“Look, I’ll help Becky get a few things together before anyone goes. Why don’t you two make sure there’s no one sulking around out there? I don’t know about you, but Officer Hebbs showing up here is a little disturbing at this early hour. He should just be getting to work right now. Not banging on Becky’s door. You might want to remind him about decency and all that.” Jane Ann said as she tucked her garbage back into the bag it came in. “Truthfully, I believe you’re correct. To get here from where he stays, he has had to leave his home well before six in the morning. He must have planned to come out here for this reason.” “Where does he live?” “Two towns over, barely outside of my territory. It either took him over an hour to get here this morning, or he’s been waiting all night to do that. Either way, he planned to be here and in your face.” Rob didn’t like this at all. Once Becky was in a safe and guarded location, he and Officer Hobbs were having
“You’re sure you want to have double trouble? I mean, I can just watch mine from a distance.” It was Jon’s voice Becky heard as she and Jane Ann walked down the stairs back to the kitchen. Her bag of belongings in her hand. “Call him and tell him what is going on. We’ll make sure everyone stays safe. Use her phone and I’ll use yours so Hebbs can’t connect me to her. We can’t leave any loose ends, or they could end up catastrophic.” Robert’s voice sounded stressed, more so than when they went upstairs. Both women frowned at each other. “Fine, but you won’t be able to hold that conversation on the phone. It’s too easy for someone to trace or record.” Jon again. Becky wondered if that was the conversation Robert planned to have with the officer. “I don’t plan to. He’s coming to the Wolf’s Den for this meeting. No more middle ground now. You’ll go with them when the time comes. Take them to the vet clinic and let them do what it is they want there. I’ll
Jon followed Rob upstairs. “Hey, listen, I know I said some things that she didn’t enjoy hearing, but it’s my job to remind you of the unsavoury truths. The elders will make her miserable until she left to get away from it. You need to talk to them before she meets them. The others would probably go along with whatever you wanted if the elders kept their opinion to themselves. But until that can happen. Why don’t you stay with her? At the Wolf’s Den or here. I don’t think it would matter which place. Well, that’s not true. The Wolf’s Den is more secure, and it has that apartment above it. She’d never be late for work. With a minor change to schedules, you could be with her when she works, and she could be with you when you do.” “I get it. Thank you. Now I have to call Hebbs and get this meeting set up. I’ll need you to be my hand on pack territory. I think Jane Ann should stay at the bar too. You okay with making the trip back and forth each day?” Rob knew Jon didn’t
Bill James, the head of this detachment, stormed up and through Bart Hebbs’ office door. He hated his domain being invaded, but there was no telling this human. Bill was opinionated, brash, and pushy with his rank. He was a typical bureaucrat through and through. Bart didn’t believe he’d been to a scene of a crime or on a call in decades and his waistline showed it. If that wasn’t enough, the man’s receding grey hairline gave him the air of a boiled egg.Bart glimpsed another man behind Bill. He didn’t recognize. When the door opened, though, Bart forced himself not to growl at the wolf smirking behind Bill. “What do you need, Bill?” Bart clipped out as Bill threw open his office door and stomped in. The wolf behind him stopped in his tracks at the door and cocked his head, waiting for acknowledgement. The wolf wanted permission to enter his domain. That surprised Bart after seeing the smirk on his face. Bart gave him a nod.Bill, on the other hand, turned and glared
“Why are we going to the bar? I don’t understand.” Becky asked Robert as he drove the vet mobile back into town. “It’s hard to explain, but I’ll try. I said something to you out of context. The word mate. You took it to another of my kind and they put it back into context. The part that makes this dangerous to you is. I suspect the officer has ulterior motives in this town. Those motives could put my pack and you in danger. If they don’t, but that information gets out to certain unknown people, it again could put you in danger to get to me or do something to you that could put your life and freedom in danger. As it’s my fault that you heard that word and didn’t understand who or what you were saying to an authority figure, I feel responsible for your safety and freedom.” Robert tried to look Becky in the eye, but she wouldn’t look at him. Instead, she stared out the passenger side window. “By effectively kidnapping me?” She sounded tiny, but resolute. He cou
Jon had to admit he didn’t like the silence it the vehicle as they drove. Janie sat in the passenger seat, staring ahead. Every time he turned on the music, she’d turn it off, and she didn’t explain why. This wasn’t his Janie. His Janie would chatter the entire way about everything and nothing. She was fun and playful. Now she fumed and ground her teeth. “Talk to me. Why did you leave like that?” “I had a choice to make, and you would have made me regret whatever I did.” “I would not have.” “Really? Would we have known any peace from your elders about mating? Don’t bother answering. I know exactly what’s going down with them. I’d have regretted not finishing my education really quick if I chose you over it. Do you think settling down with you and popping out a few kids would make me happy? Think again. I like to live, not subsist. We needed someone who could make money. Then having to listen to other wolves reminds me I’m only a weak, lowly
Becky finally got to escape her truck. Robert made her feel tiny sitting in the driver’s seat. However, she got some small satisfaction when he had to pull the seat back all the way so he could fit behind the wheel. But she didn’t like forcing herself to talk to him as she had. Yes, as they drove, and he did most of the talking, she’d relaxed a little. But it was a little. Becky was relieved still to step away from him. His size and his looks made Becky averse to interacting with him. It’s one thing for him to be in the same room as her. She was just struggling with the idea that he would want to be attached to her in any way. Becky didn’t see herself as a catch for anyone really, so she’d stopped looking at men for potential relationships, even though she craved to be in one desperately. All she figured was that she’d been burnt once, and she’d be shy wanting to avoid a second incident like the first. Robert wasn’t having anything to do with it. Or he didn’t notice
“Now Alpha, where have you been? We’ve had the police crawling over every corner of this bar for most of yesterday. Then we get called in here with the message that you’re back and you need all hands on deck. Now you come in here with a human mate?” Alex looked confused, and Becky got the idea that she wasn’t sure where to look or what to think. “A group of unknown wolves jumped me. Not a word to me, no warning, they just went to take me out. They then left me for dead in the woods off a side road. I guess they figured I’d bleed out and the animals would deal with my body. I came to and dragged myself to the road where I passed out again. Becky and Janie found me and patched me up.” Rob took a breath then and Becky stepped in with a few details of her own. “First, it was Bole’s Road. Janie’s parents have a small farm off of it and my house is at the end. I didn’t know who he was because he was a wolf when we found him. It was late and my house was closer, so