Midlife Wolf Captured My Heart (Fated To The Wolf #7)

12. Dakota

12

Dakota

D akota looked through his cabinets and refrigerator and sighed. “I really need to do some grocery shopping if I intend to stay in Angel’s Creek for the winter.”

He was exhausted from his whirlwind trip to see his publisher, but hunger won out over tiredness. Remembering his promise to Sean, he grabbed three books: Shadows in the Savannah: A Black Rhino’s Journey, Gentle Giants: Stories from Asian Elephant Country, and Ghosts of the Rainforest: Javan Rhinos in the Frame . He shook his head. His publisher came up with the titles, not him. Dakota signed all of them and headed to Howlers’.

Sean welcomed him with a huge smile. “How are things?”

“Terrific. I hope you are.” Dakota held out the books. “I brought you those books I promised.”

“These are awesome. I’m going to get online and order the rest of your books so you can sign them while you’re in town.”

“Don’t do that. I have tons of copies of each that the publisher sends me. I’m happy to bring a copy of each to you.”

“That’s awesome. Thanks.”

“I’m pleased to give copies to my packmates, especially when they’re fans.”

Dakota slid into his usual stool at the bar and ordered a steak, fries, and a large tea. Sean put in the order and then leaned against the corner.

“Zac hasn’t called another meeting yet, but I’ve heard that the hunters are getting closer to Angel’s Creek. There were a couple of shifters killed outside of Raton yesterday. Their throats had been cut. That’s only forty-five minutes from here if you do the speed limit.”

Shaking his head, Dakota groaned. “That sucks. Sadie said that Matthias reported the hunters were using drones and trail crams hidden in trees to track shifters. We didn’t see anything when we shifted the other day, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t in other places.”

“Did you shift by the tree with the knot?”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

Sean laughed. “I suppose so, but maybe we shouldn’t. If the area is being watched, a lot of traffic to one particular spot will draw attention to it, making shifters more vulnerable.”

“True, although the hunters will be watching for any kind of behavior that is different from mundane humans, such as leaving the trails and going further into the woods.”

“I guess they would. Zac cautioned everyone to avoid shifting alone. If there are several hunters in their group, it won’t matter.”

“No, it won’t. People are just going to have to be extra vigilant. I hate to say it, but until these bastards are caught, everyone is in danger – except for maybe the dragon shifters.”

Sean grinned. “That’s the truth. They have the scales to protect them and can breathe fire on people. Jade’s husband, Marvin, who is a dragon shifter, likes to say that he can “crispy critter” the bad guys.”

“I can go with that as long as he doesn’t dunk them in catsup afterward.”

“I’ve seen that meme.” Sean laughed. “I’m just really glad that the dragon shifters are on our side and are helping the bear shifter clan and wolf shifter pack with the patrols.”

“Hopefully, between the three groups, the hunters can be stopped before anyone around here is hurt.”

“I agree.” Sean paused for a minute to make a couple of drinks and then turned back to Dakota. “What’s your next project?”

“Wolves.”

“About time. Why did you wait so long to focus on our own kind?”

“Too easy. I was looking for a challenge. Besides, there are a lot of books and photographs that document the lives of wolves. The only reason I’m doing it now is because I hope I can get some pictures that other photographers haven’t been able to capture and put a different spin on the lives of wolves.”

“Maybe they’ll recognize you as one of their own and automatically accept you.”

Dakota laughed. “Doubtful. First, it’s hard to carry all my equipment around and take pictures in wolf form. Second, wolves are very territorial and aren’t usually welcoming to outsiders.”

“Maybe you’ll be the exception. You obviously have some kind of magic with animals.”

“I hope so.”

Dakota’s lunch arrived and the place was starting to get busy, so Sean moved away to take care of other customers. He was about to finish with his meal when John Curry, Zac’s father and the previous alpha, sat down next to him.

“It’s great to see you.” John extended his hand, which Dakota shook.

“Good to see you as well. How is retirement treating you?”

“I’m busier now than I was when I was alpha. My wife has me doing a million different chores. Plus, there are a lot of duties I still have for the pack. One of the upsides, though, is that I don’t have to attend a million meetings. I really hated those.”

“I imagine that they would get tedious.”

“Can I buy you a drink?”

Dakota shook his head. “I’m just having tea for now.”

“Two teas it is.” John waved at Jade and asked for the drinks. “How does it feel to be a celebrity in your hometown?”

“It’s a little awkward. Sometimes, I get people who recognize me in other cities and places. They only know me because they are animal lovers, biology buffs, and are enthusiastic about my work. It’s different here because a lot of people actually know who I am. I left a nobody and came back a star.”

“That’s the price of fame, I guess. Why didn’t you ever come back?”

