Unleashed by the Moon

2. Faith-2

“My bison steak was absolutely delicious,” Amelie mumbles with her mouth half full.

Nodding, I finish off the last bite of my steak. “Yes, it was.”

Her gaze lingers over toward the bar and then back to me. “There are two men at the bar who haven’t been able to stop staring at us since we got here.”

Very casually, I glance over my shoulder at them. In human years, they look to be around their mid-twenties and incredibly good-looking. Both are human and dressed in plaid button-down shirts and jeans with dark brown hair and the other a dirty blond; very cowboyish, which I’ve grown to love since I moved to Wyoming from Canada. Amelie got me started watching the TV show Yellowstone, and I’m hooked.

The guy with blond hair nods at me, and I do the same to be polite. When I turn back to Amelie, I lower my voice. She has a dark past where she was mated to another wolf, but it didn’t end well. I try not to bring it up because I know it pains her.

“How many men have you slept with?” I ask her.

She takes a sip of her water. “As far as wolves, just one. Human men, six.”

I envy her. I’ve thought about what it would be like to be intimate with a man. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy myself when I’m alone in the privacy of my home, but it’s not the same. Most women at my age have at least fallen in love a couple of times. I’ve never been given a chance.

“Was it nice being with human men?”

Amelie smiles. “Very nice. Human men are different from our kind. They’re a little more fragile, so you have to be careful. You can’t be getting all hot and bothered in bed and have your claws rake down their backs. You’ll rip them in two.”

“Ouch. Yeah, that wouldn’t be good.”

She shakes her head. “Not at all. Sometimes it’s exhausting, though. You can’t fully be yourself with human men. Also, getting attached isn’t wise because we all know it’d never work. They age, and we don’t. They’re only good for a short-term fling.”

Sighing, I look over my shoulder at the two men again. “I’m not really interested in a fling.”

“Neither am I,” Amelie says, drawing my attention back to her. “I’m happy with the way my life is right now.” Her gaze saddens when she meets my eyes. “But I know you haven’t been able to live yours. Hopefully, you’ll get the chance soon.”

The waitress comes over, and we pay our bills. When we get outside, the temperature has cooled off, and it feels heavenly. I love downtown Jackson Hole. There are shops lined up and down the street with tourists everywhere. The summer is the prime time peak season for the hiking enthusiasts who want to venture into the Grand Teton National Park. It’s very different from the small Canadian town Micah and I moved from. I was born in Canada, so it’ll always be my home, but it changed when my parents were murdered. After that, nothing felt like home. I was torn away from my siblings just to keep us safe.

Amelie bumps me with her shoulder. “I’m thinking a walk by the art gallery to see your paintings and then to Udderly Delicious for an ice cream sundae?”

I turn to her and smile. “Sounds perfect.”

The art gallery is on the next street over, and when we walk by the window, there’s a woman inside buying one of my paintings. It’s one of the best feelings in the world. Amelie squeezes my arm and lets out a shriek. “Would you look at that? She’s buying your cottage painting.”

My eyes start to burn. That cottage is the replica of the one Micah and I lived in. I can see it all as if it was just yesterday that we left it. It still belongs to Micah, and I hope he never sells it. One day, I want to go back and see it again. It’s a moderately sized yellow cottage that looks as if it came out of a fairy tale. I even planted every single flower in the garden.

“It’s such a beautiful place, Amelie. You would love it.” I pointed at the painting. “The mountains in the background were really there. I would stare at them for hours.”

Amelie clasps my arm and pulls me away from the window. “It’s a good thing you have the Tetons to look at now. I have to say I love this area. It’s nothing like my home in North Carolina.”

I link my arm with hers. Her parents were murdered by other wolves, just like mine. She hasn’t been back to North Carolina since joining the Teton pack. I never thought we’d have so much in common.

We turn the corner, and Udderly Delicious is about five shops down from where we are. There are people everywhere, laughing and smiling as they go in and out of the stores. It’s interesting to watch them, knowing they’re oblivious to what’s really around them.

“What sundae are you going to get?” Amelie asks. “I think I want the mudslide, and I’ll have them add the fudge cake.”

“That sounds like heaven. I’ll …” Before I can finish my sentence, both Amelie and I freeze. Someone is near us, and it’s not anyone from our pack or anyone I recognize for that matter.

Amelie’s arm tightens around mine. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Who the hell is in our territory?”

“I don’t know, but he’s definitely an alpha.” We both scan the crowd, and that’s when I lock eyes on him. He’s tall with light brown hair and bright green eyes, dressed in a pair of jeans and a snug T-shirt that hugs his well-toned body. I don’t sense any danger from him, but I can feel his need. He smiles, but then his gaze averts to something behind me. I glance back quickly, and Micah is right there, glaring in the direction of the other male. “Seriously?” I growl. “What the hell are you doing here?” Am I surprised? No. When I turn my attention back to the other wolf, he’s gone.

Micah comes to my side but keeps his eyes on the crowd. “Did you really think I was going to let you go out tonight alone?” I glance over at Amelie, and she shrugs, giving me that “I told you so” look.

In all honesty, I’m not mad, but the guilt I felt before magnifies tenfold. Micah will never let me go, and it’s because of me why he can’t live his own life. “Did you recognize him?” I wonder.

He shakes his head. “No, but he’s definitely an alpha and not invited as far as I know.”

“What are we going to do?”

Micah turns to me, his blue eyes full of concern. “I’ll call the others. Right now, I think it’s best I get you and Amelie out of here.”

Our pack has been through so much in such a short amount of time. I dread the thought of another pack war coming to our doorstep. When alphas start encroaching on other territories, trouble usually follows.

“Will we ever be able just to live our lives in peace?” Amelie asks as Micah follows us to my car.

Even though I didn’t feel any danger from the other alpha, it doesn’t mean anything. “I don’t know,” I answer. “I really don’t know.”