Healing Her Wolf: Paranormal Werewolf Romance (7 page)

She heard two soft thuds in the living room, and then the clicking of nails on the tiles in the hallway. She looked down at the wolf walking up to her, and blinked back her tears.

What the hell was she doing? Konrad was a great guy, and she was telling him to find someone else. But it was for her own good; he wanted too much, too fast. They didn’t know enough about each other to know if they were right together.

Konrad whined softly as he stood by her feet, nudging her knees with his head. He didn’t want to go either.

Her fingers twitched with the urge to pet him, and she wrapped her arms around herself. “Just go, okay?” she said quietly. “And stay out of trouble.”

The wolf let out another whine, then trotted off, his tail hanging low. Maddy felt another pang of regret, then forced herself to go back inside and close the door. It was the right decision. She didn’t want to be with someone who was only in a relationship for his own gain. If he hadn’t wanted to be an Alpha, he never would come looking for her.

She wiped a few tears off her cheek with the sleeve of her bathrobe, then walked back into the living room. The t-shirt and sweatpants she had loaned Konrad lay in a pile by the door, and she picked them up. She’d do laundry later.

Maddy busied herself clearing the kitchen table and even doing the dishes. She kept thinking of Konrad. Would he go back to his hometown and try to be an unmated Alpha? Or would he continue his journey? She didn’t know the first thing about shifters, for all she knew he had lied about not being able to find another one.

There was, of course, a way to find out without asking Konrad. She could ask Tyler, to see what he knew about mating. Perhaps he had even heard about Woodland Creek.

Oh God, why was she still thinking about him? She took a deep breath. No, she had better things to do than this. She had animals to take care of, and she should call Mrs. Williams to let her know that the dog she found in her shed would be fine. Yeah, the dog would be fine.

*

Konrad had been sitting down and staring at the same tree for a while now. He had returned to the part of the forest where he had left his clothes and belongings last night, and had shifted back into a human and put his clothes on. Shifting again had hurt, but leaving Maddy’s house as a human hadn’t been an option either. He had had no wallet, no shoes, nothing. The pain was nothing compared to the ache he felt in his heart.

His own mate didn’t want to be with him. He would’ve understood if Maddy had asked him to get out after learning he was a wolf shifter, but she had asked questions, listened to him and been genuinely interested.

He closed his eyes, remembering the taste and feel of her underneath him. He could still feel her fingers on his skin, the way she’d clung to him like she’d never wanted to let him go. And yet she had.

Why? The question had been going through his mind ever since he first set foot out her door that morning. He yanked another leaf from some nearby bushes, and started picking it apart. Why would Maddy send him away? She had wanted to know more about him, so he had explained the situation. His parents had always taught him that honesty came first in a relationship.

His wolf was howling to go back, itching with the need to be back with his mate. Maybe if he explained things again? It had been a lot of information to take in at once, and Maddy had had a big shock.

What he needed was someone to talk to, someone who knew shifters and humans, and who could help him with this. Konrad tore off the last bit of green from the leaf he’d been picking at, and ran his hands through his hair. He needed advice, but the only person he knew around here was Maddy.

And Tyler.

His wolf bristled at the thought of asking Tyler, and Konrad’s pride still hurt at being defeated by the other wolf shifter, but Tyler really was his best bet. The man knew Maddy, and he had been friendly enough after Konrad had explained why he was here.

It wasn’t a good plan, but it was the only plan he had. He couldn’t leave Maddy, and he would do whatever was necessary to convince her that they were meant to be together. Feeling a little better, Konrad got up and headed back to Crystal Springs. Since he knew Tyler’s scent, it wasn’t too difficult to find the right direction.

The long walk gave him more time to consider how he would ask Tyler for help, assuming the other man was even willing to give it. Maybe he was still annoyed with Konrad coming here after all. Then again, as a shifter Tyler had to understand the importance of mates.

When he finally reached the ranger station, knocking on the door before heading in, he almost felt more nervous than when he had to shift in front of Maddy to prove he really was a shifter.

“Hey there,” a young woman sitting behind the desk greeted him, also in ranger uniform. “How can we help you?”

