Rebuilding the Wolf

by Erin R Flynn

  “It’s a gift,” I chuckled, glancing at the door when the bell rang.

  “Great, they had the same idea too,” he grumbled before pulling out of me and cleaning me up. He handed me the robe and went for the door, fixing his boxer briefs and not looking happy we were being interrupted. He yanked open the door. “She’s got everything she needs.”

  I burst out laughing, not even knowing who it was yet as I was distracted by all the food.

  “I didn’t know you cooked,” Brian grumbled as he came inside. “I took a jog over to McDonalds.”

  “Every day should be Valentine’s Day,” I chuckled, looking over the spread Virg had made. “Wow, this is awesome.” I was going to say more, but Virg threw open the door again as Carter was about to ring the bell. I laughed so hard I seriously almost fell over. He came in with Starbucks.

  “Something smells done,” he said as he came over to the counter.

  “Fuck,” Virg growled and darted to the oven. “I put the scrambler in the oven to keep warm while I finished the rest.”

  “I thought you didn’t care about the food?” I teased, snagging some fries from the McDonalds bag.

  “That was when you offered me hot morning sex. No more of that with them here, so yeah, I’m not ruining my work. Now get back in bed so I can deliver it to you.”

  “She tends to spill, so she won’t eat there,” Bri argued, accepting a coffee from Carter.

  “That and Phobie says that the more you do other things in your bed besides sleep, people who have trouble sleeping can associate bed with other activities and it’s not the settling and relaxing place it should be. It’s actually helped to not read there anymore or do much of anything besides sleep or sex.”

  “Fine, fine, everyone just eat then,” Virg grumbled, setting down a huge platter of pancakes.

  “You should not be frowning after what just happened,” I muttered, not giving him a happy look. “I thought you’d be smiling for much longer.”

  “I’m not frowning,” he promised, coming over to me and kissing my neck. “Just a bit of pouting. And yes, I’m still tingling and I want more. I’ll stop pouting we got interrupted.”

  “Okay then.” I was glad he clarified because he had sounded almost like he was getting territorial, and that didn’t work in my life. We ate, and when we were done, I thanked Virg and Carter with a kiss where I fed but then I fed a bit of that to Brian, smirking when he had a full orgasm right there against me.

  “Is that my Valentine’s Day present?” he muttered, hugging me to him.

  “No, that actually comes tonight when everything is ready,” I teased.

  “I knew I was going to be hard all weekend.”

  “Didn’t you want to see his nice corner apartment?” Carter asked Virg as I laughed at Brian’s comment. “You can bring up some of the deliveries already arriving.”

  “Uh-huh, yeah, sure, pretend I can’t smell what you’ve got in mind like I’m the human.”

  “Dude, I don’t need your nose to know when I’m being pushed out the door,” Brian drawled. “Give me your keys and we’ll take flowers right to your SUV.” I tossed them to him, and the second they were out the door, Carter picked me up in his arms.

  “You’re very, very dirty after last night and need a shower,” he growled as he carried me to the bedroom.

  “I do?”

  “Yes, because it’s fucking cold out, and I went to get my mistress her favorite hot drink.”

  He set me on my feet as we reached the shower. “And that gets you shower sex?”

  “Who said I got sex?” he challenged as he turned on the water. The second it was warmed up, we were naked and under it, Carter washing every inch of me before licking between my legs and biting me how I loved it. I ended up demanding the sex, which he gladly gave me.

  “I love, love this fucking holiday,” I purred when the shower was over and he carried me back out to the kitchen. He’d washed and conditioned my hair after the sex, letting me be completely spoiled.

  “I think this should just always be your Saturday mornings,” he chuckled, Brian and Virg nodding in agreement.

  “I hate to ruin your good mood, but there might be a problem with Lillie,” Brian warned as he sorted through stuff in the living room to clean up and make sure he didn’t throw anything away. “There was someone downstairs making a huge fuss about giving it to her in person instead of leaving it, and he didn’t know her real name, so he’s from the club.”

