His heart drummed against his sternum as he lifted up enough to straighten out, and his landing gear skied across the snowy straightaway. It was rough and jostled the plane, and at the end, he turned a bit wonky, but it was a better landing than he could’ve hoped for way out here.
It was cold as balls, so he blanketed the plane to make less work for him when he returned. It took time prepping the Cessna, but it would be worth it later, especially if he came back out here after dark.
He tossed the apple cores in the woods for the hungry winter birds to pick up, then pulled on his fox fur hat, sunglasses, and mittens. He could stand the cold a lot better than humans, but Alaska was brutal at night, and any windchill made it even more miserable. Despite the frigid temperatures, this was just how he liked to hunt. Snow made it easy to track anything. Animal scat was stark against the white, and tracks were easy to see and identify. He could read entire stories in the snow if he took the time to interpret the signs.
Ian pulled a giant pack of beef jerky from his backpack and tore into it as he made his way from the plane toward the woods in the direction of the most promising cabin he’d seen from the air.
How was his stomach growling while he was feeding it? Little beggar was always obnoxious until he put on that first twenty pounds.
It was nearly dark when he scented animal fur. He was close to the cabin now, and the tracks in the snow were definitely wolf. He couldn’t have gotten this lucky. It wasn’t possible. Cole wasn’t this stupid to be right out where he could see from a plane.
But when he stepped through to the clearing of the cabin’s yard, low and behold, Cole McCall himself was standing in the doorway, as if he’d been waiting for him.
The hairs on the back of Ian’s neck lifted, and he slowed to a stop just inside of the tree line.
“It ain’t a trap,” Cole drawled out. His head twitched, and his eyes blazed for a moment before they dimmed again.
“Cole, you gotta problem, man,” Ian said as he lowered his backpack to the snow beside his boots.
“Clayton?”
Ian nodded once.
It was hard to tell behind Cole’s thick beard, but it looked like his lip ticked once. He inhaled deeply and pushed off the door frame. “Is it death?”
Ian nodded again, then looked around pointedly. The cabin was old, maybe eighty years, and the roof had gone to rot and caved in at some point. “You didn’t pick the best hiding spot. You made it too easy.”
“Yeah, well I wasn’t hiding from you. I was hiding from her.”
“I don’t understand.”
Cole twitched his head again and let off a long, low snarl, then swallowed it down. The hairs lifted on Ian’s arms despite the warm winter jacket. Crazy always heckled his instincts. Crazy was unpredictable and could get a man killed if he wasn’t careful.
“My wolf wants Elyse.”
Now Ian was the one letting off a growl, and he didn’t feel inclined to stifle his as Cole had done.
Cole swallowed audibly. “He settled for the little girl, but she just bought me time. I thought you’d never fucking get here, Silver.”
“You are prepared then?”
Cole uncrossed his arms and nodded. “I know what I am now. I can feel it. Dumbass that I was, I thought I could be saved and outsmart the McCall curse. I thought Elyse could save me. And then I beat on her.”
“Fuck,” Ian muttered in a snarling voice as he tried to keep his head. Everything was red now. Red Cole, red woods, red snow. “You know a wolf bride wasn’t ever going to save you, McCall.”
He lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “If it were you, and you thought you could be saved, wouldn’t you try?”
Ian inhaled the mountain air, but it stank of wolf and fur. Cole looked human enough, but he wasn’t in control. His animal even smelled unsettled. “I’ll give you an honorable death if you want it.”
“Even after I hurt the girl?”
“Didn’t say you deserved it, asshole, but I have sympathy for a man losing a war to his animal. You and Lincoln are the least shitty of the McCalls.”
Cole huffed a laugh, though his expression stayed exactly the same. Defeated. “I’ll take that as a compliment coming from you. Can I ask you one last favor?”
“Don’t push your luck.” Ian cocked his head and narrowed his eyes, curiosity piqued. “What is it? Not saying I’ll do it, but I’ll consider it.”
Cole pulled a folded piece of paper from his jeans’ pocket and held it out. “It’s a letter to Elyse. An apology. I’m not safe to give it to her myself.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” In fact, putting Elyse in front of his protective grizzly was the worst idea ever. He’d come to that conclusion over the plane ride here.
“Please, man,” Cole pleaded, uncertainty slashing through his lightening eyes. “Dying will be easier if I know she’ll get this.”
Ian scrubbed his hands down his face and nodded. “Sure.” He approached and took the letter from Cole’s outstretched hand. Maybe he could put it through the post, or pay someone in Galena to deliver it to her. “You ready?”