Brand hadn't been lying about babies and the full moon, but he'd definitely been deflecting. He'd been working with Ty for a few weeks now, but he hadn't shifted yet. Brand wasn't even really sure if he was ready attempt to shift, honestly. A deep, dark corner of his soul wondered if he was being a coward for not trying harder.

But Ty hadn't been pushing him to shift. They had been doing meditation, which Brand had originally thought was completely out of a physical therapist's wheel house and had said so in a snappish comment when he was reaching the peak of his frustration. Ty had just patiently, irritatingly commented that there wasn't exactly a blueprint for shifter rehabilitation and guided Brand back into focusing on trying to "connect with his inner wolf."

There had been a moment, a flash of… something… during their last session, but then Brand's knee had twinged painfully and jerked him away.

It had been so long since he'd stopped attending pack functions once he wasn't living at home and could get away with it. Especially full moon events when everyone was excited about shifting together.

He couldn't fathom attending before he had shifted several times in private. If he shifted. He knew he was ignoring facing the fact that he didn't know if he could shift still. Ty kept saying he would be able to, but that was a therapist's job, right? To be optimistic?

Something deep inside Brand rebelled at the idea of lying to Carter, so he was thankful he did have several patients who could go into labor at any time now. Which meant that, with the full moon, at least one of them would. He already had his car packed, prepared to spend the night at the clinic. He had all the amenities of a full hospital, and his staff, an anesthesiologist, and another doctor were on call in case he needed assistance. All provided for by the pack via Alpha Williams.

You couldn't take chances when it came to birth complications, but a human hospital would be confused by things that were normal for wolves: higher heart rates, higher temperatures, quicker labors, among others. Brand was happy to say that while he'd had a few close calls, he'd never lost anyone under his care.

But part of that was because he prepared. And part of that preparation was being well rested. As soon as his appointments were done for the day, he headed home, making sure his phone was set as loud as could be. On top of the probability of being up most of the night to deliver a baby, Travis had finally harassed Brand into joining him for a hike the next day, come rain, shine, or lack of sleep. If it had been anyone else and Ty hadn't said it was part of his rehabilitation plan…

But it wasn't, and so Brand was going hiking tomorrow, for the first time since he'd quit physical therapy years before.

* * *

Brand was doing his best not to complain. He was actually doing his best not to cuss Ty out. His knee was giving him a little trouble, but nothing out of the usual. But the rest of his muscles were screaming in agony.

"Just a little further," Ty promised. He'd been promising that for the last hour, but this time it was true. Within five minutes, they crested a ridge, leaving the tree line behind them, and a gorgeous vista lay before them. They stood on a giant rock that seemed to edge the top of a cliff, but Brand wasn't going to get close enough to verify that, especially not with as wobbly as his legs were.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Ty marveled.

"Yep, beautiful," Brand said, collapsing to the ground, but he didn't take his eyes off the view either. The leaves had just started turning, so brilliant reds, oranges and yellows were spotting the green expanse that faded into blue hills in the distance. Or did these count as mountains? Brand wasn't sure where the distinction lie. They were either on really small mountains or really big hills., not that it mattered to Brand's exhausted body. Either one would have drained him just as badly.

Ty plopped beside him and flipped open the cap to his water bottle. "I thought it might be easier for your wolf to emerge out here, where he feels most at home."

"I'd feel most at home on my couch right now," Brand grumbled.

"The noble and ancient wolf is at home in the wilderness," Ty said snootily. "But he does enjoy a good T-bone, a couch, and some football on TV as well."

Brand snorted. They sat silently as Brand caught his breath. "So what am I supposed to do? More meditation?"

Ty shrugged. "If you think that will help. Today, I want you to try to get in touch with your instincts. Do what calls to you."

"A nap calls to me," Brand said snarkily, hoping to upend some of Ty's incessant calm. But Ty just nodded.

"Then go for it."

Brand lay back, not really intending to nap on the hard rock, but more out of lack of desire to do anything else. The rock cooled under his shadow and the sun warmed his face, lulling him into a dream.

