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“I can find all of those items with no problem, but I can’t take too much from the land without feeding it, or I’ll disrupt the balance. Eventually, I want to have a greenhouse. I haven’t managed to save enough to build myself a proper one yet. I’ve been working on reseeding the forest as I forage, but that process takes time.” I offer.
“Whatever you can harvest I’ll take. And when we are out of that special local sauce I will make, then we’ll have to be out. I’ll probably draw in more of a crowd with that approach anyway.” He says smiling. “Lorelei, I’ve got to go.” He says pulling out the buzzing phone from his pocket. “I’ll come by tomorrow to talk numbers and write you a check. Sound good?”
“I’ll see you then!” I say trying to stand tall even though my knees feel like they will give out from underneath me. I watch him leave the shop and walk down the sidewalk until he disappears from my view.
I don’t think this small town will be so bad after all.
Chapter 3
Isaiah
“Isaiah, quit swooning and pay attention!” Chase calls out.
“Right,” I clear my throat and focus my eyes back on Chase.
“We need to vote on which outbuilding should go up next. We’ve got to build a training facility or a massive greenhouse. The more sustainable we can be the better.” He states.
I look around the room, everyone is considering the choices. To me, the decision is an easy one, we need the training facility. We can’t risk exposing ourselves to the townsfolk and a proper training facility will allow us to shift in and out of our animal forms to train without being seen.
“Those for the training facility raise your hands,” Chase writes ‘TR’ on a sheet of paper. Every hand raises in the room. “Alright, that’s settled then.” He sets the pen down and grins, then says “I’ll call the warehouse and order the materials according to the plans we’ve laid out. With a little luck and a lot of elbow grease, we should be able to build ourselves a multilevel training facility that looks like a massive pole barn from the outside.”
“We are going to need it, there’s no telling when those DHS jerks will recover after being publicly outed for running illegal experiments on shifters. As much as I hate to say it, brace yourselves, because retaliation is coming whether we like it or not.” Ash says solemnly. “We just don’t know when and how hard.”
Chase nods his head in agreement. “It was a risky move on our part to work with the Grey Pack to out them, but for the time being we should be alright. The Grey Pack is keeping tabs on their movements. Don’t make yourself too comfortable though, alright?”
“Why did you look directly at me when you said that last part?” I say a little offended.
A round of laughter fills the room and after a moment I let out a laugh of my own.
“Isaiah, will you tell me more about this mate of yours?” Madison grins slyly and the guys groan but no one gets up to leave. Everyone is curious about the new woman in my life.
“Her name is Lorelei and she’s the proprietor of L’s Apothecary. Possibly, no, definitely, the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen. Of course, you’re gorgeous Madison, it’s just...”
“I understand,” she says offering up a genuine smile that says she truly does understand, she’s not trying to save face, she means it. “Go on!”
“She’s witty and smart. She talks to the plants. When she saw me in my bear form, she didn’t even run away from me, she sort of said hello for a minute before going about her business of foraging.”
“Sounds like a crazy person to me mate,” Dustin says playfully patting my back. “I’ve seen you in your bear form. It’s not a cozy sight.”
“She sounds lovely,” Madison says shooting Dustin a look. “I for one would love to have another woman around. It might help counteract all this manly musk you guys have going on here.”
“Yeah, that would be nice... if she even likes me.” I say a little unsure of myself.
“She’ll like you,” Drew says confidently.
“And how can you be so certain about that?” Chase asks Drew with a raised eyebrow.
“Have you seen the man? He’s like 6’5 and built of solid muscle. His hair flows and glistens in the wind. I feel like I’m in the presence of a damn Greek God around him.” Drew says with a little jealousy.
Another round of laughter fills the room. While Drew’s words are comforting, my fearfulness has taken root in my heart.
“Plus, you’re all soft and gooey on the inside. Women love that!” Madison says smiling and Chase’s eyes widen before he scoops her up into his arms and tickles her.
“Do women love that?” She kicks her feet and struggles to catch her breath through laughs before he sets her down gently and wraps his arms around her. “Am I gooey?”
“Yes, yes you are,” she says, and the two of them kiss.
“Ugh get a room!” Dustin calls out.
