11. Rafael
Rafael
The smell of grilled meat hit me before I even stepped into Callum’s house. Smoke clung to the humid summer air, thick with the promise of overcooked sauSeans and seared steak fat.
Someone was barbecuing out back. Probably Cyrus or Rowan, judging by the way the scent of burnt edges overpowered everything else.
Wolves didn’t believe in low heat. They cooked like they fought, aggressively and fast.
I adjusted the box of pastries in my hands and rolled my neck, tension lodged there like stone. These weren’t just Bear and Bun leftovers.
They were peace offerings. Bribes, maybe. Sugar-coated olive branches. The moment I stepped inside, I could feel the energy shift.
The living room was already full. Wolves sprawled across couches and floor cushions, drinks in hand, their easy banter bouncing off the walls.
Across from them, the bears stood clustered around the snack table like a defensive line of linebackers, exchanging smirks and pointed jabs with their wolf counterparts.
It wasn’t hostile. Not exactly. But there was an edge. A pulse beneath the surface, as if we were all sizing each other up, still unsure if we were here for a war council or a party.
Beau had claimed the biggest armchair, beer in hand, lounging like a man who had no worries in the world. But I knew him too well.
I saw the tightness in his jaw, the tension in his shoulders. He was ready to pounce at the first wrong word. This wasn’t just a casual social call.
This was about Avery and the mess he’d stirred up in Sugarpaw Springs.
I stepped further in and caught sight of James near the back door, drink in hand, chatting with Sean. His laugh drifted toward me, light and easy.
He looked real good.
Hair mussed, sleeves rolled, jeans hugging his hips in a way that made it hard to think straight. But the tightness in his jaw, the way he kept scanning the room, gave him away.
I made my way to him, weaving through wolves and bears arguing over burgers and beer pong rules. But I didn’t care about any of that.
Not when James was standing by the wall, arms crossed, worry written all over his face like it was carved into stone.
“You okay?” I asked, voice low and close, just for him.
James startled slightly, like he hadn’t noticed me coming, then plastered on a smile. “Fine.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Try again.”
He let out a slow breath and leaned back against the wall, glancing around the room like it was too loud, too full.
“This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. Dragging people I care about into my mess,” James admitted.
“You didn’t drag anyone,” I said, stepping closer. “Avery did.”
“I should’ve told Callum sooner. Or the others. I should’ve—”
“You did what you thought was right,” I interrupted. “You were trying to protect them. That matters.”
He looked up at me, eyes tired but still searching. “You think that still matters?”
I didn’t hesitate. I stepped even closer, close enough that the space between us hummed. My fingers brushed his, warm and steady. “Yeah. I do.”
I glanced around briefly, saw Rowan tossing marshmallows at Cass, who was too busy arguing with Cyrus about grilling techniques to notice me. Good.
I turned back to James.
“This… this is bigger than just you now. Avery saw a way into this town through you. He thought no one would notice. He thought you’d keep carrying the weight quietly. But he was wrong,” I told him.
James didn’t answer right away. His shoulders slumped as he leaned into me, just a little, like he was letting himself rest for the first time in days.
I didn’t move away. I didn’t care who was watching.
I curled an arm around his waist, pulling him in so our sides touched, shoulder to hip.
“We’ve got your back now,” I murmured. “You’re not alone.”
James exhaled like he’d been holding it in for weeks. His head tipped against my shoulder, just barely, and I shifted so he could rest it there if he wanted.
“God, you’re really trying to make me cry in front of everyone, aren’t you?” he whispered.
I snorted. “Don’t worry. Cass is already crying from eating Rowan’s ‘extra spicy’ burger.”
James let out a quiet and shaky laugh, and my chest tightened with something I didn’t want to name.
“I mean it,” I said, gently rubbing his back with my thumb. “If Avery ever comes near you again, he’ll regret it.”
“You’re already growling,” James teased, tilting his head just enough to meet my eyes. “You know you get all grizzly when you’re protective.”
I didn’t deny it. I just leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his temple.
“Wouldn’t have to growl if people didn’t threaten what’s mine,” I muttered.
That got his attention. His gaze flicked up to mine, heat blooming in his cheeks. “Yours, huh?”
I shrugged. “Don’t act surprised.”
Before he could reply, someone whistled.
“Oh wow,” Cass called from across the room. “I never thought I’d see the day our grumpy Rafael got soft on someone.”
Groans and snickers rippled through the room. Someone made a kissy noise. Cyrus was probably recording us on his phone. James straightened up slightly, eyes wide.
I didn’t let him pull away. I slid my arm around his waist and tugged him back against me, baring my teeth at Cass like the feral bastard he was.
“I’m not soft,” I growled. “I’m selective.”
Beau sauntered by, stealing a fry off someone’s plate.
“Selective, huh? Tell that to the time you broke a broom over your knee because a squirrel kept stealing your sandwich,” Beau said.
“That squirrel was a menace,” I muttered.
James laughed again, leaning into me more fully this time, like he didn’t care about the eyes on us anymore. He reached up and brushed his fingers down my chest. “You’re ridiculous.”
“And yet you’re still here,” I said, dipping my head to brush my nose along his hairline. “So what does that make you?”
He hummed. “Very unlucky. Or very into grumpy bears.”
“I vote the second one,” I told him.
We stood there for another beat, just breathing, just being. I wasn’t used to this, being open. Letting people see. But with James, it felt natural.
I didn't want to hide it.
Didn’t want to act like he wasn’t quickly becoming the thing I looked for every morning and couldn’t stop thinking about every night.
