by Dena Christy
He squatted down and grabbed the tuft of fur off the bark and held it to his nose. The scent coming off it was still strong, which meant that the fur hadn't been out in the elements for a lengthy amount of time. He stood up and scrubbed his free hand over his nose to try to get rid of the smell.
He knew now that whoever Grace had seen last night was the same individual that had been watching him on the night of the binding ceremony, since the same scent clung to the fur that he'd smelled that night. He now had proof that someone had been on his property last night and it was not anyone who would be welcome in his home.
With the fur held between his fingers, he strode out of the woods with a protective anger burning inside him. When he caught up with Titus he was going to regret terrorizing his woman. It had to be East Brook's former enforcer who was doing this. Mason was certain that once he and Logan found him that his scent would be the one that was all over the fur in between Mason's fingers and the one he'd smelled on the night of the binding ceremony. This tuft of fur was enough proof to satisfy Logan that there was someone skulking around in the woods, and he was sure that his cousin would want to be involved in dealing with it.
Once he got to the truck, he reached into the glove box and pulled out an old envelope that was in there. He put the fur inside, and put the envelope back in the glove box. He knew that Logan already believed him when he'd said he was certain that someone was watching the house, but the fur was insurance that the alpha would know the creature's scent. If it was Titus who was watching the house, and if he decided to obey pack law and report to Logan, then his cousin would know exactly what the other wolf had been up to and deal with him accordingly.
Mason started the truck and pulled out of his driveway for the second time that day. He wasn't content to wait around to see if Titus was going to show himself. It would only be a matter of time before Grace decided that she didn't want or need a body guard. Until he knew what Titus wanted and why he was watching the house, it wasn't safe for her. So he was going to find Titus and end this shit today.
It didn't take long to get to Sawyer's Place and he didn't bother talking to anyone as he made his way to Logan's office. He gave a brief knock and didn't bother to wait for permission to enter before walking in. Logan looked up from his paperwork and raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't see you at the pack run last night. Am I to assume that you are experiencing a little more domestic harmony?"
"Yes and no." Mason came forward and sat in the chair across from Logan's desk. He pulled out the envelope from his pocket and threw it on top of the desk. "Things are good between Grace and I, but it would be a lot better if that asshole Titus would stay the fuck away from my house."
Logan sat up straighter in his chair and the easy smile on his face fell away. His features hardened and his eyes went from the envelope sitting on the desk to Mason. The change in him was swift, and Mason knew that he was no longer talking to his cousin but with his alpha. "What happened?"
"Grace and I were out running at our place last night, and we got separated. When I found her, she was staring at something in the woods and she was scared. She says she's not sure if she saw something or not. I did a little investigating this morning, to see if there was any solid evidence that we weren't the only wolves in the woods behind my house last night. I went to the spot where I found her and it didn't take me long to find that." Mason nodded to the envelope on the top of the desk and Logan picked it up. He opened it and looked at the gray fur inside as his mouth tightened.
He raised the envelope to his nose, and gave a sniff. He closed his eyes for a moment, as if he was searching his mind for something that would tell him the identity of the fur’s owner.
“Unfortunately I’ve never met Titus, so am unfamiliar with his scent.” Logan tucked the flap of the envelope inside itself and put it in the top drawer of his desk. “We could ask Grace if she could identify the fur’s owner.”
The muscle in Mason’s jaw tightened and he shook his head. “No way. I don’t want her involved in this. She’s scared enough as it is, I’m not going to give her any more reason to be afraid. We both know it’s Titus. He’s the only one who hasn’t submitted himself to you and he hasn’t reported in. What I don’t get is why he’s doing this?”
“I’m sure only he knows. It doesn’t matter. I suggest we take a trip out to East Brook and go out to his place. See what we can find. If he’s there we’ll deal with him, and if he’s not, then the members in East Brook need to see that I’m looking for him.”
“Do you think they will turn him in?” Mason didn’t know much about the East Brook members, since they were sticking to themselves. It was early days yet, and he wondered if they would be willing to turn over a member of the old guard to their new alpha.
“They will if they want to prove their loyalty to me. Don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of this.” Logan shoved his chair back and stood up. “Let’s go.”
Mason followed him out the door as a grim feeling came over him. God help Titus when they caught up with him, and God help anyone who was hiding him. He knew that look on Logan’s face, and it meant that the alpha was not going to be fucked with. With any luck the Titus problem was going to be over today.
Grace looked around the house and a feeling of satisfaction came over her. Things were finally starting to come together and it would only take a few more days for the house to be ready to put on the market. She decided to leave the furniture so the house could be staged for pictures and any showings that might happen. At least that was one thing she didn't have to worry about right now.
Rafe put the last box in the back of his truck and put up the tailgate.
"That's enough for one day, don't you think?" He gave her a grin and she responded with a tired smile of her own. Although she didn't think she needed a bodyguard, she was grateful that he’d been here to help her.
