Wolf Flight

Chapter 2

February, Haines Junction, Yukon

Tad leaned against the cold exterior wall as he watched the company helicopter settle on the runway. Loose snow flew around the large metal-clad building they used as a hangar for both the chopper and the small bush plane. He waved briefly at his business partner, Shaun, before hurrying back indoors. There wasn’t much time left and he had a ton of preparations to complete before the afternoon flight.

Maxwell’s Silver Hammer had landed a major contract to transport researchers to and from a camp at the base of Mount Logan. The money was great but the timing sucked. As he hurried through his checklist his mind wandered, concern for his sister distracting him. What the hell was he thinking, letting a deaf girl head into the backcountry alone? He was supposed to take care of her, not throw her to the wolves. He should have refused the contract and gone with her like they originally planned. He was lost in thought when a solid touch to his shoulder startled him.

“Holy shit, Shaun, warn a guy will you?” Tad cursed, his heart racing.

“You’re a fucking werewolf. Why the hell can’t you learn to scent another wolf approaching?” Shaun peeled off his flight jacket and threw it onto one of the chairs at the side of the shop. His cocky grin did little to relax the knot in Tad’s stomach.

“Piss off.” So his ability to smell sucked. There were more important things to worry about as far as he was concerned. “Robyn get away okay? Crap, I can’t believe I let her go on the trip without me. What if something happens to her?”

Shaun laughed, slapping him on the back roughly. “You’re too damn possessive about your sister. She’s fine. She’s a great skier and experienced in the bush. Plus she’s so freaking powerful that being stuck in close quarters with her nearly kills me.” He paused for a second, flicking a concerned glance at Tad. “You’ve got to tell her soon. I mean, you’ve known about having werewolf genes for a couple of years now. She needs to know so she can move on with her life, learn about her other side. She’s going to be the most gorgeous wolf when she gets her genes triggered.”

Tad grit his teeth together, his face suddenly hot, muscles tense. Not this conversation again. “Yeah, and I suppose you want the privilege of triggering her, right?”

Shaun wiggled his eyebrows a few times and grinned. “Well, it wouldn’t be a chore by any stretch.”

Tad slammed a hand into his friend’s chest, hooked his fingers into his shirt and lifted him off his feet. Blood pounded in his ears and Tad looked out through a sea of red. Shaun’s toes dangled off the ground, kicking a few times as Tad held him high in the air, arm stretched at full length.

“Shit, Tad, I’m kidding around. Put me down.” Shaun wiggled, his face suddenly gone white.

Fuck.

Tad dropped Shaun to the ground and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Sorry, I’m feeling a little stressed. Between Robyn and the booking and my skin itching like it’s going to crawl off and walk on its own…”

Shaun moved away cautiously, tugging his clothes straight. “For an untriggered wolf, you’re too damn strong. I don’t know which is worse, your bark or your bite. The itching is your wolf trying to get out. You need to get triggered soon because you and Robyn are both missing a huge part of your lives—”

“Are you her mate?”

“No, but—”

“Then keep your fucking hands off her.”

Shaun backed down, keeping his body language submissive. “Maybe you should give her the choice. Tell her she’s got werewolf genes and let her decide what to do about it.”

Tad collapsed into a chair, his body sprawled back in a messy heap. Discovering werewolves existed had been like crossing into the Twilight Zone. Finding out both he and his adopted sister had the genes necessary to be able to turn into wolves had been even more of a surprise. But the rest of the details drove him insane. “Shit, I’ve started to tell her a dozen times but just thinking about it makes me sweat. Why the heck does it have to be sex that triggers the gene in adults? Like I want to tell my sister to go fuck someone. Robyn has enough on her plate being deaf. She doesn’t need the drama of trying to find a mate as well. Plus I can’t shift to prove anything until I get triggered myself.”

He closed his eyes and scrubbed at his face in frustration. “You were lucky. My parents don’t know anything about wolves. My grandpa must have provided the genes and then died before telling anyone his secret. You were born into a full-blood family and got triggered from your mom’s milk, so it wasn’t like you had a dire need for sex.”

Shaun snorted. “Not a dire need? Shit, don’t you remember what it’s like to be a teenager?”

