Chapter Five

J aryn sat at his desk, sorting through phone messages logged into the system. Some of them were current clients, some prospective. There was one from the ASC, and the remaining dealt with pack business. At least he'd finally be able to give the chairman some solid news on the investigation front. He handled both pack and company business out of an office space on Main Street, wanting to keep his home a sanctuary. The restrictions disappeared if there was an emergency within the pack, but most of the members respected the imaginary lines Jaryn had drawn when he took over the Alpha position from his father.

It had been a change from when Jaryn was growing up. During his dad's tenure as the Alpha, their home would frequently receive a barrage of wolves at all hours, seeking their Alpha's assistance for everything from resolving disputes among pack members to applying for permits to develop the pack-held land. Jaryn had sworn at a young age that when he was Alpha, the home he would someday share with his mate and pups would be a home, not a conference center. He was available day and night, but there was no need to bang on his door unless it was an emergency. In the two years since Jaryn had taken over, the new system seemed to work well.

He'd also implemented the bi-weekly pack meetings. The meetings gave him, Shaun, and the enforcer of their pack, Cooper Tessen, a chance to touch base with all the members. Most of the time, the meetings ended up having the atmosphere of a large family get-together. They didn't have an enormous pack, only around a hundred members, including the young. The meetings allowed Jaryn to update the pack with the status of their business ventures in the area, and address any issues that came up day by day. The pack spent a relatively short amount of time on the business portion of the meeting and dedicated the rest to socializing with friends and family. Wolves were always very social creatures, and no matter how stressed his life was, Jaryn always looked forward to spending time with his family, friends, and pack members.

They all congregated at the two thousand square foot lodge the pack had funded and built on their land. That reminded Jaryn—he really needed to talk to Shaun about organizing a committee to tackle the proposed small meeting house for more intimate gatherings. Jaryn had been tossing around the idea of possibly opening up the lodge to the public. Maybe even finding the funding to design and build a small-to-medium sized chalet with guest rooms groups could rent for corporate retreats or weddings. Jaryn didn't want the pack to run a full-time resort, but corporate retreats or weddings would be acceptable. The rest of the time, visitors of pack member could rent the rooms or they could house the occasional dignitary from the council. Phantom River's land backed up to Glacier National Park, so he suspected they wouldn't have a hard time selling the location. There were natural creeks that bubbled in the spring, grassy meadows, and certain areas where there were enough trees that any structure built would maintain a secluded feel. The pack had enough land that a small parcel allotted to be open to public use wouldn't encroach on the members' homes and lives. The income generated would add to the already successful pack-owned businesses in the area, and it would allow Jaryn to provide jobs for both pack members and non-pack residents. He'd have to run some numbers and see if something of that nature would be feasible.

God, he hated accounting, but unfortunately, being Alpha included the tedious job of balancing and managing the pack's accounts. Too bad they didn't have a member who was an accountant or financial planner. Jaryn would love to delegate this part of his responsibilities.

Jaryn's head jerked up as the door to his office hit the wall with a bang and saw Shaun standing in the doorway with his feet braced apart, arms crossed and a decisively annoyed frown on his face. It seemed it was time to pay the piper.

"And when were you planning on telling me—your Beta, not to mention your best friend—that you'd found your mate? I had to hear it from Gillian at the diner over my stack of pancakes. I nearly incinerated my throat inhaling scalding hot coffee!"

Jaryn smiled and leaned back in his chair. "Good morning to you too, Shaun."

"Well?"

"Have a seat. I wanted to talk to you about the possibility of a new business venture for the pack, and then there's—"

"Jaryn! So help me God…" Shaun clenched his fists at his sides.

Jaryn couldn't help the smile from spreading across his face even further. It was one of his greatest perverse pleasures to rile up Shaun. That, and thoughts of his dinner with Nicole last night, had immensely lightened his mood from a few moments ago at the prospect of tackling the accounting.

"Her name is Nicole Holland, and I met her yesterday at the bank when I was there to make the deposit from the Anderson project."

Shaun came into the room and sat in the chair across the desk from Jaryn. "So that's why I couldn't reach you for the pack run? Everyone was looking for you. Is she a shifter?"

"No, Nicole is human. Well, mostly human. Sorry about bailing on the pack run. I meant to message you, but one thing led to another and the day got away from me. Then it was time to meet Nicole for our date, and quite frankly, I forgot about everything else."

"What do you mean, mostly human? It's kind of an either-or situation."

