as they fed the current answer through the clue again there were clear-cut alternatives.
“In your notes you recorded what height we found the answers, high up or low to the ground. Should I
add that information?” Maggie glanced at Erik to find him staring at her with a twinkle in his eyes.
“What?”
“You’re very attractive when you’re obsessed about something.”
Jared laughed. “You two. Save the lovey-dovey for later. Let’s solve this thing.”
When the new list was finished, Maggie held it up with a flourish. Now they would be able to find the
final answers. She scanned the page quickly and her hopes fell. There was nothing but a series of single
letters from A-G mixed up again and again.
It still made no sense.
Jared and TJ started laughing, and her temper flared.
“It’s not funny.” So much for her being an asset to the team like Erik had suggested.
“We tried. I guess we’ll just have to finish without the final information.” Jared threw a rock into the
bush and lay back on the ground in disgust.
TJ startled. “What are you guys talking about? Don’t you see it?”
His earnest expression made Maggie feel even worse. “There’s nothing there that helps us, TJ.”
He snorted and took the paper from her to scrawl down six more letters.
Erik looked at the list and raised a brow. “You think?”
“Positive.” TJ nodded rapidly. He scrambled in his pockets, fumbling as he pulled out his harmonica.
As the first notes of the familiar children’s opera rang into the air on the unusual wind instrument, Maggie
laughed.
“No way, you’re saying those letters are musical notes? That tune is too funny.”
Erik grinned at her. “I think TJ’s hit on the right solution. Does it help if I tell you the race director’s
name is Peter?” He clapped slowly. “Well done, team.”
Jared groaned. “‘Peter and the Wolf’? We went through all that searching to have to listen to TJ
playing bad classical music on his harmonica?”
TJ hit him and the two of them tumbled away to wrestle again. Erik smiled down at her and she
grinned back in satisfaction. She really had managed to help the team.
Suddenly the idea of being a part of the pack didn’t nauseate her. The guys had been nothing but
supportive of her, and her heart no longer went into palpitations when she remembered she was in the bush
with three other wolves.
Except for the rushing, pounding rapid beat of her heart that remained every time she thought about
Erik. Her wolf bumped to the surface, as if reaching for him. His eyes widened as they stared at each other,
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Vivian Arend
and Maggie had to hold back from pressing closer, rubbing herself all over him. For one moment she
seriously considered dragging him into the tent and accepting their mating.
Her throat closed tight and she dropped her gaze away, fidgeting with the papers. She organized them,
then thrust them out at him.
The idea of being in wolf form with others around—she wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready for that step.
Mating with Erik but refusing to let their wolves have contact would be the cruelest thing imaginable. She
couldn’t play games with his emotions, couldn’t tease his wolf with promises she was unable to keep.
What of the challenges still to come in the Wolf Games? Had she helped solve this puzzle only to tear
victory from their grasp when she was unable to shift?
“You’re thinking too hard. Let it rest.” Erik brushed a stray hair back behind her ear and she leaned
into the caress without thinking. “In fact we all should turn in. Just because we know what we’re looking
for won’t make tomorrow any easier.”
“So using the song to solve the puzzle gave us six letters in the answer column, but no idea where
we’ll find them? I assume that’s the information we’ll need for the final event, right? That sucks,” Jared
complained as he unzipped the fly to the tent.
“Hey, at least we know what to look for, and with TJ’s great sense of smell, I’m confident we’ll be at
the checkpoint in plenty of time.” Erik patted TJ on the back, catching him by the shirt when he tripped.
“Yup, a good night’s sleep and a short hike tomorrow. I’m betting there will be little time between the end
of this challenge and the start of the next.”
Erik settled the boys, returning to hold his hand out to her. “As much as I’d love a repeat of last night,
I suggest we hit the sack as well.”
She nodded slowly. There was too much to say and she didn’t have the strength yet. “Erik, what if I
can’t—?”
He held up a hand. “I’m not trying to be rude, but I’d like you to trust me on this one. Sleep first,
discussions later. You did so well with the puzzle, but I can feel your exhaustion from here. While you’re
getting the chemicals you need from being with us, I doubt you’ve hiked this far in the past few years while
hanging out in Vancouver.” He pulled her against his body and she molded herself to him. It felt so
wonderful. He lifted her chin and stared at her. “I’m warning you I’m going to hold you tonight. I can’t
resist, and I think you need it too. If you were planning on protesting, argue here so we don’t wake the
boys.”
Jared’s snores already rocked the tent and Maggie laughed. “Like me blowing a trumpet in his ear
would wake him.” They exchanged grins before she grew serious again. There was nothing she wanted
more right now than to feel his arms around her. “I could handle you holding me. If you feel you absolutely
must.”
He nodded seriously. “I think it’s vital.”
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Wolf Games
They slipped into the tent and Maggie relaxed, the warmth of her mate covering her like a blanket as
the never-ending light shone through the walls of the tent, filling the space with a peaceful blue glow.
53
Erik was pleased when their team finished the challenge in plenty of time, finding all but one of the
puzzle pieces. Maggie had insisted on recording everything she could think of about the locations where
they’d discovered the letters, hoping the information would help them down the road. They barely crossed
the line at the checkpoint before they were whisked away to Carmacks to start the next race.
He kept Maggie beside him as they boarded the bus with four other teams. The fear in her eyes made
his heart ache, but the way she squared her shoulders and insisted on sitting with TJ filled him with pride.
The chairman rose at the front of the bus to announce the details of the next challenge.
“You’ll all be in human form for this event of the Games.”
A murmur carried through the bus and TJ swore under his breath. Erik dropped a reassuring hand on
the young man’s shoulder.
