It was moments like this when Dominic came to realize, as much as he hated the responsibility, as much as he hated babysitting the town, that he cared deeply. He cared more than Hank, Cole, or any of the other shifters would ever realize. His workload was just too much right now for him to fully express it. The snapping, the eye-rolling, beneath it all, Dominic still cared. Maybe he was getting a little burned out, like Cole said the night before.
Hank stood up from his chair, closed his folder, and made his way down the stairs to make the call.
Dominic turned to Cole. “I want you to get their information and, in the morning, go ahead and send out job applications and arrange for whatever housing is available. I want them to have a place ready and waiting by the time they arrive.”
Cole nodded his affirmative. They hadn’t spoken a word about what transpired the night before on the way to Larson Caves Park. Dominic was thankful for his discretion. If Wyatt learned that he had skipped town for the night, the hypocrite might have made some snide remark about how he would handle the stress of being Prime Alpha better than Dominic. Dominic not only had to be cautious about showing his slipups to lesser shifters, but also to other alphas who wanted his title.
Such comments enraged him, even if they were right. Wyatt had watched him like a hawk ever since he arrived in Tolstone, paying more attention to the Prime Alpha than to his own pack. Dominic might not have been perfect, but seeing someone else neglect their pack made him want to beat the man into the ground with dominance until he came to his senses.
“I heard there was a new girl in town,” Gage remarked as he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his dirty mechanic’s shirt. “Anyone seen her yet?”
Quite possibly the most accomplished mechanic in town, Gage had come with his two other pack members after their alpha committed suicide. The tattooed wolf had all the dominance of a born alpha with the intimidating factor of a beta. They had come to Tolstone in search of someone who could mold his natural talent into something that resembled leadership. So far, Gage had been a less than willing pupil.
Dominic stiffened at the mention of Erica, and he could feel Cole’s gaze hot on him, as if the sheriff expected him to volunteer more information. Wyatt and Xavier only seemed half as interested as Gage, whose mischievous green eyes watched and waited for an answer.
“Her name is Erica,” Dominic replied. His heart pounded harder at the utterance of her name. “She’s taken up the old Donaldson place next to mine.”
Wyatt leaned his elbows on his knees. “Oh? What’s she like?” he asked in his smooth Chicago accent.
Dominic’s wolf snarled and writhed beneath the surface. Erica wasn’t part of the pack, and she wasn’t under his protection, but his wolf did not want Wyatt anywhere near her.
Knowing he had a responsibility to keep his pack informed, he delivered his assessment with all the cold indifference of a military commander. “She’s a photographer and lives alone. She’s no threat to the town.”
Gage chuckled. “Threat? Who said anything about her being a threat? I just wanted to know who she was, that’s all.”
Yeah, Dominic could take a wild guess why. Part of Gage’s reluctance came from the fact that he’d rather be chasing tail at Howling Bones Bar than sit through one of Cole’s lectures on alpha responsibility.
“A photographer?” One corner of Wyatt’s mouth pulled up into a scheming grin. “I might be in the market for some professional headshots. Maybe I should go check her out.”
At that statement, Dominic knew his irises had shifted to gold. A cold wash fell over his eyes as the wolf strained against his short leash. If he were younger and less disciplined, he would have been on Wyatt in a moment, partially shifted and tearing at his throat for such an insinuating comment.
Dominic didn’t move, didn’t open his mouth to let out the roar stuck in his chest. There was a challenging look in Wyatt’s dark blue eyes, unconcerned by Dominic’s display. Cole, on the other hand, was not so careless. A small pulse of dominance from the older alpha beside him was enough to put Dominic’s wolf back in place. He needed that sobering smack now and again, just like other touchy shifters.
The gold faded and swirled back into his pupils as the beast receded.
Downstairs, they heard the good news from Hank’s phone conversation. Shane and his pack were still well and could move to Tolstone within a couple of weeks.
“And how did last weekend go, Wyatt? Did you make time to scout for a new home during your business trip?” Cole asked, a silent jab at the slipshod alpha.
Gage snorted but was quickly silenced by a stern look from the alpha sitting two chairs down from him.
“It went fine,” Wyatt replied coolly and raked his fingers through his blond hair. “The town wasn’t what I expected, though. It didn’t have a good daycare center.”
If Dominic weren’t being watched, he would have rolled his eyes. One of Wyatt’s pack members, Kaelyn, was the star employee of Little Pups Daycare in Tolstone, and she could easily start her own in a new town. If anyone asked Dominic’s opinion, he suspected that Wyatt wasn’t truly actively looking for a new place for his pack to relocate. That meant trouble for both Dominic and Tolstone.
Refugee packs were given allowances, job security, housing, and anything else they needed until they found a new home. Once they were settled elsewhere, they were contractually bound to repay Dominic. Six months of resources for ten shifters was a stretch and quickly draining their reserves, though some of Wyatt’s pack were self-sufficient by now, including Kaelyn. Dominic couldn’t have Wyatt’s pack mooching off of them for too long when other packs deserved sanctuary too. They only had so much space to work with, and there was no room for another permanent pack like Cole’s. Gage’s small pack was a special exception, because not only did they not utilize the monetary benefits of living in Tolstone anymore, they had already paid back what they’d been loaned after living in Tolstone for almost a year. Gage’s pack also didn’t cause nearly as much trouble as Wyatt’s.
But most of all, Dominic didn’t want Wyatt within a hundred miles of Erica.
His eyes narrowed on Wyatt, a silent but clear show of impatience. Either Wyatt didn’t notice or he didn’t care. If they were alone, he might have grabbed the bastard and thrown him against the wall to demand a better explanation for why he was dragging his feet. But, they had protocols and rules for these situations. They would take him at his word that he was truly having trouble finding a new home… for now.
Hank came back up the stairs, phone in hand, and leaned in the doorway. “It’s done.”
“I’ll send out the applications tomorrow,” Cole added.
When all the business matters were settled, the men usually talked among themselves or perhaps played a card game to unwind. After the way Dominic had nearly busted out of his skin, no one was in the mood to hang around.
Gage was the first to leave, and Cole took it upon himself to talk to Wyatt about some tips on finding a new town. Once heand his pack left, they could make room for more refugees on the waiting list. From what Hank mentioned a day or so ago, there were at least five other packs in line for Dominic’s protection. Wyatt and his pack had been an inconvenience for far too long.
