“Hey, you two!” Linda got up from her Adirondack chair on the grass at the edge of the beach. “Everyone, this is Chase and Cecily Villareal.” She waved them over with a smile. “They’re our resident honeymooners.”

Chase nodded to Linda before shaking Dan’s hand as he approached. “Thanks again for inviting us. We’ve been looking forward to meeting everyone.”

“Of course. Glad you came,” the man gestured toward the others. “There are plenty of chairs left, and the cooler’s full. Beer, wine, soda. Whatever people brought, so help yourself. The festivities are about to start.”

Cecily held out the bottle they brought. “We planned to make chips and dip or something, but we got back from the mountain later than expected. I hope pinot noir is okay.”

“So, a little afternoon delight in the crisp rocky air, eh?” He chuckled, ducking a quick swat from his wife as she came up beside him. “Ow! Love you, too, babe.”

“Ignore him.” Linda hooked her arm into Cecily’s elbow before doing the same with Chase. “He forgets what a dog he was when we were first married.”

Dan raised an eyebrow. “Hey, no hating on the hound. Besides, you love it when my nose ends up in private places.”

“Ha. Lucky for you.” She blew him a kiss, and then tugged on Cecily’s arm. “C’mon, he’ll heel once he has a few beers. He’s the only shifter I know who mellows afterward. The other males in the pack usually howl at the moon. Well, most of them. In the meantime, let me introduce you around. We’ve got a couple of oldies but goodies and a few newbies just like you.”

“Pack?” Cecily questioned. “Your pack is here?”

“Dan’s pack. I’m as human as they come, but for some reason the fleabag loves me.” She grinned. “But to answer your question, some are here, not all. Dan’s pack doesn’t even have a name. It’s more collective than clan. They take the lone wolves and strays, but everyone follows standard shifter rules, otherwise they’re out.”

Chase looked at the setup and the relaxed faces in the crowd. “Any bears in the group?”

“Not that I know of, and I know everyone.” Linda cocked her head, considering. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” Cecily interjected. “I’ve never heard of a collective like Dan’s, I wondered if anyone unattached was welcome.”

Linda shrugged. “I suppose at some point they might, maybe. Though I haven’t heard of anyone new joining up.”

She tugged on Cecily’s hand again, practically bouncing toward the opposite side of the bonfire. The chairs were set in a semi-circle, far enough away from the tall flames, but close enough to be intimate. Everyone had a red solo cup in hand, and laughter and chatter buzzed in the air.

“Chase, Cecily…this is Charlie and Louise Ersa,” Linda said, stopping in front of the first cluster of chairs. They own the cute chalet you guys pass on the way down to the lake. They’re originally from Pennsylvania but retired here permanently.” She pivoted, spreading a hand to the next people. “And these lovelies are Mitch and Gayle McVey. They’re our resident sunbirds from Vegas.”

“Sunbirds? As in opposite of snowbirds?” Cecily asked.

Gayle nodded. “Exactly. If you’ve ever been to Vegas in the summer, you’ll understand.”

“Actually, we just came from Vegas,” Chase replied, giving Cecily’s hand a squeeze.

“Really,” Louise chimed with a grin. “Don’t tell me you let Elvis walk you down the aisle.”

Cecily smirked, stealing a glance for Chase. “Yup. Complete with gold lame, sequins and a thank you, thank you very much.”

“Hilarious! You see some strange things on the strip. We had a couple take their vows while bungee jumping off the Hoover Dam. How they got permission for that, I can’t even guess.”

“Well, we’re all glad you two decided to come up for air tonight. Dan and Linda arranged for spectacular fireworks. It took all Dan’s charm to convince the town to let us to shoot them over the lake, but Rodney,” Gayle pointed to a chubby dark-haired man standing by the water’s edge, “is the fire marshal, not to mention a senior pack member, so they had to agree.”

Linda glanced at her watch. “Speaking of which, it’s nearly time! C’mon, everyone!”

“Nice group of people,” Chase whispered, taking their place by the water to watch the pyrotechnics. “Enthusiastic.”

