When I pivoted toward the kitchen, Catcher walked alongside me. Irritated, I spun around and marched into the living room. His toenails clicked against the wood floor as he caught up.
“Stop that!” I hissed. “I’m sure you don’t know what to do with yourself now that you’re not Robyn’s watchdog, but find somebody else to follow around—someone who doesn’t already have a mate.”
He groaned and shook his tan-and-black coat before sitting on his haunches. The scar on Catcher’s right ear reminded me of how he almost died in a barn fire after Dax’s men had beaten him in a vain attempt to get Robyn back, so it was hard to stay mad at him.
What sort of man gives up his life to serve as a watchdog? Especially when it’s not required that they remain in wolf form the whole time. Why didn’t he shift back when his watch over Robyn ended? Maybe his wolf took over completely. What a terrible fate.
That was one reason I didn’t want to get too close to him. Wolves couldn’t be tamed, and not allowing his human counterpart out had made Catcher the most feral in the bunch.
He turned his head toward the murmuring in the hallway and yawned. I spotted Robyn and Montana in the corridor, clutching each other in a lover’s embrace. He had pinned herto the wall, his hands anchored on her hips while she clawed his back from beneath his shirt. Montana didn’t just kiss that woman; he devoured her. I fondly remembered the first time we met and how jarring it was to meet a human traveling with a Shifter wolf. I’d often wondered if Montana would still have gotten serious with Robyn if she hadn’t been born a Potential. How could anyone love outside their species and expect it to last, especially when humans lived incredibly short lifespans?
Montana’s hat flipped off his head when their kiss deepened to a scorching degree.
An overwhelming melancholy came over me like a heavy rain.
Catcher whined and licked my hand, which interrupted the happy couple.
“Catcher?” Robyn walked in while fastening the top button of her blue flannel shirt. “What’s the matter? You’ve been acting weird all week.” She knelt beside him and scratched his ear. “Are you sad you’re not my number one guy anymore?”
He groaned and snorted.
“I think he wants to be a watchdog again,” I suggested. “All he does now is guard the property. Seems awful lonely. How in the world can he stay in animal form this whole time?”
She kissed his snout and then stood. “I’ve wondered the same. Catcher knows I’ll love him no matter which form he chooses, but it feels like I’ve robbed him of his life.”
Montana embraced her from behind. “We asked Milly if she had a medicine that would make him shift back, but she said it’s too dangerous to try at this point. He’s wild—as wild as a Shifter can get. And if he woke up in a strange place where everyone knows him, he might have a mental break.” Montana kissed the top of Robyn’s head and loosened his hold. “You ladies better get going.”
“Mercy bailed on us,” Robyn informed him.
“Are you shitting me?” Montana crossed his arms and raised a quizzical brow. “She’s been talking about this outing for days.”
“Work emergency.” Robyn absently stroked Catcher’s ear. “It’s my fault. If I hadn’t let the yoga class run late, she would’ve missed the call and we’d all be out having fun.”
“Knowing Calvin, he would’ve called her again.”
“Au contraire. Mercy knows better and always leaves her phone at home when the girls go out. She thinks Calvin’s psychic because he always knows when she’s having fun. I should’ve canceled today’s class.”
He quirked a handsome smile. “There you go again, blaming yourself for nothing. Cut that out.” Striding toward the front door, he winked at her over his shoulder. “Love you, sweetheart.”
Lucian stormed into the room and startled Catcher, who jumped to all fours and barked at him. After a deep breath, Lucian wrinkled his nose. “I can still smell it.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
“The toilet in the back hall overflowed.”
My jaw slackened. “Did you fix it?”
He wiped his nose again. “That’s not my area of expertise. By the way, Tak’s planning to build a chicken coop, but he wants to introduce Catcher to a live chicken first to see what happens.”
“The toilet is flooding the house, but the big news is chickens?” I put my hands on my hips.
Robyn walked over to the gong in the corner and tapped it with her knuckles. “One crisis at a time.”
Chapter 2
Though our group had dwindled to four, I had a delightful lunch with Melody, Robyn, and Cecilia at Dragonfly Bar & Grill. Morning and afternoon outings were the ideal atmosphere. Less cigarette smoke, no loud music, and we didn’t have to deal with rowdy behavior.
Standing in the club bathroom, I traced my finger across the red scar on my forehead, which angled from my hairline to my right eyebrow. Salem suggested the color might lighten over time, but because it was deep and uneven, not even makeup could conceal it entirely.
