Through the maze of furniture and loaded bookcases, he made his way toward the half-concealed door at the very back of the showroom. He flicked on the lights just inside the room to reveal his small, windowless private office. Dominic sat down heavily in the peeling leather chair behind his wobbly desk. Piles of papers, reports, financial documents, and receipts were scattered across the surface, so much so that he couldn’t find his clunky beige keyboard. The archaic tube monitor and massive computer tower could never be hidden, though, no matter how much work he neglected. He wasn’t normally the procrastinating type. He hated to see the mess. The last few months had simply been awash in shifter trouble that took up all his time and energy. He had been busy before, but these days it felt as if it were never-ending.
He thought of hiring an assistant or bookkeeper, but he’d have to hire another shifter who recognized the demands on his time and not bat an eye at his comings and goings. He needed someone who understood, but not just anyone. Having a human too deep in his business, personal or otherwise, was a layer of complexity he didn’t want, and he couldn’t risk.
He leaned back and let himself sink into the silence as he had the evening before. It had been a long night, and he only managed to get a few hours of sleep. Madison Gabors, daughter of Jaime and Gwen, had shifted for the first time. She braved the ordeal like a champ in the end, though reluctant at first. He couldn’t blame her for her hesitation and fear. He’d been a shifter for over twelve years, and he still didn’t have it all quite figured out, though he would never admit that to a single soul. He couldn’t.
Part of his job as Prime Alpha, among other things, was to make sure that every shifter in Tolstone, not just his own pack, was safe under his care. It had been the Beaumont legacy since the town was founded. This was a sanctuary, a place of refuge, an asylum for packs in distress, and he had become the head warden for this asylum eight months ago. Eight, long, tiring, frustrating months. No one anticipated his dad, Malcolm Beaumont, would pass so suddenly. He had no time, mainly because Dominic refused to listen, to teach his only son what it meant to be a Prime Alpha. Mediator, peacekeeper, referee, arbitrator, and general babysitter.
With currently three packs to manage, in addition to his own, Dominic now understood why his father looked so haggard and weary each night. At least one large pack was due to leave any day now, if things ran smoothly for once. One satisfying aspect of his job was seeing those scared and nervous shifters leave town for a new permanent home, with the hope for a better future.
With Dominic’s numerous connections that he also inherited from his father, the relocated packs were given every resource they needed to start a new life after their old one fell apart. Hunter threats, rival packs, land disputes, the death of a former alpha—he’d seen it all.
When Dominic heard the store door open and the tinkling of the bell, he had to bite his lips to suppress a wolfish snarl. The faint scent of the guest drifted into the shop with the fresh morning air, and he recognized it was Hank, the beta of his pack.
Hank had been like a surrogate father when Malcolm was away on pack business, but their relationship went to a whole other level as soon as Dominic became Hank’s superior in everything but age and knowledge. There was no resentment, but a kind of unspoken expectation on Hank’s part that Dominic couldn’t decipher. It was as if the beta watched his every move, waiting for a chance to correct him, just like Malcolm usedto. Maybe it had something to do with all the boyish pranks Dominic pulled as a kid that made Hank a little stricter these days.
“I know you’re here,” Hank’s deep voice boomed from the front of the store. By the tone of his New York accent, Dominic could tell that he was in no mood for games this morning. “We’ve got a problem.”
Dominic rubbed his tired, bloodshot eyes and stiffly rose from his chair. He made his way through the network of vintage furniture and bookcases toward the front of the store. “What is it?”
“It’s Nathan,” Hank replied. “He’s at it again.”
Dominic groaned as he rounded a corner of curio cabinets. He wanted to get a good look at Hank’s face to see if he was joking, but there wasn’t a hint of humor in his dark eyes. Even the way the corners of his lips curved downward into a deep frown told Dominic that the troublemaking shifter was just as much of a bane to him as his alpha. Nathan Hardy, a shifter from that larger pack Dominic expected to leave Tolstone soon, just couldn’t stay out of mischief.
“What did he take this time?”
“A couple of goats from Mrs. Jordan’s farm.”
If he didn’t know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Hank was completely serious, he might have laughed. At least it wasn’t a horse like last time. Some shifters, like Nathan, came to town and couldn’t settle for the store-bought meat or the freshly butchered animals from the local farms. Their wolves craved the hunt. That had the potential to blow everyone’s cover.
“And where’s Wyatt?” Dominic asked, crossing his arms to mimic Hank.
The beta shrugged his broad, muscular shoulders. “Don’t know. Can’t find him. I’ve tried calling his cell, but it always goesto voicemail. Xavier said he might be out looking for a new town, but you know how far I’d believe that tall tale.”
Yes, he did, and it was just as much as Dominic believed it. Not at all. Wyatt Ratner’s pack of ten had been in Tolstone for six months, far longer than any pack was usually permitted to stay. After they were forced out of their previous territory near Springfield by a rival pack, they came to Dominic looking for a place to regroup and assess their options. It should have been Wyatt’s responsibility as the alpha of his own pack to manage wolves like Nathan, but lately, the man wasn’t around for jack-shit. Lately, it seemed that Wyatt’s pack made up the majority of Dominic’s workload when it came to managing the shifters of Tolstone. Additionally, since he had become Prime Alpha, no other transient pack had given him this much trouble. Picking fights with other shifters, causing a disturbance among the humans of Tolstone, stealing, damaging property—you name it. The pack seemed to be full of bad apples.
Dominic ground his teeth and nodded. “Where was he last seen?”
Hank jerked his head toward the door. “On the other side of Jade Lake.”
He pulled out the store keys from his pocket. “After this, I’m done for the day.”
His beta slid him a disapproving look. “An alpha is never done. If we need you—”
“I know, I know.” Dominic waved off the rest of the lecture that Hank repeated like a Catholic prayer. “If an alpha is needed, he must go to his pack. I get it.” If only the other alphas would get with the program and take care of their own.
Hank bit back whatever reproof he was ready to give and opened the door.
“I just feel like I need a break, that’s all.” Dominic not only felt the fatigue in his body but in his very soul. “A really long break.”
“If Wyatt was close by, you know I’d get him to take care of it.”
After they stepped onto the covered sidewalk, Dominic jammed the key back into the lock. “Yeah, I know. The last time you tried to talk Nathan down, he nearly took off your head.” He struggled with the mechanism but managed to turn the key after a few tries and tested the handle to make sure all was secure.
The beta, in a rather comedic move, shivered. “Damn, that boy just isn’t right in the head.”
Dominic cracked a smile and pocketed his keys before he turned with his beta to make their way across the square. At least it was a beautiful, clear morning in Tolstone.
*
