He caught her rich scent right then. It was subtle at first and mingling with the scent of lavender shampoo, among other scents she wore. Her scent did things to shock his instincts. The surprise of the sudden and intense reaction to her scent had him blurting out the word. “Mate.” She was human. He could smell that. How? Why her? Who was she? Was she a witch or some other human presenting a supernatural creature? His mate couldn’t be just a human. He was an Alpha, and it wasn’t appropriate to have a human mate. They were the weakest creatures going that could speak. They carried no magic at all. Gods, what would he do with this knowledge? If she was his mate and human, how would he explain to her his world? A world she didn’t know existed.
“Oh, uh, my name’s Rebecca Allen. I’m the new vet in town. Hold that thought. I just need to do one more thing, and then I’ll be out of here.” She didn’t run. No, she flew in a blink of an eye from where she stood to the clinic’s door. She struggled to find her keys and lock the door before she returned at the same speed.
Becky felt a little relief being out of his shadow for a moment or two. But his presence confused her enough that she couldn’t keep her mind on what she was doing. It took her several attempts to get her keys out of her purse. Becky didn’t know why she bought a purse with such a small opening that when her hand was in the purse, she couldn’t see inside it.
Rebecca. The town’s new vet, Robert, couldn’t believe it. One of the gods was playing a nasty joke on him. She didn’t return to him, instead she jumped into the truck’s driver seat and waved to him before she tried to start the truck. Was she trying to run away from him?
He was sure she expected the truck to start and just drive off into the dawn. But that wasn’t what happened. It tried valiantly to start and promptly died.
Sam was waving at him in question now, and Rob gave him a calming gesture that he was handling it. He walked to the open driver’s window of her truck and calmly said. “Pop the hood and I’ll have a look at what’s going on.”
Rebecca gave off the most beleaguered sigh he’d ever heard, and his heart melted. His mate was having a bad day. Rob’s first instinct was to help make her day easier.
She pulled the latch inside the truck, and he looked under the hood. The old truck desperately needed work. His pack maintained the local auto repair shop in town. They handled everything from cars and trucks to farm equipment. It was a lucrative business. So, he knew a thing or two about her vehicle, among others.
He had it running in no time flat. But he didn’t let her go right away. “You need to get this truck serviced as soon as you can. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done under there.”
“That’s what I was afraid of. It’s not happening anytime soon. Unless someone pays their bills on time. What did you mean when you said mate? I’ve never met you in my life before today.”
“We’ll talk about it later. Give me your phone, I’ll put my number in it. If you can’t get it started again, call. I’ll get someone out there to help you. My brother runs the repair shop.”
She blinked at him twice before she handed him her phone. His phone rang a moment later. So he had her number, too. “We’ll talk later. Go get your appointments or rounds done before you’re too late.” He tapped the side of the truck to bring her out of her confused state. She was driving off before he got to the end of her truck. Rob winced as she nicked the corner of his truck as she headed out. All he could do was wince for now and wave her on. He would need to teach her how to drive as well, it appeared.
Rob walked Sam and his truck back behind the Wolf’s Den. There they unloaded the alcohol delivery, and Sam quickly got back onto the road. Happy he could continue with his deliveries.
Rob was moving the delivery into the bar’s basement as his mind lingered on his mate. His very human mate. Gods, what was he going to do about that? The elders will have a field day with all the reasons he couldn’t and shouldn’t make it work. It wasn’t like there was a tried-and-true method to tell a human mate about the existence of werewolves and fated mates. Let alone the rest of the supernatural world. Rob had heard many stories about such events going horribly wrong and the mate putting the entire pack in danger because they couldn’t come to terms with their new life or the changes in their knowledge of the real world.
Rob just couldn’t get over how beautiful she was. With all that blonde hair and big blue eyes. She didn’t even reach his shoulder. He couldn’t focus his anger on her for the way she parked or for scratching the corner of his fender.
He heard more noise outside and went up to investigate it. There’d been vandals over the past few months, but he thought it odd for them to show up this close to morning to do their dirty work. But he’d scare them off for now.
He strode out sneering as he looked around himself for the reason of the noise. As he entered the early morning light, Rob growled when he caught sight of an unknown wolf at the edge of the wooded area out back of the bar. This was his territory, and he didn’t appreciate this invasion. But he didn’t get to do anything about it, because they suddenly attacked him from all sides. He’d missed spotting the other with his head so filled with the knowledge of his new mate and all the complications that came from having her.
