Wild Fire (Wilding Pack Wolves 5) - New Adult Paranormal Romance (10 page)

Only maybe now he
had
given up… and it was tearing her up inside.

What the hell was she going to do with that?

For years, she had buried herself in work, in school, and in anything else involving her father’s laboratory at the University. Being the professor’s daughter made her somewhat famous among the students, but also somewhat off-limits. And she used that for all it was worth. She simply didn’t date. And that worked
fabulously…
until a hot firefighter came in and saved her from certain death.

Four days had passed at the River family estate since she had pushed Troy away… but here he was, still haunting her thoughts. And her wolf was hypersensitive to the fact that he slept every night just on the other side of the wall.

Zoe slammed her laptop closed and shoved it away. She was getting nowhere with her data analysis anyway, and the lab equipment she needed was still on order. She was determined to find the Wolf Hunter’s father before he did, but she was getting nowhere holed up in her room.

And she was going stir crazy.

What she needed was a walk out in the fresh breeze. Some good mountain air to clear her head. Maybe then she could purge her thoughts of Troy and his hot body—as long as she didn’t run into him on the way out.

She hid behind her own closed door for a ridiculously long time, listening to the creaks and moans of the house, making sure no one was coming or going from Troy’s room next door. Then she snuck out and wound her way through the hallways toward the front, pattering down the steps and making a run for the front door, hoping to slip outside before anyone noticed.

But she wasn’t fast enough.

“Zoe?”

She was relieved it was only Mama River.

Zoe straightened and turned to face her, trying to recover some dignity and act like she hadn’t been sneaking around like a prison escapee. “Good morning, Mama River!” she said brightly.

“It’s good to see you out of your room.” Mama River eased up to the front door. “But if you’re headed outside, you might want to leave through the back.” She tipped her head toward the front porch outside.

Zoe couldn’t figure out what she was saying… until she heard the voices. At first, she thought the deep voice was Troy’s, and Mama River was warning her off—was it so obvious that she was avoiding him? But when she listened more closely, she realized it was Grace and the mayor.

Zoe dropped her voice to a whisper. “Is that the mayor again?”

Mama River nodded, then arched an eyebrow in the direction of his voice. “He keeps coming round.”

Zoe smiled wide. “I think he’s hot for you, Mama River.”

The older woman scowled at her, but there wasn’t much heat behind it. In fact, Zoe could swear there was a fresh sparkle in her eyes. “What would the mayor of Seattle want with an old woman like me?”

Zoe leaned back. “You’re kidding, right? You’re beautiful and amazing and one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.” Heat rushed her face as she realized how much she was gushing, but it was true—Mama River had taken Zoe under her wing while she hid up in the mountains. The woman had a reputation for being super friendly and taking in every wolf who came through her door, but Zoe had never had a chance to experience it firsthand. And it didn’t take long for her to understand the fierce loyalty of the shifters who had stayed behind to protect her when the Wolf Hunter had outed the safehouse location.

Zoe shrugged and fought through her embarrassment. “I’m just saying, any man would be lucky to have a woman like you in his life.”

Mama River seemed to be getting a chuckle out of Zoe’s awkwardness, then she turned serious again. “I’m not interested in any man…”

“That’s not what I meant—”

Mama River stopped her cold with a tilt of her head that said she wasn’t done speaking. Zoe buttoned her lip.

“The mayor is a fine man,” Mama River said. “I see what he’s done for the city, even before the Wolf Hunter emerged as a threat. For years, he’s helped to foster a thriving city where my three boys could have their business and live their lives. Since the Wolf Hunter has been making his threats, I’ve seen the mayor take step after step to slowly open the city up to the idea of shifters being welcome here as much as anyone else. And I truly appreciate that. Not every human loves us the way that the mayor clearly does.”

“Loves us?” Zoe thought that was taking it a little bit too far.

But Mama River just nodded in that wise way she had, and Zoe wondered if she had missed something. “I was angry with him at first,
” Mama River said. 
“
I’ll admit that. When he demanded to take Terra into protective custody, I wasn’t so sure about his motives. Even last week, when he came to the house, seeking you out, Zoe, I wasn’t entirely convinced.”