“You’ll be paddling through one of the toughest sections of the Yukon River. Because of changing
water levels, the Five Finger Rapids are nowhere near as dangerous as they were in the days of the Gold
Rush. But we’ve planned a mass start, so there will be a lot of canoes vying for the safest route. It’s up to
you to make it through to the other side in one piece.
“Scoring for this event will involve both time and bonus points. There will also be deductions.” He
held up a brightly coloured float. “We’ve got six buoys anchored at various points along the river. If you
get close enough, you’ll once again have an opportunity to observe a symbol that will help you later. It’s
completely discretionary if you wish to attempt to reach the buoys.”
“What would cause a deduction?” one of the Anchorage team asked.
The chairman grinned at them, his canines long and sharp. “Falling out of the canoe. You can still get
a time score when your canoe crosses the finish line, but anyone out of the canoe causes a deduction to be
applied, no matter how it happens.”
TJ’s shoulder tensed even more under Erik’s hand. The kid was just going to have to get over his fear
of screwing up. So he was clumsy—he was way better now than a few years ago.
The chairman sat and a low rumble of voices filled the bus. Erik leaned back in his seat trying to get
comfortable for the journey, his knees cramped against the back of the bench in front of him. Even the
buses adapted for wolves were too small for his bulk. He sighed and closed his eyes.
When he opened them again they’d arrived at Carmacks. He herded his crew over to the side of the
staging area then stood back to take a good look at the setup. The canoes were lined up along the edge of
Wolf Games
the river, twenty feet from the shoreline. Erik eyed his opponents with a practiced eye, spotting the three
teams who would be the most competition in this event.
TJ remained silent as Jared joked around. Without her saying a word, Erik knew exactly where
Maggie stood, hiding behind his back, sneaking peeks around him at the other wolves. She was doing
extraordinarily well, not panicking as the group grew larger by the minute. All the teams were assembled
and their support crews were placing the final supplies in piles for the teams to collect when the whistle
sounded.
Arms wrapped around his waist and he stilled, covering her small hands with his own. She’d buried
her face in his back, her breath warm against his skin. Small tremors shook her body and he twisted,
kneeling down to enclose her in his embrace. They stayed there for a moment, just breathing each other’s
air. It felt so damn right to hold her.
He kissed her forehead gently. “You going to be okay?”
She nodded quickly. “I might throw up a few times, but I’m not giving up.” Her stubborn
announcement made his heart sing. They were truly going to be a wonderful pair, once they dealt with a
few minor issues like her shifting problem. Her refusal to accept their mating. Making sure—
Jared nudged them, breaking them apart, before handing over two life jackets. “Try to throw up over
the edge of the gunnels.”
Maggie smacked him on the arm and Erik bit back his surprise. “Next time, don’t listen to a private
conversation. If I have to throw up, I’ll throw up anywhere I damn well please. Got it?”
A ripple of shock crossed Jared’s face and he dipped his head in submission. Maggie stood just a little
straighter and Erik hid his grin. It seemed his little wolf was starting to feel her place in the pack.
He turned to make sure TJ had his lifejacket on properly. The boy was still swearing colourfully, with
few repetitions.
“Does your brother know you’re this talented with words?”
TJ snorted. “Who do you think I learned them from? Well, him and Robyn. She’s awful good at
cussing in sign language.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m going to fuck this up. I just know it. I’m going to cause some major catastrophe.”
“Why?”
TJ looked at him like he’d grown a third head. “Because I’m
me
. You know I can’t walk twenty feet
without landing on my face.”
Erik shrugged. “You bounce pretty good. Just get up and get your ass into the boat.” He tightened
TJ’s lifejacket straps and stepped back to complete his own.
TJ continued to stare. “How can you be so calm when chances are I’m about to screw this up for us
like I always—”
55
Vivian Arend
“Enough.” Erik let his power roll out over the young man as he towered over him. “I don’t let anyone
talk shit about you, not even you. Do your best, that’s all any of us ask. If you do have an accident then fix
it the best way you can.”
The panic in TJ’s eyes faded slightly.
A piercing whistle broke the air and the team gathered around Erik.
“Okay, there’s the five-minute warning. Those are prospector canoes—flat bottomed so they’re nice
and stable. I want Jared in front, TJ and Maggie side by side in the middle. I’ll take the stern and steer us.
What do you think about going for the extra buoys? Yes or no?”
TJ flicked a glance at the team. “I’m just going to paddle and keep my ass in the seat. I’ll do whatever
you decide.”
Maggie chewed on her lip. “Are the buoys far out of our path?”
Erik shook his head. “Looks like we can pretty much stick to the current. We’ll want to do that
anyway to make the best time. The fastest route down the river is not a straight line. When we get close to
the rocks we’ll have to stay to the right.” He looked at Maggie. “Did you ever see the rapids when you
lived in Whitehorse?”
“If I did, it was a long time ago.”
“There are four towers of granite dividing the current into five parts. The far right is the best one to go
through, but the main thing is to avoid the towers themselves and the far-left channels. There are sweepers
off the left, and some nasty undercurrents over there. When we get close, just listen to my instructions.
We’ll use the first few minutes in the canoe to practice our strokes.”
“What about the symbols?” Jared jiggled on the spot as he stood waiting.
“Maggie, I want you to try to memorize them. Describe them out loud when you see them and we’ll
all try to help remember, but I don’t want all four of us staring at the damn things or we’ll be in the drink
for sure.”
The final warning whistle blew and there was no more time for discussion. The gun went off and they
were away, racing over the grass to grab paddles. They sprinted to the side of the canoe to manhandle it
down to the water’s edge. Jared hopped in, TJ fell in and Maggie gracefully jumped over the side as he