Silver-White (The Great North Woods Pack #1) (14 page)

For a time the silver-white wolf
suffered in the prison of isolation, a fate second only to death in the heart
of the wolf. Once during her sentence she sat up on her haunches, raised her
head and cried to the sky that was flame orange from the setting sun. She had
wanted to scream in frustration, to cry in sorrow, to plead for the comfort of
company, and to apologize profusely for her insolence; the howl said it all. Without
the clumsiness of words, her lone cry gave vent to her every emotion, and after
that release she sunk down again. Her ears were pricked, listening to the faint
sounds of the pack a mile or more to the west that would be lost on mortal ears.
No response came to her cry. But she had known better than to expect one.

When the fear of Evie’s violent mood swings
had passed, Evelyn Ludlow transformed and entered the house. Wrapping herself in
a robe in one smooth motion as she shifted and stepped in, “Calm her down,” she
ordered her daughter and granddaughter in passing.

Evie’s mother and cousin stepped slowly
from the porch and moved cautiously toward her. Evie lay still, watching them.
Her forelegs were out straight; her head was raised alertly, her eyes fixed. Speaking
softly, they sat down on either side of her, admiring the color of her coat and
the sleek beauty of her outstretched frame.

“Can I touch you?” Erica asked with her
hand close to Evie’s scruff.

“Yes,” Evie whined.

Erica could not perceive the actual
language, of course. But she understood the glossy-sad look in her cousin’s
eyes and the weak tone of her whines. Gently she sunk her hand into the fluffy scruff
of Evie’s large neck; her aunt did the same from the other side. The breaking
of Evie’s isolated prison stay came as a two-sided massage.

“You’re absolutely gorgeous,” Janie
said. “Almost puppy soft.”

“You’re beautiful
and
bad ass,” Erica said with a grin.

Evie’s mouth dropped open into a proud wolf
smile, her tongue lolling about her teeth. She raised a paw in jest, waving it
and slapping it to the ground. Behind her, her white tail brushed over the dirt
like a heavy rake, sending small pebbles skipping and scattering in its wake.

“It’s crazy how she understands everything,”
Erica said to her aunt.

“Everything and more,” she said with a
smile. “On top of hearing, she can see and smell our intent and our mood. The
calmer we stay, the calmer she’ll be. If we can help her to concentrate, she’ll
shift back again.”

“Do you want a flea bath?” Erica teased.

Evie laid her ears back and clicked her
teeth; her eyes became momentarily intense. “Do
not
speak to me that way.”

“No,” her mother said to Erica, then to
Evie, “How about a hot soak in the big tub? As a human.”

Evie whined and bobbed her head. Her
eyes became very bright, and what eyebrows she had as a wolf were raised.
“Yes!”

“And some food,” Erica added. “Like a
whole chicken of your very own.”

Evie licked her chops at the word “food.”
Her sides quivered, and a very faint rumble sounded from her belly.

“No, don’t say it like that,” Janie
warned. “Calm, human ideas are what she needs to focus on. No jokes. If she
tried to joke with us, even if she’s just playing, we could get hurt.”

“Umm … soft beds,” Erica said. “Comfy
clothes after a hot bath. Watching TV and drinking hot chocolate with your
favorite cousin.”

Evie inhaled with a series of quick
breaths that heaved her sides, then sighed heavily, which is the nearest to
laughter a wolf can express to a watching human. The fire had gone out of her
green eyes. Now they were clear and merry, half-closed in relaxation.

“I’ll get you a robe,” Janie said to her
daughter. “Maybe that will serve as a motivator.”

“I’m
so
frikken jealous,” Erica said when her aunt had gone. She was scratching Evie’s
scruff just below her ears. “Do you know that?”

Evie lowered her head and nuzzled her
cousin. The force of her affectionate rub almost knocked Erica over.

“Easy,” she said. “Lie down and keep
calm while I’ll pat you.”

