What he is now, p.1
What He Is Now, page 1
WHAT HE IS NOW
(WOLVES TO BE, SHORT STORY 2)
By T. S. JOYCE
What He Is Now
Copyright © 2023 by T. S. Joyce
Copyright © 2023, T. S. Joyce
First electronic publication: April 2018 under author’s real name – Tera Shanley & a publisher
Rights reverted, short story series was re-written, and new electronic publication occurred under
T. S. Joyce & her own publisher, Wicked Willow Press
Published as a re-written series May 2023
T. S. Joyce
www.tsjoyce.com
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the author’s permission.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The author does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.
Published in the United States of America.
More Books in this Series
His Curse to Give (Wolves to Be, Short Story 1)
Under Him (Wolves to Be, Short Story 3)
Contents
Copyright
More Books in this Series
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
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For More from this Author
About the Author
Prologue
The Dart Creek Pack hadn’t done a new member initiation in years.
Nash Hudson threw his truck in park and glanced over at his new mate, Summer. The last two weeks had been an absolute firestorm of chaos, but most of it was the good kind.
He had Turned a sick woman after one night of fun with her, and the wolf had actually taken. She had survived. That part, he still couldn’t believe, but the churning silver in her gorgeous eyes was proof she was a werewolf.
Her dark pixie cut had grown out a couple of inches over the last couple weeks. She’d been growing it after chemo, but the powers he had given her would ensure her hair would be as long as she wanted in no time.
“I like your hair like this,” he murmured, resting his head against the seat as he tugged at a longer piece she’d straightened by her ear.
“You’re over the wig?” she teased.
Nash shrugged. “Long or short, doesn’t make any difference to me, but I like the way you look. You know, as you are.”
Her grin kicked his heartbeat into a gallop, and she dipped her bright gaze to his chest.
“What are you thinking about?” she whispered. Oh, she heard his heart racing just fine with those new werewolf senses.
“I’m thinking the last couple weeks have gone by so fast. I’m thinking I don’t even remember what it was like before you were with me. I’m thinking I wish you would break the lease on your apartment and just move in with me. There is no point in paying a monthly rent for a place you don’t even stay in anymore.”
“But what if you get tired of me?” she asked. “We’re strangers.”
“Bullshit,” he argued. “How many nights have we spent talking. All night. I’ve never done that with anyone. Never even been interested in hearing someone talk about themselves before, but with you it’s different. I want to know everything, and even when I find out the very last thing about you, it still won’t be enough. Move in with me.”
“I sleepwalk sometimes.”
“I think that’s cute. I’ll keep you safe when you sleepwalk.”
“What if I distract you too much from your job?” she asked. “I send way too many titty pics.”
Nash snorted. “There’s no such thing as too many. Besides, I could be a bodyguard with my eyes closed. The wolf catches everything. Send me all the titty pics you want while I’m on a shift.”
She smiled and then inhaled deeply. “I get scared you will want to return me.”
“Return you?” he asked, confused.
“Yeah. You Turned me into a werewolf because I was sick. Love isn’t supposed to work like that. You saved me because you are a good man, Nash. It doesn’t mean you have to be stuck with me.”
A growl rattled his throat and he cupped her cheek, leveled her with a look. “That’s the last time you say it that way, okay? It’s not true. I Turned you because I liked you, and you were fun, and I was interested, and I wanted more time with you. Now I have more time with you. I’m not returning you, Summer. You’re stuck with me.”
Her lips curved up slightly. “Stuck with a six foot-four, six-pack wielding, big dick swinging, panther in the sack dream-man? Okay. Accepted.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “You’re crazy.”
“Crazy about you,” she chirped out. “Now, what should I expect in here?” she asked, frowning at the busy parking lot where the entire Pack was filing into Ned’s bar.
“Well, since the last Pack initiation we did was Old Samuel, who was accidentally Turned by Danner who doesn’t even fucking remember doing it, and that was oooooh…three years ago? I would expect a party. The boys will act like they’ve been deprived. Every one of them will try to buy you shots. If it gets to be too many, you just wave at me and I’ll take care of it, okay?”
“Right. So, don’t party too hard.”
He laughed. “Party as hard as you want to, Wild Thing, but if I was you, I would go easy on your wolf. She’ll feel the full moon.”
“I’ve been feeling antsy,” Summer admitted. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “It’s like my skin is tingling with little bugs crawling up and down.”
He nodded. “Good. Those are signs of a Change. Do you know how special that is? How special you are? You’re doing so damn good at this. I couldn’t be any prouder if I tried.”
“Really?” she asked in a small, emotion-filled voice.
He chuckled and nodded. “Hell yeah, really. You’ve been cool as a cucumber. I haven’t seen you have a single break-down, and this is a lot.”
