chapter four
Kallie awoke to Franny’s wailing the next morning. She missed the days before her injury had brought her into the den, when birdsong had been the sound to awaken her.
As the high-pitched scream continued, families in the den stirred and conversations started. She heard a thump followed by a female reprimand of, “Yazz, I told you not to jump until you reach the last rung of the ladder. You’re going to sprain your ankle one of these times!”
“Sorry, Mom.”
Gradually, the scent of fire tickled Kallie’s nostrils inside her low shelter made from sturdy branches, thatched with a mixture of materials from the forest and the human world, scraps of nylon and tarp with bits of plastic and patches of leaves. A mat made of woven grass protected her human body from the cool ground and insects, and a musty-smelling blanket kept her warm when the temperature dipped early in the morning.
Before her injury, she’d slept in wolf form snuggled against her friends for warmth beneath the open sky. Since taking up residence in the den, there were nights Kallie slunk out of her shelter after everyone had gone to sleep and shifted before finding a soft patch of ground to nestle into, but sleeping alone made her wolf’s heart ache with a loneliness that ate away at her all night. She slept slightly better alone in human form.
The smell of smoke thickened. Kallie kept her eyes closed and remained resting—in no hurry to begin yet another mundane day of helping around the den and its community garden.
Franny’s crying stopped, but it had long since been replaced by a young chorus of sibling quarrels and complaints, followed by older grumbles.
“But I always fetch the water.”
“Well, you’re the oldest.”
“I’ll always be the oldest.”
“Which means you’ll probably be the first to start a family, and then you can be the first to have your oldest child fetch the water.”
“I’d have my children take turns. You’re no fair.”
Footsteps scuffled past Kallie’s shelter. Someone yawned nearby. Eventually the voices settled as shifters went about their morning routines. One of the parents would shift and hunt down a rodent or rabbit while the other parent harvested just enough vegetables and grains from the garden to feed their family for the morning. Some families had a designated hunter, which was as likely to be female as male, while others traded duties regularly.
With one mate nursing and the other pregnant, Palmer did the hunting for his family. He and Francine lived in a shed with Trish beside them in a hut of her own. Kallie’s shelter was roughly three paces away from Trish’s dwelling. Too close for comfort—like Palmer had already lined her up as one of his mates.
“That’s enough moping, Camilla.” Francine’s voice cut across the den. “You need to rejoin your packmates for breakfast in the glade.”
“I don’t feel like it,” Camilla whined.
“Your partner is waiting for you.”
“He shouldn’t be my partner. Raider should.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.”
A female cleared her throat gently.
“I’d be happy to fill in for Camilla on patrol.”
Kallie opened her eyes and peered into the murky light of her shelter. She couldn’t see Elsie, but she could just picture her hopeful expression based on the tone of her voice. Kallie pushed the blanket off and sat up quietly, listening all the while. She, too, would jump at a chance to step in for patrol duty.
“You have no clue how patrolling works,” Francine said.
“I stood in for Raider while he was away. Peter and Jordan gave me the rundown.”
At the mention of Raider, or perhaps Jordan, Camilla burst into sobs.
“Stop it! You’re behaving worse than Franny.” The snap returned to Francine’s words as she addressed her stepdaughter.
Camilla sniffled. “I can’t help it. My heart’s broken. How can you stand there being so cruel?”
Camilla had always put her emotions on public display whereas Kallie liked to keep her personal life private—at least as much as possible living in an open community. But it occurred to her this was the first morning her own heart didn’t twist at the mention of Raider, nor had she gone to sleep pining after the mated he-wolf. Instead, she’d hugged Wolfrik’s shirt against her belly and inhaled his musky, masculine scent.
“Elsie, dear, why don’t you run along and help Heidi? I’m sure she could use it more than the shifters in the glade.” Francine didn’t mask the condescending lilt of her voice.
“Let me know if you change your mind,” Elsie said cheerfully.
Kallie heard the brush of Elsie’s long dress against the shifter’s legs as she walked away. Francine kept silent for what felt like several minutes before speaking in a low, warning tone.
