Wolf Ways (The Madison Wolves Book 9)

by Robin Roseau

  “I don’t know. It depends upon whether you let her take you to bed,” Michaela replied with a snicker. “If so, then yes, I imagine you will.”

  “Then if I’m invited, I’ll share Elisabeth’s bed in Key West,” I said. “If it’s a really, really good apology.”

  Ah, I do love a good euphemism.

  * * * *

  Dinner was lovely. I intentionally sat between Monique and Nora instead of next to Elisabeth, and then I ignored her besides. Monique seemed pleased to talk to me.

  I had already decided I really liked her, and I imagined she would be an excellent enforcer. And her excitement was tangible. I remembered what Angel had said about being treated like an adult. I couldn’t quite judge Monique’s age, but I wasn’t sure she was old enough to drive. But she still towered over me, and she’d proven herself to be very strong. I imagined she was capable besides.

  We didn’t talk about the trip until dessert. I helped to clear the table and bring treats out from the kitchen, and when I had a chance, I whispered to Elisabeth, “Will you hold my hand later?”

  She looked over at me and nodded.

  A few minutes later, with everyone having finished her dessert, Lara stood up. “Well, we have a great deal to discuss.” She looked at Elisabeth. “My sister has an announcement.”

  All the eyes turned to Elisabeth, then a few glanced at me. Elisabeth ignored them, but she stood and began talking.

  “My mother was a great deal older than her sister,” Elisabeth said. “And she had children when she was young, besides. Francesca, on the other hand, had her daughters when she was older. The end result of all this leaves more than a twenty year age difference between me and my youngest cousin, Angel.”

  Angel smiled up at her.

  “For Angel, that has meant she’s answered to both Lara and me since long before either of us held real authority in the pack. But it also means she’s had Lara and me watching over her. And Lara and I have been old enough to find our cousin absolutely magnificent.”

  Angel beamed at that, and there were sounds of agreement around the table.

  “Several years ago, Angel began dating Scarlett, and as you all know, they are now married. When they first started dating, I didn’t know Scarlett well. Michaela wasn’t teaching yet and hadn’t even moved to the compound but instead was living in Bayfield with my cousin as her work assistant, living with her half time. I didn’t know what to make of the situation. I had high hopes for my cousin, and I didn’t know if Scarlett would be a good influence or not.”

  You could have heard a pin drop.

  “As it turns out,” Elisabeth went on, “Scarlett has been more than a good influence. She was exactly what Angel needed, and I think perhaps Angel was what Scarlett needed, too. But while this is sounding like a speech I should have given at their wedding, instead, I really am going somewhere.”

  There were chuckles at that.

  “When Angel told me she wanted to become an enforcer, I couldn’t have been more pleased. I knew she would make an amazing enforcer, and everything that has happened since then has only confirmed what I already knew.”

  “Hear, hear!” said Rory, echoed by a few others.

  “Being mated to an enforcer can be difficult. Scarlett not only has taken it all in stride, she has stepped up to the plate herself. Informally, she has helped when we have needed her in more ways than I can count. She has a good head on her shoulders, and time and time again she has demonstrated maturity and judgment well beyond her years. For almost as long as Angel has been serving as an enforcer, I have felt free to, informally, call on Scarlett when needed. But Scarlett’s main passion is architecture, and we all know that’s exactly what she should be doing.”

  The room was again quiet. I wondered what was up. But Angel was beaming broadly, and Scarlett was smiling as well, so I knew nothing bad was happening.

  “Everything has been informal, but as of this minute, that is changing,” Elisabeth said. “With the Alpha’s blessing, I have invited Scarlett to be a permanent, although very part-time enforcer. She, with her mate’s blessing, has accepted. Scarlett’s main duties will remain architectural, but when we need her, she will serve the pack in this way. And so, from this moment forth, Scarlett carries the title, along with all the rights, responsibilities, and authority, of an enforcer of the Madison weres. I personally could not be more pleased, and I am so proud of both of you.”

