Page 13

Chapter

Twelve

K NOX

I was walking down the main street, on my way to the bakery for my now-routine daily coffee, when I noticed the throng of people outside one of the shops. They jittered with nervous energy and were muttering amongst themselves, keeping their voices so low that only those with enhanced hearing could decipher them.

I frowned as my nose filled with the bitter scent of fear. I headed for the nearest people—an older couple. The woman was carrying a paper bag from the bakery.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

They turned to me. Her eyes widened with surprise, but his didn’t so I assumed he’d heard me coming.

“There’s been a break-in at the hardware store.” He crossed his arms, scowling fiercely. “They’ve been robbed.”

I stiffened. Perhaps elsewhere a break-in wouldn’t be out of the ordinary, but I’d been under the impression that Grizzly Ridge had a very low crime rate.

The woman wrung her hands. “Between this and the incident at the bakery, people are scared. ”

“You think they’re related?”

She stepped closer to her partner. “Things like this don’t happen around here.”

No. I hadn’t thought so.

“Thanks for filling me in.” I nodded to them and continued along the street, drawing nearer to the hardware shop.

One of the deputies—Clay, if I recalled right—was standing guard outside the store to stop rubberneckers from getting inside.

He shifted position as I approached. “Sorry, man, but I can’t let you in.”

I stopped in front of him. “Smells like wolf.”

He hesitated, then nodded.

“You know I spent some time in Moonlight Cove. If it was the wolves there that did this, then I’ll recognize their scents.”

He glanced over his shoulder, visibly uncertain. “I don’t know…”

“Ask Zander.”

Clay reached for his phone and dialed a number. “Boss? It’s Clay. We’ve got that wolf shifter mercenary out here. Says he might be able to recognize the scents.” He waited while Zander replied, then hung up and jerked his thumb toward the door. “You can go in. Just don’t touch anything.”

“Thanks.” I stepped inside through the door and into a dimly lit space with a concrete floor and rows of shelves extending almost all the way across from one wall to the other, with a narrow space to walk on the far side and a wider space on this side.

“Knox.” Zander stepped in front of me and tipped his hat. “What do you smell?”

I closed my eyes and breathed in, filtering through the layers of scent, mentally categorizing most as belonging to the Grizzly Ridge clan. A few stood out as being different.

“It was definitely wolves from Moonlight Cove,” I told him. “Two of them were in human form; the other was shifted, and judging from his scent, I’d say he’s on the verge of turning feral. Do you smell that hint of rotten meat?”

Zander breathed in deeply. “I do. Damn. I hope like hell they returned to Moonlight Cove and aren’t lying low around here somewhere. A wolf in that state could be dangerous.”

“His pack must be able to control him if they brought him with them.” It may not be much, but it was something at least. There was little worse than an out-of-control feral shifter. “Do you think this is related to the bakery incident and that break-in at the cabin?”

Zander’s lips pressed together. “I’m afraid I can’t share the details of a police investigation with a civilian.”

My gut clenched. “Come on,” I growled. “I’m trying to help you.”

“And you have.” He removed his hat and held it over his chest. “The best thing you can do now is go and get your coffee and carry on with your day. If and when I can share, I will, but not now.”

My jaw tightened, and my back teeth ground together. My fists clenched and my claws threatened to emerge, but by power of will, I held back the partial shift. Tilting my chin in acknowledgment, I strode away before I could say anything I’d regret later.

The crowd was still gathered outside, and many of them watched me with a combination of interest and caution as I left the shop and struggled to get my emotions under control. No doubt they could smell the strength of my turmoil and wanted to know what had caused it.

I drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. Perhaps I could use their interest to my benefit. Zander may have stonewalled me from the police investigation, but I wasn’t ready to drop this. The rogue wolf pack was showing far too much interest in Grizzly Ridge.

My mate lived here. I had to make sure he was safe. The last thing Danny needed was another reason to be scared.

With that in mind, I made my way to a cluster of three middle-aged shifters chatting quietly on the opposite side of the street.

“Have you gentlemen heard anything about what happened?” I asked, doing my best to come across as charming and unthreatening and probably failing.

The one on the left’s eyes narrowed. “You’re that wolf shifter. Aren’t you part of the rogue pack?”

His words hit like a punch. I tilted my face toward the sky so he wouldn’t see that they hurt. When I’d gathered myself, I looked at him again.

“No.” I spoke firmly and clearly. “I’m not. What do you know?”

The man didn’t respond, but one of his companions fidgeted so I turned toward him.

“The cops arrived about forty minutes ago,” he said, shooting a sidelong glance at his friends. “I was on my way to work and I didn’t hear anything before then, so maybe the hardware store has a silent alarm.”

“Thanks.” Considering his buddy’s suspicion, this was more information than I’d expected to get. “I’m Knox, by the way.”

“Ray.”

We shook hands.

“I’m due to get coffee.” I wouldn’t inflict my presence on them for longer than necessary.

I trudged toward the bakery, my heart heavy as I wondered whether I’d ever be completely welcome here, or if my name would always be tainted by association with Tomas and the rogue wolf pack.

A few minutes later, I arrived outside the bakery and looked in through the window. Danny was behind the counter, jotting something on a piece of paper. He looked up and we locked eyes. Slowly, he raised his hand and waved.

My heart lurched. Such a simple gesture, and yet it filled me with hope for a future with him that I’d hardly dared to envision.

Gods. Either I was a lucky son of a bitch, or I was setting myself up for a fall that I might never recover from.

Don’t break me, Danny.