“And you have reason to believe you’ll find them up here?”
A little frown showed up between her brows, like she suspected I was about to claim she was wrong. “There have been documented sightings of the grey wolf in these parts,” she said, a note of defensiveness to her voice. She sat on the soft pine needles to put on her boots.
“There’s a pack up here, for sure,” I agreed. Two packs, actually—one animal, one shifter. “Several of the females just had pups. Feels like a bit of a violation to lead you to them, though.”
Caitlyn’s eyes lit up. “So you’ve seen them? You know there are pups?”
Landry was watching Caitlyn with open fascination—the same feeling soaking through me. “We know where to find them,” he offered. “But can you tell us a little more about your plans with them?”
Caitlyn stood, and dusted the pine needles off her butt. She put her hands on her hips. “I am a wolf biologist,” she said, as if that explained everything. “My sole purpose is to protect the natural ecosystem and the wolves’ place in it. All I’m doing is shooting them with a tranquilizer so I can get close enough to inject a chip into the scruff of their neck that will allow me to track them from my office back in Granger. It doesn’t hurt or harm the wolves.”
When neither of us responded, she dropped her defensive stance. “I wouldn’t disturb a mother and her pups,” she conceded. “But I would give anything to see them.”
Landry’s lips curved. “Anything, sugar?”
She flushed, glancing at the bulge of his cock in his jeans. When she licked her lips, both of us growled. “I mean, I do want to reciprocate… with both of you.” She stole a glance at me, too.
“Oh, we’re counting on it.” Landry’s grin was wicked. “I would’ve put you on your knees out here, but I wasn’t sure if the pine needles were soft enough to cushion them.”
Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink.
“Like I said, big plans, big bed.” I picked up her backpack and slung it over one shoulder. “Come on, Caitlyn. We’ll make your dreams come true.”
“Um… you already have,” she mumbled.
I wanted to think it was because she now belonged to us, but I had a feeling she meant that we were giving her access to the wolves. I respected her passion in her work, but I would get her to be just as passionate about us. More passionate. Passionate enough to leave her research unpublished.
Landry and I flanked Caitlyn as we headed toward my cabin. We’d need my truck to get out to the area where the wolves—the canis lupus variety, not hominum lupus, or shifters—roamed. Wolves were territorial, and the wolf dogs respected our territory, staying to the outskirts. Nowhere near here. If we hadn’t met her, she’d have had to walk miles from our current location.
In the old days, wolves lived among shifter packs, much the way dogs live with humans. But since their return from near extinction, the shifter communities have not allowed wolf dogs to mingle, as it changes their natural migration and hunting practices.
I wanted to tell Caitlyn all of this now because I knew it would make her little wolf biologist heart race, but it was too soon.
Somehow, we’d have to prepare her for the shock of what we were. But she wasn’t ready yet.
“So,” she said, looking from me to Landry as we cut through the open field. While she’d been on a trail before, we weren’t on one now. “You told me you lived in the area, but do you both live on this land?”
“Yes,” I said. “All my life. The Wests own this entire swath of land, but there are houses all up in here. A small community.”
She gazed at Landry speculatively. “So your family are land developers?”
Landry chuckled and adjusted his cowboy hat. “Nope. Silver miners, originally. That’s how they came to own almost the entire mountain. Mining’s long past. These days, the main business for the family and the entire community is the West Springs Distillery.”
“Is that where you work?” she asked me.
“Yes. I’m their IT specialist.”
She stopped then, when we turned to check on her, she started up again. “You are?”
I frowned. “Does that surprise you?”
“Well, yes,” she admitted, then pointed to my Stetson. “You look more like a rancher or a cowboy.”
“Don’t say rancher,” Landry advised. “That’s an insult. We are not friendly with those around here. Mainly because they want to take out our wolves.”
Caitlyn peered up at Landry. “You’re protective of them.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Landry shot her one of his charming West smiles. “We’re custodians of this land. We protect everything and everyone on it. Including the wolves.”
“So when you turned me down, you were sheltering them?”
Landry shrugged. “I know your studies are important to you. But we don’t like anyone messing with our wildlife. Also, from what I heard, a couple wolves with trackers were found killed last fall.”