Heart of the Pack
Page 2
Caden’s heart ached knowing she would never experience love, family, and pride like her Alpha. No, her wolf mate didn’t exist.
“You’re very lucky, Alpha.”
Dante clasped her hands and looked at her mating ring. “Oh, I know that, Cade. Everyone who meets Eden tells me that.” She sat back in her chair and smiled, as if thinking of her mate. “Oh, she wants you to come to dinner soon, and she promises not to introduce you to any more potential mates.”
Eden had long tried to match her up with some eligible wolves but no one had ever tempted her. “Of course I will.” She gulped away the sadness she felt and smiled. “It is an honor to be invited to your family den.”
“Excellent, now we better get through to the conference room.” Dante put on the black suit jacket that had been hanging over the back of her chair and picked up her tablet. “I won’t keep you long today—I know you’re anxious to get back to the ranch office.” Dante led the way out and toward the conference room.
“I am at your service, Alpha, but are you sure bringing more humans in is a good idea? They can’t be trusted.”
Dante sighed audibly. “Yes, I’m sure. I know how you feel about humans, Caden, but I have made my decision. We’ve had humans in Wolfgang County since my father was Alpha.”
Caden stood and followed Dante through the corridor. “Yes, but only few in number. This human is going to be here with free rein to trample through our business, our territory. And the first human to work in the heart of our business caused great harm.”
Dante stopped dead and looked into her eyes. Caden instinctively lowered her own eyes. She had seen a storm of emotion behind her friend’s eyes, and she remembered the chaos that surrounded Suzy Mitchell’s employment as PR executive. Mitchell’s tenure had been brief and turbulent.
After she’d made several brazen attempts to seduce the Alpha in front of other wolves including Dante’s daughter, Caden had been summoned to Dante’s office to assist in removing her. As Caden had handed Mitchell to security, the human laughed and taunted the Alpha. Caden would never forget that day.
Maybe your wife has someone of her own to play with. Leroux should be having some fun with her right about now.
She remembered the fury and pain on her friend’s face when they received a call to say the Mater had been attacked. While Suzy Mitchell was taking up their time, the Alpha of the Lupa pack had cornered the Mater at her children’s school and effectively declared war on the Wolfgangs by laying her claws on their Mater. The Lupa pack were old adversaries but hadn’t launched an attack on Wolfgang land since Dante’s grandmother was Alpha.
“I know exactly what harm she caused, Second. She aided and abetted one of the most vicious wolves I have had the displeasure of knowing. Luckily, Leroux is such a pathetic specimen of a dominant wolf, she couldn’t subdue a small submissive wolf like Eden.”
Dante said that last sentence with evident pride. Eden had fought back and repelled Leroux’s attack, and it was only Dion’s turning up in the middle of the fight that stopped Dante from finishing the job. Leroux made good her escape and was still at large.
Caden had vowed never to let anything like that ever happen again. The Alpha and Mater were essential to the harmony and well-being of the pack. Without them, the Wolfgangs simply couldn’t function.
“I’m sorry for mentioning it, Alpha, but it’s my job as Second to keep you and the Mater safe. Having a human among us is asking for trouble.”
Dante sighed. “We can’t hold them all responsible for the act of one person, just as we can’t judge every wolf by another’s actions.”
She couldn’t help the soft growl that escaped her mouth. “They are all like that, Alpha. They have no rules, no code by which they live. I know personally what kind of destruction they can bring.”
Dante stopped at the conference room door and put a comforting hand on the back of her neck. “I know you do, Cade, but not every human is bent on hurting us. Trust me?”
“Of course. You need never doubt it.” Caden gave a brief nod and followed her Alpha into the conference room. But she could not let go of the anger deep inside. Humans are always a threat.
*
Selena sat on her bed in her new apartment, overwhelmed by the mess and boxes all around her. The movers had left not long ago, and now she was alone, and the full enormity of her new life hit her. She was truly out on her own now.
She had nearly turned back a few times on her way here, but as the city streets and roads turned to country farming communities and forested backdrops, she began to calm slightly.
Wolfgang County and the surrounding areas were beautiful, and as she passed through the ancient natural environment, it seemed like she was entering a different world. Maybe in this new world she could be a different person, not the anxiety-ridden woman she was at home. She’d approached the county line and slowed down to look at the sign. It read Welcome to Wolfgang County and pictured two wolves with smaller wolf cubs standing beside them howling at a moon in the night sky. It was then that she thought of what her uncle had told her: Follow your heart and follow the moon. Maybe this new job was meant to be?
Her cell phone beeped with a series of text messages and her stomach churned when she saw they were from her mother.
Let me know how your first day goes, and remember to wear something that flatters.
You insisted on taking this job, Selena, so you better make sure you don’t embarrass the family as you are prone to.
You’ve made your bed, Selena, now lie in it.
Selena threw the cell phone on her bed, her positive mood now vanished. She looked at the mirror on the closet and was, as ever, displeased with what she saw.
“Fat and clumsy,” she heard her mother’s voice say.
