Wolf Six's Salvation: A Shifter Love Story (17 page)

Chloe shivered. She knew the voice was Blake's, but it was wolf, not human. The two silver wolves pulled themselves to sitting and echoed Blake's call. Now that they were upright, Chloe could see that they were bigger than even the brothers.

Arthur nudged Blake with his nose, pointing him toward the woods away from the camp. Blake turned to look at the window where Chloe sat watching, his mouth opening in what Chloe could only call a grin, before loping off. The two silver wolves followed, yipping and jumping through the snow like happy puppies. Five brown wolves merged into the darkness behind them, carefully watching and shepherding the newly changed shifters.

Quent and Arthur trotted behind the boys, Jackson turned from them, instead walking slowly toward the cabin. Chloe held her breath as he approached, lost in his wolfish beauty. He padded up the porch on silent paws, giving her time to turn from the window if she wished.

There was no way Chloe would have run from him. She was even considering unlocking the front door so she could bury her fingers in Jackson's coat, but she knew that she shouldn't. She wasn't afraid of him at all, instead feeling nothing but happy calm.

Jackson put his two front paws up on the outside of the windowsill, peering into the window. His eyes were wolf- golden, but flecked with the brown that Chloe loved in Jackson's eyes. She smiled at him, putting her hand to the glass. She wanted him to know that she wasn't afraid of him.

Jackson whined softly, pressing his black, wet nose against her hand. His breath fogged the glass until a wolf howl called to him. He jumped down, turning to follow the pack. Chloe couldn't pull her eyes from him. He loped easily across the snowy yard, his paws barely touching the ground. Just before he disappeared into the trees, he turned and looked back at Chloe and howled. She knew it was for her, and she kept her hand pressed to the glass.

With a graceful leap, Jackson's white form ghosted into the darkness of the trees and he was gone. Chloe sat at the window, watching the silver shadows in the yard shift as the moon rose higher into the night sky, listening to the howl of the wolves in the distance for a long time.

J
ackson sat in the warm sunshine on the front porch of the councilor's cabin. The snow was beginning to melt, though there were reports that it would snow again in a day or two. He ran his hands through his hair for the hundredth time, telling himself he needed to get it cut. He also needed to shave, but his razor was back on the base.

He checked his watch again, as he had every thirty seconds or so for the past ten minutes. Quent was supposed to come and take him back to Fort Baskerville so he could pick up his truck, but Jackson was half-hoping Chloe would wake up and come out of the cabin before Quent arrived.

He wanted her to come out because he wanted to see her. Wanted to see her reaction to him shifting last night. She had pressed her hand to the glass and smiled, but he needed to see her in his human form to be sure she was okay with him. He wasn't sure that in her situation if he would be okay with seeing the person he was sleeping with turn into a wolf.

He hoped she wasn't avoiding him and just pretending to sleep while he waited on the porch. He couldn't blame her if she was, though. He had gotten up to walk away at least three times, but each time he came back to sit on her porch and wait. It was the waiting that was the hard part.

The night before had been his best transformation yet. It wasn't just that he was getting better at it and gaining control, it was the fact that he was with other wolves. When he was with them, running through the woods, it was as if they could hear his thoughts. He didn't need words or emotions. He felt free for the first time in months of the demons that haunted him. The only time he had felt better was when he had been with Chloe.

The heavy wooden door creaked as it opened and Jackson sprang to his feet. He stepped off the porch, ready to give her room if she needed it. Chloe stepped out into the warm sunshine and smiled, wrapping her arms around her as the cold air hit her. She closed the door behind her and went to the steps, standing on the top one so that she was just slightly taller than Jackson. He looked up with her with big, hopeful, brown eyes.

"Good morning," he said, his voice sounding strange in his own ears. "You sleep okay?"

She smiled. "Yup. You?"

Jackson shrugged. "Not really. Too much to do last night." He paused, looking down at his feet in the melting snow before coming back up to meet her green ones. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Chloe laughed, the light sound lifting his heart like a song. Her green eyes sparkled in the morning sun and she put her hands on his shoulders. "Why wouldn't I be? I wasn't the one out having adventures last night."

