by Crissy Smith
A Total-E-Bound Publication
www.total-e-bound.com
Pack Community
ISBN # 978-1-78184-246-1
©Copyright Crissy Smith 2013
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright February 2013
Edited by Stacey Birkel
Total-E-Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2013 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.
Warning:
This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Total-e-burning and a sexometer of 2.
This story contains 77 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end of the book containing 9 pages.
Were Chronicles
PACK COMMUNITY
Crissy Smith
Book five in the Were Chronicles Series
A wolf and a bobcat come together and change one community, forever.
Grayson Mason is worn out and run down from the long months on the road in search of the feline Prince. All he wants is to finish his mission and go back to his Pack. That is, until he meets the one woman who will turn his world upside down.
Beth Williams is happy in Coyote Bluff. The community of shifters support one another and she has her brother and nephew. Sure, sometimes she might get lonely, but she’s never connected with anyone enough to consider mating. That is, until a new wolf hits town. With the arrival of Gray, she has to rethink her entire life.
But there is more going on than just the attraction between the wolf and the bobcat. Gray’s search is bringing him closer to finding the Prince but at the same time leading him right into the middle of a feline conspiracy and a battle.
Gray finds himself fighting not only for the Prince’s survival, but also to protect his future mate.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my husband—the love of my life and my biggest supporter. It was a difficult year but I love how much of a fighter you are. You make me proud to be your wife and I know you’ll only grow stronger every day until you are fully healed.
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Ford: Ford Motor Company
Desert Eagle: Magnum Research, Inc.
Chapter One
Early evening heat surrounded Gray Mason as he stepped out of his Ford truck where he had pulled over to the side of the road. The sign in front of him welcomed him to Coyote Bluff, Texas. Located in the panhandle of the large state, it was a place he had never visited before. But recent signs had narrowed down to a couple of possibilities for where to find the Prince of felines—one of them being the canyons surrounding the town.
After speaking to the Alpha Council and the Pack Alpha for the west Texas area, arrangements had been made for Gray to investigate there.
He’d been hearing rumours about the town that accepted any and all shifters since he’d begun to investigate the kidnapping.
Excitement rippled through his body at the thought of the search finally going somewhere after three very long months. While the idea of an entire town full of shifters was a little unsettling to him, he would do everything in his power to finally end his journey and make his way home.
He surveyed the area directly around him, seeking any close being that might be a threat. Sensing he was alone, he pulled out his cell phone and called his Alpha.
“Hey, Gray, I was starting to wonder,” Tyler greeted him.
Gray had to smile. Tyler would worry whether Gray called in or not, but Gray liked knowing that someone would at least notice if he was missing.
“Yeah, sorry about that, boss,” Gray answered and he leaned against his tailgate. “Crappy reception down here.”
“Just be careful. I contacted the sheriff there to let him know you would be stopping by in a day or so. He seems like an okay guy, but remember we don’t have any ties there,” Tyler warned.
“So he’s not family?” Gray enquired, asking his Alpha if the man was a wolf shifter.
“I don’t think so. The town is supposed to be full of other shifters but I just can’t tell over the phone.”
Gray grunted. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the others—he just hadn’t met many. Most of his dealings were with the felines, and those experiences had not been good.
“I’ll check into the hotel tonight, get a run in, and see what I can nose out before I meet with him tomorrow,” Gray informed the other man.
“Just be careful. There is no wolf Pack there, but that doesn’t mean that there are no wolves. You don’t want to trespass against them before you know who you are dealing with. Especially without back-up.”
“No problem. I’ll stay away from any marked spots,” he promised.
“Then call me tomorrow and get some rest,” Tyler ordered.
“Will do.” Gray hung up the phone, still grinning. He had been away from his Pack for so long he was starting to feel the loneliness more and more each day. While some wolf shifters had no problem going rogue, the true, deep comfort he found with his Pack mates was fading and it made him edgy. And an agitated wolf was never a good thing. He needed his family. He needed to get home soon.
Normally, he only shifted a few nights a month to let his animal out. The longer he was away from family, the more agitated both he and the wolf became. Running late at night seemed to be the only way he could calm himself, and even that was not working like it had.
“Coyote Bluff,” he mumbled under his breath as he climbed back in his truck. “Out of all the animals…”
Pulling back onto the main road, he followed directions on signs until he saw what he’d been looking for. The hotel looked like an old cabin from the pioneer days. He parked in front of the door and got out, pleasantly surprised to see that, while it might look old, it was a sturdy building. The railing spreading from the entrance to both sides was composed of thick pieces of wood with delicate carvings.
