Chapter Two Cory

"H oly fucking shit…" I breathed, my hands clenched around the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip. "What the hell was that dog doing?"

I let out a sigh, forcing the tension out of my body. The thunk was unmistakable. I'd definitely hit the dog even though I did everything I could to stop in time. It was almost like he moved at the last second to make sure I hit him. I had no idea what all that was about.

But I felt a bit responsible as well. I'd just gotten off a long shift at the pizza shop, and I was on my way home from the very last delivery of the night. Animals were pretty prevalent around Shifter Grove, especially at night. Sometimes it felt like a go-cart game just trying to get home without hitting anything. But being tired and sort of zoned out definitely didn't help. I didn't see the dog until it was almost too late.

And I was scared to get out of the car. The last thing I wanted to see was an animal with its guts all over the road. However, there was one saving grace. I felt the bumper hit it, but I didn't run him over. So, there might be a chance he was okay. At least, I hoped he was.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the car door and stepped out of the vehicle. The moment I stood up and looked down the road, I saw two bright fiery orange eyes glowing in the distance. They were higher off the ground than I expected, and I had to wait for my eyes to adjust before I saw the rest of the bulky figure moving at the edge of the headlights.

It was a black bear. And a damn big one, too. All at once, the dog's movement toward my vehicle made sense. He was probably being chased and terrified for his life. And then, being the great person I was, I fucking hit him.

"Get out of here!" I yelled, making myself as big and loud as possible. "Fuck off, bear! I've seen Balto! I know how shitty you are!"

The bear took a step forward. But I wasn't putting up with that bullshit. Running forward, I threw my arms wide and let the wolf inside me take over for a moment. My eyes flashed and my fangs extended as I let out a howl of rage.

The bear was visibly startled at my display and took off in the opposite direction. I stared him down, standing between him and the dog I'd hit, until he disappeared from sight. Even then I waited until the crashing through the underbrush died off and I knew we were finally alone.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled the wolf back, letting myself become fully human again. Scaring off predators wasn't something I usually did in human form. And to be honest, I didn't know there was a bear that size wandering around Shifter Grove. I made a mental note to let Sam know about it so he could inform the other tenants at the hotel. The last thing anyone needed were injuries or a death should that bear get any more crazy ideas. Although, to be fair, he'd probably have a hell of a time taking out a werewolf like me. Even if I wasn't an Alpha, that didn't mean I was a pushover in a fight.

Turning around at last, I held my hand up to block my headlights. I could just make out the form lying in the road, and I braced myself for what I was about to see. But it wasn't until I put myself between the lights and the dog that I finally saw the creature was whole.

And it wasn't a dog.

The fucker was huge, but half-starved and skinny beyond belief. His fur was matted in places, and he had a large scar running across his nose, cheek, and one eye. Even unconscious, the damaged eye remained partially open. It was still gold, but foggy. Most likely he was blind on that side.

Of course, a cursory glance was all I needed to realize that this was a wolf and not a dog. But one whiff of him told me he wasn't that either. He was a werewolf. And not one I'd ever seen in Shifter Grove before. However, there was something about him that smelled vaguely familiar. It would've been easier to pick out if he wasn't also disgustingly filthy. From the torn skin on his pads, his lack of nourishment, and his ratty appearance, it was easy to see he'd been traveling for some time. Most likely, he was another outcast trying desperately to find Shifter Grove.

He looked a lot like I did when I arrived two years ago.

I reached down, placing a hand on his side. For a moment I thought he was dead, but then I felt the soft rise of his chest. There was a weak heartbeat in there too. The poor thing was still clinging to life. For how long, I wasn't sure. But I wasn't going to leave him there. Sam would know what to do once I got him back to the hotel.

Before I could pull my hand away, I felt something else. It was a sort of electric jolt between the two of us. And there was this sudden feeling like I had to protect him. Of course, he was safe now with the bear gone, but I still felt it. I was drawn to him, even though I didn't understand why.

Finally, I shook my head, forcing the strange sensation away. Whatever it was, it could wait until later.

"Alright," I said, scooping my arms under him and lifting him gingerly off the pavement. "You're coming home with me. We'll get you fixed up."

Pulling open the back hatch of the car, I placed him gently in the back. I already had the seats folded down because I sometimes liked to sit at the beach and watch the stars. Thankfully, there was already a towel there and I threw it over him, hoping it would keep him at least a little warm.

As I closed the hatch and climbed back into the driver's seat, I made a small wish that he would stay asleep the entire drive back to town. It wasn't far, but the last thing I wanted was a half-dead werewolf coming back to consciousness in my car after being nearly killed by a bear. He could be feral for all I knew, and that meant danger for me and everyone in Shifter Grove. But I couldn't just leave him there. If there was any hope of him recovering, I had to take that chance.

That's what Shifter Grove was all about. Second chances.

Adjusting my mirror so I could keep an eye on him, I put the car in drive and headed for home.

Ten minutes later, I was walking into the front lobby of the hotel with a werewolf cradled in my arms.

"Late night, huh?" Sam asked from the front desk, not looking up from his book.

