She nodded, knowing that would have to be enough.
“Gwen, Andie’s here!” Bracken practically bellowed from downstairs.
Gwen winced. “That guy has got a big set of lungs on him.”
Grunting, Zander slid his hand around her nape and then took her mouth. The kiss was soft but deep as he devoured her, needing her taste on his tongue. “Let’s go. Makenna’s expecting us.”
A few hours later, Gwen frowned up at the basic redbrick building. It didn’t have a sign or in any way identify itself as a shelter. “It’s . . . unobtrusive. Not the sort of place that would snatch your attention as you walk by.”
“Maybe that’s sort of the point,” suggested Andie, flexing her fingers nervously.
“Yeah, maybe.” Gwen shot her a supportive smile as they followed Zander and Bracken up the path. Derren and Ally had decided to stay at the B&B to keep watch over Marlon, Yvonne, and Donnie, which Gwen sincerely appreciated.
Cain had left with the envelope of information she’d given him that she’d gathered from Geena, but not before making yet another offer to set her up at a safe house. Again, she’d declined. Running and hiding wasn’t the answer, and it wouldn’t solve anything.
Zander knocked on the glass door and then turned to Gwen. “You okay?”
“Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Bracken leaned against the wall. “I guess some humans would be nervous about entering a building full of lone shifters.”
Gwen’s nose wrinkled. “Nah, I have you three to kick asses and take down names and all that stuff.”
Andie shook her head, amused. “How is it that you always manage to make me smile, no matter the situation?”
“I don’t know.”
The door opened, and a slender, quirkily dressed female with long hair made up of gold, copper, dark-red, and plum-purple streaks smiled at them. She also wore a baby sling. As the sling faced inward, Gwen could only make out tiny limbs and a little mop of short, dark curls.
“Zander, Bracken, hi.” She looked at Andie, who was tense as a bow. “I’m Makenna. You must be Andie.”
The cougar nodded and flashed Makenna a quick smile.
Makenna’s gaze then sliced to Gwen and turned assessing. “And you must be Gwen.”
Gwen gave her a polite smile. “I am. I can only see a little of your baby, but it sure does look cute.”
“Aw, thank you. Come on in.” Makenna stepped back, allowing them to enter a small, bright reception area. She twisted to give them a better view of her baby. “Meet Sienna Rose Conner.”
Gwen smiled. “She’s so sweet.”
Makenna gestured toward a broad, grumpy-looking male who stood a few feet away, exchanging nods with the Mercury wolves. “That’s my mate, Ryan. The scowl is permanent, so don’t take offense. He’s extra grouchy today because he doesn’t like me or the baby leaving our territory.” Ryan grunted, and Makenna crossed her eyes. “No, I’m not. Stop being a brat.”
At Gwen’s confused frown, Zander explained, “Makenna claims she can translate his grunts.”
“Ah,” said Gwen with a slow nod.
Makenna pointed to the small, round brunette who was standing behind the reception desk with a guy who seemed to be sorting through one of the lockers lining the wall. “That’s Dawn. She owns and runs the shelter.”
Hearing her name, Dawn turned. She gave the Mercury wolves a gorgeous smile. “Boys, it’s good to see you.”
Ignoring the way his wolf’s mood typically soured at the presence of the females, Zander inclined his head at Dawn. He liked her. The born Alpha had dedicated her life to the running of the shelter, even though it was a nonprofit organization and it had to be difficult for her inner cat to be without a pride. She’d done her best to find sponsors, grants, and also funding from the shifter council. Even with the additional help of both financial and practical donations, it wasn’t easy, but she ran the shelter without complaint. He respected the sacrifices she’d made.
His wolf snarled at him, wanting to leave. He didn’t like being around females who weren’t from his pack, just as he didn’t like all the strange scents of varying shifter breeds. Zander drew Gwen’s scent into his lungs, drowning out the other smells. His wolf settled a little, finding an element of comfort in her scent.
“This is Gwen,” said Makenna. “And behind her is Andie, who I told you about.”
Dawn beamed. “Great. We’ve been waiting for you. This here is Heath. He works at the desk for us.” She gestured to the male at her side who Zander noticed was busy staring at Gwen’s legs. It wasn’t entirely surprising to Zander, given that she was wearing shorts.
When she’d pulled them on that morning, she’d said, “Don’t whine about the shorts, Devlin. It’s too hot to wear anything else.”
Actually, Zander found he didn’t mind the shorts so much now that he knew he’d be the only person touching those legs. He got a strange kind of kick out of knowing others wanted what they didn’t have a prayer of touching because she was his. He didn’t need to be told that wasn’t particularly normal.
Dawn rounded the desk, her smiling eyes on Andie. “I must say it’ll be nice to have another cougar around. There aren’t many here.”
Andie stepped out from behind Gwen and shook Dawn’s hand. “Um, hi.” She exchanged a nod with Heath, who was now staring at Andie like she was food.
“I know a little of your story, but only the basics,” Dawn told her. “You’re more than welcome here. All we need is for you all to sign in, and then I can take you for a tour.” Dawn handed a pen to Bracken, who quickly jotted down their names in the book on the desk.
Having finished reading the “Rules and Regulations” sign on the wall, Gwen turned to Dawn. “This place is safe, right? I mean, I noticed you don’t have guards.”
“This place is as safe as we can make it,” said Dawn. “The Phoenix Alphas offered to post guards, but I don’t want people to mistakenly think that the shelter is run by the pack. Loners would never feel they could come here for sanctuary if it wasn’t run by other loners.”
Gwen nodded, getting it. “Do the security cameras work?”
“Yes. They’re relatively new, courtesy of the Mercury Alphas, and each of the cameras provides live feed to the monitors in my office. The Mercury pack also installed software on my phone that gives me a panic button. If there’s a problem and I press it, both the Phoenix and Mercury Packs will be alerted.”