Dylan showered, shaved, and clipped his hair when he got home. If this was what it took to get her to go out with him, then hell, he’d cut it off. He would shave his legs if she asked. That girl was some kind of sweet and he’d sported long hair and a beard since high school but if this was what it took, not a problem. It had been longer and more scraggily than usual but hell, he’d been gone for four months. He wanted her, and he would do whatever it took to get her. Cami was his mate and he intended to carry that through as soon as he could. It was good to feel clean and normal again anyway. He stretched lazily in the king sized bed that dominated his bedroom once he’d showered. He sprawled across it having spent too many nights in cheap hotels and sleeping on the vinyl bench seat in the truck when there wasn’t anywhere else to crash. He slept like the dead. Waking with the mid morning sun peeking through the spaces between the blinds, Dylan stretched and roared mightily. This bed felt like a little piece of heaven, the only thing that would make it better would be a certain female curled up against him. He needed to run and relax, clear his head of all the B.S. that went with life. Then he was heading to town to find his mate. He was not going to put up with this non submission crap long, she would not ignore him and chase some pup around town like a bitch in heat, she belonged to him. Dylan swallowed some coffee and a granola bar. He needed a break, some relaxation, he was exhausted, and the old beater needed fixed, so a few days hanging around here was in order. Once the back door was open, he shifted into his wolf form and bolted out across the field. It felt amazing to stretch it to the limits when he could, where he was safe to run. He owned the fifty acres surrounding the house. Dylan did his best thinking out here while he sprinted and loped, sniffed and scented. He was going to need groceries, his stomach growled reminding him. He needed to get in touch with the other two betas. They should be done with the Carolinas and Georgia, so Florida and Alabama would be next for them. Dylan would take Texasagain, it was as big as two states, and Junior could have doubled back on them. First things first though, Junior. Junior was getting the shit knocked out of him as soon as Dylan found him. Not really, but he enjoyed the daydream. Dylan respected Henry too much to give the kid what he deserved. Next was Cami. How to get past that icy exterior and into her heart? He’d cleaned up so that improved his chances according to her. That girl was really something. Beautiful, smart, quick, and hot tempered. Dylan loved a fiery woman. He trotted up the side of the road heading for home calculating it to be about two miles and suddenly took off at a sprint. He’d been loping and thinking for awhile now. Usually he would visit the pond but not today. One day he may take her there. They would have sex outdoors, skinny dip, and picnic then have more sex, maybe on the shore, maybe in the water. Oh hell yes. Turner needed convincing and he needed to find Cami. Frankie’s would open in an hour or so for lunch, he would check there first. Maybe she had the lunch shift. *** “Hey Frankie. I left a set of keys with your waitress last night. Are they here?” Frankie reached under the bar and pulled out a bowl full of keys, funny there were no vehicles in the parking lot. Dylan grabbed his set. “Where is she anyway? Is she here?” He looked around Frankie’s wide frame and slick black hair into the kitchen where Hector stood reading a magazine and waiting to work. “Stay away from her Dylan.” Frankie was a man of few words so that was unexpected. “She’s a good girl.” “I like good girls.” Dylan grinned like a predator. “I mean it, stay away.” Frankie leaned forward on his hands making his impressive human biceps bulge. Frankie had been working out. Dylan wondered if Cami was the cause of that, Frankie had never worked out before. It was another reminder for Dylan that he needed to get back into shape. He’d been riding around in the truck for too long. “You’re not her father Frankie. I just want to talk to her about something.” Frankie rolled his eyes, really. Frankie was turning into a teenage girl. “She could be at the library, or Betty’s, or Turner’s garage. I don’t keep up with her work schedule. She’ll be back here tonight, you should wait till then. Her shift starts at seven.” Dylan nodded and turned to leave. “I mean it Dylan. Don’t corrupt her with your bullshit. She is a good girl, not one of your whores, leave her be.” “What can you do to stop me Frankie?” Dylan growled threateningly “Not a thing but appeal to your intelligence and hopefully some deeply buried sense of morality.” Frankie picked up a rag and started wiping the bar. She’s my mate Frankie.” Frankie dragged in a long deep breath. “Yeah,and I mean to have her sooner rather than later.” “She doesn’t know.” Dylan cocked an eyebrow at Frankie’s admission. “She