Page 113 of A Wolf in the Garden

“Exactly.”

As an avid gardener, I know just how problematic the rabbits can be. I’ve lost a few vegetables to them over the past two years. They’re introduced pests, and thereshouldn’tbe a population on this island — it would be costly, but easy enough to run a full extermination programme — but because half of Motuwai consists of urban suburbs, with cat and dog owners, and will therefore never be classed as ‘predator free,’ there’s not so much incentive for either council or the Department of Conservation to deal with the current population. And Van is right — an out of control wild rabbit population could be devastating to a vineyard’s crop.

“Do I dare ask what you’re going to do to our bunny friend?”

Van snorts, kicking off his underwear, adding it to the pile of discarded clothes on the corner of the picnic blanket. I love that he’s so unbothered by his own nudity — this week he’s been particularly relaxed when it comes to stripping down, the fact that everyone here onsite at the moment is either non-human or very used to the peculiarities of shifters means that he’s been free to run around in his wolf form to his heart’s content.

“You already know the answer to that question,” he tells me now, flashing me another wolfish grin, my breath caught in my lungs at just how handsome he looks in this moment. I can’t think of a better view than my man’s perfect ass, the vineyard and ocean in the background the icing on the cake. “It’ll make a good snack,” he adds before his body shudders, transforming in an instant, his huge black shifter wolf turning his head to look me in the eye.

“Go have fun,” I tell him, feeling only a little bit sorry for the poor rabbit. It has to be done, and better for it to be over swiftly than caught in someone else’s trap, or poisoned, the two common methods of pest control.

Van lopes away at an easy pace, ears forward and tail straight out behind him, and I watch with a strange sense of fascination as he nears the top of the hill where he spotted the rabbit, his body slowing, crouching for a moment before springing into action, a black blur against the green grass, darting over the crest of the hill, past Lacey’s house and out of sight.

I watch for a moment longer, but when he doesn’t reappear I assume he must have caught it. It’s only when a strange, prickling feeling runs over my skin, making the hairs on my arms stand on end, that I realise there’s something more going on.

Magic.

I can see it now, the faintest blue glow against the white stucco of the house on the hill, sweat breaking out on my palms. It will be Van’s parents. It makes logical sense that it will be — we’ve been waiting for them for days now — but I still can’t fight the fear that it could be someone else.

Fae.

It’s the spark of anxiety from Van, sharp and bitter, that has me jumping to my feet in a rush. I leave my tablet abandoned on the picnic mat, ignoring my sandals in favour of running barefoot. I only take a few steps before I double back with a hissed,“Shit, fucking idiot,” aimed at myself, bending down in a rush to snag something for Van to wear in case he needs to shift back. It’s his underwear that I grab since it’s on the top of the pile, and I’m too panicked to muck around any longer, spinning around once more. I run down through the olive grove and into the first field of vines that stretches up the next hill, clutching the long skirt of my maxi dress in one hand so that my legs are able to move freely. I’m not wearing a bra either because of the wound on my shoulder — it’s been strapless dresses all week — and even though my boobs are small they still bounce uncomfortably with each stride, but I don’t have time to slow down, so I just ignore it as best as I can.

There’s a series of loud cracks that ring through the air behind me — wingbeats from some large creature — and I spin, spotting Kaito, still in his half-shifted human form, gliding towards me with his outstretched wings, allowing him to catch up to me within a matter of seconds. “I sensed the magic,” he tells me as he lands with a small thump, still wearing his dusty jeans, hi-vis vest and steel-capped boots, having come straight from the renovation underway inside the vineyard’s restaurant. “I’ll come with you, just in case.”

“Van ran over that hill — he was chasing a rabbit.”

Kaito frowns over my head for a moment. “He’ll be fine. Let’s keep moving.”

