“Do you want me to stay behind with you during the trials?” Di whispered again in Giselle’s ear, as they waited for instruction to shift and run.
“Nah. Go enjoy the spectacle,” Giselle said, hoping her sister would drop the topic.
“Okay.” Di shrugged. “I tried.”
“Points for that.” Giselle winked. “Now let’s go run.” Giselle quickly disrobed and shifted to join the rest of the pack, who were already starting to head through the back gate.
She shook off the slight chill that tingled as her body took full wolf form, and stretched her legs to prepare for a sprint to catch them.
Ahead, Martina led the pack into a light jog. Even in her wolf form, Giselle saw the differences in her Alpha’s approach to this run.
As a pack, they often allowed each wolf to venture out of sight, but still within howl range. Martina was already rounding on the pack as if herding everyone into a tight group.
Totally not conspicuous. Anyone who happened to see them would notice the weird movements of this pack. Thank goodness they were deep into the desert already.
She enjoyed the breeze through her fur. The air had a slight chill to it; fall was beginning to overturn the oven-like heat that even after sundown clung to the barren desert ground. In a month’s time, the weather would be perfect, and summer would be all but a bad memory, with its hundred-and-twenty-degree temperatures.
They ran tightly, nearly tripping over one another’s paws; far from the free-spirited jaunt her wolf needed. That was the point of a moonlight run – to allow the beast its time. This was hardly even a tease.
A jackrabbit caught her attention, and it took all she had in her to not chase after it, knowing Martina’s retribution would be swift. She’d risk nothing that might ruin her plans for the following day. Best behavior no matter how badly she wanted to enjoy freedom – that was her mantra while she ran with the pack.
After ten minutes of slow jogging, however, Giselle was ready to shift back and go home.
Most. Boring. Run. Ever.
And then a scent caught her nose, and she nearly forgot her oath to Martina to stay with the pack. Deep and cloying, like the earth after a good rain, natural and musky. More wolves.
She whimpered and jutted her nose in the direction of the new smell, hoping to catch a glimpse of another pack or the Alphas who’d come to visit. Anything was preferable to running in a straight line while her pack Alpha nipped at the heels of anyone daring to step out of formation.
Martina looked back at her and growled. The message was clear: No!
Their run went on for a few more minutes as they rounded back through the boulders and past the dry creek, heading for their neighborhood.
The smell followed too.
Whoever it was, they were going to meet very soon.
Excitement more than nerves had Giselle’s head on a swivel, desperately trying to catch the slightest peek of the unknown wolf or wolves nearby.
Even with the flatness of the desert landscape, she found it hard to make out any shapes or dust trails kicked up by paws. Whoever was following them, they were not revealing themselves just yet.
Martina shifted as soon as she reached the edge of the alleyway and immediately held out her hand to the rest of the pack. “Stay in form,” she commanded.
Mr. Thrace was the only other one to shift. Gavin stayed as a wolf, taking a position in front of the girls.
The other scent grew stronger until Giselle could finally make out three wolves heading their way.
Her kind were larger than the average wolf, with thicker coats. But other than those features, they carried the same coloration as the wolves of their territory. Two of the approaching wolves followed this pattern, but one stuck out – brilliant red with black tipped ears and socks, like a fox rather than a wolf. She’d never seen such coloration before and stood in awe, watching eagerly as the visitors approached.
The red wolf shifted, and Giselle instantly recognized her.
Against Martina’s order, Giselle shifted too. “Fallon! Good to see you again,” she said, excited to see the one wolf who had stuck up for her in the Council back in Washington.
Martina, however, looked murderous, with all her anger directed at Giselle’s disobedience.
Chapter 30
“Stand down, Giselle,” Nathaniel ordered, placing himself between her path and Fallon. Giselle halted her steps, but continued to address Fallon. “What are you doing here?”