  “I’ll make sure security handles it,” I told him, sighing when the other two were a bit flippant in their reaction. “Guys, stalkers escalate and sometimes fast. She’s not an ancient vampire or born shifter who’s an Alpha. He catches her off guard and shoots her, she’s dead just like a human could be.”

  “Good point,” Carter accepted. “I’ll talk to Jonathan. He’s loving his role as head of security and back to a normal job instead of Beta. He got burned out when Engle was in charge.”

  “Yeah, he did,” I agreed, not blaming him. “The first thing he asked me was if he could go back to enforcer. He was patient because he couldn’t get his old job back anyways, but he hugged Christos when he won the spot and could hand it over.”

  “So what did you think about the bracelets you received?” Brian asked, his tone even though his heart beat a bit too fast and he was sweating.

  “I only received one gorgeous one for my birthday,” I replied, shrugging.

  “You have four I saw with some serious rocks,” he muttered, sipping his coffee like he wanted something stronger.

  I leaned in and kissed his cheek. “No, I didn’t. No one sent those to Sera Thomas who they know and cared about. Those were sent to the Alpha, and the Alpha doesn’t care and didn’t even look. We can raffle them off at the club and do something good for the pack. That’s what the Alpha will do. I only got one bracelet for my birthday that I adore.”

  “Can I snag one for my mom then?” he asked, shooting me a cheeky grin. It wasn’t about that but what I said, and we both knew it.

  “Oh god, that would so chap the guy that sent it,” Virg chuckled as he started loading up the dishwasher. “Yeah, give the bracelet he sent you to the mom of the man who actually has you. That’s just awesome.” He frowned and then winked at me. “Can I get one for my mom too?”

  “Yes, because you did the pack a serious solid by coming to help and stay while I’m in New York, so yeah, your mommy who’s covering for you gets whatever she wants.” I headed to the door when the bell rang, wondering who it was next. I retied my robe when I felt Dain on the other side of the door. Clearing my throat, I opened for him, realizing he wasn’t alone. “Morning.”

  “Good morning,” he greeted, giving me a hesitant look. “I brought you breakfast and the first of your gifts since the schedule was messed up a bit with your trip.”

  “Great minds think alike,” I chuckled, letting him in and nodding to Virg washing dishes. “He cooked, Brian brought my favorite grease, and Carter coffee.”

  “Good, then you have room for a protein smoothie with fresh fruit I brought and some of Nina’s tea before you have a long day and night,” he replied, not seeming fazed at all that I’d eaten. “And you’re showered, so you’re ready for a manicure and pedicure to spoil yourself and your body before tonight. I believe Luca was planning on arriving shortly to give you a massage.”

  “I love this fucking holiday,” I said for like the twentieth time. I smiled at the lady who came every other Saturday morning to wax eyebrows, cut hair, and just about anything else anyone from the club needed. “So you’re doing Valentine’s Day presents?”

  “I’m booked solid,” she chuckled.

  “Oh, sorry, yeah, where do—”

  “I didn’t say it so you rushed, Sera,” she assured me. “Let’s go in the bathroom and we can pick out colors. You’ve seen what you’re wearing?”

  “I’ve got a few outfits, but I’d prefer just a French manicure if that’s okay? Silver on the to
es goes with everything.”

  “Perfect. I can do that no problem.”

  “Um, thanks,” I said to Dain as he went to the kitchen, still feeling most awkward around him.

  “Thank you for accepting the gift.”

  I nodded, following after her to the bathroom where it would be easiest. I sat down and picked my colors while she set up.

  “So what did you learn from what happened?” Virg asked, and I wasn’t sure who he was talking to.

  “Virgil, I am much older than you, thank you,” Dain replied.

  “Yeah, that helped you this time,” Virg chuckled. “You lack the one thing most men need to have a quality woman put up with them.”

  “What would that be?” he asked, his tone hard.

