Chapter 1
Something’s coming! Hillary peeled back the curtain in the pack kitchen and eyed the sprawling compound. Outside, her pack, Shadow Wolf, maneuvered through their daily routines. The sun was beating down and a headache was pounding just behind her eyes while a fine sheen of sweat coated her body. She wasn’t sure if she was sweating from the heat of the mid-summer day coupled with the fire from the ovens or if it was the result of the trepidation seeping into her.
All her life she’d had this gift to feel when something big was about to happen. From the moment she woke that morning, nervous anticipation had been skittering through her. She hated the gift. She had no idea if what was coming was good or bad, and that was the worst. The last time she’d had this feeling, Michael had challenged for Alpha and had won. That same day he’d implemented new “rules”, which included women in the pack making themselves what he had called, “accessible for trade or use for the betterment of the pack.” When asked specifically what that meant, he’d informed the females that if the need arose, they’d be called on to entertain dignitaries. The other pack females had been delighted with the prospect of being chosen for the task because of the term dignitaries.
Dignitaries! She snorted at the memory. By dignitaries, he’d meant other Alphas or high ranking members of other packs. Instantly, Hillary and Simone had threatened to walk. They’d even gone so far as to start packing their things when Michael called them into a meeting. He promised not to force them into use in that capacity as long as they stayed with the pack and took on significant tasks. Hillary had been put in charge of the kitchen and Simone had been forced to take over the gardens, which supplied fresh produce for the pack. It had been a shit deal, but had worked out in the end. Turns out, Hillary loved to cook and was exceptional at it, while Simone thrived on working with the land. Still, it hadn’t been fair.
Letting the curtain drop, Hillary paced the kitchen as she wrung her hands.
“Hey Betty Snockered,” Simone greeted with a grin, stepping into the kitchen with a basket of bell peppers propped on her hip. “How ya feeling today?”
Hillary moaned and not at the nickname. The two women had stayed up late the night before drinking wine and sharing their dreams in Simone’s cabin. When Hillary had tried to leave early, Simone grumbled, “It’s just one wimpy bottle of wine.”
It hadn’t been wimpy and it hadn’t been one. The memory of how drunk she’d been had shame searing Hillary’s cheeks, but it gave her pause. Maybe her headache wasn’t the result of anything coming, but just a hangover. She blinked at the thought, hoping she was right. Perhaps trouble wasn’t coming. Maybe she was just…off.
Her eyes snagged on the giant basket of peppers Simone hoisted onto the counter.
“Simone! When I said I was making pepper steak, I meant for the pack, not the whole world.” She shook her head with a laugh and was picking out the best peppers when Simone’s words froze her.
“You didn’t hear?”
Goosebumps blasted across Hillary’s arms. She asked cautiously, “Hear what?”
Simone shook her head as her brows snapped into a frown. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell you.”
“Who? Tell me what?”
Dropping her hands to her hips, Simone looked up. “Michael invited the highest ranking officials from Blood Lust to Shadow Wolf. They’re coming tonight. You’re cooking for our pack and the Blood Lust Alpha and his enforcers.”
Hillary’s eyes rounded. “What?”
Simone shook her head, her blonde locks swaying with the motion, her blue eyes sparking with anger. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell you.” Pacing to the sink, she washed her hands. “Look, I’m done in the garden. I can help out. What do you need me to do?”
Hillary stood dumbfounded. Her mind raced with all that she’d need to do, but now she was almost positive her trepidation had been warranted and not just the result of an epic hangover. “Fffuck,” she breathed.
Genuine concern laced Simone’s tone when she asked, “Hillary?”
Snapping herself from her thoughts, Hillary looked at the basket of peppers then rushed to the two-section reach-in fridge the pack had purchased last year from some local restaurant that went out of business. Studying the contents, Hillary slammed the door and said, “I need eight heads of lettuce from the garden. Have you got that many?”
Simone nodded and rushed the door. “On it!”
Alone, Hillary was too preoccupied with preparing a massive last-minute dinner to waste time worrying about the anxiety that was riding her. Plus, she knew from experience that worrying about it never stopped it from happening. No matter how much she hated when her intuition was telling her something she didn’t want to hear, she was still forced to endure it.
Quickly, she scoured the cupboards and started pulling ingredients. The four chocolate cakes in the oven she’d been preparing for tonight’s desert wouldn’t be nearly enough now. Eyeing the clock, she calculated the hours until dinner and surmised that she’d be stuck doing prep right up until it was time to start cooking the main course. Damn! She’d so wanted to sneak off to the creek for a cool dip. Stupid Michael! Absently, she wondered what he would have done if Simone hadn’t informed her of the incoming visitors and she hadn’t prepared enough food. He’d be the one to look the fool, and for just a second she considered pretending she didn’t know. That thought was short lived. She’d heard the Blood Lust pack’s name was more than fitting. The last thing she wanted to do was to disrespect the Alpha and his pack. Not even for the chance at seeing Michael look the fool.
Blood Lust. Just the thought of them had chills shooting up her spine and for once she was glad that she’d be relegated to the kitchens instead of having to attend the dinner in the hall with the two mingled packs.