Page 25 of Cuffed By the Wolf

His eyes widen as he stares at the picture. “Why did you take a picture with them?”

“Oh, you mean your omega fuck bunnies. I don’t know we were bonding over the grumpy sheriff.”

Pocketing my phone, I shove the coffee into his hand. “Drink up.”

Dispatch comes over the radio.

Lacy says, “There’s a battered woman near the lake. The victim says she almost drowned. She’s not cooperating. We don’t know if there was foul play.”

My eyes widen.

Was she in a domestic dispute? Did her boyfriend try to kill her? Maybe that’s why she’s not saying. Or it could be attempted murder?

“What if someone tried to kill her?” I gulp and place a hand over my chest.

Sheriff places the cup on his desk. “Calm down. You can’t jump to conclusions.”

“I’m trying not to. Now you’ve got me thinking? Am I safe out at the camper?”

He leans forward, sighs, and gently grips my arm. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe. I’ll send a patrol car to check out the campgrounds.”

The zing of energy that washes over me does something to my insides I’ve never felt before. Even though he’s not personally going to watch over me. He’ll make sure I’m safe. I better get out of his office before my scent suppressants fail again.

I smile and release a breath. “Thanks, Sheriff.”

He stands to his full height. “Sasha, I’ve got to go.” He lifts the cup.

My heart skips a beat in a good way. He called me Sasha.

Craning my neck to look up at him, I watch him take his first sip and nod.

“I needed this. Thanks for the coffee.”

“You’re welcome,” I say, taking a step back so he can exit the office.

Now that he’s touched me, I want his big, strong hands on me all the time.

No, no, Sasha, you don’t.

“My mate’s going to make sure I’m safe,” I mutter under my breath.

The warm feeling that comes over me grounds me.

I feel safe.

The sheriff never came back to the office. Deputies came and went. A few of them questioned potential suspects.

After work, I park a few streets over from the main street. Figure I’d get to know more shop owners. A cute little ice cream shop called Sugary catches my attention. There’s a line out the door. A few tables are occupied in front of the cute, cream-colored shop.

I wonder if this is the only ice cream shop or the ice cream is really delicious.

“In the summer there’s always a line,” I hear from behind.

I turn and peek at the woman. A smile lifts my cheeks. “Is the ice cream good?”

A big smile widens on her tanned face, and her blue eyes brighten. “Yes, I’ve been camping in this little town since I was a kid.”

“That’s great.” Pipe down, Sasha don’t sound so eager to get to know someone who isn’t from this town but possibly has a lot of knowledge about the town.