by Terry Spear
“How about if we have it on my land,” Pepper said. “That will show Waldron I have another sizable pack I’m allied with. And anytime any of your pack members want to run in our woods, I have two hundred and fifty acres of forested land they can enjoy.”
“We’ll do it. We’ll bring the food.”
“We could provide the beef, chicken, and hot dogs. You can bring the rest.” Pepper was smiling.
For the first time since Lelandi had met her, the she-wolf looked really pleased, which made Lelandi glad she’d come up with the idea. Now Lelandi was excited about how this would all play out.
“A show of solidarity should really help to put Waldron in his place. As long as he’s aware of it.”
“I think the Fairhaven twins being arrested is a start,” Pepper said, no longer appearing quite so glum about Waldron giving her trouble.
Once Pepper was part of their extended family, so to speak, Lelandi had every intention of showing her that life with a mate could be good. Not that Eric would necessarily be the one for her, or that anyone in the Silver pack would be, but maybe if she saw how well it worked for Darien and her, Pepper would give having a mate again a chance. Lelandi couldn’t help wanting to use her training to help others. She wished she could do the same for Eric. But maybe a little gathering like this could help to kindle the fire between the two wolves. She could only hope and help wherever she could.
Then Lelandi and Darien said good-bye to Pepper, Darien’s arm around Lelandi. Just before Pepper pulled out of the drive, he kissed Lelandi. She smiled up at him, loving her mate.
Pepper had left with a real spring to her step, and Lelandi felt great about the whole situation.
Darien walked her back into the house. “It seemed to go well. But…I know you. What are you really up to?”
Lelandi snuggled against Darien. “Having some fun with another pack and ensuring that a network of extended friends can help her out at any time.”
“And more?”
“Maybe. Only time will tell on that front.”
Chapter 9
The big day had come for the packs’ gathering, and everyone in Pepper’s pack was in high spirits. The kids had been asking all along if there were kids their age in the other pack, while the adults wanted to ensure everything was perfect for the festivities. She hadn’t seen her people this excited as a whole since Christmas, when everyone had a Christmas pack celebration and then their own small family get-togethers.
With everyone’s arrival, the get-together was in full swing.
The bachelor males and single females were all spruced up for the occasion, as if they wanted to put on their best appearances in case they met a wolf they might like to court. Pepper hadn’t really been thinking along those lines, because she wasn’t thinking about finding a mate, but that could be an added benefit for the gathering. Then again, how would her pack be affected if suddenly several of her wolves wanted to mate wolves of Darien and Lelandi’s pack? Would they stay with her or move over to the Silver pack? If they stayed with her pack, then all of a sudden it could really grow in size. What if some of them were alphas, and they started causing trouble for her? She wouldn’t even need a mate to do it. Or what if they all moved to the Silver pack?
She sighed. She didn’t need to worry about what-ifs.
“Need any help with anything?” Eric asked, startling her from her thoughts.
“Sure. We could use more ice for the coolers, and I need to grab more condiments.”
“Looks like everyone’s having fun already and we haven’t even started,” Eric said, walking with her on the long path to the house.
“For two weeks, this is all I’ve heard about. Half my single she-wolves went out and bought new clothes for the occasion.”
Eric glanced down at what she was wearing. She could have worn jeans or capris, but it was hot and she was wearing shorts. Except the only kind she had were short shorts. She was also wearing a formfitting tank top. And instead of boots like she usually wore as a forester, she was wearing sparkly sandals. Okay, so she had to admit she had wanted to dress up a bit in a casual way.
“Not me. These are old clothes. I hate to shop.”
“Looks nice.” He glanced at her legs again, and she felt her body temp rise a whole lot. His comment wasn’t just a casual one either, not when paired with his heated gaze.
“Thanks.” She considered his blue jean shorts and his muscle shirt that showed off his beautiful biceps—not too bulky, but just right. “Yours too.” Her gaze was just as heated, telling him he looked sexy to her. What the hell, life was too short and she was just as intrigued with him as he seemed to be with her.
When she was around him, she felt her palms sweat a little, her attention on him even when she was supposed to be doing something else. She was very much aware of his presence, his closeness.
She motioned to the freezer door up above and opened the fridge door below it to grab the condiments. Having forgotten the freezer door was still open as he pulled out the ice, she clobbered herself when she stood, smacking her head against the freezer door.
“Ow,” she said more to herself than to anyone else. She hadn’t whacked her head hard; mainly she’d just startled herself.
“Are you all right?” Eric quickly set the bag of ice on the counter, closed the freezer door, and lightly touched her head where she’d hit it. She remembered his first-aid training and how he was always prepared to help someone.
“Yeah, thanks. No major gashes or anything, I take it?” she teased, trying to ignore how embarrassed she felt.
He was looking down at her with an expression that said he wanted to kiss her. And then he did, his hands framing her face as she leaned against the fridge. The kiss was sweet but quickly turned hotter as she fed into it, wanting this as much as he did. Her response escalated his, and before she knew it, he was rubbing her bare arms while she was running her hand over his gorgeous biceps.
