“It’s bad, isn’t it?” he asked frankly.
“No, it’s fine,” she said, clearly trying to reassure him even as her expression couldn’t hide her disgust. For some reason, even though she was clearly trying to lie to protect his feelings, he still sort of appreciated the attempt.
He took another sip from his mug, swishing the dark liquid around in his mouth. Now that he thought about it, Garrett and Hunter did constantly complain that “black” was supposed to be a descriptor, not an actual flavor.
“Hm,” he said, getting up and pulling out a jug of creamer so he could hand it across the table to her. “It’s okay. Everyone says my coffee is horrible.”
“It’s just a bit dark,” she said, a small smile teasing the corners of her lips.
Full lips. Kissable lips.
Shut up, Grayson!
“A bit?” He stared at her, raising one eyebrow. Uncharacteristically, he felt like teasing her.
Her smile grew, and then she let out a full-on laugh. “All right, it’s horrible. It tastes like something you’d scrape off a grill after burning everything.”
Grayson gave her a small smile in return. “Sounds about right.” He pushed the creamer closer to her. “Better get on fixing that right away.”
“Sure,” she said, picking up the creamer. Her eyes watched him tentatively as they both drank their coffee in silence.
When they were done, they stared across the table, not knowing what to say.
At least Grayson didn’t. He couldn’t even remember why he’d invited her into the trailer at this point, except that it seemed right that she should be there and he never wanted to let her go.
Goddamn, he’d worked too long today.
Suddenly, he remembered why he’d invited her.
“You said I could help you. What with?”
She held her coffee, seemingly more out of nervousness than any real need to do so. “As I said, I’m here doing research. The government sent me, so it’s not like I’m here on my own. The state wants to track its wolf populations, and I want to make them less trigger happy. I know you know something. If you know about a wolf population here, I need you to tell me where it is. I promise I won’t harm them. I just need to study and make some observations, and—”
Grayson put up a hand. “I don’t know about any gray wolf packs around here.”
She raised an eyebrow. “When we were outside, I could have sworn you were hiding something.”
She was an astute one, this human.
He folded his arms again, leaning back in his chair. “Well, if I am, it’s my business. But I can assure you it’s not about a pack of gray wolves.”
He only knew about gray wolf shifters. They were different, of course.
She gave a sigh and released her cup as she sat back on her chair. “I believe you. And you’re right. I have no right to your secrets. I just thought it might be about the wolves, and I’m desperate to help them.”
“Why do you care about wolves so much?” He was genuinely curious. Wolves were apex predators, not friends to humans.
“I’m fascinated by them,” she said, her green eyes glowing with a fervor he couldn’t help but admire. “I always have been, even since I was a little girl. They’re amazing creatures, so different from us. They deserve their place on this planet as much as anyone else.”
He cocked his head, unsure if he had ever met anyone like her.
Unsure if she was actually sane for liking dangerous animals and risking her safety to come out here looking for them.
So he should probably hurry and let her know there weren’t any around here so she wouldn’t stay around being unsafe.
“Well, as I said, I haven’t seen any. I’m sorry.” He shook his head regretfully, knowing he was telling the truth.
“That’s okay,” she said, looking oddly unfazed. She gave him a cheerful smile. “I mean, they do like to stay away from humans, generally. That’s why I was surprised by the reports. I’m sure I’ll find them at some point, if I’m patient. I’ll just need to find somewhere to camp nearby.”
His jaw dropped, and he quickly recovered. She wasn’t giving up yet? “Nearby?”
She nodded. “I mean, you live here and say there are no reports in the village, so I believe you. But that old man said I would find info on wolves out here. So if no one is going to talk to me, I’ll have to find them on my own.”
God, this little human was frustrating. She needed to leave because her safety depended on it. So why did a small, wolfish part of him like the fact that she was determined to stay?
“Anyway, I have a permit from the county to be out here for a few months, if needed. And I’m used to roughing it, so I’ll be setting up camp not far from here, probably. I guess we’ll be neighbors.”
His jaw dropped openly this time. “You can’t be serious.”
She sighed. “I’m afraid I am. I don’t have any leads, but I’m definitely not giving up yet. I drove a long way out here, and I’m not stopping until I see a wolf.”
Grayson frowned, noting the irony that a wolf was actually sitting right across from her. Sort of. “I can’t convince you it’s not safe here?”
“Oh, I’ll be fine. This isn’t my first rodeo,” she said. “And maybe tomorrow I can talk to some of the people here, see if—”
He slammed a hand down on the table. “No.”
She looked up at him, shocked. “Is there a problem?”
“Do what you want in the forest or wherever you’re camping, but don’t visit this town again. The people here… they’re scared of newcomers. And they’ll do anything to protect their way of life. You won’t be welcome here, okay?”
She nodded slowly, seeming to finally sense the warning he was giving her.
He felt protectiveness, both for the pack that needed to stay separate from strange humans and for this woman who was going to get herself caught in something bad if she didn’t watch out.
“Okay,” she said. “I get it. I’ll stay at my camp. Don’t worry.”
