Relief washes through me, stronger than it should be. “Good. Let’s go find Ruby and check out that cottage.”
We leave the break room and find Ruby waiting in the hallway with Patricia. Both women look up expectantly, and I catch the knowing glance they exchange. Great. Ruby’s already plotting something.
“Everything sorted?” Patricia asks.
“Her car won’t be ready until Friday, maybe Monday,” I explain. “She’s going to need somewhere to stay.”
“Well, the staff cottage is still available,” Patricia offers. “Fern, you’re welcome to stay there while you think about the position. No pressure. Just give yourself a safe place to rest and consider your options.”
Fern looks surprised. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Ruby, why don’t you show her the cottage and help her get settled?”
Ruby loops her arm through Fern’s. “Come on. Let’s get you fed and into an actual bed. You look exhausted.”
Fern glances back at me as they head for the door. “Thank you. For… everything.”
“Just doing my job.” But we both know that’s not entirely true.
After they leave, Patricia appears beside me. “That was kind of you.”
“She needs help.”
“Sure seemed that way to me.” Patricia crosses her arms. “Are you going to tell Nic?”
“Yeah. He needs to know we might have an angry ex-boyfriend showing up.” I rub the back of my neck. “I’ll handle it.”
“I’m sure you will.” Patricia’s smile is knowing. “She’s pretty.”
“She’s human.”
“So?”
“So humans and shifters don’t mix well. We’ve learned that lesson enough times.” I think of the League for Humanity attack, of Dylan’s brother dying in the street, of the paranoia and fear that followed. “Can’t afford to forget that.”
“Some humans,” Patricia corrects. “Not all humans are like the League for Humanity. And from what little I overheard, Fern’s running from a monster. Maybe she could use some real protection for a change. The kind that doesn’t come with conditions or control.”
I don’t answer as I head for the door. Outside, the sun is starting to set and paints Silvercreek in gold and orange. I can see Ruby and Fern walking toward the eastern edge of town,where the staff cottage is. Fern’s blonde ponytail swings as she walks, and even from this distance, I can see the curve of her hips, the way her jeans hug her thighs. She moves like someone who’s been hurt for moving too freely.
My wolf rumbles approvingly, possessively.
This is a bad idea. Getting involved with her, even just as her protector, is asking for trouble. She’s human, she’s running from danger, and she’s vulnerable and scared and probably not thinking clearly about anything. The last thing she needs is a werewolf with control issues sniffing around her.
But when I remember the fear in her eyes when she talked about her ex, the way her hands shook, and the exhaustion that seemed to radiate from her very bones…
Yeah. I’m already involved.
I pull out my phone and text Nic. Need to talk. Got a situation.
His reply is immediate. I’m in my office.
I head toward the pack house and already start composing what I’m going to say. A human woman with a dangerous ex-boyfriend just moved to Silvercreek. We need to be prepared for potential trouble. Standard security briefing. Nothing personal about it at all.
But in the back of my mind, my wolf is circling that vanilla jasmine scent and memorizing it, claiming it.
Mine, he whispers.
Not mine, I tell him firmly. Just someone who needs protection.
