“So, when do we start?” I asked the twins.
Jason smiled, “We already have you on a strength training program to increase your upper body strength. The intensive weapons training starts this weekend.”
“No.” Austin interrupted abruptly.
The twins both cocked their heads at him in question.
To my surprise, it was Quinn who spoke. “Isn’t basic weapons competency a requirement for the pack?” He asked softly.
Austin looked agitated. “I don’t think she’s ready for that.”
Why was Austin acting like this was such a big deal? By weapons training I was assuming that he was talking about shooting a gun. I had never had a reason in the past to learn how to shoot a gun, but I wasn’t opposed to learning more skills. Especially if this was one of the things that was important to the pack.
“Can I try it?” I asked Austin quietly.
He leaned forward and looked into my eyes searchingly. “Anna, I know you want to prove yourself to the pack and I respect that.” He took a deep breath, “But I don’t want to put you under unnecessary duress. If anything we ask you to do is too much, do you promise to speak up and let us know?”
I nodded, confused. Why was learning how to shoot a gun a big deal?
Austin turned back to the twins, looking into their eyes, one at a time. “I need you to keep a close eye on her and pull her out if it’s too much. Don’t push too hard.”
They both nodded, serious looks on their faces.
Quinn clapped his hands together, breaking the somber mood. “Excellent! I already know what I’m getting you to wear for combat training.”
I groaned, of course that was his concern right now.
“I’m not wearing hot pink camo,” I growled at him playfully.
Jason laughed, and Quinn gave him a look.
He sniffed, “Give me some credit, have I not always dressed you well?”
“Yes” I answered hesitantly.
“Don’t worry, my giant blond Barbie, I will have you combat ready and looking fabulous.”
Austin tried to hide his grin and the twins laughed out loud.
“So, if the twins aren’t allowed to use paintball guns, why are they running intensive weapons training?” I asked pleasantly, trying to shift the focus off me and back to them.
“We just aren’t allowed paint ball guns in the house.” Jason clarified.
“Or anywhere on the property.” Caleb added pointedly.
Austin didn’t hide his grin this time. “Ah, you haven’t met Mason and Jason the marines yet. Around here they are casual and fun, but they are quite formidable when they switch into warrior mode.”
I’m sure I looked surprised.
Jason put a hand over his heart, “Anna, it wounds me to see the doubt in your eyes.”
He and Mason both gave me dramatically sad faces, acting if their hearts were broken. I just rolled my eyes, they were just proving my point right now.
“It’s true,” Quinn added. “They are very good at what they do.”
“Aww, Thanks Quinn,” Jason said jokingly.
“Yeah Anna, Quinn doesn’t doubt us like you do.” Mason added.
I was starting to feel a little bad about teasing them, I hated when people doubted my ability to do something and here I was doing the same thing to them.
“Well, I guess you guys will just have to show me that I’m wrong.” I told them.
“Oh, we will.” Jason said dramatically.
I turned my attention to Austin. “Speaking of next week, can we talk about thanksgiving?”
Austin grinned at me. “I was assuming that’s one of the responsibilities of the top female in the pack? I’ll make sure the pack is here.”
I blushed. Apparently James told him that story, huh? “Sounds good, but are there any traditions that the pack has? Or anything that everyone is going to expect?”
“Deep fried Turkeys!” Jason exclaimed.
“I’m almost afraid to ask, but how many turkeys does it take to feed the whole pack?” I asked curiously.
“Don’t forget the hams!” Quinn chimed in.
Austin chuckled. “We would probably be safe with three or four turkeys and a couple hams.”
I paled. This was going to be a lot of food to cook. I could only imagine the amount of sides and pies we were going to need.
“Don’t forget, Anna.” Austin said gently. “Everyone contributes. You can assign tasks to everyone in the pack. If anyone gives you a hard time you let me know.”
I nodded. This was going to be a big project. I needed to get organized ASAP. “Jase mentioned we are having a pack meeting Saturday?”
Austin nodded. “I’ll give you time at the end to speak in front of the pack, so you can let them know what you need from them.”
I sat back in my chair. The twins were going to have to proofread each other’s papers tonight because I had some major planning and list-making to do.
The front door slammed, and my ears perked up. None of the other guys reacted, so I assumed it was James or Cody. James stalked into the kitchen with Trevor not far behind.
James looked like he was in a mood, so I tried to be as perky as possible to annoy him. “Hey guys! We have a Mexican buffet going on if you’re hungry.”
James gave me a nod before addressing Austin. “We have something to discuss with you.”
Austin waved a hand. “Have a seat, grab some food. I’m assuming it’s not urgent?”
James shook his head.
Trevor inhaled appreciatively. “It’s always a pleasure to visit when Anna cooks.” He headed over to the counter where we had the food laid out and started loading up a plate.
James went over to the fridge to grab some beers before following Trevor’s lead. I waited for Trevor to take a seat before I started questioning him.
“How’s Sam settling in?” I asked curiously.
Trevor shrugged. “Fine.” He grumbled before starting to shovel the food in.
