Marilu Mann - Changing Focus

“Look, I know it’s not my place to question you, but have you thought about sending Talia to the Pack in town to grow up in? Don’t get me wrong, Micah. You’ll be a great father to her, but kids need mothers. If Olivia is going to stick around, then she’s going to be important to the kid.” Gareth paused, taking a deep breath but still not meeting Micah’s eyes. “I think you need to tell Olivia what she is.”

Micah nodded. “That’s my thought too, Gareth. Not about Talia-she’s fine and I’ll make sure she stays fine. Liv, though, that’s a wolf of another color, isn’t it? I tried to tell her and she misunderstood me. Thought I was talking about totems and spirit guides.” Micah’s fingers tangled in his hair as he tried to comb it back from his face. “I don’t know what to do other than change in front of her.”

“It’s not just that, Micah. She could probably accept your changing. Some humans do. I mean, Slade and Tony both have human mates, right? Olivia’s not human. She’s one of us. Now that you’re back there’ll be a Gathering and you know it’ll be a big one. Everyone is going to want to see you. And the females.”

Gareth hesitated as a grimace crossed his face. “Well, you know they’re going to be all over you. And the males will be hot on Olivia’s tail. They’re always chasing any unclaimed female.”

Nostrils flaring, Micah bit out his words. “She is not an unclaimed female. She’s mine .”

Scooting back on the bale of hay, Gareth held his hands out placatingly. “I didn’t mean anything, Micah. I didn’t realize you were that serious about her.”

Micah sighed. “Neither did I. But Olivia is not fair game. Gathering or no, if any other male gets near her, I’ll tear him apart.”

He pivoted on the balls of his feet and headed back to the lodge. Time to show Olivia what he was. And more importantly, time to show her what she was. He glanced over his shoulder to see Gareth watching him.

“I’ll need you to stick around the main building for a while. Keep an ear out for Talia in case she wakes up.”

Without waiting for Gareth’s response, Micah mulled over his options as he headed back to the lodge. He knew he had to give her unalterable proof of his claims. That would be shock number one. The second shock he had planned was what had him jamming his hands into his thighs as though the repetitive thuds could ease the guilt building in him.

Forcing another shifter to change was something he did only in dire circumstances. He’d used his power to change another shifter for necessary healing when a shifter had been hurt too badly to effect the change themselves. He’d also used it on occasion as punishment. Forcing the change too rapidly could hurt.

His grandfather had driven home to him more than once that he could lose his power if he used it for ill. Many stories had been told to him about those ancestors who hadn’t heeded the warning and had been stripped of their ability, leaving their Pack vulnerable.

The lodge steps appeared in front of him too soon for his liking. He considered taking a walk-a long one, with Canada looking like a good first stop. Shaking his head, he laughed. What good is running, Micah? And isn’t that the question you ask others, not yourself?

Squaring his shoulders, Micah opened the front door.

“Olivia?” Still no response from her. Resting one hand against the frame of her open door, Micah softly spoke her name again. She was so engrossed in her writing that she hadn’t heard him the first time. This seemed to be a pattern for them. She holed up in her room writing and him standing outside trying to get her attention. Still, he wouldn’t mind vying for her attention for a very long time to come.

Stepping closer, Micah said her name with more force. A startled curse rang from her lips as she jumped and knocked over a coffee cup. Fortunately for her laptop, it was empty.

His core sizzled when she hit him with those cornflower blue eyes. Pulsing in his jeans reminded him just how much he wanted this woman. He grinned. Now was definitely not the time to shift because while it was easy to hide his erection behind denim, he wouldn’t be quite as successful as a wolf. She’d have no doubt just how happy he was to see her.

“We need to talk.”

Her laugh threw him off until she explained. “Isn’t it the woman who’s supposed to say that? And the man is supposed to run howling into the woods?”

Answering her with a laugh of his own, he reached back to close the door then covered the distance between them in two easy strides. It felt so right to fold her into his arms and place a gentle kiss on her head.

“We were talking about something and got interrupted.”

Olivia grinned as she tilted her head up to look at him. “Yes, we get interrupted a lot, don’t we? But Talia is napping now. Want to finish what we tried to start?” She nipped at his chin.

“Olivia, you don’t know how much I want to take you to bed and bury myself in your sweet warmth. But we have to discuss the fact that you are different.” She stiffened in his arms but he tightened his hold on her.

“Different just like me, Olivia. Just like me. Sweetheart, you aren’t going to get what I tried to tell you, so I’m going to show you. Promise me you won’t run, okay? Promise you will watch what is going to happen and trust me. Can you do that for me?” He pressed another kiss to her forehead as she nodded at him.

Stepping back from her, he began to take his clothes off. A grin stole across Olivia’s face. “Really, Micah, you were scaring me a bit. If that’s your idea of foreplay, we really do need to talk.”

Micah didn’t answer. Concentrating his energy, he shifted into his large black and gray wolf body. Olivia’s face went white as she took a step backward.

“What the hell? Okay, that’s a pretty good parlor trick, Micah. Where did you go? I’m assuming this animal is tame?” Her voice rose in pitch as she continued moving until the backs of her knees hit the edge of the bed. “Micah?”

Shifting back took less time but Olivia’s jaw dropped even further. “This is not funny, Micah. What’s happening?”

Taking her hands, Micah knelt in front of her. “Liv, this is me. This is us. A monster didn’t kill your parents. You didn’t kill your parents. The shock of having you change in the backseat caused your dad to lose control of the car, but you were not responsible. You should have been with a shifter family. You should never have been with humans. You’re a shifter too, Olivia.”

Blonde hair skimmed her cheeks as she shook her head. “This is too much. Too much. What are you saying? Are you telling me that you can turn into a wolf? That you’re a…” Her voice shattered on the word. “Werewolf?”

Her sweet orange scent suddenly held an overlay of the sharp smell of fear. Micah wanted anything but that. He’d rather she’d rage at him than be scared of him. Filling his lungs with a deep breath, he nodded.

“Yes. Werewolf is one name for us. We prefer shifter since it doesn’t have the Lon Chaney factor built in. We are not murderers. We don’t eat children. We don’t usually steal sheep. We live and work among the humans without them knowing the truth of what we are.”

“We. You keep using we. I’m not like you. I don’t know why you think that, but I am not one of you!” Olivia tore her hands out of his as she scrambled to her feet. Pacing back and forth, she pointed a shaking hand at him.

“Why are you doing this? Who set you up to this? Are you supposed to make me think I’m crazy? Too late. I already know that.”

Micah’s throat tightened at the tears welling up in her beautiful blue eyes. Getting up off the floor, he walked toward her but halted when she threw a hand out to stop him. How could he get her to believe him? Her knowledge of her abilities was crucial.