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The last face he saw before he hit the water was Ainsley Connor’s.

  Erik’s heart nearly stopped when he splashed into the ice-cold water. His feet smashed into the rocky creek bed and his ankle turned with a sickening crunch. White-hot pain shot through his legs as he struggled to the surface.

  He bobbed up with an expression that must have told them he was badly hurt. There was total silence. And then one of the fifth graders yelled and they all started running off through the woods.

  Erik was alone in the freezing water and his legs were burning in crippling agony. He knew he should be afraid but instead he felt tired. It was hard to remember how to keep his head above water when he couldn’t move his legs without excruciating pain. He shut his eyes for a second.

  Then there was a terrific splash and a gasp.

  “Hold on, Erik. I’m coming!”

  Ainsley’s bright voice sawed through the fog of pain that was drawing him out of the forest and into his own head. He heard her splashing through the water toward him, but he was too tired to look up.

  When her face appeared before him he was struck by the seriousness of her expression. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes wide.

  How had he never noticed what a nice face she had?

  “What hurts?” she asked.

  He closed his eyes again and took inventory.

  “Everything. My legs, especially my left leg.”

  “I’m going to get you out of the water. Try to let your left leg float.”

  He nodded. She sounded like such a grown-up.

  “Wrap your arms around my neck.” Ainsley moved in front of him. “I’ll carry you until it gets shallow.”

  Erik did what she said without thinking. She was so warm. He snuggled his face into the back of her neck.

  She pulled him through the water with surprising strength. He tried to keep his legs up but he was so tired and there were so many rocks waiting to bang his feet whenever he let them drift down. Finally they reached the shallows.

  “I’m going to stand up. Try and keep your weight on me until we figure out if you can stand on your right leg, ok?” She smiled a too-big smile that gave away her worry.

  He clung to her shoulders as she stood. The air hit his wet clothes and he started to shake.

  Gingerly, he put some weight on his right foot. It throbbed in a sinister way, but didn’t give out. Encouraged, he put his left foot down.

  A horrible grinding sound made him cry out loud. The pain was dizzying.

  “Don’t put your left foot down,” Ainsley instructed. “I’ll leave you right here and go for help.”

  “Please don’t leave me,” Erik said.

  Ainsley sighed and looked around. All the other kids were long gone.

  “Alright then. Let’s get moving.”

  Very, very slowly, they made their way up the slippery bank. Ainsley had her am around his waist and he leaned hard on her and kept his left foot off the ground. She was strong, but the effort was clearly taking everything she had.

  After what seemed like an eternity, they came out of the woods at her back door.

  “Moooooooooom!” Ainsley yelled.

  Mrs. Connor ran out the back door, wiping her hands on her apron. When she caught sight of the kids her face dropped.

  “What happened?”

  “He swung out over the creek on a rope and dropped in. I think he broke his ankle,” Ainsley said.

  Erik was eternally grateful to her for not announcing that he’d been bullied into it.

  “Erik Jensen,” Mrs. Connor said, more concern than scolding in her voice. “I thought you had more sense than that.”

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Connor,” he managed.

  She stopped and looked into his eyes. Then she gave him a tight little smile.

  “Well, let’s get you into the house. We’ll call your mom.”

  She swooped him up in her strong arms and carried him in. Ainsley ran ahead and opened the door.

  Mrs. Connor set him down on the living room sofa and wrapped a throw around him while Ainsley hovered close by.

  “Ainsley, go get my First Aid kit from the kitchen.”

  Ainsley scrambled to the kitchen. Erik could hear her banging around in the cupboards.

  “Let’s have a look at that ankle.”

  The left ankle had swollen over the edge of his sneaker. Mrs. Connor carefully removed his saturated shoes. He tried not to wince, but when she peeled his socks off he whimpered a little.

  “I know that hurts,” she said soothingly. “We’ll have you fixed up in no time. I’m going to sing to you a little while I clean you up. It will distract you.”

