by Robin Roseau
Then I took a breath. "Are we agreed my idea has merit, but needs refinement?"
"I would volunteer to help chaperone for two one-week periods this summer," said James Bent over the phone.
His offer surprised me. "Really?"
"Yes," he said. "Will there be kayaking?"
"Yes," I said. "Definitely."
"Hang on," he said. We all waited a moment. Then he spoke again. "My mate has asked if I would like her to also help chaperone and is offering to be there the entire summer. Hanna is not a dominant wolf, however."
I looked to Lara. I had met Hanna a few times, but had never talked to her. Lara nodded, and I said, "I'd love her help, James."
"Alpha Lara," James said, "I applaud your mate's goals. I would suggest we expand her summer program by ten students. And I would point out my sister is looking for a job."
"What happened to that coaching position?" Lara asked.
"Budget cuts," James replied.
"She's a coach?" I asked.
"Girls' high school basketball," James explained. "It was only part time. She lives with Hanna and me."
I turned to look at Lara. I didn't know James' sister.
"Carrie is solid and reliable," Lara said. "Other than Violet's concerns about the costs, which we'll come back to, our only other concerns are related to discipline."
"I would like to see the students in action," I said. "What if we hosted a few weekends in Bayfield in May? We can invite interested students and at least one parent, maybe five or six at a time. I can hold an introductory class in two or three of the activities."
"Your prospective interns couldn't come," Serena said. "They would be getting ready for the end of their college terms."
"My current students could help," I said. "What if the summer program requires recommendations from a student committee? Angel and Scarlett have helped interview in the past. This wouldn't be any different."
"We will also have a pack play night late in May and invite any students we are still considering," said Lara, "but not make final offers until we see how they behave in a larger group."
"All this sounds like a plan," I said after a few people nodded. "Is it time to discuss Violet's question?"
"Lara was right," Violet said. "If this is good for the pack, we'll find a way to pay for it. But I would like to know what we're agreeing to."
"Do we want to charge a fee?" I asked.
Francesca looked very uncomfortable.
"I do not want us to charge a fee," Violet said, and Francesca's expression smoothed. "I do not want Francesca burdened with issues of money. I want her teaching students. That goes for you as well, Michaela. If we charge a fee for this, then we are always going to ask, 'Do we charge a fee for this activity?' So no. We will fund this in other ways."
"The biggest costs will be Carrie's salary, food, and equipment rental," Lara said.
"We should build a few more shelters," I said. Four years ago, Lara had surprised me by purchasing a significant amount of land near Bayfield, gifting the land to the pack. We now had a lodge on pack land as well as a few small shelters my students used when we went to Bayfield for classes. The shelters were simple to build. "But we need them anyway." I turned to Serena. "Could my security detail help build them, if there aren't any other distractions?"
She looked at Elisabeth. Elisabeth answered for her. "You, Eric, Rory and me."
Serena nodded to Elisabeth and then turned to me. "Yes, if it's just the five of us."
"I'll be there, too," said Lara. "With Nora and the pups."
"So we'll have Emanuel and Karen as well," Elisabeth said.
"Michaela," said Violet, "I would like estimated costs by the end of next week. I expect your estimates to be reasonably accurate and complete."
"I don't know what Carrie will cost," I said. "James, does she understand this is only a summer position?"
"I'll talk to her about it," he replied. "May I invite her to pack play night next weekend?"
"Yes," said Lara. "And I hope you and Hanna will be there."
"We will," he said.
"So we're doing this?" I asked.
"Tentative approval," Lara said.
I smiled. "Thank you."
"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, Little Fox," she said.
Business As Usual
Michele Lassiter actually drove out to the compound Friday evening. I offered to come to her; it was silly for her to have to drive to the compound, but she said, "Chloe will take my car, and you can drop me off at home afterwards."
She arrived at six. I'd had a short run with my security detail and the pups but was dressed in a business suit and waiting for her when she arrived. Security for me was Serena, Eric, Angel, and a new enforcer, Portia, one of Karen's friends. She'd been with us for a year now. She was quiet and very competent.
Serena was nearly a constant presence for me. I still thought it was ridiculous to require her to watch over me when I was at home or school, but I appreciated her watchful gaze whenever I left the compound. I rarely was allowed away from the compound with less than four enforcers, but I had gotten used to it, more or less.
Portia had come to us late last winter. Karen had facilitated the meeting, and Elisabeth had done a background check on her before allowing Portia into our territory. I presumed that check included a call to Lima Consulting, but I hadn't asked. I hadn't been in attendance at the initial meetings, but when I heard we were considering a new enforcer, I had insisted on meeting her. We met at the council chambers, and I arrived with a full security detachment. Elisabeth and Portia were already waiting. They both stood up when I entered. Elisabeth introduced us, and we shook hands before sitting down.
"You may go first," I told her with a smile that didn't reach my eyes.
"You're the fox I've heard so much about," she said. I inclined my head.
"What have you heard?"
"I heard about Chicago."
"What did you hear?"
