by Lori Drake
The database contained records for every wolf Adelaide had ever met or known of, and given that she’d lived for over two centuries, that was a lot of wolves. Joey hadn’t been aware of its existence until she’d begun working closely with her mother a few months ago, but it had served her well when she’d needed to find wolves in unfamiliar territory, and it was proving even more invaluable with all the outsiders in town. She’d taken the time to tag every wolf that’d turned up, but a few more had popped up at the reception that she hadn’t known about. That lack of consideration rankled her a bit. It was common courtesy to give an Alpha a heads-up when you were entering their territory for whatever reason. Maybe they hadn’t known who to contact. Joey’d had to correct several who assumed Sam had taken up the mantle, but as far as she knew, they hadn’t given him a heads-up either.
Disrespectful.
Most of the visiting wolves were relatives, some more distant than others, but there were a few—like Abby Walker and her pack—with no blood ties. After locating and tagging the missing guests, Joey flipped through the roster as a whole, refreshing her memory of who was related to who and how. Everyone seemed to expect her to know who they were, even if they’d never met before today.
Joey paused when she reached Abby Walker’s record, her finger hovering over the mouse button as she studied the grainy black-and-white photo attached. Ben had been tasked with discreetly getting updated photos for all of the attendees. Joey didn’t particularly care how he did it. She’d overheard him telling a distant aunt that he was trying to take a selfie with everyone for a memory book.
She advanced to the next record, but Abby lingered in the back of her mind. After sleeping on it, Joey and Chris had decided to give Abby twenty-four hours and see where things stood. She didn’t like it, but she knew how prickly alpha egos could be, and even though Walker was in her—and Chris’s—territory, pack business was pack business. Joey would do her best to respect that, but she wouldn’t hesitate to tromp on toes if that was what it took to keep her people safe.
There was a knock on the door, and Joey glanced up in time to see the door open enough for a dark-haired man to poke his head in.
“Am I interrupting?”
Joey minimized the database window reflexively, even though the screen wasn’t facing the door. “Ah, no. I was just about to head back downstairs, though.” She mentally shuffled through the pictures she had on file, struggling to put a name to his face, though she was certain she’d met him downstairs. Lewis? Lucian? Lucas? Yes, that was it. Lucas Grant, a cousin several times removed.
Lucas let himself in, leaving the door open as he cast a curious glance around the room. He had that tall, dark, and handsome thing going on, his polo shirt and dress slacks just tight enough to emphasize the muscular frame beneath. Joey envied his business casual attire. She’d gone for the full-on skirt suit this evening, wanting to look the part of the Alpha and make a good impression. The result? Joey felt like an imposter, an off-brand knockoff of Adelaide Grant, uncomfortable in someone else’s skin.
Joey waited and watched for any indication of what Lucas was doing in her office. His eyes caught on a painting tucked between two bookcases, and he ambled over for a closer look, tucking his hands into his pockets.
“Did you… need something?” Joey asked, trying desperately not to frown. Hostesses did not frown at their guests, no matter how oddly intrusive they were being.
“Hmm? Oh, nothing in particular. I thought we could talk a bit.” He didn’t take his eyes from the painting. “Is this an original?”
“Probably.” Joey leaned back in her chair and folded her hands across her stomach. “What do you want to talk about?”
Lucas tore his attention from the art and wandered over to the desk, dropping into one of the chairs across from it with an affable smile. “You.”
“Me? What about me?”
“I dunno. We’re related, but we’ve never met. Tell me a little about Josephine Grant.”
“I prefer Joey.”
“That’s a start.”
Joey shrugged. “There’s not much to tell, I guess. I’m originally from San Diego. I enjoy hiking, swimming, dancing…”
“You’re the youngest, right? Of five?”
Joey arched a brow, surprised that he knew so much about her family tree. As it was, she knew very little about his. She knew which branch he was on, but no particulars about his siblings. “Yes. Well, of four I guess. Technically.”
“Technically?” He cocked his head.
