Page 5 of The Wolf’s Wounded Omega (The Grizzly Ridge #2)

Chapter

Four

K NOX

My paws hardly made a sound as I raced across the damp earth, winding between trees and sparse bushes that had lost most of their leaves already. A familiar scent called out to me, and I stopped so quickly that my back legs skidded and I nearly lost my footing.

My mate.

I doubled back, searching for the source of the delicious sugar-and-honey scent that belonged to Danny. As it grew stronger, I noticed a sharp metallic undercurrent—that of an omega in distress.

I stiffened. Was Danny out here? Was he hurt?

Moving faster, I encountered the origin of the scent trail, and halted once again. The trail was at least a couple of days old. Danny hadn’t been here recently.

In fact, looking around, I realized it was possible this was where he’d run to get away from me after leaving his parents’ home. We were only a couple of miles from the back of their property.

My heart sank as I scuffed my muzzle along the dirt, doing my best to breathe in as much of him as possible. If the trail was from then, it meant that the distress he’d been experiencing was because of me. I hated knowing that I’d caused my mate any kind of discomfort.

I straightened and followed the trail, curious to see where it would lead. Another scent joined Danny’s and I growled.

An alpha.

My growl deepened. Whoever they were, I would rip their throat out. Danny was mine.

But almost as soon as it had gathered, my tension dissipated. I recognized the alpha’s scent. It was one of Danny’s brothers. The cop. I had nothing to fear from him.

I continued to follow the trail until it forked—in one direction, heading toward his parents’ house, and in the other… Well, I’d just have to find out.

I trotted along, my nose low to the ground to make sure I didn’t lose the scent. Not that I was likely to. It was the most intoxicating thing my sensitive nose had ever smelled.

A few hundred yards away, I arrived outside a large house. Based on its location, it must be on the same road as the one the Alpha lives on. But then I thought I heard Milo say that all of the family live along the same street. I scanned the area but didn’t see anyone, so I padded closer. My mate’s scent was pooled around the house. This must be his home.

I sat back on my haunches. He had a nice place. Better than what I could offer him. The cabin Li and Yuri had taken me to, after speaking with Yuri’s parents, was habitable, but that was about the most that could be said for it.

Damn.

I shook my head. No, I should be pleased that my mate was comfortable. It was ridiculous to be unhappy that I hadn’t been the one to provide for him .

I turned away from the house and resumed my run around the perimeter of the township. All the while, my mind was consumed by thoughts of Danny. The dark waves of his hair. The deep brown of his eyes, which had become golden as his bear surfaced.

Stunning.

When I returned to the cabin I was now renting, I shifted on the front doorstep and collected the key from underneath a loose board. I unlocked the door and let myself in.

Inside, the cabin was somehow even colder. The walls seemed to preserve the chill. Shivering, I wandered naked through the small living area to the bathroom. I took a quick shower and dried myself before any water was able to cool my skin further.

That done, I went to the tiny bedroom and opened my suitcase, searching through for one of my nicer sets of clothes. I tugged on a pair of dark jeans, a long-sleeved black shirt, and my leather jacket. I left my hair hanging around my shoulders. I hoped it wouldn’t freeze once I left the house.

I considered riding my motorcycle to the bakery but decided to walk instead. Perhaps I’d look less intimidating to Danny without the massive metal beast accompanying me. Hopefully he wouldn’t be as afraid of me as he had been the other night. Surely he knew that if I’d intended to force my presence upon him, I would have done so by now.

If he didn’t want me at his place of work, then I’d leave. Well, at least I would as soon as I got my coffee. There was none at the cabin and I was severely under-caffeinated.

I locked the cabin behind myself and strode up the road. The concrete sidewalk began a few blocks ahead. I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets and looked up at the sky. It was gray and I wouldn’t be surprised if it started to rain before long.

It took me fifteen minutes to reach the center of town. Even though it was early, the bakery was already bustling. I peered through large glass windows at a line of people at least six deep and reached for the door handle. I yanked it open and flinched, startled by the ding of an analog doorbell.