has no clue that she’s wolf or she’s one hell of an actress.” “How could she not know? The first time she shifted when she went into puberty it should’ve been damned obvious.” Frankie shook his head. “I’m telling you she doesn’t know. She’s oblivious, no idea about werewolves, or shifters and no idea that she’s one of you.” “Not possible.” “Henry has been studying her. He thinks that she’s some kind of purebred or royal or some shit he called it. Go see him before you see her. Please?” Dylan nodded. He wasn’t always a hard ass, just most of the time. “Henry!” Dylan called mounting the steps to the alpha’s house. He found him inside propped up watching TV. “Hey old man.” Dylan said gently. “How do you feel?” Henry shrugged in his stained white tee shirt and red flannel robe. “Worn out, old and useless. You didn't find him. You're going to have to take over Dylan, I can’t defend this pack anymore, and I can’t think straight either, the cancer is eating my brain. Give up the search and take the position. I won’t be here in a few days and you won’t have a choice. Avoid the challenges and accept before Peter and Michael return from their searches.” “Damn it Henry. I don’t want this, it’s Junior’s job not mine. Give me a couple more weeks, I’ll find him. Besides maybe Pete or Mike are better choices anyway.” Henry was shaking his head. Dylan sighed. “Shit. You really can’t hold on?” Henry’s eyes misted and Dylan was finding it hard to look at his sunken eyes and sharp cheekbones. “Okay friend, I’ll take care of it. If I find him once I’m alpha can I hand it over and go back to being beta?” “No, I can’t hold on and you’re it, they won’t do it as well as you will. Besides you won’t take orders from either of them anyway.” Henry chuckled. “And once you’re the alpha that’s it. The only way to get out of it is to lose a challenge and you know the consequences of that.” He knew. Death. Shit. Fucking Junior. That damn kid had always been a major pain in his ass. Dylan nodded. “Tell me about the waitress Cami. Frankie says you think she’s purebred or something?” “Something is up with her. She doesn’t respond to anything I do, not a whimper, a snarl, or a growl but she’s wolf. All that I can come up with is that she’s either a freak of nature or some damned thing. Maybe her wolf has recessed since she’s only lived with humans, I thought that at first, but it never surfaced. If that was the case it would’ve by now.” Henry gasped and started coughing. His face went bright red and his eyes filled with tears. There was blood in the tissue waded up in his fist. Dylan hurried to bring him water and he sipped. The coughing fit subsided finally and Henry almost drifted off. “So, what does it mean? That she’s royal or purebred?” Dylan shifted on the end of the ratty brown couch. “I’m not sure but I can smell wolf on her. I’ve been researching it and there are stories in the legend books about a race of purebreds, they can do all sorts of things, magical things. Some can levitate, some can influence pack decisions with a glance and some don’t shift but can force others to shift against their will. They don’t shift unless they want to because they don’t feel any compulsion. If that’s so then it’s possible that she is one of them and just never changed. I thought all that was legend or at the very least that maybe it was true once and they were all gone by now. It’s a damned puzzle is what it is and another time I would’ve studied her relentlessly, now I’m just hanging out till I die.” Dylan closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Henry had given up, he was done fighting. “But wouldn’t her pack or her parents at the least, tell her?” He was rubbing his temples. “From what I’ve gathered, she grew up in foster care, shuffled from human house to human house, so no parents, and no direction.” Dylan nodded. This could get difficult. “She’s my mate Henry, my destiny. I knew it the minute I scented her and she hates my guts.” Henry started laughing, a deep and joyous sound that filled the house with spirit. Dylan grinned at his friend and mentor, glad that he could still make him laugh. “Now that’s irony. You,‘mister I’ll tap anything that twitches its tail’ and she hates you, the one that you’re finally meant to be with? Funny.” Henry sobered. “Congratulations Dylan. Here’s the advice that I would give you when the time came. Make her a priority. Her needs, her wants, her desires and her safety, make them all your highest priority. An alpha is always stronger when he’s grounded and settled. Make her your queen because I have a feeling that she may be one. I haven’t known of one in my life time but that doesn’t make it impossible.” Dylan nodded at his alpha accepting the advice. “Go find her and convince her that you aren’t an ass son, settle down, make pups, lots of them so you never have the problem that I have right now.” Dylan grimaced. “Thanks Henry.” Dylan left him as he drifted off to sleep. “Turner, I