A Wolf's Embrace (Wolf Mountain Peak Book 4) Read online

  “Girl, you were in a cemetery, what did you expect him to sing, ‘I’m So Excited’?” Julia squeaked, turning her face to the right to face her.

  “No: of course not,” Melissa countered, staring into the void of night. “It’s just that I didn’t think humans could do that, you know? Display their feelings in public in that way. You should have seen him, Jules. He acted like he didn’t care who saw him grieving.”

  “If I was still human, I’d be seriously pissed right now,” Julia joked, returning her attention to the road ahead. “Are you sure it’s just his behavior that intrigued you?”

  “Yeah,” Melissa gave a quick nod. “Why are you asking?”

  “Because you seem a little too upset over someone you’ll probably never see again,” Julia explained in her usual, teasing manner. “Face it, puppy. You’ve got the hots for ‘Mr. Big Shot Lawyer.’”

  “Oh, man…” Melissa let out an exasperated huff, tilting her head back, as she banged her hand against her forehead. “Jules, I just said I admired his behavior, and you think I have a crush on him? Seriously? And ‘Big Shot lawyer’? What are you talking about?”

  “I’ve been following his career, ever since Monica told me about his wife’s death,” Julia answered in a more serious tone, as her smile vanished. “Joe Stanton was not much of a lawyer prior to his wife’s death; but, today, he is one of the most prominent lawyers in New York. He’s the star of ‘Cross and Associates’, a major law firm. He’s been on the cover of ‘Forbes.’ He has also been interviewed by ‘USA Today.’ I’m sorry to break it to you honey, but a career freak like him doesn’t have much time for a personal life. Even if you did get into a relationship with him, you wouldn’t be dating him. You’d have to compete against his job. There’s also the matter of your…” she paused… “nature. What would he do, if he found about you?”

  “It didn’t discourage you or your friends from dating my brothers, did it?” Melissa answered her question with a question of her own, tossing a sarcastic glance down at her.

  “Not all New Yorkers are as open-minded as us, honey,” Julia said, a smile of bitterness bursting upon her lips, as she slowly put on the brakes. “You didn’t say where you wanted to go, so I took the liberty of deciding for you. ‘Red Maple’ is probably the best bar in Shandaken. Come on.”

  Chapter Three

  Loud, beating music rang in Melissa’s ears, as she stepped out of her friend’s car. However, beneath that violent mash, lingered something much calmer. Its source was no loudspeaker. It was too faint and too melodic to come from the bar. For a moment, Melissa wished it was just a notch louder, so that she could hear it better. However, when she did discover its origin, disappointment unfurled in her chest. The sound came from a house, more than fifty yards across from her. Luckily for her, there were no other properties in the way. A single building could have easily blocked that melody. Three people were in the front yard, playing music under the moonlight. One of them was playing the violin, the other was singing, while the third held the instrument that would torment her ears, should she get closer: a guitar.

  “Oh, man, what are the chances?” One more of Julia’s squeaky remarks forced her to tear her gaze away from the musicians. “Remember ‘Dust in the wind’? They’re playing it.”

  “That’s ‘Dust in the wind’?” Surprise crept into Melissa’s voice, pitching it higher, as she pointed down at the yard. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Listen,” Julia urged, leaning her elbows on the roof of her car. “It’s just before the first chorus.”

  “All my dreams

  Pass before my eyes a curiosity

  Dust in the wind

  All they are is dust in the wind”

  A passionate, feminine voice raised every fine hair on Melissa’s body, as the melodious lyrics proved Julia’s point. Before she knew it, a sweet, violin solo inspired her to close her eyes. Never in her life had she immersed herself into music; yet, that night, Melissa Bradford was doing precisely that. The fine tune stole her will and her ability to speak or to even move a muscle. She was savoring each and every second of this experience, losing all of her in the power of melody and lyrics alike. At the same time, however, the words that were sending her heart through this emotional journey made Joe’s pain all the more clear to her. Melissa could feel agony and angst, as it drove through her bones. Tears rose up in her eyes, as the ballad reached Julia’s favorite quote. A massive wave of chills swept over her, leaving her body shivering in its wake. One last, downward strum concluded the song, along with her trip in this uncharted realm of emotion and sensation.