A closer look revealed that the carvings were of several different animals. The detail—each species practically came to life—was amazing. There seemed to be more to this town than he’d first thought. He hefted his bag over his shoulder and pushed open the large oak door.
What greeted him first was the scent of fresh, hot home cooking. He’d been living out of convenience stores and on fast food for so long that his mouth watered as he thought about a home-cooked meal. His stomach rumbled in agreement.
“I guess that means the first order of business will be getting you something to eat,” a tall, slender woman said, coming to his side, laughing.
Gray smiled at the pretty middle-aged woman. “Didn’t realise I was so hungry until I smelt whatever you have cooking.”
The woman laughed again, throwin
g her head back. “Oh no, Claude does all the cooking. But I will tell him you said that. I’m guessing you are Mr Mason?” she asked and guided him to the small, neat reception desk he hadn’t noticed. “I’m Dorothy. Claude and I own this place, so if you need anything you just give me a holler.”
“Yes, ma’am. Gray Mason here to check in and check out dinner.”
“Oh, I am going to like you, Mr Gray Mason,” she told him, patting his hand. “Just sign this registration form. We will charge your credit card when you check out. The dining room is open from five in the morning to eight at night. But if you want anything when it’s not open, you just let me know and I will show you around the kitchen. It is open to all our guests. We get a lot of business in the dining room from the town folk so don’t you worry about what time you eat. We’ve got plenty to feed everyone.”
Gray nodded and signed the paper she’d given him.
“There are places to grab food in town also. We have a café, a coffee shop, a bakery, the pizza joint, and even a steak house on the other side of town heading out. All good food, although no one cooks like my Claude.”
“Now, Dorothy, I think you may be a little biased.” Gray turned as a heavyset man joined them. He was smiling and looked friendly, but it was the power behind his eyes that told Gray so much about him.
This was a shifter. Not wolf or feline, but something just as powerful. Gray stiffened and turned to face the man directly. He had hoped to avoid any display of dominance.
The smile fell from the other man’s lips as he held out his hand. “Claude Gentry.”
“Gray Mason, and Dorothy is correct. It smells amazing,” Gray told the other man as they shook. While his wolf might be straining to get out, Gray was professional enough to control his instincts. Being a detective in a very human world had tested him enough.
As soon as the words left his lips, he felt the change in the other man. Instead of a mood to match the cautious handshake, the man returned to his joyful self. “Well, thank you, son. Let Dorothy get you checked in so we can feed you,” he told Gray with a friendly slap on his back.
Gray turned back to the woman in time to see her send Claude a worried glance before smiling at him once more. Gray breathed in deeply, trying to place any familiar scents. The woman was surely human, although she smelt like Claude. But he just couldn’t place the other man. The scent was more fresh air and fields than the wild and woodsy scent of wolves.
He couldn’t come right out and ask without sounding rude, so he just pushed it to the back of his mind as he accepted his room key and listened to the directions to his room.
Passing through the cabin—he no longer thought of it as a hotel—he appreciated the beauty and comfort of the décor and feel. He liked the little place already.
* * * *
Dinner had been fantastic. With a full belly and after a couple of bottles of good domestic beer, Gray was starting to relax. As he stepped out onto the back porch, he glanced around, taking in the sights.
Despite the name, Coyote Bluff was a gorgeous town. He always felt better being surrounded by the woods and forests of home, but the canyons that surrounded him now had their own charm. He couldn’t wait until later when he would be able to change forms and run.
But for now, as he waited for the evening to pass, he took a seat in one of the many chairs on the porch and kicked back. The restlessness that he had felt since before he’d arrived calmed, and peace settled deep inside him until his eyes started to droop and he let himself drift.
It was the light sound of footsteps that kicked his instincts into gear and had him popping his lids back open. Just off to the side at the porch steps stood a little boy, about five or six, staring at him.
Gray dropped his feet onto the deck and nodded in the kid’s direction.
Taking that as an invitation, the little boy scrambled up the steps to hover over him. “I’m Toby, I live next door, my aunt said I could come over and get some cookies from Claude, he makes really good cookies and he always saves me some.”
The words flew so fast and with such a heavy southern accent that Gray actually had to think about what had been said. Once he put it all together, he grinned. His Alpha had a young daughter, so he’d had some dealings with small children. “I haven’t had the cookies yet but I hope you’ll save me one.”
The boy started to nod immediately. “I will. I promise.”
Before Gray could respond, the boy scrunched up his face and sniffed. He knew the child was scenting him, and, while it would have been rude from an adult, he had a feeling the young boy he had just met didn’t worry about things like that. Discreetly, he breathed in the boy’s scent also.
He was shocked to smell cat.
“You smell funny!” Toby told him, leaning closer.
