Hello? I thought at him.
He smiled after a leaden moment. “Not yet.”
“Guess not.” I took the comb from him.
Sascha tilted my chin. “Beautiful wolf, is something the matter?”
My cheeks warmed under his intense focus. “A wolf came to me at the stream today.”
“What wolf?” His hands swept my sides. “What did he do?”
Whoa.
“Uh, not whatever you’re thinking.”
Sascha closed his eyes and opened them after a long exhale. “I thought your presence here would help me control the mating call, but the presence of other unmated male Luthers is doing the opposite. Forgive me.”
I struggled against a grin. “You think someone else will catch my eye?”
His shoulders tensed. “More that you will find a worthier partner.”
“Nature doesn’t work like that.”
Sascha faced me. “You and I both know nature isn’t everything.”
Didn’t I know it.
I sat on the bed beside him. “I’m not sure you understood what I meant when I told you the tribe were still my people.”
“You meant that anything you see and hear on pack lands that could help the tribe will be conveyed to them.”
I blinked at him. “You…”
He crooked a smile. “Is there anything else?”
“You’re giving me permission to pass on pack strategies?” This was not how I envisioned the conversation going.
“I know what I would do if our situations were reversed. You don’t need my permission.”
Sometimes, I felt like I needed another fifty years on the clock to follow him. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that it would be foolish of me to hold you to silence when that would tear you in two.”
My chest rose. “Where did you come from, Sascha Greyson?”
“The same place we all do, I’d gather.”
I leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”
He regarded me with complete seriousness. “I realise this is a huge adjustment, but I’d like for you to give pack life a chance. That’s the one thing I ask.”
“I will. I want to.”
“Good. Then be assured, we’re using frequency generators during pack meetings. Until you tell me things have changed, that practice will continue. I know when you give your word, you mean it. So when you give it, I’ll hold you to your promises. Between now and then, consider me warned.”
He spoke of my promises and change of heart like they were certain things. “It’s just a lot to get used to.”
“Pack is a foreign concept for your wolf. I understand what you feel more than anyone.”
It wasn’t my wolf. It wasn’t the move to pack lands.
“You know I’m here.” He swept my wet hair back over my shoulder. “I’m not going anywhere.”
And neither was I.
I placed the comb on the bedside table. “Where should I put my bags?”
“The second wardrobe is empty. There are drawers in there, too, ready for you.”
Was I about to unpack my stuff into Sascha’s bungalow? Shit, I was. “I might do it later.”
Sascha stiffened. “What’s wrong?”
Dammit. “Well. Uh. Putting stuff in your wardrobe feels a lot like moving in with you.”
“You have moved in with me.”
Yeah, and I’d just grasped that now. “I guess I did.”
His heart thumped faster. “Is this moving too quick?”
Too quick in some ways. Too slow in others.
“No.” I gestured at the bags. “I’ve just never…”
This was a line that I never crossed with past boyfriends. Caring for Ragna was always my reason, but looking back, I saw that was just an excuse to keep my distance.
I’d crossed more lines with Sascha than anyone else.
This shouldn’t feel so strange.
It wasn’t strange.
“I’d prefer you stay in my bungalow.” His eyes darkened.
And I could guess why.
The thought of me jumping in bed with another male Luther was laughable, but the mating call must whisper all kinds of things in Sascha’s ear.
I rested a hand on his arm. “I want to stay in here with you.”
He released a pent-up breath. “Thank fuck.”
“That bad, huh?”
“You have no idea.” He growled and then leaned forward to kiss me.
My toes curled against the wooden floor as warmth seeped through every part of me. “Mmm, that won’t ever get old.”
“Agreed, mate,” Sascha whispered. “Now let’s go to dinner. I’m starving.”
This girl needed a moment to collect herself. “I’ll be right behind you.”
I listened as he left the bungalow and entered the pack house.
My phone buzzed.
Wade.
I’ve waited five hours.
Why the hell do I need to stay put?
The wait would have killed him, but I didn’t want to message him until I spoke to Sascha.
What do you think? I asked Booker.
You want to tell the tribe, so do it. It’s not your problem that Sascha Greyson has a rebellious pack member.
Rebellious wasn’t how I’d describe the old fisherwolf. He was testing my loyalty. The Luther literally reeled in a fish with bait and threw it back in the water. His information was a poorly concealed trap.
If I keep my mouth shut, I betray the tribe. If I tell the tribe, I betray Sascha. I groaned.
If you betray your pack, then you betray Sascha too, she replied.
… Could you dumb that down for me?
There’s a reason you didn’t react with a partial heat after the kiss meet. There’s a reason neither of you received the next mating gift.
I stilled. Why?
You know why, she said softly. If you cannot give Sascha Greyson all of you, then neither of you will be happy. You’re only giving him part of you, even now.
