In the Shadow of the Wolf Read online

  IN THE SHADOW OF THE WOLF

  By

  Mandy Monroe

  © Copyright January 2010 by Mandy Monroe

  Cover Art by Alex DeShanks, © copyright January 2010

  ISBN 978-1-60394-406-9

  New Concepts Publishing

  Lake Park, GA 31636

  www.newconceptspublishing.com

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author's imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

  Chapter One

  Sayuri could feel her throat begin to close up, a nervous lump making it hard to swallow. Although she wasn't going to be doing much of that, since her throat had become bone dry.

  She had been so meticulous in planning her trip. She'd felt sure she had thought of every detail, every nuance, and accounted for everything. She had been so confident when she'd left home that she'd accounted for everything. And, she'd had a right to feel such confidence, after all she'd planned the trip for a year. She'd been beside herself, blown away by the fact that she had decided to do something so spontaneous. She was finally breaking the constrictive mold of her life. She was doing the unexpected for the first time in her life, and it felt fantastic. With this trip, she was not only proving to herself but also to everyone that knew her that she wasn't the anal retentive organized stick to the plan person that everyone thought she was. She could deviate from the beaten path.

  Of course, when she'd sat down a year before, she'd known full well that she couldn't possibly calculate the outcome of everything that could or would take place while she was on vacation, especially since she was going to be so far out of her element. But she hadn't expected the unexpected before she'd even gotten to her destination.

  She could feel the muscles painfully straining in her fingers as they gripped the rental car's immaculate steering wheel, her grip so tight that her nails bit into her hands. She didn't notice that though. She desperately wished she did, wished she could think about something besides the extreme drop offs mere feet from her car as she drove increasingly slower through the narrow, winding mountain passes that were necessary to get her to the ski lodge she was headed to. They certainly hadn't looked so damn narrow on the map she'd Googled. She would have to post a comment on that later, that is if she made it back. If she'd even had the slightest inkling, she would definitely have changed the venue for her vacation.

  If the insidious road wasn't bad enough, she now felt a new tremor of fear course through her as she saw it was beginning to snow. She'd only seen snow once in her life, and that was when she'd been very little. In fact, that was one of the main reasons she'd decided to go to a ski lodge on her vacation. The other main deciding factor for selecting the lodge had been something more practical.

  She'd called several lodges before she'd called Premier Skiiing. The owner of Premier had been the only one that had admitted to screening his employees for not only drugs but for sexually transmitted diseases, since most of them also worked search and rescue and sometimes were injured in the process. It was exactly what she'd wanted to hear, exactly what she needed if she was going to have a vacation and safely get pregnant. And the location couldn't have been more perfect, since the lodge was situated just several hours driving distance from where she lived and worked in the city. It was a cost effective drive. Everything was going according to plan. She'd checked before she'd left and she was definitely ovulating. So far, so good, everything was right on schedule, except for the extra hour of driving because of the dangerous road conditions.

  She had been so excited when she had thought about seeing snow again for the first time in years, positively childish in her enthusiasm, but it failed to be awe inspiring at the moment as the road began to become life-threateningly slick. She'd read up on black ice and became increasingly worried as she recalled the details she'd read and then eyed the diminutive "safety" rails that were the only buffer from her car plummeting over the side of the mountain should she swerve in that direction.

  Gritting her teeth in her dogged determination to continue driving, she passed another vehicle that had pulled over onto the side of the road, what little there was, probably waiting for the snow to subside. Glancing down at the cars digital monitor, she could tell from the pedometer that she was almost to the ski lodge. She couldn't give up now. Just a little bit further and she could relax, just a little longer and the death defying road trip would be over.

  Just as she rounded another winding curve in the road, she spied a sign indicating the road she needed to exit onto. She exhaled a deep breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She could feel her body slowly relax in melting degrees. She was stiff from being so tense behind the wheel for so long.

  Finally, she had arrived at the ski lodge, relief was tantamount. She followed signs and parked her vehicle in the parking area. Grabbing the sole enormous suitcase she'd packed, she trudged the short distance through the snow from the parking area to the main entrance of the lodge. The main building of the lodge was fairly large. She'd looked at a detailed map of the lodge online, but it was completely different looking at it in person. It was breathtaking beneath its blanket of snow, nestled beneath evergreens, the rustic wood logs of its construction reminding her of a log cabin building set she'd had as a child.

  As soon as she entered, she became enveloped by the warmth and beauty of the interior.

  "Hello! Welcome to Premier Skiing," a man behind the front desk said, an inviting smile deepening the wrinkles on his face. "My name is Carter, can I help you?"

  Sayuri walked over to the desk where the man stood behind a computer, leaning to one side to set down her suitcase on the floor beside her.

  "Hello, and yes, my name is Sayuri Williams. I reserved a cabin for three weeks."

  "I just need to see some identification."

  Sayuri reached into her thick coat and into an interior pocket for her wallet. She fished out her identification, handing it to the man.

