Page 5 of A Wolf in the Garden

“Thank you.” My mouth feels dry, and it’s an effort to speak. “I appreciate that.”

“You two have fun.”

I watch the huge orc make his way back to the gate, politely side-stepping around a group of human guests who don’t bother to hide their open-mouthed stares.

I can feel Van’s eyes on my face. “Ellie,” he says, his voice gentle. I don’t like it. I don’t like how the sound of my name on his lips wraps around me like a long-overdue hug.

Once upon a time, I loved Evander Livingston with my whole being. I was young and naïve and far too optimistic for a girl having a summer fling with a guy who only visited once a year.

At the time, what we had felt so real, and I’m absolutely terrified of feeling that again. It never lasts.

Two

VAN

After a weekend of listening to orc and werewolf themed dad-jokes, it’s a relief when Cameron finally says “Turn down here, lad. This one’s the last stop.” I like the man, but there’s only so many versions of ‘an orc and a wolf walk into a bar’ that I can handle before I go completely insane.

It’s been an interesting weekend. I flew into New Zealand two weeks ago after nine years away, and I’ve been constantly flowing between states of feeling entirely at home here and culture shock ever since. Spending two days visiting the gardens of locals on the island where I’ve just bought a vineyard… well it’s one hell of a way to get your name out there in a small town, especially when you’re a big wolf being shown around by an even bigger orc.

To be fair, I’ve enjoyed it far more than I expected, and in general the people we’ve met here have been the most accepting of us non-humans that I’ve come across in the past two years. There’s something about Kiwis that makes you feel at home even when you’re a complete stranger; it’s a mix of their down-to-earth attitudes, relaxed natures, and welcoming smiles. Small-town New Zealand is what I love — it reminds me of all the best moments of my childhood — and although I’ll never go back to Bluewater Bay, I’m glad to be here.

Still, I’m ready to be done with these garden tours. It’s given me plenty of ideas already for what I can do with the vineyard, but Cameron’s been harping on about this last one all day, so I’m keeping my lack of enthusiasm to myself.

“This is the garden designer, right?” I ask as I pull over, parking on the grass berm that blends almost seamlessly onto the tar seal. This street is a little further inland than the others we’ve visited today, but there’s something charming about the lack of sidewalks and the wildflowers growing on the roadside. “What did you say her name was again?”

I shut off the engine as Cam replies. “I dinnae think I did, lad. Her name is Ellie.”

I freeze for a moment, my hand hovering over the door handle.It has to be a coincidence.I clear my throat as Cam throws his door open, and I do the same a moment later, climbing out of my car.

Her scent hits me instantly.

I grunt at the shock of it, and Cameron’s big head whips around, his dark eyes full of worry. He’s the definition of ‘gentle giant’, and I’m thankful that after everything that went down between my father and I, at least one of his former associates stuck by my side when the dust cleared. “Everything okay lad?”

“Fine,” I say through gritted teeth. “You go ahead, I’ll be with you in a moment.”

I’m grateful he doesn’t question it, because I need a minute to compose myself. Inside me, my wolves whimper and howl, the shifter in particular nipping at my skin, begging to be set free so we can run to her and throw ourselves at her feet.

Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate,they both chant.

The word repeats like a drumbeat in time with my heart, and I take in a shaky breath through my mouth. It doesn’t help all that much; her scent is so thick in the air here that I can taste it on my tongue, so sweet and perfect and mouthwateringlygood. I run my hands back through my hair, clutching at my scalp. “Fuckme.”

In all the years and women in between, I’ve never once met a wolf whose scent drove me half as wild as Ellie’s did, despite the fact that she’s human. And it’s more than that; we shared a history, a childhood, adventures and fun and laughter.

We shared unimaginable pain, too, and though I’d loved her dearly, in my darkest moments I’d burned what we’d had to the ground.

* * *

Ellie is even more beautiful than I’d remembered.

I had planned to track her down once I got settled, once I had the vineyard — and everything else that’s currently a mess — in order. Onlythenwas I going to try and find her, to apologise, to grovel, to hope that maybe she would be willing to let me into her life again in some shape or form. I don’t deserve it, but I’m selfish enough to hope she’d give me a chance, regardless.

Was this fate? For years I tried to pretend that such a thing didn’t exist, but it’s hard to deny when the wolves inside me howl with joy at her sweet scent and the sight of her pretty face, her big brown eyes wide with shock. I’m struck by how much she reminds me of the sun goddess that was once worshipped by the wolves of old, with that sun-kissed skin and honey-blonde hair glowing in the afternoon light. The light breeze tugs at the loose fabric of her dress, for a moment pulling it flush against her body, accentuating the full curve of her hips, the dip of her waist, and the outline of her pert breasts that even now I remember so fondly. The wind shifts again, and for the briefest moment I catch the sweet tang of arousal in her scent, saliva flooding my mouth, instincts screamingtaste her.

But I can also hear the quick hammer of her heartbeat. It hasn’t slowed at all in the five minutes since I approached her, and I can see the way Cameron glances at her with concern. My presence has stressed her out; while I may be shocked as hell to find her living here on Motuwai of all places, she’s undoubtedly more stunned, and I can only assume that she never expected to ever see me again.

Right now she’s looking at me as if she’s seen a ghost, and the fact that I’m a wolf isn’t helping — it’s another surprise for her on top of my sudden appearance in her garden. My eyes may be concealed by my sunglasses, but every time I open my mouth her gaze zeroes in on my teeth, and it’s pretty obvious that she’s bothered by it. I can’t blame her. In the wake of The Unravelling, most of the humans I’d known were shocked when they found out what I was. Plenty werehurt by the lies, not understanding that the glamour that held everything in place in their perfect little human world pre-Unravelling ran far deeper than they realised and had bound all us non-humans to silence in almost every situation. Humans are not the only ones who have had their worlds turned upside down in the past two years since the Unravelling.

There are some positives to it, though, the main one being that relationships between non-humans and humans are no longer the taboo thing they once were in our world, now that the pressure to keep our existence secret is gone. For that alone, I’m thankful that those in power finally let go of their tight control on the two realms, even if the rumours about why the glamourreallyfell away are concerning.

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