“Gareth, Olivia is with me. If you are comfortable answering her questions, feel free. You don’t need to ask my permission.” Micah clipped the words out as if he was annoyed by something but Olivia didn’t know what that might be.
“Go ahead, Olivia.” Gareth kept his eyes lowered as his shoulders seemed to creep higher up his neck.
“I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, but why don’t you want to be at the Gathering tonight? I know why I don’t, but you? Aren’t these your,” she stumbled over the word, “Pack?”
With a sigh, Gareth swept a hand through his hair. revealing his scarring and the patch over his eye for a moment before letting the hair curtain back over the destruction. “This isn’t really my Pack. I have friends here and I acknowledge Micah as my Alpha even if he doesn’t accept that, but I’m not really accepted among the Pack.”
A low growl came from Micah who softened it with a grin that was just shy of a grimace. “It’s not that I don’t accept it, Gareth. I can’t. Or I couldn’t. I was working two jobs-here and all over the country. You know that better than most.”
Olivia interrupted. “Micah? Pete acknowledges you as the leader and so does Gareth. I imagine that there are others as well?”
“We all do, Olivia. There is not one shifter among the Pack who will be at tonight’s Gathering who doesn’t accept Micah as our Alpha.”
The quiet after those words stretched out until Olivia couldn’t stand it. She smiled softly at Micah. “Well, I think there is one who doesn’t accept him as Alpha.”
Gareth’s menacing roll of sound made the hair stand up on her neck. “Who is it? I’ll challenge him in a heartbeat.”
“Gareth.” Olivia held her hand up. “I’m talking about Micah.”
The stunned looks from both men was too much for her. Giggles burbled up as she covered her mouth with both hands. She imagined they looked like they’d seen a two-headed moose in the living room with the way they stared. Then they both joined in her laughter-Micah first closely followed by Gareth.
This time the silence that followed was softer. Olivia felt less tense. But when Micah got to his feet she felt her stomach clench. “It’s time, isn’t it?”
He nodded at her. “Yes, Olivia. Time for the Pack to meet you.”
She wondered why he phrased it that way. It seemed to be more about her meeting the Pack. The question she had asked died when Gareth stood up as well. Without another word, both men started undressing. Not being as comfortable with group nudity as they obviously were, Olivia moved behind one of the tall chairs.
Her hands shook as she slipped her shirt off. The pants seemed to cling to her legs, making her struggle to get them off. She might have asked for help removing her bra, but Micah already stood before her in his beautiful wolf form. She watched as Gareth flowed into his own wolf-self.
The white wolf she’d seen it the woods really was Gareth. The scars he hid under the patch he wore stood out on his wolf face. One blue eye and a cloudy white eye marked him for sure. Micah stood several inches taller in wolf form than Gareth, but as she looked at the size of their chests, she could see that Gareth was about equal to Micah in total size.
A cold nudge on her hand broke her reverie. Micah’s moist nose insistently poked at her hand. She gave in to his pleas to scratch him behind his ears. Her tension was broken by the very doggy look of satisfaction he got leaning into her fingernails. Then he moved away and gave a sharp commanding yip. Olivia nodded in response.
Closing her eyes, she concentrated on shifting. She heard Micah mentally encouraging her but lost her focus when howling sounded outside the window. Micah bounded toward the window then looked back at her. Gareth had moved to one side of the chair and a silent communication passed between the two of them.
Watching Micah push the partially opened window up with his nose, she realized she was holding everything up. “Micah, you go ahead, Gareth and I will be right behind you.”
First he shook his head, but she put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Go on, now. You watching me just makes me nervous. I promise I’ll be right behind you with Gareth.”
He came toward her, nudging her hand with his head then staring up at her. She got the message to hurry and smiled. “I will.”
Micah jumped out the window and the howls sounded again. This time he joined in. Olivia shivered and concentrated again. Her muscles shuddered as she tried to recall what wolf had felt like to her. Her bones ached. She could almost feel them reorienting in her body. She opened her eyes to see the floor much closer than it had been and a quick look at Gareth confirmed that she’d managed the change on her own.
Are you ready, Micah’s Olivia?
She knew the words came from Gareth. What an odd turn of phrase. I am ready, Gareth. Please don’t leave me.
His gentle shoulder bump made her feel calmer. He led the way toward the window and they leapt out to race toward the clearing. Gareth might only have one eye, but he could jump and leap over any obstacles that appeared in their path just as nimbly as she. They reached the edge of the clearing and Olivia felt overwhelmed by the variety of scents surrounding her.
Each wolf had their own unique scent. She picked Micah out of the crowd immediately, his cinnamon scent teasing her nose as Gareth’s earthier pine scent seemed to fade. Olivia realized a group of males had detached from the larger group in the center of the clearing and had headed toward them, heads down.
Gareth stopped, so she did the same. The leader of the four wolves halted in front of them, growling at Gareth and ignoring her. What do you think you’re doing here, Scar-face?
I’m here for the same reason you’re here, Luke. To welcome our Alpha home. Gareth’s voice sounded calm in her head. Olivia looked between the other wolves and Gareth, wondering why they were giving him a hard time.
No one wants you here, Scar-face. You offend the Alpha with your presence. Get lost. With that, three of the wolves attacked Gareth. Olivia yelped and ran toward Micah. She glanced back once to see Gareth holding his own against the three, but when the fourth wolf, the one he’d called Luke, joined in, Gareth went down. The snarling and growling had pulled some attention away from the center of the circle and Olivia saw Micah surrounded by female wolves.
She forgot all about Gareth in that moment. Those bitches were trying to get Micah’s attention and she wouldn’t have it! Olivia growled low in her throat, surprised at the sound she made, but meaning it nonetheless. She ran toward the closest female, snarling and nipping at her tail. The females scattered, yipping as they went while Micah waited calmly for her.
Olivia bumped his shoulder with her head and Micah rubbed his jaw along the top of her head. I’m glad you’re here, Liv. Meet the Pack. Everyone, this is Olivia Volksson Decatur. She is my guest and under my protection.
Just as he finished addressing the group, the four wolves who’d run Gareth off came rolling and tumbling into the main group of wolves. Micah turned his head toward them and Olivia followed his gaze to see a streak of white disappearing between the dark trees.
Micah, they attacked Gareth-they may have hurt him. Her shaking was echoed by the growl that rumbled through Micah as he left her side, stalking toward the four.
What did you do, Luke? The gamboling stopped as Micah approached the four smaller wolves. The hair stood up on the back of his neck and he felt another growl deep in his chest. Luke had been harassing Gareth for some time now. He and his friends were the main reason Gareth never felt comfortable joining the Gathering.
Micah knew the truth behind their posturing. As a wolf, Gareth was almost as big as he was, much bigger than these four now cowering before him. Luke raised his head momentarily then pushed at some snow with his nose as he whined.