“You really don’t have to go, Dexter,” he said gently. “I know you feel awkward about how you ended up here, but you don’t seem very comfortable around Otto. If you don’t want to stay here, I can run you back to your apartment, instead? You don’t have to go with him.” He patted my shoulder in the comforting way he had. “I feel terrible if something happened to you.”
“It’s okay,” I said with a sigh. “I’m not in any danger from Otto. It’s complicated.”
Stan raised a brow. “Complicated how?”
I hung my head. “It’s embarrassing but I have a hard time controlling my hormones around him.” I could feel the blush creeping up my cheeks. “He, um, doesn’t want me for anything more than a convenience, so I’ve been trying not to let myself give in but..” I trailed off with a shrug.
Stan’s eyes widened the slightest bit. “Is he the baby’s father?”
I nodded, swallowing. “Um, he doesn’t know, though, so maybe don’t say anything?”
“Of course not.” Stan turned to face the door that separated us from the Alpha we were discussing. “Are you surehe doesn’t feel anything for you? He did come up to search for you and he was not happy to see me touching you.”
I nodded dispiritedly. “Yeah, it’s kind of a weird situation. He wants me physically but then he can’t get away fast enough.”
“Oh, he’sthatkind of Alpha.”
I shrugged and nodded.
“Is he who you were trying to get away from by coming up here?”
I snorted. “Yup. That worked well.”
Stan chuckled. “Well, you got a short break, yeah?”
I nodded with a small smile. “It was really great, too, but I should let him drop me at the other cabin and get out of your hair.”
Stan studied me for a minute before shaking his head. “I don’t feel good about that. How about you let me put together a small dinner basket in case there aren’t any groceries there and then I’ll come check on you tomorrow, just in case you change your mind?”
I was going to refuse but there was true concern in Stan’s eyes, so I gave in.
“Yes, please. If you’re sure you don’t mind, I appreciate it.”
“Not at all.” Stan leaned over and dropped a friendly pat on my shoulder. “Just give me a minute and I’ll have you all set up and we’ll be on the road.”
When Otto came back in, he was surprisingly relaxed at learning that Stan would be coming by the next day to check on me. He almost seemed happy to hear it, which I guessed madesense since he already told us that he was only there because Corbin and Taylor accosted him when they couldn’t find me.
He nodded agreeably while Stan explained the plan and even used the time to write out a note to leave on the door for Corbin and Taylor in case they arrived while Stan was dropping us off.
A little later, I was standing on the porch of the cabin -which actually looked like a cabin, thank you very much- while Otto and Stan unloaded bags of food and even a small bundle of firewood, in case the temperature dropped. Then, Otto was loading food into the refrigerator and rambling on about needing to go out and look for my friends as soon as he had me settled in.
Not long after that, I was all alone in the quiet with my thoughts.
Well, all alone to simmer in my thoughts for around ten minutes, give or take before Otto crashed in through the door with Taylor over his shoulder and a stranger clad in a vaguely familiar uniform trailing right behind him.
“Call 911!”
~*~
Otto
This day was starting to feel like the crisis that would never end as I laid Taylor on the sofa, subconsciously noting that at least the blood would clean off the leather.
Probably, anyway. It wasn’t like I’d ever cleaned up blood off anything. Who knew?
“What happened?” Dexter shoved his cell phone at the park ranger and was trying to wedge himself under my arm to get closer to his friend. “Tay! Look at me!”
“He passed out,” I said quietly. “Dude over there says he was shot.”
