“Makes me want to kick his ass,” Orson rumbled. “She sounds like a good woman. An understanding female. She wasn’t even mad that he left. And you’re right. This Gerald dude is bad news.”
“I'm here for you,” her friend continued. “We all are. The people in this town stick together. You know that. If you need anything at all, you just ask. I think Gerald would hunt him down for you and kick Dillon’s ass if you wanted."
Lilly's voice quavered. "Thank you, Jennifer. And no, I don’t want that."
"And one thing's for sure, girl. You're going to be one hell of a mom."
Huck jerked his head to the front of the store. Orson nodded, and the pair made their way out. When they got outside, Orson looked at Huck. "I was not expecting that. Not the baby and sure as hell not another wolf mixed up with human females."
"Nope.” Huck blew out a deep breath, puffing out his cheeks. “That is crazy. Can you imagine having a baby with a human? The only half-wolf I’ve ever met is Penelope, and she was raised by our pack. I don't know if she even knows who her parents are, wolf or human."
Orson shook his head. "She’s never talked about it.”
Huck mentally rolled his eyes. She’s never talked about it because our alpha doesn’t like to acknowledge that they have a dormant wolf in their pack. He considers her their dirty little secret. It’s only because of the alpha female that Nell was allowed to live with them.
“Can you imagine being raised by a human?” Orson scrunched up his nose as if the idea was repugnant.
“If it was one that seemed as kind as this Lilly chick”—he motioned over his shoulder toward the bookstore—"then it might not be a bad thing. Considering Tanya’s been raised by Canis lupus, and she seemed to have drawn the short end of the stick. At least when it comes to her father.” Huck glanced at him then up and down the street. "Well, I think we've gathered enough intel to satisfy the alpha. But we need to see if we can figure out who this Gerald is and if he has any more wolves with him. He must be very new to town since no one has mentioned him.”
Orson whistled. "Boy, I can't imagine what Jeremiah is going to do when he finds out about this, but I damn sure wouldn't want to be in Dillon's shoes when he does."
"Me either. I’m pissed at Dillon, and I don’t even know the guy. He even entered into this relationship knowing that he would most likely have to leave her. The least he could have done was taken steps to prevent pregnancy. But now here’s this woman with a half-supernatural child that she will be raising alone. Not to mention that Dillon won’t know his child.” Huck couldn’t even imagine not knowing his child, be it full Canis lupus or half-human. “And now there’s a wolf in town who knows about this dormant. It’s a messed-up situation. Maybe we should wait and tell Jeremiah once we get back. He’ll probably want to kill Dillon, and if Tanya’s his mate, that would hurt her. I might not like our alpha, but I care for Tanya.”
“Yeah, but if we call him and tell him what we know, then we might live to comfort Tanya when her mate is killed,” Orson pointed out, though Huck could tell he didn’t fully mean it. He didn’t want Tanya hurt any more than Huck did.
“Might as well get it over with.” Huck made the decision for them.
Huck and Orson walked down the street, looking for a place to contact their alpha. "There." A dilapidated gas station stood before them. On the outside wall hung a grimy pay phone.
They approached the phone, and Huck dug in his pockets. "Damn. Got any change?" He held out a hand to Orson.
The other wolf dug in his own pockets. "Nope."
Huck passed him a couple of bucks. “Go inside and grab us some drinks. Make sure to get a couple of quarters. And pay attention to your surroundings."
“On it." Orson took the money and sauntered inside.
Huck surveyed the small town nestled among acres and acres of cattle land. He thanked the Great Luna that he lived in the mountains of Colorado. There were such plentiful game in the Colorado wilderness to hunt, huge mule deer, and even elk. Not that their alpha ever let them hunt like they should. Huck clenched and unclenched his fists. Bastard.
Huck could imagine there was probably game aplenty in this wilderness, as well. He thought he could remember Texas was overrun with wild hogs. Those would probably be a blast to hunt. He thought about suggesting the idea to Orson. What if they were to get in a quick hunt before they went back to Colorado? Who would know? Then again, they did have a hunt to go on, and their prey was named Gerald. Who are you Gerald, and what’s your game?
He turned and looked into the gas station window. What the hell is taking Orson so long? Huck could see his partner trying to decide which stick of beef jerky to buy. Dammit, Orson. Come on. With the rogue on Huck’s mind, he was antsy to be standing in one place too long.
As he turned back around, Huck caught a glimpse of a man coming around the side of the gas station. Immediately, his wolf perked up. The scent hit him, and he recognized it as the same one he’d smelled at the back of the bookstore. Gerald was followed by another man, then another. Six in all. He was around the side of the building, and there was not another soul in sight. As a gust of wind hit him, the scent of Canis lupus filled Huck’s nostrils. He realized he hadn't smelled them before because the wind was blowing the wrong direction.
Oh, shit. Huck let his claws extend as his wolf attempted to take over, but he kept his beast under control while he quickly debated what to do. He wasn't a coward, but being outnumbered six to one, running definitely crossed Huck's mind. But that would leave Orson alone with these goons. Huck wouldn’t do that.
"You're not from around here," Gerald said as they surrounded Huck in a semicircle. “Though your scent is now familiar. Tell me, how long have you known Lilly? And where is this Dillon character?”
Huck tried to surreptitiously glance back into the gas station to see if Orson had realized what was happening. Damn wolf is probably buying a slushie. "Don’t know her at all, and don’t know about this Dillon character. Just passing through to get what’s supposed to be a world-famous slushie. And I like a good book when I travel. That’s the only reason I stopped in.” Huck glanced again back toward the direction Orson should be coming.
Gerald shook his head. "Don't bother calling out to your friend. My wolves are looking for a fight, and loud noises make them jumpy. You yell for help, and they attack. But I'm a reasonable alpha. I like to ask questions first, then fight second."
Huck’s brow rose. "Alpha? I wasn’t aware that there was a pack in these parts."
The wolf shrugged and motioned to others. "This looks like a pack to me. And it also looks like you are encroaching on my territory."
Huck glanced around. "If we'd have known there was a pack here, we'd have checked in. As it is, there’s not been a pack in Texas in quite some time."
