Wyatt woke the next morning in bed next to Candice, her beautiful, light brown hair splayed across the white pillow case. He wished to God he could tell her everything, tell her about his bear. No humans knew about his bear. Only shifters knew who he was–other wardens who worked in different parts of the state, his family, and the local clan.

He left for work before Candice woke, leaving her a pot of coffee and a plate of waffles he hoped would still be warm when she got out of bed. Today he planned to tell the sheriff that he was involved with Candice, consequences be damned. A mate came around once in a lifetime, and Candice was worth even the possibility of losing his job.

Worse come to worst, more than likely the sheriff would take him off the case, which was exactly what he wanted in the first place. This case wasn’t just a hunting accident, it was a murder. With Reginald Lawson, they had a suspect with a motive. He didn’t feel qualified to deal with a murder investigation.

When Wyatt arrived at the station, he was met by Deputy Sheriff Morris, a man who had been on the force longer than any of them. “Have you learned anything new?” Wyatt asked.

“We’re following the lead on the connection between the victim and Reginald Lawson. Lawson created his anti-shifter organization the moment that shifters came out to the public. It seems pretty unlikely that it’s a coincidence that Colin Chase was running Lawson’s one and only competition in town. We also have a match on the footprints at the crime scene with Hank’s store brand shoes. Lawson wears exactly the same size shoes as at the scene.”

“Have you found the murder weapon yet?” Wyatt said, crossing his arms and leaning back on the desk.

“We searched Lawson’s place, but didn’t find the kind of shotgun that killed Chase. It’s a dead end now.”

“I see. I hope you come up with something.”

“It’s good to have you on the case, McCloud. Your insight has been invaluable. I know this isn’t your area of expertise, but you’re a good man, and I don’t know much about shifters. I know you know a lot more about bears than I do.”

“Bears and bear shifters are two distinctly different things,” Wyatt said. “I’m going to ask the sheriff to take me off the case. It’s distracting me from my regular work.”

“Well, I sure could use your help. I hope Sheriff Jefferies changes your mind.”

Wyatt went to the sheriff’s door and knocked, waiting to be invited in. He found the sheriff hunched over a stack of papers with a frown etched on his face. Wyatt closed the door behind him and sat down to face his boss.

“What do you have for me, McCloud?” Sheriff Jefferies grumbled.

“Sir, I’d like to be taken off the murder investigation. I don’t think that it serves anyone particularly well. This isn’t what I do. I was not trained for this kind of detective work.”

“Deputy Morris was just in here a minute ago telling me how much he appreciated your help.”

“That’s not the only thing. I’m embarrassed to say this, but there may be a conflict of interest. The woman who witnessed the homicide, Candice Gray, she’s been staying up at my cabin.”

“It’s good that you’ve been protecting her after what she’s been through. What’s the conflict of interest?”

“You see, sir, Candice Gray and I have become… romantically involved. And I’m not willing to give up on her for this case. It may sound insane, but I’m willing to lose my job over it.”

The sheriff looked up at him for the first time, and a smile broke over the rugged man’s ruddy face. He laughed out loud.

“I’m not going to fire you for that, McCloud. These things happen. There’s not really any conflict of interest here. The woman didn’t do anything wrong. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Usually I’d give you a slap on the wrist for this kind of thing, but I’m asking you to go above and beyond, so I’m willing to overlook it. Congratulations. Now get out of here and go do your job.”

Wyatt stood from the chair and sighed, shaking his head. As he opened the door, he said “Thank you, sir, I appreciate it.” Sheriff Jefferies waved him away, not looking up from his paperwork. Wyatt turned and went to go, his heart bursting with excitement. He had the go-ahead to be with Candice, and he wasn’t even going to have a problem at his work over it. He couldn’t have asked for better news.

He went through the rest of the day doing his normal activities with a song in his heart and pep in his step. He couldn’t wait to get home to Candice and tell her the good news. Wyatt had never had anyone to come home to before, and the thought of her waiting for him gave him a sense of peace and fulfillment he never could have imagined.

Wanting to take her out to celebrate, he called ahead to the nicest Italian restaurant in town and made a reservation for that evening. They hadn’t been on a real date yet, which didn’t seem quite right. Wyatt was falling hard for Candice. Even if his bear hadn’t sensed that she was the one, the man in him was beginning to feel things he’d never felt before. Warm, fuzzy things that made him want to come home early at night and stay in on weekends, things that made him want to be a better man.

Now all he needed to do was find a way to tell her about his bear.