by Tera Shanley
“They were probably just curious more than anything,” Grey rasped after he was in his human skin once more. “I’m not taking any chances, though. We should get back to the cabin.”
The embarrassment when she walked back through the door of the cabin was almost too much. Her dark hair was in snarls down her back and her knees and shins were all scraped up. Ten perfect bruising fingermarks on her thighs where Grey had clenched them during their lovemaking were visible no matter how much she tugged at her shorts. Heat crept into her cheeks until they burned, and she bit her lip against bursting into semi-hysterical giggles. Mostly because Grey practically glowed when they had arrived to the inappropriate cheers of the boys.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” he told her when they got to their side of the cabin. “We’re newly married and probably half of the pairs here have found themselves a quiet spot somewhere in the last couple of days.”
“I wouldn’t be embarrassed except those wolves watching us made me feel, I don’t know…dirty.” And everyone keeps talking about how I smell like I’m in heat, and the wolves that found us in the woods were sniffing the air the entire time we were talking. It’s making me self-conscious. I feel like the smelly kid in class.”
The bunk bed groaned under his weight, and he pulled her in between his legs. “Morgan, it’s not a bad smell. It is tantalizing and nothing to be embarrassed about. People make the devil symbol around me, and you don’t see me getting upset about it. I’m something new. You are something new. The other wolves need time to get used to us is all.”
Rachel knocked on the door and stuck her head in. “Hey, can I talk to you?”
Morgan nodded and motioned her in.
Grey patted her gently on the backside and sidled around her. “I’m going to go talk to Dean about the alpha meeting tonight. I’ll be back in while.”
Rachel smiled at him as he passed, then directed a concerned glance at Morgan. “Are you all right? What happened out there?”
“Uhh, what do you mean?”
“I mean, we heard a group of wolves saying filthy things about…” She waved to Morgan’s body. “Not filthy bad, but wolves were sharing details about your body, which is stupid because everyone has seen everyone naked, and it’s never been a big deal before. Maybe it’s different with you because you are a silver wolf.” Rachel cocked her head and raised her eyebrows apologetically. “I’m not saying this right.”
“Oh, that. Well. Grey and I were…together, and when we woke up from a nap in the woods, two wolves were there staring at me. Grey chased them off, but they got an eyeful before they left. Do you know who they are?”
Rachel looked mortified for her. “Idiot boys! I don’t know who started the talk, but I could probably find out if you want.”
“No, on second thought, I don’t even want to know. I don’t think I will ever be completely comfortable with others seeing my body. Not after Montana, and the way they were looking at me, the way everyone has been looking at me, makes me feel vulnerable. Marissa and Lana didn’t hear anything inappropriate, did they?”
“We were taking them to the mess hall to dig up snacks, and people were talking loudly, but I don’t think Lana paid attention. Even if she did, she wouldn’t understand. We high-tailed it back here and found her some snacks from Wade’s grocery run.”
Morgan sighed miserable. “We’ll see if we can make it through the evening without Grey killing someone.”
An hour later, the group was ready and migrating to the bonfire. Dinner was being held on the other side of the pavilion with hot dogs, chips, and s’mores on the menu. Everyone would be leaving to catch flights back home the next day, so this would be the last time everyone would be able to visit with friends and acquaintances until the next Summit. Many of the packs were already roasting hot dogs by the time the Dallas packs arrived, so the amount of attention on her was mercifully low as hungry bellies took precedence over Silver Wolf gossip. Morgan and Rachel scouted out an empty picnic table and got Lana settled while Grey and Dean grabbed several skewers with hot dogs and headed off to roast them.
“I want to come too!” Lana slid off the bench to trail after Grey.
“Well come on, little one, we have work to do. You and I are going to have to make hot dogs for Morgan, too,” he said winking at her.
Just as Grey was leaving, Sarah arrived and put a plate full of food down next to her. “Hey guys, where is your food?”
Morgan scooted over to make room. “The husbands are getting it. How did you guys do in the scavenger hunt this morning?”
