Heart of the Pack

by Jenny Frame

Lena put down her new wolf pen and asked excitedly, “What?”

  “A blueberry muffin, and before you say anything, it’s healthy and I’ll even halve it with you, if you don’t want to eat it all.”

  “Okay, we’ll halve it.” Lena took the muffin and plastic cutlery from the bag and cut the treat in two.

  Caden brought a chair over to Lena’s desk and began eating her share.

  Lena tasted hers. “This is delicious.”

  “Yep, nothing is ever bought in. Everything from the cookhouse is homemade,” Caden told her.

  Lena sighed in a contented fashion.

  “What is it?” Caden asked.

  “I was just thinking what a wonderful but simple place Wolfgang County is. Traditional but at the same time the most modern and open place I’ve ever lived. I’ve begun to relax so much since I came here—and met you of course.”

  “I’m glad you like it so much. Listen, I was thinking, if you didn’t have any plans, would you like to come over to my house after work? We could pick up some takeout, talk awhile, what do you think?”

  Caden could tell Lena’s answer by the breadth of the smile. “I’d love to.”

  Yes. Caden didn’t know exactly why, but it was important for her to show Lena her den.

  *

  Caden pulled the truck up and said, “Here we go. This is my den.”

  “It’s beautiful.” The cabin was set in a small clearing, surrounded by forest, and Lena was captivated by it. “It’s like a house in a movie. It must be wonderful to wake up to the sounds of the forest all around you.”

  “It’s not much, but I do plan to build a bigger place one day.” Caden lifted the bag of takeout from the truck and led Lena up the steps to the front door.

  “I can take the bag till you unlock the door,” Lena said.

  “It’s okay. The door’s open.” Caden opened the door and allowed her guest to walk in first.

  Lena was puzzled at how Caden could leave her property unlocked, but soon forgot that concern when she saw the inside of the cozy cabin. An open-plan, comfortable living room led to a wooden staircase on one side, and on the other a large open fireplace, that had logs piled up on either side.

  Everything was rustic—wooden floors, furniture, and rugs. The decoration was sparse and depicted animals of the forest, mainly wolves: wolf pictures, statues, ornaments. They sure do like wolves around here. She was struck by the warmth she felt, walking into Caden’s home. It wasn’t physical warmth, but a sense of safety that she associated with Caden.

  Caden dropped the takeout bag on the coffee table and quickly started to gather shirts and clothes and magazines that were strewn across the furniture. “I’m sorry, I’m not that tidy. I have someone come in every week to clean and do my laundry, but I should have tidied up this morning before I left for work.”

  For some insane reason, the thought of someone else coming in and taking care of Caden made Lena feel jealous, which was a totally new emotion for her. She picked up the food and said in a sharp tone, “If you show me to the kitchen, I’ll serve the food for us.”

  “It’s just through that door up over there,” Caden said, pointing. Lena marched off, leaving Caden holding a pile of clothes and magazines and looking confused.

  In the kitchen Lena leaned against the countertop and tried to shake herself free of these new feelings. She tried to work out what was going on in her heart and knew she was falling for Caden in a big way. Lena could only imagine what her mother and father would say about having feelings for a woman like Caden. She had always known she liked women, but her feelings and true nature were not something her parents took into consideration. What looked right to the outside world, that was what they considered important.

  When Caden had held her hips and spoken into her ear the other night, she could have melted into her, and she didn’t want her to stop.

  Would she have stopped Caden, if she had pursued her? If she was honest with herself, she didn’t think she would.

  *

  Caden paced back and forth with her pile of belongings, not knowing what to do with them. Eventually she walked over to the closet by the front door, where all her muddy farm boots were kept, and unceremoniously dumped the pile inside and shut the door.

  She hurried to the kitchen and stopped in the doorway, her mouth curving slowly up her face into a huge smile. The sight of Lena setting the table and dishing out the food gave her a warm glow in her heart, and a rumble of a growl in her throat.

  Lena looked up quickly. “Sorry, did you say something?”

