Heart of the Pack

by Jenny Frame

  “Yes, Mater. She says it’s okay as long as Dion is there and we don’t go too far.”

  “Well, okay then, but be careful,” Eden said.

  “Dion, watch out for your sister, all right? She and Tia are your responsibility,” Dante told her daughter.

  Dion gave her pater an arrogant dominant smile. “Sure, Pater. I always look after the missies.”

  The cubs all turned to pelt and dragged their clothes to neat piles by the edge of the forest before running off into the trees.

  Caden looked confused. “Missies?”

  “Submissive wolves,” Eden said with a smile. She lifted Dante’s arm around her shoulder, so that she and Conan were hugged tight to the Alpha’s side. “That’s what the cubs call it these days.”

  Dante laughed. “Sometimes when I listen to the cubs yap away to each other, I feel old too, Second.”

  Eden rubbed the side of her face into Dante’s chest. “How could you be old, Alpha? You are so virile and have just sired another cub.”

  Dante gave a low growl. “When you say things like that, Mater, it makes me want to howl and—”

  Caden cleared her throat. “I think that’s my cue to go play with the cubs.” It was hard enough to watch the many happy wolf couples without being up close to the Alpha and Mater about to devour each other. “Can I take Conan for you, Mater?” At the offer, Conan struggled to get to her.

  “Where’s my big cub?” Dante lifted Conan into the air and blew a raspberry on his stomach, making him giggle and laugh, before handing him to Caden. “I’ll join you in a few minutes, Cade.”

  As Caden walked off, she smiled when she heard Dante whisper to her mate, “I’ll hold you to that promise you just made, Mater. I want to make you howl.”

  The festive mood was broken when Blaze arrived. Caden felt the sheriff’s tension as he entered the backyard. His mate Stella ran to him. Blaze immediately took her into his arms, as if needing the calming touch of his mate.

  Stella sought to soothe him by rubbing her head against the side of his face. “What’s wrong, mate?”

  “Where’s Tia, Stella?”

  “She and some of the other cubs went running. Tell me what’s wrong?”

  Caden and Dante strode quickly over to them.

  Blaze thumped his chest in salute to both the Alpha and her Second. “Alpha, Second, I have news. We must convene your elite wolves.”

  All the wolves stopped what they were doing. The Elite wolves started to gather around their leader.

  “Wolves, we must go to the war room.”

  “Alpha, I think you should call the cubs back as a precaution,” Blaze told her.

  “Andor, Victor,” Dante shouted. Two of her younger dominant wolves hurried over. “Andor, go into the woods and bring the cubs back here, and Victor, protect the Mater.”

  Eden hurried over and Dante took her into her arms. “Stay close to Victor. As soon as I know what’s wrong, I’ll tell you, okay?”

  Eden nodded, and Caden and the elite wolves followed Dante into the den.

  *

  All thirteen members of Dante’s elite wolf squad sat around the large conference room table, situated in the basement of the Alpha’s den. At the head of the table sat Dante, and Caden next to her. “Blaze? What have you found?”

  Blaze tapped the laptop in front of him, and the large war room screen showed the police computer system. “Just before I left the station, a police officer called from Rutherford County. A woman was found dead in a motel room, not far from the highway. That may not be unusual in itself, but when you see crime scene photographs, I think you’ll understand why I was immediately concerned.”

  Blaze clicked open the crime scene folder and set the pictures to play in sequence. Dante growled and broke the pen she held in her hand at the sight.

  The pictures showed an auburn-haired female lying in a pool of blood and, crucially, badly mutilated.

  “Is that Suzy Mitchell?” Dante asked.

  “I think so, Alpha. Her face is badly injured, but her physical description fits and she had her ID badge in her purse.”

  “What did the police say about the murder, Blaze?” Caden asked.

  “The forensic pathologist reports that the injuries indicate some kind of animal attack. The police don’t even know where to start with it, as you can imagine.”

  “It fits, doesn’t it?” Flash said. “Suzy boasted that she had helped distract you, allowing Leroux to attack the Mater. Leroux was so badly injured after your fight, she would have needed help to survive.”

