Chapter 9

9

EMMA

“Excuse me?” My question is soft, and a part of me thinks that this man is playing a joke on me—a really cruel joke. Everything we have discussed up until this point seemed amazing, too good to be true—running my clinic, setting my schedule, being in charge, and not micromanaged. Then Hunter said wolf shifters. Now, I wonder if Cole somehow set this up to make me think I could escape him, making my life even more of a joke.

Hunter has moved to the back corner of the office. My eyes are watching him for any jest, a gotcha moment. Instead, he reiterates, “We are wolf shifters.”

I shake my head rapidly and push out of the oversized chair. “You think…you can shift into wolves?” I’m starting to wonder if there is something in the water here. Maybe I hit my head too hard the other night.

“No, Emma. We can. We shift into wolves—four-foot tall wolves.” His voice is steady and calm.

The laugh I let out sounds maniacal. “That's not possible,” I say. “I’ve studied medicine. I’ve gone to school for human anatomy. I’m a doctor.” I pace in front of the large fireplace, glancing up to Hunter every few words because what the absolute fuck is this . “Okay, let's say there is an entire town in secluded, southern Alaska that believes they can shift into animals…”

Hunter cuts me off. “We shift into wolves.”

“Uh-huh. Right. You're telling me that until recently, you’ve never gotten sick or haven’t in the past, but now you do. Wouldn’t your town have some mystical healer? I mean, Hunter, come on, I’m a doctor. I’m a human doctor.”

This can't be real.

I continue, “This isn’t real. You're joking, right?” I really don’t know whether I should laugh or cry as I continue. “Okay, hypothetically, how did you become a wolf shifter? ”

He doesn't blink, he doesn't crack a smile, he simply says, “We are born this way.”

“So there is some kind of genetic defect here?” I am struggling to wrap my head around this idea. Either the entire town is mentally insane, or this man is telling me the truth and I just walked into some backwoods nightmare.

Hunter looks exasperated as he slowly runs his hand over his head, then says, “Okay, I get it, but I’m telling you the truth. You're the first human we have shared this with, and you must keep this secret. We need your help. We wouldn’t have risked this secret if we didn’t.” He gestures to the door. “Emma, follow me. I’ll show you.”

“After you…” I point to the door dramatically. I can’t even believe I’m entertaining this idea.

He leads me to a door in the back of a break room that opens into the thick forest behind the clinic. He steps out onto the small back porch and stops, forcing me to stop in the doorway. “Alright… just stay right here.” He points at the doorway. I don’t want you to come out any further, and just don’t…” His pause is heavy. “Just don’t run.”

I roll my lips in and take in all six foot five of this man. Don’t run. Don’t run. “Okay,” I drag out the word as I cross my arms over my chest and lean against the doorframe while he walks ten feet away and strips down buck naked.

I was so not ready to take in all that Sheriff Hunter White had to offer, but I was throwing him a bone, almost laughing out loud at the thought. He is still standing with his back towards me, strong muscles rippling down to his ass. I trace the lines with my eyes enjoying the glorious view. Then, almost as quick as a blink, he shifts into a wolf.

White fur sprouts along his back, his face elongates into a snout, his fingers turn to paws, and a fluffy white tail pushes from his spine.

Don’t run .

The thought tears through my mind because I just witnessed something both beautiful and terrifying.

I step back into the clinic. My instincts tell me to run as far and as fast as I can. His body turns, and the same blue eyes he has as a human stare into me.

“Holy shit.”

I slam the door shut and run. There is no lock on the office door and I remember what Hunter said about our houses being around the corner, so that's where I run to. I need to go.

I need to get out of this town.

I need to run.

My legs carry me along the gravel, and I sprint towards my house. I can see it up ahead. My body and head are protesting the abrupt shift in movement as adrenaline floods my body. The pain ebbs slightly, allowing me to think through the fear.

My 4Runner sits in the driveway, and I bypass it, heading straight to my room. I grab everything I can quickly throw in my car. The bag that's half unpacked on the bed is filled with my bathroom essentials, and then I rush into the closet, grabbing the few clothes I hung up.

Finally, I head out to the kitchen, searching the room for my purse, which I swear I had with me. My arms are full of bags and bedding I’m not willing to leave behind. A slight, pained noise climbs up my throat as I decide to leave my missing purse. I quickly clear the space towards the front door, just as there is a knock from the other side.

“Emma…” His voice is the firmest I’ve ever heard as he pushes open the front door. His arms seem to be holding his body back from coming inside as his chest heaves, “I asked you not to run.” The second part sounds more like a growl.

Oh god. I hold my breath as I quietly tiptoe toward the back door.

