Hunter tightened the last few screws on the little white control panel on Kelly’s wall, going over a checklist in his mind one more time to ensure he’d done everything needed.

Then, with a click of a button, the security system powered on, beginning its setup and connecting with the wide array of sensors, motion detectors, and other detection devices he’d spent the better part of that morning installing in and around her home.

“Looks like it should be up and running in a minute,” Hunter said. Fingers crossed.

Kelly, who had been working in the living room while he’d been working, called out to him. “That’s great!”

Thankfully, both Grayson and Garrett had already installed similar systems for their homes, the very model of overprotective shifters when it came to keeping an eye out for their mates. So there were a lot of spare parts of equipment leftover that Hunter could bum off of them. More than enough to set something thorough up for Kelly’s property. Which, from the way she seemed to be ultra alert to even the slightest sounds, was something very much needed.

Not long afterward, a green light went on, showing an all-clear on the security system, and Hunter strode over to where Kelly was seated, sketching something on her lap, and gave her an exaggerated thumbs-up.

“It works?”

“Yup. Now you’ll be apprised of everything going on around your place at any time.”

She grinned, the stress lines around her eyes still visible but lessening more with each day.

“Now, for lunch, I was thinking we could go see my friends, hang out at their place for a bit. How does that sound?” He hoped it didn’t sound like an awkward invitation, but he was already wanting to bring her into more of his life. Yes, she’d met Garrett and Grayson as contractors, but he wanted her to meet them and their mates as friends.

Even if they weren’t dating or doing anything of the sort right now, he just wanted Kelly to be a part of his life in as many ways as possible.

Just like he wanted to be a part of her life more badly than he wanted anything else right now.

Kelly raised an eyebrow. “I thought they just worked with you?”

“Co-workers, best friends. Potato, po-tah-to. They’d love to get to know you better, though. That and Garrett’s wife makes amazing lemonade.”

She hesitated. “I probably shouldn’t.”

“Come on. You can’t just stay in here all day. Besides, if something is after you, they certainly won’t be expecting you to not be home.”

“But what about when I come back?”

He folded his arms. “Then I’ll look the whole place over. But now that you have a proper alarm system installed, no one should be able to get close without you knowing about it.”

Kelly looked outside at the clear-skied, sunny day, elbows propped on her thighs. Then, with a hint of a smile, she nodded. “Okay, that sounds good.”

“Perfect. First, let me show you how to use this thing,” Hunter said, directing her toward the panel he’d just installed. They took a few minutes as he familiarized her with the various functions and allowed her to set a password. Once she was confident she knew what she was doing, Kelly and Hunter headed out to his truck and drove off.

Unbeknownst to Kelly, Hunter had already told Garrett to expect them anyways and that he’d let them know if plans changed. Which, thankfully, they hadn’t.

“So what are Garrett and Grayson like, outside of work?”

“Garrett’s the cuddliest bear you’ve ever met, at least as far as his wife is concerned. But he’s a good guy, quick to give helpful advice or help whenever you need it.” He swerved to miss a raccoon the was taking its time crossing the road, narrowly dodging the little guy. “His mate, Dawn, is an artist like you, though she does online graphic design and stuff like that. You might like her.”

Hunter grimaced inwardly at the use of the word “mate,” reminding himself that normal humans didn’t talk like that. But hopefully Kelly would just think it was Silver Lake vernacular.

“And Grayson?”

“Depends on the day. He hates jokes, hates attention. Pretty much hates everything except April, his wife, who’s basically everything he isn’t. She’s a wildlife researcher and honestly awesome, whereas Grayson is a bit… interesting. But the guy grows on you, for sure.”

The time flew by until they arrived at Garret and Dawn’s place. The quaint little house looked cozy as ever, white walls painted with blue accents as per her preferences. Already, there were a handful of flowers and other plants that were starting to grow that Dawn had made a point of cultivating the past couple of weeks that made the place seem even homier.

“Wow, what a nice place,” Kelly said.

“I helped build it. This was the main reason we three came out to Silver Lake in the first place. Though, I have to admit that Garrett did more than his share by himself.”

Hunter parked in front in the gravel drive, and Kelly followed him up as he came to the front door and knocked. It only took a second before Garrett opened the doorway, practically filling it with his big, burly bear build.

“Honey, our guests are here,” Garrett called over his shoulder.

“Oh, wonderful. Invite them in.” Dawn’s voice called from somewhere inside.

“Were they expecting us?” Kelly muttered.