"I don't think I could've gotten done half as much without your help. After we drop the stuff off, I think we deserve a cold beer at Sawyer's Place. It will be my treat."
“Well what are we waiting for, let’s get this show on the road.”
It took no time at all to get the boxes dropped off at the donation center of the thrift store. The people working there had seemed so grateful for the donation that she knew that she’d made the right decision to give them her mother’s things. It was a win win situation as far as she was concerned. She could let go of the past and this would help someone in need.
The trip to the bar passed in relative silence and when Rafe pulled the truck into the parking lot she saw Mason’s truck was already there. Rafe shut off the engine and Grace hesitated as she reached for the door handle.
“We don’t have to have that beer if you think its going to be a problem.” Rafe’s eyes went to Mason’s truck and back to her. She thought about the last time she and Rafe had had a drink together here and the trouble that had followed. But she and Mason had turned a corner, and neither of them had the same animosity inside for the other that they’d had that night.
“It’s fine. You did a lot of work today and Mason won’t object to you getting a cold beer as a reward.” She knew that things between her and Mason were only just starting to get a little easier and that she could be taking a risk if she’d miscalculated in issuing this invitation. It was one thing to have Rafe at the house as protection, but quite another for them to be having a drink together.
She opened the truck door before she could change her mind. Mason was going to have to learn to trust her. If she acted like there was something wrong with her having a drink with Rafe as a reward for a hard days work, then he would pick up on that. She had nothing to feel guilty over, and she certainly wasn’t going to curtail her social life for the sake of a jealous werewolf. Mason had nothing to be jealous of, and that was all there was to it.
The bar wasn’t quite as busy as the night the last time she and Rafe had a drink together, and there was no sign of Mason anywhere. Maybe he was
in Logan’s office. He did say that he had to meet with him, but she had the impression that the meeting was going to be happening this morning. Perhaps she was mistaken about that.
“Go grab us a seat and I’ll get the beers.” She stepped away from Rafe and walked up to the bar. Alex smiled at her as he came over.
“Two beers please. Whatever brand Rafe drinks.” She leaned agains the bar as she waited for the drinks.
“This is a surprise.” Mason’s deep voice rumbled behind her, and she turned to see him standing behind her with Logan at his side. He pulled her to him and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “What are you doing here?”
“Rafe and I put in a lot of work in at the house, and we’re having a beer as a reward.” She watched him carefully but he didn’t seem bothered at all that she was having a drink with another man. Alex set the two beers on the bar in front of them and before she could protest, Mason reached into his pocket for his wallet. “You don’t have to pay for them. I told him that it would be my treat.”
“I owe him for looking out for my woman all day. But unfortunately you won’t be joining him for his drink.” Mason picked up the two beers and handed them to Logan, who took them to where Rafe was sitting.
Grace looked back at Mason. Had she been mistaken? Did he have a problem with her having an innocent drink with Rafe.
“I hope you don’t think there was anything more to this than Rafe and I having a drink.” She straightened her spine, prepared to go toe to toe over this. She’d given him absolutely no reason to think there was anything going on between her and Rafe and this stubborn streak needed to be nipped in the bud.
“I know there isn’t anything going on. I wouldn’t have suggested that he spend the day at the house if I thought there was. You seem to be forgetting that I told you this morning that I have plans for you, and those plans don’t include anyone but you and me. Besides I think that Logan wants to have a chat with Rafe, so I’m sure that he won’t mind if he has a beer with him instead of you.”
“So we’re going home now?” She did remember him saying something about having plans for the evening, and the only thing she could think it could be would be going home to bed. The idea had appeal, but she hoped he would let her shower away the grunge of the day. Or they could shower together.
“No, we aren’t going home yet. We’re going somewhere else.” He shifted away from her and casually leaned against the bar. He winked at her as he reached out to take her hand and pull her over to where he stood. She noticed that he didn’t let go of her hand, and she felt almost as giddy about it as she had when she was with him at eighteen.
“Are we going somewhere for dinner, because I’m not really dressed for it. It’s one thing to stop in here for a quick beer, but I don’t look right for anywhere else, considering I’m in clothes that I’ve been sweating in all day.” She looked down at her clothes and while they weren’t that bad, they weren’t what she’d wear out for a dinner date.
He gave a shake of his head and raised her hand to his mouth. “You’d look good wearing a sack. But don’t worry, where we’re going it will only be just you and me and no one else. And once we get there, if you’re still uncomfortable you can take your clothes off.”
“Would you be serious.” She gave him a light smack on the arm. There was no where she could think of that she would parade around naked unless it was at home. “Can I at least go home and shower?”
“Nope. Don’t worry about it, all will be revealed when we get there.”
He turned his head and straightened up as Alex came over to where they stood. He had a plastic bag filled with a couple of takeout containers and he handed them to Mason in exchange for the money in Mason’s hand.
So they were taking the food with them, but that still didn’t tell her where they were going. Mason turned and put his hand on the small of her back as they walked out of the bar.
“Can you tell me where we are going at least?”