“Emma, I’m trying to be respectful and not come inside.”

A chill sweeps through my body as I recount the many times Cole said he was being respectful to me and then quickly turned around and manipulated my feelings.

A quiet sob escapes from my throat as he steps through the front door. The terror that washes through me has my arms jerking up to protect my face.

I beg, “Please don’t do this.” Tears run down my cheeks.

The tall, muscular man with rigid edges falls to his knees.

I take another step back. I’m in shock that a man of his size with his strong energy would kneel before me. The sight has me releasing my breath as I take him in.

“Emma, I’m never going to hurt you.” His voice is soft once more—calming and sincere.

The following words I say are the ones that break open the wound that Cole left, the one I was trying to leave behind. “I don't believe you.”

Not having the strength to hold all my belongings and continue this conversation, I drop everything in the middle of the dining room. Hunter’s still on his knees in the front doorway.

My eyes drop to all the stuff on the floor. Quietly, I say, “Hunter, I can’t be here…” Some part of me wants to tell him ab out Cole, how he manipulated every part of my life, how he still tries to control me now, and how this situation feels too similar to the one I just escaped from.

My eyes drag up to meet Hunter's blue eyes. They are glittering with unshed tears.

He says, “I need you to stay. I need you here.” His voice is hoarse. “We all need you. My sister…” His voice breaks, and a tear slips free. I watch it cascade down his cheek. “My sister could die if I can’t get her help.”

This is another trick to try to force me to stay. My feet stumble back, so I am pressed to the far wall. “Hunter, I don’t believe you. I’ve spent two years in a relationship where I was lied to, manipulated, shamed, and hurt.” I wave my wrist in the air. “I can’t trade one monster for another.”

A soft whine fills the space as he takes in my features, my tears mirroring his. “Emma, I will never hurt you, I…” He growls out. “Please just try. Try to stay for Holly. You don’t have to see me if that's what you need.” He pushes from the floor, swiping at the final tear. “But know this, I will never hurt you.”

The tenderness in his voice as he says the last few words gives me pause. I shake my head. “Can I just have some time?”

He nods. “Just don’t run again.” Then he steps back out of my house, turning his body as if he’s going to say something else, then shakes his head. I watch him walk across the driveways back to his house.

After minutes or hours, I’m not sure. I drag all my bedding back to my bed and look up the closest hotels, jobs, or any way to leave. There is nothing within three hundred miles. Even when I type in the address of my parents' house down in Idaho, the roads are blocked because of flooding. I fall asleep with my computer in my lap, feeling defeated and trapped again.

Hunter left food and a note for me last night, though the food was cold and gross when I found it this morning. My mind replays the words on his note:

I need you. The pack needs you.

I don't know what I'm going to do. I feel lied to that he brought me here under the pretense of running my human clinic . I'm not certified to treat human wolves , so I don't know if I can do this. I also can't go back to Anchorage. My subletter emailed me yesterday, informing me they had moved in. My money’s running low, and student loans hang over my head. I need this job.

“Knock, knock.” Charlie's soft voice breaks my spiral.

Lifting my head from the kitchen counter, I rub tenderly at the bruise on my wrist. “Hey,” I say. “It's not a great time.”

“Is it ever a good time?” Charlie cracks the door open and smiles, lifting a small to-go container holding a giant cinnamon roll. I brought you a treat…to maybe help bridge our gap?” She timidly steps into the doorway.

My stomach growls, and I gesture for her to come in, doing gimme hands for the roll, “This will help, but I don't know if it will change the situation.”

Charlie is unbothered by my attitude and pulls a chair out next to me. She looks down at her hands and says, “I moved here about four years ago. I was alone, and I was—” she quickly corrects, “I am running. I know what it is to live in fear.”

My eyes flick to the side, and I see her hands crossed on the counter. They are trembling slightly. I don’t say anything.

She continues, “Emma, you have no reason to be afraid of us. We are a family here. We protect our own.” Her voice is firmer at the end. “Please, give us all a chance.”

Finally, I take in Charlie. She's beautiful with her soft white skin, dark black hair, and creamy brown eyes, and I see something in the depths of her eyes—a wolf. She’s both strong and sad.

“I don't know how to doctor a wolf shifter human.” My words tumble out.

“Will you try for us, for Holly?” Her voice cracks and tears fill her lashes. “Please?”

The cinnamon roll sits untouched in front of me as I nod slowly. My hunger has vanished, but maybe I can try to be the person all these people seem to think I am. “I can try.”

Her breath releases quickly as she wraps her arms around me. “Thank you, Emma. Thank you.”

I pat her hand placatingly. I have no idea what I just agreed to, but some rules will have to be established.