  "Well, Ms. Williams, if you could just sign in, it'll only take me a few minutes to get you registered and then I'll give you directions to your cabin."

  After some search and peck on the keyboard with his index fingers while Sayuri put her name and arrival date in the ledger, Carter handed her back her identification and she slid it back into her wallet.

  "If you just exit the front doors and turn immediately to your left, there's a path with signs that will lead you directly to your cabin, Cabin E. The cabin is furnished with a full kitchen, but if you need anything, you can dial the front desk or room service. There's a menu for room service located by the phone, which also details the hours our dining hall is open."

  He turned and grabbed a set of keys with a key ring attached to it bearing the letter E and glanced at the clock on the wall. He turned around and handed her the keys to her cabin and then reached for a pamphlet in a display by the computer monitor on the desktop, handing her the leaflet.

  "Here's a list of a few activities the lodge features, and, if you hurry, you can make it to the last of the skiing lessons for the day, it's a beginner lesson on the bunny slopes and it's going to be taking place in about forty-five minutes. There's a map on the kitchen counter in your cabin that has a layout of the lodge and its facilities to help you get around. Do you need any help with your luggage?"

  "Thank you, but no, I can manage," Sayuri said, putting the keys in her pants pocket and grabbing her suitcase before turning and heading out the front door in search of her cabin.

  The distance to her cabin wasn't very far, thankfully, because she wasn't used to trudging through snow, especially not carrying half of her
closet in a suitcase, but she took her time, enjoying the scenery and the sound of the snow crunching beneath her heavy boots. The snow was still falling. It was more beautiful than she remembered. She hadn't been able to enjoy it while she'd been confined in the rented death trap on dead man's pass.

  Once she made it to her cabin, she stopped for a minute just a few feet away to admire the place she'd be calling home for the next couple of weeks. It looked so cozy and picturesque huddled in its snow bank. She tilted her head back to let the snow fall on her face. It was cold and tickled a little, but it felt wonderful and refreshing.

  She couldn't recall the last time she'd been so excited. The fact that she had actually arrived was starting to sink in. Work, everyday worries, the extreme bustle of the inner city, they were all suddenly so far away. She'd never taken a real vacation in her life, and, although she had ulterior motives for taking one now, she was determined to enjoy herself. If she was successful in her extracurricular endeavors, it would be a long time before she took one again.

  Taking in a deep fortifying breath of the cold mountain air, Sayuri fished for the keys Carter had given her that she'd put in her pants pocket and unlocked her cabin door, stomping the snow off her boots on the door mat before heading inside. She flicked on the light and shut the door and turned to look at the modest surroundings of the cabin. It wasn't massive, but it definitely had a lot more room than her place in the city.

  Back home, she stayed in a loft apartment. Although it was hard living in such cramped quarters, she'd decided years ago that it was completely necessary since it was the only way she had to save money for a better home in her future, a home she could call her own. It seemed she had been preparing for her future her whole life and had never taken the time to stop and enjoy the benefits of all her hard work. She had also been trying to make everything in her life just right so that she could start a family. Unfortunately, 'just right' had never come, and she'd suddenly realized she was mid-thirties and still hadn't had her first child. She didn't even have a steady beau, let alone a husband prospect. How was she going to have at least four children by the time she was forty? When she had sat down and thought about it, the prospects had looked dire indeed, but, after having watched a special on the news about the rise of single women giving birth to babies that they had received from sperm banks, she had decided then and there that she needed a plan and took all of her free time from work for a few days to make one. She had discovered soon enough that she couldn't afford to be impregnated artificially, that would have taken everything she'd worked so long and hard to save up, then she wouldn't have any way to buy a home for her new family, so she'd opted for the next best thing-an in person donation. And, now that she was here, the hunting for her future donor could commence.

  Walking around, she found the kitchen/dining room to her right. To her left was a modest living room slash sitting area and past that was the bedroom and bath. She walked through the living room and into the bedroom, turning on the light as she made her way through the door. The queen sized bed took up most of the room. She set her bag on the end of the bed and sat down beside it, resting her legs and feet for a moment. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her personal digital assistant device and reviewed her vacation to do list. The first thing she had wanted to do was ski. If she went ahead and got dressed instead of unpacking, she could make it to the lesson the man at the front desk had mentioned.

  She brightened as she considered how spontaneous she was becoming, a warm smile spreading across her lips. She had planned to ski the next day after settling in for a little bit, but she was so excited about being here she just couldn't wait until the next day to get started having some fun so she jumped off the bed and unzipped her large suitcase, searching for the only skiing outfit she'd brought. This day was going to be the start of a new life for her, she could just feel it.

  * * * *

  Thanking the employee in the rental/sales building located just off of the skiing grounds, Sayuri finished snapping her rental helmet securely under her chin. She then grabbed up her rental skis from the counter and hefted them against her shoulder, as she'd seen the customer that had been ahead of her do, heading out the door for the slopes. They were long and not too light, which made them difficult to carry.

