“Are you even listening to me, Austin?”

Startled, Austin jerked his head up and found himself staring directly into the eyes of Lieutenant Heart. As if surfacing from a dream, he vaguely remembered she had come up and started talking to him. He responded, though for the life of him he couldn’t recall what either of them had said. Since then, he must have been lost in some sort of foggy halfway point between daydreaming and listening because he knew she had asked questions before now. He had to have responded to those, too.

For all intents and purposes, they had been having a conversation.

Oh, but no one could ever get anything past the Lieutenant. She was the real brains behind the force, the backbone of the organization. If the Chief knew something, it was almost always going to be because a little birdy named Valerie Heart had whispered in his ear.

“Of course, I was,” he said, desperately trying to remember something, anything to backup this statement. “When have I ever not listened to you?”

Lieutenant Heart narrowed her eyes. “Do you want them in chronological order, or from least to greatest in terms of importance?”

“Chronological,” he replied.

She crossed her arms. “The very first day you arrived here after graduating at the Academy, I told you whoever drinks the last of the coffee makes a fresh pot. You made the entire station mad because we had to enact a manhunt to find out who didn’t do what they were supposed to. Surprise, surprise, it was you.”

Austin snorted a little. That was more or less exactly how it had happened, except she didn’t know the real reason behind why he never made a pot of coffee after he took the last cup.

He didn’t know how.

He didn’t even drink coffee.

It was all a ruse, perhaps the longest lie he had ever managed to keep going. He hated coffee. Always had. He’d tried it on and off throughout his life, and no matter the form it was in—black, sweetened heavily, light or dark roast, iced—he just couldn’t tolerate the stuff.

He preferred tea, not so much because of the taste but because of the scent. He was very much into herbal teas, the ones with the fruity and floral aromas. They were much more pleasing to him than a cup of shitty, burnt bean water.

When you were a cop though, you drank coffee. You swigged it down and talked about how horrid it was.

Austin always did the same, but he managed to pour his cups down a sink, or into plant pots without anyone knowing. The plants around the station grew like crazy, and he half-suspected it was because of the special fertilizer he was giving them. He was lucky no one had ever seen him do that on camera.

“You got me,” Austin said, “but I’m different now. I’m not sloppy anymore. I’ve been filing my reports, doing all my duties. You should know. You’ve been reading them.”

“Yes, I have.” The Lieutenant raised one eyebrow. Thanks to the harsh fluorescent lights of the station, he could see her face well enough to realize she’d missed a few hairs while plucking them. They stuck off awkwardly to the side, wayward birds separated from the flock. “As we were just discussing.”

Oh, good.

“You’ll excuse me for thinking you weren’t listening, then. It’s just a bit hard to tell when you’re staring off into the void.”

“That’s my thinking face.”

She actually laughed, and his hopes rose a little. She must not be angry with him if she was laughing. “All right, Austin. As I was saying, yes, thank you for keeping up with your reports. I do think you’re making quite a few leaps in logic in your process, however.”

He thought so too, but he was going to nip this problem in the bud even if he had to do it by randomly guessing at everything. “I like to call them educated guesses.”

“Well, Mr. Thinking Face, let’s try to tone down on the educated guesses a little for the next couple weeks. We’re doing police work here, not estimating math problems.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Austin nodded. He could do that. All that really meant was he needed to give more of a reason for what he was doing. He had plenty of those.

“However, you have made several good points.” Lieutenant Heart pursed her lips, which was her own brand of thinking face. “The real reason I came to talk to you was to ask if you minded if I forwarded some relevant parts of your reports to a few of our senior officers? I want to get their opinions.”

The senior officers?

His heartbeat quickened a little. In wolf pack terms, this was the equivalent of a yearling’s progress being observed by the alphas. The senior officers had earned that title because they had years of experience and knew what they were doing. They were almost like a council at times, offering advice to Lieutenant Heart, who took word to the Chief. It was a system, and for the first time, Austin was about to be part of it.

“I don’t mind at all. But can I ask why?”

“To be honest, I didn’t think much of this investigation in the first place,” Lieutenant Heart said. It didn’t sound like an admittance, because it wasn’t. She was only stating the facts as she saw them. “I thought our reports of iffy lumber practices were going to end up being hearsay, some customer with a bad experience bad-mouthing a supplier. It seemed like just the thing for you to prove that you could be useful.”

Ouch.

“I expected this to last maybe a few days. But, you’ve already identified several areas where the stories don’t add up. There are gaps in the testimonies you’ve taken. You found them. There are missing numbers, times, and shipments not accounted for. It could be shoddy bookkeeping, or it could be something more. And if it is, I don’t want you in this on your own. If the senior officers and the Chief agree with me, I’ll be assigning a few more officers to the investigation.” She paused, then sighed. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you would still be in charge of the investigation, since this is your thing.”

Austin felt his jaw drop. He wasn’t sure that he’d heard her right. “I’d be in charge?”

“Don’t let the power go to your head!” she warned.

Austin held up his hands, staving off her warnings. His chest swelled, tight with pride. “Of course not. It’s just that this is actually an honor. I thought the case might eventually be taken out of my hands?”

“It may yet be, if we find that it’s too big for you. Or if you fuck it up, as you’re known to.” The Lieutenant’s eyes sparkled, showing that she was teasing him. If not, he might have been annoyed that she had given him praise, only to end up taking it away again. “I’ll let you know how things go with your report. And remember, take it easy on the educated guesses.”

“Will do.”

She went away, leaving him alone with his thoughts again. Her voice carried back through the hallway as she engaged someone else in a more lively sort of conversation. He couldn’t make out what was being said and it didn’t matter, as she quickly moved on.