"She swears up and down that she's one hundred percent human, but her body responded to mine as if it recognized her mate, and I can sense wolf in her somewhere. It's faint, but definitely present."

"Maybe she had a wolf shifter in her family several generations removed or something? So what happened?"

"We shared a very nice dinner at Cureso's."

"Did you claim her?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Jaryn stood and started pacing. "It's complicated."

Shaun scoffed. "No, it's not. If you're lucky enough to find your mate, then you claim them. You've waited your whole life to find your mate. Why would you procrastinate on something like that?"

"How about because I only met her yesterday? I am not a slave to my wolf. And she's more than a prize I won in the genetic lottery. When I claim my mate, I want us to be more to each other than strangers giving into our baser instincts." Jaryn thought about Nicole's experience at the hands of Broyles. His eyesight wolfed out.

Shaun stiffened in the chair. "What's wrong?"

"There is something I haven't told you yet."

"Oh fuck, don't tell me she's married. Damn, I hate it when that happens. Not that it occurs often, but it just fucks up the lives of everyone involved."

"She's not married."

"A lesbian? No, that wouldn't make sense. The fates wouldn't destine a wolf to mate with another who didn't share the same sexuality."

Jaryn raised an eyebrow and stared at Shaun. "May I remind you of Eric?"

Shaun waved his hand. "That's different. Eric had locked himself so deep in the closet even he couldn't find the key. Eric and Carl's destiny for each other was evident from the day they met. It was his own fault that the stubborn jackass wouldn't admit it."

Jaryn conceded the point. Eric had been more than a little shocked when he'd identified Carl as his mate. Jaryn really had never understood what had made Eric keep his sexuality so deeply buried. Then again, Eric was quite a bit older than Jaryn. The wolf had grown up in a different time—a time when living openly as a gay man could have serious repercussions.

It had taken a while, but the two were now deeply in love with each other, and Jaryn smiled every time he saw them laughing and holding hands together. At pack meetings, the two frequently snuggled together on a couch. Jaryn hoped that Eric and Carl had many happy years together before them.

"So what's the problem?" Shaun asked.

Shaun's voice brought Jaryn back to the problems of the present. "She had a less than pleasant experience with another shifter where she came from. She's running from a dangerous situation with one wolf, and suddenly is told that she's the mate of another. It's made her somewhat resistant."

Shaun frowned. "What do you mean, running?"

"When we met, I immediately scented her anxiety and came to find out…" Jaryn took a deep breath and turned to face his Beta. "For the past year and a half, a wolf has held her prisoner in the Northwoods. I suspect he's the person we've been searching for."

"Are you shitting me?" Shaun exclaimed.

"According to Nicole, this wolf—Broyles—has been ‘recruiting' shifters and humans alike for a long time. He runs an isolated compound, and I suspect there may be more to his little fiefdom than simply building a pack by whatever means necessary." He thought of the scar on the back of Nicole's neck and clenched his hands.

Shaun stood so quickly that the chair screeched across the floor. "That motherfucker! We have to go to the council. We need more information. Make Nicole tell you everything she knows."

Jaryn held up his hand to halt his Beta's tirade. "She's already agreed to help. I'll talk with Nicole, but you have to understand that what she went through is going to be difficult for her to talk about. We can't browbeat it out of her. Not to mention the gaps in her memory—"

"Wait, what gaps? You didn't say anything about gaps."

"I was getting there. There are several voids in Nicole's memory. She said she'd be in one place of the compound then, as if time had simply stopped, she'd wake up in another. There's no way for us to get information about what happened during those times, but at least now we have somewhere to start. I want you to investigate Adam Broyles. Call our old contacts and get their support if you need access to classified databases. I want to know everything about him. Where he came from, where he went to school, who his associates are. We're going to take this bastard down for interfering with the lives of others." His world went gray and his fists balled at his sides. "And when I get my claws on him for hurting my mate…" Jaryn growled.

"Consider it done." Shaun turned and left the office.

Nicole stuck her head out the door of her little cabin to check the weather. She tilted her head back and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her face. Maybe she could even forgo her jacket today?

"Can I help you with something, Ms. Holland?"

Nicole opened her eyes to see Landon watching her with a smile on his youthful face. "Good morning. Can you recommend someplace where I can get breakfast?" She touched the face of her comm-unit, which Jaryn had given her a few days ago so they could keep in touch. She read the time. "Maybe I should say brunch."

