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
Becky came down the stairs, now fully dressed with her blonde hair wet. Rob noticed she wore no makeup and looked tired. “You haven’t slept well?” “What? No, that’s normal. Now what is happening? No, just stay sitting. I can get my coffee.” Rob tried to stand. He needed another cup, and she appeared to need one. “Want another?” “Yes, please.” Rob held up his cup, wondering how she functioned so well, as tired as she was. Her health concerned him. She brought the coffee to the table, then fetched the milk and sugar before she sat. “Now before Jane Ann gets here, what are you? I mean, are you a wolf man? Or werewolf? What do you call your species? Is that right?” “Wolf shifter. Wolf. Shifter. Are acceptable. Don’t call anyone a werewolf. They are a rare, almost mythical monster. If they’re created, they most likely die. Those who survive are crazier than you can believe.”Becky wanted answers from him before anymore interruptions. She needed
Rob sat, and Jon laid out the food. Becky could feel her heart skip with these two in her personal space. “Now, I’ve briefly filled Rebecca in on the situation. We need to eat and then we need to get out of here. Jon, whoever, attacked me, left me for dead. They found me and patched me up. Jon, it’s worse than a breach. She’s my mate and meeting her surprised me so much I said the word mate. No, I didn’t explain it to her, she thought I meant friend. Hebbs got his hands on her and she mentioned it.” “That’s a lot to unpack. Uh… The wolves who attacked you are from the Indigo Dawn. Or you don’t know them at all?” Jon looked down at his coffee and frowned, a little confused at how the story played out and who were the exact players. “They didn’t stop to talk, identify themselves, and their markings weren’t familiar. They just torn into me and left me for dead in the woods near an old side road.” Rob wasn’t pleased with what he had to say. “I’m not sure how the
“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