Evie let herself roll heavily onto her
side. Her cousin’s hands were a warm comfort on her back and shoulder.

“When you changed,” Erica said, running
her hand from Evie’s white head down along her sides, “
it
was
freaking
amazing
. And a little bit scary. For a second there, it almost felt
like you were coming after
me
.”

“Noooo,” Evie whined nasally. “Danger,
my love. Papa said guard.”

“Are you trying to talk?” her cousin
asked.

“Yes!” Evie yipped.

“I can’t understand you.”

“People …” Evie groaned.

“And Grandpa,” Erica rambled on. “Man,
he was a
beast
.”

“The greatest,” Evie said with a small
sigh.

Erica looked down at Evie’s white face. “I’d
go wolf if I could,” she said. “But it’s just not happening. If you wanna
actually talk to me, it’s up to you to change back.”

The wolf sighed heavily. In her own mind
she was speaking with perfect clarity. This silly person with weak little ears—though
nice hands—just wasn’t listening.

“Stay calm,” Erica said, patting her
cousin in long strokes. “Human. Human. I’m tired of sitting in the driveway.”

When Evie saw her mother approaching
with a robe, she kept perfectly still, trying with all her might to focus on
being human, to imagine pulling on that plush, comfy robe. But what she still wanted
most was to run and join the pack.

The change came easily when her mind was
made up. Evie could see the lights from the house as all else darkened around
it. The evening was cool, inside she knew there was food—much food and comfy
furniture, and finally she desired it badly enough to
will
the change that would allow her to enter. It was truly all a
matter of the mind.

Wrapped in her warm robe, Evie paused on
the porch before the main entrance. Very faintly she could hear the activity of
the pack. Or maybe she was just remembering what her wolf ears had heard. For a
moment she glanced in that direction.

“Come on,” her mother said, pulling her
from the distraction. “It’s chilly out here. Let’s get in and sit by the fire.”

-11-

“Will someone please explain the cats to
me,” Evie said between long gulps of water. She was standing in the kitchen by the
sink. “As usual I’m in the dark here.”

“That depends,” her grandmother said.
“Can you
control yourself?”

Evie tugged at her robe. “It looks that
way.”

“Don’t sass me, girl,” she said, waving
a wooden salad spoon. “You forget who you’re dealing with.”

“I’m sorry, Gram. I—”

“Not nearly as sorry as you’ll be when
your grandfather sees your brand of landscaping. You
will
make that right tomorrow.”

“Fine,” Evie said. “I’ll clean it up and
plant a new one. Can we just get to the point here? The cats!”

“It’s an old feud,” Janie said. “No
one’s sure exactly when or why it began. Believe me, it’s nothing for you to
solve tonight. The important thing is for you to stay clear of them.”

“Old feud? Cats and dogs? Mom …”

“They’re cougars,” Erica said. “Big
ones. Like the size of an African lioness.”

“And they’ve always been here?”

“Yes, they have,” her mother said.
“Sometimes they’re a threat and sometimes they’re not. Their numbers aren’t as
great as ours, but they’ve been a constant factor for as long as anyone can
remember.”

Evie set down her water glass and walked
to the fire place. “How were we allowed to play in the woods as kids, if these
cats were roaming around?”

“For starters,” Janie said, joining her
daughter near the fire, “the town borders are patrolled day and night. Nothing
gets near this house without being met by the pack. And, for most of my life
there’s been relative peace with them. Your grandfather prefers it that way;
he’s worked hard for it.” She turned to her own mother. “How many years has it
been, Mom?”

“Eight,” Evelyn answered, stepping into
the great room. “With the exception of strays, no cat has purposefully trespassed
here for nearly eight years.”

“Why now?” Evie asked. “It seems like
everything is happening at once.”

“Ask your Papa’s little helper,” her
grandmother said bitterly. Even mature wolves sometimes struggled to hide their
feelings.

“The computer guy?”

