Stanley (Red Wolf Book 2)

by Dawn, Crystal

  Grover nodded, but he was still upset by what I’d said. “Some people never meet their fated one.”

  We finished eating and I paid. It was time to go back to work and I was glad Rachel’s heat seemed to be lessening. Not because I didn’t enjoy helping her with it, but because with everything going on, it was hard for me to be there for her when she needed me.

  She’d made a lot of progress with the women too. Maisy was the uncontested number one. Surprisingly, Liza was a vicious bitch in a fight and was number two. Kristen was number three and that was all she really needed. I wasn’t sure some of the outlying pack was even bothering to fight. Some might not even know about James’ losing the pack. We needed to get a roll of members and Ezra, who’d managed to make number five was still working on finding all the pack assets which had been taken over and hidden by various wolves that James had favored. I thought back on our conversation the other day.

  Alerting the council to what had been done turned out to be a good thing because they were sending a forensic accountant to work with Ezra and track all the assets that had disappeared. It showed how much of a geek Ezra was because he was excited about it and could hardly wait.

  “Working with a specialist like that will help me learn so much. I might be able to branch out and specialize, take on big customers.”

  “Are you wanting your own business?”

  “No, I would never let Megan down.”

  “You won’t let her down as long as you let her know. I doubt it will surprise her. Talk to Rachel. She’s working on setting up businesses for the females and some of the males. You should know about that since Liza is one of them.”

  “I know. I just didn’t want to presume anything.”

  “The door is always open. If you need something, ask. We’ll do our best. New businesses are Rachel’s area. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

  “Yes, alpha. I’ll think this through and write down somethings before I approach her. She’s got her plate full right now until Liza and Kristen get things going.”

  “I imagine she does.”

  We made it back to the work site without a problem even though I’d been lost in thought the whole way. I’d had no trouble finding plenty of work and I was training March and Grover to lead work crews. Garth could probably teach me a thing or two, but he was wrapped up in the business Rachel had started and not only supplying furniture for the pack, but making a crazy amount of money on some of the pieces he was selling. The value right now was in leaving him where he was.

  Tomorrow, we had two jobs and I would give March the most seasoned males and take Grover and some newbies to the second smaller job. It seemed no one took on these kinds of jobs around here and there was an endless supply. Problem was they didn’t pay the way construction jobs did. They were, however, an excellent way to train my guys and figure out what everyone could do.

  Money was starting to come back into the pack and everyone seemed happy about that. We were also working on four of the six houses on pack lands not counting the big pack house. Ezra had also discovered several houses near pack lands that one of the favored ones James liked, had in their names. Once we got them back, they would be put in the pack’s trust.

  Whoever set up that trust was smarter than the average wolf. It protected the pack from leaders like James who didn’t have their best interests at heart. If the trust had not been there, the pack wouldn’t have even had their land by the time James was gone. At least we had something to work with, all because of the trust.

  We finished up another job, most of them were one day gigs with the size of my crew. Tomorrow would be harder because I was breaking in males I hadn’t worked with before and a handful of teenagers who had never had a formal job. Heading home, I was happy Del would have a meal ready for us. Rachel’s meals were great too, but I hated her having to cook while she was going through the change. Tonight, we would see if she could shift. I’d heard it helped ease some of the side effects of the change.

  It would also be amazing to see my mate’s wolf. My guys knew and I wasn’t sure she’d told any females or not. They would guard us as I helped her try to morph into her wolf form. My wolf was inside yipping with glee. My wolf couldn’t wait to see his mate, I’d seen Megan and I was sure the fur would be similar.

  As soon as we were home I hurried inside to look for her. She was in the sewing room, talking to Liza and Kristen while Liza sewed outfits and everyone else was sewing on buttons. It reminded me of old fashioned sewing circles.

  “Hello ladies.”

  “Hi alpha.” Chorused back to me.

  “We’ve been getting lots done. Kristen is sponsoring two of the girls for Beauty College.” My mate informed me.