Zoe raised her eyebrows. “But you are now?”

She had a little more sparkle in her eyes. “He can be quite charming.”

Zoe let out a small laugh, and it felt good, releasing some of the tension that had been working into her muscles as she hunched over her computer for days on end. “Men can be that way, can’t they? But are you sure about this one, Mama River? He’s a politician, after all.”

“Oh, yes, I’m quite aware of that.” She didn’t lose her smile. “But I see something in him… he has the kind of heart my husband had for caring. He’s looking out for you and Terra and Grace especially, and he’s just as protective as my husband would’ve been if we’d ever had those daughters he wanted so badly.”

That made Zoe’s heart squeeze. “Do you miss him very much? Your husband, I mean.”

Mama River’s face softened. “It’s been many years, but my house had been filled to overflowing, and that helps fill the hole in my heart. It’s what my Richard would’ve wanted, all of this.” She gestured to the house around them. “The mayor is helping the people I love, the wolves under my care, and that earns a special place in my heart. It’s unfortunate that he’s human.” She had a small smile on her face, almost wistful. “If he were a wolf, I might consider it.”

Zoe was back to grinning again. “Well, not every hot man has to be a mate for life. You could just…” She waggled her eyebrows, hoping that wouldn’t be too much.

Mama River laughed, then gave her a knowing look. “When you’ve had a mate, Zoe Wilding, you’ll understand that simply taking a hot man to bed is a pale reflection of what you can have. No, if I can’t have it all, at this point, I’m not really interested. Besides, with so much of my family under siege, that’s where my heart lies. And where my attention belongs.”

That stabbed another pain through Zoe’s chest—for Mama River’s loss of her mate, and the idea that she might never find that again. It didn’t seem right, especially for someone as wonderful as her. “I hope you find someone, someday, who can be all the things you want.”

Mama River smiled. “That’s funny, I was about to say the same thing to you.”

Heat rushed to Zoe’s face again. “Oh.” She grimaced. “I’m not looking for a mate.” But the words felt like a lie as soon as they left her mouth, and Mama River wasn’t the kind she could lie to. At least not easily. Or have much chance of getting away with it.

“That’s not how mates work,” Mama River scolded her lightly. “Your mate finds you—or at least, your mate comes into your life. It’s up to you to peer inside and see them for who they truly are.”

Zoe had no idea what to say that. Mama River couldn’t understand her dilemma—in spite of what had happened yesterday out in the field, Zoe was pretty sure no one had spilled her secret. And even if they had, Mama River wouldn’t understand why there was no mate on earth who would work for her. Not until she was cured.

As she was struggling for something to say, the front door started to open behind her. Zoe stepped out of the way as Grace and the mayor strolled in.

“Zoe!” Grace said, wrapping her thin arms around Zoe to give her a big hug. “Just the person I wanted to see.” She turned back to the mayor. “You’ve met Mayor Truhall, right?”

Zoe held out her hand. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Mayor.”

He shook her hand in return. “If you don’t start calling me Robert, I think it might actually hurt my feelings.”

Zoe smiled and ducked her head. She could see what Mama River was saying about
charming
—and good-looking, too. The mayor had that sexy
older man
look to him, with sparkling blue eyes and just a little bit of gray kissing his dark hair. He wasn’t sleazy or smarmy the way she expected a politician to be. Or even an older man who might hit on a pretty young thing like Grace. Or Zoe, for that matter. His wink was friendly, almost fatherly, and his gaze quickly settled on Mama River’s face.

“Mrs. River, a pleasure to see you again.” This time, the mayor’s smile had a little more warmth in it than necessary. And his eyes crinkled just a bit as if he wasn’t entirely certain he was welcome at the estate… but hoped he would be.

“My door is always open for people who are supporting the shifters I love.” It seemed to be a statement saying something more, but Zoe couldn’t quite decipher it.

It made the mayor smile. “Well, then, I feel lucky to be counted among those.”

Grace tucked her hand around the mayor’s arm, giving him a little bit of a squeeze in an affectionate way, almost like a daughter would. “Mama River,” she said giving the older woman a serious look. “Mayor Truhall has been more supportive of shifters than any other politician I have met on the campaign trail. If you need references for him, please look me up.”

