Were in the City

Please forgive me for how this chapter ends. I couldn't resist the perfect cliff-hanger, sorry. Next chapter will be coming soon.

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If you can walk away from them, then think seriously about doing it sooner rather than later.

Helen's words kept spinning around in Jessie's head as she lay awake considering everything she'd learned in the last week. The insurance settlement for her house had finally been completed and the money would be transferred in a few days. She could rebuild if she wanted to ... but she wasn't sure she had the energy or desire to do that now. She could just sell the lot and go somewhere else ... but she knew no matter where she went she couldn't get back the way her life had been. She was trapped in something new, whether she walked away from Jacob & Liam or not.

Now she was trying to sleep in a motel room several hundred miles from the city wondering what she should do. She had awoken this morning in her basement suite and got ready for work, then stalled. Staring at herself carefully in the mirror she had realized she no longer knew who she was. She'd stuffed some things into a soft-sided carry-on, putting it in the trunk of her car when she left for work. At the end of the workday, having requested a week's vacation, she'd texted Jacob

Taking some time to think. Will be gone a few days. Don't worry about me

, then turned off her phone, got in her car and started driving.

Jessie had done this kind of road trip, alone, a few times since her father had passed. She would never have been allowed to do it while either of her parents were alive, which made simple adventures like this all the more satisfying now. She went north and east away from the city, following the highway that wound through small towns and a lot of wilderness. The traffic lightened up considerably after a few hours. There were many pullouts where she would be the only one there - she could sit and listen to the sounds of the wind, water, birds ... and think.

Only three days after she left the city she was missing Jacob and Liam terribly. She noticed that she was constantly sniffing, trying to smell something - and realized she was searching for their scent. Nights in motels were not quiet but her ears searched for the sound of particular footsteps, the murmur of particular voices, the howls of coyotes. There was an ache in her chest she'd never felt before, the thought that they might leave her or she could leave them increasingly difficult to consider. She could turn around and go home, but she was also determined to try to test the limits of her connection to those two - could she walk away from them?

Four days after she left the city she was sitting in a bar a little after 5pm, across the street from the motel in a small town where she figured she'd get a room for the night. She'd ordered a burger and a diet soda, just something simple for dinner so she could get out of there before it got too loud and crowded. She was people watching as she ate. The place was beginning to fill up. Two men walked in together, looked around and walked down the center of the floor towards her side of the room. One of them suddenly looked startled, said something to the other one, and they walked over to her table.

"Well hello beautiful. We haven't seen you before. Visiting someone around here?"

Jessie sighed (and rolled her eyes in her mind). "Just passing through." As they stood there she got a quick whiff of a scent - something that reminded her of hot blacktop, sharp and unpleasant.

"Can we join you? Buy you a drink?"

"Sorry, no. Just eating a quick dinner, and I like to eat alone thanks."

"Well, alright then. You don't know what you're missing though. We can be great company for a beautiful lady." There it was again ... "beautiful" ... Jessie knew that was over the top. She wasn't any kind of standout at all, she was just average in the looks department. Her father had told her she had great expressive eyes but that was the only thing Jessie thought was the least bit noticeable about her at all. Generally, she had always just blended into the background. She felt relieved when they moved away and sat at a table across the room. She caught them looking at her every so often while they talked and drank their beers.

When she finished dinner Jessie walked back to her car. As she got closer she saw a man pulling the license plate off the front bumper. "Hey, stop that! What are you doing?"

He turned, holding the plate in his hands. "My name is Tom. Helen sent me to help you."

Jessie frowned. "Really? Why would she do that? How do I know that you are telling me the truth?"

Tom smiled. "Good girl. Always verify ... Helen said to tell you she is still waiting for your grandmother's picture. Ok?"

Jessie hesitated for a second, then said "Ok ... Why?"

Tom looked around quickly, then said "I'll explain later. Right now, I need to you get in your car and drive back west. About 20 miles outside town there is a rest stop, you'll see the signs. Stop there, turn off the lights and for god's sake turn on your phone. There are messages you have to pick up ASAP. I'll meet you there. Go, now."

