Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 107670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
She smiled. “Well, of course.”
He’d never seen anyone climb and navigate trees as well as Harley. Remarkably agile and quick, margays were tree dwellers and had the ankle flexibility that allowed them to climb down headfirst like a squirrel. He’d seen her beautiful little cat do it more than once.
He remembered the animal clearly. She had big brown eyes and a thick, plush, honey-colored coat that was patterned with black-ringed rosettes, spots, stripes, and elongated blotches. Her undersides were white, and she had two dark stripes on both sides of her face. Her tail was long and marked with dark bands.
He’d often tried to coax her to him when they were kids, but the little cat had always kept her distance. Still, she hadn’t hissed at him or warned him away—he’d taken that as a good sign.
“Right, time for a tour.” Over the next few hours, Jesse showed her everything. The forest, the lakes, the hot springs, the waterfall, the mountains, the other lodges, and the new kids’ play area. He showed her the spots with the best views and pointed out all the wildlife. He relished every smile and laugh, satisfied whenever her eyes lit up.
He wanted her to love the territory. Wanted her to see she could be comfortable, safe, and happy there. Wanted her to feel at home and see what it was like to be part of a pack that had strong leadership and took care of its own. He knew her cat would adore the land, and he hoped that she would quickly become attached to it.
He also pointed out the boundaries of the territory and taught Harley about their safety measures. “Although there are enough land mines, traps, sensors, and cameras to keep people from crossing the border of our territory, we’ll have to add a perimeter fence if the hotel is built or we’ll be getting sued every time someone is hurt.”
“Hotel?” she repeated, frowning.
“A half shifter called Hector Flynt bought the territory next to ours. He plans to build a hotel resort there.”
“Shit, that would be bad. I mean, anyone could be a guest in that place. People could go there to spy on the pack—reporters, naturists, loners, assassins, extremists, shifter groupies . . . the list goes on.”
“I know. The good thing is that, from what he told Nick, Hector doesn’t want those kind of guests either. The bad thing is that his idea of a solution is to buy our territory from us. Naturally the Alphas are refusing to sell, but Hector doesn’t seem to be getting the message.”
She sighed. “Maybe once the guy realizes there’s no swaying your Alphas on this, he’ll give up and sell the land.”
Jesse slid an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s hope so.”
Sensing that he’d prefer a change of subject, Harley said, “So, tell me what being an enforcer entails.”
As they made their way back to his lodge, Jesse told her about his duties: guarding the perimeter, patrolling the land, acting as a bodyguard, providing backup for his Alphas during meetings, and training with his Betas and the other enforcers. “We take shifts so that each of us has some downtime every day. Obviously we’re always on call in case an issue arises.”
“The position suits you,” she told him. He had always been a protective and proactive person. “Were you an enforcer in your old pack too?”
“No. My old Alpha never liked me much. Our personalities clashed.”
“So the Mercury wolves trained you?”
He shook his head. “You’ve heard of the Phoenix Pack, right?”
Of course. Who hadn’t? The Alpha male had a reputation for turning feral during battles, and his mate . . . well, she was apparently plain crazy. “Yes.”
“The pack is closely allied with mine. Their Beta and enforcers trained me.”
Her brows drew together. “Why not your own pack mates?”
“Nick didn’t really want to start a pack. He would have been happy just to live somewhere with his mate and pup. But he’s a natural born alpha, so his wolf wouldn’t have been content with that. Everyone knew it. So we just sort of formed the pack on our own and waited for him to finally accept the position of Alpha male. In the meantime, the Phoenix wolves put some of us through enforcer training.”
Then she was grateful to them for giving him what his previous Alpha wouldn’t.
“So, what do you think?” he asked as they stepped onto his porch.
Her mouth curved. “It’s a peaceful place. I can see why you’re so happy here.”
“I can see you being this happy here. And so can you, can’t you?”
Hands up, Harley backed into the lodge. “Look, I’m not going to deny that it’s the type of place a person could easily fall in love with. It’s relaxing. Peaceful. But what I’m feeling right now . . . it’s like when you go on a great vacation. You’re so happy and relaxed, and you’re so sure you could relocate there and love it. But after a couple of weeks, you’re ready to go home.”