Smilodon

Chapter 3-3

The first thing Gabrielle noticed when she returned to the diner was the absence of Buddy and his gang of bullies. It was probably just as well. She didn’t think they would have wanted to remain in the diner after Wyatt came back, and she knew they wouldn’t have wanted to walk past him to leave. Gabrielle selected a vacant table, and Gladys was at her side before she even had her chair ready.

“So, where did you find him?” Gladys asked.

Gabrielle frowned. “Who? You mean Wyatt?”

“Duh… of course, I mean Wyatt. He’s not from around here, is he?”

Gabrielle fought the urge to sigh. She never wanted to hurt anyone’s feelings, but nobody wanted to cross Gladys. She ran the best diner for three counties in any direction.

“Yeah, he kind of is. The rogue cougar Alistair sent us to track turned him. He killed it before it killed him.”

Gladys gaped. “You mean he’s not a born shifter?”

Gabrielle shook her head.

“And he’s that strong, plus an alpha?”

Gabrielle shrugged. “Seems so. Most turned shifters even get a little stronger after their first shift, as they grow into their new abilities.”

“Oh, lordy,” Gladys replied, fanning herself with her order pad. “Buddy had better walk the straight and narrow, or he won’t be living too long.”

Gabrielle chuckled. “I wouldn’t let Wyatt go that far, and to be honest, I’m concerned about what today’s humiliation will mean for Buddy’s future behavior. He may double-down on bullying others just to ‘prove’ his dominance.”

Gladys shook her head. “And just what makes you think you could stop Wyatt, Gabrielle? But anyway, what would you like to order?”

Gabrielle ordered their meals, but even after Gladys left to check the other tables, her question echoed in Gabrielle’s mind. Would she be able to stop Wyatt if he ended Buddy and his crew?

The bell over the diner’s door interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up to see Wyatt enter. He wore a blue-checked green shirt and khaki cargo pants. Wyatt smiled when he saw her and walked straight to her table. His backpack went into an empty chair, and he sat across from her.

“Everything go okay with Hank?” Gabrielle asked.

Wyatt nodded. “I have two more sets of clothes in my pack, beyond what I’m wearing. He even gave me a card with my new sizes on it.”

“Hank’s good people,” Gabrielle remarked. “Have you given much thought to where you go from here?”

Wyatt chuckled. “I don’t even know what day it is, Gabrielle.”

Gabrielle regarded him for a moment, then said, “Today’s the fifth day after the rogue cougar attacked you.”