finished the bike, what else do you have?” Cami asked her boss. He sucked his teeth. He liked to keep her in suspense since she hated it. Turner liked to play with her, she was fun to annoy and he had to tease someone, his wife wouldn’t put up with it. “Come on, just tell me.” “Nope, got nothing. We may both starve this month. Hey, maybe we can sneak out at night and break people’s cars, pull their spark plugs then we would have stuff to do. What do you think?” She was shaking her head. “Your wife would be plenty pissed if you were running around with me all night and Frankie would kick my ass for ditching my shifts. “Yeah you’re right.” He leaned his skinny frame back in the beat up office chair and propped his booted feet on the counter then pulled the Redman ball hat low on his brow preparing for his nap. He scratched his fiery red beard and Cami went to clean her tools while he slept. She heard the bell tinkle over the door in the store as she picked up the first wrench. “Turner.” Turner pushed the bill of his hat up with his middle finger and looked up at Dylan but didn’t move otherwise. Turner nodded. “I need my truck fixed. What do you say? Oil change, lube, rotate the tires, alignment, air conditioner, and whatever else is wrong under the hood.” Dylan leaned a hip on the counter. “Your garage is empty. I know that you need the work.” Turner wasn’t pack but his wife was and he’d had to get Henry’s permission to marry her. Why any wolf would want to marry a human male was beyond him. There was no way that this skinny little man could dominate her the way she needed, maybe she dominated him, and that was her turn on. Dylan shook the thought from his head, the idea of Turner and Beatrix having sex would probably give him nightmares. “I don’t need…anything. The garage may be empty but I’m still selling plenty of gas, lottery tickets, and cigarettes.” Dylan’s hackles rose. “My assistant though does need the work so yeah give me the keys and we’ll work on it.” Dylan let out a sigh of relief. The truck deserved a mechanic that knew how to treat it. “Thanks Turner.” He handed him the keys. “Who is your assistant?” “Don’t matter who she is, she’s a fine mechanic.” Turner tossed the keys up and caught them with a grin guessing that the idea of a girl mechanic would screw with Dylan’s head. “Cami?” Turner nodded and got up from his chair coming around the counter. “Yep.” Turner pushed through the glass door and hopped into Dylan’s truck then pulled it around to the back of the station and into the bay. “Cami, I need you to change the oil, rotate the tires, give her a lube job and alignment. Fix the air conditioner and if you find anything else wrong with it, fix it, and put it on the ticket. Okay?” Turner hopped out and went back outside through the open bay door. “Sure thing Turner.” Cami threw the wrench down that she was cleaning and grabbed a smaller one. She popped the hood and climbed up on the tire to look inside. Dylan nearly fainted when he walked out into the hot shop. She was under the hood with her perfect ass perched just right for him to bury his face between her thighs and get lost in her. She was turning the wrench then hopping off of the bumper not noticing him at all. She put the mechanics creeper down on the floor and slid underneath of his truck. Sliding an oil catch pan across the floor, she dropped the oil filter in it and slid out. Her hair was knotted at the base of her neck and her face was smudged with black grease. She was beautiful. He loved watching her work because she was efficient and quick at what she was doing. She lubed the engine now then checked the oil pan and slid back underneath of the truck. He hung back in the doorway watching. Cami climbed back up onto the passenger fender again and he couldn’t resist. Her denim covered heart shaped rear end called to him and he went. His fingers brushed over her hip about to caress the rounded buttock when her small booted footed jack knifed back and hit him hard and square in the chest. The breath whooshed out of him and he stumbled backward. He bent at the waist planting his hands on his knees until he caught his breath. She kicked like a mule, definitely wolf, and a damned strong one. How could a little thing like that knock the air out of him? He was a large and strong male. There may be a boot shaped bruise in the middle of his chest later and for some reason it made him grin. A love tap. “Just what do you think you’re doing?” She was in front of him now with a very large crescent wrench in her hand. The damned thing was as long as her forearm and it was going to hurt when she hit him with it. “And just who in the hell are you?” “Dylan. I’m Dylan.” His chest was beginning function normally again now. He stood up and looked down at her. She inhaled sharply. He gave her his best predatory smile. “Remember me from last night? At the bar?” “You shaved.” She worried her bottom lip with straight white teeth. “Yeah, I bathed and