  “No, just clearing my throat. So, did you find everything okay?”

  “Yes. I just looked around the cupboards to find the plates. I hope that was all right?”

  It amazed Caden that any little hard-fought bit of confidence Lena gained could be dashed in a moment. “My den is always open to you. You’re having a civilizing influence on me. I usually get dinner at the New Moon or bring home takeout, but I never sit at the table with plates and everything.”

  “Really?”

  Caden shrugged. “It doesn’t seem worth the effort when you’re on your own.”

  Lena smiled sweetly at her. “You’re not alone now, Caden.”

  The moment was laced with more meaning than Caden was prepared to admit to, but for that moment, she caught a fleeting glimpse of a future that didn’t have to be spent alone.

  *

  “That was really good,” Lena said to Caden. They were relaxing on the couch after dinner, simply enjoying the peace of each other’s company.

  “I think chicken and broccoli stir-fry must be the healthiest takeout the New Moon has ever made.”

  Lena sipped her fruit juice and smiled. “You Wolfgang people sure do like your meat.”

  “It’s our livelihood, so we enjoy it, but we also respect it,” Caden said.

  “I’ve noticed that while I’ve been working, Dante seems to run a very ethical business. Going by your accounts, you don’t cut corners in the care of the animals.”

  “Of course not. The Great Mother tasks us to take care of the animals and the habitats she provides for us. If we disrespect that, we disrespect her, and we will suffer for it.”

  Lena sat closer to Caden, fascinated by what she had said. “The Great Mother? Is that like Mother Nature?”

  “Yes, and any hunter who disrespects the Great Mother will not bring home enough meat for her pack.”

  “You all talk a lot about wolves, and I notice you have a lot of wolf artwork,” Lena said.

  The best policy was to be as truthful as she could, without telling her everything at once, Caden surmised. “The wolf is symbolic to us. It’s the top predator in these parts, but an essential part of the food chain. The way the wolf leads its life, the pack order and hierarchy, the collective purpose of eating, surviving, and raising a family, is what we strive for in Wolfgang County.”

  Lena looked surprised. “You mean…”

  “I mean we all benefit from the kill, just like the wolf. At the top, Dante is our leader and runs the business, then me, and below me there’s an elite group of people who act as counsel to both Dante and myself. Everyone benefits from the business and plays their part.”

  “That’s an astonishing way to organize things.” Then Lena asked, “So is there any unemployment in Wolfgang County?”

  Caden smiled. “There is a job for every one of us here—it’s up to us to take it, and we are rewarded by our position. We take care of each other. There are no poor people in Wolfgang County.”

  “You make me never want to leave.”

  Caden took her hand and said sincerely, “Then don’t. Stay with us.”

  Lena shook her head. “I’ll have to leave when my assignment is finished. My job is in the city, but believe me, there’s nothing I would like more than to move away and keep my independence. I’m even dreading going home this weekend.”

  Caden sat bolt upright. “You’re going home?”

  “Yes, remem
ber I told you about my father’s birthday party?”

  Caden nodded sadly. She had planned to ask Lena out again, and she felt an ache at the thought of not seeing her for a whole weekend. She wondered how she would ever cope when Lena reached the end of her assignment.

  Lena rubbed her arm cast protectively. “Mother and Father will be appalled at the sight of their baby elephant in an elegant dress with an arm cast on. I think they would have asked me not to come if it wasn’t for the fact that James is back in town.”

  Caden’s senses were immediately on alert at this new name. “James? Who is James?”

  “James Thornton, my brother’s childhood friend. He’s a lawyer at the same firm as my brothers, but he’s been working in the Paris branch for a year. He just got back.”

  Caden’s wolf didn’t like the sound of this one bit. “What does that have to do with you?”

  “Oh”—Lena looked down shyly—“my parents have always had the foolish notion that he would make a good husband for me, or more to the point, a good son-in-law for them, but it’s never going to happen. James doesn’t look at me like that. He spent all of my childhood teasing me, just like my brothers. I keep telling Mother that James likes women who look like models, not women like me.”