Lips parted and their tongues tangled. Her body was on fire even before he ran his hands over her breasts, the sensation making her feel as though she wasn’t wearing the tank top or a bra, that she was totally naked to his touch. And for an absurd moment, she wished she were. And that he was naked too.
“Hey,” Richard said, coming into the house. “Did we have more ice?”
Eric pulled away from her, not jumping back like he hadn’t wanted to get caught, but slowly, as if to say he didn’t want this to end and that it was only the beginning.
Flushed to high heaven, Pepper told herself it couldn’t be, or rather that it shouldn’t be.
“Bringing a bag out now before it melts,” Eric said as Richard looked from him to Pepper, judging everything that had gone on. “Though, as hot as it is in here, it might have melted just a bit.”
The air conditioner was on, so it was nice and cool. She smiled at Eric, amused at his comment.
She imagined her eyes were as dilated as Eric’s were. Her sub-leader could easily smell their pheromones. She was certain her nipples were fully erect, and her tank top would be showing them off to anyone who chanced to look at her top. So he had to know she and Eric were doing more than just talking.
She didn’t know how to feel. After the momentary shock, she wasn’t embarrassed to have nearly been caught in the act. It was her home. She was the pack leader. It was her choice to make. But on the other hand, she hadn’t expected that getting the condiments and ice would have led to this.
“Here, let me take it out,” Richard said, as if he wanted to ensure she had more time to visit alone with Eric and continue whatever they’d been doing.
Eric waited for Pepper’s decision. She thought he looked eager to take Richard up on the offer. And they could go back to kissing.
“That’s okay, Richard. We were just headed out.” After a big-time distraction. Kissing Eric had turned her world upside down. She
wanted more. How easily he made her forget not only what she had come in to do, but that her entire pack and many from his were gathering outside to play and eat and socialize.
Eric seized the bag of ice and gave Pepper a wink as Richard grabbed some of the condiments and headed outside with them. Now she was blushing again, as hot as her cheeks felt.
Richard looked like he was kicking himself for interrupting her time with Eric. But no one in her pack would have suspected that she was kissing a wolf in her kitchen during a pack gathering or otherwise.
She had thought her pack members might be a little apprehensive about meeting so many wolves from another pack, but everyone had been so thrilled at the prospect that she knew she’d made the right decision. They’d made the date for two weeks after the initial meeting so both Eric and Susan could heal up and enjoy the festivities along with everyone else. Pepper thought the timing was perfect, but she suspected Lelandi had really wanted to make sure that Eric could court her when he wasn’t still feeling poorly.
Pepper thought that Eric would be interested in looking for a mate if he came across someone who intrigued him. Definitely after the interest he’d already shown in her. Especially after the kiss.
“Do you want to play volleyball?” Eric asked as he tore open the ice bag and poured the cubes into the cooler while she set her load of condiments on one of the tables. Richard hurried to do the same, then made himself scarce.
She shook her head. “I’ll watch you play. Thanks though.” She wasn’t dressed for that—not in her short shorts and sparkly sandals.
“Not good at it, eh?” he asked, challenging her.
The men had set up the volleyball net in one of the grassy areas, and the kids had gathered balls and other toys to play with. The ladies had decorated the covered pavilion with flowers where the picnic tables sat. A few of the picnic tables sat in the grass, but some of the wolves liked to sit under the shaded pavilion. Between setting up games and preparing the food, everyone had gone all out to make the Silver pack welcome.
Pepper was really glad she had offered for them to come here first. She thought her people, having the smaller pack, would feel more comfortable with the first pack gathering in their home territory. She envisioned joining the Silver pack in a gathering in Silver Town later and thought about how much fun that could be. It was like having a whole new world opened up to her and her pack members—a wolf world, which allowed them to let down their hair around other lupus garous.
Eric was still waiting for her to respond to his taunt about playing volleyball, the sparkle of the devil in his dark-brown eyes. Pepper hadn’t been challenged by anyone in years. She couldn’t ignore it. She was damn good at playing volleyball, especially at serving and making points. The taller guys usually hogged the ball, and she couldn’t reach it while it was in play. But making points was the name of the game.
“You’re right. I’m not very good at it,” she said, smiling at him just a tad. She would have to play now.
“Well, if you’re on my side, I can give you pointers,” Eric said.
She could just imagine him missing the ball while he watched her jumping around in the short shorts. Or she could see him lifting her to hit the ball when she couldn’t hit it otherwise, his hands on her hips, then sliding up her shirt and over her breasts as he let her back down.
She couldn’t believe how his roughened voice gave her shivers, made her think wicked thoughts, and left her wanting more with him.
“I’ll play with my pack. I wouldn’t want you to lose on account of me.”
He was looking at her like he wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth or not, but was amused just the same.
Susan headed straight for them, and Pepper said to him, “I’ll join you in a minute.”
“Sounds good. Susan,” he said in greeting, then took off to join the others at the volleyball net.
Four barbecue grills were already cooking the meats. The aroma of the beef, chicken, and hot dogs made Pepper’s stomach rumble. She was ready to eat and visit with the new pack. The five kids they had in their pack—the twin five-year-olds, one ten-year-old, and two teens—were just as excited about meeting other kids their age who were wolves.
