The Wolf Who Hatched an Egg (2 page)

Crack.

A small line appeared on the window as Shiloh uttered the last note of the song.

Twitch.

The nightingale’s lips spasmed slightly, as if she were struggling against a grimace.

Tick-tock.

The sound of the clock made the heavy silence seem even more oppressive. Finally, the nightingale got up and sighed. “It’s quite admirable that you want to better yourself, Shiloh, but truly, I don’t think singing is the way to do it.” Her voice sounded kind as she spoke. “Perhaps you could try something else, maybe take up an instrument or photography. Swans are talented at many things. It doesn’t have to be singing.”

Shiloh would have much preferred it if she’d been disdainful like all the other teachers who’d listened to him sing. That way, he could at least be angry at her. As it was, he just felt empty inside, empty and disheartened.

“Thank you for your suggestion and for your time,” he replied.

“I’ll consider it.”

The nightingale looked relieved, and she smiled at him.

“Excellent. Do let me know if you choose an instrument. I can refer you to some of my colleagues. They’d be happy to instruct you.”

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Shiloh nodded and thanked her. They said their good-byes and Shiloh escaped her home, never once looking behind him. He just didn’t know what to do anymore.

As he headed toward the subway, he mused over what the nightingale had told him. Instruments? Self-improvement? No. No way.

There was so much more than self-improvement involved in this.

They couldn’t understand. None of them could. Shiloh was different.

Unlike other swans, he’d never managed to find his partner, the one person who would complete him. It didn’t have anything to do with his homosexuality. There were plenty of swans of his sexual orientation, or other shifters compatible with his race. But to Shiloh, they’d always been good for a roll in the hay and nothing more. He hadn’t found the one man who could make his heart race and his soul complete, not even after he’d left his home behind and come into the city.

Now, he was officially known as the man-whore of the shape-shifters in LA. In his never-ending quest for finding his mate, he’d gone through half the population of shifters in the city. He’d begun to lose his hope.

His dream of singing was the only thing he clung to now. He wanted to have something beautiful, something pure he could be proud of. It might have been arrogant, but he wanted to be known as the swan who’d learned how to sing, not the one who’d become a willing hole for all the men interested in a cheap fuck.

A few years back, when he’d first come to LA, singing couldn’t have been further away from his mind. Sure, he loved music, always had. He loved the way the notes of a skillfully played sound ran through him, reaching to his very heart. Whether it spoke of anger, love, or betrayal, whether the singer was a shape-shifter, a human, or even an animal, Shiloh understood it. But in his first years of life, he’d never thought he would sing himself. The nightingale had a point. Swans were completely tone-deaf.

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But with his dream of finding his mate failing so abysmally, Shiloh needed a new goal. He wanted to prove anything was possible.

Perhaps that way he could also believe he’d one day find his perfect mate. As it was, he’d turned into a person he himself despised.

Shiloh sighed, hating that he’d fallen into self-pity. He needed a break from all this. Living in the city had its advantages, but Shiloh started to tire of it.

At the last moment, Shiloh changed his mind and headed toward the small park nearby. Once he reached his destination, he plopped down on a bench. Perhaps he could ask Nicolas for some time off. He had no doubt the other man would allow him to take a break. But where could he go? His family was out of the question, since they’d just try to push him into matings he didn’t want. The rest of his friends were all in the city.

But wait…That wasn’t quite right. Carson no longer lived here.

The lamb had moved a few months back to a property in the Rocky Mountains with his wolf mate, Brody. Shiloh had only been there once, but he remembered it as very beautiful, an almost idyllic setting.

Of course, if he went there, he would be intruding on a recently mated couple. Then again, Carson and Brody had children now. Perhaps Shiloh could help them out with the two little devils and give his friends a breather. He liked children, and it would be a welcome distraction from the mess of his love life. Of course, the baby lion and antelope were a handful, as Shiloh had found out during his one meeting with them, but that was all right.

Shiloh knew that if he mused over it more he’d just change his mind. As such, he retrieved his cell phone and dialed his friend’s number. Reception was a bit poor in the mountains, but Carson and Brody had installed a satellite phone to make sure they could reach their friends at all times.