  And then, all the other wolves in the room lifted their noses to the ceiling and began to howl.

  It was beautiful, if loud.

  I looked over, and Michaela was leaning against Lara, and Lara had her arms wrapped around her mate’s head. I thought that was odd.

  But then I cocked my head. Natural wolves have a sense of smell that is far, far better than a human’s. I wondered if werewolf smell was equally as powerful.

  Foxes, on the other hand, have intense hearing.

  I decided I had just learned something. I wondered if it was a secret. I decided to treat it like one.

  After all, if they could trust me not to tell the world they were werewolves, they could trust me not to tell everyone Michaela’s hearing was hypersensitive.

  Elisabeth didn’t howl. Instead, she moved to the other side of the table and pulled Scarlett into a deep hug. Then she added Angel to the mix.

  Lara unwrapped one arm from Michaela and held a hand up. Slowly, the wolves stilled. Then she released her mate, and the two of them took their turns hugging Scarlett and Angel.

  “I will echo Elisabeth’s words. I am so proud of you, Scarlett. I have been for a very long time.”

  Finally, everyone except Elisabeth sat back down. We all turned to look at her.

  “Scarlett, Angel, before we make assignments for our upcoming trip, I need to ask. If the two of you are on the same detail, can I count on you to pay attention to your jobs and not each other?”

  “Of course, Head Enforcer,” Angel said. “Just like we already do.” She sounded a little hurt.

  “I know you do, Angel,” Elisabeth said. “I was making a point. That is all.” She paused. “This announcement wasn’t a complete surprise to everyone in the room. As the head of the three main security teams, Serena, Karen and Emanuel have been consulted. We are going on this trip enforcer rich. We will have the entire alpha family, after all, and so we are descending on Key West in force. We could consider a smaller force, but the two youngest on the trip are not yet scuba divers, and so our attention will be divided on what is already a complicated trip.”

  She paused. “Eric, you are remaining here. You will be in charge of the compound while we’re gone. You may use the members of the enforcer program for assistance.”

  “Ah, the power,” he said, rubbing his hands together.

  “Gia will also be here, so make sure you coordinate with her,” Elisabeth added. “But use the kids for patrols and let her work her electronic magic.” Eric nodded. “You know what you’re doing. I’ll shut up.”

  And that caused some laughter.

  “Next. We have a human along. Portia, you will be Zoe’s head of security for this trip. You will have Monique to help.”

  Portia nodded. I thought it likely she already knew her assignment.

  I was deeply grateful. I liked Portia. I liked her a great deal. Without her involvement, I may not have survived my introduction to the pack, and I would be eternally grateful for that. But she had also offered true friendship, and done so in a very meaningful way, and I would be pleased to have her company.

  I caught Elisabeth’s eye, nodded, then mouthed the word, “forgiven”. She returned the smile and nodded as well.

  “Angel and Scarlett, you’re on the fox, although Emanuel may borrow you for the pups part of the time.”

  They both nodded.

  “Enforcers, we’ll discuss details privately. Unless there are questions, that’s all I have.”

  I had questions, but I would ask them privately myself. Mostly I was just curiou
s.

  She sat down. Then Michaela stood up. “As usual, I am running the important portions of this trip.” There were snickers. I wasn’t quite sure why. “We need to discuss the diving so we can make arrangements. Karen, Lara and I, along with the head enforcer and the heads of the security details, have talked about the diving. We have agreed that, with as many enforcers we have, while diving, we have the luxury of allowing the enforcers to enjoy the dives, assuming the kids are guarded properly and we have two active enforcers on the boat.”

  She looked around. “We don’t have a schedule. But what we have is a lot of opportunity to pursue specialties. In a way, we have two groups: the advanced divers, and our two new beginners.” She looked at me. “I presume you and Monique will work on your Advanced Open Water the first few days. I would like to know what specialties you would like after that.”

  I paused, then I looked at Portia and Monique. “May I ask a question?”

  “Of course,” Michaela said.

