They drove to the lodge to pick up their vehicles, and Dylan managed to get in a quick trip to see Roxie. She was in the middle of a wedding setup, but as soon as she saw him, she hurried to join him.

  “I’m so glad you’ve found Jim and Eddie’s car.” She was hugging Dylan to pieces, and he loved it.

  He kissed her with enthusiasm and didn’t want to let her go. “I’ve got to get down to the sheriff’s office. Darien’s bringing Luke there to have him identify Jim as one of the hunters at the scene of the murder but not the man who did the shooting.”

  “Oh, good. But we’re on for dinner, right?”

  He smiled and lifted her against him and swung her around. “And all night too. Absolutely.”

  “I’m so glad.” She kissed him again and then she noticed someone was waiting to ask her about something and she smiled at Dylan. “I so love you.”

  “I love you too. I’ll see to this business and then shower up and start dinner if I’m home before you.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you soon.”

  Then they parted ways and he gave her a backward glance, saw her watching him, and both of them smiled at each other. She was the light of his life.

  He went to the house and got his truck, and when he finally arrived at the jailhouse in Silver Town, Darien was bringing Luke to the station to see Jim. If they’d thought Fennel was the murderer initially, they would have had Luke identify him as the shooter. So they’d messed up big time by letting Fennel off.

  Dylan wanted to be there for Luke when he saw Jim through the one-way mirror. The other men went home. “I’ll bring Luke home after this, Darien.”

  Darien looked at Luke to see how he felt about it.

  “Yeah, sure,” Luke said. “That’s fine with me.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you in a bit,” Darien said.

  Darien left and CJ and Peter went in to speak with Jim.

  “Show us where you were standing in relation to the others when Eddie was fatally shot,” Peter said to Jim.

  “Yeah, sure. I was here, northwest of Eddie. Fennel was over there holding my rifle, directly west of Eddie.” Jim pointed toward the door. “Eddie was standing diagonally northeast from Xander.”

  Dylan was envisioning exactly the setup, the angle of the bullet that had been discharged, and he knew that bullet had to have come from Fennel’s direction. He glanced at Luke, who was watching everything Jim said and had tears in his eyes.

  Dylan patted his shoulder. “You don’t have to see or hear any more of this.” He reminded himself that Luke was just a boy, though he seemed older than his age, and he’d witnessed a horrific murder.

  “It’s just as he says it was. The other guy? Xander? He called out, ‘No, Jim, don’t!’ But he was looking straight at Fennel. Not at this guy—Jim,” Luke said, pointing at Jim. He looked up at Dylan. “Both those guys set Jim up. How could they do that to him?”

  “I know, right? It was an awful thing to do.” Dylan frowned, thinking of something else. “We believe a trapper by the name of Rusty McInerny also witnessed the murder. He’s a redhead with a red beard wearing mostly white. A fur hat and furs were worn over his other clothes. Did you ever see him while you were in the woods?”

  “Uh…” Suddenly, Luke was perspiring a little, his gaze going to the floor. He ran his hands through his hair, and he cleared his throat. “I…uh, was running as a wolf, and I saw a man like you described, and I saw him setting a trap. I wanted to set it off but couldn’t while he was in the area. Later, when I had shifted and was dressed, I returned and triggered the trap with a stick, then yanked it out of the ground and buried it in another area so he wouldn’t find it.”

  “I wouldn’t want you putting your life at risk like that, but that’s exactly what I did when I was your age with traps that a trapper had set. I wreaked real havoc with him. Good job,” Dylan said.

  Luke shoved his hands in his pockets, looking dejected, not like he was pleased with Dylan’s praise of him.

  “You did a good thing.” But Dylan suspected there was more to the story then.

  “I–I started following him, tripping his traps before he could hurt anyone with them. I was really careful not to be seen, and I got rid of ten that way. I knew I was doing something right by the animals and anyone else who might come across the traps but…” Luke let out his breath in exasperation.

  “Okay?” Dylan was getting a bad feeling about this, though he wasn’t sure what could be wrong with this scenario. Then he got it. “He saw you shifting.”

