Logan glanced over at Deacon and gave him a thumbsup. He noticed Adam had moved closer to the young man, almost as if he were a doctor and Deacon his patient, which, in some ways, sort of explained their strange new relationship.
“We do the shift indoors, okay?” Anton was already working down the row of buttons on his shirt. “And stay alert. I’ve still got a strange feeling, as if all is not as it should be, but I can’t put my finger on anything in particular. Keep an eye out for anything that feels the least bit sketchy. Have fun tonight, but don’t forget to pay attention with all your Chanku senses. You smell anything, see anything, feel anything at all different, I want to know about it immediately.”
He tugged his shirt off and started on his pants. Logan realized he was surrounded by people in various stages of undress, including his mate. Within moments, all of them were nude, and seconds later, everyone but Adam, Logan, and Deacon had shifted.
At well over six and a half feet tall, Deacon towered over both men in a room filled with wolves of all shades and sizes, all of them waiting to witness a new Chanku’s first shift. “Are you ready, bro?” Logan stood to one side. Adam took the other.
“No pressure here, eh? Give him some space, guys.” Adam touched Deacon’s arm, steadying him once he dropped the crutches. The huge cast looked awkward and unwieldy. Deacon shifted his weight to regain his balance.
“Get inside my head,” Adam said. “Watch what I do. Then do the same thing.”
Deacon nodded. Adam shifted. Deacon took a deep breath and followed his lead. The plaster cast crumbled into dust. The large gray wolf sitting in the midst of the pile sneezed.
The sense of celebration and outright relief in the room was an almost palpable force.
Logan dropped to his knees and hugged Deacon’s furry neck. “I knew you could do it. Is your leg okay? Any pain?”
The wolf shook his head. Lifted up his front paw and studied the long, black nails, the thick pads. Shit. I didn’t really think it would happen. My right rear leg doesn’t hurt at all. That’s the one I broke, right?
“Yeah. That’s the one you broke.” Logan swallowed back a sudden thickening in his throat. He’d been part of this. He’d made love with this young man, had helped him when he’d been hurt. Had ached for him when they’d all shifted and Deacon remained behind.
He wouldn’t stay behind tonight.
The other wolves milled about. Many of them approached Deacon, as if offering congratulations. It took Logan a minute to recognize individuals in the pack, but their personalities showed through even in wolf form.
You did it, kid! Stefan bumped shoulders with Deacon and moved aside when Tala, Mik, and AJ approached. They sniffed noses with the big gray wolf. The wolf that was Tala stayed a moment longer than the two guys. Logan wondered what she said to Deacon. It was obvious some private communication went on between the two of them. Finally she nuzzled Deacon’s shoulder and turned away.
She paused a moment and looked up at Logan. I told him we’ll always have a bed for him in San Francisco. For you and Jazzy, too, and your three buddies in Colorado. Before he could reply, she turned and trotted after Mik and AJ.
Finally, everyone’s attention shifted away from the newest wolf. Regal even on four legs, Anton headed for the open back door, but it was his mate, Keisha, who led the pack out into the Montana night. Logan’s head buzzed with all the mental conversations as each wolf followed their lead and slipped through the doorway.
Logan shifted and stood beside Adam, Deacon, and Jazzy. It happened so easily, the change from human to four-footed beast. So naturally.
It still embarrassed him, remembering how he’d practically called Tala, AJ, and Mik liars when they’d first tried to explain his Chanku birthright to him. He couldn’t believe how stubbornly he’d resisted the truth, even though he’d already witnessed Nicky’s change with his own eyes.
Well, no one ever accused him of not being a horse’s ass…Logan glanced toward Adam and found the other wolf staring at him. A shiver raced along his spine. Damn. He usually wasn’t this horny until after a run.
When they fell into line behind the others, Logan followed, but his mind wasn’t on the frosty air or the sounds of wolves running on all sides. He wasn’t mesmerized, as usual, by the pure joy of running on four legs with his beautiful mate at his side.
No. He was lost in Adam Wolf. Caught in the view of his lean, dark frame streaking through the forest. Trapped in his scent, which had suddenly become a seductive lure unlike anything Logan had ever known. Beguiled by the feral beauty, the mystery of their kind and the knowledge he and Adam would be together tonight, he followed the pack into the forest.
Damn. Dark shapes streaked through the artificially bright green meadow, clearly visible through the high-tech spotting scope. Even in the distorted light it was obvious the pack was huge, but at this distance a clear count was impossible. Were all of them running together? They wouldn’t leave the babies unguarded, would they? Babies couldn’t shift, at least not babies as young as theirs.
A light went on in the house. Then another at the opposite end. That meant more than one person inside. The rest of the pack would be gone for hours, but the house appeared well guarded. There’d be no chance of getting inside, at least not tonight. No matter. Wrapping up in a warm coat would have to do. Maybe the dreams would return, and with them the heat of sexual desire. Better than nothing…
Something was going on. She wished she knew, just as she wished she understood the strange dreams growing more vivid each night. At least once the wolves entered the forest, they’d be gone long enough to allow for a quick nap…a nap, and another round of dreams. Maybe the dreams held answers? If only Father were still alive. She’d never thought to ask him about the dreams.
Chapter 4
If wolves could laugh, Deacon knew he’d be howling with joy. It was unbelievable, a dream, a fantasy come true. All those nights when he’d awakened with the scent of the forest in his nostrils and vague memories of racing along dark trails with the sounds of critters scampering out of his way…all those memories were real! They were happening, here and now.
The cold wind chilled his nose but didn’t touch his skin, protected as he was by his amazingly thick gray pelt. His feet…no, paws. Damn, he had huge paws, and they gripped the hard-packed ground while his powerful leg muscles propelled him forward.
The injured leg didn’t ache at all. There was no sense of weakness, no pain, nothing to take away from the glory of this first run. He’d been so jealous when the others had gone out and left him home alone. He knew they’d felt guilty about it, even though his fall was no one’s fault but his own.
Tonight made up for all those nights past. It made up for everything. For life on the streets from the time he was a young teen, to the uncounted times he’d sold his body in order to make enough money to eat, to the cold days wandering the streets and the colder nights huddled in a dark alley or run-down shelter, praying to survive until dawn.
This was beyond cool, running as part of such a powerful pack, as part of a family. At dinner tonight, Anton had welcomed them. He’d said they were all family. He’d looked right at Deacon when he’d said that, like he was personally assuring him he was included, too.
Damn, what a rush that had been. That feeling of family, especially with such amazing people. All of them smart and beautiful and loving. If he’d had the chance to choose a family, he couldn’t have come up with anything better than Mik, AJ, and Tala, and the people he’d met today.
The trail was narrow here, and they ran in single file through groves of huge trees and thick stands of bushes. Such beautiful, strong bodies, and his was one of them. Deacon leapt over a huge