Page 68 of A Wolf in the Garden

I nod. It’s fucking lucky I’m wearing sunglasses. “All the time,” I tell Amaia. “All the damn time.”

* * *

Iusually abhor the idea of shifting ever being used as a party trick to entertain humans, but when Hemi asks if he can see me turn into a wolf, I can’t say no. Amaia joins us in the taxi, and we cruise around Whangarei looking for an empty park where I’m hopefully not going to get arrested for public indecency while stripping naked.

“That one there looks good,” Ellie points, leaning further against me to peer out my window. “You can strip off behind that bush there.” It’s a tight fit in the backseat of the taxi, with Ellie wedged between myself and her mother, while Hemi rides in the front, and it’s a relief when we’re all able to climb out.

“Thanks for doing this for him,” Ellie says quietly, taking my hand as we walk slowly behind her mother and grandfather. “You’ve made his day.”

“I thinkyou’vemade his day. And he wasn’t even bothered by your ears, was he?”

“Nah, he wasn’t. To think I stressed myself out by avoiding telling him all that time…God I’ve been so stupid.”

“You’ve been cautious, and with reason. Don’t beat yourself up about it.”

In the end, Ellie had agreed to her mother telling Hemi a very mild version of the events regarding Ellie finding out about her fae heritage, and had also warned him ahead of time about my wolf nature. And now, the moment of truth is upon us.

“So he’s gotta be in the nude, eh?” I hear him asking as I strip down quickly behind a large flax bush. “Why is that?”

“Because he’ll tear through his clothes. He’s big —oh!See?”

I step out slowly. Amaia takes a step back, face frozen in fear, whilst her father has the opposite reaction, pushing his walking frame forward, a huge grin on his face.

“Dad!”

“He’s harmless, Mum.” Ellie comes to me, and my tail wags, unable to help myself as she wraps her arms around my neck. “Thank you,” she whispers, planting a kiss on my head.

Hemi is still shaking his head in disbelief, even as he offers his hand out for a sniff. I oblige, the man in me only slightly offended at being treated like a dog. “That really you in there?” When I nod, his mouth hangs open in shock.

My ears prick up as I hear the sound of children approaching, and I dart behind the bush again, shifting back and pulling my clothes on hastily, emerging just as the first of the five children appear, their frazzled mother following close behind. “Oh, that’s why,” Ellie mutters, turning to her mom as I finish buckling my belt. “He would have heard them from down the street.”

“Crazy,” Amaia replies, frowning at me, and I don’t think I’m winning anyson-in-law of the yearawards, yet.

* * *

Ellie is quiet in the helicopter ride, as am I. We’re both introverts by nature that can turn on the charm when needed, and it’s not uncommon for us to have these quiet moments at the end of the day where neither of us have the energy to talk. She perks up suddenly as she realises that we’re descending much earlier than we should be. “Van, why are we landing?” she asks, her voice crackling through the headset I’m wearing. I glance out the window, spotting our accommodation in a clearing surrounded by a small forest on one side and the green rolling hills of farmland on the other.

“Because we’re not staying at Lost Moon tonight. Surprise.” I squeeze her hand. “I’ve asked Cam to go take care of the chickens, so you don’t need to worry about that. We’ll get picked up tomorrow morning, and be back by lunchtime.”

Her eyes search my face. “That’swhy you insisted on staying at mine last night. When did you pack for me? While I was showering?”

I chuckle. “There’s no fooling you, is there?”

“Oh, I would say I’m feeling pretty fooled right now; I had no idea you were planning this.” I can hear the excitement in her voice, and watch the way her eyes fill with joy as she leans towards the window, pointing. “Is that…is that a huge greenhouse?”

“Not the kind of greenhouse you’re thinking of. It’s our accommodation for the night. A house made of glass. Apparently the stars look amazing from here.”

“Here in the middle of nowhere?”

I nod. The nearest town, population one hundred, is a half-hour drive away on gravel roads, according to the owner I liaised with. It’s as close to the middle of nowhere as you get in New Zealand, anyway.

We land and disembark, stepping out onto the freshly cut grass of the makeshift helipad — very similar to what we have at Lost Moon — and I sling the strap of the duffel bag I’d kept hidden behind the seats over my shoulder. When we’re at a safe distance, the helicopter takes off again, the sound deafening without our headsets on, fading quickly as it flies out of sight.

And then we are alone.

Ellie is quiet as she walks ahead a few paces, following the mowed path that cuts through the field of wildflowers in the clearing. She stops, and I wait behind her as she takes in the view — the glasshouse surrounded by a cottage garden of lavender, herbs, and daisies, the huge barrel outdoor tub, the pond with a family of ducks floating in the centre of it, all set in the backdrop of native forest, green hills dotted with sheep rising behind that. “It’s completely private,” I tell her. “The owners live on the other side of that hill, and all of this is their farm. No one will bother us here.”

She turns to me, wiping at the tears on her cheeks.

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