"I heard you singlehandedly humiliated Avery Grant."
"Is that what you heard, or did you hear details that you translate into that statement?"
"I've heard details," she replied. "I do not know if they are accurate."
"Where did you hear these details?"
"From a former Chicago enforcer named Keith Henry. He is now an enforcer in Atlanta, and I did a job there."
"Will you tell me what you were doing in Atlanta?"
"No, ma'am, I am sorry, but I will not. Please do not ask."
"If you were to become an enforcer with this pack, would your answer change?"
"No, ma'am," she replied. "Is that a problem?"
"If you will be on my security team or that of my wife or my children, then I want to know what kind of person you are. You will find a way to show me." I turned to Elisabeth. "I'm sorry. You know I trust you."
"I'm glad you're here, Alpha," she said. "Do not apologize."
I nodded and turned back to Portia. "I will respect the privacy of your prior clients, although natural curiosity won't necessarily stop me from asking questions. I will never order answers unless they directly affect pack security."
"What does that mean?"
"If we are ever dealing with someone you once worked with, I expect your loyalty to be to this pack."
"Yes, ma'am," she said. "It would be."
"All right. You were asking about Chicago."
"As I heard it, Avery Grant challenged you. Your alpha tried to deny the challenge, as your status was omega at the time, but you accepted the challenge anyway."
"That is accurate," I replied.
"I understand you shift very rapidly."
I didn't like having my skills so well advertised, but I had used my ability to shift in front of a large number of unfriendly enforcers, so I had to expect some of them to talk about me.
"Yes," I said. "You could say that."
"I don't have details of the fight. I had cause to meet Avery Grant. He was
a very large wolf. Would you explain how you beat him?"
We wouldn't have gotten this far if Elisabeth didn't have a certain amount of trust. On the other hand, Elisabeth, Lara and Serena had been very clear my security detail would be extensive during this interview. I considered her.
"You don't have to explain, Alpha," she said when I was slow to answer. "I understand your reticence."
I didn't want to show her my weapons so instead I asked, "Who has a knife for me?" I was rather surprised when Elisabeth reached down to her leg and pulled out a silvered knife. She handed it to me carefully.
Portia looked at the knife in my hand. "That is sized for you, not her."
"Yes," I said. "And I am very good at catching them. That day, there were a great many wolves providing knives for me to use. Are you able to use your imagination to fill in the details, Portia?"
"Was it a fair fight?"
"The only help I received was in the form of knives throw into the fight for me. No one else touched him. You have to decide for yourself if that made it a fair fight or not. When it comes to a wolf who wants me dead, I don't worry about fair. I worry about killing him by any means necessary."
She nodded once. "There are more rumors about you."
"I'm sure there are."
"It is said Avery Grant was not the first wolf you have killed."
"He was not."
"Nor was he the last."
"No, he was not."
"Were you in fur or skin when you killed these other wolves."
"I've done both," I said, "but I was primarily on two feet for the most recent five."
"Five." She said it like she didn't believe it.
"Three challenged me, one attacked me with no warning, and one I challenged."
She paused, studying me. "Why do you need any security detail at all?"
"Deterrence," Elisabeth answered. "And she's not invincible."
"If I am assigned to your security, will you take orders from me?"
I paused. Portia had been leaning forward, but as soon as I didn't immediately answer, "Yes", she leaned back.
"It's complicated," Elisabeth said. "There is no way she would take orders to abandon her children. If her children are threatened, the only order she'll accept is, 'Guard the pups'. Every enforcer in the pack knows that."
"All right," Portia says.
"You should assume I would do what I felt is best for the pack," I said. "I wouldn't leave members of my security detail to die. We go in as a group and we leave as a group. You would need to learn my style, and you should assume I would be fighting with you, not cowering behind you. Would you expect a different answer from my wife?"
"No," she said. She paused. "No. I see your size and I feel like I am dealing with a willful teenager or a fragile human. You will take some getting used to."
"You should expect me to act like an alpha of the pack," I said. "With a fox twist."
She leaned forward again and nodded. She turned to Elisabeth. "Can she handle herself?"
"She is fragile. But yes, she is exceedingly competent."
"I want the job," she said bluntly. She turned back to me. "What do you want to know?"
We talked for two hours. I spent the entire time trying to decide if she was lying to me. I was far less worried about the answers themselves than the truth of the answers. In the end, she did a very good job dodging questions about her prior clients, but not once did I feel she lied to me. If she didn't want to answer a question, she was direct about it. I decided it was time to wrap up.
"Has my questioning changed your mind?"
"No, Alpha."
"All right. There's something I haven't asked. Why do you want to join our pack?"
That was when she smiled. It was the first smile she'd shown me. "I am ready to settle down," she said. "I am tired of forming attachments only to leave a few weeks later."
"So that is your reason to leave your current employment and join a pack. Why this pack?"
"There are a few packs I would consider," she said. "Boulder is my second choice."
"Is that because Boulder's current head enforcer is female?"