A couple of people in the line turned toward me but most of them didn’t seem too curious. I joined the back of the line and scanned the insides of the display cabinets. As a wolf, my tastes ran more to savory foods than sweet, but the occasional treat didn’t go amiss.

I breathed in and beneath the scent of pastry, cookies, and coffee, I smelled something even sweeter. My mouth watered. I may not love sweet food, but I wanted to take a bite out of whatever was responsible for that scent. Although I suspected I knew what—or who—it was.

Danny.

I craned my neck to look around the people in front of me. There he was. Behind the counter, shifting fruit pastries from a cooking tray into the cabinet. He glanced up and our eyes met. His eyes widened and he took a step back, his muscles tensing and his scent souring with a hint of fear.

My stomach dropped. He was still scared of me.

I held up my hands to show I meant no harm. “I’m only here for coffee.”

At that, everyone who’d previously ignored me turned toward me.

“J-Just coffee?” Danny stammered.

“That’s all, I promise.”

I waited to see what he’d do. There was every chance he’d ask me to leave, and if he did, I’d respect that. I wouldn’t want to, but my mate’s comfort came first.

“Okay then.” He nibbled on his lower lip, his hand shaking as he finished unloading the pastries. Once he’d finished that, he raised his gaze to mine. “What type of coffee would you like?”

One of the men in line ahead of me grunted in protest, but Danny ignored him.

“Espresso,” I said. “Double-shot.”

Danny’s mouth twisted in a little smirk. “You do seem like the type.”

What did that mean? Was it a compliment… or not?

I didn’t ask, and he turned away and began preparing my drink at the coffee machine. I watched his movements. While I’d been told that he was a baker, he clearly knew how to make a decent cup of coffee as well. He directed the espresso shots into a cardboard take-out cup and offered it to me.

“On me,” he said. “Consider it a thank-you for saving Milo, and a welcome to town. Will you be staying?”

I accepted the cup and nodded. “For a while, at least.”

“Okay.”

Was he glad to hear it? It was impossible to tell. Last time I’d seen him, his expression had been easy to read, but now he was masking his feelings. At least I could no longer smell his fear or distress.

I held up the cup as if making a toast. “Thank you, Danny. I’ll see you around.”

I whistled to myself as I left, a smile creeping across my face. That hadn’t gone terribly. He hadn’t run away, nor had he rejected me. Things were looking up. If I could get a job, I might even call this a good day.

Sipping my coffee, savoring the rich bittersweetness on my tongue, I made my way to the police station. Considering my experience, I hoped that they might be open to employing me, at least on a trial basis .

Unfortunately, my optimism didn’t last for long. Zander, the police chief, was polite and friendly but made it clear that he wouldn’t be offering me any kind of job until things were settled between Danny and me. He didn’t want to do anything that might upset his brother.

I understood, but how was I supposed to win his brother over if I didn’t have a way to support myself in the meantime? I had some savings but not enough to last more than a couple of months.

Undeterred, I wandered from one business to the next, asking about job openings. Everywhere, it was the same. Even though no one came straight out and said it, I got the impression that they didn’t think I was worthy of their beautiful omega, so they weren’t willing to help.

By the time I traipsed down the path to my new cabin and unlocked the door, I was deflated. I flopped onto the sofa and rubbed the knot of scar tissue on my chest. Shifters didn’t easily scar, but my father’s claws had been tipped with silver when he’d tried to tear my heart out.

I gritted my teeth at the reminder that one of the people who was supposed to love me unconditionally had tried to kill me. Even though he hadn’t succeeded in removing my heart from my chest, the poison still should have finished me off. The only reason it hadn’t was because of a kindly warlock who’d kept me alive long enough to find a healer and remove the toxin.

I closed my eyes. I’d escaped. I was still alive. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that there must be something wrong with me. If my father hadn’t loved me, why did I think my mate would be any different?