by Robin Roseau
"Let's not talk about restrictions yet. That would be a form of restriction. I want to know your intentions."
"I don't know. I won't tell anyone. I guess get on with my life."
"Would I see you again?"
I cocked my head. "Are you asking me whether I would snoop around, or are you asking me how I feel about your sister?"
She smiled. "Both."
"No, I would not snoop. And I don't know. I don't think I want to see her while I still believe you're going to have me killed."
She cocked her head. "That doesn't make sense."
"Yes it does," Elisabeth says. "She's afraid of a bullet from a distance."
Lara's eyes narrowed, but Michaela put a hand on her arm. "Lara is very direct," Michaela said. "She wouldn't work that way."
"I wouldn't know," I said. "I haven't been treated with much honesty since I met all of you."
"And what have you done?" Lara asked in a cold tone.
"Tell me, Alpha, if you were in my shoes, would you have burst out with, 'Hey, I know you're a werewolf'?"
She studied me. "No," she said finally. "And if you were in my shoes, would you have been afraid of exposure?"
"Yes," I said.
"What would you have had me do differently?"
"Decide sooner."
"Is that it? That's all you're mad about? That it took me a week?"
I looked down. "It was an awfully long and terribly frightening week for one of us. Maybe that doesn't mean anything to you, but I'm not built like you are."
No one spoke for a moment, then finally Lara said, "Fair enough. I would like you to look at me."
"I thought I wasn't supposed to look a dominant wolf in the eye." But I looked up.
"Perhaps that is a discussion for another time," she said. "I am sorry for the stress this time has caused you. When it became obvious it was going to take me some time to decide what to do, I tried to arrange things to be somewhat less unpleasant. I am sorry I could not alleviate your fears. I presume that is the main source of your distress."
I nodded once.
"You should know that everyone I trust told me I should accept this risk."
I stared at her. Then I looked at Michaela.
"She was the first," Lara said. "You were barely out of the room before she was telling me she believed you. My sister has repeatedly pleaded for your life. My other enforcers have, in one way or another, told me they were ready to trust you. Some wish restrictions."
I brushed away a tear. I was tired of crying.
"Will you leave Wisconsin?"
"Was that a request?"
"No. I am asking if I have frightened you so badly you wish to put several states between us."
"I don't have the money to go anywhere."
"If you did?"
"At this point, I just want to go home and curl up in a ball and cry. I don't know what I'll decide tomorrow."
"As you said, you need distance?"
"Yes."
She watched me for a minute. Neither of us said anything.
Then she looked over at Michaela, who clasped her hand and nodded. Lara turned back to me. "I am releasing you. There are a small number of restrictions. You will accept them. They are reasonable. First, you are moving. You have your choice from four places that I own. They are all very nice, two-bedroom apartments in exceedingly secure facilities."
"I can't afford it."
"The rent is one dollar a year with a five year lease."
I stared at her.
"And they are furnished," she added. "Rent includes all utilities including very high speed Internet."
"Why?"
"We will discuss that shortly. Two. You will do absolutely nothing to make me ever regret this. The list of things you could do is lengthy."
"Give me an example."
"Take unauthorized photos. Be found on or near pack lands without an invitation."
I nodded. "Is all of Bayfield off limits?"
"No, but if you are going, you will inform us, and there may be additional restrictions."
I nodded.
"Three. Because you know our secrets, you will accept membership in the pack, with all the rights and responsibilities therein."
I found myself staring again. "You're inviting me into the pack?"
"I an invitation you will not refuse," Lara clarified.
"What rights and responsibilities?"
"Elisabeth will explain, but it includes treating the alphas with respect, even when you disagree with them. There is also a tithe."
"You want money?"
"Tithe can come in the form of money, which is usually ten percent of income, or service. From you, I want service."
"What service?"
"I haven't decided, but I am sure it will be related in some way to your environmental activism. You should expect to spend approximately two days a month in pack service. I believe if you combine restrictions one and three, you will find you're coming out ahead."
"She's glossing over a responsibility," Elisabeth said. "You will obey any of the three of us if we issue an order. We do not treat the members of the pack as servants, but if you receive an order from one of us, you will obey it. Period. You may also receive orders from the enforcers -- Karen, Eric, et cetera. If so, they are speaking with my authority, and you will do what you are told."
They let me absorb that, and finally I nodded.
"And we've already talked about the last restriction," Lara said. "You will alter your activism to avoid drawing too much negative attention. Attention on you is potential attention on the pack. At least for the foreseeable future, you will submit your plans to Elisabeth and accept her authority.
I nodded. "Anything else?"
"Yes. Tonight, you will accept whatever hospitality Elisabeth offers. She is going to give you your choice of a few places to sleep here or put you up in a hotel. Tomorrow she will show you your choice of apartments. Once you have made your selection, I will have your things delivered. And you may, as you say, curl up in a ball and cry for a few days. And then, next Saturday, you will present yourself here for dinner at three PM. Consider it a command performance from your alpha. What you do between now and then is your concern."