The mess and chaos around her further agitated her anxiety. She grabbed for her purse on the bed and took out a long tin case that held her collection of pens. She counted them out. “One, two, three, four, five,” handling each one, putting it in its place again.
Selena repeated the ritual twice before closing the tin and holding it to her chest, breathing in the calming effect. She knew it might be an odd habit, but it worked to quell her anxiety, and that’s what mattered most.
Okay, it was time to get this apartment in some sort of order.
CHAPTER TWO
Caden walked up the long driveway that led to the Alpha’s den. As she got closer she noticed Dante standing beside her car, watching Eden through the family room window with a huge smile on her face. Eden was dancing around the room with Conan, their youngest, in her arms.
“Alpha?”
No response. Dante was lost in her happiness. It wasn’t for nothing their kind used the phrase drunk on love to describe the complete adoration two mated wolves felt for each other—half a joke, Caden thought, since wolves couldn’t tolerate alcohol and never touched the stuff. But if someone who didn’t know observed Dante right now, drunk was exactly how they’d describe the look on the Alpha’s face.
She walked closer and Dante finally scented her friend standing beside her. “Sorry, Cade, I was lost in my thoughts.”
“No apology necessary, Alpha. I would be too if I had such a beautiful family.”
Dante smiled. “I was just thinking about the day of our mating ceremony. Do you remember?”
“Of course I do, you were a nervous wreck.” Caden laughed.
“Can you blame me? I’d been counting down the days till I was eighteen and permitted to take Eden as my mate. It was the longest wait of my life.” Eden waved at them with a smile as big as Dante’s.
Caden took off her Stetson and lowered her eyes respectfully. “At least you had the den to build—that kept you busy.”
Caden, Dante, and their friends had spent a year building on the large piece of land Dante’s father had given her, in order to present Eden with the traditional mating gift.
“True.” Dante shut the car door and picked up her briefcase. “I rememb
er standing on the dais at our mating ceremony and thinking nothing could make me happier than this moment, but then Dion came along, a blessing from our first night together, and it just keeps getting better.”
Caden looked down at her boots, hoping that she could hide the emotions that were always bubbling beneath the surface.
Dante said nothing for a minute and then, thankfully, changed the subject. “I hope you don’t mind me calling you over early. I thought we could take Dion out for a run before dinner. I’ve had enough shouting at idiots over the phone for one day. My wolf’s been clawing to get home to see Eden and the cubs.”
“Of course not, Alpha. I was finished up at the ranch office for the day.”
Eden appeared at the door with Conan in her arms. “Are you two coming in, or are you going to gossip like a pair of old hens all day?”
Dante gave a soft rumbling growl and hurried to her mate.
Caden chuckled behind her when she heard Eden say, “Those growls don’t work on me, so just kiss me.”
It always amazed her that the most dominant wolf in the pack, a wolf who could tear you limb from limb—and had just about done so to the Lupa pack Alpha—could be tamed by a gentle wolf like Eden.
Eden beckoned her to follow into the den, and she walked to the front door. No one will ever tame me.
*
Selena walked into the large glass-fronted building owned by Venator. She saw the reception desk ahead, and the well-dressed, pretty girl who tended it. She dreaded talking to new people, and today would be one introduction after the other. Best to get started.
She looked down at her letter of introduction from her old job, ready to hand to the receptionist, and her hand shook with nerves. Selena observed the large foyer filled with smart professionals, coming and going to offices and the elevators, and wondered how she could ever fit in a busy place like this. She never would.
Selena turned to make her escape—now, before she had a total meltdown. The security guard gave her a strange look, seeing as she had only just come through the door.
The look stopped her in her tracks. They don’t know anything about me. I can do this. She rummaged in her purse for her pen case, and counted them out, one by one. She closed her eyes and took a breath. This was her chance.
She adjusted her glasses and made herself turn and walk back to the desk, before she could change her mind.
“Good afternoon, ma’am. Welcome to Venator. I’m Kyra—how can I help you?”
Selena stood rigidly still and forced herself to talk. “I start here next week…and I was told to come in at”—she mentally calmed her racing heart and prayed she wouldn’t hyperventilate and embarrass herself further—“at four thirty, to get my security passes and things.” Selena thrust the letter forward, hoping no more explanation would be necessary.
Kyra looked over the letter and said, “Of course, Ms. Miller.” She smiled and pointed to a reception area with comfortable-looking couches. “We’ve been expecting you. Please take a seat and I’ll get someone from Human Resources to help you with that.”
As Selena sat down, glad to have that part over with, she heard shouting and commotion coming from the front door. The security guards were trying to stop a glamorous-looking auburn-haired woman from forcing her way onto the premises.
“Get your hands off me,” the woman shouted.
The female security guard kept a tight hold on her arm and strong-armed her back out of the entrance. Everyone in the busy reception area stopped to watch the commotion.
“What are you looking at?” the woman shouted.
“Leave now, ma’am, or we will throw you out.” The guard continued to herd her away from the entrance.
