A Wolfshifter Meant Only for Me
“Wow. Just wow.” Jack’s voice sounded rightfully impressed. “Theo, do you see how it’s done? You should look up to Ryder. What do you mean, I should shut up? Tell me you’re not impressed. Ugh, you’re so annoying.”
Danny peered at the battle scene from his safe place, still worried that he might witness Ryder bleeding, although Jack’s funny words had already put him at ease.
His alpha was standing in the middle of the meadow that had served as the battlefield for his last confrontation with Cassandra. He looked majestic, undefeated, and Danny felt his chest swelling with pride. That was his alpha. If his colleagues at work could see him now, they would be so envious. Ah, damn, he hadn’t even notified his employer that he would be taking an indefinite leave of absence. Or quitting altogether.
Such things weren’t important now. He hurried to Ryder and took his hand. “What’s going to happen next?” he asked in a fearful voice. “The guys aren’t back, and we’ve only heard Jack for a bit--”
Danny didn’t have the time to finish his thoughts, because noises from behind warned them to get out of the way. An avalanche of limbs and heads careened toward them and eventually stopped, allowing Theodore, Vince, and Jack to land safely on the grass.
Theodore was on his feet in a second. He grabbed Jack by the front of his t-shirt and shook him hard. “You puny human! How dare you speak to me like that?”
Vince intervened, pulling Theodore’s arms back and locking them in place. Danny stared in disbelief at his best friend. He was strong and went to the gym religiously, but didn’t he realize that Theo was an alpha, a powerful creature of myth and legend? Vince was definitely fearless to the point of recklessness, but Danny was grateful for it, because Theodore let go of Jack with a grunt.
Jack didn’t lose his footing. He did look a little wrinkled from his confrontation with Theodore, but otherwise he seemed fine.
“You need to work on that attitude, Theo,” Jack warned the powerful alpha. “And Vince, thanks a lot. You’re like my personal bodyguard.” He linked his hands in front of himself and swung them lightly while batting his eyelashes, clearly aiming for a cute baby girl impersonation.
Danny had to bite his bottom lip not to laugh. Although, he did worry about aggravating Theodore Pembroke more than necessary, given Jack’s propensity for getting on the alpha’s nerves.
“It is good that Vince now takes care of your personal safety,” Ryder said. “Make sure to keep him busy, Jack.”
Danny stared at his alpha in disbelief. He could swear Ryder was joking… but no, his handsome face was serious. Oh, it was something else. He would have to be careful from now on, since it seemed that his mate tended to get jealous easily. It warmed his heart when it happened; no one had ever gotten jealous over him before. Sure, Ryder had absolutely no reason to consider Vince a rival, but that didn’t mean Danny didn’t like this possessive side of the wolfshifter meant only for him.
“You know I would,” Jack replied. “I have a big mouth, and I tend to get into all sorts of trouble--”
Theodore’s low growl made everyone’s hair stand on end, or, at least, his, Danny thought.
“You will learn obedience since you belong to me,” Theodore rumbled. He shook Vince off, not easily, but showed no sign that he intended to grab Jack by his collar again.
“Awesome pipe dream, my man,” Jack said and dared to pat Theodore on the chest.
Theodore grunted and looked away. Danny believed he had seen that sort of reaction before… ah, he realized what it was. It made him blush right away. Jack had power over Theodore, the same sort Danny had over Ryder, and the powerful CEO of Pembroke Industries knew it very well. How long it would take him to accept it was a different question altogether.
“We are so glad you are all well,” Danny said loudly, hoping to break the tension growing between the other three. “What happened? How did Cassandra--”
Theodore cut his words short. “It is unimportant.” He worked his jaw for a moment but turned toward Ryder, looking him in the eye. “You saved us, alpha,” he said reluctantly. “It would have been a mistake on my part to kill you.”
Jack piped up right away. “For anyone who didn’t catch it, that was Theo’s way of saying sorry.”
