Two Wrong Turns (Love Sync Mates Season Two #9)

Chapter 2

Nolan

I’d been headed home when Robbie called me. “Sorry to bother you, Nolan. There’s an issue at the Ridge.”

If it had been anyone else, I’d have asked another deputy to take over. It wasn’t like they didn’t have the capability to take care of things for me. There was nothing special about me in that way.

But when it came to anything involving The Ridge and the families that lived there, I had to intervene. They would only listen to the Alpha of the pack. It was an archaic system, yet there was no telling them otherwise.

Driving through the empty backroads relaxed me enough that I knew I wouldn’t blow up at whatever two fools were going at it today. My temper had been horrendous for the last three months. I couldn’t figure out the cause, and my bear was restless. He wouldn’t tell me what bothered him, only that something was wrong.

When I made it to my destination, I found Robbie waiting by his own vehicle. His gaze was set on the two men arguing outside the house.

I approached him, my eyes never straying from the others. If they thought we weren’t paying them any mind, they’d likely shift and turn this into a bloody mess. And sure, their abilities would heal them, but it was the principle. They couldn’t just fucking fight every time something bothered them.

What happened to communication? Why didn’t people just talk it out?

This fucking old school way of dealing things drove me mad. If it weren’t for my body burning through alcohol so quickly, I’d been planning to drink myself into a stupor after this. As it was, I intended to go get enough pie from the diner to give me a stomachache since that wouldn’t fade as quickly.

“Give me the rundown,” I told Robbie.

His scent softened at my question. The caramel apple had turned sour with the tension from the altercation. It was always a sure sign he was stressed.

“These two are arguing about property lines again. Mr. Ridgemoor swears he didn’t cross the line when digging for his new pool. Mr. Ridgecrest argues he did cross and that he should halt work on it immediately.”

I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Why is the man digging for a fucking pool in the fall anyway? He can’t use it for at least eight more months!”

Robbie chuckled. “That’s what I tried to tell them. Neither would listen to me.”

I felt bad for his dejected tone. It was hard dealing with calls as a Beta at times. Especially with the crotchety old men who believed only an Alpha could decide things.

Done with waiting for them to stop, I stepped forward and pushed out my Alpha presence to get their attention. They froze as the wave of dominance crashed over them.

“Gentlemen,” I said. “What seems to be the issue?”

Ridgemoor stepped forward. “This asshat thinks I’m on his property when I guarantee you I’m not, Sheriff. He’s just mad I’m getting a pool when he’s wanted one for years!”

The other man huffed, though he didn’t speak. They both knew how much I hated when they fought and bickered without explaining themselves. We’d done this song and dance enough times for it to be routine.

“I know where my property line is. And he’s over it! I don’t care if he has a pool. I just don’t want it on my side.”

Neither man was lying, which only made this entire thing more frustrating. Their scents indicated complete honesty.

Sometimes, I wished their families had never feuded all those years ago. About three generations back, there had been some bad blood between brothers. When they couldn’t settle their disagreements, they split their land and their name, creating the Ridgecrest and Ridgemoor lines. The one thing they still shared was the Ridge part of their name, which was based on the land they’d called home.

“Where is this pool at? I’m familiar enough with the property to know where the line is,” I admitted. This wasn’t the first property dispute I’d handled in my thirty years as sheriff. And before me, my father had handled some as well. Since I'd shadowed him from a young age, I was more than capable of settling this squabble once I saw where the damn pool was being dug.

Ridgemoor pointed to a spot in the distance. “About a mile that way. Near the tree line.”

“Strange place for a pool.”

He wouldn’t look at me then. It was like he knew I’d sense his discomfort.

What he didn’t know was that I could pick up on the emotion even without his words or looking at him. I didn’t advertise that particular Alpha trait though. I found I was intimidating enough without it. Plus, it gave me a leg up when handling disputes or dealing with interrogations. Not that we had much of the latter.

Our pack was secluded in this particular stretch of land. In fact, we were warded to keep people out unless the land deemed them worthy of entering. Since no one had appeared in over fifty years, I figured everyone who was meant to be here would continue to stick around.

I was thankful our sleepy little town’s biggest troublemakers were a pair of cousins who refused to settle their differences. Handling them was a walk in the park.

