Scent of a Wolf's Mate (12 page)

Serena was met with two smiles as he and a
woman of about the same age walked forward.

“Serena, this is Patrick and Ellie, the
assistants I mentioned earlier.”

Serena held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet
you both.” They reciprocated.

“What do you think of the facility?” Patrick
asked enthusiastically. It was clear by his boyish zeal that he was
proud of the place.

“I like what I’ve seen so far.”

“It’s so much nicer than the old place,”
Ellie added. “And not as smelly.” She wrinkled her nose.

Serena couldn’t help laughing. Wild animals
had a different, more pungent odor than domesticated animals. Once
one or two bears and a few wolves came through the facility the
scented pine she smelled now would quickly vanish.

“I understand all we have right now is an
eagle?” Serena was eager to meet the magnificent bird and see its
progress.

Patrick and Ellie’s welcoming expressions
sobered immediately, and they shifted their gazes away from Serena.
She glanced at Connor, who frowned at them.

“What is it?” His tone was demanding.

“We lost her,” Ellie said sadly.

“What? I thought her injuries were minor and
she was mending and almost ready to be set free?” Connor
stated.

“Did infection set in?” Serena asked
softly.

Patrick took a big breath. “No. Something got
to her.”

“We left her outside over night because she
was doing so good, and had planned to set her free this morning.
She should have been safe in her cage.” Ellie’s bottom lip quivered
slightly, and there was no denying the sheen in her eyes.

Connor said nothing but began stomping down
the short hallway toward the back door. Serena decided to follow,
vaguely aware that Patrick and Ellie were right behind her. Her
mind was racing at the tragedy. When they stepped outside Serena
took a moment to take in the scene.

Feathers, body parts, and blood were
everywhere, making it obvious that whatever had attacked the eagle
hadn’t meant to eat it. The way the bird had been torn apart
implied mindless rage. A rabid animal, maybe?

“Are you sure the cage was latched?” Connor
asked. He was examining the door and latch as he spoke.

“Positive,” they replied in unison and with
total conviction.

Patrick joined Connor. “It must have happened
shortly after we left, because her food and water dish are still
full.”

“Well, the latch is okay so we can’t blame it
on a defect.” Connor released a heavy sigh, scouring the ground
around the cage. He looked off into the distance, and it was clear
to Serena that he was contemplating what could have happened. By
the look in his eye it seemed that he had come to a quick
conclusion.

“She was beautiful,” Ellie spoke softly next
to Serena.

Serena offered her a small smile,
understanding Ellie’s sadness. Having loved animals all her life
she knew that losing one was always difficult. Unfortunately, it
went with the territory of working with them, and Serena knew she
didn’t have to remind Ellie of that. She began to walk around and
examine the remains more closely.

“This isn’t how we wanted to welcome you,
Miss James.”

Serena, hunched over the headless body of the
eagle, looked up at Patrick. “Please, I want you both to call me
Serena.” He nodded.

“Can you tell what did it?” Connor asked.

A strange question, considering Serena was
pretty sure that he’d already guessed what had happened. Was he
trying to protect her by keeping her from the truth? She shook her
head. “It’s going to be hard to determine. Any predator, a bear or
mountain lion, could have done this. But why didn’t they eat it?
Whatever did this,” Serena indicated the scattered remains with a
sweep of her arm, “seemed to be angry, and that doesn’t make any
sense.”

“Well, we better get this cleaned up.”
Patrick gave Ellie a meaningful look.

“Please package the remains so I can examine
them more thoroughly,” Serena said, rising to her feet.

“Will do.”

Serena went to Connor after Patrick and Ellie
left. “What are you thinking?”

He glanced down at her. “I’m wondering how a
bear or a mountain lion opened the cage door.”

“You know what happened, don’t you,” she
accused softly.

Connor nodded, but remained silent, and he
wasn’t sharing. She would examine the remains on Monday and know
more. All at once something caught Serena’s attention, something
light carried in the air, and not something she was growing
familiar with. It wasn’t the fresh scent of the pine or birch trees
surrounding them, or the wild flowers growing on the slight hill
leading into the woods beside the clinic. It wasn’t exactly a
pleasant scent, and she couldn’t begin to identify what it was. She
raised her face toward the source and frowned, inhaling deeply.

