Pack Community

Early evening heat surrounded Gray Mason as he stepped out of his Ford truck after pulling over to the side of the road. The sign in front of him welcomed him to Coyote Bluff, Texas, located in the panhandle of the large state, a place he had never visited before. But recent signs had narrowed down the location of Prince of felines to a couple of possibilities—one of them being the canyons surrounding the town.

After he’d spoken to the Alpha Council and the Pack Alpha for the west Texas area, arrangements had been made for Gray to investigate in Coyote Bluff. He’d been hearing rumors about the town that accepted any and all shifters since he’d begun to investigate the kidnapping. It would make since for whoever had taken the Prince to hide out in an area that was so remote.

Excitement rippled through his body at the thought of the search finally going somewhere after three very long months. While the idea of an entire town full of shifters unsettled him a bit, he would do everything in his power to finally end his journey and make his way home.

He surveyed the area directly around him, seeking anyone who might be a threat. Sensing no one near, he took out his cell phone and called his Alpha.

“Hey, Gray, I was starting to wonder if I’d hear from you today,” Tyler greeted him.

Gray had to smile. Tyler would worry whether Gray called in or not, but Gray liked knowing that someone would at least notice if he went missing.

“Yeah, sorry about that, boss,” Gray answered and leaned against his tailgate. “Crappy reception down here.”

“Just be careful. I contacted the sheriff there to let him know you would be stopping by in a day or so. He seems like an okay guy, but remember we don’t have any ties there,” Tyler warned.

“So he’s not family?” Gray enquired, asking his Alpha in this way if the man was a wolf shifter.

“I don’t think so. The town is supposed to be full of other shifters, but I just can’t tell over the phone.”

Gray grunted. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the others—he just hadn’t met many. Most of his dealings were with the felines and those experiences had not been good.

“I’ll check into the hotel tonight, get a run in and see what I can nose out before I meet with him tomorrow,” Gray informed the other man.

“Just be careful. There is no wolf Pack there, but that doesn’t mean that there are no wolves. You don’t want to trespass against them before you know who you are dealing with. Especially without back-up.”

“No problem. I’ll stay away from any marked spots.”

“Then call me tomorrow and get some rest,” Tyler ordered.

“Will do.” Gray hung up, still grinning. He had been away from his Pack for so long he was started to feel the loneliness more and more each day. While some wolf shifters had no problem going rogue, the true, deep comfort he found with his Pack mates had started to fade and it made him edgy. And an agitated wolf was never a good thing. He needed his family. He needed to get home soon.

Normally, he only shifted a few nights a month to let his animal out. The longer he was away from family, the more agitated both he and the wolf became. Running late at night seemed to be the only way he could calm himself, and even that didn’t work like it had.

“Coyote Bluff,” he mumbled under his breath as he climbed back into his truck. “Out of all the animals who in the world would pick a coyote to name a town after?” Gray didn’t know any coyote shifters, although he was aware they existed. Rumor had it that coyote shifters were more than a little crazy. If he had time maybe he’d be able to dig into the history of the place. Gray loved learning about different communities and their unique quirks.