Uncaging Wolves (Shifter Country Wolves Book 4) by Roxie Noir

they went on expressly to get Scarlet off their minds. He thought about her driving home and in the shower, and every time he looked at Gavin, he knew that his mate was thinking about her too.
    But then he remembered the bad things. She’d shot a guy, practically a kid, and left him to die. She’d been part of a hate group, and she’d gone to jail for treason .
    Chase knew he wasn’t perfect. He’d done time himself, for fuck’s sake, but he’d done it for growing pot, not for trying to wipe out an entire class of people. He had no idea how much someone could change from that mindset, or whether they even could.
    More than almost anyone, Chase and Gavin knew that change didn’t come easy. Half of Gavin’s parolees went back inside within a year, no matter how hard Gavin tried. Chase knew that most of the guys he’d gone in with were back inside, after unsuccessful stints on the outside. Old habits were just so easy .

    A week went by and nothing changed, so Friday morning, Chase got out of bed and left Gavin sleeping there in the dark. Then he drove into Rustvale alone, the steel gray of sunrise barely illuminating the horizon when he parked outside the Sweet Dreams Bakery. The clock in his truck still said it was five forty-five, but he walked to the front door and stood next to it, leaning against the wall.
    One by one, the street lamps went off as the sun rose, slowly. At last, he heard the click of the deadbolt being shot back and then the rattle of the sign being turned to open.
    Chase took a deep breath and opened the door, just as Scarlet turned the corner and went back behind the counter. When she saw him, she stopped, then carefully brushed her hands down her apron.
    His eyes dropped to her forearm, the triple moon tattoo. Chase knew exactly what it meant. He’d even been offered one, and turned it down.
    “Hi,” she said, her hands still in her apron.
    “Hi,” he said. “Scarlet.”

Chapter Ten

    Scarlet

    “I guess you found me out,” Scarlet said.  
    She felt like she was frozen in place, totally stuck to the floor. After Friday, she’d half-hoped that she wouldn’t see either of them again, but now Chase was here , and despite being sleepy and surprised and pretty angry, she was also glad to see him.
    At least he came to say goodbye , she thought.
    “I guess I did,” Chase said. He stepped up to the counter. “What’s good today?”
    Scarlet took a deep breath, then looked down at the counter, trying to remember what she and Annika, her boss, had baked that morning.
    “Sweet, or savory?”
    “How about one of each.”
    She nodded, then frowned. It had only been a few days, and while she’d gotten the hang of the register quickly, she wasn’t as good with the names of baked goods.
    “I like the blueberry scones,” she said. “They’re a little sweet, but not much. If you want really sweet, there’s the lemon bars, or the bear claws.”
    Something clanged in the back of the shop, and she turned to look through the door.
    “Why didn’t you tell us?” he asked.
    She looked into his eyes.
    He won’t ever understand , she thought.
    “You mean why didn’t I tell you that I was fresh out of jail for treason as part of a hate group?” she asked. “What would you have done? What were you going to say ?”
    “Gavin and I met when I was in jail,” Chase said.
    Scarlet blinked, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
    “What were you in for?” she finally asked.
    “Being part of a massive marijuana growing operation,” he said, waving a hand casually. “My parents were hippies, part of a commune, farmed most of the pot that got smoked in Northern California before it even became Cascadia.”
    “And they sent you away?”
    “I was twenty. I knew what I was doing.”
    Scarlet crossed her arms. She was tempted not to believe him, and she narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out whether he was lying.
    “Gavin was your parole officer too?” she asked.
    Chase shook his