Wolf Ways (The Madison Wolves Book 9)

by Robin Roseau

  I arrived at the front door of Lara and Michaela’s house not encountering anyone else. I had been hoping an enforcer would be hanging out, someone who could tell me where I was supposed to go. I stared at the door for a minute. Every time I had come here, I had either been with someone else, or it had been so busy that people were going in and out of the house, so it hadn’t seemed so odd to do so myself.

  It felt weird, but after staring at the door for a while, willing someone to spontaneously notice me and step outside, I took the last two steps, opened the door, and said, “Hello. It’s Zoe.”

  “Come in Zoe,” Michaela said. “Don’t wait on ceremony.”

  I stepped in and closed the door before looking around. Michaela was sitting on the sofa with both girls, one on either side. Serena and Portia were hanging around, looking casual, but I’m sure they weren’t all that casual at all. I didn’t see anyone else.

  “I was wondering how long you were going to stand there,” Michaela said.

  “You knew I was there?”

  “Uh huh,” she replied. “I was letting you work it out, although if you had waited too long, I would have sent these two around the outside to tackle you.”

  “You wouldn’t!”

  She smiled. “You never know. The protocol in this house is to enter and say your name. You don’t have to wait.”

  I nodded. She was confirming what I’d been told.

  “I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to go. You said ‘here’. I wasn’t sure if that meant here-here, or the compound-here.”

  Michaela chuckled. “I meant here-here. Class is in the school, and Karen will pop in to collect you.” She looked over her shoulder. “Could one of you let Karen know that Zoe is here?”

  “Yes, Alpha,” Portia replied. She pulled out her phone.

  “I was just catching up with the girls,” Michaela said. “We’re going to let them watch a few minutes of television, and when Mommy Wolf gets home, we’re going for a run.”

  “Yes, Mommy Fox,” the girls said in unison.

  Michaela flowed to her feet and crossed the room to me, pulling me into a hug. Then she took my hand and led me towards the kitchen. Portia, still on the phone, tried to precede us, but Michaela said, “Stay with the children. I’m safe with Zoe.”

  “Alpha…” Serena said. “I would rather you all stayed in one room.”

  Michaela eyed her, then snorted, just like Elisabeth did when she wanted to say ‘no’. “Fine. We’ll sit here.” She gestured to the table, leading me to a seat. She took one kitty corner. “Tell me about your date.”

  I colored immediately, and Michaela grinned.

  “Not that part,” she added. “I didn’t get a chance to grill Elisabeth today. You two played. I need to know how that went.”

  I knew I was still blushing, but I smiled. “That was really fun. Did she tell you anything?”

  “We barely exchanged ‘hello’ this morning, but Lara actually had to text her to ask, ‘Where are you’ this morning, so I am thinking you spent the night.”

  I nodded.

  “I’m not going to tease you about that, Zoe. The wolves might, but I remember how hard it was for me at first. But I do need to know what you played.”

  “As alpha?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  I looked down. “Or as matchmaker?”

  She laughed. “That, too. Tell me everything.”

  “I let her hunt me.”

  Michaela grinned. “Lara and I play that game a lot.”

  “I imagine you’re a whole lot harder to find than I am. She gave me a five-minute head start, and every time she found me within a minute, two at the most.”

  “Did you have fun?”

  “A blast. I made her, um… catch me.”

  “She was in fur?” I nodded. “Were you scared?”

  “No. Um. I sort of teased her a little. I told her I’d think of her as a big guard dog. That helped a lot, and she didn’t seem to mind the comparison.”

  “It’s a good comparison,” Michaela replied.

  We talked for several minutes, Michaela asking a variety of questions. In the end, I thanked her for talking to me yesterday. She smiled at that. “I’m glad you had a nice time.”

  “I don’t know if this is going to be a long term relationship,” I admitted, “and I’m watching my heart. But I like her, and I like being with her.”

