Shift (Castlerock Shifters Book 1) Read online

  SHIFT

  Michelle Leeson

  For Dale, who never doubted.

  One

  Quinn

  He was running full speed, heartbeat steady, down the hill, easily dodging trees as they appeared before him. The smells of the forest on the mountain were as they had been for a thousand years, but the only scent he focused on was from the little wolf just a few feet in front of him – nearly within his grasp.

  The damp, rocky debris from the recent rain was no more of a hindrance than the trees or the darkness as he gained on the pup. Digging claws into the earth, his paws spread wide for a powerful jump, he lunged.

  At the last moment, the little one dodged neatly to the left and headed to the flatter ground leading into one of the many valleys. He landed in frustration, irritated that he’d missed such an easy evasion from one so young, and yet feeling a swell of pride for the little one that he’d taken into his care. Adjusting his senses, he altered his course to once again chase the smaller wolf.

  It was exhilarating – the chase.

  Taking his time, he followed once again, giving the pup more of a lead so their chase could continue a bit longer. The little one ranged further ahead, either not noticing the pursuit had ceased or taking advantage to gain a bigger lead.

  As the pup reached the single, winding road on the mountain, he paused and turned back, searching for his pursuer. At that moment, the headlights of a vehicle came around the curve, landing directly on the small wolf.

  No hope. It was too close.

  He felt the panic and his chest constricted, but he was unable to move, unable to pull his eyes from the impending collision. But, before he could curse the Fates, the vehicle’s lights went out – swerving, tires squealing. The little wolf moved quickly and leapt away. Untouched - unharmed.

  The vehicle, a Jeep he noted absently, caught in a skid and headed to the shallow ditch with a screeching sound. It stopped completely when it hit the embankment on the edge of the ditch. It had slowed enough that it didn’t hit too hard, but it had been a sudden stop. He moved forward quietly, watching the vehicle. No sound came from within, but he could see the driver moving around, somewhat frantically, and then the door opened.

  He watched the human climb from the driver side door; a female. That was… unexpected. He shook the thought away as he noticed a small gash across her forehead was running with blood, likely from an impact with the steering wheel. She seemed not to notice. She was talking to someone still in the Jeep. He could just barely make out a shape in the passenger seat, but he was unable to hear the words. Then he heard her say, “stay,” as she climbed from the Jeep. He watched as she pointed a flashlight at the dark road where the little one had been, the focused beam of light sweeping back and forth on the pavement.

  With amazement, he realized that she was checking that she hadn’t somehow injured the pup. His estimation of her went up even more as she scanned the area further. She hadn’t even surveyed the damage to her vehicle. As he watched, her posture changed to one of relief, and then, as quickly as she realized the wolf was safe, the adrenaline seemed to leave her. She stumbled slightly as she headed back to her driver’s seat. He moved even closer, remaining within the tree line near the Jeep, watching the human. The little one had circled and was approaching from behind, but he ignored the pup, instead, watching what the intriguing girl would do next.

  She took a few deep breaths, clearly trying to get her bearings. When her hand finally reached for her injury, she noticed the blood. He watched as she climbed back into the Jeep and rustled around, finally pressing a tissue to her head. From his new vantage, he could see a large dog sitting in the passenger seat and she was gently stroking its head, likely calming it down. Well, it made sense that she would care so much for another four-legged animal, having one of her own.

  The pup nudged him, wanting to get moving again, so he turned to head back the way they’d come. Then a small shift of wind brought her scent to him and he stopped in his tracks. Turning back, he took in the scent with satisfaction.

  Mine!

  He was overwhelmed with a sudden, nearly violent, primal urge to mark her; claim her. The scent pulled him even closer and he realized he had moved across the road, to within a few feet of her. The smaller wolf, Seff, was biting at his hip trying to get his attention, so he made himself stop and use reason rather than instinct.

  He backed away slowly, keeping his eyes on her. As he reached the tree line once again, he heard a quiet growl come from within the Jeep. The dog had focused on him and was definitely giving him a warning. The girl glanced in his direction, bringing the flashlight up once again, searching the darkness. He managed not to flinch when the light hit his eyes. He stood still, staring back.

  Her eyes widened a bit and she flipped off the flashlight, pulled her legs in and then reached out quickly to close her door. She didn’t take her eyes off him until the door was shut. He smiled internally, finally ducking back into the forest. She had good instincts and reflexes for a human; he’d give her that.

  He went only a few feet further into the tree line, but that was enough for him to be obscured from her eyes. Shaking off the last of the effect she’d had on him, he focused for a brief moment and shifted to his human form.

  Only seconds later, the headlights of the Jeep moved through the forest past him. She had backed up onto the road again, continuing her journey; wherever that was.

  “That was close Quinn,” Seff said, walking up beside him. The boy was young, only heading into his twelfth summer.

  “Yeah,” Quinn replied, distractedly glancing where the Jeep had been.

  “I guess we should head back to the village, huh?” the kid prompted.

  Quinn simply nodded agreement and they shifted again, taking off at a run heading south. When they reached the clearing at the edge of the village, they shifted back to their human forms. Seff ran ahead, no doubt to share his narrow escape with his friends.

