Page 7 of Been There Dragon That
“You sure it wasn’t these hooligans?” Sean asked.
“No,” Wrath answered. “Their scent is unfamiliar to me. They weren’t in the house.”
Sean shook his head. “Still floors me how your people can do that. Smelling a person like a bloodhound.”
“There was no blood.”
Sean chuckled. “Bloodhound is a tracking breed of dog. They use them to track escaped prisoners, lost children. They’ve got the best noses.”
“But there are none of them here in Mystery?” Perhaps he and Aarav should’ve consulted others about this crime and should be looking for these bloodhounds.
“Bloodhounds? They might have some up at the prison west of Fairfield, but they wouldn’t share.”
“If we could shift openly, we would be able to use our abilities better. They’re not as strong in these forms.” Wrath’s shoulders fell with his exhale.
“Pretty sure your dragon walking down the street would be more traumatizing than a break-in.” Wrath and Sean tossed the last guy into the bed of the truck.
“I’m sure that’s true.” Wrath let a slightly relaxed laugh roll up through his chest. He wouldn’t even fit on the neighborhood street as his dragon. His claws would wreck the asphalt. It’d look like a scene from that dinosaur movie Kann’s wife, Penny, was obsessed with. “Knox said he was nervous someone would take a shot at him if he walked through the neighborhood as his wolf. He said he would try to sneak through tonight and see if he could catch anything I might’ve missed.”
“Good,” Sean answered. “You’re doing your best. That’s all the town can expect.”
Wrath slammed the tailgate closed on the unconscious pile of men.
Liam leaned over the side of the truck and looked at them. “It’s supposed to get up to about sixty-five today, they’ll be fine, other than the aches and pains they’ll wake up with.”
“You need to go change, Wrath. Got blood on your uniform. You’ll scare the civies if you get more calls.”
Wrath looked down at his khaki shirt and pants. Blood spattered from the fight had gotten on both. Then moving the men, more had smeared on his hands and sleeves. “Well, fuck.”
Liam put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re doing good, Wrath. Give yourself a break. It’ll come together.”
“It needs to come together before someone gets hurt,” Wrath bit out, anger sharpening each word. “Call me if you have any more trouble with them.”
The bartender nodded, his gaze steady and solemn. “I’ll see you at Col’s for dinner tonight.”
Wrath nodded and left quickly. He’d completely forgotten thefamilytribe dinner was tonight. Naomi, Col’s mate, insisted they all eat together regularly.
He headed for his cabin after radioing Patsy.
His cabin was like the others the tribe had built already. One of the women, Penny, was in charge of the construction and organization. She’d called extra crews over the summer and had several extra cabins built. He’d been grateful they’d allowed him to have one. Sharing a room with Aarav’s brothers in a community-style cabin hadn’t been appealing.
His cabin was the furthest south from Col and Naomi’s. They stretched in a line up and down the bank of the river that wound its way around the base of the mountain and eventually joined the other river that bordered Mystery.
He parked in front of his cabin and got out of the car, slammed the door of the cruiser, and immediately yanked his bloodied shirt over his head.
He was failing.
At everything.
He couldn’t protect the town. He couldn’t find his mate.
He walked into the empty living room. He didn’t have a single piece of furniture. He couldn’t bring himself to buy anything. His mate should get to pick out things. It would be hers. It didn’t feel like his, even though the entire tribe of mated women told him his future mate wouldn’t mind if he purchased a few things.
He stared out the back wall of windows. The view was stunning. He loved this place–Alaska. The mountains. The trees. It was beautiful.
But a beautiful home and countryside couldn’t make up for the empty aching place in his heart.
He let his dragon rise in his chest, and he roared. The cry echoed through the empty cabin. Pain and frustration reverberated back and forth off the bare walls.
