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Zayde stopped himself from doing a happy dance. Maybe after Mr. Alvis was gone.
“I don’t want to press charges,” Dr. Bell said. “Just as long as Mr. Alvis agrees to never come near myself, my staff, or this clinic ever again.”
“You got that?” Denali asked the guy.
“Fuck all of you,” Mr. Alvis said.
“That’s not the answer I want to hear,” Denali snarled. “Either agree or you can take a trip to the station.”
It looked painful for Mr. Alvis to agree. He gave a simple nod, staring daggers at Zayde.
“You need anger management,” Zayde said. “Go home and work on yourself. Maybe find someone to give you a much-needed hug, asshole.”
Denali hauled Mr. Alvis outside. Zayde sagged with relief. He turned to his boss and Marissa. “Who called the cops?”
“I did.” Marissa smirked. “When that jerk was yelling at Dr. Bell. I was afraid things would get out of hand, and I was right.”
“Thank you,” Dr. Bell said. “Men like him don’t deserve pets.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Zayde said as he looked down at Dixon, who sat obediently at his feet. “Now I have to go shopping for pet supplies.”
As much as Zayde loved animals, he’d never had one. He prayed he was good at being a pet parent. It was one thing to look after an animal in the clinic, but something entirely different to own one.
Dr. Bell squeezed Zayde’s shoulder. “You’ll be an amazing parent, Zayde.”
Zayde beamed at the praise. Then Denali walked back inside. Zayde’s heart quickened as he forced himself not to throw himself into his mate’s arms.
“Can I have a word with you?” Denali asked Dr. Bell.
“Sure.” The two walked back toward the vet’s office.
“I wonder what that’s about,” Marissa said.
Zayde hugged her. “Thank you for calling the cops. I was so worried about Dixon.”
She hugged him back. “So was I. I was also worried about us. You saw how big Mr. Alvis was.” She made a relieved sound. “Thought he was going to pound you into the floor.”
“So did I.”
She bent and scratched Dixon under his chin. “I’m so sorry you had to deal with that nasty man, you poor baby.”
Dixon’s tail went berserk as he licked her hand. Zayde was glad to see Dixon in good spirits after being yanked around. He was going to give the dog all the love he deserved.
And Denali, too. He was Zayde’s hero.
* * * *
“What did you need to talk to me about?” Dr. Bell asked as he walked into his office, Denali right behind him.
Just this morning Denali had learned from Dominic that the vet knew about shifters. Hell, he was the one shifters called when they couldn’t heal themselves.
To his credit, Denali had never needed a vet. He’d also only been in Midnight Falls for two years, so he wasn’t aware of anyone else who’d needed him. At least Denali had never known about any incident where the vet was mentioned other than as Zayde’s boss.
Denali closed the door behind him. “I was told by Sheriff Harper that you’re aware of our existence.”
Dr. Bell smiled as he sat behind his desk. “Sheriff Harper gives me the names and species of all the shifters in town,” he replied. “If I remember off the top of my head, you’re a lion shifter.”
“That’s correct.” Denali nodded.
