2. Shane

"You want me to do what?"I exclaimed, shock evident in my voice.

Owen, the town sheriff and lead alpha of the fox shifters in Fox Haven, let out an exasperated sigh.

As shifters, we had better hearing than a normal human. For instance, I could even hear the phone call Owen's secretary was making outside his office.

So, of course, I had already heard what he said. Owen knew I did. I knew that he knew. But that didn't mean I believed it.

"I need you to look after Liam McGowan," Owen repeated.

He stood up from his desk, shuffling through a file cabinet by the corner, his fingers quickly searching through the files.

Look after? What, like some kind of child? A pet? And who was this guy? I only recognized his last name. McGowan.

That meant he was part of the family of mages that lived near Fox Haven. They mostly kept to themselves, not unlike how we fox shifters kept to ourselves.

We didn't usually involve ourselves in each other"s business, as far as I knew. But because my brother, James, was together with Ollie McGowan, I knew a little bit about that family.

About how there was some trouble with another coven a while back. About some kind of succession issue. But what did that have to do with us? Or with me?

Before I could ask, Owen finally found the file he was looking for and threw it on the desk, landing in front of me.

I opened the file and found clippings from a newspaper I didn't recognize, mostly about the McGowans, with some more recent ones about this Liam himself.

It seemed like he was in the spotlight recently. I flipped through a few more and finally found his profile.

He was Ollie's cousin, in his late-twenties, good-looking, and possibly the next head of the McGowan clan. Yada yada. And like all McGowans, he also specialized in barrier and protective magic.

"You will be his bodyguard for the next few weeks," Owen stated.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Great. This was just great. Add this to the list of problems I needed to handle.

I locked eyes with Owen, narrowing mine in a rare display of defiance.

It wasn"t typical behavior, especially considering he was my lead alpha, but I couldn"t help myself this time.

Owen responded by raising a brow and leaning forward, elbows on the desk, silently daring me to challenge him.

I couldn't help but sit up straight. It felt like I was a kid in school again, sitting in the discipline master's office being called in because I did something wrong. Even Owen's office in the Pack House felt like one.

I scanned the office, taking in the sight of the large desk, files neatly arranged on a low shelf along the window, and even a potted plant. The exact same type of plant that seemed to be in every office I've been to. It was kind of funny, actually.

Owen continued to glare at me, obviously annoyed at my reaction. I shifted in my seat again.

Hold on. Did I actually do something wrong?

Was it because he lost a lot of money during poker night last week?

It wasn't my fault Owen got distracted when his mate came by and didn't manage to hold his poker face. It wasn't my fault when he bet big and lost.

Then again, maybe I shouldn't have waved the money I won from him like a fan in front of his face.

I was about to ask if this was some elaborate prank when Owen sighed. He leaned back in his seat, and retrieved something from his desk drawer, placing it in front of me.

It was yesterday's issue of the Fox Haven Herald, folded in a way to highlight an article about an attack at an event involving the McGowans two days ago. I quickly skimmed through the article.

Reading through Liam's file again, I noticed the mage looked extremely skilled and capable.

So what did he need a bodyguard for? I frowned, questions racing through my mind, but there was one thing I wanted to know first.

"Why are we getting involved in this?"

"Fergus McGowan believes in the necessity of collaboration between mages and shifters. Especially after the situation with James and Ollie, it suggests a potential for finding common ground," Owen recited in a flat, almost mechanical tone, as though following a script.

I clicked my tongue. What a load of crap. I've seen how those mages treated James and Ollie.

The McGowans were a proud coven, reputation was important to them.

There was no way they"d entertain the idea of reaching out to Owen, the lead alpha of Fox Haven, to strike a deal. And likewise, Owen wouldn"t entertain such a notion either.

Mages and shifters here in Fox Haven, they were like kids playing capture the flag. We each stuck to our own territories, except we didn't actually grab a flag or get tagged.

In fact, it was mostly a stalemate right now. Maybe something else happened in the past, but I wasn't too sure about the details since my brothers and I only moved here a few years ago.

But one thing I do know: we"ve always steered clear of getting entangled in any business with them.

So, Owen assigning a pack member to play the role of a glorified hired bodyguard to some mage was something I never expected to happen in a million years.

"Well, that's what Fergus and I agreed to say when anybody asks why we made a deal with each other anyway. That we need to work together to make sure things like this don't happen again," Owen said, placing his finger on the headline of the newspaper.

"So what, I just go there, do what they tell me to do like some lap dog? Babysit some spoiled mage kid?"

"Bodyguard," Owen corrected me.