“I do not need a personal translator,” Theodore said in an icy tone.
“If you want to get along with other people, you will need one,” Jack countered him. “It’s that, and you learn to stop being the equivalent of a human-sized porcupine.”
Theodore looked like he wanted to give the daring clairvoyant a piece of his mind, but Vince intervened again, barring his way with one arm. This time, too, Theodore stopped and the look he gave Vince seemed briefly anguished.
The dynamic between Theodore, Vince, and Jack appeared to be quite complex, Danny thought. Now that they were all fine, he could probably manage to catch a moment with his best friend and learn more about what was going on.
“We must return to my pack,” Ryder said.
Howls ringing from the forest reminded Danny that he had heard them earlier while Ryder was destroying Cassandra for good. The wolves emerged from the dark trees, shifting one by one into their human shapes. They all gathered round and knelt before Ryder.
“Thank you for freeing our pack from the curse, alpha,” they boomed, all at the same time.
Not exactly all. A young wolf, Meryl – if Danny remembered correctly – hurried to Jack, looking worried. “I’m so sorry, Jack. I failed you,” he shouted in dismay.
Jack waved it off like it was nothing. Theodore stepped in front of him and pushed him behind his back. “This human is my responsibility. Beat it, punk.”
Danny thought he must have heard wrong. Since when did the posh Theodore Pembroke use such words? Theodore’s nostrils were flaring, and his eyes were shooting daggers at the intruder. Meryl made himself small.
“I meant no disrespect, alpha.”
Danny breathed out a sigh of relief. It looked like Ryder’s people understood and accepted Theodore’s status. It brought a new level of complications to an already messy situation. Did Ryder’s pack members know that Theodore had threatened their leader and even intended to kill him? It was best to let sleeping dogs lie, he thought.
***
Ryder was happy to find his father awake, even if still weakened. With one arm around Danny, he walked over to where his father was lying, holding his head high with help from Ryder’s mom.
“How are you feeling, Mr. Asherman?” Danny asked, looking embarrassed.
Ryder squeezed his shoulder to reassure him.
Anthony growled something unintelligible and looked morosely away.
“We need to give him a little time,” his mom said, with a small huff of annoyance. “It looks like my husband needs to come to terms with the fact that a mere human had saved his life.”
“Danny is no mere human,” Ryder warned.
His mom met his eyes without flinching. “I know that very well. Whatever fate Cassandra had warned you of, she was wrong. But in a way, she put you on the right path because you wouldn’t have met your mate without following the path she sent you down.”
Ryder nodded, grateful for his mom’s support. His dad, however, was a different matter. How couldn’t he understand that Danny was a kind, wonderful soul and be happy for his son? Ryder intended to insist on his accepting Danny as his son-in-law, no matter how long and what it took.
Danny surprised him by kneeling by Anthony’s side. He was hesitant when he took the older man’s hand, but it seemed that once he focused on using his healing powers, his doubt receded, leaving room only for his willingness to help.
“How does this feel?” Danny asked gently. “You were hurt quite badly, Mr. Asherman.”
Another grumble emerged from the grumpy old man. Ryder watched the scene with keen eyes.
“I will ease your pain like this.” Danny placed a hand on Anthony’s chest and held it there.
“I didn’t ask you to heal me,” Anthony protested.
Ryder’s mom gasped in disbelief. “Will you stop it already? Yes, he is a human. Yes, it is not our custom to have a human in our midst, and yes, we have never heard of a wolf having a human as a mate. But you cannot deny the reality before your eyes. Danny is a healer. He is more than a human.”
Anthony appeared quite chastised by his wife’s speech and reluctantly allowed Danny to touch his chest. Ryder knew how stubborn his father could be, but he doubted he’d be able to resist Danny’s gentle manner for long.
