Page 7 of Bear Haven
Luke wedged himself between two full, low to the ground bushes. He knew things could get ugly real quick if he was discovered and he didn’t intend for that to happen.
Things going wrong went way beyond him being found in the bushes, though. If Gus were found back in the eerie, old abandoned town Beck had led them to…? That wouldn’t be good. He didn’t doubt the bear could handle most fights, but if anything happened to him beyond a few scratches and maybe a bruise or two, Luke would be answering to Bex and that wouldn’t end well for him. No, it would be best if he and Gus and Beck made it out of the area in one piece, the way they went in.
He laid his head on his front paws. Sleep wouldn’t be coming anytime soon, if at all. It had been so long, he’d forgotten what a good night’s sleep was. He hadn’t slept more than a few hours at a time in months, only giving in when exhaustion blurred his vision and made him so weak he couldn't shift from one form to the other.
He’d become a master at power naps, surviving on little food and pure adrenaline. But he couldn’t deny the hope for a full meal and a month long sleep in a comfortable bed sometime in the near future.
As it was, he’d have to settle for brief periods of shut eye and never fully shutting his brain off.
In hindsight, he couldn’t help wondering if he should have discussed this particular idea with Gus. If he had, they could’ve taken turns at this watching the cabin thing, at keeping an eye on Beck, at keeping the poachers in their sights.
He hadn’t done so and he was alone. It was in his nature not to trust anyone, especially other breeds of shifters, and humans, and other wolves from other packs, and… God bless. He didn't trust anyone, but himself and his own pack. It was why he made deals, always insisting he get his before delivering what he owed or had promised. But, he had to learn to trust Gus. If he couldn't do that, then he couldn’t expect anyone else to trust him.
Shadowed movement in the nearest window of the cabin had him slinking backward, deeper into the underbrush. He didn’t recognize the man peering out in his direction with intense concentration. Could he see Luke? Did he see the bushes move? Would he chalk it up to a breeze?
Luke held himself impossibly still, barely breathing until the man walked away.
Luke exhaled, only to suck the breath back in when the door to the cabin opened seconds later and the man from the window slowly walked toward Luke’s hiding spot.
Fuck.
The man turned his head one way, then the other before crouching down, just a few feet from Luke’s claws. And as he’d done from inside, he stared as though he could see Luke.
He picked up a piece of pine straw and twisted it between his fingers. “I know you’re there,” the man said, his voice barely above a whisper. Luke held himself absolutely still, his muscles and joints locked tight, his ears pinned back. “You’re a wolf, aren’t you? A wolf shifter. I know because I’m one too. A shifter, I mean. A panther. Name of Roan.”
Luke’s fur stood on end and his skin rippled. He dug his claws into the earth, but continued to hold his breath. He didn’t know what to think of the information the man shared, so he tried not to. He just listened. After a few minutes of silence, of the man looking around the immediate area, yet staying in a low crouch, he didn’t think the man was going to say more, but he finally did. “I smell faint traces of a wolf shifter named Maxine on you. She worked for the man inside, taking care of his son. I didn’t know what he’d done with her or her brother. I just knew he’d taken them both. Is she safe? It’s okay. I know you’re not going to give anything away. I wouldn’t, either. Look, she didn’t know what I was. My scent has become so masked being around humans all these years, that my own kin don’t recognize me as a shifter anymore.” He sighed and dropped the mangled piece of pine straw. “You’re not going to show yourself and I get that. I work for the old man inside, too, and I’m going to guess you're here for one of two reasons. You either have a death wish or you’re looking out for Beck. He won’t be hurt, but his father doesn’t trust him anymore and plans to put a tail on him when he leaves in the morning. I’m the tail. I just wanted you to be aware.”
Double fuck.
Luke watched the man stand to his full height, which was considerable, and walk back toward the cabin. Only, he didn’t go inside. He settled in a rocking chair on the porch. On guard. But who was he guarding? The Mayor? Beck? Or Luke himself?
This shit was getting stranger by the day and for the first time in his life, Luke had to admit he wished he wasn’t such an impulsive cuss.
