by K. N. Banet
“I know. There’s not much admin, but okay,” I said, crossing my arms as Dirk ran off to hang out with his best friend. Once he was out of sight, I looked at Heath. “I don’t know if he knows about Landon. You know, your son is totally crushing on him.”
“I don’t know either,” Heath admitted. “It worries me. I don’t want to see Landon hurt.”
“I don’t think Dirk would purposefully hurt him,” I said, defending Dirk instinctively. “I think he’s too much like Niko, actually.” I had learned a lot about my siblings over the summer.
I had gone back for two weeks to see them when Zuri introduced her son to everyone. Even Subira came to the island that was Hasan’s territory. It was the first time I had seen all the werecats of our family in one place.
“Niko is insanely private about his romantic life. I think Dirk picked up on that as the way to be. He was raised around people who could smell it on him if he wasn’t careful, which makes him a bit like Landon—careful not to think certain things or let his mind wander, so he never loses that sense of control over that part of his life.”
“Ah…” Heath nodded. “It’s a mental discipline you and I know a thing or two about.”
“Yup.” It was hard not to let the mind wander when I had been surrounded by my siblings, all of them talking or refusing to talk about their sex lives I had obviously been dragged into. Luckily, I was good at evading questions, and I tried never to mention Heath on my trip. When I did, it was always in relation to Carey or because someone else brought him up.
I was living a double life.
Everyone in my territory is, it seems.
“Everyone in your territory is what?” Heath asked.
“Oh, I didn’t realize I said that out loud. Everyone is living a double life here. You can’t tell any of the werewolves we’re in a relationship, and I can’t tell my family. Landon has been too terrifying and powerful when he’s really a softie who has a crush on a boy. Carey has to try to be human, but none of her role models are. Dirk and I both live under the pressures of our family, but here, we’re just us.”
“Not double lives. The lives we want to live but can’t,” he countered. “Landon has never felt safe enough in a pack to have a relationship, to allow himself to feel for someone else. I tried my best, but he’s watched the human world closely. It wasn’t ready, either, and he refused to love quietly, in secret. It’s nearly impossible for a werewolf, anyway. As for me…”
“As for you?” I was curious how I played into his idea.
“I’ve always wanted to be with a woman who would challenge me and complement me, not submit to me but also not dominate. Something outside of that structure entirely. I wanted something…impossible to obtain with another werewolf. Possible as a human, but I’m not human anymore.”
“And you found that with me?” I chuckled, thinking about the dynamics of our relationship. “I guess you did.”
“I know I did,” he murmured, leaning in to kiss my cheek. “I like that you stood up for Carey last night. I was angry, but I’m glad you stuck up for her.” He leaned in closer. “For the first time in my life, I think I finally have an equal who isn’t just…” He groaned and pulled away from me. “We’ll drop it.”
“You can tell me what’s on your mind, even if it’s about your previous wives.” I wanted to know every angle of this man. He’d heard enough about me and my family and my troubles, but he had been around for two hundred and fifty years, and I was still only scratching the surface.
“It’s not about my previous wives.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s about living in the Alpha box. Every female who wanted to be with me really only wanted the status—either they slept with the Alpha, or they were the Alpha’s mate. They didn’t want to have ideas of how to fix things in the pack. They wanted the position, not the conversation, the dialogue of a relationship. As an Alpha, to find someone who would have been my equal, someone I could talk to, I would have had to look at other Alphas. You’ve seen the North American Werewolf Council. Did you see any particularly interesting women there?” He gave me a wry smile.
“No, it seems like it’s a boy’s club.” I tried to remember if there were any female werewolves on the day I killed Price, but none came to mind.
“Yeah. While there are female Alphas, they’re pretty rare. They still run up against a lot of sexism and people telling them they can’t go too far or push too hard. There are none on the North American Council, although there’s one in Europe. Price was replaced with a female Alpha, but she hasn’t gotten his seat on the council. If they don’t replace me or him, they’re going to start running low on numbers. Wagner probably loves it. He’s always looking for an edge. More eyes on him and everything he does, more prestige, more respect from Callahan and Corissa.”
“I don’t know which one Wagner is,” I admitted guiltily. I had seen the entire council, should know all their names, but I had no idea who Wagner was or even what pack he ran.
“He’s the Alpha of Phoenix, Arizona,” Heath explained. “If you ever want to hear some interesting stories about some of the more obscure supernatural species, he’s the one you should ask. A lot of strange things live in that desert he calls home. He does a lot for the werewolf community and can be ruthless about it, which makes him ruthless with everyone who might get in his way.” Heath started to shake his head. “Actually, don’t try to ask him. He’s not pro-werecat. There are a lot of old werewolves out that way who weren’t in the war and don’t have as much prejudice, but don’t test them, either.” Heath stopped and turned a look on me. “You are very good at getting me off-topic.”
“I am.” I smiled widely. “There’s so much I still don’t know, and I like listening to you talk.”
