She laughed. “I don’t think so. I know the way by now.”
“I’ll be up in a bit. Maybe we can hit the casino again. Or go for a run? There’s that great trail I told you about that allows easy access to the wilderness. The local pack uses it all the time. No one thinks anything of wolves in the area.”
They still hadn’t let their wolves out to play. A tiny crease appeared between her eyes, and he wondered how long her upbringing would remain a barrier. Any time he mentioned shifting she stiffened up. “No, that’s okay. I’ll see you whenever, all right?”
Shaun watched her walk away, remembering only after she’d left he should have held her chair. Done the polite thing.
He had managed to go a whole thirty minutes without swearing this morning. Fucking insanity, this learning-to-be-a-gentleman shit. Gem hadn’t complained, but he felt as if there was some judging happening. Not so much her evaluating him, but their surroundings, the rustic nature of the hotel, the food.
Yeah, maybe his behavior at times as well.
He leaned back and stared out the window at the people walking past. His lack of finesse was a point in the north’s favour—he bet she could never see him fitting in with her fancy highfaluting circumstances.
She was so skittish. He was not looking forward to the discussion he needed to have regarding the fine details of how the trip was going to go once they left Dawson, because she seemed determined to carry this thing through to the end.
In the meantime, they had at least three or four days to burn before the shit hit the fan. What to do with the time? She’d seemed enthusiastic about going for a run—not. And he didn’t want to simply have sex.
Wait.
Well, he wanted to have sex, but that couldn’t be the only thing they had going for them. Mating was on all kinds of levels. They had to connect, and so far, the bedroom was the one place they were completely at ease.
A whisper of a previous conversation drifted through his mind. He’d spent so much of his life doing for himself. Or even the things he’d done for others had the ulterior motive of screwing someone—usually someone in authority. He was a rebel without a cause. Learning to be special to Gem—well, he’d basically had no practice being special to anyone up to now.
Be a hero.
Shaun snuck a suspicious peek over his shoulder. No one there.
Do the right thing, just because.
He looked to the left, quickly discarding the idea that anyone in the restaurant had spoken to him. That meant it was one of the little inside voices taunting him. Damn it. Those were tougher ones to ignore.
Who had told him that? Do something for someone who can’t even thank you. Just because it’s the right thing to do.
He paid, then wandered outside to take a deep breath of the crisp air. The crowds were far thicker than they should be. One fellow stormed past, his shoulder bumping Shaun a trifle too hard, and he staggered to catch his balance.
He grabbed the nearest vertical object, which turned out to be the arm of a shifter who glared at his hand without a word.
Freaking oversensitive asshole.
Shaun let go and stepped back with exaggerated care. No use in getting into a fight when it wasn’t needed. That’s when he noticed exactly how many of the bodies on the street were shifters. And not just any shifters, but all kinds of bears. Hell, there were even a few polar shifters, and those dudes only left their turf in Churchill and the Far North once in a blue moon.
Shaun found a bench and sat for while, counting, wondering. This was the weirdest thing. Bear Jamboree or what?
The bench creaked beside him, and he glanced over, waving a finger when he recognized one of the local wolf pack.
“Nick.”
“Shaun.” Nick stretched his legs out in front of him as he surveyed the street, his easy positioning belying the tension in his body. “You come to watch the circus?”
Something was up. “I’m here with…a client.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t want anyone else to know he and Gem were mates, but if there was trouble coming, he’d prefer to keep her out of it. He doubted rumbles were her forté.
Nick nodded. “Word is the bears are holding a rally—something about territorial divisions. A bear gathering is a rare enough occurrence, but with impeccable timing, the humans arranged a protest over the oil and gas development continuing up north. Two unpredictable groups in town at the same time? The sooner you can get out of Dodge the better your chances of avoiding any hassles.”
Shaun twisted to face the older wolf. “Thanks for the warning. The pack got it under control?”
“We’ll be fine.” Nick ran a hand through his hair before gesturing to the street. “We get environmental protestors up here on a regular basis. They make some noise, wave a bunch of signs, then leave a mess behind on the streets. Pretty pathetic considering they shout ‘save the earth’ then litter like pigs.”
A clatter rose to their right. Nick shot halfway out of his seat. Another man across the way waved him down, and Nick relaxed.
Impressive. “You got spotters coordinated?”
Nick nodded. “We know the signs, what to watch for, what to ignore. Right now, it’s the humans getting riled up. All the bears who have arrived in the past couple days? They’re behaving, but bears usually do. They like things orderly. Riots in the streets aren’t their style, not unless they’ve been drinking.”
The commotion quieted again. Shaun spoke before he could think it through. “Call me if you need help.”
Nick eyed him with suspicion. “You looking for a new pack?”
Shit. “I’m not trying to take over or move up your ranks. Just a friendly offer is all.”
Sheer disbelief painted Nick’s expression. “Right.”
Fuck it. Shaun rose and gave the other wolf a curt nod. He paced away, his mood increasingly foul.
How the hell could he convince Gem he was serious about being there for her when others pointed out so well he didn’t know how to give unselfishly.
The boardwalk creaked under his feet, puffs of dust rising as he stomped his way down the street. Fine. Unselfish. What was the most unselfish thing he could think of to do?
Two complete revolutions of Main Street later he finally acknowledged the one obvious idea that wasn’t totally crazy. Find out what was up with the bears. Nick wasn’t that high up the ranks in Dawson, so it was stupid expecting him to know if real trouble was brewing. Shaun needed to speak with the actual leaders, maybe offer Takhini’s support—it couldn’t hurt. He wondered momentarily if Evan would kick his ass for making the suggestion without checking in first.
Probably. Shit.
The memory of Gem’s beautiful eyes staring at him with admiration… Shaun was ready to sell a bit of his soul to make her look at him like that all the time. It made his skin crawl, but he did it anyway. He hauled out his cell phone and called Evan.
“Moonshine Mayhem, director of Chaos speaking.”
Shaun snorted. “Director, you got that right. Hey, why you being your own answering service? Where’s Caroline?”
“Making a run down to the police station to bail out a few of the pack.”
“No shit. Really? What they do?” Shaun paused to watch a taxi empty. Four bear shifters in fancy suits made their way up the stairs of the Grand Hotel, the valets rushing to bring in their cases.
“Got in a brawl down at the pizza parlour with a bunch of visiting bears. I let them cool their heels overnight before posting bail. Those boys are in for some hard labour when I get my hands on them.” Evan spoke softly, but even Shaun heard the displeasure in his voice. Irreverent, yes, but his Alpha didn’t tolerate the pack breaking his rules.