Babysitter, bodyguard. What was the difference? And what was so important about this Liam McGowan anyway? Sure, according to the file, he was one of the two possible successors to lead the McGowan coven.

Yet, his name wasn't even mentioned in the article at all, at least not in the one Owen handed to me.

I sifted through the file again, searching for any mention of the attack. But when I finally found a corresponding article, Liam's name was nowhere to be found either.

Were the McGowans trying to conceal Liam's identity? Manage the public's perception to protect their own reputation?

I noticed a glint in Owen's eyes, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"I want you to keep a close eye on him. If the McGowans show any vulnerability, it could make the town a target for other groups," Owen said, tapping the newspaper on his desk again.

"And remember, this is my town," he added, his eyes flashing amber, a reminder of his role as both lead alpha and town sheriff.

Right. This was our town too, mine and my brothers". It was our home.

After our dad passed away, my older brother James took on the responsibility of caring for me and Cliff.

For years, James searched for the right pack to take us in, the one that would truly feel like home. As a result, we moved around quite a bit.

Eventually, Owen welcomed us into Fox Haven. It was the first time in years that we hadn"t packed up and moved again.

Now that James and Cliff have found their mates, I didn't see us leaving anytime soon. Fox Haven had become our home, and I'd always be grateful to Owen for that. I owed him a lot.

I looked up to see Owen watching me expectantly. "I'll do it," I responded firmly, meeting his gaze with determination.

"Excellent," Owen stood up and glanced at his watch."Just remember to keep a low profile, stay out of trouble."

I nodded and rose from my seat, taking the hint. It surprised me to find Owen walking beside me as I headed out of his office.

"Hey," Owen suddenly said, his hand resting on my shoulder just as I reached for the doorknob. "Heard about you and Chris."

I looked at him, puzzled by his mention of my ex. "What about him?"

"Well, he just came back," Owen said, looking at me expectantly.

"Okay…?"

Owen's eyes softened. "If this is too much for you right now…"

Ah. I pursed my lips, tightening my grip on the doorknob.

It wasn't surprising that Owen knew about my breakup. I couldn't expect anything less from a lead alpha, or someone who had close connections with the gossiping old ladies in town.

The news traveled fast, though. My boyfriend and I decided to take a break only a week ago. Or was it two weeks ago?

We were supposed to move into the new house I just bought, but he suddenly ‘didn't want to settle down yet' and wanted to ‘find himself' first instead.

I wouldn't have minded waiting for him, maybe have a talk when he came back.

But after a drunken phone call one night, I discovered that rather than finding himself, he found a couple of one-night stands instead.

Or maybe that was his way of finding himself? It seemed easy to find oneself then, if it only took a few days and a few other men.

Oddly, I wasn't angry when I received the call.

Truth be told, I wasn't too upset or angry about the cheating and breakup.

I felt more annoyed that he hadn't called earlier so I could make decisions about the money pit of a house I had just bought. That was telling enough about how I truly felt about our relationship.

I paused for a moment before giving Owen an answer. "I'm good. Really."

Owen regarded me with a steady gaze, as if searching for confirmation in my eyes, before finally nodding. "Alright then. Let me know once you get in touch with Liam. And give me weekly updates."

I gave him an exaggerated salute before exiting his office.

See? I could already make jokes. So, I really was fine. Or even if I wasn't, maybe this little assignment could help distract me from it.

Okay, I spoke too soon. I wasn't ‘good' at all. In fact, I was far from fine. I looked through my financial statements and bank records and I was shocked.

I guess I didn't realize how much I ended up spending on house repairs, renovations, and furniture.

Crack.

The pencil I was using snapped in half. I thought about throwing it away but decided to pick up the other end and keep both pieces.

I didn't want to waste a perfectly good pencil, especially now that it looked like I couldn't even afford to get groceries for the week.

There was no other way around it. I had to find a roommate.

I racked my brain trying to think of who I could ask. My mind was drawing a blank. Everyone I knew seemed to have settled down or had their own place.

I guess that was partly why I asked my boyfriend—well, ex-boyfriend now—to move in with me at the time. Perhaps I panicked a bit, wanting that ‘mated' life that everyone seemed to like.

Now that I thought about it, maybe Chris got cold feet or became overwhelmed when I told him I had finally bought a house.

In my defense, I grew tired of renting apartments in between my travels across the country and finally wanted a place to call my own.

Perhaps there were some miscommunications between us, or signs I failed to notice.

Chris seemed so enthusiastic about choosing a place together and planning the furnishing and interior decorating, calling it our future home.

The big red warning sign was probably when he started to grow more distant as the time for us to move in together drew closer.

I could feel my blood starting to boil and took a deep breath to calm myself down. There was no use going through each and every detail about what went wrong.

