Fox Dish (Madison Wolves #6)

by Robin Roseau

  "Oh," she said. "Oh. I am sorry."

  I didn't respond.

  "For the record, the fox's nipples are pierced. That is what my fingers found."

  I growled at her menacingly, but I didn't nip.

  Wendy's hands moved lower, moving along my sides and stomach, searching for irregularities. I don't know what she was worried about.

  "Move your tail, Michaela," she said.

  I growled at her.

  "I don't have a choice," she said. "Move your tail or forget your run."

  I moved my tail away. She examined me closely, which I found embarrassing, but her hands were not too invasive.

  Finally she was done and let me get up. I slinked away from her, fluffing out my fur, my back turned to her. She let me sulk for a minute then said, "Michaela, come here."

  I turned around and walked up to her. She was holding a harness in her hands, the sort one might use for a dog.

  "If you want your run, you will accept this," she said. "I will be adjusting it so it is quite snug." She showed it to me. "There is a location transmitter here." She showed me a knob at the back, well wrapped in duct tape. "While you may be able to damage this given sufficient opportunity, it would take you some time."

  I chuffed agreement.

  "If you shift back to human once this is in place, you will in effect slice yourself into pieces. The material is very strong. The alphas both tested the strength themselves and are satisfied."

  I chuffed. I already knew all this.

  "The location transmitter is waterproof, and there is no standing water on our ranch anyway. It is also highly shock proof. It has a several mile range, and we have a dozen receivers."

  I yawned. Whatever.

  "Once I am satisfied, Cameron and I will shift here. Then we will collect your other two guards at the base of the stairs. You may run for however long you want, within reason. We aren't staying out all night."

  I chuffed.

  Wendy knelt down, and I turned sideways, allowing her to stuff me into the dog harness. I hated these things, but it was a small price to pay for a proper run. She buckled it, but it was too loose. It took several tries until she was sure all the straps were sufficiently snug.

  "Are you all right?" she asked. I chuffed.

  I prowled around the corridor while they shifted. They each took several minutes. I felt quite superior and began to prance again, in spite of the harness. Finally they finished, and I led the way to the door at the end of the corridor. Wendy howled briefly, and the door opened from the other side.

  There was one wolf on two feet managing the door and two more wolves in fur waiting for us. I strode through the door then turned to the door to the staircase. Wendy stepped in front of me and used her body to push me away from the door.

  Whatever.

  The wolf on two feet opened the door to the stairway, using some sort of card key and a security code I couldn't see. Two of the wolves preceded me up the stairs. I followed them, and Wendy and Cameron followed behind.

  Once we were outside, I stopped and looked around. I knew the ranch well enough to pick my own route. I set off at a comfortable lope, and my escort fanned out around me, not attempting to guide me in any particular direction. I was sure that would change if I tried to leave the property.

  I had no intention of pushing anyone's buttons.

  I spent fifteen minutes at a comfortable lope, then I barked twice and moved into a run.

  I ran three times around the perimeter of the ranch. It wasn't satisfying without my own pack members along, but I was able to loosen up. I felt better afterwards, and at the end of the third circle, I turned my nose back to the training warehouse and slowed to a lope. I loped around for a while longer, not taking a direct route back to my cell, but not pushing anyone's patience, either.

  I wasn't necessarily in a hurry to return to my tiny cell, but I didn't think abusing the run was going to gain me any good will.

  Several minutes later, we were back in the basement hallway. Cameron and Wendy accompanied me and began their shift. I sat on the cool floor, panting at them and waiting for them to finish shifting.

  Wendy finished first and pulled her clothes on. For a moment, I was tempted to give her as thorough a search as she had given me, but I decided it wasn't her fault, and really, I wasn't interested anyway.

  She moved to me and knelt down, unbuckling the harness. "I must search you again," she said.

  I huffed my displeasure but let her do whatever she wanted.

  When she was done I headed towards the bathroom. Wendy opened the door for me and turned on the lights. Clothes were waiting for me, and there were fresh towels.

  "The cameras in here are off," she said. "The ones in the hallway are not, so standing in the doorway, I am being recorded. We're late for dinner, which isn't entirely a problem, but you may not want to take too long."

  I chuffed and waited for her to close the door before shifting to human.

  I enjoyed my shower. I contemplated a show of defiance by forcing her and Cameron to eat cold dinners, but I decided I had long made my points. I didn't need to be petulant about it.

  This time.

  I cleaned up, brushed my hair, and dressed before stepping back out. My hair was still wet from the shower.

  Wendy and Cameron were talking quietly but turned to face me when I exited the bathroom. "It takes a long time to dry my hair. I imagine you want to eat, so I will dry it after the evening run, if that is fine with you. I would rather not sleep in wet hair." There was a wall-mounted dryer, normally used for hands, but I had already been using it for my hair as well.

  She nodded, and I stepped to my cell, waiting for her to open it.

  "Thank you for the run," I told her, stepping into the cell.

  "You are welcome," was her reply before the door closed.

  * * * *

  The run had cleared my head, although I knew I would need more before I was fully thinking straight. I stared at my list of questions. I hadn't been looking long before the door knocked, and Wendy entered with my dinner. I glanced it over. "That's still far more than I eat."

