A Girl and Her Wolf (Howl, #7) (13 page)

“I was a very dumb and careless werewolf when I was younger. I didn’t care much about anything or anyone, so I made a lot of mistakes. I would often start fights with random packs, just for fun. That’s part of how I got so good at fighting. The other part was dumb luck. This was long before I’d found my own talisman, which increased my strength. I began to make a name for myself—though not in a very good way. Everything went downhill when my own pack exiled me. Back in the day, we had one major rule: humans were off-limits. I broke it.

I’d like to say it was for a good reason, but it wasn’t. I said it was, though. I made up this elaborate story about a bank robber holding a lady and her kids hostage, but there wasn’t any woman.
The truth was, I was an out of control wolf. I think that’s just something that comes along with my blood line. You either go good or you go bad; there is no gray area.”

Colby nodded, knowing he was referring to himself and his half-brother, Orkos.

“People were scared of me. My own pack was scared of me. So, I wanted to redeem myself. I worked hard at spying on different packs all over the world. When I found one that had a power-hungry, evil Alpha, I’d help a pack get rid of him.”

“All those objects in those glass cases are talismans that I stole from werewolves
I killed before I started trying to redeem myself.”

*

By the time Colby finished telling the story, Emma had already gotten up and started looking around.

He followed her over to the cases that held the talismans.

“I didn’t even know that other wolves had talismans.”

“Neither did I. Joe told me that it’s because it’s not like a wolf is going to go bragging about it to somebody.”

“Look, most of them have names beneath them,” Emma pointed out.

“Yeah, Joe kept a pretty good record of everything,” Colby told her.

“I didn’t know so many random objects could be a talisman,” she murmured. “There’s a book, and a coin.”

Joe had told him that
anything
could be a talisman, because the talisman chose you; you didn’t choose it.

Colby smiled at his mate, feeling better now that she seemed back to her old self again.

Chapter 18: Emma

Later that night, Emma’s eyes flew open when she heard someone coughing. She glanced over at Colby, who was snoring soundly next to her. It wasn’t him.

She heard the coughing again. It was followed by a sneeze and then crying.

Davenport.

Emma
knew
that Daven must have been sick. That would explain why he’d been sleeping so much lately. It was also probably why she’d seen him sneezing at the grocery store. But why had he been coughing out smoke? That didn’t make sense.

Emma rose to her feet and scooped the baby out of his crib. She headed to the kitchen where she made him formula, just in case he was crying because he was hungry.

He wasn’t, of course.

Heading back into the bedroom, she said, “Colby, you need to get up.”

Her mate groaned sleepily and covered his forehead with his arm. “But it’s not time for the pack meeting yet, Mom,” he mumbled groggily.

“No, but it
is
time for us to take the baby to the doctor,” Emma replied.

That seemed to grab his attention. He sat up in bed and glanced over at her. “Is he okay?”

“I’m not sure. I think we better get him to Dr. Mink right away.”

“Okay, I’m on it,” Colby said, grabbing his cell phone from the nightstand and calling the doctor.

*

An hour later, Emma and Colby sat in Dr. Mink’s office waiting on him. His nurse was already there to let them in, but the doctor hadn’t arrived yet.

Emma tried not to panic too much, but she couldn’t help but feel uneasy about being there. What if Davenport was really sick and she and Colby hadn’t even realized it until now? Did it mean that Emma was going to be a bad mom? If she’d already messed up during the first couple of days that Samara and Declan had left Daven in her care, how was she going to get through the next eighteen years with her own child?

Somehow, parenthood already sounded like a nightmare, and Emma didn’t even have official confirmation that she was pregnant yet—just that there was a strong possibility.

Before she had time to ponder it more, the door was opened and Dr. Mink strolled in. “Good night,” he said, with the trace of a smile on his lips. “I’ve been seeing quite a bit of you two the past few days,” he noted.

“That’s the truth,” Emma agreed. She glanced down at the baby, who was peacefully sleeping in her arms now. “Davenport isn’t feeling too well. We’re not really sure what’s wrong.”

Dr. Mink’s eyes lit up with surprise. “I didn’t realize this appointment was for Davenport,” he murmured. “I thought
you
were the one with the cold. That tends to happen when there’s a change in hormones, even when you’re a wolf.”

Emma took a deep breath, hoping that the doctor wouldn’t mention the pregnancy in front of Colby—and, even more importantly, that Colby wouldn’t be his usual self and ask questions.

Luckily, neither of them said anything . . . not yet, at least.

Dr. Mink motioned to Emma’s arms. “So, this is the infamous Daven, huh?”

