by Stormy Glenn
Dwayne wasn't sure he wanted to stay longer than it took to get some pancakes. Something, some niggling at the back of his neck, was telling him that there was something different about Silver Lake and they needed to proceed with the utmost caution.
"The place is kind of small, but no smaller than I'd expect from a little town in the middle of nowhere."
Dwayne nodded his agreement.
"Hey, look." Harvey pointed to a building down the block. "There's a diner."
Dwayne frowned when he saw the sign above the diner. "Al's Diner." This did not bode well for their visit. If the sheriff showed up, Dwayne was going to bail.
He followed the other vehicles and parked next to them on the street in front of the diner. There was a bit of chill in the air when he climbed out of the cab, but nothing his bear couldn't handle. Still, he grabbed his jacket and pulled it on to keep up appearances. He couldn't be seen as anything other than human.
As soon as he was on the sidewalk, he walked over to where Jeb and Billy Ray were standing. "I'm not sure we want to stay here for the night. Something is off about this place." He couldn't put his finger on it, but he could feel it. There was a vibe in the air that was unsettling his bear.
Jeb nodded. "I feel it, too."
Billy Ray just looked at him. "Man, all I feel is hungry."
Dwayne chuckle. "I hope they have pancakes."
"And bacon," Billy Ray said, "lots of bacon."
Bacon was good. Dwayne was definitely in favor.
"I guess we should go in, huh?" Jeb asked.
"Just keep your eyes open," Dwayne suggested. "I'm going to go talk to Rob. Maybe he knows what's going on."
While Jeb and Billy Ray headed for the diner, Dwayne hurried over to Rob and Casey, who were standing there talking to Harvey. "Hey, do you guys feel…" Dwayne wasn't sure he could explain it.
Rob nodded as he pulled Casey to his side. "We all feel it."
"Okay, good."
"When we go inside, I want Casey in the middle of all of us," Rob directed. "We're going to eat then get out of this town as fast as we can."
"Maybe we should just go now."
"No." Rob shook his head. "We all need a decent meal. Just be aware of our surroundings. If you see trouble, Casey is our number one priority."
"Rob," Casey groaned. "That's not nice."
"You're the omega here, cub. The others are big enough to protect themselves. You are not." Rob pressed a kiss to the top of Casey's head. "Besides, I'd be destroyed if anything happened to you. Remember rule number one."
"Number one?" Casey frowned. "A bear devotes his entire life to making sure his mate is healthy and happy? That one?"
Rob grinned. "Yep."
Dwayne's lips twitched when Casey's eyes rolled. He might be a meek little omega, but he was starting to find himself. Dwayne was pretty sure it was due to Rob's love and support. At least he wanted to believe it was. It gave him hope for his future, assuming he could get past Harvey's fuck-ups.
"Let's eat," Dwayne said. "I'm starving."
"Sounds like a plan," Rob said as he started for the diner, his arm firmly around Casey's waist. Dwayne followed behind them with Harvey at his side. Jeb and Billy Ray walked in front. Their alpha and alpha mate were firmly surrounded, and Dwayne knew anyone who made a go at them would feel a lot of pain.
The inside of the diner was just as Dwayne expected. A sitting counter went all along one side of the diner, the kitchen behind that. On the other wall was a row of booths in blue and white vinyl. Restrooms were at the very end of the diner.
"How many today?" the waitress asked as she walked up.
"Six," Jeb replied. "Do you have a booth big enough?"
"There's one in the back."
The waitress led the way back toward the bathrooms to a large round booth in the corner. "Will this do?"
If they all sat together real close.
Jeb smile at the waitress. "This will do nicely. Thank you."
Dwayne waited for Rob and Casey to slide into the booth before scooting in on the other side of Casey. He frowned when Harvey slid in next to him, and Jeb and Billy Ray took the spots on the other side of Rob and Casey. Maybe he should have waited for the others to sit down.
He elbowed Harvey in the side. "Move over," he growled. He needed space between him and his mate. It felt too damn good being pressed up against him.
