slow down. Fuck. I’m on
my way.” He looked at Micah and Olivia. “Rain says her mom collapsed. She needs
me. I gotta go.”

“I will go with you.” Micah’s voice brooked no argument.
Giving his mate a swift hug, he motioned for Gareth to head for his truck.
Stopping at the front door, Micah shook his head and looked back at Olivia. “Something
is off. Please call Pete and have him meet us at the cabin.”

“I will. Micah, please be careful.” Olivia held the door
open for him as she gave him a swift kiss.

Gareth already had the motor running when his Alpha joined
him in the cab of his truck. Micah didn’t say anything but he did reach up with
his right hand for the grip over the door. Under other circumstances, that
would have made Gareth slow down, but not tonight.

He took the turn onto the highway with screeching tires and
gunned his truck on the straight parts of the road, only slowing a tiny bit on
the curves. He knew these roads like the back of his own hand and nothing would
keep him from getting to Harmony and Rain as fast as possible. It might have
been faster for them to go in furry form but they might need the truck for
something. The panic in the teen’s voice still rattled around in his head.

Every light in the cabin was on, including the floodlight
that lit up the miniscule backyard. Throwing the truck into park, he was out of
the cabin and up on the porch before Micah even got his door shut.

“Rain? Harmony?”

“We’re in here.” He couldn’t stop the strong exhalation that
left his lungs when he heard Harmony’s voice. His first sight of the two of
them had his blood boiling. Rain sat at her mother’s feet, tears streaked down
her face. Harmony sat at the kitchen table, one hand holding a bag of frozen
peas to her cheek, the other holding her head up as though it weighed a ton. He
tamped down his anger and fear as he approached them. Micah’s low growl behind
him let him know his Alpha felt the same way he did about the scene in front of
them.

“Harmony? Rain said you’d collapsed. What happened?”

“Tom’s fist happened.” She lifted her head and he felt his
gut clench at the look on her face. She hadn’t cried, not a single tear track
on her face. Fury, anger, helplessness, all of those emotions were there for
him to sense, see, feel, but not sadness.

“Your ex was here? On Pack land?” Micah’s voice rumbled out,
the anger clear.

“Yes, but I’m sure he’s long gone by now. He’ll be back
though.” She sighed and dropped her hand to Rain’s head, stroking the girl’s
hair. “He’s not going to hurt you, Rain. I would never let him hurt you again.”

“He’s not going to hurt either of you. Ever again.” Gareth
reached out, pulling Harmony out of her chair and pulling Rain to her feet. He
hugged them both. “I won’t let him.”

“The Pack will not allow it.” Micah’s arms circled them as
well.

“Your family won’t allow it either. Not this time. That
bastard took you away from us once. He will not do it again.” Pete stepped into
the circle to add his arms to comfort her and her daughter.

Harmony had been able to keep it together until she heard
her uncle’s voice added to the mix. At those words, knowing her uncle still
called her family and that he didn’t hate her for leaving home, her
well-constructed wall broke. She sobbed and felt all three men move in closer.
Rain’s arms were around her waist, the girl’s head tight against her chest. Harmony
gave herself up to the support she’d craved.

Lifting her head a few minutes later, she met Gareth’s clear
blue eye and took a deep breath. Micah and Pete stepped back and Rain loosened
her hold slightly. Gareth was the first to speak and he hadn’t let go of either
of them.

“I’m staying here tonight. I’ll bunk down on the couch.”

“I will make sure the house and grounds are secure. I will
take a search crew out tonight. No one who would hurt his mate and child will
find sanctuary on my Pack land.” Micah stroked a hand over Harmony’s hair then
lifted Rain’s chin with a gentle hand. “We protect our own.”

Pete cleared his throat. Harmony’s gaze went to the man she’d
once been closer to than her own father. “I’ll send a patrol car out here
tonight and make sure we’re keeping an eye on things. Any idea what he’s
driving?”

She shook her head before remembering the dark SUV and the
certainty she’d felt that it had carried her ex. “Maybe a dark SUV? Black or a
really dark blue? I never saw the license plate.”

Micah and Pete left, both nodding. After giving her a long
look, Gareth followed them. She heard the rumble of conversation continue as
they went out onto the porch. In minutes Gareth returned. Rain’s breath hitched
and she hugged her daughter again.

“It’s okay, baby. It’s all going to be okay.”