  Mrs. Connor began to sing, but what she sang he couldn’t say. It was a song and it was not a song. The words were incomprehensible but images flashed in Erik’s mind as she sang. He saw a lush forest, a sleeping dog, a snowy mountaintop, a man pouring a creamy glass of milk for a waiting child, a peaceful lake, and a beautiful little girl knitting a blanket.

  When she finished singing he looked down and his ankle wasn’t as swollen as he remembered. It wasn’t burning anymore either - there was only a gentle throb.

  “I know you’re hurt, Erik, but I want you to try and move your ankle now. Let’s see if you can move it.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut tight anticipating the grinding pain. Mrs. Connor held his left leg up and he moved his foot a fraction on of an inch.

  He opened his eyes in disbelief and moved it again.

  There was nothing. No grinding, only a sharp ache.

  “That is a badly sprained ankle,” Mrs. Connor declared. “I’m glad you learned your lesson.”

  Ainsley flew into the room.

  “I found the First Aid kit, Mom. Why didn’t you tell me it was out on the porch?”

  “Oh, goodness, I forgot your father got a wasp sting in the garden the other day. Erik’s going to be fine, it’s just a bad sprain. Grab me the ACE bandage from in there, Ainsley.”

  “Mrs. Connor, Ainsley was so brave,” Erik said as Ainsley mom bandage his ankle. “She swam in after me and half-carried me here.

  Mrs. Connor smiled down at Ainsley’s head.

  “Is that right, Ainsley?”

  Ainsley grinned at him and tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear.

  “You’re my friend, Erik, you’d do the same for me.”

  Erik hoped she was right. But all the other kids had run off. Would he have been as brave as she was?

  After a ride home and some dry clothes, he was feeling much better, so he decided to stop by Clive’s house. When he knocked on the door, Sheriff Warren came out.

  “Hey Erik, how are you, son?”

  Clive peeked out his second floor bedroom window.

  “I’m good. Is Clive home?”

  “Sure, I’ll get him for you.”

  Clive was already heading out the front door.

  “Hey, Erik,” he said carefully.

  “Hey, Clive.”

  “I’ll let you boys get to it.” The sheriff headed back into the house.

  “What are you doing here?” Clive demanded, glancing over his shoulder to make sure his dad was really gone.

  “I’ve had a shitty day,” Erik replied, marveling at how naturally he had used the curse word. “I figure I’ve got two ways to make it better. And you’re going to help me decide which.”

  Clive was staring at Erik’s legs, astonished.

  “Ainsley and I were thinking,” Erik continued. “That what we should do is let your dad know what happened.”

  All of the color drained from Clive’s face.

  “Or else you and your friends can stay away from the sycamore and the creek from now on.”

  “What are you talking about?” Clive demanded.

  “I mean that from that sycamore tree, as far as we can see in every direction belongs to me and Ainsley Connor. If anyone trespasses, we’ll tell your dad what happened today.”

  Clive thought about that. After a moment he seemed to de
cide.

  “I’ll tell you what, Jensen, we’ll clear out of that area. But it’s not because we’re afraid of you tattling. I’m sorry for what I did today. I didn’t think you’d really jump. I’m glad you’re okay. The tree is payback. It’s all yours – as far as you can see from the sycamore. I’ll tell the other guys it’s off limits.”

  Erik was incredulous. He opened and closed his mouth twice. The one thing he hadn’t expected was an apology.

  “You need any help getting home?” Clive asked.

  Erik shook his head and walked away.

  The next day at school he’d told Ainsley.

  “Erik Jensen, you are the coolest kid in Tarker’s Hollow!” she declared.

  That weekend, they began building the tree house. Ainsley’s mom supplied some basic materials. Erik drew up a plan.

  Ainsley was really impressed. She had always been really book smart but she was fascinated at how Erik could use his hands to turn the plan into a real fort. He scoffed at her for making a big deal over it, but secretly her admiration made him feel great.