Nathaniel Thrace had an imposing build and the commanding presence of an Alpha, but that didn’t faze Fallon in the slightest. She looked past the angry wolf, meeting Giselle’s eyes instead. “Told you I was a Vegas girl. Couldn’t resist the chance to visit,” Fallon responded with a wink and then turned to Nathaniel. Her demeanor altered the moment her eyes met his. He might have been an Alpha of this local pack, but she was a mate to the Regional Alpha of the Olde Town and radiated that power as she spoke to him. “We didn’t mean to startle you. We should have announced ourselves before showing up in your territory. However, it would do you and your pack more credit to be courteous to guests when they do arrive.”
Mr. Thrace’s teeth ground together loudly. Giselle doubted any woman had ever put him in his place before, and if Fallon hadn’t been mate to the Regional Alpha, he might not have held his temper. “Of course. How rude of me.”
“Please don’t let our desire to protect the pups reflect badly on our pack, Mrs. Whelan.” Recognition of the red wolf had Martina’s eyes nearly bulging from her sockets. Martina lifted a hand behind her back. A small movement, but enough to put Gavin at ease. He remained standing guard for the girls, but his posture relaxed and his tail lifted. “You’re most welcome to join us back at our home.” Martina continued, “I don’t wish to remain in the open during this uncertain time, though. I’m sure you will understand.”
Fallon’s gaze jumped from Mr. Thrace to Martina and finally settled back on Giselle.
She nodded eagerly for Fallon to join them, excited for the prospect of introducing the infamous wolf to her sisters. Giselle had told them so much; now they could see for themselves how cool she was in person.
Fallon gave Giselle a wink and cast a glance back at the two wolves accompanying her. “Of course. We will follow.”
Martina blew out a relieved breath. She looked as if she might faint. Her adoptive mother had always been so strong, but lately it was as if she were cracking under all the pressure.
Maybe Giselle should have listened. Shifting without being instructed to do so had probably made her mother look like a weak Alpha. There were so many nuances to being a good wolf that she had yet to master, and only after she screwed up and saw the results did she understand why. Fallon might not care. But she couldn’t gauge the other two wolves standing by her. One thing was certain: she’d embarrassed her mother and needed to play nice before Martina had a heart attack over all this stress.
Giselle whispered, “I’m sorry” as she shifted back to her wolf.
The pack began to run again, making quick work of heading down the alley behind Martina, toward the house. They quickly re-dressed, and Martina found suitable clothing for their guests.
Inside the Hernandez pack home, Martina led the trio to the most comfortable spots on the couch, falling instantly into the role of hostess as if it were her calling.
Giselle recognized the two men who had accompanied Fallon, but in an effort to be respectful, she waited to speak until Martina had addressed them and Fallon had made her introductions.
All smiles and just as friendly as she’d been back in Washington, Fallon seemed eager to hang out with Giselle’s pack. “Let me introduce the Whelan brothers: my mate and Alpha of the Olde Town pack, Aiden, and his brother, Brady.”
Aiden, was the older and darker-haired brother with almost midnight black eyes. Giselle had already had the pleasure of chatting with him and knew him as the sort of wolf who gave off an air of curiosity. Silent unless he had command of the room, his eyes we
re always moving, scanning his surroundings, absorbing everything he saw. But when attention settled on him, the studious gaze melted away, and the Alpha was present.
Aiden nodded as Fallon made introductions, but he didn’t make any individual greetings. Giselle couldn’t read his intentions, but sensed he was not a happy as Fallon to be here.
Brady, on the other hand, the second son with dirty blond hair and chocolate brown eyes, looked as carefree as any wolf could. He smiled and shook hands with Christina and Martina, and then pulled Taylor and Di into a bear hug. He finished with a hand out to Giselle before addressing the men. “Nice to see you again, little wolf. Still causing trouble, I see.”
“Unintentional.” Giselle shrugged, hoping to end the conversation there.
Aiden might have been the calculating one, scrutinizing everything around him, but Brady’s gregarious nature made everyone let their guard down; though for Giselle, it set off an alarm bell in her mind.
