“Do. And if you hear anyone mention Doson or any news about traveling bears, let me know.”
“Will do!”
Chapter 8
Dahy woke warm and cozy in his nest of pillows, blankets, and duvets. Life could be worse. He reached out and snatched the bag of pistachios he’d tucked into the Crocs. What would he do today? He ate a nut and sighed. He had another and another, and when his hand filled up with shells, he placed them on the floor next to the bed. He’d clean them up later. Maybe. No one would see them anyway.
Sighing, he did his best to fight off the desolation filling him. He might be warm and cozy indoors. He might eat pistachios instead of birdseed mix, but he was as lonely as he’d been before, and while the scent of wolf was replaced slowly by his own fragrance, this wasn’t his home.
He reached for his phone and texted Myka. He hadn’t more than put the phone down again before it rang. Myka. He answered.
“Dahy! Are you okay?”
Ice filled his gut. “Yeah. Did something happen?”
“Oh, good. I was afraid he’d found you.”
Dahy pushed off the cover and reached for his jeans. “Who?” Getting dressed while pinning the phone to his ear with his shoulder was a challenge.
“The scary guy. Yesterday evening, Roan and I were lazing around in front of the TV when there was a scratch on the door. It was Konrad.”
Heat rushed through Dahy, and he gasped. Then he squeezed his lips together. What the fuck was wrong with him? “What did he want?”
Had he gone from here to Myka’s? Maybe. Poor thing must’ve been gasping for air after the perfume overdose.
“He was in wolf form, so he didn’t say, but he took Roan with him to a place where he’d come across a scent of a foreign bear.”
“Foreign?”
“Erm…they don’t know if it’s foreign, apparently they don’t know which bears are local and which aren’t, but it might be him.”
Dahy’s brain was still stuck on Konrad. “The guy from the coffee shop?”
“Exactly! Roan is trying to fix it so there will be someone from the pack who he trusts in the coffee shop at all times through my shift today.”
“Good.” Dahy might not want to be close to wolves, but he didn’t want Myka to be hurt because of something he’d done—existing was what he’d done. Unless you counted the stolen Crocs, but existing was enough for most wolves and bears to want to kill him. He frowned. He hadn’t had a run-in with a bear in several years. It would surprise him if a bear came hunting for him now. Though, he’d been surprised before.
“Yeah, I have to say it makes me feel a little better, but it means I can’t come see you.”
“We’d already decided we shouldn’t see each other.” Restlessness swept through Dahy. Had he known he’d have to stay in hiding, he could have stayed in the trees in the park. Glancing out of the window, he spotted a huge oak tree, and a fizzle of excitement swept through him. He could still shift and climb trees. He could get up there, jump the branches, maybe collect some acorns. Yes, he’d shift and collect acorns. He’d hide them in different places so he had a stash should he need to leave the cabin in a hurry.
“I know, but I hate the idea of you sitting there all on your own with nothing to do.”
“I have books.” And he did. He’d shift, gather acorns, and then pop into the bath with a book. A squirrel could have it worse, much worse. “And being here is much better than hiding in a park and eating seeds from the bird feeders.”
She made a choking sound. “You wouldn’t!”
“Have done many times.” He chuckled at the outraged tone.
“I have to go, Roan is coming.”
Ugh, wolves. He almost ended the call immediately but stopped himself. “Okay, be careful today.”
“You too! I’ll text during the day, okay?”
“Do! Let me know if anything weird is going on.” He hoped there wouldn’t be anything, or if there was, it would turn out to be pack business and have nothing to do with him.
* * * *