  “Worse.” Luke looked up at Dylan, tears filling his eyes.

  “You had to kill him?” Dylan was surprised. It was something they had to do sometimes, but Dylan could understand how distraught Luke could be over it.

  Luke shook his head and wiped his nose with his sleeve. “He…he chased me with murder in his eyes. I knew he was going to kill me. I went to the cave I often used when I needed to get out of the bad weather. And…and he followed me in there. But it was dark inside and he couldn’t see like I could. Then he turned on a flashlight and I knew he’d shoot me as soon as he saw me. He had a rifle on him. I was as deep in the cave as I could go. I hurried to strip off my clothes and turned into my wolf. It was the only thing I could think of that would give me a fighting chance.”

  “You bit him.”

  “I feel terrible about it. Everyone’s been so welcoming. Everyone’s treated me like part of the wolf pack, like a friend, part of the family. I should have told you right away.”

  Dylan gave him a hug. “Hey, these things happen sometimes. He had you between a rock and a hard place. You did the only thing you could do to protect yourself. Everyone will understand.”

  Luke sobbed.

  Dylan felt awful for him. “Hey, you’re not in trouble.”

  “My parents drummed it into me that I”—Luke choked on tears—“was never supposed to bite any human as a wolf, ever. That if I did, I was supposed to kill the person. I–I couldn’t. I–I just couldn’t do it.”

  “It’s okay. Really. We’ll find the trapper and take him into the pack. If he can’t adjust to being a wolf in a pack where someone looks out for him all the time, then Darien will make a decision on how to handle it.”

  CJ joined them, but Dylan saw that he’d been listening in on some of the conversation.

  Dylan said, “Do you have the traps that we located, including the one that injured Aaron, CJ?”

  “Yeah, I sure do. Why?” CJ asked.

  “Luke needs to smell them to see if the man he saw was the same one who set other traps that he had located,” Dylan said.

  CJ took Luke to the evidence room and Luke smelled the scent. “Yeah, that’s the redheaded guy’s scent that I smelled on the traps. The one who came after me and I–I bit.”

  “Okay, we’ll take care of it. We don’t want you to feel like you can’t talk to any of us about things like this. Or any other issues, really,” Dylan said.

  “Yeah, I agree with Dylan on this. Darien’s my cousin. You won’t be in trouble for it,” CJ said.

  Then Peter came out of the interrogation room. “So who killed Eddie, Luke?”

  “Fennel did.” Luke swallowed hard, still appearing upset about what he’d done to Rusty. Luke appeared to be on the fence about whether Darien would think it was all right that he’d bitten a human. “Jim wasn’t holding a rifle. Fennel was and he aimed it at Eddie and shot him. Xander was holding a rifle too. I swear if Jim had intervened, Xander might have shot him. I can’t believe Xander was in on the whole thing. They must have known I was there watching. Why else would they have pretended Fennel was Jim so that I would overhear it?”

  “I agree,” Peter said, glancing at Dylan as if wanting to ask why Luke was so upset.

  “I’ll be happy to testify against them,” Luke said, wiping his eyes again.

  “Me too,” Dylan said. “Luke also identified Rusty McInerny as the man who had set several traps that Luke triggered and hid. But Rusty caught him at it at the very last, and the only way Luke could defend himself was to bite him.”

  Peter nodded. “I’m sure Rusty won’t want to be setting traps any longer. Good job, Luke. We’ll bring him into the pack. I’ll tell Jim that you identified Fennel as the shooter. Why don’t you take Luke home? I’m sure Roxie can’t wait to see you, Dylan.”

  “Thanks. I’ll do that.” Dylan slapped Luke on the back. “Now we just have to get Fennel back into custody. He was planning a trip south of the border. Hopefully, he didn’t manage to slip away down there already.”

  “You don’t think he’d come after me, do you?” Luke asked, sounding worried as they got into Dylan’s truck.

  “He’d be foolish if he did. And of course, we need to catch Rusty and teach him all about what we are.”

  “I want to do it. I’m responsible.”

  “I’m sure Darien will be amenable to that. Though others in the pack will keep an eye on him too,” Dylan said.