cut my hair too as requested ma’am.” He saluted her. “Now will you let me take you out?” He advanced on her trying for the domination thing again that she reacted to last night, but she wasn’t having it today. “Get out of my garage, you aren’t supposed to be in here and don’t touch me again. Next time I’ll leave a mark.” She shook the wrench at him and turned on her heal to begin the process of aligning the truck’s wheels. “Hey Dylan, you shouldn’t be in here man, you’ll screw up my insurance. Get out. I’ll call you when it’s done.” Dylan followed him back into the store. “I’ll be at Betty’s.” Dylan pushed through the glass door of the shop and headed across the hot asphalt to Betty’s diner. “Well Dylan, how was the trip? Did you find him?” Betty asked as he pushed through the door. She filled a cup with coffee and brought it to him. Her wrinkled vein covered hands were as steady as ever and her brown eyes still sharp and clear. “What are you hungry for today?” Betty talked fast for an older lady and popped her gum like a champion. He supposed that she had to talk so fast because she only had a few seconds before she would move onto the next customer. The diner was usually busy. “The trip was unsuccessful so how about a ‘Big and Sloppy.’ It’s been a long time since I had a decent meal.” She winked at him and started on her special super thick chocolate milkshake. Betty bent and picked at something on her pink nylon waitress’s dress. She’d been wearing the horrid things with black loafers and beige support hose since he could remember. Once he’d seen her on her day off wearing jeans and hadn’t recognized her. “One ‘Big and Sloppy,’ Earl.” Betty called through the window. “Medium rare.” Earl popped his head through the window. Earl looked like the cartoon Mr. Clean on TV,had a deep clear voice and white bushy eyebrows. You could see the white stubble of a full head of hair but he’d always shaved it clean. Dylan wasn’t sure if that was because of hygiene in the kitchen or because it was hot in there. “Did you find him?” Earl waved his greasy spatula at Dylan who shook his head. Earl grimaced then disappeared back into the kitchen and started Dylan’s cheeseburger. Betty moved onto other customers after pouring the milkshake and setting it down in front of him. Nobody made a chocolate shake like Betty. He’d been all over the country so he had expert knowledge of the milkshake making population and Betty was the best hands down. He stared out the window at Turner’s garage hoping but not expecting to see her since she was busy with his truck. Betty placed the cheeseburger in front of him. “Enjoy.” The Big and Sloppy was his creation. It had cheese of course, three kinds that oozed out of the bun, jalapenos, A.1. Steak sauce, fried onions, peppers and mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, mustard, mayo, ketchup, dill pickle and was on a toasted onion roll. It must be medium rare as far as he was concerned because medium rare was the only way to eat beef. It was served with Earl’s famous fries with vinegar never ketchup and a large chocolate shake. It was a big sloppy mess Betty told him the first time he ordered it and it became the most popular burger on the menu within a few months. The door opened and shut behind hind him, he scented her. “Is my truck done?” He asked taking a huge bite of his burger and not looking up. “Nope, it’s lunch time. Turner said that I needed to eat and you needed to wait. He said to tell you that if you didn’t like it you could take it anywhere else that you wanted.” She snickered. “And I agree with him.” “Hey there Cami, the usual?” Betty came over right away “Please.” Cami looked over at him from her stool two spots away. “What did you do to piss Turner off anyway? He doesn’t ever get mad but you’ve got him pretty ticked if he’s making you wait. Betty was making another milkshake and a giggle escaped her, Dylan’s eyebrow quirked. Was this tiny she-wolf going to eat a big and sloppy? My heart be still, he thought and what was Betty laughing about. The old fool may have finally lost it and that fresh permanent that she had tinted nearly purple did not help her sanity case any. “A ‘Big and Sloppy,’ Earl. Betty called through the window again. “Medium.” The milkshake machine stopped whirring and Betty poured it then put it in on the counter in front of Cami. “Medium? How can you eat it medium? Medium is ruined. You have to eat it medium rare. Have you ever tried it that way?” Cami looked confused. Your big and sloppy, tell her you want it medium rare.” “No. I want it medium.” She turned away from him giving him her profile. “Just try it.” He coaxed softly. “No.” She sipped her milkshake and closed her eyes then moaned. Instant hard on. Dylan shifted uncomfortably which made Betty laugh loudly. Old fool. “Come on, for me?” He moved to a stool closer using his ineffective alpha voice on her. Maybe it would work better if he was the actual alpha and not just a