“One was adopted.”
“Ahh. Do I sense some bad blood there?”
Joey fought the urge to fidget. Alphas did not fidget. “Uh, no. Not at all. But it’s… complicated.” Also, none of his damn business. She hadn’t given much thought to how she’d be introducing Chris to the family, at least some of whom would know of him as Adelaide and Reginald’s youngest son. Her error struck her with sudden clarity. It was going to be an awkward evening. She cleared her throat. “What about you? I don’t know much about you, either.”
He smiled and crossed an ankle over a knee. “Born in Savannah, but I live an hour outside of Atlanta now. I’m the baby of the family, so we have that in common. My family breeds horses. One of ours nearly took the Triple Crown a few years ago, but… almost doesn’t really win you bragging rights, does it?”
“I guess not.” Joey found herself smiling. It was easier to relax when the conversation wasn’t focused on her, and Lucas seemed like a nice guy. Trespassing aside. “I haven’t ridden a horse since… I don’t remember when. I was probably a kid.”
“That’s a shame. They’re amazing creatures. I ride almost every day.” A spark of passion lit his hazel eyes, and he leaned forward in his chair, smiling. “Most horses are gun-shy around wolves, but ours have grown up around them, so they don’t react the same way.”
“Really? That’s fascinating.” She was overstating it a little bit. Horse breeding didn’t hold much interest for her, but the idea of animals conditioned to tolerate wolves was fairly interesting.
“Come on out sometime, and I’ll give you a tour. Heck, even a lesson.”
“I don’t know when I’ll have a chance, but maybe I can take you up on that. Sometime. For now, though, we should be getting back to the reception.” She collected her phone and stood, tucking the device into her jacket pocket and swallowing the lump of dread in her throat.
Lucas stood as well, lingering in place while she walked around the desk to join him. “I suppose. Keeping you all to myself would be rude, no matter how pleasant it might be. I hope we’ll have another chance to talk soon.”
He offered her a hand, and Joey took it, but rather than the handshake she was expecting, he lifted her hand and brushed a kiss to her knuckles while meeting her eyes. It was right about then that she realized idle curiosity wasn’t what’d brought the charming bastard to her office. Lucas wanted to woo her.
Joey cleared her throat and reclaimed her hand, offering a smile she hoped didn’t look as strained as it felt before leading the way to the door. Her uninterest would be clear enough when Chris arrived, which should be any minute now, and she could save her cousin some unnecessary embarrassment.
Chris assembled his pack for a last-minute huddle outside the Grants’ mountain lodge. It hadn’t taken much work to get his ragtag pack of misfits respectable for his extended family; they’d cleaned up pretty well on their own. Adam, for example, had produced an honest-to-goodness suit from the depths of his closet. It fit, too. Between that and his slicked-back brown hair, he looked like a completely different person.
Chris’s eyes flicked from one wolf to the next, but he resisted the urge to engage in any last-minute grooming rituals. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous… Oh, right, because this was basically his high-society debut as an Alpha. Him and Joey both. Joey probably hadn’t been able to resist straightening ties before the guests descended. Lord knew she’d never been able to leave his alone in the last second
s before they took the stage at a dance competition.
They looked good, really. Even Lucy’s powder-puff-blue hair had been coiffed in an artful upsweep, and she’d rummaged up a dress longer than any he’d ever seen her in. It was still skintight, but at least it went halfway down her thighs. Colt stood quietly next to her in his “dress boots” and a suit with a bolo tie and matching cowboy hat. Only Jenny and Itsuo had been excused from the festivities, the former because she had a big paper due the next day, and the latter because he’d been stuck to his granddaughter’s side like glue ever since the word “hunter” had been uttered.
Jessica cleared her throat softly and flashed Chris a smile. “Any last words before we face the firing squad?”
Chris chuckled and glanced toward the house, then back to his pack. “I feel like I should have something profound to say, but all I can think of is… have fun, but not too much fun.”
