Silver Mine (3 page)

“Who’s flirting? I just want some pie.” Shaun’s outraged tone made Chase smile. Okay, not all wolves were assholes, and it seemed he’d found a couple of the good ones.

Shaun slipped away, and Chase took a moment to look around more closely as he waited for his order. The walls of the coffee shop were covered with artwork, price tags attached to each one. Local artists, from the looks of it. Some good, some not so good. The rest of the place was an eclectic mix. Straight-backed chairs sat at sturdy tables—people with open laptops clicking madly through colourful screens. Overstuffed chairs tucked into the places between, people reading books or staring at thin metal book-shaped objects. Low music played in the background.

He accepted the tray of goodies from Carly and joined the wolves in the corner. He didn’t recognize either of them from his previous trips into Whitehorse—must be new to the pack. Maybe he could get a hint of the way things were operating from these two before he had to approach the current leadership.

Once he’d lowered the tray to the table, the second wolf rose to his feet and offered a hand. “Evan Stone. You look as if you could use a bit more than a coffee and a few snacks.”

Chase shrugged. He might be leaner than your average wolf, but he wasn’t about to explain his specific shifter metabolism problems to anyone on a first meeting. “It’s as good a place as any to start. I can get steaks aplenty back home. Baked goods? Not so much.”

Evan nodded, and they all sat, pulling plates forward and digging in enthusiastically. When shifters were hungry, there was not much that stopped them from enjoying their food.

The pie and one of the brownies went down first as a base. Two cups of coffee later, Chase came up for air to find both wolves grinning at him. Damn, he’d done it again—totally lost track of where he was. This wasn’t his style. If he’d been this inattentive in the bush, he never would have lasted.

“Thank you for the food.” Chase nodded at Evan who seemed to be the one in charge.

Evan leaned back, tilting his chair until the top rail hit the wall. “No worries. Like I said, you look as if you could use it. You north Yukon?”

“Mid. Keno area is home.”

That was all it took. Shaun whistled, long and low. “You don’t look like a crazed maniac—no offense meant. I thought most of that area was pack-less. Pretty dangerous territory for your average wolf.”

The tension between them didn’t exactly rise, but Chase made sure he had a clear space to defend himself, just in case. “Packless doesn’t always mean without morals. And pack living doesn’t suit everyone. That’s all.”

Evan and Shaun glanced at each other, as if making some kind of decision. Chase was ready to grab his things and head out—if there were going to be any issues he’d prefer to be dealing with the right people. He wasn’t making trouble, wasn’t doing anything unusual.

He buried the dry comment in his head that muttered
you are unusual
.

“Why do you smell different?” Evan eased back again, Shaun leaning away this time as well. Somehow they’d made a decision in his favour, which seemed odd, but hell if he was going to argue.

The cause for his unusual scent wasn’t a secret—he just didn’t share until asked. “Métis ancestry.”

“Holy shit.” Evan came to life. “What’s your second form? Because I can smell your wolf, but he’s buried deep. The other side seems stronger.”

“You know about Métis?” Chase wasn’t sure if this was good or stunk to high heaven. “I’ve only met three people I didn’t have to explain it to.”

“And I’m not one of them,” Shaun complained. “What the hell does that mean? I thought you were a wolf.”

Evan shook his head, the look of delight on his face as bizarre as it was reassuring. “Dual nature. I heard of a wolf/wolverine once, and there were rumors of a wolf/polar bear crossbreed back in my old pack territory by Hudson Bay. The French Voyageurs who married the First Nations mixed the shifter blood, and for some reason the European strain breed true. Well, not
true
—instead of the kids being one kind of shifter or the other like usual, the next generation could shift into
either
of their parents’ clans.”

Shaun’s mouth gaped open.

Evan elbowed him in the side. “You never take history in school? Louis Riel? Red River Rebellion?”

“Fuck you. That was a long time ago.”