I was drawn back to the moment when the Ridge men starting heading towards where the pool was set to be. Following them, I took in the area to see if any other changes had been made since my last visit.

Everything else was pretty standard. Ridgemoor’s garden was covered to protect it from the cold, as it should be. And other than a few loose chickens — which I still didn’t understand the reasoning for — all was well.

At least it seemed so until we got to the ‘pool’, if you could call it that. A large backhoe sat in a mess of dirt, clearly having been stopped midway through the project. I circled the hole, checking the boundary line for where I knew it to be.

The mold for the pool itself was already seated in the space, giving an idea of how wide it should be and how deep. It was a strange process, but at least it helped me ascertain the issue.

With a sigh, I turned to face the men. “The pool itself isn’t over the line, but the digging is. Why are you making it so wide, Ridgemoor?”

“Because that’s what the internet said to do.” His pout had guilt rising for how much I wanted to laugh.

The internet.

Dear Goddess, these men were going to drive me mad.

“Why not hire someone to come out to work on it? You know there are plenty of handy people in town if you weren’t sure what to do.”

Ridgecrest barked out a laugh. “This guy would never ask for help. He’s too proud.”

“I’m not proud. It just didn’t feel right to bother nobody.”

The two men stared at one another, neither backing down from the fight. Knowing I didn’t have much choice other than to rule in one of their favors, I bit the bullet.

“Ridgemoor, you need to fill in the area that crosses the property line. If you’re unsure how to do this without doing so, may I suggest getting help or moving the plan for the pool a few feet further from the border.”

A tense silence followed my words. I could feel Robbie behind me, his worry palpable. I wished I could send him some calming energy, if for no other reason then I selfishly hated the scent of burned caramel.

Ridgemoor grumbled, though he gave in. “I guess I could move it over some. Won’t be in as good of a spot.”

“Thank you,” I told him. “And I’m serious about the help. This seems like a lot to take on alone. You don’t have to. The pack will be there to support you if you allow them to.”

That was the other thing about the Ridge feud. They’d secluded themselves from the pack as a whole. We were only brought in when they wanted to show off or when a dispute needed intervention. It was a shame since both men could use the reminder of what treating one another like family looked like.

“Since that’s settled, I’m going to head out. I need to get some dinner and head home. Behave, gentlemen.” I waved at the pair, leaving them to discuss whatever came next.

Robbie walked beside me, his normal pep returning. “Great work, Boss. Those two were a second away from going after one another before you got here.”

“They always are. Old habits die hard in that bunch.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Are you headed to the diner? I could go with you. I bet Lindsea would give me a piece of pie for free since I’m on duty.”

I rolled my eyes. Robbie had a bit of a crush on the waitress; however, he couldn’t pursue her. Not only was he incredibly shy, but there was also the fact that they weren’t fated mates. He tended to stick close to her though, even if they’d never worked out.

In our community, fated mates were everything. It was what our entire family system was built around. Fate would bless each of us with someone meant to be ours, making sure every event aligned until we found one another.

Our community was big enough to provide enough matches, and occasionally there would be other shifters who would make their way into our borders. If Fate didn’t intervene soon, we’d have to expand in another generation or two. Maybe I could reach out to other pack leads to see about setting up some time for different single shifters to mingle and hopefully find a mate.

I trusted Fate, but maybe we could push her along a bit.

My own mate hadn’t appeared yet, even though I was well past the age where I should have been settled and popping out little bears to take on my lineage. Thankfully, my parents weren’t pressuring me too much to find someone. They understood it was just how these things went.

“I’m sure she has plenty of pie for you. And sure, you can come with me. I don’t mind the company.”

Plus, maybe having him with me would keep the others from talking about me so bluntly. I couldn’t count the number of times I’d been told my mood would ‘even out’ once I got mated. They spoke as if I were turning people away left and right, rather than praying to the Goddess to deliver my mate as soon as possible.

We left the ridge and headed back into town. I parked next to an old truck I didn’t recognize and climbed out of my cruiser.

I was about to tease Robbie about his pie addiction, even though mine was just as bad, when a scent on the wind stole the breath from my lungs. My heart seized, and my bear came to the front of my mind.

“Mate,” he growled.