The Keeping(91)

“Otherwise, the townsfolk might become suspicious as to why I’m suddenly importing families to Stump River and housing them at my place.” He’d explained. After checking that the family had all they needed, he’d given Marco the job of contacting the registry. Soon the underground Lycan network would be in motion, working on the necessary documentation to smooth over immigration laws. No one would ever be able to question the family’s sudden appearance in a new country.

Ryne spotted a familiar pickup truck parked nearby. The boys were in town. Bryan and Daniel would be pleased with his news. He hadn’t told them why he was going to Timmins, though he suspected Bryan had a good idea. The boy might enjoy a good time, but he was no dummy, able to read his Alpha’s mood with a high degree of accuracy. Ryne appreciated that quality. It saved time, not always having to explain himself.

Pausing outsideThe Broken Antler, Ryne went over his plan, if you could call something so simple a plan. He was going to explain to Melody he’d changed his mind and the interview was now cancelled. She’d protest, but he was sure he’d be able to get her to comply. For some reason, she bowed to his Alpha will almost instantaneously.

He felt a tinge of regret at having to cut off their relationship this abruptly, but it was for the best. Now that he had even more pack members to watch out for, the need to remain out of the limelight had intensified.

As he contemplated Melody leaving, he felt a wash of anger flow through him, strong enough that he stopped in his tracks. What the...? Giving his head a shake, he leaned against a nearby building and rubbed his hands over his face in frustration; this was happening too often. His wolf was forgetting its place, which meant lurking in the background and only coming out when called. The rough texture of the wall dug into his back and he welcomed the feeling and the distraction it provided. Keeping his senses busy kept his wolf busy. If the beast was sufficiently occupied with assessing the sensations around it, his logical human self could regain control.

Slowly, he felt himself calming and relaxed his tightly coiled muscles. He took a deep breath and began to analyze the situation. Okay, what was upsetting the balance inside him? This had been happening on and off all week, his inner wolf fighting for dominance, affecting his moods, leading him into actions he would normally think twice about, such as bedding Melody even though he knew she was a potential threat.

If he didn’t know better, he’d think his wolf was a tad love-sick; all moody emotions and more randy than ever. But Mel wasn’t a werewolf, so that explanation fell short. To be sure, weres and humans occasionally met and fell in love, but it followed a more slow, mushy, ‘human’ pace.

When werewolves met, the attraction usually grew quickly, though not always. He recalled that his brother, Kane, claimed he and Elise took a while to form a bond. Mind you, that was an arranged mating, so Ryne suspected that circumstances skewed events a bit. Of course, in the end the two fell in love and were now inseparable.

A car passed by and honked its horn. Automatically, Ryne raised a hand and waved, not really knowing who he was waving at, but Stump River was friendly that way. The noise had brought his focus back to the immediate situation, Melody, and his wolf’s attachment to her.

It wasn’t safe. It made no sense. There was no future in pursuing a relationship with the girl, so his wolf might just as well give it up. They were not having Melody, not anymore, no matter how much growling and protesting went on. An unsettled feeling roiled around inside him, but he set his jaw and pushed off from the wall. Covering the remaining distance to the bar in a few steps, he grasped the door handle and entered.

All the usual scents and sounds swirled around him. Sweat and beer, oil for frying, colognes... The room was dimly lit, the glow from the big screen TV casting a bluish hue over the people and furniture near it. It was a typical Wednesday night crowd, not packed, but still sufficient bodies that it took a few minutes to find whoever you were looking for.

Ryne narrowed his eyes, scanning the crowd and searching the scents. Was Melody here yet? He was a few minutes late and she’d been prompt last time. Ah-ha! She was by the pool table with Bryan and Daniel. Pushing his way through the crowd, he made his way over to his friends.

As he drew nearer, he could hear Melody’s excited voice accompanied by Bryan’s laughter and the guffaws of other males. He frowned. What was going on?

Quickly covering the last few yards, he shoved between the shoulders of the gathered crowd and stopped short. Melody was playing pool. That in itself was not so shocking, but her appearance was. With a practised eye, Ryne scanned her and concluded that she was more than a little tipsy. Her face was flushed, her eyes a bit unfocused. She was giggling away, as if there had never been anything funnier than leaning on a pool cue and wobbling back and forth with a distinct lack of balance.