by Rae Foxx
He held up his hand. “Stop. Even that is too much for me.”
“Well damn, what am I going to say now?” I teased. I tried to pout, sliding into one of the many overstuffed chairs in the library, but the thing was way too squishy and I ended up falling into the thing like a rock into a marshmallow.
“This is your pack now, Ivy,” Howl said, ignoring my still sinking body. He was all business now. “You have to take care of them and lead them. It will come to you.”
I sighed and relaxed into the chair, positive it was trying to eat me now. Well, this was a better way to die than in Pater’s jaws.
‘I heard that too,’ Howl teased. “Listen to your wolf on this one. Her instinct is always pure.”
“Nah, that bitch is out for blood. She’s still seething after that fight. I swear, she wanted nothing more than to kill your dad.”
“She wouldn’t be the only one,” he sighed, running his hand through his hair before holding it out to me. “Showtime.”
I let out an exaggerated groan and pried myself out of the chair, which let out a noise like a fart as I stood.
“Well, if I’m going to lead the pack, I might as well do it with dignity.”
The door to the library swung open, Saxon and Finn sauntering in. Finn beelined right for me, wrapping his arms around me. Saxon was going to do the same, but instantly got sidelined by the shelves and shelves of books that lined the walls.
Jeez. If this was the reaction I got with this place, I didn’t want to see what happened when he found the big library.
“Everyone is arriving, honeybee,” Finn whispered into my hair, his hand running up and down my spine while Howl’s rested on my hip.
And Saxon gave me goo-goo eyes from over the top of a book.
Holy shit. I had worse problems than making some kick-ass speech to my new pack. I had three mates, two of which just so happened to not be shifters.
Explaining this was going to be fun.
“You two wait here until I tell them about you. You’ll be like the closing act to whatever is about to go down…” They just smiled.
My mind was a mess of jitters as Howl led me from the library, practically pulling me along as I tried to think of some epic uplifting words I could pull out of my ass.
‘We are a magnanimous people with a flatulent cause.’
No.
‘I believe that together we can extrapolate the evil and join the pragmatic cause.’
No.
Might be better to stick to what I know.
Howl’s hand held firm to mine as we stood at the top of the massive staircase that led to our home--my home--whatever and about fifty scared and slightly cranky shifters made their way toward me.
I shook hands with each one, stumbling over introductions and asking them what animals they are, like a total noob.
Which, I mean, I was.
One family were raccoons while others were ferrets, lemurs. There was even a lynx in my pack. Each one bore their neck to me in a sign of submission. I struggled to accept the gesture. We hadn’t run through that part of the whole submission process and for about the first ten people I put my hands on their foreheads like I was blessing them or some shit, which clearly wasn’t right with how they were all staring at me.
No wonder Howl’s wolf was growling.
Okay, strike one, I was off to a great start.
“What are you doing?” Scarlet asked. She and the twins practically sprinted up to me after I had finished blessing the last raccoon.
I might have mumbled that time. Great, I was crossing and praying.
“Accepting their submissions?” I might have squeaked. “Am I not doing it right?”
“No. I mean, unless you are the pope,” she giggled, turning on Howl. “Did you not tell her what she’s supposed to do?”
“My father always told me every Alpha was different, so maybe this is her thing.” He shrugged, his dark eyes laughing. He was clearly getting a kick out of this.
“So, my thing is blessing people?”
“Bless me, my Alpha,” The twins said in unison, muscling past Scarlet to bear their necks. I smacked them in their foreheads. Good enough, seeing as they gave each other a high-five, laughed, and walked into the house.
“I say you keep that one. Maybe you’ll smack some sense into them,” Scarlet said, baring her neck before she wrapped me in a hug, “I have something to tell you after,” she whispered and bolted into the house with a farewell wave to Howl.
“Brat,” I said and reached to slug her in the stomach as yet another family of foxes came up to me.
Howl’s fingers tapped against my spine as he chuckled, nodding and shaking the hands of everyone as they went through the line.
About halfway through the group, I started to notice a pattern.
‘They are all small animals,’ I mind-whispered to Howl as I waved awkwardly at yet another badger. Okay, I needed to figure out what to do with this whole submission thing.
‘Yeah, my father never took any of them seriously,’ Howl said, shaking the hand of the badger, at least he wasn’t staring at the floor like his mom. ‘He would use them for target practice. I bet they are looking for a better life here. I have a feeling they will find it.’
‘Let’s keep the pressure to a minimum.’ I had already messed up this submission thing. I had a feeling that the overall happiness of an entire clan of people was going to be pushing it right now.
Long term goals, I guess.
First, the pope.
Then the savior?
Good god, this was getting out of hand.
“Is that it?” I asked as the last person vanished through the door, leaving Howl and I alone on the deck.
“One more!” a woman yelled from the other side of the lot, the sound of running following as the new gym teacher bounded toward us.
I had thought the too tight gym teacher get-up she had going on was bad. Her street clothes were barely there--a see-through white crop top flirted with the top of skin-tight jeans. And I thought I could rock a red bra.
