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I was raised to believe that the only reason to visit another pack was to search for your true mate, and that only applied to males. For females, the only reason to leave your pack was if your true mate belonged to a different one.
It was refreshing when I learned that some other wolves didn’t share those feelings. In my mind, if someone wasn’t happy with where they were living, they should be allowed to leave.
Fortunately, Tumblewild wasn’t all that far away. It was located just north of Flagstaff, Arizona. A quick look at the map, and I was able to get back on the interstate, this time heading south.
Chapter 5
I drove through the night, not wanting to stop and sleep in the desert. The wide-open expanse might be a good choice for my wolf, but it also felt like there was nowhere for me to hide. Besides, it seemed like my dreams were getting worse and more realistic each night, which made me willing to skip having them altogether. I had other things to worry about, anyway.
Like Patrick’s huge-ass truck, for example. It might be reliable, but it got horrible gas mileage. I was in no position to complain about it since beggars couldn’t be choosers, but aside from buying a few gas station coffees and a drive-thru burger, I was saving all my money and praying that I wouldn’t run out of gas. If gas prices stayed about the same in Arizona, I would only have about fifty bucks left when I rolled into town. If they didn’t…well, I didn’t want to think about that.
Despite my dwindling funds, I was very thankful for the Walmart blanket I bought. I wrapped it around me in the driver’s seat, imagining that the warmth was another wolf to snuggle with.
I reached the Tumblewild pack just as the sun was coming up. The sight of the houses clustered together around an impressive downtown gave me the boost of energy that I needed. Some kids were playing outside in the early morning sun, letting me know that there was no school today.What day was it even? Saturday? Sunday?
I parked the truck next to the town hall building and got out to stretch my legs. The hall would probably be where the alpha held pack meetings. Smaller packs might use a school or library for such things, but it looked like Tumblewild was fairly well-off.
There was a row of shops on one side of the street, and the other side housed a school, post office, diner, and library. I grinned broadly when I spotted the library on the end; I had always loved to read and getting to spend my time around books had been the best job ever. And now, it might be the only place where I could find answers about any options I had to avoid mating with Trace.
I walked straight there, praying that it wasn’t locked. I let out a sigh of relief when the door handle turned for me.
“Good morning.” The librarian behind the circulation desk greeted me with a cheery smile. She gave me a curious look, probably trying to guess who I was and what I was doing in Tumblewild.
“Good morning,” I said in return. “I am looking for a few different items. Do you mind if I browse the shelves?”
I wanted to go directly to where werewolf law collections were kept but decided against it. That would be a huge red flag. In the four years I worked at the library, the only people who looked through those old books were council members. It definitely wasn’t typical for some random wolfpassing through to ask about them.
She nodded, returning her attention to some of the periodicals she was sorting. I walked away, trying to look casual as I wandered over to the fiction section. If I stayed and looked at a regular book or two, it might be less suspicious when I drifted over to the pack bylaw area.
Several minutes passed as I pretended to be interested in a random historical romance novel. The librarian at the circulation desk seemed genuinely busy, which emboldened me to inch closer to the heavy wooden door that separated the public library from the space specifically for pack members. It wasn’t labeled, but I recognized it instantly for what it was. When she stopped to help another patron, I seized the opportunity to slip inside.
The room was filled from floor to ceiling with dark burgundy hardcover books. Shelves and tables broke up the space and created a maze, making it impossible to see how big the area truly was from the entrance.
I could hear the turning of a page from somewhere in the back and caught the scent of a male werewolf, alerting me to the fact that I wasn’t alone. With any luck, he would stay hidden while I looked for what I needed to find.
I ran my fingers across the collection kept next to the door. I loved the way the glossy leather binding felt under my fingertips. The ornate gold writing on the spines indicated the year of the volume and whether it contained specific Tumblewild pack code or broader werewolf law.
Keeping this section tucked away helped prevent the occasional human visitor from stumbling upon it. The pack’s library was just an average small-town public building to someone unaware of werewolves living amonghumans.
I quickly scanned the new-looking volumes and paused at the one labeled with last year’s date. It looked insanely heavy, and as I pulled it from the shelf, I confirmed that it was just as weighty as it appeared.
“Need some help?” The male wolf voice didn’t wait for an answer as he reached past me to grab the book with a single hand. I suppressed the desire to roll my eyes at the ease with which he held it.Show off.
When I turned, his easy smile erased the sarcastic response I was going to give him. He looked young. While he was probably about my age, or maybe even a little older, his clean-shaven face and slim build took years off his appearance.
“Thanks,” I said as he set it on the counter-height table in the center of the room. Since these books couldn’t be checked out, the table was necessary for members of the pack to study them.
He nodded, looking at me with interest. “I haven’t seen you in Tumblewild before. Are you stopping through on vacation or something?”
The way he phrased it felt like he was trying to help me come up with a reason for being there, almost like he already knew a real one didn’t exist. “Something like that. I just wanted to look up some of the formal laws while I was here, to know when I would be wearing out my welcome.”
I had rehearsed the explanation during the long drive. It felt plausible enough that another pack might buy it. The male werewolf raised a single eyebrow but nodded his understanding. He retreated to return to where he was studying one of the older manuscripts. It wasn’t even abound copy, instead just a rolled-up scroll.
My mouth dropped open when I saw it. The Dark Claw library had some old copies of werewolf law but nothing that was written on a scroll. I abandoned the new document and followed the male wolf to see it up close.
I smiled as I leaned closer to the ancient page, hovering, and not daring to touch it with my bare hands. The words were written in an old werewolf language, one that I recognized belonging to wolves in the southwest, although it wasn’t anything I could read myself.
“You like old stuff or something?” I jumped a little at the question. I was so distracted by the scroll that I had forgotten he was still in the room.