Sighing, Austin placed his elbow on top of the desk and leaned his head against his hand. He sat in the communal office area, where workers without a designated private office were able to work on computers. It was like being in an island of cubicles, except that there were no walls between the computers, no separation from one part of the desk to the next. Police officers had nothing to hide from one another. They weren’t competing for clients or trying to outwork each other.

Everybody was in this together, doing the best they could with what was given to them.

For a relatively new cop like Austin, that wasn’t much.

For many young cops like himself, actually. He wasn’t alone in this struggle.

Even right now, he wasn’t really alone. Someone else sat far against the other wall, illuminated by bright overhead lights so their face was in shadow. Their fingers danced over the keyboard of their computer as they worked on a report that was undoubtedly better than his.

He had some general paperwork to get through today before going home. He doubted he would get it done. He kept drifting off into daydreams, much like he had when the Lieutenant was talking to him. He hadn’t done that on purpose. There was just so much on his mind.

Why didn’t Lucas think he was good-looking?

Why had Lucas cut their time short the other night?

What was the omega so afraid of?

Frustrated, Austin sighed again.

The steady rhythm of typing from the other side of the room hitched, then stopped altogether. “Excuse me,” the other cop said in an indignant voice. “Some of us are working here. If you’re not doing anything, you should leave.”

Lifting his head, Austin glared hard in the direction of the other cop. They didn’t exactly lurch backwards in fear—and he didn’t expect them to—but they did go back to minding their own business.

Figuring he wasn’t going to get much done anyway, Austin stood up. He deliberately let his chair screech on the floor and was rewarded with a flinch from the working cop.

For some reason, that flinch didn’t make him feel as good as it should have this time. He almost felt bad about it.

Trying to shove it from his mind, he nevertheless made as little noise as possible while gathering up all his things. He headed out, found his cruiser in the parking lot, and drove home.

The mere presence of a police cruiser often caused interesting things to occur. Drivers sat up straighter in their seats. They dropped their hands down from their faces, hoping he wouldn’t notice they were texting only a moment before. Brakes were stepped on. Cars switched lanes.

Normally, he enjoyed having the power to cause such changes. Tonight, however, all of it only seemed irritating or irrelevant. He wished they would all disappear so he wouldn’t have to focus on them, wouldn’t have to watch them to make sure they weren’t doing something too dangerous. He could ignore the minor infractions tonight and he would, because he had more important things to concern himself with.

Lucas.

Always Lucas.

He had, of course, noticed the way the omega was always so certain things wouldn’t work out the way he wanted them to. He was more than simply pessimistic. It was less of an outlook and more of a way of existing, and it made him feel as if he wasn’t solid, somehow. He was a wisp of a wolf, blown this way and that by the tides of fate with no real control over his own direction.

On the beach, he wasn’t like that. On the beach, when it was just the two of them, when they were playing as wolves will play when they are untamed and free, Lucas was a different person. He was a delight.

When they had sex, Lucas had been hesitant but confident. He had let himself be led, yet he was also an active participant.

Austin couldn’t figure out what the difference was. It aggravated him. Yes, he knew he had said their fateful meeting that night was only going to be for that night and it was their secret, but some part of him had been hoping for more. To have that hope dashed by a force he didn’t understand was very reminiscent of what he had gone through before when Lucas suddenly broke up with him.

He didn’t understand.

He wanted to, though.

Austin lived in an apartment building, though it wasn’t a tall complex. Rather, it was long, yet not too long. There were only two floors and one of those was technically the basement. Its positioning near a school, yet also not far from a slightly rougher neighborhood, gave it a mediocre feel that he was just fine with. He was a cop. He wasn’t going to live in a palace. He wouldn’t have known what to do with himself in a place like that.

Parking his cruiser, he went up to his front door, unlocked it, and went inside.

The door banged shut behind him, and his spine prickled at the finality of the sound.

He didn’t want this to be the end.

Gripping his forehead with his hand, Austin went over to his couch and dropped down on it. The springs groaned in protest, but he hardly noticed because he was already so lost in thought.

What could he do to keep this from turning out even worse than last time? There was so much he didn’t understand, so much going against this. He didn’t even know why this was so important, except that being around Lucas again was stirring up old feelings that must have never really died. He hadn’t been ready to end their relationship before. That it ended at all had come as a surprise. He’d thought someday he might be able to convince Lucas of his own worth. Then, his chance to do so had been cut short.

Was this his second chance, or was this only a slip of fate, a coincidence which meant nothing?

He thought and thought and thought some more. As the night went on, no matter what he did, he thought. Eating dinner, watching the tail end of a B horror movie, taking a shower, lying in bed waiting to fall asleep, he thought.

When morning came, he rose to greet the day with no real idea of what he would do. He hadn’t come across any inspirations or grand epiphanies in his dreams. The question of how to convince Lucas not to keep backing away from him seemed like it would go unanswered forever.

Another day of work stretched out ahead of him, and he went to greet it without enthusiasm.

Upon arriving at the station, he discovered he had been assigned to a patrol. Clearly, whatever the senior officers thought of his reports, their consensus was that it wasn’t all that urgent if they were allowing him to spend his time doing other things.

“Bad luck,” someone commented as they walked by.

“Yeah,” Austin replied, absentmindedly. “I had things to do today.”

“And now you have something else to do.” That was a voice he knew well. He turned to see Lieutenant Valerie Heart walking towards him from where she had been waiting.

“Seems like I’ve been running into you a lot lately,” Austin said.

“You give me a lot of reasons to come find you.” She smiled, and it wasn’t without kindness. “I’m the one who assigned you to a patrol. I forwarded the relevant parts of your report to our senior members this morning. They’ll be taking a look at it as their time allows. Until then, you’ll be on normal duty.”

Austin stifled a growl. “You mean if there’s anything happening that I should be aware of, it’s just going to keep happening?”

The Lieutenant sighed. She moved in a little closer and patted Austin on the shoulder. The gesture was stiff, though well-meant. He felt reassured by it without even hearing what she was going to say.