The device was the latest and greatest in technological advancements, way better than the one she'd been able to afford on her teacher's salary. The transparent nano-based unit allowed users to manipulate it in an infinite number of configurations to meet their needs. Currently, she molded it around her wrist. However, with a few quick adjustments, she could have a flat panel tablet with immediate access to the world network or, just as easily, a telecommunication device with an integrated ear piece. Another convenience was that kinetic energy powered the device, so she never had to worry about charging a battery.

"The diner is where most everyone gets their grub. It's only a couple of blocks away. Just turn left onto Main. You can't miss it. Has the original neon lighting from the nineteen-fifties. They'll even serve you breakfast for dinner with a smile."

"Perfect! Looks like it's going to be a nice day. Is it always like this, this time of year?"

Landon nodded. "Mostly. Where are you from?"

"I grew up in Chicago, went to school in Madison, and have been living in Wausau."

Landon scrunched up his face. "Where the heck is Wausau?"

Nicole giggled at Landon's perplexed expression. "It's in the northern half of Wisconsin."

"Cool. I bet you get wicked winters there. That means when things turn white around here, it shouldn't scare you too much."

Nicole liked the sound of Landon's laughter. The kid was friendly and if his behavior around Jaryn had been any indication; he had a great deal of respect for the Alpha of his pack. That eased a little of the tension in Nicole. After constantly seeing the hopelessness and resignation in the eyes of the inhabitants of Adam's compound, it was nice to see genuine affection and respect in Jaryn's pack members. Landon's eyes were as bright and happy as a teenager's should be.

"Hey, Landon, where's the high school around here?"

"A couple of miles away over off Pine Canyon Road. Why?"

"Well, if your Alpha has his way, then I'll be making my home here. And I'm a high school teacher. Natural science. You never know—come next semester, I could be your teacher."

Nicole almost lost it as Landon's face, flushed from laughter, went white. He swallowed, "Um, excuse me, Ms. Holland, but I think I hear someone calling."

Nicole tilted her head. "Really? I don't hear anything."

Landon nodded quickly. "Oh, yes, there was definitely… I gotta go!" The teenager took off running towards the office.

"I am evil." Nicole shrugged and tucked the key to her cabin in the pocket of her jeans.

It was kinda cool that the motel still used real keys. It added to the nostalgic atmosphere and reminded Nicole of simpler times when she was a child. The trick would be remembering to take it with her when she left. She'd become so used to the scanners of most modern buildings used. She pulled the door closed, then took off walking down the driveway. The gravel crunched under her sneakers, and she heard birds singing in the trees surrounding the motel. On Main Street, she passed by the local hardware store and the clerk at the counter surprised her by enthusiastically waving to her. Nicole waved back, albeit in a more reserved fashion. She stopped at the end of the block and a building at the end of the street caught her attention. The large structure was obviously the city hall. And if the small town was anything like Nicole suspected, it was probably also the courthouse. The three-storey structure with a central tower had a kind of gothic look to it. It also appeared as though Main Street dead-ended at the building.

She looked around and noticed several other old buildings. She looked around and noticed several other old buildings, some constructed with stone and others with wood. A few even had that look of buildings from the old west she'd seen in movies over the years, with the tall storefronts. Nicole made a mental note to ask Jaryn exactly when this town had been established, as it held a great deal of historical significance to the region.

She looked down the cross street at the intersection where she stood to make sure there was no traffic, not that she'd seen much so far. Across the road stood a group of women, who all stood in a tight circle, talking. Nicole saw more than one glance in her direction, and she smiled at them. The dark-haired young woman in the middle of the group waved back, but the others quickly pulled her away down the street.

"Nice to meet you too," she mumbled.

Nicole crossed the intersection and sure enough, down one more block on the north corner, she saw the neon lights advertising the diner lit up against the blue sky, just as Landon said. It was the same diner she'd seen when Jaryn had taken her to the hotel the other day. She headed for the entrance with a bounce in her step. As soon as she stepped in, delicious smells filled the air. The distinct aroma of coffee in the air made her eyes open wide, and the scent of freshly baked pie made her stomach rumble.

Nicole slid into a booth and picked up the old-style menu tucked against the wall behind the carafe of sweetener. The vinyl creaked as she opened it, and the familiar smell of maple syrup wafted up from the plastic.

"Pancakes do sound good," she whispered.

"Hi, honey, you'll love Clint's short stack. Famous around these mountains. So fluffy they'll melt right in your mouth."