  “The ability to admit they’re an idiot most of the time,” Brian answered. “You might have some of that noble ego left or whatever, but you nail it nine out of ten times, and that’s better than most of us. Maybe more because you can feel so much of what she does. But you aren’t perfect, man. I told you walking away hurt her. I heard Tasar and Alok tell you the same even if it didn’t mesh with fairy ways or whatever. She doesn’t know that.”

  “Thank you for your insight but—”

  “Listen to me,” Brian snapped. “I read her DCFS file because I was worried how closed off she was. I had a friend who could get it for me, and I broke rules to read it, okay? I liked her that much immediately, and so I did it. You need to get how what you did wasn’t just bad but a trigger.”

  “She was abandoned,” Virg guessed. “I know they ditched her, but it was more than that, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah, they left her sitting in front of the building before it opened, in a shit neighborhood, not caring if a little girl might get nabbed, and she watched them walk away. Drive away because they didn’t want her. So you need to hear me on this, hear us when we say you did vast damage walking out on her like that. I get you couldn’t deal, but you didn’t come back. You didn’t come back until this thing with Iran. Do you get that?”

  “Yes, I understand,” Dain whispered, sounding destroyed.

  “Sera?” the beautician said gently. “Am I hurting you?”

  “What? No,” I sniffled, realizing I was tearing up. “Sorry, thinking of something else. Too much going on.”

  “I understand. Life is such a juggling act,” she said as she moved my foot into the tub while switching.

  For the next twenty minutes, I listened to her talk about her boyfriend and his crap with the Hallmark holiday. I nodded along, grateful for the distraction at the moment but really listened.

  “Maybe it is like that and all corporate or whatever, but so what? Maybe all the holidays are, but they started from somewhere good and even like Thanksgiving that’s total bullshit of a foundation becomes something because people care and want to. If he doesn’t want to spend one day showing you love or that you’re special, then fuck him. No one says you have to spend tons of money. Hell, give you the damn pedicure and that would work.”

  “Yeah, I’d love that. Thanks. That’s a concise, clear way to articulate what I’ve been feeling.”

  “I think most call it blunt and impatient, but I will take the compliment.” We shared a smile as she finished my toes. She was good, not doing as much as some pedicures because I hated having my feet messed with. The few times I’d gotten a pedicure I always ended up grabbing the foot file from them or telling them to skip the scrubs. It was just one of those things with me that irked me no matter if it was for pretty toes in the end.

  We finished up and she headed out, everyone noting my change in attitude.

  “You heard what we said,” Dain said, not really asking but maybe confirming. I nodded. “Will you show me?”

  I cleared my throat and fidgeted with my robe. “You want me to show you how my parents abandoned me? Promised we were going to see the fish at the Shed and then left me in a bad neighborhood? What would that accomplish?”

  “I’d get to know you better, understand you more just like you did when you saw my wings, heard about my scars with my family,” he answered, his tone gentle, not pushing.

  That was fair and he could actually see it, so I didn’t even have to say more, as it was something I’d never talked about. I nodded, swallowing loudly when he touched my face and I felt his power as I thought back to that day. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he saw more and more.

  “So now you know,” I muttered, still staring at him. “Now you know how they lied and left me, tried to get me lost in the system so they never got caught. Now you know that I never, not ever wanted to be part of a family after that so no one else left me. Jason was the first I ever let in because he was a freak too, but he will use me over and over again to get what’s best for him because that’s what his family did to him.

  “Brian was the closest I ever got, and he left when I became a wolf, a different kind of freak. Tristan was tied to me forever, and he left me when I took in the boys. Left the fucking state and was gone for weeks without even telling me. Riley never really liked me at all and left me and then killed himself. And you walked out of the restaurant after I said I needed to get my head together because of what happened.

  “You left me after saying we were family, that I was your wife, and you never loved anyone how you loved me. No, I didn’t think that permanent, and yes, I think you’ll leave me for real and soon because I’m not what you really wanted but what the fae maybe needed, as you only came back when there was a threat against all of us in Iran I had to fix. What Virg said last night is true. Everyone leaves me. Tell Luca I’ll meet him at the club.”