“Horny bastard. And you wonder why I want you to stay away from Robyn,” Tad complained, his anger slipping away although his frustration remained high. Shaun didn’t seem to understand how aggravating it was for Tad as a half-blood. He needed a hormone trigger too, only his would be released the first time he had sex with a female wolf. Tad liked sex as much as the next guy, but the human females he’d been with didn’t count. There was one final catch kicking him in the ass, making it damn near impossible to get triggered.

Bloody wolf hormones.

“Doesn’t it bother you?” Tad asked. “Being out of control of your own destiny?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The wolf. The way being a wolf changes your whole life.” Tad stared into space, his fingers fidgeting with the arms of his chair.

Shaun scrunched up his face. “Uh, no… I mean, so I can change into a wolf. It’s no big deal. It’s not like I have uncontrollable urges to howl or shift involuntarily when the moon is full. My wolf is just a part of who I am. An amazing, completely honest part of me.”

Tad snorted. “You’ve never been so poetic in your life. Damn it, I’m talking about the stupid wolf hormones. Don’t try to tell me they don’t dictate your life. They sure as hell do mine. We can’t even decide who to marry without our wolves approving.”

His partner laughed as he leaned back on the table. “Mates? You’re worried about finding a mate again. Tad? Holy crap, you need to get laid.”

“I know that, you asshole.”

Shaun shook his head. “Not just to trigger your genes, brainiac. To relax. Find yourself a nice human girl and have at it. You haven’t gone out with anyone for months. You need to let your wolf out to play.” He nabbed a picture off the wall behind him and waved it at Tad, his grin growing larger by the second. “What about your dream girl? She’ll be in town soon, won’t she?”

Tad leapt up and snatched the photo away. “Leave Missy out of this. She’s special.” Shaun rocked his eyebrows up and down, and Tad flipped him the bird as he replaced the picture, tracing the edge with a finger. “She’s not a wolf, so I refuse to mess around with her.”

“Holy shit, are you telling me you’ve only fucked women you might marry?”

“No, but…crap! See, this is what I mean. I like Missy. I really like her and always have. If I wasn’t a wolf I’d be interested in spending time with her to see if something develops between us. But since my damn wolf decides my partner, I have no bloody choice in the matter. I don’t think it’s fair to string along a human woman.”

Tad waved a hand in frustration at Shaun and returned to his preparations. It was quiet in the hangar, both of them working silently, deep in thought. He did like Missy. It had been a complete surprise when she’d contacted him by email. Over the past four months, they’d been corresponding back and forth about life in general, catching up on the years they’d been apart.

The day she wrote about her husband and his death, Tad had gone for a long run, pushing himself to the point of exhaustion. He wondered why it pissed him off so much to discover she’d cared enough for someone else to make a lifetime commitment with him. Heck, he and Missy had never been lovers. They’d barely held hands as teenagers back in high school before she’d moved south.

Shaun leaned on the side of the plane next to where Tad was working, his dark eyes crinkled up with concern. “I’m sorry things haven’t worked out faster for you. It’ll be worth it in the end, really it will.”

Tad sighed and thumped his partner’s shoulder. Shaun’s heart was in the right place. “It’s just I’ve tried for two years to follow wolf rules and it’s gotten me nowhere. As much as I want to be able to shift, I don’t know if I can live like this much longer. I can’t change my morals to turn wolf.”

Shaun nodded sadly. “I understand. But you’re not going to be really happy until you get triggered.”

Tad returned to his adjustments. “Yeah, well, in the meantime I’ve got you to piss me off and help me let off steam.” He stared hard at his friend. “I want forever someday. I believe in true love and finding my other half. I know it’s romantic shit, but I still believe in it.”

“Yeah, I hear you, but until you find Ms. Right, I really think you should consider Ms. Right Now.”

Missy took a deep breath, looking around the small airfield with interest while she let the butterflies settle. Her journey over the past months had led her in a full circle, returning her to old stomping grounds. She’d grown up in Whitehorse, lived in the north until she was sixteen. How strange the solution to the horror hanging over her head might be found here.

She stared at the doors to the shop.