He sat back in mild relief, but couldn’t help a sense of irritation that she wasn’t giving up yet. That she would be out in the wild, where anyone could hurt her.
That she was not hunting the small wolves humans saw in zoos sometimes, but giant animals that could tear her apart with one swipe.
But he could see from the determination in her eyes that there was nothing he could do.
“You probably won’t find anything,” he muttered.
“I know,” she said, giving him a shrug as she got up from the table and extended a hand for him to shake.
He took it, marveling at how small it was compared to his. How soft and protectable. A jolt of something warm and unfamiliar went through him.
But before he could analyze it, she was leaving, unlocking and opening his door so she could step out into the light.
When he was about to warn her, she put a hand up.
“I know. I’m not bothering the village,” she said with a smile. “I’ll keep to myself, okay? Don’t worry about me.”
She walked down the stairs and headed in the direction of her SUV, and Grayson followed not far behind, trying to keep an eye on her.
She turned back and gave him a friendly wave, her hair glinting in the sun. “Thanks for the coffee!” She smiled wickedly. “You might want to get a new machine.”
Then with a wink, she was gone, stepping up into her SUV and shutting the door behind her.
Chapter 3
As Grayson walked back to his trailer, he heard the sounds of people coming out to see what was going on.
He stopped and turned to see dozens of the townspeople staring him down expectantly with ragged clothing and folded arms.
Several of the younger troublemakers were standing in front. Some of the old troublemakers, too.
There were families with kids as well, coming out of their trailers and staring at him with a mixture of fear and hope, waiting for his news.
Gray
son didn’t know what he could say.
Mattson, one of the pack members who seemed to have an eye toward becoming the next alpha, stepped forward, yellow eyes blazing. “Traitor!” He jerked a finger in Grayson’s direction as he turned to face the others. “I told you he would bring us no good!”
There was murmuring amongst the others as Mattson paced, glaring at Grayson angrily.
Grayson simply folded his arms and returned the glare. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You said she could stay!” One of Mattson’s group hissed, coming forward menacingly. “You had no right to do that!”
“He didn’t tell her to stay,” Brett said, finally pushing his way forward to stop some of the chaos. He put up his hand, asking for quiet. “Let’s just wait and hear what Grayson has to say.”
Mattson sputtered angrily. “She was smiling at him. Smiling! If he did his job right, she should be storming off.”
Brett looked at Grayson. “So what happened? Is she staying?”
Grayson nodded. “But it wasn’t my fault. She’s here because of the government. She has permits. And we have bigger problems than that. There have been reports of wolf sightings. If that keeps up, the government is going to send hunters.”
Scared, angry murmurs spread through the clearing that was now packed with almost all of the villagers.
Another of Mattson’s friends stepped up. “This is all your fault. We could have taken care of her if it wasn’t for you.”
Anger lashed through Grayson as he got the other wolf’s meaning. The thought of someone even trying to hurt April made the wolf in him want to attack.
“You can’t just go around killing humans,” Grayson said. “You need to get better at hiding, and—”
“She’s going to be a problem,” Mattson said, getting the other wolves riled. “If she discovers us—”
“Keep talking,” Grayson growled, feeling his claws begin to emerge against his own control. The shift felt like it was coming, and though it would be thirty wolves on one, he wasn’t sure he could make it stop.
Mattson took a step forward, growling, as the other wolves began to gather round.
Then a figure walked into the clearing, seemingly out of nowhere.
A figure wearing a Stetson.
Hunter.
Grayson couldn’t have been more grateful as his friend sidled in, looking casually amused as usual as he walked over to stand beside Grayson, silently backing him up.
Though it was totally like Hunter to show up when he wanted to see wolves argue, not when a roof needed repair or a water heater needed replacement.
“How’s it going?” Hunter asked, and Grayson knew not to mistake the calm tone in Hunter’s voice for unawareness. Hunter was always aware of the tension in any situation. He just tended to ignore it.
“Fine,” Grayson said quietly, for only Hunter’s ears.
“It’s not fine,” Mattson screeched. “You were supposed to get rid of her. Now she’s going to be on our land?”
“You don’t own this land,” Grayson spat. “Not legally. Do you want something to happen to her so even more government agents are out on this land? You want a fight with the humans?”
“We want her gone. If she won’t leave on her own, bully her. Intimidate her…”
Hunter shook his head, looking at the wolves impatiently. “Grayson is a lot of things, but he’s no bully.”
Mattson’s eyes narrowed as his attention turned to Hunter. “And that’s another thing. Get your pet cat out of here. This doesn’t involve him.”
There were murmurs of assent amongst the rest of the pack even as Brett stepped forward, trying to placate them.
But Hunter just raised to his full height and tucked his thumbs into his belt loops, glaring at them lazily. “Anything that involves my man Grayson here does involve me, thank you very much. So I’ll be staying.”
One of Mattson’s younger friends bolted forward, trying to knock the Stetson off Hunter’s head.
Hunter rolled his eyes, grabbed the kid by his scruffy collar, and lifted him into the air as he gave Grayson a long-suffering look. “Must we all fight like cats and dogs?”