“Hi, Shil. What’s up?”

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He sounded breathless, and Shiloh couldn’t resist teasing his friend. “Hey, there, Carsie. I hope I’m not interrupting you and Brody.”

“Uh…Not quite. Well, nothing like you’re thinking.” A muffled curse sounded, then Carson shouted, “Angel, get back into the house.

I told you a million times not to run around naked. Clark, what are you doing? No, don’t climb the tree. It’s too tall. Clark!”

Shiloh couldn’t help it. He burst into laughter. The troubles of parenthood seemed to be getting to Carson. Not that Shiloh didn’t understand it. Carson and Brody had applied for adoption believing it would take a long time for their file to be processed. As it turned out, after an unpleasant rejection, they’d been contacted that very same day and entrusted with the care of Angel and Clark. Alas, it seemed the two hyperactive children had taken Brody and Carson by surprise.

Perhaps Shiloh and his friends could help each other after all.

“Stop laughing, Shil,” Carson said. “It’s not funny.”

“I can call you at a different time, if you want,” Shiloh answered, still chuckling.

“No, that’s fine.” Carson sighed. “Brody’s got it. So, what’s on your mind?”

“You know me so well.” Shiloh grinned. “Actually, I was thinking. I kind of need a break from the city, and I don’t want to just run around all by my lonesome. Perhaps I could give you and Brody a hand with the kids and stay with you guys for a bit?”

For a few seconds, Carson didn’t speak. Shiloh cursed himself for even calling. He should never have assumed his friends would just take him in like that. Christ, they had a family life. They didn’t need Shiloh to intrude on their time together.

“Carson? Carson, are you there?”

“What? No. I mean yes,” Carson stammered. “Geez. Sorry. I was talking to Brody.”

Shiloh felt a pang of jealousy upon realizing just how strong Carson’s bond with the wolf was. He hastily pushed the envy away,
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knowing how much the two had suffered before achieving it. “So what did your man say?”

Relief coursed through him when Carson answered, “When can you get here?”

* * * *

Shiloh stared out the window of the bus, deep in thought. He was just a few miles from the town closest to Carson and Brody’s home, and had started to doubt his plan. What if Carson only accepted Shiloh’s offer for Shiloh’s own benefit? God, he hoped he wouldn’t alienate the man through his insistence.

Now that he’d taken a few hours to think about it, he’d realized things would not be so easy. He and Brody shared a sort of ambiguous relationship. Shiloh had been by Carson’s side for two years, watching his friend suffer after the wolf left him. Intellectually, he knew it hadn’t all been Brody’s fault, but a part of Shiloh couldn’t help but still resent Brody. Besides, even if Carson didn’t have a problem with Brody being a carnivore, Shiloh still disliked wolves.

Living with them would be a recipe for disaster. What had possessed him to call Carson? Christ, his family was right. He was such a fuckup.

But he couldn’t back out now, and before Shiloh knew it, the bus reached his stop. He got up, grabbed the bag with his stuff, and exited the vehicle. Carson would be somewhere around here to pick him up from the station.

But as he looked around, Shiloh realized he could feel someone else—a predator. Shiloh’s heart fell as he spotted Brody’s distinctive silhouette. The man looked as gorgeous as ever, and Shiloh was reminded why he’d hit on him and Carson in the first place, almost three years ago.

Brody waved him over and grinned at him as Shiloh reached him.

“Hi, Shiloh. We had a small issue with the kids and Carson asked me
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to come in his stead. Thanks for offering to help. You have no idea how much we appreciate it.”

Shiloh smiled back, struggling to hide his discomfort. “I’m the one who has to thank you. I really needed a break from the city.”

If Brody sensed his apprehension, he didn’t show it. Instead, he laughed. “I don’t know how much of a break you’ll get with the kids around.” His expression sobered. “Now, don’t get me wrong. I love them to bits. I couldn’t fathom life without them. But…I’m a wolf.