  Dante nodded. “Second? What’s your opinion?”

  “It’s been a month, Alpha. Leroux may not have been strong enough to shift until now. She would have needed help, and if Suzy has been helping her, then she found out our secret. She probably thought she could use Leroux to get her revenge on us.”

  Dante walked up to the screen showing the bloody pictures. “And when Leroux was nursed back to health, she bit the hand that fed her.” Literally.

  “A detective will be coming to interview you tomorrow, Alpha,” Blaze said.

  The Alpha smashed her fist down on the conference table, and her eyes flashed yellow. “I want her found. I don’t need to remind you that she attacked the Mater. She declared war on the pack when she laid a paw on my mate. Now she’s bringing humans into our territory with questions and suspicions. Caden, I want you to step up patrols around our territory. Blaze, I want officers around the school, and my den.”

  “Yes, Alpha,” they replied.

  “Flash, I want you and Robin to head to this motel. See if the scent matches Leroux, and if it does, find out where it’s headed.”

  “Right away, Alpha,” Flash said.

  Robin was a recent appointment to the elite wolves and jumped up eagerly, ready to go straight away, but Flash indicated for her to sit. No one was to move until the Alpha dismissed them.

  “Oh, and Flash, please apologize to Vance for my taking you away from your den at this time, but rest assured I will station two wolves to protect your family while you’re gone.”

  “Thank you, Alpha.”

  Dante walked back up to her place beside Caden. “The rest of you will join Caden’s patrols.”

  She indicated for them to stand and said, “Good hunting, my wolves.”

  “Good hunting, Alpha,” they replied with a salute.

  All the wolves filed out of the war room except for Caden, who hung back to talk to Dante. “Alpha?”

  “Yes, Cade?”

  “You could send me to track Leroux’s scent at the motel. That would leave Flash free to protect his mate and cub. I have no such concerns,” Caden said sadly.

  “I need you here, by my side, Second. If Leroux is anywhere near here, I don’t want you outside the county. I want you here, ready to hunt with me.”

  Caden nodded. She understood why the Alpha wanted her here, but Flash had a den to protect, so she should be on the hunt. “Yes, Alpha. I understand.”

  It was then that she thought of Lena, in her apartment all alone. Would she be safe? She felt an urge to go to her and stand guard. Why was she thinking this way?

  “Cade, can I say something to you?”

  “Of course, Alpha. We’ve been best friends all our lives.”

  Dante sat on the table beside Caden and looked down at her. “I know you don’t like talking about your private life, and I didn’t want to say too much in front of Eden. I know she, Stella, and Vance can be a bit overbearing in trying to match you up with mates—”

  “It’s just because they care, and I appreciate that,” Caden said.

  “Yes, but it’s my duty as your friend and as your Alpha to make sure my Second is healthy and happy. You shouldn’t be on your own, Cade. You should have a mate and cubs to protect.”

  Caden sighed and said with frustration, “I don’t need a family—I have the pack.”

  “We all have the pack, Cade, but we need the close bond of a mate to keep us healthy a
nd strong, for the pack. What your grandmother told you…”

  Caden jumped up and walked toward the screen still showing the pictures of Suzy Mitchell. “You know she had powers, Dante. She was right before.” She had lived with her grandmother, Rhea, from the time her parents had died. Rhea had always styled herself as a mystic. Most of the pack thought she was an eccentric old wolf, but Caden knew better.

  “That was just coincidence, Cade.”

  “What? She had a premonition that my parents would be in great danger from a human if they left Wolfgang County on a business trip, and they died, by the hand of a drunk driver. That’s a coincidence?”

  Dante walked up to her and put her hand on the back of her neck, connecting with her, and trying to soothe her. “I remember the pain the pack felt when your parents died, and I remember your pain. We’ll never know if it was a coincidence or not, but that doesn’t mean she was right about you. She shouldn’t have told a young wolf, like you were, something like that. You’ve been alone all this time because of that. It’s not natural.”

