Chapter 4
Levi
The following day, I hurried to Tony and Nico’s place. My wolf had been restless all day yesterday, pacing beneath my skin like it knew something I didn’t, or perhaps it was just me.
Ever since we’d brought Mason back to the Pecan Pines compound, my nerves had been tuned a little too tight.
I told myself it was instinct, that I was only being protective of a packless coyote shifter who didn’t have anyone else to rely on.
It was that simple, except nothing about Mason felt simple.
Tony and Nico’s little house came into view through the pines, warm light spilling from the windows.
The scent of coffee and something sweet drifted faintly through the air, but it was the sharper, wilder note underneath that caught my attention first. Mason.
He was already outside, standing near the porch steps like he’d been waiting a while. Hands shoved into the pockets of his worn jacket. His shoulders were tight, and he was shifting his weight from foot to foot in small, restless movements.
Mason was fidgety and nervous. I slowed as I approached, studying him.
His dark hair was slightly damp, like he’d just got out of the shower. Dark jeans hugged his lean frame just right, paired with a simple shirt and a worn jacket. My gaze lingered a second too long before I dragged it away. Yeah, he looked good.
His gaze flicked up when he heard me, sharp and alert before softening when he recognized me. Something in my chest eased.
“Morning,” I said.
“Morning.” His voice was steady, but I caught the way his fingers curled tighter inside his pockets.
Right. Of course he was nervous. Packless coyote dropped into the middle of wolf territory overnight. Yeah, that would rattle anyone.
I remembered all too clearly how overwhelmed I’d been when my family first moved to Pecan Pines. The constant press of pack scent. The unspoken hierarchy.
The difference was, I hadn’t been alone. Mason was. The thought sat heavy in my chest.
“Ready?” I asked gently.
He swallowed, throat working. “Sure.”
Then, after a beat, he asked, “How’s your alpha like? I’ve never met a leader of a pack before.”
So it wasn’t only nerves. He sounded genuinely unsure. Before I could overthink it, I reached out and rested my hand lightly on his shoulder.
The moment my palm made contact, my wolf surged forward like it had been waiting for permission. Heat flickered low in my gut. Mason went very still.
Dang it. I pulled my hand back like I’d touched a live wire.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to just—” I began.
“It’s fine,” Mason said quickly.
His gaze lifted to mine, and there was something warm there now, something curious.
Well. That did absolutely nothing helpful for my pulse. I cleared my throat, trying very hard to remember how to act like a normal person.
“Cooper’s laid back. Seriously. He’s not the intimidating type unless you give him a reason,” I told him.
A faint smile tugged at Mason’s mouth.
“Good to know,” he said.
We started toward the main pack house together, walking side by side along the worn path. I kept my pace easy, matching his without thinking about it.
The main pack house sat broad and solid among the trees, morning activity already humming around the grounds. Wolves moved through the space with easy familiarity.
Mason’s head turned slowly as we approached, his gaze tracking everything. He seemed curious and perhaps a little overwhelmed.
“You’ll get used to it,” I said.
His eyes flicked to me. “Used to being surrounded by wolves?”
I huffed a soft laugh. “Yeah. That part too.”
Something in his expression eased.
When we stepped inside, the familiar scent of pack wrapped around us, warm and grounding. A few packmates glanced up from where they were gathered near the entrance.
I didn’t miss the way Mason’s shoulders tensed beside me.
“Morning,” I called casually.
“Morning, Levi.”
“Hey.”
I nodded toward Mason.
“This is Mason. He’s a guest for a few days,” I said.
That one word, guest, worked like a charm. I felt the exact moment Mason relaxed beside me.
We moved down the hall toward Cooper’s office, the sounds of the pack fading behind us. The closer we got to the door, the more Mason’s energy tightened again.
By the time we stopped outside Cooper’s office, he was fidgeting with the hem of his sleeve. I turned toward him.
“Just be yourself,” I said.
His gaze lifted to mine, uncertain but trusting enough that something in my chest pulled tight. I knocked.
“Come in,” Cooper called.
I opened the door and gestured Mason inside.
Cooper sat behind his desk, looking exactly like I expected. He always seemed calm and steady, but I didn’t miss the sharp focus in his eyes when they landed on Mason.
Cooper was in assessment mode. My wolf stirred, low and uneasy. Calm down, I told him silently. He’s just doing his job.
“Levi. Mason,” Cooper said, voice warm. “Have a seat.”
