“You bet. How about you come up to the Wildwood Lodge tomorrow after your breakfast shift?” Bree said. “I can give you the deets on meetings and pack runs and all that.”
She could totally do that. Bree seemed really nice. “Sure.”
“In addition, I’ll assign you a mentor,” Shay said.
Margery went stiff. Her mentor in the Rainier pack had been…not so nice. “The wolves in the Rainier pack said I was doing okay and didn’t need a teacher any—”
Zeb snorted. “Like they’d know anything.”
“Really?” Tynan cut in. “Have you had some run-ins with the Rainier pack?”
Shay smiled slightly. “We fought hellhounds in Rainier for several years. The pack’s cohesiveness and morale were already sliding then. Older, skilled wolves were withdrawing. If that trend hasn’t changed, the wolves overseeing the new members would be—”
“Worthless. The alpha and betas are as energetic as slugs in winter.” Zeb eyed Margery. “You don’t look lazy.”
“The opposite if what Angie said is true.” Bree leaned forward. “I’d love to mentor you, but I’m still learning myself. I do know that the North Cascades—and different seasons—might have dangers you haven’t encountered yet.”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought about that.” Different seasons. Different location. And having a weak leg already put her at a disadvantage—although that was part of why the last mentor had disliked her. Ridiculed her. She sighed.
Shay eyed her. He had a jaw as stubborn as Tynan’s. “I’ll find you a good mentor.”
No choice. What the alpha said was what would happen. She bowed her head slightly to Shay and tried not to sound as if she was lying. “I’m pleased for your care, Alpha.”
A minute later, the little female left to take her groceries home—and Tynan stayed. As Shay and Zeb resumed their seats, he looked at Shay. “Alpha, a minute of your time?”
“Of course. Get comfortable, Deputy.” Shay pointed to a chair.
Tynan hesitated. “I can’t stay; I have duties.”
“Duties to the pack, as well,” Shay said evenly. “I’d like to talk about that now.”
Fuck. Good thing the sheriff was also a shifter. Alec knew about multiple obligations.
As Tynan took a chair, Angie dropped off a full cup of coffee without even slowing down.
Tynan took a sip and frowned at Shay. “Were you after needing me for something?”
“Aye, but first, what can I help you with?”
That question right there was one of the reasons Tynan respected the alpha so highly. He took his responsibilities very seriously.
“Right.” It helped that Shay and Zeb knew—and disliked—the Rainier alpha, Roger. “You know the Dogwood females had it rough.”
As Zeb’s face darkened, Shay said in a tight voice, “We know.”
“I get the impression the little wolf didn’t have an easy time in Ailill Ridge either.” Tynan shook his head. “Roger, the alpha, was just here. He was about to drag her back there when I intervened.”
“He what?” When Zeb growled and started to stand, every customer in the diner tensed.
“I sent him and his beta home,” Tynan said quickly. “Still, today might not be the end of it. Roger seemed to think that since Rainier doesn’t have a healer, they could keep Margery.”
Shay frowned. “Why would they consider a waitress as a substitute for a healer?”
“He said she was their banfasa,” Tynan answered.
“What’s a banfasa?” Bree asked.
“One of the wise women.” Shay stopped at her look of confusion “That’s not a human occupation, is it?”
“For humans,” Tynan told her, “a banfasa would fit somewhere between a medic and a nurse practitioner. Not God-called like a healer, but with the talent and training to care for the wounded and sick. And with an emphasis on health.”
Shay half smiled at his mate. “Daonain don’t get as many diseases as humans, but we excel at being injured and getting old.”
“I’ve noticed that.” Bree grinned then tapped her fingers on the table. “Ailill Ridge was going to keep Margery as if she was a slave or something?”
“That’s the impression I got. If I hadn’t stepped in, she’d be on her way there now. Against her wishes.” Tynan jerked his chin toward Shay and Zeb. “I brought her to you since Roger appears to think he owns his pack members.”
“What the fuck is going on in Rainier?” Zeb growled, low and dark.
“They’re getting worse,” Shay agreed. “I’m glad you were there, Tynan. What did Margery have to say about her treatment there?”
“That is my other concern. She didn’t.”
When the three gave him a blank look, he sighed and tried to elaborate. Feck him, but he’d gotten out of the habit of talking about anything other than police work.
But the little wolf needed help.
“I thought at first she didn’t like males, but the problem is deeper.” Tynan tapped the badge on his chest. “When she met Alec, I saw—I think—our uniforms are what the humans call a trigger. She acts like she expects me or Alec to pull our batons and pound her into the ground.”
Zeb ran his gaze over Tynan’s clothes and shook his head. “Your uniform?”
“I saw it too.” Bree nodded. “Whenever she looked at you, her gaze snagged on your weapons or your badge.”
“Those Scythe guards.” Shay’s mouth twisted into a scowl. “They all wore uniforms and carried weapons. On a belt.”
Tynan thought back to the nightmare of the battle. Ear-splitting gunfire and shouting and screams. Thorson’s snarling when a bullet hit his foreleg. The human sniper aiming for the old werecat again. Leaping through the window, glass gashing his sides. Hot metallic blood filling his mouth as he slaughtered the human.
Shaking his head roughly, Tynan tried to dispel the images…and the taste of flesh.
How many times had that ugliness in his past come back to haunt him?
Margery had lived with violence for years—and had never been able to fight back. By the Gods, what nightmares did she suffer through?
He flattened his hands on the table. “The uniforms—or weapons—probably make her think of her Scythe abusers. Can you work with her on getting past it? Any town with humans, any traveling she does—uniforms are everywhere. If she stays in Cold Creek, Alec and I will scare her.”
He scowled at the unpalatable realization.
Because he definitely didn’t want to frighten that little wolf.
A corner of Zeb’s mouth turned up in a bitter smile. “It bites when a female takes one look and flees.”
Zeb would know. The scarred-up beta had terrified more than just females. Yet, despite his lethal appearance, Zeb made as fine a friend as anyone could wish for.
“At least I know now why she reacts so badly,” Tynan said. “Trouble is, a law enforcement officer might well consider her behavior as an indication of guilt.”
“Well, that’s sure the last thing she needs right now.” Bree lifted her chin and gave him a firm nod. “I’ll talk with her.”