Emma nodded. “Yeah.”

“You know, rumor has it that he’ll be the next most powerful werewolf in the world. A future legend,” the doctor replied.

Colby cleared his throat, and said, a little too impatiently, “Yeah, well, he won’t be a legend if we don’t figure out what’s wrong with him now. He’s been coughing a lot, and Emma said she saw him sneeze, too.”

“And he’s been sleeping much more than usual,” Emma informed the doctor.

“Sleeping a lot? How much?” the doctor asked, taking out his stethoscope.

“He seems to want to nap for hours at a time,” Colby replied. “I know that I’m no doctor, but I’ve never seen a werewolf pup sleep even half as much as he’s been sleeping. And it’s definitely out of character for him. He doesn’t usually sleep this much.”

“It is rare for pups to want to nap more than an hour or two a day,” Dr. Mink agreed. “Many of them don’t even like to nap at all. They have so much pent up energy.” He listened to Daven’s heart beat and took his temperature. “Nothing appears to be wrong, but . . . are you certain that Davenport
is
a wolf? His high temperature does indicate that he could be, but then again, it also indicates that he might be a human baby with a really high fever.”

“We’re sure he’s going to be a werewolf,” Colby replied. “He was born in his wolf form.”

“Hmm.” The doctor hesitated for a few moments. “As you may know, it’s common for werewolves to catch human colds or flus during childhood, usually before they make the change to wolves when they’re sixteen. However, it’s extremely rare during the first two years. But that’s not to say that it isn’t possible, either. It happens in about two percent of cases.”

“So, what can you do for him, then?” Emma asked. “Prescribe him antibiotics?”

Dr. Mink shook his head. “No, antibiotics really don’t do anything for werewolf pups, to be honest with you. He’ll just have to recover from the cold on his own, if that’s what the problem is.” He paused for a few moments before adding, “With all of that being said, however, I want you to be aware of another possible cause of coughing and sneezing in werewolf pups.”

“What is it?” Colby asked with wide eyes.

“There is a virus that affects some werewolf pups,” Dr. Mink explained. “It’s incredibly rare, but when it happens, the pup presents cold-like symptoms and then shows signs that he or she belongs to another pack.”

“Wait, what are you saying?” Emma asked with raised eyebrows. “If Davenport has this virus . . . he’s not a member of the Tala?”

Dr. Mink shook his head. “No, he wouldn’t be. Like I said before, this virus is incredibly rare. Doctors aren’t even sure how it’s contracted. But in the rare cases where a baby is affected, it’s a sign that he belongs to another pack.”

Emma gulped. She had a bad feeling about this—a
really
bad feeling. And as she’d proved time and time again, her feelings weren’t something to ignore.

One glance in Colby’s direction told her that he felt much calmer about the whole thing, though. “So, in your expert opinion, it’s much more likely that Davenport just caught a human cold or flu, rather than this virus you mentioned, right?”

Dr. Mink pushed his glasses up his nose. “Well, it’s difficult for me to give you a definitive answer either way. Statistically, a cold or flu is much more likely. We could run some blood work, but if it’s just a cold, the chances are greater that he’ll recover before we even get the test results back. There’s also a test for the virus, too, but that can take a while as well.” He sighed before continuing. “I tell you what. How about we try riding this whole thing out for about a week before we decide if we want to run some tests? If he doesn’t recover by then, it’s probably not a cold.”

“This virus . . . Is it deadly?” Emma questioned, a feeling of nausea washing over her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever was wrong with Davenport went beyond just a simple cold or flu. She didn’t even want to think about what would happen if he’d somehow acquired a deadly virus under her care—or at all. Samara had already lost one person who was important to her.

“No, the virus isn’t deadly,” Dr. Mink replied, shaking his head. With a sad look in his eyes, he added, “It does have some serious outcomes, however.
If
little Davenport has the virus, you’ll need to figure out which pack he’s been assigned to instead of the Tala and then find a way to convince the Alpha to allow him to remain on your pack, too. And, to be honest, you might find that a little challenging. I hate to be the one to say it, but the chances of any Alpha giving up the opportunity to have the future world’s most powerful werewolf on his pack easily are slim.”

*

During the drive home, Colby and Emma sat in silence. She was too worried about everything that they’d just learned to even worry about Colby or how he was feeling. All she could do was worry about her best friend’s son and what they were going to do in the worst case scenario.

“Do you think we should call Samara and Declan?” she asked once they were almost home.

“No! No, we shouldn’t do that. We don’t want to ruin their honeymoon. They only get one, you know, and I’d say it’s well deserved. They really need some time to themselves.”