Harvey's response was to settle his arm along the seat behind Dwayne's head. When he started to play with Dwayne's hair, Dwayne stomped his foot down on the top of Harvey's boot. The man grunted and stopped playing with his hair, but he didn't move his arm.
"What can I get you gentlemen to drink?" the waitress asked as she handed out menus.
"Coffee," Rob said, "all the way around."
"I'll have orange juice," Casey said.
Rob smiled. "Five coffees and one orange juice."
"Coming right up."
Dwayne glanced down at the menu.
"Do they have pancakes?" Harvey asked as he leaned into him.
Dwayne ignored Harvey and made a mental list of what he wanted to eat. It was a short list, but there a few things he wanted double of. He was really hungry.
God, he hoped they had… "Oh hey, they have honey cinnamon rolls." He wasn't sure how that worked, but he sure wanted to find out.
"They look good," Harvey said.
Dwayne closed his menu and set it on the table in front of him. He wasn't expecting Harvey to grab a handful of hair and jerk his head closer. The man's hot breath blew out across his ear as Harvey leaned in.
"I refuse to let you ignore me, mate."
"Be prepared to be disappointed."
Harvey's deep chuckle did nothing to calm Dwayne's nerves. If anything, it made them a bit more jumpy. Maybe he could get Billy Ray to ride with him during their next stretch.
"Don't even think about it, baby. Ain't no one riding with you but me."
Dwayne glanced at Harvey for a moment, suddenly afraid the man could read his mind. He'd been doing pretty good so far. "It's my truck. I can choose whoever I want to ride with me."
Harvey raised an eyebrow. "Try it and I'll paddle your ass red."
Dwayne swallowed hard. There was a promise in Harvey's eyes that he was afraid to test, and that made him angry. "You don't own me."
"Wanna bet?" Harvey blew hot hair against the side of Dwayne's neck before grazing his skin with a finger. "But that's okay, babe. You own me, too."
Dwayne clenched his jaw. His cock never quite went down when Harvey was around…or when he thought of Harvey…dreamed about him…smelled him. He was pretty much always semi-hard, but this was different. He could barely breathe. Every ounce of his control was working on not coming right there and then.
"Calm yourself, handsome," Harvey whispered. "Your bear is too close to the surface."
And just like that, his nerves leveled out. Dwayne didn't know what to think of that, so he didn't say anything. He needed time to think over what had just happened. He was still semi-hard, but he wasn't on the edge of oblivion.
"Okay, what'll it be, boys?"
Everyone gave their order to the waitress then sat back and waited for their food, talking quietly about their trip so far and where they might head to next.
"We could go north to Canada," Billy Ray suggested.
"Too cold," Jeb immediately countered. "I like snow as much as the next guy, but there's a limit to how much freezing I'm willing to do."
"Well, we really need to think about finding something before winter gets here," Dwayne said. "As much time as we've spent outdoors, we're not going to want to do that when winter gets here."
He knew he certainly didn't. Sleeping outdoors during this time of the year was one thing. Sleeping outdoors when there was snow on the ground was altogether different.
"Head's up, boys," Harvey murmured. "We have company."
"Everyone keep calm," Rob ordered. The tone was low, but there was still an alpha thread in it.
"No one do anything that could get us kicked out of here or locked up."
Dwayne felt his stomach clenched when he looked up and caught sight of a sheriff walking toward them. The man grabbed a chair and swung it around, straddling it as he sat down at the edge of their table.
"Afternoon, boys," the man said.
"Sheriff," Rob said. "What can we help you with?"
"Just stopped by to have a friendly chat." He raised one thick eyebrow as he gazed around at everyone sitting at the table. "It will be friendly, won't it?"
Rob seemed to eye the man critically before nodding once. "Is there a reason it shouldn't be?"
The sheriff tilted his cowboy hat back then folded his arms across the back of the chair. "We don't get many strangers out this way."
"Here you go, Sheriff." The waitress set a cup of coffee down in front of the man.
The sheriff smiled up at the waitress. "Thank you, Franny."
