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Thinking I’d check in with Clawson before I went home, I turned in the opposite direction of my car. One thing about that exchange was that at least the Magpies had tuned in. They’d have news about my engagement to Tori out within the hour. That was more of a relief than a hindrance.
Her coming home with me that first night had not only been great for me and my pleasure, but it had laid a decent foundation for our alibi, too. It showed there had always been something between us from the first time the townsfolk observed Tori. That was the part of the deal with Tori that I didn’t like. Since my eligibility had been the hot topic in town between humans and shifters for an annoyingly long time, we would be under the microscope for some time.
Clawson still had a few more statements to get, so I spoke with the deputies and forensic team. There wasn’t anything more from when I last checked with them. I called my secretary to make the town hall meeting official, and she took care of the rest.
Tired and relieved to no longer be needed at present, I headed home and scarfed down some food. After shifting and everything that had happened, I needed the energy, and it had been hours since my last meal. After eating, I quickly jumped into a hot shower to clean myself up better than I’d been able to that morning—after all, I’d been covered in dirt and blood, too, which made me replay the night before.
My wolf had stopped dead in his tracks when we heard the heart-pounding howl that joined in on our serenade. We instantly recognized Tori, and we had to get to her. We ditched the group, running hard and fast to catch up to her.
The moment we caught her scent, we no longer saw reason. She appeared before us under the moonlight, and her beauty far outshone any wolf we’d ever been around. She was a force that sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go.
Now, my cock hardened at the connection she and I shared last night. I’d wanted her desperately all the time before, but it was different now that our wolves had spent time together. Running next to each other, chasing, playing was so exhilarating, and I’d gotten to witness another side of her that had me falling for her even more. Our wolves felt right together, like fate had played a hand in our finding each other. Tori certainly showed the strain of heading feral, but with me, she was controlled and fun. She was pure beauty and full of life.
But with the demands of getting ready for the meeting, I forced my thoughts away from the night before. I didn’t have time to pleasure myself.
I’d invite her out running again with me soon. She needed to become better acquainted with her wolf. She needed to learn to balance human Tori and wolf Tori to stave off the feral nature that was threatening to overwhelm her. Determination to help Tori work through her fear of shifting fueled me.
Tonight’s meeting would be a good start for her. She’d be meeting other shifters and see we were ordinary beings holding down ordinary jobs, with the same ordinary hopes, dreams, and worries as humans, but we were just a little furrier and with sharper teeth. She would also meet humans who knew about us and humans who were in the dark. More importantly, she would see how we all lived together, that Blackwood Creek was a safe place for shifters and humans—and for her. Hill’s murder wasn’t helping me with that argument right now, but as soon as we cleared it up and proved she hadn’t killed him, she’d see the town for what it was, and maybe even share my vision for it.
Her knowledge of the hunters made this arrangement mutually beneficial. I could now figure out how to better protect Blackwood Creek’s shifter population while teaching her that shifters weren’t monsters.
Shutting off the water, I reached for the towel and got ready to announce my engagement to the town and introduce them to my fiancée.
Chapter12
Tori
“Eeeeek!” Margo screeched as she ran into my room.
I jumped up from the bed where I’d been lying, lost in my thoughts. My heart hammered and fear-laced adrenaline zipped through my veins. My feet caught in the blankets that had slid to the floor, and I fell back on the bed.
“I can’t believe you, missy. Why didn’t you say anything?”
Rather than the hunters I’d feared, Margo launched herself onto the bed, grabbed my hands, and bounced on the bed, a massive grin lighting her beautiful face.
“Huh?” My mind was bleary with exhaustion from everything that had happened. I’d showered and eaten, then napped for a few hours until Diana woke me up a few moments ago to tell me the emergency town hall meeting was soon and I should probably be there. She had given me a motherly smile and pat on the hand, then left me to get dressed.
Margo had not been so gentle. She’d launched in here like a typhoon.
“I heard from a friend who heard from a Magpie that you came to town because you’re Mayor Ridge Blackwood’s fiancée. Fiancée!” She squealed again. “I can’t believe you haven’t said anything. I want all the details, dirty for sure and not so dirty, too. How long has this been going on? Why were you so determined to avoid him and not talk about him when you first arrived? How’s the sex? I mean, he is an alpha. Oh my god, are you two fated mates? I’ve always wanted to see that type of soul connection in real life. This is crazy. Why aren’t you saying anything? Come on, spill.”
Did the woman even take a breath through all that?
“Hello, earth to Tori. Anyone home?” Margo waved her hand in front of my face. I must have spaced out for a bit.
Laughing at her antics, I asked, “You done?”
Smacking my hand, Margo implored, “Stop it. Come on, spill everything. I need all the details.”
I crossed my legs to get more comfortable, and Margo did the same. My heart sped up a little, and I swallowed past a lump forming in my throat because this whole scenario—between Diana waking me up and Margo storming into my room, demanding answers—was all too reminiscent of family. The mom and sister I didn’t have. It was nice, but it made me sad. When I’d been running, I’d rarely thought about family, but lately, between the Ashworths and Bogfords, I’d thought of little else.
“Ridge and I are engaged. Have been for a few months.” I didn’t know how to answer all her questions, so I’d have to be as vague as possible until Ridge and I worked out the finer points. “At the bar, Ridge and I were so excited to see each other. We were back in our little world, and then later, after we left the bar, we had a little spat. We talked it over. Running together last night really helped. We’re good now.”
Margo cocked her head and scrunched her brow. “Yeah, what was up with that? You told me you wouldn’t come, and then when we were in the forest, there was this strange howl I’d never heard before.” She shook her head as if she needed to physically get herself back on track. “Now, among us shifters, it’s going around that Ridge took off immediately after hearing it and never came back. Which is odd because the sheriff and our alpha usually like to keep an eye on things and make sure none of the problematic shifters”—she lifted her brow at me—“AKA, Zander, don’t tip off any of the blissfully unaware humans.”
Zander’s name didn’t ring a bell to me. I didn’t know who he was, but I certainly didn’t want to think about last night and how excruciating it had felt for my wolf to seize control. It was only the second time I’d ever shifted, and I needed to ensure it never happened again.
If that was me with the strange howling and Ridge taking off and not coming back, then I assumed what he’d told me to say was probably more true than not.