Jay’s words had haunted her from the moment he’d spoken them. She needed to watch her back where the Alphas were concerned. And she had to be careful about any wolves she met, even if she was out of the running for Alpha. It was easy to learn what made a person tick when you were their buddy. And Brady was almost too friendly, at least for someone she’d only met once before, acting as if he’d known her forever and way over the top with her sisters.
If you asked Di or Taylor, of course, they’d probably have taken another one of those manly hugs. Jaws on the floor, they were practically drooling over the big blond wolf.
She let the curiosity about him go as Martina pushed her way to the center of the living room after packing everyone into the space.
“You’ve caught two packs tonight.” Her voice warbled ever so slightly with tension, but Martina was still the Alpha in this house and doing her best to show it. “The Hernandez and the Thrace packs share the Las Vegas territory these days. I’m Martina Hernandez, and this is my mate and co-Alpha Gavin. We share these three girls and my sister Christina and her mate, Jeffrey. He belongs to my pack.” She cleared her throat and held a hand out. “Nathaniel here is Alpha of the Thrace pack.”
Nathaniel stepped forward, radiating all the Alpha he held within him. No stress, not even a bead of sweat marked his brow. He met Aiden’s eye as he spoke. “I bring my boys: Asher, the youngest; the twins, Devlin and Hamish; and my oldest, Jason.”
The boys nodded with a military uniformity that reminded Giselle exactly how strict Mr. Thrace was at home.
“We appreciate the generosity of your shared leadership to host this event. It must be a huge undertaking,” Aiden said, addressing Martina directly.
That sign of respect was not lost on Martina. Her whole body seemed to relax at that moment, and the strain in her face faded into a warm smile. “It has been a challenge,” Martina said, holding her head high. “But we never fail to rise to a challenge.” her hand flitted behind her back, and Christina caught the sign, immediately backing out of the crowd heading for the kitchen.
Aiden had taken his seat in the center of their main couch, commanding the room with his presence, and whether by instinct or just to get a better room, everyone shifted around him to be in view.
“How is it that you two are separate packs, yet both claim equal lordship in this territory?” Aiden asked.
“Both our packs have been in this area for a long time. Neither of us desire to leave nor will either submit to the other,” Nathaniel began to say.
“We learn sharing in kindergarten,” Giselle whispered jokingly to Taylor, who was standing next to her.
Taylor either didn’t get the joke or was too scared to laugh. She stood still, eyes forward respectfully toward Aiden and the others.
Wolfy hearing ensured that everyone in the room might have heard what she’d said, and it was Fallon who responded with a snort. Her gaze landed on Giselle’s face with a wink.
At least someone got the joke.
“We’re at peace,” Martina said confidently. “Neither of our packs desires rule over the other. We act as council to one another.”
“It’s not unheard of,” Aiden said, “Admirable, for sure, but oftentimes short-lived.”
“One day at a time, then,” Giselle whispered again, as if the idea of peace was something of a 12-step program for wolves.
“You,” Aiden addressed Giselle directly. “Ideals are for the young. And they are a good thing, but time often snuffs out that spark, and reality makes cynics of us all.”
Giselle’s smile faded. He wasn’t calling her an idiot outright, but the sentiment was there.
Christina returned with a tray of beers and a bowl of nuts, saving Giselle the embarrassment of being singled out by a Grand High Poobah of the Alpha world.
“Why don’t you all relax? Take a seat,” Christina said.
While the group all attempted to squeeze their butts into the remaining couch and love seat space or grab a scrap of carpet, Giselle slowly backed away until she could make an escape. She wanted nothing to do with this pack-style meeting, especially after she’d stuck her foot in her mouth not once but twice. Martina would pay her back for that later, once she finished fawning all over their royal visitors. But while she and the others were busy, Giselle could solace in the glow of the refrigerator light and the last bottle of caramel iced coffee within.
“Thought you could get away easy, eh?” Fallon caught her off-guard, and Giselle nearly dropped the small glass bottle.
“Not really my place in there, is it?” Giselle shrugged.
Fallon leaned against the arched frame leading into the kitchen and crossed her arms as she watched Giselle drink.
