Pack Mentality

by Idella Breen

  Sam grinned. "I try."

  "Sometimes."

  He laughed.

  "So, I just have to get lucky then?"

  "If what I said is actually true, then yes, you'd have to just get lucky."

  Gwen huffed. "I've never been very lucky."

  "Then be stubborn."

  "Stubborn? How?"

  "The good old fashion way."

  "And what way is that?"

  "Start dating again."

  Gwen laughed. "So, basically, do what everyone else in this world has to do."

  "Like I said, stubborn, and lucky."

  "Should I join an online thing again?"

  He shrugged. "If you think it will work, but Remus knows a lot of people, and you're our omega, don't you get to meet a lot of people through him already?"

  "Well, yeah, but I've never tried to wine and dine any of them."

  “Why don't you try? If you meet someone that catches your eye, instead of relying on first touch, you just trust your gut. If they're nice and you get along with them, go for it. See how it plays out. If it develops into something, then maybe there will be that moment."

  "Moment?"

  "Like, that moment in a relationship, well, you might not know this actually. When people date the good old fashioned way, obviously, it isn't love at first sight. It more like, 'I like your face and I want to see more of it.' Then, you just start seeing more of that person, testing the waters, getting to know them. You might do the horizontal tango, you might take it slow, but either way, there's just this moment in the relationship where it's just like, Wah-pow!"

  "Wah-pow?"

  "Like, bam!"

  "Bam?"

  "Like, shit, I'm in love with this person, and they just picked their nose and wiped it on the bottom of the couch cushion when they thought I wasn't looking, and I still want to kiss them. What the hell is wrong with me?"

  "I knew you did that!"

  "I have no idea what you're talking about."

  "You lying piece of — "

  "Anyway, like I was saying, there's just this moment where you just get hit by the realization that you love that person. At that moment, your wolf will just know. The connection will be established and you'll just know as well."

  "So, you're basically saying that there doesn't have to be attraction in order for me to love someone or be in a relationship with them?"

  "Nope."

  "I could just love them, and still be intimate, like hug and kiss and hold hands but I don't have to go beyond that?"

  "Gwen, in a relationship, it's about love and respect and the care you have for each other. If that person pushes for more and can't respect your boundaries then maybe they're not the one for you. But also, if they need more, you can still work something out. I'm not saying it's going to be easy but if you both are committed, you'll figure something out."

  "I feel like I should be paying you for this information."

  "One hundred bucks an hour, please."

  "Ah, yeah, no. Sorry. I don't have that kind of money."

  "Well, Ms. Lander, there are other ways to pay off your debts." She looked over to see his eyebrows bouncing suggestively on his forehead. She laughed and slapped his arm again.

  "You're such a pervert."

  "It made you laugh. I'll take that as a win."

  "How long were you sitting on that one?"

  "Longer then I'm proud to admit."

  "It was decent."

  "I thought so."

  Gwen laughed. "How do you know so much about dating, anyway?"

  "A man's gotta know the game even if he doesn't play it like other men. Just because I'm a werewolf, doesn't mean I know when I'll find my mate or if I'll ever find them, and I'm a raging ball of hormones. I know you're a prude, but Gwen, I gotta fuck."

  "Oh, my, gosh, I am not a prude!"

  "You're a total prude."

  "I am not."

  "Let's agree that I'm right and you're wrong."

  "No!"

  "When was the last time you got laid."

  "That has — "

  "Case and point."

  "I'm a professional omega. I oversee blood bonds all the time."

  "Everyone says you get squeamish but try to hide it, and if they ever asked detailed questions about sex, you would deflect."

  "I do not!"

  "Let's agree to disagree."

  Gwen huffed.

  Sam laughed.

  Everything was back to normal.

  Everything was just, okay.

  Everything was alright, for now.

  But would it stay that way?

  Does it ever?

  3

  Jezebel shook her head as she carried on down the sidewalk. It pounded with a migraine as heat flushed throughout her body. She immediately knew it had nothing to do with the summer sun as she felt the heat come from deep within her and burn all over even as she felt weak-kneed. Stumbling, she caught herself on a light pole and leaned her head against the cool metal as she tried to get her thoughts in order. People passed her by in a blur of color and muted sounds. She heard the ding of a bicycle and the sound of wheels whizzing on by, the whoosh of a bus further up the road stopping to pick up more people, the blaring of a cellphone. Everything was both loud and overwhelming and yet the thumping of her heart seemed to be the loudest thing of all as her pulse quickened and blood pulsed through her body like liquid heat. The flurry of noise and fog was broken by a question.

  “Are you alright?” A gruff voice asked and Jezebel looked up into the concerned face of a young man. He had on a backpack and was wearing a University of Montana hoodie. Jezebel had half a mind to assume he was a student on his way to class as the university was close by. She nodded her head even as she felt a bead of sweat trail between her shoulder-blades and down her back. Even her skin felt flushed and tight.

