White Oaks Wolf Pack Territory, Iowa
King ended the call from his brother, Ace, and shook his head. He’d gone and done it. Ace, the eldest, had gone and found his mate. King was happy for him but worried about what the mating would mean for the brothers. Things were going to change, now.
Of course, they’d always known they couldn’t go on as they had forever. They didn’t want to go on as bachelors for their entire existences. The whole point of going off and having adventures was to meet new people and, hopefully, find mates.
King was happy for Ace. In fact, he was intrigued by the little Ace had told him about Grizzly Cove, the bear town John Marshall’s unit of crazies had founded for themselves. King’d had a good time hanging out in Iowa, but there were no mates in sight for him here.
He knew that, for sure. He’d taken every eligible female in the territory on at least one date, and none of them had made his bear wake up and take notice. They were nice girls, but he figured his mate just wasn’t to be found among werewolves.
Maybe there would be a cute lady bear shifter—or even a mermaid—in Washington state that would make his inner grizzly growl in appreciation. He figured he was just about done with roaming, for now. It hadn’t panned out for him, at all. Though, he’d solidified his contact with the Alpha werewolf here in Iowa. It was always handy to have friends in far off places that you could count on.
King decided, there and then, to make his farewells as soon as possible and head west. He wanted to see Ace and meet his new sister-in-law. And he most definitely wanted to check out the town known as Grizzly Cove.
Meanwhile, in Canada…
Marilee was fed up with Tobias and his edicts. His indifference and shoddy leadership had cost her the best friend she’d ever had—Sabrina. She’d been the only truly nice part of this crappy town. Marilee wasn’t a dominant wolf. She would never stand up to Tobias in an overt way, but Sabrina had given her the perfect excuse to leave town, and she was going to take it.
Tobias didn’t have to know she had no intention of returning. He’d figure it out soon enough when she didn’t come back. And, by then, hopefully, Marilee would have found herself a better place to live among people who were more accepting and friendly.
That thought firmly in mind, Marilee put her efforts into packing up Sabrina’s stuff. She didn’t have much. Her apartment had come furnished, so the only things Marilee had to pack were personal items and clothing. It all fit in just part of the trunk of her car—leaving quite a bit of room for Marilee’s possessions.
She packed quietly. Methodically. Taking only a few things a day out of her apartment—conveniently in the same house as Sabrina’s had been—and packing them away in her car. They were safe enough there until she made her great escape. One thing Tobias wouldn’t tolerate in his town was petty crime.
When Sabrina called to let Marilee know she had landed on her feet in Grizzly Cove, of all places, Marilee knew it was time to go. She packed up her last few things and left town one morning as the sun rose over the mountains. It was a beautiful day, and she hoped for a much brighter future ahead.
She’d left a note for her landlord, along with the keys and a little money she owed him. He’d find it that night when he got home from work and saw the envelope she’d left in his mailbox. By then, she’d be well on her way.
She had one thought as she left the remote mountain town behind…
“Grizzly Cove, here I come!”