“You’re still a rookie, Austin. One of these days, you’ll learn that justice isn’t like what it used to be. This isn’t the Old West, and you aren’t a cowboy.” Lieutenant Heart looked up at the ceiling. “I wish it was. It would be so much easier. Back then, you could nip the bad things in the bud and no one would do anything about it. Shoot ‘em up. String ‘em up. Dump the bodies in a ditch, and let the vultures take care of it.”

Austin shook his head, startled. “That’s pretty dark.”

“It’s the truth. We had more power back then. These days, corruption is slow. Slow to happen, slow to notice, slow to be solved. A few days of inactivity won’t ruin the investigation. In fact, it might even help.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Of course, I am.” She smiled and then straightened up. The nostalgic glimmer in her eyes faded out, replaced by practiced sharpness. “Give a speeder a ticket for me, would you?”

“What kind?”

After thinking over it for a moment, she said, “Make it some young asshole in a flashy car. Bring him down a notch or two.”

“Nip it in the bud.”

She made a finger-gun and fired it in his direction, signaling that he had hit the target. Then, she sauntered off.

Austin did what he needed to do, then headed out to his cruiser to get on with his patrol. The Lieutenant had distracted him from his thoughts about Lucas, and he clung to this diversion with both hands.

Maybe, like himself, she had a secret.

He hated coffee.

Maybe she hated the system. Maybe she was a secret lover of Westerns, where a single person could make a difference in the fate of an entire town. A cop couldn’t do that these days, like she said. A cop’s only job was to bring in the bad guys and to hand out small punishments for meaningless offenses. There was an entire series of systems which came after an arrest or an administered ticket, courts and lawyers and correctional facilities, and rehabilitation centers. Dozens of people would have their say about the fate of the person who was in the wrong.

It wasn’t clean anymore.

Having this similarity between them, though he was only grabbing at straws based on a short conversation, made him feel a little better. He felt understood. Included.

Maybe this was how Lucas felt all the time, being part of a pack.

Suddenly, Austin sat up straight in his seat. His hands clenched hard on the wheel. He accidentally struck against a button and his lights blipped on for a moment. In response, the cars in front of him veered into other lanes, leaving an opening for him to get through. He could practically taste the anxiety of each and every driver as they hoped to God that they weren’t who he had flashed his lights at.

Austin stepped on the gas, pushing through the cleared path made special for him. He drove on like that for a while, then slowed down.

He was headed to the west end of the city, where the garage was. Where Lucas was. He had a burning question, an urgent need to understand something, and only Lucas had the answer.

In no time at all, he reached the garage. He parked as far back in the lot as he could, not wanting to cause a fuss unlike the few times he had been here before. He wasn’t here on business, even though he should have been.

Stepping out of the car, he made sure to lock it up properly and strode to the front of the garage. It seemed to him like there were more cars in the parking lot today than there had been, and he saw a few vans with logos on them. He paid them no real mind and just kept going, pushing his way through the clog to reach the open space in front of the building. He entered through the front door and found himself standing once more in what he supposed could be called the foyer.

He didn’t know much about the layout of the garage because he hadn’t spent much time here, though he thought the first floor was where most of the actual living spaces were. He didn’t know if that was true or not, but that was the impression he had.

A few shifters who were around glanced in his direction as he entered. He felt their interest spike as they realized he was a cop.

“Can I help you, Officer?” one of them said. He looked every bit a biker, with greased hair and a leather jacket on top of a t-shirt with skulls and other threatening imagery on it. However, the way he spoke belied his appearance. Respect filled his voice, and it didn’t seem to be forced at all.

This biker had respect for the law? Wonders would never cease.

“I’m looking for Lucas Pale,” Austin said. “Is he here?”

“Yes, sir.” The biker pointed off to the right. Austin turned to look where he was being directed and saw a long hallway. “Down that way, there’s a staircase. You should find him there. If not, he’s moved on to the next staircase. Just keep following this hallway. It goes pretty much all the way around the building.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem. And, uh, sir?”

Austin had already been in the process of moving off. He stopped and glanced back at the biker. “Yes?”

“Thanks for your service. What you do.”

This statement floored him. For a moment, it was all he could do to keep his jaw from dropping. He couldn’t believe this rough person, who was almost certainly a lawbreaker, was thanking him for the fact he was a police officer.

“After the struggles we’ve had in the past, I’ve come to appreciate the police more.”

“Thank you,” Austin said, because he didn’t know what else to say. He headed off again.

The wolves watched him as he went down the hall, invading their fortress, and then he was out of their sight.

There were men, humans, at the staircase he had been directed to. They wore orange safety jackets over shirts which had the same logo as the vans outside. Lucas wasn’t amongst their numbers.

One of the men noticed him before the others and turned to face him. He had a heavy layer of stubble on his chin, which had developed to a point where it almost crossed into being an actual beard. “Morning, Officer…” The man looked at his badge, leaning in close to do so. “Officer Night. Damn, what a name.”

This man’s frankness was refreshing in comparison with the way most people acted around a police officer.

“Morning to you. And you are?”

The man offered his hand, which Austin shook. For a human, he had a strong grip. “I’m Peter Vance, but you can just call me Pete. I’m the supervisor in charge of these dunderheads.” Pete jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to the other men. They seemed to be taking notes, thoroughly inspecting the staircase and especially the space beneath it. “We’re in the construction business. Main focus is home repair. Never had a job like this before.”

Austin almost opened his mouth, to start asking questions about where they got their supplies and if they had experienced any odd business dealings lately. Then, thinking of what the Lieutenant had said, he stopped himself. This wasn’t his business today.

So, instead of launching into an interrogation, he said simply, “Do you have a business card, so I can contact you later if necessary?”

Pete offered a business card almost before Austin finished speaking. Austin tucked it into his breast pocket, making a mental note not to forget about it.

