Page 183 of His Hungry Wolf

“Some of us might think we’ve cut ourselves off too much, but for the most part we’re a tight knit pack.”

Titus’s eyes immediately bounced up to the rearview mirror staring me in the eyes. It was like he was searching for a reaction.

I hadn’t missed him using the word “pack.” That was what a group of wolves were called. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had made that reference after realizing who I was.

Was that why he had said it? Or, was he trying to tell us something that related to why my wolf’s sense of smell was still M.I.A.?

“When we were driving in, we noticed that the town wasn’t on the map. Is there a reason for that?” I asked wondering how much more he would volunteer.

“I’m told it has to do with our lack of incorporation or some such thing. No one in the town has been in a rush to get it included. Don’t get me wrong. There are a lot of friendly people here and they’re very welcoming to the right types. But it’s not always easy to tell who’s the right type,” he said glancing back at me again.

Cage, who had been staring out of the window lost in thought, spoke up. “By any chance, have you ever heard of someone from the town who might have died giving birth? It would have been around the time you were born.”

“My memories don’t go that far back,” Titus said with a quick smile.

“Of course. What about any babies going missing?”

“You mean, like, kidnapped? Or, baby napped I guess it would be in this case.”

“Yeah.”

“Naw. I’ve never heard of anything like that around these parts. Does that have to do with who you’re looking for?”

“We don’t know,” I said jumping in. “It could be unrelated. We’re just getting to know the town,” I said having a feeling that that would make him happy.

We fell into silence until Titus said, “I noticed your bum leg there. What’s that, a sporting injury? You look like you’ve played some ball?”

“Football injury.”

“I used to play football back in high school. We have a pretty good football program here. We don’t get much of an opportunity to travel for games. Funds in this town are always a little tight. But it has potential. Do you play at East Tennessee?”

“I did. My season’s over.”

“Sorry to hear that. I’ve always thought about going there.”

“Why don’t you?” I asked.

“Money. Time. Motivation. Take your pick. I was thinking I could study something that I could bring back here.”

“That’s a great idea,” I said appreciating his loyalty to the town.

“It is, but then I get stuck on what that should be.”

“That’s what University is for, to help you figure out what you want to do.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I need to give it some more thought. Now that I have two friends who attend, it might be worth considering,” Titus said with another welcoming smile.

Starting about twenty minutes out of town, we began our tour of the frozen waterfalls. No one had oversold them. They were amazing looking. They all looked like they were frozen mid-stream creating icicles that were as much as twenty feet long.

“My friends and I used to skinny-dip out here when we were kids,” Titus said as we stared at one of the falls from our parked truck. “When it wasn’t frozen over, of course. Yeah, as beautiful as it is in the winter, they are twice as beautiful in the summer. Maybe more. They’re hidden gems.”

“You’re right. I’ve never seen anything like it,” I said.

“Well, that’s not saying much because you’re from the city,” Cage joked.

“Oh, which city?” Titus asked.

“The big apple,” Cage volunteered for me.