Cursed Wolf

Heather gazed at Thorne as the early afternoon sunlight beamed through the big windows in the front of River’s Bakery. She sipped her tea, enjoying his company far more than she would have expected.

She realized that Thorne was quite charming, if she got past the fierce exterior. He told her stories about how he and his brothers had run hundreds of miles across the state from the center of Alaska to the coast, where they hid until the full moon and then took a ferry to arrive on Fate Island.

It was a harrowing story, and one she was glad had a happy ending. Luna’s potion allowed him to remain a man, and he had been learning about life in the modern world ever since.

“I have my own apartment on the docks with a view of the water. I’ve discovered I enjoy watching hockey on the television. It is a very entertaining sport. I’d like to play some day.”

“You’ve never seen hockey before?”

“I lived deep in the Alaskan wilderness. We didn’t have a hockey team out there. There was very little technology and a sparse population. Our family didn’t own a TV. Living with the Doolittles was the first time I was exposed to it.

“In the years that we were cursed, we took turns going into town to pick up supplies, and sometimes we would stop at restaurants and bars, but we had to conserve what little money we had. It became so difficult that by the end we were starving.”

Heather shook her head in disbelief. Thorne’s story had sounded so crazy to begin with, but now all she could think was how horrific it must’ve been for him and his brothers to live through something like that.

She had finished her sandwich and couldn’t eat the last of the apple because she lost her appetite. Her heart was in her stomach. The logical side of her brain still couldn’t believe that magic was real, but she believed that Thorne had lived this reality. The more she knew him, the less she believed that he could possibly be insane.

“I do want to learn how to ice skate,” he said, popping the last apple in his mouth.

“You don’t know how to skate either?”

“We didn’t own ice skates. When a stream or river was frozen, we used crampons to get across if necessary. Usually, we went around in snowshoes.”

“That makes sense.”

“There’s a skating rink right outside of town, and I wanted to go there to learn to skate today. I would love to go together, if you’d like to.”

“I’m not sure I can. I have to get back to pick up Maggie.”

She looked at her watch. She had told Gran she’d be gone for only two hours, but she also wanted to spend more time with him. She wanted to get to know him better and to make the decision for herself whether he was a suitable man for her and an appropriate addition to Maggie’s life.

She didn’t want to lead him on. Since she was his fated mate, dating him was all or nothing. She had to decide soon, but she also needed to take her own time. Just going out to eat again with him had been a compromise, though, and she thought it was time for her to get back home to think.

“Would you be free tomorrow?” she asked.

“Anytime you are. I don’t have a job yet. I spend most of my time folding laundry and watching hockey.”

Heather giggled, imagining the scene. “That’s good to know. You like to keep your home tidy.”

“It is things like that that separate us from animals,” he said, his face completely serious.

“It’s a good habit to have. Not everyone does.”

Heather was beginning to see there was more to Thorne Winter than she’d originally believed. She liked the idea of a man who liked to be tidy and fold laundry. She also appreciated his freshly shaven skin, the slight aroma of spicy cologne, and the effort he put into styling his hair. It all said a great deal about him.

If his story about his cursed life was true, he had made all these decisions in only a few months. She thought about how torturous it must’ve been for him to be an animal for so long. How hard re-socializing himself as a human must’ve been. Her empathy for him swelled and she knew from now on it would be hard to think negatively about him. He was trying. Not only with himself, but with her.

“Then it’s a date,” she said, reaching out to take his hand where it lay on the table. She squeezed him gently and then pulled away. She grabbed her coat and purse as she stood and slid them back on and over her shoulder.

They walked together out of the café and onto the street. Low clouds had rolled in off the ocean and the air felt like rain. He walked her to her car around the corner from the café on a quiet residential street. She grasped her keys in her hand as they faced each other beside her car.

“It was nice to spend time with you,” she said, watching the light flicker in his eyes.

“I wish I could say everything I want to say. But I know it’s all too much.”

“I know this must be hard for you. I can’t say I fully understand what you’re going through—there’s no way that I could—but I’m here now and I’m willing to try to make this work.”

She watched his ch3st swell and his shoulders go back. She felt the sudden urge to k!ss him. Her l!ps parted and her knees felt weak. She stepped toward him, and he wrapped his arm around her waist.

They gazed into each other’s eyes, and he slid his other hand up her back and cupped the nape of her neck. She placed her hands on his ch3st, her l!ps quivering.

“Thorne, I—” she murmured.