  They built the fort in the first crook of the branches, only about two feet off the ground. It was easier to reach that way and less dangerous if they made a mistake. It took the whole rest of that spring and summer to build. They gave it a real cedar shake roof and even a glass window. It was big enough for two kids to sleep in comfortably – they had big plans to bring their sleeping bags out and camp for night sometime.

  By the time it was done they were used to hanging out together during all their free time. They began to explore the woods and creek.

  One day, they found a cave near the bank of the creek. The next day they came back with flashlights.

  There were tons of spiders inside, and leaves that suggested an animal had lived there at one time. They cleaned it out and hid in there, pretending to be spies camped out in enemy territory.

  In fourth grade, Ainsley started to be pulled out of class all the time to do testing. They decided she was gifted. Erik would ask her in the woods what the tests were about but when she she tried to explain it, neither one of them could see how it would tell them whether or not she was smart.

  She was mystified. But Erik and Ainsley didn’t worry about it much. They painted the inside of the tree fort a light green and they hid flashlights, blankets and canned tuna in the cave “just in case.”

  In fifth grade, she was put in special classes with other gifted kids. She and Erik taught themselves to skip stones on the sparking surface of the creek. She still liked to hang out in the woods, but she had too much homework to see him every day.

  By sixth grade, Ainsley was best friends with Grace Kwan-Cortez, who was also in the gifted program. She almost never came out in the woods anymore.

  And the summer after sixth grade Erik hit puberty. His parents told him about the wolves.

  He was shocked but sort of thrilled. What boy wouldn’t want to turn into a giant wolf?

  But they also told him about Ainsley. As the only child of the alpha, it would fall to her to draw the next alpha. Her father had commanded that the boys of the pack must stay away from her.

  “But we’re just friends,” he’d told his father honestly.

  “It’s a dangerous time, son,” his dad said fondly. “One minute you’re just friends, the next minute you’re not. Michael Connor knows what he’s doing.”

  There was no point arguing. And there was too much else going on anyway. Besides, Erik and Ainsley were growing apart. He did very well in school but it was already clear that both the school and the pack were going to put demands on Ainsley that were on a whole other level.

  By high school, he could hardly remember that they’d been so close as kids. She would pass him in the hall with her sweet smell and her quick step, her arms clutching a stack of books, her eyes not sparing him even a glance.

  Until now.

  Chapter 8

  Erik shook his head to clear the memories.

  Sunlight still shimmered on the surface of the creek like no time had passed. But he was standing here, six feet tall and sweating, all grown up. And Ainsley hadn’t set foot in this place since she was eleven years old.

  And if she had her way, she never would again.

  Something twisted in his chest, and he spun around and marched back down the path to his house.

  There was just time to shower and then head out to patrol her house. But he had to hurry if he wanted to beat the sunset.

  The hot water pounded down on his sore muscles. The sadness he’d felt by the creek began to fade as he looked forward to patrolling. Even when he didn’t see her, he felt close with Ainsley when he trotted through the woods near her house.

  He changed and loped off through the woods to her house impatiently. The sweet scent of pine filled his nose.

  He stopped short when he reached the edge of the woods. There was an extra car in the drive.

  A Tarker’s Hollow PD car.

  Clive Warren.

  The meaning behind that car in the drive hit him like a kick in the chest.

  Erik knew in his mind what she was doing was a good thing. It was the best thing, a heroic thing, really. And he didn’t even really want to be alpha anyway.

  But somehow he still had an overwhelming urge to burst through the door and stop her.

  Maybe it wasn’t the thought of losing his chance at being alpha that was bothering him.

  Using every ounce of self-discipline he had, Erik managed to stay in his wolf form on the edge of the woods. He took a breath and ripped his eyes from her door and loped back through the woods.

  She might be doing the right thing, but he knew he couldn’t be within earshot when she did.