Her gaze flew to Connor, who was watching her
closely. “You know, don’t you,” he said in a deep voice. “I can
tell you’ve picked up the scent.”

Yes, she knew. Something, someone, was out
there, watching them. It was something evil.

It was death.

Once Connor had picked up the scent of his
brother, he knew what had killed the bald eagle. Coupled with the
fact there were impressions of a wolf’s paw in the mix of mud and
footprints around the bird’s cage, his first suspicion had been
confirmed. He didn’t understand what Clive had hoped to gain by
killing the bird, unless it was to leave a message that he hadn’t
left the area.

Serena had picked up on Clive’s scent, too.
Her wolf’s senses were sharpening and mingling with her human
instincts. Soon they would be one, and intensified. He couldn’t
wait for her to shift into her she-wolf for the first time. Once
she accepted her fate, the rest would be easy. She would meet the
elders and be officially received into the pack, and as his
life-mate.

As far as Connor was concerned, there wasn’t
anything for Serena to prove. The elders in any pack rarely refused
the joining of an alpha and his natural born mate. It was only upon
the death of an alpha’s mate, when he chose another, that there
would be cause for concern. As far as Connor was concerned, the
only issue Serena had to overcome was her vegetarian status.

He grinned, watching as she stabbed at the
greens in her spring salad mix. He’d just finished a huge rare
hamburger and was washing it down with a beer. Sitting back in the
booth, his gaze ran over Serena with growing awareness. She was
concentrating on her salad, and caught his stare as she was
bringing a forkful up to her parted lips.

She stopped the fork just as it was about to
enter her mouth. “What?”

Her smile took his breath away. Connor
shrugged. “A wolf doesn’t eat rabbit food,” he teased. Serena
glanced around nervously as if afraid that someone would hear his
comment. “Relax, honey, I know everyone in here and remember, we’re
all wolves.”

“You might as well get used to it, because I
don’t eat anything with a face,” she teased right back.

Get used to it
, a good sign. Connor
lifted a brow at her slightly haughty comment. “We’ll have to wait
and see about that,” he said in response to her challenge. “It will
be fun seeing how you control your she-wolf’s ravenous hunger for
red meat.”

Serena visibly shuddered. “Not going to
happen.”

Connor threw back his head and laughed,
drawing the attention of some of the other diners. He should remind
her that she’d eyed his hamburger with growing hunger while he was
enjoying it. She was picking at her salad like a child being forced
to eat their veggies.

“Do you mind if I begin work officially on
Monday? I’m anxious to examine the eagle.”

It didn’t surprise Connor that Serena wanted
to start work a week early. He knew the only reason she’d come to
Savage Hills early was to get a feel for the area and to get
settled into a new place before her job began. Staying with him
took care of that problem.

“Sure, start whenever you like.” Her face lit
up, bringing brightness into her eyes. He leaned forward. “And make
that the last time you ask me for permission to do anything that
concerns the clinic, honey. You’re the boss, and that’s your
baby.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, holding
Connor’s gaze almost shyly. “Thank you, for everything.”

When she looked at him like that all he could
think about was kissing her pretty mouth until they were both
burning up. Her meaning wasn’t lost on him.
Hell, I’ve taken so
much from her, her home, her virginity, her livelihood–

And you’ve given me so much more. A new home,
the sanctuary, the freedom to do the work I love, protection,
love–

Suddenly shock and surprise filled Serena’s
rounding eyes, and she sat back. “What, what just happened? Did we,
did we just?” She couldn’t seem to put her thoughts into words.

Connor couldn’t stop the huge grin from
spreading on his face.

“Telepathy?” Confusion, disbelief, and awe
all fought for first place on her lovely face. “Yes,” Connor began.
“One of the perks of being a werewolf, though it usually only
happens when we’re in wolf form.”

