Page 104 of All Packed Up

But Arlo suspected it was because Tate was… Tate. He made anyone feel at ease.

Hell, he’d roped Arlo in from the start and now look at them. Plus, Arlo wasn’t dense, the weed hadn’t done that much damage. Through their bond, he could feel Tate’s affection for the omega clearly. And it wasn’t like Arlo wasn’t feeding into the same. Wendy was fuckin’ adorable and hilarious, but she was in trouble too and it made all his instincts light up. He wanted to protect her.

So, shit. If she needed one of Tate’s cuddles, Arlo wasn’t going to say no.

And after their talk, he could ogle Grif without guilt, so was he really going to pass up the chance? But as the cold sliced through his clothes as he followed Griffith around the outside, mud squelching beneath his boots, he kinda wished he was still in front of the fire.

Call him a city boy, whatever. Arlo liked numbers and computers and smoking weed. And helping out handsome alphas, apparently.

But he did not like mud or surveying for storm damage.

“Shit,” Grif muttered, and Arlo picked up the pace and followed his line of sight.

“Damn,” Arlo echoed. The fence along the edge of the property was broken. A small, slim tree had fallen over it, demolishing the slats.

“I’m going to have to keep a closer eye on Daisy until I can get that fixed. She likes to run off and hunt if she can get out.”

“Is she good about coming back though?” Arlo asked. Daisy seemed attached at the hip to Griffith.

The alpha turned and made his way back to the house, and Arlo kept pace with him.

“Eh. It depends on how many critters she finds along the way. The longest she’s been gone was something like fourteen hours.”

Arlo winced.

“Yeah, I know. I was a wreck the whole time.” Griffith shook his head, worry already creeping across his features, even though as far as Arlo knew, the dog was still sound asleep in the alpha’s bed.

“I know how that is,” Arlo said, and he meant it. “We used to have a cat that would do the same. Escape out the fire exit and bring mice back.” She’d been such a good little hunter, but Arlo could have done without the gifts.

“What happened to him?”

“She came back one day really sick.” Arlo cleared his throat as they reached the porch. He began kicking off his boots. “We’re pretty sure someone poisoned her.”

Griffith held the door open for him and paused to stare down at him. “Who the fuck would do something like that?”

Heart aching all over again, Arlo shrugged as he placed his muddy boots by the door. He entered the kitchen and returned the favor, holding the door for Griffith while he abandoned his shoes. It smelled extra sweet in the house, and his mouth watered as he recognized it. Tate’s creamy scent was mixed with Wendy’s fruity aroma.

“I wish I knew,” he said, turning his attention back to the conversation at hand.

“Damn. So you never found out who?”

“Nope,” a third voice answered, and Arlo turned around to find Tate in the kitchen. He was leaning against the doorjamb of the living room with a cup of coffee in hand, hair wet and slicked across his head. “I wish we’d found out.”

“Yeah. Toast died that night.” Arlo frowned as pain tightened his rib cage. That was why he never wanted another cat. They were too easy to get attached to, and far too easy to lose.

“That’s awful,” Griffith grunted. “Bastards.”

“I second that,” Wendy chimed in, entering the kitchen a moment later. “People like that deserve to be… to be…”

“Maimed? Killed? Buried in the backyard?” Arlo supplied. He’d daydreamed of many scenarios where they discovered which neighbor had done it and showing up at their door.

Wendy’s lips twitched. “That’s a good start. Where’d you guys disappear to?”

“Arlo went with me to check for any storm damage,” Griffith explained, tugging his sleeves up before lathering up his hands with soap. “We found a section of the fence that got downed, so if anyone lets Daisy out, please keep an eye on her. She’ll run off if she gets the chance.”

“Keep someone on Daisy duty, got it.”

As if they’d summoned her, nails clicked across the hardwood floor before the pup bounded into the kitchen. Arlo had to admit that for a dog, she was pretty darned cute. She had the biggest square head he’d ever seen, but her snout was always draped in a smile.