Wolf Women (The Madison Wolves Book 10)

by Robin Roseau

  And of course, I was now the head speech coach. I had ample public speaking experience, but I knew nothing about speech as a competitive sport. I had a great deal to teach myself. I couldn't coach each child myself, but Scarlett and her mother, Tara, stepped up to help coach as my assistants.

  I didn't get paid as Michaela's assistant; it was how I paid my pack duty. And if I was spending more time as her assistant than was strictly called for by pack tithing rules, I didn't mind. I loved the kids, and spending time with them was fulfilling.

  What was surprising is that my commitments to GreEN didn't suffer. I was scheduled to attend just as many events as ever, and I had built in volunteers to help me out. I also found myself with ready hands to help stuff envelopes or even write personal notes. I spent less time focusing on fundraising but had more time to spend on education.

  My photography business was also going well. I didn't have time to schedule my own photo outings, but I found so many opportunities during the various events I did as Michaela's assistant that I had years of fresh photos. The Hawaii trip hadn't hurt, either.

  And so, I felt more professionally fulfilled than ever I had. I was doing things that I knew mattered, and for the first time, I could see direct, positive results from my efforts.

  And financially I was doing even better. I had nearly no expenses, but my photographs were selling. And while I didn't get paid as Michaela's assistant or the faculty advisor for the dances, I did get paid as the speech coach and for the classes I taught.

  At home, everything was also perfect. Portia's job kept her on an erratic schedule, and as she had once warned me, she periodically was pulled away with no notice. If I were going to complain about anything, it would be that, but in the scheme of things, it was almost nothing.

  My relationship with Portia couldn't have been better. She lavished me with attention and accepted my attention with joy. She was generous with her affection, both with me and with Ember. In conversation, and everything else she did, she was very direct, but I found it refreshing. And the lovemaking, oh the lovemaking. Wow.

  The first time she made me scream during lovemaking with Ember in the house, I was deeply embarrassed and shocked. In the morning, I couldn't look at either of them. Ember began teasing me about it, which made it even worse; she was only fourteen!

  "This is your fault," I told Portia. "She's too young to know about this!"

  Portia snorted coffee at that. Ember laughed then helped clean it up. But then they both turned to me. "You're kidding, right, Zoe?" Ember asked.

  "No, I'm not kidding."

  She turned to Portia. "This is a human thing, isn't it?"

  "Yep," Portia said. "She's embarrassed."

  "I don't understand," Ember said. She looked back and forth between us. "You two are mated. You share a bed. Everyone knows what happens after that. What's the big deal?"

  "We don't have to advertise!" I wailed.

  "You have a healthy relationship," Ember said. "Are you ashamed of that?"

  "Well, not, but-" I didn't even know how to explain.

  "We're not going to understand," Portia said. "And so we're going to do what wolves do."

  "You're going to keep making her yell how much she loves you, and I'm going to rejoice that I'm living in a house with two mates who love each other?"

  "Yep," said Portia. "Exactly."

  It took time, but slowly I got over it. Mostly.

  And so, the lovemaking was, well, wow. And loud. Except late on school nights, and Ember was asleep; then Portia let me be quiet.

  And of course, Ember was amazing. I remembered what I was like at that age. I didn't want to have anything to do with my parents most of the time, especially not in front of my friends. Ember was entirely the opposite. Both of my wolves were physically affectionate all the time, even in social settings. Ember might sit with her friends, but she was just as likely to sit with Portia and me, and her preferred place was on the floor or ground in front of us, wedged between our knees, and she frequently would lay her head on my leg or capture my hand and hold it. If we were standing in a group, she would step next to me and slide under my arm, even though she was so much taller than I was.

  She could make my heart swell to bursting.

  * * * *

  "Who is coming tonight?" I asked Ember.

  "Everyone," she said with a grin.

  "Not literally."

  "Actually, you're right. Shelton and Nash have enforcer duty. Val asked Cornelius on a date. Bast has a date with some wolf in Madison; I don't know her. Kimbriella went home for the weekend. I think everyone else is coming."

