Chapter Nine
Glenn
"Let me explain." Parker began to defend himself before Glenn had a chance to accuse him of anything. Coyote? Parker? It made sense of course, now that the truth was out there. Glenn's lips still tingled from that kiss. He'd been moments from taking the kiss further. Parker had opened his mouth so sweetly to him and he'd wanted nothing more than to accept the gift.
Then, he'd remembered why they were on the cold ground to begin with and had felt a flash of guilt so strong, he'd been able to pull away.
Glenn moved on auto pilot, letting his beast take over. His wolf did not enjoy being lied to, even more than he didn't enjoy it. He held Parker by the throat, careful to not apply so much pressure that it would be painful or restrict his breathing entirely. He mercilessly pushed the rest of his body against the man's, pinning him to a tree. "Who are you?" Glenn asked, everything in him screaming at him to stop. His wolf may not like being lied to but liked what Glenn was doing even less. What the hell? Why would my beast defend him?
"I told you, my name is Parker."
"More than your name. Who are you?" Glenn fell back, keeping Parker pinned but reassessing to make sure he still wasn't being hurt. He growled, why was he so worried about hurting him? "What are you?"
Parker closed his eyes briefly and then looked directly into Glenn's. The corners of his eyes tilted down in a frown and Glenn could tell he was weighing his options. Would he lie, even now? Parker closed his eyes again and groaned. "I couldn't tell you," he said. "You already hated coyotes so much, I couldn't tell you what I am." He spoke slowly and carefully, like each word was being measured.
Glenn listened carefully. He smelled the air between them, searching for the lies that seemed to be so obvious. He found no dishonesty, but a lot of fear.
"I don't want to be your enemy," Parker said before flinching, as if waiting for Glenn to hit him. The idea of hitting the coyote filled Glenn with rage. He growled at the mental image as Parker's eyes opened. He stared at Glenn curiously, unlike how he had looked at him before. "I don't want to be your enemy," he said, clearer and louder this time.
"Fine." Glenn stepped back, mostly because he couldn't be that close for much longer without revisiting their kiss. "Do you know the coyotes in this area? Are you part of their pack?"
Parker rubbed his neck. "I came from the other direction," he replied. Glenn could sense no lie.
"Does Brady know?"
"Brady hates coyotes as much as you do, I wasn't about to tell him and have no place to sleep."
"You shouldn't have kept it a secret. It makes you look like you're hiding something."
"I know and I'm sorry. I really am sorry."
Glenn looked past Parker, over his shoulder, to a large bush ahead. "Did you hear that?"
Parker turned to stand in the same direction. The two of them stared at the thick bush just as it began to rattle and shake. Something was inside. Something frightened. Glenn picked up a large rock and tossed it into the middle of the brush. A sharp squeal sounded as a large pig bolted out of the thick brambles and straight for them. At the last minute, it spotted the men ahead and feinted, side-stepping in a move that would put any running back to shame. Glenn took off after the pig, recognizing her scent from Brady's clinic. Parker caught up beside him and they chased the pig to a creek. Seeing his chance, Glenn leapt and ended up with a mouthful of water as the pig darted to the side at the last second. Parker was a blur of movement when Glenn turned back to see where the pig had gone. In seconds, he returned with the huge sow struggling in his arms.
Glenn didn't think Parker would have as much trouble carrying the huge pig if it hadn't been for the fact that he was laughing his head off at Glenn sitting on his ass in the middle of the creek.
"Decide to take a swim?"
"Something like that," Glenn said, getting to his feet. Buckets of creek water dripped off his clothes and back into the river, something that only made Parker laugh even harder.
"Maybe you city kids should leave the pig wrestlin' to us country folk," Parker said adopting a comically thick southern twang.
"Whatever. Are you sure that is the right pig?" Glenn only asked because he was embarrassed. Her scent was the same and her udders were swollen. This was the runaway pig.
"I'm sure. Now we just have to get it back to the police station."
Parker didn't look pleased at that.
"Have you had a bad time with police in the past? I noticed you got a little squirrelly the first time and just now again."
"Don't wolf shifters have problems with authority?"
Glenn thought about it. They didn't enjoy it when the humans butted their noses in pack business, but to be honest, they weren't a big deal. There was a police officer mated to one of their pack members. "Not really, I guess it is more of a case by case situation."
Parker tightened his hold on the pig. She'd stopped squealing, having given up or gotten too tired. She didn't look too worse for wear, but was likely to be pretty hungry by now. "You other shifters aren't at all like how I thought you'd be."
"To be honest, you aren't how I thought a coyote was either."
Parker smiled wide. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Glenn thought about the coyotes he'd encountered in the past. They'd been lazy, chemically dependent, and cruel. Parker didn't seem like any of those things. "You should."
Parker's smile fell and he looked as serious as a man could while holding a struggling pig. His dark blond hair fell in his face, brushing his chin and he twitched his head in the side to move it. "I feel something too," he confessed. It looked difficult for him.
Glenn sighed. He'd known the situation was unique from the beginning, he just hadn't been able to pinpoint how. "At this point, it would be weird if you didn't."