We sat. I felt the weight of Cooper’s stare.
My alpha wasn’t being aggressive, nor was he pushing dominance. But I could tell Cooper was absolutely taking Mason’s measure, piece by careful piece.
My wolf did not like that one bit. A quiet growl threatened in my chest before I forced it down. I told him to knock it off.
Cooper needed to know whether Mason was a risk. That was part of being alpha, and part of protecting the pack. Still, it didn’t mean my instincts had to enjoy it.
Cooper leaned back slightly.
“I understand you’ve already spoken with Levi and Gino,” Cooper said to Mason.
Mason nodded. “Yes, sir.”
He said sir, I thought with some amusement. Cooper’s mouth twitched faintly.
“Mind walking me through it again?” Cooper asked.
Mason didn’t hesitate.
He gave the same account. Same steady timeline, and the same careful details about the deer shifters. I watched him closely while he spoke, and detected no scent of deception.
No nervous tells beyond the baseline tension he always carried.
If he was lying, he was terrifyingly good at it. But my gut and my wolf didn’t flag Mason as a threat. When Mason finished, Cooper gave a slow, satisfied nod.
“Thank you,” Cooper said.
Relief flickered across Mason’s face so fast most people would’ve missed it. I didn’t. Before I could think better of it, I reached over and gave his hand a quick squeeze.
Mason blinked at me, clearly startled, then offered a small, uncertain smile.
Something in my chest went dangerously soft. Cooper’s gaze flicked between us, but thankfully he didn’t comment.
“Mason, I’d like you to head back out to the old logging roads with Levi. Sometimes being on site helps jog details that don’t surface in an interview,” Cooper said.
Mason went still. The fear this time was more obvious.
Cooper continued, voice calm. “Levi will be with you the entire time. You’ll have full pack support.”
Mason hesitated, perhaps just a second too long. I leaned forward slightly.
“Don’t worry,” I told Mason.
His eyes snapped to mine, and there it was again. That strange pull in my chest.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” I added quietly.
Mason searched my face like he was weighing something heavy. Then, slowly, he nodded.
“Okay,” Mason finally said.
My wolf settled immediately, pleased in a way that made absolutely no sense. Yeah. This was getting complicated fast.
* * *
The logging roads gave us nothing.
There wasn’t a scent trail worth chasing, not a footprint that hadn’t already been catalogued and discussed to death by Gino and the other trackers yesterday.
The forest sat around us in that watchful, too-quiet way that always made my wolf restless. Pine needles whispered under the breeze. Somewhere far off, a crow complained.
But the ground where the deer shifters had vanished was cold.
Mason stood a few feet away from me, arms folded tight across his middle like he was holding himself together by sheer will.
His gaze moved over the clearing, but not in the focused way of someone searching. More like someone remembering. My chest tightened.
He looked pale too, but also a little shaken. Hell. I’d thought yesterday had just rattled him a little.
Now, watching the way his shoulders hunched and his fingers kept flexing like he couldn’t settle in his own skin, I started to think I’d underestimated just how hard this had hit him.
Mason was staring intently at the edge of the clearing. I scented the air again out of habit, but couldn’t find anything new.
“They didn’t even have a chance,” he whispered.
My jaw tightened. Silence stretched between us, heavy and thick as tree sap. Mason swallowed hard, eyes still fixed on the empty ground.
My wolf paced under my skin. Protect. The instinct rose fast and sharp, surprising even me. Mason wasn’t pack, and he certainly wasn’t mine.
So why did every nerve in my body sit up and snarl at the way his shoulders trembled?
I stepped a little closer. “You did good coming out here again. It was a brave thing to do,” I told him.
His head jerked slightly, like he hadn’t expected that.
“I… it’s nothing,” he muttered.
“It’s not nothing,” I said. “The fact you’re willing to help us out, that matters.”
For a second, something flickered across his face. Not quite relief or disbelief, but something softer. Then it vanished fast, and he nodded once.
“We’re done here. Nothing new,” I finally decided.
There was no point staying out here much longer. Nonetheless, I did one final sweep out of habit, then called it a day.
As we started back toward the trucks, an uneasy, cold feeling crawled up the back of my neck again. It felt like we were being watched. I stopped mid-step.
Mason bumped lightly into my shoulder. “Levi?” Mason asked.
I didn’t answer right away. My gaze swept the tree line, sharp and slow.