Cecily burst out laughing. “Now who’s the snob?”

“Come up for air. It sounds to me like Linda’s as much of a hound dog as her hubby, along with the rest of them.”

Dan slid in beside them, handing them each a beer. “You got that right.” He grinned, tapping his ear. “Shifter hearing. It’s both a blessing and a curse, right, Cecily?” He coughed out a laugh, clapping Chase on the shoulder. “It’s all part of the deal when you marry a shifter. You inherit our appetites. You’ll see, dude. Your pretty kitty will rub past with a subtle meow, and you’ll be hard enough to cut diamonds.”

“Wow,” Cecily laughed, lifting the long neck to her lips. “You guys really have no filter, huh? When you said grown-ups only, you meant it. We may be on our honeymoon, but you guys are the ones with sex on the brain. What’s next? Swinging?”

“Nah. That was last weekend.” Dan winked.

Cecily choked, dribbling beer down her chin.

“Got you,” he winked, clicking his cheek. “You’ve got to forgive us for poking fun. In this pack we’re either married with small kids or retired. You saw the other day with Daisy.” He shrugged. “We need to cut loose occasionally, but we’re only teasing. No harm, no foul, I hope.”

Cecily wiped her chin on the back of her hand, giving the man a quick smile. “No worries. It’s all good, Dan—” Her words cut off when Chase tapped her shoulder, gesturing across the beach.

“Look familiar?” he whispered.

She turned to follow his line of sight to a couple standing off from the rest of the party. The man’s shoulder was bandaged, and his arm was in a sling.

“It’s got to be a coincidence—” She shook her head at first, but then looked closer. “Shit, they’re the couple from the pickup truck in town. My senses were tingling again, but I chalked it up to leftover weirdness from this afternoon.”

Dan glanced over as well. “Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know yet. Do you know those people?” Chase gestured quietly. “The two by themselves across from everyone.

Dan shook his head. “No. You?”

“We don’t, but we saw them in town earlier,” Chase replied. “They sent Cecily’s cat into a weird warner mode.”

“The beach is public, so it could be anyone. Especially since the fireworks were advertised all over town. It was one of the concessions for the permit, but I’ll ask Linda if she invited them or not.” He looked at Cecily specifically. “You need to pay attention to your gut. Shifter to shifter, our animals don’t lie.”

The first of the fireworks lit the sky, and the pyrotechnics were too loud for further conversation. Chase motioned for Cecily to follow him, and he led her toward the picnic tables beneath the trees where it was quieter.

“It’s got to be the same dude from the woods. It’s too close of a coincidence,” he said.

Cecily looked toward the beach again. “There’s only one way to find out.” She pushed past him, heading back to the edge of the grass. She stopped short just before the chairs. The couple was gone. “Well, there goes that,” she mumbled.

“It’s okay. We can ask around. Just because Dan doesn’t know them, doesn’t mean someone won’t.”

Chase shut up as Dan approached from the beach. “I asked Linda, but she doesn’t know them either,” he said, his eyes more than questioning. “What’s going on? You’re not telling me everything. I can smell the worry on you both.”

Cecily exchanged a look with Chase. “We weren’t late tonight for the reasons you think. We were late because we were nearly attacked in the woods late this afternoon.”

Dan’s mouth dropped, but he snapped it shut.

“It was a shifter, Dan. A bear,” she continued. “It’s why I asked Linda about your pack. He came upon us unexpectedly, or at least that’s what I’d like to think.”

Dan motioned them toward a tree off to the side of the picnic area, and they followed.

“The thing is, the bear lunged for Chase. He was aggressive, posturing beforehand, but something tells me it’s not because we spooked him. I don’t know what else to make of it. I’m a shifter, but I haven’t phased in years. To be honest, I can’t remember how much connection you keep to your human side. If this guy was so deep into his animal, he might not have realized his actions. That would explain everything. If not, then why attack? Why not turn and leave, or shift and let us know he was dual-natured?”

Dan looked from one to the other. “If Cecily didn’t phase, then why was he bandaged?” His eyes were on Chase specifically.