  "Do you have a date?"

  "No, but you said I could go out with Monique tomorrow."

  "Right. I'm driving you to the movies. Do you have a ride home?"

  "Um."

  "Yes?"

  "Her parents invited me to spend tomorrow night at their house. Sunday is paintball, and we'll meet you there."

  "And you're just bringing this up now?" I asked.

  "I forgot. I'm sorry."

  "We'll miss you tomorrow," I observed. "I've gotten quite accustomed to tucking you in at night."

  I had, too. We tucked her in every night, cuddling with her for a while. It was part of our nightly ritual and had clearly become important to us.

  "Thanks, Mom," Ember said.

  * * * *

  Watching the kids date had confused me as much as anything else. The boys were all strictly heterosexual, or they were as far as I could tell. The girls were far more open and seemed equally happy to go on dates with the boys or with other girls.

  The day I caught Ember and Monique in a heavy-duty make-out session in Ember's room had been quite the experience. I knocked and walked in, intending to ask if they wanted something to eat. I thought they were doing homework together. Instead, I found them on Ember's bed in a tight lip lock.

  "Um. Sorry. If you get hungry, come downstairs." And then I fled, closing the door. I immediately grabbed my phone and called Portia, telling her what I had discovered. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

  "Why do you have to do something?"

  "Our daughter is making out with another girl in her bedroom."

  "Yes, you explained that part. Did you see signs of satanic rituals?"

  "Of course not, but-"

  "Yes?"

  "Um. She's only fifteen."

  "Monique is sixteen. She's an adult in wolf eyes."

  "An adult is making out with our baby!"

  Portia laughed. That didn't help.

  "Don't you care?"

  "Zoe," she said. "Don't be a hypocrite."

  "What?" I shrieked.

  "What did Elisabeth do to you on your first date with her?"

  I blushed immediately, even though it was only over the phone. "That's different!"

  "Why is it different?"

  "Because... because!"

  "Because why?"

  "Because I'm an adult."

  "So you want to discriminate against her for her age?"

  "I'm trying to protect her."

  "From Monique?"

  "From... Making mistakes."

  "Mistakes are how we learn, but what mistake are you worried she's making? Do you think a relationship with Monique would be a mistake?"

  "Well, no, but..."

  "To be honest, if she's going to be necking with someone, I'm happier it's Monique than Sebastian. Monique can't get her pregnant. Not that she would be foolish enough to engage in unprotected sex with a guy-"

  "She shouldn't be having unprotected sex with anyone!"

  "You and I have unprotected sex. So did you and Elisabeth."

  "But-"

  "But it's different because you're an adult? Being an adult protects you from the dangers of unprotected sex?"

  "No, but-"

  "She's a werewolf, Zoe. She can't catch a social disease. And Monique can't catch one, either, so they are doubly protected."

  "You think this is f
unny!" I accused.

  "A little," she admitted. "Zoe, you're a product of a human, puritan society. Neither of them is human, and we're not exactly puritans, either. And neither are you. This is all leftover, inappropriate angst. Society has taught you that sex is dirty, and now you're worried that you have to protect her. You don't. She knows how it works. We teach our children when they enter seventh grade, and we give them refreshers every year."

  I sighed. "You're telling me I should calm down."

  "Yes, Zoe, I am telling you to calm down."

  "If Monique gets her pregnant, you're going to hear about it from me!"

  Portia laughed at that.

  Twenty minutes later, Monique came downstairs alone. I was still fretting, but I had largely calmed down. I tried not to glare at her. She came to a stop.

  "Were we doing it wrong?"

  I stared at her and saw the shitty little grin hiding at the corners of her lips. I took a deep breath.

  "You are not too old to spank."

  "Neither are you," she said. "Or so I hear, anyway."

  "What?" I began blushing again.

  She grinned. "See you later, Zoe."

  I waited a few minutes before going upstairs. I knocked tentatively and waited. "Come in," Ember called out.

