Page 19 of Falling for My Shifter Defender

"I filed a report on those hikers we found camping too close to the north border last week. Theo says he never got it, but I swear I put it in the system." He gives me his best pleading look. "Help me find it before he makes me rewrite the whole thing?"

I roll my eyes but turn to my computer. "Name of the report?"

"North Border Incident, filed last Thursday."

A few keystrokes later, I've located his mistake. "You filed it under 'Border Patrol' instead of 'Civilian Contact.' That's why it didn't flag for Theo's review."

Jake groans. "The filing system in this place is impossible."

"It's actually very logical once you understand it," I say, unable to keep the hint of smugness from my voice as I reroute his report to the correct folder.

"You've been here four days," he points out.

"And I already understand the system better than you do." I hand him a printout of his report. "Here. Now Theo has it."

Jake takes the paper, his amber eyes twinkling with amusement. "Remind me never to get on your bad side." He gives me a mock salute before heading toward Theo's office.

I shake my head, but there's a smile tugging at my lips. For someone who's spent years avoiding connections, I'm starting to feel like I belong here—at least a little.

???

At lunch, I escape the office and find a quiet spot under a towering pine tree. The air is crisp with early autumn, and the distant sounds of construction—hammers, saws, and occasional shouts—create a strangely comforting backdrop. I unwrap my sandwich and check my phone.

There's a message from Willow's caretakers. My heart skips when I see they've attached a photo.

Willow grins at the camera, her cheeks streaked with blue paint and her small hands proudly holding up a pinecone covered in silver glitter. Her eyes are bright, her smile wide and uninhibited.

She looks happy.

Something warm and unfamiliar blooms in my chest—a fragile feeling I'm almost afraid to name. For the first time in so long, Willow doesn't look haunted or afraid. She looks like a normal seven-year-old, delighting in making a mess with arts and crafts.

I save the photo, then scroll through my messages. There's one from Eli, sent an hour ago:

Finishing up a meeting with Adrian. Want to have dinner tonight? Just us.

My pulse quickens as I remember our kiss from two nights ago. The way his hands cradled my face so gently, like I might shatter if he pressed too hard. The surprising softness of his lips against mine. The heat that had flared between us, so intense it scared me.

And then—nothing. No pressure. No expectation. He'd simply stepped back, wished me goodnight, and left me standing on the porch, breathless and confused.

I haven't known many men like Eli Greystone. Men who don't take what they want. Men who wait.

I type a response:Yes. I'd like that.

Three simple words that somehow feel monumental.

Leaning back against the rough bark of the pine tree, I let myself absorb the quiet moment. The sun filtering through branches. The distant sounds of a sanctuary being built. The lingering taste of my lunch. For the first time in years, I'm not scanning the horizon for threats. I'm not calculating escape routes. I'm just... existing.

No—more than existing. I'm building something. A routine. A job. Relationships.

The thought should terrify me. Instead, I find myself wondering if staying might not be the mistake I've always assumed it would be. If maybe, instead of surviving day-to-day, I could build something real—for Willow, and maybe even for myself.

But doubt creeps in, as familiar as an old scar. What if I let my guard down and danger finds us again? What if I grow roots and lose everything? What if I trust Eli, trust this place, and it all falls apart?

I think about Eli's quiet strength. How he didn't tell me to stop being afraid—he just stood beside me, letting me figure things out at my own pace. How he gives Willow space to be herself, to ask questions about her shifter nature without making her feel different or strange.

I want to move forward, even if it scares me. And maybe the next step is to stop pretending I'm only here temporarily.

An idea forms, something I've been considering since I learned more about shifters. If Willow is going to grow up in this world, I need to understand it better. And maybe... maybe I need to see Eli as he truly is, too.

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