"I'll talk to them tomorrow," he says. "In the meantime, you should get some rest. Maybe clean up a little," he waves at Erik's entire body like everything about his body is offensive to him.
He nods. He supposes he should at least have washed the blood away. That explains why his employees were so terrified when he walked in earlier. Suppose it's time to give them a raise. They did good work today.
"And get some rest," he adds.
Right. Some rest. He rubs his palm over his face. He feels like it has been years since he has had a good night's sleep. Perhaps Jake was right. He needs a break.
"I'm serious. Take a break, if you must. The police aren't stupid enough to apprehend you for beating the guy within an inch of his life, not when you're the one who got him in the first place. You should take some time off, relax a little. I'll take care of everything."
Chapter One: Cat Shifter
The pilot frowns at him even as he lands the flight. If he was any other man, he would be questioning Erik's sanity. As it has it, Ken had been working with him long enough that he knows better than to question his wishes more than absolutely necessary.
"Are you certain you'd like me to drop you here, Mr. Hunter? There are a lot of other places that would seem more suitable for relaxation," he offers, unable to keep his thoughts to himself any upon seeing that empty expanse of nothing that he had landed in. "Discreet locations. Nobody will need to know where you are."
Erik gives a short shake of his head. "It's fine. I don't want beaches and tourist destinations," he answers shortly, understanding that the man means well, but still annoyed to have his decision questioned.
"If you're certain. I'll pack a satellite phone for you, Sir. Let me know when you'd like me to come and bring you back," he says as he hands Erik his bag.
Erik hadn't packed much for this impromptu excursion. A few sets of clothes, plenty of money, and some necessities. He had considered leaving his work laptop behind but decided against it. It'll be safer to keep that close to him, though now he thinks he could have done without it. There isn't electricity here.
He looks around and draws a deep breath. The air here is fresher and crisp. The plot of land that they had landed in belongs to his family and it has been taken care of by a neighbor that he continues to send money to every month. He sees now that even though the garden is no longer brimming with fresh flowers or vegetables, it is not overgrown either. There is the house that he spent two years of his infancy in. The house is in surprisingly good condition and he makes himself at home.
He spends the next several days making it inhabitable, getting in touch with nature and learning to relax. There are no deadlines here, no rush to make sure everything is in order, no estate to organize, no pack to tend to. Even the lac
k of servants in his house is a comfort. He does not bother putting on clothes most days, enjoying the ability shift into his wolf form without tearing his clothes.
Jake sends several angry emails about him being irresponsible and unreasonable for disappearing, that this isn't what he had in mind when he said he had things handled. But the anger tapers off in the barrage of messages and by the end of his angry rant, he is glad that Erik is taking the initiative to relax and take some time off for himself. He promises to keep everything in order while he's gone and hopes that he enjoys his holiday.
Erik replies with a picture of him and his new home, telling him that he may never leave.
It's not true, of course. Erik is bored already, but it is still funny to have the man reply with a stream of curses.
A week after he first moved into the debilitated house, he begins to explore outwards, taking long walks through the paths that are barely visible until he begins to cross paths with his neighbors and then, the little town area where most of the buildings are centered.
He learns that he is in a Alpha Derek's territory, Cat Shifter, though the Mayor had welcomed him with open arms upon hearing his name and reassured him that he is not in trouble for not asking for permission from the resident alpha before coming. It brings him a sense of pride and comfort to know that his name is recognized, even in the middle of nowhere.
He thinks he stops being listless and unhappy a week and a half later, once he manages to set up a sort of routine for himself, tending to the garden, buying fruits from the farmer's market, and hunting for food in the afternoon so he can start preparing a hearty dinner. It is somewhat of a lonely existence, especially since he is used to being surrounded by employees and packmates.
Yet, he can see the beauty of living close to nature. The place he decided to settle in is a cozy little town that Jake likes to refer to as 'Nowhere off of Fuck-If-I-Know'. He would fire him if he wasn't quite so good at his job.
There is a lot of land here that are just begging to be developed. A radio tower would be able to generate a steady income once they have everything set up. With a population of fifteen thousand, he could open a cinema and a small mall, maybe get in touch with the towns nearby so that they are able to do business outside of town rather than keep everything so... isolated.
He'll have to talk to Mayor Littleton soon. He had welcomed Erik's arrival with open arms, having heard of his penchant for leaving towns better than the condition her found them in. When he pitched the idea to Jack, he doesn't get a response. Perhaps he deserves that.
He sighs.
Right.
He's supposed to find out what's wrong with him and be happy.
Or something.
He strolls down the farmer's market with his hands in his pockets, staunchly ignoring wary glances the locals are sending his way. 90% of the population here are completely human, with the other 10% being Cat Shifters. It's natural for them to be wary of Werewolves. Even in nature, they don't get along well and he hasn't had the opportunity to introduce himself to the Alpha here. The other shifters have kept out of his way.
Although... he tilts his head up and takes a great inhale, breathing in the scent of everything around him and focusing on one particular scent that he has been picking up in the past several days, a rather peculiar scent that his Wolf seems particularly interested in. There's a Cat Shifter in the market, someone who smells like spring flowers and peaches.
He finds himself utterly captivated by the delightfully sweet scent and does something he hasn't done since he was a child. He follows his nose.