“Maybe,” Hunter whispered back.

Before Hunter could stop him, Garrett’s arms were pulling him into a big hug, the preferred way of greeting for Garrett. When he’d finally let Hunter down, Garrett looked down at Kelly.

“And, Kelly, a pleasure to see you again,” he said, offering his hand eagerly, which she took.

“Get in here already. You’re late, and we’re hungry.” Grayson’s surly voice interrupted them.

They followed Garrett inside, Hunter noticing that already, Dawn had put a few pictures on the walls. Several of her and Garrett and another of Garrett and Hunter and Grayson from a couple years ago when they’d been working a job a couple states over.

But when they walked into the dining room, now full of people, Hunter could sense Kelly tensing beside him. Garrett already had his arm around his mate, Dawn. And seated at the table, Grayson was teasing a stray strand of April’s hair back, making her giggle. Kelly, on the other hand, moved a little closer to Hunter, perhaps wary of so many people all in one place.

Hopefully this didn’t turn out to be a bad idea after all.

* * *

Kelly was surprised by the tension in her chest as she was greeted by a room full of new and barely familiar faces all at once.

There’d been a time not too long ago when she’d loved every opportunity to meet new people. She was the woman who liked to make new friends, liked to make fresh connections and enjoy the company of other good people.

To her surprise, the curvy little woman nestled into Garrett’s side separated herself from her humongous husband and came up to her, making the first move.

She had soft gray eyes and pale skin, and her delicate features were accented by flaming red hair that was currently tied into a loose bun at the base of her neck. “I’m Dawn. It’s so nice to meet a new face around here.” She extended a hand, which Kelly took.

Such genuine kindness radiated from her that Kelly was taken aback for a moment, forgetting what she should say in response.

Dawn continued somewhat nervously in the wake of Kelly’s silence. “Not that I don’t appreciate the ones I already see, but it’s just nice. You know, small town, not a lot of new people…”

“Right,” Kelly said, taking a deep breath and steeling herself to be less awkward. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Kelly, and your home is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Dawn glowed with satisfaction, and Kelly was glad she’d come up with the right remark. “That’s all thanks to my husband.” She looked over at him with obvious admiration. “He built us the perfect little place.” She walked to a chair across from Grayson and his lady and pulled out a chair for Kelly. “Please, make yourself at home.”

Kelly sat down awkwardly, and Hunter helped push her chair in behind her.

“I’m April,” the woman with Grayson said, reaching across the table for Kelly’s hand. She had soft, shiny brown hair that was perfectly straight and deep-green eyes that were striking. Kelly shook her hand as well.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“And I’m Grayson,” Grayson said flatly, giving her a casual wave and trying to look pleasant in a way that utterly failed. She guessed he was the type who took a while to warm up.

“Yes, I remember. From the house.”

He nodded quickly, then turned his eyes to Hunter, narrowing them to slits. “Your date was going to make us starve if he took any longer—”

Hunter interrupted him. “This isn’t a date. We’re just friends. I thought it would be nice to meet other women that live here in town.”

For the first time, Hunter seemed to be struggling for patience as he took off his hat and hung it on a nearby coatrack. As he took a seat next to her, Kelly felt odd warmth at his nearness.

Not even she was certain what was going on between them. She just knew she was grateful to have him around.

Grayson pulled April in closer to him, and she scolded him, muttering, “Be nice,” just loud enough to be audible.

Thankfully, the sound of plates moving around as Garrett and Dawn brought fresh-grilled burgers, buns, and a variety of sides onto the table interrupted the awkward silence. Hunter got up to help, too, bringing glasses and filling them with lemonade before sitting back down.

It all felt so… normal.

Yet something about this was not normal. Like the fact that nobody seemed to be wearing wedding rings. But perhaps they weren’t needed, given the fact that they lived out in the middle of nowhere.

Plus, she doubted anyone would try to hit on these women with Garrett or Grayson around. They were similarly gigantic like Hunter, all three standing out like sore thumbs compared to the wide array of men that Kelly had met and known back home.

“Just ignore him if he’s being a bully,” Dawn whispered into Kelly’s ear, taking the other seat next to her. “Besides, it’s not every day I get to have lunch with a famous artist.”

Kelly laughed inwardly. “Ha, I’m not famous at all. If I was, I wouldn’t have needed to buy a place like the one Hunter’s currently fixing.”

“Hey, it’s got character,” Hunter said.

Grayson scoffed.

