by Robin Roseau
"So, who are you going to ask out first?"
"Cassie. Or maybe Sebastian. No, I think Cassie. Zoe, if I decide to only ask girls, is that okay?"
"Of course it's okay. If you want to talk about it some more, we can, but we should get back."
She popped to her feet, pulling me up after her. "Run?"
"How far are we?"
"About a mile."
"Run us halfway back, but I want us to walk from there."
I could get used to being tugged around. I really could.
Traditional Conversations
When we got back, Monique peeled off, heading straight for a group of the teenagers. "May I join you?"
"Sure," said Valeria, making room. "But I think we're all leaving soon."
Monique plopped down, and then I saw Valeria offering a one-armed hug, and I decided she was going to be just fine.
Later, I saw Monique speaking to Cassiopeia, and I heard Cassie say, "Really? Monique, I'd love to!" And the two hugged.
I almost cried at those words, and then Michaela caught my eye and nodded to me.
But that was later.
I went in search of my mate, then stopped. My mate. I had a mate. I had a werewolf for a mate. I had a big, strong, dominant, protective werewolf who was going to devote her life to my happiness. For a mate.
My mate.
My mate.
I stood there, unable to get past it.
"There she is," Lara said. I turned and found myself approached by half the pack leadership. "Ready?"
"Ready for what?"
"To move you," she said. "Really, Zoe, keep up." She grinned when she said it.
"Don't pick on her," Michaela said. "That's my job."
"Don't be greedy," said Angel. "It's all our jobs. You have to share her."
Portia stepped up beside me, putting her arm around me. I leaned against her. "I'll share her for teasing," she said. "But only because you're all my friends."
"Don't think you're getting off," Lara said. "I never would have guessed you for a howler." But before I could say something smart, she turned to me. "You must be really good."
"I am," I said even as I blushed.
Portia kissed the top of my head.
Then Michaela clapped her hands. "All right. Anyone helping Zoe move, outside." She literally began pushing people out the door, which was quite funny to watch.
Especially as she emptied out the entire house.
"All right," Michaela said, looking around. "Head enforcer, do you care about the arrangements?"
"As long as Serena is with you," Elisabeth said, "I'm happy. The kids are staying here, I presume, and Nora and Emanuel have them in hand."
"Yes," said Serena. "Emanuel took them all to our house for some game, and they'll go swimming later."
Michaela looked around. "If everyone is going, we need the limo, too. Serena, send someone for it."
"Angel and Scarlett, go get it," Serena said, and the two took off to return in just a couple of minutes with Scarlett driving.
"In the limo, Lara and me, Portia and Zoe. I guess Angel and Scarlett up front, Serena with me, and one more." She looked around. "Monique, I need you with some of the kids. Kaylee, would you care to join us?"
"Sure!" the girl said.
"After that," Michaela said, "I don't care. Enforcers grab a car. People climb in. Let's see if we're good, or if we need more cars."
"Everyone is going? I have like ten things."
"Then we can haul it all in and out a few times," Michaela said with a grin. "And not everyone is going. Francesca grabbed some kids to help with the picnic preparations tonight."
It took another fifteen minutes, but everyone got settled, and soon we had a huge convoy heading into town.
Once we were away, Michaela said, "I know we only needed about four, but welcome to the pack, Zoe. This is important to them."
"It's very sweet," I said.
Michaela continued to organize when we arrived. Someone else was moving, too, in or out, I couldn't tell, as there was a large delivery truck near the front door. But then Eric and Rory climbed out of it, and I knew it was for my things. I'd barely fill a quarter of it.
We all piled into my apartment, but Michaela immediately said, "Eric and Rory, take a small crew back to the truck. We'll deliver things to you, and you will fill it. Take a few extras to come back with boxes."
They called out some names, and about eight people left. Then Michaela looked around. "All right. We need a small team to assemble boxes. Hands."
