Of Secrets and Wolves (Winsford Shifters #1) - Alice Winters Page 0,1
uncertain.
Scott waves him off like he couldn’t be bothered with him. “You can leave if you want. We’re good from here.”
I can tell Hill doesn’t like this idea much as he leans against his car door. “You don’t want to piss the alpha off.”
Scott grins at him. “Yeah? And what are they gonna do if I do? I got the whole damn law enforcement behind my back. We’ll handle it.”
Hill shrugs and I feel like that was simply a “Your funeral” in motion form. This is why I hate dealing with Scott. I’d dealt with him one other time and I’d be lying if I said the thought of giving him a gentle push off into the river never crossed my mind. It was a fast river too, plenty of rapids that could just carry him and his condescending attitude off.
“Oh my goodness, aren’t you the sweetest little thing?”
I turn to see a young man’s body smashed up against my passenger window as he gleefully stares at Talon.
Talon, the ferocious dog he is, is wiggling as his tail whaps back and forth. I’m not close enough to tell if the young man is a shifter or not, but the way he’s melting over the dog is a bit much.
“Oh, your little tongue!” he exclaims.
Scott looks over at the young man and narrows his eyes. “They’re all so fucking weird. You better make sure that truck’s locked up. Who knows what he’s trying to steal.”
I would say that Talon would protect everything I have in there, but at the moment, it looks like Talon would give up his life just for a belly rub. “It’s fine,” I say.
Scott, on the other hand, doesn’t think it’s fine. “Is that your truck?” he shouts at the man. “Get your fucking hands off it.”
The young man instantly stops smiling before peeking around my truck with the most vibrant amber eyes, instantly answering my question of whether or not he’s human. “Are… are you talking to me?”
“Who else would I be talking to?” Scott asks.
The man looks to be in his late twenties with black hair that is striking against his pale skin and amber eyes. I find myself instantly attracted to him, even though he’s clearly a shifter and I want nothing to do with him.
“Is… this your dog? I pity the poor thing if it is. No wonder why it loves me if it has to deal with your rancid attitude. You poor soul,” he says to Talon.
Scott pulls out his badge, which he seems to think is an appropriate response to someone fawning over a dog. “Do you want to try speaking to me again, mongrel?” he asks, even though it’s not like he’s wielding a police badge.
The shifter grins at him which seems to piss Scott off more. “I am truly sorry I have offended you. I will go sniff a tree… chase a squirrel… maybe even piss on your tires.”
“It’s my truck. Please don’t piss on the tires,” I pipe up.
“Ah…” The shifter points at the black car that’s Scott’s. “This one?”
I nod.
“Thank you,” he says.
“I will have you arrested if you take a step toward my car,” Scott growls.
“Let’s get this over with, we’re wasting time,” I say. If he’d just let me start tracking, I could already be on the convicts’ trail. Instead, this is where I was lucky enough to end up.
Scott storms into the diner and I grudgingly follow after him while wondering how a man in his late thirties already has so much hate in his life.
The entire diner goes silent as we walk in even though more than half the booths are filled. They all turn to look at us and I realize at least half are shifters. They just have a look about them that tells me they’re not human.
A short man with uniquely golden-brown hair that has tips of black slowly walks up. It seems completely natural, making me wonder what kind of shifter he is. “G-Good afternoon. Welcome to Dandy’s Diner. I—”
“We’re meeting someone here. The alpha?” Scott interrupts.
“Ah, okay.” The shifter scrutinizes us with narrowed eyes before he looks around and points at an empty booth in the corner. “Please have a seat. He should be here shortly. And can I get you something to drink while you wait? We have fresh lem—”
“I don’t want anything you’re serving,” Scott says stubbornly and I see the young man’s eyes narrow even more.