beta. “Especially not for you.” She opened her mossy green eyes and studied him. He is gorgeous but way too arrogant she thought. Too bad, he did shave for me though. ‘If you hate it, I’ll buy it.” He gave her his best panty dropping smile, which should be a lot more effective without all of the facial hair hiding it. “I don’t need you to buy it. Some jackass left me a forty-six dollar tip last night. I’m loaded.” He grinned at that. “Thanks by the way. I’m hoping for an equally big tip when I finish the truck in my bay.” She smiled at him and he sighed. Actually sighed, god she was lovely and had beautiful canines. He wouldn’t last as long as a virgin pup the first time she was under him. She snapped her fingers in his face. Again. She was going to think he was mentally challenged the way he drifted away whenever she was around. “Sweetheart I’ll give you anything you want if you’ll let me take you out later.” His voice dropped, low and seductive like warm caramel it soothed over her nerves and her breath grew shallow while the pulse in her throat was light and frantically pulsing. There it was, that was the voice he needed to use on her, she would be his. You need money? I’m your man. You need a place to stay? I’ll take care of it. You need satisfaction? Anytime, any…where.” She trembled. He had her. The burger came and snapped her out of the trance he’d had her in. “No.” Cami picked up her plate and milkshake. “Betty, I’ll bring the dishes back later, it’s too crowded in here for me.” Betty’s eyes widened but she nodded. “Don’t ever interrupt us again.” Dylan said quietly when Cami was gone. “Yes sir.” Betty hurried away. Dylan slid back over onto his stool and finished his cooling burger. That she-wolf had ruined two perfectly good meals for him. *** Cami sat down on one end of the mechanic’s creeper and put her food down on the board in front of her. “How do you eat all of that and not gain weight?” Turner asked from the door way. “All my wife eats is lettuce and lemon juice and she’s as big as a house.” She took a bite of the burger, heaven on a bun. “Good metabolism.” She said with her mouth full. “And it’s all I’m going to eat until tomorrow. Turner shook his head. He’d had one of those burgers once because they were all the rage in town. He thought it was gross, but Cami sure did like them. He went back to the counter and pulled his ham and cheese out of the brown paper sack the wife packed for him. There were cucumbers and carrot sticks too with salad dressing. He pitched them in the trash and got a bag of chips from the rack at the end of the counter and a soda from the cooler. He watched Dylan through the big windows at Betty’s diner. He was sitting at the counter watching the station and drinking a milkshake. Maybe he wasn’t a bad guy but Turner never wanted that guy near his wife again. Beatrix had a huge crush on Dylan since high school. But hell, what woman around here didn’t? Something about Dylan made females want to turn their tails up for him. “What are you looking at? You've been staring out of that window for a long time.” She craned her neck to see. “Dylan and I are having a staring contest.” “Urgh, not that guy again. He’s an asshole, don’t pay him any mind.” Turner sat up in his chair. You don't like him?” She scrunched her face up. “He won’t leave me alone.” She took another huge bite. You don't like him?” He asked again. “Uh no. Didn’t I just say that? I thought when I called him an asshole the part about me not liking him was implied. Where did he come from anyway? I’ve been here for like three months and he just showed up at Frankie’s last night now he’s in my business every time I turn around.” “He’s been hunting for Henry’s son. He just got back, he’s been gone four or five months now. It’s sad really. That was just one of a dozen trips searching for that kid. Poor old Henry is dying and wants is to see his kid once more but nobody can find him. Henry won’t last much longer. The cancer has nearly eaten him alive. You would think that three betas would’ve found him by now, especially Dylan, he’s a natural tracker.” Turner shook his head. “I feel bad for them. The wife says the pack is pretty torn up.” He suddenly noticed Cami’s face. Surprise? Curiosity? Confusion? Shit. Was he wrong? Was she not wolf? His wife was wolf and he was sure that Cami was. She had every sign that he could think of. He’d seen her scent the air like his wife, she had super long canines, too long for a human, and she could hear a gnat cough at fifty yards. She had to be wolf, didn’t she? Somehow though, he got the distinct impression he’d just screwed the pooch, royally. Shit. Shit. Shit. What should he do? Play dumb. “Why did you call Dylan? A beta? What does that mean? And what is the pack?” “Oh shoot girl, I’m sorry. Beta is slang for a really bad word that your pretty ears don’t need to hear and the pack is the bunch of idiots that he hangs around with, they’re just rednecks is all.” “You’re