Absentee Wolf Read online

  In the eight years since he had left, small changes had been made, but the preserve stayed basically the same. New plants were added, and the volunteers’ faces seemed to get younger each visit. The buildings were more worn, and new ones were constructed.

  When Toby entered the center, he looked around at the new flyers and the knickknacks and souvenirs stocking the shelves. He picked up a small porcelain wolf and chuckled to himself, wondering which member of the pack had modeled for it.

  “Toby? Is that you?” He turned to see the ever-present Betty, second of security, making her way across the space.

  “Betty, it’s so good to see you.”

  She wrapped him up in a warm embrace. When she stepped back, she kept a hold on his arms and gave her standard once-over perusal.

  “I’d ask how you’ve been, but I can tell it’s bad since you look like crap. Are you finally home to stay?”

  “Always cutting to the point, huh, Betty?” Toby’s stomach knotted thinking he was about to be in his second argument in less than an hour.

  “I’m too old to bullshit. You know this is where you need to be, right?” Toby dropped his shoulders and shrugged out of her hold.

  “Betty, Tay already isn’t talking to me, and I’ve been back thirty minutes. Can you lay off?”

  “I want you to know that I think you’re handling this wrong. You should’ve come home when Kent went off to college.”

  “Betty, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Toby kept an impassive expression then smiled when a few visitors walked past them. Betty glared and pinched his arm. “Ow! Would you knock it off? How do you even know?”

  “Seriously, just ’cuz I’m old everyone thinks I’m blind. There is nothing that goes on inside the buildings of this preserve that I don’t know about. You should know that better than anyone.”

  “All right, all right. But I can’t come home yet.” Toby looked around then lowered his voice. “Kent needs to have the chance to grow up and make his own choices.”

  “Yes, he does. But he also needs to know all the options available to him. You might lose him if you don’t do something soon.”

  “What do you know that you aren’t telling me?”

  “Sorry, if you really wanted to know, you’d have come home sooner.” Betty stepped back and touched the headset on her ear. “Central, can you send a golf cart to pick up Tobias Dunham at the welcome center. He needs to be taken to see Alpha Martin. Thank you.” Betty patted him on the shoulder before walking through the back exit.

  Chapter 2

  Toby met Ben in his office. Leah, his wife, was just exiting when Toby arrived.

  “Look at you!” Toby knew Ben might growl, but he stilled Leah with his hands on her upper arms.

  Leah patted her round stomach. “You can’t miss me,” she said with a giggle.

  “No, you look great.”

  “That’s what I keep telling her.” Ben reached his arms around Leah and pulled her toward himself.

  Leah smiled and looked up at Ben. “Oh, stop being grabby. You know Toby’s harmless.” The love between fated mates was so clear that even an outsider would know they meant the world to each other. She kissed him on the chin before extricating herself and waved to Toby as she left.

  Ben shook Toby’s hand, and Toby bared his neck at the alpha before being led into the office. He forewent the desk and chair and sat them on the couch to the side.

  “Toby, I’m glad you could come. We really need your help with security on the preserve.”

  “Is the old system on the fritz?” He pulled out a notebook from his bag and readied to take notes.

  “No, we had a break-in. But not into one of the buildings. You heard about Bill’s death, correct?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry that I couldn’t come for the funeral. I had…”

  “Save it. I know why you didn’t come. Honestly, I don’t have time to listen to your stupid excuses.” When Toby tried to interject, Ben silenced him with a stare. Toby turned his eyes down to the ground, submitting to the alpha’s dominance. “Before you leave this time, we will discuss this completely, and I will talk to Tayton and Gina, as well. They are Kent’s parents and as such should have a say.” Toby hung his head, knowing that no matter what he said Ben’s word was law. “This has gone on for too long, and people are hurting. I won’t tolerate people hurting in my pack. They’re my family, and I protect what is mine.”

