The tension I’d held since Sam contacted me, eased. It was a bit of a relief to know someone was out there. If he was watching me, he wasn’t watching Gabby. It also meant that Sam had spread the news that I wasn’t giving up my Claim. Anyone wanting to meet Gabby would challenge me first. It wasn’t required, but we had our pride. Though Gabby had technically rejected me by not completing the Claim within the six months, she was still allowing me to live in her house. Any man hoping to approach her wouldn’t tolerate that remaining sign of her acceptance for me. Thus, the challenges. They wanted to prove to her that they were better in every way that mattered to a wolf.
I drove the car into the right bay and set to work as I normally would. No one approached the shop and the scent never grew stronger throughout the day. But I hadn’t expected it would. Challenges weren’t something we did out in the open. There was too much risk that humans would see what they shouldn’t. When werewolves fought, we didn’t always shift completely. Instead, we used the best of both our forms.
Near four, I cleaned up and went to the current order to make notes. It was early enough that I could settle up with Dale, face whoever challenged me, and still arrive home before Gabby so I could start dinner.
Dale stopped his work and came over when he saw me.
“Thanks for another day,” he said, handing me money as he read my notes. “You see everything,” he said, pointing to my comment about a few pinholes in the exhaust.
I shrugged. Some of the stuff was hard to miss when I had the car jacked in the air.
“See you tomorrow?”
With a nod, I tucked the cash in my wallet and left for the day. I didn’t get very far.
The challenger’s scent grew heavy near a vacant building at the edge of the business district. After a quick glance around, I veered off the sidewalk to track the scent around the building.
The cement block structure had a flat roof, and all of its windows were painted black from the inside. The faint scent of oil and exhaust still clung to it. Some kind of manufacturing plant, perhaps. Most likely insulated to help prevent sound from carrying to the homes not far away. Whomever I faced was smart to pick this location. No witnesses.
Around the back, I found the rear metal door ripped open and hanging at an angle. A blatant invitation. I stepped into the shadowed interior and pulled the door shut behind me. The large empty space made it easy to see my challenger. He waited in his fur in the center of the room.
I unzipped my coveralls and pulled off my shirt. He remained where he was as I stripped and shifted.
Moving toward him, I already knew the outcome of the fight. I saw in his eyes that he did, too. One on one, very few of my kind would be able to overcome me.
When I walked out of the building, the sky was already dark. The challenge took longer than I’d anticipated, and I knew the only dinner I’d have ready in time was canned soup. It was something I’d picked up last week.
I jogged home, trying to keep a human pace; and before going inside, I hid my coveralls in the garage. Though Gabby knew about them, I wasn’t sure Rachel was ready for more man clothes around the house.
Glancing at the clock, I wondered how Gabby’s day had gone. No doubt I’d find out in a few minutes. It took me seconds to open the soup and dump it into a pot. As it heated on the stove, I quickly washed up. Though I’d won, the challenger had scored a few solid blows but nothing that wouldn’t be healed by morning.
Gabby pulled into the driveway just as I poured the soup into bowls. Her slow steps thumped on the porch while I carried the bowls to the table. I glanced up as she opened the door. Looking exhausted, she dropped her bag on the floor, closed the door, and then shuffled to the table. With a weary sigh, she practically collapsed into the chair.
I sat across from her, watching as she took her first few bites of soup before I started eating too. We ate in silence for a few minutes.
“Are you going to tell me about the coveralls or where you got the money for groceries?”
Though she’d asked, she didn’t look up to any serious conversation. She looked like she needed sleep. So I shrugged.
She sighed and pushed her bowl back. “I know I’m supposed to start asking you a bunch of questions, but I’m still too tired. Just don’t be doing anything illegal, ‘K? It would be hard to visit you in jail.”
She got up and put the rest of her soup in a container. Despite my silent objections, she washed her own dishes then left me in the kitchen with my half bowl of soup. I quickly ate, cleaned up, and went to her bedroom. She was already curled under the covers and asleep.
The sound of Rachel’s engine stopped me from lying next to her. I stripped, put my clothes away, and settled on the end of the bed, careful of my bruised ribs.
Tuesday was a repeat of Monday. Gabby went to school, and I went to work. The scent of werewolf drifted to me throughout the day, and I left early again. Like the day before, the scent grew stronger as I neared the vacant building. Only this time, it wasn’t a single scent, but three. I knew I wouldn’t make it home before Gabby.
Walking around the building, I retraced my steps. As I’d anticipated, the shallow bruises from the day before had already healed. I doubted I’d heal as quickly from three fights in a row. The bruising would go much deeper.
I stepped inside and found the three challengers. Though I could see they planned to fight as men, I stripped down to nothing anyway.
“Just give up now,” one of the men said. “Sure you might win the first fight or two, but do you really think you can win three in a row?”
I waved the first one forward in answer.
The guy shook his head. “Whether you win this fight or not, Gabby’s no longer yours. You had your chance. Elder Joshua has granted any interested male permission to approach her without supervision.”
Shit.
I struggled to control my temper. I’d asked for controlled Introductions. Sam had said he would see what he could do. When I hadn’t heard more, I’d thought...what had I thought? No answer didn’t mean a yes.
With a growl, I launched myself at the first challenger. I needed to get home.
It was past midnight when I left the building. I stopped at a gas station to clean up. I had a split lip and blood on my knuckles and in my beard. Most of the blood in my beard wasn’t my own.
Letting myself in the back door, I listened for Gabby’s soft breathing. She was safely asleep in bed. No other sounds drifted through the house, which meant Rachel wasn’t home yet. Some of the remaining tension melted from my chest.
As I stripped and then changed into a clean shirt and shorts, I considered the challenges. I’d taken my time and paced myself, careful not to expend all my energy up front. But in the end, the third challenger had almost beaten me. What would Gabby have done if she’d woken, and I still hadn’t returned? Her comment from Monday’s dinner led me to believe she would have tried to find me, that we weren’t done. Yet, what were we? Friends? I needed her to start seeing us as more than that.
I carefully lay next to her, wincing at the soreness along my back. She seemed to sense me in her sleep because she shifted closer. I put my hands behind my head and let her use me as a pillow. With her cheek on my chest, I wished I’d left off the shirt.
Once she settled, I sighed deeply and fell asleep.
She moved, a slight nod that rubbed her cheek against my chest. It was a pleasant way to wake up. She lifted her head, and I opened my eyes.