"I need to hear you tell me you aren't going to have me killed, assuming of course I do not break my restrictions."
"I am not having you killed. There will be no bullets in the night or poison in the air vents."
"I would like to know if the apartment will be bugged."
"No, it will not. I'd have to assign a team to you around the clock to prevent you from sneaking off, and I don't intend to do that."
I stared at her. It slowly started to sink it. I wasn't sure I believed her. But Elisabeth was smiling cautiously, and so was Michaela.
"You're really letting me go?"
"I'm really letting you go."
"And..." I looked between them. "I'm an honorary pack member?"
"No. You're a pack member. No honorary about it."
"I-" I looked at my hands. "Thank you," I said in a small voice. They let me absorb it, and then I looked up. "Alpha, may I ask a question?"
"I dislike that question. Do not waste time with it again. If you want to ask, ask."
I nodded. "What helped you decide?"
"You mean, beyond absolutely everyone telling me to trust you?"
"You said they've been doing that for a week, but now, tonight, you decided. And I'm pretty sure the answer yesterday was different. Wasn't it?"
"Yes. If I'd been forced to decide yesterday, the answer would have been different. Do you understand why?"
"Fear."
"Yes."
"What happened?"
"Portia. She made that promise, which made me so incredibly angry. Then she disappeared before I could really get my anger going, and she spent the afternoon learning how to cook vegan. Later, I heard her in my kitchen with my aunt. I listened, and I heard what it really meant. And then I realized what Po
rtia had gone through to learn all that, and now she was in there helping to cook. Portia doesn't help cook the food she eats, but she was in cooking yours." She smiled. "And then you let her out of her promise, and you ate the meal, and then you asked politely. And I realized I had to answer you, and I wasn't going to come down here and tell you I was going to have you executed. So I had to do the right thing."
"Thank you for explaining," I said. I closed my eyes, trying to hold the emotions under control. While I was doing so, they stood up, and then Elisabeth reached down and pulled me to my feet. We stood there for another moment, all of them looking at me.
"You asked about the apartment," Lara said. "I am treating it like a donation to GreEN. But that's not why I'm doing it."
"Then why?"
"Several reasons. First, my sister asked me to, and if I'd said 'no', she'd do it herself. But this is cleaner. Just as importantly, because you know our secrets, and because I believe those secrets from time to time may be discussed in your home, I want to know that none of your corporate enemies can bug you. They won't bug you in this apartment."
I nodded understanding.
"And finally, you didn't deserve the way all this happened. Consider this my apology."
I thought about that for a moment, then I offered a small bow. "Thank you."
Michaela opened her arms. I stared for a moment, then stepped into them.
It was a tentative hug.
From my werewolf pack alpha. Who wasn't a werewolf, but a werefox.
It was all suddenly very overwhelming.
Lara didn't invite a hug. Instead, she headed for the door.
"Alpha. I won't disappoint you."
"I know you won't," she said. "I'll see you next Saturday, if not before."
Then she and Michaela were gone. I turned to Elisabeth. "You begged for me?"
"Repeatedly."
I looked down. "I'm still scared."
"You're safe, Zoe."
"Yeah, but... it's a different world now. I... I'm so confused."
"I understand. This has been a lot. Will you accept some advice?"
"I'll listen."
"First, I think perhaps you should ask for a hug."
And I flew into her arms.
Pack
The apartment was amazing.
I had accepted Elisabeth's offer to stay in a hotel. She had fresh clothes already packed in a bag for me, and she drove me in her car. She checked me in and saw me to the room. Then we stared at each other.
"I need some time."
"I'm not sure either of us knows what she wants."
But when she lifted my chin, we kissed. It lacked passion, but it was not cold, either.
The next morning, she picked me up at the hotel and showed me all four places. Two were inconvenient for the grocery stores I visited, and I asked Elisabeth to pick between the other two.
She picked the one closest to the pack lands, although it was only about seven minutes difference. But it was symbolic, if nothing else.
There was underground parking with a special sensor that went on my car and a camera with a real, on site guard that had to approve my entrance. You couldn't get into the building without the guard's approval.
The apartment door was thick steel with good locks, and there were cameras in the hallways with motion detectors. "No one is going to sneak in here, Zoe."
"What if I have friends over?"
"Then you need to make arrangements with the guard."
"Does he report to you?"
"Yes, but we're not keeping an eye on you. Have over whomever you want. However, if you and I continue to see each other, don't even try to have a fling. You'll get caught."
I laughed.
She took me to lunch, and by the time we were back, all my things were there, except the old furniture.
"If there's anything you want, speak up," she said. "We can swap it in."
"The dresser was my mother's, and the rocking chair was grandma's. I don't need the rest."
We agreed I needed time. So did she.
But we talked every night, and she sent me flowers and other little gifts.
On Wednesday evening, I got a call. "Ma'am, it's Vincent at the front desk. There are four people here to see you."
"I wasn't expecting anyone, Vincent," I said. "Who are they?"
"Ma'am, three of them are enforcers. I have to let them up."
