Chapter 22
By the time they’d eaten enough to replenish their energy and taken a long and not-just-to-get-clean shower, both men were exhausted. They dropped into bed, immediately rolled toward each other, tangled their bodies together, and fell asleep.
Zev’s empty stomach eventually woke him from a deep sleep. He could feel Jonah’s hand on his hip, Jonah’s left knee pressed between his thighs, and Jonah’s right leg draped over his calf. He dipped his head and kissed the top of that blond head, and Jonah’s hand immediately moved over his body and started caressing his chest.
“Mmm. I love sleeping with you. I’ve been so damn tired all these years. I couldn’t ever get a decent night’s sleep, except when you were with me. But now…now it’s even better. It’s like my whole body can finally rest,” Jonah mumbled, his words thick with sleep.
“Me too, Blondie. I swear, I’ve felt like shit for so long that I’d forgotten what it was like not to hurt,” Zev said as he rolled onto his back and pulled Jonah on top of him.
Jonah raised his head, cupped Zev’s cheek gently with his hand, and searched those amber eyes.
“But you’re okay now, right? Your body doesn’t hurt anymore?”
Zev nodded and smirked. “Yup, I’m all better. You’re a great healer, Dr. Marvel.”
The hand against Zev’s cheek was gone for a second before it landed again, not so gently this time.
“Why didn’t you tell me, Zev? All these years you were hurting and I was hurting. Why didn’t you tell me what was going on?”
Zev threaded his fingers through Jonah’s hair.
“What would you have done if I’d told you?”
“What do you mean? I would’ve believed you just like I did when you told me yesterday.”
“And then what?” Zev pushed.
“Then I would’ve moved back here with you and everything would’ve been fine.”
“And that right there, Blondie, is exactly why I didn’t tell you.”
Those blond eyebrows scrunched down in confusion.
“You had a goal. You wanted to be a doctor. I couldn’t stand in your way, Jonah. Doesn’t mean I was happy about it, especially at first. I wanted you by my side. But I had to trust that we’d be strong enough to handle the separation, and then you’d have the career you wanted, the pack would have a great healer, and I’d have my mate with me.”
“You risked being trapped as a wolf for the rest of your life so I could finish med school? I don’t know whether that’s the sweetest, most honorable thing I’ve ever heard, or the stupidest, most reckless decision of all time,” Jonah said. “Seriously, it’s a toss-up.”
Zev chuckled.
“Well, it doesn’t matter now. You’re here, I’m here, your medical degree is here, metaphorically speaking. All’s well that ends well, right?”
Jonah buried his face in Zev’s neck, inhaled deeply, as if taking in his scent, and then trembled. “Yeah. You’re right. I’d still like to figure things out about my mom, though. And I need to understand how it’s possible for me to be half shifter if shifters can’t reproduce with humans. And did you just say that I’m going to be the pack’s healer? What does that mean?”
Zev rolled so he was on top of Jonah, pinning him down. He kissed Jonah’s brow, then his nose, and smiled.
“You’re adorable with all those questions,” Zev said.
“Fuck you.”
That reply cracked Zev up. He had missed his friend so desperately over the years that having Jonah home was causing a giddy sensation all through Zev’s body. He felt like he was floating.
“All right, I’m gonna answer your questions in backwards order. I know you can get a job at the hospital and probably lots of other places too, but the pack’s healer is getting up there in years and we’ll need someone to replace him. Our kind can’t go to human medical centers; we need one of our own to care for us. Usually healers apprentice for years before they work independently, but you’ve gone to medical school, so you’ll have a lot of knowledge they don’t. I think you can work with Doc Carson for a little while, learn about how we’re different from humans, and then you can take over. If you want to, I mean.”
“I’d have to learn a lot about shifters. Medically speaking, it’s incredible that a body can change forms. I’m itching to understand how that works and what it means from the standpoint of illnesses, injuries, life expectancies…” He drew in a deep breath and continued more slowly. “I guess what I’m saying is, I like the intellectual part of it, and my competitive side likes the idea of learning things my colleagues won’t ever conceive of, but that’s not the biggest reason the job appeals to me.”
“What’s the biggest reason?”
“I don’t really know how to explain it. Even though I didn’t keep in touch with people here and there are plenty of them I’ve never met, it’s like there’s this driving force inside me that says I should be a contributing member of the pack.”
“That’s natural. All wolves want to better the pack. And you’re a great doctor. I’m sure you’ll be able to learn everything you need to treat shifters with the same skills you mastered in your treatment of humans.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Jonah grinned. “I think I’d like being the pack doctor. I have a lot to learn, obviously, but I’m up for it. Hell, as good as I feel right now, it’s as if I can do anything. You’re like a damn drug, Pup.”
Zev dropped his head and rubbed his cheek against Jonah’s.
