Page 3 of Loan Wolf (Green Valley Shifters: Generations #1)

3

GABE

“W hoa, where’s the fire?”

Gabe, having nearly knocked over the tuba player and drawn the attention of everyone at the funeral, managed to compound his clumsiness by bowling out of the door into Linda Turner, who was carrying a platter of cookies.

“Sorry,” he murmured, catching the tray as she nearly dropped it. “No fire.”

Just failure.

His wolf was howling in his head.

“You okay?” Linda peered into his eyes. She was married to Fire Chief Turner, and a volunteer with the department herself, and also certified as an EMT. “I warned you about…”

“I’m not on drugs!” Gabe knew that he stood out in Green Valley, with his tattoos, pierced ear, and penchant for wearing black, but he’d never even smoked in school. Loud music and being a misfit were his only real sins.

“Okay, then,” Linda said skeptically. “Thank you for saving the cookies. Do you want one before you go?”

Gabe was already stalking away. There was only one cookie he wanted, and it wasn’t Linda’s.

Our mate is not a cookie, his wolf said in confusion. Does she have a cookie?

I don’t want to talk about it, Gabe answered. At least his wolf wasn’t still howling.

We waaaaaant her! his wolf insisted.

Well, we can’t have her!

Why did it have to be Clara Montgomery?

Gabe kicked at the garbage can at the curb and overestimated his swing so that it tumbled over instead of just making some noise. Even that wasn’t satisfying. Gabe only got two steps away before he was back to set it upright and pick up the trash that had spilled out.

Why couldn’t it have been someone more his speed? Gabe couldn’t have said what his speed really was, but he knew it wasn’t classy, rich, beautiful, graceful, sexy…

He threw the last crumpled can back in the trash bin and yanked his thoughts away from the last image of her, with her long legs, standing up to give Trevor Powell a big, warm hug.

She should be hugging us , his wolf said jealously.

No, she shouldn’t. Did she even remember him?

Gabe unlocked his bike and slung his helmet over his head, buckling the strap beneath his chin.

Green Valley was quiet, with nearly all of the town gathered at the high school for Gran’s funeral, and Gabe took advantage of the empty streets to ride in the middle of the streets at nearly shifter speed. Although it wasn’t a strenuous ride, he was sweating by the time he got back to his shop. It was nearly a hundred degrees, and nearly a hundred percent humidity, because the picturesque little town was actually hell itself, and he couldn’t wait to get out.

In another town, maybe he could stop seeing himself the way his mother had, like a screwup with no future.

A black cat who looked like he’d picked one too many fights with lawn mowers was grooming himself on the stoop of the bike shop and he growled in warning when Gabe nudged him gently aside with his foot to get to the door.

“Go menace a mouse, asshole.”

Pinochle stretched slowly and hopped down the two steps to the sidewalk, sending a disgusted look back over his shoulder.

“Don’t expect wet food tonight, ingrate,” Gabe told him. “I’m not made of money.”

But he crouched down for a moment anyway, carefully facing away as he pretended to adjust his shoe.

Pinochle was independent, and he wouldn’t approach anyone who invited him, but if he thought it was his own idea…

Gabe was just ready to give up on his laces when Pinochle came to rub up against his leg and accept a few careful pets.

A warning growl told Gabe when the cat was done with affection and Pinochle stalked away with his tail in the air, but Gabe felt better for the fleeting liberty that had been allowed.

The shop was two degrees cooler than it was outside, if that, and Gabe took off his sole short-sleeved dress shirt and turned on the fans before going behind the counter to sit on the stool and bury his head in his hands.

His mate .

What was he supposed to do?

Lick her, his wolf said sensibly.