“I know, but . . . what if he’s sicker than we think? What if there’s something really wrong with him?” She didn’t want to say the last thought that entered her mind aloud:
What if he’s not a part of the Tala . . . but another pack?

“Stop worrying, Emma Bear,” Colby told her gently. “Everything’s going to work out in the end. And, besides, you heard what the doctor said. The chances of Daven having that virus are really unlikely. It’s probably just a cold . . . nothing to worry about.”

“I hope so,” she replied. “I really hope so.”

Still, she didn’t feel so sure.

Chapter 19: Colby

After they tucked Davenport in for the night—with no problems, since he still seemed to be very tired—Colby turned to Emma, who had been exceptionally quiet despite his many attempts at making conversation. “Do you think that maybe we should talk?”

“About what?” she asked, turning away from him and pulling down their lightweight satin comforter.

“Whatever’s bothering you,” he replied. “All week, ever since you went to see Dr. Mink, I’ve felt this . . . this
distance
between the two of us. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Emma replied flatly. “I’ve just been tired, that’s all. I’m stressed out by Daven being sick.”

“You can say that, but . . . I just know that there’s something else going on,” Colby replied. He sat down on the bed and turned to her. “Are you having doubts about us?”

“Of course I’m not,” Emma insisted, pulling her to him and kissing him on the lips. “You’re my mate. Even when times get tough, nothing is
ever
going to change that. I don’t think I could have doubts about us even if I wanted to. I’m drawn to you in a way I’ve never been drawn to anyone before.”

Colby didn’t even bother to hide the smile that crossed his lips. Whatever had been going on with Emma, he felt some relief in knowing that she felt that way. And when it came down to it, she was right. Nothing could ever tear the two of them apart.

*

It was three o’clock in the morning when there was a loud knock at the door. Colby cracked one eye open and glanced over at Emma, who was sleeping. The knocking continued, growing louder now.

Who would be knocking on their door at three a.m.? That was all he could seem to wonder as he climbed out of bed.

The knocking had died down a little by the time he reached the front door. He glanced out the window, surprised to see Emma’s stepdad, Gary, standing on the front step.

Knowing that Gary had been fairly angry ever since Samara had turned him into a wolf, Colby took a deep breath before nervously opening the door. “Everything all right, Gary?”

Gary stared back at him blankly. “Who are you, and how do you know my name?”

“Oh, it’s a long story,” Colby replied, realizing that he and Gary had never actually met in person. He only knew what he looked like because there had been pictures of him on the news when a big dog—AKA Samara—had gotten into the hospital and attacked him. “I’m Colby, Emma’s husband,” he said, extending his hand.

A look of sadness filled Gary’s eyes. “I always thought I’d walk Emma down the aisle one day. I didn’t realize she was married. I missed so much since I became a wolf.”

It surprised Colby that Emma’s stepdad would feel that way, since, as he understood it, they hadn’t really been close back when they were both still humans. Maybe being a werewolf had given him the time he needed to reflect about the mishaps in his human life, though.

“If it makes you feel any better, none of our family or friends got to be there. We eloped at the spur of the moment. We’ve been thinking about possibly renewing our vows so that everyone can watch us ‘get married’.” Colby shrugged. “Maybe you can walk her down the aisle then.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Gary replied with a nod. “Anyway, I figured out where you live because I followed her home the other day, just so I would know. Where is she now, though?” He peered inside the house.

“She’s sleeping. It
is
three a.m., you know.”

“Would you mind waking her up? I need to talk to her.”

“Can’t this wait until tomorrow? We’re babysitting right now, and I really don’t want to risk waking him up,” Colby told him.

When Gary met his eyes again, there was an undeniable sense of urgency in them. “It’s about her mother.”

“Okay. Come in.” Colby opened the door wider, allowing him to sit in one of the chairs. “I’ll be right back.”

By the time he got back to their bedroom, Emma was already sitting up in bed and stretching. “What’s going on? Who’s here?”

“It’s your stepdad. He needs to talk to you. He said it has something to do with your mom.”

Emma flung the covers off and climbed out of bed. As she made her way down the hallway and out into the living room, Colby followed after her, feeling the nervousness that ran through her veins.

When she approached Gary, who was still standing in the entryway, she asked, “Did Mom agree to become a wolf?” Her voice was thick with hope.

Gary lowered his eyes. “She didn’t agree, but. . .”

“But what?”

“I had to change her, Emma. It wasn’t even because I wanted to. I had to save her.” He glanced away, a distant look in his eyes.

“Save her from
what
?” Emma questioned with raised eyebrows.