Her dark eyebrows drew down in a slight frown. “It doesn’t feel like a lot. Being sick felt like a lot. Being saved feels like a blessing. Whatever comes…” She shrugged. “Well, it’s better than the alternative.”
And that was one of the many things he loved about Summer. Oh, he hadn’t told her the words yet, but he had plans to after tonight. Under the full moon, behind this bar, she would Change for the first time. Tonight, they would see what color her wolf was. What her temperament was. Where she ranked in the Pack. And even more importantly to Nash, she would bond to his wolf. After tonight, their pairing would be official.
He hadn’t told anyone but Tristan, but he had bought her a promise ring.
“No more talk of me returning you,” he murmured. Nash leaned in and kissed her lips, then eased back, his forehead resting against hers. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Her pretty lips trembled slightly, and he ran a thumb over them, and then searched in her pretty, moisture rimmed eyes.
“I’m really lucky,” she whispered.
And God, he wanted to tell her the words now. I love you. They were hanging right at the tip of his tongue, but he had a plan. He had a whole special day planned for her where he would give her the thin gold band and tell her the words he had never told any woman. She deserved that special moment.
So, he tucked the words inside, and kissed her again, and asked her, “Are you ready to be an official member of the Pack?”
She parted her lips to reply, but someone jumped up at her window and yelled to scare them.
Summer jumped so high, her head nearly hit the ceiling of his truck.
Tristan stood outside, dying laughing, the asshat.
Summer shoved the door open hard and it slammed into him and he fell over.
“Ha ha,” Nash called.
And before Summer hopped out to kick dirt onto the still-cackling Tristan, Nash pulled her back and kissed her once more. “Hey,” he said quick.
“Yeah?”
“I’m really lucky, too.”
Her face went blank, and then the emotion was back in her bright silver, churning eyes.
“Let’s go party, Wild Thing.”
“Right after I kick Tristan in his stupid nuts.” Summer hopped out, and asked Nash’s friend, “Why do you keep scaring me like that?”
“Because it’s so satisfying doing it to a new werewolf!” Tristan crowed as he stood up. “You’re easier to sneak up on.”
Summer rolled her eyes and shoved Tristan in the arm, then stomped toward the bar.
Tristan fell into line beside Nash and threw his arm around his shoulders. “She’s kinda hot when she’s all fired up.”
Nash shoved him off him. “Keep it up, Tristan. We’re Changing tonight, and you’ve been doing nothing but pissi
“You wouldn’t really hurt me.”
“I wouldn’t?” Nash challenged as he waved to a couple of the Pack members walking from their trucks.
“No. I’m your only friend.”
Nash huffed a laugh and threw his arm over Summer’s shoulders as she waited for them to catch up. “You aren’t my only friend.”
“Oh yeah?” Tristan asked. “Name someone besides me you would call if you had good news.” Tristan waggled his eyebrows. “Or if you wanted to buy something special for someone.”
Shut. Up! Nash mouthed over Summer’s head.
“Who else would you call if you needed your shift covered?” Tristan tried again. “Or if someday you decide to Challenge for Alpha, who would you want as your Second? Hmmm?” Tristan’s eyebrows arched high. “Just me. Face it, Bro. I’m your bestie.”
“I’m totally making you bestie presents,” Summer said. “You guys can get pedicures together. I’ll get you matching eye-masks.”
“What’s an eye mask?” Nash asked, disturbed by the thought of little Ninja Turtle masks over his eyeballs.
“They help with dark circles under your eyes.”
“Werewolves don’t get those,” Nash muttered.
“For real?” Summer squealed. “Oh my gosh, I’m about to save myself so much money on skin products. Okay! So, what do you wash your face with?”
It was Tristan who answered. “The same washrag I wash my ballsack with.”
“Ew.” Summer squinted up at Tristan. “But also…wow. How old are you?”
“One thousand and ten years old.”
“He’s a liar,” Nash muttered.
“Oh, I could tell,” she said as Nash opened the bar door for her. “I’m a werewolf, remember? I can sense lies. I’m basically a super-hero.”
She sashayed inside, and Tristan paused with Nash. “Awww. She still thinks we are heroes. That’s cute.”
Nash snorted and went inside. “We’re heroes to the clients we protect.”
“Yeah,” Tristan said from behind him, “but sometimes we protect people who should be fuckin’ shot. There’s no hero in protecting the bad guys.”
“You always thought too hard about that stuff. It’s a job. We protect who pays to be protected, and then leave it at the door.”
“You just proved my point.”
“What point?” Nash asked as he wove between Pack members toward the bar.
“A hero would care about who deserved to be protected.”
Nash tossed a frown back at his friend. Tristan had annoying points sometimes. “Go take a shot and shut the hell up.”
Tristan grinned. “Want to take a panty-dropper with me, bestie?”