  “Are you still with me over there?” Julia’s teasing tone acted like a call to reality. Melissa slid her eyelids open, her pulse racing, as she noticed her friend standing on her left out of the corner of her eye.

  “I’ve never felt like this in my whole life,” Melissa whispered, her breath coming out heavy, as she gazed out at the yard.

  “Wait; because of a song?” Julia asked, reaching her hand up to Melissa’s shoulder. “You weren’t kidding. You’re shaking,” Julia continued in a surprised tone, squeezing Melissa’s skin in her hand. “Ok, let’s go get drunk,” Julia’s words passed by her unheard. Melissa was just not listening. Instead, all of her concentration had locked her gaze on the property. It was a little dark for her to make out figures, but she could tell by the voices that there were two women and a man in that yard. Spirits were not at all high. As a matter of fact, they all seemed to be whispering, rather than talking. “Girl, are you coming?”

  “I, um…” Melissa faltered, biting her lower lip. “I don’t know about that.”

  Julia glanced out at the building, parting her lips, and then back up at her.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” she replied in an emphatic tone, furrowing her brow, as she leaned over her. “This is probably the only reason I regret being turned. I tried to listen to Paco De Lucia the other day. He was a world-famous guitarist. Ray warned me about it, but I thought he was exaggerating. It felt like needles piercing my skull. Also, what the hell are we going to tell those people? ‘Hi, we like your music. Can we stay and enjoy the show?’”

  “I just want to get a little closer,” Melissa lazily shrugged her shoulders, her voice picking up volume. “If it’s too much, we’ll leave.”

  “Closer…” Julia huffed in exasperation. “Look around you, Mel. It’s wide open.”

  “You can come along, if you like,” Melissa calmly responded, trotting off towards the house in question. “If they ask, I’ll just pretend to be lost.”

  “You’re unbelievable,” Julia grumbled, following right behind her. Of course, Melissa knew about the pain that guitar strings could inflict upon her. She had experienced it a number of times in the past; yet, it was not going to deter her. She desired to hear some more of that music; if possible, to hear that beautiful song again. But, a few paces later, she froze to her spot. The only man in the yard was standing, holding an acoustic guitar in his left hand, as he stared down at a piece of paper in the other. He was tall, at least 6’3”. His white tee was leaving his long, masculine arms exposed. The moonlight was bouncing off his tanned skin. He eased the paper down on the music stand in front of him, and raised his eyes. A tremendous shockwave shot through her, taking her breath away, as their eyes met. For a second, Melissa believed she was hallucinating. Still, the strong, pointy face, the chiseled jaw, and his high cheekbones could leave her no doubt. It was none other than Joe Stanton, the man who had captured her imagination that afternoon in the cemetery.

  “Oh, my God…” she whispered, her features twisting into an expression of confusion and disbelief, as she turned to face her friend. “It’s him: the guy from the cemetery.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Julia snorted in derision, dragging her gaze away from him to look out at the yard. “Oh, crap!” she exclaimed, opening her eyes wide. “It is him!”

  “What is he doing here?” Melissa was unable to keep panic
from storming into her voice, as she swallowed hard. “Why did he come here?”

  “I don’t know,” Julia shrugged her shoulders, a smile of mischief spreading across her face, as she turned to face her friend. “But, what I do know is that you’re going there. Talk to him.”

  “I can’t do that,” Melissa claimed, shyly shaking her head, as she dropped her gaze from him.

  “Now’s not the time to be coy,” Julia raised her tone of voice, wrapping her fingers around her friend’s wrist, as she leaned closer. “Shy gets you nothing in this life. Go. Good hunting. Let me know how it went. I’m going to the bar.”

  “Ok, here goes nothing,” Melissa thought to herself, sucking in a deep breath, as she once again started towards the house. By then, Joe had already put his guitar down on a chair, and had shoved his hands into his pockets. His attitude somewhat puzzled her. There he was, standing just a few feet behind the property gate, and he wouldn’t even move towards it. He merely stared at her, with a blank expression on his face, as she closed the distance between them.