The mayor laughed a little, but Zoe could tell the shine in his eyes for Grace was truly affectionate as well.

“Grace, do you want to come upstairs?
” Zoe asked. 
“
I’ve got some data you might find interesting.” Zoe was thinking that leaving the mayor and Mama River to a little alone time might foster whatever budding romance they had going.

Grace bit her lip and ran a quick scan over the three of them—the mayor, Mama River, and Zoe—but shook her head. “I dragged the mayor all the way up here to see something special, Zo. Not just to keep me company during the drive.” She gave him a little smile.

“You dragged me away from a city planning meeting, for which I am intensely grateful.” He smiled. “But I am intrigued to see this
dream team
you’ve assembled.”

Dream team?
Zoe raised her eyebrows and sent a quizzical look to Grace. She just nodded. “I’ve told the mayor that we
might
have a special group of wolves who would be a force to contend with, once we find this Wolf Hunter person.”

The mayor held up his hands. “Officially, I cannot condone a vigilante group of wolves who may or may not be out to apprehend the criminals who are terrorizing the shifter populace.” He dropped his hands and lowered his voice. “But just between us, I want to see you catch the bastard. If you have a special team, and if you happen to beat my police force to the punch, it would help me to have some measure of knowledge ahead of time in order to justify the necessity of it.”

Zoe frowned, but the mayor already knew Grace was a white wolf—everyone did. It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise if there were more of them. And, of course, Grace knew about Zoe’s white wolf, but she couldn’t imagine Grace was going to out her now, not without warning.

“My guess is they’re practicing out back.” Zoe would much rather have Grace come up to her room and discussed their research, rather than face Skylar and the others after the incident from earlier in the week. Not to mention Troy would probably be there. “Just come see me when you’re done, Grace.”

She frowned and shook her head. “Come with us, Zoe! You too, Mama River. I’m planning to put on quite a show. And besides, I hear Skylar is here—and I’d like to train with her as well. After all that, Zoe, we can talk business.”

“Okay.” This was
not
what Zoe preferred, but she didn’t want to make a scene in front of the mayor. She followed as Grace led the mayor out the front door. Mama River tagged along.

Outside, sure enough, Skylar and the others—Kaden, Noah, Owen, Daniel, and Troy—were in the field, practicing. Troy did a double take when he saw her, then whispered something to Daniel, who turned away from whatever command he was about to give the others. They had caught them in between rounds of tossing fireballs around or whatever they were doing for practice these days. Zoe avoided the hard stare that was coming from Troy, keeping her eyes on the ground in front of her or glancing at Grace, her arm still linked with the mayor
’s
.

Mama River hung back a little, then leaned in to whisper to Zoe, “Go on. He looks like he wants you to say hello.”

Zoe worked hard not to glower. She knew Mama River had a thing for finding everyone their true mates, and she didn’t want to talk back to the kind woman who was giving her a place to hide and do her work, such as it was.

She forced herself to look up and meet Troy’s insistent, but careful, gaze. “Hey,” she said.
Jesus Lord,
how lame was that?

“Hey,” he said in return. Thankfully, he stopped staring at her and sent a pinched look to the mayor and Grace, no doubt wondering what was going on.

The others had stopped their banter and gathered to meet them at the edge of the field.

Grace cleared her throat. “I hope you don’t mind us interrupting your practice,” she announced to all of them. “But I’ve been telling the mayor about your dream team here.”

Daniel was frowning, and Skylar came to stand by his side. The other men—Owen and Kaden and Noah—were likewise suspicious, holding back and folding their arms over their chests. Troy sent a look to her with his eyebrows raised.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Grace?” Daniel asked, clearly expressing the thoughts of everyone, including Zoe. She hoped like hell everyone would keep quiet about
her
being a white wolf. It suddenly didn’t seem impossible that Grace might spill that.

“I’m sorry, Daniel,” Grace said. “I probably should’ve checked with you first. But I heard you guys were progressing with your skills, and I figured the mayor should know. It’s the best way to make sure you don’t get in trouble if you actually do have a chance to go after the Wolf Hunter.”