Chapter 2
REY
Tree branches slapped at Rey’s muzzle as he raced through the woods, chasing after a rabbit his wolf had caught the scent of.
He snapped his teeth at its heels more than once, playing with it before going in for the kill.
Once he’d demolished all but the fur and bones, Rey cleaned his paws and mouth and then headed toward a nearby stream to get a drink.
The moon hung half full in the sky above him, and he heard an owl let out a hoot nearby.
He relished the cool water as he drank, his mind wandering.
Talon, his fellow enforcer for the Senaka pack, had told him about the previous summit.
Rey hadn’t been able to attend because he’d traded off with Talon to remain behind and help secure the town and keep the pack safe.
There’d been several successful matings from the event, which seemed to give hope to a lot of pack members still waiting to find their mates.
While he’d picked up on the excitement and anticipation many had for the upcoming summit, Rey still didn’t find himself convinced he’d find his mate outside of a Native American pack.
He’d been waiting his whole life for his true mate, not willing to settle down with someone who wasn’t his fated one, and he didn’t care if they were male or female, considering he was bisexual.
But he didn’t believe his mate would come from a strange pack who didn’t understand their culture or customs. A pack with different laws than theirs.
Rey had only ever met two of the members of the Emerald Lake Hills pack.
No others had come into their territory because of the instructions of both pack alphas.
They had wanted to limit any possible fallout or territorial aggression that could flare up.
Seth Davies, a Rho from Emerald Lake Hills, was mated to Kasey Whitedove, the new alpha of the Senaka pack.
Seth had moved into the area to take over the local veterinary practice when the previous doctor had retired.
Rey didn’t know the entire story about what had taken place, but Kasey had thought Seth a Created One, a vile creature which only ran on animal instinct, blood, and death.
Their pack had always believed that no one outside of Native American descent could be a wolf shifter.
So, Kasey’s assumption had led to his initially rejecting his true mate.
Eventually, it came out that there were others out there—different races and ethnicities who were born wolves.
Most of the pack had balked at the idea, and it took time before they’d accepted it.
When the concept of the summit came up, it excited many of their people, while others scoffed and refused to attend.
There was, of course, wariness amongst the first numbers who went, but the stories about how successful the event was spread like wildfire when they returned.
Some of the original naysayers were going to attend the upcoming summit this time around.
Rey started back toward his home, a little two-bedroom house on the edge of the pack lands.
He preferred his quiet and solitude when he was off duty.
Painted pale yellow, it had a small front porch with a swinging bench, an etched glass front door, and flowers that lined the edge of the pathway leading to the porch.
There were hardwood floors throughout, with several intricate area rugs interspersed.
Eggshell white paint covered most of the walls, broken up by pictures or artwork he’d gathered over the years.
An enormous fireplace dominated one wall of the living room.
He loved building a fire, shifting, and lying in front of it, letting the heat warm his fur during the cold winters.
Some nights, Rey would imagine curling around his true mate while lounging in front of the hearth.
His heart yearned for the one meant to be his, someone to share his life with, his woes and his joys.
Even though he was already thirty-five years old, he hadn’t given up on finding them.
While wolf shifters didn’t have eternal life, their lifespans exceeded those of humans.
They lived for upwards of a hundred and fifty years sometimes.
Barring any life-threatening injuries and events, of course.
Which is why Rey couldn’t give up hope. He also didn’t feel right settling down with someone, knowing that he might find his true mate one day. They deserved someone whose whole heart would be in their relationship.
Sighing, Rey shifted and let himself into the back door of his house, which led into his kitchen.
He entered his bedroom and stripped his clothes off, tossing everything into the laundry hamper near his closet.
Despite the volume of movies and books out there showing werewolves and shifters shredding their clothing, it wasn’t what happened when they shifted.
Their innate magic absorbed the clothing, hiding it behind their animal form rather than destroying it.
Rey found it convenient and was glad they didn’t have to worry about constantly having a change of clothing on hand.
Ray headed into his bathroom, then flicked on the light and turned on the shower to let the water heat.
He leaned against the counter and lost himself in thoughts of his true mate.
His tastes weren’t in one type of body or personality.
He’d been with twinks and he’d been with men built like his six feet six, wide, muscular frame.
Women came in all shapes and sizes, too.
He preferred women with more curves because they seemed to handle his aggressive lovemaking style better.
He loved manhandling his lover, moving them around while taking them hard.
His cock stiffened to half-mast at the memory of the last person he’d taken to his bed, and he realized it had been a few months since he’d had sex.
The timing and opportunity just hadn’t aligned properly.
Maybe there would be a willing partner at the summit.
Even if they weren’t true mates, they could still have some fun.
When the steam fogged the mirror, Rey stepped into the shower, sighing as the hot water rushed over his muscles.
Tomorrow would be another busy day at the shop.
There were at least six cars scheduled for an oil change and another five with other issues, not to mention the walk-ins they typically got.
Featherstone Auto did well despite the small size of the town, but it also helped there wasn’t another auto shop within the town limits.
The closest competition was about fifty miles away.
He employed two others besides himself to do the work.
Both were packmates. Rey hadn’t set out to hire within the pack, but they’d been the most qualified.
Of course, there weren’t many living in Senaka who weren’t part of the pack, human or shifter.
The shifter population was about three-to-one human in Senaka.
While shifters hid their true nature from the public, there weren’t too many in town who didn’t know there was something different about where they lived.
People simply didn’t openly acknowledge it.
Their pack alpha, Kasey Whitedove, held the position of town sheriff, and his beta, Julian Greywolf, was one of his deputies.
They would lean on the enforcers of the pack sometimes to help keep the peace when needed, but there wasn’t a lot of crime in Senaka.
Rey couldn’t remember the last time they’d had anything more than a few drunks raising a fuss at the local watering hole or one of them handing out a speeding ticket.
The last Created One to wander through Senaka had been at least a few years now.
The other known wolf packs were far from their lands, and they didn’t encounter many rogue wolves willing to challenge the whole pack.
Rogues were shifters who lived without packs or were banished for some crime or another.
Rey’s thoughts moved to Kasey’s brother, Thayne.
Under pack law, those who turned a human into a Created One faced banishment or death.
It was one of their harshest laws. Thayne had unknowingly changed a human over a year ago.
The harsh law forced Jeremiah Whitedove, Thayne’s father and the pack alpha, to make a terrible choice.
He’d chosen to banish Thayne. Now, the only time Kasey or their parents could see Thayne was at the summit every six months.
Even then, the Senaka pack members treated Thayne as though he were dead, ignoring his presence.
At least that’s what Talon had told him after the inaugural one almost six months ago.
Finishing his shower, Rey turned off the water and opened the stall door.
He grabbed a towel and dried off before tossing the damp towel over the bar.
Naked, he strode into his room, pulled back the sheets, and slipped into bed.
He pushed away thoughts of the summit next month.
It was too far off to worry about right now.
The next morning, Rey stopped in at the diner to grab some coffee before heading into the shop. Bridget flirted with him as usual, but he didn’t get involved with humans in town. It was too messy. He smiled at her. “Morning, Bridget.”
“Good morning, Rey.” She beamed at him, fluttering her eyelashes. “How are you today?”
“I’m good, sugar. Just a cup of coffee to go, black. Thanks.”
“Coming right up, Rey.” She grabbed a to-go cup and filled it to the brim before snapping a top in place. Setting it on the counter in front of him, she leaned forward, giving him an eyeful of her cleavage. He politely handed her a five-dollar bill and picked up the cup.
“Have a good rest of your day, Bridget.”
“You, too,” she said, pouting slightly at his ignoring of her breasts.