Fox Lost (The Madison Wolves) Read online

  Fox Lost

  Robin Roseau

  Table of Contents

  Credits

  Mythology

  All Is Right

  Summer Plans

  Business As Usual

  Surprise

  Learning The Rest

  Part Two

  Awakening

  Asheville

  Skulking

  Fly By

  Dialogue

  Part Three

  Planning

  Enemies

  Return Flight

  Recovery

  Home

  Date Night

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Credits

  To everyone who has supported me: thank you.

  Mythology

  It can be difficult to sieve truth from myth. From mythology there are gods, devils, angels, demons, were-creatures, fae of all sorts, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, and other creatures that go bump in the night. We know some of these exist, but we don't know whether they all do.

  We know some of the mythology about these creatures is also true. Silver weapons are very effective against were-creatures. The mythological silver bullet isn't a myth at all.

  But we also know some of the myths are wrong. Werewolves are not ravening beasts, unless they choose to be. They are not forced to changed by the light of the full moon, nor is their change limited by the moon. You cannot become a werewolf; you are either born that way or you are not.

  A fun, intellectual conversation amongst weres is to discuss the nature of the myths and how they could have originated. Some were probably started intentionally; others came about by accident. Perhaps someone out at night under a full moon saw a werewolf change, and that is how that myth began.

  No one knows for sure.

  We don't know if the gods exist. If they do, there is little direct evidence they frequently meddle in the affairs of mortals. I know the fae exist; I've met some, after all. Ghosts, goblins? I couldn't tell you.

  Oddly enough, it never occurred to me to ask Lara. It never occurred to me to ask, for instance, whether vampires exist.

  I probably should have asked.

  All Is Right

  "Mommy Fox! Mommy Fox!" I heard from two high-pitched, little girl voices the moment the door opened. I stepped into the house, Serena right on my heels. She had long ago given up trying to get into the house ahead of me. From the couch, two two-year-old werewolves launched themselves at me, shifting into pups mid-air. Serena and I were used to this ritual; it happened several times a week when I arrived home from school. She stepped to my left, intercepting Celeste, and I caught Rebecca, staggering under her weight. Unlike a werefox, werewolves don't get smaller in fur, and while Rebecca was smaller than her sister, she already weighed almost as much as I did in my fur.

  I hugged my squirming daughter, kissing her on the nose and accepting a face bath from her before setting her down.

  I turned to Serena, holding out my hands, and she handed Celeste to me, the pup nearly launching herself from Serena's arms to jump into mine. I hugged her, kissed her nose, and accepted another face bath before she joined her sister.

  The two of them ran around me then bowed to me, inviting me to play with them.

  I turned to Nora, the nanny we'd hired to take care of the kids during the day. They had their own security contingent, but enforcers were security officers, not baby-sitters. "Were they good?" I asked Nora.

  "They're always little darlings," Nora said. I smiled. They weren't. They were darlings for me, reasonably well behaved for Nora, and playful with Angel and Scarlett. Everyone else had her hands full with them. "Did you need more from me, Alpha?"

  "Date tonight?" It was Friday, and Nora was popular. She was twenty-two years old, very sweet, and lovely. She dated frequently, both men and women, and her social life was a source of amusement to me.

  "Sophia and I are going out," she said with a grin.

  Sophia was one of my former students and was at college now and no longer living in the compound. We didn't see much of her, but like all my former students, she had a standing invitation to pack play nights, and she attended from time to time. We were also likely to see her in Bayfield during the summers, but it was early spring, and she would be busy with her college studies. I had been pretty sure she preferred the boys, so I raised an eyebrow.

  "I'm wearing her down," Nora said. "It's just in fun. She enjoys teasing me as I enjoy trying to seduce her."

  I wasn't going to get into the middle of it. They were both adults, after all, and neither of them were my responsibility.

  "I've got the girls, Nora," I said. "Have fun tonight."

  "Oh, don't I always?" she asked. And she did, too. She was firm with the pups, but she was fun, too, and they loved her to pieces. Everyone did. She flounced upstairs to her room, presumably to prepare for a hot date trying to convince Sophia to pull her clothes back off.

  The pups were still circling me, trying to get me to play with them.

  "All right, you two. Mommy Fox is going to change into casual clothes, then we're going to hang out until Mommy Wolf comes home. You can ask her to take us all for a run."

  * * * *

  Mommy Wolf arrived at home a half hour later. Celeste and Rebecca hadn't shifted out of fur the entire time. I heard Lara and Karen walking across the compound and told the pups, "Mommy Wolf is home."

  They both spun around twice in excitement then dashed to their favorite ambush places near the door. A moment later, the door opened, and Lara clearly said, "Lara and Karen" before stepping across the threshold.

  With snarls and yips, the two pups threw themselves onto their mother. I stood back and watched as Rebecca went low, tangling Lara's feet, while Celeste went high, leaping for Lara in a great bound. Well, a great bound for a two-year-old werewolf pup. The tactic would have worked on me, if they'd caught me by surprise. But of course, they neither surprised Lara nor were large enough to knock her over.

