Bec Adams by A Guardian's Awakening [Shy River Pack 3] Page B

She somehow knew that nudity wasn’t an issue with shape-shifters, but again she had no idea where the knowledge was coming from.
    “Alpha,” Gavin said in a respectful tone. He probably sounded very much like the Navy SEAL he’d once been. “It was definitely in wolf form. Someone else opened the door to let it in.”
    “Are you sure? We’re not picking up any other scents.”
    “Positive, sir. Even after it changed shape I doubt it had the ability to grip the handle and turn it. There was definitely someone else in the cabin as well.”
    The alpha looked around the room before turning his attention back to Hensen. “Unfortunately your guess was correct. I need you and your mates to stay on Dry Creek pack lands until we can get to the bottom of this.” Hensen nodded, but it was clear he wasn’t happy about it. “Have you ever seen a creature like this?”
    “Never,” he said with a quick shake of his head. “With your permission I’ll contact Brigden Hawkes at Shy River and ask him if he knows anything. He spent decades collecting information on other shifter species. Maybe he’ll have some idea of what we’re dealing with.”
    “Thanks,” the alpha said. “Any information is better than the big fat nothing we have now.”

Chapter Five
     
    Kade quickly moved around his small house collecting the clothes and dirty dishes that hadn’t quite made it to the laundry basket or kitchen sink. He wasn’t a complete slob, but he certainly wouldn’t have called the place “visitor ready.”
    “Sorry,” he said as he brushed past Gavin and dropped a load of clothing into the basket. “I’ve lived alone for a long time.”
    Maggie shook her head and gave him a wry smile. “Compared to my place…ah, maybe I shouldn’t confess to that. I will point out, though, that I’m a pretty big failure when it comes to housework. I don’t suppose werewolves have maids?”
    “Sorry,” Hensen said, pulling her into his embrace. “No maids, but no stereotypes either. We’re slightly more evolved than our wild cousins. Females are as important to a pack as the males, so we share most responsibilities.”
    “Good to know,” she said as she snuggled into his embrace. Kade didn’t miss the fact that Gavin also hovered nearby. Two attacks in one day had left them all on edge. “Does it always happen this way?”
    “Not always,” Hensen said, apparently understanding what “it” Maggie was referring to. “But a true-mates bond is different. Even though he’s still human, Gavin is finding it as hard to resist as the rest of us.”
    Gavin didn’t react to Hensen’s comment but he didn’t deny it either.
    “What’s this room?” Gavin asked, moving closer to the internal wall that Kade had added after moving in here. He laughed self-consciously.
    “I suppose the correct description would be a ‘panic’ room. I built it when I first joined Dry Creek pack, but these days I use it for storage.”
    “Does it have another exit?”
    Kade could feel himself blushing. “It does. The floor has a hatch that drops into the cellar, and the cellar has a secret exit.”
    “You built it?” Gavin asked with an impressed smile on his face.
    “A long time ago.” He shrugged trying to make it sound like no big deal. “There were a lot of wolves who didn’t particularly want a human joining them forty years ago. Lisbeth and Shaw weren’t interested in protecting me so I was…um…fair game for a few years.”
    The look of horror on Gavin’s face was probably understandable. Most humans tried to curb their instincts to bully weaker members of society, but for a long time in Dry Creek pack it had been encouraged as a type of learning experience for the stronger pack members. Fortunately, when the current alpha had taken over he’d discouraged the practice.
    “Come here,” Gavin said, pulling Kade into his embrace. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to protect you.”
    Kade held onto his human mate, taking comfort from