Ember and Dawson were fastest, so she assigned them. "If you can't keep up with demand, recruit help," she said. "Do you know how to make the boxes?"
They didn't, but Kimbriella stepped forward. "I do. Three of us will be enough. I'll show them."
"Perfect," Michaela said. "Don't get too far ahead of demand; we don't know how many we'll need."
Just then two wolves came in carrying a bundle of boxes, still flat, and a third wolf with a couple of tape dispensers and other tools.
"Perfect," Michaela said. "Monique. Where are you? And Kaylee."
"Here," said Monique.
"Monique, grab Kaylee and two more wolves. Pack Zoe's clothes. Kaylee has the best handwriting, so she can label the boxes. Be careful of the contents of her dresser, and use girls."
"Iris and Lindsey, will you help?" Monique asked. "Bring four boxes as soon as they're ready."
"Connor," Michaela said. "We need all the small things in this room packed, and then there is furniture to haul. Pick three people to help you."
"Cornelius, Dawson, and... Cassie."
"Good. My mate," said Michaela. "Artwork. Hmm. We need the rest of the packing materials. And there are narrow boxes for the framed photos."
"I'll get them!" Nash said. "Come on, Sebastian."
"Angel and Scarlett-" Lara started to say.
"No," Michaela said. "Angel and Scarlett, the bathroom."
"Portia and Karen," Lara said. "Artwork."
And like that, Michaela and I were left. She grinned at me.
"How did you organize all this so fast?"
"Lara owns an interest in a trucking company. She keeps trying to unload it, but so far, it's been problematic. It was one call, and they had everything ready and a truck Eric can drive long before he and Rory arrived. Now, I guess that leaves you and me for the kitchen, but we'll get more help as they finish what they're doing."
* * * *
An hour later, everything I owned was in the moving truck, and we watched it drive off.
An hour after that everything was in Portia's house. Michaela dismissed most of the wolves, but we kept enough to move things around. My clothes and toiletries got unpacked. She and Portia discussed where to put my few pieces of furniture. Most of my kitchen items went into storage, but I had a few things Portia didn't have, so we rescued those first. The artwork went up on the walls, but I knew I'd be moving it.
And then we were done.
I couldn't believe it.
Lara, Elisabeth and Serena then approached Portia. "Enforcer," Elisabeth said. "You have from now until Wednesday off, but we need you again beginning on Thursday."
"Thank you, Head Enforcer," Portia said. She glanced over at me and smiled.
"You may stay here, of course, but the house in Bayfield is there if you want to get away."
Portia looked at me. "I want to organize our home," I said.
"Then that is what we'll do," she said.
"All right," said Michaela. "You haven't had each other for hours, so we'll leave you alone. We'll see you in a few hours."
They were barely gone before Portia began chasing me all over the house. Every time she caught me, she tickled me terribly, then she let me get away again.
I spent the entire time shrieking with laughter.
I felt like a little girl.
It felt amazing.
* * * *
"I think I'm bloated," I said.
Michaela
laughed. "Francesca outdid herself. And did you notice? The aloo gobi disappeared."
"I did notice. Did someone throw it away?"
"No!" she said.
A couple of kids came by and collected plates. We sat in our chairs for a while. Lara and Michaela cuddled on a double chair. Portia and I were side-by-side in solo chairs, holding hands.
I was still so overwhelmed, and amazingly happy.
Finally Michaela stood up. "We're going to play some games later. But for now, I need you to come with me." She took my hands and pulled me up, and then she linked arms with me. Then we wandered through the assembled wolves, and she collected Michele Lassiter and a female wolf I didn't know.
The four of us headed for her house. On arrival, she said firmly, "Everyone outside." She cocked her head, and then there was scampering from upstairs. Iris and Lindsey appeared and headed outside.
"What were they doing?"
