Chapter 2

Anna

James was waiting for us when we walked into the house. He was dressed casually, in black cargo pants and a fitted black T-shirt that showed off his lean and toned physique. I could compare the other guys to football players, but James had an air about him that screamed danger. If I had to compare him to anything, it would be an assassin. James was a sleek and graceful predator.

“I need the two of you to report up to Austin’s office immediately.” He told the twins gruffly.

The twins both sighed and trudged towards the stairs.

James frowned at me, so I gave him an agreeable smile. His dark eyes watched me thoughtfully.

“I’ll make lunch,” I offered, in an attempt to distract him from trying to order me around.

It worked because he nodded and then followed the twins upstairs. I waited until I was sure he was in the office with the door closed before I ran upstairs to see Caleb.

I was glad that James had excluded me from the meeting; I knew he was just going to question the twins without giving them any information.

Right now, Caleb was going to be my best source of information. I knocked on Caleb’s door with my ‘secret’ knock that identified me to him. I had started doing it as a joke after he had accidentally mistaken me for James one day, but it always seemed to make him smile so I kept doing it.

I heard an answering shout to my knock, so I let myself in. He stood up from the computer and stretched his back as I walked in. I went over to him and gave him a hug.

Over the last couple of weeks, Caleb and I had gotten closer. Any time that I wasn’t with the twins, I was usually with him. I had really connected with Caleb because we were both a little shy and socially awkward.

I could confide in him when I embarrassed myself in front of other people or when I had social anxiety. We would both laugh about our uncomfortable situations together. He understood me in ways that I would never be able to explain, and he made me feel like maybe I wasn’t so weird after all.

“I heard there was an incident?” Caleb asked me, stepping back from the hug to look me over for damage.

I laughed. “I’m fine.”

I walked over to the corner of the room where the puppies were crying for my attention. Caleb had melted my heart when he had offered to puppy sit them during the day. The twins and I had been brainstorming ideas for where they could stay while I was at work and they were in class when Caleb had jumped in with his offer. All three of us had turned to him in surprise.

He had just blushed and shrugged. “I’m home all day anyway, so they can just stay with me.”

That was the first time that I had hugged him. He had turned bright red, but he had awkwardly hugged me back. Now that we had talked so much about our difficulties our hugs were much more natural. We had made an agreement to help each other through some of our issues. Being able to casually touch without being awkward was one of the things we were both working on with each other.

Caleb had opened up to me about his childhood. He had always been considered odd in his pack. He immediately stood out from the other children because of how quickly he learned. His mother had indulged a lot of his interests and he had been allowed to spend time at the local library, soaking up all the knowledge he could.

His pack master had affectionately laughed off most of his oddities when he was a pup, but tension started to rise as he became older. The pack expected their men to become warriors; there was no room in the pack for a strange boy who spent his time with books and electronics.

 Caleb had been given an ultimatum when he graduated high school. Give up the ‘childish nonsense’ that he loved or find another pack. Everyone in his pack was shocked when he chose to leave and joined the Air Force.

Caleb loved the technology he was able to work with in the Air Force, but felt like an outsider among all of the humans. He had grown up in a pack that had laughed at him for being odd, but did so with affection. It was not easy for him to be a lone wolf, surrounded by humans that he didn’t quite fit in with.

Austin had recruited Caleb after he left the Air Force and started college. I think Caleb still thought of himself as an outsider sometimes, even within the Seaside pack. I knew better than anyone how difficult it was to shed those beliefs.

The twins had helped me set up a play area for the puppies to keep them away from Caleb’s expensive tech equipment and electrical cords. The pups were still young enough that they loved to chew, and electrical cords were the perfect size for their little mouths.

I opened the gate and let the little dogs out. They excitedly jumped up and down at my feet to greet me. I sat down on the floor, so I could play with them and they both enthusiastically licked my face. I rearranged my dress to get more comfortable. Eeyore’s dark coat blended in with my black dress, but Tigger’s white and gold stood out sharply.

Caleb watched me with a faint smile but came to sit across from me on the floor so he could get in on the fun. “What happened?” He asked inquisitively.

I explained the encounter with Beardy and the other guys while he listened quietly with a frown. “It sounds like they just want to let Austin know that they are close by and watching.”

I chewed on my lip nervously. “It seemed more serious than that.”

Caleb smiled at me and reached for my hands. “Don’t worry, Anna Banana. They are just playing mind games and trying to throw their weight around. They have done it before and they will do it again. They use fear to keep the packs in line and under the council’s thumb.”

I nodded, unsure but willing to trust Caleb. He had been living in this world a lot longer than I had. But I still had a bad feeling about this.

“Oh!” I exclaimed, remembering my earlier discussion with the twins before all the drama. “What are lamia? And how do they take people’s memories?”

Caleb chuckled and picked up a rope toy so he could get Tigger to play tug of war. “Lamia are what the humans call vampires. Don’t ever call them vampires though, they get really pissed off.”

“Have you ever met one?” I asked curiously.

Caleb nodded. “Austin has an alliance with one of their council members. We do security for them sometimes.”

“Huh, so they have a council too.” I murmured as I picked up Eeyore. He snuggled into me and looked at me with adoring eyes as I stroked his silky coat. “How can they take people’s memories though?”

Caleb shrugged. “How does any type of magic work? I imagine it’s probably a necessary skill for them. How else would they get away with biting humans and not get found out?”

“What else is there?” I asked Caleb.

He raised an eyebrow at me. “What else?”

“Yeah, if there are vampires and werewolves, there has to be other stuff too.”

Caleb chuckled and tossed the rope for Tigger to happily chase after. “There are witches, they work a lot with the lamia, but I’ve never met one. There are also other shapeshifters who aren’t wolves. There’s a community of jaguars in South America, but none of the other shifters are as common or organized as the wolves.”

“Why don’t all of the shifters ban together?” I asked with a frown. “It seems like it would be more advantageous to all of us to be a large community.”

Caleb smiled sadly at me. “Unfortunately, there is a lot of prejudice among shifters. Not all the races get along and most just want to be left alone with their own kind.”

I sighed. “I get that I’m new to all this, but I would love to connect with all different types of shifters. It doesn’t really make sense that I can only hang out with wolves.”

He shrugged at me. “It’s been like that for centuries, nothing is going to change overnight.” His eyes lit up. “Although, now that the younger generations are becoming more open to change and technology, maybe we will start to connect a little more.”

I smiled at him. “Hopefully.” My stomach chose that moment to growl loudly and we both laughed.

“Lunch time?” Caleb teased me.

“Yeah, I need to bring the pups outside anyway.” Their ears both perked up at the word ‘outside’ and they watched me carefully. “Do you guys want to go out?” I asked them in my excited voice. They both jumped up and danced happily around my feet as I made my way to the door.

“I’ll come with you; I haven’t had lunch yet either.” Caleb told me.

We made our way down to the kitchen and Caleb smelled the air appreciatively. “That smells good, have you been cooking already?”

I laughed and walked over to the crockpot to check on the meatballs I had left cooking this morning. I opened the lid and the scent of tomatoes and spices drifted out.

“I’ll make your sandwich if you want to take the pups out.” I offered Caleb.