“So we’re special?” He nodded. “Does this
mean you’ll be able to know all of my thoughts?"

“When I’m tuned in. Does that bother you?” He
smiled in the face of her mild irritation.

The waitress came up to their table. Connor
had introduced Serena to Trina when they’d first sat down,
commenting that it wouldn’t take long before she knew everyone in
the area. Like most small towns, everyone knew everyone, and there
were no secrets.

“Would either of you like anything else?” she
asked with a friendly smile. Without waiting for a response, she
began stacking up their discarded dishes.

Connor noted the fading bruise on Trina’s
cheek, compliments of Clive. He glanced at Serena, and she
indicated with a slight movement of her head that she didn’t want
anything. “Just the check, please.”

He waited until Trina walked away before
saying, “There’s a few mom and pop stores here in town, a bar, and
a grocery store. Do you want to stop anywhere before we go
home?”

Serena laughed softly. “No mall?”

Connor shook his head. “Not here in Savage
Hills. The closest one is about thirty miles away. I’ll take you
one day soon.”

He paid the tab and they headed out to his
Hummer. Just as he was getting Serena settled into the passenger
side, movement from across the street caught his attention. He
glanced over, his gaze scanning the vehicles parked in front of the
hardware store. He recognized all of them. In spite of that, Connor
frowned. Something was off, he sensed it.

“Is something wrong?”

Connor returned his gaze to Serena.
Damn,
she’s beautiful.
He leaned in and covered her mouth with his.
Like always, as soon as he touched her he got lost and his brief
kiss turned into something deeper. He had to force himself to break
contact, leaving them both a little out of breath. As he pulled
back, something again drew his attention across the street. Someone
was watching them.

“Stay here and lock the doors, I’ll be right
back.”

He could feel Serena’s gaze on him as he
crossed the quiet street. The hardware store was his destination.
He was certain someone inside had been watching them, and as soon
as he opened the door he picked up on the scent. Connor realized
immediately that it was a wolf from a different area, probably
someone just passing through. So why had he been watching them, and
where was he now?

The one and only cash register stand was
empty. Connor knew Stan, the owner, rarely left the front of the
store area, especially when he was alone.
Where is he?
The
store seemed too quiet. Connor began to walk toward the back.

“Stan? You around?” he called out.

Connor was surprised when he heard, “Yep!
Coming!” Stan turned the corner of one of the isles almost
immediately. “Connor! How’s it going?”

“Good. What’s going on?” Connor frowned as
the two of them started back toward the storefront. “Someone else
is here.”

“Yeah, a guy from the Riverview pack came in.
The strangest thing though, he walked around a little, looked out
the window a few times, did some more walking, and then went
straight to the back.”

Connor frowned. “The back?”

“Yeah, left through the back door. I followed
him to make sure he was gone.” Stan shook his head. “Weird.”

They’d reached the register area when a
squeal of tires had them both glancing up. A car had come to a
screeching halt across the street, directly behind Connor’s Hummer.
He didn’t think anything of it until the passenger side door opened
and Clive emerged. He slammed the door and went directly to the
driver’s side door of the Hummer. At the same time, the car spun
away.

Swearing, Connor rushed from the store in
time to see Clive hop into the Hummer, start it, and back out of
the spot without even looking to see if anyone was coming. He swung
the Hummer around right in the middle of the street, and then sped
the other way out of town.

Connor ran as fast and as far as he could
before forcing himself to stop. He’d never catch them on foot, or
even in wolf form. He needed a vehicle. He turned back, seeing Stan
on the sidewalk, watching with his mouth hanging open.

“I need your car!” Connor rasped. Stan dug
out his keys and tossed them to Connor as he reached for the door
handle to his old green Volvo. “Call the sheriff and tell him what
happened!”

Connor’s heart was pounding like a drum as he
started up the car and tore out of the parking spot. His only
thought was on Serena, and of how frightened she must be. He’d
watched her open the passenger side door to get out, but Clive had
reached over, grabbed her by the hair, and hauled her back to his
side of the Hummer.