“A man’s word is all he has until he can prove those words to you through actions. You’re giving me that chance, and I appreciate it.” Even Dillon could hear the sincerity in his voice when he spoke. Because it was the truth. Jeremiah could have just killed him for coming onto his pack lands uninvited. Not that it would have gone over well with other pack alphas when they’d heard, but it was still Jeremiah’s prerogative, and it would have been the voice of a live alpha against the lack of voice from a dead lone wolf. So, yes, he was grateful.
“I hope that’s the case, son.” Jeremiah’s last word almost sounded like a threat.
Dillon swallowed. Just that one word “son” and the way it was said made Dillon think Tanya’s worries might already be warranted. Jeremiah was digging further than the Montana pack.
“You can continue to show me you’re a man of your word during this probationary time. You can help by training my fighters, your future pack mates.” He started toward the door, walking past Dillon, then said over his shoulder, “Don’t make me regret this decision.”
He sighed and leaned his head back, looking up at the night sky now darted with silver stars. Dealing with the likes of Jeremiah Ellis was exhausting. The air was crisp now that the sun had set, and Dillon enjoyed the slight burn he felt in his lungs when he breathed. When he lowered his head back down, Dillon ran a hand over it and started forward. He needed to check on the three males and then he could use a shower. He hoped that maybe Tanya would still be willing to talk to him. He was worried about her. She sounded exhausted when he’d spoken to her earlier. His arms longed to hold her tightly to him and protect her from the weight of the world. Dillon wanted to give her everything she needed and make her life easier. Unfortunately, he had a feeling that he was going to make it worse before it got better. “Damn,” he breathed out as he marched inside. “One minute at a time,” his wolf told him. Focus on this minute. There was no point in worrying about things he couldn’t change. It would only cripple him and make him feel hopeless. A male Canis lupus looking for his mate, or waiting on her, had no room for hopelessness. He would do as Jeremiah bid and train the alpha’s warriors. He would give his mate the gift of the best damn fighters of any pack to help protect her, and he would do it until she came home. Then he could fall at her feet and pledge his faithfulness to her. Hopefully, that would be sooner rather than later.
Chapter
Eleven
“Have you ever wanted to close your eyes and hope they didn’t reopen? Not because you wanted to die, but because you just didn’t want to deal with the difficult things in your life. You’re tired and beat up, and there are no more places for metaphorical bandages on your body. I just want to lay my head down, close my eyes, and just breathe. Breathe and nothing more.” ~Tanya
Orson and Huck made their way down the sidewalk of Main Street in Coldspring, Texas. Huck had been pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to find out information about Dillon Jacobs. Everyone in town seemed to want to talk about him. Apparently, his sudden disappearance was the biggest thing that had happened in Coldspring in years. No one could believe it because he'd been such an outstanding member of the community, and everyone had their own theories as to why Dillon had left town. Dillon had only been gone a few days, but the news must have spread throughout the town like wildfire.
The waitress at the diner where they'd had breakfast said one woman would know for sure what had happened to Dillon—his girlfriend, Lilly Pierce. But to the disappointment of every busybody in town, Lilly had refused to tell anyone anything. Huck hoped they could convince the woman to talk. He didn't want to threaten anyone; Huck wasn't that kind of wolf. But he also knew what Jeremiah would do if they didn't get the information he wanted. The waitress told them Lilly worked at Book Lover’s Den bookstore, which was where they were now heading.
"Odd that Dillon would leave his girlfriend, don't you think?" Huck asked as they walked.
"No. What’s odd is that he had a girlfriend to begin with. If she wasn’t his true mate then what the hell was he doing with her?" Orson glanced around at the sleepy town. "But there is something else I find even more strange than that."
Huck glanced sidelong at his pack mate. "What's that?"
"We’ve yet to run into a single wolf.” Orson motioned around them. “And yet, I keep getting a hint of Canis lupus on the air. I haven’t heard anything about a pack being in Coldspring, Texas. Have you?" People shuffled along the sidewalk, many of them glancing at the two males. It was obvious they weren’t from around these parts. Coldspring was small enough that anyone new in town was immediate news.
"Me either,” Huck considered. “Which means his girlfriend is most likely human."
Orson pointed at him. "Exactly."
Huck scrunched up his face. "Hmm, it’s not completely unheard of. It would actually be more taboo if he’d been dating a she-wolf.”
Orson continued as they made their way in the direction of the bookstore. "And the waitress said this Lilly woman and Dillon had been together for years. Finding his mate after being with someone that long, that’s got to be a kick to the gut for everyone involved."
“Sucks, especially for his mate.” Huck noticed that they were across the street from where the waitress had pointed. It wasn’t a big store, but then in a town this size, nothing was big.
"So we think that he’s found his mate and that she must be in our pack since that’s where he showed up. Who do you think it is?" Orson asked as they started across the street.
“I don’t know, but I think the alpha already has an idea.”
“Why?”
"Well, he swore us to secrecy, didn't he?” Huck pointed out. “Jeremiah threatened to skin me if I breathed a word to anyone about this mission. And I believed him, too. Why else would he be so hush-hush about this?”
"Well”—Orson glanced at Huck—"recently there was one female down this way from our pack. Maybe they came through Texas on their way back home.”
Huck glanced up at the sky. “Son of a troll.” He sighed. “That would not be good.”
His pack mate shook his head. "Nope. It would definitely be pretty much the worst possible outcome. Considering it’s looking like Dillon had a serious relationship with a woman who wasn't his true mate.”
“If we somehow confirm that”—he held up his hands and shook his head—"I'm not telling the alpha. Let Jeremiah and Dillon work that out themselves. Let's talk to this Lilly chick and find out what's going on. Then we'll get our butts back to Colorado. And maybe along the way we’ll figure out why we’re scenting Canis lupus."
They stepped up to the Book Lover’s Den bookstore and pushed open the door. A few customers milled about inside, but the wolves couldn't see anyone with a name badge or uniform that indicated they worked there.
Huck tilted his head up and took a deep breath. "Smell that?" He pitched his voice so only Orson's wolf hearing could hear him.
Orson took a sniff and nodded. "Canis lupus."