“Deal.” He grinned and led the pups out through the door.

I started making our sandwiches, but pulled out extra rolls. Now that the lid was off the crockpot the scent would be drifting through the house to summon the other guys down.

I chuckled to myself when I heard heavy footsteps on the stairs only a few minutes later. Austin, Cody, James, and the twins filed into the kitchen, obviously following the scent of food.

I smiled at them in greeting. “I’m glad you guys are here. I needed some help setting up the table outside for lunch.”

“On it!” Jason yelled as he headed to the cupboard to grab some plates.

James frowned, “I don’t know if we really have time-“

“Oh, c’mon dude. We gotta eat.” Cody interrupted him.

Cody headed over to me and ran his hand down my spine as I stood at the counter making sandwiches. I tried my best to hide the little shiver of delight that followed his hand. “Anna, has anyone told you yet today how beautiful, and smart, and-“

“Nice try, Cody.” Austin interrupted. “But everyone knows that the pack-master gets the first sandwich.” He reached over to one of the sandwiches I had made but I smacked his hand.

His eyes widened in shock, but I just smiled sweetly at him. “The table isn’t set, yet. It’s seventy degrees out in November, so we are eating lunch outside. Together.” I emphasized the last word pointedly.

He threw his hand back and laughed. “You heard her, gents. Let’s get this table ready.”

The guys all pitched in and soon we were enjoying lunch outside. I bit into my sandwich happily. The sun was shining and filling me with warmth as I looked around. The two puppies were wrestling out on the green grass and I was surrounded by the guys, all talking and laughing with each other. I even saw James crack a smile a couple times.

I swallowed my last bite of sandwich and took a gulp of water before I decided now would be a good time to question Austin. “Hey Austin, why do you think the enforcers were harassing us?”

Austin frowned but looked like he was thinking about his answer. “I don’t know, Anna.” He said slowly. “I want to tell you that you have nothing to worry about, but the council rarely does anything without reason. If they sent John here, there’s a reason for it, and we are probably not going to like it.”

“I can tell you that they are not going to get that close to you again.” James growled and gave the twins a dirty look.

The twins both looked guilty and I felt bad for bringing this up. I had effectively killed the happy mood in the air.

Suddenly Austin groaned and leaned forward onto the table. “My mother is at the gate. She has a message for me from the council.”

All of the guys groaned in unison and I looked around in amusement. I was guessing that Austin’s mom was not that popular in the pack. “Do you think this has something to do with before?” I asked curiously. What were the chances that these two incidences were completely coincidental?

Austin just shrugged. “I’m about to find out.” He stood up with a sigh and looked around the table.

“I have phone calls to make,” James announced as he stood.

Caleb stood as well, “Uh, I really should get back to work….” He called for the two puppies as he left and I didn’t argue. I wasn’t sure if Austin’s mother would be okay with two little dogs, so they were probably safer hidden in Caleb’s room. I would go scoop them up after she was gone.

Austin gave them both James and Caleb a wave of dismissal and they eagerly headed back into the house. Austin looked at Cody next, “I can count on you?”

“Of course,” Cody said with a sad sigh.

The twins both had smirks on their faces. “Austin’s mom really likes Cody,” Jason told me with a shit eating grin.

Cody just rolled his eyes as he stood. “You’re lucky that I am willing to take one for the team.”

“So… we don’t like Austin’s mom?” I asked the twins after everyone else had left the table.

“You’ll see when you meet her.” Mason told me cryptically.

“But for now, we should probably stay out here; just in case she decides to come back to the house for something.” Jason told me.

Mason nodded in agreement. “She probably won’t even come past the gate, but we should wait to clean up lunch until after the coast is clear.”

I shrugged. “Fine with me. I have no problem enjoying the rest of the afternoon out here.” I tilted my head back, so I could feel the warm sun on my face.

“You know, Anna…” I looked over at Jason to see a mischievous look on his face. “I think Mrs. Peterson might have been right.”

“Right about what?” I asked him suspiciously.

He stood up and quickly picked me up before I could get away.

“Jason!” I yelled.

I heard Mason chuckle. “We need to baptize the sin out of you.” Mason teased me.

“That’s not how any of that works!” I yelled as I realized Jason was heading towards the pool.

“It’s worth a try.” Jason told me. He stopped at the edge of the pool and tried to toss me in, but I had a death grip on him. He ended up losing his balance and we both fell into the pool.

We hit the water with a splash and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. The water was tepid and felt nice under the warm sun.

I surfaced and laughed as I tried to push all of my wet hair out of my face. My long black dress clung to my body uncomfortably and I struggled to move through the water.

Jason must have been having similar problems because he tossed his shirt over the side of the pool. I tried not to stare as I watched water droplets slide down his muscular chest. His shoes and jeans quickly followed, and he was left in just his boxers.

My gaze was torn away from Jason as Mason cannon balled into the pool, splashing us both. I laughed and wiped the water from my eyes. Both of the guys gave me matching grins. The water glistened off of their tanned, muscular bodies as they stood in the pool and I struggled not to stare or drool. I was thinking embarrassing inappropriate thoughts right now.

Jason tilted his head to the side. “You should take off that dress so we can have a swimming race, Anna.”

I grinned back at him, pushing aside the nervous feelings. Why not? My bra and panties were black to match my dress and they covered just as much as a bikini would. After a stressful morning, swimming races would be a welcome outlet for my emotions.

I slid my arms out of the dress and shimmied it down over my hips. Both of the twins looked surprised, but quickly had their grins back in place when I tossed the wet dress up on the side of the pool. I sank down into the water self-consciously, so it covered me up to the neck.

“Let’s go!” Jason yelled, and dove into the water.

I should not have been too surprised that the twins were such good swimmers with their broad shoulders. The only times when I came close to finishing with them was after I negotiated a head start for all future races in return for brownies. I enjoyed the way they pushed me to my limits, we had to have swam a couple miles by the time I was tired out.

I floated in the pool languidly, enjoying the sun and the warm water. The twins were both quietly floating around as well, so they must have gotten tired after the races. My arm bumped into Mason and he tugged me over to him.

He stood in the water and pulled me close. My heart started to pound as I felt the warmth of his body pressed against mine. I reached my arms around his neck to steady myself and he pulled me in by the hips. I reflexively wrapped my legs around his waist so that now I was clinging to him in the water.

I tried to relax but his skin was smooth against mine and I could feel his hand resting on my lower back, right above my panties. I got a huge grin on my face when I realized something.

I wasn’t nervous because I was afraid of him, I was nervous because of the insane amount of attraction I felt for him. I had spent a lot of time being skittish or nervous every time someone had reached out to touch me or stood too close to me. Over the past few weeks I had become accustomed to the way the twins would casually touch me or give me hugs. I had even gotten in the habit of wresting with them and having tickle fights. I just realized now that they made me feel safe. I was comforted by having them close, I knew I had nothing to fear from them.

Mason grinned back at me. “What are you grinning about?”

I blushed and looked down. “Nothing.”

“I should probably give you something to grin about, then.”

