“Join us at our fire tonight,” invited yet another young woman. They seemed to be multiplying. “You don’t have to rush off straight away, do you?”
Perhaps he shouldn’t have worn his gloves and sunglasses. He hadn’t wanted to alarm the campers with his claws or eyes, but right now, he could really do with alarming at least a few of the adults.
He cast another glance around, searching for Leonie. This time, to his relief, he found her.
“Excuse me,” he said to his besiegers. As politely as he could, he extricated his arm from a particularly tenacious blonde. “I need to speak with the head counselor.”
He cut through the crowded hall, pretending not to notice other attempts to get his attention. Leonie had her back to him, speaking to a skinny, nervous looking young man who seemed vaguely familiar. Shan recognized him as the person who’d ambushed Leonie during her coffee break, back at the start of summer. It felt like a lifetime ago.
“But you said I only had to coach the kids at sports,” the man was saying as Shan approached. “I don’t know how to lead a pack!”
“It’ll be fine, Don,” said patiently. “I’ll be with you thewhole time. I’ll manage everything. And I won’t put you on the cabin duty rota. You can still have the evenings off.”
“Well…as long as I don’t have to work any extra hours,” Don started, and then saw Shan.
Leonie gave him an aggrieved look. “Shan, you really need to stop looming at poor Don. That’s the second time you’ve scared him off.”
He would have apologized, if he had been sorry. Instead, he frowned after the fleeing man. “You’re choosing him as your new co-counselor?”
“He’s the obvious pick,” Leonie said absently, making a note on her clipboard. “He’s not already assigned to a pack, and he needs help learning how we do things here. It’ll be good for him.”
“But not for you.”
“Oh, I’m used to babysitting the newbies.” She flashed him a quick smile, cheek dimpling. “Though sometimes my partner turns out to need a lot less support than I expected.”
He swallowed the fragrant sweetness. “I am glad I was not a burden.”
“I’m going to miss having you around,” she said softly. She cleared her throat, adopting a brisker tone. “And the kids are going to miss you, too. Are you ready to say goodbye to them?”
“I…thought I might stay a little longer.” It was only delaying the inevitable, but he couldn’t yet face that final moment of separation. He added, truthfully, “I prefer to fly at night. And I would like to spend a final evening with the children.”
“They’ll like that, too.” Tucking her clipboard under her arm, Leonie held out her hand. “I’ve got a lot to do. Just in case I don’t manage to catch you before you leave… it’s been a pleasure, Shan.”
Shan hesitated, battling temptation. But…why not? He could allow himself this one small indulgence.
Rather than reaching out, he removed his right glove. Carefully keeping his claws retracted, he took her hand.
Leonie didn’t flinch. She squeezed his hand, her fingers sinking into his fur. Stepping forward, she pulled him into a quick, hard hug.
“Take care of yourself, Shan,” she whispered against his chest. “And I hope it all works out.”
He wasn’t sure if he hoped the kids would make one last-ditch attempt to force him to stay, or feared it. In any event, they didn’t. Apart from a few wistful comments from Beth, none of them even mentioned Leonie. In their minds, it seemed, the matter was settled.
It was good to see the campers at ease, only concerned with their own interests. He watched them run about in the twilight, playing some complicated game with kids from other packs. Spencer had been hesitant about joining in at first, but he was soon running and dodging along with the rest. None of the other campers cared that he could have paralyzed any of them with a glance. Here, he could be just another kid, laughing with his friends.
Spencer would be all right. They all would be.
Including Leonie.
Lie,his monster said. It paced in his mind, back and forth, ears flattened in distress.Wrong, wrong.She should have known us.
But she hadn’t. She’d looked straight into his eyes, and not recognized him as her mate.
Perhaps that was for the best.
Wrong, his monster insisted.We are hers. How could she not know it? Something is wrong.
Maybe it was him.
