Page 5 of Rogue If You Want To
“Okay.” I was scrubbing dried egg off a plate and wasn’t really listening.
“They keep to themselves but come to town for supplies. I hear they’re trying to become self-sufficient.”
I didn’t respond because I didn’t have a back yard for a garden, and while I could bang in a nail, I wasn’t a plumber or carpenter.
“My cousin said one of them called the head guy Alpha.”
My hands froze, and my wolf begged me to set him free. I wanted to throttle Saxon and get him to spill what he knew, but he was taking his time to spin his yarn, and I couldn’t afford to alienate him.
“Alpha?” Maybe they referred to themselves as alpha and omega, but if there were more than one of each, it would be confusing. “Why is that?”
He shook his head, but he added that they were the outdoors kind with almost superhuman strength. He’d watched as one picked up a log and balanced it on his shoulder like it was nothing.
We have to go there now.My wolf was convinced they were shifters, and while it was possible, I wasn’t risking my job to skedaddle up the mountain only to find a cult.
“I don’t think they’re a large extended family, but they’re very close.”
“Found family.” The words were out of my mouth before I’d thought of what to say.
“Huh?”
“Nothing.” I scrubbed that egg so hard I almost broke the plate with my supercharged shifter strength. My wolf was bouncing up and down, saying we should go meet them.
“One couple have a baby and a lot more people moved in recently which was why they needed new pumps.”
How could I get more information from Saxon without appearing as though I wanted to dash off and join them?
“Sounds intriguing.” I could lug stuff about.
That got Saxon’s attention and he side-eyed me. “Are you thinking of joining them?” His arched brows needed to come down, but they stayed where they were. “You’ve only been here a few weeks and Maisie really likes you.”
“Not sure. It sounds interesting, and I might check it out on my day off.” I kept my voice level, not wanting to betray my excitement.
He gave me directions, and I stored the details in my memory. Now if I could only speed up time to Monday when I wasn’t working.
I couldn’t concentrate on work that night or the following ones. My wolf had to warn me if I was about to burn a burger or if Maisie or Saxon needed me. And I lay awake in my narrow bed thinking of how I’d approach the shifters at Stoney River. If they were a den of bears, they probably wouldn’t want me.
Maybe they’re dragons because they live on a mountain.
Mr. Garrison had said dragon shifters existed, but he might have been making that up. He’d also warned me that manypacks didn’t welcome outsiders, and I didn’t know where I’d originated. He’d explained pack dynamics and how packs often adhered to a strict hierarchy. The use of “Alpha” suggested this group had a head guy and they weren’t loosey goosey about the pecking order.
I was awake before dawn on Monday and packed a lunch because there weren’t any fast food places where I was going. A gas station with an attached convenience store was about all I’d find.
I’d never driven up the mountain because I wasn’t in town to sightsee. But the higher I got the fresher the air became, and it was tinged with shifter scents. I pulled over at a scenic spot and studied the valley below. But I caught something else in the wind.
Blood.My wolf was quicker than me in identifying it, and he howled as if the strong smell was painful. My beast clawed at me to find the source when we both picked up another scent paired with the blood. This one felled me, and I sank onto the dirt. Instinct gripped me by the throat, sending a message to pay attention to the scent.
Mate!
I scrambled up and backtracked along the road but didn’t find him. Launching myself into the woods, I spent an hour racing between the trees and leaping over rocks until I came to a stream, and that was when I lost him. I waded in and over to the other side, but other than disturbing squirrels and a fox, I was alone.
My wolf and I howled at how unfair the universe was. It has shown me my one and only and snatched him away.
4
OTTO
My brother had been nice to me for three days in a row. And not like a little nice either. He took the blame for something I did and got my father’s wrath, something I didn’t even know about until after the fact. He helped me set up the next pack run even though it was 100% my responsibility this month. And he didn’t make a single rude comment to me… not even once.
