Blind Wolf (A Werewolf BBW Shifter Romance #1)(13)

"It's a girl," Jordan said. He sensed the change in Damien's demeanor, and his fur bristled. "Why are you—"

"It's her," Damien said.

"Who?"

"The girl I met at the library."

Jordan turned his eyes back to the house.

"She's not a wolf. She has no scent," he said.

"You're probably right."

"I know I'm right," Jordan said. He sniffed. "She didn't want to sell the house."

"What does she look like?" Damien asked. Desperate hope flooded through him, despite Jordan's words. She might not be a wolf, but she was his mate. He knew it now more than ever, in his wolf form.

"She's not very tall," Jordan said, smelling Damien's lust and realizing on the surface what it meant. "Red hair. Green eyes. A bit on the heavy side. Fair skin with freckles. Damien—"

"I just want to know," Damien said.

"Well, it's no wonder she's attracted to you," Jordan said, sniffing. "You're out of her league."

Damien growled, and Jordan stayed silent for a moment.

"She doesn't want to sell the house?" Damien asked.

"It's a foreclosure. Two months before they even start the eviction process," Jordan said. "I'm guessing they'll stay as long as possible, but they'll be kicked out eventually."

"That's a shame," Damien murmured.

"She could be persuaded," Jordan said. "You could convince her."

"We can find another place," Damien said. He couldn't manipulate Julia.

"We need a place now, and none of the others border the state park," Jordan said. "This area is perfect."

"Then we could stay here for a while," Damien said.

"Stay here? Where? In the woods?"

"We could camp out until they're evicted. We don't need to force her out."

"If you want to settle down here, Damien, you need to settle down."

"I want to settle. More than you know."

"To ask the pack to wait another month or two, when we don't have to... it's unwise."

"They'll do what I tell them to do," Damien said.

"You've always done what's best for the pack," Jordan said. His voice growled low, a warning. "And what's best for the pack right now is for you to settle down with Katherine and start your family. This is the only place we've found worth settling on."

Damien closed his mouth. He had been going to say something, but he knew Jordan would not want to hear his protests.

"Damien—"

"You're right. I'll talk to her," Damien said. He would have to figure something out, and fast. Katherine was already beginning to bother him about mating.

"Good."

"This is a good place," he said, nodding slowly. "A good place for our pack."

"Let's go find Kyle and Katherine before they run off together," Jordan said. Damien growled but followed him. The pack was thrilled to have found a place so suitable, and they spent the rest of the day relaxing in celebration. Damien begged off of going out with the rest of them, saying that he needed to figure out how to best organize the move. Jordan lingered behind in the room.

"You'd better decide what you're going to do," Jordan said, a pointed tone in his voice.

"About?"

"You know damn well what about. The girl. The one who's not a wolf."

"I'll do what's best for the pack," Damien said dryly. "Don't I always?"

"I'm worried about you," Jordan said. "And I'm worried that you've stopped keeping an eye on Katherine and Kyle."

"I trust you to do that," Damien said, the finality in his voice telling Jordan that that was the end of the conversation.

That night he tossed and turned before falling asleep, memories of the pack and of Julia swirling in his mind. When he finally closed his eyes, he dreamed about finding Katherine in the snow.

In his dream, it was a year and a half ago, and the scars through his eyes had not yet healed. Damien and Jordan had been walking the edge of two territories, trying to avoid either pack. Damien would often stumble over rock outcroppings. He had not yet grown accustomed to navigating with his other senses. The snow made the progress slow going, but they needed to avoid going through any territories owned outright by a wolf pack.

Their plan almost worked, except that the two adjacent packs had been fighting on the border. When Damien and Jordan began to smell the scent of blood and wolves more strongly, they almost turned back. But there was no better path, and the winter had made them weak. Damien's eyes leaked, his fur sticky.

"The scent is strong," Jordan said.

"It could be the fight," Damien said. "That would release more scent into the air. They could already be gone."

"Perhaps," Jordan growled. "I hope you're right."

"If anything happens, run north," Damien said softly.

"And you?" Jordan asked.

"I'll follow you," Damien said. He knew that Jordan was a faster runner, and that there was no way he could keep up. Jordan knew it too, but he kept his mouth shut.