Danger in a Fur Coat (The Fur Coat Society Book 4) (8 page)

Juno ran as fast as she could, but she barely made it out the door of the building in time to see which corner Wyatt disappeared around.

“Wyatt!” she yelled, running as fast as she could. But Wyatt was faster. There was no way she was going to catch him unless she shifted, and even then he could just shift into dragon form and fly away. Why was he running? What was this all about? A sick feeling filled the pit of her stomach. Were Grant and Jack right? Was Wyatt destined to be solitary, a slave to his dragon genes?

“Wyatt!” she cried. “Wait! Stop or I’ll shift.”

It wasn’t a big threat. After all, there was no one around to see her shift or judge her for it, and Wyatt could just as easily shift himself. But somehow, that that was enough to jar him back to the moment. He stopped, and turned around looking at her with pleading eyes.

“Juno, please,” he said.

“Please what?” she asked, breathless as she caught up with him. “Why are you running away? I thought we had something together. And don’t you want to celebrate? You’re gonna leave right when we’ve made a big breakthrough with a cure for bear flu? I thought you’d be happy for me!”

“I am happy for you,” Wyatt said. “Believe me, I’m so happy for you. But seeing you with your clan members makes me realize that I’ll never fit in. I’m not a bear, Juno. I’m not all exuberant and emotional and hugging all the time.”

I wasn’t that emotional,” Juno said. “Just because bears hug when something life-changing or even world-changing happens doesn’t mean that being with me is going to force you to be touchy-feely all the time.”

Wyatt frowned, “I’m not social enough, Juno. I won’t survive in a bear’s world. I’m a loner. A dragon.”

“What happened to everything you said about wanting to be with me? That it was better than being alone?”

“I still mean that,” Wyatt said, his voice catching. Juno was surprised. Wyatt was a strange mixture of emotion and defiance right now.

“If you still mean it, then why are you running away?”

“I still want to be with you,” Wyatt said. “And I meant it when I said you improve on the solitude. But you’re a bear. You have a clan. Being with you means that I’ll have to be around all of them, too. And I’ll never fit in. They’ll never understand me. I’m too quiet, and they’ll ask what’s wrong with me and talk about me behind my back.”

Juno raised an eyebrow. “Well that’s an awful lot to assume from meeting two of my clan members one time and seeing them excited over the bear flu cure.”

“Don’t you see the way they look at me, Juno? They already don’t trust me. They already know I’m gonna hurt you, so why disappoint them?”

Juno was angry now. “Why disappoint them? What about disappointing
me
? How do you think it feels to give my heart to you only to have you turn around and walk off?”

“It’s for your own good, Juno,” Wyatt said. “Don’t you understand? You’re only going to get hurt if I stay. And the longer I stay, the worse it’s gonna be.”

Suddenly, Juno saw herself in Wyatt. She realized how ridiculous it had been to sneak away from her clan. She had said the same things that Wyatt was saying to her now. She’d told Grant and Jack that she had left for their good, and that they would be hurt if they came to Chicago. But that hadn’t been true, and she had to admit now that it would’ve been better if they had come with her from the start. It was the same with Wyatt. He thought he was leaving for her good. He thought he was helping her. But he was actually tearing her heart apart.

“Wyatt,” she said softly. “I understand what it feels like to want to protect someone you care about. But remember what you told me? You have to let people decide for themselves what dangers they want to face, and you have to let me decide for myself what heartache I want to face.”

Wyatt was quiet. There wasn’t much he could say in response to that, so Juno pushed on.

“And if you think Grant and Jack don’t trust you and are glaring at you, then stand up for yourself. You’re a dragon for crying out loud! Don’t just sit there and get hurt feelings.”

“It’s not about my hurt feelings,” Wyatt said. “Don’t you understand? The only way that I know to stand up for myself is fire. Do you want me to singe your friends?”

Juno actually laughed. “No, Wyatt I don’t. But I think you’re capable of more than you know. You can stand up for yourself with words. You can speak your mind without burning someone up. So why don’t you go do that?”

“Seriously?” Wyatt asked. “You want me to just go in there and get in the face of your friends who I just met?”

“Why not?” Juno said. “That’s the other thing about bears. If we have a problem with someone, we just tell them. We’re not perfect, but that’s how we try to handle things. Don’t be like me, running away to try to save someone else. I’ve realized it doesn’t work. It only leaves everyone worse off.”

Wyatt ran his fingers through his hair. “If you want me to fight for you, Juno, I’ll fight for you. I just don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to make things worse than they are.”

“Wyatt, don’t be ridiculous,” Juno said. “Remember, let me choose the risks I’m willing to take for myself. You just be true to yourself, and be honest with the other shifters. Everything will work itself out.”

