The brunette squinted. “You have a Pack app?”
“We have two super nerdy wolves who were bored last summer,” I dryly explained. “And here are the directions of how to download the app onto your cellphone.” I dug another sheet of paper out of my binder and placed it in front of them. “Next rule: no howling in Timber Ridge except in cases of emergency, or when the Pack is making a planned public relations event or demonstration. Mayor Pearl has informed the Pack—and fined them, shocking I’m sure based on what you have heard about our mayor—that wolf howling exceeds the number of decibels allowed within city limits…”
Shania listened with rapt attention and a sassy smile as I continued down the list—no catching and/or killing game within city limits, obey traffic laws even while in wolf form, and so on and so forth.
By the time I finished the werewolves were markedly less pouty and more in a state of amiable confusion.
“If you ever feel confused by any of these rules, please stop by the welcome center again, or call us—you’ll find the center’s number listed in the Pack app,” I said.
The women gathered up their papers, wrinkles creasing their foreheads.
If they were in wolf form, their ears would be twitching, I thought in amusement.
“Now, as for Greyson.” I shoved my binder aside and pulled out a much slimmer binder. “Let me check his schedule for the day.”
The werewolves perked up, and they leaned closer. “You’ll help us find him?”
“Oh, yes.” My grin unfurled with all the delight I could barely contain. “And it will be my pleasure. It’s one of the perks about this job!”
Chapter 6
Pip
Despite everyone painting Greyson as some sort of tortured soul, the Alpha had little tolerance for everyone’s sympathy regarding his missing mate, and nothing—not even I—exasperated him more than visiting werewolves testing to see if they were his lost love.
It’s good for him. It teaches him patience—surely all leaders are always in need of learning to have more patience! Besides, he can’t fault me for making sure he’s pursued in an orderly fashion that doesn’t disrupt city or Pack business.
It helped that it would usually be the visiting werewolves Greyson would be most irked with—though he was too good at his control to ever lose it in front of them.
“Let me find today’s date…” I skimmed through his weekly calendar—I snuck into his office on Sunday evenings when he was always out for a Pack run to make sure I had the most up-to-date version of his schedule that I could get.
Hector had tried locking me out, but it is difficult to keep a determined hunter out of a locked room. Particularly when she’s an excellent climber and there is a very handy tree just outside.
(Wolves are excellent at fighting. Subterfuge? Not so much.)
“It is 12:45, which means…” I smoothed out the paper that held the day’s schedule. “He is either just wrapping up a meeting with his beta, Hector, in the Pack lodge—it’s the large star here.” I pointed to the map that marked out all the clothing drops posted around town, tapping my finger on the giant star seemingly in the middle of the forest.
“Or, if that meeting wrapped up early, it means he’s off on his 1:00 time slot, which is…oof. That’s his personal training time. Well, that means he’d most likely be in these areas, which are sanctioned for fights.” I pointed out a few bare spots among the trees. “I’d head over to the Pack lodge fast. He’s never happy about his training time getting interrupted.” I slapped the binder shut and shoved it into the depths of my desk.
“If you can’t find him, come back here or give me a call and I’ll help you track him down,” I said. “Just remember: be discreet.” I tapped my fingers on my desktop for emphasis. “If you charge in, he’ll have someone escort you away.”
Which would then give them less time to potentially annoy him, and I can’t have that!
“We understand,” the brunette said.
“Thank you!” The blond gave me a gorgeous smile before she and her friend hurried off, the doorbell jingling as they sauntered out of the building.
“Good luck!” I called after them just before the door swung shut—it didn’t matter, they’d hear me with their superior wolf hearing.
Shania stretched like a cat. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Of course,” I said. “I want them to find Greyson. It will annoy him to the point of distraction, and he can’t do anything about it.”
“I swear you’re more invested in Alpha Greyson’s love life than he is,” Shania said. “But Aeric and Wyatt are just as bad as you, if not worse.”
“The Pack is justifiably concerned about it, because Greyson’s missing mate means he’s in pain—to a certain extent.”
“Maybe.” Shania dug her keys out of her pockets and jangled them. “I’m going for real, now. I’m supposed to meet Aeric, and I’m late now. Oh, but I have to say I admire how you handle Greyson’s dating candidates. I’d never be able to lecture a werewolf about staying clothed, knowing they could just reach across the desk and throttle me.”
“It’s all in the firmness,” I said. “They can smell it when you’re scared—your sweat glands give it away. But if you act like you don’t care and can keep your cool, you can pull them into your space, and they’ll listen.”
“I think it’s just because it’s you,” Shania said.
“Not hardly,” I snorted. “Though I will admit my puppy pheromones help. I know as long as I mind my manners, they won’t swat me.”
Shania started walking backward to the door. “See, it’s your can-do attitude like that, that got you stuck working the welcome center where they need someone to mind visiting werewolves when you could be doing so much more!”
My smile turned a little wooden, but I forced a laugh as Shania reached the door. “Yeah, maybe. Have a nice lunch with Aeric!”
I waited until Shania left before dropping my smile.
She couldn’t have known the emotional bomb she’d almost stepped on.
What was I doing here?
Given that I lived in that uncomfortable not-Pack-but-not-human state, there was nothing keeping me in Timber Ridge since Mama Dulce and Papa Santos had passed away.
I could go anywhere.
I should go anywhere but here. Then I’d maybe have a chance to get a life.
Most annoyingly, I’d tried.
I’d left Timber Ridge first for college, but I transferred to online classes and came back after one semester because I’d been absolutely miserable away from Timber Ridge. I didn’t regret coming back, it was a short time later that Mama Dulce and Papa Santos died, so those last few seasons we had together were that much sweeter since I was home with them.
But I’d tried twice since then to leave Timber Ridge.
Both times I’d been so homesick it hurt to breathe, and I’d come back within a week.
It has to be that I hang out with wolves all the time. They’re such homebodies, they’re wearing off on me.