lying.” Her left eyebrow crept up her forehead. “I can tell Turner, your eye always twitches when you lie and it’s twitching like crazy right now.” “It is not. Get back to work, he’ll be back soon.” Turner looked away trying to hide the telling twitch. You said he could wait.” She planted her fists on her hips. Yeah for awhile, but not all day, finish the truck.” She made a face and went back out into the bay. There was nothing worse and nothing that she hated more than a liar. She climbed into the cab to start it and was struck by the scents in the cab. Her lungs and senses filled with him. She breathed deep and her eyes drifted closed as she inhaled. It was the sexiest and most arousing smell. Her core clenched and wept for him. She turned her head and rested her cheek on the head rest where his scent was the strongest. Her heart pounded with desire. Oh God not that. Not for him, not for the asshole. She curled against the seat with her face turned into the backrest. Her tongue wet her lips. She wanted him. So much. Cami had to snap herself out of it. This could be embarrassing if anyone saw her like this. Why did this happen? Her reaction to men was sometimes not…normal. Her friends had never reacted this way. Oh sure they would gush and say a guy was sooo cute but it never seemed like their entire bodies reacted like Cami’s did. Every cell in her body was…alive, hungry, and wanting, or at least it seemed that way. It only happened once in her life time before and it ended badly. This was so much more intense, this was like before amplified ten times over, it was mind shattering. She had to control herself, this guy was bad news. He was too well practiced on women for her and too big. When he stood up in the bar last night so closely to her, her insides quaked and trembled. She’d nearly melted at the sight of him, hairy monster or not. Today,when he’d finally stood up after she kicked him, her gut reaction was to wrap her arms around him and nuzzle his chest. That was not a normal reaction. Normal women did not hug and nuzzle strangers, but Cami always knew that she was not exactly normal. If she had been, there wouldn’t have been so many foster homes. She also wouldn’t have let Tommy Matthews take her virginity in the Lorraine’s basement in eleventh grade. Between her reaction to him and her curiosity about sex, no one could’ve stopped her. Mid way through the two minute ordeal, she knew she’d made a horrible mistake. Reluctantly she opened the door and crawled out of the cab of his truck to walk outside for fresh air. She took in deep gulping lung full’s of clean air that didn’t smell like Dylan. Jeez. If she’d been in there much longer, she would’ve had an orgasm. That was powerful stuff. What did Turner mean by beta? What was a beta? She’d never heard that slang before. Later on when she worked the evening shift shelving books at the library, she was going to look that up. Once his truck was finished, she left it in the bay. There was no way she was moving it, she may be overcome in there again and may end up rolling around naked on the bench seat. Somehow, she didn’t think he would mind if she did. She giggled and wiped her hands and face on a rag. “All done Turner, I’m heading to the library, see you Friday.” He waved as she ducked out of the front door and jogged down the sidewalk. Dylan was watching from Betty’s as he downed his second milkshake. Why was his mechanic jogging away from the garage where she was supposed to be fixing his truck? He left money on the counter and crossed the street to Turner’s and pushed through the glass door. “Is my truck finished? I just saw Cami leaving.” Yeah it's done.” Turner pecked away on the cash register. “Look Dylan, I may have really screwed up a little while ago. I thought that she was wolf and I told her that you were the beta and I think I mentioned pack.” He grimaced knowing that Dylan could discipline him severely for breaking pack trust. Pack trust was one of the things that he had to agree to when he got married to a wolf, pack safety came first. “Oh yeah?” Dylan studied his face and thought it through. “It’ll be okay.” Turned exhaled heavily. “She’s wolf, Henry has been trying to research her and even though he hasn’t come up with anything, we’re sure that she’s wolf.” “I don’t think she shifts, I’ve never seen her eyes flash, but I’ve seen her scent the air. She works evenings at Frankie’s and Betty’s depending on the night but as far as I know, she hasn’t missed a night in the three months that she’s been in Fern Valley. It’s a small town. It would’ve gotten around if a new wolf showed up for a run. “I know. We don’t know why she doesn’t shift or why she doesn’t know. Henry says she was a foster kid but he’s still looking into it. Where does she live?” “At Frankie’s.” Dylan growled deep in his chest. That would not do. “Not with Frankie, but in the apartment over the bar.” Dylan nodded and looked down at the total on the cash register. He