Cael (Were Zoo Book 11)

the couch cushion. “Get Novi to realize that she’s not fully human so I can show her my shift. And then bring her and her mom to the park to stay so they can be safe.” He lifted his head. “Could they stay in one of the apartments?”
The alphas had built an eight-unit apartment complex at the back of the park, accessible by two security gates—one leading outside the park and one inside. The complex had been built because there were human soulmates who needed a viable place to live where their families could come visit without them knowing there was a secret city underneath the park. The complex had been finished over the winter, and all the units were empty.
“I’ll speak to the alphas once the sun is up this morning,” Alistair said. He rose to his feet and stretched with a yawn. “In the meantime, you should try to get some rest so you’re not such a grump when you talk to Novi. Make plans for Tuesday and get in touch with Justus and Trina, and then I’ll call for you when I’ve had a chance to talk to them.”
“I don’t like keeping a secret from her,” Cael said.
“Of course not. It goes against our nature to keep secrets from those we love, but you must for now. If you were to reveal your true self to her and she and her mom disappeared, it could put us all at risk.”
“I know.” Cael walked his alpha to the door and said goodnight.
“You found Novi, Cael. That’s the difficult part.”
They said goodnight and Cael shut the door. He stared at the couch and the space in front of it where he’d been pacing for what felt like hours. Alistair was right—he should try to get some rest. Otherwise he was going to keep pacing and be an exhausted mess for work. Even though he’d found his soulmate, he’d still need to be out in the paddock in his shift for the VIP tours that afternoon, and he had responsibilities to the norms as well. He climbed into bed, exhaustion plucking at him from all sides, and finally passed out, his last thoughts on Novi and what their future held.
Later that afternoon, Cael answered a text from Novi as he climbed the steps into the shed in the elephant paddock.
I’ll be out of touch for a few hours when I’m out in the paddocks, he texted.
Okay, she texted back. I’m supposed to be sorting through some clothes that were dropped off last night anyway. I’d rather talk to you though.
Me too.
I’m so tired, I slept like crap last night.
Cael was secretly pleased that she hadn’t slept well either, but he wasn’t such an ass that he was going to let her know he was glad she’d been in turmoil. Oh? Just not tired or was something on your mind?
She sent him an eye roll emoji. I think you know that I was thinking about you. How did you sleep?
Like crap. He included a laughing emoji followed by a yawning one.
I’m bummed I had to work today and tomorrow, it would’ve been nice to see you. I’m looking forward to Tuesday.
Me too. Is there anything you want to do in particular?
Nope. You can plan what we do.
Immediately his thoughts strayed to his empty bed, but he pushed them away and texted, I was thinking dinner and then we’ll see where the night takes us.
That sounds perfect. Gotta run, a customer just came in. Have fun with the animals, and give that elephant a kiss on his trunk for me.
I will.
He put his phone on the counter just as the door opened and an elephant made a grumbling sound. “I know, I know. I’m coming, Kelley. Give me a minute.”
Kelley made an impatient sound, and Cael glanced at the clock on his phone and realized that the first tour was going to start in less than ten minutes. He’d lost track of time texting with Novi.
He stripped swiftly and shifted, ducking out of the shed and closing the door with his back leg.
The first Jeep holding a VIP guest came by a few minutes later. Cael hung back while the others stayed close to the fence, scenting each passing guest to see if one of them would be their soulmate.
Novi coming on the tour gave the unmated males and females in the park hope that the free tickets were actually working. He certainly could say with all honesty that without the ticket, he probably would’ve never met Novi. Now that he had her in his life, he wanted to keep her close.
Once the tours were done, Cael found Justus and Trina in the candy shop in the park, where Trina worked with her best friend, Lexy. Lexy was mated to Win, one of the gorillas.
The shop was empty, so Cael explained the situation. “Would you be willing to casually run into us somewhere Tuesday night?”
“Sure,” Justus said. “You really think she’s part bear?”
“She smells like it. Her eyes turned blue and her nails got dark, and she growled too.”
Trina finished tying a bow on a clear bag of colorful taffy and said, “I don’t think we should meet up at dinner. You need time to chat and get to know each other first. Maybe an ice cream shop?”
Cael pulled out his phone and searched for ice cream shops. “There’s Calaways Parlor, that’s only about ten minutes from her house.”
“I’ve had their ice cream, it’s really good,” Trina said. “There’s a Japanese steak house near there. That was always my favorite place to go for my birthday. It’s exciting and fun to watch and gives you something to talk about, and the food is really