“The same. I haven’t liked that boy
since the day I first set eyes on him.”

“The cats are obsessed with the Snows,”
Erica said, sitting on the near edge of a couch. “They’re jealous of Grandpa.”

“Wait,” Evie said. “That guy is a cat?”

Evelyn Ludlow stepped closer. “No, he’s
a
rat
with cat claws in him. They’re
using him to keep tabs on your grandfather.” She laughed suddenly. “The fools
actually believed they could plant a mole that would deceive a Snow.”

“It’s about money,” Erica said with a
big smile.

“Thank you,” Evie said. “So they want Papa’s
money.”

“Of course they do,” Evelyn said. “But
that’s not their only reason for spying, or for their attempt to cross our
borders today.”

“Let’s just relax until your grandfather
returns,” Janie said. “I think we’ve all had enough excitement for one day.
Don’t you, Mom?”

“No,” Evie said, staring at her
grandmother. “Stop hiding things from me. I wanna know. Tell me the reason.
What do they want?”

“You,” her grandmother said simply.

“Me,
what?
”

“You, young Miss Snow. They want
you
.”

For a moment Evie stood stunned and motionless.
The weight of her grandmother’s implication felt like someone had just handed
her an armload of bricks. Within seconds her mind was racing. Her spine tingled
coolly with a thrilling fear; her face felt flushed. Suddenly the fire felt too
warm. Slowly she backed away.

“Stay calm,” her mother said, placing
her hand on Evie’s shoulder. “There’s no safer place than here in this house.
You have nothing to fear.”

“Why?” she asked with a scratchy throat.
“Why me? What have I done to them?”

“It’s nothing personal,” her mother
assured her. “Don’t look at it that way.”

“How am I supposed to look at it?”

“It’s survival,” her grandmother said
sternly, “nothing more and nothing less. Life in these woods is no sporting
event. Tooth and claw decides who lives and who dies.”

“They’re right,” Erica put in, which
surprised Evie greatly. Rising slowly from the couch she said, “It’s not
personal, it’s just instinct. Stay calm. We’re safe here.”

But to Evie,
calm
no longer felt possible. A threatened wolf is a dangerous wolf;
a cornered wolf, quite possibly a deadly wolf. Without conscious effort her
consuming thought quickly became the freedom of escape. The house no longer felt
safe or comfortable. It was a corral into which the night eyes of predators
could see with ease; its ceilings masked scents; its walls hindered sudden movement.
She was nearer to the sliding glass door than the main entry. In human form,
she knew she was faster than her grandmother. Most likely, she reasoned, she
was a faster wolf as well.

“Your grandfather will take care of
things,” Janie said pleadingly. “He’s never failed us yet. Please—”

Evie heard nothing more.

In one beat of her heart she made her fast
break to the slider. With a quick whirr the door was open. The next second she
was out, running for the back steps as fast as her two legs would carry her.
I am a wolf
, she told herself, running
full speed across the back porch.
No one
threatens me
.
I am a wolf!

A few strides across the lawn she
glanced back. Her grandmother shifted as she leapt from the porch. The sight
was all the help Evie needed, the final motivator required for her own change.
All that remained to do humanly-minded was lose the robe restricting her
movements.

Facing forward, she rolled her
shoulders, shaking one arm free, then the other. The forty degree air was not
cold on her skin as it normally would be, it was energizing. In the early blackness
with the moon behind the trees, the white robe fluttered away behind her. She
was the wolf before it hit the grass.

Behind her, the gray wolf overleapt the
falling robe just as Evie made the change, landing mere feet behind as the
young silver-white planted her wide paws, flexed her legs, and lowered her
weight with the grace of a dancer. The gray’s mouth opened, set to close on the
white’s tail, just when the surge of the white’s vaulting drive shot her off
toward the trail at a pace the gray could briefly match, but could not best.
The gray’s jaws snapped a mouthful of air. Her granddaughter was gone.