“Let that be a warning to you, Camilla. Go join your partner before that half-breed tries to take over your duties.”
Camilla huffed. “What do I care? With more shifters making claims, Jager should put her on patrol. Why’s she standing around, wasting her time in the den? She’s not crippled like Kallie.”
Kallie clenched her jaw so tight it ached. Camilla was equally callous toward all shifters despite claiming Kallie, Rosalie, and Olivia were as dear to her as sisters.
“Emerson’s on council, yet I seem to be the only one with two licks of sense,” Camilla concluded.
“That’s debatable,” Francine answered.
Kallie waited for them to move away before pulling Wolfrik’s shirt off. She bundled the soft fabric with careful folds before sticking it safely beneath her blanket and emerging from her shelter. The low ceiling required her to crawl out. As fresh air hit her body, she shifted into her fur and sprang into the forest to join the mated shifters in their hunt for meat.
After catching and devouring three unfortunate mice, Kallie wandered back to the den, giving Palmer’s clan wide berth. The other families had already finished up their meals and were cleaning up.
“Who wants to continue their reading lessons?” a shifter named Melissa called out.
After Heidi’s daughter, Amy, yelled, “Me!” the other youngsters took up her chant.
“Me! Me! Me!”
Soon the younger children were racing to the center of the den, sitting cross-legged in front of Melissa, looking up with eager eyes and wide grins. More mothers joined the group, which was good, considering Melissa couldn’t help out individual pups when she had a group of thirteen staring up at her.
Meanwhile, Garrick and Palmer led a small group of young teen shifters into the woods to teach them hunting skills. The previous day had been tracking.
Kallie felt a weight lift off her back every time Palmer left for the morning. Unfortunately, she needed a dress to replace the one she’d ripped off, and Francine was in charge of doling out clothing for the den.
Traipsing over to Francine’s shed reluctantly, Kallie stopped outside the door and shifted before calling in. “Francine?”
It was quiet inside. Camilla must have gone off to join patrol while Kallie was hunting.
Francine appeared in the doorframe with Franny on her hip. The baby looked up at Kallie and grinned. Kallie smiled back. Sweet little thing couldn’t help who her parents were.
“If you’re here to help with Franny, I’ve got everything under control, but I’m sure Trish could use the company.” Francine’s eyes moved around the shed as though searching for something.
Kallie squared her shoulders. “Actually, I came by because I need a dress. Mine got torn last night.”
Francine’s head snapped up, and her eyes narrowed. “How?”
Franny gurgled, but at least Francine’s jerky movement didn’t set her off bawling.
“I tripped on my way back to the den and got caught in some branches.” The lie rolled off Kallie’s tongue.
Francine’s eyes bore into hers. “Where’s your old dress?”
“I left it on the ground and shifted so I could reach my shelter faster. I figured I’d go back for it in the daylight.”
Francine nodded. “You shouldn’t be walking around on that foot alone at night.” She sighed. “Let me see what we have.” Moving Franny to her opposite hip, she walked at a brisk pace to the den’s largest shed, which also served as a medical and recovery structure.
At the shed’s door, Francine handed her baby to Kallie then pulled open the groaning door. Kallie waited outside while Francine rummaged around. The shed reminded her of the time she’d spent lying in agony on top of the table inside right after she’d been shredded by a vulhena.
“This won’t do,” Francine said from within. “Nor this.” There came a heavy sigh. “We desperately need a fresh supply of clothes before winter. At some point the pack is just going to have to take the risk. I’ll talk to Palmer and Emerson about it so they can bring it up at council.”
Baby Franny grabbed at Kallie’s bare breast while she waited, her small hands grasping insistently.
Laughing, Kallie bounced the baby a couple times.
“Sorry, baby girl, nothing for you there.”
Franny’s eyes fixated on Kallie’s nipple. The baby reached and grabbed.