"Indirectly," she said. "The head enforcer being female is an indicator of the pack's attitude towards women."
"All right. Is there more?"
"I came here first primarily because of the pack's reputation and conversations with Karen. If you turn me down, I will approach Boulder. If they turn me down, I don't have a third choice."
"I have one more question. What are your political aspirations?"
Elisabeth began to growl. "Michaela-"
"I want to know," I said. "Silence that growl." I looked directly into her eyes until she lowered her gaze and grew silent.
"My apologies, Alpha."
Portia looked back and forth between us. "Chain of command is confused?"
"I am stepping on Elizabeth's toes even being here," I said. "Both she and my wife periodically have to remind me to stop questioning Elisabeth's competence. She is exceedingly competent, but I am Fox and am still not fully accustomed to depending on others." I looked at Elisabeth gently. "I am sorry, Sister. You know I can't help it."
"I told you I am happy you are here, Michaela," she said. She lifted her eyes. "Portia, please answer the alpha's question."
"I have no political aspirations," she said. "I will defend my position in the pack. I will take orders from the alphas, the head enforcer, or the leader of any team I am assigned. I am qualified to lead teams, but would expect to be a member of the pack for some time before that would happen. I have no desire for any more lofty positions than that."
She turned to Elisabeth. "I'll take the crappy assignments. I don't mind night duty, and if you told me that was what I would have for the next ten years, I would still want to join this pack. I do not change diapers, and if I am assigned to willful teenagers, they will find me to be exceedingly dominant." She gestured to me with her nose. "I do not know what to do if given conflicting orders by the alpha and the head enforcer."
"The chain of command for security issues is Lara, Elisabeth, the heads of the various security details, and then me," I said. "However, if you are ever in a position to protect me or protect my children, you damned well better make sure my children are protected. Do you have a problem with that, Elisabeth?"
"No, Alpha," she said. "I do not."
"Portia, do you have any further questions for me?"
"No, Alpha. Thank you for your time."
I stood up. "Elisabeth, I will accept your judgment on this issue. Thank you for indulging me."
"Thank you, Alpha," she said.
I was barely out of the building before my phone rang. "What is your real opinion?"
"I think she would be a good fit, but I don't want you to make this decision based on my conversation with her."
"I'm not," Elisabeth replied. "But if you have misgivings, I want to hear them."
"Caution, but probably no more than you have," I said.
"She has impeccable references," Elisabeth said.
And so, Elisabeth asked Lara to invite Portia into the pack and assigned her to my team. So far, she had worked out well.
* * * *
We climbed into the SUV. Eric took the driver's seat with Michele riding shotgun. Portia had the back seat. I sat between Angel and Serena and felt like I always did when sitting between two wolves: like a small child. Angel wasn't quite as large as Lara and Elisabeth, but she was actually slightly taller than Lara, and she was spending a lot of time in the gym. She had become an impressive wolf.
"How is school?" I asked.
"Good," she replied. "I'm anxious to be done."
"One more year."
"Half year," she replied. "I have one more required class next fall." She paused. "I haven't told Scarlett yet."
"Will you accept some advice?"
"I'll listen to it," she said with a grin.
"Your relationship with Scarlett is more important than gra
duating early. She may not want to attend the last half of senior year alone."
"I already told Elisabeth I'd be available early."
"And if necessary, I will un-tell her, Angel."
"You're meddling, Michaela," Serena said from the other side.
"Yes," I said. "I am. Tell me, Serena. Am I wrong? Do you and your mate each present each other with fait accompli, or do you talk about it first?"
She sighed. "Angel, she's giving you good advice."
"It's not like Scarlett and I have classes together," Angel said. "We did freshman year, but not after that."
"Still," I said, "this is a life choice, and she is your mate."
"We're not married-"
"Do you consider her your mate?"
"Well, yes," Angel said.
"Does she consider you her mate?"
"Yes."
"Then she is your mate."
"I'll talk to her," Angel said. "But I feel like I'm going through the motions with college. My real education is here now."
"Angel, if I had my way, you would go get that business degree," I told her. "Both Lara and Elisabeth have them. You need to look at the long picture."
She paused before answering. "I'll think about that when the pack can afford it. Right now, the pack needs me." She paused. "In fact, you and I can attend together." She turned to face me, raising an eyebrow. "I do remember you once stating you wanted a college degree. What's going on with that? I'm not sure you're in a position to lecture me, Alpha."
I stared at her, and I was the first one to lower my gaze. "I wasn't trying to lecture, Angel. I just want what is best for you."
She put an arm around me and hugged me quickly. "I know. And you're right. I should talk to Scarlett. But I consider us as having a deal about business school. We go together or I don't go at all."
"Angel-"
"No. I don't want to go alone. Scarlett needs a fifth year to finish her architecture degree, but if I am going to pursue an MBA, I want someone to go with me."
I sighed. "Serena, would you be upset if I said I wanted to go to college?"
"Of course not, Alpha."
I caught both of them smiling, and when I looked in the rearview mirror, I saw Eric was smiling as well.