  “And I told you never to ask that question,” Lara said. “Just ask.”

  “Will my enforcers be able to work on specialties with me, or are they like secret service agents, scanning for trouble?”

  Elisabeth answered my question. “They can work on the specialty classes, if they want.”

  “There are a couple of specialties I would enjoy, but I think I’d be happy with whatever you’re doing, Michaela, or whatever Portia and Monique want to do.”

  “Which ones interested you?”

  I lowered my eyes and didn’t answer.

  “Oh,” Michaela said. “Let me guess. Underwater Photography and… Hmm. Videography.”

  I nodded. “But a housing for either of my cameras is so expensive, and I’d be terrified of ruining the camera, anyway. I have a video camera as well, but a housing for it is just as expensive.”

  “Zoe,” said Michaela gently.

  I looked up. “No, you aren’t buying more prints so I can afford a housing.”

  She smiled. “That’s not what I was going to offer. I did photography last year. My mate gave me a very nice early Christmas present. You may borrow my equipment.”

  “I couldn’t.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

  “Um. Alpha,” I added with as much contrition as I could put into my voice.

  “You are under no obligation, but really, you should borrow the equipment. I’m bringing it, but I’m going to have my hands full with my newest toy. I’m working on the videographer specialty this trip.”

  I smiled. “Thank you, Michaela. But what will Zoe and Monique do?”

  “Mine isn’t the only underwater camera we have,” Michaela said. “Or they could use the same time to work on something else.”

  I nodded.

  “And we can switch if you want to do video,” Michaela added.

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “Absolutely. Anything else?”

  “Isn’t that enough?” I asked with a smile.

  “Who else has any preferences?” Michaela asked. From around the room, people threw out night dives, wreck diving, and fish identification.”

  “Good,” said Michaela. “Karen, what do you think?”

  “I would like the advanced divers to work on Search and Rescue while the beginning divers are doing their Advanced Open Water. After that, we have four more days of diving.” She looked around. “If you have any other requests, get them to me before you sleep tonight. I’ll come up with a schedule and obtain all the course materials tomorrow.”

  We all grinned at each other.

  * * * *

  I spent the night. She made me scream.

  * * * *

  Two days later, we were winging our way to Key West.

  Part Two

  Key West

  I moved into Elisabeth’s arms and laid my head against her shoulder. She gently held me.

  “How are you doing?” she asked. “It’s been a long day of travel.”

  “I’m fine,” I said.

  “I want to talk to you a little bit.” She pulled away and drew me to the bed.

  “Oh, I like where we’re going already,” I said with a grin.

  “Yes, we’re going to sit. We don’t have time for more.” She pulled me to the bed, and we sat down on the edge, side-by-side, partly facing each other.

  “Trips like this are stressful for me. We’re in unfamiliar settings here, and danger could be anywhere.”

  “That seems dramatic and paranoid.”

  “To a human, yes, I can understand how you would see that. The paranormal races have cause to be paranoid. We really are after each other.”

  I laughed, but then realized she was serious. “Sorry.”

  “I just want to warn you that I won’t be able to give you the attention we both would prefer. This is vacation for the alpha family, but the enforcers are going to be busy.”

  I thought about it and nodded. “I think Karen intends to keep me insanely busy. I tell you, I am starting to appreciate wolf muscles when they’re used to carry my things. All that stuff she gave me to study!”

  Elisabeth chuckled.

  “There are things I want from you.”

  “Oh good,” I said. “These?” I waved my breasts at her. She smiled.

  “Those are nice. Please, Zoe, we only have another minute or two.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “First, I want you to enjoy yourself. Michaela knows how I get on these trips, so she’s probably going to engineer ways to keep you entertained. Let her. Don’t worry about what I’m doing. Enjoy the trip.”

  I nodded.

  “I do not want a hard time if you don’t get enough attention.”

  “I won’t, on one condition.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “When we do have time together, you must tell me how I can help you. If you want a massage, you tell me. Don’t make me guess. I’m not good at guessing.”

