Gwen smiled. “She’s so sweet.”
Makenna gestured toward a broad, grumpy-looking male who stood a few feet away, exchanging nods with the Mercury wolves. “That’s my mate, Ryan. The scowl is permanent, so don’t take offense. He’s extra grouchy today because he doesn’t like me or the baby leaving our territory.” Ryan grunted, and Makenna crossed her eyes. “No, I’m not. Stop being a brat.”
At Gwen’s confused frown, Zander explained, “Makenna claims she can translate his grunts.”
“Ah,” said Gwen with a slow nod.
Makenna pointed to the small, round brunette who was standing behind the reception desk with a guy who seemed to be sorting through one of the lockers lining the wall. “That’s Dawn. She owns and runs the shelter.”
Hearing her name, Dawn turned. She gave the Mercury wolves a gorgeous smile. “Boys, it’s good to see you.”
Ignoring the way his wolf’s mood typically soured at the presence of the females, Zander inclined his head at Dawn. He liked her. The born Alpha had dedicated her life to the running of the shelter, even though it was a nonprofit organization and it had to be difficult for her inner cat to be without a pride. She’d done her best to find sponsors, grants, and also funding from the shifter council. Even with the additional help of both financial and practical donations, it wasn’t easy, but she ran the shelter without complaint. He respected the sacrifices she’d made.
His wolf snarled at him, wanting to leave. He didn’t like being around females who weren’t from his pack, just as he didn’t like all the strange scents of varying shifter breeds. Zander drew Gwen’s scent into his lungs, drowning out the other smells. His wolf settled a little, finding an element of comfort in her scent.
“This is Gwen,” said Makenna. “And behind her is Andie, who I told you about.”
Dawn beamed. “Great. We’ve been waiting for you. This here is Heath. He works at the desk for us.” She gestured to the male at her side who Zander noticed was busy staring at Gwen’s legs. It wasn’t entirely surprising to Zander, given that she was wearing shorts.
When she’d pulled them on that morning, she’d said, “Don’t whine about the shorts, Devlin. It’s too hot to wear anything else.”
Actually, Zander found he didn’t mind the shorts so much now that he knew he’d be the only person touching those legs. He got a strange kind of kick out of knowing others wanted what they didn’t have a prayer of touching because she was his. He didn’t need to be told that wasn’t particularly normal.
Dawn rounded the desk, her smiling eyes on Andie. “I must say it’ll be nice to have another cougar around. There aren’t many here.”
Andie stepped out from behind Gwen and shook Dawn’s hand. “Um, hi.” She exchanged a nod with Heath, who was now staring at Andie like she was food.
“I know a little of your story, but only the basics,” Dawn told her. “You’re more than welcome here. All we need is for you all to sign in, and then I can take you for a tour.” Dawn handed a pen to Bracken, who quickly jotted down their names in the book on the desk.
Having finished reading the “Rules and Regulations” sign on the wall, Gwen turned to Dawn. “This place is safe, right? I mean, I noticed you don’t have guards.”
“This place is as safe as we can make it,” said Dawn. “The Phoenix Alphas offered to post guards, but I don’t want people to mistakenly think that the shelter is run by the pack. Loners would never feel they could come here for sanctuary if it wasn’t run by other loners.”
Gwen nodded, getting it. “Do the security cameras work?”
“Yes. They’re relatively new, courtesy of the Mercury Alphas, and each of the cameras provides live feed to the monitors in my office. The Mercury pack also installed software on my phone that gives me a panic button. If there’s a problem and I press it, both the Phoenix and Mercury Packs will be alerted.”
Andie seemed to relax a little at that, Gwen noticed . . . as if the cougar realized that Zander had been telling the truth when he told her about their acceptance of loners.
“Why don’t you wait in the common room while I take Andie for a tour?” Dawn suggested to Gwen.
Yeah, right, like that would happen, especially since Andie didn’t appear fond of the idea. Gwen smiled. “Thanks, but I’d be interested in coming along to look around, if that’s okay with you.” She thought that sounded a lot better than, “I don’t trust Andie’s safety with you yet.” But Dawn’s eyes narrowed, as if she’d easily read between the lines. Still, she didn’t seem offended, just understanding.