I start jogging again, Kaito easily keeping pace behind me, my chest starting to burn with the effort as we near the top of the hill. I wouldn’t usually consider myself unfit — I spend a lot of time in the garden, and that’s hard work — but I’m definitely not a runner, and I’m puffing by the time the top of the open portal comes into view. It’s one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen, a tear in the very fabric of the universe itself, and a chill runs down my spine despite the fact that I’m sweating from the exertion. Kaito runs ahead of me in a flap of wings as we crest the hill, stopping beside Lacey’s house, and my heartbeat thunders in my ears, my chest heaving with exertion as I take in the view. I peer over the top of Kaito’s outstretched wing, his purple scales glinting with luminescence in the sunlight.

The land slopes away again on the other side, down into a gully of native bush. To my relief, Van’s wolf is there halfway down the hill, his hackles raised, and even from this distance I can hear the low growl coming from him. He’s focused on the pair standing just in front of the portal, neither of whom are his parents.

I stand frozen in place, the huge swirling portal drawing my gaze. It’s blue is so bright that it’s almost blinding, and the magic that emanates from it seeps into my bones, leaving me feeling cold. It’s both mesmerising and terrifying all at once.

It’s like a black hole out of a sci-fi movie, except blue.I shudder again, feeling the pull of it, as if it has its own centre of gravity and wants to suck me in. I resist it, but in the act of resisting, my own magic flares to life, antlers settling on my head. That alone draws the attention of the strangers, two pairs of yellow eyes suddenly staring back up at me despite Kaito’s attempts to shield me behind his wing.Wolves.

The two women have the same tall, muscular build as the Livingstons, their glossy black hair tied back in identical ponytails, their matching outfits of what looks to be yoga pants and sports bras making them look like they’ve stepped out of a pilates class rather than what’s essentially a different universe. I assume they must be werewolves rather than shifters — Bronte was seeking out her family, after all, but the fact that I can’t see Van’s motheris concerning.

Where are they? Where’s Bronte and Weston?

My panic is short-lived, because the surface of the portal shimmers, rippling like water as two more figures step through hand-in-hand, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I recognise Weston’s huge frame and Bronte’s wavy black hair. For an instant the portal shows a glimpse of the other side — of rolling green hills and pink sky — before the entire thing begins to fold in on itself, growing smaller, the edges of it flaring brighter for a moment as it dies down to nothing. With Van’s parents present, I feel confident enough to push past Kaito, leaving him behind me on the crest of the hill. I keep my eye on the group as I make my way slowly past Lacey’s house and down to Van’s side, feeling very much like a prey animal trapped in the gaze of hungry predators.

“Hey,” I say quietly, reaching up to run my hand through the thick fur on Van’s neck, his hackles still raised slightly. I’m still puffed, my heart beating rapidly, and my words come out stilted between big gulps of air. “I brought your undies… if you wanted to shift back.”

He makes a huffing noise, a spark of electric magic running under my fingertips for a moment as he changes back, mymansuddenly beside me once more. He pulls on his underwear in silence, keeping his eyes focused on the group below, the deep frown on his face betraying his uneasiness. “I should have brought your actual pants, sorry,” I mutter under my breath. On Van, the black boxer briefs screammale modelmore than they doalpha wolf and businessman, but it’s too late to worry about that now. Wolves are used to nudity anyway, and he doesn’t seem that fussed. He catches my eye for a brief moment, lip twitching with only the slightest hint of a smile, before he takes my hand, pulling me closer to his side.

“Thank you for thinking of it at all,” he says quietly. “The portal took me by surprise.”

The unknown wolves remain at the base of the hill where the portal was just a few minutes ago, but I return Bronte’s wave with a small one of my own as I press closer to Van, finding comfort in the familiar smell of him and the heat of his body against my side, despite the fact that I’m sticky with sweat. “Did you get your rabbit?” I ask quietly, peering up at him.

He shakes his head, his clenched jaw giving away how tense he is right now even as he slides an arm around my waist. “No. I guess it was its lucky day.”

I tilt my head in the direction of the strangers. “Do you recognise them?”

“One of them is my cousin Maeve. I’ve never seen the other wolf before.” His hand presses the small of my back. “We need to go say hello.”

“They’re not coming to us?”

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