It didn't matter who was at fault because we both were. What mattered now was how to handle the big pile of bills in front of me.

Hah. Look at me trying to be all serious and responsible about this.

What was it that Chris said before he left to ‘find himself'? That I never took things too seriously. That I was a poster boy for the phrase ‘whatever will be, will be'. Just going with the flow, accepting whatever comes.

But in this case, I couldn't just go with the flow if I couldn't even afford to feed myself.

Right. I should look for a realtor to help me sell the place. But that might take a while, so for now, I needed a roommate.

I remembered a new pack member, Levi, who came in a few weeks ago.

He mentioned that he was staying at a motel temporarily until he found something more permanent.

I quickly sent Levi a text message. Although, I was feeling a little guilty since I hoped he hadn't found a place yet.

I preferred having someone from the pack rather than resorting to renting out my place to random strangers.

I should also cancel the orders for the furniture that hasn't been delivered yet.

Maybe I could still get a refund, or at the very least, exchange it for something Chris didn't choose.

I rubbed my temple, feeling a headache coming on. Looking at all these bills scattered on the table, I felt an itch to go on a ride.

Not just for the day or the weekend. Something longer. It seemed like this whole suburban home life didn't suit me.

I had gotten used to moving around when I was younger. Even now, settled in Fox Haven, I still found myself itching to drop everything and hop on my bike.

Perhaps it was calling me again, or maybe I simply wanted to escape from my problems. Either way, once I sold this place, I could do just that—live a nomadic lifestyle, traveling around the country on my bike.

The freedom to do anything, whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted—I supposed that was the silver lining of being single. Only needing to consider what I wanted, and no one else.

A loud rumbling sound interrupted my thoughts, I looked down to find my stomach growling with hunger.

Grateful for the distraction, I pushed all those troubling thoughts to the back of my mind. I could just make a decision when the time came.

I went to the kitchen but soon realised there was no point. All the cabinets and fridge were empty anyway.

I had no other choice but to grab my jacket and keys and head to the land of free food—James' place.

Within 20 minutes, I was already seated at the table in his house, wolfing down a slab of ribs that Ollie handed to me. He had a worried look on his face. I couldn't blame him.

With the way I was eating, I probably looked like some zombie apocalypse survivor having their first taste of meat in months.

"Why exactly are you here again?" James crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at me.

"For dinner," I blinked innocently, reaching out for another big scoop of mashed potatoes and satisfyingly plopping it on my plate.

"Plus, it looks like you have more than enough food here. You weren't secretly expecting me, were you?" I wiggled my eyebrows and nudged James with my elbow.

He scowled and tried to swat my arm away. "We're trying out new recipes for the pack festival. But we're also expecting someone else."

"Cliff?" I asked James, but it was Ollie, his mate, who replied to me.

"My cousin, Liam. But you're free to stay if you want."

I took a big spoonful of mashed potatoes and chewed thoughtfully. Well, well. Wasn't this a pleasant coincidence?

A free meal wasn't my sole reason for visiting James' place tonight. I had planned to ask Ollie to help me get in touch with his cousin so I could kickstart this whole bodyguarding business.

"So, when's he coming by?" I asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, ignoring the raised eyebrow my brother gave me.

"He's supposed to be here already," Ollie replied, glancing at the clock. "I tried calling him earlier, but his line was busy."

At that moment, I leaned back towards the window behind me and pushed the curtain aside.

In the driveway, I saw an unfamiliar car. It must have arrived after I did. The headlights were off, yet a faint light glowed inside, as if from a cellphone.

"I think that's him outside. I'll go get him," I said, rising from my seat and halting Ollie's movement toward the door.

I wanted to have a talk with Liam about this whole bodyguarding situation before entering James' house since I wasn't sure whether I could catch him on his own again during dinner.

Approaching the car, I stood by the driver's window. He remained engrossed in his phone call, unaware of my presence.

No wonder this guy needed a bodyguard. He was too oblivious to his surroundings.

I tapped on the window to get his attention, but he didn't seem to hear me.

I let him continue talking on the phone, not wanting to disturb him. I couldn't hear exactly what he was saying. He was talking softly even though he was in his own car. It wasn't like I wanted to listen in anyway, but I could sense he was stressed and...sad.

Glancing into the backseat, I noted the scattered bags and boxes. I considered knocking again, but for some unexplainable reason, I decided to watch him more.

There was a weird feeling in my chest at the sight. I didn't know what to make of it, but I was uncomfortable with the unfamiliar sensation.

Once he ended his call, I rapped on the window once again, louder this time, finally getting his attention.