ChangingPaths (2 page)

She glanced at their rescuer again. His hair had swung
forward, hiding the patch as well as some of the scarring on his face. She had
to wonder what kind of accident he’d been in. It was obvious shifting to his
wolf form hadn’t healed the injury. Maybe it had been too severe? Though she’d
never heard of that, it didn’t mean it wasn’t possible.

As he made the turn into the drive leading to the gates of
the reservation, she felt her own tension increasing again. She’d hoped they
could get to Willow’s without having to announce themselves to the entire
reservation, but as soon as they passed through the gates she knew that wasn’t
going to happen.

She cursed silently at the sight of the patrol car on the
side of the road complete with a familiar man leaning against it. His arms
crossed over his chest guaranteed he wasn’t pleased about something. If it was
her then the entire population of the res would know she’d returned. And why.

The truck slowed then the driver—damn, what had he said his
name was?—rolled his window down.

“Hey, Pete.”

“Gareth. Figured you’d be at the lodge by now. I’d be there
myself but I have a couple of deputies out sick. He’s back you know. You shouldn’t
be late,
niijii
.”

Gareth, it was an unusual enough name that she should have
remembered it. From what the deputy had said she realized just how much of an
inconvenience she and Rain were, again.

Uncle Pete had never neglected to show her just how little
he valued her. Why would this time be any different? Leaning forward, she tuned
back into the conversation.

“Yeah, ran into some folks with trouble so I stopped to help
them out. Their car’s just up the road. I’ve got two tires in the back of the
truck, so I’ll take them to the garage in town tomorrow.”

“Hello, Uncle Pete.”

The flash of surprise on both male faces wasn’t lost on her.
Pete’s was masked a bit more quickly.

“Niece. I’d heard you were coming back. Is that your young?”
His voice wasn’t cool but it wasn’t warm either. She’d classify it more as
careful.

“Yes.” She turned toward Rain, noticing that she’d finally
removed the earbuds that had been a permanent part of her wardrobe for the past
six months. “Rain, I’d like you to meet your great-uncle, Pete Standing Elk.
Uncle Pete, this is my daughter Rain Softly Johnson.”

She ignored Rain’s muttered protest when she said her middle
name. The child—despite her protests, she was still a child—hated her full
name. Harmony bitterly thought it hadn’t been her choice either. She’d been
forced to sign the filled-out birth certificate. Tom had made it clear that any
protest would incur his anger. At the time, she’d been doing everything to
avoid that. It was too late now to change her daughter’s name anyway.

“Welcome home, young Rain. Harmony, you took the family name
back?” That barb struck right where it had been intended. Pete had never made
any secret of the fact that he disliked Tom. He hadn’t trusted his “citified”
ways or his promises to her. Now of course she wished she’d listened, but that
was the past. No way would she allow Pete or anyone else to hurt her daughter
with words, or in any other fashion.

“Yes, as a condition of the divorce I took my name back and
then had Rain’s changed as well.”

“All for the best.” Pete turned his attention back to
Gareth, effectively dismissing the niece he hadn’t seen in almost two decades
along with her child whom he hadn’t met until now. That discourtesy told her
just how opposed he was to her return. “I’ve spoken to Micah to let him know I
will be there late tonight. I’ll make sure the car gets towed to Bill’s shop.”

With that, he tipped his head to them then turned back
toward his patrol car. Feeling his attention, she glanced at Gareth. “I guess
he’s still pretty angry with me for leaving the reservation.”

“Families are complicated.” He shrugged. The truck jerked
back to life as he pulled away from the patrol car. His voice sounded tight as
he steered it into a right-hand turn. “I’m sure Willow will be happy to see
you.”

He didn’t say anything else, so neither did she. She just
let her mind drift to the way things had been before she’d left the reservation
with someone she thought was her Prince Charming. The fact that he’d turned out
to be a total snake didn’t negate the one good thing he had done. He’d given
her Rain.

Turning her attention back to her daughter, she took in her
familiar features. As much as she could see herself in Rain’s looks she could
see Tom’s stamp as well. She thought the blend made Rain beautiful. She just
hoped bringing Rain back to the reservation could mend some of the fences she’d
so carelessly torn down sixteen years ago.