  I turned on my heel and went into my room, getting dressed and leaving while they were still standing there in stunned silence. Okay, so maybe Valentine’s Day wasn’t the perfect and amazing holiday I had thought it was after all.

  My mood improved when Luca arrived at the club and gave me an hour long massage… And some more spoiling along with comfort. Fine, I was seriously happy.

  But then mountains of gifts and flowers came in for me, and I stopped having fun. The stuff coming for the hosts was different. They’d met those people or were a fan of their stage shows. That was vastly different than people trying to get in with me for money and power. I knew I shouldn’t complain about getting tons of lavish everything, so I went to the back corner of the restaurant and pulled apart roses, using my feelings productively.

  “I went to the apartment first, so sorry I’m late,” Noah greeted as he set something down on the table before sliding into the booth.

  I set down the rose I’d been pulling apart when I saw the beautiful wood box with an ornate pattern carved in it. The stain and everything was done with great detail, and it was seriously cool. “Did you make this?”

  “I did. Before I was a warrior, I was trained as a wood and leather worker. I thought it would be nice in your living room, but the present isn’t simply the box.”

  I nodded I understood, opening the latch and looking inside… To find papers. I picked one out and chuckled, getting what it was. He’d made me a fancy “Date Night” box with slips of paper for me to write where I wanted to go, what I wanted to do. He’d written a few he’d heard me say like taking the boys to the Field Museum and listening to Brutus school us on how history really happened since the studious girl inside of me loved that stuff.

  “This is great, really great,” I whispered, running my fingers over the box. “Thanks, Noah.”

  “I told the others I would share access to it if you were fine with it since Reagan offered us access to the Netflix and Amazon Prime que stickers.”

  “Thank you.” I leaned over and kissed him, gasping when he took it deeper than something chaste.

  “Thank you for being the mistress and lover I never dreamed I could find,” he whispered against my lips. “I’m very excited for our date when you get back.”

  “Me too, but you’re brimming with excitement over more than that,” I chuckled, giving hi
m a peck before picking up the roses again. “Spill.”

  “That prize from Papadopoulos is a huge score. I mean huge, Sera.”

  I frowned, thinking to what he was talking about. “Right, the bet from when I took Goran’s coven under my umbrella and sirened him. The prize that somehow went to you, which I still don’t get when you weren’t even there.”

  “Because it wasn’t something he could give to you or if he did, you’d give it to the FBI,” he explained, tapping his phone and then flipping it around for me to see. “He bought a massive, seized property outside of the city and gave it to me for my company, Sera.”

  I blinked at it and then him. “It’s another staging area. The raids we’ve already been on weren’t an office building like you’ve got staging and courses for, but compounds, a fancy house and all the traps that can be at those sorts of locations.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Damn, he knows how to give a good fucking prize,” I muttered, taking his phone and flipping through the images. “You could set up a seriously tricked out course with all sorts of traps and ways to trip people up. Even different security systems and—wow, this is awesome. And yeah, I would have had to let the FBI take it, and who knows what they’d do with it.”

  “Milo and his guys are looking at it today to start laying out potential ideas, but he thinks we should do some rescues to get the money we’ll need to put into it and then make the ultimate course. Make a course no one can beat.”

  I smiled at him as I handed back the phone. “You’d get every SEAL, SWAT, and special ops team trying to outdo our teams, and the PR with that would be amazing for us and your school. Even what Milo wants to do with the bodyguard branching out.”

  “Yeah, what do you think?”

  “Do it,” I agreed, bobbing my head. “Yeah, do balls out awesome. There was a huge chunk of Igor’s stuff and moneys I didn’t accept, Alena did.”

  “I didn’t know that,” he muttered, studying me.

  I shrugged. “It’s not illegal, but it’s not all that moral and skirts a lot of gray area given some of the laws haven’t kept up with paranormals like you’ve said before. But the way the contract and everything panned out, it was the immediate stuff I had to claim, some of the negotiated stuff—I had discretion, and I didn’t want all his shit here to infest us with his evil, and that storage you got was full.