My wolf surged forward, senses stretching. I felt the wind, smelled pine. A distant squirrel clambered up a tree branch. It was nothing, but still my skin prickled.
You’re jumping at ghosts, I told myself. The pack was all keyed up. Missing shifters. Anti-shifter rumors spreading like rot under the bark. My nerves were wound tighter than usual.
Still, I took one more slow look around before forcing myself to move again. Probably nothing. Probably.
The drive back was awfully quiet. I kept one hand loose on the wheel, the other resting near the console, senses half-tuned to the road and half to the passenger seat beside me.
Mason sat stiffly, hands folded in his lap, staring down at them like they held the secrets of the universe. He hadn’t spoken in ten minutes. My wolf didn’t like it.
“You okay over there?” I asked finally.
He blinked like he’d forgotten I was in the truck.
“Yeah. I’m fine,” he said.
Lie. Not a big one nor a malicious one.
“You’ve been quiet,” I said.
His shoulders lifted in a small shrug. “Just thinking,” he said.
About the deer shifters? Or something else? I drummed my fingers lightly on the steering wheel, then made a decision.
“You eaten yet today?”
Mason glanced up, startled. “What?”
“Food,” I said, shooting him a sideways look. “You know. That thing people need to survive.”
His mouth twitched faintly despite himself.
“Not really,” he admitted. “I was too nervous.”
“Figures,” I muttered.
By the time we crossed back into pack lands, the decision had already settled in my bones. I pulled into the gravel drive near my cabin and cut the engine.
Mason blinked at me again. “This isn’t Nico and Tony’s place. Where are we?”
He looked toward the trees, then back at me, clearly confused.
“My place. It’s almost lunch,” I said casually, like my pulse hadn’t picked up for absolutely no reason.
He hesitated. For half a second, I thought he might bolt, or insist I drive him to Nico and Tony’s house.
Then he nodded slowly. “Okay.”
Something warm loosened in my chest. Inside the cabin, Mason paused just past the threshold, gaze sweeping the space with open curiosity.
My place wasn’t fancy, but it was small, clean, and functional. Watching Mason take it in made something strange and pleased settle under my ribs.
I headed straight for the fridge and pulled it open, and snorted. Of course. Mom had been here. The shelves were stocked like she was preparing for a mild apocalypse.
“You look relieved,” Mason said behind me.
I grabbed the soup ingredients and shut the fridge with my hip. “My mom’s been sneaking groceries in again,” I told him.
That earned me a real smile. It hit me square in the chest.
“You’re complaining about that?” he asked.
“Not today,” I admitted.
He hovered near the counter a second, then cleared his throat. “Need help?”
I glanced at him. My wolf perked up like it had just been handed a new favorite toy. Not good, I thought to myself.
“Yeah,” I said, forcing my tone back to normal. “Why not.”
What followed felt disarmingly easy. Mason moved around my kitchen like he’d always belonged there, cautious at first, then gradually more sure as I handed him tasks.
He chopped and stirred, and passed me things before I even asked. We didn’t bump into each other once.
“You cook a lot?” he asked at one point.
“I’m a passable cook,” I said. “My mom made sure my brothers and I know how to whip up a decent meal.”
His quiet laugh warmed the room more than the stove. By the time the soup was simmering and the sandwiches were stacked, the tight, shaken edge I’d seen on him earlier had eased.
We sat across from each other at my small table. For a few minutes, the only sounds were spoons and quiet breathing. Then I leaned back slightly, studying him.
“You look better compared to earlier,” I told him.
Mason paused mid-bite. “Do I?”
“Yeah,” I said simply. “You seemed out of it earlier.”
For a second, something shuttered behind his eyes. Then it was gone.
“I’m okay,” he said.
Not the whole truth, but good enough. He set his sandwich down and met my gaze, something uncertain flickering there.
“Thanks,” he added quietly. “For lunch.”
My chest did that weird tight thing again.
“Anytime,” I said.
A little while later, we stepped back out onto the porch. The afternoon sun filtered warm through the trees. Mason shifted his weight, looking almost reluctant. My wolf noticed.
“Well,” he said softly, “I should probably head back.”
“Yeah,” I said. Neither of us moved right away.
Finally, he gave me a small, genuine smile. “Thanks, Levi.”
Something in my chest went very, very still. I didn’t point out he already thanked me earlier.
“Anytime,” I repeated.