Page 36 of Bodyguard Wolf Shifter

"Why don't you tell him what you just told me?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"He's happy for the first time in his life. Nobody has even brought up the topic of what killed Detective Coleman. It's out there somewhere. Whether it is Goliath or not is something that I will find out. The bogeyman can't hide from me. Keep frosty. Don't let your guard down." Luke said.

"He's going to need more than that. You are being purposely misleading, but I can't understand why you won't let us in. Does this have something to do with us?" I asked.

"You really are persistent. Just like somebody else I know. We never did resolve the threat to your life. At least, not to my satisfaction. Somebody went to a lot of trouble to undermine the alpha. The author of that story is still a mystery. You have a lot to lose. It could be they are lying low waiting for the right time to strike. It's time to go on the offensive. This stays between the two of us. Let me go," he urged with a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm not sure what to say. Be careful is the only thing I can come up with." I hugged him even though it made him feel uncomfortable by the way that his entire body tensed up.

"Yes, well, this is goodbye for now." He adjusted the knapsack until it was perfectly balanced on his shoulders.

Flex joined me.

We both watched him go until he faded into the distance.

"Did he say anything useful? I can't make sense out of this insanity," Flex retorted.

"He's a big boy and can take care of himself. We have other priorities. Let him find his own path. He will come back when he's ready and not before," I said with both hands around his waist from behind.

"This is his home. I hope he remembers that and that he will always have a place here with me. Do you think he heard me?" he asked when a howl echoed throughout the forest.

"What do you think?" I asked while holding him tight.

"There is no certainty in life. Whatever happens, we will face it together as a family. I know he will come back. What else is there for him out there in this cold and unforgiving world? We will leave a light on for him," he said with a deep sigh of resignation.

We watched the young pups playing a game of tag in their natural animal forms. It amazed me to see they had not a worry in the world. They lived oblivious to the dangers of the human population lurking on the fringes of where they called home.

It was highly rewarding to see their childlike spirit.

"Very soon we will have one of our own. He is going to be a handful if he's anything like his father," I joked to see him smile.

"This is where I belong and I'm not going anywhere," Flex announced for everybody to hear.

The applause deafened me.

One chapter ended and another one was about to begin.

THE END