“Still want to leave?” I asked him quietly.
“No,” he said, his voice barely audible over the noise. “Not anymore.”
I tightened my hold around him and leaned in, whispering just for him, “Good. Because I’m not letting you go that easy.”
His breath caught, and I felt his smile against my collarbone.
Callum cleared his throat, sharp and deliberate, slicing through the low murmur of conversation. “Let’s get started.”
The atmosphere shifted instantly. It was like someone had dropped a weighted blanket over the room. Even the air seemed heavier.
Wolves sat straighter, their easy postures firming into something more alert. The bears stopped joking, shoulders squared, expressions sober.
I felt James tense beside me, his fingers tightening briefly around his drink before he set it down.
“We know Avery’s been operating quietly for a while,” Callum began, his voice low and measured. “But recently, he’s gotten bolder. More sightings. More shifters asking about loans. And one of his men was spotted loitering around the bakery.”
That last part stung more than I expected. I glanced at James, saw the subtle clench of his jaw, the way his eyes darkened, haunted. The bastard had crossed a line.
Beau folded his arms, gaze cold. “He’s testing the waters. Seeing how far he can go before someone pushes back.”
“He’s not just testing,” I said, stepping forward before I could stop myself. “He’s settling in. I’ve talked to a few paranormals around town. Avery’s making deals with anyone desperate enough. Offering protection. Fast money. Low entry, high exit. We all know what comes next.”
“Threats. Violence,” Callum said grimly. “Broken limbs, broken trust. Fear creeping into places it doesn’t belong. He’s using this town as a foothold, and he used James to do it.”
The room went quiet. James stiffened at my side. I could feel it in the way his body angled slightly away, bracing himself.
“I didn’t mean that as a blame,” Callum said quickly, glancing at James with something like regret. “I’m just saying… Avery zeroed in on you because he knew you wouldn’t ask for help. Because he saw you as isolated.”
James looked down, his shoulders rigid. He didn’t say a word, but I felt the shame rippling off him like heat. I wanted to punch something. Or someone. Preferably Avery. Maybe twice.
“But that ends now,” Callum continued, gaze moving from me to Beau. “Rafael. Beau. You in?”
Beau nodded without hesitation. “Absolutely. We protect our own. Even the wolves.”
That earned a few chuckles and some good-natured jeering.
Callum cracked a grin. “Even the bears.”
With the tension slightly broken, the conversation moved forward. Strategies were discussed. We agreed to monitor Avery’s movements and quietly gather more intel.
Rowan mentioned someone who’d backed out of a deal with Avery last minute and might be willing to talk.
Cass suggested we cross-reference suspicious financial activity with shifter-run businesses. Cyrus was already scribbling notes like he was prepping for a crime documentary.
But slowly, the heavy fog that had settled over the room began to lift.
Cyrus clapped his hands together. “Alright, heavy stuff done. Who’s ready for a proper bear-wolf cook-off?”
“We already agreed,” Beau called out, “No shifting and no setting the grill on fire.”
“That was one time!” Rowan barked, face red.
“And what a time it was,” Cass said, smirking from the kitchen doorway. “You nearly burned your eyebrows off.”
“I still think wolves can’t cook,” Cass added lazily. “Prove me wrong.”
“You can’t even make toast without burning it!” Cyrus retorted.
“I’m a pastry chef. Toast is beneath me.”
Laughter exploded across the room. Someone cranked the music. Cyrus started juggling beer cans like he was on a stage.
Rowan challenged Cass to a burger-flipping contest and promptly dropped half a patty into the coals. Someone yelled about cornhole and arm wrestling in the same breath.
I leaned back against the counter, arms crossed, and watched the chaos unfold with something that felt dangerously close to fondness.
Then James appeared beside me, soda in hand, a little flushed from the warmth, or maybe from the shift in energy.
His smile looked easier now. Not quite carefree, but lighter than it had been earlier.
“Better?” I asked quietly.
“Yeah.” He bumped his shoulder into mine, playful. “Still weird, seeing everyone like this. Bears and wolves. I expected more growling. Less salsa dancing.”
“We’re adaptable,” I pointed out.
James gave me a long look, thoughtful. “You really showed up for me, you know.”
I shrugged, but I didn’t look away. “Of course I would.”
He looked like he wanted to say more. His lips parted like he was debating it, but instead, he slid his hand into mine. I didn’t let go.
I never would, not if he kept looking at me like that. Like I was someone worth trusting. Worth fighting for.
Eventually, I tugged him toward the back door where the smell of charred meat was stronger, and the party had fully devolved into some unholy combo of cornhole, karaoke, and three-legged races.
Cass was yelling at Cyrus for cheating, though neither of them seemed to understand the rules.
Someone had set up a bucket as a makeshift dunk tank, and Rowan was currently losing a bet with Beau involving a water balloon and his terrible aim.
I pulled James closer until our shoulders brushed. “We’re gonna handle this. Avery. All of it.”
He leaned in, just enough for me to feel his warmth. “I believe you.”
For the first time in longer than I could remember, I felt something like… hope.
This town had always been halfway between things. Not quite territory. Not quite neutral ground. A place for strays and drifters.
A holding station between the life you left and the one you were trying to build. But tonight?
With bears and wolves yelling over the music, flipping burgers, and daring each other to shotgunning beers, with James standing beside me like I was his anchor and he was mine?
It felt like home.
He turned toward me, eyes bright. “You’re staring.”
“Can you blame me?”
He laughed, leaning his head against my shoulder for just a second. “Nah.”