“Well, back on topic,” he said with a toothy grin. “I wasn’t expecting to find everything I wanted in a partner and more when I moved here. I never expected it from you, but I’m happy I found it. I’m happy Carey found someone she can lean on when she needs it, and I can’t offer it. So, you say we’re living double lives, but I think…” He took my hand. “I think you’ve accidentally given us all a place to live more authentically.”
“You’re good at saying a lot of very sweet things,” I said as he kissed my hand.
“I’ve had over two hundred years to practice,” he reminded me. “What’s going through my head is definitely not sweet. Spicy might be a better description.”
“I like spicy, too,” I said mischievously. I used his hand on mine to pull him back to my house.
5
Chapter Five
I had to push Heath out of the house three hours later. He thought Carey could be home alone for a little while longer, but I wasn’t convinced. He’d dropped her off at home right after the meeting at the school, then wandered around all day. She was probably lonely, bored, and breaking the terms of her grounding.
“I almost wish you didn’t ground her,” he’d said as I walked down the drive with him. “Now I have to enforce it.”
“You were pretty willing to give her some righteous punishment last night. You can suffer,” I muttered.
“I’m in a much better mood than I was last night,” he countered. “You do that to me.”
“I’m sure sex, a shower, and a nap does that to everyone.” He laughed, nodding as we stopped at his car. “But I’m glad you’re in a better mood.”
“I still need to figure out her school situation. I don’t think we ever got around to talking about how the meeting actually went. They denied the bullying was that bad, obviously. They think she acted rashly and needed a harsh punishment. The parents of that senior were also donors to the school, and their business sponsors the football team and cheerleading squad. Their oldest son graduated two years ago as the team’s quarterback with a full ride to some nice college here in the state.”
“Oh, joy.” I knew the type. “My favorite.”
“Right?” Heath chuckled at my sarcasm. “So, essentially, their daugh
ter and her friends are untouchable. I won’t be able to help Carey through that.”
“Which is why you’re looking at hybrid education. Keep me posted. You and Landon don’t need to do it all. As the BSA reminded me, I’m one of her legal guardians. I can help with schooling during the days you need to head out to do something else. Don’t forget you’re a single parent trying to rule the world, and Landon is trying to live his own life. He finally got a house of his own, so don’t make him pick up all the slack.”
“I know. We’ll talk more about it if I can get approval.” He looked around, so did I, checking for anyone watching. Normally, we took no risks, but the last twenty-four hours had been a little exciting. A goodbye kiss seemed needed in a way it never did on most days. After, he jumped into his truck and left, leaving me to wander into Kick Shot. It was already open, and I had pretty much ignored it for the last day.
I walked into the hustle and bustle of the bar, wondering what sort of work I could find to keep my hands and mind busy. The bar was fully attended, and I knew Oliver would have a stack of things to read through, but that seemed boring, and I was energized from my pleasant afternoon. As I walked into the main room, I greeted customers at their tables, falling into the role easily. One of the servers saw me and smiled as she cleared away a table.
“How are things today?” I asked her. A summer hire we kept on at Oliver’s suggestion, she was new enough I didn’t have a rapport with her yet.
“Good. Everyone is pretty quiet, no bad orders. A good day.” She shrugged. “How are you, Ms. Leon?”
I winced. “Jacky, please. Or as Dirk does, just call me boss. Ms. Leon freaks me out.” It was a weirdly stark reminder of my position in the world and that I was quickly approaching forty, even though I didn’t look like it.
“Oh, I’m sorry! Jacky, then.” Her smile was broad. “Are you just here to bother the customers? Oliver mentioned you like to do it sometimes.”
“Yeah, just looking to wander around,” I said before letting her go about her business. I went to a table and kept my grin as I waved at the customers enjoying their drinks. They told me how they liked their food and drinks, then I moved on. It was once again a good day.
Until I saw her; the receptionist from the school, a customer of mine. She was talking to two other adults, rolling her eyes about something. I continued my rounds and finally stopped at her table with a smile.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Jacky Leon, the owner,” I said in greeting, reaching out to shake hands. “I was just wandering around, seeing how everyone’s experience was today, and asking if there was anything I could do to help you.”
The receptionist from the school looked up and frowned.
“So, this is where I recognized you from,” she said, looking beyond me and around the bar. “I have been stumped since yesterday.”
“I’m sure you have been,” I said with a smile.
“Carl, this is the woman who picked up your student yesterday,” she said, leaning over to the man at the table. Then she looked at me again as the man seemed surprised by this new information. “You know, you left the school buzzing.”
“I bet I did,” I said, keeping the smile plastered on my face. Then, I remembered how Heath told me the meeting went, and it dropped. “Tell me something…” I leaned over on the table. “If I liked that table over there more and gave them better service, ignoring your complaints for the rest of your meal, how would you feel?”
“I would review this establishment appropriately,” she said, her mouth going into a fine line.
“Yeah…What if I said they were investors of Kick Shot and deserved better treatment than you?” I tilted my head to the side, bringing back my smile, but I knew it wasn’t pleasant by the way the woman paled and another woman at the table coughed.
“I’m still a paying customer,” she said, swallowing.