“The rebellion, or your schooling? Because maybe you need to head back and get a refresher. Doesn’t look good in front of visitors, you being a dumb-ass and all.”

Chase watched silently as the two of them bantered. Not your typical pack, that’s for sure. And definitely not like the solitude-loving men he’d just touched base with far to the north.

The unorthodox bitch session was entertaining to say the least. He considered sneaking away before they concluded, but the cut-downs were too comical to leave.

They both stopped in mid-sentence and turned to face him, two dark-haired men who radiated power, and Chase swallowed his amusement.
Shit
. He’d made another mistake in judgment. Stuck out in the bush for so long where authority was often imposed with a tree branch instead of shifter hierarchy, he’d missed the now all-too-noticeable clues. “You guys are leadership.”

Evan nodded curtly. “I took over Takhini last August. You got a specific need, you ask me.” He tilted his head to the left to indicate the other man whose eyes were still a little wild. “Shaun’s Beta, new to the role. We’re just getting a few things established. I take it you haven’t been out this way for a while.”

The damn Alpha of Takhini sat across from him.
Sheesh
, Chase had lost all his hard-learned civilization skills. “I came out last July. Same reason as this time. I’ll only be in town for a few days, and I’m not looking for trouble.”

Shaun frowned. “We never said you were. You need a ride anywhere, though? A place to stay while in town?”

This was so not happening. “You’re serious?”

Evan snorted. “You’ve been packless for too long. A Beta just offered you a place to stay. You want it or not?”

This was as fine a moment as any to test the waters. “What if I say not?”

Shaun shrugged. “No hair off my chest.”

The remembrance of leaving poor Jones lashed to the chair stole through his mind, and Chase winced. In hindsight, he might have been a touch rough on the boy. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate the offer, but I’m not interested in staying in a pack house. It wouldn’t be a good idea.”

Shaun’s indifference slid away as his attention sharpened. “If you’re worried about troubles because you’re from out of town, don’t be. The pack’s not about to go around our authority.”

Just what he wanted. “And maybe having people ordered to tolerate me isn’t something I enjoy. So, not to seem ungrateful, but I’ll take care of myself for the night.”

Evan’s firm pat on his shoulder reassured him there was no harm caused by his insistence. “A ride though? We can drop you anywhere. By the way, you didn’t mention the specifics of your reason to visit Whitehorse.”

That wasn’t a secret either. Chase pulled out his papers, including his shopping list, and showed it to Evan. He kept the others’ to-do lists tucked aside—it was one thing to share his personal information and another to let a virtual stranger, Alpha or not, know exactly how many men were scattered through the bush in the Keno area.

Evan scanned the stack, his expression unreadable. “I can’t imagine. Supplies for an entire year all at one go. How the hell you know how much to buy?”

“Stays about the same. If I guess wrong, I can always radio for someone from Dawson to do a drop, but Whitehorse is far cheaper to deal with. Plus my bank is here.”

The papers were passed back without another word, near indolence in Evan’s attitude now. “And that’s more than I need to know. I’m not interested in your finances. Not unless you ask for help, and that seems to be low on your list of things to do—the asking-for-help business.”

Chase remained still, waiting for the next question.

Shaun whooped as he shot to his feet, turning to flick a salute Chase’s direction. “Lovely to meet you. Drop by the Moonshine Inn if you decide you need anything. Later.”

He rushed out the door without a second glance.

Evan and Chase exchanged puzzled looks before turning streetward. Shaun raced up to a pretty African American, swept her off her feet, and kissed her madly.

Evan laughed. “It’s okay. We’re not all insane. That’s his mate—she’s been gone for a week, and he didn’t expect her to be back for a few more days.”

An itch tickled up the back of Chase’s spine. The mention of mates was enough to make most of his type twitchy.

After one final nod, the Takhini Alpha rose and left. Chase sat alone in the corner of the café, the remains of their repast cleared away quickly by the efficient Carly.