Jessie didn't know what was going on but since it seemed Tom was in contact with Helen she would do what he asked. She also noticed, standing quite close to him, that he had an odd scent. It was quite strong but not unpleasant.

She got in her car, drove to the rest stop and turned on her phone. As soon as it powered up it started buzzing like crazy. She had numerous texts and voice mail. She scrolled through the texts first, all of them variations of the same thing:

Jessie, turn around and come back right now. We'll explain why when you get back.

Come back. There are dangers out there you don't understand. You need to turn around.

PLEASE STOP! TURN BACK NOW!

She listened to her voice mail.

Jessie, its Jacob, please turn back. There are dangers out there for you now that you have no idea about. You can't just travel anywhere, especially alone, any more. Call me as soon as you get this message, please.

Jessie, its Liam, turn around and get back here right now. You are in danger. Stay away from other people as much as you can. Come back now, please. Call us as soon as you get this message.

Jessie, its Helen. Stop travelling, turn around and go home now. There is much you still don't know, that you must know, before you can go anywhere now. I'm sending someone to find you, his name is Tom. Listen to him and do what he says. Call Jacob. He and Liam are going out of their minds.

WTF??!! She was about to call Jacob when a truck pulled into the rest stop behind her. Jessie recognized Tom and got out of the car to talk to him. He started putting new plates on her car.

"What are you doing?"

Tom talked while he worked. "Helen's been busy erasing your digital footprints, wherever you used your credit or debit cards, whatever traffic cameras she can access. She's set up these new license plates for your car so if anyone has your old plate numbers they won't trace back to you now. There are probably things she won't be able to get to ... she'll let me know what to check and I'll take care of what I can. How much cash do you have?"

Jessie answered, thoroughly puzzled. "Less than 100 dollars ... why?"

Tom reached into his pocket and handed her an envelope. "Here's 500 dollars. You can only use cash now, for gas and food, until you get home. Try to avoid security cameras and other people. Sleep in your car when you need rest, pull off the road somewhere and make sure the car can't be seen from the road. If you push it, you can get back to the city in a couple of days of hard driving but you must rest when you get tired. Don't take chances and get pulled over by a traffic cop or get into an accident."

"Tom, what is going on? This all sounds like something from a spy novel for heaven's sake. What is wrong? And how the heck did you find me?"

"Jessie, right now you are surrounded by the territory of the Western Cedars Pack, the biggest werewolf pack on the west coast. I was watching through a window while you were eating in the bar. Those two men that came up to you - did they seem different in any way to you? They should have, they are two members of the pack - and they certainly seemed to be interested in you. I can smell you, I know what you are ... you are a rogue of some kind, young and desirable ... and you are currently right on the edge of pack land. You'll either be taken or you'll be tracked. If others follow you then anyone else you are with will be found. Helen says that is not a good idea, at all, for the others you are with. As to how I found you ... well, Helen had a GPS tracker put on your car - she's been watching you the whole time you've been travelling. It just took me a while to catch up to you."

Tom finished getting the plates on. "How are you feeling right now? Can you drive for a while? I will tail you for a bit, make sure no one else is following you."

Jessie felt she was ok for a while. All this had pushed any thoughts of sleep far away. "I can go for a few hours I think."

"Good, then let's go now. I'm sure those two in the bar are talking about you and someone will be looking for you soon, if not already.

Jessie looked at him. "You smell odd to me. What are you?"

Tom sighed. "I'm a cougar. I've been living around here for a long time, but I keep far away from the pack. Some of them know I'm in the neighbourhood but I've never caused them any trouble so I'm tolerated. I really want it to stay that way so if anyone does ask who helped you, don't mention me, please."

Jessie stuck out her hand. "Deal. Don't worry, I won't talk. And thank you very much for your help." Tom reached out to shake her hand ... as they made contact Jessie felt a strong rush of heat sweep through her body, she could hear Tom's heartbeat just as she did with Jacob & Liam, but it was different. She suddenly knew Tom was lonely, that his left leg ached terribly from some old injury, that he was a good man who was enjoying tonight's adventure. He was doing something that mattered for the first time in a long time.

