Page 3 of Rogue If You Want To (Fur-Ever Mountain Pack #2)

TORIN

It’d been three months since I left my childhood home. But I was far from settled. I accepted any unskilled job I could get, but I was drifting, like a plastic bag being blown about by the wind.

The heartache I experienced from missing Mom was ever present, but it dulled by the day. Not that I missed or thought about her less, but the pain eased, and I filled my head with happy memories.

Initially, my wolf was pleased about my new lifestyle because I chose to live and work in small towns, close to the forest. Any free time I had, I let him shift and figured if he was content, he wouldn’t take his fur in the midst of a bunch of humans.

But now he was uncertain about where we were headed.

I’ll know it when I find it , I told him as I parked in front of a diner with a Help Wanted sign on the door.

The paper was frayed around the edges, suggesting it was a permanent fixture on the door.

I had no references from the two jobs I’d had since leaving home, but I’d present the one from the factory manager in my home town stating I was a hard worker, reliable, and willing to do overtime.

There was no particular reason I’d left those menial jobs other than I wasn’t prepared to settle in a place that was good enough. I was convinced I belonged somewhere, and I’d continue to upend my life until I found it.

Multiple scents whacked me in the face as I walked in.

The human one was first, overpowering even the aroma of bacon grease.

I didn’t expect the diner to be a haven for shifters and assumed I’d recognize shifter scent when I encountered it.

Mr. Garrison was a wolf like me, and I’d never met any other kind.

It wasn’t as though I could sidle up to someone and ask if they had fur or scales.

“Let me guess.” A woman behind the counter eyed me up and down. Her weary gaze told me nothing surprised her, though if I sprouted a tail, that might alter her world view. “Are you here about the job?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Growing up where I did, the townspeople liked to be called ma’am or sir.

“Can you work nights?”

“Absolutely. I can work whatever shift you need.”

“You look more like a server rather than working in the kitchen.”

Neither was my preference, but I told her I had experience front of house and the back. That was a fancy term, more suited to a hotel or high-end restaurant, but her eyes lit up.

“Kitchen. You start at five this afternoon. The pay is minimum wage plus any tips the servers want to share, but I warn you, it won’t be much.”

I wasn’t expecting any tips. As long as I earned enough to cover a room, groceries, and gas, it’d be okay.

She introduced herself as Maisie. The name suited her, as it sounded strong and capable.

"Torin." I shook her hand. "Thank you."

She ushered me into the kitchen so I’d know what I was getting into.

I was prepared for the cramped conditions and outdated equipment.

But it was better than the drive-through I’d worked where the customers complained and were often rude.

I’d gotten used to leaning out, my arm extended, but the humans had a worse time of it than I did.

My time as a gardener had been cut short when I mowed over someone’s prized flowers and the homeowner had gotten in his car and chased me out of town.

If I could survive those jobs, this kitchen wouldn't faze me.

Maisie ran over my duties that included dishwashing—of course it did. There was a never-ending supply of filthy crockery, cutlery, and pots and pans in a diner. She pointed out she might need extra help on the grill during the busy periods.

She introduced me to Saxon, the other kitchen hand. He seems nice enough, and he’d grown up in town and had worked for Maisie since leaving school. His life imitated my former one, but he seemed content when I got to know him.

I’d been at Maisie’s for a few weeks before Saxon mentioned a group of people living together in the mountains outside of town.

I didn’t pay much attention at first, thinking they were into wellness or maybe they were part of a commune.

Neither of those were my thing, but he often interspersed his conversations with tidbits about them.

“My cousin was working up the mountain today at that Stoney River place I mentioned last week.”

“Okay.” I was scrubbing dried egg off a plate and wasn’t really listening.

“They keep to themselves but come to town for supplies. I hear they’re trying to become self-sufficient.”

I didn’t respond because I didn’t have a back yard for a garden, and while I could bang in a nail, I wasn’t a plumber or carpenter.

“My cousin said one of them called the head guy Alpha.”

My hands froze, and my wolf begged me to set him free. I wanted to throttle Saxon and get him to spill what he knew, but he was taking his time to spin his yarn, and I couldn’t afford to alienate him.

“Alpha?” Maybe they referred to themselves as alpha and omega, but if there were more than one of each, it would be confusing. “Why is that?”

He shook his head, but he added that they were the outdoors kind with almost superhuman strength. He’d watched as one picked up a log and balanced it on his shoulder like it was nothing.

We have to go there now. My wolf was convinced they were shifters, and while it was possible, I wasn’t risking my job to skedaddle up the mountain only to find a cult.

“I don’t think they’re a large extended family, but they’re very close.”

“Found family.” The words were out of my mouth before I’d thought of what to say.

“Huh?”

“Nothing.” I scrubbed that egg so hard I almost broke the plate with my supercharged shifter strength. My wolf was bouncing up and down, saying we should go meet them.

“One couple have a baby and a lot more people moved in recently which was why they needed new pumps.”

How could I get more information from Saxon without appearing as though I wanted to dash off and join them?

“Sounds intriguing.” I could lug stuff about.

That got Saxon’s attention and he side-eyed me. “Are you thinking of joining them?” His arched brows needed to come down, but they stayed where they were. “You’ve only been here a few weeks and Maisie really likes you.”

“Not sure. It sounds interesting, and I might check it out on my day off.” I kept my voice level, not wanting to betray my excitement.

He gave me directions, and I stored the details in my memory. Now if I could only speed up time to Monday when I wasn’t working.

I couldn’t concentrate on work that night or the following ones.

My wolf had to warn me if I was about to burn a burger or if Maisie or Saxon needed me.

And I lay awake in my narrow bed thinking of how I’d approach the shifters at Stoney River.

If they were a den of bears, they probably wouldn’t want me.

Maybe they’re dragons because they live on a mountain .

Mr. Garrison had said dragon shifters existed, but he might have been making that up.

He’d also warned me that many packs didn’t welcome outsiders, and I didn’t know where I’d originated.

He’d explained pack dynamics and how packs often adhered to a strict hierarchy.

The use of “Alpha” suggested this group had a head guy and they weren’t loosey goosey about the pecking order.

I was awake before dawn on Monday and packed a lunch because there weren’t any fast food places where I was going. A gas station with an attached convenience store was about all I’d find.

I’d never driven up the mountain because I wasn’t in town to sightsee. But the higher I got the fresher the air became, and it was tinged with shifter scents. I pulled over at a scenic spot and studied the valley below. But I caught something else in the wind.

Blood. My wolf was quicker than me in identifying it, and he howled as if the strong smell was painful.

My beast clawed at me to find the source when we both picked up another scent paired with the blood.

This one felled me, and I sank onto the dirt.

Instinct gripped me by the throat, sending a message to pay attention to the scent.

Mate!

I scrambled up and backtracked along the road but didn’t find him.

Launching myself into the woods, I spent an hour racing between the trees and leaping over rocks until I came to a stream, and that was when I lost him.

I waded in and over to the other side, but other than disturbing squirrels and a fox, I was alone.

My wolf and I howled at how unfair the universe was. It has shown me my one and only and snatched him away.