Page 39 of Taming of a Wolf

“Is the South dangerous?”

Bailey twists their fingers together on the bar top, anxiety oozing into their scent. “It can be. Nowhere is really safe if you’re different.”

“No, it isn’t,” I say, knowing all too well what it’s like to be hunted simply for not being human. I wouldn’t have imagined humans would feel the same. They are usually the ones harming my kind. “That’s why you need a pack. People who can understand you.”

Bailey’s face brightens when they smile. “I know. I wish I’d found Jamie and Jess a lot sooner. Hey, bartender, another round!”

As we drink and chat, a tingling spreads through my limbs, and though the room tilts a little, I feel as if I could take on the world!

When the music gets louder, Bailey leaps from their seat. “Come on! Let’s dance!” They grab my hand and Jess’s and pull us toward the dance floor before I can protest. Somehow, my reservations have disappeared. My limbs tingle as I mimic Jess’s and Bailey’s ridiculous dance moves. I must look silly, but I don’t care about anything.

Jess meets my gaze, and a laugh escapes her. “Nice moves, dude!”

The room gets warmer, making sweat drip down my body. At some point, the music went from being obnoxious to impossible to resist, moving through my body and making me sway. Jamie’s packmates really aren’t that bad.

After all the drinks I’ve had, the urge to make water is too uncomfortable to resist. “I’ll be back!” I call to Jess and Bailey and dance my way back out the door. The frigid night wind lashes me as I hurry outside, weaving side to side. My feet carry me along the side of the building, where men and women mill about, smoking or talking.

Finding a secluded spot between two dumpsters, I fumble with the confusing zipper to my jeans and almost piss myself before I’ve got the damn thing down. A sigh of relief escapes me as I piss against the wall.

The tap of shoes on the pavement draws near, stopping right behind me. “Well, well. Anders, son of Erik,” a cheery man’s voice says.

My spine stiffens, and though I try to stop pissing long enough to turn around, I can’t now that I’ve started. Damn it. I’mvulnerable. With a growl, I inhale, and my nose stings like I’ve been zapped by electricity crackling in the air. The hair on my body stands up straight. All ulfhednar know that scent.

A witch.

Shoving my prick back in my trousers, I zip up and whirl around, teeth bared. My heart sinks when I count four in total behind me. They’re dressed normally without a staff in sight, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a threat. They could be glamouring themselves to appear normal. Just my luck, it’s a whole damn coven.

Damn, Loki must be having a laugh at my expense.

Curling my lip over my fangs, I growl, “What do you want?”

A man approaches, fair and blond. He wears dark jeans and a leather jacket. Though he has a slight build, the magic emanating from him is powerful. Underestimating him would be a bad idea. “We are enforcers of the Time Traveler Agency.” I recognize his voice as the one who first spoke to me. “And we know you are not of this world, Anders.”

Swallowing my unease at how he could possibly know that, I stare the witch down. “You’re good at pointing out the obvious, aren’t you?”

With a carefree smile, he lifts both hands. “Easy now. I have a flair for the dramatic. Forgive me.” He clears his throat. “Let’s start over, shall we? Blessings of Freya upon you. I’m Arlo, and I enforce the rules laid out by the Travelers Council.”

As our eyes meet, my wolf stirs. My instincts tell me that this Arlo is important. That won’t stop me from harming him if he threatens me.

“A pleasure,” I say, not meaning it at all.

“You as well!” Arlo says, though I feel he means it more than I do. “You must pardon our sudden appearance. You see, when you passed through the portal, you were meant to come through the one in the Agency office. There you would have been set upwith everything you need to thrive in this new world: a passport, ID, et cetera. However, it seems there was a slight malfunction, and so the TTA sent us to locate you.”

That malfunction must have been Jamie. The portal let me out closest to where he’d be.

“I see. If that’s all—” I try to walk away, but one of the witches thrusts out a meaty arm and slams his hand against the wall, cutting me off. A snarl rises in my throat. “If you mean to threaten me, I’d strongly advise against it.”

Arlo has the gall to look offended. “I mean nothing of the sort. We only wished to welcome you to this timeline, get you documented, and remind you of the rules as a traveler of realms.”

Kicking back my foot, I prop it on the wall, trying to project an aura of confidence. “Oh? And what are these rules?”

Clearing his throat softly, Arlo conjures a scroll with a simple flick of his finger. “There are rules you must abide by in order to preserve the peace and avoid discovery by the mundane among us.” Unfurling the scroll, Arlo says, “One, you shall make any and all attempts to blend into your new surroundings.”

Snorting, I motion to my outfit. “Done.”

Glaring at me, Arlo goes on. “Two, you may not under any circumstances reveal your nature as either that of a traveler or ulfhednar to the mundane. Humans are distrusting of the paranormal, and so—”

Curling my lip, I snap, “I am aware of that!”

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