  "I know," she said.

  I ate a few bites while she watched. "I would like to pick at it," I said. "Is it critical you watch? Maybe bring more water, then come back in ninety minutes for a bathroom break. I'll have eaten as much as I'm going to by then."

  "All right, Alpha," she said.

  "I'm not your alpha, Wendy," I replied.

  "Perhaps not," she said. "But you are still Alpha."

  "If anyone believed that, we wouldn't be here today."

  She didn't respond but instead stepped away, and I went back to my papers.

  I studied everything I had written. I had one pad with the question, "Who are my enemies?" There were only two names, Christopher West and Albert Stein. I had question marks after Mr. Stein. I had also written down, "Other members of the council" with more question marks.

  I studied that page. I crossed out the question marks. Lara indicated Mr. West was a member of a small but vocal minority, and I interpreted that to mean more than him and Albert Stein. I crossed out the question marks after "Other members of the council" but added the words, "How many" and "Who?" I kept the question marks after Mr. Stein's name. I had no evidence beyond his presence here; I thought perhaps he was a detractor, but without a frank discussion with Lara, I could not be sure what his full role was.

  Mr. West would not be remaining on the council. He would be lucky to keep his life. If Lara were forced to kill me, he would be next. If I somehow wormed my way out of these charges and were invited back to the pack, I would kill him myself.

  I set that sheet aside. I couldn't answer those questions with the information I had. I looked at my list of friends.

  Lara, Elisabeth, Serena, Angel and Scarlett had been clear. I grabbed my list of longer questions and wrote down more questions: "Why all the subterfuge? Why not speak plainly? Why not offer proper counsel?"

&nb
sp; I thought the answer to those questions were all the same.

  I went around and around my questions.

  * * * *

  Wendy returned. I accepted a bathroom break, and she removed my tray of food.

  "Wendy," I said.

  "Now what?" she asked.

  "May I have a light I can control?"

  She studied me.

  "I promise I have nothing nefarious planned for it, and even if something nefarious were to come to mind, I promise not to act on it. A small desk light."

  "There is plenty of light in here."

  "I will be asking you to turn those lights out at bedtime."

  "There is no electrical outlet in here, and the door seals very tightly. I can not run an extension cord."

  "A battery powered camping light of some sort would be fine, anything I can use hands free."

  "Everything you ask for is one more thing I need to make sure you aren't using to plan an escape or a murder."

  "I have not been convicted of any crimes, but I am being kept in a cell anyway. I am the only one in this compound who has acted in good faith, and yet I am the one being severely mistreated. If I am not executed, I will remember that. I will also remember if my reasonable requests are honored. I won't argue this issue further."

  Wendy turned away, still not answering.

  "I may have temporarily withdrawn my vow to kill you and Greg, Wendy, but whatever reasons you had for this, I was treated with a great deal of duplicity that I did not deserve. I haven't figured out this puzzle yet, but you know I will, and you damned well better hope either that I am executed or that I figure out some pretty fucking fabulous reasons why you would have turned on me like this. If I am supposed to trust you, then you will fucking start trusting me."

  "I will see what is possible," she said quietly. "When would you like your run?"

  "What time is it?"

  "Nine-fifteen," she said.

  "At ten, then," I said. "Will an hour stress my privilege?"

  "No, an hour run is fine."

  * * * *

  I studied my notes. I studied my questions. I wasn't asking the right question. Oh, I was asking good question, but there was another question I needed to ask.

  Wendy returned while I was studying my papers. She knocked, paused, then entered. I glanced up. She had a camping light with her, something I could set on the desk.

  "It has two power settings. On high, it only lasts about two hours. On low, about ten. We will not replace batteries in the middle of the night."

  "Low will be fine, and I may not use it. I wanted the option." I paused. "What are the chances I could have a watch?"

  "Michaela," she said. "Give me a break."

  "I'm only asking, and not that strongly."

  She sighed and pulled her own watch off, setting it on the desk.

  "Thank you," I told her.

  "Do you want pajamas tonight after your run?"

  "That would be nice, thank you. Before my run, I would like a few minutes of Greg's time. Is that possible?"

  "I'll see." She stepped back out of the room and returned after a moment. "He'll be here in just a minute."

  "Thank you," I said.

  And then she stepped out, not quite closing the door behind her.

  I looked through my questions. Then I grabbed the last pad and wrote in big, bold letters, "What is REALLY going on?" Because this damned well wasn't about Lara wanting me dead.

  I stared at the question until I heard a door open in the hallway and then Greg's confident step against the floor. He appeared in the doorway.

  "Thank you for coming," I said. "I have questions for Daniel, but I wanted to explain them to you."

  "That isn't necessary," he said.

  "I believe it is," I said. "I am politely asking for answers to these questions. I am not demanding. Do you understand the difference?"

  "Yes." In other words, I wouldn't raise a stink if I didn't get answers.

  "If either he or Lara would rather I retract the questions, I will do so." I waited to let that settle before going on. "I believe I already know the answer to the first question, and the rest are dependent upon me being correct. The remaining questions are basically different versions of one single question. I asked it in different ways in case they were willing to answer one form of the question but not another."