“I was told that Lucas was going to be with you?”

“Ah.” Pete nodded. “Someone came along and wanted to talk to him. He left us for a moment. Headed off that way.” Another point to the right. “Should be back soon if you want to stick around. Help me keep these idiots under control.”

Austin almost laughed as Pete glanced at him up and down, admiration glowing in his eyes. It was becoming clear to him that Pete’s interest was in more than simple friendship. If he stuck around, the supervisor might become more open, more suggestive.

As flattering as that would be, Austin didn’t want to deal with it.

“I should really move off and find him. Thanks for your time.”

“No, thank you,” Pete said. His voice was low, almost a murmur. “If you need anything, call the number on that card and ask for me.”

“I certainly will.”

Austin headed off again. He hadn’t been walking for very long when he heard Lucas.

“I just don’t know,” Lucas was saying.

Austin was immediately suspicious, though he had no context for the statement. Lucas sounded extremely uncertain and uncomfortable.

A woman replied. “Yes, you do. You know I’m right, Lucas. The two of you clearly have something going on between you.”

Austin pricked up his ears, straining to hear more. He took a few more steps forward, trying to pinpoint the origin of the conversation. As he rounded a corner, he saw an open doorway. There were laundry machines inside the room, and he could see part of an arm and a shapely hip. The woman speaker. Lucas was out of sight somewhere deeper in the room.

“All that’s just history,” Lucas said. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

“I’ve been around the block a time or two. What I’m seeing isn’t an echo. It’s the real deal.”

“Cujo,” Lucas sighed. “I can’t, okay?”

“Of course you can,” the woman named Cujo said. She moved away from the door, and Austin lost sight of her. Her voice was muffled when she spoke again a few seconds later. “I remember what you said earlier, so don’t start repeating yourself again. Things might be different this time. Give yourself another chance.”

“What do I have that he could possibly want?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

“No!”

“Yes!” Cujo said. “I think the two of you are cute together. When I saw the two of you on that beach, it looked like you had been together for years.”

This woman had been there on the beach, had seen Austin come to Lucas' rescue by getting rid of those two humans with the weird sexual desires.

“We were just pretending,” Lucas said.

“Maybe that’s what you thought, but it sure didn’t look like just pretending to me. So, who knows? Now’s your chance. You know where he is. You know he’ll be stopping by sooner or later. Don’t let the opportunity slip by or you might end up regretting it.”

“Okay,” Lucas said. He didn’t sound as if he was actually agreeing. Rather, the tone of his voice signaled he was placating her, trying to end the conversation. “Cujo, I have to go back to those guys. I need to know what they’ve been getting up to without me.”

“Sure,” the woman said, sounding agreeable. “Just don’t forget what I said.”

I certainly won’t, Austin thought. He knew he should back away, fake his approach so they wouldn’t think he’d been listening to them this entire time, but he was surrounded by a whirlwind of his own thoughts and he couldn’t move. Could it be that, in coming here to ask Lucas a question he had already found the answer?

This woman…

Footsteps began, and a moment later, the woman emerged from the laundry room. Her eyes were bright, and she had a solid serenity about her, as if not much bothered her. She also had a distinctly motherly look to her, and Austin detected the scent of children on her.

The woman named Cujo saw him standing at the corner and didn’t look surprised at all. “Speak of the Devil,” she said, and her voice was warm and welcoming. “Austin?”

“That’s me.”

From the laundry room, muffled, Lucas exclaimed, “Austin’s here?”

Cujo smiled in a vague sort of way, though her eyes held a message which belied the mild-mannered grin. Her gaze warned him. It said, “Don’t let him know that you were eavesdropping. Don’t push him. Don’t break his heart.”

Austin lowered his head. He had no intention of doing any of those things.

The woman went away, and almost soon as she had gone, Lucas emerged from the laundry room. His face was caught somewhere in a limbo of being drained of color, yet also blushing with it. His lips were parted, and Austin was struck by the urge to kiss them. “Austin, what are you doing here?”

“I had something to ask you,” Austin said, managing to lft his gaze from Lucas' mouth with some effort. He hadn’t noticed before how pink and smooth they were before. “Is this a good time?”

He knew it was anything but a good time. He asked anyway. The burning urgency inside him, which had led him to come here as fast as possible even though he had a job to do, was back in full force. He needed to know. He would do anything to get this answer.

Lucas didn’t answer right away. He looked up and down Austin’s body. “You’re in your uniform. Is this about your investigation?”

“No. This is about us.”

Lucas immediately took a step back, his expression growing as guarded as if he was wearing a mask. His ocean-blue eyes seemed foggy and overcast, concealing whatever might have been below the surface. “What about us? Should we be talking about this while you’re working? While I’m working? I really should get back to…”

Austin lost some of his control to the desire to make Lucas stop looking at him like that. He pushed his way forward and grabbed Lucas by the shoulders, pushed the omega up against the wall, and kissed him fiercely. He held back on what he could, not wanting to seem frightening. There was a moment of resistance and then Lucas slackened, his hands rising up to stroke their way through Austin’s short hair. The tense and frightened line of his mouth softened. His lips rubbed against Austin’s, and he allowed them to be forced open to let their tongues brush together.

Austin pulled back with some effort, shuddering. He couldn’t fully withdraw, and he kept his body pressed against Lucas, trapping him. It no longer seemed necessary, since Lucas didn’t seem as if he wanted to get away, but he liked the feeling of having Lucas as his, only his, right now, in this secluded corner by the laundry room.

Keeping their lips together, Austin spoke softly. “I was wondering what was different this time. Why you had sex with me this time. Why anything has been happening the way it has. And I thought…I wondered if it had to do with the fact that you’re part of this pack.”

Lucas looked into his eyes. Some of the obscuring cloud had lifted, but he still seemed confused. “Don’t you mean gang?”