I wasn’t great at hearing these things, but my wolf was nearly always right on such matters when she chose to chime in. I’d barely glanced at Sascha tonight until he confronted me about my mood. The distance I’d subconsciously erected between us had everything to do with what the old wolf told me about the pack’s Sandstone strategy and everything to do with my failure to pass the news on to the tribe. What should I do?
If the answer were obvious, we’d be on that path already. But you know what to do right now. Trust your gut.
Taking a deep breath, I texted Wade back.
I know the pack’s plans for Sandstone.
It’s bad.
I need you to tell Rhona immediately.
He texted back.
You want me to help her?!
You must be out of your fantastic mind.
Felt like it.
Please. This is for the tribe.
It’s important.
Not waiting for a reply, I sent through the details of their strategy and added my theory after.
Three dots appeared.
On it, baby girl.
Tension drained from my shoulders.
This shit was one twisted, hellish mess.
Sliding my phone in my back pocket, I walked out of the bungalow.
The lawn and stairs outside the pack house were filled with pack members making the most of the warm summer evening. While Luthers came and went for breakfast and lunch, they all made an effort to gather for the last meal of the day.
Which was awesome for me.
I ignored the hundreds of curious eyes and the hundreds more hostile eyes and entered the huge bungalow.
My nose twitched at the scent of gravy and potatoes.
Hot damn.
I hurried to load a plate with vegetables and chicken. Dousing the food with rich gravy, I scanned the pack members sitting on the floor and eating.
The bungalow was always divided down the middle with females on
one side and males on the other. The only place that didn’t obey that rule was the leaders’ table. On it sat Sascha and his five status representatives, Hairy, Leroy, Mandy, Grim, and Lisa.
I’d sat at that table every night since arriving. An empty chair waited there for me.
But to my eyes and ears, the hostility against me had grown in the last few days, not diminished. Therefore, I was doing something wrong, and I’d promised to give pack life a real shot.
Scanning the females again, I puzzled over their seating arrangement. They were in clusters but moved in a weird shimmer.
So did the male side.
Like a mass wave at a sports game, those towards the exit would only eat when those closer to the leader table had eaten before them. I focused on the women closest to Sascha’s table. Almost as one, they took a bite. Then the group down from them did the same. This repeated all the way to the door and to those groups I could see just outside.
Why did they do that?
It sorted out where I was sitting at least. I wasn’t waiting to eat for anyone.
I sat cross-legged on the ground just in front of the first cluster and dipped a roasted potato in the gravy.
“What are you doing?” a pretty brunette asked.
“I’m about to cover this potato in as much gravy as possible. Then, I will eat it.” I followed the explanation with a practical demonstration.
Her blue eyes slitted. “You can’t eat here.”
I swallowed. “I beg to differ. I just did.”
“This is where alpha females sit.”
Sascha’s mother was here, but she didn’t interfere.
“I’m a sigma female,” I replied. “Why do you think your rules mean anything to me?”
“A sigma in a pack has to obey pack rules.”
I covered another potato with gravy. Should have poured more on. “Where do your pack rules suggest a female sigma sit?”
“Wherever you can hold a position,” she answered, a slight sneer in her tone.
“I’m holding this one just fine.” I shoved the second potato in my mouth and selected some broccoli. Gross, but green stuff was supposedly good. Did copious amounts of gravy cancel that out?
I watched the other women. Around half of those between me and the door were eating after I did. The others seemed to be holding off in support of Miss Rules here.
The brunette leaned forward to meet my gaze. “I’m telling you that you can’t sit here.”
I held her gaze. “I’m telling you that these potatoes are really good, and I’m not waiting to eat them in whatever queue system your pack has going on. If you’d like me to not sit here, then I suggest you attempt to move me.”
I felt a very slight pressure on my mind.
Huh, fancy that.
A strong wolf could force their way into the minds of a weaker wolf. Sascha had such power as pack leader, and I’d accidentally done it to Daniil to locate Wade.
What I felt now was a much weaker version of that.
My smile widened. “Are you trying to move me with your mind?”
Her eyes flashed and the pressure in my head mounted.
Feeling blindly, I located another potato on my plate and brought it to my mouth without breaking our stare. A bead of sweat broke out on the woman’s forehead.
“How long does this go for?” I asked after swallowing.
Sascha’s mother answered. “Until one of you backs down.”
Oh, brother. “For the record, I just wanted to eat potatoes and gravy.”
Can I get a hand? I asked my slumbering wolf.
She yawned. What?
It’s a status battle thing. Thought you might like to partake.
Booker was awake in an instant. Establishing hierarchy ranked just below eating hearts.
We’d only used this mental attack thing in the midst of a fight before, so I followed Booker’s lead to locate the power deep in our chest. It usually sat there unnoticed, but from the mind battle with Daniil, I knew this energy could drain away.
That must be why the woman was slowly ramping up her attack. She didn’t want to overcommit.
Let’s just use a little bit of what we used on Daniil.
Got it, my wolf said gleefully.
I felt the energy rising through my chest and throat. It built in my mind, and I felt the rushing moment Booker unleashed it on the woman.
