Page 17 of Fetch Me A Mate
"You've noticed that, have you?" Kieran said.
"Hard not to."
"Rowan's got history," Kieran said after a moment. "He was part of a pack outside Hollow Oak. Things went bad. He left."
"What kind of bad?"
"The kind that makes people question whether you'll stick around when things get difficult again." Kieran's voice was matter-of-fact, but Diana caught an undertone of something sharper. "Pack loyalty is everything to most shifters. When someone breaks that bond, it leaves scars."
Diana thought about the careful distance Rowan maintained, the way he seemed to hold himself apart even when they were working side by side.
"But he came back," she said.
"Yeah, he did." Kieran studied her face. "Question is whether he's back to stay or just passing through again."
"He's doing good work on the inn."
"Work's not the same as commitment." Kieran straightened, moving to help Freya arrange the remaining herbs. "Some wolves need a reason to stay, something worth fighting for."
The way he said it made Diana look at him more closely. There was knowledge in his hazel eyes, understanding that went deeper than casual observation.
"You're speaking from experience."
Kieran's mouth curved in a slight smile. "Took me a while to figure out what home looked like. Sometimes it's not a place."
He glanced at Freya as he spoke, and Diana caught the soft warmth that passed between them.
"The point is," Freya said, bringing the conversation back to practical matters, "most shifters in Hollow Oak are decent people just trying to live their lives. Treat them with respect, don't take challenges personally, and you'll be fine."
"And if someone does challenge me?"
"Stand your ground," Kieran said immediately. "Don't back down, but don't escalate either. Most confrontations are about testing boundaries, not actual aggression."
"Good to know." Diana made mental notes, grateful for their candor. "Any other cultural landmines I should watch for?"
"Don't comment on someone's scent unless you know them well," Freya said with a grin. "Shifters are sensitive about that. And if someone's eyes change color during conversation, give them space to collect themselves."
"Eyes change color?"
"Emotional response," Kieran explained. "Happens when the animal side gets stirred up. Not necessarily dangerous, just intense."
Diana thought about the way Rowan's pale blue eyes sometimes seemed to shift, taking on a silver quality when he was focused on his work. She'd attributed it to the lighting, but maybe there was more to it than that.
"You're thinking about something specific," Freya observed.
"Just processing," Diana said quickly. "This is a lot of new information."
"You'll do fine," Kieran said with quiet confidence. "You ask good questions. You listen to the answers. That puts you ahead of most humans who end up in supernatural communities."
"How do you figure?"
"Because you're not trying to make everything fit into what you already know. You're letting it be what it is." He picked up the empty canvas bag Freya had brought. "That's rarer than you might think."
Voices sounded from the porch, followed by the sound of work boots on the steps. Rowan appeared in the doorway, his flannel dusty and his dark hair mussed from the afternoon's labor. His eyes swept the lobby, taking in the new plants and the herb bundles before settling on Diana.
"How's the electrical looking?" she asked.
"Manageable. Need to run some new circuits, but the main panel's solid." His gaze flicked to Kieran and Freya. "Afternoon."