  “Are you sure?” He asked as he moved to help steady her. She hadn’t even realized that she was tipping over until his cool hands caught her by her shoulders. This all started when she touched those women. One had been a demon of some type, if the spicy scent her nose picked up was right, but the other had been a werebeast, most likely a werewolf due to the earthen scent. Jezebel had dealt with both species in her lifetime and never had she had such a reaction just from skin contact with either of them. What on earth was wrong with her?

  “Jazz?”

  She looked up through bleary eyes to see Mary coming towards her. She heard Elijah’s happy gurgles and realized that Sheik was holding him in a baby hammock wrapped around her shoulders and waist as both she and Mary ran over to help steady her. Through the thick fog that had settled over her mind, she had a vague recollection of a conversation earlier that day where she had agreed to meet with her siblings for lunch since it was only a half day of school. That’s where she had been going before the collision, she reminded herself as she fought to clear her head. Taking a deep breath, she tried to stand up straight but stumbled. Mary caught her again and with the help of the stranger they managed to keep her standing.

  “Jazz! What’s wrong? Are you hurt? What happened? Who are you?”

  “Uh, hello. I was just walking by and noticed that she didn’t look all that great.”

  “What happened?”

  “I’m not sure. I just saw her stumble and came to help.”

  Mary’s concerned face came into her line of sight and Jezebel struggled to focus on her. “Jazz, honey, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

  “No, I’m fine,” She felt a cool hand touch her forehead and Mary gasped.

  “No, you’re not fine. You’re burning up! I’m taking you home.”

  “Mary—”

  “Don’t you take that tone with me. I’m taking you home and you’re going straight to bed. I’ll pick Cierra up from daycare.”

  “What about Cole?”

  “I’ll get him,” she heard Sheik’s voice and nodded the simple action making her dizzy and nauseous”

  “But
I have to—”

  “All you have to do right now is rest. I can’t believe you made it this far in your state. No one can ever say that you aren’t ballsy.”

  “Mary, I’m fine. I just need to sit down for a minute.”

  “Jazz you’re not fine! You’re sweating bullets.”

  Jezebel was about to deny the claim when she realized that the front of her shirt was in fact drenched in sweat. By this point, Mary and the man had managed to get her into Mary’s sedan and Sheik was buckling her up with a worried look on her face. She wasn’t sure where Mary disappeared off too. Jezebel reached up and gently patted Elijah’s cheek as he dangled in front of her from the hammock carrier he was wrapped in. He happily gurgled and Sheik sighed. Jezebel smiled at her even as she struggled to catch her breath. She was still burning up. “I’ll be fine honey. It’s probably just a cold. It just snuck up on me, is all.”

  “Thank you for your help,” Jezebel heard Mary talking to who she assumed was the student.

  “Are you okay to take it from here?” He replied.

  “Yes, thank you again.”

  “It was no problem.”

  Sheik spoke, drawing her attention back to her. “You never get sick, Jazz. I’m not surprised you wouldn’t recognize it until it hit you full force.”

  “Don’t sass me, girly.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And you be careful not to bump his head on anything.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Are you sassing me again?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  “Good.”

  “Are you two quite done?” Mary asked as she slammed the car door and started up the engine.

  Sheik clicked the buckle then grinned at Jazz who chuckled. For some reason, all of the youngsters loved getting on Mary’s last nerve. Jazz would never understand it but her sister did have the type of personality that made it fun to poke the angry ogre, so to speak. Sheik climbed into the backseat, careful to buckle Elijah into his car seat before buckling up herself. Mary checked them both in the rear-view mirror.

  “All set?”

  “Yep.”

  Mary looked at Jazz and felt her forehead again before sighing. “What am I going to do with you?” She mumbled before pulling out onto the main road, grumbling about annoying siblings, and annoying bicyclist, and just in general, every annoying thing she could think of. Mary had a tendency toward drama.

  By the time Mary had gotten her back into bed, Jezebel was already beginning to feel better.

  “I’m telling you that I’m fine, Mary”

  “Jezebel, you were running a fever.”

  “But I’m not right now.”

  “Yeah but—”

  “But nothing! I’m fine now.”

  Mary sighed and held up the thermometer to see that Jazz’s fever had dropped back down within the normal range. “What the hell was that all about anyway?”

  Jezebel sighed. “I have a pretty good feeling I know.”

  Mary waited for her to continue but Jazz just picked up the glass of water Mary had brought her earlier and drained it. Mary was never known for her patience. “Well?”

  “Hmm?” Jazz said as she placed the glass down on the end-table and met her sister's impatience with a humored look.

  “Well, what was it?”

  “Oh! Hot flashes, I imagine.”

  “Hot flashes?”

  “Yes,” Jezebel nodded and ran a hand through her hair, wiping off some of the leftover sweat. She grimaced and made a mental note to take a shower once she got her house back in order and her siblings all taken care of.

  “That was one hell of a hot flash!”

  “Indeed,” Jezebel replied dryly.

  Mary shook her head. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just did.”

  “Whatever!” May said as she stood up and pocketed the thermometer. “Sheik is in her room doing her homework and Elijah is with her sleeping. She just got back with Cole a little while ago. He’s playing in his bedroom. I sent Aaron to pick up the twins and I’ll go and pick up Cierra soon.”