The pretty brunette thumped to the ground.
My jaw dropped as the muted conversation in the room seized.
“How much did you use on her?” An angry blonde leaned over the unconscious brunette.
Yikes. “Just a bit.”
The blonde picked up the brunette and left the room, accompanied by a few other women.
Look at us making friends, I told my wolf.
She didn’t answer, fast asleep again. I seriously envied her sometimes.
Sascha’s mother smiled at me. “Kara’s fine. She’ll wake in no time. You just overwhelmed her mind.” She raised her voice. “While we’re on the subject, would anyone else like to challenge Andie for assuming the top position?”
Just in case, I shoved a baby carrot and potato in my mouth.
No one from the nearest group seemed overly keen, and conversation resumed after several tense minutes.
I chewed on a slice of chicken and watched the wave as the females ate after me. Some still refused to eat.
Guess they’d go hungry. No skin off my fangs.
Sascha’s mother moved closer. “I’m Evelyn. You may not remember me.”
“I remember. You were knitting.”
His mother was definitely one of the older wolves I’d smelt, but I didn’t feel any danger in her company.
Sascha’s mother smelled like pine—just like her son. I’d noticed that Wade’s mother smelled like salted caramel too. Children seemed to inherit their mother’s scent as their primary smell.
“Are you recovered from your battle with Daniil?” she asked.
“There were wounds on my torso and legs, but they’ve healed.” The fight with Daniil was the easiest part of that night to process.
“I’d like to bring an issue to the pack leader,” a woman called from halfway down the bungalow.
She was small with a pointed face and large brown eyes.
“Delta,” another alpha muttered under her breath.
“Rosalie, I will hear you,” Sascha replied from the head table.
The occupants of the pack house fell silent.
Crap, this was probably about me. I shoved the three remaining potatoes in my mouth.
Evelyn rested her hand on my thigh. “Best not to eat when Sascha isn’t, dear.”
Hell would freeze over first.
Rosalie drew herself tall. “Your potential mate has joined our midst. She sleeps in our territory and uses our water and supplies. She eats our food. By our pack law, everyone on our territory must contribute.”
Luthers darted looks at me, and I paused in chewing, cheeks filled with potato.
Sascha leaned back in his antler throne. “I had thought to give Andie time to recover from her ordeal.”
“From her own lips, we’ve heard that she is healed.”
Sascha remained impassive. “There are wounds other than the physical. You saw what was done to her.”
Ugh. I resumed chewing.
“Are there other pack members who support this claim?” he asked.
Swallowing, I counted the hands.
A lot of hands.
The thought of me freeloading was the most hilarious thing to happen in a long time. Me, who’d made sure the bills were paid as best as possible since age eleven and who’d cared for her sick fake-mother, taken on her debt, and then somehow ended up caring for more than a thousand tribe members.
I snorted and slapped a hand over my mouth.
“Andie?” Sascha said. “Do you have something to add?”
“No. Nope.” My voice was strangled. “Sorry. Continue.”
&n
bsp; He focused on Rosalie again. “What do you propose?”
“That she pays her way. She could help in Clay or Water.”
I wouldn’t mind that actually. The tribe knew precious little about pack operations in those grids.
“The Dens,” Hairy interjected. “She can play music again. Profits increased by over 2 percent while she was with us.”
Wade brought my saxophone with my other stuff, and I’d wasted no time sneaking the instrument back into the Jeep when he wasn’t looking. “I won’t play music.”
Hundreds of eyes found me again, including Sascha’s.
Hairy cast me a confused look.
I’d never touch that saxophone again. “Is there a different job at The Dens?”
Mandy spoke, “How about the casino side of things? You could work a table.”
Sascha’s growl unfurled like a whip. “You know she won’t do that.”
Yeah, that bothered me once. But who the hell cared anymore? Life was already as fucked up as it could get. What was one sliver more?
I smirked. “The casino? Sure, why not.”
“Andie.” Sascha began.
I stood, empty plate in hand. “I’m not sure how it works here, but I’ll need to be paid money.”
Rosalie crossed her arms. “That’s not how it works in a pack.”
“I have the rest of my gambling mother’s debt to pay off, so the pack will need to make an exception. Or, I can find other employment and pay a set fee to the pack for living on this territory and eating your food. I’m fine with either.”
Finding other employment could prove difficult though. The tribe owned most of the other companies, barring a few family-run businesses in town that didn’t hire outside help. The supermarket and bank would be the best bets.
Murmurs broke out.
I’d wager that Sascha didn’t want me off his territory.
He also needed to keep his pack happy.
“We have communal pack funds that each Luther has access to,” he eventually said. “Instead of this, we’ll transfer the personal share of what you earn to your account. Are you certain that you wish to work in the casino? We can find different work.”
I lifted a shoulder. “The casino is fine. When do I start?”
4
Wolf Roulette: Supernatural Battle Page 3