The week's weather turned out to be more favorable than Harley thought it would. As such, a few days later she laid a blanket out in the backyard after work and got back into the drama that was her romance book.
Dorian obviously loved Taylor, but until he was able to work past his commitment issues and realize Taylor wasn't going to leave him like his deadbeat mom did, their relationship would never flourish.
Hours passed, the sun began to set, and she'd just gotten to the part where Dorian finally realized he loved Taylor when—
"What are you doing?"
The muscles in her arms turned to liquid and the book fell straight out of her hands. "Shit!"
Next to her, Bailey clutched at her stomach, laughing. "You should've seen your face!"
"That wasn't nice." Said Harley, though it came out as more of a complaint than angry.
"Just tryin' to keep you on your toes, darlin'."
"So..."Bailey kicked back, resting on Harley's blanket with her hands behind her head. "What are you doing?"
Harley flipped through her book until she found her spot, which she then dog-eared. "Reading."
"For fun?" A grin spread across her face. "Wicked."
"Yeah. What are you doing here?" More importantly, what should you be doing instead of scaring people?
Bailey flicked short brown hair from her eyes. "I picked up patrol for Will."
Her curiosity spiked at his name. "Oh?"
Bailey's eyes danced, her grin impossibly growing. "Girl, I see you."
Harley sniffed.
The other girl jackknifed into a sitting position. "Don't worry, I'm all about girl solidarity, so I won't say anything."
"There's nothing to say. He's just been really nice to me since I've gotten here. I appreciate it."
Bailey had begun picking at the grass by her side. "You have to admit, he's pretty nice to look at."
The youngness in Bailey's face made Harley wonder about her age. She had a bit of a childlike personality—which definitely was refreshing—but that made her seem a bit young. Maybe eighteen.
Was eighteen old enough to be on patrol?
"How old are you, Bailey?"
"Just turned twenty-two last month." Wow, much older than she thought.
"Happy belated birthday."
"Thanks, Darlin'."
"Did you start patrolling after college?" That would be nice to do. Maybe Harley would be able to find another way to contribute to the pack. Not patrolling, she'd need to be able to shift for that. Babysitting? But that sounded so...miniscule.
"Naw, school was never my thing." Bailey said, grabbing full handfuls of grass now. "And that's okay. I'd rather spend my time doing something worthwhile—something that I love. That happens to be keeping the pack safe."
"What made you decide on that?"
Bailey exhaled sharply through her nose. "I have an older brother who I used to fight with a lot. He was the one who put the idea in my head. I always liked to roughhouse with the best of 'em. So in the end I decided I wanted to use those skills to help the pack. Kensington isn't huge, but our territory covers most of it and that's still a lot of ground to cover. The more the merrier."
"You know what we should do?" Bailey barely let herself take a breath before she continued. "We should go for a run."
God, she wished she could. Harley didn't mind running in general, but after being in a pack and realizing a "run" meant "lets shift and push our wolves as fast as they could go" she wasn't much of a runner.
It must be such a wonderful thing to be able to transform into a different form and run. To have not two, but four legs to push you faster and faster. To let the wind whip through your fur in a sharp movement and smell all the fresh scents of the earth. To not be afraid of forests and the dark secrets that they can hold.
Some deep part of her inner being craved that mental picture with a desperation that surprised her.
But she bit that desperation down and made herself face facts. She was latent, which meant she would never shift, never know what it truly meant to be a wolf shifter. She could never go on runs without holding others back.
Some guys are her old pack made fun of her for her latency. "What the hell are you doing here then?" They had laughed. "You're in a frickin' wolf pack."
She wanted to run away from the well of sadness that rose in her chest at the thought. Or rip it straight from beneath her rip cage in general. "I'd love to run with you, Bailey, but I can't. I'm latent."
Bailey looked at Harley in confusion and Harley wondered if maybe she hadn't heard her clearly. "I'm latent." She repeated.
"I got that darlin'." Bailey said, "But I'm not seeing where that comes into play here."
"I won't be able to keep up."
"So?"
"You don't want me to hold you back."
Bailey lost that ever present smile and narrowed her eyes. With the somewhat tight line of her jaw, it made for an intimidating picture. "Did I say I didn't want you to hold me back?"
"No, but—"
"Then don't worry about it."
Harley picked at the edge of a page in her book. "I don't think it's a good idea."
As if finally making up her mind about something, Bailey sat forward. "Look, I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I feel like it's still my job to say this..." She took a breath, "Don't let your latency prevent you from doing things you want to do. That's not a crutch and you shouldn't let it be. You just gotta do what you want to do and take life by the reins."
It was good advice, but sometimes saying something and actually putting it into action were two separate ball games. She'd tried to play the tough, go-getting girl before in her old pack and had failed miserably. When it came down to it, wolf shifters didn't like people who were different. They couldn't relate, and instead they chose to take it out on her, like she'd done something wrong. Like she'd chose to be this way.
"I think I'll pass." Harley looked down at the book in her lap, picking at the edge. "Thank you though."
Bailey left soon after that, and Harley got back to her book. There wasn't much of the sun left and she wanted to continue reading until the light was gone completely.
At some point, right around the turning point in her novel, Harley fell asleep.
Her dreams, small flashes that they were, reminded her of the past. A father, teaching his daughter to ride a bike. A mother, helping her son to read at the kitchen table while a little girl colored. A brother and his friend wrestling in the grass.
Even in her sleep, longing materialized in an ache that stuck with her until long after she woke.
When her eyes opened, the sky had long since set and transitioned into darkness.
~
Bailey
I'm latent.
Bailey wanted to stab herself. She should've realized, should've known about Harley's latency. Her wolf could tell something was off about the newest pack member, but until it was right in front of her...