“Where does sliding down the banister fall on the fun scale?” Jessica asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Chris eyed her. “Too much fun.”
Lucy finished fiddling with her phone and thumped it against her brother’s chest. Adam caught it there but glanced at her with a lifted brow. Lucy smirked and gestured at her clingy dress. “Do I look like I have pockets?”
Her twin rolled his eyes, but tucked her phone away in a pocket.
“You underestimate the value of a purse, Lulu.” Jessica held up her small black beaded clutch.
Lucy snorted. “Highbrow wolf society party? I’m gonna need both hands for drinking.”
“She’s kidding, boss,” Adam quickly reassured him, but Chris knew the score.
Chuckling and shaking his head, Chris motioned toward the door. “Okay, let’s do this before Joey sends out a search party.”
As the others turned to go, Jessica squeezed his arm. “It’s going to be fine. Don’t stress so much. You’ll give yourself an ulcer.”
“I don’t think that’s physiologically possible, but thank you. Shall we?” He offered an arm, and she took it with a smile.
Inside, Chris led the way to the library with its floor-to-ceiling bookcases, where the festivities were in full swing. “Full swing” wasn’t saying much, however. It was a somber affair, as befit the occasion, with the guests scattered around the big room, chatting amongst themselves and sipping alcoholic beverages. There was a buffet table and a liquor table off to one side. After careful consideration, Chris and Joey had decided that it was best to not have human waitstaff lurking around, so the guests would feel more comfortable to be themselves and speak freely.
Speaking of guests, he counted about twenty of them around the room. The Grants were mingling, though he didn’t see Sam anywhere. Maybe he was on dad-sitting duty. When his pack hesitated just inside the door, Chris chuckled and said quietly, “They won’t bite. Go get something to drink and mingle.”
The pack dispersed, leaving Chris to seek out his co-host. He found Joey contending with five men arrayed in a horseshoe in front of her. She looked uncomfortable, to say the least, though it’d take someone that really knew her to be able to see through the smile plastered on her face.
That smile turned more genuine when Joey noticed him approaching. “There you are. Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s poor form to keep a lady waiting?”
“Sorry, love.”
Five heads swiveled to look at Chris, and he nodded politely to them as he slipped past and bent to press a brief kiss to her lips. Or, at least, he’d intended it to be brief. Joey curled a hand in the front of his shirt and held him there a bit longer. Far be it from him to complain about kissing her, but he couldn’t help but wonder what that was about.
He didn’t have to wonder long. When his attention returned to the guests, their expressions betrayed a wide range of emotions. Surprise, suspicion, curiosity, even annoyance. The last was particularly troubling. Chris found himself wanting to kiss her again. His wolf wanted to drag her off to a closet and rub his scent all over her. He suppressed both urges and rested a hand at the small of her back.
“Gentlemen,” Joey said. “This is Chris Martin, Alpha of the Granite Falls pack.”
The men stepped forward one by one to introduce themselves and shake his hand. The annoyed one was Bradley Grant, though he’d wiped the expression from his face before making his introduction, turning it into a bland smile.
Wesley Grant was the curious one, so it was appropriate that he was the one to ask the million-dollar question: “Chris Martin… Adelaide and Reginald’s Chris?”
Chris nodded and smiled. “One and the same.”
“Chris was adopted by my parents after his parents were killed,” Joey explained, probably for the others’ benefit.
“And now you’re…” Bradley didn’t even try to conceal his disgust. His lip actually curled.
“It’s complicated.” The words came from an unexpected direction, from a tall, dark-haired wolf that hadn’t had the chance to introduce himself yet. His eyes were on Joey as he spoke, his expression more amused than anything.
Bradley snorted. “I’ll say. Excuse me. I’m in need of a refill.”
Chris watched the big man’s back as he moved off, but his attention was drawn back by a hand being thrust in his direction.
“Lucas Grant. Pleasure to meet you, Chris.” It was the dark-haired wolf that’d risen to their defense—sort of.
Chris shook Lucas’s hand. “Likewise.”