  “It’s not as if I’ve stopped myself, Alpha. There has been no wolf that I’ve felt that way about, and by my age, I should have—I mean, I feel the urge to have sex, but not mate. My grandmother said my wolf mate doesn’t exist, and I’m sure it must be true, or I would have met her already.”

  Dante patted her on the back and said, “If that’s how you feel, okay. I just want you to happy, Second. You’re my closest friend.”

  “I know that, Alpha. I look at you with Eden and the cubs, and how happy they make you, and I ache to have the same, but it’s impossible.” An image of Lena lying on the forest floor popped into her head. She took a breath and said honestly, “My wolf isn’t out there.”

  “I won’t bring it up again. I’ll join you to organize the patrols once I’ve spoken to the Mater about the situation. Leroux touched my mate, and I want her throat.”

  *

  A verdant green apple and a bottle of water sat atop Lena’s kitchen counter. She leaned on the counter and stared at them. She had never seen something so utterly depressing. After a day of hard work and not much to eat, her pre-jogging snack looked joyless. It was strange that she’d had thoughts like these a lot since moving to Wolfgang County.

  Back home it had been easier to stick to her strict regime of diet and exercise. Her mother always survived on cups of coffee and meds from her doctor, as did most of the women in her family, but here, people were more relaxed. The pace of life was slower, the countryside greener, and the fruits and vegetables brighter, the meat juicer.

  She thought back to what Caden had said to her: the skinny, underweight, weak female will not attract a mate and breed.

  Weak was exactly how she felt at the moment. The prospect of a run after the energy boost of one solitary apple was horrifying. Then she thought about the delicious-looking beef sandwich and apple pie Caden had brought her. “Oh God. Why didn’t I eat it?”

  She laid her forehead down on the counter. It had been so hard not to eat it, so hard when it was sitting on her desk tempting her. It wasn’t the only thing that tempted her. Caden might be arrogant and domineering, but she was absolutely gorgeous, even more delicious looking than the beef sandwich.

  Lena had never met a woman like her before, someone so athletic and powerfully built. She exuded such extreme confidence, her staff would obey even the slightest look from her, but it wasn’t out of fear. She sensed it was out of deep respect. I’d love to eat a beef sandwich with her, naked—but she can leave the cowboy hat on.

  She pushed herself up from counter. She was going mad from lack of nourishment. There was nothing else to do. She picked up the apple and took a big bite. A memory of Caden running her tongue over her teeth popped into her brain and shot lower. Don’t even think that now, Lena. Caden was brash and arrogant. Not nice.

  The strange thing was when Caden looked at her, as aggravating as she was, she didn’t look at her with disappointment as her family did. In fact, she couldn’t remember anyone she had passed in Wolfgang County who looked at her with contempt or pity like her family and former work acquaintances did.

  Lena jumped when she heard a banging at her door. She didn’t know who it could be since she didn’t know anyone. She hurried over and looked through the peephole and saw Caden standing there, her Stetson in hand.

  “Oh my God, it’s her.” She quickly untied her ponytail and tousled her hair. What was she doing? She didn’t even like Caden.

  She took a breath and opened the door. Before she could say anything, Caden said, “I can’t stay, I need to get back out on the hunt. Don’t go out running tonight. There’s a…cougar…yes, a cougar has killed some of our cattle. It’s not safe.”

  Caden looked a little wild, and Lena noticed her shirt wasn’t buttoned correctly, as if she’d dressed in haste. As if she’d just gotten out of someone else’s bed.

  When she didn’t reply, Caden said, “I have to go. You’ll stay inside tonight?”

  “Surely it’s safe in the town—”

  “No,” Caden said firmly. “Look, I don’t have time. I can’t be out doing what I have to do and worrying about you. Stay inside and lock the door, understand?”

  Again Caden’s orders infuriated her, and she crossed her arms in defiance.

  “Do you understand, Lena? This is for your own safety.”

  “Yes, all right.” No sooner had she conceded than Caden shot off without saying a single word.

  Lena stepped back inside and slammed the door shut. Who did Caden think she was? Then what Caden had actually said hit her. I can’t be out doing what I have to do and worrying about you.