My eyes flicked back up to meet his. I had expected to see mirth but instead I saw a dark heat simmering behind his hazel eyes. He gently cupped the back of my head with one hand and used his thumb to caress the sensitive skin there. Goosebumps rose all over my body and warmth flooded through me as I held his gaze.

Almost in slow motion, Mason guided my lips to his. I closed my eyes and his lips met mine hesitantly, as if he was expecting me to pull away. I had no intention of letting this kiss end yet, so I threaded my fingers through his silky hair, holding him close to me. He intensified the kiss and I lost myself in the moment.

I felt Jason come up behind me and put his hands on my waist. I pulled away from Mason, trying to catch my breath while Jason nuzzled my neck.

I gasped when I felt his teeth graze my neck and Mason pulled my mouth back down to his. My senses were being overwhelmed as Mason used his tongue to caress mine and Jason trailed kisses down my neck to my shoulder. My body was pressed between theirs and the heat was driving me insane. I had never felt lust like this before.

Mason groaned and started to pull away. I caught his lower lip with my teeth and he pressed his mouth back to mine. Jason ran his hands up and down my body while Mason slid his hands up my thighs. Warmth pooled in between my legs and my body ached for their touch.

“You’re not ready for this.” Mason murmured, his lips brushing mine.

I made a noise of complaint as Jason’s body moved away from mine. But instead of moving further away from me he slid his hand down my back, over my bottom, and slipped a finger inside my panties. I gasped in shock and pleasure.

“She feels ready to me,” Jason said, pulling his hand out of my panties.

Mason groaned and squeezed my bottom, throwing his head back as he closed his eyes. I moaned and pressed the length of my body against his. I could feel Jason up against my back, and I could tell that he was enjoying this just as much as I was.

Jason wound his hand in my hair and gently pulled my head back, so he could claim my mouth with his. I lost myself in all of the sensations of their mouths and hands. Need was burning through me and erasing any sense of self-consciousness that I probably should have been feeling.

The sound of a door slamming broke into our moment and I heard James yell across the patio, “There had better be a good reason why you’re ignoring me!”

Jason pulled away from me and cursed. Mason started to pull away from me reluctantly but chuckled when I didn’t immediately release him. “Later, pretty girl.” He murmured to me.

I sighed in disappointment but let him go and stood in the water. James stalked over to the side of the pool. I couldn’t help but glare at him for interrupting.

James eyed the wet clothes scattered by the side of the pool where we had thrown them. “I’m not even going to ask.”

The twins both looked up at him innocently and I saw James look suspicious. The twins were a lot of things, but they were never innocent.

“I need the two of you to clean up out here. Anna, you might want to go make yourself presentable. Austin’s mother is staying here with us.” James announced with a scowl.

The twins both cursed. James just looked more irritated than usual. “Now would be nice,” he said gruffly.

I wanted to give James a difficult time on principle but I swam over to the side of the pool so I could climb out. I really should go make myself presentable; I didn’t want the first time I met Austin’s mom to be like this.

I was wearing my bra and panties in a pool in the middle of November and making out with two of Austin’s pack mates. That probably wouldn’t go over well with his mother, considering that she was probably under the impression that I was going to be Austin’s mate.

I got out and picked up my wet dress before wrapping myself in a towel. I squished out as much water as I could so the dress wouldn’t drip all over the house as I carried it in. The twins had followed me out of the pool and were picking up their wet clothes while James talked to them. I tried to ignore the way the water beaded on their muscles and how their wet boxers clung in all the right places.

James was busy giving the twins orders, so I decided to sneak into the house to get cleaned up. I listened carefully as I crept inside and headed to the stairs. I didn’t hear anything to indicate that we had a guest in the house and I made it back to my room without running into anyone.

I closed my door behind me as I pressed my hand to my lips. I could still feel the sensation of lips on mine when I closed my eyes. Had that really just happened? In the moment, I had felt a sense of freedom and rightness, but now that I had taken a step away I was starting to question myself.

The twins loved to tease me, but I had not thought that they would have acted on it. I couldn’t believe that I had just kissed both of them. What would this mean for us? Would things start to get weird? How did I feel about each one of them?

If I was completely honest with myself, I would have to admit that my feelings went deeper than just friendship. Both of them had a special place in my heart, but what if they wanted me to choose between them?

I started to feel more nervous now that my arousal was fading. The twins had quickly become my two best friends, I couldn’t lose them. What would Austin think about me fooling around with more than one of his pack members?

I didn’t want to prove James right; I did not want to be the source of discord within the pack. What should I say to the twins tonight at dinner? Was I supposed to act like nothing had happened? Was this just casual ‘fun’ for them or were they acting on deeper emotions for me?

I took a deep breath. One problem at a time. Right now, I needed to meet Austin’s mother and find out why she was going to be staying here. It was clearly unexpected by Austin, was there something going on with Austin’s father?

I quickly showered and dried my hair, but I hesitated before getting dressed. The dress that had taken a dip in the pool was the only black dress I owned. I still had plans to scatter Evelyn’s ashes into the ocean later tonight with the rest of the guys. I knew they wouldn’t judge me for wearing something society deemed ‘inappropriate’ for that type of event. But how would Austin’s mom feel?

I shrugged to myself. I wanted to make a good impression on her so that I wouldn’t embarrass Austin, but she was probably going to notice that I was weird no matter what I did. Hopefully, I could blame most of my weirdness on being raised by humans.

After eyeing the contents of my closet, I decided on a pink dress that Quinn had picked out for me. I think that meeting Austin’s mom called for something nicer than my usual jeans and a hoodie. I even put on some lip gloss and mascara before slipping on some flats and heading downstairs to meet our guest.

I met Cody in the foyer. He was surrounded by a pile of luggage, there had to be at least nine bags there.

“How many people are here?” I whispered to him.

“Just one.” He said drily.

I raised an eyebrow at all the luggage and he chuckled as he ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, she’s in the living room if you want to go meet her.”

The living room had a few couches in it, but no TV or other entertainment so no one spent any time in there. I walked slowly in that direction. I was curious but also nervous. The rest of the pack was not too fond of Austin’s mother, but hopefully she wouldn’t be that bad.

I hesitated in the doorway to take in the scene. Austin was sitting in an armchair, looking stressed. A beautiful woman was sitting primly on the loveseat opposite him. She was well dressed and if I had to choose one word to describe her, it would be elegant. She had dark blonde hair, similar to Austin’s color, but it did not look natural.

I was surprised that I could pick up on the scent of expensive perfume wafting from her. I had gotten used to the guys not liking any type of perfume or cologne. They claimed it interfered with their ability to pick up on subtle scents.

I smoothed my dress down nervously but picked up my chin. I might not be as fancy as her, but that did not mean I was going to cower in front of her.

I took a deep breath and tried my best to glide gracefully into the room. Both Austin’s and his mother’s gazes turned toward me. Austin looked a little relieved to see me, probably because I took his mother’s attention off him.

Austin stood as I entered the room. “Anna,” he smiled at me. “I would like to introduce you to my mother.”

“Please, call me Reagan,” she said warmly.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Reagan.” I smiled at her. She didn’t seem so bad, why were all the other guys hating on her?