"You could say that," I replied, walking over to him. "And I have a bit of an emergency."

He finally looked up, his eyes widening. "Who the hell is that?!"

"No idea," I sighed. "But he's in rough shape. He looks like he's starving, and he was nearly killed by a bear before I hit him with my car."

"On purpose?!"

"Fucking hell, Sam! No! Of course not on purpose!" I huffed at him. "Are you gonna help me or ask stupid questions?"

"Right, right," he nodded, dropping his book on the desk. "Bring him into the office. I don't want him in the kitchen in this state. I've got some emergency supplies."

"Shouldn't we take him to the hospital or something?"

"And tell them what? That this dog is actually a person?" He shook his head. "I don't think so."

"The vet–"

"Is not open until seven in the morning. We need to do something now."

I nodded, figuring Sam knew what he was talking about. He'd been at this for nearly ten years, helping every werewolf that came through town with nothing but the clothes on their back and their name. Although this guy was a special case. There were no clothes, we didn't know his name, and he was barely clinging to life.

"Put him on the table," Sam said, pointing toward the table against the far wall. "Just push that stuff to the side. I need to get an IV in him."

"You know how to do that?" I asked, placing the thin wolf down on the table gently. I moved the paperwork and other decor items off onto a chair.

"Of course I do," he laughed, walking over to the small fridge at the back of the office and pulling out a saline bag. "He's not the first one that's come in here in rough shape. Sometimes people get in fights too or do stupid shit. Usually, it's up to me to make sure they don't die while their werewolf healing takes over." He took more supplies from the bottom of this filing cabinet and came over to stand beside me. "But this guy looks a little too rough to do much healing on his own."

"I wish I could get him to eat something… he looks like he hasn't had a meal in weeks."

"Go into the kitchen and grab an apple juice from the cooler. You can slowly drip it into his mouth. That'll at least get some calories in his bloodstream. He's gonna need them."

I glanced down at the needle as Sam pulled it from the sterile bag, my stomach turning. "Do uh… do you need my help with this?" I swallowed hard. "I don't really like needles…"

"I've got it," he replied. "Go get the juice. I'll be done by the time you get back."

I nodded and headed out of the office with a sigh of relief. I'll admit, I took my time getting back to the cooler and finding a bottle of apple juice. The last thing I wanted to do was come back into that office while Sam was jabbing that poor wolf with a needle. Just the thought of blood shooting across the room had me queasy. So I dawdled a bit before I headed back. Even then, I stopped at the door.

"Are you done?"

"Have been for a couple minutes," Sam called back.

When I stepped inside, I saw an IV bag hanging from a hook on the wall, a long tube trailing down to the wolf's front paw. Sam had taped everything up, so the needle was no longer showing. I was thankful for that.

"Here," he said, handing me a long dropper. "Fill that with apple juice and squeeze one drop at a time into his mouth. We don't want to drown him, but his involuntary reflexes should take care of the rest. That should at least get him a little energy to work with so he can start to heal up."

"Did I hurt him badly?" I asked, popping open the juice jar and filling the dropper. "He didn't get run over, but I thunked him pretty good."

"Other than a couple bruises, he doesn't seem to be damaged," Sam nodded. He reached out, tipping the wolf's muzzle upward and pulling it open so I could drop juice onto his tongue. "He must've had a tough life before he came here, though. That scar on his face is old, and he's definitely blind in his left eye."

"Poor guy," I said, dripping apple juice one drop at a time into his open maw. "I wonder where he's from."

"I don't recognize him."

"His scent is odd," I said, shaking my head. "But I don't know who he is either. Then again, he's so beat up and skinny, I doubt I'd recognize him, anyway."

"You don't think anyone would wander over here from your old pack?"

I froze up a bit. "I… I doubt it."

"I know you don't want to talk about it," Sam added. "And that's okay. I just can't help but notice that he's shown up here in the exact state you were in when we found you." He paused, not pushing any further. "Are you sure he's not familiar?"

"I don't think so. But I didn't know everyone in the old pack either. So, I can't say for sure."

"Well," Sam sighed. "We'll find out when he wakes up, I guess. It might be a few hours, though. He's had a tough trip."

"I'll stay with him," I replied, unsure of why I was so quick to offer.

"Are you sure? I know you just got off of work…"

"It's fine. River is working tomorrow night, so I have it off. I'll catch up on sleep after this guy is awake."

"Alright. But if he wakes up and starts causing trouble, just hit him with something and come get me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Well, goodnight then."

"Goodnight."

Sam left the room and I remained behind, slowly dripping apple juice into the stranger's mouth. Every few drops, his tongue would move, his reflexes taking over as he swallowed. I smiled, happy to see that he was getting at least a couple calories in his body at last.

I still wasn't sure why I felt so drawn to this stranger. Something about him made me not want to leave his side. Maybe it was because we had so much in common already, just by the manner in which we arrived in Shifter Grove.

And maybe it was something more.

I wouldn't know until he woke up. Until then, I would watch over him. The morning would hopefully bring some answers.