  “Um, hi,” she raised her hand to wave at him, halting a few inches away from the gate. “I heard you guys playing. You were pretty amazing.”

  “Thanks,” he murmured, tipping his head down.

  “My name’s Melissa Bradford,” she introduced herself, her voice coming out hesitant, as she felt her heart pounding against her chest.

  “Joe Stanton,” he used a blunt tone, as his face hardened even further. “Now, turn around and walk away.”

  “What?” Melissa shrieked, unable to believe her ears.

  “I’m not interested in making new friends…” Joe declared, taking a short step closer to her, “…especially not in a hick town like this. Don’t make me ask twice.”

  “Or what?” She would love to say these words to Joe’s face. His rudeness had made her blood boil in her veins. The beast within couldn’t wait to shed her human skin, and teach him some manners. Still, Melissa would do no such thing. Joe had proved to her that he was nothing close to the man who might prove himself worthy to be of interest to her. If he couldn’t address a lady properly, he wasn’t even worthy of her rage. Why should she risk exposing her true nature? Why should she attack him, knowing that two witnesses could storm outside at any second? No. Exploding on him was not an option. With hardly any thought, Melissa turned on her heel, regretting her decision to ignore Julia’s advice.

  “So much for the grieving widower: go back to New York, you loser. Don’t ever come back to this ‘hick town.’ You’d better not go anywhere near the forest, either. I won’t be as forgiving as I was tonight.”

  Chapter Four

  Three, thin beams of sunlight peered into Joe’s bedroom through the window, disrupting his deep sleep. He wasn’t going to complain to his sister Emily for her choice of curtains. After all, he desired to get up early that Saturday morning. The pleasures of the outdoors could be enjoyed much more, while the sun was still low on the horizon. Shandaken’s natural beauty was the main reason why he had visited it in the first place. Putting in long hours at work might have exhausted him, but practicing law was not what had compelled him to abandon the Big Apple for the weekend. In actual fact, the memorial service had overwhelmed him. Certainly, he didn’t need a ceremony to recall his happy moments with his beloved Laura. Those memories had been lingering in his mind, ever since he lost her. Nevertheless, being around her family and her pupils, listening to them praise her, saying what a great teacher she had been to them, and how much they missed her, was enough to shatter his heart over and over again. Every time one of those young children opened their mouth, he could barely hold back the tears. Leaving New York City was the only way for him to get away from everything that haunted him. It was the only chance for him to find redemption.

  Without wasting any time, Joe made himself a cup of coffee, grabbed his backpack, and drove away from his sister’s house in his black Escalade. His destination wasn’t far. Emily had told him so much about Acheron River that he had to see for himself what the fuss was all about. And, if it was anywhere near as beautiful as she had described it, it would be an ideal place for him to carry out his plan. At times like these, Joe could find peace in writing down his thoughts. Putting his emotions, worries and fears on paper helped to relieve him from all the agony that had been gnawing away at his soul.

  Before he could even get out of his SUV, Joe realized that his sister had not been lying to him. Hundreds of yards away from the river, the shade of the towering trees on both sides of the road covered his vehicle easily enough. And, when he ventured into the wild, he caught himself in awe and amazement at the sheer beauty of his surroundings. There was an intoxicating scent in the air; a mix of pine, cedar and maple. The river itself was flowing freely, glittering in the sunlight that was peeking through the trees. A gentle breeze completed this puzzle of unparalleled beauty, bringing a smile of contentment to his face.

  “Perfect; it’s just perfect.” Joe said to himself, strolling along the shore, as he headed towards the nearest pine tree. Pulling his backpack from his shoulder, Joe sat down on a large rock underneath it. He unzipped it in haste, throwing a few, hungry glances around him, as a strong gust of wind blew through his hair, picking up a few dry leaves from the ground. Joe pulled his small, blue notepad out of the backpack and a pen. Taking a deep, cleansing breath, he pried the notepad open.

