Page 8 of Wolfish
Jake and Tom Silver joined them at the door. “Do as Sam said. Make a reservation or get something to eat out of town,” Jake said.
Several other men were eyeing the newcomers, looking like they were ready to use some muscle if the party of three didn’t leave.
The three finally stomped off, throwing the business card Daniel had given them onto the floor. He picked it up and pocketed it.
When he rejoined Selena, she was sipping on her drink. “That was impressive. Is that table really reserved?”
“It has a card on it. But even if it wasn’t, this is an establishment that doesn’t cater to humans. Only shifters are allowed. First, it was only for wolves, but then we had an unexpected visit from jaguars. Since then, a grizzly bear couple from Minnesota, and two couples on vacation from Yuma Town—cougar shifters—have visited. So it’s become an exclusive shifter establishment, but predominantly wolves eat and drink here.”
“Cougars and jaguars? Never met any.”
“But you’ve met bears?”
“In Minnesota. I wonder if I had met the bear couple who visited here.”
“I never knew their names. Everyone’s been super friendly, just like we have been to them. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of their kind might end up settling here someday,” Daniel said.
“They’ll be welcome?”
“As long as they follow our pack rules. I’ve heard the polars bears have a governing council that rules over the sleuth of bears. The jaguars and cougars are on their own, so they would all have to learn to take direction from wolves.”
“Fascinating.” She hoped she would meet some of them while she lived here.
“So you want me to take you to one of the cemeteries tonight still?”
“Yeah, I would like to do that after dinner, if it’s not too inconvenient for you.”
“Sure, we can do that.”
Then she thought about the men making reservations at the restaurant. “You gave the men the tavern's business card. What if the men had made a reservation?”
“Sam tells them they’re booked solid for months, and they can’t make a reservation for too many months into the future. That card is for humans only.”
She laughed.
“We have to have some place that’s just for us,” he said.
“I don’t blame you. It’s nice to be able to talk about shifter issues without worrying about humans overhearing us.”
“Exactly.”
Then their food was served, and she swore she’d never had prime rib this good. It was medium rare and delightfully tender.
The Silvers all stopped by their table and introduced Jake’s mate, Alicia, and Tom’s mate, Elizabeth, to her and welcomed Selena to the pack.
She hadn't ever belonged to a pack and hadn’t considered that. Even though Daniel had told her other shifters would have to obey the pack leaders, which would mean she would belong to the pack, too. But she loved how welcoming everyone was.
A few bachelor males on the way out of the tavern also stopped by their table and introduced themselves. Did they believe she might be interested in one of them if she decided she didn’t care for Daniel’s company any longer?
She was afraid Daniel would be offended, but he just smiled at the guys as if they were too late in the game. She appreciated that he was good-natured about it. Her last boyfriend wouldn’t have been.
When her boyfriend was coming back from the men’s room at a club last year, and a random guy had asked her to dance, her boyfriend had been furious with the guy and with her for being hit on like it had been her fault! That had been the living end of it for her, and she’d broken up with the wolf.
After Daniel approved her application for the shop, helped Frank set up the shelves, and said he would help with the rest of the work tomorrow, she really thought the world of him. But he also took her out to dinner and would show her a cemetery afterward, so the other men had missed out.
Though things could change if Selena and Daniel decided after a few dates that they genuinely weren’t suited to each other.
When they were done eating, Daniel drove her back to the hotel so she could change into something she could wear to walk through the cemetery.
