Chapter 738 Chapter 738
“Sir—” He looked at Devin. “Is there a way to check on the clan that Oaklyn ran from? I’m just wondering what’s going on with it.”
Devin glanced at Calum for a second. “She ran from it? Why?”
“I couldn’t get details from her,” Calum said quietly.
Zain hoped she wouldn’t get mad at him, but he needed to know. “She was going to be forced to pair up with a man she didn’t like.”
“She didn’t like her mate?” Devin crossed his arms over his chest and gave Zain his full attention.
“He wasn’t her mate.” He cleared his throat. “I tried to look in old files for the clan, going off her last name…”
“You know her last name? Her real one?” Calum’s lips twitched. “I know the name she uses isn’t her real one.”
Zain nodded. “Her last name was Green. I don’t know what state she’s from, but her dialect tells me a general area.”
Devin leaned over the desk and wrote on a piece of paper. “We can look into it.” He turned to Calum. “We should look into it. Pairing up people against their wishes isn’t something that’s going to happen on our watch.”
Calum’s expression darkened. “No. Not anymore.” He rubbed his hand over his forehead and then looked at Zain. “Go find Oaklyn and go over your stories together. When you get there, you’re going to have to play off each other and be in synch.”
Zain turned to Calum. He wanted to blurt out that she was his mate, and he was anything but together and in synch with her.
Calum’s mouth quirked. “I know.” His eyes were filled with amusement. “You’ll sort it out.” He nodded his head once. “I’m going to see if I can drag Shae away from here for a few days, at least before all of this happens. Once Mom is back with the clan, we might be able to sneak away.”
Devin snorted. “Good luck with that. I’m stuck here.”
Calum stopped in the doorway and grinned at him. “Yes, you are. Until your father is found, we can’t take any chances.
“I know.” Devin heaved out a deep breath. “Go.” He motioned to the door but smiled as soon as Calum left. Turning back, he looked at Zain. “Let me know if you need anything. Rayne will already have a shopping list for your trip.”
Zain stood up. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Devin nodded his head slowly. “That’s been my life for the last seven months.” He laughed. “I was alone for years. Now I have a hundred guests at my campground, and I’m charge of all this.” He waved his hand around.
Zain blinked. It made what he had to do sound simple. “You’re doing a great job.” He gripped the folder tight in one hand. “I’ve heard many things from your father about the plans you and Rayne have, and I think the entire community will be better for it.”
Devin shrugged. ‘We just need to shut down Aiden, before we make any changes.”
Zain sucked in a deep breath and straightened his spine. he blew it out. “We will.” He nodded at him and went out into the hallway. They had to find Shepard. There was no other option. If he had to put his furry tail on the line in order for that to happen, he was going to have to suck it up and do it.
He walked down the hall and hoped Oaklyn would be somewhere near the cafeteria and entrance. Beyond there, he was going to get lost.
Going around the corner, he spotted Webb and went toward him. “Hey.”
Webb looked up from the clipboard in his hand. “I’m on inventory detail.” He gave him a half-grin. “I didn’t realize how much the teams went through.”
Zain laughed. “Keeping you guys stocked is a full-time job.”
Webb waved the clipboard around. “I see that.”
“Hey,” Zain tucked the folder under his arm. “Are you okay? You were a bit weird at the end of our run.”
Webb’s expression sobered. “Yeah. Yeah. I’m good. I was just taken back running into someone out there.”
“Rhogue,” Zain nodded. “She seemed nice enough.”
Webb nodded. “Yeah. She was real pretty too.” He cleared his throat. “I better go start checking this list.” He backed up a few steps. “I’ll see you later.” Turning he started down the hall.
Zain watched him with an eyebrow raised. He wasn’t humming. Webb was always humming. He grimaced; he was so glad he wasn’t asked to do inventory here. Keeping the entire factory stocked would be a task that even he would struggle with.
Pulling the folder out from under his arm, he looked at it. He needed to find Oaklyn and see where she was with all of this. No one had even asked her if she wanted to go.