  “That sounds good?” I said not sure about what this beauty college was.

  “They will learn how to do what she does.” Rachel explained and the other ladies giggled at my confusion. “Everything is still on for Monday. Right?”

  Monday? Oh, yeah. “Of course. Deliveries on track and everything should be there. Grover and some of the teenagers are working in the evening and have the apartment done and are now working on the stores. About half the painting is done, a few windows have been replaced, an electrician from Howlington checked out the wiring and did some preliminary work, the plumbing is outdated, but still in working order. Once more money comes in the heating and cooling system needs to be replaced too. The floors are solid wood and cleaned up well. Garth has agreed to do any cabinets or shelves either store needs.”

  “Wow! It sounds like you are on your toes.” My mate teased.

  “We have momentum and I don’t want to lose it.”

  “I hope you ladies won’t mind if I steal my mate away?”

  “No, we don’t.” or “We don’t mind.” Rang out as I held out my hand so I could help my mate rise from her chair.

  As soon as we were out of the room, I pulled her into my arms, holding her close as I kissed her slowly and with feeling. “Let’s grab supper early and then see if you can change.” She nodded and we went to the kitchen.

  Del was making hamburgers tonight and one of the guys was handling the grill. There was also chicken and steaks on the family size grill. “Where did we get the grill?”

  “I had it at my house.” Rachel admitted.

  We snuck up on Del who was making a second huge bowl full potato salad and we grabbed some plates. She never minded if we ate early, it made things easier in fact. We got potato and macaroni salad, and pork and beans, then went out and grabbed some burgers. Buns, and condiments were on a table and there was lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and pickles.

  My mate was eating like a wolf now and she had a plate full just like me. As we sat there, Del brought out one bowl of each item so others could begin to eat too. Meals were a problem, but right now finance was our biggest concern and we were working on that.

  “You know we could set up a tent just for eating.” Rachel suggested. I loved that she was always watching to see what the problems were and always looking for solutions for our pack.

  “We could do that, but it won’t work as well in extreme temperatures.”

  “True.” She said as she finished off her plate and got some more food. Rachel must have been starving and I remembered hearing the change burned up so much energy. I hadn’t been the best mate, but I would try harder.

  My top three were near us eating their food too. They knew what we were doing and they would guard us while Rachel attempted a change. They were excited and hopeful. Yeah, it was hard to believe we might have a red wolf in our midst, for them anyway. I already knew Megan was one and I had to see it to believe it too.

  “Everyone ready?” I looked around and March was frantically trying to finish his burger and it was dripping ketchup and grease down the front of his shirt. He nodded anyway as did the other two. “Okay, let’s go.” As we walked to the edge of the nearby woods, some of the pack stared after us. Maybe they sensed something important was about to occ
ur, but no one followed or tried to interrupt us.

  We walked far enough to be out of sight, but we didn’t want to go too far. History had already been made when Megan changed, but if Rachel was red too, it would give hope to thousands of unmated alphas looking for a family of their own. Eventually the news would leak and I was sure the council was already tracking Megan’s family and trying to figure out where the red wolf blood had come from. There was a female cousin Rachel was close to before Abs had begun stalking her. I couldn’t help but wonder, if she were a red wolf too.

  Right now we’d stopped at a good place. This would be painful, but I hoped it would be fast. Since we’d waited, I hoped the change would fully come. I didn’t want her to have itchy spots of fur that bothered her until she finally made a full change.

  “I’ll be right here with you. You just close your eyes, relax, and imagine your inner wolf. Think about her and she will come.” I embraced her and kissed her tenderly.

  It was easy, so easy it was scary. I’d held my love and then she’d disappeared. Looking down a beautiful wolf, a deep gray mostly but with dark red fur mixed in, stood. Her beauty made my heart ache and she struggled to walk on four legs for a few moments, and then like magic she mastered it.

