Finding Somewhere to Belong

by C. C. Masters

  Jason jumped up. “We had better get started, I’m starving!”

  I chuckled; it had not been that long since their sandwiches.

  “After dinner, we should go on a pack run,” Mason told me.

  “Yeah!” Jason nodded enthusiastically. “It’s really fun, Anna, you’ll love it.”

  I was nervous. “With James and Caleb? I don’t think James likes me that much. What if his wolf attacks me?” I blurted out.

  They both laughed. “James likes you,” Mason told me. “He wasn’t even that mad about the car and the mud last night.”

  I looked at him incredulously. That was James not being mad?

  “And it’s not James’ wolf,” Jason reminded me gently. “It’s James. He would never hurt you.”

  Mason slung his arm around me as we made our way to the kitchen. “Besides, how could anyone not like you?”

  I felt a little reassured but still nervous. I tried to put it out of my mind as I directed the guys on what we needed to do to make dinner. I had decided on lasagna with spicy Italian sausage, garlic bread, and a classic Caesar salad for dinner tonight. Simple, yet delicious.

  The scent of lasagna filled the air as the boys and I waited for it to be done baking. The delicious smells must have made their way through the house, because James and Caleb both showed up down in the kitchen a half-hour early.

  “Damn, Anna. That smells good!” Caleb announced enthusiastically. Even James peered, seeming interested in the direction of the oven.

  “Where do you guys want to eat?” I asked them.

  “I’ll just take mine upstairs to my office -” James started out.

  “No!” the other guys answered in unison.

  They all looked at each other. “Anna wants to have a family dinner,” Caleb told him seriously.

  James looked at me in surprise. “A family dinner?”

  “Yeah, you know, like they have on TV,” Mason said significantly.

  The other two guys nodded seriously, and James looked at me. “That’s not a bad idea. I think it’s good for the pack to gather and eat together.”

  The gathering tension in the room faded as the guys relaxed. “We have a formal dining room,” Caleb said hesitantly, “but it’s not set up for eating right now.”

  “We have been using it more as a command center,” Mason added helpfully.

  “What about on the patio?” I asked. “I saw a couple of tables out there that could fit all of us.”

  “That could work,” James said thoughtfully. He turned to the twins. “You two, go clean one off and make sure it’s ready for us to eat on. Preferably the one with the fire pit in the middle.”

  Surprisingly, neither of them argued or complained and just headed outside, maybe because there was the potential for fire to be involved in the task.

  James looked at Caleb. “Go find that dining set that Austin’s mom left here. I think it’s still in boxes in the dining room. We can use nice dishes for Anna.”

  Caleb nodded, and I was left just staring at James. I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me that he would want to take control, but it did surprise me that he was willing to play along with the family dinner concept.

  I wanted to ask about Austin’s mom since James had brought it up. Did she live around here? How did the mom of the pack-master fit in to things here? Austin had said I was the only female in the pack. I guess it made sense that she would have her own pack since Austin had built this one himself. I wasn’t comfortable asking James about any of this, so I started with an easier question while I opened the oven door to peek and see how the lasagna was doing. “How was your trip?”

  “Not very productive,” he answered with a sigh.

  “Did your trip have anything to do with Evelyn?” I asked him, trying to pry some information out of him. I decided the lasagna looked almost ready, so I popped the garlic bread in there to heat up.

  “Yes, I followed a lead that didn’t pan out. On the bright side, we now can cross one pack off our suspect list.”

  “Hmmm.” I chewed on my lip as I thought. I was hoping Caleb had been able to make some progress. I was feeling very useless, just standing around and waiting to see what they came up with. I was used to doing everything on my own.

  Caleb walked back into the kitchen hauling a heavy box. I blinked when James pulled a sharp looking knife out of a hiding place somewhere on his body and bent down to cut the tape. I peered over his shoulder into the box where thick and heavy plates were packed carefully.

