Page 10 of Wolf Lost

7

Go Your Own Way

“Maybe I should go,” Sawyer said, even as he let himself fall slowly back onto the couch. He should leave while the betas weren’t there and he could find a new ride, hopefully one farther away from California.

They would still find him, but he had to try.

Gavin raised an eyebrow at him. “Why?”

“Gavin,” Asher said, his tone quiet but firm. “I told you there are werewolf things that are going to seem wrong to you—”

“I remember. But I want to hear from him about it, please.” Gavin leaned forward again and looked Sawyer square in the eye. This time, it was a wolf look. A challenge. “You’ve been invited into our home, obviously. This is me inviting you to stay for as long as you need to. You’re welcome here. Why leave?”

Sawyer knew he’d done something wrong, but he wasn’t sure what. He wasn’t scared—Gavin wasn’t at all threatening—but his instinct was to give the alpha whatever information he wanted. It was a strange experience, since he’d never been inclined to roll over and show his belly to alphas before—not even his father. He glanced at Asher, who looked sad, and then at the empty place where Desmond had sat, before looking back to Gavin.

“There are three of you.”

That seemed to confuse both of them, Gavin’s brows drawing together and Asher’s head snapping up to look at him.

“That’s it?” Asher asked. “We’re too small a pack to stick with?”

Sawyer frowned at him. The man was born into a pack; he should know better. “Of course you’re not. A pack of three is fine, but—but my old pack is huge. Those two betas are nothing. He’ll send more people, andthere are three of you.”

“It’s not Dez’s leg,” Asher said, loud enough that the missing alpha had to be able to hear it from wherever he’d gone.

Sawyer sighed and let his body fall back against the soft sofa. He wished he could sink into it—cease to be Sawyer altogether and be a part of this beautiful den, and this comfortable pack. “Even if he weren’t injured, there are three of you. But he is injured, and two of you can’t fight off the entire Holt pack.”

Gavin snorted and waved dismissively. “Please. Like Dez would let us help. He’d fight them all off himself.”

Asher rolled his head from one side to the other before giving a shrug and nodding. “Yeah, he might not want us interfering.” He turned to look Sawyer in the eye, and it struck Sawyer how human the action was, looking him in the eye to show sincerity instead of authority. “If that’s all you’re worried about, you can let it go. I promise you, this pack of three is more than capable of handling anything.”

“But the Holt pack is more than a hundred strong, and Mark is willing to hire outside betas too. My presence here puts you all in danger,” Sawyer argued.

How could they not see?

“This Mark guy,” Gavin said, tone having lost its edge entirely as he leaned back against his section of the sofa and spread his arms over the top. “He a military man?”

“What? No, of course not. Werewolves don’t”—Sawyer glanced guiltily at Asher and back—“usuallydon’t enter government service.”

“But you think he’s going to bring a werewolf army down on a resort town in Colorado?” The quirk of Gavin’s lips made it clear that he didn’t believe it possible.

And really, it was kind of silly. Mark definitely wouldn’t do anything that exposed werewolves to humanity. That would put himself in danger, and Mark had far too keen a sense of his own mortality for that.

No, Mark was more opportunistic. Challenging a much older wolf for pack alphaship, for instance, or taking advantage of the fact that the rest of the pack was willing to turn a blind eye, so long as it didn’t affect them.

“He will send other betas,” Sawyer warned, but it felt like a weaker argument than a few seconds earlier.

Gavin waved the concern away. “We’ll send them packing. If you want to stay with us, you’re welcome here. That’s what matters. We’ll handle the rest as it comes.” He pushed up off the couch, grabbed the pizza boxes from Asher, and sauntered off toward the kitchen. “We’ll have to get another bedroom made up, though, since Dez’ll need his back.”

When he was gone, though almost certainly not out of earshot, Sawyer turned to Asher, who was sitting on the floor facing the coffee table, his back to the fire. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“That’s... that’s a good question.” Part of Sawyer wanted to curl up on the couch. It was comfortable and smelled of wolves. Not strongly of them, as though they hadn’t had it very long, but enough that it felt homey. A little odd, come to think of it. He’d never been comfortable with the scent of wolves outside his pack before. “Why a lot of things, I guess. How about let’s start with why am I welcome here?”

“We’re not jerks?” Asher asked, then sighed. “I know, it’s strange for a pack. I’d say it’s because they’re human and don’t react like those of us born into packs, but the truth is that usually, Dez would be the first one to say we don’t want strangers around. Instead, Dez was the first to help you. If he trusts someone, we’re inclined to follow his lead. He’s not a real trusting guy.”

Sawyer stared at the fire behind Asher’s head. Desmond. Dez.

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