  Instead, she caught Celeste as the pup leaped for her, holding her in one arm, then reached down and scooped Rebecca up as well. Soon both pups were cleaning Lara's face while she laughed at them.

  "Hello, babies," she said to them. "I missed you both so much today."

  My heart swelled as I watched my wife demonstrate her gentle love for our little girls.

  Lara caught me grinning and asked, "And just why do you look so pleased?"

  "I was wondering when you wanted to produce two more," I told her.

  She stopped, frozen, perhaps wondering if I were serious. Lara was a wonderful mother, and she had been very stoic during her pregnancy, but it had been a difficult time for both of us, and I knew she hadn't enjoyed feeling as helpless as she had as her time had drawn near. I didn't know if Lara wanted more children or not. We had both alluded to it over time, but nothing seemed settled.

  "Anxious to see me fat again?" Lara asked, a lilt in her voice belying the serious nature of the question.

  Instead of answering, I stepped forward and pulled Rebecca from her, kissing her quickly and setting her down before doing the same with her sister. Then I folded into Lara's arms, wrapping my own around her and lifting my face for a kiss. Lara slipped one arm around my back, her other hand cupping the back of my head, holding me steady as her lips sought mine.

  Rebecca and Celeste prowled around our feet, but they had learned not to interrupt our kisses.

  When finally the kiss ended, I told Lara, "The girls have a lot of energy. Do you think you have time for a run?"

  Lara kissed my nose and said, "I'm sure I can find time." She turned to Karen, her head of security. "Did you want to pass the word?"

  "Yes, Alpha," Kare
n said immediately. She stepped to the side, pulling out her phone. I knew she'd call Elisabeth first, and if we waited a few minutes, the courtyard would be filled with wolves in fur. In the meantime, Lara pulled me to the sofa, and I curled under her arm. Moments later, we each had a wolf pup perched on our laps, demanding attention. I found myself scratching behind Celeste's ears as I leaned against my strong wife.

  All was right with the world.

  "I have bad news," Lara said.

  So much for everything being right with the world.

  "Tell me," I replied.

  "We can't go to Bayfield this weekend. And I'm going to need your help."

  "Pack play night next weekend," I said. I shrugged. "You can make it up to me later." I offered an impish grin.

  "You're not upset?"

  "Are you going to tell me about this help you need?" I asked.

  "Later." She glanced down at the pups.

  It wasn't often that Lara asked for my help, and it was even less often she surprised me. I usually knew what was going on before she did.

  "Business or politics?"

  "Business?"

  "Not so bad, then." I had been getting better at the politics, but I didn't care for them. I wasn't that good at business, either, but she probably needed me to placate someone. I was good at that, it seemed. I wondered what I would end up offering whomever it was Lara had offended.

  I leaned more tightly against her, and one armed, she held me more tightly.

  "It's hard to believe," I said.

  "What?"

  "Four years," I said. "Four years ago, we didn't even know each other. Who would have thought all this would come from such a difficult beginning?"

  Difficult, indeed. My introduction to the Madison werewolf pack leader had been when Lara had picked me up by the scruff of my werefox neck as I'd been fleeing from her enforcers. I had done everything I could to escape, including scratching and biting her as viciously as I could, but she had simply shaken me a few times and told me to knock it off; she only wanted to talk. I hadn't been at all interested in talking to her.

  "I did," she said quietly. "You were so beautiful."

  "Dangling from your hand?" I asked, stiffening a little, but Lara simply pulled me more tightly against her.

  "Yes, even then," she said. "I knew immediately I had mishandled our meeting, but it was too late."

  I glanced over. Karen was midway through her shift from human to wolf.

  "What a mess I've made of your life," I told her. I made it sound like a joke, but deep down, I still believed it. She should have married another wolf, not a troublesome fox.

  Lara growled her displeasure, and our daughters both put their ears back.

  "She's not growling at you two lovelies," I said. I bent over and kissed Rebecca. "Play nice, Lara."

  "I'm sorry," she said, kissing two furry foreheads. "But your Mommy Fox is being foolish." She used her hand, the one draped across my shoulders, to turn my head to face her. "You are the one I want, Michaela. You know that."

  I was immediately embarrassed. I tried to not let her see my insecurities, but sometimes they came out.

  "I'm sorry," I said in a low voice.

  "You're a pain in the ass sometimes," she said. "But that's the nature of a relationship. And I bet I'm a bigger pain in the ass."

  "True," I admitted, forcing a grin. And of course, she was, but she was worth it. I'd given up so much to be with her, but I had gained so much more. I still missed my home in Bayfield, and I continued to resent constantly being followed around by a security patrol, but other than that, life was about as perfect as it could be.

  I gave Karen another glance. She was almost done with her shift. I felt badly for her. We still hadn't taught her the instant shift, and it was unlikely we ever would. I knew her shift was painful, but she never complained, and unlike some of the wolves, she never hinted she wanted me to teach her how to instantly shift.

  I listened for a moment. I could hear wolves out in the courtyard, some already shifted, some still in the process. "Sounds like a few more minutes," I said. "We're going to have an entourage."

  Lara smiled. "Don't we always?"