"Well then, I'll put on a pot of tea."
I propped the door open and was brewing the tea when I heard Angel's voice. "Zoe?"
"Angel? Kitchen."
A moment later, she stepped in along with Scarlett, Portia and Karen. I stared at them.
"Are you here to revoke my freedom?"
Angel shook her head. "Housewarming party."
"We were going to call," said Scarlett, "but we were afraid you would say 'no'."
"Especially about me," Karen added.
"Do werewolves like to hug?"
"They do," said Scarlett, and then they all demonstrated.
They brought a party game and proceeded to get the human a little drunk. They stayed late, and it was Scarlett who tucked me into bed before they left. I got a kiss on the forehead, which I thought was sweet.
I did find an opportunity to quietly thank Portia for what she had done.
"I'm glad it worked out."
Friday night on the phone, I asked Elisabeth what I should wear on Saturday.
"Very casual," she said. "It's a picnic. But shoes you could go for a run in the woods."
I stilled. "Elisabeth?"
"What?"
"Why would I need to go for a run in the woods?"
"Um."
"Am I showing up to be the entertainment? Feed me then tell me 'run'?"
"Oh god. No. God, we're not animals, Zoe." She paused. "You need more time, but Lara will be upset if you don't come."
"I'll be there. I just want to know what to expect."
"Expect to have a good time. Expect to be very worn out before you make it to bed. No one is going to hurt you. Some of our antics are a little rough for a human, but we won't engage in them tomorrow."
"Should I bring food for myself?"
"Nope."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
* * * *
I left early. I brought flowers. I was going to bring a bottle of wine, but I was sure no one would be impressed by anything I could afford.
And in spite of being told not to, I brought enough soybeans and other ingredients to make a big batch of edamame. If they didn't want to let me make it, that was fine, but I was going to offer.
Someone had put signs up for me. "Zoe," and an arrow for each of the turns. I was surprised and touched by that.
The signs led me to the area in front of the building where they had kept me. I parked then sat in the car. I wasn't sure where I was supposed to go.
That was answered by a rap on the window, almost scaring me out of my skin. Angel was there, smiling. And then she opened the car door.
"Hey," she said. "You made it."
"Angel," I said.
"Oh honey, what's wrong?"
"Um." I turned away.
"Hey. Come on." She reached in and unbuckled me. Then she didn't give me much choice. She basically pulled me from the car and hurried me along a path leading, well, somewhere. She pulled out her phone and spoke just two words. "My mom's."
She pulled me to a house. "This is where you live?"
"It was. Now Scarlett and I have an apartment together in the barracks. But I still have a room here. Come on."
She pulled me to the kitchen and set me down on a stool. Then she poured me a glass of cider. "Drink."
While I sipped at it, she put her arm around me, leaning against me. Then the front door opened, and I startled.
"It's Scarlett," she said. A few seconds later, Scarlett entered the kitchen. She took one look and hurried to my opposite side, also wrapping me in a half hug.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know," Angel said. "She's scared."
Scarlett shifted then lifted my face towards hers. "What's wrong? Tell me."
"I don't know why I'm here."
"Did Lara tell you she was letting you go?"
I nodded.
"Did she tell you that you're a member of the pack?"
I nodded.
"Are you afraid you're here so we can hunt you."
I lowered my head and stared at my lap. And nodded.
"Oh hell," said Angel. "Really?"
But Scarlett had her phone out. "Dad? I need you and Ms. Lassiter at Angel's. Can you get here right now? I mean right now." There was a pause. "No. Just you and her, and don't tell anyone else. Wait. Is Benny here? If so, bring him, too." Another pause. "Thanks, Dad."
Scarlett pulled my chin back up. "Do you think Angel and I would do that to you?"
"I don't know," I said in a small voice. "Everything is so much. All of you were so nice to me, but the entire time, you knew I'd been stalking Elisabeth. And I bet you knew Lara would at least consider killing me, but you acted like friends anyway. You seem really nice, but I don't know what to believe."
I looked back down. "I'm sorry."
There was a pause, then Scarlett said, "All right. I'm a tiny bit offended, but I understand. You're right. We all knew what was going on, and we knew we were getting you away so they could have all the time they wanted with your computer. But do you blame us?"
"No, but I don't know what to believe."
"All right," said Scarlett. "I'm going to tell you something about werewolves. You saw that we can be indirect, and sometimes some wolves are very sneaky. But if we have a choice of sneaky or direct, we take direct every time. If Lara was going to kill you, she'd have killed you. If she intended to hunt you, she'd have kept you here until it was time to hunt you. We don't play with our food and we don't play with our prey."
"Am I prey?"
"No. We don't hunt humans. You would have to be truly deserving of poor treatment for us to do anything remotely like that. I have never seen the pack hurt a human. Never."
"It must happen."
"It does," Angel said. "If they intend to expose us. But you don't. Lara and Michaela told us they trust you. They made you pack. We wouldn't do something like that to a pack member. Even if you betrayed us, we'd kill you cleanly. We wouldn't hunt you. That's horrible."