Tom gasped, visibly shaking, pulling his hand away from Jessie's like he'd been bitten. "What are you?!"

Jessie whispered, "I wish I knew ... this is all so new to me ... I'm sorry ..."

Tom shook his head, "Girl, your touch is like a warm summer's day! ... and I could feel your strength ... are you an Alpha's daughter?"

Jessie sighed. "I don't know where I come from ..."

"Well, whoever you are, you're a good one. So let's get you safely home. I'll follow behind you for an hour or so, then turn and work my way back. If I see anything that worries me I'll be calling Helen to let her know. You just keep going, but keep your phone on now. Someone will contact you if anything changes, ok?"

"Ok." As Jessie got back into her car she looked at Tom. "Can you tell Helen that I won't call her or anyone else unless it's an emergency. I'll talk to everyone when I get back. I really don't want to be yelled at over the phone right now."

"Ok, good luck."

Jessie drove out of the parking area and continued west on the highway for about 4 hours before she had to stop and rest. Over the next two days she did exactly what Tom had told her to do, arriving back in the city during the evening rush hour. It took almost 2 hours to go the last 10 miles home. She figured Helen's GPS tracker would be telling Liam and Jacob where she was, and expected they'd be home when she arrived. She was right.

She pulled into the driveway and parked, looking up to see them both walk out the front door. Liam looked like a combination of anxious and relieved, Jacob looked furious. Jessie winced and wondered if she should just stay in the car with the doors locked. But that would only delay the inevitable ... She got out of the car.

Jacob walked right up to her, grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "What the hell were you thinking? Are you crazy?!" Jessie's eyes filled with tears. "I didn't know, I really didn't know. I've done this before to clear my head, to relax. It never occurred to me that it would be different now." Jacob just stared at her, then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight to his chest. "You can never go anywhere now without knowing what is out there and what you have to do to be safe. Promise me that you will stay put while we teach you what to do, please."

"All right, I will, I promise." Jacob let her go and Liam hugged her the same way. "Welcome home idiot!" was all he said.

Jessie looked closely at both of them. They looked rumpled and exhausted. She got her carry-on out of the trunk and said "It looks like we could all use a shower, dinner, and a good night's sleep. How about we all meet for breakfast tomorrow at your place at 8am. Ok?" They agreed.

In the morning Jessie looked at the calendar. Only a few more days until she should use the home pregnancy test she'd picked up during her travels. She went upstairs for toast and tea, having little appetite in anticipation of some major lecture regarding her numerous stupidities. To her surprise both brothers seemed relaxed and actually happy. The only thing they kept nagging her about was how little she was eating.

"Ok, what gives?" she asked. "Neither of you is giving me any kind of grief about what I did."

Jacob answered. "Jessie, you have no idea what it is to live in this world as a Were. It's always dangerous on some level even for those of us who were raised from birth to understand it. And we can change forms, run from things, fight in ways you can't. We should have been teaching you how to survive, but instead we tried to hide it from you, as if not knowing would protect you somehow - but it can't, it won't. It's our fault not yours that you drove, oblivious, into danger. We have to educate you, starting today.

Jessie agreed. "Ok, then start by telling me why you are hiding. Who are you hiding from? Helen says I'm in danger being with you - I should know why."

"Liam, put some eggs on her toast and get her another cup of tea" Jacob said, and then started to tell their story ...

"Our parents were both wanderers, not part of a pack. It wasn't a choice for either of them, it's what life had dealt them. Our father was the only survivor when his entire family was overrun and slaughtered by a wolf pack in a land dispute while he was away hunting. Our mother was the only survivor of a small group that all died of some sickness one winter. They met and chose to stay together.