Dakota hesitated for a minute, trying to decide whether to be honest with him. Then, he ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “To be honest, I never felt as though I belonged. It’s almost like I have an imposter syndrome. I’ve always struggled to shift, and I always felt like an outsider.”

“I know exactly how you feel, but for a different reason.”

Dakota looked at him, shocked. “You are loved and accepted by everyone. I was a couple of years behind you, but I remember that you always had a group of people around you.”

John shook his head. “It was all superficial. When you are born to be the alpha, everyone treats you differently. Sure, you have friends and acquaintances, but except for your best friend, you never know who is trying to use you. Everyone always treated me with kid gloves, like they were afraid that I would banish them. Half the time I couldn’t tell who was my true friend and who was simply sucking up to me. Plus, I had to act a certain way. It was as though everyone was watching my every move and if I so much as breathed wrong, people would pounce.”

“I can see that. After I left, the stress of trying to fit in rolled off my shoulders. I didn’t have to live up to other people’s expectations. Outside of Angel’s Creek, I was just Dakota Higgins, photographer. Plus, after my parents died, there was nothing to hold me here.”

John nodded. “I envy you a little. There were a lot of times that I was incredibly overwhelmed and I wanted nothing more than to walk away from it all. Unfortunately, I was stuck. It had been ingrained in my mind that I had a duty to the pack.”

“I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with me. It gives me a different perspective on the same situation.”

“Everyone has their own struggles, regardless of where they stand in life.” John looked at Dakota speculatively. “I wonder if your issue with shifting is related to the fact that your paternal grandfather was human. You might have inherited enough of those recessive genes that make shifting difficult.”

Dakota’s eyes opened wide and he stared at John for a minute. “I didn’t know he was a mundane human. He died when I was a baby and no one ever talked about him. I just assumed he was like the rest of us.”

“No. He was actually passing through Angel’s Creek and met your grandmother at Howlers’. He never left.”

“Very interesting.” Dakota rubbed his chin as his mind tried to process the information.

“You know, the people who really matter in your life won’t care whether you can shift easily or not. They’ll love you for who you are.”

“True enough.”

John changed the subject. “It’s been almost thirty years since you left? Has Angel’s Creek changed any?”

“Nope. A couple of business names changed and there are new faces waiting tables here, but other than that, I think the town was frozen in time.”

“It might be. We’re just the same people doing the same things we’ve always done. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad thing.”

“I honestly think that it’s a good thing. People in the rest of the world have changed a lot, and not all of it has been for the good. A lot of people have forgotten common courtesy. ‘Please’ and ‘thank you’ are words of the past. Everyone is in such a rush to do whatever it is they need to do that they don’t care about who gets in their way. Angel’s Creek is still a community. Even the mundane humans, who certainly know about the shifters who live in the area, are a part of the community. They just accept people for who they are.”

“Why would you want to leave all of this?”

Dakota grinned. “Because animals have the purest souls of all. It’s an honor and a privilege to be around them.”

“I can understand that.” His phone buzzed. “Duty calls. It was good talking to you, Dakota.”

“Take care.”

“You, too,” John said. He waved to Sean and left.

Dakota pulled out his wallet to pay. Sean held up his hand. “John took care of it. It pays to be a celebrity.”

“I guess so. I’ll see you later.”

After stopping by the store for some bottles of water and tea, as well as a few grocery items, Dakota headed home. The comfortable familiarness of the home he grew up in welcomed him. He headed for his old bedroom, which he had converted into an office, and worked on his next project. The human world disappeared as he dove into the wolves’ lives. He wrote out his first chapter and made a note of the exact photos he would need for each passage.

He was startled when his phone buzzed and smiled when he saw it was from Sadie.

Good afternoon, handsome. Miss you.

A feeling of warmth rushed through him.

Miss you, too. Are you having a good day?

She texted immediately back. Yes. It’ll be even better if you come over for dinner. Tres Abuelitas is cooking tonight and delivers.

He knew that she was developing feelings for him and that it might be better for the both of them if he stayed away. However, his willpower wasn’t that strong. I’ll be glad to come. What time?

Six.

His fingers moved quickly over the keyboard on his phone. I’ll be there.

Dakota loved the idea of spending time with Sadie. She was an incredible woman. There was no way that he could give up his lifestyle for her. He would get bored and restless. Dakota sighed heavily. He didn’t want Sadie to get hurt.

“Maybe I should talk to her tonight and remind her that a long-term relationship just isn’t in the cards. On the other hand, she is a grown woman and already knows my feelings.”

He groaned, feeling conflicted. Should he walk away before either of them developed deeper feelings, or should they enjoy the time they had together and cherish the memories afterward?