“I was looking for Tyler,” he said. “Do you know where he is?”

She nodded. “Yeah, he’s just in the office, eating his lunch.” She leaned forward. “Hey, Tyler! Someone’s here to see you!” she yelled, then leaned back again.

A few seconds later, Tyler came in through another door, finishing the last of his sandwich. “Sarah, what did I tell you about raising your voice in here?”

She shrugged. “You always ignore your phone when you’re eating.”

“And with good reason,” Tyler grumbled, then finally looked at Konrad. “What brings you here? I figured you’d have more important things to do than visit me.”

Konrad glanced at the other ranger, wondering if she knew what Tyler really was. “Yeah, so did I. Can I have word with you? Outside?”

Tyler nodded. “Sure, I need to go out anyway. You can tag along.”

Konrad followed the older man out, wondering where to start, but it was Tyler who broke the silence.

“What happened with Maddy? C’mon, you wouldn’t be here if something hadn’t gone wrong.”

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, staring at the ground as he walked alongside Tyler. They were following a trail into the woods, which suited Konrad just fine. “She pretty much kicked me out.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I explained to her what being mates meant, then she wanted to know more about me, so I told her where I came from, how I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her in Woodland Creek, and then she told me to leave,” he told him.

“Hm, I’m guessing you skipped a few steps there,” Tyler replied, “because that sounds ridiculous.”

“That’s why I don’t get it!” he exclaimed, hands out of his pockets now. “It is ridiculous to send away your mate.”

Tyler laughed. “That’s not what I meant, Konrad. If I’m gonna help you — and I’m guessing you came to me because you want help — I’m gonna need a few more details. What did she say when you told her about being mates?”

He tried to remember her exact words. “She wanted to know why I was so sure about the two of us. She seemed pretty skeptical about the whole thing.”

“Makes sense,” Tyler said, as they strolled along the trail. “So, did you convince her or did she kick you out before you could?”

“No, no. She argued I couldn’t be sure, since we didn’t know each other,” he explained. “So I figured I’d tell her anything she wanted to know about me.”

Tyler nodded. “That’s a good start. And then what?”

Konrad explained the situation in Woodland Creek, and about his uncle’s second term almost being over. “So in about two months they’re gonna elect a new Alpha to represent the wolf shifters, and I have to be there, with my mate, if I want to make things better for us,” he argued. He couldn’t let Michael or Christopher take the position of Alpha. If anything, they’d be even worse than Uncle Stephen.

“Good on you,” Tyler told him, smiling a little. “So that’s what you told Maddy? That you need a mate in order to become Alpha, since your uncle has been doing a terrible job?”

“Pretty much, yes.” He kicked at a rock. “So how do I convince Maddy to come with me? I need her, and not just to join the council.”

“Well, you can start with that. Because from what you’re telling me, it almost sounds like you’re more interested in the council than in her.”

“But I’m not!” he exclaimed. Until Maddy had asked him about his hometown, he hadn’t even thought about being an Alpha that much ever since he had met her.

Tyler eyed him. “And does Maddy know that?”

Konrad remained quiet, a sinking feeling in his stomach. “I was trying to convince her how important it was that we were mated…”

“Important to you, yes,” Tyler countered. “But why should she agree? What’s in it for her?”

He stopped walking, feeling like he’d just been slapped in the face. “I hadn’t actually thought about that.” He hadn’t thought about it from her point of view
at all
, apart from realizing that the concept of shifters and mates would be completely new to her. In the heat of the moment, he had been too focused on having found her and what that meant for him. He hadn’t considered her wants and needs. “I’m an idiot.”

“I wasn’t gonna mention it, but yeah,” Tyler told him bluntly. “Take it from me, assuming your girlfriend wants the same things you do in life without talking about it is the fastest way to get dumped.”

Konrad didn’t ask how Tyler had learned that; he didn’t need to. “Do you think if I talk to her again, she’ll give me another chance?” He knew where he’d messed up now.

Tyler considered this. “Maddy’s a sensible girl, but she won’t like it if you push too hard. If you want, I can let her know you’ll be in the area if she wants to talk, and that that decision is entirely up to her?”