And sometimes, I just want to…”

Judging by Brody’s pained expression, it wasn’t hard to figure out what the wolf wanted to do. Two small children in the house would have a detrimental effect on one’s love life. Had Brody and Carson lived with a pack, they’d have benefitted from the help of their families. Alas, their strong connection had come with a price. In an instant, Shiloh changed his mind all over again and congratulated himself for his idea. It seemed Brody and Carson needed the time off more than he did.

“Don’t worry,” he told the wolf. “I get it.”

Brody’s comment made him feel a bit more relaxed. He wondered if Brody had shared that little personal info on purpose, and surreptitiously analyzed the wolf. What could Brody be thinking?

Why did he accept Shiloh’s presence even if they were so very different?

Brody gestured him into his car, a Land Rover built to scale the dirt roads and rough terrain in the area. As Shiloh climbed inside, Brody took position on the driver’s seat and started the mammoth vehicle.

After a few moments of silence, Brody spoke again. “I know we’re not exactly the best of friends, but I want to get to know you better, strengthen our relationship.”

Shiloh gave the wolf a suspicious look. Perhaps Brody misunderstood the purpose of his visit. Shiloh had, after all, flirted with Brody and Carson once. But no, that couldn’t be it, could it?

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They had small children to worry about, and shared a bond stronger than anything Shiloh had ever seen.

“Uhh…Right. I’m sure it would make Carson feel much better.”

On impulse, he added, “But not in the biblical sense, yeah?”

Brody looked away from the road and arched a brow at him. He was smirking, Shiloh noticed. “Sorry, I’m a one-lamb wolf, and I really doubt any of us would be interested in it anyway.”

From then on, the tension began to disappear, and Shiloh found himself joking and laughing with the wolf. Why had he held onto his doubts anyway? Now that he’d seen Brody again, he realized he was a perfect match for Carson.

After a drive through a gorgeous forest, Brody stopped the car.

“We have to walk from here for five minutes or so,” he said as they left the car.

Shiloh had no problem with that. He inhaled the fresh mountain air, already feeling much better about his decision. The difference between being here and living in the city was staggering. He could already feel a good portion of his stress draining out of him. Perhaps he could even go flying for a bit. In LA, he had to do it in parks, where humans would not be surprised to see swans, but it simply wasn’t the same.

All of a sudden, a slender, naked child appeared from the shrubbery and pounced on Brody. “Daddy! Where did you go?”

Brody lifted the boy in his arms. “Didn’t your papa tell you we’d have a guest?”

Wide brown eyes turned to Shiloh and Shiloh smiled at the child.

“Hi there, Angel. It’s Shiloh. Remember me?”

The antelope calf nodded, a shy smile gracing his face. “I remember. The pretty bird.”

Shiloh couldn’t help a laugh. Angel really was adorable.

At last, they reached the house, and Shiloh noticed Carson waiting on the deck with his second son, their lion cub, Clark. Clark looked
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disgruntled, and Shiloh guessed he’d have liked to go find his errant brother. The two were inseparable.

Once he saw them, his expression turned relieved, and, together with Carson, he made his way toward Brody and Shiloh.

Carson hugged Shiloh enthusiastically. “Hi, Shil. So glad you could visit. Clark, say hi to Shiloh.”

The cub gave Shiloh an assessing look, as if not knowing what to make of him. Shiloh had already gathered the young lion was quite intelligent, very protective of his younger sibling, and suspicious of outsiders. “Hello,” he said.

Shiloh offered Clark a smile. “Hi there, Clark.” He knelt next to the child and shook his hand. “I’m glad to see you again.”

As the five of them entered the house, Shiloh couldn’t help but think that he’d have lots of fun here.

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The wind ruffled Liam’s hair as he drove his bike. He loved the speed of driving on the open road, the feel of the engine revving between his legs, and yes, he also loved the danger inherent to it. He never wore a helmet, even if he’d been in a couple of accidents.

Unlike with humans, the danger of dying in road crashes was very small, and more so when the vehicle involved was a bike. Besides, Liam liked this too much to restrict himself.

It must have been the only thing that kept him going these days.