Given to the Pack: Wolf Shifter Menage (The Wolfpack Trilogy Book 1) Read online

Aisha felt so relieved she could have cried.

  “And we’ll have to call it in to the State Wildlife Department. They’ll be very interested to hear of a gray wolf being found this far south.”

  “Thank you for not firing me,” Aisha said. And then she couldn’t help it. She started to cry.

  “Oh, you poor thing,” Sophia said, and she got up from her seat and came over to Aisha. “Listen to me. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. You’re too talented to be working here any longer. You should be enrolled in one of the top universities. I’ve been working at this clinic for twenty years and I’ve never seen anyone come close to having the raw, natural talent you have. It’s almost like you can speak to the animals.”

  “Only some of them,” Aisha said. Usually it was dogs she had an affinity for. Until today, when she’d learned that her talent extended to wolves as well.

  “I want to apply for some scholarships for you,” Sophia said. “With my recommendation, I think we could get you into the right program. Something that will fully challenge your skills.”

  “Really?” Aisha said. She was so happy a tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it.

  “I never dared to dream I could get a real qualification,” Aisha said. “School is just too expensive.”

  “Well, I’m not promising anything will happen, but we’ll get an application together,” Sophia said.

  “Thank you, Sophia. No one has ever done anything like that for me before.”

  “I know,” Sophia said. “That’s why it’s an honor for me.”

  Aisha looked at her and then hugged her as tightly as she could.

  “Now, go get yourself home. You can celebrate with Heath. He’ll be thrilled for you.”

  Aisha nodded. She doubted Heath would be thrilled, but she never spoke poorly of him to anyone. As far as Sophia and Lilly were concerned, Heath was a caring, loving boyfriend who wanted only the best for her. That was the impression she gave people. She felt that if they knew the truth, if they knew how he really treated her, they’d think less of her.

  She got up to leave.

  “One more thing,” Sophia said. “How did you get the wolf to remain so calm?”

  “I just spoke to her.”

  “What painkiller did you use?”

  It was only then that Aisha realized she hadn’t used anything. It hadn’t even crossed her mind. A wound like that would usually have required a powerful tranquilizer, especially on a wild animal like a wolf.

  She didn’t know why she lied. She just knew there was something strange about a girl who could calm a wolf like that just by talking to it.

  “Morphine,” she said.

  *

  Chapter 10

  AISHA CAUGHT UP ON A few hours of sleep in the afternoon. Heath was going in to town to see about a new job, so she had some peace and quiet at the house. The furnace still wasn’t on, and she didn’t want to bother Heath about it, so she slept with a hot water bottle. When she woke up she took a quick, cold shower and then got back into her bed to try and warm up.

  As she hugged herself, conserving as much body heat as possible, she wondered if she really was getting fat. Why did Heath always have to give her such a hard time about eating? She didn’t think she overate. She’d have to try harder.

  She got out of bed and started cleaning the living room. Heath always managed to turn it into a pig sty when she was at work. He’d been out of work since being laid off from the mill at the beginning of winter and had picked up a lot of bad habits. There were beer cans everywhere, pizza boxes, chip bags. Aisha gathered them all and put them in the trash. She moved the video game console from the coffee table and tucked it away under the TV. She vacuumed before turning her sights on the kitchen. There was a pile of dishes a foot high and she made her way through them. She had to wash them with cold water and her hands grew numb, but she stuck at it.

  She was just putting the kettle on to make some tea when her phone rang.

  “It’s me,” Heath said.

  “Hey, honey.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Just tidying up. How did the interview go?”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” he said. “Want to go out for dinner tonight?”

  Aisha did a quick tally of the money she had in her purse. “I only have about fifty bucks,” she said.

  “That’ll be enough.”

  She wouldn’t have any more money till the beginning of next week, but she didn’t feel like she could say no to Heath. It was so rare for him to ask her out.

  “Sure,” she said.

  “Great. I’ll pick you up in thirty.”

  She hung up the phone. Evening was falling and she hadn’t eaten a thing all day. All she’d had was the coffee at the clinic. She was starving, but she’d been too afraid of Heath’s criticisms to make herself anything.

  As she got dressed she wondered what she’d order. She hoped he’d take her somewhere nice, a real restaurant. But Heath probably had Cody’s in mind, the bar he hung out at with his buddies.

  She put on makeup and the nicest dress she owned—a black one with a short skirt that revealed her shoulders and cleavage nicely. Then she put on her coat and boots and waited by the door. Heath hated to wait for her.

  A few minutes passed and he still hadn’t shown up. She was glad she had her coat on because the house was freezing. It was also dark. She turned on the porch light and began to daydream about leaving town and going to a nice university in a big city. She thought about the friends she could make, the things she would learn, the men she might meet.

  The lights of the car coming down the driveway brought her back from her daydreams. She ran out and got into the car. She said nothing about the fact that he was an hour late.

  *

  Chapter 11

  CODY’S WASN’T MUCH TO LOOK at from the street. A rectangular box in the middle of a parking lot on the road into town. They parked out front and went in.

  “Want to sit at the bar?” Heath said.

  “How about a booth?”