She sighed and looked at Austin. “I see what you mean; I have a lot of work ahead of me.”

I just looked at Austin in confusion. Had I done something wrong?

I could see an apology in Austin’s eyes. “Anna, the council decided it would be best for you to spend some time with a high-ranking female before you are introduced to other packs. This way you can learn more about our culture and what will be expected of you.”

Reagan nodded in agreement. “They chose me because I’m already mated and would have no desire to challenge you for your position here.”

That made sense to me. But I’m sure the fact that she was mated to one of the council members also impacted their decision. I gave Reagan a small smile. “Well, thank you for coming. I appreciate your help.”

She eyed me carefully from head to foot. “We are going to have to do something about your nervous habits. The top female in a pack should have the bearing of a queen.”

I tried to stand up a little straighter.

She sighed. “I know it’s warm out today, but you should have already switched out your summer wardrobe for your winter one. Sundresses really should not be worn in November.”

I was starting to see why the guys all ran in the opposite direction. Who cares if I was wearing a sundress in November? It was warm and the dress was comfortable.

I sighed.  This was Austin’s mother, so I was going to try and be cooperative with her. After all, she was here to help me.

Reagan stood. “Now let’s go up and take a look through your wardrobe. We should get you dressed properly before dinner.”

“We weren’t planning on having a formal dinner tonight, mother.” Austin helpfully interjected.

I was happy when she turned her attention away from me to look at him with a frown. “Surely, you can have something prepared for us.”

I cleared my throat. “I was planning on making fettuccine Alfredo with grilled chicken tonight. But we could have something else if…”

My voice trailed off as she looked at me in horror. What was she upset about? Yeah, it wasn’t exactly healthy, but we were a pretty active group of wolves.

“Dear,” she reached out a hand to me. “I know that you aren’t officially mated yet, but the dominant female in the pack is not a servant.”

I looked at her in confusion and then turned to Austin. He looked chagrined. “Mother, you know I run my pack a little differently here. Everyone contributes, and Anna likes to cook.”

I nodded enthusiastically. “I don’t mind. Plus, it was more of the twin’s job. I kind of stole it from them so that we would have decent food to eat on a regular basis.” I told her with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Reagan sniffed and looked at Austin. “I raised you better; you know how to treat a woman properly. How do you expect to keep a female here when she would be treated like a queen anywhere else she went?”

I took a small step back. I was not really comfortable dealing with conflict, especially when it was between Austin and his mother. I sensed that this was about more than just me cooking dinner, though. This seemed like an argument they had before.

Austin just sighed. “Why don’t you take Anna upstairs and see if she needs anything for upcoming events. I’ll make sure dinner is taken care of.”

Reagan raised her chin. “Come on, dear.”

She walked out of the room and I gave Austin a glare before following after her reluctantly. He was lucky I was not connected to him with the pack bond yet, I was not happy that he had foisted her onto me.

Reagan gracefully strode to the staircase and I tried my best to mimic her. I was going to try and learn what I could from her; I didn’t want to embarrass Austin or the Seaside pack in front of other wolves.

I took the lead once we reached the top of the stairs and showed her to my room. She glanced around the room, which was bare except for a bed and a small nightstand.

“How long have you been living here?” She asked with a frown.

I gave her one of my best smiles and tried to sound peppy. “A few weeks.”

“Hmmm. We are going to talk to Austin about getting you proper accommodations.” She murmured, heading for my closet.

“Oh, I don’t really need-“

“Don’t be silly,” she interrupted. “Even if you don’t end up staying, he is still going to have to furnish his home.”

I just swallowed and tried to keep a pleasant look on my face as she opened my closet door. Her frown got deeper.

“I suppose you don’t really need proper clothing, either?” She asked drily.

My face turned bright red, but I raised my chin. “I have appropriate clothing for what Austin and the pack require of me.”

She turned and looked at me thoughtfully. “So, you do have some spine under there. I was worried you were just sweetness and fluff.”

My jaw dropped. She was complimenting me for challenging her? Interesting.

She waved a hand at the handful of clothing I had hanging in the closet. The twins had brought me the rest of my clothes from home, and Quinn had provided me with some outfits, but the giant closet was still mostly empty.

“We may as well just start from scratch. I’ll call my stylist and have her bring some things by tomorrow.”

I remained quiet. She had a stylist? I had not realized that Austin must have grown up in a wealthy household. That made me feel a little more intimidated by him. He had grown up thinking that he would be mated to a polished and elegant female, similar to his mother. My shoulders hunched in a little.

Compared to the women he was used to, I must seem like a homeless stray he found wandering the streets. I was proud that I had managed to build a career for myself, but I was just a middle-class worker compared to someone like Reagan.

Reagan thumbed through the couple of blouses and a dress I had hanging next to my hoodies. She gave me an exasperated look but thankfully didn’t comment further on my choice of clothing.

We spent the rest of the afternoon together in the dining area. Reagan drilled me on the appropriate way to greet another pack’s pack-master, alphas, betas, and omegas. She explained that it was in poor taste to directly ask for another pack member’s status but told me I should be able to tell by picking up on cues. I should be able to ‘feel’ who was the most powerful in the pack.

I was feeling frustrated with all of the nuances she was trying to impart to me, but trying to be respectful of her culture. Why couldn’t I just say hello to everyone exactly the same? Thankfully, she seemed to be just as frustrated with trying to teach me and looked like she was about to give up.

I decided to take the moment to ask something that had been bothering me all day.

“May I ask you something, Reagan?” I asked politely.

She sighed tiredly. “I suppose.”

“It seems like females are treated well, from what you are describing.” I hesitated, not sure how to phrase this. “But I had heard that in other packs the females are treated horribly, like slaves or brood mares. It seems like those are opposite extremes.”

Reagan’s mouth tensed. “I’ve heard those rumors as well. As far as I know, they have never been substantiated.”

I was shocked. Austin hadn’t seemed surprised when we talked about Evelyn’s former pack; I assumed it was common knowledge.

“Oh, no.” I told her emphatically. “It definitely happens.”

Reagan sighed and leaned in closer to me. “If there were packs that treat females like that, it’s because they are barbarians. We are a group of civilized wolves, but we hold close to our pack hierarchy. That’s why all of these rules and customs that seem so silly to you are so important to us.”

I frowned. “How could the council let any packs get away with it, though? Shouldn’t they step in?”

Reagan looked at me sharply. “What do you think would happen if we marched into another pack’s territory and took their females? They would come after all of us. They would destroy our packs and take any female they could get their hands on.”

Reagan clenched her hands together. “The reason why we live in peace is because they let us live the way we want, and we let them live the way that they want.”

I looked at her incredulously. “And you’re okay with that? Knowing that there are females out there being brutalized right now?”

“Count yourself lucky that you are not among them right now.” She hissed at me.

I seethed. She knew exactly what was going on, she just chose to ignore it and pretend that it was not happening.

We locked eyes and neither of us was willing to back down. We stayed like that for a few moments until she eventually lowered her eyes.

Reagan took a deep breath and stood. “Anna, I apologize for losing my temper with you. It has been a trying afternoon, why don’t we take a break for now and freshen up for dinner?”