"We're just passing through, Sheriff," Rob said. "Stopped to get a bite to eat. That's all."
"You know you need permission to be in the area."
Dwayne felt Harvey stiffen next to him, and he understood why. There was only one reason why they would need permission to be in the area. This was shifter-controlled territory. Except, none of them had smelled shifters.
"My apologies," Rob said. "We weren't aware that this was…someone else's territory."
The sheriff snorted. "Boy, this entire town is shifter territory."
Dwayne's jaw dropped. One, the sheriff had referred to Rob as "boy." That right there was challengeable. And two, the sheriff hadn't lowered his voice one damn bit. Anyone inside the diner could have heard him.
The sheriff took a slow sip of his coffee. He seemed to be thinking of something or checking them out. Dwayne wasn't quite sure which, but he did know he didn't like it.
"Where you all from?" the sheriff finally asked.
"We're out of King City."
"Alpha Henry Barker?"
Rob's jaw clenched for a moment. "Yes."
"And if I call him, what will he tell me about you?"
Rob's eyes narrowed dangerously. "We were banished."
Dwayne hung his head. Rob was one of his best friends and he'd follow the guy anywhere, but crap, the alpha was going to get them all killed.
The sheriff didn't show a flicker of alarm, which alarmed Dwayne. "I see."
"We're just passing through, Sheriff," Rob said. "We don't want trouble."
The sheriff's gaze moved to each one of them before settling on Casey. "He yours?"
"Yes," Rob growled as he pulled Casey closer.
"Mated?"
"Yes."
With each question the man asked, Dwayne could feel the others growing more wary. He was, as well. The sheriff was asking a lot of questions that could get them in trouble if the man wanted to push.
"We should get our order to go, Rob," Casey whispered as he tugged on Rob's shirt.
Dwayne was sitting right next to him, so he heard every word. "He's right, Rob. Pancakes can wait until we get to the next town."
"You might want to rethink that," the sheriff said, obviously having heard the conversation. "The alpha of the next town isn't quite as forgiving as my alpha. He'd just as soon rip your throat out than listen to anything you have to say."
Dwayne could feel the blood draining from his face.
"He won't touch you," Harvey whispered into his ear. "I'll kill him before I let that happen."
"Are you strong enough to kill an alpha?" The sheriff's gaze snapped to Harvey before moving to the others. "Are any of you strong enough to beat an alpha?"
Dwayne's jaw dropped.
Harvey's eyes narrowed. "Why do you want to know?"
The sheriff's lips thinned before he glanced around the diner. "This isn't the place for this conversation. Even though this is a shifter town, some things are better discussed in private. Will you come speak with my alpha?"
Chapter Three
"Why?" Harvey was sure everyone else was thinking the same thing. They were all staring at the sheriff like he'd grown a second head. "We haven't broken any laws."
The "yet" went without saying.
"This isn't about that," the sheriff said. "Please, just come talk to my alpha. I think you'll be interested in what he has to say."
Harvey wasn't so sure of that. He felt as if he stood on a precipice. If they left town, their lives would change. If they stayed, their lives would change. Considering they were on the road looking for a home after being banished from their clan, that said a lot.
"I give you my word as beta of the Silver Lake Clan that no harm will come to you or yours through any actions by me or my clan."
"What about your alpha?" Rob asked.
The sheriff shook his head. "No, he won't harm you either."
Harvey wasn't so sure they could trust that.
Bears had been known to lie now and again. Raymond Barker was a perfect example. He was the son and heir to Alpha Henry Barker, due to take over the King City Clan when his father stepped down. Harvey doubted the man had ever even spoken the truth. He wouldn't know how.
There was an overwhelming need welling up inside of him to protect his mate, his baby brother, and the rest of their little clan. It was a strong enough urge to have hair rippling along his arms.
"Can your alpha come here?" Harvey asked. "I think we'd feel better meeting here rather than going someplace we don't know."
And safer. Harvey didn't like the idea of any of them heading off to unknown places, especially not to meet some unknown alpha.