Liam and I were born out in the wild, quite a distance from any towns or cities, and we grew up living off the land. Spring, summer and fall were easy but winter was difficult. Our father would travel to where he could get work, earn some money to purchase goods we needed and food that kept us alive through winter. One fall our father never returned home and we lost our mother, she just gave up wanting to live, that winter. We were young when this happened but we were together and strong, and we managed on our own. For the first few years alone we lived year round, even winter, in the wild, but humans and various werewolf packs were expanding into our wild territory - it became more and more difficult to stay hidden and to hunt. When several years of poor weather and poor hunting occurred we had to move close to a town and find work to survive."

Liam interrupted. "Jessie, you should have seen us that first year we started living around other people, human and Were. We made so many mistakes, we couldn't even communicate properly. I'm sure everyone thought we were ... what is the correct term to use today? ... developmentally challenged. That probably saved us, nobody saw us as a threat."

Jessie was curious. "Why couldn't you communicate properly?"

Liam answered, "We'd only ever talked with our parents, and it turned out they spoke a very odd combination of English, French, Dutch, and words from the languages of native peoples found all along the eastern side of North America. We know nothing of our ancestry, but what our parents spoke to us gives us clues as to where they might have come from. It took us quite a while before we could talk like everyone else around us."

Jacob continued. "After 10 years living near town we'd learned a lot but we were still barely surviving, working whatever construction or general labour jobs we could get. Liam had something for about two more weeks and I was asking anyone I could for a job even if it was just for a day. I was sitting on a bench outside a pub when I overheard two men talking. They were looking for someone to replace a brick mason who had died and by luck I had experience laying brick. I walked up to them and offered my services.

One of them recognized me, laughed, and told me to get lost saying "He's a rogue coywolf. Not welcome with us." I started to walk away when the other one asked me if I really knew how to work with brick. I told him I did, having worked with several master bricklayers on a number of projects. The two men argued for a while but eventually they offered to take me to the job site and if the Alpha in charge allowed my presence on their pack lands I'd be hired. They needed to get work done before winter so they were desperate. I was desperate too, so I agreed to go".

Liam interrupted. "You have to understand what a chance Jacob was taking. If the Alpha didn't like him or felt he was a threat, or even just felt like it, he could kill Jacob on pack land and nobody would object. We've never been accepted into a pack, we've never had anyone but each other to look out for us."

Jacob sighed. "I thought the work was for the local Alpha who wasn't that bad. When they told me the job site was almost 100 miles away I almost backed out. I was going to the home territory of Alpha Jacques Richard. He was a lethal bastard, ruthless, always after more wealth and power. His dominance stretched out in all directions, he effectively ruled all the packs in Quebec. They called him

Roi

[King]. But there was work and we needed the money. The two men wanted to return immediately so I rushed to put together my travel pack and left Liam a note telling him where I was going."

"I almost had a heart attack when I read the note that night. I couldn't follow Jacob as I had no permission to enter that pack's land - I would be killed as a trespasser - so I just had to wait for him to return" Liam said.

Jacob continued. "The job was part of remodelling and expanding the main pack house - a castle for the

Roi

. It was a monstrosity, but the Alpha wanted a showpiece. I met him at the pack boundary and very carefully showed my submission to his rule. He asked me a bunch of questions about my construction skills and decided he would permit me to stay until the contractor in charge said he no longer needed my services. It was months of work. The last thing he said to me, sneered at me really, was "Keep to yourself coywolf, cause no trouble here, stay out of the way of your betters and you'll survive." I knew he was very proud of his pure-wolf heritage and the status of his family and its history. He looked down on everyone.

I'd been working there almost a month when Richard's daughter returned from visiting relatives. I saw her from a distance a few times, and then one morning I was walking from the bunkhouse where I was living to the job site when she walked right in front of me. Her scent hit me and I was lost. My coywolf half was suddenly keening loudly and happily - I recognized my true mate. Her name was Silvie Richard."

Liam explained. "Our stories say we only get one true mate, the other half of ourselves. Not all of us find our true mate - it's a very big world and we may never meet - but if we do it's a magic connection that lasts for the rest of our lives."