I nodded. “That sounds good.” I tried to give her a soft smile, but it probably came out more like a grimace because I was so angry. I was started to notice that it was more difficult to hold my tongue when I got angry, I used to be able to just brush my anger aside.

Reagan left the room and I tried to calm down. What I really needed was a good run, but I wouldn’t have time before dinner. I wasn’t changing before dinner; she would just have to accept me in my pink sundress for now.

No one was in the kitchen, so I assumed that meant the twins were sent to pick up dinner from somewhere. Where were all the other guys hiding? I looked outside, but the patio and pool areas were empty. I doubted Austin and James would be in their offices, that was the first place Reagan would look if she wanted them for something.

I chewed on my lip. Where would Reagan never go?

I smiled to myself and headed for the garage. Sure enough, Austin, Cody, and James were sitting in the garage. They had placed some folding chairs in a circle in one of the empty spots. Each one of the traitors had a beer and looked quite comfortable until they heard me at the door.

Cody stood abruptly and looked behind me, probably to see if Reagan was following. He looked relieved when I shut the door behind me. The air in here was cooler than in the house, probably because the doors were closed and none of the warm air or sunshine could get in here.

“What is going on with you and Reagan?” I asked as I took a seat in one of the empty chairs. I was a little annoyed but still curious.

James and Austin both chuckled and Cody looked embarrassed. “Nothing.” He mumbled.

James took a sip of his beer and watched me with examining eyes. He didn’t say anything, so I decided to ignore him.

“Austin.” I said with more than a little frustration in my voice. “Do I have to keep being nice to your mom or can I tell her that I am going to wear whatever I want, say whatever I want, and interact with my pack the way that I see fit?” I fumed.

James smirked. “That doesn’t sound like our sweet Anna.”

“Sweet Anna is taking a break.” I announced. It was happening more and more often that my real feelings were bursting out of the layer of shyness and fear that kept me silent for so long.

Austin smiled at me with amusement. “She did tell you that you are the dominant female here and that you should act like a queen.”

I huffed. “What I mean to say is that if I give her a difficult time, will that negatively impact our pack or your relationship with the council?”

He cocked his head at me. “I like that you put the needs of the pack ahead of your own desire to tell her off.” His voiced turned from serious to teasing, “It seems that I chose well for my queen.”

“I like that you call it ‘our pack’ now, Anna.” Cody smiled at me. “I don’t think I have ever seen you look so angry before. I like this feisty side of yours.”

I made a face at him. “You can blame the twins, they have been encouraging me to express my emotions more and not hide so much of who I am.”

“You remind me of an angry little white kitten. You might puff out your fur and bare your teeth, but you just end up looking more adorable.” James told me with a smirk.

I looked at him in disbelief. Did he just call me adorable? I crossed my arms across my chest and gave him a dirty look. I was sure Mr. Dark and Mysterious considered ‘adorable’ to be more of an insult than a compliment anyway. And what was up with him comparing me to a cat? Last time I checked I was a wolf.

“That’s fine.” I told him smugly. “Reagan should be right out, I’m sure she will give me some lessons on how to scare you guys.”

All of their eyes immediately flicked to the garage door with varying amounts of alarm and concern.

James scowled at me when I laughed at their reactions.

“Why are you guys intimidated by Reagan?” I asked curiously. Their reactions were particularly strange after Austin had just given me permission to tell her off.

Austin cleared his throat. “She is the mate of one of the most powerful and influential pack-masters and council members. Believe me; you do not want my father to come after you for disrespecting his mate.”

I scowled at him. “Then why would you tell me to go ahead and do it?”

Cody grinned at me. “You’re a female, so if you and Reagan get into it, it’s expected.”

James nodded. “A dominant female is coming onto your territory, it’s in your nature to want to challenge her and establish dominance over her.”

“Males stay out of female dominance struggles.” Austin added.

I looked at them thoughtfully. “So, what you are saying is that it’s my job to protect you from other females.”

James gave me a dark look; no doubt he didn’t like the idea of me protecting him from anything. I smiled sweetly at him. “Don’t worry, James. I will keep you safe from big, bad Reagan.”

Cody and Austin both laughed out loud as James scowled. I noticed that he didn’t tell me that he didn’t want my protection. That made my grin even wider.

James finished his beer and went over to a cooler in the corner to get another. I rolled my eyes. Just how long were they planning to hide in here?

Cody noticed my look and ran his hand through his hair. “It’s a mutual thing. You are too small to be able to challenge another male, so if a male wolf gives you any trouble then one of us will take care of him.”

To my surprise, James came over to hand me a beer after he popped off the top. I smiled at him in thanks and tried not to show my amazement. Was James starting to accept me?

“So, can you teach me how to fight?” I asked after taking a sip of the cold beer.

All of the guys turned to look at me in shock.

Cody cleared his throat. “Uh, Anna. I have a difficult time picturing you fighting anyone.”

James laughed out loud and I wished I had something to throw at him.

“Why do you want to learn how to fight?” Austin asked curiously.

“You know, in case I need to defend my males.” I teased them.

I got a couple of chuckles out of Austin and Cody, but James just looked at me contemplatively.

“But seriously. I need to know how to defend myself if I can be challenged by females in the packs I’m going to visit.” I explained to them.

Austin ran a hand along his jaw. “I think that learning self-defense is a good idea for you, Anna. Cody, do you think you could work Anna into the training schedule?”

Cody frowned. “She’s a lot smaller than any of the other guys; I don’t want her to get hurt.”

I sighed irritably. “I’m going to get hurt if I’m attacked and I’m unable to protect myself.”

I decided that now was one of those times that I needed to challenge their opinion of me. I did not like them thinking of me as a helpless female. “I don’t want you guys to just hide me away from danger, I want you to teach me how to face it head-on along with the rest of the pack.”

Austin gave me a slow smile. “You want us to toughen you up?”

I nodded, determined to make my point. “I want to stand beside you, not behind you.”

There was quiet in the room. Austin looked proud, but Cody had a worried look on his face. James was completely unreadable.

“I’ll teach her.” James volunteered. My jaw almost hit the floor. First, he’s handing me a beer and now he is volunteering to teach me how to fight?

Cody nodded in relief. Austin agreed but gave James a strange look that I couldn’t read.

I took a sip of the beer and watched all three guys from under my eyelashes. Cody was dressed in his usual jeans and a T-shirt. His six-foot five frame looked uncomfortable balanced cautiously on the folding chair. He was probably worried that his two hundred and thirty pounds of solid muscle would make the chair collapse. The blue of his shirt made his Caribbean blue eyes look even more captivating than usual and I could stare into his eyes all day.

Austin was in slacks and a button-down dress shirt, looking very GQ. James was in all black and had some scruff, making him look even more dark and dangerous than usual.

I sighed. Why did every one of these men have to look so good? It was distracting. And why was I thinking of them like this? Earlier today I had kissed both of the twins in the pool. I tried to focus my thoughts on anything else. 

I balanced the beer on one thigh as I held it in place. “So, why do you guys have all of these rules and customs like the queen of England? I thought you had said that most packs were violent and physically fought for dominance.”