  We did. Sometimes it bothered me. I would have liked to spend time with just my immediate family sometimes, but when you are married to the wolf pack leader, the concept of "immediate family" took on a whole new meaning. I was a fox, and the constant presence wore at me, but I had stopped complaining years ago.

  Mostly.

  We cuddled on the couch for a few more minutes. Karen finished her shift and took secure position near the front door. Serena leaned against the wall near the dining room, keeping an eye on things while giving Lara and me the illusion of privacy. I looked over my shoulder.

  "Are Emanuel and Kaylee joining us?"

  She nodded. "Is that all right?"

  "Of course it is," I said. "The more the merrier. Serena, your daughter asked me if she could join my summer program."

  Serena frowned. "What did you tell her?"

  "I told her she should ask her parents for permission to apply."

  "Oh thanks," Serena replied. "So I'm going to be the bad guy?"

  It was my turn to frown. "You won't let her? I'm sorry. I guess I assumed." I turned away, embarrassed. Serena didn't want me teaching her daughter?

  But Serena pushed away from the wall and walked around the sofa so she was standing in front of Lara and me. "Isn't she too young?"

  "If you let Kaylee go," Lara pointed out, "Thomas is going to want to come, too. Tara may not be happy with you."

  "I'm sorry, Serena," I said. "I can tell her she's too young this year."

  She knelt down. "Your classes are full, and I can't manage Kaylee when I am supposed to be watching over you."

  "Alpha," I said to Lara, "Is there room in the budget for me to hire two interns to help teach the summer program?"

  "Scarlett already has a job this summer," Lara replied, "and Angel will be on enforcer duties."

  "I wasn't thinking of either of them," I said. "I was thinking of Alan and Jeremy." They were Serena's two boys; they had graduated from my program and were at college now, but they were good boys, and I would enjoy their help. "If either of them is uninterested, we could open the invitation to any of my graduated students." I looked at Serena. "I'll manage the classes, including any interns."

  "Before I approve anything," Lara said, "I want to know the rest of what you're thinking about."

  I grinned at her. She knew me well. "I thought we could invite a few more people to my classes."

  Lara narrowed her eyes. "How many more?"

  "How many pack members do we have in high school?" I asked, "Entering eighth grade to freshly graduating?"

  "Too many for you to manage with just Alan and Jeremy helping," Lara replied.

  "It can't be that many," I countered. "There are fewer than four hundred pack members. Assuming an even age distribution, there can't be more than thirty-five or forty kids in high school. Human teachers handle classes that size."

  "Classroom classes," Lara said. "We need a higher level of supervision for what you're doing. And while Alan and Jeremy would be able to help teach, they aren't sufficiently dominant to handle the kids."

  "Not all the kids would come-"

  "Yes they would," Serena countered immediately.

  "What if we charged a fee?"

  "The parents would pay it," Serena explained. "Michaela, you are the alpha, and if past history is any indication, Lara would be there quite a bit, too. Plus the kids talk about your classes. There might be a few kids that won't come, but you would have nearly every eligible child attending."

  I thought about it. "If the idea would be that popular, aren't we almost obligated to do it?"

  Lara shook her head. "You are a problem child." She sighed. "We need at least two more adults. Dominant adults. The kids in your classes are exceedingly well behaved. Most wolf teenagers are not so disciplined."

  "Maybe Fra
ncesca would want to help."

  "Francesca is not a dominant wolf," Lara said.

  "I can't have Angel?"

  "No. She'll be there as an enforcer. And you will not use her on the sly, either."

  "I think you would need three or four interns," Serena said, "unless the adults you pick happen to know the skills you're teaching."

  "If I find the help, may I do it?"

  "Let me think about it, Michaela."

  "If we're going to do it, I need to start preparing now."

  "We'll talk again tomorrow night," she replied. "With Francesca, Elisabeth, and perhaps a few people from the council."

  "I want to be there," Serena said.

  "Of course." Lara looked over at Karen, now in wolf form. "Have you been listening?" Karen chuffed. "You'll be there, too." She chuffed again.

  "Time to run," I said with a smile. "Let's go, girls!"

  The pups didn't need to be told twice. They both scrambled from our laps and ran to the door, whining at it.

  "Karen and Serena first," Lara said, standing up. She pulled me to my feet, running her hand through my hair before turning me to the door. Serena stepped past us to the door but waited until I approached. I knelt down and grabbed my daughters.

  "Karen and Serena first," I repeated. They both whined, but when Serena opened the door, neither of them tried to bolt out the door first. Karen slipped through the door first, then Serena stepped into the doorway. She did a quick scan of the courtyard then nodded, and I released the pups, who dashed past her legs, barking with joy.

  I loosened my clothing then shifted into fox, leaving my clothes in a pile on the living room floor. I stepped past Serena myself then looked out at the assembled wolfs.

  Celeste and Rebecca were running around in circles, chasing each other and pouncing on the occasional tail. We had about half the compound, including all of my current students. Scarlett and Angel were standing together on the porch, still on two feet, with Angel standing behind Scarlett, her arms wrapped around her mate. I bounced over to them, and they both knelt down.