Zander sidled up to Gwen, his arm brushing hers. “Bracken and I will come too.”
“All right,” said Dawn. “We can—”
Bracken suddenly shuddered. “Whoa, just got a horrible chill down my spine.”
“Someone walked over your grave,” both Gwen and Makenna said in unison. Then the two females looked at each other, chuckling.
Zander frowned. He’d expect that from Makenna, since she was incredibly superstitious, but not Gwen.
Bracken held up a hand. “Wait, you really think me feeling a chill means someone walked over my grave?”
Makenna snorted. “Obviously. Jeez. Come on, Gwen, you’re going to love this place.”
Gwen listened avidly as Dawn told them about the shelter while they walked. Apparently when her mother started it thirty years ago, it had been just a day center—a place loners went to simply sit, drink coffee, eat a decent meal, and talk with other loners. With the help of funding, Dawn’s mother had gradually expanded it. It was certainly expansive.
Dawn guided them around each of the floors, except for the attic, since that was where Dawn lived. The first floor had a common room, cafeteria, communal toilets, and private rooms for those with children. Females slept on the second floor, and males slept on the third—both floors were dormitories. All supplies were kept in the basement.
Gwen had been surprised to learn that many slept in the dome-shaped tents that were scattered around the land at the rear of the building near the children’s play area. Dawn sure made use of every inch of space, both inside and outside the shelter.
“How long are people allowed to stay here?” Gwen asked.
“There’s no time limit,” said Dawn, pausing in a hallway. “Although Makenna can attempt to get them a place somewhere, like with relatives or with Alphas that are willing to adopt or foster loners, many prefer to remain loners. We do what we can to help them find an apartment and blend into the human community, but some wish to stay here long term.”
“You allow that?”
Dawn nodded. “In exchange, they work here—there are always plenty of things that need doing at a shelter, like cleaning, cooking, and laundry. It’s understandable that they might wish to stay. You’re a human, so you may find it difficult to understand just how isolating the loner lifestyle can be. Shifters aren’t built to live alone. Some residents find the same comfort in running the shelter as they’d find in belonging to a pack or pride, for instance.”
Dawn turned to Andie. “I want you to know that you’re not the only person here who’s had problems with humans—not by a long shot. Being without a pack, pride, or whatever it may be means that loners are vulnerable to other shifters and humans. People often assume that a shifter would only be a loner if they were cast out by their Alphas. Not always. Some are runaways, others are in hiding, and many are simply lost after the death of their mate. Many loners here will be able to relate to your situation.”
Makenna tilted her head at Andie. “How did you become a loner, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Andie cleared her throat. “I was adopted by humans as a baby. My parents didn’t know what I was. When they realized, they kept me.”
A bell suddenly chimed, and Dawn smiled. “Time for lunch. You should eat with us.”
Minutes later, they claimed one of the plastic tables in the school-like cafeteria. Gwen was surprised to find that the food wasn’t bad. Thankfully, Andie se
emed to enjoy it. When they headed to the water fountain after they’d eaten, Gwen asked her quietly, “Well, what do you think?”
“It’s restful here,” replied Andie, her voice just as low. “I didn’t expect that. It’s kind of nice not to be looked at with scorn for being a loner.”
“It’s got to be a hell of a lot better than the cabin in the marsh, but if you don’t want to stay, that’s fine.”
Andie twisted her mouth. “My cat likes it here. She’s intrigued by all the strange scents, not nervous. I didn’t expect that.”
“Why don’t you give it a trial run?” suggested Gwen. “Stay here for a few days, see what’s it like. If you can’t settle here, if you want to come back to the marsh, all you have to do is call, and I’ll come get you.”
Andie’s face softened. “You really would do that, wouldn’t you?”
“I would.” The girl had been through enough. Reaching the water fountain, Gwen filled a plastic cup and passed it to Andie before filling a cup for herself.
Andie rolled back her shoulders. “I’ll stay, give it a shot.”
“I thought you might.” And Gwen was glad, because she liked the shelter too. It was clean, secure, and well run. The people looked relatively relaxed.