***
Questions crowded Danny’s mind, overburdening his ability to process them all. He understood now that he was a healer, and it sounded like something out of a fairytale. He wished he knew more about his abilities, but more than everything, he wanted to learn about how he had managed to live for more than two and a half decades on Earth without having the slightest clue that he was special in his own way.
One outcome he believed quite possible would be that he’d never learn the truth. Given that he had received such an amazing gift, he needed to enjoy it. He had so much now: he had Ryder, who was a wolfshifter and his mate; he had healing powers, which gave him purpose like nothing else had ever done for him in his life; and he still had his best friend, who was somehow tangled up in all this—
He had to talk to Vince. After all, his bestie seemed to have easily accepted what could’ve been seen only as a ludicrous situation by a human being who didn’t believe that fairytales were real.
But he had to make it clear to Ryder that his interest in Vince didn’t have any romantic undertones. Was it difficult to explain to a wolfshifter that for humans, having friends, close ones especially, was essential for their wellbeing? Ryder was a strong alpha, ruling over his pack, so did that mean he didn’t have many friends? Danny had to put it on some list to ask and later help if he discovered his mate was lonely, being at the top and all.
“I will come back again to help you heal faster,” he promised Anthony. Although there was more he could do at the moment to make his – possible – future father-in-law feel better, he didn’t want to risk aggravating him even further.
“I will make sure he rests,” Harper said.
She stretched out her hand and Danny took it after a short nod of encouragement from Ryder. She squeezed his hand hard and looked at him with grateful eyes, which only added to his embarrassment.
***
“I want to talk to Vince,” Danny announced. “I promise you I don’t have feelings for him, it’s just, he’s my best friend and he’s been through a lot,” he added quickly.
Ryder growled playfully. “Did I scare you with my possessiveness, mate?”
“A little,” Danny confirmed. He hid his face so Ryder couldn’t see how hard he was grinning.
“I must apologize, then. Your discomfort, of any sort, causes me pain.”
“Then far be it from me to cause you any pain. Which is why I’m telling you that I want to see Vince and talk to him, so there’s no room for any misunderstanding.”
“Very well. But remember that you must come back to me as quickly as you can.”
“Okay,” Danny said. “Is there an emergency I need to know about?”
Ryder gave him such a pointed look that he blushed up to his eyeballs.
“I will return as fast as I can,” he promised, a sympathetic twitch straining his jeans, as well.
He hesitated for a moment, looked around to see if anyone was paying them any attention, and then kissed Ryder quickly. His alpha mate grabbed his head and deepened the kiss before he had time to react. Ryder’s kisses could melt the ice cap; for the safety of the planet Danny needed to keep him here, deep in the woods, where they weren’t running such risks.
It was only with great reluctance that he detached himself from Ryder’s embrace. “I will be very quick,” he promised again.
***
Ryder’s pack had been quick to accommodate their guests without asking questions. In this particular situation, Danny believed that was all for the best because Theodore had the sort of personality that would get him in trouble while surrounded by wolves from a different pack as he was now.
He found Theodore sitting on the porch of a cozy-looking cottage. Seeing the pack’s settlement had made Danny feel like he was stepping into a nice and warm fairytale setting. They built their houses strong, but they didn’t skimp on the little details that made their homes beautiful, such as flower bushes, mini gardens, benches, and many other things that Danny wanted to examine in the full light of day.
Dawn was breaking, but he didn’t feel tired. With everything that had happened the night before, he felt strangely energetic instead.
“Hello, Mr. Pembroke,” he said politely.
The alpha growled and looked away. “Just call me Theodore as everyone else does.”
“Okay. Please, call me Danny.” He looked around, but there seemed to be no sign of Vince or Jack. Could it be that they had decided to leave Theodore alone for a while so the alpha would have a chance to chill a little? A lot of things appeared designed to get on Theodore’s nerves, so it was safe to say that he was like a ticking bomb, ready to blow at any moment.
“If you are looking for those two humans, they are both snoring in the living room, loud enough to bring down the house.”