Not knowing what to say, Giselle hoped the distraction of sweetness would give her time to think of a more clever reply, so she prolonged out each gulp as she emptied the bottle. Fallon might be cool and all, but she was an Alpha, and a big deal at that. “If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m the troublemaker in this family.”
That earned a laugh from Fallon. “Some of the best people are. I told you about my friend Alyssa, right?”
“The vampire? Yeah!” She’d never forget that. The moment vampires had been confirmed as a real thing, Giselle had had set her mind on meeting one.
“She’s a world-class troublemaker, not unlike yourself.” Fallon pointed a finger straight at Giselle. “And becoming a vampire did not change that.”
“And I’m sure her people loved her for it, right?” Giselle scoffed. No one liked the troublemaker.
“Oh, yeah,” Fallon laughed. “She pissed off the entire Peregrinus clan on a daily basis. Especially Nicholas. It was like her calling in life to make that guy mad. Mine too, once I got to know him. He’s just too easy a target not to poke. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Alyssa got herself and everyone else into trouble more than she should have, but she also pulled us out of a lot of jams, too, because she threw caution to the wind and was willing to do what others wouldn’t.”
Alyssa sounded just as cool as Fallon. No wonder they had been best buddies when they were human. Just the thought of that sent her mind spiraling. Human transformations to supernatural creatures was something no one really talked about. She hadn’t even known it was a thing herself until Fallon had confirmed it. When she’d spoken to her sisters, they acted more shocked that it worked than surprised it was a thing.
That reminded her of just how much a noob she was. There was so much to this world Giselle still had to learn. Her thoughts took her down a path she’d not intended, but by the time she realized that Fallon was still talking, she’d recovered enough to catch her before she’d finished her speech.
“So don’t discredit yourself by saying you’re just a troublemaker. It’s not always a bad thing, Giselle.”
“I’ll wear it like a badge of pride, then,” Giselle joked, hoping Fallon had not caught her glazed-over expression while her mind had wandered.
If Fallon had, she didn’t let on, but she didn’t laugh at Giselle�
�s bad joke either. “And don’t let Aiden get to you. He’s not a bad guy. To be honest, we wanted to see you take leadership. Youth has its advantages.”
“But didn’t he just say―”
“That you’re young and naïve?” Fallon cut her off. “Sure. But no one said that was a bad thing. You just assumed it was.”
“Now you’re talking like one of the old ones out there.”
“Who are you calling old?” Fallon asked.
“Not you, obviously.” Giselle giggled “I’m not pissing off another Alpha tonight.”
“How many do you piss off on a regular basis?”
“Everyone I meet, it seems.” Giselle said. “It’s kind of my job.”
“I believe it. You are so much like my friend Alyssa.” Fallon said wistfully. “I’ll have to let you meet her someday.”
That perked Giselle right up. She’d drop everything to go meet a real live vampire. Were they live? Guess she’d find out. “Really?”
“Someday. Yes,” Fallon agreed. “I haven’t seen her in a long time.”
“But if she’s your friend, why haven’t you hung out?”
“She and her group are in Europe. Taking care of vampire business.” Worry crossed Fallon’s face, darkening her features for a moment, before she snapped out of it and gave Giselle a mischievous wink. “If you can, try to avoid pissing off too many more people in the near future, at least while the Regional Alphas are around and presiding over the trials. I think your rashness and temper were facts that counted against you in the vote.”
Giselle sighed. “Probably. And Vivian for sure.”
“Nah. She was gunning for you. It was clear to us, but Misha had to accept some of her points.”
Running the memory of that night through her head again, raw anger swelled up within her. Vivian had been out to destroy her reputation. The claws were out for sure. “She wasn’t even supposed to be there. Martina was.”
“I heard. But the second son has option to challenge, too. So she was allowed Martina’s place at the table.”
“It’s like they make up the rules as they go. How is anyone supposed to get anything done?” Giselle said in frustration.
Fearless Little Werewolf Page 18