  “They look expensive. Are you sure we should take them outside?”

  Caleb laughed. “Why have plates if we aren’t going to use them?”

  “Well, if they were a gift from Austin’s mom…”

  James grinned. “Don’t worry, she knows better than to give a pack of wolves dainty and delicate things. I’m pretty sure she expected them to get broken at some point.”

  I chuckled. I could see that; she had to have met the twins.

  I washed the plates and serving dishes we found in there as James and Caleb dried. They passed dishes, silverware, and cloth napkins over to the twins to set up the table outside.

  I pulled the lasagna out of the oven and put the bread and salad in the pretty serving dishes that had also been in the box. I handed the salad to Caleb and picked up the bread. “James, I’m trusting you with the most important part of dinner.” I pointed at the lasagna with my elbow.

  “Good choice.” Caleb chuckled. “I would have seriously questioned your judgment if you had assigned that to the twins.”

  I laughed, imagining what could go wrong in that scenario.

  We were soon sitting at the table and filling our plates. The air outside was cool, and the sun was on its way down, but the fire in the middle of the table exuded warmth and provided plenty of light.

  “I’m surprised you’re not cold,” Caleb told me as he blew on a forkful of piping hot lasagna.

  “That’s true,” Jason said thoughtfully. “Girls are always cold and trying to steal my hoodie from me.”

  I just rolled my eyes. “Be careful not to burn your mouths with the first bite, or you won’t be able to taste anything,” I warned them.

  Jason lowered the forkful of hot lasagna he was about to shovel in his mouth and decided to start with the salad first.

  “Anna probably never gets cold,” James added. “She’s an arctic wolf.”

  The twins and Caleb all stared at me. I frowned. “How is that different from what you are?”

  “Arctic wolves are smaller. They have shorter legs and smaller, more rounded ears, plus have more white in their much thicker coats.”

  “Why shorter legs?” Jason asked.

  “It helps with circulation to prevent frostbite, same with the smaller ears. If blood is too exposed when running through less insulated parts of the body, it can lower the body temperature.”

  “Huh,” I said. “I guess that explains why I really do not like going outside in July and August.”

  The guys all laughed, and we ate in companionable silence for a few minutes.

  “Anna, this is amazing,” Caleb groaned out between bites.

  “Hey! We made it, too,” Jason added.

  “I think we all know who is responsible for this, and it’s not you guys,” James joked.

  Jason grumbled in reluctant agreement.

  I was really surprised to see the usually sour James acting pleasant and joking around. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all?

  Since he was in a good mood, I thought now would be the time to remind him of his promises to me. “So, James, have you made any progress on getting Evelyn back?”

  Caleb and the twins looked confused. James swallowed the bite of food he had just taken. “Anna, I have to move carefully here. No one knows about the relationship that you and Evelyn had and Austin, and I decided it was best if we kept things that way.”

  I nodded, I could understand why he wouldn’t want the pack that had brutally murdered Eve
lyn to have a reason to focus on me. “What’s the plan, then?”

  James cleared his throat. “I have approached the subject delicately with the team that is handling the situation. It was difficult to explain why the pack would want the…why we would want Evelyn. But I made a contact earlier today who can help us.”

  I nodded. It seemed like James was doing the best he could, and I only had myself to blame for what had gone wrong in the first place. The rest of the group was quiet for a moment, and then we went back to casually chatting while we enjoyed dinner.

  Our pleasant dinner was interrupted with the sound of a distant howl. James stood up abruptly. “Caleb, you have Anna. Jason front, Mason back.” The twins started to quickly strip, and I just stared, not quite understanding what was happening.

  “I just sent an alert out to the pack, backup will be here in moments,” Caleb said quietly, on alert.

  The twins bounded off in wolf form, one to the front of the house, and one to the back. “I texted Austin, he and Cody are heading back.”

  “Contract negotiations not go well?” Caleb asked.

  “I don’t think that’s what this is,” James stated as he pulled out a gun.

