Page 13 of Midlife Wolf Captured My Heart

He winced as soon as he sent the text. Dakota hated lying, even if it was just a little white lie to save face.

Sadie replied a minute later.I understand. Maybe another time. Let me know if I can help.

Dakota thought about the pack meeting.I will hit you up if I need help. Don’t go alone. There are dangerous hunters in the area.

She replied quickly.I won’t.

He stared at his phone for a minute, not wanting their communication to end. However, he had just told her he was busy, so she wouldn’t text him back. He couldn’t think of anything to say to keep the conversation going.

Guilt for the lie gnawed at him, so he decided to make it the truth. He emailed Lydia and asked if she had time for a brief meeting.

She immediately responded.Absolutely. Lydia included a link for a Zoom meeting.

“I’m glad you reached out. Believe it or not, I was just about to email you asking if you could meet. I wanted to review the procedures for opening night with you.”

“That’s what I was hoping for.”

Lydia tilted her head to one side. “Do you have your speech written yet?”

He grinned. “I’ve got it started.”

She sighed heavily. “You need to get that done ASAP. I would like a copy before the event.” Lydia held up her hand to stop him from replying. “I know this isn’t your first rodeo, but I would like an advance copy to look over.”

Dakota nodded. “I’ll finish that up today or tomorrow and email it to you.”

At least I won’t be lying to Sadie. I really do have to work on something for the exhibit.

Lydia explained the timeline. Dakota nodded. It was the same timeline he had experienced in the past with other gallery showings.

“Of course, we’ll expect you to wear a suit and tie for the event.”

Dakota laughed. “That’s not going to happen. You know me better than that.”

She frowned. “Dakota, this is a very prestigious event. It is a formal event.”

“I’ll wear a pair of slacks, a button-down shirt, and my dress boots. That’s as dressed up as I get.”

Lydia knew from Dakota’s tone that it would be useless to argue with him. “Fine, I suppose.”

He could tell from her grim, tight-lipped face that she wasn’t happy about it.

“Is there anything else I need to know?”

She shook her head. “No. As you know, you need to be prepared to answer people’s questions and have a couple of cute,quaint, or funny stories to tell. Nothing graphic. No one wants to hear about how the lionesses chased down the weakest of the wildebeests and killed it.”

He held up two fingers. “Scouts honor.”

“Were you ever a scout?”

“Nope.”

She laughed. “That’s what I’m afraid of. Let me know if you have any other questions and remember to send me a copy of your speech.”

“Sure thing. I’ll drive up tomorrow to make sure that everything is arranged right, anyway. Have a good day.”

He ended the meeting and stared out the window. The mountain where the shifters visited taunted him. Dakota loathed being cooped up inside and he hated the idea that he was missing out on spending time with Sadie.

Instead of working on his speech, he got undressed and practiced shifting. He focused and couldn’t shift at all the first time he tried. Then, he managed to shift a couple of body parts, but not completely. He closed his eyes and breathed. Then, he focused again. Finally, he was able to shift entirely. Dakota managed to shift a few more times before he sat on the floor completely exhausted.

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