Mary sat across from me at the table. We were supposed to be eating a late lunch. I could feel her gaze but didn’t look up. The half-eaten cookie on my plate and the flat Coke by my elbow no longer interested me.
“If you choose one, it will stop,” she whispered.
I snorted and rubbed a hand over my face. Sounds of fighting drifted in through the closed door. They fought for a place in their imaginary line up. It was as if they hadn’t heard me say I would meet them all. Their persistent fighting was turning an already long morning of awkward introductions into a longer afternoon.
Winifred seemed to have the same hesitation as I did about using her abilities to control others. She didn’t take away freedom of will, either; she only calmed the worst of the aggression when it looked like it might be dangerous to me. And, now that I was inside, there was little Winifred seemed to do about the fighting. Yet, she remained out there, probably trying to prevent outright killing.
“I doubt choosing will make it stop,” I said, keeping my voice low. “Winifred seemed surprised that two had bitten me. You made it sound like one bite should have been enough. I doubt another bite will change anything other than my willingness to stay.”
Mary sighed and agreed with me. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” And I didn’t. I’d already asked the universe “what next?” and so far, I’d received no obvious answer. My choices, as I saw them, were limited. Out in the real world, I truly felt I’d end up as a lab rat. Here… I sighed and rubbed my face.
“Can you ask Winifred how many more are left? I don’t understand why it matters in what order I meet them.”
“Ultimately, it doesn’t. Well, it wouldn’t for me. If it’s right, it’s right. But for you, they’re worried you’ll pick someone before they can all meet you.”
I doubted that telling the men I wouldn’t pick any of them would help.
“Back when Wini was our age, she said their Introduction practices were less refined. In a few cases, females would ignore instinct and go with a stronger male that had a weaker pull on them.”
“Why?”
“Protection. We’re a dying race, Charlene. Women need to choose their best option in order to survive. Our people—like my mom—leave for hunts and never come back. Between hunters who try to shoot us, human population growth, shrinking woodlands in which we can roam, and reduced birth rates, we’re not going to last very long. Winifred gave up her chance for a Mate to protect our interests. Girls like me are few. Girls like you… well, there have never been any before. You represent a chance for all of us.”
“If you see what’s causing your race problems, why aren’t you changing your ways?”
“What do you mean?”
My mouth was open to say more, but I noticed an unusual silence outside. Mary tilted her head, and I watched her closely. Her expression remained curious as she tried to listen.
“Let’s go upstairs,” she finally whispered.
I followed her from the room and struggled to keep up as she raced down the hallway and up the stairs. The door to our room was open, and she went straight to the window where we had a clear view of the yard below. Winded, I moved close beside her and tried to quiet my breathing so we could both hear.
All the men in the yard faced the woods. I looked at the distant edge and saw three wolves. The wolves stared at the group of tense men surrounding the truck. Everyone in the yard, even Winifred, who once again stood in the bed of the truck, watched the wolves. No one moved. No one talked. The wolf that stood a half a step in front of the other two looked straight at Winifred.
My stomach dipped as I stared at the lead wolf. He had dark fur, not quite black because of the grey that scattered over his muzzle and underbelly. There was something about him that hypnotically called my attention, and I didn’t like it. Who was he? Why did he face down Winifred like that? He felt dangerous to me, most likely due to the snarl pulling back his lip.
I glanced at Mary. With a serious expression, she studied the scene before us.
“What’s going on?”
“They’re arguing,” Mary said after a moment.
I looked back at the yard. No, they were still just standing there.
“Who’s arguing?”
“Winifred and those others.”
“About what?” My voice had slipped from its whisper—I was feeling a little left out and a little frustrated after the long morning I’d suffered. One of the wolves glanced our way. I quickly moved away from the window. I didn’t need any more attention than what I’d already received.
I watched Mary’s eyes widen, and a blush crept into her cheeks.
“They’re moving,” she whispered. “They’re getting pants from the truck.” Her eyes tracked their progress, and her expression grew soft and wistful.
“He’s gorgeous,” she breathed after a moment, and I knew that they’d changed from wolves to men. I fought not to blush and lost the battle. Mary didn’t notice, though. Her eyes remained riveted on an unknown person. I totally wanted to look.
“Are they dressed yet?”
She grinned at me and nodded. I peeked around the edge of the window. The mood in the yard had changed. Those who’d previously crowded around the truck now stood well back, giving the newcomers plenty of room.
The three stood near the end of the truck. The angle of the view the window afforded wasn’t good for seeing much more than the top backs of their heads. But from what I could see, if not for their obvious exclusion, the new men fit in with the rest. Their hair was slightly longer and unkempt, they wore no shirts or shoes, and their pants were ill fitting.
Two of them were young, though. I guessed just a few years older than Mary and me.
One of them stood out. Perhaps it was because Winifred was glowering at him as he stood before her with his arms crossed. Or maybe it was the way the muscles of his shoulders bunched in agitation. Or better yet, the smooth skin of his corded back. My blush reignited as I stared.
My stomach spun and dipped again at the sight of him shirtless.
His muffled voice reached us through the glass.
“Winifred,” he said with a stiff nod. “We’ve heard some rumors that there’s a human here and that you’re exposing our kind to her.” His angry tone carried his dislike of the idea.
My instinct to be wary of him had been right. I narrowed my eyes at his back.
“That’s correct,” she said.
