Chapter 3
Mason
I’d heard about Pecan Pines long before I ever moved into that cabin on the outskirts of town.
A shifter town that had finally settled into something quieter after years of unrest. Safe, now, or at least, safer than it used to be.
Neighbors knew each other here. Humans and shifters mixed more than they used to.
I’d heard about the monthly markets that spilled out onto the streets, stalls lined up under the sun while people lingered too long just talking. At night, lights were sometimes strung between poles, music drifting late into the dark.
I’d never gone.
Even after settling into the cabin, I’d kept my distance. Now I was being dropped right into the middle of it.
I sat in the back seat of Gino’s truck, clutching my duffel tighter than necessary. Somewhere up front, soft country music played low through the speakers.
The cab smelled faintly of coffee and engine oil, with an undercurrent of wolf. It pressed in on me from all sides.
My phone buzzed once. My breath hitched.
I slid my hand into the duffel as casually as I could and silenced it. When I looked up, Gino was still focused on the road, one elbow braced against the door, eyes forward.
Levi twisted slightly in the passenger seat. His expression didn’t change at all.
“You’ll be staying at Tony and Nico’s place for the time being,” he said easily. “They’ve got a spare room you can crash in.”
I nodded. Even in the dim light of the truck, his eyes still caught mine. I noticed the faint crinkle at the corner when he smiled, like it was something he did often enough for his face to remember it.
The truck eased to a stop. Gino pulled over along the curb in front of a small diner and cut the engine.
“Need coffee,” he muttered, already reaching for the door.
“Hey, grab me a—” Levi started, but Gino was already out, the door slamming shut behind him.
Levi sighed under his breath. “Grumpy old wolf.”
I huffed a quiet laugh before I could stop myself.
“You alright back there?” Levi asked.
I hesitated. “Yeah. Just nervous, I guess.”
His expression softened immediately.
“Yeah, that makes sense,” he said, like he understood exactly what I meant.
Levi twisted in his seat to look back at me properly. “It can be a lot,” he continued. “Being thrown into a pack situation all at once. Especially if you’re not used to it.”
“It takes time to find your footing,” Levi went on. “You don’t have to meet everyone right away. Tony and Nico are good guys. Easygoing. They’ll give you space if you need it.”
I nodded, watching the diner door as Gino disappeared inside.
“And if you don’t feel up to it,” Levi added more quietly, “you can always come find me.”
The words settled somewhere deep in my chest.
“I mean,” he added quickly, like he didn’t want it to sound like a big deal, “I get it. Being on the outside. Trying to figure out where you fit.”
There was a brief pause after that, like he’d almost wanted to say more, then thought better of it.
For some reason, I believed him more than I expected to.
“Thanks,” I said quietly, even though part of me was already reminding myself it was only for a few days. That was all this was.
The driver’s door opened again, and Gino climbed back in with a grunt, balancing a cardboard drink carrier and three brown paper bags. He set them on the dashboard, then slid the coffee tray into the centre console between the seats.
The smell of grease, toasted bread, and sharp coffee filled the cab.
Levi nodded at the bags. “What’s all this?”
Gino ignored him. He pulled one bag closer, checked inside, then swapped it for another. Only when he was satisfied did he hold one out toward me.
“Figured the kid must be hungry.”
For a second, I just stared at it before taking it, slower than I meant to. “I… thank you.”
Gino waved it off, already reaching for his coffee. “Coffee’s there if you want it.”
Levi turned in his seat. “Did you get me anything?”
Without looking up, Gino shoved the first bag into his chest.
Levi grinned. “Ha. I knew it.” He immediately started unwrapping a breakfast sandwich.
Gino started the engine. “Six bucks for the sandwich, three for the coffee,” he said flatly.
Levi paused mid-bite. “What? You’re making me pay?”
Gino shot him a look. “You think I’m running a charity?”
I bit back a smile and opened my own bag. Inside was a warm breakfast sandwich wrapped in paper. I hadn’t realised how hungry I was until that moment.
I hesitated. “How much was—”
“Don’t worry about it, kid,” Gino cut in as he reversed out of the parking spot. “You’re our guest.”
The words landed heavier than they should have.
I tried again. “Still, I can—”
He waved me off without turning around. “Just eat,” he said, already turning back to the road. I didn’t argue this time.
The drive shifted as we left the town centre behind. Pavement gave way to narrower roads, then long stretches of tree-lined lanes. The houses thinned until there were none at all.
Eventually, the forest closed in around us.
Tall pines and cedars rose on either side of the road, their branches weaving overhead. Sunlight broke through in fractured beams, scattering across the windshield.
The air shifted too. Less exhaust and asphalt, more damp earth, sap, and something wild underneath it all.
My coyote stirred, alert but not uneasy.
We passed what looked like an unmarked turnoff, then another. There were no signs or gates at first glance. Then the trees eventually broke.
A wide clearing opened up ahead, and a reinforced gate came into view. Cameras were mounted discreetly along the posts, motion sensors tucked near the treeline.
Gino keyed something into a small panel by his window. The gate slid open smoothly.
Beyond it, the land opened into a spread of cabins, gravel paths, and shared green spaces.
So this was the Pecan Pines packlands. Not a single compound like I’d expected, but more like a tucked-away neighbourhood where homes were spaced apart, close enough to walk between in minutes.