Konrad thought it over. His wolf snarled at having to wait even longer. He knew where Maddy lived, why not go over there immediately? But he had already ignored what she wanted once, and he had to show her that he had realized his mistake. “That would be great, thanks.”

They walked back to the station, Tyler asking him more about the daily life in Woodland Creek, since he had always lived in predominantly human towns and was curious about the difference. “It must be great, not having to hide all the time,” Tyler said, as they neared the station again.

“Maybe you should visit some time,” Konrad offered.

“I just might do that.” Tyler opened the door to the station. “Hey Sarah, anything interesting happen while I was out?”

Sarah picked a post-it note off the keyboard. “You got a call from Maddy Petersen, said she needed to talk to you about a feral dog?” She shrugged. “I think she needs your help or our equipment for catching him. It’s not an emergency. I asked.”

Konrad tried not to feel too relieved by this news.

“I’ll call her back right now,” Tyler said, then glanced at Konrad.

“I’ll just — I’ll be outside,” he replied, his stomach tying itself in knots. He hated having to let Tyler do the talking, but for now it was the best option.

*

Maddy was checking her dad’s inventory, a little job she knew he hated doing. She didn’t like it much either, but it was something that didn’t require a lot of thinking, and therefore the perfect job for right now.

She started at her cell phone ringing in her pocket, made a final note on the notepad and picked up. “Hello, Maddy Petersen.”

“Hey, it’s Tyler. Sarah told me you called? Something about a feral dog you were having trouble with it?”

She could hear the smile in his voice, and that brought all her nerves right back. How the hell was she supposed to explain this Tyler? “You can say that again.”

“I’m surprised you have the time to call me, I thought you’d be busy.”

“Yeah, not so much,” she muttered, flushing slightly. “I sort of told him to leave.”

“Why?”

Maddy sighed, walking out of the storage room and back to the front office. “What do you know about mates? For shifters?” She sat down in the chair behind her father’s desk, turning this way and that.

“I know every shifter has one, although they’re pretty hard to find,” Tyler told her. “Shifters can fall in love with someone who isn’t their mate. Most of ‘em do, and have perfectly happy marriages. But once you find your mate, that’s it. And that feeling is pretty much mutual.”

“Right.” Great, she felt even guiltier now for sending Konrad away. It really was as important as he said it was; Tyler wouldn’t lie to her.

“So why did you tell him to leave?”

She leaned back in the chair. “Well, for one, he asked me when I wanted to be mated, when I had only just found out that even existed, and then he asked me when I wanted to go back to his hometown with him!”

Tyler laughed. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“Really? We don’t even know each other,” Maddy argued. “How can he be so certain?”

He sighed. “We just know. It’s hard to explain when you’re not a shifter yourself, or have grown up around shifters.”

“So it’s instinct?” she asked.

“That’s definitely part of it, yeah. Look, us shifters have a better sense of smell, so for us it’s easier to pick up that someone’s our mate. Compared to us, humans walk around with a permanent cold,” Tyler explained.

She was also willing to accept that, but it still didn’t make her feel better. “But how do
I
know Konrad’s actually my mate?”

Tyler let out a deep sigh. “Good question. From what I hear of shifters finding human mates, the human just sort of… knows as well. I guess it would be more like love at first sight,” he mused. “And whirlwind romances where people get married only a few months after meeting.”

“And then get divorced a year later,” she muttered. But calling it ‘love at first sight’ made sense to her. Even when he had been a wolf, she had known there was more to him and that he wouldn’t hurt her. And in the middle of panicking earlier that day — oh God, had it only been hours since she had first met him? — part of her had felt like she could trust this stranger. She had wanted to know more about him from that start, and not just out of scientific curiosity.

And obviously he had been very hot, and very naked.

She didn’t do one-night-stands or casual flings, and yet she had liked and trusted Konrad enough to jump into bed with him. And the sex had been amazing. It had simply felt right, like they had known each for much longer. She had never felt that way with her previous boyfriends, and definitely not on their first date.