With at least six wolves attacking him at once while he’d still not been able to shift fully, it wasn’t a fair fight. Every single one of them was a coward. By the time he’d fully shifted and destroyed his clothes in the process, he received far too many injuries to fight effectively. He gave it his all, but with the amount of blood he’d lost and the fact he now possessed several broken bones, it was a failed attempt and he blacked out from the blood loss and pain.
* * *
Rob wanted to groan, but he soon realized as he returned to consciousness, he wasn’t in his human form. So, the sound came out as a whimpered chuff expressing the pain; he was in. When his eyes finally opened, the first thing he looked for was Rebecca. He need to know she was safe. The events in his head were all jumbled. Wait, he’d been alone when he was attacked. Rebecca should be safe.
Rob wasn’t though, he should be dead out behind the Wolf’s Den. The cowards attacked him. They didn’t give any warning or message before or after they attacked. Now, here he lay just inside the tree line somewhere along some lonely stretch of road. If he wanted help, he needed to move closer to the road.
They left him here to die, and they’d done an awful job. He wasn’t dead yet.
Rob’s mind kept flitting back to Rebecca and her mass of long blonde hair. He now found a reason to pull the strength from deep inside to move. Every bone and muscle in his body screamed, and he slowly dragged himself toward the road’s edge.
With these injuries, they trapped him in his wolf form until they healed enough that they wouldn’t get worse if he shifted. That could be hours or days from now. So, he prayed that a crazy pack of hunters roaming this region didn’t find him and think he was an easy trophy.
Rob couldn’t tell how long he clawed his way toward the road. He prayed someone who knew their supernatural secret found him first. Or at least someone who was kind enough to take him to the local vet. Rebecca. Rob knew just watching her pack that truck with as much as she did, she loved the animals under her care. She’d be gentle with him.
Rob finally dragged himself onto the edge of the pavement of the road with the last of his strength and he lay his head down on his front paws, losing consciousness again.
* * *
The sun was falling at the end of another day. Becky drove home with Jane Ann in the seat beside her with music on the radio and the windows open. Becky could relax for the first time in the day. She couldn’t enjoy it, though. Her mind kept wandering back to all the police, blood, and that gorgeous man missing. How could someone that large and strong go missing like that? Was it a bear like the officer said?
A lump at the side of the road caught Jane Ann’s attention. “Becky! Stop! Something’s there. I saw it move.”
“What where?”
“Stop! There! Look!” Becky stopped the truck at the side of the road, and she left it running as they both climbed from the vehicle. “Oh gawd. Becky! It’s a wolf, and it looks like a truck, or something hit it. It’s still alive.”
“I’ll get me kit, hold on.”
Becky heard and felt the two fenders kiss each other and she prayed the damage wasn’t more than a scratch. But nothing would get her to stop now. She needed to get out of there. His presence was just too much right now, and she needed to feel safe. Sure, he’d helped her out, but he’d also been angry with her and that triggered things deep down in her. She cursed her instinct to placate him until she got away. Which is what she was doing. Running and hating the coward that she was. Nothing made sense. Why did he call her his mate? They weren’t friends. They’d never met. Oh, Becky liked what she saw. Liked it a lot. Who wouldn’t? He looked like he’d walked out of a charity calendar. No, she was done chasing men. Her choices were always bad. Ivan was a fine example of that. Sure her parents encouraged her to marry him. She’d not known it was for their financial benefit. Though Becky allowed it to happen ultimately. This humiliating incident bothered her all mor
“What’s going on?” Becky couldn’t help asking James Clark, the owner of Clark’s General Store. “As I can tell, someone was behind the Wolf’s Den and found blood. When they went to inform Rob Northgate, the owner of the bar. No one could find him. When they contacted his brother, John, he said Rob was at the bar as far as he knew. Well, Rob’s not answering his phone. I think the police out back found Rob’s clothes and his phone, and they’re bloody.” Becky stared at James, dumbfounded. But she saw Rob just a few hours ago. “Excuse me. Is there a reason for any of you to be here? If you don’t have a reason, then please move along.” A police officer came up to the small group, making the hand gesture to move along with his hand. “Sir, officer. I know Mr. Northgate was here this morning. I spoke to him when I was loading my truck to do my rounds at various ranches today.” “Hold on. Let me get the officer who’s investigating this. No, b