“Oh, you know what I mean.” Dawn continued as Garrett started to construct two burgers on his plate beside her, handing one over when he was done. “And on the art front, I think it’s cool that you get your stuff displayed in galleries and such. I’d love to come see it sometime.”

“I’d love that, too.” April chimed in. “I love anything outdoors, especially artwork depicting it.”

Kelly couldn’t remember the last time someone had cared to get to know her. Maybe because all of her friends and family had either run or estranged themselves from her in the wake of the deluge of rumors that had surrounded her and the bear stalking her back home.

It was nice to have people treat her like a normal human being again.

“Maybe we can all meet at my place once it’s fixed up,” she offered, and Dawn clapped her hands in excitement, April nodding eagerly in agreement as well.

“Eat up. You were working all morning.” Hunter interrupted, setting a plate down in front of her. Without her even noticing, Hunter had constructed a burger for her as well, with literally every topping possible, the bun piled high. How did such a big man manage to be so sneaky sometimes?

“Thanks,” she said, taking a big bite. Mouthwateringly fresh produce and fluffy bread mixed with thick, juicy burger meat in her mouth. When the bite didn’t go down easily, Hunter handed her a glass of lemonade to wash it down.

As they ate, Kelly inquired further about how Garrett and Dawn met, and Dawn excitedly regaled her of the mysterious contractor she’d hired to build her a home on her grandfather’s land. When they’d met, it had been love at first sight, and the rest was history.

Grayson was more than a little tightlipped about his story, so April filled in the details of their relationship and how he’d been her guide as she’d explored the area, looking for gray wolves. And even though she hadn’t discovered what she was looking for, she’d found the love of her life in the process.

Even Grayson couldn’t hold back a small grin by the end as April cuddled into him, reminding Kelly of the few couples she’d come across that had somehow clicked in spite of their starkly different personalities.

When they were done, the men cleaned up the dishes as April and Dawn asked Kelly about her place and what her plans were. Kelly told what she could but mostly kept out the part about being afraid of needing to leave. The last thing she wanted to do was give them something to worry about.

Afterward, they all headed outside, following Dawn and Garrett and coming to a small pond a stone’s throw away from the house. Near the pond’s edge, several logs and a few camp chairs were set up, and the other two couples arrayed themselves as Dawn handed out ice cream sandwiches from a little cooler they’d brought.

Hunter offered Kelly a particularly large, comfy-looking camp chair. She sat in it, feeling comfortably swallowed by the oversized thing as Hunter pulled up a little camp stool to sit next to her. Nearby, Grayson sprawled out on a patch of grass, April lying at his side, chatting with Dawn about some soon-to-happen local event.

Seeing Hunter sitting by himself on a camp chair while his friends fawned over their wives made something ache in Kelly.

She felt for him. She’d been in that position before, single amongst a group of friends. That was back when she’d had friends to begin with. But even now, her situation only made her further relate to the loneliness that he surely must be feeling, even if he did a bang-up job of hiding it.

Light from the still water before them reflected off Hunter’s face, casting bright streaks across his skin. His blond hair caught the wind, waving a little behind him as he sat pondering something.

Was this what Hunter wanted with Kelly, what his friends had?

Kelly had to admit that it looked nice. Having someone to love, someone to love you in return. Someone to be your best friend yet also to be more than just friends with.

But she couldn’t yet. She’d been burned too hard by her last relationship. And the dark shadow that had loomed over that failed time in her life was still following her.

Even if she was safe, for now, she didn’t see how she could put her guard down and risk disaster all over again.

Lazy hours passed by as she and Hunter munched on snacks, skipped rocks, and talked extensively about her rise to mediocrity as a mildly successful painter with zero notoriety. Nearby, the others napped or shared in the conversation as well, curious to know about her, as she was them. At one point, Garrett produced several small fishing rods, and they took turns trying their luck in the serene pond, getting no attention from the seemingly sleepy aquatic life.

Before Kelly knew it, the sun was beginning to set over the forest, casting a golden glow over the tops of the trees, and Hunter informed his friends that he wanted to get her back before nightfall. With cheery smiles and warm good-byes, Kelly’s new friends bade her adieu, and she and Hunter got back into his truck and headed to the cabin. Back home.

And in her heart, Kelly could feel an unfamiliar pull as the two of them drove alone through the evening haze. Something she hadn’t felt since before her life had gone to shit. A longing that could only mean one thing.

There was far more between her and Hunter than she’d ever expected.