  “Give it a chance,” Michaela said. Then she grinned. “Are you spending the night?”

  “No. I’m being careful about dangerous precedents and lesbian clichés.”

  “Ah, I understand,” she said. “I had one of those, about two years after I arrived in Bayfield. I met a woman. She came back to my house on our second date and didn’t leave for weeks.”

  “That’s a long sex fest,” I said.

  “Oh, you did not just go there,” she said. “You did not start teasing me about sex when I told you I wouldn’t tease you.”

  I lowered my eyes. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to tease you. It just sort of popped out.”

  “I’ll forgive you. This time.” When I looked up, she was smiling.

  From behind me, I heard the front door open, and someone said, “Karen.” I glanced over, and the enforcer was just entering the door.

  My heart began pounding.

  “Easy, Zoe,” Michaela said. “Karen, wait there for a minute.” Then she spoke quietly to me, her hand on my arm. “You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you.”

  I glanced nervously over my shoulder then turned back to Michaela. I took several deep breaths, trying to calm down before I needed a shower.

  “You can do this,” Michaela said. “Once Lara claimed you for the pack, you became a sort of mascot. All the enforcers feel deeply protective of you now, not just Elisabeth. It’s their way.”

  I took several more breaths then smiled weakly. “I’m fine. Do I smell?”

  She sniffed. “Not that I can tell.” Then she gestured, and Serena moved closer, leaning over Michaela’s shoulder. “Zoe had a little moment of panic. Does she need to clean up?”

  “She’s fine,” Serena said. “A minute or two outside wouldn’t hurt, but as long as there isn’t any additional panic, she’s fine.”

  “Please, Serena. I don’t want to smell like fear all night.”

  “You won’t,” she replied. “What set it off?”

  “Karen,” Michaela said.

  “Why?” Serena sounded perplexed.

  “Bank trip,” I said. “Flashbacks.”

  “Oh.” She paused. “Karen wouldn’t hurt you.”

  I took a couple of deep breaths then nodded. “Were we done, Alpha?”

  “We were done. I’ll see you in the morning. If you arrive early, you can come here, otherwise go straight to the school.”

  I clasped hands with her then stood up. She and Serena stayed where they were. I turned to Karen. She was leaning against the wall near the door. I walked slowly to her. She watched me the entire time.

  “Hello, Karen,” I said.

  “Good afternoon, Zoe.”

  I walked straight up to her. My heart wasn’t entirely settled down, but I was doing okay. She pushed away from the wall as I drew closer, but she had a relaxed appearance. I stopped a couple of feet in front of her, looking up at her. I took a few more deep breaths.

  “I want us to be friends, Zoe,” she said.

  “It’s going to take me a little more time,” I admitted. “But this class is a good start. Do you have time to take me for a little walk?”

  “Of course. Grab your packet and we can go.”

  * * * *

  Outside, she asked, “Where did you want to go?”

  “Nowhere in particular. Just a little walk before class. Do you mind?”

  “Not at all. Why don’t I show you the pool? Have you seen it?”

  “No.”

  “Michaela is already planning another pool,” she said, “one that is better for learning advanced diving
. Come on.” We took a left turn and traced my route backwards towards Elisabeth’s. The game had broken up, and the teenagers were gone. I commented on that.

  “I didn’t see, but either they’re getting ready for the scuba class, or they went for a run.”

  We didn’t talk much. I was feeling very subdued, and Karen didn’t seem to be one to babble. But we arrived at the gym, and she held the door for me.

  As soon as we were inside, I heard some sort of activity. As we moved further into the facility, I could tell someone was lifting weights. The clank of the steel was distinctive.

  “Someone is here.”

  “The gym gets used heavily,” Karen replied. She led me to the main exercise area. I stopped and stared.

  Eric and Rory were there. Neither was wearing a shirt. Eric was on the bench press, and Rory was spotting him.

  I couldn’t believe how much weight was on the bar.

