long time.
“Well, welcome back,” she said. “And tell Shane welcome, if he can control himself in polite society.”
“Will do,” he said, then raised the handful of clothes in a goodbye wave. “Thanks for not blacklisting us just yet. I swear we’ll be better behaved next time.”
Then he turned and walked through the rear exit of the bar.
Next time , Greta thought. A shiver of excitement worked its way through her body.
Chapter Two
Shane
Still in wolf form, Shane trotted back to where they’d left the car, a few storefronts down from the bar. Everything else on the street was closed, but the Tooth & Claw cast its warm light over most of the block. He trotted back and forth, still feeling jacked up and antsy from the fight, like he was electrified in a way he couldn’t quite describe.
You shouldn’t have gotten into a bar fight your first day in town, he thought.
He shook his head and trotted back and forth a little more, trying to get the last of his energy out. As he did he raised his snout and sniffed the air: notes of asphalt and popcorn, probably from the movie theater. Gasoline. Beer. Pine trees and the slight scent of dirt carried on the warm wind from the south.
He sniffed again. Blood . Zeke had gotten him somewhere. It didn’t hurt, but he could detect the metallic scent in the air.
Shit, he thought.
He looked at the car, sighed, and sat on the sidewalk.
I hope Elliott gets my keys and wallet out of my pocket, he thought. I don’t want to have to show my face there again tomorrow.
Shane looked around the sidewalk. Two people walked down the street on the opposite side, and if they thought it was unusual to see a wolf waiting outside a parked car, they didn’t show it.
Still no sign of his mate as Shane watched the door of the Tooth & Claw intently. Now, the adrenaline rush over, the guilt started gnawing at Shane.
You probably just got Elliott’s nose broken , he thought. You don’t deserve him, you know. He could do a lot better .
The thought of a life without Elliott felt like a knife through the heart, though. Shane put his head on his paws and kept waiting on the cold sidewalk.
At last he saw Elliott’s familiar face coming down the sidewalk, and he perked his ears up, his heart skipping a beat. The same thing that happened every time he saw his mate, no matter what.
Elliott stopped on the sidewalk in front of him, looking down. His nose had stopped bleeding, but now it was swollen and cut across the bridge.
Shane sat up and hung his head, and Elliott crouched down in front of the wolf so that they were eye-to-eye. Then he sighed, leaning his forehead against Shane’s furry one.
“It’s all right,” he said after a long pause. “It’s not broken, just swollen. I’ll be fine.”
Shane licked Elliott’s face in apology, his dog nature getting the better of him for a moment.
“Come on,” Elliott said, standing. “I think there’s still a blanket in the trunk.”
Shane followed his mate behind the car and watched as Elliott grabbed the old fleece blanket and shook it out. It wasn’t the first time that Shane had shifted in public and torn his clothes to pieces, so they came prepared.
He looked around the street quickly and shifted back, wrapping the blanket around himself.
“Thanks,” he said.
Elliot half-smiled, his face looking a little funny with his swollen nose.
“It’s been a while since you needed the emergency nudity blanket,” he said. “You were on a pretty good streak there.”
“I know,” said Shane, squeezing his eyes shut. A breeze blew down the street and he pulled the blanket tighter around himself. “I shouldn’t have done anything, I should have just left and taken a walk. Or counted to ten, or done anything but punch that guy.”
Now it was Elliott’s turn to look guilty, and he brushed some dirt off of the blanket.
“If you hadn’t, I might have,” he admitted. “Did you hear how he talked about Greta?”
“Like she
“Well, welcome back,” she said. “And tell Shane welcome, if he can control himself in polite society.”
“Will do,” he said, then raised the handful of clothes in a goodbye wave. “Thanks for not blacklisting us just yet. I swear we’ll be better behaved next time.”
Then he turned and walked through the rear exit of the bar.
Next time , Greta thought. A shiver of excitement worked its way through her body.
Chapter Two
Shane
Still in wolf form, Shane trotted back to where they’d left the car, a few storefronts down from the bar. Everything else on the street was closed, but the Tooth & Claw cast its warm light over most of the block. He trotted back and forth, still feeling jacked up and antsy from the fight, like he was electrified in a way he couldn’t quite describe.
You shouldn’t have gotten into a bar fight your first day in town, he thought.
He shook his head and trotted back and forth a little more, trying to get the last of his energy out. As he did he raised his snout and sniffed the air: notes of asphalt and popcorn, probably from the movie theater. Gasoline. Beer. Pine trees and the slight scent of dirt carried on the warm wind from the south.
He sniffed again. Blood . Zeke had gotten him somewhere. It didn’t hurt, but he could detect the metallic scent in the air.
Shit, he thought.
He looked at the car, sighed, and sat on the sidewalk.
I hope Elliott gets my keys and wallet out of my pocket, he thought. I don’t want to have to show my face there again tomorrow.
Shane looked around the sidewalk. Two people walked down the street on the opposite side, and if they thought it was unusual to see a wolf waiting outside a parked car, they didn’t show it.
Still no sign of his mate as Shane watched the door of the Tooth & Claw intently. Now, the adrenaline rush over, the guilt started gnawing at Shane.
You probably just got Elliott’s nose broken , he thought. You don’t deserve him, you know. He could do a lot better .
The thought of a life without Elliott felt like a knife through the heart, though. Shane put his head on his paws and kept waiting on the cold sidewalk.
At last he saw Elliott’s familiar face coming down the sidewalk, and he perked his ears up, his heart skipping a beat. The same thing that happened every time he saw his mate, no matter what.
Elliott stopped on the sidewalk in front of him, looking down. His nose had stopped bleeding, but now it was swollen and cut across the bridge.
Shane sat up and hung his head, and Elliott crouched down in front of the wolf so that they were eye-to-eye. Then he sighed, leaning his forehead against Shane’s furry one.
“It’s all right,” he said after a long pause. “It’s not broken, just swollen. I’ll be fine.”
Shane licked Elliott’s face in apology, his dog nature getting the better of him for a moment.
“Come on,” Elliott said, standing. “I think there’s still a blanket in the trunk.”
Shane followed his mate behind the car and watched as Elliott grabbed the old fleece blanket and shook it out. It wasn’t the first time that Shane had shifted in public and torn his clothes to pieces, so they came prepared.
He looked around the street quickly and shifted back, wrapping the blanket around himself.
“Thanks,” he said.
Elliot half-smiled, his face looking a little funny with his swollen nose.
“It’s been a while since you needed the emergency nudity blanket,” he said. “You were on a pretty good streak there.”
“I know,” said Shane, squeezing his eyes shut. A breeze blew down the street and he pulled the blanket tighter around himself. “I shouldn’t have done anything, I should have just left and taken a walk. Or counted to ten, or done anything but punch that guy.”
Now it was Elliott’s turn to look guilty, and he brushed some dirt off of the blanket.
“If you hadn’t, I might have,” he admitted. “Did you hear how he talked about Greta?”
“Like she
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