Page 47 of Midlife Wolf Captured My Heart

“With all due respect, Sadie is a grown woman. She is capable of making her own decisions about who she chooses to spend time with. Sadie and I have talked about our future plans andshe knows that I’m going to leave soon. She is also well aware that I’m twenty years older than she is.”

Eric’s eyes flashed and he slammed his fist on the table. “Listen to me. If you hurt Sadie, I swear that I’ll destroy you. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

Dakota met Eric’s gaze, not bowing to the threat. “I understand your concern for your sister. However, as I said, Sadie knows exactly who I am and what my life is like. I’ve never lied to her or made any promises I can’t keep.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “I care for Sadie, too. More than I expected to. However, I’ve always been honest about my lifestyle and plans. We’ve talked about it several times. She’s not a naive, young girl you need to protect. She’s a strong, intelligent woman who knows her own mind.”

“Just remember what I said,” Eric said, and the two of them left the table.

Dakota felt the eyes of the other people in the place on him. He met their looks and they turned away.

“People really need to mind their own damned business,” he muttered quietly to himself.

The waitress brought his steak, potatoes, and green beans and smiled at him apologetically. “I waited until they left.”

“I appreciate it.”

He thought about Sadie as he ate. Dakota knew that he wasn’t doing anything wrong, although he felt as though he was. He reminded himself of what he had told Eric and James. Sadie was a grown, intelligent woman. She knew the deal and she made her own choices. Still, the echo of guilt nagged him in the back of his mind.

Dakota focused on his work the rest of the afternoon, debating about whether he should bother going to the pack meeting. He wasn’t going to stay very much longer in Angel’sCreek and he already had an idea about what the meeting was about.

“What the hell. I’m here. I’ll play nice with the others. If nothing else, being seen is good for publicity.”

He shook his head, realizing that the sentiment sounded slightly narcissistic. Whether it was or not, it was reality. The majority of the money he earned these days went to help the animals since he had a couple million in bank accounts that would take care of him nicely when he did decide to retire.

Zac looked very grim when he took his place at the podium. He raised his hand and started the meeting without the usual niceties. “The hunters are likely in Nightshade Wolf Shifter Pack territory. Although the scouts have not laid eyes on them, Dakota may have had an encounter with three hunters a few days ago. There are signs of camping in remote areas. As mentioned in my email, they are trying to target alphas. When in other territories, they would hold shifters hostage and say they would only be released if the alphas came for them. Of course, they were killed along with the alphas when their demands were met. They will kill anyone, even children.”

A collective gasp sounded and people started whispering to each other. Zac held up his hand again. “We’re not telling you not to shift. We are saying that you should be very vigilant. Look for cameras, drones, and the presence of others. Never shift alone. We are working with the bear shifter and dragon shifter clans to patrol the area to keep a lookout for them.”

Sebastian Garner, Talia’s mate, who owned a security and investigative company, stepped up to the plate. All of my people who aren’t on assignment are out and about as well. We haven’t seen anyone in our territory, but two of our people found two hunters, in the process of terrorizing shifters, just outside of our territory. Those hunters have been disposed of. However, we’resure that the two men weren’t working alone. As Zac said, be vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately.”

Zac ended the meeting. Although he was sure that Matthias was giving the same warning to the bear shifter clan, he knew that Sadie thought she was being safe. Of course, nothing short of duct-taping her to a chair would keep her from doing what she wanted – and even that might not work.

Dakota headed home and ordered a pizza. He was so focused on his work that he almost forgot about Sadie – almost.

Sadie texted him.Just wanted to let you know that I miss you and I’m thinking of you. Hugs and kisses.

He smiled and replied.Ditto.

For a few minutes, he thought about whether he should tell her about his encounter with James and Eric and then decided not to. She had been extremely upset when her ex confronted him. Dakota didn’t want to be the source of conflict with her family.

He was just about to go to bed that night when his phone rang. He didn’t recognize the number. “This is Dakota Higgins.”

“Hello, Dakota,” a thickly accented voice said. “This is Eknath Basak. I am in charge of the conservation area that protects the cloud leopards.”

His heart skipped a beat. He had been petitioning for years to have the chance to photograph the endangered animals that lived in a protected area. He had to sign a billion forms promising that he would not disturb the animals in any way or put them at any risk.

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m pleased to tell you that your petition has been granted. You will have two weeks to take your photographs.” The man gave him the time frame.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

He hung up the phone and sighed. Dakota would have to leave in one week. That wasn’t nearly enough time with Sadie. He knew that he would miss her a lot, but it might be better this way.

21

Sadie

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