The sheriff nodded. "I'll give him a call and ask." He pulled his cell phone out while he stood. "Please, enjoy your breakfast. It's on me."
Harvey didn't even notice the waitress standing there until the sheriff stepped away to make his phone call. When his plate was set down in front of him, Harvey stared down at it. As hungry as he'd been, he wasn't sure he could eat now. There was an anxious knot forming in his gut.
"Do you think he's for real?" Dwayne asked.
"I'm more concerned with how he knew we were shifters," Rob said. "He said this is a shifter town, but I've yet to smell a single shifter."
Harvey realized his baby brother was right. He hadn't smelled a single shifter besides the six of them. If this was a shifter town, where were all the shifters?
Harvey's gaze snapped to Rob. "Did you scent the sheriff at all?"
Rob's eyes rounded as he shook his head. "If he's the beta of his clan, how can we not smell him?"
Crap.
Harvey ran a hand down over his jaw. He glanced across the diner to where the sheriff stood talking on his cell phone. The man seemed to be in deep conversation, but he was watching the table as if they were all going to suddenly jump up and run.
Harvey was considering it.
With the exception of his parents, everyone he cared about sat at the table with him. His entire world sat right next to him. He couldn't allow anything to happen to any of them.
His eyes settled on his baby brother. "Rob, we've not talked about this, but the elephant has always been in the room."
"What?" Rob squinted at Harvey as if he'd lost his mind. "What in the hell are you talking about?"
"It's time to name your inner circle. You need to do it right now." Harvey could feel it in his bones. Something momentous was coming, and they needed to be secure in their clan. "Name me as your beta."
"What if I want Dwayne to be my beta?"
"Now is not the time to play favorites, Rob. I'm the right man for the job, and you know it."
"He's right, Rob," Dwayne said. "As much as I hate to admit it, Harvey would make a better beta than me."
Harvey frowned at his mate before looking back at Rob. "I can't shake the feeling that something is going on here and that we need to have a solid inner circle before we face whatever it is."
Rob's eyes rolled. "Fine, you can be my beta."
Harvey had the urge to shake his brother.
Rob didn't seem to be taking this seriously. "Rob, if you don't have a strong power base, they can kill us. Do you get that? They can challenge you for Casey and take him from you, killing the rest of us."
Rob's eyes narrowed as he growled. "No one is taking Casey from me."
"Then establish your inner circle so we can fight for you." Harvey didn't think he could make it any clearer than that. "If we're named to your inner circle, it's our duty to protect you, our alpha, and Casey, our alpha mate. They'd have to go through us before they get to you, and, as your inner circle, there is nothing they can do to stop us. We'd be in the right defending you."
Rob stared at him. Harvey couldn't read his brother's expression, but he knew he was thinking, and thinking hard. He could practically see the smoke spiraling out of Rob's ears.
"I name Harvey as my beta, Dwayne as my gamma, and Billy Ray and Jeb as my deltas."
Harvey wasn't too thrilled with Dwayne being named Rob's tracker, but Billy Ray and Jeb were good choices as enforcers.
"Do you accept?" Rob asked as he looked each man in the eyes.
Harvey was in no way surprised when each one of them nodded. One by one, they leaned toward Rob, who scratched them on the back of the neck then sniffed the scent of their blood. Once accepted by their alpha, it formed a bond that could only be severed by the alpha.
With each passing second, Harvey could feel the bonds of their clan cementing and becoming stronger. This was a good thing.
He drew in his first good breath since the sheriff had walked into the place. With the inner circle bonded to their alpha, Harvey could fight to keep everyone in their little clan safe, and no one except his alpha—Rob—could stop him.
By the time the sheriff walked back to their table, Harvey felt a whole lot better. Not totally better, but better than he had when the man first walked into the diner.
The sheriff took his seat again. "My alpha agreed to meet you here. He lives about twenty minutes outside of town, so you have time to finish your food."
"Thank you." It wouldn't hurt to be polite, especially under the circumstances.