  Caden had to gulp hard to keep down the growl that threatened to come. Her wolf was disturbed by this news and demanded action. Before she could stop herself, she placed a possessive paw on Lena’s arm and said, “Why don’t I go with you?”

  “What?” Lena questioned.

  “If you’re dreading it so much, why don’t I come with you? I can drive you there and back too.”

  Lena thought about it for a few seconds. “You realize it’ll be really boring. A party full of people who value money and position above all else.”

  “I don’t care, Lena. I just want to be there for you.” And mark my territory.

  Lena threw her arms around her. “I’d love you to come.”

  Caden drank in her scent. “Great. I guess I’ll need something to wear. I don’t think jeans and boots will be right for this shindig.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll take you shopping. It’ll be fun.”

  Caden held up her hand and said, “One thing though. I’m not wearing girls’ stuff. I’m a hun—”

  “You’re a hunter. Yes, I know.” Lena reached forward and cupped Caden’s cheek. “I’d never ever want to change that about you.”

  *

  Lena and Caden had been inside Roman’s Suits and Tailoring for a few hours now, trying to find Caden a suit. Lena sat outside the dressing room while the tailor, Roman, fitted Caden. She had already tried on about five suits. Each had something wrong with it in her eyes. Too formal, too uncomfortable, wrong color.

  Lena could barely believe this was real. She couldn’t believe how much her life had changed in such a short time. Before coming to Wolfgang County a month ago, she had never had a friend and barely spoke to anyone, and now she had Caden and was taking her home to her father’s birthday party.

  The anxiety she had felt when she’d asked her mother on the phone returned, gnawing away in the stomach.

  She opened her purse and pulled out her pen case. She ritually counted them out, making sure they were in the correct order. The process always calmed her nerves, and especially now with the wolf pen that Caden had given her. She felt a new sense of protection in the wolf symbol and the moonstone she always kept in her pocket.

  Her mother had been unimpressed with her request until Lena told her Caden was vice president of Venator. The fact Lena had made a friend of such a high-ranking individual had made her mother very happy. The only problem Lena could foresee was she would be expecting an executive woman, like herself, and not a hunter, as Caden put it.

  “Lena?” She looked up and saw Eden Wolfgang standing, holding her son.

  She quickly put away her pens and stood. “Hi, Mrs. Wolfgang. It’s so nice to see you.”

  “Please, it’s Eden, remember?”

  Lena held on to the moonstone in her jacket pocket, trying to calm herself enough for normal conversation. “Sorry, Eden. Is this Conan? Caden told me about your children.”

  Eden smiled and sat in the seat next to Lena. “Yes, this big baby is Conan. Say hi to Lena.”

  The little boy burrowed closer into his mother. “Hi.”

  Lena took her seat again, and smiled at the bashful boy. “Hi, Conan. He’s so cute, Eden.”

  “He’s a good boy. We’re very lucky. I’m just in to collect a few shirts for Dante and heard you were here with Caden.”

  “Yes.” Lena pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Caden offered to come to my father’s birthday party. She’s just getting a new suit, and I said I’d help her choose.”

  Eden’s eyes went wide, and she looked totally surprised. “My, my. Caden isn’t usually fond of socializing. It’ll be good for her to get out someplace different. She must really care about your friendship, Lena.”

  Lena flushed. “I think she’s just trying to be nice. She knows I don’t have a lot of friends, and my parents’ parties can be intimidating.”

  Eden placed her hand on Lena’s and said, “Believe me, Lena, Caden never does things like this. She likes her solitude—she’s a lone wolf, so to speak. I think you can safely say she cares about you. So, when do you leave?”

  “Just after we get finished here. We’ve booked a hotel room not far from my parents’. It should only take us a few hours to get there.”

  The dressing room door opened and out came Roman. “Ah, Eden. So nice to see you. More shirts for Dante, I would bet?”