She still stood by what she told Harley. Being latent should not prevent her from doing what she wanted or letting her run with the pack.
But damn, to be latent?
What would Bailey do without her wolf? The animal buried insider her helped keep her sane. When things got to be too much, she was able to retreat back and let her wolf take care of it.
Her wolf made her stronger, made her tougher and because of it she was able to be the individual she wished to be.
Bailey made her way to the Alpha's office. There was a lieutenant meeting tonight, which was why Bailey had to cover Will's patrol shift. Will wasn't a lieutenant, but he was the pack's rogue hunter and that was pretty close.
Rogue hunters were in a hierarchy all their own. They had to be someone who could obey the Alpha's orders, yet at the same time be responsible for keeping the pack safe, even if it meant going past the Alpha's orders. The good of the pack always came first. Any competent Alpha would never let that be an issue, but there have been a few rogue hunters who had to ignore the Alpha's orders so that the whole pack could be protected.
The Alpha's office was on the ground floor of the house, in the hallway right by the kitchen. Warren, a hulking sized lieutenant, stepped out with papers in his hand as she got there.
She always liked Warren. He was kind to her, when others were not. When the girls her age in the pack started calling her names because she was a tomboy and preferred to hang out with guys than girls, he sat her down and told her to let it go. "They can't understand what it's like to be different." He had said. "And the only way they know how to respond to that is by using mean words."
He grinned down at her as she approached. "Well, if it isn't my favorite little lady."
A laugh burst out of her. "Warren, how is Charlotte?"
Charlotte was a small shrimp of a girl with more kindness in her skinny body than Bailey had ever seen. Warren and Charlotte have been mates for as long as she could remember and the dedication they both had towards each other gave Bailey hope. Maybe someday she'd be able to find someone as devoted. Maybe.
Warren's expression softened at the mention of his mate. Did he realize he always did that? "She's keeping me on my toes, that's for sure."
Bailey jerked her chin in the direction of the door. "Is Will in there?"
Warren tutted. "Leaving me so soon?" He shook his head in joking disappointment. "I always knew I'd end up fighting our rogue hunter someday."
"Fighting him?"
"For your honor of course." He grinned wolfishly. "Gotta make sure the boys are worthy."
If she blushed easily, her face would have been beet red. "That day doesn't have to be today." She assured. "I just need to talk to him."
With an exhausted sigh, Warren poked his head back through the doorway. "William, you have a suitor at your door."
Then he patted her on the head and made his exit.
It took will a minute or two to wrap up. Bailey rested against the wall, tapping her foot in a rhythm while she waited.
Surprisingly, it wasn't Will who stepped out first, but Cameron.
"Cam?" Bailey frowned up at him. "What are you doing at the meeting?"
Amusement settled over her pack member's face. "Nice to see you too, Bails."
Will shouldered his way past Cam. "Why are you standing in the doorway?"
Cameron gestured at her. "There's a munchkin in my way."
Bailey scoffed, her hands going to her hips. "I'm not a munchkin."
The side of Cameron's lips twitched. "What are you, 5'2"?"
She sniffed. "5'2 ½". "
"Then you're a munchkin."
Aggravated, she turned to Will. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Sure thing."
They both glanced at Cameron.
He held up his hands, palms out. "Hey, don't let me stop you."
Will pointed his thumb behind him. "I have to drop off some papers in Oliver's office. Walk with me?"
Unlike the Alpha's office, Oliver's office was on the second floor near his quarters. The two of them passed the marble countered kitchen and the pristine couches of the sitting room on their way up there. "I need to talk to you about Harley."
Though his walk never slowed or stuttered, Bailey could still feel Will's attention snap straight to her. Through the pack bond, his wolf butted up next to hers. "What about her?"
She needed to know if Will knew about Harley's issue without coming straight out and saying it. She realized all at once that maybe Will didn't know about Harley's latency. What if Harley didn't want him to know?
Bailey bit her lip and hesitated.
Which, of course, Will noticed. "Bailey?"
The urge to tell Harley's secret bubbled up in her chest, but she closed her throat around it.
"Bails, I can feel your wolf getting antsy. What's up?"
"Has Harley ever..." Shit. Already she was messing this whole thing up.
Will stopped at the top of the stairs, right next to the window blackened from the darkness of outside. His eyebrows went up as he waited.
Damn it, Bailey. You already screwed this up. "Has Harley ever talked about her old pack?"
"Her old pack?" He echoed. "No. Why?"
"Do you remember—before she left, that is—if she ever..."
"Spit it out, Bailey." He said, crossing his arms. "Is something wrong with Harley?"
Well, she couldn't say she didn't try. And Will was a good guy. He was trustworthy of this information. So if Harley was going to be mad that Bailey spilled the beans, she couldn't be too mad because Will would have her back.
Bailey gave and exhausted sigh. "Okay look, I know you told me to keep an eye on her for you—"
He stepped into her space. "Is someone messing with her?"
"No! Not at all. She's actually a really chill person. If anyone messed with her, I'd be the first in line to put a claw through their eye." She shifted her weight. "It's just, she told me something that...surprised me."
"And?"
"And...did you know she was latent?"
He frowned. "Latent?" Then, understanding lit his expression. "She never shifted?" The muscles in his arms tightened. "Why?"
Bailey shrugged. "She didn't say. She played it off pretty well though."
Will drew the mental connections in an instant. "Yeah, but to be in a wolf pack without being able to shift? That's got to have an effect on anyone."
Through the pack bond, Will's wolf paced.
"What would make a wolf go latent?" Bailey asked.
Will shook his head. "I've never heard of a wolf going latent before. Except maybe in rumors."
"The attack maybe?" Bailey asked through pinched lips. "Could that have caused it?"
"I don't know." He said, his jaw tight. "But I'm going to find out."