Austin gave me a sad smile. “All of those customs are to keep wolves in their place. You are expected to show deference on a daily basis to any wolf that is dominant to you. Failure to do so can result in a challenge or physical punishment.”

“It’s strange to hear that spoken out loud,” Cody added. “All of this is ingrained in us since birth, so we just know what we need to do.” He shrugged, “When you say it out loud…”

Austin nodded. “When you say it out loud it sounds unnecessary and barbaric, which is why I do things differently in my pack.”

“So then how does it work in this pack?” I asked curiously. “What do you do if you feel like someone is challenging your authority?”

Austin smiled at me. “What do they do in the military when someone is challenging a superior’s rank or not giving appropriate respect?”

I nodded in understanding. “That’s why you prefer prior military. They already have an understanding of what is expected of them.”

“They also understand when obedience is necessary and when it’s okay to just be a group of guys hanging out.” Cody added, taking a swig of his beer.

“I’m really glad to be a part of this pack,” I told them honestly. “I don’t want to go to any other packs.”

“Believe me, none of us want to see you go.” Austin told me. “Some of the guys are going to have a difficult time when it comes time for you to visit the other packs.”

I sighed, I knew he was talking about the twins. They were not going to want to let me walk out the door with another pack, even if I promised that I was coming back.

There were a couple moments of silence while we all contemplated. “That won’t be anytime soon,” James announced, effectively closing the door on that topic of conversation.

“Do you think we will be able to go on a pack run tonight?” I asked, directing the question towards Austin.

He grinned at me. “Definitely. I think all of us are going to need to blow off some steam.”

“As long as you stick close to us and stay in sight at all times.” James grumbled in my direction.

I smiled sweetly at him. “Of course, James.” I had only gone on a pack run with James one other time and it had quickly become my mission to get him to play while in his wolf form. I doubted he ever fully relaxed while he was human, but surely he couldn’t be that uptight all the time.

I heard the sound of the twin’s Jeep pulling up to the house through the garage doors. The other guys must have heard it at the same time because they all perked up. Austin finished his beer and stood.

I followed his lead. “I’m assuming they have food?”

“Yep.” Cody beat us all to the door that lead back into the house. I couldn’t help but laugh. That man liked to eat, probably because he needed a lot of fuel for his muscular six-foot five-inch frame.

Austin placed his hand on my lower back as we walked to the door. My spine tingled in awareness and I breathed in deeply to take in his scent as he held the door open for me. It was impossible for me not to be attracted to him right now.

I was gradually learning what it meant to open up and trust these guys. The more I opened up, the more I had all kinds of other feelings flooding in. I sighed as I headed to the kitchen to get what we needed to set the table.

I coerced the guys into helping me set up for dinner after the twins brought the food in. They had brought Italian food, with some fettuccini Alfredo for me. I gave them both big smiles, I had really been looking forward to my Alfredo, I was glad I didn’t have to give it up.

Reagan joined us for dinner. She gave the dinner table a condescending sigh, but didn’t say a word. No doubt she was accustomed to much finer dining than what we had to offer her.

The table was unusually silent. It was just myself, the twins, James, Cody, Austin and Caleb. The rest of the pack had probably gotten word that Reagan was staying here, and they were keeping their distance.

“Cody, dear. Won’t you get me some more wine?” Reagan said, holding up her glass.

Cody stood with a sigh and reached for the bottle of wine. I did not like the way Reagan’s eyes ran over the length of his body. I felt a flash of possessiveness come over me and it took everything I had not to growl at her.

Apparently, I was not able to hide my feelings from her completely because she turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow as Cody poured her wine. I narrowed my eyes at her and did not try to hide my glare. She already knew I didn’t like the way she looked at Cody and someone needed to warn her away from him.

I did not like the fact that she made Cody uncomfortable with the way she looked at him. I tried to convince myself that I would do the same if a guy was creeping on one of my female friends. Not because I had feelings for Cody.

Austin picked up on the tension between us and blinked with surprise before interrupting. “How long did you plan on staying?” Austin asked his mother politely.

“I was told that I should stay here until the council calls for Anna.” She announced.

Cody almost choked on his food.

Austin frowned. “I thought that was months away.”

Reagan sighed sadly. “Indeed.”

“Can you be away from your pack for that long?” I asked her sweetly. “Surely they must be devastated that you are away.”

She gave me a wry smile. “Nicely played, dear. I think they intended for me to be both a chaperone and a teacher.”

I frowned. “A chaperone?”

Reagan nodded. “Rumor has it this pack is uncivilized, they wanted to make sure you were being treated well.”

Austin rolled his eyes. “I’m sure I know who gave them that idea.”

I looked down at the other end of the table. Caleb, Mason, and Jason were all sitting quietly and keeping their eyes down. It didn’t look like they wanted to be a part of this conversation.

“Speaking of uncivilized,” Reagan added. “When do you plan on furnishing your home properly?”

“After Anna is announced as my mate, I’m sure she will want her home furnished to her specifications.” Austin answered smoothly.

I wasn’t the only one who stopped to stare at him. Was he being serious or just saying that to stop Reagan’s line of questioning?

Reagan gathered herself more quickly than the rest of us. “You don’t intend to provide for her now? I couldn’t help but notice that she lacks appropriate clothing.”

I rolled my eyes. I could understand why she wanted me dressed a specific way to meet the other packs, but I didn’t see why it mattered if it were just us here.

“Anna is free to get whatever clothing she wants.” Austin told her. “I don’t have a dress code for my pack.”

Reagan sniffed. “Very well.” She turned to me. “Anna, I think we should have our lessons in the mornings, so we have time for shopping in the afternoons.”

My jaw dropped. Every day? Did she really intend for us to go shopping every afternoon? What was she planning on buying?

I must have given her a confused look because she answered my unspoken questions.

“We have the entire house to furnish and we also need to build you an appropriate wardrobe from scratch.”

I looked at Austin for help, but he avoided my gaze. I took a deep breath. Dealing with other females was supposed to be my job, not his. I needed to learn how to handle Reagan myself.

If I wanted these guys to respect me I needed to stand up for myself and not rely on them as much. I needed to show them that I deserved their respect.

“Reagan, I work on the weekdays. I can meet with you for a couple of hours in the evenings, but I also have responsibilities in the pack.” I told her assertively.

Reagan blinked in surprise. “I’m sure Austin will release you from your job. This is more important.”

She said the word job as if it was a dirty word and I tried to hide my annoyance and be polite. “I don’t work for Austin, I work for the naval hospital and they are relying on me to be there.”

This time it was her jaw that dropped. “Why do you work there? Doesn’t the pack provide for you?”

She shot Austin a look. “You are sending your female out to the human world to make money for you?” She asked incredulously.

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair but met her gaze head-on. “It’s my decision to work and I love my job. Austin supports my choice because he wants me to be happy.”

“Well, I can see that I am not really needed here after all.” Reagan pushed back her chair and stood stiffly.

“Mother…” Austin said with an air of impatience.

“I am going to call your father.” She stated before walking away. There was silence until we were sure that she had gone upstairs and then everyone at the table let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Alright, Anna!” Jason gave me a high five which I awkwardly returned.