“I’m your true mate. That’s better than any drug.”
“Don’t let the pharma companies hear that. They’d make sure we’re drowning in complimentary pens and free lunches until their product gets top billing.” Jonah laughed at his own joke, then shook his head. “Don’t mind me. Doctor humor. Keep going. You were addressing all points in backwards order, right?”
“The rest of it is all pretty much the same. We need to go through the paperwork I have in the office and talk to the elders if we have more questions. Maybe you can ask Doc Carson about the more technical stuff. We’ll just dig until we find answers about your mother and until we understand how you survived conception, pregnancy, and birth.”
Jonah nodded.
“Okay. Let’s get some grub, and then we can start going through the documents you have. I just need to try my dad again. It’s not like him to be out of touch for so long, and I’m starting to get really worried.”
Zev was in the kitchen frying up bacon when Jonah walked in holding his cell phone. Warmth flowed through his chest at the sight of his…mate.
“Need help?” he asked as he set the phone down on the table and walked up to Zev, molding his chest to that strong back and resting his cheek on Zev’s shoulder.
“Did you get ahold of your dad?”
Jonah kissed Zev’s nape. “No. But there was a message from him. He must’ve called when we were out running last night. Said he’s getting closer to some answers. I tried to call him back to tell him not to bother because I’m fine now, but he didn’t answer.”
Zev put the bacon on paper towels to drain, and then turned around, wrapped his arms around Jonah’s waist, and tugged him forward until they were pressed together. “I don’t like the idea of your dad out there asking questions. If we’re right about your mother being a shifter, it would mean her family is too. Shifters don’t interact well with humans anyway, but if your dad starts digging for information about them, they’re liable to get really agitated.”
Jonah sighed. “Yeah, I get that. He’s pretty scared of them because of what happened to my mom, so I’m sure he’ll be really careful about what he says. I don’t think he’s asking a bunch of questions. He’s just trying to track down my mother’s sister because he thinks she’s safer than the rest. But I’ll call again in a little while and try to get him on the line. Then I’ll tell him to call off the search.”
A telephone ringing interrupted their conversation. Both men looked at the table, but Jonah’s phone was dark and silent.
“Must be mine. I’ll be right back,” Zev said.
Zev walked out of the kitchen in pursuit of his phone. He was back a few minutes later, his forehead creased with worry.
Concerned, Jonah asked, “What’s up?”
“That was Toby. Something’s going on with Lori. I need to get over there.”
“What’s wrong? Is she sick?”
Zev shook his head. “No. She’s not home or something. Toby was really freaked out so it was hard to understand him. I better go check it out. I’m sorry. I know we planned to spend the day going through those papers.”
Jonah took Zev’s hand in his and kissed it. “No worries. Unless you need my help, I’ll just stay here and get started while you figure things out with your sister. That okay?”
“Of course. I’ll try not to take long.”
Zev yanked on Jonah’s hand, bringing him crashing against Zev’s chest, and then cupped the back of Jonah’s head, brought it forward to meet his own, and sucked Jonah’s tongue into his mouth.
Eventually, the need for air separated them. “Love how you taste.” Zev lapped at Jonah’s lips. “Smell.” He buried his nose against Jonah’s skin and inhaled. “Feel.” He ground their hips together.
“Go on, horn-dog,” Jonah panted. “Go deal with your sister. Then get your ass back here and take care of mine.”
“Toby?” Zev called out as he knocked on the door to his sister’s house and pushed it open.
“In here.”
Zev followed Toby’s voice to the living room and found him pacing a trail on the floor.
“What’s going on? Where’re Lori and the kids?”
Toby raked his fingers through his already disheveled hair.
“Your mom just left with the kids. I’m not holding it together so well here and I didn’t want to worry them, so I called her and asked her to pick them up. And I don’t know where Lori is.”
Well, that was about the most useless answer ever. Zev sat down on the couch, rested his forearms on his knees, and clasped his hands together.
“Come sit down and talk to me, Toby. You’re not making any sense.”
“I was only gone for a few hours. She’d never leave the kids alone. Doesn’t make any sense.” He continued pacing, pulling on his hair, and mumbling almost incoherently.
“Toby!” Zev’s deep voice boomed, causing Toby to jerk his gaze over to Zev. “It was an order, not a suggestion. Sit your ass down on this couch, take a breath, and tell me what’s going on.”
Zev knew using that tone would register to the wolf inside Toby, bringing him comfort and assuring him of safety.
Sure enough, Toby immediately responded to his Alpha. He walked over to the couch, took a deep breath, let it out, and started talking. “I went fishing with my dad, his brothers, and their boys this morning. Most of those guys are camping out, but Lori’s been having so much trouble keeping anything down that I didn’t want to leave her alone with all four kids for that long.”