“We finished third. The boys fought the whole time, and the pack we were paired with had no other females, so it was me and a bunch of screaming boys. I’m kind of surprised we did as well as we did. I thought for sure we would be last. At least we finished around the same time as you guys so I could eat lunch with you, though. That was fun. Minus the Alexis part.” The moonlight glinted off her blond hair as she talked animatedly. “I heard a rumor,” she said.
Dread begged a deep breath. “Uh oh. Okay, lay it on me.”
Sarah smiled sympathetically. “I heard that crazy she-wolf is your maker.”
Her relief was almost tangible. As far as possible rumors went, that one wasn’t half bad, if unfortunately true. “Yes, she is. Lucky me.”
“Oh, and I also heard you have the perkiest little boobies anyone has ever seen!” The words rushed out of her mouth and she grinned mischievously at Morgan.
Morgan barked out a surprised laugh. “I like that rumor. Let’s spread that one around. If that is as bad as it gets after today’s little adventure then I’m completely fine with that.”
“Well, it’s not the filthiest one, but it’s my personal favorite,” Sarah assured her. She glanced toward the men fixing food by the bonfire with a thoughtful expression. “Hey Rachel, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Sure, shoot.”
“Well, I know the pack pledging ceremonies are tonight, and I originally had no intention of changing packs any time soon, but things have changed for me. I’m not ready tonight, but I wonder if you think Dean would consider me for a pack member. I mean, if I visit, and he can see my character and everything. Would he consider me then?”
“Of course, he would consider you,” Rachel answered. “Any pack would be lucky to have you. I would warn you about what our pack has been going through lately, though. It isn’t a quiet pack. There has been a lot of conflict since we found out about Morgan.” She gave an apologetic smile.
“I understand. Brent told me everything that’s happened. Well, as much as he knows, but I’m starting to think the risk would be worth the reward. I would get the chance to be in a pack with other females, with children, and warmer winters.”
“And you would be closer to Brent,” Morgan piped up.
An attractive blush crept into Sarah’s fair cheeks. “Well, yes, that wouldn’t be such a bad thing either. I know it is soon, but I have no prospects in my pack, and I get pretty lonely sometimes. Brent, he is nice to me.” She leaned toward Rachel and Morgan. “Is he really that nice? Please be honest with me. He isn’t playing a game or anything, is he? My wolf wants him, and my instincts say he isn’t toying with me just for the sake of a Summit hook-up, but I want to know for sure before things go any farther with him.”
Morgan squeezed her hand earnestly and let the truth seep into her words. “Brent is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. He is turning out to be one of Grey’s really good friends, and you’ve met my mate—he is hard nut to crack. Brent brings out the best in people, and I know he was taken with you from the first time he saw you the other night.”
A warm smile sprung to Sarah’s face, and Brent lit up like the Fourth of July when he spotted her sitting at their table.
Rachel leaned closer. “I’ll bring it up to Dean, and we’ll schedule a time for you to come visit to see how you like the area and the rest of the pack.”
Sarah nodded and mouthed “thank you” as the rest of the pack descended with plates overflowing with food.
“Morgan, look what I made!” Lana showed off a crispy blackened hot dog. “I cooked it for Daddy!”
Grey, taking his cue, set down two plates of food and plucked the burnt dog out of her outstretched hand to toss it in his mouth. Morgan’s disgusted look only made him laugh.
“It wasn’t that bad. If you get past the crunchy part, it was actually pretty good. Way to go Lana. You’re a good cook.”
He gave her a high five, which she was still terrible at and completely missed his hand, and she slid into the picnic bench near Marissa. As the small child dug into her hot dog, she growled. It was a mimic of the noises she had heard around her, with a definitively human sound to it, but it brought a proud smile to Grey’s lips. If Morgan wasn’t trying to stifle laughter, she would have melted into a mushy puddle beneath the table. The rest of the pack pulled up large tree stumps, created for extra seating, and put them around the table. Brent pulled his up beside the end of the table where Sarah was sitting.
“So what are pack Pledging ceremonies?” Morgan asked.