“No. It’s a surprise.” And he kept walking toward his truck.
A surprise? She didn’t really care for surprises, and he knew that. Surprises had a way of back firing. There were a lot of places around here that were fraught with painful memories for her and she wanted to be able to prepare herself for where they were going. She stopped in the parking lot and turned to him.
“Can you please tell me where we’re going?” She gave him her most seductive smile, since demanding an answer wouldn’t work on him. She stroked a finger up the center of his cotton T-shirt and swiped her tongue over her lower lip. Heat flared in his eyes as he grabbed her wrist.
“Stop trying to use your feminine wiles to get an answer out of me, woman. You’ll just have to wait.” He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the mouth. His eyes were warm when he pulled back and looked into her eyes. “I know that surprises aren’t your thing, but please let’s go. Somewhere that isn’t home and that isn’t here, where we can be alone. Trust me.”
She sighed and nodded. She did trust him, and she had a feeling she knew why he emphasized not spending time at home. She was sure it had something to do with what had happened last night. She knew that he hadn’t been fooled when she told him that she didn’t know if she’d seen anything, and this was his way of giving her a break from the notion that Titus was watching her. He knew her well enough to know that she might spend the rest of the afternoon and evening worrying about who might be watching them. It was too nice a night to be cooped up indoors and that was where they would be stuck if they were at home.
As Mason navigated the truck, it didn’t take long for her to realize where they were going. He couldn’t be intending to take her there, could he? Once he turned down the track that could barely be called a road, she knew that he was taking her to they’re old favorite spot. They’d spent so much time out here that summer that it had felt like their own little world.
The track ended and he stopped the truck and turned off the engine. He paused for a second and looked at her.
“If it’s too much for you, we don’t have to go.”
In that moment she knew that the feelings for him that she’d had fifteen years ago had not died, that they’d only been sleeping. He was doing this for her, and there was no way that she could refuse to go. Nothing bad had ever happened in their spot, and perhaps they both needed to remember a time when things had gone right between them.
“I’ll go.”
12
Relief went through Mason when Grace grabbed the folded blanket sitting between them on the truck seat. He knew that bringing her was a risk, since it was the first time they’d been to their old haunt. But he wanted to be alone with her where they could enjoy the last of the summer's good weather. Autumn would be arriving soon enough and he didn’t want to spend tonight indoors, at least not until it was time to take her to bed.
He grabbed the take out and got out of the truck. They had a short hike ahead of them, but it would be worth it when they got to where they were going. As far as Mason knew, not many people knew about this spot, and that suited him just fine. There was little chance that they would be watched here, and it would give Grace a chance to enjoy an evening spent outdoors without scanning the trees for the ghost that haunted her.
For what felt like the millionth time that day he cursed Titus Parr. He’d proved to be elusive. When he and Logan had gone to his home it was apparent that no one had been there in years. It was dilapidated and falling apart. Which meant that if Titus was in the area, and Mason had no doubt that he was, then someone in East Brook was hiding him. Whoever it was, they had better come forward and tell Logan because if the alpha found out from someone else his fury would be unimaginable.
“What are you thinking about so hard?” Grace came up to him and tucked her hand in his as they walked through the trees.
Should he tell her what was on his mind? He didn’t want her to be afraid, but she might be able to give some insight into who Parr would be staying with.
“Logan and I went looking for Parr today. We went to his place and he hasn’t been there in years. If he is in the area, who would he stay with?” Her face paled for a second at the mention of Titus, and Mason felt like kicking himself for bringing him up. The point of tonight was to put some distance between them and their stalker, and to give Grace a respite from fear. “You know what, forget I mentioned it. I didn’t want you thinking about him tonight.”
“It’s okay. I’m here with you and I know that as long as you are with me, he can’t touch me.” She raised his hand to her mouth and kissed it. His pride swelled inside him that she trusted him enough to keep her safe. “I don’t know how much help I can be in pointing you to where he might be. If it was ten years ago I’d tell you that he’d be with my stepfather, but he’s dead. I’ve been away from East Brook for too long to know how the connections work anymore. It could be anyone.”
“So you think that any member of the East Brook pack will go against the alpha? Because if they are hiding Titus that’s what they are doing. I thought the pack was in favor of the merger. They pledge themselves to Logan.”
A frown marred her forehead. “I think the members of the East Brook pack were sincere in wanting to merge with Cold Bay. Logan is exactly the kind of alpha they need, and they know it. But you have to understand that the fear of Titus Parr runs deep. If anyone is hiding him I think it would be done out of fear more than anything else.”
“Which makes finding him next to impossible unless someone comes forward.”
“Yes and in order to come forward they have to be more afraid of Logan than they are of Titus. The problem with Logan is that while he’s stern he’s also fair. Titus is in a whole other league. A lot of people in the pack have experienced first hand just how brutal he is.” A shadow crossed her face but before he could ask her about it, her face cleared and she smiled up at him. “I thought this trip out here was meant to be about putting Titus from our minds for a while.”