  “Holy shit!” I said. “Oh my god, if I weren’t as gay as I am, I think I’d be swooning right now.”

  Karen laughed. “They’re pretty magnificent, aren’t they?”

  Eric’s chest was bulging as he pressed the weight up. It didn’t look like he needed a spotter, but Rory was watching intently, and I was sure if Eric struggled, Rory would be right there to handle it.

  “How much weight is that?”

  “Not much,” Karen said. I glanced over, and she was smirking. “Looks like six-hundred-something.”

  “Not much?” I squeaked. “Holy shit!”

  She laughed again.

  “How much can you do?”

  “I don’t train for maximum weight. I train for endurance.” She nodded towards Eric. “That’s close to my max, but only about half of his.”

  He kept lifting, up, down, up, down, and I stared. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.

  “You better hope Elisabeth doesn’t catch you staring.”

  “I am just appreciating an unbelievable athlete,” I countered.

  Eric kept lifting, but he got slower, and I saw Rory start to actively help. Eric did another half dozen repetitions before Rory helped him replace the bar on the stand.

  “Wow,” I said.

  Eric sat up, grabbing a towel to mop himself. That was when they both saw us watching. He grinned. “Hey, Zoe. Hello, Karen. Did you come to work out? We could spot you.”

  “Just a tour,” Karen said. “Zoe was appreciating your form, Eric.”

  “My form, is it?” he asked. He rotated sideways, and then he intentionally flexed his arm, and my eyes bugged out. The three wolves laughed at my response.

  “Are you sure you’re gay?” Rory asked with a lilt in his voice. “Eric likes human girls.”

  Rory was teasing me. Eric had told me human girls intimidated him.

  “I’m sure,” I said. “But just… Holy shit!”

  The three of them laughed again.

  “Eric’s got the upper body,” Karen said. “Rory’s got a great ass though.”

  “Oh, you like my ass, Karen?” Rory asked. He turned around. He was dressed in shorts, a weight belt, and tennis shoes, but he waved his ass at us.

  “Come on, flex those legs and buns,” Karen said. “For me.”

  So he did, and I could see every muscle in the back of his legs. I stared.

  “Shit.”

  Eric laughed. “I got a ‘holy shit’, but you only got a ‘shit’. I win.”

  “Only because she can’t see my tight ass inside these shorts.” Rory turned around. “I could take ‘em off if you want a better look, Zoe.”

  “No thanks,” I replied. “I’m not sure my tiny little human heart could handle it.”

  The three roared with laughter, which made me feel good.

  “You see, Eric? She was able to look at your muscles without having a heart attack, but she thinks my ass will push her over the edge.”

  “You guys are such goofs.”

  “If you ever want to use the gym, and Elisabeth is too busy, you can always join us,” Eric said.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I replied, “but I don’t think I could lift the bar.”

  “We’d spot you,” Rory said. He grinned.

  “All right,” Karen said. “I’m going to show her the rest, then we have class.” She tugged my arm, turning me away.

  After that, she showed me the locker room. As cavalier as they were about nudity, I was a little surprised they had male and female locker rooms. I commented on that.

  “I never thought about that,” she said. “This was here long before I was a member of the pack, but I can hazard a guess, or a few guesses. I’m sure there are some members of the pack who aren’t quite so casual and prefer private locker rooms. I know Michaela prefers it that way, but this facility predates her as well. And also, the building would have been inspected by a human building inspector. It would have been hard to explain why there was only one locker room.”

  “That makes sense.”

  Then she led the way to the pool. It was a nice pool, and I was very impressed.

  “Tomorrow morning we’ll hold classes in the morning and for an hour after lunch, then we’ll come here. You can change into your suit in the locker room, take a quick shower, and then we meet here. If you bought a wetsuit, we’ll help you get it on.”

  “I didn’t. Do I need one?”

  “You shouldn’t. The pool is warm, but if you get cold, we can take a break.”