Kallie was about to bounce her again when she heard a soft swallow and noticed Palmer staring at her from six paces away with hooded eyes. As soon as she saw him, he sauntered over, grinning from ear to ear, looking her over while his infant seized her breast and tugged it toward her tiny mouth.
Kallie shot Palmer an accusatory glare. “I thought you were showing the older pups how to hunt.”
“Garrick’s got it under control. I’d rather be here for my family.” His smile widened. “Little Franny’s sure taken to you.” His eyes drifted to Kallie’s breast and latched on—his gaze securing itself with the same resolution as Franny’s soft, chubby fingers.
Kallie’s cheeks flamed—outraged that Palmer’s baby prevented her from storming away.
Francine had gone suspiciously silent inside the shed the moment Palmer showed up.
“You find anything yet?” Kallie called, shooting Palmer a glare.
Palmer peeled his eyes off her breasts and looked at the shed.
“Is Francine in there?” he asked. “What’s she looking for?”
“A dress for Kallie,” Francine called back. “She ripped hers last night.”
Palmer’s attention snapped back to Kallie. He took a step toward her. Kallie stepped backward and wobbled slightly as her damaged foot resettled over the ground. In the old world, a surgeon might have been able to use surgical screws to hold her broken bones in place while her ligaments healed. Even then, her injury would have followed her around. The vulhena had crushed her foot in its jaws as though chewing on rodents’ bones. At least Raider had killed the black-haired hell-beast before it could finish Kallie off. But her limp would forever serve as a memory of that horrible day.
Kallie steadied herself and lifted Franny over her chest, using the baby to cover her breasts and shield herself from Palmer. The last thing she needed was Palmer groping one of her breasts while his baby grasped the other.
“Who ripped your dress, Kallie?” Palmer asked in a low, accusatory voice.
Kallie gritted her teeth and glared at him. She had half a mind to tell him Wolfrik had torn the material off her body then humped her half the night and that the wild wolf didn’t like to share so Palmer better keep his hands to himself unless he wanted an ass-kicking. The thought loosened her jaw and made her lips twitch with a smile that didn’t quite make it over her mouth.
“Poor Kallie fell into some branches traipsing through the dark last night. You should have brought her home, Papa Wolf.” Pushing the door of the shed open, Francine stepped out, holding a bright-yellow sundress by the straps. “It might be a bit snug on top, but it will do.”
Scrutinizing the dress, Palmer gave a nod of approval. “I like that color.”
Francine smiled smugly. “I know.”
Kallie inhaled deeply through her nose and tried to calm herself before she accidently squeezed Franny too hard.
“Great, thanks.” Kallie wrenched the baby’s fingers from her breast and held her out to Francine. They traded. One baby for a dress.
The moment the baby left Kallie’s hands and the dress touched her fingers, she snatched it up and stormed toward her shelter.
“Careful with that. Clothes don’t grow on trees, you know,” Francine called after her.
Kallie scowled, not bothering to answer the loathsome matriarch. Who in their right mind would want to join a family unit with Francine and Palmer? Trish had. Did the shifter ever regret her decision? Had she been pressured to mate with Palmer the same way Kallie was being pressured now?
Kallie couldn’t even go to someone on council and complain. Who would she speak to? Certainly not Raider. It was beyond embarrassing.
Poor, useless cripple. The only male interested in her was an elder who already had two mates.
Yetch!
Her stomach roiled and twisted and turned and shrieked.
Clutching the dress against her, Kallie limped away as fast as her good foot would take her. She crawled back inside her shelter and held up the short dress for a closer look. Way too bright and sunny, but it was clothing, and that’s all that mattered.
She slipped it over her head and pulled down. Not only was the dress short, the hem landing half a foot above her knees, but the top squeezed and gaped open, showcasing the curves of her breasts.
Good, she thought with stubborn glee. She wanted Wolfrik’s eyes drawn to her chest rather than her foot. A frumpy dress wouldn’t have served her purposes. Francine had helped her without even knowing it, and that was something Kallie could genuinely smile about.
