The White Wolf of Wishing Moon Bay - Harmony Raines Page 0,3

night air, he strode away from the small patch of light that streamed out of the kitchen and opened the back gate which led onto the street. The distant mountains called to him, he longed to go home, to leave behind the noise and the chatter that seemed to permeate every part of the small hotel he’d agreed to run for a couple of weeks.

How could he say no when his adoptive mom, Valerie Kelts, who owned the hotel, was recovering from an operation on her knee? If anyone else had asked, he’d have said no. Logan was not a people person and despite his best efforts, he didn’t seem able to empathize with all the guests who were staying at the hotel.

One particular guest seemed hellbent on making Logan’s life a misery.

So what if the hot water cut out halfway through your shower? Cold water washed the soap away just as well.

His wolf chuckled. You’re going to need a cold shower to cool that temper of yours.

I’m not angry. Logan sighed and stared at the mountain peaks that lay beyond the borders of the town. I just want to be free. I’d forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by people all the time.

Valerie needs us, so we’re going to suck it up and get the job done. His wolf was always the practical one.

Logan sighed. His wolf was right. They were both missing their cabin on the edge of the woods that fringed the mountains, where they spent most of the time hunting and fishing. Living off the land meant he could drown in silence and he only came to town a couple of times a week to trade in his furs and the fish he’d smoked himself.

And to see his mom and his brothers, five other shifters who Valerie had also adopted when they were kids. All grown up now, they all kept in close contact with the woman who had showered them with love and understanding. They owed her so much.

They also loved each other and were there for each other. If ever one of them needed help, he knew he could rely on the others to be there. Logan’s brothers often visited him at his cabin where they sat and drank beer under the stars. They would sit and talk, reminiscing over their happy childhood days, and dreaming of their futures. And their mates. Who none of them had been lucky enough to meet yet.

Where are we going? his wolf asked. We can’t just abandon the hotel.

We’re not. I just had the urge to get out of there. Logan stopped and sniffed the air. Can’t you feel it? There was something different about Wishing Moon Bay tonight. The air smells different.

Snow, we’re going to have snow. Just think, all those people snowed in at the hotel. He chuckled as Logan grimaced. His wolf liked people. Or he didn’t dislike them as much as Logan.

You don’t dislike people, his wolf told him. You just don’t always understand them. They confuse you.

Logan shook his head from side to side. They don’t seem to be the thing that is confusing me now. There’s something...

Here... His wolf stood up, his head raised, his mouth slightly open as he tasted something in the air.

What is it? The hairs on the back of Logan’s neck stood on end as he stared into the distance. The streetlights lining the road were not exactly bright, but he could see something approaching them. Something on foot. A beast about to attack?

His wolf itched to be free as he prowled the edges of Logan’s mind, but he didn’t sense danger. He sensed something else. Something he could not name.

Logan’s pace quickened. He needed to see what the thing was coming toward them. It had a long and a short body. He tilted his head to one side. If that was right, it was walking sideways.

Two. There are two of them. His wolf’s excitement ratcheted up a notch. Go.

What?

Go.

Do you mean run away? What kind of devil would make his wolf want to run away?

No, go to her. Go to them.

Logan stopped walking. Cold sweat on his forehead chilled him and he shivered. He didn’t need his wolf to tell him anymore. He knew what he was facing. The biggest threat he’d ever faced.

Our mate, his wolf finally said.

Our mate. Just what we need.

Exactly what we need, his wolf agreed.

I was being sarcastic.

I was not. His wolf chuckled but Logan didn’t find it amusing at