Sarah looked like a deer in headlights, but Morgan shook her head slightly. She wouldn’t give away what had been said earlier.
Dean stopped eating long enough to explain. “Summit is a good place for lone wolves to pick a pack and pledge to one if they want that. Also, sometimes pack members who are looking for a change will pledge to a different pack for a number of different reasons. They can do it whenever they want to, but it is easier at Summit because they can spend time with other packs to see if they can find what they are looking for.”
She frowned. “So how do you know if someone is going to pledge to your pack? And do you have to accept them?”
Dean’s mouth was full with an entire hot dog so Logan took over. “An alpha doesn’t have to accept them if they don’t know them, or they are unsure if they would fit into the hierarchy of their pack. Usually, the wolf who wants to pledge will approach the alpha about joining before the Pledging ceremony. This is how Dean got stuck with Jason and Brent. Both of them are Summit Pledgers. Dean took pity on them,” Logan jabbed, throwing a chip at Jason’s face that he deftly caught with a snap of his teeth. “Good doggy.”
Brent elaborated. “We didn’t do the branding ceremony or anything at Summit. Dean made us wait until he was sure we would get along with everyone. You’ve seen how it is with Alexis. All it takes is one bad wolf to add tension to a pack. Most alphas accept anyone because numbers mean safety and power, and they go into it thinking they will control the pack dynamic no matter who they bring in. Dean doesn’t do that. It’s part of why we chose to pledge to him. I’m surprised we didn’t get requests this year because we have a silver wolf in our pack.”
“Maybe,” Morgan said, “everyone has realized how much unwanted attention comes with that.” Things had to be calmer in other packs. As calm as things could be for a pack of deranged, sex-crazed werewolves.
“Possibly,” Jason mused. “I suspect it has more to do with living next door to Demon Wolf, though. He isn’t exactly Summit’s friendliest member.” He batted his eyes at Grey who growled at him and went back to eating. “See? I rest my case. Grumpy Sasquatch neighbor brings in no new pledges.”
Dean pulled a crackling bag of potato chips open and spoke up. “Whatever the reason, it’s probably a good thing. This year has been hard on our pack, and we don’t need to be fielding a bunch of pledge requests from wolves only interested in Silver Wolf. We’ve kept to ourselves this Summit, too. We haven’t spent time with other wolves to see if they would be a good match. Other than Sarah, of course.” Dean smiled at her. “We’ve been more focused on protecting our assets, so to speak.”
The table was quiet for a few minutes before Morgan spoke again. “I’m sorry you’ve had to change so much to protect me and Lana. I feel like the burdens the packs have endured are because of me. I feel bad you guys didn’t get to go off and hang out with whoever you wanted. I know this is only once a year, and you should have been having fun instead of running protection duty.
“Nah, Morg, you’re taking it all wrong,” Jason started. “It’s not only you and Lana we want to protect. We have to watch out for Marissa and Rachel, too. I think we are tied for the pack with the most females in it. After Montana…” His look darkened. “Well, none of us want to ever go through that again. With any of you.”
“Yeah, and it’s not like we haven’t had fun,” Logan offered. “It never felt like protection duty.”
Wade’s patient and quiet voice surprised her. “You should never feel like a hindrance, Morgan. It’s not how we look at you. You gals are one of the things that make our packs unique. Of course, we want to protect all of you.”
“What happened in Montana?” Sarah asked.
Grey lowered golden eyes to the plate of food in front of him. “Morgan was taken. The alpha planned on claiming her against her will.”
A sharp intake of breath came from Sarah. She looked apologetically at Morgan. “I had no idea.”
“Well, it’s not exactly something we are open with.” Morgan gave her a look that said are you sure you still want to be part of this?
Sarah smelled of anger and something deeper. Something bitter. Softly, she asked, “Did you kill the men who did that to you?”
Morgan shook her head. “No. Grey did. The Dallas pack tracked them, and they found me within two days. The entire Montana pack was in on it, and now they are gone.”
