Hunted (Pack of Dawn and Destiny, #1)(20)

Typically, werewolf mate bonds only happened when a werewolf saw his/her mate for the first time, but they could kick in if a werewolf’s mate was put in danger, even if there was a continent between the pair.

It was the latter that had happened to Greyson. He’d arrived to take over the Northern Lakes Pack, and roughly the same time his mate must have been put into a great deal of danger because he felt the bond snap into place…but because he had no idea who she was, he’d been unable to locate her.

An incomplete mate bond could be physically painful, and I was sympathetic enough to say I was sure Greyson suffered as a result of his incomplete bond.

But it also brought in a huge number of female werewolves sniffing around Timber Ridge, desperate to find out if they were his mate. It wasn’t surprising, considering he was pretty famous among werewolves due to the size of the Northern Lakes Pack, his power, and the persistent rumor that he was going to become the next Pre-Dominant in the far-off future when Harka chose to retire.

The whole thing struck me as stupid—wouldn’t his mate know she had a mate, too, as she’d have the incomplete bond as well?

I’d asked that before and been ignored.

It just makes me gladder I’m a hunter!

My fingers touched what I’d been looking for—a worn binder filled with crinkled papers. I dragged it out from its shelf and slapped it on the desk.

“Before we discuss Alpha Greyson, there are a couple of things you should know about.” I flipped the black binder open and spun it around so the werewolves could read it right-side-up. “These are the rules for visiting Timber Ridge. If you choose to break any of them, you will be escorted out of town, or possibly exiled from Northern Lakes Pack lands for life depending on the severity of the rule you break.”

The brunette looked like she wanted to object, but I’d given this talk too many times to let her get a word in.

I jabbed my finger at the top line of the paper. “First rule: you must be kind and courteous to all beings in Timber Ridge but particularly to the humans. The Northern Lakes Pack has invested a lot in this town and their relationship with the humans here. Anything you do to jeopardize that relationship will be punished.”

I waited a moment to make sure the pair was still listening before I tapped the next line on my plastic-covered guide. “Next rule: You must remain clothed at all times!”

Now it was the blond’s turn to frown. “You can’t mean we have to have clothes ready when we switch from werewolf to human form?”

“That is exactly what I mean,” I said. “We have a mayor as mean as a honey badger. If she sees you streaking she is going to call the chief of police—her husband—and smack you with a ticket and a hefty fine faster than you can blink. And then they’ll require a court appearance for public nudity, and possibly hit you with a second fine if they can find any witnesses in the area at the time of your transformation—believe me. It’s a mess. Save yourself a lot of time and money and stay clothed.”

I tugged two papers free from the back of the binder and slapped them down in front of the werewolves. “Here is a map marked with all the supply drops the Northern Lakes Pack has hidden around town. You are free to use them, but it’s asked that you use the Pack app to update when you take clothes from a location so they can be replaced.”

The brunette squinted. “You have a Pack app?”

“We have two super nerdy wolves who were bored last summer,” I dryly explained. “And here are the directions of how to download the app onto your cellphone.” I dug another sheet of paper out of my binder and placed it in front of them. “Next rule: no howling in Timber Ridge except in cases of emergency, or when the Pack is making a planned public relations event or demonstration. Mayor Pearl has informed the Pack—and fined them, shocking I’m sure based on what you have heard about our mayor—that wolf howling exceeds the number of decibels allowed within city limits…”

Shania listened with rapt attention and a sassy smile as I continued down the list—no catching and/or killing game within city limits, obey traffic laws even while in wolf form, and so on and so forth.

By the time I finished the werewolves were markedly less pouty and more in a state of amiable confusion.

“If you ever feel confused by any of these rules, please stop by the welcome center again, or call us—you’ll find the center’s number listed in the Pack app,” I said.

The women gathered up their papers, wrinkles creasing their foreheads.

If they were in wolf form, their ears would be twitching, I thought in amusement.

“Now, as for Greyson.” I shoved my binder aside and pulled out a much slimmer binder. “Let me check his schedule for the day.”

The werewolves perked up, and they leaned closer. “You’ll help us find him?”

“Oh, yes.” My grin unfurled with all the delight I could barely contain. “And it will be my pleasure. It’s one of the perks about this job!”





Chapter 6





Pip





Despite everyone painting Greyson as some sort of tortured soul, the Alpha had little tolerance for everyone’s sympathy regarding his missing mate, and nothing—not even I—exasperated him more than visiting werewolves testing to see if they were his lost love.