Werewolf at Heart

After getting Jason situated in the window seat, Carly and Blake talked softly as time flew by. When baby Caleb started fussing, Blake absently reached out to soothe him as if it he were already part of the family. Carly's wariness drifted away as they spoke of family and work, and what had brought them to Seattle.

"It sounds like there may have been a shotgun involved," Carly teased when Blake told of his brother's wedding. He laughed along with the joke, but he felt little amusement. Suddenly, he didn't want to keep Carly in the dark about werewolves and their customs. His wolf whined in his head, but his human side kept quiet. She was human, after all. The knowledge would only cause her to be put in danger, and he wouldn't be able to protect her.

Blake eventually worked up the nerve to ask what she had been doing in Seattle, but Carly was reticent and gave precious few details. "My sister and her husband died, and I was retrieving the boys to raise as mine," was all she said on the matter. Blake sensed a world of pain and agony behind those words, but knew now was not the time to push the issue.

"I can look into it, if that is your desire," Jack mentally sent to him.

Blake considered it a moment, before granting permission. "I need to know, and I don't know if she will ever want to tell me herself," he grudgingly admitted.

"It's funny," Carly mused as they landed in Minneapolis. "I feel as if I've known you all my life." A soft smile brought a hint of life back to her face.

"I know what you mean," Blake returned softly, Jack's assumptions running through his mind once again. It certainly didn't feel the same as what he saw with Finn and Rebecca, they had been wild and never far from one another's touch. Maybe not a mate, but he never wanted to give up this little human. In the span of a few hours, he no longer saw a worn woman the world used roughly, he saw strength and compassion and a deep beauty that could not be hidden from the world. He knew he needed to maintain the connection that had been built over the length of the flight. Rummaging in his wallet, he pulled out a business card, scrawling his private number on the back. "Call me, whenever, for whatever. If you need to talk, or a hand, or an all-expenses paid first class trip to Paris. I'm here for you." Blake was slightly worried he came on too strong with that last bit, until Carly laughed lightly.

"Paris would be delightful, but unlikely." she admitted.

Both sat quietly grinning at each other, imagining just what Paris would be like.

Shaking her head, she inspected the card. "Duluth?" She tried to hide the disappointment in her voice, but Blake heard it anyway.

"It's not too far from The Cities. There are roads and everything," he teased lightly.

"White Bear Lake, actually," she answered his unspoken question.

"Just call me. Everything else, whatever it is, will work itself out. Have faith. I know I do." His smile was almost sad, and that she just couldn't fathom. He was a man of many mysteries that she wanted desperately to explore. Suddenly, she understood the sadness in his smile. She wanted to explore the man in many different ways, but her priorities had changed drastically with her trip. It would take a long time for her to manage to find balance in her new life. They wanted the same thing, knowing it was impossible. She placed the card safely in her purse, secure in the knowledge she would never dial the numbers but knowing she would always have it to remember the one good thing in her month of misery.

He stayed by her side as they left the plane and retrieved their baggage, wanting to prolong the connection. All too soon, they were going their separate ways. As Jesse pulled the SUV into airport traffic, Blake watched Carly struggle to fit the infant car seat into her friend's waiting car. Jack, ever observant, watched his alpha tense and quickly looked to see what had caused such a reaction. He knew the driver of the car Carly was entering. They all did.

"Aw, fuck. Emile." His venomous tone speaking volumes.