“Well, he’s healthy if we go by his weight. Geez, I knew hunting was good in the area, but this guy must be very successful.” Jane Ann complained as they set the large crate in the corner of Becky’s old kitchen. It was clean because she used it so little, but its décor was showing its age. Butter cup yellow was showing as a pale mustard among the creamy colour that Becky was sure once was white. The floor tiles needed to be replaced along with the countertop, with it’s sizeable chunk taken out of its corner. “Okay, let me put a clean tarp down and then we can clean him up and bandage him. I don’t think he’s got any broken bones, but we can give him a few x-rays to be sure in the morning.” Becky brought in a clean tarp and other things she’d need to give this wolf the medical attention she could best provide from here. It’d keep him alive, at least. Once she was prepared. “You ready to help me get him out of there?” “Yeah, once you’re done fixing him
Rob woke to a world of pain, and it took him a minute or two to remember why. Along with that memory came several times more realizations. He wasn’t dead, his wounds were dressed, and Rob was in a cage.The cage was far too small for a shifter. His wolf barely fit lying down. Beyond the bars of the cage, he could see a kitchen. It smelt clean, but there was little in the way of food smells. Clearly, it wasn’t used much. His nose picked up a fresh smell. One that seems vaguely familiar. His mind was running more like a wolf’s than his human's. That meant, he’d been in this form for an extended period. But the scent was inviting and felt welcoming. His mind wasn’t fully working at peak efficiency yet. But the scent and the bandages fell into place like a couple of puzzle pieces. The scent of the kitchen was far too strong to be anything other than Rebecca’s kitchen. He was in Rebecca’s home.He couldn’t shift within the cage. It wouldn’t accept anything the size of a human. Also,
Becky woke up to her alarm, but she stayed in bed, remembering her nightmare and how it changed last night. She remembered seeing the wolf they’d found coming into her bedroom. Then she remembered him comforting her as she slept. Becky swore she could feel his fur under her hand last night. That’s when she opened her eyes in horror and stared at the ceiling, afraid to move. She could feel fur still with that hand. Her heart pounded, and she feared moving and startling the wild animal in her bed. What did she do in this case? How did it get out of its cage in the kitchen? Becky was sure she secured the cage lock before seeing Jane Ann off home. Jane Ann hadn’t called her to tell her she was okay, either. Now she had to get up and find out what was going on. But what did she do about the wolf? Becky calmed down a little more and then looked at the wolf beside her for the first time. What she found wasn’t a wolf at all. It was the bar owner. R
“It’s okay. You’re safe. I won’t. No, I can’t hurt you. Not intentionally, at least. It goes against my nature. Gods, you’re skittish. Okay, where do you want me to start?”“I’ve been put on the suspect list in your missing person’s case. I want to know exactly what happened and how you ended up in my bed. Why are you wearing the bandages? I put on a wolf I found at the side of the road last night?”“Thank you for that. You probably saved me from being dinner for the wildlife out there.”“Wildlife. Sarah Ann and I found you at the side of the road leading up to our homes. How many wild animals could be in this area?”“You’d be surprised. Wolves attacked me, wolf shifters that is, behind the Wolf’s Den.” Rob gave a sigh. That’s when the name of the bar struck Becky and she understood the meaning of it. This bar was his home, his den. “I thought they were trying to kill me for my territory. I’m… Uh… What you’d call the Alpha wolf of the region. But they didn’t kill me, instead they left
“Fine, I’ll go see what he wants, but I can’t make any promises. Stay here.” “I don’t have a phone. Can I use yours?” “It’s in the kitchen charging.” “Crap. I need clothes and I’m assuming since you were alone in here, there’s no man in your life that would leave any here.” “No man would dare do that. But currently you’d be correct. Though I doubt you would fit any if they had left something here.” “True enough. I’ll need to call my brother and get him to bring me some.” “Fine, I’ll bring it with me when I come up and tell you the coast is clear. Okay?” “Thanks. Keep the questions and explanations to the minimum. Don’t let him know you know anything about wolf shifters or that he’s one.” “I don’t and I won’t.” Becky just wanted to get out of there. She didn’t feel comfortable with him standing there wrapping a sheet around himself in her bedroom. Her emotions were all over the place and she just couldn’t
Becky sent off a text to Jane Ann, hoping she’d respond. The message was asking her to stay home. She wasn’t feeling well today, and she’d deal with her guest on her own. The message would probably bring Jane Ann running to Becky’s house with bells on, as they say. This would be a problem. Becky could see that from a mile away. She took her phone, looked out her front window to ensure that Officer Hebbs was in fact gone. He was, so she went back upstairs with her phone in her hands when it dinged from an incoming text message. ‘On my way, this better be good.’ Jane Ann was nothing, if not predictable. Give her a day off, and she can’t leave the reason alone. Back in the bedroom, Becky found Rob pacing, clearly anxious. “He’s gone, but we have a problem.” “Great, what?” “My co-worker. Well, she’s my employee and friend, but she’s helped get the clinic off the ground. So, I call her my co-worker. Jane Ann Peters is on her way over, e