"So, it didn't freak you out?" Jackson held his breath, waiting for her answer.

"No. Well, maybe a little." She smiled. "Seeing Blake as a wolf was a little weird, but it was okay. It was actually kind of cool."

Jackson let out his breath, feeling almost light-headed. She wasn't scared of him. She didn't hate him.

She tipped her head, a question filling her green eyes. "Does it hurt?"

Jackson shook his head and put his hands on her waist. She was warm and soft and everything he could ever want. And she was okay with him being a wolf.

"The first time it did. But it got easier every time, and now, it doesn't hurt so much as it feels like walking through a cold waterfall. I guess we just get better at it each time." He looked up at her face, her smile warmer than the sun.

"I know this isn't very manly, but..." Chloe bit her lip in a shy smile. "You are gorgeous as a wolf."

Jackson's grinned. "Just as a wolf?"

"Like you need to fish for compliments." Chloe stuck her tongue out at him, but her eyes still held a smile.

Jackson pulled her closer to him until her hips pressed into his chest. She smelled so divine he couldn't stand it. He wanted to kiss that playful tongue, to touch every inch of her skin again. He was giving serious thought to simply scooping her up and carrying her off into the bed in the cabin.

Screw that
, he thought.
I don't think I'd make it to the bed. The porch would work just fine.

Chloe giggled and leaned down to kiss him. Her lips were heaven. She tasted sweet. Like oranges and cream. He breathed in her scent, letting it fill his nostrils and soar through his body. She was soft beneath his hands, but yet firm in all the right places. He nipped gently at her perfect lower lip, wanting to do more than just taste her.

He pulled back, still holding her to him, as he heard a car pull up the road. His eyes flashed golden for a moment and she grinned.

"Hold that thought for later," she whispered, leaning down slightly to kiss his head. "I think your ride's here."

The door to Quent's car slammed shut. His feet made a sticky sound as they crunched across the gravel full of melting snow up to the porch. Jackson reluctantly let Chloe go in order to turn around and face the oncoming man, but he was glad to feel Chloe stay directly behind him. He leaned back into her, feeling her body absorb his warmth.

"Paper says there was a fire on the base last night. Unknown amount of damage and that there was one injury: Colonel Bronn," Quent announced, holding up a newspaper. Jackson stayed quiet, knowing the three of them were all thinking the same thought. Was Herbert keeping up the story?

"So what happens now?" Chloe asked softly. Her hand was on Jackson's shoulder and he liked the way her fingers felt, even through his tan t-shirt.

"Now, I take the Captain here back to pick up his truck." Quent jerked his thumb toward Jackson. "Then, I'm taking a nap. Those young-uns wore me out last night."

Arthur strode out of the bunk house, his eyes going immediately to Chloe's hand on Jackson's shoulder.

"Jackson, we need to talk." Arthur's blue eyes were cold. Chloe gave an audible swallow, but she didn't pull her hand away. The fact that she didn't care what Arthur thought made Jackson's stomach do happy flip-flops.

"You can talk in the car, Arthur," Quent said. He walked back to the driver's seat of the car and Arthur climbed in the passenger side. Jackson was going to have to sit in the back.

Jackson turned, a rueful smile on his face. "I'll see you later?"

"You better," Chloe answered with a laugh. He stepped up on the porch and kissed her cheek, feeling her sun-kissed skin under his lips. Their eyes met, green and brown, and practically ready to throw out sparks.

Chloe pushed his shoulders and he stepped off the step. "Go before one of them decides to eat you for making them late."

Jackson couldn't wipe the grin off his face as he hurried over to the backseat and scrambled in. He sat in the middle seat where at least he had a little bit of room for his long legs. The car was just too small for a full-grown man to be sitting in the backseat.

The three men were quiet down the bumpy road to the main highway back into town. Jackson's palms were starting to sweat as he wondered what Arthur wanted to talk to him about. From the tone of his voice, Jackson had a feeling he wasn't going to like what the older man had to say.

"Thanks for the ride, Quent. I appreciate it," Jackson finally said, breaking the silence.

"You had to get your truck back somehow," Quent replied, turning the car onto smooth highway. The wheels hummed as he added speed.