She scrambled out of her shelter and hurried away before Francine and Palmer wandered back to their home and had a chance to look her over in the new dress.
The trouble was, she had a long day to get through before communal dinner in the glade.
Kallie’s gait slowed as she headed for the trail near the garden, which made her limp feel more pronounced. Everyone seemed to be occupied with something or another. Only Elsie looked as bored as Kallie felt. The petite brunette sat on a short log, bent over her knees, drawing in the dirt with her finger. She looked up as Kallie approached and smiled as she brushed the dirt off her finger.
“Good morning,” Kallie said.
“Hi, Kallie. I see you’re wearing a different dress. I like that shade of yellow.”
“Thanks. The other one ripped.”
Elsie got to her feet gracefully and looked Kallie over with shrewd attention.
“Did someone get frisky? Need me to zap anyone?” Elsie looked toward Palmer’s hut.
From out of nowhere, a chuckle came to Kallie’s lips. She liked Elsie’s zeal despite her petite frame and typical sweetness. The half-witch hadn’t been with their pack long, but Kallie already liked her. “No one touched me. Could you really zap someone? What does that mean?”
A mischievous smile lifted Elsie’s cheeks.
“It’s similar to being struck by a lightning bolt . . . or so I’m told.” Elsie chuckled then covered her mouth. She lowered her hand slowly, eyes shifting from side to side. “I was just kidding, of course. I’d never use magic on a Wolf Hollow shifter. I’m a guest here.”
“Of course.” Kallie winked.
Elsie rubbed her hands together, eyes lighting up. “So, where are you headed?”
“Uh.”
“Shall we go to Skyler Falls for a refresher? It feels like it’s going to be another scorcher today. I’m sure Heidi won’t mind me leaving the den if I have you watching my back—and I’ll have yours, too, of course. I’ve taken down beasts four times my size.”
Kallie laughed. Something in Elsie’s tone and expression said she wasn’t exaggerating.
“Why not? It’s not like I have anything better to do.” She wanted to speak to Elsie’s half brother, Tabor, but he’d be out patrolling with Sasha.
Elsie clapped silently. “Okay, I’ll talk to Heidi and be right back.”
While Elsie spoke to Heidi in the clearing, where the mated female was assisting Melissa with the children, Kallie sat on the log Elsie had vacated and stretched out her achy foot, which throbbed up her leg. She lowered her chin, inspecting the way the yellow dress hugged her chest and hips and showed off her tanned legs.
She looked up to check on Elsie’s progress. From the slight frown on the shifter’s lips, it looked as though they wouldn’t be leaving the den together. But as soon as Elsie’s back was to Heidi, she shot Kallie a grin and a thumbs-up.
Chuckling to herself, Kallie got to her feet gingerly as Elsie skipped over and took her hand.
“Let’s go before she changes her mind or insists on finding us a chaperone.”
Kallie found herself running alongside Elsie, their hands locked. Both legs felt sturdy with someone to hold on to. A rush of joy came over her as they dashed out of the den to the trail beyond—like she was young again with her entire life to look forward to. Elsie laughed beside her, caught up in the moment.
“Where should we leave our clothes?” Elsie asked.
“In the communal cabin,” Kallie suggested. She wouldn’t be ripping this dress or tossing it in the dirt.
Before reaching the falls in their wolf forms, they called out to alert the patrolling shifters they were there.
Jack, from the den, and Zackary answered back that all was clear, and they welcomed the she-wolves into the area.
Walking side by side, Kallie and Elsie prowled through the underbrush to the narrow trail that went to the falls. Elsie hung back, allowing Kallie to take the lead. Overgrown ferns brushed against Kallie’s legs, and the rising sun warmed her fur. Her nails scraped against the wide, flat rock that slanted and dipped into a large pool of water. Kallie walked to the edge and took another couple steps forward, submerging her paws. She bent her head and lapped water. By the time she lifted her head, Elsie had already shifted and waded to her ankles in the water.
“Now this is more like it,” she said after Kallie shifted.