“Coach Danvers, this is a surprise,” Howl said, holding his hand out to her. I was still staring with my mouth hanging open, wishing I could fill out a bra as well as she did.
Danvers snorted and leaned to the side, bearing her neck to me. I bowed. Yep, I totally bowed that time, gave her a head nod and everything.
She looked at me like I had licked a skunk.
Maybe I had licked skunks. Danvers looked like she had licked chameleons from the magical forest that mated with fairies at dusk. Made sense given the way her tanned skin gave off a glow in the setting sun.
Damn. I really needed to stop staring.
“Alpha. Thank you for having me.” She smiled and gave an awkward bow herself.
“Yep.” Damn. Now I’m saying yep. Howl coughed so loud that he was either choking on chameleons, or a laugh. I elbowed him in this gut.
“Let’s go in.” Howl ushered Danvers in and took my hand, his fingers twisting with mine. “You did great, Ivy.”
“You’re full of shit.” He just chuckled. It was all the confirmation I needed. “Well, let’s get this party started. I have a speech to give and a vampire-fae sized fun-bomb to drop.”
Easy.
Howl’s side-eye was not reassuring.
The entire pack was gathered in the living room. While there may not have been as many as with Pater, the room was still cluttered. People were sitting on every seat, table, or surface they could find. The rest crowded in groups on the floor or against the wall.
So many people.
So many eyes.
All of which stared right at me, wanting me to be something I totally wasn’t ready to be.
“Welcome, everyone.” Bright. Bubbly. Smiling. A few people even smiled back. We were off to a great start.
I bounced on my toes and straightened the gym shorts I had changed into after my shower. They were Howl’s and a bit too baggy. They smelled like him and weren
’t covered in blood so they might be my new favorite things of all time.
“So, ummm… I’m Ivy… the ummm…” Mofalfa “Alpha.” Yep, the word was not getting any easier to say. I took a deep breath and straightened my shoulders. If I was going to be the Alpha I might as well act like it. I was going all in.
“I don’t know a lot of you, but I’m glad to meet you. I’m glad you're here. You all seem like cool people. I mean, I know you are cool people because you are gathered here, with me. Which after that win is pretty cool. I mean, if you could call it a win. I had been hoping to gnaw his balls off or something but--” My ramble slowed to a stop as everyone's face twisted into confusion. Scarlet had officially hung her head in her hands in shame.
Maybe I needed to bless her again.
“Thing is, Pater left,” I spoke a little bit louder, settling into my stride. “And we are all badass shifters because we are here, being badasses and not running away.” More twisted faces. Anyone else would have given up at this point. Or signed themselves up for a public speaking class. Not me. I hiked up Howl’s shorts and stomped my way onto the coffee table that probably cost as much as me and momma’s single wide.
“We are a new pack. Our pack. My pack?” Why was that a question? “And we are going to do things the non-stubborn ass wolf way…”
“But what if they come back?” One of the bushy eyebrowed guys near the back, a lynx if I remembered correctly, pushed himself off from the wall and started meandering his way through the crowd toward me. My wolf growled, recognizing the threat.
The sound reverberated through the massive living room. Most of the animals scooted back, the lynx stopping in place.
“How do you plan to protect us?” he continued, no longer moving towards me, his eyes now focused on my chin rather than my eyes. “They will be back for revenge. Pater doesn’t deal with losing very well. Isn’t that right, Howl?”
“No, which would be why he chose the shame of leaving rather than losing,” Howl said, clearing his throat behind me. “I don’t see him giving up his pack, his lands, or his house easily. But don’t worry, my mate is strong and wise,” my wolf was no longer growling in threat. She was purring in delight with what Howl was saying, with the way his fingers were trailing up and down my spine.
“If we expect him to come back and train for that, then when that happens we will be ready.”
“Train?” a girl about my age said from where she sat on the floor, “like to fight them… you think we can fight them? We don’t even have a place to live.”
My mouth was open, ready to expose the existence of my boys to my pack and detail out some extensive training program I had thought up just that minute, but froze.
“What do you mean you don’t have a place to live?” The older members of the pack looked as confused as I did. It was those around my age, the students, that were nodding solemnly.
“So, yeah,” Scarlet said, running her hands through her hair. “That thing I was going to tell you about…”
Evan jumped to his feet when Scarlet hesitated, “Nicky was at the school after the fight. Pater’s pack was there. They need the rooms… we’ve been kicked out.”
“What?” I screamed the question.
“Leave it to Nicky to hold a grudge,” Howl mumbled from beside me, his wolf growling, the sound loud as it bounced against the rafters and the high windows of the massive house.
Massive house…”
“Howl,” I asked, turning to him, “How many bedrooms are in this house?”
“A lot,” he was already smiling knowing exactly where I was going with this. ‘You are a wise wolf, Ivy.’
I barely restrained the blush.
“Great. So those who were kicked out can move in here. It’ll be safer anyway if…” my stomach clenched, “when Pater comes back. Whoever wants to live here can. We will train here, stay here, and protect each other here.”
