Forever Home (Sawtooth Shifters, #1) Read Online Free PDF

though she talked to every one of her guests—that’s what she called all of us who were staying with her at Forever Home—like she would call a friend, it felt personal. She meant every word she said. There was no bullshit with Trina.
    If only she was a wolf. But then I’d never have her. I couldn’t win, either way. It hadn’t bothered me as much before the capture. Now I realized that my time came with an expiration date.
    She saved our lives, and I’d do anything for her. At first it was a matter of principle. Then she became a daydream. A pretty face to make me stop thinking of the horror of the last six months. Otherwise, every thought turned toward revenge. Without Trina, I’d become as bloodthirsty as Major.
    The longer we stayed here, the more my thoughts became an obsession. Trina made me want more, and realize how much I didn’t have without a mate. Even in the week we’d been here, I picked up on her quirks, like singing off-key to the country music station as she cleaned cages, whistling with the birds as she did her paperwork. And how quickly her happiness faded into something much darker, something troubling. She always came back around to the animals, relying on us for strength when she couldn’t do it all on her own. Trina needed more, too.
    “Oh my goodness, what happened here?” A young woman poked her head around the battered doorway, a poodle whimpering in her arms.
    “Renovating.” Trina plastered a phony smile on her face. The other two girls scattered. Trina was their alpha. A woman like her would make me stronger. She’d make our pack stronger. “What can I help you with?”
    “Oh.” The woman was too polite to call bullshit out loud. “This is my grandmother’s dog. Or was. My grandmother died.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that.”
    The visitor took a deep breath before continuing. “None of us can take care of Candy, that’s this little girl. I live in a dorm, and my mother has her hands really full already. I’m sure there’s a family out there that would love to have her. Or maybe another older lady. She’s a really good dog.”
    Trina walked over to the woman and patted Candy on the head, murmuring something to her. “I can tell. Right now, I’m at capacity. I have a couple of adoption appointments lined up this week. I can take your name and number, and when something opens up I can let you know? That’s the best I can do.”
    “Okay.” The woman’s face fell. “We’re not going to be in Granger Falls all that long, and I don’t know where else to bring her. Is there anyone else who can take her?”
    “We’re the only shelter in town.” Trina sighed, the smiled fading. She fidgeted, like if she kept moving there would be some way to make room for this dog. “I’ll make some calls to area shelters, but a lot of the no-kills are in the same boat we are.”
    “She’s a good dog,” the woman repeated. “I really want her to find a nice home.”
    “I know. Me too.”
    Trina slammed her fist against the newly laid plywood and dissolved into tears when Candy and the woman left. She did this a lot, when an adoption appointment didn’t result in a placement or she couldn’t take a new guest.
    In a week, she’d have five more spaces. We couldn’t fuck this up. It wasn’t just our lives on the line.
    I stayed at Trina’s heels when she put the kittens back in their pen. “Careful,” she said to me when I put my nose too close to the bars. She absentmindedly dropped her hand into my fur. My coat was so much fuller already. Shifters healed fast. We’d all gained some weight and I almost felt like my old self. “I think tonight’s the night. I’m going to bring you home with me. We’ve got to start making room in here.”
    “What the hell?” Major pushed against the front of his crate. “How’d you convince your girlfriend to take you out on a date?”
    “Don’t question it,” I huffed at him. “It’s the first step in getting out of