Her Falcon (Shifted Love 7)

Since Peppa was the shifter I was closest to, I headed over to the house she shared with her fated mate to make sure all was good there, too. Although Timber Treasures had only been open for a few months, Peppa had been my boss for much longer. When she’d decided to leave Castagna, the restaurant where we’d used to work together, following her had been an easy decision.

Not that many other chefs would’ve understood since I left a Michelin star restaurant in Chicago for a start-up in a small town. But working for Peppa—and with Bexley, the grill chef—had been a relief since they were shifters too. It had been nice to have someone around to cover for me when my falcon was close to the surface, and I hadn’t wanted to lose that. Even better, I didn’t need to hide who I was from any of my coworkers at Timber Treasures since Peppa had gotten permission from Kace to tell Thora and Larken—the other two chefs who’d quit Castagna to follow Peppa—and let them in on the secret of shifters since Timber Ridge was a shifter town.

The alpha was more open-minded than most, which was a lucky thing for Bexley and me. Kace was a wolf, but he’d been willing to let us join the pack even though Bexley was a polar bear and I was a falcon. Then again, I shouldn’t have been surprised since he’d already accepted Peppa into the pack, and she was a lioness.

Under normal circumstances, I knew she could take care of herself. And no way in hell would Cason ever let anything happen to his fated mate. But they had a new baby, so doing a quick patrol around their house seemed like a good call when my falcon acted as though something was wrong. Only he went berserk as I started to pass her old place, next door to the home she now shared with Cason.

Changing direction, I stalked up the sidewalk and growled when I found the door deadbolted. Circling around the house, my falcon screeched his frustration when I discovered the same was true for the back door. Then I checked each of the windows, shifting to my falcon form so I could reach the ones upstairs. The damn house was locked up tight with no way to get in. Exactly as it should be, but my falcon didn’t care. He wanted inside. Now.

I knew that waking up Cyrus at the ass crack of dawn was a surefire way to get into a fight with Cason, but that didn’t stop me from stalking over to their house and pounding on the door. Normally, I’d be worried about their baby boy, but the only thing on my mind was getting into that house. “Peppa! Cason! Open the fucking door!”

I didn’t feel any relief when Cason finally yanked open the door. “Calm the fuck down and stop shouting, Aero. If you wake up Peppa or Cy, I’m gonna break your beak.”

My gaze remained on the house next door as I paced back and forth, barely hearing what he said.

“Did something happen at the restaurant?” My head jerked up when he stepped in front of me and barked, “The restaurant?”

“What?” My brow wrinkled in confusion, my falcon demanding that we return to Peppa’s old house and find a way inside. “The restaurant is fine. I need Peppa to let me into her old house.”

His head reared back in shock. “You’re pounding on my door at the ass crack of dawn to ask Peppa for a tour?”

“A what? I just need to go inside there.” Knowing that Peppa kept her keys on a hook next to their front door, I tried to dart around him, but he slid to the side and blocked my way. Crossing his arms over his chest, Cason stared at me and asked, “Why?”

I threw my arms in the air and yelled, “I don’t know!” I was filled with a wild desperation as I begged, “Please, Cason. I need to get in that house.”

His voice was firm as he answered, “I can’t.”

“Why the fuck not?” I snarled, getting in his face. “Get the damn key and open the fucking door. It’s deadbolted, and the windows are all shut up tight.”

“Aero.” He grabbed my shoulders and looked directly into my eyes. “You need to talk to Kace, man.”

What the hell did our alpha have to do with this? “But—”

“Peppa and I can’t help you. Go to Kace.”

I looked around Cason at the other house again, my falcon battering against my skin as he demanded to be let out. I pivoted and ran down the steps and shifted into my falcon form, launching myself into the air as high as I could before diving at my top speed toward our alpha’s house. It took me almost no time at all to land on his doorstep, but that didn’t dim my falcon’s impatience. Uncaring that I was completely naked, I pounded on Kace’s door until he finally answered.