Andie leaned into Gwen. “I wasn’t gonna say anything but, um . . . taking on Zander? Bold move. He must be a handful.”
Gwen’s mouth curved. “He has ways that compensate for that.”
Andie chuckled. “I’ll bet he does.”
“Aw, look, Andie’s smiling,” said Makenna, sitting beside Zander at the table. “That’s a good sign.”
Zander’s gaze had been on Gwen. He liked to watch her. Liked to see her big eyes light up. Liked to see that lush mouth curve, and watch how she used those elegant hands as she spoke. Liked knowing he was the only one who touched her.
He didn’t like that she was wearing a shirt that covered his mark, but he suspected she’d done it so that Makenna wouldn’t tell tales to his pack. He’d told Gwen that he didn’t care if they knew, that it was likely Derren would have told Nick anyway. But she clearly hadn’t been convinced.
“I think it’s likely that Andie will stay,” hedged Bracken.
“Me too,” said Dawn. “I’m relieved. She’s been through a lot, and she deserves to finally feel safe.”
“She does,” agreed Makenna, taking a little peek at Sienna Rose, who was now being held by Ryan. “Gwen’s cool. I have to say, I wasn’t sure if I’d like her.”
Zander couldn’t help but frown, affronted on Gwen’s behalf. “Why?”
“Her name’s Gwen.”
And that explanation was apparently supposed to make sense to him. “So?”
“So I know three other Gwens, one of whom is Ryan’s mother—I can’t stand any of them.” Makenna shook her head in distaste. “I don’t associate the name with anything good. Personally, I think it’s odd that I know several Gwens; it never struck me as a popular name. But now there’s yet another Gwen. Odd, right?”
Because she already knew people by that name? “I have an uncle called Ryan, an old pack mate named Ally, and my great-grandmother’s name was Dawn.”
Her eyes widened. “Really? Weird, huh?”
“No.”
Ryan grunted, seeming amused, but Makenna just rolled her eyes.
At that moment, Zander’s cell phone beeped. He fished it out of his pocket and saw that it was a text message from Nick: “Make sure you stop by on the way to Oregon. Shay won’t stop whining that she wants to meet Gwen.”
Tucking his phone back in his pocket, Zander looked at Bracken. “Nick wants us to make a pit stop at our territory so that Shaya can meet Gwen.” Although the Alpha female was good at getting her way, Zander hadn’t thought she’d win this one.
Bracken’s brows raised slightly. “Well, that’s a surprise. Gwen’s not only an outsider, she’s an outsider who happens to be a human that’s currently in the kind of trouble he wouldn’t want on our doorstep.”
It made Zander wonder if Derren had contacted Nick with news of Gwen being an informant, despite giving his word to both Gwen and Cain that he wouldn’t. But no, the Beta wouldn’t break a promise. He would, however, assure Nick that Gwen could be trusted. There was, of course, another possibility . . .
Cutting his gaze to Makenna, Zander said, “I noticed you texting someone earlier. Would that have been Nick?”
“No,” Makenna denied with a sniff. In a quieter voice, she added, “It was Shaya.” She shrugged. “Roni and Harley too. I just wanted them to know that I think Gwen’s cool. I get a lot of shifters coming here with one bad story after another. Never before has anyone told me that a human went to bat for them. It’s natural for most to look the other way and stay out of people’s business. That made some suspicious of Gwen’s motives. I’m not, and I wanted your pack to know that.” She patted Zander’s arm. “It’ll all be fine. You’ll see.”
He hoped she was right, because the one thing he wouldn’t be able to tolerate was his pack treating Gwen like shit. Not just because she was important to him, but because now he knew the truth of just how brave and selfless she actually was. The last thing she deserved was their mistrust.
Honesty was important to Zander. Gwen could have spun him a pretty story to get him off her back—God knew he’d driven her crazy with his questions—but she hadn’t lied to him; she’d respected him enough not to do so. That got to him, just as it had that she’d trusted him with her secret.