He growled, and his l!ps crushed against hers. She melted into his embrace, allowing her l!ps to part and greet his tongue. He made a low rumble in his ch3st and k!ssed her more deeply. She quivered and gasped at the intensity. Desire flooded between her legs and her nipples pricked. She mewled sadly as she pulled herself away. Catching her breath, she stepped back and looked up at him, still in his embrace.

“Did I…”

“No. I wanted you to k!ss me. I’m glad you did.”

“So am I. So glad.”

She gasped as he pulled her closer again, capturing her mouth in a passi0nate k!ss. She allowed herself to be swept away by it, pulled into the power of his strong arms, feeling the hardness of his body pressed against her softness. Then she thought of all the eyes around her and pulled away again with a giggle.

“I should go,” she said, looking down at the pavement so as not to meet his hungry eyes. She stepped back again and out of his embrace.

“I will see you tomorrow. What time should we meet?” he asked. She looked up at him and looked down at her watch.

“I usually have Sunday dinner at my grandmother’s house, but maybe she wouldn’t mind watching Maggie and having Sunday dinner without me.”

“I don’t want to interrupt your family dinner. I understand how important that can be.”

She thought about bringing Thorne to her Sunday dinner—about having a man in her life to share her love before her Gran passed away. There could be more children, more joy to share. She gasped at the vision of it and her eyes went wide.

“It will be okay just this once,” she said. “Who knows what the future will bring?”

Thorne growled in agreement and nodded his head. She bit her l!p and turned away, trotting around the car to the driver’s side door. She climbed inside, willing herself not to look at him. Every instinct in her body was telling her to jump into his arms and throw her legs around his waist while he k!ssed her and held her in his strong hands.

She turned on the car and put it into drive, giving herself permission to glance in the rearview mirror as she pulled out of her parking space. She watched Thorne for a second as she drove away. His hands fisted his h**s. He watched her until she stopped at the stop sign and turned the corner.

She felt breathless all the way back to Gran’s house. She hadn’t anticipated k!ssing him. In fact, she had specifically expected not to. The moment had just seemed right, and she didn’t regret having done it. It was objectively the best k!ss she’d ever had. There wasn’t a single thing wrong about the entire experience.

And if the k!ss on the corner in the coming rain was that good, she could just imagine how good it would be to go all the way. Heather bit her l!p as she turned into Pearl’s driveway. She hadn’t been with a man in five years. It was hard to imagine doing it at all, let alone with a man like Thorne. She blinked several times and climbed out of the car.

She had to focus on the here and now. Getting so absorbed in the k!ss and a fantasy of what could come next wouldn’t help her make a rational decision about her relationship with Thorne. She needed to talk to Gran about it and get some perspective.

Gran and Maggie were on the back porch watching whales out on the horizon through binoculars. It had started to rain and water droplets fell rhythmically on the metal roof over the porch.

“How was it?” Pearl asked, looking Heather up and down as if she could see the excitement in her without her having to say a word.

“Better than I expected,” Heather said, her voice betraying her enthusiasm.

“Why don’t you tell me about it over some tea?”

The three went into the house and Maggie settled into the big, fluffy couch with a picture book and some toys while Heather and Pearl went into the kitchen for privacy. Heather sat at the table while Pearl started the kettle.

“What do you mean, better than you expected?” Pearl poured hot water into two mugs.

“He’s really quite charming.”

Pearl grabbed cream and sugar and set them on the table. Heather poured cream into her tea and took a sip.

“Charming?” Pearl asked.

“He’s a good man. He told me the story of his brothers’ journey from their family’s land in central Alaska to Fate Island. They suffered a great deal in the many decades they were cursed.”

“And you believe he’s telling the truth?”

“It’s a very detailed story,” she said.

“He could have made it up.”

“Thorne doesn’t seem like that kind of person. He’s in love with hockey and likes to keep his home tidy. He came freshly shaven and smelling divine.”

“I suppose those are good qualities, but his story is still wholly unbelievable. Maybe he read it in a novel.”

“I suppose that’s possible. We made another date for tomorrow night at six. I was hoping you could watch Maggie again. I need to know for sure whether Thorne is a man who can be part of my family. I can’t lead him on, but I need to make a good decision.”

“That sounds wise of you, Heather. And I will watch Maggie for you. I think that you know your own mind and you can see things clearly. If his story about magic and curses is true, then that makes a big difference, don’t you think?”

“It does. Luna Linwood from New Moon Books offered to introduce me to witches who can do more obvious magic like fire spells and such.”

“Interesting. Very interesting.”