Austin chuckled. “Okay. You got me. But, do you think that’s it? It’s not just chance or coincidence or whatever? It’s because you’ve got a pack at your back. I heard that woman talking to you—not that I heard what was said,” he quickly lied.

Lucas lowered his gaze. His hands also lowered, roaming down from Austin’s hair, to the back of his neck, wandering the width of his shoulders. Having his own body outlined for him in this way made Austin realize how big he was in comparison to the wolf he had trapped against the wall. He could have done anything he wanted, and Lucas would be powerless against it.

But that wasn’t what he wanted. He needed to make sure Lucas understood that.

“I never really thought about it,” Lucas murmured. “But I guess that’s as good a reason as any.”

“If anything goes wrong, you’ve got them. You don’t have to be afraid.”

“I’m still afraid,” Lucas admitted.

“Why?”

For a moment, it didn’t seem as if Lucas would answer. Then, he did. He spoke as if he was finding his way through a dark room, feeling his way with his arms held out in front of himself. “What do you see in me? I never understood. I still don’t. It’s all so confusing for me. That’s why I’m afraid. Because I don’t understand.”

Talking to that woman, that Cujo, was good for something after all. He’s asking me what he asked her, like it was practice. She told him to ask me, and he is.

This only confirmed his suspicions, that it was the pack which had allowed them to get further than they ever had before, though they had been together for less time. Whether Lucas knew it or not, he was not alone. It wasn’t just him and his father anymore. It was him, the other pack members, and his leader. Their presence gave him confidence. He could feel their minds brushing against his, in the way wolves in the wild rubbed together habitually, naturally. If he accepted their support, he might be capable of even more.

“What do I see in you?” Austin repeated. He drew back a little, lifting one hand from the wall to lay it against Lucas' cheek. “Your eyes make me feel like I’m melting, and the fact that you exist makes me want to protect you.”

He could see that this wasn’t enough, so he went on.

“Your hair is beautiful. You’re sexy without even trying. Even in these clothes you’ve got on right now, you make me want you. The way your body moves. The way you try so hard. And, you’re a law-abiding citizen. That’s sexy as hell.”

Lucas laughed, which was what Austin had wanted to happen. However, the omega just shook his head. “It doesn’t feel like you’re talking about me.”

“But, I am! Don’t doubt that, okay? You’re more than you think you are. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t.” Austin paused. “Do you really think Dustface would hire you as the contractor in charge of these renovations, if you weren’t fully capable of it?”

“His name is Destiny. And I guess not.” Lucas looked thoughtful. “He doesn’t really play favorites unless he has a reason to. If he thought someone outside the pack was going to be better for this after all, he’d hire them without any hesitation.”

“So, there. You see?”

“It’s all so much easier when you’re saying it,” Lucas admitted. His shoulders slumped a little bit. “I don’t believe any of it when I say it to myself.”

“But at least it’s out there in the open now. You’re not hiding it from me. You won’t suddenly break up with me again.”

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s in the past.”

The ache of that break-up had been fading steadily throughout this conversation. Austin felt, quite strongly, that they could stop here and he could go on to live a happy and satisfied life. The past had been mended. They had aired out all that had gone wrong. It was time to start fresh.

He would be content with that, but not satisfied.

He wanted his fresh start to be with Lucas. A second chance, as Cujo had said.

Suddenly, Lucas snapped his head up and looked at Austin. “Austin?”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to go on a date with me?”

Warmth pulsed through Austin, making him curl his toes inside his shoes. This pleasure was almost better than an orgasm. “I’d be fucking delighted to.”

They exchanged phone numbers, since they had both gotten new phones since the last time they saw each other. After a cursory text to make sure things were in order, they went their separate ways.

Austin returned to his patrol and worked as he never had before, putting his heart and soul into the job. He felt like a cat who had gotten into the cream; his satisfaction must have shown because the people he pulled over for speeding acted even brattier than usual towards him. They must have assumed he was basking in his own power and authority. Not so, but they didn’t need to know that.

He just couldn’t keep from being happy. He couldn’t be a serious and stern cop, not today.

Not the day after, either. Or the one after that.

He and Lucas stayed in touch for the next several days, but they didn’t have a chance to actually go on a date together until the following weekend. Austin made dinner reservations at an Olive Garden at 6:00 p.m. After that, they hadn’t made any plans for one thing or another. He supposed they would go to a park or a beach or something, and then he would take Lucas home because he had to go patrolling again on Sunday. The senior officers were taking their sweet time with deciding what the next step in the investigation should be.

Olive Garden wasn’t exactly the fanciest place on earth, but Austin hadn’t been there in awhile, and he had had his interest piqued in some of the new items which had been added to the menu.

At 5:30 p.m., he arrived in front of Lucas' apartment building to pick him up.

Lucas was outside waiting, wearing a sweater vest with a pattern of black, white, and gray diamonds on it. He had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and the collar was folded with crisp neatness. His blue eyes, illuminated by the evening sunlight, were brighter and more beautiful than jewelry.

However, Lucas wasn’t alone.

There was a man standing at his side, an alpha wolf with dark blonde hair. There were twin streaks of gray at his temples, giving him an aged and dignified appearance. He was broad and muscular, which showed quite clearly even though he wore baggy, stained jeans and an oversized t-shirt.

Austin knew this man.

Parking his cruiser, Austin stepped out and came around the front of it. As always, when he was faced with another alpha wolf, he felt a little wary and threatened. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled. “Hello, Mr. Pale.”

Franklin Pale stepped in front of his son, folding his arms across his chest. For an architect, he was a very physical man. He was on his feet all day, lifting things, tearing them apart, and putting them back together. His arms bulged with muscle. “Austin. I thought I had seen the last of you years ago. And now you show up in front of Lucas' apartment in a police car. These are strange times.”