  I stepped in and looked at her. She was propped up on the bed with her homework. We stared at each other. I wasn't sure what I wanted to say.

  "I'm sorry," I managed to say.

  "I thought the protocol in the house was knock and wait, not knock and burst in."

  "You're right. I'm sorry."

  "No biggie," she said. "Did you freak out and call Portia Mom?"

  "Yeah."

  "We weren't having sex, Mom."

  I moved in and gestured towards the bed. She nodded, and I sat down, folding my legs. "Have you?"

  "Had sex?" she asked. I nodded, and she shook her head. "Are you sure you want this talk without Portia Mom to calm you down?"

  "I'm the adult here, Ember."

  She grinned. "Well, I know you've had sex," she said. Then she cocked her head, and when the blush appeared, she grinned even wider. "Man, you're easy."

  "I know," I said. "Ember, I'm in a little over my head here. I'm trying to be a good mom."

  "You are a good mom," she asserted. "Calm down. No, I haven't had sex. I've talked about it a little."

  "With Monique?"

  "With Portia Mom."

  I tried to decide if I should be upset.

  "She's a wolf, Mom. I know this kind of freaks you out. That's why I talked to her."

  "All right," I said. "And what did Portia say?"

  "She told me not to be in a hurry but reminded me what condoms were for."

  "That's it?"

  "Well, it might have been a longer conversation than that. Mom, are you up here to make some sort of rule?"

  "Would you follow it?"

  She cocked her head. "I don't break the rules."

  "If I told you no more kissing sessions in your room, what would you do?"

  "Have them in your room instead."

  I couldn't help it. I laughed, breaking the tension.

  "Mom, it's just kissing. Some of us talked about more, but we're taking your advice."

  "My advice?"

  "You told Monique she shouldn't settle down; she should date around. You told me the same thing. You told her not to become mated too young. If we start having sex, then wolf is going to want to be mated. So we're all waiting. Well, Monique, Cassie and I are. The older girls don't seem to have settled on any one person, either, but if they're having sex, we don't know about it. If the guys are having sex, it's not with us, and it won't be, not for a while."

  "A while?" Man, did I hate this conversation. "Will you give me some idea what that means?"

  "You know, this time next year, I'll be an adult in wolf eyes. We don't wait until eighteen."

  "You're still my daughter." She eyed me. "Yes, yes, I know."

  "So this is my decision, and not yours."

  I sighed. I didn't know if I agreed with her, but I didn't argue with her.

  "So I'm not promising anything. I'm guessing. And I'm guessing I will graduate high school first. But if I start to settle down with someone steady, that might change."

  I sighed. "Tell me you'll use protection."

  "If it's a boy," she said. "Mom, I think the boys look sexy, but they're all a pain in the ass. I may stick with girls."

  "I never was attracted to guys," I said. "Only girls."

  "I think..." she trailed off. "I think Michaela and Lara sort of told the rest of us it's okay to take other paths." She paused. "I like Monique, but I like Cassie, too. Mom, how did you know you wanted girls but not boys?"

  "You know, I'm not sure. I figured it out while at the movies."

  "Seriously?"

  "It was Heathers," I said. She looked at me blankly. "Oh my god, you haven't seen Heathers? We're so watching that together."

  "Stay on topic."

  I smiled. "So, Heathers. Christian Slater, Shannon Doherty, and Winona Ryder. I went with a couple of girlfriends. I heard Reese sighing, and I knew it was over Christian Slater."

  "And you weren't sighing over Christian Slater. Wait. You wanted that Doherty chick."

  "Are you kidding? She was a bitch in that movie, and she had a reputation about how she was in real life, too. No, Winona Ryder."

  "She's the girl from Beetlejuice."

  "Yeah."

  "She's kind of hot."

  "Yeah," I said a little dreamily. Then I narrowed my eyes. "I had better not get teased about this, Ember. If anyone finds out about this, I will be deeply hurt."

  She locked her lips and threw away the key.