handed the money to Turner. “Give the rest to Cami. She said that she wanted a tip. She’s at the library now?” Turner nodded. “How long will she be there? Until her shift starts at Frankie’s?” Turner shrugged. “Thanks Turner. I’ll grab the truck out of the bay.” Turner sank back down into the chair where he spent most days. That was a close one, Dylan could’ve killed him for what he’d done and it would’ve been justified, but he didn’t use the perfectly good excuse to take out an old enemy. Maybe Turner had misjudged him, he certainly felt like he owed him now. Damn it. He scented her. She was all over the cab of his truck. He blew out a hiss of air. Their scents mixed on the seats and in the air. Heaven. His mate. His chest rumbled and his wolf stirred deep within him. He felt the beast’s desires, the urge to mate, and to claim her. The truck started and he headed back to Frankie’s bar. He pulled around the back and parked. An old red pickup was parked deep in the bushes by the dumpster like someone tried to throw it away but it wouldn’t fit inside the big green container. It had Virginia plates. It was Cami’s truck, he was sure. There were steep narrow steps leading upstairs to a door. Dylan always assumed that Frankie used it for storage. It never occurred to him that there was an apartment up there. Dylan took the steps two at a time and knocked just in case. No answer. He jiggled the doorknob, locked. Dylan tried the window beside it, it lifted easily, and he ducked inside. The scent of his mate overwhelmed him. He took a deep breath filling his lungs with her then sighed, again. He was turning into such a woman but this was so much better than the truck cab. Dylan flopped down on her bed and sniffed her pillow. Okay, bordering on creepy but he couldn’t help it. She was more exciting than any drug could ever be. Not that he did that shit, but if she were a drug, he would be high all of the time. He grinned and buried his face in it. “God she smells good.” There were neatly folded clothes in a laundry basket, more thrown in haphazardly in another. She was organized. There were no personal items, no knickknacks, no papers, and no mementos lying around. She’d come with one suitcase it seemed and that was all that she had to show for herself. There was one lonely dresser under a window at the other end of the room. It only contained a few pairs of socks and lovely lacy panties when he got up to look around. “Oh there will be dozens of pairs of these for you my love. There is nothing more lovely than a woman in lacy under things.” He held up a very plain cotton bra. “And no more of these ever, it’s going to be all silk and lace for you my sweet.” The room was the shape of the roof over the rectangular building beneath, long and straight from one end to the other. He wondered if she’d heard a thunderstorm under the red metal roof, he loved that sound and could listen to them for hours. Soon there would be plenty of summer storms to lie awake listening to. He could comfortably walk down the center of the room but that was all, anywhere else he had to duck. A small kitchenette with a small square table and two chairs were shoved against one wall, the bathroom door across from it. A tiny closet, if you could call it that was beside the bathroom, some jeans, shirts and a couple of old sweatshirts. Dylan was disappointed in the life his mate had and wanted to make it better. He opened her fridge. Orange juice, milk, a box of cereal, some fruit, a loaf of bread, bottle of mustard and a package of bologna. “That’s sad. This whole apartment is sad.” He thought of his own kitchen, he needed groceries, his fridge was sadder than this one if that was possible. It should be though. He hadn’t been home for four months. There was nothing here. No clues about her at all. He plucked a tee shirt out of the laundry basket and held it to his nose. It smelled like Frankie’s bar and Cami. He tossed it back onto the pile and let himself out the way he’d come in. Gathering information about her would have to done the old fashioned way. He would hack into her records as soon as he knew where she came from. Maybe Henry already knew that. *** “Henry!” Dylan called coming in the front door. He was eating, that was a good sign. “Did you find out where she came from?” “A place called Cedar Side Virginia, near North Carolina, why?” “Recon.” Henry nodded. He hated computers and never used them but Dylan was very good with them. Henry always appreciated Dylan’s knack for keeping the pack’s coffers full with his day trading. They’d struggled until Dylan finished college and took over pack finances. He’d received two degrees, computer science, and finance. Henry was very proud of his protégé, and was prouder only of Junior’s Master’s degree in political science. It would’ve been helpful leading the pack. Henry shook his head. Dylan told him he would see him later and left. Henry went back to watching Judge Judy, he loved feisty women.