“Yeah, they are,” Austin agreed. “What can I do for you, sir? Lucas and I have reservations we need to catch.”

“Yes, as I’m aware. Lucas told me all about it.”

Lucas leaned around his father’s broad shoulders and mouthed, sorry.

Austin only hoped the apology was not as severe as he thought.

“You shouldn’t be surprised,” Franklin said. “You know how we are.”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Good,” Franklin grunted. He squared his shoulders, blocking Lucas from peering around them anymore. He stood up straighter and took a step forward, getting into Austin’s space. A growl rumbled deep in his throat. “I remember my son broke up with you last time. He was very upset. Felt like he had to. I don’t know why. I don’t want to. But now you’re back again, and I have to say that if the same thing happens again, I will not take that. I will not just sit by and let you hurt my son again.”

Austin’s hackles were up. He restrained the urge to growl back, to meet this alpha in confrontation. Doing that would help no one. “Sir, with all due respect, we’re grown men.”

Franklin laughed. “You’re still pups to me.”

“I’m 25, and Lucas is 24.”

“23,” Lucas supplied helpfully.

“Lucas is 23,” Austin said. “We’re adults. You can’t govern what we do. But, I can promise you I never had any intention of hurting Lucas, and I don’t have any intent to do so now. You have my word on that.”

Franklin stayed where he was for a long moment. Then, abruptly, he dipped his head. It was a distinctly lupine gesture, a motion of submission. He stepped to the side, allowing Lucas to come forward. “I can tell you’ve changed. The Austin I knew before would have said something about getting on the bad side of a police officer.”

Austin shook his head. He felt a little sick on the inside because he had thought things like that up until recently and felt justified in doing so. Coming from someone else, he could see how wrong it sounded. “I don’t care about any of that right now. Although, if you want, I can put my cuffs on you and stick you in the back of the cruiser while I take out your son.”

Franklin gave another laugh, and this one was calmer and more genuine. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary. Just, be careful with my kid. He’s all I’ve got.”

Austin nodded. “You can trust me.” He offered his hand, and Franklin shook it.

Observing this exchange, Lucas said, “When does Dad have to give you my dowry?”

Franklin turned and gave his son an affectionate shove on the shoulder, which nearly sent him sprawling. They were both laughing, and Austin was struck by how similar they were. The same dancing blue eyes, the same cute little dimple on their left cheeks. The shapes of their noses, the lines of their mouths.

He had already given Franklin his word, but now he made another promise, to all of them. He would make this the best damn night Lucas ever had.

Austin reached out to Lucas. “Shall we? We don’t want to be late.”

Lucas came to him and took his hand. The mere contact of their skin seemed super-charged with potential.

A sort of sadness darkened Franklin’s eyes; he blinked and it was gone. “You two enjoy yourselves.”

That was exactly what they did, though not at first. First, there was something Austin needed to know. He drove slow on purpose, wanting enough time to have this conversation. “Lucas, about what your dad said.”

“You’ll have to be more specific,” Lucas murmured. His eyes were half-closed, his face turned to the window. His eyelashes were golden in the light whenever they passed a lamp or a sign. Shadows slid over his face, outlining his cheekbones, his jaw.

“About you breaking up with me. And he didn’t know why, and all that. He said you felt like you had to. Why?” After giving voice to the question, he tried to focus on driving so Lucas wouldn’t feel pressured to answer. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

“I didn’t feel like I deserved you.”

“You’ve said that before,” Austin said. “But I don’t know what it means. Explain to me so I can understand.”

Lucas sighed, and the sound trembled in his throat. Out of the corner of his eye, Austin saw him press his lips together and knew he wasn’t going to be able to solve this mystery. Then, without warning, words started spilling from Lucas as if he had no control over them. “I worry. I get anxious. I think about things that aren’t real and won’t ever happen. Being a wolf with you was everything I could have hoped for. We didn’t have to hide who we were.”

“But being a human is different. Sometimes I get so awkward, and I don’t know what to do with myself or how to act. The way you make me feel is so tingly and alive, and I get anxious wondering if I do the same thing to you. I guess I convinced myself I didn’t. That’s why I felt like I had to break up with you, because I didn’t think I made you feel the way you made me feel. Like you deserved better.”

Though this explanation was more or less what Austin expected, it still hurt his heart to hear. “You should have said something back then.”

“Would you have understood?”

That was the question, wasn’t it? Thinking it through as he kept driving, Austin realized he probably wouldn’t have. Maybe things had turned out this way for a reason.

“Well, I understand now,” Austin said. “And you do, and always did, make me feel like that. Everything I told you at the garage is true.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

It wasn’t enough, but it was a start.

They made it to their reservation just in time and were led back to a quiet corner of the restaurant, away from the bulk of the rest of the customers. They both drank wine, though Austin was careful not to have too much since he would be the one driving.

Their conversation, as they ate and drank and held hands, alternated between light and serious subjects.

Lucas talked about all the planned renovations for the garage and related a funny anecdote about how Destiny and Cain were driving themselves crazy trying to think of a name for the place. He sounded so certain of what he was going to do, as if he already knew how everything was going to play out. His mind was vast and open, encompassing many ideas and possibilities which Austin would never have even considered. His admiration for the omega and what he did went through the roof.

When Lucas started to wind down, becoming embarrassed about how much he was talking, he changed the subject and asked Austin about what it was like to be a police officer.

“It is not at all like what you see in the movies,” Austin said, and then he took over the conversation. He talked about reports and how tiring and boring it could be, how the process of justice actually worked. He used the analogy Lieutenant Heart had, about the Wild West, and was rewarded with an impressed sound from Lucas.

I’ll have to thank her for her insight later on.

“Can I ask how your investigation is going?” Lucas asked. He had one hand curled around the stem of his wine glass. His fingers were very soft and smooth for a contractor. Austin wanted to pick his hand up and kiss each digit, each knuckle. “Or does that cross a line?”