Now standing with Susan and observing all the fun to be had, Pepper was amazed how much things had changed for her and her pack in a matter of days. She hadn’t seen any sign of Waldron and his pack members for the past two weeks. That made her wonder if they had heard of the gathering and were leaving her alone now that the Silver pack was watching her back.
She realized just how isolated her own pack had been. By necessity for the most part, because they’d never run into another wolf pack. A few stray lupus garous, yes, and Waldron and his pack of late. But this was the first time to really get acquainted with a pack that only wanted to help them, not use them for their own designs. Or, as in her great-grandparents’ case, kill them off if they refused to leave the territory.
A couple of the teens and several adults, including Eric, were getting ready to play volleyball—the Silver pack against the Grayling pack. She was glad to see Eric wasn’t running a fever and seemed to have full mobility in his shoulder as they tossed the ball back and forth, warming up before the game started.
“So Eric’s looking as hot as usual,” Susan said. She also was wearing short shorts and sparkly sandals, with a stretchy shirt that clung to her breasts, not her usual reserved look. “Really hot.”
Pepper had just planned to oversee the activities, making sure no one got hurt. She hadn’t really intended to play in any of the games. “He seems to have healed all right from the bite wounds,” Pepper agreed. “Like you have from your injury.”
“Oh. That’s why you’re studying him so intensely. Just to ensure he’s feeling all right.”
Pepper raised her brows at her cousin. “I was concerned about it as much as I would be with anyone.”
“Uh-huh.”
Pepper saw Lelandi and Darien watching the volleyball warm-ups. Lelandi wrapped her arm around Darien’s waist, and he pulled her into a warm embrace and kissed her. Pepper noted that a few of her pack members and some of the Silver’s saw, watched, and smiled.
“Wow,” Susan said. “Now that’s what you need. A pack leader mate like him.”
Because of her own platonic relationship with her mate, and her own parents’ disinterest in showing affection toward each other, though they had been affectionate with her, Pepper had grown up thinking that being a pack leader meant just choosing a compatible mate who would help lead the pack. Romance wasn’t as important as good leadership. If a pack didn’t have good leadership, it would dissolve and the pack members would move to other packs or start their own, if they were alpha enough and could manage. So she knew how important the leadership was, and she worked hard to keep her pack together.
Susan scanned the area. “Oh, would you look at that?”
“What?” Pepper turned to see what had caught Susan’s eye.
Pauline was talking to a dark-haired man who was cooking some of the chicken on a grill. One of the Silver pack men.
“Will wonders never cease? But maybe that’s a good thing,” Susan said.
Susan didn’t have to say what she was thinking. They both thought Pauline needed a mate to help her control her twin five-year-old boys. But neither thought she’d ever find another one. Then again, that was some of the problem with being an isolated pack. Pauline hadn’t been interested in any of the men in the pack, but this connection with the Silver pack might open up some opportunities. The good thing was that if Pauline mated someone else and moved to the Silver pack, her boys wouldn’t be living that far away, and Pepper could still visit her nephews.
“Well, if you’re not going to play volleyball, I’m going to.” Susan headed straight for the volleyball net.
Pepper folded her arms and watched as Susan joined Eric�
�s side instead of her own pack’s. Now what was she up to? Susan kicked off her sandals and warmed up barefooted with the others.
Pepper smiled. If Susan thought she’d push Pepper into making a play for Eric, she was mistaken. Unless Susan really did have the hots for Eric.
Pepper headed over to the game, figuring they wouldn’t start until she joined them and ready to show Eric she wasn’t half bad at this. Like Susan had done, Pepper kicked off her sandals before she joined in on the fun.
Eric began the game with a serve that went right to her. Too easy, but she couldn’t slam it down on the other side of the net like the tall guys could, so she set it up for one of her teammates. She noticed that Susan’s mouth was gaping. Maybe because Pepper was playing. Or maybe because Eric had been trying to be nice, sending her the ball in a gentle way that assured her she couldn’t miss returning it. It was more than being nice though. It was tantamount to saying he wanted her favor. He wanted this to go further between them.
Eric’s brothers Brett and CJ were on his side too, both of them eyeing him with speculation. She suspected he usually played to win.
Then the game got into gear. When one of the men on her team slammed the ball onto Eric’s side, the Silver team scrambled to get it and return it with just as much vigor. When she began serving, Pepper managed to make six points before the Silver team could return the ball and she lost her turn. Now Eric was smiling at her with a devilish look that meant payback. Not like he planned to squash her in the game of volleyball, but something more fun, more intimate.
She had never had this much fun playing volleyball, and it was all because of the underlying sexual tension heating up between the two of them. She made a kissing motion at him, hoping no one saw it, but wanting to distract him enough that he would miss the incoming ball—and he did. She laughed.
CJ joked, “Eric, are you trying to lose on purpose?”
Brett laughed. “Hell yeah,” he said, “and for a damn good reason too.”
She didn’t think the kissing motion would distract Eric again, and she was afraid his team would be watching her to see what had stolen Eric’s attention in the first place, so she just smiled and raised her brows a little while his wickedly intrigued gaze remained on her, his mouth curving up slightly.