“Don’t get domestic on us,” Ryder called from the office where he was setting up filing cabinets. “Next you’ll want curtains with little flowers.”
“I like flowers,” Hunter said mildly, which made everyone laugh. The idea of their stone-faced tracker caring about interior decoration was absurd enough to break the tension of a long day.
By evening, they were operational. Communication systems active, security measures in place, personal spaces claimed and organized. Everything they needed to serve this community properly.
Dom looked around the room at the five people who’d followed him into this strange life of protecting shifter communities. Siren with her sharp wit and sharper instincts. Axel with his quiet competence and technological expertise. Hunter with his tactical awareness and hidden creative flair. Blaze with his protective streak and secret domestic interests. Ryder with his youth and determination.
They were his family. Everything he did served them and the mission they’d chosen together.
Chapter
Two
Valeria Reynolds satin her patrol car behind the Fate Mountain Community Center, adjusting her rearview mirror for the third time in ten minutes. The radio crackled, and she reached over to check the volume again. What if she missed an important call? What if dispatch tried to reach her, and she didn’t hear it?
Her uniform felt stiff against her skin, but every piece of her equipment was positioned exactly where it should be according to the manual. She’d been on the force for a year now, but she still felt like a little girl playing dress-up in her father’s clothes.
A blue sedan cruised past her position, going thirty-five in a twenty-five zone. Valeria’s heart jumped. This was it. Her chance to prove herself today.
She flipped on her lights and pulled out, following the sedan for half a block before the driver noticed and pulled over. Valeria parked behind the car and took a deep breath. Just a simple traffic stop. She could do this.
The driver rolled down his window as she approached. He was a middle-aged man wearing a Hawaiian shirt.
“Afternoon, sir. Do you know why I pulled you over?”
The man squinted up at her. “Was I speeding? I thought I was going the speed limit.”
“Thirty-five in a twenty-five zone.” Valeria pulled out her citation book, fumbling with the pages. “I’ll need to see your license and registration.”
The man handed over his documents with a sigh. “Look, officer, I’m just trying to get to the Fate Mountain Lodge. I’ve been driving for six hours.”
“I understand, sir, but safety is our top priority here in Fate Mountain.” Valeria began filling out the citation, taking her time to make sure every letter was perfectly legible. Her handwriting had to be neat. Her father always said sloppy paperwork made for sloppy police work.
The tourist tapped his fingers on his steering wheel. “How long is this going to take?”
“Just a few more minutes, sir.” Valeria double-checked the license number, then the registration.
A gust of mountain wind caught her citation book and ripped it from her hands. Papers scattered across the asphalt like oversized confetti.
“Shit.” The word slipped out before she could stop it. She scrambled to gather the forms, her face on fire with embarrassment. The tourist sat in his car, shaking his head and checking his watch.
“Are you new at this, honey?”
Valeria’s cheeks burned as she looked up to find the tourist watching her with amusement. By the time she’d collected all the papers and had written a new citation, fifteen minutes had passed. The man snatched the ticket from her hand without a word and drove off.
Valeria slumped back into her patrol car just as her radio crackled to life. “Unit 12, do you copy?”
She grabbed for the radio and fumbled with the handset. Static filled the air.
“Unit 12, do you copy?” The dispatcher’s voice carried a hint of impatience.
Valeria finally managed to key the mic. “Sorry, Dispatch, I was... dealing with traffic.”
“Ten-four, Unit 12. Return to station for end of shift.”
“Copy that.”
She set the radio down and closed her eyes.Dad makes this look easy. Gabriel never drops anything.A year on the force and she still felt like an imposter. Her bear stirred restlessly beneath her skin, agitated by her stress.