Elsie swam straight for the waterfall’s spray, squealing as it showered her in its rumbling flood.
The big-bodied wolf of Zackary charged through the brush. He hadn’t used the trail, and bits of leaf debris clung to the fur on his head. He shifted from the location he’d taken in the brush. Once human, he shot up but kept to the ferns, which covered him just slightly below the hips. Realizing this, he squatted to hide himself.
“I thought I heard screaming,” he said.
Elsie giggled and swam toward him. “That was just me squealing.”
Jack strode to the pond on two legs from the trail. He didn’t bother covering himself as he walked to the edge and shot Kallie and Elsie a friendly smile.
“You guys should join us,” Elsie said.
Jack glanced at Zackary and shrugged. “There’s time for a quick cool off. We’re already naked.” When Zackary said nothing, Jack sighed. “Unless you want to get back to our ceaseless patrolling.”
“Come on, Zackary. We don’t bite, do we, Kallie?” Elsie looked at Kallie with sparkling eyes.
Well, actually Kallie did bite. Wolfrik had the mark on his arm to prove it. A shiver ran through her, and Flora’s words seemed to rise to her subconscious from the depths of the water.
“You will give birth to a strong, handsome son who will grow into a leader to future generations of this pack.”
An image of Wolfrik smiling down warmly, cradling their son, emerged out of the blue.
Where had that come from? Wolfrik had never struck her as the doting father type, nor the kind of shifter to claim anyone less than a pureblooded shifter. But that had been before his disappearance. Now she couldn’t picture him mated with any she-wolf—pureblood or otherwise.
He was unpredictable. Hot-tempered. Dangerous.
A sizzle of anticipation shot up Kallie’s spine.
Surely the old woman hadn’t meant Wolfrik would father this elusive son with her. If there was any weight to Flora’s predictions, Kallie couldn’t think of another wolf more likely to produce a strong, good-looking son and future leader. Well, she could think of one other, but he was recently mated and she refused to linger on him any longer.
While Kallie’s thoughts drifted, Elsie scooped water into her cupped hands and flung it at Zackary, missing him by a couple feet.
“Don’t make me come out and push you in.”
Zackary’s eyes widened, which made Elsie laugh.
“I’ll do it.” To show she meant it, she waded toward shore. The water level slipped down her shoulders, continuing to her breasts.
“Stay there,” Zackary practically yelped. “I’ll join you.”
“That’s more like it.” Elsie’s triumphant smile made Kallie chuckle.
The half-shifter didn’t need magic around Zackary. Clearly her confidence and beauty were enough to overpower the brute. Kallie would have preferred Zackary didn’t join them. She’d never forget how he helped Garrick abduct and abandon Tabor in a human camp. The only reason she tolerated him at all was because he’d immediately confessed what he’d done to Sasha. Thankfully a rescue party had set out in time to kill Tabor’s human captors and bring him home safely. Zackary had always been a bully and a brute, which made Elsie’s taunting all the more perplexing. It was almost as though the half-shifter was flirting with him. None of the she-wolves were ever friendly with Zackary, which is probably why he looked as perplexed as Kallie felt.
“Uh, just turn around or close your eyes first,” he said, blushing crimson.
“But I like looking at you.”
Zackary’s cheeks practically glowed red. He covered himself with his hands and ran for the water, leaping and landing with a grand splash that showered Kallie’s and Elsie’s heads. Elsie squealed again. Jack shook his head and laughed, taking his time wading into the water. Once Zackary’s head popped back to the surface, Elsie swam toward him, stopping a couple feet away. He blinked water from his eyes and smiled at her.
“Feel better?” Elsie asked.
“Yeah,” he said.
“Aren’t you glad you joined us?”
“Yeah.”
“How are you doing, Kallie?” Jack waded over to her.
“Good. You? Missing your family, I bet.”
Mated shifters didn’t usually patrol with singles, but it was part of Zackary’s probation to be chaperoned by one of the den wolves.