  She leaned over and kissed me quickly. “Deal. And when we’re done diving for the day and come back here, I want you to dress up a little.”

  “Oh, I hear the feminist in you.”

  “I like looking at you.”

  It was hard arguing with that. “Of course.”

  “When we go shopping, I’ll be buying a few things for you. The appropriate reaction is, ‘Thank you, Elisabeth. I love it.’ All right?”

  I thought about it and nodded.

  “All right. Thank you, Zoe. The plan is cocktails, a little conversation, and then we’re heading to dinner somewhere. Maybe you want to freshen up.”

  “Do I need a shower?”

  “Oh. No. I’m not that subtle about that.” I had traveled in comfortable clothes. She fingered my shirt. “But have you already forgotten my request that you dress up?”

  I laughed. “Got it.”

  I got another quick kiss, then we hugged once more before I headed into the bathroom.

  * * * *

  I decided to shower anyway. I pulled my hair up first and took a quick, cool shower so I wouldn’t heat up. I stood around in my undies while I worked on my appearance. I didn’t want to take a lot of time, as I didn’t want anyone to have to wait for me. But I had time to spruce up a little.

  I hadn’t brought that many clothes, and most of what I brought was casual daywear: shorts, golf shirts, and the like. But I brought two casual summer dresses, a pair of light grey slacks, one skirt, and a couple of simple, white blouses, plus two pairs of sling back sandals. I had tried to bring fewer choices and double up more, but then something possessed me, and I brought a few extra choices.

  I usually packed even lighter than this.

  I went with one of the dresses. It was a simple, V-neck, belted, baby blue dress, light and comfortable and, I thought, perfect for the Key West weather. I grabbed the cream sandals and was all set.

  I wasn’t much of a clothes horse. Okay, I wasn’t a clothes horse at all. I rarely put much thought into what I was wearing,
and what little shopping I did was always based first and foremost on finding bargains. My look tonight was simple and casual, but I thought Elisabeth would be pleased.

  If not, she could just get stuffed.

  I stepped out of our bedroom.

  We were all staying in two, four-bedroom bungalows. The two buildings shared a private courtyard with a pool. It was all lovely.

  Elisabeth and I had one of the rooms in the same house as Lara and Michaela. The girls had a room, and Nora and Monique shared a room. The second house held the rest of the enforcers.

  From the sounds of it, everyone was already in the living room, a suspicion confirmed as fact when I presented myself in the doorway. I stopped and watched the dynamics.

  As was typical, Michaela was at the center of the activity. The girls, along with Nora, were watching television in the corner. Rory was standing near the window, looking out, and Emanuel held an alert position near the doorway leading to the kitchen. Everyone else was clustered around the two sofas, with some squished into the available seating and a few either standing in back or sitting on the floor.

  Michaela was in what I called “teacher mode”. She was relating a story from Key West’s history. I listened for a minute and realized she was talking about Hemingway’s arrival in Key West.

  It was Michaela who first noticed me standing there.

  “There she is,” she said, interrupting her story. “We’re having cosmos.” She held up her drink. It was a bright, frothy red.

  “I’d love a cosmo,” I replied. “I’ve never made one.”

  “Then it’s a good thing Rory is expert at them,” Michaela said.

  And I watched as Angel climbed from her place at Michaela’s feet and moved to stand next to Rory. It wasn’t until he’d been replaced that Rory turned and said, “Did you guys finish those already?” Then he saw me standing there. “Ah ha!”

  He moved to the side of the room, and I realized they had set up a bar. The wolves normally drank beer as their preferred form of alcohol, and so I was a little surprised to see a bar set up with more than cans of brew.

  “We saved a spot for you,” Michaela said. “Right next to Elisabeth.” She pointed.

  It wasn’t much of a spot. Three wolves readily consume the available space on a sofa. But Elisabeth and Portia moved apart slightly, so I moved further into the room then carefully stepped around those seated on the floor, taking the offered space. It was tight, and I found myself dwarfed by a wolf on either side of me.