  My eyebrows rose. Where did that even come from?

  James glanced back at me, remembering I was there. “Take her inside. I want your eyes on everything,” he told Caleb.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  Caleb just motioned to come with him. James ignored me.

  “I’m not going anywhere -” my voice cut off in a squeak when Caleb simply lifted me up and threw me over his shoulder.

  “C’mon, Anna-banana, we have things to do.”

  I was too shocked to even struggle as he carried me inside. He patted the back of my thigh as we reached the stairs. “Can I trust you enough to set you down? We can move a lot quicker if I’m not carrying you.”

  I mumbled out an assent, and he set me down gently. “Let’s go!”

  He ran up the stairs, and I followed. What was going on? Were my guys in danger? I wasn’t going to stand around and let them get hurt. I let out a small growl as I followed Caleb. He turned toward me as he opened the door to what I assumed was his room. “Don’t worry, Anna, this is what we do best.”

  He grinned, and I followed him into the room. His room looked more like a fictional military command central than a bedroom. He had computer monitors covering an entire wall, and all kinds of other electrical equipment scattered across the room. He flicked a switch, and the monitors lit up with images of the entire house and around the property. I looked through them, looking for signs of the guys.

  Caleb sat down at his desk covered in computer equipment. He started typing, and I heard him making a call on speakerphone. A flicker of movement caught my eye on one of the outdoor monitors. “Caleb!” I pointed to the monitor where I saw an unfamiliar wolf prowling. I had not met James in his wolf form yet, but since he had pulled out a human weapon earlier, I’m guessing this was not him.

  “I see it,” Caleb answered me grimly.

  “Caleb, report!” a voice barked out from the speakerphone. It sounded like Austin.

  “Quinn scented something at the border and warned us of a possible incoming.”

  “Multiple?”

  “One that he saw, but I wouldn’t discount the possibility of more. They could be coming in separately.”

  “Anna?”

  “She’s here with me, safe,” Caleb assured me.

  “Hi,” I squeaked out nervously.

  “Hey, Anna. Don’t be worried, everything is fine.” Austin had softened his voice a little when he was speaking to me but hardened up as he switched his attention back to Caleb.

  “Cody and I are 5 minutes out.”

  “Trevor and a bunch of the guys just got here.” Caleb gestured toward a monitor showing a couple of trucks pulling into the front gate.

  “Excellent. James is directing from the ground?”

  “He is.”

  The trucks stopped, and eight men piled out, stripping and tossing their clothes aside. These must be more of the pack I had not met yet. I was being cautious not to look too closely as they changed into wolf form; I wouldn’t want anyone spying on me while I was changing.

  I blushed when I realized just how much of the property was covered in cameras. The times I had changed outside were definitely caught on tape. I was going to have to ask Caleb who watched them and how long they kept them.

  “James is having them spread out and surround the house,” Caleb informed Austin.

  “I’m close enough to tap in now,” Austin informed him.

  I frowned. Tap into what? And how was James directing anyone? It didn’t look like he had been speaking at all on camera. Could these wolves be psychic?

  No way.

  Could they hear my thoughts?

  My eye caught on one of the cameras where a wolf fight came into view. Two wolves were savagely attacking a third. “We got one!” Caleb shouted. So that must be our wolves getting one of the intruders.

  A chase appeared another one of the screens. A lone grey wolf was being chased by three brown wolves. The grey stumbled, and all three of the other wolves were on him.

  “And we have two.” Caleb pumped his fist in the air. “That’s what you get when you attack Seaside Pack!”

  “So, everyone in our pack is safe? No one got hurt?” I asked worriedly.

  Caleb tilted his head to one side, as if listening. “Robbie has a gash on his leg that might need stitches. They are bringing him in now.”

  I turned to the door, but he stopped me. “Not yet. Austin hasn’t given the all-clear.”

  I fidgeted, wanting to see for myself that everyone was OK. I also had emergency medical training, so I could help.