“I hope you’re right,” Wyatt said. “I’m a dragon through and through. I can’t change my scales.”

“And I wouldn’t want you to,” Juno said. “Come on. Come back with me. Talk to Greg and Jack, and show them you mean business.”

Wyatt smiled. “Alright. I just don’t want to put you in an awkward position with your clan.”

“Let me worry about that,” Juno said. “You just worry about being true to yourself and true to me.”

Wyatt’s smile deepened, making Juno’s heart skip a beat.

“I can handle that,” he said. “Let’s go.”

With that, he turned around and walked back toward Hook Labs. Juno grinned and scurried after him. This day was turning out to be full of new beginnings and wins.

Wyatt walked back into the lab with his head held high. He glanced over at Juno, and she smiled encouragingly at him. What had he been thinking, storming out of there without her? He could never leave her behind, no matter how difficult things were with her clan. True, he had seen the looks that Grant and Jack had given him, and he knew they were wary of him. He also knew that being in a social clan would be difficult for him. But it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. He would learn the ropes of clan life for Juno’s sake—she was worth it. He couldn’t imagine ever asking her to leave her clan, but he also couldn’t imagine life without her. He was glad for her encouragement and understanding. Dragons might be solitary, but they still needed love.

As Wyatt stepped back into the outer lab, Grant and Jack looked over at him suspiciously.

“Welcome back,” Grant said, his voice almost a challenge.

“Thanks,” Wyatt said, straightening his back to stand as tall as he could. “Listen, I’m not sure whether I made one thing clear when I met you guys.”

“What’s that?” Jack asked, his eyes narrowing.

Wyatt put his arm around Juno. “I’m in love with this girl,” he said. “And goddammit if I’m not the luckiest man in the world, because she’s in love with me too.”

Wyatt saw Juno look up at him with a slight expression of surprise. They hadn’t actually said the word love yet. But he knew in his bones that he loved her, and he felt her love for him radiating back at him. There was a long pause while Grant and Jack both looked at him with blank expressions.

Finally, Grant spoke. “Dude, look. You seem like a nice enough guy. But you’re a dragon. You understand that bears are social right? You can’t just snatch up a bear shifter—her clan has to accept you.”

“Grant,” Juno said, starting to jump in. But Wyatt put his hand up to stop her.

“No, Juno,” he said. “Let me handle this. Listen, Grant. I understand you’re the alpha of this clan. And I respect that. But you know as well as I do that the old clan rules of alpha acceptance aren’t really followed anymore. We’re in the middle of the 2050s, dude.  You have to let your clan members love who they want to love.”

Wyatt saw Grant’s face turning red with anger, but he held his ground.

“I don’t think a dragon shifter who’s never been part of a clan should be educating me on clan politics,” Grant said. Wyatt felt Juno stiffening next to him with anger, but he did his best to maintain his cool.

“Am I wrong?” Wyatt challenged. Grant didn’t answer. He just looked back at Wyatt with angry eyes.

“Look,” Wyatt said finally. “I’m not trying to make trouble. All I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t judge me before you know me. Yes, I’m a dragon. And yes, we’re solitary for the most part. But we also know what it’s like to love. We crave lifemates, too. Maybe not as strongly as you do. But when we find one we’re loyal and stick with them. I might be quiet and reserved, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be a valuable member of the clan. So give me a chance before you automatically write me off. You should know better. After all, don’t you hate it when people automatically write you off because you’re a shifter?”

Wyatt saw Grant’s expression softening a bit, so he pushed forward. “It’s the same with me, dude. How do you think it feels when somebody judges me automatically just because I’m a dragon?”

Grant relaxed a little bit more. “Okay,” he said. “I’m man enough to admit that you’re right. But still, you should know that Juno is important to me, and to this clan. I’m pissed as hell at her for the way she snuck out with the helicopter, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t fight for her and die for her. So you better take good care of her and not break her heart, because if you do I’ll break your neck.”

Wyatt chuckled and raised his hands in surrender. “Fair enough, Grant, fair enough. Don’t worry. I have no intentions of breaking her heart. I’ve only known her for a couple days, and she’s already the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I would do anything for her, and that’s no exaggeration.”

Grant nodded, and then looked over at Juno.

“What about you, Juno? You sure you want to be with a dragon. They’re pretty hotheaded, you know,” Grant said, then laughed at his own joke.

Wyatt hated corny jokes about fire and heat, but he was glad that Grant was loosening up, so he let it slide.

“I’m sure,” Juno said. “I’m in love with him. He’s my lifemate. I know you probably think I’m a total weirdo. What kind of bear hooks up with a dragon, after all?  But I know now that there’s a reason nothing ever worked out with anyone else. It’s because my heart’s been waiting for him. I always knew he was out there somewhere. Now that I’ve found him, everything that didn’t make sense before makes perfect sense.”