"No idea," Michaela said. "Not sex, if you were wondering. They're friends, but not that kind. Come." She tugged on my arm, and three of us went upstairs to Michaela's bedroom. Michele peeled off, but she appeared a minute later with a pitcher of lemonade and four glasses.
"Zoe, this is Hadley Smith. She is the mother of one of my former students and serves as the pack lawyer."
"Pleased to meet you," I said, shaking hands.
The four of us took seats
"Why are we meeting up here?"
"Privacy," Michaela said. "The walls and door are soundproofed. It doesn't stop me, but it stops teenage wolf ears, if we aren't too loud."
"Zoe," Michele said, "The pack has five human female members and two male members. You've met both Nick and Benny. The other three female members are mated to wolves that don't come to the compound often. You'll probably meet them eventually. But you and I are the only two females who are regulars on the compound or who are on first name basis with the alphas and enforcers."
I nodded understanding.
"And Zoe," said Michaela. "You, Michele, and I have something else in common. None of us grew up to the wolf lifestyles and traditions. However, Hadley has, and that's part of the reason she's here."
"All right," I said cautiously.
"I did not receive a proper introduction to some of the pack traditions," Michaela went on. "I do not want you to have an introduction similar to mine."
"My introduction wasn't as jarring as Michaela's, as my mother-in-law took me under her wing," said Michele. "But there are traditions that are still very jarring and nearly incomprehensible to human sensitivities."
"The three of us are here to help you," Hadley said. "You may ask us questions, tonight or at any other time." She slid her business card to me. "I would recommend you start with Michaela, but if you want human perspective, you can ask Michele. If you want wolf perspective, you are better asking me than perhaps your mate."
"This is very kind," I said.
"We have two we are going to talk to you about tonight," Michaela said. "First, has Portia taught you about taking your throat."
"That's where she bites me here?" I gestured. Michaela nodded. "Actually, Elisabeth taught me."
"All right," Michaela said. "If you have questions, you may ask."
"Donald doesn't do that to me," Michele said. "I do it to him. I am the dominant in our relationship."
"Oh. Wow."
She smiled.
"There is another tradition," Michaela said. "It is possible Portia doesn't know this one, and right now, Lara and some of the enforcers are talking to her about it. It is not something you need to worry about tonight, but you need to know about it. Do you understand the difference between being mated and being married?"
"Portia explained."
"Well then, you are mated, but not married," Hadley explained. "And perhaps you will not become married. But if you do, we have the same traditions as humans do, more or less anyway. But we perhaps have a few extras."
"Sometime in the last few days prior to your wedding, there is something called Bride Ransom Night," Michaela said. "The bride is kidnapped and held for ransom."
"What?"
* * * *
The three of them spent quite some time explaining. Per a request, I held my comments back until they were done.
"That's-"
"Tradition," Michaela said. "I learned when there was a group of wolves at my door, trying to quietly sneak into the room. Lara hadn't told me. No one had told me."
"But... they would want to torture me?"
"For humans, it is a little different," Hadley said. "For a wolf, it is a test of strength, an opportunity for her friends and closest family to show how strong she is, so her mate knows he is getting a powerful partner, someone strong enough to protect their young."
I looked between them. They were all watching me.
"If this is the tradition, I believe that Portia and I will be eloping."
Michaela looked pained, but it was Hadley who spoke. "There are female wolves who refuse the tradition. It is run by her maid of honor and whomever the maid of honor invites. She may simply tell her maid of honor, 'no ransom night'. Although from time to time, the maid of honor does it anyway."
I narrowed my eyes.
Hadley went on. "When the bride refuses ransom night sometimes it is fine. The marriage proceeds. At other times, the groom's family may refuse to allow the marriage. Sometimes grooms back out of a marriage offer if the bride is unwilling to accept this tradition."
"But-"
She held up her hand. "I know. I do not think like a human, but I understand intellectually that this seems barbaric to you. And if we treated you like a wolf, it would be barbaric. Even we would feel it was barbaric, because you are not a wolf, and we would never treat a human that way. And so, with a human, it is symbolic."