  “My dearest Laura,

  It’s August the 5th, a year and a day since the accident that took you from me. You’ll be glad to know that most of your pupils showed up at the memorial service yesterday. Honestly, I liked seeing them again. In all fairness though, it tore out my heart. They wouldn’t stop saying how much they missed you. All that sadness on their tiny little faces devastated me.

  That is why I decided to visit my sister in Shandaken. She moved here, about four weeks ago. I needed some space; some peace of mind. I’m currently by the Acheron River. I’m still stunned at its beauty. There’s greenery, everywhere I look. If I lie still, I might hear my own breath; that’s how peaceful it is. All I can hear is the ripple of the river, and the occasional bird chirping. It makes me wish I had visited it with you.

  Last night, Emily invited her friend Jill over. She’s a very good violinist. We played music for hours. We also played the song I dedicated to you, when you left this world. “Dust in the wind.” For some reason, I didn’t cry, even though I can’t fight back the tears when I strum it on my guitar alone. I don’t know why that happened. Maybe I was too tired from the drive. Shandaken is 2.5 hours away from New York. Perhaps I cried too much at the service. Maybe I’ve shed so many tears this past year that I just ran out. Right after we finished playing ‘Dust in the wind’, some tall blonde showed up. I’m not going to hide it from you. I liked her a lot. That blue in her eyes reminded me of yours. Her name is Melissa. She had some nice comments about our music. I could tell she wanted to get friendly. But, this is where I lost it. I was rude to her, and sent her away. Why? Because: you’re still alive in my heart. Part of me thinks this is all just a bad joke, and that, someday, you’re going to walk through my door, smile at me, hold me and kiss me, like you used to. I miss you, baby. Every day without you feels like torture. I see you in my dreams every night. In the morning, I wake up to a nightmare;, the nightmare that my life has become without you.”

  At that point, a strange noise forced him to put his pen down on his knee. A mere glance at the opposite shore tightened the back of his neck. A massive, light-gray wolf was staring right into his eyes, raising her upper lip in a petrifying grimace, as its snarls sent slivers of fear slicing through him. Joe’s blood froze in his veins. The notebook slipped from his grasp, as the beast crouched down. But then, a yip filled the air, drawing the lupine’s attention. Another white wolf was close by, not more than twenty feet to the right of the gray. The gray wolf barked at Joe once, and then turned around. A wave of relief washed over him, as she began pacing towards the white wolf. Joe rose from his se
at, unwilling to leave them out of his sight. The two of them started off towards the trees, and disappeared into the underbrush, leaving a terrified Joe gasping for breath.

  Understanding that he could no longer stay there, he bent down and picked up his pen and notepad. The beasts were still too close for comfort. He had been lucky once; he would not risk another encounter with them. So, Joe shoved his things back into his backpack, eager to get back to the safety of his car. A sense of disappointment struck him as he laid his eyes on the tree above him. He had only been there a few minutes, and now, he had to flee. As much as he loved that place, though, he valued his life much more. With a heavy heart, he left the tree behind him, hoping that next time his writing would not be so violently interrupted.

  All the same, just as he reached his car, Joe’s fear came back with a vengeance. Two, separate splashes in quick succession compelled him to stop. Whirling his head around, he spotted two, feminine figures in the water, only a few yards away from his spot. Almost immediately, the two women burst out into sweet, hearty laughter.

  “Damn it.” He let out a fearful huff, tossing his backpack down on the ground, as he spun around. Rolling his fingers into fists, he exploded forward, and started to hurtle towards them, desperate to warn them about the impending danger. Every muscle in his body was flexing, and his heart was pounding like a drum as he closed the distance that separated him from them. To his surprise, the two girls ignored his heavy footfalls. One of them dove into the water, while the other preferred to gaze at the shore to her right. Joe looked furtively around him, slowing down, as the stranger emerged. The emptiness set his heart at ease; yet, as he settled his gaze down on the girl, he realized that his troubles were far from over. He recognized her long, blonde hair at once. Her sky-blue eyes and her full lips were familiar to him. It was Melissa Bradford, with a stiff look on her face, and a nasty glare that stripped away his desire to speak.