Vivian Arend - Wolf Games

What of the challenges still to come in the Wolf Games? Had she helped solve this puzzle only to tear victory from their grasp when she was unable to shift?

“You’re thinking too hard. Let it rest.” Erik brushed a stray hair back behind her ear and she leaned into the caress without thinking. “In fact we all should turn in. Just because we know what we’re looking for won’t make tomorrow any easier.”

“So using the song to solve the puzzle gave us six letters in the answer column, but no idea where we’ll find them? I assume that’s the information we’ll need for the final event, right? That sucks,” Jared complained as he unzipped the fly to the tent.

“Hey, at least we know what to look for, and with TJ’s great sense of smell, I’m confident we’ll be at the checkpoint in plenty of time.” Erik patted TJ on the back, catching him by the shirt when he tripped. “Yup, a good night’s sleep and a short hike tomorrow. I’m betting there will be little time between the end of this challenge and the start of the next.”

Erik settled the boys, returning to hold his hand out to her. “As much as I’d love a repeat of last night, I suggest we hit the sack as well.”

She nodded slowly. There was too much to say and she didn’t have the strength yet. “Erik, what if I can’t—?”

He held up a hand. “I’m not trying to be rude, but I’d like you to trust me on this one. Sleep first, discussions later. You did so well with the puzzle, but I can feel your exhaustion from here. While you’re getting the chemicals you need from being with us, I doubt you’ve hiked this far in the past few years while hanging out in Vancouver.” He pulled her against his body and she molded herself to him. It felt so wonderful. He lifted her chin and stared at her. “I’m warning you I’m going to hold you tonight. I can’t resist, and I think you need it too. If you were planning on protesting, argue here so we don’t wake the boys.”

Jared’s snores already rocked the tent and Maggie laughed. “Like me blowing a trumpet in his ear would wake him.” They exchanged grins before she grew serious again. There was nothing she wanted more right now than to feel his arms around her. “I could handle you holding me. If you feel you absolutely must.”

He nodded seriously. “I think it’s vital.”

They slipped into the tent and Maggie relaxed, the warmth of her mate covering her like a blanket as the never-ending light shone through the walls of the tent, filling the space with a peaceful blue glow.

Erik was pleased when their team finished the challenge in plenty of time, finding all but one of the puzzle pieces. Maggie had insisted on recording everything she could think of about the locations where they’d discovered the letters, hoping the information would help them down the road. They barely crossed the line at the checkpoint before they were whisked away to Carmacks to start the next race.

He kept Maggie beside him as they boarded the bus with four other teams. The fear in her eyes made his heart ache, but the way she squared her shoulders and insisted on sitting with TJ filled him with pride.

The chairman rose at the front of the bus to announce the details of the next challenge.

“You’ll all be in human form for this event of the Games.”

A murmur carried through the bus and TJ swore under his breath. Erik dropped a reassuring hand on the young man’s shoulder.

“You’ll be paddling through one of the toughest sections of the Yukon River. Because of changing water levels, the Five Finger Rapids are nowhere near as dangerous as they were in the days of the Gold Rush. But we’ve planned a mass start, so there will be a lot of canoes vying for the safest route. It’s up to you to make it through to the other side in one piece.

“Scoring for this event will involve both time and bonus points. There will also be deductions.” He held up a brightly coloured float. “We’ve got six buoys anchored at various points along the river. If you get close enough, you’ll once again have an opportunity to observe a symbol that will help you later. It’s completely discretionary if you wish to attempt to reach the buoys.”

“What would cause a deduction?” one of the Anchorage team asked.

The chairman grinned at them, his canines long and sharp. “Falling out of the canoe. You can still get a time score when your canoe crosses the finish line, but anyone out of the canoe causes a deduction to be applied, no matter how it happens.”

TJ’s shoulder tensed even more under Erik’s hand. The kid was just going to have to get over his fear of screwing up. So he was clumsy—he was way better now than a few years ago.

The chairman sat and a low rumble of voices filled the bus. Erik leaned back in his seat trying to get comfortable for the journey, his knees cramped against the back of the bench in front of him. Even the buses adapted for wolves were too small for his bulk. He sighed and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again they’d arrived at Carmacks. He herded his crew over to the side of the staging area then stood back to take a good look at the setup. The canoes were lined up along the edge of the river, twenty feet from the shoreline. Erik eyed his opponents with a practiced eye, spotting the three teams who would be the most competition in this event.

TJ remained silent as Jared joked around. Without her saying a word, Erik knew exactly where Maggie stood, hiding behind his back, sneaking peeks around him at the other wolves. She was doing extraordinarily well, not panicking as the group grew larger by the minute. All the teams were assembled and their support crews were placing the final supplies in piles for the teams to collect when the whistle sounded.

Arms wrapped around his waist and he stilled, covering her small hands with his own. She’d buried her face in his back, her breath warm against his skin. Small tremors shook her body and he twisted, kneeling down to enclose her in his embrace. They stayed there for a moment, just breathing each other’s air. It felt so damn right to hold her.

He kissed her forehead gently. “You going to be okay?”

She nodded quickly. “I might throw up a few times, but I’m not giving up.” Her stubborn announcement made his heart sing. They were truly going to be a wonderful pair, once they dealt with a few minor issues like her shifting problem. Her refusal to accept their mating. Making sure—

Jared nudged them, breaking them apart, before handing over two life jackets. “Try to throw up over the edge of the gunnels.”

Maggie smacked him on the arm and Erik bit back his surprise. “Next time, don’t listen to a private conversation. If I have to throw up, I’ll throw up anywhere I damn well please. Got it?”

A ripple of shock crossed Jared’s face and he dipped his head in submission. Maggie stood just a little straighter and Erik hid his grin. It seemed his little wolf was starting to feel her place in the pack.

He turned to make sure TJ had his lifejacket on properly. The boy was still swearing colourfully, with few repetitions.

“Does your brother know you’re this talented with words?”

TJ snorted. “Who do you think I learned them from? Well, him and Robyn. She’s awful good at cussing in sign language.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m going to fuck this up. I just know it. I’m going to cause some major catastrophe.”

“Why?”

TJ looked at him like he’d grown a third head. “Because I’m me . You know I can’t walk twenty feet without landing on my face.”

Erik shrugged. “You bounce pretty good. Just get up and get your ass into the boat.” He tightened TJ’s lifejacket straps and stepped back to complete his own.