“May I come in?” Danny asked politely. It looked like other people could feel tired, after all. “I’d like to talk to Vince.”
Should he wait until his best friend was awake and refreshed after a good sleep? But Danny felt like he wanted to know now, and that it was important. If Vince was sleeping too soundly, he’d leave, he decided.
“Just go in,” Theodore told him.
Danny climbed the steps to the porch and paused by Theodore’s side for a moment. “I’m sorry about what happened to your pack.”
Theodore seemed surprised to hear him speak. He only stared, so Danny took it as a sign to move along.
“Thank you,” he heard the man say just as he opened the front door.
***
Vince wasn’t snoring loudly, as Theodore had said, but he was in the kitchen inspecting all the cupboards, seemingly in search of something in particular. The only one snoring was Jack, who must have dropped directly onto the sofa in the living room since he was still dressed. Danny couldn’t help feeling affection as he checked on Jack briefly. Although he was also a puny human, he had proven his worth again and again. Danny believed they would soon become best friends.
“What brings you here? Aren’t you tired?” Vince asked him in a happy voice as he continued his hunt for whatever it was he needed.
“Theodore told me you were asleep and snoring. What are you searching for?”
Vince held the doors of a cabinet wide open and whistled. “These people have so much natural stuff here they could open a store selling organic products. I was looking for coffee, but I don’t think they drink it here.”
“Ah, that might be the case.”
Vince gave him a smile and gestured for him to sit. “I can still fix tea. Can you believe it? They actually have electricity here? I was completely surprised.”
It felt good to sit on a kitchen stool and wait for Vince to make tea. They had often done this in the past. The only difference now was the change of scenery.
He accepted the hot mug from Vince’s hands and looked inside it for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “I know this is going to sound super odd, Vince, but did you know… that you were… I mean, what are you exactly?” Yeah, he should’ve led with that.
Vince squeezed his hand briefly and began drinking from his own mug. “I’m a guardian. And yes, let’s say I knew something. I’ve known for a while, I mean.”
Danny’s eyes grew wide. “A guardian? Like what sort of guardian? And since when did you know that?”
“A guardian for someone important.” Vince looked at him significantly without adding another word.
“Me?” Danny whispered in a meek voice. “You can’t be serious.”
“Yes, I am serious. I knew I had to protect you. My mom used to tell me these amazing stories and I grew up with them. My dad also knew about my special status. Apparently, guardians are sometimes born in the human world, although it is very rare. My parents learned about it when my mom was pregnant. They didn’t believe it at first, but they had to, eventually.”
“Wow. I mean… you never told me anything. Even though I’m your best friend. Wait,” Danny said, feeling rightfully anxious, “did you become friends with me only because you were my guardian?”
“No,” Vince said with a snort. He ruffled Danny’s hair, leaning over the table. “Actually, when I was a child and my parents were telling me about my special gift, I was very worried that I might have to be guardian for someone lame and boring.”
“But I’m the definition of--”
“No, nope, zip it,” Vince warned him. “You made the most complex castles out of those cubes and stuff they gave us in kindergarten to play with. Don’t you remember?”
“Oh, yes. That must have been my saving grace,” Danny said, grinning. “So, who told your parents about the guardian thing?”
“Guess,” Vince said with a grin of his own.
“What, really? Are we playing now?”
“Why not? That’s what best friends do.”
TBC
Author's note:
@Derek - Jack, Vince and Theo are back :) Like Mark said, they were already back to the surface in that scene. I do have plans for the aforementioned trio... and I will let you know of them as soon as this story ends.
@DavidB - He-he, I understand the feeling... I never want good stories to end. But there is a sequel ;) and the goodbye won't concern all the characters in this story.
@Mark Mortland - Their happy end will come soon :) I wouldn't be myself if I weren't a sucker for happy-ends. There are two more chapters and the epilogue left. Thanks a lot for all your lovely comments!
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