“Are you afraid, Miss He looks over his shoulder at me with the question.
“Makain. Skylar Makain, sir. And, no I’m not, sir, just curious.”
“Sir? That makes me sound old, you a military kid or something?” He is definitely not old. Maybe Alpha Lucas’ age. Old enough that he could have teenage or older kids, but aged well and in shape from the outdoor work he does.
His sandy blonde hair is short on the top and sides, a simple cut to fit his outdoor lifestyle. He’s not quite six feet tall, but still significantly taller than me, like everyone else. “Something like that.” I smile at the idea.
“Well, Miss Makain, we will more than likely come into contact with our wild friends, but this area is so heavily used that most stay away, just based on scent.” He gives me a serious look, like he is communicating more with his eyes than his words. “Out of self preservation, most animals will stay away from areas that smell like humans or larger predators unless they are diseased or starving and have no other choice of survival.”
“What types of animals will we see here? Big ones, mean.
I figure we will see little critters all the time.”
“There are moose and black bear. Some mountain lions and lynx, but they stay away from the campus for the most part. Our largest population is wolves, and they have been here long enough that some have become curious about the humans on campus. Especially after a winter like the one we just had, their food supply is low and they are hungry, but we haven’t had a recorded attack in years.” “Yeah, not having a recorded attack is very different from not having an attack at all.” I think to myse f and my wolf. ” And why does he look so pleased with himself?”
“Because he’s hiding something, I can feel it.”
“But he’s human, do you think he’s one of the ones that knows about shifters?’
“Maybe. I mean working in this field, he’s bound to come across us. I can’t put my finger on it, I don’t trust him, but I have a feeling we need to get close to him, like he has information even if he doesn’t realize it.”
“I trust your instincts, something is weird about him.”
None of the rogue wolves reacted to any of my questions, but I wasnt sure they would. It was pretty harmless to begin with. I’ll just have to come up with things that are going to make them more uncomfortable as the semester goes on.
I keep asking mundane questions, to make it look like I am just overly curious and excited. I throw more wildlife questions in too, not focusing on just wolves, but all of them. I don’t know if I am doing a good job of asking for information and sounding nonchalant, but Professor Chance has answered everything without hesitation. I make a mental note of everything he said, not really sure what could be useful to the team or not.
We finish the tour and head back to the ‘shed’ to grab our things. I say shed loosely. That’s what Professor Chance called it and there is a beautifully made sign over the door, but this place is anything but a shed. It is a massive 5,000 square foot barn with all the tools and equipment necessary to work these forests. has gutters and rain barrels to collect rainwater and the roof is covered in solar panels, there is even a wind turbine to collect energy. professor Chance says that it is not one hundred percent off the grid, but could be if needed.
“Hey! New girl, wait up.” Someone shouts behind me as I start to walk away from the shed.
I stand up with my bag and look around before making eye contact with a very beautiful looking guy jogging straight at me, flanked by two friends. It reminds me of the guys and for a brief second I am homesick.