  “This is going to be like how it was for Roxie, isn’t it? Growly when she shifts when she doesn’t want to,” Luke said with regret.

  “Well, everyone’s different. He might not be bothered by it at all. We just never know.”

  “Have you ever turned anyone?” Luke asked, looking hopeful that since Dylan had been in the same situation as him, he might have done something similar.

  “No. I got lucky. How are things going with you and the Silvers?” Dylan drove out into the countryside where Darien and Lelandi lived.

  “Great. Though Lelandi said she wanted to talk to me about what I had to go through at the jailhouse. Her kids say she’s always like that.” Luke took a deep breath and let it out. “She’s going to want to talk to me about turning Rusty too.”

  Dylan nodded. “It can be a good thing having a psychologist in the family.”

  “I’m glad you’re mated to Roxie.” Luke brightened. “I knew you would be. I saw you dancing with her at the Valentine’s Day party. You looked like you didn’t need any dance lessons.”

  Dylan almost laughed. “It just came naturally when we began to dance together. You’re right about us being together.”

  “Do you have to talk to Lelandi?” Luke asked.

  “About what?”

  “About what you went through? I mean, I witnessed a murder, but you were almost murdered.”

  “She talked to me about it when I was at the clinic. Lelandi’s smart and knows her profession, but she’s also tenderhearted and intuitive. She really wants us to feel okay about what we went through.” Dylan finally reached the Silvers’ country estate and parked on the circular drive out front. “It’ll get better. Just know it isn’t your mistake.” Dylan gave him a hug.

  “Thanks, Dylan.” Then Luke smiled. “Um, I’m invited to the wedding, aren’t I? Yours and Roxie’s?”

  “How would you like to be one of my best men?”

  “Really? You mean it?”

  “Yeah, and thank you for straightening all of us out about who murdered Eddie. We might not have gotten the right man if it wasn’t for you witnessing the whole affair.”

  Luke straightened in his seat. “I’m so glad I didn’t become a mountain man like you had to be when you were my age. Maybe I could be a deputy sheriff when I get older.”

  “I know you’re working at the movie theater for now, but I’m sure Peter, or even Nate and Nicole, who have their PI business, could give you some apprenticeship work. It would give you a step up if you decided to go into law enforcement. Especially after you were trying to stop a trapper from injuring or killing animals.”

  “Will you recommend me? I don’t know if everyone’s going to be all right with me turning Rusty.”

  “Hell, yeah, I’ll recommend you, but you don’t need my recommendation. Everyone’s behind you on this or anything else you set your heart on doing. We’re here for you.” Dylan thought about it and wondered if Luke was afraid to tell Darien about turning the trapper. “Do you want me to talk to Darien about you biting the trapper?”

  “No…I’ll do it.”

  “All right.” Then Dylan hugged Luke again and Luke finally got out of the truck, waved at him, and hurried off to the house.

  Dylan waved goodbye before Luke opened the front door and disappeared inside, shutting the door behind him. He knew Luke was going to feel bad about the business with Rusty until they located the trapper, and hopefully the man would forgive him.

  Dylan drove off for home, a hot shower, dinner, and lots of loving Roxie. He finally reached the house, parked in the garage, grabbed his gear, and carried it inside. “Honey, I’m home.”

  The house was quiet and dark, so he assumed she hadn’t made it home yet. After he cleaned up his gear, then put it away, he grabbed a glass of water before he took a shower and dressed. He’d call her to see if she needed his help with anything after he showered, though he was going to make dinner.

  They also needed to find Rusty pronto so that they could tell him what he was experiencing was normal for one of their kind. Dylan figured he would be out on more manhunts, only this time he would also be looking for a wolf.

  He needed to return to Denver, pick up his stuff, and return here. Maybe this weekend. The rental was furnished, so he didn’t have to take anything with him but his clothes and other personal effects, not to mention his groceries.

  Dylan went up the stairs to the master bedroom and shed his dirty clothes in the bathroom. As soon as he was in the shower, he rinsed off and then lathered up, wanting to stay in there forever. He closed his eyes as he washed his face, then heard the shower stall door open and opened his eyes to see a naked Roxie joining him. He gave her a big smile. Things couldn’t get better than being home with her like this.