Quinn snorted. “Fine isn’t a word I’d use to describe it. There’s a reason why I’m over here tonight instead of at home on my night off.”
Austin frowned. “She’s causing trouble?”
“Yes.” Trevor said at the same time that Quinn answered “no.”
“We are all adults here.” Quinn stated with a smirk. “The problem is that some people have romantic feelings towards Sam but won’t admit it to themselves. You could cut the sexual tension in that house with a knife.”
“No, she’s just annoying as fuck.” Trevor growled before looking up at me with a blush. “Sorry, Anna.” He said apologetically.
I shrugged. “No worries. I work with sailors and marines. I doubt there are any curse words that I haven’t heard before.”
“If she’s preventing your team from doing their jobs then I can move her back here.” Austin told Trevor.
He cleared his throat and avoided looking anyone in the eye. “That won’t be necessary.” He mumbled as he pushed some food around on his plate.
Quinn smirked but didn’t say anything. Now I really needed to talk to Sam about what was going on.
“If we’re finished with that, we do have some news that concerns Anna.” James announced.
I looked up with interest, but James waved a hand in Trevor’s direction. Trevor sat back in his chair and sighed. “I grew up in a pack out in Montana with my father, but my mother was partly human and from the pack in Montreal.”
Trevor now had my full attention. “We might be related?” I asked hopefully.
“Uh, that’s possible. But it would be a few generations past.” Trevor said awkwardly. I looked at Trevor with a critical eye; we did not look anything alike. He was a giant of a man with light brown hair and hazel eyes.
“My mother died giving birth to me, so I never knew her. But two of her friends, who were like her sisters, stayed in touch over the years. One of them reached out to me because she heard that my pack had just gotten an Arctic Wolf.
”
I leaned forward in anticipation. “Did she know my mom?” I asked enthusiastically.
“She didn’t say much, but she wanted permission to visit from Aus.”
I turned my head to Austin. “She can visit, right?” I asked breathlessly.
“Of course.” Austin frowned. “What did her pack master say about that? I got the impression that he had a lot to hide from James.”
“That’s the second part of my news.” Trevor hesitated and looked around the table. Austin gave him an encouraging nod, as if to tell him that we could all be trusted. Trevor’s gaze lingered on Quinn for a moment longer than anyone else. That seemed strange, Quinn was on his team. If anything, he should trust Quinn more than the rest of us.
“The pack-master died recently under mysterious circumstances. Gemma was not able to talk about what happened over the phone. There’s a lot of confusion and chaos in the pack right now. Ragnar and Ingrid have taken over, but have been met with opposition from pack members in the north. Gemma wants to come here until things settle; she can’t shift so she’s vulnerable.”
Everyone looked at Austin expectantly. He leaned back in his chair. “Have her ask her pack-master for permission. You can tell her that you have my permission to have her here as a guest. Ragnar has my contact information, but I’ll reach out to him as a fellow pack-master looking to reconfirm our status as allies.”
“It sounds like you probably aren’t going to want me visiting there to look for signs of my mom.” I said sadly.
“Definitely not.” James said gruffly. “We have enough trouble keeping you safe here, throwing you into the middle of a civil war is out of the question.”
“We can reevaluate after things settle down.” Austin said gently. “But it sounds like Gemma probably knew your mom, Anna.”
“Yeah, it just seems weird that everything about my mom is such a secret. Do you think it might have something to do with my dad?” I asked curiously. “Does anyone know who my father was?”
I looked at James. If anyone knew, it would probably be him. “I don’t know, Anna.” He said quietly. “But I’ll do what I can to help you find out.”
“We will all help.” Caleb added. “I already asked Emerys to try and pry some info out of Arminius, since it sounded like he knew your mom.”
I smiled gratefully at both of them. “Thanks, guys.”
“Speaking of Arminius,” James said with a frown. “Has he contacted us in regards to the favor we owe him for his help with Caleb?”
Austin’s eyes flicked to Quinn and back to James so quickly that most of the table probably missed it. I didn’t. What was going on with Quinn?
It was obvious that Austin and James communicated briefly via pack bond and there was an awkward silence. It was clear that Austin did not want everyone here to know the answer to that question.
I decided I might as well make the situation even more awkward. “When are you going to let me into the pack bond, Austin?” It was started to irritate me more and more every time I saw the rest of them using the bond without me.
Austin looked surprised. “We can discuss it at the end of your initial thirty-day trial.”
I sat back in my chair. Was it really a possibility that I wouldn’t be accepted into the pack after thirty days? I’m sure the hurt and devastation was obvious on my face.
I was surprised to hear Mason clear his throat. “It might be useful for those of us tasked with her protection to be bonded with her. In case of an emergency we would be better able to locate and communicate with her.”
Jason nodded along with Mason’s words and Austin looked like he was thinking about it.
“Anna, I don’t think you realize how painful it is to break a pack bond.” Austin said gently.
“Why would you want to break it? Do you think you might not want to keep me in the pack?” I asked, trying to hold back my tears of hurt and confusion.