  Once outside the building, she realized after walking for a minute that they were getting heavier and heavier by the minute. They were not nearly as light as everyone else made them appear to be, especially when her walking was already hampered by her thick suit, large boots, and the deep snow.

  Slowly trudging past other guests wearing their skis on their feet and actually skiing from place to place, Sayuri started seriously debating whether she should go ahead and put on her skis. Having never skied before, she didn't want to have trouble making it to her first lesson. But there was the possibility that it would be something she was very naturally good at like roller skating had been. It was probably a much better idea to wait, though, just in case.

  Caught up in her mental reverie as she studiously examined the ski encased feet of several passersby, she was surprised when she heard an angry man's voice.

  "Woman, watch what you are doing."

  The unexpected shout brought Sayuri's head up like a whip and she turned to see what the commotion was all about, the skis propped against her shoulder swinging as well with the movement of her body as she twisted around to see who was yelling, nearly whacking the man who'd spoken to her, who happened to be right behind her, in the head.

  With an audible gasp, Sayuri covered her mouth in horror when she saw the man ducked behind her, obviously trying to miss getting hit in the head, and she nearly dropped her skis on him in the process. "Oh!" she said when she realized she'd nearly hit him. Fortunately, they missed him and landed harmlessly in the snow at his feet.

  "Oh," she repeated a little lamely as the skis fell beside the crouched man and clanked against each other in the snow. "I'm so sorry. I didn't . . . mean . . . to . . . ," Sayuri started, trying to apologize, but she was so stunned by the man before her she had a hard time trying to recall what she'd been about to say, and all that managed to escape her lips was another, "Oh." The word faded on her lips as if it had been nothing but a whisper in the breeze.

  Like an angry predator ready to pounce on its unsuspecting prey, the man she'd nearly decapitated recovered from the protective crouch he'd assumed to miss a head injury to loom over her in a very intimidating manner, nearly a full foot above her five-six average size frame. She was surprised that he was so much taller, since most of the men she worked and met with on a daily basis were her height or only a little taller than her, but she completely forgot all about that when she looked him in the face and saw his eyes. His dark green eyes seared her down to the core, making her brain receptors too feeble to process even the simplest of tasks. If her body hadn't reverted to autopilot, she felt sure she wouldn't still be breathing.

  It was entirely possible she'd never seen a man more darkly beautiful in her life. And he was heart-stoppingly breathtaking at that, what she could see of him that wasn't covered in a snow suit.

  It wasn't that he was handsome in the traditional sense, he was ruggedly handsome. His shoulder-length midnight black hair was windswept by the frosty mountain air, sprinkled with snow, and he had a days worth of stubble on his square jaw where a muscle flexed. By far his most startling feature, though, was his lusciously dark green eyes fringed with impossibly long black lashes as they raked her figure with what she could only interpret as malice directed at her. Never in her life had she seen eyes like that. It was almost as if they weren't human because they were so exotic and intoxicating she could hardly blink, either because their intensity wouldn't allow it or for fear he'd turn away and she wouldn't see them again. This was the kind of man she'd waited her whole life to meet. He wasn't just gorgeous; there was something about him, almost, she couldn't put a finger on it, it was so basic and primal it was almost animalistic in the attraction.<
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  Faolan tried to collect himself as he found himself staring into the most beautiful pair of dulcet brown eyes he'd ever seen. His tone was much quieter but still scolding when he repeated his warning, "Watch what you are doing, woman. You could have taken my head off with those skis."

  Sayuri blinked a few times and nodded her head like a child in open-mouthed understanding, not sure if she could talk at the moment or if her body would betray her and she would sputter like a blithering idiot before the wrath of the god-like being who'd deigned to talk to her. What was available in the dating scene in the city didn't hold a candle to this fine specimen. And she knew without a doubt that he had ruined her, she'd never be able to look at men the same way again. She would always be comparing them to him, and they all fell so short. As she continued to examine him with unadulterated lust, she couldn't help but wonder what in the world were they feeding these country boys?

  Feeling a little guilty for reacting badly, Faolan felt compelled to offer his assistance.

  He bent down, gathering her skis, and handed them back to her. "Do you need some help?" he said a little more gruffly than he'd intended, realizing his attraction to her had caught him off guard.

  Sayuri's dirty mind immediately leapt to the image of the bed she'd left at the cabin. But she couldn't just outright ask for help in that part of her agenda . . . or could she? She wasn't sure how they did it way out here in the sticks. In the city, a man wouldn't think twice about a woman asking for sex out of the blue.

  But that was another reason she'd chosen to find a suitable donor so far away from where she worked, she wouldn't be seeing him around town and they didn't have access to so many women.

  What did it matter if she acted out of character here? She wasn't trying to get a commitment, just a baby. But still, she didn't think she could throw herself at a man having only just met him, having known him for seconds really, especially one who was so intimidatingly attractive. She told herself that she had time, a few days worth. She could ease her way into her proposition.