“Lucas’s branch of the family are horse breeders,” Joey said. “He was telling me earlier that their horses are exposed to enough wolves that they’re conditioned to remain easy around us.”
“Really?” Chris said, his interest piqued. “That’s impressive. You know, I’m not sure if I’ve ever ridden a horse before.”
Joey nudged him, smiling. “You have. Remember Ricky Thompson’s birthday party?”
Chris groaned, the memory returning with sudden clarity. “How could I forget?”
“I sense a story.” Lucas arched a brow. “Do tell.”
“He fell off,” Joey said.
Chris grumbled, “The saddle pad wasn’t belted on tightly. It slid right off and took me with it.”
“You fell off.” Joey pressed a hand to her mouth, eyes mirthful with suppressed laughter.
“I was lucky not to get trampled. I was the first seven-year-old in the history of seven-year-olds to throw my back out.”
Joey burst into laughter. Lucas joined her, and Chris couldn’t help but chuckle a little in spite of himself.
“Do you have any siblings around here, Lucas?” Chris made a room-encompassing gesture. “I suddenly feel a need to go wheedle one of your embarrassing childhood stories out of someone.”
“Or you could share one of Joey’s.” Lucas waggled his brows.
Chris snaked an arm around Joey and pulled her against his side. “Nah, I’ll get even with her later.”
He hadn’t intended it as innuendo, but the four lingering men seemed to take it as one. Brows were lifted, and Lucas nearly snorted whatever he was drinking. They all excused themselves shortly afterward. Joey half escorted and half dragged him out the nearest door. Her cheeks were pink, and he didn’t think it was from alcohol. He hadn’t tasted any on her lips, and she appeared to be stone-cold sober.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like—”
She pushed him against the wall right outside the door and cut him off with a kiss. Surprise didn’t stop him from wrapping his arms around her and gathering her close, but she broke the kiss sooner than he would’ve liked.
“I’m an idiot,” she said.
“Hm? What makes you say that?”
“I didn’t even think about how awkward it was going to be to ‘out’ our relationship to the extended family.”
He pressed his lips to her forehead. “It’ll be okay.”
“I really wanted to make a good impression, you know? That’s what tonight was supposed to be about.”
“Do you want me to
go?” It wasn’t an easy question to ask, and he wasn’t sure quite how he’d take it if she said yes.
Joey gave her head a quick shake. “No. It’s too late now, anyway. We’ll just have to push through it. They had to find out sometime, and I have no desire to hide you away like some sort of dirty secret. It’s not like we’re actually related.”
Chris’s answering smile started in his heart and radiated outward. “I love you.”
“I love you too. We should go back inside.” She patted her hair, then wiped at his lips with her thumb. “Is my lipstick okay?”
“It’s fine. How’s mine?”
She giggled and licked her thumb before wiping at his mouth a little more. “Working on it.”
“What’s with the power suit?”
It took her a moment to answer, like she had to gather her thoughts. “I wanted to look more… I dunno. Like an Alpha.”
He stared at her, blinking slowly. She’d always seemed like a natural to him, like she was born to lead. It was nice to know she suffered from the same sorts of inadequate feelings that he did. But now wasn’t the time for commiseration. She needed reinforcement, and he could give her that. “Baby, you are an Alpha. It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing your birthday suit. Hold your head high and own it.”
“I don’t think wearing my birthday suit would be a very good deterrent against would-be suitors.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” he reminded her with a confident smile, then took his life into his own hands and reached for her hair, plucking at the pins that held the French twist in place. She didn’t try to snap his fingers off, so he kept at it until he had a small pile of hairpins in his pocket, then combed his fingers through the spun silk that was her auburn tresses, releasing them to cascade around her shoulders. “Hmm. That’s better, but…”
Joey shrugged off her jacket and draped it over an arm. “Better?”
“Hmm. Better…” He plucked at the top button on her silk blouse, liberating it from its hole with a flick of his fingers. Then he did the same for the second.