  “I suppose none of your other students are going to get cold.”

  She chuckled. “Probably not, but you will be smart instead of prideful. If you get cold, you will tell me.”

  “Of course, Karen.”

  “You’ll probably want to wear a tee-shirt then,” she said. “The gear can chafe.”

  “Thanks for the tip.”

  After that, she showed me the way back out of the building, and we began walking towards the school.

  “Do I smell all right, Karen?”

  “Sure. Why wouldn’t you?”

  “I had a little panic attack.”

  It took her a moment before she said, “When you saw me.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  We walked quietly for a minute, and it wasn’t until we were outside the school that she pulled me to a stop. “First, you smell fine. You smell like yourself. And now you smell a little like chlorine from the pool. You also smell of Michaela from hugging her. And…” She leaned closer. “Ah. Elisabeth. That should have worn off by now.”

  “I drove her car.”

  “That’s it,” she said.

  “You can smell all that?”

  She smiled. “And the shampoo and soap you used this morning. I can smell the plastic from the class materials packet. And you had something disgusting for lunch besides.”

  “Oh god…”

  She grinned. “Some of those are subtle. Zoe, this is just part of being a wolf. We smell these things. They aren’t necessarily good smells or bad smells. They’re just smells. Your shampoo is a little strong, but it’s not offensive. However, it disguises your own, natural scent a little. Don’t be too surprised if Elisabeth asks you to change brands.”

  “Is it bad?”

  “No. It’s lovely. But your natural scent is lovelier.”

  “Oh. Thank you for telling me.”

  “You smell fine. Now, about the other thing. I’m really sorry about that. I can’t begin to tell you. But you understand, my first duty is to the pack.”

  “I understood at the time, Karen. It’s okay. I need a little more time.”

  “Your hind brain needs to learn I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “My forebrain does too,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault, Zoe. You didn’t deserve what we did. But you understand why we did it.”

  “Yeah. The situation.”

  “The situation. But that situation is gone. You are a pack member. And you’re going to be a good pack member, so you have nothing to fear.”

  I nod
ded. I hoped she was right.

  * * * *

  Our class, appropriately enough, was in one of the school classrooms. Karen had already set up. There were diving posters on the wall, and there were two tables with gear spread out on them. When we arrived, there were four teenagers looking at the gear; by their sizes, it was clear they were all wolves. There were two boys and two girls.

  I recognized them as some of Michaela’s students, and I had met each of them, but the only name I could remember was Kaylee’s.

  “Good afternoon,” Karen said as we entered the room.

  The four of them turned. One of the boys was holding something from the table, and he hastily put it back. “Um.”

  “Relax, Connor,” Karen said. “I wouldn’t have put the gear out if you weren’t allowed to look at it. But we’re all here, so we can get started a few minutes early. Let’s take our seats.”

  Seating was arranged by tables with two students per table. I thought Karen had rearranged the room, as most of the tables and chairs were stacked up in the back, but there were three tables arranged facing a fourth. The kids appeared to have already selected their places, and I found myself with the choice of sitting next to Kaylee or one of the boys. I was a little surprised by the arrangements, but I took a seat next to Kaylee and said, “Hello,” quietly to her.

  “All right,” said Karen. “Everyone is here to learn how to scuba dive. Raise your hand if you think you were here for a lesson in vegan cooking instead.”

  The kids laughed nervously, all of them glancing at me. I guessed I had a reputation already.

  Karen smiled. “We’re going to start with introductions. I want each of you in turn to stand up, tell us your full name, who you are, and why you want to learn to dive.” She looked around the room. “Connor, you’re first.”

  The boy stood up. Boy. He was bigger than most full-grown men. He looked around the room before beginning to speak, and once he did, he seemed calm and assured but not arrogant. “I’m Connor Simpson. I’m one of Ms. Burns’ students.” He looked around. “We all are. Even Monique, but she’s in the enforcer program, and the rest of us are in the science program.”