"More or less," Michele said.
"Well, I'm not doing it," I stated firmly.
"Zoe, you need to listen to us," Michaela said. "That is your choice, but you need to listen to us first, and you need to avoid any decision until you have thought about it. And then we're going to talk to you again."
"You want me to do this? You said it was horrible, and you want me to do this?"
"For me, it was horrible because I didn't understand, and then because I was very, very stubborn," she said.
"But Zoe, it was very, very important to the pack," Hadley said. "It is very important for the alpha's mate to honor our traditions. Lara would have had a very difficult time elevating Michaela to alpha if Michaela hadn't honored a tradition she can never fully understand."
"I would not be the alpha's mate," I said.
"No, but you would be an enforcer's mate. Worse, this is an enforcer who did not grow up in this pack, and there are some who still eye her with distrust."
"She's entirely trustworthy!" I said.
"I know that," Hadley said. "Everyone here knows that."
"Zoe, we just taught her the instant shift," said Michaela.
I eyed her sharply then glanced at the other two.
"Don't worry about that," she said. "These two are privy to everything in the pack, although behind the scenes. We taught her the instant shift. We haven't taught anyone on the council, and I refuse to do it. There are members of the council that don't trust her."
I hung my head. "I have to do it."
"No," Hadley said. "You don't."
I turned to look at her.
"You don't," she repeated. "Portia will be accepted over time. You will be accepted over time. You don't have to do it."
"But if you accept this tradition," Michaela said, "You will make things easier. Politically for Lara and me. Socially for Portia and you. Professionally for Portia. And I think you will look back on it with pride at having honored the traditions."
"What-" I looked down. "What would they do to me?"
"There is a punishment, an inducement to beg Portia to buy your freedom," Hadley said. "The time between punishment varies, but an hour is typical, sometimes half
that. Initial punishments are almost nothing. Even when it is a wolf, initial punishments are something you would call small. You are not supposed to beg at first."
"Like what?"
"My first punishment was a spanking," Michaela said. "I think it was designed to move me emotionally to feeling more vulnerable than anything else."
"It probably was," Hadley said. "Punishments can be amusing as well, the sort of pranks human teenagers play during Truth or Dare. There is a party, after all."
"All right. But later?"
Michele spoke. "Mine was difficult," she said. "Normally, it is a bride's sisters, cousins, and closest friends who do this. Never a mother or aunt. And no men of course. But other than Donald, I had no wolf friends. And so Donald's mother, a few weeks before the wedding, introduced me to friends of hers, and their daughters. They kidnapped me early, so to speak, and we spent a long weekend as a sort of bachelorette party, becoming friends. And then the daughters offered to hold my ransom. But they didn't know what to do or how to treat me. And so my punishments were very, very erratic. Some would be nothing to a wolf, but they were horrible for me."
"How did you handle it?"
"Stubbornly, and perhaps a little stupidly."
"That is not how it should be," Hadley said. "For a wolf, yes, the punishments become horrible. For a wolf, it is pride, and if the punishments were not horrible, she would feel very cheated. But the wolves should be able to control the punishments. They should grow slowly horrible. But for a human, we do not expect horrible. We expect you to honor the tradition." She paused. "If I were your maid of honor, and I spent enough time to understand you far more than I do, then eventually, I would make you beg, but it wouldn't be before you had fully honored the tradition."
"This is..."
"I know," she said. "You don't have to do it."
"I think I do," I said.
"Portia will try to block it," Michaela said. "She mustn't. She absolutely mustn't. If you don't do this, it must be because you are too afraid to allow it, Zoe. The pack could accept a human who appears timid. But you must not let Portia block it."
"If she blocks it, she will never gain the council's trust," Hadley said.
"She's supposed to protect me though."
"She is also supposed to have faith in you," Hadley replied.