Jack twisted his lips to the side. “It’s only temporary. Jager was supposed to assign someone else during the new moon cycle, but he still has that on hold after what happened with David and Sydney.” He frowned. “Anyway, seems to me he can start assigning Zackary one of the single shifters again. I’ve never seen someone more remorseful or eager to get back into the pack’s good graces. I’d trust Zackary with my life.”
Lucky Zack. He still got to patrol. Kallie had wanted back on duty so badly she would have even put up with Zackary for a partner. It seemed unfair that he’d betrayed a pack member yet got to go about his usual routine while she had remained as loyal as ever but was tossed to the wayside due to her foot. Then again, Zack had been handed one of the harshest punishments short of banishment—the council had forbidden him from ever claiming a mate. She wondered if Elsie was aware of that little morsel.
The petite half-shifter laughed at something Zackary said.
“I bet I can hold my breath under water longer than you,” Elsie said.
Zackary grinned. His cheeks had turned back to a normal shade, probably cooled off in the pool.
“There’s only one way to find out,” he challenged.
So he’d graduated from single-word responses.
Kallie turned to face them, not liking the playful tone Zackary used to address Tabor’s sister.
“Okay, but if I win, you have to kiss me,” Elsie said.
Her words brought the blush back to Zackary’s cheeks in an instant.
Kallie started forward, but Jack’s words flew past her, reaching the coquettish pair first.
“We’ve lingered long enough. Best we return to duty.”
Zackary’s shoulders drooped, making him look like a dog whose bone had been snatched away right before it reached his lips, which pretty much summed up the reward Elsie had offered with such reckless abandon.
Kallie was all for fun and flirting. She’d been around Camilla, Rosalie, and Olivia long enough for it to feel second nature, but she couldn’t condone Elsie’s unabashed flirtation with the shifter who had done her brother wrong.
“Zackary?” Jack’s voice rose expectantly.
“Uh, yeah,” he mumbled, back to his usual articulation. He backed away from Elsie, turning before the waters slipped below his hips.
Water sloshed past Zackary’s legs as he hurried out of the pond and kept walking once he reached shore, dripping over the trail as he disappeared into the foliage.
Jack waded out next.
“Thank you, ladies, for allowing us to join you.”
“Anytime.” Elsie lifted a dripping hand and waved cheerfully.
After the males were both out of sight, she turned to Kallie, lower lip pouting.
“Too bad the boys couldn’t stay longer.”
Kallie chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Um, Elsie, you are aware of Zackary’s history with Tabor, aren’t you?”
The bright smile that had lit Elsie’s lips vanished like the sun behind a heavy cloud.
“Yes, I know,” she said somberly. “I suppose you’re going to tell me I ought to stay away from him just like Jordan did.”
Kallie scowled. The last thing she wanted was to mimic Jordan.
“I’ve never cared much about past actions,” Elsie continued. “I see what’s right in front of me.”
Kallie smiled at the half-shifter. She liked Elsie. She was a lot different than her other friends—in a good way.
“That’s refreshing,” Kallie said. “I like that.”
Elsie didn’t smile back. She looked into Kallie’s eyes, studying her in a way that reminded her of Flora’s with her wizened gaze.
“People can change,” Elsie said. “Wizards, shifters, and humans. Past mistakes and mistreatment can be overcome.”
Kallie’s heart thudded inside her chest as her mind leaped to Wolfrik. Could the wild wolf ever be tamed? Domesticated? Could he learn to love another she-wolf?
Elsie nodded as though following her thoughts like smoke signals.
“Some say you have to believe in yourself, but my father once told me there’s nothing more powerful than someone else believing in you. That’s all anyone really needs.” Elsie’s grin returned and with it Kallie could have sworn the pond shimmered with possibility.
“Has anyone ever told you how wise you are for your age?”
Elsie lifted her chest out of the water and planted her hands on her hips.
“And don’t forget I can take down beasts four times my size.”
Kallie splashed her.
Elsie laughed and splashed her back.
“Four times your size. What kinds of beasts are those?”
Elsie’s smile dropped.
“Bears.”