one answered. Somehow, he had to find a way to meet this woman while in his human form. Maybe then, visions of her would stop invading his dreams.
“Did you hear gunshots last night, Ms. McAllister?”
“What if I did? It’s hunting season.”
“Yes, ma’am, but it’s illegal to hunt inside a protected wildlife refuge.”
“You ain’t got nothing to worry about,” she said. “The Co-op will take care of any poachers caught on their land.”
The thought had crossed Bodie’s mind more than once. In the sanctuary, the she-wolf-turned-beautiful-woman had said sentinels would hunt down anyone who harmed an animal on Co-op lands.
“I’m trying to do my job, ma’am.” Before someone gets hurt.
“Well, go do it somewhere else.” Ms. McAllister stepped back and gripped the hardwood door. “I ain’t got nothing to say.”
The door closed hard enough to rattle the metal screen. Definitely not the first one slammed in his face this morning, but since this was the last house bordering the Co-op’s wolf sanctuary, it would be the final interview for today.
He descended the porch steps, walked to his state-supplied, double cab truck and climbed inside. Shaking off the autumn chill, he studied the McAllister homestead. It was different from the other homes bordering the Co-op’s wolf sanctuary in that she had a dozen or so chickens running around her yard and an empty pig sty. There had been no indication of pets or farm animals at the other residences.
The house appeared more weathered than the others he had seen, but still in good repair. In the front window, one slat in the blinds parted. His intent when questioning the residents wasn’t to antagonize them, but to offer help.
Help that no one seemed to want or appreciate. If indeed they were wolf shifters, as he suspected, perhaps the Co-op residents believed they were safe living among their own kind. Estranged from his clan and under constant scrutiny, Bodie could only imagine how comforting that feeling must be.
He turned the key in the ignition and waved to the woman in the window. The blind snapped closed.
In the rearview mirror, he saw a white pickup truck pull in behind him. An older man got out, his movements stealthy and predatory.
Wahya! The term the she-wolf had used when referring to her species pierced his mind. Whereas her spirit had been kind and gentle, the aura emanating from the man stalking toward Bodie’s vehicle caused his feathers to ruffle.
Bodie rolled down his window. “Good morning, sir. I’m Sergeant Gryffon with DNR.”
“I know who you are.” The man’s dark eyes narrowed. “Appreciate your interest in the shots fired last night, but it’s a Co-op matter. Best you stay out of it.”
“If it involves poaching or any other illegal activity, I’m inclined to disagree.”
“It doesn’t.”
“Then you know who discharged the firearms?”
The man sucked his teeth and his gaze flickered right. “A couple of the Co-op’s teenagers were horsing around. Won’t happen again.”
It was an outright lie. In his raven form, Bodie had seen the shotgun casings on the ground and the cut fence. He’d also followed several wolves tracking the perpetrators’ trail, which stopped abruptly at the tire tracks that disappeared at the asphalt road. Since he couldn’t very well admit to it, he was at a dead end, too.
Bodie picked up the notepad and pen on the seat next to him. “Do you mind telling me your name, sir?”
The man’s wizened face darkened. “Don’t see why I should.”
“For the record,” Bodie said. “If I’m going to close out the incident report, I need to know who provided the information.”
“Henry Coots.” The man exhaled heavily. “Most people call me Cooter.”
Bodie jotted down the name. “Who are the juveniles involved?”
“I don’t think their names are necessary. They got a good scolding from the sentinels. It won’t happen again.”
“The sentinels?” The she-wolf had mentioned them, too.
“The Co-op’s security force.” Cooter nodded. “Put down in your book that they handled the situation. There’s nothing more to it.”
Oh, there was a hell of a lot more to it. “Thank you for your time, Cooter.”
“Next time, before you stick your nose into the Co-op’s matters, you should talk to Tristan Durrance. He’s been in charge of security since I retired.”
“Yes, sir.” Bodie had left a message for Tristan but hadn’t received a call back yet. Having first met while working the fires in the Chattahoochee National Forest a few years ago, they had reconnected when Bodie moved to Maico.
Cooter returned to his truck and drove around Bodie’s vehicle toward the house. Bodie checked the rearview mirror.
At least no more Co-opers were driving up to tell him not to stick his beak where it didn’t belong.
Thankfully Willow was having a better time integrating with the locals than her father. She loved her new classmates. Had to be a first. Quiet and heartbreakingly shy, Willow had hated every school she’d attended. Bodie suspected bullying though she never admitted it.
But on her first day at Maico High, she had come home all smiles and talking more than she had the entire summer before they’d moved. Coming out of her shell, she had made friends and was growing more confident in herself every day. Perhaps it had something to do with the nearing of her first transformation, but he hoped that it was because she was happy.
The gnawing in his belly turned into an obnoxious rumble. He’d missed lunch and now his stomach was trying to devour itself. He lifted the phone from its holder on the dashboard and called the local diner.
“Mabel’s,” a woman answered.
“I need to place an order.”
“Bodie?” She drew out his name with her Southern drawl. “Is that you?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, hey, cutie pie. I wondered if you were comin’ by today to see me.”
Bodie had no idea which server was talking to him.
Being a new face in a small town always made one stand out. Being a new single face was like wearing a neon sign. But after Willow and Bodie’s mother had joined him in Maico, the neon sign went nova.
“I’m running late and need to pick up something to go.”
“Want the usual?”
“That’ll be fine.” Bodie glanced at the clock. “I might not get there until after the diner closes.”
“I’ll keep it warming in the window. You drive safe, now. See you soon.”
Bodie backed out of the driveway onto the road. Heading into town, he passed the KOA campground and the weight on his shoulders increased. Living in the camper had been a temporary plan when he’d arrived in Maico, alone. He’d expected to have time to find a place before bringing up his daughter and mother.
However, plans changed after two Tlanuhwas had unexpectedly approached Bodie, hoping to recruit him into a small faction wanting him to pick up the mantle of modernization among their kind that had gotten his forward-thinking father killed. Not knowing if they were sincere or informants for the Tribunal—the Tlanuhwas’ governing council—Bodie had adamantly declined.
Still, if something was going on among his clansmen, he wanted his family close. Of course, his mother had squawked about the move. But she didn’t know about the incident and he wasn’t inclined to worry her over something that