  “Hmm, I like seeing all these soap bubbles on you, fun to pop,” she said running her hands over his soapy skin.

  He wrapped her in his arms. “I’ll just have to cover you in my soapy bubbles so I can pop yours too.”

  She laughed and they began kissing, the shower spray hitting his back and the top of his head. He turned around so she could have the warm water on her back and then he kissed her again, his hands on her breasts, massaging them.

  But then he was pouring out some soap and slathering it all over her, rubbing his body against hers, getting himself—and her—worked up. Forget dinner for the moment. They were making love in bed first. But they didn’t make it out of the shower in time for that.

  Chapter 27

  “Hmm, are you going to run off again tomorrow?” Roxie asked, snuggling against Dylan that night. She really felt for Luke—for having bitten the trapper and turning him, and for the trapper, who wouldn’t know what kind of a mess he’d gotten himself into. She wondered then if that was why the teens at the lodge had brought up the idea of biting a human and whether they should do it or not. Had Luke wanted to tell them about his own situation, or had he told them already because he’d been so bothered by it? No matter what, the silver lining would be the trapper most likely wouldn’t be setting traps any longer.

  “To search for Rusty, yes. Of course if Fennel makes the mistake of returning here, we’ll arrest him too. But if that doesn’t happen, the police will take care of Fennel wherever he ends up. Even as a deputy sheriff, when I have that job, I can only go as far as our jurisdiction covers.”

  “That’s true. Who all is going with you after the trapper?” Roxie asked.

  “I’ll check with Peter in the morning. He wants this taken care of just as quickly as I do because Rusty could shift in front of hikers, skiers, all who are human and cause real trouble for us. And we sure as hell don’t want him biting someone.”

  “You’re right. I just don’t want you out there on your own.”

  Dylan smiled at her and kissed her nose. “With a wolf pack, I’ve got backing.”

  “Good.” Tonight, she just wanted to fall asleep with her wolf, enjoying the fresh scent of him and feeling his gloriously warm body next to hers. She loved how nice it was to have a wolf of her own.

  The next day, Roxie and Dylan finally got out of bed, dressed, and made breakfast together. When they finished eating, Dylan called Peter to see how he wanted to do this. He figured the team he normally had would be switched out with some other reserve deputy sheriffs so that the other men could take care of their own business. “So, Peter, I’m going back out to look for that trapper.” Dylan realized it was hard for him to actually ask for help.

  “Yeah, CJ and the rest of the guys were just waiting for the word from you.”

  “Oh, great. As soon as they’re ready to go, I’ll be ready. I’ll just wait for them at the lodge again, like usual.” Dylan was so glad Peter was backing him all the way. Then he reached over and clasped Roxie’s hand. “They’re meeting me at the lodge.”

  “Okay, good. I wasn’t letting you go until I knew for sure others were going with you.”

  He smiled and kissed her. He never imagined having a mate who would always look out for him on his jobs, when in the past, he thought nothing of handling cases on his own.

  When Dylan and Roxie arrived at the lodge, he hadn’t expected Luke to come with the other men. Luke was eager to help find Rusty, and Dylan couldn’t have been prouder of him.

  “Hey,” Luke said, smiling at him when they met up at the lodge. “When I told Darien and Lelandi I wanted to help you locate Rusty, they were all for it. They said that it would be good to have some closure.”

  Dylan had some reservations about it. He didn’t want Rusty to lash out at Luke for what he had done to him, though they would all protect Luke.

  For the rest of the week, Dylan and the others, including Luke, went in search of the trapper during the day, making a few night excursions, but were home for the rest of the night to be with their families. It was finally Friday night, and Dylan planned to take off the weekend to clean out his apartment. He’d already given notice at his apartment the day he had decided to stay with Roxie and take the deputy sheriff job.

  “Everyone’s fine with you taking off the weekend to move, you know. And everyone will help you with it,” Roxie told him as he and she walked home from the lodge.