  “Yes, Alpha.” Outwardly he acquiesced, but inside Toby was a mixture of anger and anguish. He was angry that Ben thought he should interfere in his personal life and his mating. Anguish that the façade of friendship he was able to maintain was about to be completely destroyed.

  “Now, about the attack. The wolf that killed Bill was a shifter that had contracted a mutated form of the rabies virus. That is the most we can figure. The Teton pack and Charlie are working on trying to determine more about the virus, but it’s tricky.”

  “Charlie?”

  “Charlotte, the lab tech that works with Dr. Mason. Oh, that’s right. You weren’t here when Paul mated and moved to his wives’ pack. Charlie was interning under him, but she does it all now.”

  Toby nodded his head as Ben spoke. Paul married about six years ago. Toby was so out of the loop on what was happening in the pack that it hurt to be reminded how much he was missing. Maybe everyone was right, and he did need to return here to his pack and family.

  “We need to do something to set up safety measures on our preserve. I want each of the ranger stations outfitted with whatever you think would be best.”

  “Each? How many is that, again?” Toby’s pen flew across the paper as he jotted items to look into.

  “There are twenty ranger stations throughout the park.”

  “Twenty! Ben, that could take months to finish.” He opened his mouth in shock, and almost dropped his pen.

  “Well, I suggest you get moving then. School will be out in December. Of course, I think Kent plans on coming home for Thanksgiving and that’s only a month and a half away.”

  “You knew this when you called me here. You lied.”

  “I didn’t lie. I omitted.”

  “You let me believe this would be a fast fix.”

  “I let you believe what you wanted to believe.” Toby glared at Ben. Although he was alpha and much stronger, Toby was very close to jumping up and pummeling him right then. “I didn’t think it would be an issue. Lies by omission are how you talk to Tay all the time, and he’s like family to you.”

  Ben had him. He was right. No matter how much Toby wanted Ben to be wrong and to blame him, he was right. And now Toby felt like shit.

  “I, um—” Toby clenched his hands. The words he wanted wouldn’t come. His mind was overflowed with feelings that he couldn’t sort. “I only wanted what was best for Kent.”

  “I know.”

  “I still do. I love him.”

  “I know. But you’ve had a strange way of showing it.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Toby’s deep timbre sounded small and childlike. Although older than Ben, Toby needed his advice.

  “Right now, I just want you to concentrate on the security. Once we get some of this gone over, I’ll have someone take you to Tay’s house, and you two will talk it out. Tell him the whole truth.” Toby waited for Ben’s command to wash over him, but it never came. He gazed at him with a troubled expression. Ben reached out and gripped the back of Toby’s neck. Toby was secure in his alpha’s presence and being comforted by him. “I’m not going to command you. You need to do this on your own, and I know you will. I think if it comes from you and not because of me, it’ll mean more for all of you.”

  “Thank you.” Ben was younger than him by a decade, but the maturity he showed with his pack was something that was honed from a young age. Ben would always have Toby’s loyalty after this.

  “Let’s move on to security, okay?” Ben placed his hand on Toby’s shoulder and gently squeezed.

  “Twenty
ranger stations.” Toby shook his head from side to side slowly at the thought. “I suppose I should make arrangements for my business to be farmed out for at least a few months.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Now about these stations, do they all have electricity?”

  “Nope. They’re little more than cabins. Actually, some of them are more like deer stands with a first aid kit inside.” Toby gawked at Ben who had the smartass-iest grin that he had ever seen plastered all across his smug face.

  “Do they even get cell signals?”

  “I think so. We have a tower really close by the preserve.” This was looking more and more hopeless, more and more expensive, and more and more time consuming.

  “Would you be opposed to putting some solar panels on the roofs?”

  “Whatever you think we need. You tell me.”

  “Well, first off, what am I securing you against?”

  “The invisible.”

  * * * *

  A volunteer from the preserve dropped Toby at Tay’s house a few hours later. Ben and he had volleyed ideas around until they couldn’t think any more. They called in Deacon, Ben’s beta, Noah, an enforcer, and Connor, a scout to help with layout and what amenities would be needed at each station.