Wyatt felt his heart melting a little bit at Juno’s words. She could be so poetic sometimes, and he shouldn’t admit it but it made his heart melt a little. That didn’t sound like a very macho, tough guy thing to say, but it was true. She got to him like no one else did.

Grant smiled. “Alright, then. Looks like we have a new clan member.”

Jack’s eyes widened, but he smiled as Grant held his hand out to shake Wyatt’s hand.

“Welcome to our little ragtag clan. We’re a bunch of misfits and rebels, and I think you’re going to fit right in,” Jack said.

“I hope so,” Wyatt said, smiling as he shook Grant’s and Jack’s hands. Beside him, Juno was beaming so brightly that she was practically glowing. Grant pointed a finger at her and feigned as much anger as he could.

“This doesn’t mean you’re off the hook for that sneaking away stunt you pulled,” he said.

Juno sighed. “Yeah, yeah. Okay. But I saved the world, so you can’t be too mad, can you?”

“Well,” Jack said, interrupting. “You came up with a cure for bear flu, but you haven’t quite saved the world yet.”

All eyes turned to Jack.

“What do you mean?” Juno asked.

“Now that we have the cure, we have to figure out a way to mass produce it. We also have to convince people to accept it. Think about it. Would you accept something that a bear shifter offered you if you thought they were your sworn enemy?”

Wyatt felt like he’d been hit by a ton of bricks. He’d never even thought about this. Somehow, he’d been so wrapped up in helping Juno find the cure that it had never occurred to him they would have to convince people to accept that cure once it was found.

“Shit,” Wyatt said. “Jack’s right. What are we going to do?”

Grant frowned. “We have to talk to the president. He’s the only one who still has enough power and clout to get this cure out there.”

“But nobody knows where the president is,” Juno said. “He’s in quarantine or isolation or something. Besides, you can’t just walk up to the president and say, ‘Hey, what’s up? Got a cure for bear flu.’ You have to have an appointment or something.”

“I know,” Grant said. “Which is why we have to prove we have a cure. I’m pretty sure if we could actually convince the president that we had a cure he’d be willing to meet with us. So the question is really how are we going to do that? He’s not likely to be very trusting of a bunch of shifters.”

“Maybe we can have Lily vouch for us,” Juno said. “After all, she’s human. She’s been cured. Who better to advocate on our behalf?”

“That’s a good plan if it works,” Jack said. “But we’ll have to convince her. She seems like the quiet type, and she also seems to be a little distrustful of us even though we saved her life. I guess you can’t blame her too much. She lost her whole family, after all. She’s been through a lot.

“Yeah, it will definitely be work to convince her, but she’s our best bet,” Grant said. “Here’s the plan. Someone needs to stay back here and guard the lab, as well as work on building trust with Lily so she’ll help us. Juno and Wyatt, I propose that you stay since you’re already set up here.”

Juno and Wyatt both nodded.

“Jack and I will travel back to the hideout in Michigan,” Grant continued. “We’ll bring everyone there up to speed, and choose a few people from the clan to travel to Washington. We’ll get everyone to start working on a plan for getting the president’s attention.”

“Sounds good,” Juno said. “I’ll continue tweaking the formula for the medicine to make sure everything is as perfect as it can be.”

Wyatt smiled. “Maybe we can sweet-talk Lily with some good food,” he said. “I’ve got quite a bit of it up in my dragon lair.”

Grant grinned. “I like the way you think,” he said. “Whatever works, my man. Let’s get going on this mission. The sooner we get to the president, the sooner the population will stop dying in mass numbers. There’s no time to lose.”

Grant and Jack started gathering up their things, and within a half-hour they were headed out the front door of the lab building. Wyatt shook their hands and Grant pulled him into a big hug, clapping his back.

“You’re one of us now,” Grant said. “Take care of Juno for us.”

“I will,” Wyatt promised. “She means more to me than life itself.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Jack said. Take care of our girl, and we’ll see you soon.”

Wyatt waved as they left, walking off in the direction of the building where they had parked their helicopter.

“Guess it’s just you and me now,” Juno said, looking over at him. “We have to hold down the fort and make sure no one ruins the discovery we found.”

“Easy peasy,” Wyatt said with a smile. “If anyone wants to get in here, they’re going to have to get past a firebreathing dragon. Trust me, by the time I’m done with them, they’ll wish they’d never tried to mess with us.”

Wyatt’s chest puffed out pride as Juno smiled over at him. Being part of the clan felt good. For perhaps the first time in his life, he was part of something bigger than himself, and the excitement of it sent adrenaline pumping through his veins. He could definitely get used to this.