  Heath looked annoyed, but it wouldn’t be much of a date at the bar. He sat across from her and picked up the menu.

  “Hello, cutie.”

  Aisha looked up. It was their waitress, and she’d just called Heath cutie. Aisha refused to let herself think about what that had to mean.

  “Hi,” Heath said to her and looked down at the menu.

  Aisha looked at him. He wasn’t going to make eye contact. She had a knot in her stomach. The waitress looked like a complete slut, with low jeans ripped at the thighs and a tight tank top. Her nipples showed through it. Would it have killed her to wear a bra? Hot, skinny chicks could get away with anything.

  “Oh, is this a date?” the waitress said.

  Aisha felt mortified. She looked down at her menu. Heath didn’t even answer the question.

  “Beer,” he said.

  The waitress was chewing gum. “And for you, honey?” she said, looking down at Aisha.

  “Just water,” Aisha said.

  Heath sighed. “Come on,” he said, looking at Aisha. “She’ll have a beer.”

  The waitress disappeared as quickly as she’d shown up.

  “What are you going to get?” Heath said.

  Aisha’s heart was pounding in her chest. It had happened again. She’d lost her voice. That feeling she always had when Heath hurt her, the knots in her stomach, the tightness in her chest—it was all there.

  She cleared her throat. “Burger.”

  Heath nodded. “I’ll get wings.”

  Then he got up from his seat and went over to the bar. There was no need for him to get up to place the order, but he did it anyway. Aisha turned to watch him. He was standing next to the waitress, giving her the order. Was he standing too close to her, or was that a normal distance? Aisha didn’t know. She felt like she was losing her mind. She hated feeling this way. The waitress was laughing and Heath was leaning back on the bar, looking con
fident, feeling great.

  When he came back to the booth, Aisha couldn’t bring herself to look at him. He put her beer in front of her and she grabbed it and took two big gulps.

  Aisha wondered what he’d say when she told him about Sophia’s offer. Would he be happy for her? Would he recognize it as the opportunity it was?

  They sipped their beer in silence for a few minutes. Why was everything so difficult with him? She tried to remember if it had always been like this. There must have been a time when she’d felt good about being with Heath. After four years it was hard to remember. She’d still been in high school when he asked her out. It was the beginning of her sophomore year. Heath was twenty-four at the time, working at the mill. He had his own car, his own place, a full-time income. Having never had a father, the interest of a hot, hunky guy eight years older than her had been irresistible to Aisha. She’d felt like she’d just won the lottery when she told her foster parents she was leaving. As many questions as she’d had about Heath, one thing was certain, her foster father was a monster, and there was no way she could survive to the end of high school under his roof.

  Four years was a lot of time to rethink a decision though.

  “A guy brought in a wolf today,” she said, more to break the awkwardness of the silence than anything else.

  “Oh yeah?” Heath said, sipping his beer. He was looking past Aisha at the waitress.

  “Yeah, a wild wolf. There haven’t been wolves like that in Washington for decades.”

  “No kidding.”

  The waitress was approaching and Heath didn’t take his eyes from her. When she got to the table with their food, Aisha had the distinct impression she was being left out of something. She felt like the third wheel.

  “I’ll take another beer,” Heath said before she left.

  Aisha lifted the bun of her burger to put more ketchup on it.

  “So fattening,” Heath said under his breath.

  “What?”

  “Ketchup. It’s all sugar. Don’t you know how to read ingredients?”

  “Sorry,” Aisha found herself saying, although she didn’t know why in the world she was apologizing to him.

  She put the ketchup bottle back. Suddenly she’d lost her appetite. It was strange how a single cruel comment could affect her so deeply.

  She wanted to change the subject. “Sophia wanted to talk to me today. She said she’d help me apply for some scholarships so that I could go to school, become a real vet. She said I was talented and could go all the way in a good school.”

  “Wait here,” Heath said.

  He got up and went back over to the bar. Aisha wasn’t sure he’d heard a single word she’d said. She felt so foolish. She’d been looking forward to this. She’d thought he might actually be happy for her. She’d put on a pretty dress. And now she was sitting here, by herself, and she hadn’t even taken her coat off.

  She ate a french fry. She wanted to put ketchup on it but she was afraid to now. Those comments of Heath’s really had a way of cutting through her. She wondered if she’d ever be able to eat ketchup in front of him again. She loved ketchup.

  She took off her coat. She figured if she’d put on the dress, the least she could do was show it. So what if she wasn’t as hot as the waitress? That waitress flirted with every single guy who came into that bar. It was practically in her job description. Heath should have known better than to take it seriously.

  When Heath came back, Aisha tried to change the mood. She smiled at him. She tried to be pretty. Girls were pretty when they smiled, weren’t they? Wasn’t that what people said? She felt vulnerable in the dress, her shoulders and cleavage on display.

  “How are your wings?” she said.

  “Good,” Heath said. “So anyway, my news. I got offered a job today.”

  “Oh Heath, that’s super. Congratulations. I knew they’d want you.”

  “They do want me. They said I’m the right man for the job.”

  “I’m so proud of you. When do they want you to start?”

  “As soon as possible. Beginning of next month.”