Nicole looked up and smiled at the waitress. Her short blonde hair and bright blue eyes seemed friendly. She wore a traditional diner uniform. Maybe they were keeping with the 1950s theme? Sarah, Nicole's friend back home who taught U.S. history at the same school where Nicole worked, always talked about how even though nearly a century had passed since the atomic era, there was something about the period that still spoke to the American people and reminded them of simpler times and good old-fashioned fun. Looking around the diner, Nicole finally understood what Sarah had been trying to explain. In here she felt young, innocent and free-spirited.

Wonder if they pump something into the air system?

"Sounds great. Can I have a glass of orange juice and a coffee as well?"

"Anything for Jaryn's mate. I'll bring out your coffee right away, and the food will be right up! Oh, by the way, I'm Gillian."

The waitress took off before Nicole had a chance to correct her. She looked around the diner and felt her face heat as she found several other patrons' stares trained her way. Nicole ducked her head and played with the salt shaker sitting on the table. The sound of a car door slamming outside caught her attention, and she looked out through the large windows into the street. Stonepass' principal thoroughfare stretched out before her, and Nicole did a bit of people-watching while waiting for her food to arrive.

Her coffee arrived, and Nicole set about doctoring the heavenly smelling brew. It appeared the population of the small town was taking advantage of the nice fall day, as there were several people walking up and down the sidewalks. Young, old and everywhere in between. She didn't know how many of the residents were part of Jaryn's pack. Did the humans and shifters coexist peacefully, or were there hidden tensions beneath the affable fa?ade?

Having grown up in Chicago and then attending school in Madison, Nicole was more familiar with larger cities. She'd only been in Wausau for a little over four years. But even that Wisconsin town still had a population around forty-five thousand. Stonepass was probably a fraction of that. She tried to establish relationships with some others sequestered with her on Adam's compound, but they were only given limited freedom. She thought of Kenneth and hoped the young man was doing okay.

Kenneth had told her he could read people's minds. She'd been sceptical until he'd demonstrated his ability to her one day a few months after her arrival. That kind of power was a tad scary, in Nicole's opinion, but Kenneth had quickly explained that he'd never use it to hurt her. He was such a sweetheart, always eager to help everyone. A fact that Adam exploited for his own gain regularly.

Kenneth had confided to Nicole that he wasn't the only non-shifter with special talents being held at the compound, and Nicole wondered just what other talents existed in the world. Nicole was worried that if Jaryn and the council could take down Adam's organization that the hostages who'd been there the longest wouldn't be able to readjust to the world out from underneath Adam's thumb. Adam kept most of his ‘pack' locked in cells in the buildings on the far side of the property. During the day, Adam and his goon squad released them to perform assigned tasks, but in the evenings, they sent them back to the custom-made prisons.

During her dinner with Jaryn, Nicole hadn't got the feeling that he controlled his pack members' lives. Instead, Jaryn talked as though he was more of an advisor. Nicole knew enough about shifter communities that there was always a leader and a small group of executives—for lack of a better word—that kept everything organized. Each species structured themselves a little differently, but the overall premise was the same. She'd met a couple of eagle shifters back in Wisconsin. There were a few coyotes, some black bears, and at least three jaguars. They mostly kept to themselves, but the wolves were by far the most social and friendly of the bunch.

When the world became exposed to the existence of shifters, there was a lot of bickering between human officials in the government and leaders of the shifter communities. Initial talks of having all the shifters register with the government had sparked heated debates and protests worldwide for several years.

Eventually, everyone calmed down enough to realize that the shifters had always lived among the human population, and there really was no need to rock the boat. Outwardly, a few things changed. There were now awareness groups for shifters and ambassadors who worked with governments worldwide to act as liaisons between the government and shifter councils. What most people had seemed to forget for a time was that shifters were people, too. They'd been productive members of society from the beginning of time—earning income, paying taxes, voting for leaders and in general living their lives. That they had a genetic ability to change shape was only one part of their existence.

"Here you go, sweetie! One order of pancakes with strawberry topping and fresh OJ. Say, do you know when Jaryn going to have a pack meeting to announce your mating? I guess it would make sense to do it the night of the Harvest Moon. We usually have a big to-do out at the pack lodge."

"Well, the thing is… we're not actually mates."