“Mom, tell me what’s really going on. Why did we come here?
Why does Keme call his friends his Pack and what did Micah mean about the Pack
not allowing something? Are the adults into that whole weird dog-reference
thing too or is that just an Indian thing?”

Taking a deep breath and knowing she couldn’t put this talk
off any longer, she met Gareth’s eyes. At his brief nod she smiled at Rain. “Honey,
let’s go sit down for a minute. We need to talk.”

He led the way and busied himself building a fire in the
fireplace. When he struck a match and the fire had caught to his satisfaction,
he settled himself on the floor. Rain sat down on the couch and turned to face
her. Harmony linked her hands together and cleared her throat.

“Honey, you know how you’ve been having strange dreams and
eating more and sleeping more? Well…”

“Mom, I am
not
going through puberty again!” Rain
rolled her eyes, a slight flush on her cheeks and an embarrassed glance at
Gareth as well.

“It’s not that, baby. Our family, well, some of our family
have a…well…a hereditary condition.”

“Am I dying?”

“No! No, it’s not anything bad.” She scooted over, taking
both of Rain’s hands. “You’re fine, baby. You’re healthy and you’re fine. Oh
god, I’m making a mess of this.”

Raking a hand through her hair, Harmony glanced at Gareth.
He shook his head.

“I can’t help you with this one. I’ve always known what I
was. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know.”

“Wait, Gareth, you’ve always known what you are? I don’t get
it.” Rain shook her head then looked at her mom again. “What is this all about?”

“Honey, you’re a shapeshifter and I think you’re close to
your first Change. I had to bring you home, to someone who can help you because
I can’t. I can’t Change and I think you’re going to and you’re going to need
some guidance and some help.” She felt the words leaving her mouth, saw Rain’s
face pale and the disbelief on her face then the fear. She must think her
mother had lost her mind.

“What? I’m a what?” Rain moved back, shaking her hands free
of her mother’s grip. “Look! If you are trying to distract me from what Dad did
to you, stop it. This is crazy. Shapeshifter? Like what? A werewolf? Please.”

Rain gave a shaky laugh. She darted glances from her mother
to Gareth and back again. Harmony’s heart ached. If only she’d told her child
sooner. If only she’d been a better mom.

“Rain, sweetheart, are you dreaming things that don’t make
sense? What about your sense of smell? Do you know anyone else like that? Didn’t
your skin itch at the last full moon? Honey, I know this is hard to hear. I
should have told you sooner.” Harmony heard her own desperation. She prayed for
her daughter to understand.

“No way, Mom. No way.” Then something changed on Rain’s
face. As if some puzzle piece had just fallen into place. “Okay, so prove it.
Turn into a wolf.”

Harmony winced. “I can’t, honey. Some of us never get the
chance. We are…”

She trailed off then looked at Gareth. He hadn’t moved from
his place on the floor. He gave her a small smile that warmed her heart.
Glancing back at Rain’s determined face, Harmony asked him.

“Gareth? Would you show her, please? It’s the only way she’ll
believe me.” Knowing she put him in an awkward position, she turned her gaze to
him. “Please?”

He studied both of them for a long moment then untied his
shoes and removed his socks. He stood, turning his back on them and took off
his shirt. As he loosened his jeans she glanced at her daughter. She didn’t
really want to take her eyes off the visual feast in front of her but she had
to make sure Rain wasn’t mistaking any of this and that her daughter saw the
actual Change. Otherwise she wouldn’t believe them.

She turned her head back just as he dropped his jeans and
flowed into his wolf form. The brief glimpse of his gorgeous ass wasn’t lost on
her but Rain had blushed when his hands had moved to his jeans. Harmony knew
her daughter had avoided seeing that. But Rain’s gasp told her she’d seen him
shift.

She’d suspected he was the white wolf she’d seen before. His
blond hair and blue eye leant themselves to that paler coloring. He turned
toward them, his wolf form beautiful. He took a cautious step forward, his gaze
focused on Rain.

“Oh. My. God!” There was a sharp breath between each word then
Rain was on her feet, pointing at Gareth with one hand, the other flapping at
her mother. Rain’s head swiveled back and forth. “Holy crap! Mom! Gareth just
turned into a freaking wolf! He’s a wolf! Did you see that?”

At the slight edge of hysteria in her daughter’s voice she
reached out and took Rain’s hand. “Baby, that’s what I’m trying to tell you.”

“Wait…Mom, can you do that? If you can do that why didn’t
you do that and bite Dad?”