  Caden was worried about her.

  With that thought, she turned around and locked the door, making sure to put the chain on too.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The next day Caden was out riding with some of her farmhands checking on the Black Angus herd. They raised two different types of grass-fed herd, the Angus steers and the Murray Grey. One of the reasons the Wolfgangs were so successful in the meat business was because they had been organic farmers before it ever become fashionable. This was the part of her job that she loved the most, working hands-on with the animals in the fresh air, and with Flash away, she needed to take on some of his responsibilities.

  She closed her eyes and took a moment of calm in her busy day. The only sounds were the wind and the mooing of the cows, but as she listened to the sounds of nature she felt a yearning deep inside, a yearning to go back to the ranch office and sit with Lena.

  After breakfast, she had been glad to get out of the office. She had again returned from the cookhouse with food for Lena and placed it on the desk beside her. Lena had looked up at her, sighed, and then continued with her work, ignoring the lunch by her side. The food remained untouched until one of the farmworkers had come in to talk to Caden, and Lena had taken the opportunity to put the food in the trash. Caden had been furious.

  “Why do you do that?” she’d demanded. “I’m telling you to eat for the good of your health. Why can’t you just do as I ask? It’s for your own good.”

  “Why do you keep giving me orders, just like last night?” Lena snapped back. “Why do you care about what I do?”

  Caden hadn’t known what to say to that. She didn’t know herself. “I don’t. Starve yourself, for all I care.”

  It had turned into a battle of wills, and Caden didn’t like to lose, especially to a human. She’d grabbed her Stetson and stomped out of the office in a furious mood, but her time out riding had brought some calm perspective. Lena was such a conundrum. She made her feel annoyed, frustrated, and agitated but yet she still hungered for her company. Every time she thought how much she missed her, she despised herself for it.

  She looked over to one of her men and said, “Everything looks good, Gregor. I’m going to head back to the ranch.”

  As she started off, her cell phone rang. It was the Alpha, so she slowed up and took the call. “
Alpha, how may I serve?”

  “Flash called to report in. They found Leroux’s scent all over the motel and grounds.”

  “Did he say where the scent led?” Caden asked.

  “They followed it to the next county. She’s heading north, back to Lupa pack lands, they think.”

  “To lick her wounds, no doubt.”

  She heard Dante sigh. “I’m not sure. Something doesn’t feel right. I can’t explain it, but I think there’s more going on here. In any event, I’ve asked Flash and Robin to keep following her scent and see where it leads.”

  Caden stroked her horse’s neck to calm it. It could obviously feel her tension. “At your command, Alpha. I’ll keep guards on both Flash’s and Robin’s dens while they’re gone.”

  “Thank you, Second. Report in if you find out anything. Good hunting.”

  Caden rode back toward the office, jumped off her horse, and let one of the farmhands lead it off. Her attention was drawn to the noise of spinning tires far up the dirt track road leading to the farm. Her exceptional hearing picked out Lena’s hot-pink Porsche struggling against the mud.

  She set off at a run and within seconds was standing silently behind Lena looking at her tires. “Having trouble?”

  Lena let out a yell and clasped her hand to her chest. “Oh God! Where did you spring from? You’ll give me a heart attack.”

  “I’m a hunter, Lena. I’m supposed to be able to sneak up on my prey.” Lena blushed slightly and Caden’s heart sped up at the thought that she had caused it.

  “So I’m prey now, am I?” Lena asked.

  She stroked her chin, considering the question, and again the image of that succulent, fleshy thigh popped into her mind. “I haven’t decided yet. So, what happened, and where are you going?”

  “I thought I saw an animal in the bushes, and as I tried to get close enough to see it, I veered off onto this grassy shoulder and got stuck. I’ve got a checkup with Dr. Jaycen at noon, and I’m running late now.”

  Caden walked around the car, checking the state of the tires. She crouched by the back wheel that was most embedded and said, “Yeah, you’re stuck all right. Did you ever think a pink Porsche maybe isn’t the best vehicle for farm country?”