  “I’ve worked as an EMT before, and I do rounds in the ED when a critical care patient comes in,” I told Caleb. “If you don’t have anyone else here, I can take a look at Robbie until we get him to the hospital.”

  Caleb looked surprised. “Let me check with Austin.” He did another head tilt, and his eyes glazed over, as if listening to a silent conversation. Yep, these wolves were definitely psychic.

  Caleb nodded. “You can go downstairs. They are bringing him in the office now; that’s where we keep medical supplies.” He looked at me sternly. “But you cannot leave the house.”

  I nodded quickly and turned toward the door.

  Caleb reached out and grabbed my hand. “Anna, I’m serious. We just found you; we can’t lose you.”

  I looked into his worried eyes. “I promise, I will not leave the house. I also promise you that I am not some helpless female that needs to be hidden away and protected.”

  He laughed. “I doubt we would be able to hide you away for long.”

  He let go of my hand, and I rushed out the door and down the stairs. They might be the best at fighting and protecting their territory, but I was at my best in a medical emergency. I turned the corner and caught up to two men carrying a third who was dripping blood. I followed them in the room as they laid him on the couch. He was groaning and clutching his leg.

  “Medical supplies?” I asked them as I strode over to the couch.

  A tall man with a beard nodded at a younger but still impressively large man to his right. The younger man ran to a cabinet against the wall and pulled out a large bag. I knelt to take a look at the injured man while he lugged the bag over to me.

  “You’re Anna?” the bearded man asked me.

  “Yeah. Can you open the bag and look for clean clothes and sterile irrigation fluid?”

  The younger man smiled at me before he dug through the bag and held up some sterile gauze pads. “This?”

  I flicked a glance over to him and nodded while I worked on the injury. It looked deep enough to need stitches, but it didn’t look like any major arteries or veins were nicked. The wound was filthy, as if he had rolled around in the dirt right after being injured, but the bleeding was slowing and starting t
o clot. I was going to have to clean it well before stitching him up.

  “Robbie?” I said softly to get his attention. Robbie looked over at me in pain. “I can stitch you up here, or I can have them take you to the hospital.”

  Without hesitation, all three men answered together, “Here.”

  “OK, see what we have for pain meds in there,” I directed my new assistant.

  I cleaned the wound gently as he pulled meds out and read me their names. I was pleased at how well stocked the bag was; I was going to have everything I needed to treat the wound. I also had pain meds and antibiotics for my patient.

  Once I identified what I needed, I asked my assistant, “What’s your name?”

  “Alex.”

  “OK, Alex, I’m just going to need you to hand me the things I ask for as I need them. I might also need an extra pair of hands once I start stitching.”

  “I can do that,” the bearded man told me. “I’m Tony, by the way,” he said with a blush. I was surprised for a second to see such a large and intimidating man blush, but this was no time for idle thoughts.

  Alex and Tony were excellent assistants, and I had the wound clean and almost stitched up when Austin walked in.

  “How are we doing?” he asked.

  Alex jumped to his feet immediately and stood straight. “Good, sir.”

  Tony, thankfully, did not let go of where I needed his hands to stay to do the same. Tony gave Austin a respectful nod but stayed where he was, concentrating on the task I had assigned him. My patient just moaned. The pain medication that I had given him had kicked in, and he was limp and holding still the way I needed him to.

  Austin came a little closer to look at what we were doing. “Good work, Anna.”

  I grunted as I finished my last stitch and eyed my work critically. I was satisfied with the way the wound had come together and stopped bleeding, but I was still worried about infection because the wound had been deep and messy.

  “They said it was OK to treat him here instead of bringing him to the hospital,” I explained to Austin, a little defensively.

  He nodded. “We stay away from hospitals whenever possible. I’m glad we have another person on the team that can help out with that.” He gently laid a hand on my shoulder. “Come upstairs to my office when you’re finished.”