Gray couldn’t hold in a laugh at the boy’s exclamation and puzzled face. Once he quieted down, he knew that, no matter what species Toby was, the kid was all right. “I don’t think I smell that bad. I took a shower earlier,” he teased.
This caused Toby to shake his head so quickly he almost fell over. “No, you don’t smell bad—just funny.”
So he hadn’t smelt another wolf before. That was interesting.
“Well, I’m a wolf so maybe that’s it,” Gray offered.
And found himself with a lap full of kid.
“You’re a wolf!” Toby squealed. “A wolf! That is so cool! I always wanted to meet a wolf. Jim says that when I’m bigger I’ll be able to meet everyone, but right now it’s not safe.”
Gray took in the boy’s pout and pleading eyes and patted his back reassuringly. “You should listen to Jim—he seems like a smart guy. And right now it may not be safe but hopefully when you are bigger it will be.”
“But you’re a good wolf, right? You won’t eat me or anything?”
Gray forced back another chuckle. “No, I promise I won’t eat you.”
The child relaxed in his lap. “That’s cool then. What’s your name? Did you tell me already? I don’t remember you telling me, but sometimes I don’t listen too well.”
“I think I might have forgotten to tell you. My name is Gray.”
“Gray?” Toby chewed on his lip. “I like that. Is it because in your other form you are grey?”
It was a good question and kind of made Gray proud of the boy, which surprised him because the child was still a complete stranger. A feline. Oh well, he could puzzle over that later. Right now he was enjoying his new friend.
“Actually, I am not grey at all as a wolf.”
“Huh?” Toby thought about that.
“Well, little man? What are you?” Gray finally asked.
“Oh!” Toby jumped down so fast he almost toppled them both. But then he balled his hands on his hips and stuck his chest out. “I’m a bobcat!”
“Really?” Gray wouldn’t have guessed that. Maybe that was why Toby’s scent was a little different from the other felines he had met. He had never met a bobcat before. Lions and one tiger, but Toby was his first bobcat, so Gray told him that.
“Really!” the kid was squealing again. “That’s so totally awesome!”
“Toby Jameson Williams!”
The boy and Gray both startled as a woman rushed up the steps.
“I am so sorry, mister. I didn’t know he was out here pestering you. He was supposed to run into the kitchen and be right back,” she hurriedly told him, pulling Toby to her side.
Gray stood and was almost knocked back by the woman’s beauty. She was probably in her early thirties, with bright green eyes and reddish blonde hair. She was quite a bit shorter than him, and with her curvy body and ample breasts he was embarrassed to find himself getting hard.
She stood in front of him in nothing fancier than old jeans and a tank top and he wanted to pounce on her. He took a step back just to be safe. It had been so long since he’d been so attracted to anyone.
“It’s fine, really. I was enjoying visiting with Toby,” he told her sincerely.
>
She smiled then, relaxing just a touch, and it took his breath away. The fact that the female in front of him had the scent of a cat didn’t seem to bother his body or his wolf, who was scratching to get out and play.
“Aunt Beth! Gray is a good wolf! He promised not to eat me,” Toby told his aunt with all the innocence that could only come with one so small.
“Oh my! He didn’t!” she exclaimed, hand going to her mouth.
Gray chuckled to show her he wasn’t offended. “Yes, I did promise that and I always keep my promises, buddy.”
Toby grinned back and finally the woman laughed.
“You’ll have to excuse us. We haven’t dealt with…with your…kind much,” she stumbled to excuse.
Gray waved her off. “I understand. This is new for me, too. Toby is my first bobcat.”
“Aunt Beth is a bobcat, too!” Toby added helpfully.
Gray had figured that but was glad to have it confirmed to him. That way he could get his head around the fact that, while she might be the sweetest-looking thing, she was still a cat and therefore still suspect.
“I thought I heard voices out here,” Claude said, joining them on the porch. He carried a small plastic bag with him. “Beth called over to send Toby back, but I hadn’t seen him. I take it you both have met our new guest?”
“Yes, Claude! And he’s a wolf. But a nice wolf. He won’t eat me.”
Claude glanced over at Gray, who just nodded in agreement. Okay, it had been funny but now he was starting to worry about all the wolf talk. He hoped it wasn’t the same around town or he would never be able to get anything useful from the residents.
And he needed to find something there. They needed a lead.
Chapter Two
Beth led Toby back to their house, still thinking about the wolf shifter. It had scared her to death when she had spotted her nephew right in front of the man. Every protective instinct she had in her had wanted to jump in front of the boy until the threat was gone.
Instead, she had been stunned at how open and friendly he had been. Not to mention handsome. Even as she’d crossed the yard, desire had battled her fear.