“And she’s required to go to your school,” I whispered. I didn’t bother to say who I was talking about. “So, I better not hear one more damn thing from anyone in this town about how her teachers and the rest of the staff aren’t protecting her.”
“It’s just a bit of harmless fun,” the male teacher said, cutting in and putting his hand between me and the receptionist. “They’re teenagers. If we tried to—”
“When I was a senior in high school, I was the student class president and certainly didn’t bully anyone,” I snapped. “And if this is about money, let me know. I’ll cut a check double whatever they give you if it means you’ll actually protect the students you’re required to protect. Or you can never come back to Kick Shot because I’ll have the staff here treat you the same way you obviously treat your students, and you probably wouldn’t find that an enjoyable experience. The choice is yours.”
“We’d like our check, please,” the receptionist said softly.
“I’ll have someone bring it right over,” I promised, then left them alone.
For years, I had been invisible in this town, just the bartender at that run-down bar right on the outskirts of town. Most of them didn’t know the bar existed, much less know my name. Then Heath, Carey, and Landon came along, and people started to realize I knew and liked the new werewolves. Kick Shot was burned down and rebuilt into a thriving establishment. Every adult within an hour radius visited, getting away from their kids and their jobs.
Going to the school had opened my eyes more than I had ever wanted. The trip had also put me on the map with humans.
Oh, well. I won’t let these people bully Carey because of her father. Heath is a damn good man, and just because he’s a werewolf doesn’t give them the right to treat Carey as anything less than an outstanding student.
Part of me didn’t care if they learned I was anything but human. Those rumors had swirled for years, and I was less careful now that the BSA knew about me. The nice thing about my gold eyes when I was upset was I could blame them on the light, and most humans were willing to believe that. Humans were willing to believe anything except that monsters lived under their beds and served them drinks on Saturday night.
Oliver was waiting at the door to the back.
“You shouldn’t pick fights with the customers,” he chastised softly. A year ago, he would have never criticized me for anything, but Kick Shot was now more his than mine. I was the weird owner who popped in and bothered people while he actually ran the place and made it thrive. It had taken time to let go, but I was finally over it—kind of. Since I had let go, he had gained confidence since I no longer made him feel as if he was destroying my baby.
“They’re letting people bully Carey at school,” I explained. “They don’t get to come and relax in my bar when Carey can’t even walk down the hall in their school without being harassed. They asked for their check, so someone is going to need to run it over to them.”
“Ah, so this is why you’ve been in a bad mood. I’m sorry she’s dealing with that.” Oliver nodded, putting together the pieces. “I’ll make sure they leave without incident and keep our servers from getting caught in the crossfire. I need you to go upstairs and sign some things.”
“I don’t like how you’ve mellowed out,” I mumbled. “I liked it better when you were always trying to please me, which meant you never asked me to do anything.”
Oliver laughed. “Get out of sight, so I can do a little damage control.”
“Don’t bother. I don’t want that group coming back,” I said, shrugging as I headed up the stairs. When I entered my office, I found a small stack to look through and sign. Oliver passed everything through me, even when I didn’t care. He was looking at redoing the menus to freshen things up and add some signature burgers. We weren’t fine dining, but Oliver had slowly expanded the menu until I couldn’t bother fighting him anymore. We were a bar and grill now that just so happened to have pool tables. Those were one thing I wouldn’t let Oliver get rid of since the name of the bar was a pool term.
It took an hour, but I got through the payroll, the menu changes,
and the stock orders, authorizing Oliver’s budget for everything, then put it in the tray to go back to his office. The tray system made everything easier. There were only two, a tray from Oliver and a tray to go back to Oliver. He made copies of everything for us both to file, just in case. He was thorough, and once I stopped breathing down his neck, he was better at his job than even he knew.
I called Heath. He needed to know I just messed with people from his daughter’s school.
“I’m certain I just left you, and the world hasn’t ended since then,” Heath started the moment he picked up. “Which means you’ve done something I need to know about.” The lighthearted humor in his words made me smile.
“I think we need to become sponsors, donors, or whatever to the school,” I said, biting my lip as I explained the run-in with staff from the school.
“If we can’t beat them, join them?”
“Yes and no. Why don’t we just do better?” I leaned back in my chair. “We’re both wealthy, so wouldn’t miss the money. We’re both immortal and could be donors to the school for decades. Then they would understand it relies on them changing the very culture of the school for that money to stay. Bullying won’t be tolerated. All of that.”
“Help all the students, not just the ones we like,” he said softly. “I couldn’t do it while I was Alpha of the Dallas pack, but…I can do it as a single father.”
“There’s no stopping me,” I said with a smirk.
“I’m still going to look at taking Carey out of the school. She’ll graduate faster in a hybrid school.”
“Yeah, it’s just an idea,” I said, shrugging even though no one was in the room. “Just in case the BSA rejects your idea.”
“It’s a good idea. Throw money at the problem.” He sighed. “I’ll look into it and see if I’m allowed. I’m still a werewolf, still one of the most dominant in the United States, so there’s still red tape I have to deal with.”