“Why’s she been throwing up? Is she sick…?” Zev changed tracks midsentence when he saw Toby blush. “I see. I’m gonna be an uncle again, huh? I thought you said you were done after four.”
“Yeah, well, this one wasn’t planned. Aaaanyway, I got home about an hour ago and the kids were all alone. They were in the family room watching cartoons and they seemed fine, so I figured maybe she just ran out for like a minute or something.” He paused and looked up at Zev. “Not that she’d ever do that, you know? It seemed weird, but…” Toby shrugged. “I don’t know. Anyway, when she wasn’t back after thirty minutes, I asked the kids if they knew where Mommy was. They said she went for a drive with the men.”
“What men?” Zev’s eyebrows bunched together.
“That’s just it!” Toby cried, “I don’t know. They didn’t know who the men were, and I didn’t want to push too much and worry them. What the hell’s going on, Zev? I’m scared.”
“I don’t know.” Zev stood. “Did you look around, see if maybe you could recognize a scent that shouldn’t be here?”
“Yeah, ’course. I did that right away. I smelled four males, but none of them were familiar. They’re not from our pack. I know I don’t have your nose, but if they were from around here, I’m sure I’d have recognized at least one of them.”
Zev nodded. “I know you would. I’m gonna shift and give it another go, just in case.” He squeezed Toby’s shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay, Tobes. We’ll find her.”
Though he meant the words, Zev was more worried than he let Toby see. It really wasn’t like Lori to leave her children or to take off without telling anyone where she was going. And there was absolutely no reason for unknown males to be at the house.
Zev walked to the front door, opened it, and then shifted into his wolf form, letting his clothes fall to the ground. He immediately smelled four male shifters, and just as Toby had said, they weren’t from the Etzgadol pack. With his nose close to the ground, Zev first moved inside the house, wanting to follow the trail, but it ran cold at the end of the entryway. Zev then turned and walked outside, again following the scent of the intruders to the long driveway, where the scent ended. He walked back to the house, shifted into his human form, and then yanked on his clothes hurriedly.
“That was fast,” Toby said, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice. “I guess you couldn’t follow the trail either?”
Zev shook his head and pulled his shirt on.
“The reason we can’t follow the trail is that they drove. That’s why their scent ends at the driveway. And I don’t think they got any further into the house than the entryway, so they couldn’t have been looking for something inside.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Toby asked in a panic.
“It means they got what they came for. They got Lori. But we’re getting her back.” Zev finished tying his shoes and started walking out the front door. “Let’s go.”
“Where’re we going?” Toby followed him, his entire body trembling.
“Brian Delgato’s.” Zev slammed the truck door, waited for Toby to scramble inside, and then peeled out of the driveway.
“What’s Brian got to do with this, Zev? We’re not friends with the guy, you know? He’s had a thing for Lori for years and he’s kind of an asshole to boot. There’s no way she’d tell him shit about where she was going.”
“No, she wouldn’t. But one of those men who was at your house is his kin. There was a similarity in their scents that only happens with family.”
“You’re amazing, you know that?” Toby shook his head in awe. “I’ve never heard of a shifter with stronger senses. Recognizing the scent of littermates is, well, not common, but some shifters can do it. But recognizing distant kin…” Toby’s voice softened. “You’re incredible, man. I hope my boys inherit some of your strength.”
There was nothing he could say in response to the admiration, so Zev stayed quiet. The Etzgadol pack knew it had a strong Alpha. Zev couldn’t hide his power; it rolled off him and was obvious to other shifters. Not that Zev would want to hide it. Having a strong Alpha was important to a pack’s security. It let them feel safe and cared for.
But Zev had never told anyone about how deep that strength ran. They didn’t know how quickly and painlessly he could shift, or just how well he could see in pitch dark, or hear across long distances, and until that moment, nobody knew that the Alpha could differentiate the individual components of each shifter’s scent, that he could literally trace a shifter’s line to his parents and grandparents.
Yet with all that power, Zev hadn’t smelled a trace of wolf in his own mate. The scent that he knew better than all others, the one that had intrigued him for as long as he could remember, that arousing perfume of freshly mowed grass, lemons, and mint; that scent he couldn’t dissect, couldn’t recognize as anything other than home and comfort and wholeness. He would’ve chalked the block in his abilities as something mate-related, like maybe his mating bond prevented him from focusing on anything other than the man himself. But that wouldn’t explain why the other shifters had never recognized Jonah as one of their own.
No, the reason Jonah smelled completely human wasn’t the mating bond; the reason was something inherent within Jonah. It probably stemmed from the man’s human father, though that same factor should have made shifting impossible.
How had Jonah been able to shift without the necessary shifter chromosomes from both parents? Zev didn’t have more time to ponder the question, because they’d reached Brian Delgato’s house.