  “Holy fuck! She is a red wolf!” Grover stated the obvious.

  “The goddess has blessed us.” Garth whispered in awe. While we were coming to terms with her, she was wandering off.

  I realized she’d took off into the woods and I morphed and followed her quickly. It took me a few moments, but I caught up. Nipping at her, she shouldn’t have left me, I then ran fast taking the lead. We played like two young pups and I don’t know if I’d ever enjoyed a run half as much. Normally, wolves hunted when they were in the woods, but we’d just eaten and I was full. It didn’t stop us from stalking and playing with the animals we came across.

  When we were completely wore out, we returned to where the guys were waiting. I shifted first and she followed me, going fast as if this wasn’t her first time. “That was fun,” Rachel said with a smile.

  The males look at her with reverence. Now they knew just one more thing that made my mate special. Our secret would be out eventually and I would need these males to help protect her. There was no doubt in my mind that they would.

  We returned to the house and everyone we passed looked at us with curiosity. It would be worse when Rachel didn’t go on the full moon runs I planned to start next month. That was something I’d worry about then. Right now, we’d ate supper, took a run, and there was nothing keeping me from luring my mate into bed. Her heat might be lessening, but my need for her wasn’t.

  Escaping to our room like two naughty teenagers, we took a shower together but I wanted to wait to have sex in our bed. That way I could explore my female slowly and enjoy every second of it. I pulled her out of the shower after I turned the water off. Drying her off, I then dried myself off and we went into our bedroom. I loved the sound of that.

  “Goddess, you are gorgeous. I love kissing you and sucking on your breasts.”

  “Thank you, you’re not too bad yourself.” she replied with a smile. I wanted to kiss her all over but first she needed to lay down.

  “Why don’t you get on the bed and spread out for me?” I was thrilled when she did.

  I got on the bed and moved to where I was on top of her boxing her in. She was mine and couldn’t escape, but she didn’t want to. I leaned in and whispered in her ear. “You’re going to love this.

  I licked her behind her ear and she moaned delightfully. I moved lower licking, kissing, and even nipping her skin. She knew as I began to nip and kiss my way down exactly where I was headed and anticipation made her grow wetter. Her need perfumed the air and added urgency to my need and my cock grew hard enough to drill nails.

  “It tickles,” she whispered as I licked down across her ribs.

  “You’re ticklish?” I asked, but kept going. Once I got to her belly button, I laved it thoroughly which made her channel tighten in response.

  I sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “You smell tasty. I think I want to sample you.” Her pussy was now weeping with want.

  I went down, down, and down more, until my hot breath blew on the wet lips of her pussy. Shivers ran through her and when my tongue licked her from gate to clit she groaned longingly.

  “You taste so sweet and delicious. I want more,” I declared.

  “Do it now!” My sweet mate demanded. What was a male to do? I dug right in.

  She arched up to meet my tongue as if she couldn’t wait until I licked her more. So I licked her again and again while she moaned. Her legs parted further to allow me in and my tongue went to work on her clit. My fingers were busy too, first one, then two fingers moving in and out slowly then speeding up. They moved faster and my mouth nipped her clit and she almost lost it. I did it again and this time she screamed my name as she jerked and bucked, her fingers gripping my hair until I was afraid she’d snatch me bald.

  I pulled back as the tremors eased. “I loved the way you screamed my name,” I chuckled.

  Now I slid up her body and thrust into her channel in one firm thrust. My arms held her legs over my shoulders so I could go deep. Her eyes were glazed with need so I pumped in a fast rhythm hitting her hottest spot with each thrust. “Feels so good.” Rachel encouraged.

  “Fuck me faster. I’m so close!” Rachel screamed just before she jerked and bucked up against me hard. My balls drew up so tight the second she exploded I followed her, filling her with ropes of hot cum. My eyes rolled back in my head as my orgasm seemed to retrigger hers and it went on and on.