  "Thank you," I added. "So at first I was in denial. I kept giving myself little tests. I would think of some guy everyone said was hot, and I was all 'meh'. Then I thought about a girl, and I wasn't 'meh'."

  "I haven't kissed any guys," Ember said. "Do you think I should? Sort of as a test?"

  I sighed. "You're just pushing my buttons now."

  She lowered her eyes. "Do you want me to ask Portia Mom instead?"

  "You should find out about this stuff the same way I did."

  "How is that?"

  "By reading the graffiti under the football bleachers."

  She laughed. "We don't have any bleachers. Oh, can you imagine wolves playing football? Ninety-yard field goals."

  "Hey, just because you can kick it that far doesn't mean you can do so accurately."

  "What should I do, Mom?"

  "Honey..." I thought about it. "I think you have time to figure this out."

  "Monique and I played this game."

  "Oh?"

  "Yeah. You know that game where you compare celebrities and talk about who you would do?"

  "Oh god," I said.

  "Except we picked a celebrity and it was, like, 'Selena Gomez or me'."

  "Oh?"

  "We did boys and girls, and for most of them, I picked her."

  "And what did she do?"

  "She picked me."

  I really, really wasn't ready for this conversation.

  "But then we got to Kendall and Kylie Jenner."

  "Who are they?"

  She sighed dramatically. "Bruce Jenner's daughters. He was some athlete, I guess."

  "Some athlete," I said with my own sigh. "Fine. And?"

  "And she was like, 'Wait, one or the other, or both together? Cause I'd totally do both of them together.' And I agreed with her."

  I stared at her. "You're just pushing my buttons."

  She grinned and nodded.

  * * * *

  When we designed the new house, we included a home theater room, consuming a great deal of the basement. The main floor living room was now used for conversation, but there was no television there. In the normal configuration, we had comfortable seating for six plus significant space on the floor. But Portia added a set of moveable platforms that we could se
t behind the initial seats, and we could add two more sofas with space for up to six more comfortably. You couldn't see over the front row if you were to lie down, but it was good seating. The platforms stored against one wall. They were too heavy for me but sized so that Portia and Ember could move them. I knew the kids would handle the setup when they arrived, and they would put everything back when we were done.

  Portia had surprised me with the entire plan. "What can I say? Our movie nights have become popular."

  The main floor of the house was done in an open style with few walls and was well designed for entertaining. I could work in the kitchen while being part of what was going on in the dining and living room areas.

  And the kitchen, oh, the kitchen.

  I'd thought it was all overkill, but with the pack providing so much of the labor, we could afford everything. Well, Portia could afford everything. I felt guilty I wasn't helping financially, but I kept my concerns to myself.

  And so, the house filled up. Monique arrived with Lindsey on her arm. I watched Ember's reaction, but even if she had a date with Monique tomorrow night, she didn't seem to care Monique was out with Lindsey tonight. If there were other couples that night, I couldn't tell. The wolves were all so comfortable together, but I didn't see anyone who was behaving like it was date night.

  Kaylee came with her mother, Serena. "Emanuel?" I asked.

  "He's with the pups," Serena said. "Along with Shelton and Nash."

  Even at home, the pups had their security detail.

  Michaela and Lara arrived along with Elisabeth. It felt a little weird having Elisabeth in my house, but I knew it was important to Portia, so I allowed it. Hadley arrived a few minutes later, greeted everyone, then headed towards me. She had a basket, and I knew it contained wine and her contribution to dinner, something I couldn't eat. But it was nice of her to help out.

  By dinner, there were twenty people in our house.

  I couldn't help but shake my head. I had intended movie night to be an intimate event. Now they were a regular part of pack life. Sometimes I missed the intimate nature, but it was hard to resist the infectious joy the wolves had in socializing together.

  As had become our tradition, we watched an adventure movie and, of course, the wolves heckled it. I couldn't blame them. Then Hadley suggested a break. "The kids can make snacks," she said. "I would like to talk to the alphas, Zoe and Portia, and Ember."