  Roman was a short submissive wolf with a big personality. He was immaculately dressed in designer pale gray suit trousers and a pink shirt with white collar and cuffs, a measuring tape hanging loose around his shoulders.

  “You bet right. I understand you’re fitting our Caden for a suit?”

  “Indeed, I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to get Caden out of shirts and jeans. She’ll be out in a moment. It’s been hard work, I can tell you. Miss Selena will testify to that.”

  Lena chose her words very carefully. “I would say…she’s been very careful in what she picks.”

  Roman burst out laughing. “Oh, I can see why she likes you, my dear.”

  The dressing room door cracked open, and they saw a bit of Caden’s face as she peeked round the door.

  “Don’t be shy, Cade. Come on out,” Eden said.

  They heard a big sigh and then out walked Caden. Lena rose slowly to her feet and walked toward her. “Caden, you look so good.”

  Caden looked down at her silver-gray suit and said, “You like it? Really?”

  “Of course she likes it. It’s the finest Italian handmade suit, with matching vest, black Stetson, and black cowboy boots. It’s fabulous.”

  “Lena?” Caden asked.

  Lena adjusted Caden’s white shirt and smiled up at her. “I love it, Caden. It suits you so much better than the others. It’s perfect, perfect for a hunter.”

  Caden gazed at Lena adoringly. “If you like it, then we’ll get it.”

  *

  In an abandoned warehouse, a group of wild-looking wolves sat around a large table, waiting for their Alpha. Leroux, scarred but much stronger, walked toward them. They all stood and greeted her with a salute. A dominant female walked to her and said, “Alpha. You are well?”

  Leroux pulled her into an embrace. “I am now, Ovid, my loyal Second. Now that my wolves are with me, I am strong.”

  Leroux sat at the head of the table and said, “My wolves, this plan has been long in duration, but we are nearly at its end. It may look as if I failed at the first hurdle, but now Dante and her dogs are overconfident, and I have information that will lead us to victory.”

  “What did you find, Alpha?” A dark male wolf and one of Leroux’s and Ovid’s most trusted lieutenants, asked.

  “When I left our pack land to set off on this journey, I promised you I would brin
g back prosperity and riches to the Lupa pack, and I will deliver. The Wolfgang pack has riches and resources that we could only dream of, and we will take it from them.”

  “Alpha? They have numbers and a large territory on their side. How do we overcome that?” Ovid said.

  Leroux sneered and said, “We have a Lupa wolf on the inside. One that will distract Dante and her Second from Wolfgang land, leaving the back door open for you to lead a small contingent of wolves to the heart of the pack. Once we take out everything they love and hold dear, they will crumble.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  The next day Caden and Lena traveled to Salt Lake City and checked into a hotel near Lena’s family home. She hadn’t seen Lena since they had been shown to their rooms earlier and she couldn’t wait to be by her side again. It had taken them a few hours to drive here, and as they had gotten closer, Caden had felt Lena’s anxiety steadily increase. It made her want to take her mate and run back to her den and keep her safe from harm, because there was no hiding anymore. Lena was her destined mate, and she just had to prove her love to her now.

  Caden adjusted her collar and took her Stetson off before knocking on Lena’s hotel room door. The door opened and Caden gasped. Lena was wearing a sleeveless ivory and lace evening dress, and her dark hair hung loose in curls. It was strange seeing her without her glasses and with contacts in, but either way, she simply took Caden’s breath away.

  “Lena…you look—”

  “Ridiculous. I don’t know why I ever thought I could wear something like this. Especially with this stupid cast on.” She turned and ran into the bathroom.

  Caden groaned in frustration. “Great Mother, give me strength.”

  She walked in, stood outside the bathroom door, and knocked. “Lena? You didn’t let me finish. I was going to tell you that you look beautiful.”

  There was no response, so Caden thought it was time to be honest. She touched the door as if she could connect with her and said, “Lena, I know you struggle with self-confidence, and you feel beaten down by your family, but I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

  Caden heard Lena shuffle toward the door and felt the beat of her heart. Don’t stop now, Wolf.