  Right now, Ben had the birds taking information back to base if all else failed, but something more permanent and faster had to be set up. Toby suggested they start with two-way radios, and Ben said that was already done. In fact, some of the stations were outfitted rather nicely for use by visiting zoologists that stayed out in the field.

  They needed to be ready should another infected shifter show up. Toby had the map of the preserve in his duffle and a list three pages long to start with, but right now all he wanted was to fix things with his best friend. He rang the doorbell and waited, rubbing his sweaty palms on his khakis. When the door opened, he wasn’t surprised to see Tay standing there with a grimace on his face. He stepped out of his door and closed it behind him, making it clear to Toby that he wasn’t welcome.

  “Tatyon, I’m sorry.” Tay crossed his arms over his chest. If he wanted to shut Toby out, he was making it very obvious. “I shouldn’t have lied to you, but I did it for what I thought was a really good reason. When I explain it to you, I hope that we can still be friends.”

  “How long are you staying?”

  “Indefinitely. The project will take several months minimum.”

  “And you want to stay here?” Tay said it with such sharp tones, Toby felt like he had been hit. He tried to calm his expression before answering.

  “I’d love to, but I don’t know if you still want me here. Plus, I don’t like the idea of being underfoot for months.”

  “Of course we want you here, but I don’t want to be used.”

  Toby scrubbed at his shaved head. “Can we just go inside and talk?”

  “Fine, but I want to know the truth.”

  He nodded to Tay as he opened the door. They stepped into the living room. Tay’s house hadn’t changed since the last time Toby visited. There was a blanket on the back of the couch and one on the love seat. Framed photos were on the end table and hanging on the walls. The familiarity was welcome, although the atmosphere was tense.

  Toby looked around, stalling and hoping for a segue into the conversation. “You got a new TV.” Toby walked toward the set that hung from the wall near the kitchen. It had nothing to do with the topic at hand, but he wasn’t really wanting to have that conversation anyway.

  “Gina and the kids got it for my birthday last month. The game looks amazing on it.”

  “I bet!” Toby stared at it a little longer, wishing that he didn’t have to talk to Tay. He took a deep breath, and Kent’s scent filled his lungs. Being in this house, even when Kent was gone, always brought his scent to Toby’s nose. He missed him and wondered how he was. If he had this conversation with Tay, Toby might be able to learn more about Kent, and that idea strengthened his reserve. Toby placed his duffle by the door and took a seat on the couch. “Let’s talk.”

  Tay sat on the couch and turned to face him. “Toby, what happened?”

  “Eight years ago, I got some news and didn’t know how to handle it, so I ran. Plain and simple. I ran because I didn’t want to hurt someone else. I wanted them to have a great life and actually get to live, so I left. You have to know that me leaving was me doing what I thought was best for everyone.”

  “You still aren’t telling me anything.”

  “I know. I know. I’m sorry.” Toby took a deep breath and blew it out. “I just don’t know how to say it. Promise me that you’ll hear me out all the way.”

  “I promise, so spill.”

  Toby’s stomach cramped, and he bounced his leg, hoping he could lessen his anxiety. He took one long, deep breath, and started.

  “Here goes. Kent is my mate.” Tay stared at Toby. His face showed no emotion. Toby waited for him to say something, but he didn’t. His silence drove on Toby’s nerves, and he started to ramble. “Eight years ago, Kent was just hitting puberty. His scent changed, you know, and at first I didn’t think anything of it. Just thought it was my nose. But as the months went on, and Kent got further into puberty, I started to realize he was my mate. I didn’t think he realized since he was still so young and wouldn’t know what it meant. So before he figured it out, I packed up and left. I didn’t want him to think he had to choose to be with me. I wanted him to have a life and make choices for himself. I felt like me being his mate, and him being so young, fate was taking his choices away.”