I looked at Austin with concern. “Is this going to cause problems for you?”

He gave me a soft smile. “My father is used to this. I’m sure he was expecting a phone call tonight, I doubt she intended to stay long.”

“She packed enough luggage for a couple months,” Cody grumbled.

“Is it mean if I suggest we let her stew while we go on a pack run?” I asked.

The entire table laughed. Mason picked up his plate and mussed my hair as he walked past me. “This is why we love you, Anna.”

Jason stopped near me to pick up my plate before he brought his to the sink. “I vote we run now and clean up later.” He said as he placed the pile of dishware in the sink.

“I agree.” Austin stated.

That was a signal for the other guys to clear their places and head towards the patio door. Now that Reagan was no longer in sight, they were starting to sound more like themselves.

I bumped my shoulder into Caleb’s as we made our way outside. “Everything okay?” I asked him quietly. I don’t think he had said one word during dinner.

He nodded, but I could see some strain around his eyes. I knew that he had been working hard the past week, maybe a run would help clear his mind.

I gave him a smile as I headed to the pool house where I usually changed into my wolf out of sight of the other guys. I changed quickly but waited a moment before running out to meet them. I wanted to make sure I gave the guys enough time to change as well. Not that they cared, none of them seemed shy about nudity.

When I had decided I had waited long enough I charged out. I was exhilarated by the sense of freedom that being in my wolf form gave me. I ran a lap around the lawn and then came back at top speed to circle the guys.

Austin had a gorgeous dark blonde coat that gleamed in the last light of the setting sun. The twins both had glossy brown coats, and Cody and Caleb were both grey with white markings.

I was the most envious of James’s coat. He was an inky black color that allowed him to hide in the shadows and move through the forest unseen. My bright white coat meant that I was easily seen through the trees and brush regardless of the time of day.

Cody had laughed at me when I complained. “That’s a good thing. It means we can’t lose you.” He had told me with a grin.

I charged towards James and he braced himself for impact with a resigned look in his eyes. At the last moment, I swerved to pounce on Jason. Because I caught him unaware I caught him off balance and we rolled across the lawn, wrestling.

Shockingly, I managed to get the upper hand with a well-timed kick to his abdomen with my back paws. He grunted and let me have the dominant spot for a moment before Mason crashed into me. I knew I’d never win against both of them, so I squirmed away and took off running.

They might be larger than me, but I was lighter and more agile. They would charge after me and their momentum would keep them going, whereas I could change direction on a dime and have a good lead on them by the time they had followed in the new direction.

The other guys watched in amusement as I led the twins around the clearing, but the game was over when Austin, Cody and Caleb decided to box me in for the twins to catch. When they finally let me up I shook out my coat and gave them all chastising looks. Five against one was undeniably unfair.

Caleb nuzzled me in apology, but the rest just gave me the wolf version of smirks. James had watched silently from the sidelines, no doubt on watch while the rest of us played. I sighed. I wish I could get him in on the fun.

Austin gave the signal for our run to start and we headed to the forest as a pack. Austin led the way with James following last. He liked to stay back so that no one fell behind and he could guard the rear.

I’ll admit that I was a curious wolf; I liked to stop when I caught the scent of something interesting so that I could investigate it. Mr. Grumpy wanted none of that and would nip at my flanks to try and keep me moving with the pack.

I would pretend that I thought he was nipping at me because he wanted to play. After a fair amount of bouncing around and nipping back at him I would decide that I had annoyed him enough. Then I would chase after the pack until we caught up. I thought it was a great game. James, not so much.

The twins eventually caught on to what I was doing and tried to play along. James was not nearly as gentle with them as he was with me. I think he finally lost his temper when he gave Mason a particularly vicious growl and snapped at him. Mason bowed his head to James as a sign of submission and rejoined the pack with his tail held low.

I decided to give James a break and try to race Austin, try being the operative word. I might be better at short bursts of speed and darting in different directions, but the guys all had me beat with endurance. They could run fast for longer periods of time. We eventually came to a river and after lapping up some water, I plopped down on the ground.

James was circling around us, obviously alert for any danger. Austin watched with amusement as Cody and Jason wrestled. Cody was just too big for Jase to take on and he was pretty quickly pinned. Cody eventually let Jason up after a couple of minutes of him squirming and whining.

Mason laid next to me and laid his chin over my back. I didn’t like his display of dominance over me, so I tried to reverse our positions. We wrestled for the top position, but I was too tired to put up a good fight.

I refused to give up and yield to Mason, so I let out a growl to let him know I was done playing. He had me pinned down with his heavy weight, effectively trapping me. Austin trotted over and gave him a low warning growl to let me up.

I didn’t like that Austin had to intervene, so I pouted a little off to the side. Caleb came over and nuzzled me to show his affection, so I nuzzled him back. Cody laid on my other side, so I gave him a friendly nuzzle as well.

These wolves wouldn’t try to pin me down, unlike some others I could name. I shot Mason a glare to make myself feel a little better now that the largest wolf in the pack had my back. He was too busy being chastised by Austin to notice. Now I felt a little bad about getting him in trouble.

With Cody lying right next to me, our size differences were even more apparent. Cody wasn’t just large, he was huge. I think that most of the horror stories that humans had about werewolves were based on wolves like him. I’m pretty sure that if I had been human and ran into him in the forest I would have an accident in my pants.

Cody was always gentle with me and cautious about his large size. I could see why he was at the top of the pack hierarchy though, not many wolves would want to challenge him based solely on his size. I had a feeling that he was not as gentle with the other guys in the pack the way that he was with me.

After a few minutes of rest, Austin gave us a huff to let us know it was time to head back. I didn’t mind, I was more than ready to go home. We headed back at a slower pace and I thought about the plans we had made for later tonight.

The guys had agreed to be there for me when I said my final goodbyes to Evelyn and released her ashes into the ocean. That was going to be a very personal moment for me and I just didn’t feel comfortable doing it if Reagan was going to be there.

I was getting much better at feeling comfortable expressing myself when it was just me and the six guys here, but I still felt anxious at the thought of exposing my inner self to someone like Reagan. I wanted the comfort of my pack around me during a difficult time. I didn’t want an outsider judging me.

If anyone had told me a month ago what my life would be like now, I would have scoffed at them. I was still a little intimidated by Austin, and a little nervous around Cody but the twins and I had a level of friendship that I had not known was possible. The friendship that I had with Kelsey now seemed shallow and one-sided, I was actually starting to dread seeing her again.

I had never before had people in my life who did things simply because they knew it was something that I would like. The twins were always doing little things for me that showed me that they cared. They would pick up snacks that they knew I would like, or get a movie that I wanted to see.

I liked the feeling of belonging that they gave me. When I woke up in the morning I didn’t think about what I was going to do that day, I thought about what we were going to do.

I had also bonded with Caleb in some unexpected ways. We didn’t spend as much time together, but I had confided some of my deepest fears to him. I think that we understood each other on a more profound level because we had similar social difficulties.

I think his difficulties stemmed from being treated as an oddity for most of his life whereas mine were from… other issues. He never pressed me for details about my past. We were both focused on how we could better ourselves for the future.

