“No problems,” he reported, letting his dark brown eyes search the area, as he did every five to ten minutes in any new, open setting he and Flora were in. With the attackers still unidentified, they could have quite literally been anyone in the room.
“Okay, good. I wasn’t sure how’d you do working two jobs at once, but since the club doesn’t need you every day, I hoped it would work out.”
“I miss the Packhouse,” Dylan said mindlessly. Though he enjoyed being with Flora, way more than he thought he would, his Pack was his home, and being away for so long worried him. He didn’t want the Pack to get used to him being away. An irrational fear of being left out or alone crept up on Dylan after seeing his Alpha again.
“We miss you, too. It’s important to keep the Pack together,” Jackson responded. He leaned against the wall of windows, further bending his legs to fit his 6’3" frame within the booth.
“I don’t think it’s just one person behind this,” Dylan said, picking up his straw and dropping it into his cup. He didn’t want to admit it could be a bigger operation than just a lonely guy with a borderline obsession in Flora. That would be way easier to handle than a group of people after her. Dylan could see the interest — he himself had the interest. Flora was a beautiful woman with her warm, creamy skin, dark brown eyes, and thick thighs. Who wouldn’t want to be with her? The question was why go to such extreme lengths to get her when a conversation could’ve gotten her attention? Unless it wasn’t about affection but something else.
“In the parking lot, there were two people there. One tried to grab her, and the other waited behind the building as backup. They were using scent blockers, too. They were way too prepared for this for it to be something small.”
“Hmm.” Jackson knew this opened up a huge can of worms. The only thing that came to Dylan’s mind was cage fighting. Someone could have found out what her animal was and saw dollar signs. If this was the case, then the issue could potentially never be solved. Even if Dylan killed the group trying to capture her, another group would replace the dead one and the cycle wouldn’t end.
As much as he wanted to pick Jackson’s thoughts on the cage fighting matter, he couldn’t. Revealing what Flora’s animal was wasn’t his place, even in regard to his Alpha. Betraying her like that would completely break whatever was going on between them and in his heart, he wasn’t ready to let that go. Being around Flora was something he would severely miss when this problem was resolved.
“You know I’m here for you. The Pack is here for you, so don’t forget to reach out,” Jackson said. Dylan knew he could reach out for help at any moment, but he’d wait until he absolutely had to. This was his job. He’d taken out whole cage fighting rings, big mafia-like operations, and corrupt Packs with his old crew. Maybe he should reach out to them if his prediction was right. In the end, though, he knew he could handle this with or without them.
“I’ve got this, but the minute I don’t, I’ll call.”
“We’ll be ready.”
Dylan ordered food, trying to take his mind off of Flora and her situation. Cage fighting was incredibly dangerous. If someone was targeting her because they knew she was a panther, this changed what he had to do. Collectors got desperate around panthers. The only way to get those guys off Flora’s back was to kill them all. Every single collector that had knowledge of her panther would have to die. Trying to relieve some of the weight building on his chest through a deep breath, he directed his attention to the beautiful woman sitting across the room.
He’d do it. Something in his gut told him he’d do in a heartbeat whatever it took to protect Flora. He would kill every man and woman involved in this fighting ring. No exclusions or exceptions. She had stuck her pointed heel in the ground and swung open the door of his soul.
“You're falling for her,” Jackson whispered, staring Dylan down from his side of the booth. Energy filled the small area around them. Alphas naturally had power radiating from them, one demanding submission. While most Alphas let the power fill a room, Jackson tried to hold it back when it wasn’t necessary. It allowed him to create tighter bonds with the members of his Pack, giving them the choice to follow him instead of forcing them too.
Why he was exuding power threw Dylan off. “You haven’t stopped looking at her since you sat down. Not in just a protective way but in a…" Jackson paused to think of the right word, “hopelessly in love kind of way.”
“You a songwriter now? Somebody call Leo Enchanted, he’s got a new partner,” Dylan tried to joke and move the topic away from Jackson’s prying nature, but that Alpha energy started to get to him. Honesty was going to start spilling from him any minute. He wasn’t even sure Jackson knew he was doing it. What would get him so worked up about being romantically involved with Flora?
“Got jokes now?” Jackson replied with a laugh, looking back at the girl’s table.
“I wouldn’t say love.”
“Well definitely more thanlike.”
“Maybe somewhere in between,” Dylan said, dragging his eyes away from the woman he knew he’d been obviously staring at the whole time.
“Be careful,” Jackson said, turning serious. “She is not one of us, so keep that in mind. People judge hard on that kind of shit.”
Dylan knew Jackson got a lot of heat for having a mixed-animal Pack. The Pack was mostly made up of wolves, but they had a bear and crow as well. Both Dylan and Jackson wouldn’t have it any other way, but that didn’t stop others from feeling the need to give their two cents; even going as far as to challenge them. Fighting for his Pack was nothing new to Dylan, but Jackson hated the way others made his non-wolf Pack members feel. Adding Flora to the mix would stir the pot even more. A personal battle for not only Dylan but the Pack. Was it selfish to still want her? Was Jackson truly upset about it? Dylan's Pack meant everything to him. Jackson had to know that, right?
The person any of the Pack members fell in love with and wanted to mate would have to become part of the Pack. And mating was basically supernatural marriage. Supernaturals lived a long time and mated for life. It was a big deal to find a soulmate, and Dylan was beginning to think that maybe, justmaybe,he’d found his.
Dylan’s eyes floated back to Flora. His potential soulmate was currently being flirted with. A tall Shifter leered over their table, smiling and laughing as if the attention was welcomed, and based on Luxe’s face, it wasn’t. As the man flirted, Dylan tried to stay rooted to his seat. He wanted to scare the man away for even talking to his woman. But he had to weigh his options on whether dealing with a pissed Flora was worth it. He decided to wait it out. She didn’t need him to jump into every seemingly normal conversation she had in public.
He settled on a glare. At first, anyway. Using his enhanced hearing, he focused on the conversation taking place. He gripped the table, trying his hardest not to jump up.
“Um, no I would not like to get a coffee with you. Thank you for the offer.” Flora was trying to be polite, but the niceness in her tone slowly started to slip away. The Shifter wasn't a bad-looking guy, Dylan thought. Fairly tall, muscled, and in a crisp dress shirt. Hopefully, for Dylan’s sake, Flora was more into a sour-patch-kid kind of man instead of the classic businessman type.
“How about lunch another time?” he asked, leaning down closer toward her, towering over her as if that would change her mind.
“Can’t take a no, big guy?” Luxe sneered from the opposite side of the table. Her own Alpha energy filled the area. Anyone with eyes could tell she was becoming pissed andfast. Hey eyes were glowing, showing her animal was near the surface and just as angry as Luxe was. Disrespecting someone in the presence of an Alpha was almost a death wish. If death wasn’t an option, then it was surely asking for an ass-kicking. Alphas were creatures who valued respect. The minute respect was gone was the minute things become hostile.
“I wasn’t talking to you, sweet cheeks.”
“Sweet cheeks,” Luxe barked out. “That’s the best you could come up with?”
