I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t want Willow to be my mate. I thought I missed that chance, but now I have a new opportunity. I’d love her to bear my offspring someday. Fucking her felt so right—and judging by her eager participation last night, she felt it too.
Theo was a handful. More than she could deal with on her own, but not out of lack of love or instinct. Her son was a shifter; she was human. She could try her hardest and never understand what it felt like to shift or have your wolf spirit deep within call to you.
Maybe a run was a good idea after all. Clear my head. I threw my clothes on. Our disagreement had dropped the temperature in Willow’s cramped bedroom faster than the Arctic chill outside. She’d rolled over, giving me her back and not speaking.
Opening her back door, I narrowly missed colliding with Gabe.
“Is Theo here?” he asked.
“He spent the night with you,” I said. The hair on the back of my neck rose.
“He did, but this morning when I was making breakfast, he snuck out.”
The fresh snow had called the cub. For me the pull was strong, but Theo had no idea how to balance it.
Willow appeared seconds later. Her mussed hair and her bare feet made me want to march her back to bed. Her eyes, though, were wide with terror. She eyed Gabe, then me. “Where’s my son?”
“He’s gone,” Gabe said miserably, sweeping his arm out to the backyard.
The three of us trooped outside. Sleepy Briar was back to winter. No birds, no breezes—instead, bitterly cold temperatures and snow. And worst of all, no sign of Theo. All three of us headed back to where the pup was last seen. On the way, I could tell the snow fell so fast there was no way there will be any tracks left to follow.
Gabe’s Taxidermy was the second-largest building in town, after the newly rebuilt lodge. Its exterior was an old metal warehouse. I hadn’t been inside before. Turns out it was more than just a taxidermy studio.
The ground floor studio/showroom was locked up. We climbed the stairs that led to Gabe’s apartment.
“This is where you live?”
“People ship me their kills from all over the world. I’m the best Dall sheep taxidermist in these parts.”
“I never doubted your talents, but this is not what I expected.”
“A ghoul in Sleepy Briar appreciates quality as much as anyone else.”
The hardwood floors were polished and warm, and the sloped roof sported skylights. The windows facing the street were regular size, in line with the ones on the lower level. But in the back, overlooking the fields beyond town, was a massive picture window.
I swallowed to keep myself from asking “You had Theo here?” but then I noticed that the expensive electronics were buffered by padded edges and impressive wall anchors.
“I was making us pancakes. He loves those. He wanted them shaped like wolves. I swear I turned my back for thirty seconds and he was gone. I checked all over, then went downstairs. I found the door to the backyard ajar and sets of paw prints on the back step, which is more protected from the wind and snow. After he entered the yard, the snow filled in his trail.”
“Show us,” Willow said.
Gabe grabbed her a better coat and higher boots, which she adopted without expression. She appeared wooden now, almost frozen. When I slid the coat around her shoulders, I understood. She was terrified past comprehension.
“We’ll find him, Willow. Gabe and my wolf will both track him. The best thing is for you to wait at home.”
Furious eyes sweep up to mine. “No!”
“Listen, most likely he’s taken a romp in the snow and then he’ll be home to you. You should be there for him. I’ll get some radios for us to communicate.”
“If anything happens to him—”
“Nothing is going to happen. Young paranormals do this kind of thing all the time. Scares the crap out of their families, but they come home fine. The things Gabe and I could tell you... right, Gabe?”
The ghoul looked tentative at best. Luckily he understood that the question wasn’t meant to be answered.
Chapter10
WILLOW