“The man who was about to try to murder her.”

“What do you mean someone was about to murder Emma’s mom?” Colby questioned. “And how would you even know?”

Gary met his gaze. “Dana mentioned that she had a date, so . . . I followed them. He seemed okay, at first, but by the end of the night, he gave me a really bad vibe for some reason. So, when she went out again tonight on their second date, I followed them again.” He took a deep breath. “I noticed that he was holding a knife behind his back when he walked her to the door to kiss her goodnight, so I attacked him. Maybe he wasn’t going to
kill
her, but his intentions weren’t in the right place, either way. It took everything in me not to kill him. Then, before I could even think about what I was doing, I bit her.” 

“Wow.” Emma shook her head.

Colby furrowed his brow. “Do you know why this random stranger would try to kill Emma’s mom? It doesn’t seem to make any sense.”

“Colby, people get murdered all the time without there being a motive,” Emma scolded him.

“She probably met him online. How should I know? There are lots of creeps in this world,” Gary replied. “I wish I had thought twice before I bit her, but . . . I didn’t. I acted completely on impulse, which was probably really dumb of me.”

Emma hesitated for a few moments. “I’m glad you saved my mom if this guy really
was
going to kill her. But I know Mom, and she’s going to be so pissed at you for changing her without her permission. Have you spoken to her about it yet?”

Gary shook his head. “No, after I did it, I knew it was too late. I didn’t stick around. I came straight here.” He glanced down at his feet, almost guiltily. “I need you to go back over there with me, Emma. I can’t do this alone.”

She scoffed. “Why would I go there with
you
? Seriously? Ever since you met my mom, you did nothing but ignore me. I was always just an accessory to your ‘perfect’ marriage. You never really cared about me, so why should I do this for you?” She shook her head frustratedly. “I went there with you before, because I wanted my mom to change. I thought that if she heard both of us ask her, maybe she would do it. But why should I go with you now?”

“I’m sorry that I haven’t lived up to the father figure that I should have been for you, okay? I’m sorry, and if you give me a chance, I’ll prove to you just how sorry I am. But right now, you should come to see your mom with me because this isn’t just about me. It’s not even just about you. It’s about your mom, and right now, I think she needs support from both of us.” 

Emma took a deep breath and considered what he was saying for a few moments. “Okay, I’ll go with you,” she agreed. Turning to Colby, she said, “You and Davenport will be okay here by yourselves, right?”

“No. No way. I’m not letting you go over there alone. It could be dangerous. You have no idea what sort of psychological state your mother is in. Either I’m coming with you, or I don’t want you to go at all,” Colby insisted.

“What are we going to do about Daven, then?” she asked.

“We’ll bring him along.”

“Listen to yourself. We can’t just bring him along when it might be dangerous, like you said,” Emma replied, rolling her eyes. “I don’t think my mom would do anything to hurt him, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. He’s staying here, so you’re staying with him.”

“Actually, that won’t be necessary. Needn’t I remind you that I’m willing to babysit the adorable Daven
again?” Bennett asked, appearing in front of them. “I won’t even charge you for my babysitting services.”

“Who
is
that?” Gary questioned. “He looks like a ghost.”

“My name is Bennett,” the spirit replied. “And while some people like to refer to us as
wolf ghosts, I personally prefer the term spirit. But don’t worry. I’m a good spirit, not a bad spirit. I’ve protected Emma and Colby’s lives several times, which I do believe makes me
more
than qualified to babysit Samara’s son.” He glanced over at Colby pointedly. “These two don’t trust me to babysit any longer than fifteen minutes.”

“We didn’t say that, Ben,” Emma said hesitantly.

“Yes, you did. When you came back inside after you went to . . . get chicken eggs and I babysat, you came back in and Colby said, ‘See Em, Daven’s perfectly fine’. And then
you
said ‘That’s because we were only gone for, like, fifteen minutes’. I heard. I heard it all,” Bennett said, sounding upset.

“Actually, he has a point, Em,” Colby spoke up. “If something bad were to happen while either of us was watching Daven, what would we do? We would summon Bennett and the other Tr
usted Ones to come protect him. Except, the thing is, nothing is going to happen to him while we’re gone. All he’s going to do while we’re gone is sleep, the same way he has for the past few days. When we get back, he’s probably still going to be sleeping in his crib.”

Emma sighed, giving in. “Fine. I guess you’re right. I want to say bye to him first, though, okay?”

“Okay,” Colby agreed, watching as she headed back to the bedroom. It was easy to see that during the short time since Samara and Declan had left Daven in their care, Emma was already becoming more attached to him.