Bree grinned then tapped her fingers on the table. “Ailill Ridge was going to keep Margery as if she was a slave or something?”
“That’s the impression I got. If I hadn’t stepped in, she’d be on her way there now. Against her wishes.” Tynan jerked his chin toward Shay and Zeb. “I brought her to you since Roger appears to think he owns his pack members.”
“What the fuck is going on in Rainier?” Zeb growled, low and dark.
“They’re getting worse,” Shay agreed. “I’m glad you were there, Tynan. What did Margery have to say about her treatment there?”
“That is my other concern. She didn’t.”
When the three gave him a blank look, he sighed and tried to elaborate. Feck him, but he’d gotten out of the habit of talking about anything other than police work.
But the little wolf needed help.
“I thought at first she didn’t like males, but the problem is deeper.” Tynan tapped the badge on his chest. “When she met Alec, I saw—I think—our uniforms are what the humans call a trigger. She acts like she expects me or Alec to pull our batons and pound her into the ground.”
Zeb ran his gaze over Tynan’s clothes and shook his head. “Your uniform?”
“I saw it too.” Bree nodded. “Whenever she looked at you, her gaze snagged on your weapons or your badge.”
“Those Scythe guards.” Shay’s mouth twisted into a scowl. “They all wore uniforms and carried weapons. On a belt.”
Tynan thought back to the nightmare of the battle. Ear-splitting gunfire and shouting and screams. Thorson’s snarling when a bullet hit his foreleg. The human sniper aiming for the old werecat again. Leaping through the window, glass gashing his sides. Hot metallic blood filling his mouth as he slaughtered the human.
Shaking his head roughly, Tynan tried to dispel the images…and the taste of flesh.
How many times had that ugliness in his past come back to haunt him?
Margery had lived with violence for years—and had never been able to fight back. By the Gods, what nightmares did she suffer through?
He flattened his hands on the table. “The uniforms—or weapons—probably make her think of her Scythe abusers. Can you work with her on getting past it? Any town with humans, any traveling she does—uniforms are everywhere. If she stays in Cold Creek, Alec and I will scare her.”
He scowled at the unpalatable realization.
Because he definitely didn’t want to frighten that little wolf.
A corner of Zeb’s mouth turned up in a bitter smile. “It bites when a female takes one look and flees.”
Zeb would know. The scarred-up beta had terrified more than just females. Yet, despite his lethal appearance, Zeb made as fine a friend as anyone could wish for.
“At least I know now why she reacts so badly,” Tynan said. “Trouble is, a law enforcement officer might well consider her behavior as an indication of guilt.”
“Well, that’s sure the last thing she needs right now.” Bree lifted her chin and gave him a firm nod. “I’ll talk with her.”
“Talking won’t remove what has become instinctual after so many years.” Shay took a sip of his coffee and contemplated Tynan. “It might help for her to get to know someone who wears a uniform at times…and fur the other times.”
Wary of what Shay had in mind, Tynan shook his head. “No, that’s—”
Bree clapped her hands together. “Yes. That’s a great idea.”
“She needs a mentor.” Zeb tilted his head at Tynan. “It’s time you took on some pack duties.”
Oh, fuck.
The alpha and beta must’ve seen he tended to stay on the sidelines. “Margery is terrified of me; I’d be a poor choice for a mentor.”
“If she’d never shifted, I’d agree with you. For a first trawsfur, there must be trust between a mentor and a child,” Shay said quietly. “However, she’s not a child and is months past her first shift. She simply needs additional lessons. You’ve been here long enough to know our mountains—and you’re highly skilled.”
“You stepped in when Roger would have dragged her away. She won’t forget who the good guy is, no matter what you wear.” Bree’s smile faded. “But if you don’t like Margery, we should rethink this.”
Trouble was…he did like her. More than was probably wise. “I like her.” He let out a soft laugh, recalling the moment he knew she had his back.
Shay’s eyebrows rose.
Leaning his elbow on the table, Tynan motioned to the street. “Out there…when I faced-off against Roger and his beta, she was terrified—and she’d already started to swing her bike chain to smack one