Austin’s golden coat caught my eye as he suddenly stopped and perked his ears up. He had a look in his eye that said he was communicating with the others via pack bond. No one looked alarmed, so I just sat down to wait. I really wish he would let me into the pack bond so I wasn’t sitting here clueless at times like this.

I was still a little intimidated by Austin deep down. He was always well dressed and polished, plus he had something about him that commanded respect. When he walked into a room everyone stood a little straighter. It might have been because he was the pack-master, but it seemed like more than that. He was without a doubt a born leader and being around him could sometimes make me feel a little lacking.

I tried to use my feelings of inadequacy as motivation. I wanted to be the type of female that the other guys would be proud to have in their pack. I needed to be more confident in who I was and reconcile that with what the pack needed in a female.

I had realized that I put myself down more than anyone else did. I had internalized the voice of my uncle and was continuing to torment myself with his words. I had been told I was worthless so often that deep down I still believed it. I needed to see myself as a successful, confident woman if that’s what I wanted everyone else to see. I was letting my own hang-ups get in the way of my happiness.

As much as Reagan had irritated me, I was glad that she had come. I had received a crash course in what would be expected of me from other packs, plus I now knew more about the role I would play in the pack as the top female.

Austin started to trot back in the direction of the house and the rest of us followed. No one looked like they were in a hurry, so I guess whatever message that Austin had received was not urgent. When we got back I trotted to my space to change back and get dressed.

The twins were waiting for me outside. Jason was lighting a fire in the center of the big table, so I took a seat.

Mason mussed my hair. “We’re going to stay out here for a couple minutes, Austin has to take care of Reagan.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “It’s going to take more than a couple minutes.”

I smiled at them in amusement. It was going to take more than a few minutes.

“Do you think we could sneak in the kitchen for marshmallows?” I asked. Toasting marshmallows over the fire sounded perfect right about now.

Jason’s eyes lit up. “If you go in, get stuff to make s’mores.”

“And beer.” Mason added.

I rolled my eyes. “One of you needs to come with me to help carry all that stuff. I only have two arms.”

“Uggg, fine.” Jason said.

I stood up and headed to the patio door cautiously. It didn’t look like anyone was in the kitchen, from what I could see through the glass. I stood up a little and straightened my shoulders. Why was I creeping around in fear? This was my house and my pack, Reagan should be tiptoeing around me.

I tried to look confident as I strolled into the house with the twins following behind me. I knew they were only letting me lead the way so that I would be the first person Reagan saw if we ran into her. I really needed to work on making my pretend confidence into real confidence. I might joke about defending my males, but it seemed like it really was something that I needed to do. Especially since there was no doubt in my mind that they would not hesitate to defend me from other males.

Mason opened the door for me and we filed inside quietly. We walked through the kitchen when the faint sound of voices drifted to us. Mason and Jason looked at each other, obviously communicating. I really needed Austin to let me into the pack bond.

Jason put his finger up to his lips in a signal for me to be quiet. I followed the two of them as they silently crept through the kitchen and dining area before stopping by the doorway that led out to the foyer and stairway.

I closed my eyes as I leaned against the wall and focused on taking deep breaths. If I wanted to hear what was being said I was going to have to tap into my stronger wolf senses. I reached deep down inside myself to where I kept everything that made me a wolf packed down tight in a little ball.

I cautiously reached down. Instead of simply releasing the energy that would allow me to shift, I tried to follow Mason’s directions and tap into only the part that I needed.

I focused on my senses and tried to expand them using my newfound energy. Suddenly, everything came into sharp focus. I could pick up on the scents of Mason and Jason, close by to me, along with the lingering scents of pool water and food from the kitchen.

The voices that we had been listening to also came to me with clarity. It was Austin and his mother speaking. I tried to hold back my grin of delight at my success and focus on their words, but Mason picked up on it. He must have realized why I was grinning because he gave me a warm smile and a shoulder bump.

I tuned in what was being said in the other room.

“-council wanted you to stay?”

“I decided that I’m no longer needed here.” She gave a sigh. “You know I don’t like being here anymore than you like having me.”

“Mother…” I could just imagine Austin giving her an exasperated look.

“Now, let’s talk about this female that you have found for yourself.”

“Well, she’s not really my female yet.”

I turned red, feeling uncomfortable with listening to this conversation.

“She’s quite beautiful.” His mother stated. “But I have some concerns. You need to think about what kind of children she can give you. Beauty isn’t everything; you want your children to be intelligent as well.”

I could see Jason holding in his laughter as he looked at me with mirth in his eyes. I didn’t want to give away our presence so instead of smacking his arm I gave him a pinch. He rubbed his arm, but his smile didn’t fade at all. Mason scowled at both of us and motioned for us to be quiet.

“Mother, Anna is quite intelligent. She actually has a doctorate degree.”

His mother snorted, “She doesn’t seem to have much common sense. The poor girl couldn’t even manage to dress herself properly this morning.”

I started to fume. Just because I didn’t wear fancy clothes like her didn’t mean I wasn’t intelligent. It just meant that I was… casual? Lazy?

I sighed. Maybe I should try to make more of an effort with my appearance if it was really that important.

“I already told you that she didn’t grow up around wolves, Mother. She was raised by humans, so she is going to be a little different than other females.”

“So how is she going to raise your children properly, Austin? You need to think about these things.”

“You’re out of line, Mother.” I was starting to hear frustration in Austin’s voice.

“You are not thinking about the big picture, Austin. She is not good enough for you and she is not good enough for this family. Now, Jessica-“

“Enough!” Austin shouted.

There was silence for a moment. The sound of a vehicle pulling up to the house cut into the silence and broke the tension.

Mason gave my hand a squeeze and motioned for us to go back into the kitchen. I tried to push all of her words out of my head. I already knew that she felt that way, it’s not like it came as a surprise to hear her say it. And yet… I still felt hurt.

I grabbed the marshmallows while Mason took some beers out of the fridge and Jason got our s’mores supplies and metal skewers for toasting over the fire. We quietly went back outside and sat in front of the fire.

Jason cleared his throat. “You know, I wasn’t laughing at you.”

I looked up at him to see worry in his eyes.

“I know, Jase.”

“I thought it was funny that she was so wrong about you. You are one of the smartest people I know.”

“I think you would make a great mom.” Mason added.

I turned bright red. “Um…”

“Obviously, not right now.” He added quickly.

Jason laughed out loud. “You pretty much just said you want to impregnate her.”

Mason punched him in the arm with a scowl. “She knows what I meant.”

I giggled. I did know what he meant. He meant that Reagan was wrong about everything and that he cared about me. How could I be upset about that?

Mason looked relieved when he saw me smile.

 I held out a hand to Jason, “Skewer?” He handed one over and I aggressively stabbed a marshmallow before holding it over the fire. Mason passed a beer my way after popping off the top for me.

I started to relax, I was out here with two of my favorite people and Reagan was on her way out the door. If I let myself be upset I would just be ruining time that I could be having fun, I needed to let go of all the doubts that she had just reinforced in my mind. If Austin didn’t want me here, then I wouldn’t be here. The guys had all made it clear that they wanted me in the pack. I had nothing to worry about.