Kenny continued. “Alpha Nelson likes to stay available.”
“That also makes it more difficult to protect him,” Mike noted.
“Yeah,” Kenny agreed. “It’s been one of the biggest issues I’ve had to deal with. My Alpha is taking the threats serious but he still refuses to even consider staying inside or having a fence built to help with security.”
“He wants to show strength,” Mike commented.
“That and he would actually prefer for anyone to come after him than target someone else in his Pack. The destruction of the buildings is hurting the Pack. But there are only so many buildings. When will they go after the Pack members?” Kenny added.
Mike respected that. It showed the Alpha cared about his people.
“We’ve had eight families move into the guest houses. All have small children we’re concerned about. What if these monsters go after the kids?”
Mike felt a growl rumble through his chest—his wolf wanting to protect. It was an instinct that had always helped him in the past.
While most shifters only ran or changed form maybe once a week or even less often, Mike shifted almost every day. His wolf was strong and he wanted to keep in shape, in both forms.
They walked around, going over weak spots and where trouble might come from. Kenny wouldn’t say much about his friends. Just that they were wolf shifters and had been in the military. That they would watch out for everyone.
Mike could understand why Kenny was keeping things close. He knew the brotherhood that came with a team. It was the same for him, Casey, RJ and Jesse. But Mike hated not having all the info.
When Kenny led him to his bedroom, he noted his bags were waiting for him on the bed.
“I’d like to shift and run later. Will that be a problem?” he asked. It was proper etiquette to ask while in another territory.
“No, the good thing about us is that you can shift anytime. We are so far from anyone who isn’t a shifter that no one will think twice about seeing a wolf. Of course nowadays people would love to see it, but no one comes this far out. Not even lost tourists.”
“Good,” Mike responded. “It’ll help to also see the property as my wolf.”
“The kitchen is always open. Just help yourself to anything you want. Alpha Nelson has someone come in and cook breakfast from seven to eight, lunch from eleven to one, and dinner is at five. But the fridge is always stocked with sandwiches or something if you miss a meal or just want a snack.”
“I appreciate it,” Mike told Kenny and they shook.
“Oh!” Kenny pulled out a sheet of paper from his back pocket. “Here are some phone numbers for the Pack. If you need anything just give me a holler.”
Mike closed the door after Kenny had left and walked around the room, familiarizing himself with his surroundings. It was a nice room. Deep cherry wood furniture that was both sturdy and comforting. His room had a large king size bed, dresser with a TV on it, and two end tables. There was an attached bathroom so Mike picked up his small tote and set it inside the small space. He would shower after he’d shifted.
He wandered over to the window and pulled back the curtains. One thing was for sure, he had a gorgeous view of the mountains. It was colder than what he was used to but Mike found the territory to be very welcoming. Kenny hadn’t mentioned anything about Becca, but Mike hadn’t got any ‘stay away’ vibes either.
He was still itching for a run, so he decided to go ahead. He quietly left his room and strode down the hall to the same patio door he and Kenny had exited earlier. In the short time he’d been inside, the temperature had dropped by several degrees. His wolf wouldn’t mind, though.
He went in the opposite direction of the guest houses—he didn’t want to meet up with anyone else just then—past a swimming pool, a small but well-kept playground for the children, and what looked like another guest house, just a little bigger than the