Gillian sat in the booth across from Nicole. "What do you mean you're not mates? I heard from Mia, who heard from Kris, who's friends with Amanda—Landon's mom—that Jaryn checked his mate into their motel two days ago. Now see, the thing is, I know for a fact that none of these women would lie about something as important as our Alpha finding his mate. Seeing as how you're the only newcomer in town, it must be you."

"Wow. That's… how did everyone… Geez…"

"Oh, honey, we're a small town. Everyone knows everyone." She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "And it's hard to keep a secret in the pack. Us wolves are notorious busy-bodies. Now tell me about this not being mates bologna."

To stall for time, Nicole took a bite of her pancakes. The fluffy layers melted in her mouth, and Nicole moaned. She had had nothing this good in years. The strawberries added the perfect touch of sweetness, and when she took another sip of coffee, Nicole's belly felt as though it'd met its new best friend.

"Told you it was good," Gillian said, smiling.

Nicole nodded and gobbled another bite. Gillian continued to sit at the booth, and it made Nicole self-conscious to eat in front of a woman she didn't know—which was probably Gillian's tactic all along. Nicole slowly placed her fork on her plate, then twisted her coffee cup around. The heat from the ceramic warmed her hands and the scent of the freshly ground beans scattered the last of Nicole's lingering tiredness.

"The thing is, Jaryn and I haven't actually mated." She knew the heat on her cheeks had nothing to do with the cup of steaming coffee in her hands.

"Shoot, sweetie, that changes nothing. If our Alpha says you're his mate, I believe him. Not that he has, mind you. Jaryn is a gentleman, so there will be no spreading of gossip from him, but like I said, this is a small town. The word is out, so in the eyes of our pack, whether or not you've done the deed won't matter a lick."

"But… I don't know if I want to be a shifter's mate."

"Darlin', want has nothing to do with it. When we find our mates, it's a true blessing from above. All those silly questions a person asks themselves during a relationship of whether their partner is the right one for them go right out the window. A true mate match means that the couple of has the blessings of the universe. That they've found the one perfect soul to complement their own from the population of the world over."

"So you're saying that Jaryn and I are destined to be together? That fate, should I choose to believe it, has decided how I'm supposed to live my life?"

Gillian covered Nicole's hand on top of the table. "Now, I'm not sure why you didn't grow up in a pack, because they should have taught you about the mating bond from the cradle, but that's neither here nor there. Instead of thinking about a mating as your choices being stripped from you, think instead that the universe handed you a perfect set of tools with which to create your life. It's up to you and Jaryn what shape it takes from here."

Gillian was now the second person to say that they detected at least part shifter blood in Nicole. She really did not know what gave these wolves that impression. She assumed that, had that been true, her parents would have said something when she was young. Gillian's advice did actually make Nicole feel better, though. Not that she'd found fault with Jaryn, at least not yet, but she really didn't know him. It was a tad disconcerting that suddenly she was supposed to trust in the fact that some great cosmos had dropped her into the arms of the man who she was blindly supposed to accept was ‘the one'.

"I know you have a lot to think about, sweetie. So I'll leave you to your breakfast. Know that you can always come to me if you need anything. I'm kind of the resident den mother around here," she said, smiling.

"Thank you, Gillian. You did help. Be sure to tell Clint thank you as well for the delicious breakfast."

"I would, but it'd probably make his ego larger than it already is. Can't have that now, can I?" she said then winked.

Nicole leaned back to see a man, presumably Clint, in the window cut between the kitchen and the dining room. He lifted off his chef's hat and took a bow. Nicole smiled. I guess what they say about shifters having good hearing is true?

Nicole tucked back into her pancakes and orange juice. Maybe all this would be easier if Nicole was a shifter. Then not only would she have the history of her people to back her up, but she also feel the pull towards Jaryn—the need to mate with him, instead of his solitary need to mate with her.

But didn't that pull exist already? If she was honest with herself, from the moment Jaryn pulled her into his arms, she'd wanted to be there. When her head had rested against his chest, all she felt was peace as his warmth and scent enveloped her. Each time his lips brushed against her forehead, she longed to tip her head up and make them land instead on her lips. So, okay… physically she wanted the guy. Who wouldn't? He was gorgeous.

On top of trying to decide if she wanted to spend the rest of her life with a man she'd met forty-eight hours ago, she'd promised to help in the investigation against Adam. She figured she and Jaryn would probably spend a lot of time together. Hopefully that would give her the chance to really get to know him. Maybe then she'd be able to figure out if all they shared was animal attraction or whether she would come to want the man himself.