  It only made sense due to the fact that we were fated mates. Sex was more intense and satisfying. I left her to sleep, but it was too early for me to turn in just yet. I made my way out to the kitchen where my top three were talking so quietly I couldn’t hear what they said until I was closer. Not that it took a genius to figure it out.

  “Caught you guys off guard?” I asked speaking quietly too.

  “Never thought I’d see a white wolf even though I knew they were found, but a red wolf?” Garth just shook his head.

  “I knew there was something special about her. Both of you have something that makes you stand out. I thought because you were made to be the alpha and she was a witch. The wolf caught me off guard. I thought you were trying to pull our legs.” March admitted.

  “I got nothing. Just take care of that special female and we’ll help you as much as we can. It’s an honor.” Grover offered.

  “It’ll be a challenge to when the word gets out. Eventually it will.”

  The guys looked horrified. “That’s why you’re the alpha. You’ll figure things out. I don’t envy you this mess you fell into.” Garth observed.

  “Well thanks, I think. I don’t know whether to feel flattered by your faith in me or horrified by your assessment of this situation.”

  “Both I would expect.” Grover teased. All of them laughed. It was good to see their lighter side. I knew none of them had found much funny in a long time. It was a sign that the pack was recovering. It was what I hoped for. Someday things would be like it was at Reese’s place. I knew what was good and normal. I’d lived it with my friend and alpha Reese.

  Now I just needed to get the same atmosphere here. We could all be happy and help each other. That was the way to turn this all the way around. I sat with the guys a couple hours before Grover left. I guess he’d needed a night off from the extra work on Kristen’s place. Now I was ready to turn in and sleep with my mate in my arms.

  Morning seemed like it had come early, but I got out of bed and turned off the alarm. Today would be different than the last few had been. I rousted new workers and had everyone grab a bowl of cereal or a few donuts. Hard work had to be fueled with something. One of the young girls helping out in the kitchen had packed us a lunch. It was nothing fancy, sandwiches, chips, and snack cakes.

  I had some of the young guys fill up the wat
er coolers so we had all we needed to drink. This crew was already hopped up on nerves and over excitement. Getting them to fall in line, concentrate on work, and do a good job wasn’t going to be easy. If I’d wanted easy, I guess I wouldn’t be here. This was a position everyone knew would be tough.

  Finally, everyone was loaded and we were ready to head out. The job was a smaller one than a crew this size should take. Mrs. Fuddlemire, a local widow, wanted to clean out the shed her husband had stuffed to the gills mostly with projects he’d never gotten to. The grandmotherly lady, wanted it empty and the yard cleaned up and mowed. She didn’t care what was in the shed, she wanted it gone.

  “I don’t want to burden my children with a lot of junk to clean up when I’m gone. I might have more work for you next month. I have to budget things accordingly.” She confided.

  “We’ll take care of this and you don’t hesitate to call me when you have more work.” The trusting lady gave me the check right up front. “You know you should never pay for work until it’s completed.”

  “I trust you and I may be leaving later. This way I know you’re paid and I don’t have to worry. Here’s the keys to the shed and just leave them under the welcome mat when you’re done.”

  “I’ll do just that. You have a great day.” I loved people like her. They were easy to work for and always happy with the job.

  I got back to the shed and I noticed no one had unloaded the mower or started cleaning up the yard. “Why isn’t anyone working?” I asked looking at each of them.

  “You didn’t say who had to mow and who had to do yardwork. I wanted to work in the shed.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Mike.”

  “Mike, go pile up branches. Pick somewhere that it won’t kill grass. You,” I pointed to another one. “Start mowing.” I had a couple more help picking up the yard and I would have them take turns mowing since it was a push mower.

  Now I opened the shed and dust flew out at us as the door popped open. The other door opened too. Furniture was at the entrance and I had the guys begin to fill the truck. We only had one truck and it would take two trips. By the time they settled in and were working hard, the truck was full. I sent two guys to take the stuff to Garth.