They passed a clearing, then Willow’s house came into view.
He stopped his truck a respectful distance away. He obviously visited a lot if
he knew the Native ways. It was considered rude to just pull up to someone’s
home and get out of the car without acknowledgement. Harmony filed that away
for future thought. He definitely wasn’t of the People.

When Willow appeared in the doorway he pulled the truck a
little closer as she gave the come-ahead. He put it in park. Her skin warmed
when he looked at her. Something about his gaze made her simmer. She could feel
that familiar pull in her belly—the one she hadn’t felt in a long time. It was
just that the man was sinfully sexy. She didn’t want to simmer or think about
sex with this stranger, so she reached across Rain to open the door so they
could slide out.

“Thank you, Gareth.”

“I’ll get your bags.”

As they got out of the truck Willow stepped off the porch.
Harmony smiled as her aunt came forward to greet them. For the first time since
beginning this ill-fated journey Harmony felt that things might just work out
for everyone involved.

Being enfolded in her favorite aunt’s warm embrace brought
tears to her eyes. Tears she had refused to let fall on the trip here filled
her eyes as she breathed in her aunt’s scent. Leaving her family had been hard,
though honestly she’d frequently felt driven to do it. Being one of the Moon-Denied,
one of those who couldn’t shift despite a genetic predisposition to do so, wasn’t
easy. Now she’d brought her daughter here to see if she’d passed on her own
weakness or if Rain would be one of the lucky ones. One able to take another
shape to run with the Pack. The one thing Fate had denied her.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Harmony. I’ve missed you so.”
Willow cupped her face, staring hard at her. “You’ve changed.”

“Not that much. Aunt Willow, this is my daughter Rain. Rain,
this is your great-aunt, Willow Johnson.” She leaned into her aunt’s hand for a
brief moment, craving that touch. Even the Moon-Denied needed the comfort of
physical reassurance. She’d missed that.

“Welcome, Rain. You are the image of your mother. Come in,
come inside. I’ve arranged for you to live in the old Fox cabin but for now you
should come in and eat. Uncle Jake is at the lodge, he’ll be back by midnight.”
With that, Willow looked at Gareth.

“You should be on your way, young one, the Pack will be
gathering. He’s back. You’re already late but he’ll understand.”

“Yes ma’am. I’ll just drop these on the porch.” He indicated
the suitcases he’d removed from his truck. She watched as he strode up to her
aunt’s house. After setting their stuff down on the porch by the front door, he
started back toward his truck, obviously not intending to say anything else.
She felt compelled to stop him. Reaching out, she touched his shoulder.

The way he jerked back made her wonder if he felt the same
sizzling flash of awareness she did. But she discarded that foolishness. He
just didn’t want one of her kind touching him. Her tone came out more formal
than she’d meant it to.

“Gareth, thank you for stopping to help us. I don’t know how
long we’d have been out there if you hadn’t.”

“No problem.” He nodded, once again letting his hair fall
forward to cover his face. She felt a pang of sadness that this shifter felt it
necessary to go to such lengths to hide his features. He was handsome, not in
the traditional sense but there was just something about him that made her
think of rubbing her body against his. Not that it mattered really.

It wasn’t just the fact that he was a shifter. She hadn’t
caught a mated scent. Yeah, he was probably happily mated. Even if he wasn’t,
no way he’d be interested in a Moon-Denied female with a kid. Talk about too
much baggage.

“If you need me, Willow, just call. I know the Fox cabin
could use some work, especially on the furnace. Enjoy your visit.” With that,
he got back in his truck then left. She looked over her shoulder as she
followed her daughter and aunt into the house but he never slowed or looked
back. Feeling as though she’d missed something important, she sighed before she
closed the door.

Gareth mentally chewed his own ass out as he left the
reservation. Why had he bothered to offer his help? There were plenty of people
on the res who could do the same work he could on the cabin. No need for Willow
to call him and definitely no need to set himself up for any more trouble by
getting involved with a res shifter.