“I’m pretty sure we’ve already crossed that line,” Austin said. Yet, the Lieutenant had said he had been making some pretty big leaps in logic. Maybe this was one of them. Maybe it was okay for him to be here with Lucas like this. It wasn’t like Lucas was a criminal, or was even directly connected to what was going on like he had originally thought. “But, I think it’s going pretty well. The Lieutenant—she’s in charge of us officers, just beneath the Chief—says she might be assigning more people to it soon, but that I’ll still be in charge. If I don’t fuck it up.”

“That’s good, right?”

“I think so. I’m not sure many others would agree, although Lieutenant Heart must. She doesn’t really give many extra chances. And this is my last one. If I was fucking it up, I wouldn’t have gotten this far.”

“What is it even about?” Lucas asked. He leaned forward a little. His eyes were a little hazy from the effects of the alcohol, but still beautiful. They had both nearly finished their entrees at this point. “Or is that a secret?”

Austin hesitated for only a moment. Maybe it was his new perspective on the severity of things, or it was the alcohol talking, but he thought it would be okay to tell Lucas that much. If he gave no specifics, if he said nothing more than what the average reporter could already find out, he should be okay.

“You know the Everglades, right?”

“Who lives in Florida and doesn’t know about the Everglades?”

The Everglades were located on the southernmost portion of the Florida peninsula, encompassing an unthinkably vast amount of land. Much of the area was either wetland, or marsh, or swamp. A lot of the area was protected by strict regulations, though it was difficult to say whether everyone in the area followed the law. There were some areas of swamp where only certain kinds of people could get to. Hillbillies. Swamp-billies, more accurately.

“Right. Well, there’s a lot of nature preserves down there. And whenever there’s something being protected, there’s always someone else who doesn’t want to obey the law. Someone’s logging illegally. Or a whole group of someone’s. It’s been going on for a long time. These people, or companies, cut lumber without permits. They don’t have to pay for the time or resources they’re getting. They turn a huge profit selling this stuff to other suppliers. But the suppliers can’t say they got their wood from the Everglades, so they make something up. And that chain can keep going for a while. Just a whole bunch of people telling lies and making more money than they should.”

“That’s awful,” Lucas gasped. “All those people and animals who need those forests and they’re being cut down?”

“Right,” Austin said again, more grimly than before. It soured his stomach to think about how horrible someone had to be to do such a thing. Petty theft and going a few miles over the speed limit, parking in a no-parking zone...That was one thing. Causing so much harm to the environment was another. And it wasn’t even because he was a wolf on the inside that he felt that way. It was just plain wrong.

“You wouldn’t think that kind of stuff would reach all the way over here, right? We’re about as far away from the Everglades as you can get while still being in Florida. But, maybe that’s just how these people want you to think. They want us to focus on the area of destruction, and not where the lumber could actually wind up.”

“In a store near you,” Lucas mused.

“We’ve got records of some weird deals and shady behavior. They might turn out to be more than that. This whole illegal lumber operation might reach all the way to us here, in Pensacola. If that turns out to be true, if we can get a solid pin on someone, a good look at the real transaction records, we might be able to work our way backwards to the source.” Austin suddenly ran out of words. He sat back, shrugging a little. “Of course, by that point, it would be way out of my hands. And way out of the hands of anyone here in Pensacola. We’d hand all our stuff off to the appropriate district, and then they would do the same. It’s the system we have to abide by.”

“And what if all that weird stuff doesn’t have anything to do with illegal lumber supplies?”

“Then there are a whole hell of a lot of businesses doing shady things, and that needs to be stopped, too.”

“I believe in you,” Lucas said.

Austin leaned forward, stretching out over their empty plates and the bread basket filled with crumbs. He reached out and placed one of his hands over Lucas' and curled his fingers around it. “I believe in you, too,” he whispered.

Lucas blushed and turned his head away. He seemed to be debating on saying something, and Austin waited patiently to hear what it would be, but before Lucas could find the words, their waitress arrived.

“I see we won’t be needing any to-go boxes,” she teased.

Austin gave her a smile. He liked her. She knew what she was doing. She was efficient and vaguely friendly, alternating easily between leaving them alone and attending to their every need.

She started stacking up their plates on a tray, which already had several dirty dishes on it. The load must have been heavier than it looked, causing tendons to stand out beneath her skin. “Can I interest you two in any dessert? With such big appetites, you must have room for more. We have all sorts of ice creams, cakes, pies…Or if you want to finish the meal in a true Italian fashion, I could get you some cappuccino.”

Lucas perked up a little with interest.

Dreading what he was going to have to do, Austin said, “We’ll take two of those, then.”

“What kind should I get?”

Austin looked over at Lucas, who gave an amiable shrug. Since he had no idea how coffee worked, Austin said, “Get us two of whatever you think is the best on the menu.”

Their waitress smiled and nodded. “I hope you two have sweet tooths,” she said as she headed off.

I don’t think any amount of sugar or flavoring would be enough for me to enjoy coffee.

He was right. She brought them two cappuccinos, which were both presented in small, wide, plain white mugs which were clearly meant to make the drink itself the main attraction. They were beautiful, he had to give them that. Piles of thick, creamy foam, with a lacy pattern of chocolate that resembled a doily.

“Enjoy,” she said, and slid their bill onto the table. “No rush on that. You two take your time, and thank you for choosing Olive Garden.”

Austin studied his drink, then wrapped his hands around it. The warmth was nice, at least. Maybe he could just nurse it and then pretend he had forgotten about it. If it got cold, he could claim he had no interest in drinking it. The perfect plan.

Perfect, at least, until Lucas took a sip of his own cappuccino. Steam curled around his face. When he drew back, a bit of foam clung to his upper lip. “Aren’t you going to try yours?”

