Page 51 of Secret Wolf Baby

And that wasn’t the only reason going on a hunt could end in disaster. The more time he spent with Claire, the more likely he was to find out the truth about her. That thought still terrified me to my core.

Or did it? As the thought crossed my mind, the dread and fear that typically accompanied it felt muted, muffled. It didn’t instill panic the way it used to. Would it be that bad if he found out? Didn’t he deserve to know? He had been good to us so far, and telling him would be better than him finding out on his own. Besides, Jackson wasn’t stupid. He would discover the truth when given enough time.

I pushed the thought from my head. That was a problem to deal with on a different day. Not right now. I realized with a jolt that Jackson was staring at me, waiting for a response. How long had I been staring blankly at him like an idiot?

“I’m not sure,” I hedged. “I don’t know how much fun you would have. I haven’t taught Claire much about hunting yet. We just haven’t had the time. I’m worried that will slow you down, or she might scare away the prey.”

I wasn’t sure how he would respond, or what I was really expecting. But I didn’t anticipate him perking up, something like excitement glinting in his eyes as he gave a warm grin that made him obnoxiously attractive. I had to keep myself from grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him to me.

“Well, she’s got to learn sometime,” he said, jerking me away from that train of thought. “I’d be happy to show her a thing or two.”

“Really?” I asked, unable to hide my surprise.

He nodded. “Of course! Whenever we were on a mission for spec ops, I was the one who went on hunts for food since half the others couldn’t catch a rabbit to save their lives. I’d love to teach someone else. It’d be a shame for all this massive talent to go to waste.” He gave a roguish wink that made me smile despite myself. “Is that a yes?” he asked.

“Yeah, all right. Let me make sure Claire is feeling up for it.”

It turned out she was more than feeling up for it. The instant I suggested it, she jumped to her feet, a giant grin on her face.

“He really offered to teach me?” she asked.

I nodded, unable to bite back the smile creeping up my face. Claire’s growing adoration of Jackson hadn’t escaped my notice. She looked up to him. Based on the way I’d seen him interact with her, it was hard to blame her. I might not be able to fully trust Jackson, but Claire did wholeheartedly. So I wasn’t surprised when she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, asking a dozen questions about where we would go, what sort of things we would hunt (she wanted to go after a bear; I gave her an emphatic no), what skills Jackson might teach her. It was hard not to smile at it all.

A couple hours later, I padded alongside a small, gray-furred wolf cub. Claire glanced around, panting, her tail swishing in excitement. I couldn’t blame her. The appeal of going on a hunt had only grown for her since Jackson had suggested it. My wolf dug her claws into the soil, relishing the chance to run through the woods and be free for a while.

Jackson stood waiting for us at the edge of the forest. When I saw him and Claire next to each other, a jolt of panic raced through me. They looked practically identical, the shade of their fur almost an exact match. There was no way he wouldn’t be able to figure it out.

His wolf kept his eyes on me, something intense in his gaze. Not accusatory. Something closer to lust or want lingering there instead.

I waited for some sign of recognition about Claire, for him to shift to human right that second and demand an explanation. But all he did was jerk his head toward the woods and trot in that direction. Claire scurried forward, trying to walk next to him. I could tell how excited she was about her hunting lesson from how she held her head, the way it tilted toward any sound that could potentially be prey, and how all her muscles seemed coiled, ready to spring.

We came to a clearing. Jackson paused, glancing behind him at us. He gestured with his head, indicating that we would stop here. Claire came to a halt and sat on her haunches, all her attention locked on Jackson as she waited for her first lesson.

Jackson crouched, keeping low to the ground as he moved without making a single sound. He sat up and motioned to Claire with his tail.

Slowly, Claire tried to imitate him. I was surprised at how well she did. Her belly brushed the ground too much, causing a soft rustling as she moved across the grass, but she had the basic movement and paw positioning almost exactly correct.

My wolf swelled with pride as I watched her. I had never gotten the chance to hunt with her before. Dad had never let me, claiming that it wasn’t a woman’s place to hunt, even if I enjoyed doing it. He also said I was terrible at it, scaring all the prey from a mile away.

Watching my daughter, I wished I had ignored him. She was panting, giving a wide wolf grin as her tail moved back and forth, her eyes bright with the thrill. She loved it. On top of that, as I continued watching her, another thing became just as apparent: she was a natural.

Just like her father, I thought with another painful jolt, this one tinged with guilt. It wasn’t just Jackson I was betrayingby doing this; it was Claire, too. She’d never had a true father figure, one she could look up to. I’d wanted to protect her, to make sure Jackson couldn’t hurt her the way he had me. However, seeing him teach her these hunting techniques, gently adjusting her posture with his snout or a nudge of the paw, it seemed absurd that I had even thought that a possibility.

Does he know he’s falling into that father-figure role right now?I wondered.Or is he just doing it naturally?

I didn’t have a good answer, and before I could think any more of it, a rustling sounded at the edge of the clearing.

All three of us halted. Claire’s head whipped around, her nose twitching as she caught the scent of the rabbit that had just wandered nearby. She glanced up at Jackson, who nodded, then jerked with his head, telling her to go for it.

Trying to imitate Jackson, she got low to the ground, moving silently. A loud crack sounded in the clearing when she stepped on a twig. She froze, her annoyance at herself clear in her posture. The rabbit paused, raising its head, its ears pricked, sensing danger.

Claire jumped. The rabbit tried to hop away, but it was too late. Claire grabbed the prey by the neck and bit down. The rabbit stilled.

Jackson let out a growl of approval, then shifted to human as Claire and I did the same. Claire looked in disbelief at her kill, then glanced back up at Jackson as he approached.

“I did it!” Claire shouted, throwing back her shoulders with pride, her eyes wide with surprise and delight.

Jackson laughed, his gray eyes sparkling in a way that made them look almost silver. The proud grin spreading across his face crinkled the edges of his eyes. He beamed down atClaire, the fatherly pride there so apparent that I nearly rocked back on my feet.

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