I worked landscaping and construction, moved around the country, kept mostly to myself and tried to figure out if there’d ever be a place for me where I could settle down and just…be. No matter where I lived, after a few months invariably someone would approach me, usually a wolf or other apex shifter, and strongly hint I should move on from their territory, if I knew what was good for me.
For years I crisscrossed the country, slowly making friends with other “orphaned” shifters. Once the Internet was a thing I found a small group of orphaned shifters peacefully co-existing outside of Detroit and made my way there. They weren’t bad people, but there were established cliques and I never fit in. It wasn’t a pack. Eventually, it led me to learning about the Ocala Pack, and I took a risk to venture here hoping to finally find a home.
A permanent home.
I love my mate, I do. But if Jax has changed his mind about having a pup, I need to know. I hung my hopes on that dream for decades. If he’d said from the start he didn’t want pups, while sad, I would have accepted it.
This leaves me to wonder if he’s withheld other secrets.
As I run this morning to burn off the anger and fear and pain—and grief—I try to let all of that go for now and absorb my surroundings into my lungs and paws and let it coat my fur.
This is home, and Jax is mine the way I am his.
I hope we can figure out a way through this together without breaking either of our hearts.
Chapter Seventeen
Mal
Settling In
It’s not hard to put together that the shifter I scented in Brooksville is Todd. The name on the side of his truck, for starters, but the scent is him.
The work isn’t clean, and it’s not easy, but it’s far from the dirtiest, hardest, or grossest work I’ve ever done.
Unlike my Alpha brothers, I’ve never shied from grueling physical labor. One of the reasons I became a plumber is it pays well and is a useful trade anywhere I go. Everyone needs plumbers, unless they live in a primitive dry cabin.
It also meant I could support myself.
I suppose I always suspected Dad would do everything in his power to keep under his thumb, unable to be an “embarrassment” to him. Carefully cultivate his image and control mine.
Meaning a son who, to the outside world, looks no different than anyone else.
Which I really don’t get. My leaving means we both get what we want, right? Me gone and out of sight, and him no longer able to be “embarrassed” by me.
I like working with cattle. The guys I’m shadowing aren’t dicks, and by lunchtime, I’m famished but also learning the routine.
Todd shows up with lunch for the crew, subs and cold bottles of water, and we sit at picnic tables under the shade of a nearby oak to eat. He’s…
Well, Todd’s a hottie. Impressive mountain of a man, has to be at least 6’9” and around 300 pounds of what looks like solid muscle. Broad-shoulders, the sleeves of his work shirt rolled up almost to his elbows highlight strong, work-hardened arms and thick fingers it’d be too easy to picture sliding inside me. Barrel-chested, tapering to a narrow waist and massive thighs that look like they’re testing the tensile strength of his faded jeans. Reddish brown hair, deep brown eyes I could lose myself in trying to spot all the different colored flecks, and lips I can easily imagine slanting over mine and?—
Yum.
I’m glad I’m sitting down because I’m hard. I’m also struggling not to look to see if he’s printing against those jeans. I damn sure hope he’ll put me on the menu for my initiation.
“How you doing so far?” he asks.
I nod while I’m chowing down on my sandwich. “Love it!”
He snorts. “Really?”
“Compared to things I’ve done in the past? Absolutely.”
“No complaints, boss,” Terry says. According to Todd, Terry is one of his best guys, the barn manager, and he’s worked for him for over fifteen years. “He’s a hard worker. Doing a great job so far.”
“Fantastic,” Todd says. The way he looks at me, with more than a hint of hunger, threatens to make my cock explode. “Jax texted and said it’ll be a couple of days before Shawn starts introducing you around.”
A tendril of fear rolls through me. “Because of me?”