  That was too much.

  Chapter 9

  The sun was going down on Tarker’s Hollow, and Ainsley was rushing through the end of her bathing routine.

  She had cleaned the house until the last possible moment. The first floor was now sparkling and fragrant as well as empty. And of course she’d made sure her room was clean, tidy and welcoming. She even took down her Harry Potter poster.

  As she smoothed lotion on her legs Ainsley wondered how the night would go. She was pretty sure Clive knew what was going on, although of course he might not. He seemed like he’d grown up to be a pretty modest guy.

  As she slipped into her robe to head into her bedroom to dress, a shave-and-a-haircut knock echoed from the front door. Ainsley froze. He wasn’t supposed to be here yet.

  As she hesitated, the knock repeated. This time it answered itself with a two-bits knock.

  It was probably just some idiot who wanted more stuff out of the house. She would chase them away quickly and be dressed for Clive in a flash.

  She bounced down the stairs and partially opened the front door.

  It was Clive. Oh god, it was him.

  “Hey, Ainsley!” he boomed. His handsome face broke into a happy smile.

  “Hi, Clive. I’m so sorry, I wasn’t expecting you for a few more minutes,” Ainsley chirped. “Please come in. I’ll just run up and get dressed.”

  He walked in and they both looked at the completely empty living room and the archway into the completely empty dining room.

  “Wow,” Clive said. “Some place.”

  Ainsley didn’t know what to say. Clive’s family had lived in one of the 1960s split-levels down on the south end of town. Was it possible he was noticing the high ceilings and woodwork on the Victorian? Or was he making a joke about it being empty?

  She covered her bases by laughing and then blurting out, “I had a little giveaway today. I was overwhelmed by so much old furniture.”

  “Some of that might have been worth something, Ainsley,” Clive pointed out.

  “That’s true. But I felt like it wasn’t worth the time I would need to sort it all out. It makes me a little sad, getting rid of my parents’ stuff.”

  Clive nodded and she nodded back. There was an awkward little pause.

&nb
sp; “Why don’t you..?” Ainsley began. Then realized there was not a single chair in the whole house. She wanted badly to slap herself in the forehead.

  “Do you still have a picnic table out back?” Clive asked.

  “Yes!” Ainsley exclaimed. “Do you want to wait out there for me?”

  “Sure,” he said, stealing a glance down her robe and then looking away quickly.

  Ainsley couldn’t help pulling her robe a little tighter before scampering up the stairs to her room. She dressed as quickly as he could and tried hard not to think about how it was going.

  Chapter 10

  Clive pulled out the bench at the picnic table and took a seat.

  He wasn’t really sure what was going on tonight. The house was empty and he didn’t smell anything cooking. And Ainsley was practically naked.

  Oh.

  Clive nearly slapped himself in the forehead. Maybe Ainsley wanted to cut to the chase.

  Damn.

  She smelled like heaven. He could have grabbed her and kissed her and skipped the awkward conversation stuff that would only make him feel dumb.

  Why did he always think of the right thing to do when it was already too late?

  Now he had to sit outside where it was hot and humid, on a hard wooden bench.

  Why would she give away all her stuff if she was going to choose him as alpha?

  Maybe she wanted them to get new stuff together. That would be nice. He hoped she had as much money as everyone said. He didn’t have enough money on his sheriff’s salary to buy her new stuff for a house this size.

  He looked around.

  There was a small yard with some flowers and a white fence. It wouldn’t be too hard to jump over it if the shit ever hit the fan. Clive was always thinking of this stuff since he had become a cop. It was good to be prepared.

  Of course he could also just turn into a giant wolf and do pretty much anything he wanted. But sometimes you wanted to stay a person.

  The back door banged and there was Ainsley.

  Wow.

  For a nerd she was a knock-out. Right now she was wearing a pink dress that was the exact color of a birthday cake. It was low cut and tight on her boobs.