Harmony gasped out a laugh. “Rain. I can’t. I can’t do that
and neither could your father. But Aunt Willow, Uncle Pete, Gareth, Micah,
probably your friend Keme and some of the other kids can. I’m Denied, Rain.
That’s what we’re called, those of us who can’t shift. We’re Moon-Denied.
Gareth is Moon-Called.”

Gareth moved closer in his wolf form and leaned against
Harmony’s leg. She reached down without really thinking about it and ran her
hand through his thick coat. He made a sound deep in his throat and she knew he
offered support, not censure.

“So.” Rain seemed calmer now and sat down next to her mother
but didn’t take her eyes off Gareth. “So, you think this is what’s going to
happen to me? You think that even though you and Dad couldn’t do this I can?”

“You’ve got all the signs, Rain. All the signs of someone
about to go through their first Change.”

“Does it hurt?” Rain directed her question to her mother and
Harmony shrugged.

“I don’t know, baby.”

He shivered slightly and then Harmony’s hand was on his bare
shoulder. He dragged his shirt over to cover his groin as he met Rain’s eyes.
She knew the gesture was more for Rain’s sake than anything else. Normally
shifters weren’t too concerned about nudity. “No. It doesn’t normally hurt but
sometimes the first shift is a bit painful because your instinct is to fight
it. It gets easier and sometimes it aches a bit but it doesn’t hurt for long or
very much.”

“Does it feel as if your skin is tingling and your bones
itch? That’s what I feel when the Moon calls. It’s been so painful in the past
that I learned to self-medicate during a full moon. It’s the only thing that
stops me from screaming.” The words poured out of Harmony and then she shook
her head. “Never mind.”

Gareth started to answer Harmony when her daughter
interrupted. “Do you have to be naked to do it?”

“No, but if you don’t take your clothes off first, depending
on what you’re wearing they can get caught around your body. And it’s no fun
running through the woods with pieces of a shirt or something slowing you down.”
He grinned and Rain’s snort of laughter seemed to take her by surprise.

“It would suck to have to replace my favorite jeans. So…Keme
can do this?”

Gareth hesitated then decided in for a penny in for a pound.
“Keme had his first shift two years ago. His whole family are early shifters.
Some of the other pups, kids, still haven’t shifted for the first time, some
have. You’re not out of place here, Rain. If you can shift you’ll fit right in
with them.”

He glanced at Harmony. “And if you can’t shift you will
still fit in. You’re both Pack now.”

“That’s a pretty big ‘if’, isn’t it? I mean, Mom, if you and
Dad can’t then why would I be able to do this?” Rain looked worried.

Harmony smiled. “Sometimes it skips a generation, baby.
Sometimes it happens to one child in a family and none of the others. There’s
no real rhyme or reason for one to be Moon-Called and another to be
Moon-Denied. It just happens.”

“So does this mean I should stay away from silver? And what
about garlic? No, that’s nothing, right? We eat garlic all the time. What other
stuff is going to happen to me or what special powers will I have?” Rain
peppered the questions hard and fast.

He chuckled. “No special powers. Shifters are faster,
stronger than humans. We have higher metabolisms, that’s why we eat a lot and
frequently. We’re warmer than humans, mostly. Our eyesight is usually better
than humans and our scenting capability is stronger. You already mentioned that
you associate different odors with different people. You told your mom you
smelled me on her. We’re not prone to most human illness but there are some
that can lay us low. Drugs and alcohol don’t affect us like they do humans.
Silver or derivatives of silver can hurt us and in large enough quantities can
kill us. Shifting between human and wolf form will heal most injuries, such as
cuts, scrapes, bruises, broken bones, but I don’t recommend relying only on
that.”

“Is that what happened to you?” Rain’s voice was soft and
her glance flickered between Harmony and Gareth as though she knew she was
treading on sensitive ground with both of them.

He nodded. “Yes. The water I used to clean my face after a
fight was laced with silver nitrate. I got enough of in the eye itself to lose
my sight. Shifting won’t heal this now.”

Harmony felt shock and anger radiate through her at that.
Someone had laced his water? Who could be that evil? Before she could ask, Rain
implored, “Can I try it? Can I try it now?”

“No.” Gareth’s voice was firm, cutting off any other
questions. “You never want your first shift to be done during a time of stress
and this is a lot to take in at one time. Give it a day or two, or even a week.
We’ll be having all the teens at the lodge in a week or so, there won’t be as
much pressure then. More excitement than anything else. Besides, now that you
know about us, Micah will insist you join the others to learn more.”