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While Crew waited for the park shifters to arrive with supplies, he video-chatted with Dexter and Khyle while they were on the construction job, explaining what happened with Colton and what they could do to keep everyone safe.

“He could just be blustering,” Dexter said. “But it’s definitely better to err on the side of caution in this scenario. Khyle and I will stop by after we’re done here and help with the security install.”

“Thanks, Dexter.”

“It’ll be okay.”

Crew smiled. “It has to be. I just got Zara, I need to keep her safe.”

“You will. The herd stands together against any that come against us. We’ve all got your back. See you in a while.”

“Yep, drive safe.”

He turned at the sound of tires on the gravel drive and saw two large vans with the Amazing Adventure Safari Park emblems on the doors.

He called to Ford, Avi, and Grey, who were cleaning up in the barn, and they walked out to greet the males from the park.

Crew hadn’t spent much time at the park, but Neo was Dani’s mate and he came for dinner at Dexter and Nancy’s with Dani once a week, so he’d gotten to know the gorilla shifter well.

“Hey,” Neo said as he got out of the van. “I brought reinforcements.” Two males Crew didn’t recognize climbed out.

“I’m Seneca,” one said, extending his hand. “Normally, I’m working at the burger stall, but when Neo asked Patton to come along to help, I thought I’d flex my semi-mechanically-inclined muscles.”

“Thanks, man, I appreciate it.”

“I’m Patton,” the other male said. “I’m fully mechanically inclined.”

Crew grinned. He introduced the herd and thanked them again for coming to help. Patton and Neo went with Ford to look at the damage while Crew and the others began to unload the vans.

“There’s a plastic tub of security stuff from Jupiter,” Seneca said. “He said if you need help with the install to holler.”

“Awesome. I don’t know how to repay the help and everything.”

“Shifters have to stick together, even if we are different kinds. Neo and Dani are mated and Dexter and Khyle are his family, so that pretty much makes the herd part of the park shifters too,” Seneca said.

Crew knew he’d help anyone at the park if he was asked. Seneca was right—shifters helped other shifters. Unless they were assholes like Colton.

Neo, Patton, and Ford joined them, finishing up unloading the vans.

“We’ll stay until the work’s done, which should be finished by dinner,” Neo said.

“That would be awesome,” Ford said. “It would take me days to do this by myself, even with the other guys helping.”

“Happy to assist,” Neo said.

“You can join us for dinner,” Crew said. “Tris was marinating chicken in the fridge; I bet she’s planning to grill.”

“Count us in,” Patton said.

Crew sent a quick text to Tris to let her know they’d be joined by three males, and asked her to let Zara know that he’d be working until dinner.

He really needed to get her a phone.

Especially so he could send her texts whenever he wanted.

Sexy texts.

And she could maybe send him sexy texts too.

Turning his attention to the work ahead, he carried the tub of security gear to the workbench in the barn and unloaded it to catalog what was there. He’d work on the security upgrades while the others got the vehicles and machinery repaired, and then when Dexter and Khyle showed up, he’d get their help with the actual install.

They had enough motion sensors, cameras, and flood lights to put around the farmhouse and storage barn, but he’d have to order more for the livestock barn.

He hated that Colton had attacked them the way he had, but he’d never be sorry he invited the male to come to town because otherwise he wouldn’t have met Zara, and that was a hell he didn’t want to think about.

* * *

By the time dinner rolled around, Crew, Dexter, and Khyle had hooked up the new security system, and the others had replaced the slashed tires and fixed most everything with the machinery and vehicles. The only thing that hadn’t been fixed was a rototiller that they used for the garden, and it needed to be replaced because it was beyond repair.

He found Zara in the house setting the table, and he whistled at her and she joined him in the bathroom where he washed his hands. “How’s your day been?” he asked.

“Good. I had fun with Nancy and Tris. We organized the pantry and watched Tris’s favorite movie. I wanted to ask you something.”

“Sure.” He dried off his hands and hugged her, so glad to have a chance to just inhale her sweet scent.

She hugged him back and sighed happily. “Could we go shopping?”

“For what?”

“Clothes. I don’t really have anything. Nothing nice, anyway. Nancy offered to let me shop on her online account, but I’ve only ever shopped at thrift stores so I thought it would be cool to go to a mall maybe? I don’t have any money, though.”

He kissed her and said, “Everything I have is yours, including money. When you’re part of the herd, everything is covered. We can go out tomorrow and get something to eat and shop.”

“Perfect. Thank you.”

“Date number two,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too.”

They joined the herd and their guests, and after he introduced Zara to their guests, they sat for dinner.

He cleared his throat. “I just want to say how thankful I am for allies. We’re fortunate to have the park shifters nearby and willing to help. Not only Neo because he’s Dani’s mate, but his friends and the alphas too. Thank you, all of you, for coming to help today and bringing the supplies. It means the world to me and the herd.”

“You’re welcome, it’s our pleasure to help,” Neo said.

“And Tris is a fabulous cook,” Patton said. “We’d never turn down an invitation to hang out here and get a meal.”

Tris grinned.

They tucked into the meal and conversation flowed around the table, with the park shifters talking about the times the park had come under attack over the years, most recently from a wolf pack that Jasper had belonged to and his soulmate was from.

Their own stallion herd had troubles not too long ago when they invited a herd to join them, hoping to form an alliance. The other herd had tried to take over, much in the same way that Colton seemed to be planning.

One way or another, Crew was determined to keep the herd safe—particularly his beautiful soulmate—from Colton and his people.

When the meal was finished, they said goodbye to the park shifters, and then the males shooed the females out of the kitchen to handle the cleanup.

Crew piled a few plates on top of each other and carried them to the sink where Avi was up to his elbows in suds.

“Look at you being all domestic,” Avi teased. “Finding Zara has been good for you.”

Crew laughed. “She’s definitely good for me. I feel like I was only half living before I met her.”

“Man, I can’t wait for that,” Grey said.

“What if Colton comes back?” Avi asked.

Crew mused on that. He’d been wondering too.

“He might not,” Crew said. “He could have just fucked with our equipment as a pissy move meant to cause a ruckus. But it would be foolish of us to assume he won’t come back. The security measures will help keep us informed, and we should do what Neo mentioned—no one goes anywhere alone.”

“Agreed,” Ford said. “If he does come back, we’ll be ready for him.”

The herd shared a moment of silence, determination settling over all of them.

“We’ve got this,” Grey said. “No matter what.”

They finished cleaning up the kitchen and then they joined the females in the family room, where they’d cued up a movie to watch.

He was more determined than ever to ensure that his sweetheart was safe, and the herd too. As alpha, it was his job to make sure they were safe, but as a mate, he had to keep Zara safe above all else.

Despite the challenges and uncertainties that lay ahead, he found a bit of peace in the mundane activity of watching a movie with the herd, his soulmate tucked against his side, and he was thankful for it.

He’d take moments of peace whenever he could.