Though they all belonged to the same Pack, the Native
population kept some distance between themselves and outsiders. So not being
one of their tribe was a strike. Coupled with the fact that he hadn’t even been
born in Wisconsin and had moved here without knowing anyone was a second
strike. When they’d found out he had no intention of being part of the Pack,
they were more than a little reluctant to have him around.

He’d grown up in a Pack, so he knew the ropes, the rules and
ways of Packs. He’d been willing to accept being an outsider. Micah had changed
that. Gareth hadn’t expected Micah to trust him as much as he did. Micah had
given him a place, a job—even a chance. It had been that acceptance that had
secured his position in the Lodge Pack. Still, he was of the Pack but he wasn’t
of the People here.

Shaking all of that off, he concentrated on the Gathering to
come. Everyone would probably already be in the clearing. It would be to his
advantage to cut through the woods from here. He was late, disrespect enough
for one of Micah’s seconds. No point in compounding that.

As soon as he cleared res land he pulled his truck off the
road. Since Pete was on patrol he’d leave Gareth’s truck there until he could
come back for it. Striding quickly into the woods, he moved just far enough
into the cover of the trees so that he couldn’t see or been seen from the road
then quickly stripped. He shivered a little with the cool evening air then
bundled his clothes up to put them beside a big rock. They’d still be there
when he got back.

Removing his patch last, he tilted his head, shaking his
hair back and letting his shift begin. He felt the burn as his body reshaped
itself from human to animal, felt his senses sharpen as his mind captured more
of his surroundings. Being wolf made him happy in a way that being human never
could. It was why he’d spent so much time in wolf form running with real
wolves.

Tipping his head back, he gave that feeling voice, howling
his joy out for all to hear. Answering howls reached him. He knew the Pack had
indeed gathered. Spinning around to head deeper into the woods, he let the joy
of simply running course through him. Here, in this form, in these woods, he
was at peace with himself.

He preferred the pine needles and mulch breaking under his
feet, the tree branches whipping by him, and the cold air bringing all the
scents of the woods to his nose. His wolf senses were so much keener and the
sightless eye wasn’t such a burden with his hearing and sense of smell so
improved. Humans missed so much by not being able to breath in the deep pine of
the forest combined with the crisp chill of snow on the air.

He made the clearing in moments, the scents of the Pack
reaching him long before he saw any of them. Still, as he neared the center of
the group, he could distinguish those who accepted him and those who did not.
At this point, however, he’d focused his attention on two gray wolves in the
very middle of the Pack.

Micah Keeps Vigil and his mate Olivia. He’d have known his
Alpha anywhere just from the sheer size of the wolf. Dropping his head as he
neared the mated pair, he tilted his head to one side, exposing his neck as was
proper for anyone in the Pack when greeting the Alpha.

Micah nodded to him, touching his nose to Gareth’s neck in
acknowledgement of his tribute. The Alpha’s scent filled his nostrils, calming
him in a way only Micah could.
Where have you been, Gareth? Talia was
disappointed that you weren’t at the lodge to greet us.

I’m sorry, Micah. I’ll make it up to her. I had to go
into town for some parts for one of the snowmobiles and then I stopped to help
someone on the road. Turned out to be Pete’s niece. He also sends his
apologies. He got stuck working tonight.

I know. He left a message for us. Greet Olivia, would
you? She’s a little nervous about tonight. It’s her first Gathering since
giving birth.

He dropped onto his belly in remorse. Not only hadn’t he
been there to meet his Alpha’s daughter, he hadn’t even thought to ask about
his Alpha’s son. With that foremost in his mind, he turned his attention to the
female standing at Micah’s left shoulder. She touched her nose to his muzzle
and whuffed air at him. He returned the greeting then opened himself to the
Alpha female.

Welcome home, Olivia.

Gareth, you have no idea how happy I am to be back here.
Talia was upset with you for not being there to meet us. You’ll have some
apologizing to do there.

I know, I’m sorry. And how is Miakoda? I’m sure I won’t
even recognize him.

You won’t! He’s growing so fast. And he’s such a good
traveler. Oh have we got stories to tell you!