  “And by doing her homework, what you really mean to say is that she’s playing games on her computer.”

  Mary shrugged. “She’s a nerd, what can you do?”

  “I’ll have to set up the parent controls while she’s at school. She’s been playing too much and her grades are beginning to show it.”

  Mary laughed as she picked up the empty glass from the bedside table. “Who would have thought that Sheik would be the gamer and Aaron the troublemaker.”

  Jezebel shook her head. “They’re all troublemakers if you ask me. But I love them all the same.”

  “I know,” Mary pointed to her sister. “Now stay in bed and rest while I start dinner.”

  “You? Cook? Dear god no!”

  “Hey, I can cook.”

  “If I wanted my food extra crispy I’d ask for your help,” she said as she stood and followed Mary out.

  “You don’t trust me!” Mary groaned as she walked downstairs towards the kitchen.

  “Oh, dear sister of mine, I trust you just fine. I also know you very well, and I’d like to keep our younger siblings alive and well, thank you very much.”

  “I resent that.”

  “How about you make the salad.”

  Mary sighed in an exaggerated way. “I guess I can handle that.”

  “Then I’ll leave you to it.”

  They both walked into the kitchen just as the front door opened and Aaron was nearly plowed over when the twins rushed passed him.

  “Hey, you two!”

  “Boys!”

  Jared and Jacob stopped in front of Jezebel with goofy grins on their faces. One had brown stains on his cheeks while the other had blue. Jezebel frowned and looked up into the pale face of Aaron.

  “I thought you’d be asleep,” he said by way of an explanation.

  “You bought them ice cream.” It wasn’t a question. She could smell the sugary confection with her heightened senses.

  He didn’t have to reply as the twins both nodded their heads. “ ’s good,” Jared said.

  “The best,” Jacob said and they both took off running.

  “Running is for outside!” Mary yelled and they heard the sound of the back door slamming shut shortly after.

  Jezebel leveled a stern look at Aaron who was just now closing the front door and slipping off his shoes. “It was just a little bit.”

  “It would have been fine if it wasn’t before dinner.”

  “I thought you were sick!”

  Jezebel sighed. “Fine. But you have to watch them and make sure they don’t go out into the woods.”

  “But Jazz, I have work to do.”

  “You should have thought of that before you gave them sugar.”

  “Fine,” he mumbled and slipped his shoes back on before trudging after his siblings. Just as he was about to go outside Jezebel called out after him.

  “Thank you for taking care of your brothers and for picking them up. I knew I could always count on you, Aaron.”

  He blushed, nodded, then closed the door.

  “You spoil the brats,” Mary said as she began making the salad.

  “Mmm hmm.”

  “I’m serious! I would have at least grounded him. Now those two demon brothers are going to run around like crazy until all the sugar has evaporated from their systems.”

  “Mmm hmm,” Jezebel said as she began pulling out ingredients.

  “Are you listening, Jazz? I’m really serious.”

  Jezebel placed a bag of carrots on the counter in front of Mary, who scowled, and patted her cheek. “Don’t forget the carrots, and hurry up. You have to pick up Cierra soon.”

  “Uh! I live in a house full of heathens!”

  “Love you too, sweetheart.”

  And just like that, everything was back to normal. Or at least, it seemed that way. Even as Jez
ebel began chopping up potatoes for the chicken casserole that night, and even as she listened to her sister whine and complain, her mind was mulling over the events of earlier that day. Because deep down, Jazz knew exactly what had happened. She’d seen it happen every time her mother met a new man and would disappear for months only to return with a new sibling and deep down, Jazz was both dreading what all of this meant and excited at what this could mean. Jezebel knew, underneath all the fear and denial, that she had met two prospective mates today and they had activated her heat. As she was the oldest of the litter she was now the alpha and her cat knew that better than anyone. She was going to either have to find and track them down or face her biological clock and all the symptoms that came from not acting on the mating call of her inner nekomusume. One way or another, she was going to have to figure out who both of those women were and she would need to do it soon.

  She was late, and Art McCloud was not the sort of man to be kept waiting. Silvia’s frown deepened as she rounded the corner and glanced down, once again, at her watch. She felt a shiver travel down her spine and absently realized it had nothing to do with being late and more to do with the collision she had just been in. The earthen scent and the untamed feelings she got from the two women she had run into lingered in her nose and her skin still tingled from where she had grabbed them to prevent them from falling. Silvia wasn’t entirely sure why they had left such an impression after such a brief meeting but she was positive that it didn’t matter. She was a woman that didn’t need any more complications in her life right now. All she needed to worry about was keeping her brother alive and to do that she needed to fulfill Art’s orders. Which, right now, consisted of being on time to the clan meeting.

  She opened the door to the nondescript office building and was patted down by the guard before being allowed to enter the room. As soon as she opened the door she immediately knew something was wrong. The tension in the room was heavy and oppressive and as Silvia let her eyes trail around she realized the reason as her eyes settled on the auburn short hair and bulky build of none other than Remus Lander. She squared her shoulders and made her way through the room as the other beta wolves moved aside to let her through to where Remus and Art were being held back by other’s from their clans to prevent a full out brawl.