  Quinn headed directly to the council chambers to fill in the pack elders. It wasn’t a huge deal having humans nearby; they’d coexisted with humans for thousands of years. No, it was more that they’d become relaxed in their habits and would simply need to be more careful with shifting until she left the mountain.

  Few humans came onto their mountain anymore. At one time, it had been a popular place for hikers, campers, and summer visitors, but it had been a few years since the cabins that scattered the upper portions of the mountain were inhabited. Even the ranger station had been abandoned two, maybe three, summers before. There had been no visitors in the time since, and very little traffic on the single, winding road. Quinn couldn’t help but dwell on where she was going. It certainly wasn’t like anyone came up the road that didn’t have a specific place to go; the road ended not far past the ranger station. No, she certainly had a destination in mind.

  Quinn shook himself from his musing as he entered the council chambers and paused at the entrance, waiting for their acknowledgment. He ran his eyes around the room quickly, touching on each of the elders. At some point he would be joining the council; however, whether that would be as the Healer or the Speaker, was yet to be determined.

  In truth, he wasn’t anxious for either choice to be made. The long hours spent in the little room discussing things endlessly was not appealing – regardless of the station. Quinn was more about action and there was always more discussion than necessary on the day-to-day happenings within the pack. Most likely, this minor event would end up blown out of proportion and for a moment, he considered turning around. Instead, he stood waiting, continuing his musing.

  He’d realized that the only upside to the elder’s meetings was
that they only officially took place once a week. However, most evenings they could all be found sitting around visiting, just as he’d found them tonight.

  The council chamber was a small, though comfortably furnished room, with a single, low, circular table in the center, surrounded by high-backed, overstuffed chairs for the eight council members. A few random benches lined the edges of the room. Ancient art adorned the walls, providing a tangible connection to the past. It lent to a calm atmosphere, which was probably a good thing, as the personalities were not always compatible.

  To say that they were all getting on in years was an understatement; the oldest, Fillin, had lived for more centuries than Quinn could fathom. However, with the power in their valley, aging was slowed so much that the man only appeared to be in his seventies.

  The Healer, Aatu, sat in his place nearest the door, while opposite him sat the pack Speaker – the Alpha, Rafe. The others, Zeff, Fillin, Mahigan, Marrok, and Ylva, sat around in the seats between them. Both Rafe and Aatu were Quinn’s grandfathers. The Healer was his father’s father and the Speaker was his mother’s father.

  Quinn didn’t have his own seat; they were reserved for council members only, even though there was an empty chair in their circle. The vacant seat between Ylva and Rafe belonged to the one elder that rarely came to the council meetings, though he did reside on the mountain.

  Finally, Rafe turned and nodded at Quinn, so he stepped up to their circle and filled them in on the night’s events. After a shorter discussion than Quinn could have imagined, the only action they agreed on was to have the pack members stay south of the second ridge. That would keep them away from the girl until she left. As she had come up alone, they assumed she would not be staying long and then their lives could go back to normal. Quinn knew that decision was bound to upset the youngsters; one, in particular, would be dying to go meet her after his close call.

  However, Quinn said nothing, deciding he would head toward the few scattered cabins and check things out regardless of the restriction. The simple fact was that any human on the mountain had the potential to affect their lives, and therefore, the safety of the pack, though he didn’t truly see her as a threat.

  After being dismissed, Quinn wandered back to his place. It was on the outer of the three rings of homes. The village was set up in an orderly way, but it was also easily defensible. Not that there had been anything to defend against in… well, a handful of centuries or more.

  All the pack elders had their homes around the main hearth, including the council members. A second ring ran around those homes, which held the majority of the families. The last ring, where he headed, was mostly filled with the adults whose children had moved on, the younger mated couples, and those not yet avowed, like Quinn. Every house faced the main hearth, and they nearly all had unobstructed views of the center of the little village.

  Out of habit, Quinn glanced at his parent’s house, only a few doors down from his. He found himself smiling. His mother had done some serious arranging to get herself close enough to keep an eye on him once he was old enough to be on his own. Their place was noticeably vacant at the moment. His parents were doing some traveling prior to the winter solstice.

  Once every few years, they would meet during the winter solstice with the only other known pack of their kind. The Dragasani pack lived across oceans, on the other side of the world, tucked into the Carpathian Mountains – much like his own was tucked into the Rocky Mountains. When the two packs met, it was a time of change. Big things, such as transfers of power, were made official during that time.

  Mostly though, it was a time for those like Quinn to find themselves a… companion. Quinn intentionally shied away from the term mate – feeling it too animal-like, regardless that at times they were exactly that.

  The women all had the natural pheromones of humans and the stronger ones of wolves. It was like a double shot of attraction for the males, though his mother assured him that compatibility and love would always overpower something like a chemical attraction. It was those wolf pheromones however, that prompted the urge to claim and mark the females – pheromones a human didn’t possess.