“Again,” the same girl from before said. “How will training help us if he comes back? We are small…”
“If Pater comes back, we’re going to fight him and his minions with what? A raccoon?” The lynx spoke up, clearly starting to doubt his decision to join my rag-tag crew. “Some ferrets? Even your super-strong wolf isn’t enough to tip those scales in our direction.”
“Any shifter can be a warrior with the right training,” Owen said and then shrugged. “Everyone thinks we’re house cats or whatever but I’ve taken down a bear when he attacked our house.” I thought he was fucking around, but then Evan nodded, backing up Owen’s story.
“Owen is right, small does not mean weak,” Danvers spoke up. I had almost forgotten she was there. She had situated herself in the corner, away from everyone else. “The school I came from before this was for prey animals. I taught them survival skills, fighting skills. You guys aren’t prey animals. I have a feeling I could teach us all to do even more. With my Alpha’s permission, I would like to do this for my pack.”
Everyone began whispering excitedly, looking from me to Danvers like they were expecting something.
Oh yeah, right. I was the Alpha.
I stared at her. I had planned on introducing Saxon and Finn to everyone, deciphering some huge training plan so we would be ready to kick ass, but something about the way she spoke...
“I think that would be good,” I said with a glance toward the high stairway I was sure Finn and Saxon were huddling behind. I guessed my big harem reveal would have to wait until later. “We can train here, probably in the living room. It’s big enough and if we are expecting Pater to come around, we don’t want to give him an idea as to how awesome we are.”
That time, everyone was smiling
“Actually,” Howl said, giving me a wink. “If we are going for total secrecy, I think I know of something even better…”
I swallowed, with the way he was looking at me, I was suddenly filled with images of a sex cave with even more contraptions than Saxon’s Keep.
I wasn’t sure I was interested in sharing that with all these people.
‘Later, little wolf. Although if you don’t stop filling my head with all those thoughts we might have a problem.
Chapter 10
There wasn’t a sex dungeon in the house.
There was, however, an entire underground lair dedicated to shifters kicking the shit out of each other.
This massive house had not only one basement but two; although, the second basement reminded me of the fenced-off space below my trailer--you know where the septic pump and heater were. Twice a year I would have to crawl into it and hit things with a wrench, which was the extent of my Mr. Fix-it skills.
This subterranean training hall was like the septic pump room for a mansion. The floor was dirt, the walls dripping and wet, and it was often full of raccoons.
Just so happened that these raccoons were shifters.
“Dude, this is impressive,” Owen said as he and his twin led the charge into the huge training room, clearly eyeing the line of machines and weights against the far wall.
“Of course it is. Where else do you think I earned these guns?” Howl grinned and flexed his biceps, looking as stereotypically douchey as he had when I first met him.
“Give me a break, bro,” I emphasized the word, smacking him in the bicep. In return he wrapped his arm around my waist, lifting me and flexing his muscles until I could feel more than the hard coils of his arms pulse against me.
‘You know you like it,’ His voice rumbled in my head as his wolf growled in his chest, rumbling between us.
“Tease,” I whispered, tilting my chin up to kiss him.
“Gods above,” Evan snarled from the middle of the room, his voice echoing back to us as he and Owen rushed over. “Do you guys smell that? That is disgusting. Did you guys kill someone down here, let it rot, and then shit all over it?”
I snorted at Evan’s explanation of the smell and the way he was waving his hands around like he was trying to scare the smell away.
I
n fact, all of them were doing that.
“You guys are pussies,” I laughed, taking a few steps into the subterranean soccer field. “It’s not that bad. It smells like my old trailer park--meth mixed with cigarettes and cooking oil.” And the overrun septic tank, but I wasn’t going to admit that part.
Howl stepped closer to me before immediately stepping back, waving his hand around while his face turned green.
“Ivy, honey,” Howl had never called me that, but mixed with the look on his face, I wasn’t sure if it was a nickname I was interested in adopting. “If this was what your trailer park smelled like, then your trailer park must’ve sat right on top of Hades’ asshole.”
“I mean there were assholes in the park...” I grumbled, realizing that the hint of nicotine and tar I was picking up was close to Tommy’s favored brand. Asshole. “Seriously. What is wrong with all of you?”
“How did it get in here?” Scarlet said, taking a break from her own frantic wafting to look from me to Howl. “Did your dad trap them for training or something?”
“Naw,” Howl shook his head. “The bastard was stubborn, not stupid.”
“Then how did it get in here?” Danvers piped up. She was the only one who had elected not to waft the smell away like one does a bee, instead taking off her shirt to wad it up against her nose.
Damn. I had the exact same bra.
“The forest?”
“Is it hiding down here?”
“Are you sure it wasn’t your dad?”
“However it got down here, I am not sure I feel safe here anymore.”
Everyone was breaking down, panic devouring their faces as they all spoke over each other, turning toward Howl like he had come down here and let out the worst gas ever. Which I highly doubted. I had officially lost my patience with waiting for someone to fill me in.
“Excuse me!” I yelled loudly. Everyone immediately shut up, bared their necks and looked down to the dirt like I had forced them to submission.
Which, shit on a cracker, I had.
Wasn’t sure if I was a fan of that trick, but I had bigger fish to fry, or I guess smells to identify.
