“Are you sure she is still in there?” Grant asked.
It was after ten a.m. and there was still no sign of Ali. The temptation to knock on her door was killing him, but he didn’t want to bother her if she was just sleeping. It had been a rough couple of days for her and it could well be that she was just exhausted. He decided it was best to just let her be and if she wasn’t up by lunchtime, he would knock.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “She couldn’t get dressed by herself last night, so I don’t think she could climb out the window.”
“Helped her get dressed, did you?” Grant replied.
“Knock it off,” Moose said.
“Uh huh.”
Moose shook his head and walked down the hallway past her room. He slowed to see if he could hear any noise coming from inside, but there was nothing. He began to worry that she might not be okay at all. He was reconsidering whether to knock when he heard footsteps and laughter from the other end of the hall. He looked up to see a couple of the women approaching and turned back toward his room. Inside, he sat down at his desk and began making a list of women to start with in getting information. It would keep his mind off Ali for a while. He was completely absorbed in it when he heard a knock on the door.
“Come on in,” he called out, closing the notebook he had been working in.
“Hey. I thought I’d stop by and see if you were up to going into town with me? Amanda said it wasn’t safe to travel alone right now.”
“Town? Yeah, sure. What do you need to do?”
“I just need some personal things. I can’t afford much, but since I’m not confined to a backpack for all my worldly possessions, I’d like to grab some odds and ends.”
“Okay, sure. Are you ready to go now?”
“Yes. It won’t take long. We can be back in time for lunch.”
“Or I could buy you lunch while we are out.”
“No. I didn’t mean . . . I mean, I wasn’t suggesting,” she stammered.
“I know you weren’t, but you’ll be eating the food here enough. It’s pretty good, but sometimes it is nice to have something else. Variety is the spice of life.”
“That would be nice of you then.”
“Trust me. You’ll be doing me a favor. It will be nice to have lunch with such a gorgeous woman. Most of the time, I’m stuck eating with big hairy guys on trips into town.”
“You don’t have a girlfriend? A wife?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Just have been focused on other things. It’s not something I’ve been worried with. Anyway. Let’s get you to town then.”
“Changing the subject?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She looked at him, a single eyebrow raised, but she didn’t ask any more questions. He noticed she was now wearing jeans but was still in the tank top from last night. It would be chilly on the back of the bike in just that.
“Do you have a jacket or a hoodie, something like that?”
“No. They cut my only jacket off me in the ambulance.”
“Hold on,” he told her, fishing around in his closet. He pulled out an old denim jacket that had belonged to him when he was a little younger and not quite as broad shouldered. It would be too big for her, but it would keep her warm. “I’ll help you into it.”
He slipped it onto her arms and stood back to look at her. She looked even tinier in the oversized jacket. Still, she was lovely. He reached down and rolled up the sleeves that were hanging far below her hands. When he was finished, he stepped back and looked at her. She was smiling at him thoughtfully.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“You’re welcome. Ready to go?”
“Yes.”
“Hopefully, it won’t be too rough on the back of the bike.”
“I’ll manage,” she told him.
Moose was as careful as he could possibly be, trying not to hit any bumps or potholes that might jar her too much. She didn’t seem any worse for wear when they reached the city. Instead, she was all smiles as they made their way through a few shops and then settled in at a local restaurant for a late lunch.
“This place is lovely, Moose. I wouldn’t have taken you for being partial to such a fancy Italian place.”
“Yeah, I guess I do look more like a burger and fries kinda guy,” he said, looking down at his plate for a moment.
“Oh, no. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry. I just meant…,” she said, struggling for words.
“It’s okay, Ali. I know I’m a bit rough around the edges. Just a big, burly biker who sometimes turns into a big hairy dog.”
“Not a dog. A wolf,” she reminded him.
“Yes, a wolf,” he said with a smile.
“I think there is a lot more to you than meets the eye. I assume they call you Moose because of your size, but you have a much softer side. You’re kind, thoughtful.”
“I can be, but don’t be fooled by it. I can also be quite brutal when I need to be.”
“I know. I wasn’t completely out of it when you encountered the wolves on the highway. I saw what you did to them. What all of you did to them. I guess I’m not sure which one was you.”
Moose looked down at his plate. Killing wasn’t something he was proud of. In the life of a wolf, it was just a part of existence, but to the outside world, it was something else. Something much more sinister. That is why they kept their existence a secret from most of the world. Humans feared what they didn’t understand, for the most part. Those who chose to become a part of their world did so knowing what they were and of what they were capable. Those that decided it wasn’t for them were free to do so, but they did so with an understanding that they must respect the privacy of the pack.
Those who didn’t, found themselves in one of two situations. Crossing the wrong pack could result in them disappearing forever. Other packs were just like his. They were content just to let humans do what they did best, deny anything they couldn’t wrap their heads around. Anyone trying to tell them there were wolf shifters in their midst would end up in the psyche ward. Only those who saw it for themselves could believe it and they weren’t too keen on their two options if they decided to reveal it to someone.
“I’m sorry, Moose. I really didn’t mean that like it came out. Are you upset with me?” he heard her asking from across the table.
“What? No. Of course not. I just forget sometimes that I live in a different world than most,” he told her.
“Let’s change the subject. How’s your pasta?”
“Perfect. Yours?”
“It’s fantastic. Do you want to try a bite?”
“No. Thank you. I’m saving room for dessert.”
“Ooh. Dessert. What are we having?”
“I can’t believe you have room for it. You are so tiny. Where are you putting all this food?”
“I don’t know. I have a high metabolism. Just lucky, I guess. So. Tiramisu?”
“Oh, yes. They have the best there is here.”
“Sign me up!” she said cheerfully, working on the last few bites on her plate.
Moose laughed, waving the waiter over to order dessert, along with a couple glasses of wine to finish off their meal. Afterwards, they made their way down the sidewalk toward some of the smaller shops. She paused in front of one of them and looked in the window.
“Do you need to go in there?” he asked.
“I would love to, but I can’t afford it. I’ll have to just make do.”
“I’d be happy to treat you,’ he replied.
“Oh, no. I’m not a charity case, Moose. Well, I guess I kind of am. Anyway, you’ve done enough already. I’m already staying at the clubhouse free of charge and eating your food. I can’t repay you as it is.”
“No one is worried about that, Ali. Don’t you worry about it either.”
She shrugged and continued down the sidewalk toward where they had left the bike. They returned to the clubhouse to find it in chaos.