Ten years.

Ten years since she’d seen Tad, one of the most intriguing boys she’d ever met. He’d been a grade above her in high school and she’d liked him intensely, even though her father had insisted half-blood Tad be avoided and not informed of his wolf heritage. Missy had reluctantly followed her father’s rules and never let herself be alone with Tad. Never accepted any of his hesitant physical advances beyond public hugs and cuddles during movie marathons. Only participated in group activities.

Something had always felt missing. She’d longed for more.

Slipping in the door, Missy took in the neat and tidy waiting area, the newspaper clippings taped to the wall. She moved closer to examine the articles about Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, providers of “custom sightseeing flights, fishing charters and all-round you want to get lost in the wilderness, we’ll get you there services”. Pictures accompanying the articles showed the helicopter she’d seen outside and a small plane outfitted with skis or water floats.

A brightly coloured strip of paper caught her eye and she bent to examine it.

A metallic clang hit the floor behind her, and she spun around to see a tall, wiry hunk staring with lust in his eyes. Confusion clouded the dark orbs for a moment before recognition hit.

“Missy?”

Her heart leapt. His tone of voice made her very glad she’d decided to deal with her problem by seeking him out.

She beamed at him. “Hello, Tad.” She tilted her head toward the articles. “You told me business was going well but you didn’t say how well. Glowing reports from what I see here.”

She held out her hand, and when he clasped it, she tucked herself under his arm and hugged him tightly, his body cradling hers carefully. She took a cautious sniff as she held him. His scent was familiar yet somehow his wolf was muted, which was curious. She didn’t smell any females on him and that was a good thing.

A very good thing, considering what she had in mind.

“It really is wonderful to see you again.” She clung to him for another second, relaxing in his strong arms. It felt so right to be held by another wolf, especially one not threatening to kill her. She hadn’t dared raise the issue during their email correspondence, but she needed to know. Was he aware of his wolf heritage? Opening her mind, she reached out tentatively to brush his emotions. Images jumped back—her face during a high school event, sliding down a snow-covered hill together, the view of her butt as she bent over moments earlier by the door—and she smiled. Nothing but memories filled his mind. Tad gave a final squeeze before extending her to an arm’s distance.

“Damn, you look incredible. I mean, I got the picture you sent but you’re so…” Tad stared, his gaze trailing over her face in amazement.

Missy sighed. The petite thing didn’t help. “I know. I look like a teenager. I’m twenty-six and I still get IDed every time I order a drink.”

Tad led her to the customer waiting area and gestured toward the couch. He hesitated for a second before slipping into the chair across from her. Missy dropped her head to keep her smile hidden. She couldn’t help noticing his arousal. Both his body and his scent gave him away.

“It’s great to see you, but I wasn’t expecting you until next week.” He slid a hand through his hair leaving the dark spikes a mess. Missy wanted to drag her own fingers through the strands and wondered what he would do if she reached out and gave in to temptation. He glanced at his watch and fidgeted. “I don’t want to be rude. I mean, I’ve been looking forward to your visit, but I’ve got a customer this afternoon and I’m not finished prepping. Do you mind if I slip out back for a bit? It should only take ten minutes.”

Missy frowned. Hadn’t he figured it out? She was sure she’d told him the reason she’d come north. Or while trying to be secretive about other things, had she forgotten? “Tad, I have an appointment.”

He let out a big sigh, sounding relieved as he pulled her to her feet and gently tugged her back toward the door. “That’s great! Why don’t you go get your stuff done first and then come back and meet me in half an hour? We can visit until my customers get here.”

“But—” She was out the door, back into the bright and cool February day.

“Looking forward to it. Sorry, I’ve got to hustle. See you later.”

Tad closed the door behind her and Missy stared in shock. She burst out laughing as she made her way back to her truck. That had gone splendidly. Not! She giggled, delighted at the lightness of her mood. There had been little to laugh about over the past months and this mixed-up situation was her fault. She’d dressed to impress. It obviously worked based on his physical reaction, but he was a little too distracted.

She reached into the cab of the truck and grabbed her work clothes. It looked like her excuse for coming to the Yukon would be needed after all.