He was running. Faster than he could ever remember running. Maybe as fast as a car. The bare barks of tall pines flashed past him in the dark of the woods. It could have been dawn, dusk, or mid-day. It was impossible to tell this deep.

He was chasing something, Brand realized. A scent. The realization stopped him in his tracks. The scent was intoxicating. He'd never smelled anything like it before. He sat down, attempting to analyze the scent before going any further. A moment later, he realized he had sat down strangely. He looked down and realized he had four legs. And fur.

The shock of that sight jerked him awake. He was alone. The sun was still hot, but in a slightly different position. He'd been out for… what? An hour? Two? Surely Ty hadn't left him to find his way back alone. That seemed like a bit of an extreme approach, especially for Ty.

Brand could feel panic rising. Breathe, he told himself. Ty was definitely not the kind of therapist, let alone friend, who would do that to him. Brand closed his eyes and began counting breaths the way Ty had taught him in their meditation sessions. Inhale, one. Exhale, Two. All the way to ten, and then start over.

As his breathing evened out, he automatically moved through the next few steps of the meditation, first taking a survey of his body, starting at the top of his head, noting but not judging any differences or changes from his norm. His muscles were sore. He was surprised to note that his hips were nearly as sore as his buttocks and calves. That was something that would be worth mentioning to Ty.

After finishing his survey, he let his mind rest. It wasn't so much that he was supposed to try and focus on nothing, but that he was trying to observe everything passively. Any time he noticed his thoughts drifting, he would let them go and pull his attention back, trying to absorb the sounds of the forest, the wind on his skin, the sun on his face. He could hear at least three different types of birds. There was a chittering that was either a squirrel or a chipmunk, but he wasn't sure the difference. The wind pushed a new scent toward him and drew his attention away from the others. That scent said there was a wolf nearby.

Brand's eyes flew open, abandoning his meditation. He'd scented a wolf. He hadn't ever done that before. Or maybe he had been able to once, so long ago he couldn't remember. He sniffed the air, trying to catch the scent again but the wind had shifted. He remained sitting, but his eyes darted, trying to catch sight of the wolf before it saw him.

He failed. Ty suddenly appeared back on the rock in wolf form before Brand realized how close he was. Brand sniffed, but he couldn't catch that same scent that had first drew his attention, even though Ty was right in front of him.

Ty shifted. "What's wrong?" He grabbed his clothes from behind a rock and put them on.

"I thought for a moment that I could scent you, but now it's gone."

"What were you doing when you scented me?" Ty pulled his pack out from behind the same rock and grabbed his water bottle.

"Meditating."

Ty gulped the water fast, which made Brand realize he was probably a bit dehydrated himself, so he picked up his water bottle as well.

"Good," Ty said finally. "That's progress."

"What do you mean?"

"Your wolf is emerging," Ty said. "I knew the connection had to still be there somewhere."

"So, when I scented you… that was my wolf?"

Ty nodded. "I was hoping that the meditation would give your wolf room to emerge. I wouldn't be surprised if sleepiness helped. The logical mind is less in control then, the barriers between our animals and our control blurrier."

Brand didn't want to let his hopes get too high. He didn't even know if he was ready for his wolf to be… whatever it was Ty thought it should be. He'd been comfortable for the last few years. But if there was a chance that Brand wouldn't be able to find his mate without awakening his wolf… That was the only thing that kept him from telling Ty to forget this whole thing.

Ty stretched and smiled. "I think that's enough work for today. Are you ready to go back down?"

Brand groaned. The last thing he wanted was to walk more. At least down would be easier than up. He stood reluctantly and donned his backpack.

"Was the whole 'the wilderness will draw your wolf out' just bull shit, then?"

Ty shrugged. "I can't be certain exactly what your wolf will respond to. Did the location help? Did the sleep? You are the only one who will really be able to tell. No two people need exactly the same set of exercises. But since we've had such success today, I would definitely recommend we include more of this."

Brand groaned again. Someday, he'd learn to keep his big, fat mouth shut.