"I need to talk to you about Chloe," Arthur stated as soon as the car was no longer accelerating. Jackson felt hot and cold at the same time. If Arthur told him he had to leave her... he wasn't sure what he was going to do.

"What about her?" Jackson tried to keep the defensiveness out of his voice, but he didn't succeed.

Arthur turned around to look at him. "Do you love her?"

"Yes." The ease of the answer surprised Jackson. The word had come out before he even had time to think, but he knew it was true. He'd never loved anyone like he loved her. There had been first loves and even a girl he had considered marrying once, but those emotions were fragile and thin compared to the love he felt for Chloe.

"Good. I thought so last night, but that confirms it." Arthur grinned at him. "Congratulations on finding your Fated One."

"My fated what?" Jackson frowned. This wasn't quite what he had been expecting.

"Fated One. You and she were made for one another. You might say she is your soul mate," Arthur explained. Jackson's confused look didn't shift, so Arthur continued. "Real wolves, the kind that don't shift, often mate for life. Specifically alpha wolves. As Weres, we take on these characteristics. She is your mate, your one true love."

Jackson shook his head slowly. It made sense in a strange sort of way, and the idea that they were meant to be together rang truer than anything. He had done a little research into wolves since he had begun changing, and what Arthur said made sense.

"Wait, you said 'specifically alpha wolves.' I'm not an alpha," Jackson finally said after a moment of letting Arthur's words sink in. There was so much going through his mind that he was having difficulty prioritizing his questions.

"Yes, I did say that. And, yes, you are an alpha. Just because you don't have a pack to lead doesn't mean you aren't one." Arthur's blue eyes peered at him. Jackson ran his fingers through his hair again. He really needed a haircut.

"What does that mean?" Jackson asked in a careful tone. In researching wolves, Jackson had learned about Alpha Wolves. They were the leaders. There was only one alpha in a pack. If the old alpha was growing weak, or a new alpha wanted his position, there was often a fight to the death. Jackson respected Arthur, and the last thing he wanted to do was fight him.

Arthur laughed, shaking his head as though he could read Jackson's thoughts. "If you're worried about having to fight me, you can put your fears aside. We're part human too, you know. With that means we can use brains instead of brawn. I don't think you want my pack, so you don't have to challenge me."

Jackson let out a breath and gave the man a quick smile. "Good. You're stronger than you look."

"I'd give you a run for your money, that's for sure," Arthur said with a chuckle.

"What if I did? I don't want your pack, but what if I did? How do Weres handle that?" Jackson asked. Jackson's mind was shying away from the Fated One topic for a moment. Any question seemed better than the one he knew he needed to ask.

"There are ways to go about it." Arthur shrugged. "If it is acceptable to the pack, a smooth transition is best. There have been instances of violent takeovers as needed though. If you want to take over my pack though, just ask first, okay?"

Jackson gave a nervous laugh. "You got it." He took a deep breath. He had to ask it. "If Chloe is my Fated One... what if I hurt her?"

Arthur smiled. "You won't. It's one of the perks of her being a fated one. You'll find she keeps you calm as well. Less nightmares, less fear in general."

"I won't hurt her?" Jackson repeated.

"No, you won't. Has that been bothering you?" Arthur chuckled. "Sometimes I forget that you have no clue what you are. You cannot harm your Fated One."

Jackson's shoulders dropped as a weight lifted. He wasn't going to hurt her. They could be together, and he didn't have to live in constant fear that he was going to wake up in wolf form and mangle her in their bed. They could be together. He gave serious thought to just jumping out the car window and running back to Chloe's side.

"Jackson," Arthur said, recapturing his attention. "You have to tell her though."

"Tell her what?"

"I can see you have demons. I can smell them on you and I felt them last night. You have to tell her." Arthur's eyes darkened slightly. "She has a right to know."

Jackson stayed quiet. He didn't want to tell Chloe about what he had done. The reason for the nightmares. She was still innocent, but he was covered in blood.

"Whatever is haunting you, it will haunt her too. She shares your dreams, remember? If she knows, then she can understand and help you break free of them." Arthur peered at him, looking at Jackson like no one had ever looked at him before.