“Good,” she said, sounding satisfied. “Everyone has been talking about what happened to the Montana pack. I think everyone knows it had something to do with you, but nobody knew what happened for sure. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
Marcus announced that the pack Pledges were beginning. Since the Dallas packs hadn’t received any, they stayed seated and watched the proceedings. Four wolves stepped forward.
The first one stepped in front of the others, but with the fire behind him it was hard to make out his features. “I’m pledging to Brian Garrety’s Boston pack.”
A man, presumably Brian Garrety, spoke up. “Accepted.”
The next man stepped forward. “I’m also pledging to Brian Garrety’s Boston pack.”
Garrety spoke up again. “Also accepted.”
A tall woman stepped forward. “I’m pledging to Garret Reynolds’ San Francisco pack.”
Garret Reynolds spoke up, surprise in his voice. “Gladly accepted.”
Morgan remembered him from the meet-and-greet. He had mentioned having four men in his pack. A she-wolf would be a welcome addition for him. The last man stepped forward. He seemed so familiar, even the faint scent of his skin that wafted her way perked up the wary wolf within. She squinted, trying to make out his face in the shadows. Grey was playing with Lana and not paying attention in the slightest. The silhouette the man cut didn’t make sense. He was so thin he seemed sickly. Did werewolves even get sick?
“I’m pledging to Dean Cooke’s Dallas pack,” the man said.
All of their heads snapped up at the declaration. Dean looked downright rocked. He hesitated. “Acceptance will depend on a three-month probation period.”
The man stiffened, but nodded his head.
Grey’s nostrils flared, and his look darkened. “It’s the pup who tried to challenge for you and Marissa,” he said. His focus on the man never wavered.
Marcus had called an end to the pledges, and the strange wolf approached the Dallas packs.
Dean stood. “Why do you want to pledge to this pack?” he asked directly.
The man cleared his throat and waved to Morgan and Marissa, ignoring Grey completely. Probably wise if he didn’t want to get eaten. “Nice to see you ladies again. I’m sorry for what happened before. I know better than to mess with you again,” he smiled awkwardly and held up a scarred arm.
So, she had hurt him enough to sca
r. The deep twinge of satisfaction tasted even better than the food. Surely, he would think twice about messing with a lady now.
For Dean, the young werewolf cocked his head to the side and exposed the tender flesh of his neck in a sign of submission. “Look, I spent all of the money I have in the world to come here. I wanted to pick a pack this year, so I’ve been watching all of them, every single one of them, trying to figure out which one I might be happiest in. I promise not to make trouble for the girls,” he said, holding his hands out. “I know none of them are for me, but I like the way your packs work together. I like the way you all seem to get along, and even when you fight, it is short-lived. I’m a little thickheaded—” Grey interrupted with a snort, but the young man continued, avoiding Grey’s eyes. “I think I could learn from you, and hopefully I can be a better wolf because, Lord knows, I’m not doing so well on my own. Please.”
The man looked to be in his late teens or early twenties. He obviously hadn’t taken care of himself for an extended period of time. His dark hair was unwashed, and he was dangerously skinny for a werewolf. Talking to the pack had lightened his eyes, but one was an unnaturally light blue and the other light brown.
“What is your name?” Dean asked quietly.
“Levi Wright, sir.”
“Where do you live right now?”
“I’m up in Boston.”
Aaah, now she could place the accent.
“But I don’t have a home there. I’ve been bouncing around since I was Changed.”
“Who was your maker?”
“Couldn’t tell you, sir. I don’t remember being Turned. I was out at a park late at night. I was supposed to be meeting a girl, and that’s all I remember. I woke up in the woods, and I was…different. The Boston pack found me and told me the rules, but we never got along so I never joined up. Last year’s Summit was my first one, but I wasn’t ready to Pledge.”
Dean seemed satisfied with his answers so far, but who could really tell with that clever old wolf? “Everyone in our pack works and provides for themselves. You are welcome to come back with us for your trial period, but you need to get a job and hold it down and get a place of your own as soon as possible. We also don’t want any trouble. Our packs have a certain lifestyle and goals to maintain. If you can’t get on board with that, you won’t be accepted. Do you understand?”
