Saul had obviously not been ready for that. “Shelter from what?”
“My pack and Dani’s warren,” Connor replied without missing a beat. “I know things haven’t been easy for you as of late, but we don’t mean any harm. We only want to settle down and be left alone.”
Ward looked at the couple, taking in their faces with an artist’s eye. The smaller man—Dani—was obviously pregnant, which sort of explained why they’d come here to begin with. Something about them told Ward they were being honest, and if he’d been in Saul’s place, he wouldn’t have hesitated to agree.
But Saul was an Alpha werewolf, and he undoubtedly had to take into account a lot of factors. Ward silently kept watching from the cabin, once more feeling a bit thrown by this peculiar development.
“Seriously,” he mumbled under his breath, “we’re like male pregnancy central here.”
He was probably not as quiet about his comment as he’d have liked because Saul released a small snort of laughter. Mathias tossed him a fond look while Gavin snickered.
Connor and his mate were far enough away to have missed Ward’s tactless remark, so they just looked confused, and maybe a little offended. Saul quickly fixed that. “You’re welcome to stay, but we’ll have to know a little more about you.”
“That’s fine,” Dani replied quickly. Connor looked a little more worried, but Dani simply pecked his mate’s cheek. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
The tension seemed to drain out of the group, and Ward took that as a sign that it was okay to leave the safety of the cabin. He was the first to go back out, and even if his affiliation to the Lone Wolf Pack was a little more tenuous than that of his great-uncle, it somehow made him the first human to stand in front of the new arrivals.
Saul pulled Connor aside, having presumably noticed the wariness, which left Ward to talk to Dani. “So, hi. I’m Ward Bennett. A warren, huh? What does that make you? I take it you’re not a werewolf?”
“No,” Dani replied, “I’m a rabbit-shifter.”
Ward tried to figure out how that worked given the difference in sizes, but no, he had no clue. He shook his head and chuckled to himself. “I suppose stranger things have happened.” He extended his hand to Dani. “Welcome to Willow Cove. You’re going to love it. We can all be male pregnancy buddies.”
Dani let out a startled laugh, and even if Ward had for the most part meant the comment as a joke, he could definitely see himself as befriending the rabbit-shifter. Of course, Mathias chose this exact moment to manifest by his side. “So, should I be jealous?” he asked, wrapping his arm around Ward’s waist. “I see the two of you have really clicked.”
Ward scoffed. “You’re an idiot.”
Mathias shot him a happy grin, and as the rest of the pack came out to mingle and get to know the new arrivals, Ward suddenly knew everything would be all right. Together, in this strange place, they could build a future, for themselves and their family. He had no doubt that the strangeness was far from over, but as long as Mathias stayed by his side, he could handle it.
THE END