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“Yes,” Jimmy and my sister answer at the exact same time.
I groan and bury my head in my hands. That’s it, I decide, starting tomorrow I have to make an effort to do more than just entertain a flirtationship with Callum. I could do a hell of a lot worse than a man like him.
* * *
Hours later, and with a stomachache to rival all that came before, I finally head home to my own little cottage style house the next neighborhood over. My wolf grumbles at the idea of running home, so I opt to walk on human feet, cutting across people’s yards so I can walk barefoot in the grass instead of on the sidewalk. I didn’t dare ask Tasha if I could borrow shoes after the sweater debacle.
It’s eerily quiet tonight. In a town full of shifters, there’s usually at least a few people out strolling in the moonlight, but tonight there’s only me.
The grass swishes quietly under my feet as I pad along, humming to myself. I’m a little tipsy from the wine, enough so that I slow as I pass Callum’s street. It would be all too easy to turn and walk six houses down; I could sit on one of the rocking chairs on his porch and wait for him. Jimmy just got home before I left, and he mentioned Callum was still planning to do a final loop of our territory before heading home.
My feet start in that direction before I’ve really made a decision, making it for me. I wrap my arms around myself as I get within view of his house, hyper aware that I’m wearing my sister’s oversized sweater and nothing else.
The farmhouse, similar in style to my sister’s place, is dark, so I know I’ve beaten him home as expected. I climb the steps, glancing around nervously as if someone might see me and… what? We’re both unmated adults, I doubt anyone around here would even bat an eye seeing me here. I’m just being paranoid.
I sink down on the cushioned rocking chair closest to the door and pull my feet up to curl up comfortably while I wait. One of the perks of being smaller than the average person.
A breeze passes through, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention. I perk my ears, listening for any sign of danger that would cause the sudden unease, but there’s nothing. It’s probably just my own nerves, I try to reason, but I can’t shake the weird sense of foreboding that’s fallen over me.
Knowing better than to ignore instinct, I stand up, pull my sister’s sweater off, and drop it on the chair. I barely make it to the bottom step before I’m shifting, my wolf instantly taking off at a sprint back toward my sister’s house.
Chapter Five
Dominic
“Alpha Dominic,” my beta greets me with a grimace.
I’ve just finished walking a new worksite, checking out my men’s concrete work, and I was looking forward to heading home for the night. I can tell by the look on Luca’s face that I can nix that idea altogether.
“What’s the problem?” I growl as I pass him, heading toward my truck as he follows closely on my heels.
“There are rogues skirting our territory to the southeast. I’ve had our men monitoring the situation but they’re starting to get antsy. It seems like only a matter of time before they’re going to cross over.”
“Fucking rogues.” They never learn. “See if our guys can get them to turn south. Let’s avoid a fight unless they force us to give them one.” We’re still dealing with the aftermath of the last rogue fight. Three of my wolves were injured. I’m getting real sick of rogues testing our lines.
“Yes, Alpha.” Luca breaks off from me, turning toward the trees. The mind link kicks in as I jerk open my truck door.
Turn them south, fellas,my beta faithfully passes on the instruction.
I climb in and start the truck, pulling out onto the road toward my office instead of home. I need to figure out why we’ve had this sudden influx of rogues. We’ve always had the occasional challengers, but they seem to be growing braver recently. Our pack has only grown stronger; it makes no sense for barely trained rogues to think they’ll get anywhere challenging us.
I built the Anchorage Lake Pack wolf-by-wolf. It’s going to take a hell of a lot more than a couple of rogues to bring my pack tumbling down.
We’ll always be a little vulnerable until our Luna is by our side.
It’s not the first time my wolf’s made such a comment, but it makes me grind my teeth nonetheless. I pound my fist against the steering wheel. I hate the fucking mental image of that little girl the universe deemed my mate. The Goddess has one hell of a sense of humor, pairing me with something like that.
It’s ludicrous for my wolf to even entertain the idea of that girl ever serving as our mate.
Someone so small and defenseless would only need constant protection. She wouldn’t make the pack stronger; she would become our weak spot. I groan, so fucking tired of having to remind my wolf of this argument. It’s been three years. Long enough that it’s time my wolf stops bemoaning my rejection of our mate.
I did it for the good of the pack.
Our pack needs their Luna.
“Fuck it,” I mutter, jerking the wheel to pull onto the side of the road. I nearly rip the door off the hinges to get out of the suffocating cab of the truck.
I leave the keys on the seat and tug my clothes off to leave those too. Everyone around here will recognize my truck, no one would dare mess with it. Sometimes the only way to shut my wolf up when he gets back on this mate kick is a good, long hunt. Luca’s got a handle on the rogues, there’s no reason I can’t indulge a little before heading back to the office again.