“Can I get you anything else?” She smiled at him again, that flirtatious lilt to her voice, but for some reason he wasn’t interested anymore.

He shook his head. If he wanted a little female companionship this week, he’d have to look elsewhere. She wasn’t a wolf, not by her scent, so it was safe enough in terms of avoiding pack.

But something wasn’t sitting right. Maybe the visit had been too much companionship after all his time alone. Even Delton wasn’t real intrusive company. Heck, often the man was so quiet the two of them could be in the same room for an entire day and not get in each other’s way.

The Takhini leaders vibrated with life and energy. Power of an entirely different type than mere hierarchy. The kind of vitality that was scary on a whole different level to a man who after years of isolation felt at home staring at the side of a mountain for days on end.

Solitude called to him like a wild creature, and he could hardly wait to discharge his duties and return to the bush. He picked up his pack, carefully draped it over his left shoulder and escaped into the street to find his room for the night.

Evan watched the Métis from a distance, not wanting to crowd the man, but not willing yet to drop his curiosity. And with Shaun distracted by Gem’s early return, there was no use in trying to do any more planning for the Grand Master Plan, as Shaun had taken to calling it. Evan laughed as he tracked Chase. Hell, he could hear his Beta using capital letters every time he said the words, like some freaky Pooh Bear imitation.

It was damn time, though, for the Grand Master Plan to be implemented. All along Evan’s goal had been to rejoin the two rival Whitehorse packs into one, amalgamating the dominant Takhini wolves with the more elusive Miles Canyon pack, and it was taking bloody forever to figure out how to go about it. There weren’t many places in the world that two packs sat in such close proximity to each other, and for good reason.

Territory wars were common in the old days, violence and bloodshed hidden in the more violent nature of the historic settling of the wilderness. Now the battlefields were more likely to involve spreadsheets and accountants than shotguns and hangings.

Evan didn’t mind a good fight. A physical challenge that would make his wolf side howl. But there was a subtle beauty in taking an opponent totally unaware—and that was far more possible in the financial world than while wearing his wolf skin.

Chase disappeared into a boarding house, and Evan relaxed. It was a wolf-friendly accommodation, but not one frequented by the pack. Which was good, because even though he’d teased for the details of the why of the lone wolf was visiting, Evan had failed to push for the other information the man hadn’t shared—what his second shifter form was.

But the tickling sensation at the back of his throat was enough to let Evan suspect it might be cat-based. Just what he needed dropping in at the pack house, driving all the less sensible members crazy.
Not
.

He didn’t even want to think about triggering his damn allergies. Evan pulled out a tissue and blew his nose, wondering if he’d turn into a sniffling, sneezing mess if he happened to be around when Chase changed.

Although—Métis.
Damn.
Evan pondered the logistics of the shifting business but got distracted by the buzz of his cell phone.

“Evan here.”

“You won the bid.” His accountant’s pleased tones spread happiness all the way to Evan’s toes. “And there were no second glances at all. Business as usual. You’re now official owner of three more shops in town. Congrats.”

Celebrations weren’t going to be scheduled until he’d gotten a little farther down the road on his plans, but it was a start. “What about the college? Any word on the housing project?”

The other man went on for a while, sharing details. Evan made mental notes as he strode back to the hotel the pack owned. The new landscaping they were finishing around the parking lot had turned the old landmark’s tired façade into a special feature, with sitting areas and fountains.

If he was going to put the place on the map, getting more of the seasonal visitors to stop at the Moonshine Inn and Pub was vital. Money was only part of the project—they had to keep traffic coming.

The wide glass doors slid open with a soft sigh as he approached, the tinkling water fountains in the lobby a refreshing contrast to wash away the street noise.

Behind the front desk, Caroline, his highly efficient head receptionist and personal assistant, raised her head and smiled. Evan made his way over, nodding at a few of the pack who were working as bellboys or cleaning staff to keep the place immaculate.