  “So you ran.”

  “Yeah, I thought if I was gone then he could grow up and have fun and make decisions on his own. Make the life he wanted without having to consider me.”

  Toby said the words, and it sounded good to his own ears. But Tayton’s face said he didn’t agree.

  “But you didn’t give him that choice. You made the choice for him. He never got to decide if he wanted to have a life of his own before settling down.”

  Toby grew frustrated that Tay was arguing with him. He had hoped Tay would at least see that he did what he thought was best for Kent. Trying to keep his calm, he continued the conversation.

  “I can see where you might think I took the choice from him, but I did what I thought was best. He’s so bright. I wanted him to have the chance to really shine and go somewhere in life. Are you mad at me about this?”

  “Mad that you’re his mate or mad about how you handled it?”

  Toby was still having trouble looking Tay in the eyes, so he settled for a sideways glance. “Both.”

  “I’m hurt. I’m not mad that you’re his mate, but I’m hurt that you didn’t tell me.”

  “But if you knew, you might have told him. If he asked why I left, you may have said something to him. I didn’t want you to have to hide it from him, and I didn’t want him to feel guilty about me leaving. Tayton, I’m really sorry.”

  “I forgive you, but you’re going to have a hard time explaining it to Kent. When are you going to tell him?”

  “I don’t know. I’m going to be here for a while, and Ben says that Kent usually comes home for Thanksgiving break, so I suppose he’ll find out then, won’t he?”

  “Yep.” They sat in quiet for a while. Toby didn’t know what else to say to Tay. He had said all that he had to. Now came the hard part of waiting while Tay processed this new information. Toby strummed his fingers over his thigh while he waited.

  “This explains his graduation gift.” Toby felt the blush work its way up his neck, warming his skin. “Brynn will be glad to know you don’t hate her.”

  “What? Why did Brynn think I hated her?” Toby wracked his brain for something he had done to hurt Brynn but nothing came to mind.

  “You never noticed that you always remembered Kent’s birthday and forgot her birthday a couple times?” Tay’s facial expression begged Toby to think back, and he cursed remembering his lapses.

  “Shit. I have some kissing up
to do.”

  “Well, she does graduate this year from high school.”

  “Ugh, I need to start looking at cars for her.” Toby slouched into the couch while Tay laughed his head off at the dilemma.

  “So you planning on staying here the whole time you’re in Kansas?”

  “I don’t want to be under your feet. I mean a visit is one thing, but months? I think I’ll end up staying at the rental apartments. Maybe if things go well, I’ll—” The sound of an engine and gravel crunching made Toby turn his head toward the door. His heart started racing, and his hands began to sweat. Whenever he was visiting, panic gripped him that Kent would see him and know his secret. Tay grabbed his knee and shook it, pulling Toby from his anxious state.

  “It’s just Gina. She ran to the store a little while ago.”

  “I guess I’m paranoid. Do you think she needs help?”

  “Nah.” Tay waved the idea away with his hand.

  Tay used to follow Gina like a puppy. Toby was shocked to see the change. “You’re really not going to help her?”

  “Relax. If she needed help, she would have sent me a text from the store. She always does.”

  He’d missed a lot, including his best friend finally embracing technology. Happy that Tay wasn’t ignoring his mate, Toby lounged back in the couch. “Let’s see if a game is on.” Toby grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned on the television. He flipped through a few channels when he heard the door open behind them.

  “Dad, where are you?” Toby turned slowly to see Kent standing in the doorway, a backpack over his shoulder. His face had a confused expression, and he scented the air. “Toby?” He took in another lungful as he walked into the house. When he opened his mouth to speak, Toby could see his canine teeth peeking down. “Did you know?”

  “Kent, what are you doing home?” Tay grabbed his son into a hug. Whether trying to distract Kent or just genuinely wanting to greet him, Toby couldn’t tell. He hadn’t been in the same room with Kent since he was fourteen.