The kid struggled in his grasp, kicking at air.
Grayson sighed. “You’re the one who let them see your cougar. Otherwise, no one would have known.”
Hunter shrugged. “What’s the point of life if you’re hiding?”
Mattson stepped forward, his voice nearly a shriek. “When are you going to put him down?”
Hunter studied Mattson with lazy, unconcerned eyes. The gaze of a predator deciding whether it’s worth his time to hunt certain prey.
Then he dropped the kid, allowing him to scramble back into place in the crowd.
“Garrett and I are here to help you, but we aren’t here to take your shit,” Hunter said, hooking his hands in his belt loops again. “Some of you would do well to remember that, because I don’t want to see people treating my friend this way again.”
“I got this,” Grayson said irritably. He knew Hunter was only trying to help, but these stupid wolves were never going to listen to a cat. “Look, you’re the reason you got reported. You’re the reason you’re in trouble. So we’re going to have to think of a solution that doesn’t bring the Tribunal down on our heads, okay? Because that’s what’s going to happen if you harm a human and the government gets involved.”
The mention of the Tribunal, the deadly ruling group of the wolf race, made the entire clearing go silent.
If there was any threat of wolves being discovered or wolves going rogue in a way that would alert humans, the Tribunal was the group that… dealt with it.
And that usually meant death for one or more wolves. Death… or worse.
“So what do we do?” someone asked from the crowd.
Brett stepped forward. “We just need to try and make friends with her. Keep her from figuring things out until she is ready to leave on her own. Grayson, do you think you could do that?”
Grayson felt like he’d been hit with a rock. “What?”
“Do you think you could keep her busy, show her around while she figures there are no wolves, as long as we stay out of sight?”
Grayson scratched his head, puzzled as to how to do that.
He felt Hunter watching him in amusement and sort of wanted to knock the cowboy’s hat off as well.
“How do I keep her busy?”
“Just be a liaison,” Brett said, smiling patiently. “Keep an eye on her. Keep her away from any evidence and from the village.”
Grayson sighed, not sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, he wanted to see April’s pretty face again. On the other…
He shook his head at the pack solemnly, not believing he was actually going to go along with this plot. “It’s gonna be your job to make sure and stay human and not get caught. It’s not my fault if one of you fucks up here.”
Brett nodded, ignoring the angry murmurs of the rest of the pack. “We can do that. Pack’s promise.”
Grayson perked up at that, knowing it was the most serious way a wolf shifter could give his word. He extended a hand and Brett took it, and they shook as the whole pack looked on.
“Thanks,” Brett said quietly.
“You’re welcome,” Grayson said, stepping back.
The rest of the wolves began to disperse, but Mattson turned at the last second and strode up to Grayson, trying to get up in his face.
Hunter gave Grayson a look as if to ask, Should I take care of this? but Grayson just shook his head.
Mattson glared at him ferally. “Just so you know, you fuck this up and what I’ll do to you will be worse than any Tribunal could do.”
Then he strode away, leaving Grayson and Hunter alone at the edge of the woods, right next to the double-wide.
“He hates you,” Hunter commented. “I mean, more than most people do.”
Grayson let out a sigh. “Yeah, but I think he has his reasons.” He watch
ed as Mattson tried to approach Candace, who shrugged him off with a sniff.
“Jealous, huh?” Hunter asked, folding his arms. “Wow, wolves get worked up over nothing.”
Grayson started up the stairs to the double-wide, ignoring his friend’s comment.
When they were safely inside, Hunter laid back on a bench, making himself at home, while Grayson sat in his La-Z-Boy, wondering why it was suddenly his job to protect a pack that wasn’t even his by entertaining some random human.
Even if he did want to see said human again.
Hunter turned onto his side, facing Grayson. “I mean, even you were getting all huffy about that woman they were talking about. What’s the deal there? Looking to get some wolfie loving? Hey, do wolves do it doggy style?”
Hunter made the mistake of waggling his eyebrows, giving Grayson all the more time to prepare his punch.
He might not know what April was to him, but he did know that no one was allowed to talk about her that way.
Chapter 4
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
April was startled by the gruff voice behind her as she worked at the stubborn crank on her tent trailer, trying to get the final part to extend. She stood up and put a hand in front of her face to block the early morning light and recognized the speaker as Grayson, that man she’d met the day before.
“Oh, didn’t see you there. Kind of snuck up on me.”
He huffed. “Or you were just so busy trying to wrangle something that clearly isn’t appropriate for this environment that you didn’t hear a large truck pull up.”
She looked up in surprise to see his truck parked nearby, and he was right. It was huge.
She sighed, wiping sweat off her face, thinking that it figured that a big, hot guy would have a big, hot truck.
She leaned against the trailer for a break, glad she hadn’t tried to do this last night after talking to Grayson.
She’d spent the night in the hotel and then come out here bright and early to get to work. But the used trailer she’d bought wasn’t exactly in the condition she’d expected. Even if it was all she could afford.
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