“What is a pantie dropper? You know what? No. I don’t care. I’m not even drinking tonight.”
“Why not?” Tristan asked.
Nash looked over at where Summer was talking to the other two females in the Pack near the bar. “I want to make sure she’s okay tonight.”
“Damn,” Tristan murmured. “You really do have it bad for her.”
Nash nodded his head. “And there’s no shame in that. She’s good, Tris. She’s a really good person and she’s so funny and so fucking interesting. Do you know she’s already applying for her old jobs again? No pause, not adjustment time, she’s just…living.”
“Pretty inspiring, huh?” Tristan asked softly.
Nash nodded as he studied Summer’s curves in that tight, red, crushed velvet dress. “I’ve never felt like this before.”
“Like what?”
“Like my life is changing. Like I’m going to look back on tonight a year from now and be like, ‘oh fuck, that’s where it all began.’”
“Where what all began?” Tristan asked.
“I don’t know yet. It’s just this feeling I have. Summer sure knows how to stir up change.”
“She sure does,” Vernon rumbled from behind them.
Nash turned, startled. He hadn’t felt the Alpha approaching. Usually, he had his instincts working better.
He shook Vernon’s hand. “Listen, thank you for making tonight so big for Summer,” Nash told him.
“Of course. Summer sure is a welcome distraction.”
“Distraction from what?” Tristan asked.
Vernon stared at her thoughtfully as she chattered happily and toasted matching pink drinks with the other two females of the Pack. “Just from some stuff that’s been going on. Nothing for you boys to worry over. Excuse me. I’m going to get the technicalities over with.” Vernon made his way toward Summer.
He would cut his hand, and cut Summer’s hand, and do a blood oath to initiate her into the Pack, and then the party could really begin.
As the Alpha made the announcements, and drew everyone’s attention to where he helped Summer up on the bar, Tristan asked the question Nash was thinking.
“What do you think he meant by nothing for us boys to worry over? His voice sounded weird.”
Nash pulled up his phone and turned on the video for Summer. She would want to see this down the road. It was a really big deal.
“I don’t know. He’s been quiet lately. Withdrawn.” Nash frowned at the Alpha’s too-bright eyes. “He was supposed to announce me as Second this week, but he said we have to wait on it. And then a few days ago, he called me out of the blue and asked if I was going to try and take the Pack from him.”
“What?” Tristan asked soft as a breath.
“Yeah, man. It was weird.”
“Why the fuck would you want the Pack? You’re young. You have your own life.”
Nash shrugged, and watched Vernon through the camera as he cut his own hand with his pocket knife. “An Alpha is supposed to be paired up, and his pairing didn’t take. Maybe Summer is shaking things up more than we realize. Maybe the Pack is talking about me as the next Alpha and I don’t know about it. Either way, Vernon doesn’t have to worry about me. I’ll be honored to be Second. I don’t need more than that. My wolf isn’t even interested. I just want to give Summer a steady, happy life.”
Chapter One
When she reached for her pillow, Summer Dicarlo’s fingertips found something dry. Something cold. She was uncomfortably stiff but wanted just five more minutes before she woke up and tackled the day.
A crunching noise sounded, light and crisp against her newly sensitive eardrums. The heady scent of earth and snow filled her nostrils. This place that prickled needles of cold against her bare flesh was not her bed.
With a gasp, she pushed up. Summer sat completely naked in the early light of morning, surrounded by snowy woods that were eerily silent.
“Nash?” she called, voice trembling as her teeth started to chatter, and her body began to shake. She didn’t know if that part was from adrenaline, or the chill that was settling into her bones.
She held dried leaves in a tight grip, and forced her stiff fist open to drop them onto the snow. A red smear drew her attention. Dried blood ran from her shoulder to her wrist, but when she inspected it further, could find no reason she would be covered in blood. That was one of the confusing parts of being a werewolf though. Maybe she’d cut herself on some brambles, and healed before she woke up.
“Nash?” she called louder. Panic quickened her breath.
Where am I? Think, Summer. As she scanned the slushy snow around her, she made out one set of wolf tracks—her own. She closed her eyes and listened. Snow was melting on the tree branches and dripping in a woods-song all around her. A bird called in the distance and the breeze lifted the creaking branches, but there was nothing more.
Summer stood and wrapped her arms around her middle in hopes of warding away the biting chill. “Which way to I go?” she asked aloud.
Nothing answered in her mind. Wolf was silent.
“Hellooo?” she tried again.
Tired, Wolf whispered.
Summer huffed a frustrated sound. “So let me get this straight,” she said as she guessed a direction and started marching. “You had the time of your life last night and you dragged us out to God-knows-where, and now that you are all sated and comfortable, you’ll just abandon me to find some kind of civilization again. What if I get eaten by a bear?” she barked out.
