* * *
Avi was in the main barn with Crew and Ford preparing to work in the field when Crew’s phone rang.
“Hey, Caesar,” Crew said, putting the call on speaker.
Avi frowned, wondering why the lion alpha was calling.
“Good morning,” he said, gravely.“We’ve got a situation here and wanted to apprise you as soon as possible.”
“What’s going on?”Crew asked.
“Otto showed up this morning right when we opened and demanded to see Fallon.He told the ticket-takers that he was her father and there was a family emergency.He was very aggressive and caused a bit of a scene before we were able to intervene and get him out of the public view.”
“Shit,” Avi said.“What happened?”
“When we showed up after the ticket-takers called security for help, one of our males recognized him as the male who’d come after them when they’d been out picking up supplies.Security told him there was no one in the park by that name.He kept insisting, but after a few minutes, he walked away with his people.”
“This just happened?”Crew asked.
“Yes, about ten minutes ago.Security followed them and got the license plate and vehicle description, and we printed out photos from our security cameras and gave them to the team and ticket-takers.We’re obviously still on high alert because he tried to get into the park and it was just him being aggressive right off the bat that made the wolves at the front gate suspicious and stop him from getting inside.We’ll continue to keep an eye out for him and let you know if anything else comes up.”
“Thanks, Caesar,” Crew said.
When the call ended, Ford snarled.“It sure seems like he is still convinced Fallon and Sera are in the park, so while it sucks that he tried to get in there and trick them into revealing something about their whereabouts, at least it gave us some insight.”
“Good point,” Crew said.
Avi exhaled, the weight of the situation settling on him.“He seems desperate.It doesn’t seem like he had a real plan, either.He must have thought he could catch them off guard, or maybe he thought he’d actually see Fallon or Sera in the park.”
“He’s getting impatient,” Ford said.“That definitely makes him more dangerous.”
Avi’s thoughts turned immediately to Fallon, the delicate flush on her collarbone, and the quiet joy they’d shared before telling the herd the good news.
“As long as he’s still going to the park, it means Fallon and Sera are safe here.Maybe this was his last attempt to find her.Maybe he’ll move on.”
“The park shifters will keep each other safe,” Crew said.“And we’ll do the same for our own.”
“I’ll alert the rest of the herd,” Crew said.
“I’ll go tell Fallon.”He strode away, tension curling inside him like a storm on the horizon.
He picked up his pace.There was good news despite the dark clouds that threatened, and he was going to hold tight to it.
“It’s too early to talk baby names,” Fallon said with a chuckle as she and Avi basked in the afterglow of him waking her up with his talented fingers.
“Just hear me out,” he said, snuggled up at her side, his voice low and growly.“Favi.”
“What?”
“It’s a mix of our names.Or how about Avion?”
“That’s not even a word!”
“It doesn’t have to be a word, just a name.But all right, I can see that you’re looking for something more traditional.How about Seabiscuit?”
She snorted so hard she had to cough.Rising above him, she stared down at him as he grinned, his face alight with humor.
“You’re so silly,” she said.She brushed her lips over his.