The truck rolled deeper inside before finally turning down a smaller paved drive and stopping in front of a modest two-storey house with an attached garage.
Levi climbed out first, stretching his arms over his head. I followed a second later, slinging my duffel over my shoulder as my boots hit gravel.
The house itself was old, but well maintained. Its faded light blue siding looked like it had been repainted more than once over the years.
But woven into the weathered exterior were details that didn’t quite match. Sleek security cameras mounted beneath the eaves.
A keypad beside the front door that looked far more advanced than anything from a hardware store. A small antenna was tucked near the roofline.
The lawn was obviously not a priority. Grass had grown a little too long, clover spreading through in uneven patches.
A few weeds pushed up near the edges of the driveway. The only neatly maintained areas were directly beneath the security equipment, as if keeping the tech clear mattered more than anything else.
The front door opened before we even reached the porch.
A guy about my age stepped out, messy brown hair sticking up in every direction like he’d just rolled out of bed. He wore a faded T-shirt with holes along the collar and baggy sweatpants that had definitely seen better days.
He squinted at me. “This the guy?”
Levi nodded. “Nico, this is Mason. Mason, Nico.”
“Hey,” I said, adjusting the strap on my shoulder. “Uh. Thanks for having me.”
Nico shrugged like it was nothing. “No problem. Anything for the pack.”
Levi snorted. “Or a new graphics card.”
Nico shot him an offended look. “Hey. You promised you’d help me get a good deal.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Levi said, waving a hand. “I’ll call my guy. He’ll sort you out.”
Then he glanced past Nico toward the doorway. “Is his room ready?”
Behind us, Gino leaned out of the truck window. “You all good here?”
Levi gave him a thumbs-up.
Gino nodded once and pulled away, the truck rumbling down the gravel drive and disappearing toward the main path.
Levi turned back to Nico. “So? Room ready?”
“Yeah,” Nico said, stepping aside and gesturing for me to come in. “C’mon. It’s not much. Probably could’ve used a little more cleaning.”
“That’s fine,” I said quickly.
The inside of the house was warm and lived-in. A couch with sagging cushions and frayed armrests sat against one wall, clearly well-used over the years.
On the other side of the room, wires were run neatly along the baseboards toward a complicated desk setup that looked more like a tech command centre than a living space.
Nico started up the stairs. I followed, hitching the duffel higher on my shoulder.
Behind me, I could still feel Levi’s presence.
Nico glanced over his shoulder and slowed when he noticed Levi following. “You’re coming too?”
“Of course,” Levi replied easily. “Need to make sure he’s settled.”
“You don’t have to. I’m sure you’ve got other things to do,” I said.
Nico’s brow lifted slowly, curious. “Yeah,” he said, looking between us. “Aren’t you supposed to report back to Cooper?”
“Later,” Levi said.
Then his gaze flicked to my bag. “Aren’t you going to get that?”
I felt it then, the faint vibration against my hip.
My stomach dropped.
“Oh. Yeah. Sorry,” I said quickly. “It’s probably just my friend. He doesn’t know I left my cabin.”
My fingers fumbled as I reached into the duffel. The phone nearly slipped from my grip. The bag tilted with the motion.
Levi stepped in and caught it before it hit the floor.
For a second, we both froze.
“Sorry,” I muttered, heat flooding my face.
“It’s fine,” he said, steady as ever.
Instead of setting it down, he slung the duffel over his own shoulder like it weighed nothing.
I cleared my throat. “Do you guys mind if I—?” I gestured vaguely toward the door, the phone still buzzing faintly in my hand.
“Sure,” Levi said without hesitation.
Nico shrugged. “Take your time.”
I didn’t look at either of them as I went down the stairs and out the front door.
The street was quiet. Houses were spaced comfortably apart. There was no one else outside. No signs of movement.
I didn’t stop there.
I moved along the side of the house and into the backyard, where the grass thinned toward the tree line and the woods began.
The phone buzzed again. My fingers were shaking. I flexed them once, twice, trying to get them under control before I finally swiped to answer.
“Daniel?”
“Are you in?” The voice on the line was low and controlled. It always made my stomach tighten.
“Yes.”
“Good. We’ll send the next set of instructions soon.”
“Okay,” I managed, my throat dry.
“And make sure you answer your phone next time.”
“I did—” I began, but the line went dead before I could finish.
I lowered the phone slowly and stood there for a moment, staring at the black screen.
Without thinking, I moved a few steps closer to the side of the house, just enough that I could see through the kitchen window.
Inside, Levi and Nico were still talking. Levi was leaning against the counter, arms crossed, head tilted slightly as he listened. He looked relaxed, at ease, like he belonged there. Nico said something that made him huff a quiet laugh.
This wasn’t supposed to feel complicated. But it did.
If they found out why I was really here…
A tight coil of panic settled in my chest.
They’d taken me in without question. Fed me. Given me a place to stay. Called me a guest.
And I was standing in their backyard, taking orders from the people hunting them.
The realization settled heavily in my chest, hot and suffocating, until each breath felt thinner than the last.
I tightened my grip on the phone, grounding myself in the reason I was here in the first place, the reason I couldn’t afford to get distracted now, no matter how easy it would be to.
I slipped the phone back into my pocket and forced my expression into something neutral before heading back toward the house.
By the time I stepped inside, my heartbeat had steadied, but the pressure in my chest hadn’t eased.