Dahy blew on some foam getting too close to his face in the bath and turned a page in the book. He’d given up on the previous one, the stupidity had come to be too much, but this one was off to a good start. A broody detective was investigating a murder of a young woman, and the nerdy florist from across the street kept popping up in the weirdest of places.

He slipped deeper into the water and turned another page. If he ever got a home, he’d have a bath where he would read every day. He reached out and grabbed a handful of cashew nuts Myka had gotten him and groaned as he popped them into his mouth. So much better than bird seeds.

She’d bought several bags with different kinds of nuts, and he’d hidden them in good places for later. Frowning at the page, he regretted not having poured a bowl with pistachios. They might be his favorites. Along with cashews, of course. And pecans, and almonds, and walnuts. Oh, now he wanted walnuts. Myka hadn’t bought any. Peanuts would be good too. She’d bought a couple of bags of peanuts, so he could have some later. Hazelnuts. She hadn’t bought hazelnuts.

He froze. He didn’t know why, but a warning of danger swept through him.

He didn’t move a muscle, didn’t so much as breathe, as he listened. Did the gravel crunch outside? His heart jumped into his throat, and he slowly placed the book on the floor.

There was a knock on the door, and Dahy hissed. He flew out of the tub, grabbed the bottle of perfume he’d thankfully placed next to the bowl of cashews and sprayed himself from top to toe. He coughed and gagged, and he reached for a towel and gave it a couple of sprays too before wrapping it around his hips.

It had to be Myka.

He hoped it was Myka.

It wasn’t Myka. He knew it wasn’t. They’d agreed they wouldn’t meet up for a couple of days. But maybe something had happened to make her come here? He shook his head. Nope, she’d have called or at least texted to let him know she was on her way. And if she'd misplaced her phone -- he did all the time -- she’d have called from the doorstep.

On wobbly legs and with eyes wanting to tear from the stench of the perfume, he neared the front door. He could spot a hulking form through the window -- not Myka. Perhaps it was Roan. He had no idea what he looked like. Maybe he’d heard about Myka coming here and wanted to check it out. God, he hoped not. It wouldn’t look good if he realized she was hiding some guy away.

With trembling hands, he reached out to unlock the door. If he died now, he only had himself to blame. Who was so stupid as to open the door for a stranger?

He had an out-of-body experience as he pushed the door open and looked into dark eyes that turned amber in a blink. Fuck. He took a hasty step back, but as he did, the wolf on the doorstep did too. He more or less jumped down from the doorstep and coughed.

Thank fuck for stinky perfumes.

Fire erupted in his chest, and he feared he’d breathed in too much of it but forced himself to keep his face blank. The wolf looked at him, a frown appearing between his brows as he rubbed his heart. Too much perfume for him too. Served him right.

“Yes?” Dahy was proud of how steady he managed to keep his voice. His body was acting funny though, heat was buzzing inside of him. He needed the wolf to leave so he could wash off the perfume before he overdosed on the fumes.

“I’m ... eh ...” The man cleared his throat, and Dahy almost laughed when tears formed in his eyes. Almost. Since his eyes also threatened to tear up, it wasn’t as funny as it would’ve been had he been unaffected. The man rubbed his heart again and frowned at Dahy. “Sorry, I’m feeling a little ... funny.”

“Do you want me to call you a doctor?” It’s what a human would’ve done, right? If a stranger appeared on your doorstep feeling unwell, you’d call a doctor. “An ambulance?”

“No.” The man waved a hand, took another step back and gave Dahy a devastatingly handsome grin. Fuck. Dahy did not need to notice that in a wolf, his traitorous body should not react to the sight of him. Squirrels and wolves did not play well together.

“I’m Konrad Brody.”

Oh fuck, the alpha.