  “That’s great. I know you’ve wanted this so badly.”

  “It’s logging, same as before, only they don’t need me here. They want me in Alaska.”

  *

  Chapter 12

  AISHA WAS IN SHOCK. She couldn’t believe it. Heath wanted her to move with him to Alaska. Alaska! She’d never even met anyone from Alaska, never mind thought about moving there. Her life was here. She’d built a place for herself here, at the clinic, with Lilly and Sophia. She was doing good here. Her childhood had been difficult—foster care was no cakewalk, high school had been even worse—but she was finally beginning to find a place for herself. She felt things were finally coming together. When Sophia had told her she believed in her and would help her get a scholarship, it had only confirmed all of Aisha’s feelings toward her hard work.

  Now she felt like Heath was pulling the carpet right out from under her. She was so taken aback by Heath’s declaration that she hadn’t been able to speak to him through the rest of dinner. She had to wait till she was in the car to voice her concerns.

  “What did you tell them?” she said on the drive home.

  “What do you think?” he said. “I said we’d take it.”

  “We’d take it?”

  “You’ve got a problem with me working now? I don’t get you sometimes, Aisha. First you want me to get a job, all you do is nag me about it, make me feel like dirt. Now I’ve got a job, and you’ve got a problem with it.”

  “I don’t have a problem with it,” she said. “I’m thrilled you got offered a job. You know I support you in everything.”

  “It doesn’t sound like it.”

  “It’s just … shouldn’t that be something we discuss together?”

  Aisha wished she was the one driving. Heath had downed four beers at the bar and he was doing over fifty miles an hour. It was too fast for the narrow, winding road. He took the turns aggressively.

  “Okay, what’s to discuss? You want me to turn it down? The first good thing to happen to me all year?”

  “Of course not.”

  “What then?”

  She couldn’t answer him. She couldn’t speak at all. All she could do was sit there, holding on to her seatbelt, and feel disgusted at herself for being so weak. What would she tell Sophia? What would happen to the scholarships? Would she be able to pursue the opportunity from Alaska? It was a long shot.

  “It’s not even a big deal. I’ve worked up there before. You knew that about me.”

  It was true. He’d actually grown up in the strange, logging communities of northern Alaska. He often told her how different things were up there. He said it was beyond civilization, beyond the laws and rules that applied to society down here. Up there, nature was the only law. If you got caught out in the cold, you died. If the deliveries couldn’t come up from the south, you starved. If you were alone in the woods without the proper equipment, you were eaten. It was Darwinism, pure and simple. She nodded her head, utterly defeated. Why would any woman want to go live in a place like that? She could see the appeal of adventure, but living in a place as ruthless and desolate as northern Alaska? That didn’t sound like adventure at all, it sounded like a prison sentence.

  “Did you leave that waitress a good tip?” Heath said.

  Of course, Aisha had been the one to pay the bill. She'd left the waitress ten dollars on top of the thirty they owed. That left her with just ten dollars in her purse. She couldn’t help thinking that if Heath hadn't had four beers, the bill would have been half the price.

  “I left her ten.”

  Heath nodded.

  “On top of what?”

  “On top of thirty.”

  He nodded. He drove on, swerving and flying around every bend.

  “So we’re taking it?” he said.

  Aisha swallowed. She had to close her eyes and take a deep breath just to get the words out.
>
  “Of course,” she said, quietly. “It’s what you want.”

  *

  Chapter 13

  WHEN THEY GOT HOME, HEATH went around to the trunk and took out a box. Aisha wondered what was in it, but she was just too nervous to even ask.

  Inside she turned on the lights and checked the heat. The house was frigid.

  “I think our furnace is out,” she said.

  Heath sighed. “It’s just one gad damned thing after another.”

  “Sorry, Heath,” she said. “I’m not complaining.”

  She went to the stove and put water on to boil. She stood next to it. She wasn’t sure what she wanted more, the tea, or the heat from the stovetop.

  “I’ve got something for you,” Heath said.

  “Me?”

  “I don’t see anyone else here.”

  “Oh,” Aisha said.

  He was standing by the kitchen table with the box in front of him. She could see that it was from the Gown Shop, a dress shop in the town. She wondered where on earth Heath had gotten the money to buy her a gift. Had she been unfair to him? Of course the past few months had been hard on him without a job. Maybe that was why he’d been so hard on her. Maybe things weren’t as bad as she’d imagined.

  “You got me a gift?” she said.

  “Open it.”

  She opened it. Inside was a beautiful dress. It was possibly the most beautiful dress Aisha had ever seen in her life. It was of delicate silk, ivory white, with beads embroidered into it in an intricate pattern.

  “Heath!” she said.

  He was smiling at her.

  “Is this really for me?”

  He nodded.

  “Is it … what I think it is?”

  “Will you marry me?” he said.

  “Oh, Heath,” she cried and rushed around the table to throw her arms around him. He kissed her on the lips, and she sighed in pleasure and relief as he held her in his arms.

  Things were turning around! They weren’t as bad as she’d thought. Heath had just been stressed out because he’d been out of work. That made perfect sense. He wasn’t a cruel person, he’d just been going through a lot of his own crap. That was it.