“Of course I want you in the pack.” Austin said with a frown. “But you still have other packs to visit-“
“I’m not going to change my mind about wanting to be here.” I told him forcefully. “I already know that this is where I belong and where I want to stay.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Quinn watching us with interest. The twins both looked pleased at my declaration and James watched with an unreadable look on his face. Trevor looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
“Let’s talk about it on Saturday.” Austin said smoothly.
I was a little placated by that. I was going to have him to myself Saturday. That was probably a better situation to have this conversation in. I was still upset that Austin was even considering the possibility of me going to another pack. That was not going to happen.
Chapter 20
Anna
Today was my first day of weapons training. I had set my alarm early this morning. From work, I knew that the military considered you late if you weren’t at least ten minutes early. I did not want to give anyone a reason to criticize me before I even started, so I was determined to be early and well prepared.
I got dressed in the black cargo pants and a black long sleeve top that Quinn had given me for my combat training. I looked in the mirror and made a face, I was worried I was dressed like I was taking myself too seriously. I didn’t want it to look like I was trying to be something I wasn’t. I sighed and made myself step away from the mirror, otherwise I would keep giving myself anxiety over nothing.
I brushed my hair out of my face as I went to get shoes. Quinn had provided me with a pair of black combat boots. I eyed them dubiously, combat boots felt like a step too far, a little too much like I was dressing in a costume.
I looked over to where I had a black pair of sneakers sitting on the shelf, then back to the combat boots. Sneakers it was.
I pulled my hair back in a ponytail and looked in the mirror again. I didn’t want hair coming out and getting in my face, so I braided the ponytail. Finally satisfied I told myself to stop stalling and get downstairs to start the day.
I had not heard Austin banging on the twins’ doors yet, so I should have time to put together some coffee and breakfast before they were up.
I got to the stairway and paused. There was silence, no one was around. I eyed the staircase thoughtfully. Every time I had walked past here I thought about what it would be like to slide down the banister. What’s the point of having a ridiculous stairway if you weren’t going to use it for fun?
I glanced up and down the hallway again, then peered down the stairs. Nope, no one around.
With a grin I perched on the banister and gave myself a nudge. To my disappointment, I only slid a couple of inches. I scowled and hopped off, cargo pants were not ideal for this. I needed my yoga pants; I bet they would be slippery enough to slide down.
I gave one last sigh of disappointment and grabbed a hoodie and backpack before heading downstairs.
To my surprise, there was already a fresh pot of coffee made. I grinned and poured some into the hot pink glittery travel mug that the twins had picked out for me as a joke. The joke was on them because I fully intended to use it and tell everyone that they were the ones who picked it out.
I went into the fridge and started pulling out ingredients to make the three of us protein shakes. I heard the door that led out to the garage slam and the twins walked into the kitchen. I pointedly looked at the clock, then at them, the back at the clock.
They were both fully dressed, wide awake, and looked ready to go.
“Did you guys wake up willingly this morning?” I asked.
Jason rubbed his hands together with glee. “It’s weapons training today, Anna.”
Mason nodded. “That’s worth waking up early for.”
I looked at them nervously. Usually when they were excited about something it was for a prank, having weapons involved was making me a little anxious.
Mason laughed and tried to muss my hair, but my braid held it in place. He scowled playfully, and
I grinned triumphantly.
“Are you making breakfast?” Jason asked hopefully.
I nodded. “Chocolate peanut butter protein shakes ok?”
They both murmured an assent. “While you work on that we’re going to finish loading the car.” Mason told me.
Loading the car with what? I wondered as they disappeared again. I’m guessing the ammo and weapons, but I had never seen any of that in the house, so where were they keeping it?
I made sure the lids to the blender bottles were secure before I put them in my backpack along with some water bottles and snacks. I had already put my sunscreen in there last night. Yeah, it was December, but I was pale.
I put my phone and some money in one of the many pockets I had in my cargo pants. I could get used to these, it was nice to be able to put everything in there and not worry about needing a purse.
I walked out to the garage to see the twins closing the back of Cody’s SUV.
“Perfect timing, Anna!” Mason called to me as he walked over to the driver’s side. “Are you ready?”
“Yup.” I started walking to the car and Jason stopped me.
“Protein shakes?”
“In my bag,” I assured him.
He gave me a grin. “In that case I call shotgun!”
I just rolled my eyes and headed for the backseat.
It was only after I handed out the protein shakes and was halfway through my coffee when I thought to ask, “Are we authorized to use this vehicle?”
Jason turned to me with a grin. “We all know you don’t have a problem with unauthorized vehicle use, Anna.”
“James’s Range Rover is different. I like Cody.” I told him.
Mason chuckled as he got on the highway, “Yeah, Cody told us to take it. The Jeep is not ideal for what we are doing today.”
“So, what exactly are we doing today?” I asked curiously.
“We are headed to the range. We have a group of pack members who need some remedial instruction in weapons.”
“We’re going to shoot guns?”
Finding the Fire Within Page 19