  That thought took him right back to the girl. He was genuinely puzzled by the urge he’d had to mark her. It made no sense that he’d felt that way – she was human. The fact that his inner wolf had never wanted to mark any female wasn’t lost on him. No, he decided, it couldn’t have been a true urge, as he’d smelled no wolf in her.

  The only explanation that made sense, he reasoned, was that his protective nature had shifted to her because she’d reacted to save the pup. That had to be it. An outsider’s scent simply could not have hit him so hard.

  His thoughts returned to the upcoming solstice festival. Only those over the age of twenty would be permitted to attend the mating gatherings. Around that age, the power of the valley kicked in full force to slow the aging process. At that point, technical age became something that was never really spoken of – time ceased to matter when it came to finding a companion.

  Quinn would be participating for the first time this year. He’d been full of dread over the whole thing. His mother had even ensured he was prepared with an avowal gift – should he happen to find his mate. Oddly enough, when he’d seen the bracelet, it was as though he could see it on the wrist of his unknown mate. He knew every person in his pack and there was not one woman that had caught his eye. At least, not in that way. And certainly not one he would present that gift to. That was partially why he was so bothered by his reaction on the road. How could a stranger have affected him so deeply?

  With a deep sigh, he headed to his house. He’d get some sleep and head out first thing in the morning to check on the girl, and hopefully solve this little mystery.

  Two

  Jaisey

  Jaisey pulled onto the short drive leading to the cabin, still feeling shaken. It had been bad enough nearly hitting the little dark wolf, but then spotting the reflected eyes of the large grey wolf so close – it was too much to deal with and she was too tired.

  I’m in no shape emotionally to deal with anything more, she thought.

  She glanced at Jack stretched out on the seat next to her. His dog bed was half on the seat and half on the pile of pillows, blankets, and other items on the floorboard beneath him. He had his head on his paws and seemed completely unfazed by their close encounter. Of course, his reflexes had been better than her own when they had hit the embankment. She’d smacked her head, while he’d simply shifted to avoid being thrown into the dash.

  Her eyes flitted to the floor under his dog bed, where her mother’s urn was buried by her pile of pillows and blankets. However, before she could think about her purpose for being on the mountain, her destination finally came into view.

  She hadn’t been to the little cabin since she was ten years old. That was the year they had lost their father. Their parents had brought them up every summer until then. The following summer their mother had accepted a teaching job at a college in the east. Jaisey had understood why her mom couldn’t go back to the mountain, but it had broken Jaisey’s heart. She had longed for the mountain; however, she had also understood the pain it would have caused her mother had they continued the annual trips without their father.

  So here she was, nearly a decade later, finally returning to her most favorite place in the world; what had been her mom’s most favorite place in the world.

  Their father had taught wildlife biology classes, while their mother had taught forestry and wildlife courses at the local college – Professors Kenyon and Lydia Connor. The only place they’d loved as much as the classroom was their mountain where everything they’d taught came to life. Their family would wander the mountain all summer long. Those days had been magical. It was that magic she was hoping for now – needed now – to heal the pain left by her mother’s absence.

  Her older twin brothers and her twin sister had all grown up and gone their separate ways, but they all remained very close, d
espite the distance that separated them. Jared was in the military, serving overseas. Josh was in college finishing his dual degrees in wildlife biology, and forestry and wildlife – their parent’s influence. Jasmyn was currently backpacking around Europe, in either France or Spain. With a small grin, Jaisey thought, knowing her sister, it wouldn’t have mattered what was planned; Jasmyn was notorious for going where the wind took her.

  With a glance back down at the urn, she lost her small smile. When she’d talked with her siblings about coming to the mountain, they’d all supported her choice wholeheartedly. Of course, they had also expressed their concern about her being alone. But it was just what she had to do. She was bringing their mom home to the mountain she loved. In the end, they had agreed. With Jack along, they knew she’d be safe enough. He was the most overbearing, protective dog. Ever.

  She and her mom had volunteered at their local shelter for years. They had never fallen so in love with a pet that they couldn’t bear to leave it for another family to find. However, something about the shepherd had grabbed them both. He’d been a stray and was large, but skinny and mangy looking. The shelter had him on the last chance list and they had been warned that he was aggressive with anyone that went near the cage. But, when Jaisey had knelt to take a look at him, his dark brown eyes had locked on hers and he’d stood and started wagging his tail. The staff had been shocked and Jaisey had ended up with a dog.

  His official name had started as Jackson in keeping with the J theme that the family had, but that had quickly become Jack. He’d taken just as fast to her mom, though he was clearly Jaisey’s dog. They had spent nearly two months getting him to a healthy weight. He had seemed large at the shelter, but once he was well-fed, exercised, and strong, he was massive. Their vet had been shocked when they’d returned with a fully healthy dog. Even more so, because at that point he’d realized their dog was part wolf. He’d warned that crossbred dogs were still predators that had to be highly trained. Otherwise, they could become too wild to manage and potentially be a danger around smaller pets or maybe even children. Her mom had dismissed his concern so quickly that Jaisey had been inclined to believe that would never happen. After all, her mom was or had been, one of the country’s leading experts on wildlife; that included wolves.