Lifting the cup, Austin prepared to face his nemesis. He could do this. It was just coffee. He could deal with drinking it just this once.

Parting his lips, he took a drink.

For a moment, everything was fine. He tasted cream and chocolate. Then, the wall of foam parted and he found himself with nothing to spare him from the coffee itself.

He wasn’t prepared. He grimaced, though he did resist the urge to spit it out. He swallowed. Mission success.

“What’s that face for?” Lucas set his own cup down and reached for Austin’s. “Too sweet?” He tried Austin’s cappuccino, then frowned. “Seems fine to me.”

“Then, you can have both.”

“You don’t like it?”

Austin hesitated. It wasn’t so much a matter of pride with him as it was integrity. He had kept up this charade for so long.

Start fresh. No hiding anything. Not even something like this.

“I don’t like coffee. Any coffee.”

Lucas opened his mouth, then closed it. Opened it again. “But you’re a cop?”

“I know. I’ve brought disgrace to my people. I really just hate it, and I only pretend to like it. Don’t tell anyone.”

After looking around, Lucas turned back to him and leaned in close. “It’ll be our secret.”

The last time that had been said, they were on the beach together, pretending there wouldn’t be anything like this happened. They had forgotten that secrets can join people together, just as much as it can force them apart.

Lucas ended up drinking his own cappuccino, then half of the other. When they paid their bill, Austin left a sizable tip.

It was dark outside by the time they left the restaurant, though a faint glow in the direction of the ocean still clung to existence. Lucas was hopped up on caffeine, so Austin drove them to a park that was known for its evening activities. The sidewalks were well-lit, paths weaving in and out of quiet gardens. Many other couples, young and old alike, were already there, enjoying themselves, drinking beers and cocktails purchased from the occasional food stand throughout the park.

Austin bought them both ice cream, then completely forgot to eat his as he watched Lucas' tongue working around and around his treat. The movement of his mouth was intoxicating, so alluring that he kept having to sneak kisses. He didn’t even mind that there was an undertone of coffee to each and every kiss.

The hour grew later. The sugar high wore off. They were both tired.

Hating to do it, knowing it was necessary, Austin walked with Lucas back to his cruiser. He drove Lucas back to his apartment, going slow partly because he wanted the drive to never end, and also because he had to keep looking at how simply wonderful Lucas was. Each time they passed a lit storefront, or went underneath a street lamp, he had to look, to see the play of light on the other man’s face. He couldn’t help, but to nearly swoon over the way Lucas' eyelashes curved so gently against cheeks, and how his hair went off at adorable angles where it pressed against the headrest.

His groin felt tight and hot. The beginnings of an erection pressed at the front of his jeans.

Austin pulled into a parking spot in front of the building, instead of just driving up to let Lucas out.

Stirring around in the passenger seat, Lucas looked around. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, which was so cute Austin could have just died. “What are you doing?”

“I want to walk you to your door. If that’s okay?”

That would be the proper thing to do, and he also felt very protective of the sleepy omega. He wanted to make damn sure Lucas got inside with no problems.

“Sure, okay.” Lucas reached down and fumbled with his seatbelt, then reached out to open his door.

“Hold on,” Austin commanded. He jumped out and went around to open Lucas' door for him.

Lucas stepped out and held out his arm, hesitating for only a moment before completing the intended gesture of wrapping his arm around Austin’s waist. He nestled in close, and Austin felt another wave of protectiveness; he hugged Lucas tightly to his side, making sure there was as little room left between them as possible.

“So, what’s the reason for that little romantic gesture?”

I wanted to do it, because you deserve to be treated like you’re special. So you can understand that you are.

Austin walked with Lucas over to the building. “I wanted to start racking up some brownie points.”

“With me, or with my dad?”

Austin snorted. They entered the front door of the complex and headed towards the stairs, having made the unanimous and unspoken decision to take them instead of the elevator. The elevator would make this go by too fast. “You’re going to tell him everything that happened tonight, aren’t you?”

“Maybe I’ll leave out all the times you kissed me.” Lucas laughed softly. The sound of it was like music to Austin. “I won’t even get to make the decision to tell him. You know he was probably waiting out on the street somewhere, waiting for me to come home.”

“Let’s just hope he doesn’t decide to try and stalk me or anything.”

“If he does, you have my permission to go all cop on him.”

“Noted.”

Lucas got off the stairs at what must have been the right landing and walked over to one door in particular. Austin committed the number to memory for later.

Pulling out his key, Lucas unlocked the door. He pushed it open, then turned back to face Austin. “Do you want to come in? For some not-coffee?”

Austin grinned and was on the verge of saying yes when he remembered that he still had to go to work tomorrow. Life continued on, with or without romance in it. He shook his head. “I can’t.”

Lucas nodded, then reached out for him.

Austin stepped into the warm circle of his arms and brought his head down. Their lips pressed together sweetly. The sweetness rapidly morphed into something else, and Austin pressed his hips forward for a moment before he was able to get ahold of himself and relax again. His erection pressed harder than ever against his zipper, straining to break free.

The kiss lingered on and on until they both seemed to run out of breath at the same time. Leaning back a little, Austin murmured, “I had fun tonight.”

Lucas touched their lips together again, then nuzzled his nose against Austin’s. “Me, too. Thank you for tonight.”

“Thank you, Lucas. I hope we can have more nights like this?”

He watched as Lucas hesitated, clearly struggling with a moment of old doubt. However, the night had been good for both of them, and the anxiety he struggled with didn’t have as much power as it might have otherwise. Finally, Lucas said, “I hope so, too. Good night, Austin.”

“Night.”

Lucas stepped inside his apartment. After once more restraining himself, Austin turned away and headed for the stairs. He was very aware of Lucas watching him for a moment, and then he heard the sound of the door shutting.

Austin drove home and slept like a baby.