He’d always had difficulty sharing things—his past, his feelings, his goals. He’d only shared pieces of himself with Gwen so that she’d share pieces of herself in turn, but that meant he’d inadvertently opened up to her. He’d unknowingly let her in. And she’d also done the same with him. She’d trusted him with the truth of her and her half sister. As someone with trust issues, he knew how difficult it was to rely on another person not to betray you. To him, that trust she’d shown in him to keep her secret safe was a gift. One he had no intention of abusing.
He hoped his pack didn’t put him in a position where he had to defend her to them. Maybe the reason he’d always worried about Nick discovering he was involved with Gwen was because he’d known even then that he couldn’t obey any order to abandon her while she needed his protection.
Zander had always been unwaveringly loyal to his pack. But if Nick put him in a position where he had to choose between them or Gwen, Zander couldn’t be sure that he’d choose his pack . . . so it seemed that Derren was right and that Zander was in much deeper with Gwen than he’d thought. What worried Zander was that Derren could also be right in predicting that the scenario could bite him on the ass.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
As she slid out of the SUV, Gwen glanced around Mercury Pack territory. There were several vehicles, including a Winnebago, of all things, in the parking lot. Tall, majestic trees were everywhere, creaking with the breeze—all territorially marked by claws. But it was the impressive building in front of her that held her attention.
As Zander rounded the hood of the SUV, his wolf stretched within him, happy to be back on his territory, and inhaled the comforting wild scents of nature and home. “This is Nick and Shaya’s lodge. They’re my Alphas.”
Gwen gave him an incredulous look. “This isn’t a lodge.” It was huge. Okay, it had that rustic feel going on, but only the second and third levels had timber frames. The first level was made with large stone, and those glass dove windows were not typical of a lodge at all.
“Well, we call it the main lodge.”
“I wouldn’t have expected the fairy lights.” They hung on the trees around what was more of a mansion. They would look awesome in the evening. Right now, they weren’t needed while the glaring sun beat down on them. The hot breeze gave no reprieve from the heat.
“Yeah, most people don’t,” said Bracken as they walked onto the wooden porch.
Gwen probably should have been nervous. She was a human on shifter territory, after a
ll. But she was actually kind of excited. Coming here was a little like stepping into the shoes of a shifter for just a few hours. There were so many times as a kid that she’d found herself wishing she was part of her neighboring wolf pack, and now maybe she’d have a little idea of what that would have been like.
The front door opened before they reached it. A redhead with elfin features stood there, smiling. “Boys, I have to say I kind of missed you.”
“Just kind of?” asked Bracken.
“Shaya, this is Gwen,” said Zander. “Gwen, this is my Alpha female.”
Shaya gave her a welcoming smile designed to put her at ease. “I heard all about you from Makenna and Ally—it was all good stuff. Come in.”
“Thanks.” As they walked into a large rustic and very contemporary kitchen that led into a roomy dining area, Gwen glanced at Zander over her shoulder. “Yeah, Zander, this is so not a lodge.”
Shaya laughed. “Pretty spacious, isn’t it?” She gestured for Gwen to follow her into the dining room, which Gwen quickly realized was attached to an expansive living area. She loved how the three rooms were one huge, open space.
Several people rose from the luxurious sofas and plush armchairs. One male was already standing, leaning against the wall near the stone fireplace. One muted the TV—the entertainment system was state-of-the-art shit, Gwen noted—and Zander came to her side while Bracken stood close behind her. They didn’t move from her as they exchanged greetings with their pack mates.
Zander knew his body language was protective as he shifted slightly in front of Gwen, taking up her space, but it was automatic—some unwelcoming faces stared back at her, and that rankled in a big way. His wolf didn’t like it either. Both man and wolf wanted her in easy reach, despite knowing the pack wasn’t a physical threat to her.
Nick took in his body language and arched a brow, but he didn’t seem surprised by it. And when his gaze flicked to Gwen’s neck, Zander knew that Derren had told the Alpha about the mark. Chatty bastard. Not that Zander cared if they knew. Still, he resisted—barely—the urge to possessively cup Gwen’s neck and make a point to the others that she was taken. He didn’t want her to feel awkward in front of his pack mates.