  "All right." Greg held his hand out for the paper in my hands.

  "I wouldn't mind an answer tonight," I said. "But if that is not possible, that is fine." Then I handed him the sheet. The questions were simple.

  If I had returned to Madison after the challenge in Dubuque, would I still be facing similar hearings?

  Would Lara have officiated?

  Would Daniel have officiated?

  Would Ron Berg have officiated?

  Would Christopher West have officiated?

  Who would have officiated?

  "I understand I may only receive partial answers or no answer at all."

  Eureka

  When I returned to my cell after my run, I found my sheet of questions waiting for me on my pillow with partial answers in Lara's hand. Yes, I would be facing a similar hearing. No, neither she nor Daniel would have officiated. She hadn't answered the remaining questions.

  I didn't know what that meant. But it left me with another question.

  Am I better off being tried in Colorado than back in Wisconsin?

  * * * *

  It was the middle of the night when I woke from a deep sleep, sitting bolt upright in the dark. I scrambled for the camp light, turned it on, then dug through my papers until I found the pad with the question, "What is REALLY going on?"

  Below it, I wrote in large letters, "Politics. Fucking politics."

  The answers to most of my other questions became clear. My wolves were telling me, as loudly and clearly as they could, they were on my side. Wendy had told me that before this started, but I suddenly had been given ample reason to believe otherwise.

  Why couldn't anyone be clear? More politics. I didn't think I was going to puzzle that out any further. I didn't think it mattered.

  Lara hadn't brought these charges to me willingly; it was politics. Furthermore, Lara would have protected me if she thought I needed the protection.

  She thought I could beat the charges, maybe not all of them, but enough of them.

  So who was the real enemy? That was easy: Christopher West.

  I was going to stomp him into the dirt. He was no challenge to me.

  I turned off the light and went back to sleep and didn't waken again until Wendy knocked on my door in the morning.

  * * * *

  I ate and took a morning run with a shower afterwards. I worked on my defense, picking at lunch, until late in the afternoon.

  I stood up, stretched, and then turned over most of my notes. I crossed to the door and knocked firmly, then stepped back and waited.

  Cameron opened the door and stepped inside. "Bathroom break?"

  "Please get Wendy," I said.

  "She is on her way."

  When she arrived, I looked down at my cot. The paper from last night with the bold words, "Fucking Politics" was clearly visible. She glanced at it but schooled her features.

  "You wanted me?"

  "Wendy," I said. "I am Michaela Burns, Alpha Fox of the Madison Weres. I wish a run and I demand a proper security detail." I said it firmly and as haughtily as I was able. It was a tone I didn't take very often and wasn't very good at it, but I had been practicing the tone of Dame Maggie Smith and thought I had it down well.

  "What was wrong with your security detail yesterday or this morning?"

  "It did not include my head of security. That is not you. I would accept as an alternate my head enforcer. But I would prefer a detail picked by either of them, and I cannot imagine such a detail would not include one and or the other of them."

  She looked at me, cocking her head. "What do you really want?"

  "Exactly what I said.
I want a run. I want my own security detail, not one borrowed from someone else. I understand there may be two security details, but I want my own."

  She still didn't trust me. She thought I was up to something.

  I sighed. "I'll shift to fox. I won't be able to speak. There will be no collusion. All I want is a proper run with a proper detail. I wish to be properly surrounded by pack. I have not been convicted of any serious crimes, and I am not going to be. Now, please kindly relay my demands to whomever can make a decision and return with my answers."

  And with that, again haughtily, I stepped away and returned to digging through my notes, but I already had my plan.

  I really didn't want anything other than what I was asking: a run with my friends. And they all owed me.

  "I will relay your request," Wendy said.

  "Demands, Enforcer. They are the demands of the Alpha of the Madison Weres."

  And when I looked up at her, she was smiling.

  "I will relay your demands, Alpha."

  By Wendy's watch, it was thirty-five minutes before she returned. She knocked and stepped into my cell. "You may have your run, Alpha. Your security detail will meet you when you step outside."

  "Thank you, Wendy," I said sweetly.

  "Promise me you aren't attempting collusion and I won't be as intrusive in my search of you as I have promised to be."

  "No collusion, Wendy. Just a run. A long run. But if you feel the need to be intrusive, I will accept stoically. I do not promise for Lara."

  "Quite," she said. "We are ready now."

  I stood up, loosened my clothing, and was out of them moments later, my furry form filling me with energy.

  I fluffed my fur and stepped past her.

  When we finally stepped outside ten minutes later, Serena, in fur, was waiting right by the door. At the bottom of the steps, also all in fur, was everyone else: Lara, Elisabeth, Angel and Scarlett. I chuffed and barked happily. I gave Serena a quick, happy lick, accepting one in return. Everyone else received her licks, and then I approached Lara slowly. At her feet, I rolled over onto my back, exposing my throat to her.

  She practically threw herself on me, covering me with her weight and plunging her mouth to my throat. She held firmly, not squeezing, just holding me, for a very long time.