Page 35 of Wild in Spirit

“Not a single foot outside the wards?”

She put her pinky finger in the air between them. “Swear.”

They hooked pinkies, then legs in the air. And like when they were kids, Ava’s shorter legs had no chance against her long ones, and they ended in a laugh.

“Been a long time since we leg wrestled.”

“Been a long time since I let you win at leg wrestling.”

They spent hours laughing, eating ice cream, and talking about anything but the obvious. She didn’t want to thinkanymore, but when they finally parted, Ava had agreed to go on her honeymoon with several conditions in place.

No leaving Aisling boundaries. Listen to Beta Nicholas. Ask for protection in any situation that feels off. No being a hero.

That meant she had to keep herself busy here without Ava, without dating, without a schedule.She was grateful for the magical boundaries that kept outsiders from getting in. No other wolf pack had them, and normal shifter communities patrolled their borders to keep humans and any other supernatural out, including a crazy Alpha stalker, but Aisling didn’t need to. The wards were foolproof.

Much smaller than Tuisa’s almost nine hundred thousand acres, Aisling was also a cattle ranch at a little over two hundred thousand acres. However, because of their diverse populations of taking in any lone shifter over the years, and their lax rules, they had more of a private city feel with full businesses and perks of a bigger community.

So, she threw herself into her work, and after a couple days ignoring everything else, she found herself up all night editing videos and scrolling social media. That meant she was sleeping all day to avoid the daylight hours, and really, people in general. But on day three, her dad woke her up at six a.m., and she almost killed him.

“Up, up. I need your help.”

She groaned and pulled a pillow over her head. “Dad, no. I was up all night. I literally went to bed two hours ago.”

“Won’t take long. I’m struggling with some of the new guys. Act like they’ve never roped a calf before.”

“I know what you’re doing. I don’t need help.”

“You need to reset your mind. You can’t live like this, worried about that man coming to get you.”

She knew he was talking about her stalker, but honestly, she had barely thought about him in the almost three weeks sincethe incident. Like she’d forgotten him. No emails, no sign of him. She was pretty sure he’d been scared off for good.

But his words still hit home. No, she couldn’t mope around acting foolish over a man, especially because she was the one who did it to herself. And he wouldn’t take no for an answer—she knew from experience. Flipping the covers off, she yelled in frustration. Her dad had walked away, leaving her door open as always, but her mom trudged down the hall in her robe.

“It will be good for you. Maybe you can come help me at the restaurant another day. You love mingling. You can work the bar or the host stand. Maybe plan the menu for the catering over in NahleCheile?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

But her mom didn’t move, only leaned against her door frame. “Baby, I know it’s hard to go to party after party and see all your friends get mates, and then with Ava—”

“Mom, I’m fine. When Ava gets back, we will find the stalker, and I’ll go back on the road. That doesn’t bother me.”

She stood from her bed and gave her mom a quick peck on the cheek. She didn’t need them worrying. There was too much at stake. Everything she worked for could go up in flames, and that scared the shit out of her. They didn’t know about Nassau, and they definitely didn’t know she ran PackNewsOne.

“You and Dad are right. I need some structure, something to do, or I’m going to drive myself crazy. How about I spend a couple days with Dad, and then I’ll work the weekend shifts for you? Maybe go hang out with the warriors and train at the gym.”

“I love you, baby.” Her mom pulled her into a tight embrace.

“I know, Mama.”

Her dad’s voice carried down the hall. “Get a move on. Those cows aren’t going to find themselves. They need to come in to feed and get their meds for the winter. You’re the only one I trust—these greenhorns keep losing the strays.”

By the time she pulled on her jeans and old boots, her dad was already in the truck waiting. She listened to him go on and on about the newbies and the upcoming weather. Making mental notes of what pastures needed to be cleared and who her crew would be, she got to work.

She’d barely saddled her favorite horse before she was annoyed by all the flirtatious chatter and rushed them out. For once, she had zero desire to flirt back. Instead, she rode in silence, ignoring them and working to get things done.As soon as she finished her assigned pastures, she practically ran out of there. Everything about the cowboys made her think of Nassau. The Wrangler jeans, the button-down shirts, the work boots…all she could think about was what he was doing today.

Was he running cattle? Was he winterizing? Fixing buildings? Or was he in charge, like her dad? And did she really just compare her mate to her dad?

Nope. No more ranch work. She’d rather find something else to do.

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