“How is allowing a human here in the best interest of the packs? Of our people? The last humans who were here shot four females and a cub. She needs to leave. Now.”
“I disagree,” Winifred said calmly. “You know nothing of her. She’s not like other humans.”
“I don’t care,” he said. “For the safety of our kind, there can be no exceptions.”
“For the safety of our kind, we need to adapt. You need to listen to reason.”
She looked away from him and addressed the listening men.
“There can be no life without purpose and no purpose without reason. We struggle to survive because, as a species, we’ve lost our purpose. The world is changing, and we need to change with it. We need to find our reason. It is the only way to continue our existence. Even nature is telling us it’s time to change. Charlene is human and a potential Mate. Turn her away, and you might be turning away your future. Think about it.”
She turned to the young man in front again.
“Some leaders are born. Some rise out of necessity and are refined by circumstance. The best leader is one who listens openly and considers all possibilities.”
Winifred looked up at the window, and I ducked away again. Not Mary, though. She stayed centered within the frame. A slow smile curled her lips.
“He’s looking at me. I have to go meet him.”
She turned away from the window and started toward the door. I quickly moved to follow.
“He was pretty handsome,” I agreed, trying to keep up with her. “But enough to let him bite me? No thanks.”
Her steps slowed, and she gave me a troubled look.
“I guess I wasn’t thinking of that.”
How could she not?
“What were you thinking about?”
She sighed and gave a slight smile. “I don’t know… just him.”
“You don’t even know his name.”
“No, but that doesn’t matter.”
“Maybe it should. I think that’s what Winifred was trying to say. You need to think more. All of you. Don’t just let instinct rule you. You’re intelligent people capable of reasoning. What if he’s grumpy most mornings or snores at night? What if he wants twenty kids, but you only want two? You need to think about what comes after the bite. Plan ahead.”
Her frown grew, and her steps slowed further. We reached the main room while doing a slow shuffle.
“You’re right. But I still need to meet him, to talk to him. If he tries…” She glanced at the door. She didn’t have Winifred’s promise like I did.
“I’ll roll up a newspaper and smack him on the nose for you.”
She grinned at me. A knock at the door made us both jump. The door opened a moment later. Winifred strode in, her irritation still very evident.
“Mary, there is someone out there who’d like to meet you.”
Mary glanced at the floor for a moment, and Winifred gave a long-suffering sigh.
“You know I can’t promise that, Mary. Charlene is unique. If I tried preventing him from Claiming you, the tenuous trust they have in me would be lost.”
I knew what Mary had silently asked and felt sorry for her.
“Can I meet him first?” I asked. Both of them looked at me in surprise. If Winifred couldn’t ask him to wait, I was willing to try.
“That would be up to Mary,” Winifred said slowly.
“It’s okay with me,” Mary said.
“I’d prefer he come in here, though,” I said, thinking of all the men who still waited for me outside. “Alone.”
Winifred gave me a long look then nodded. As soon as she left, I waved Mary back toward the bathroom door. It placed me between whomever would step through the door and her.
It only took a moment for the outer door to open again. A tall man, who looked in his late teens, walked in. He wasn’t the lead man I’d noticed from the window but still one of the three. His eyes skimmed over me as he searched the room for Mary. His gaze warmed when it landed on her.
I took a step to the side to block his view and smiled at him.
“Hi. I’m Charlene.”
He stalked toward us, sparing me a brief glance before his eyes drifted back to Mary. I quickly stepped into his path. He didn’t seem to notice and almost barreled over me. I slapped both hands on his very bare chest and gave him a slight push.
“Stop for a moment, please,” I said. His skin heated my hands, and I hoped Mary wouldn’t think me too forward with him.
He stopped moving, tore his gaze from Mary, and gave me a puzzled glance. I nervously removed my hands.
“Here’s the thing; she saw my neck and is worried.”
He tilted his head and studied me, not just my neck but all of me.
“So you’re the human,” he said with a slight smile. “Winifred was right.” He leaned in and sniffed me. “You are different.”
Before I could become nervous or uncomfortable, Mary cleared her throat behind us. The man straightened away from me and smiled at her.
“She’s nowhere near as interesting as you are,” he said to her.
“So, what’s your name?” I said, trying to reclaim his attention. He didn’t look away from Mary as he answered.
“Gregory.” He had a pleasant, easygoing voice.
“Gregory, this is Mary,” I said, turning slightly to indicate her. “She’s hoping you two could talk first.”
“I’m not ready to be Claimed,” she said softly.
His brows rose. He considered her for a moment and scratched his jaw. He didn’t seem upset when he finally spoke.
“Why not?”
She looked around the room for a moment as if trying to decide what to say to him. Her gaze briefly met mine before it settled back on him.
“I am nervous about the bite, but I really just want to stay here with Charlene for a while.”
He nodded slowly and looked around the room. His stare lingered on the table and the cookware on the fireplace mantel. Then he looked at me. “You’re making changes.”
I nodded warily. Their kind didn’t seem too keen on change based on Winifred’s speech.
“He’s going to want to meet you,” he said.
For some reason his words made my stomach clench, and not in a good way.
“Could I speak with Mary alone for a minute?” he asked.
I glanced at Mary. She gave me a small smile and nodded.
Outside, the yard was much too quiet.
“I’ll just go upstairs, then,” I said, and with a last look at both of them, I headed for the double doors.