The fury on the woman’s face was clearly evident to Selena. A disgruntled employee?
“I’m going. You haven’t seen the last of me. I know your secret. Leroux and I”—Selena caught the worried look that passed over Kyra’s face at the mention of that name—“will destroy all you Wolfgangs.” The staff whispered frantically to each other.
Secret? What on earth could they be keeping secret?
*
Dante and Caden were enjoying a quiet chat in Dante’s home office when they heard Eden roar at Dion. Ah, teenagers, Caden thought, offering a sympathetic smile to her Alpha.
Dante shook her head. “I think we better go out running before Eden bites the future Alpha’s tail off.”
Caden got up and laughed. “I remember being that age. You’re so full of energy, big trouble just follows you about.”
Dante sighed. “Uh-huh, it sure does. When the height of the rush hit me, I was about fourteen, and it felt like every cell in my body was on fire, and nothing could quench it. It was like I wanted to mate, kill things, and rip things apart all at the same time.”
“Yeah, I remember.” Caden remembered a lot. While her friends were picking out mates and exploring their sexuality, she had been alone with no girlfriend to make sense of these new feelings. “I’m glad I’m through that phase.” In some ways, though, she never really had gotten through it. Her friends had been able to hush the thundering needs of their bodies by finally mate-biting and becoming one with their chosen partner, but she still felt that fire that only a mate could quiet.
She followed Dante up to the kitchen and found an enraged Eden sweeping up the remnants of a casserole dish. “Dante,” Eden said, “take her out before the whole dinner is ruined, and talk to her about doing what her mother tells her.”
As much as this chaotic family scene might put some off, Caden enjoyed being around it. The responsibility of being a parent and passing on knowledge and wisdom to the youngsters of the pack was something she envied, and she liked being able to take part in it vicariously through her friends.
They made their way from the kitchen to the mudroom, which led out to the large gardens and forest beyond. It functioned as a sort of changing room, with benches around the wall, shelves that Eden kept topped up with fresh clothes, and showers.
Caden and Dante found Dion sitting on the bench, her head down, looking thoroughly admonished. “I know. I’m grounded. You don’t have to tell me, Pater.”
“You’re not grounded.” Dante rested her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “You, me, and Caden are going to have a talk, little warrior, that’s all.”
Dion looked surprised she wasn’t in big trouble. Caden sat beside her and gave her a soft punch to the arm. “We’ll run some of that energy out of you.”
Dante began to unbutton her crisp white shirt. “I’m not mad at you, so don’t worry that you’re in trouble, okay? I just want to talk to you about how you’ve been feeling. You’re growing up fast, and I should have talked to you more about what you’re feeling. Cade reminded me just how much a wolf your age feels.”
Dion looked everywhere but her pater’s eyes. “I’d like to talk, Pater.” She sounded relieved. “I feel weird trying to explain to Mom. It’s dommo stuff, you know?”
Caden looked at Dante and murmured, “Dommo?”
“Dominant wolf business.” Dante winked at her. “Really, Second, you’re going to have to keep up with the modern wolf world.”
“Ah, yeah, we’ll have a dommo-to-dommo talk, Dion.” Caden smiled and started to take off her boots.
Dion rubbed the back of her head bashfully. “For a while now, I’ve felt weird…different.”
“Tell me what you feel.”
“I feel so full of energy all the time, but like, I can’t get rid of it. I know I drive Mom insane sometimes, but I can’t control it, and…” Dion hid her face in her hands.
Dante rubbed her daughter’s back, soothing her as they talked, urging her to continue.
“I feel so aggressive all the time, Pater, like I want to fight for no reason, just to show I’m the best. I want everyone to know I’m the best wolf, and that I’m totally bigger and stronger.”
Caden laughed internally but kept her expression serious. Dion’s distress was palpable.
Dante threw her shirt into the laundry basket beside them and sat down. “Everything you’re feeling is perfectly natural.”
Caden remembered their school days like they were yesterday. Dante had walked Eden to every class and growled at anyone that looked her way. She had been envious but happy for her friend. It had been clear from when they were cubs that Eden was meant for Dante. They had all three been friends, but there was a special connection between Dante and Eden that always marked them out. When she had asked her grandmother why she didn’t feel that connection with someone, her grandmother had foretold that her wolf mate didn’t exist.
Caden remembered, and she still felt the sadness deep within her.
“We’ve talked about the rush before, remember?” Dante said gently.
“Yeah, I guess.” The teen’s cheeks flushed. “It’s getting stronger though, Pater. Making me do stupid stuff.”
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” Dante reassured her cub. “It’s a natural part of growing up. It’s getting harder because your wolf is getting more mature, and it’ll get more intense right through till you’re eighteen. Second?”
Caden hung up her shirt and said, “Intense is an understatement. Boys or girls fill your head twenty-four hours a day. It is hard, Dion, and for wolves as dominant as us, even more so.”
Dion looked up at them and sighed. “I’ve always really liked girls, but lately they’re all I can think about, and I feel like I’m shaking apart. I’ve got so much energy.”