Heart of the Pack

by Jenny Frame

  “Yes, I want to have a mating ceremony with you as soon as we can. I want to belong to you forever.”

  “Well, she’s busy playing baseball just now, but maybe we can ask later?”

  Lena looked over to the baseball game and saw Dante hoist Megan in the air so she could catch the ball. “Look at all the adults playing with the kids. It’s nice. My father never played with us.”

  Caden pulled her mate into her arms, “Family is everything to wolves. Nothing makes a wolf happier than playing with the cubs—it’s how we teach them how to be wolves.”

  “You would be a wonderful pater, Caden. I wish I could have a cub with you.”

  “We will have a cub one day,” Caden assured her. “There are plenty of cubs out there who need a good home, and even if it wasn’t born to us, we wouldn’t love it any less.”

  That earned Caden a kiss on her lips. “You are the perfect wolf, you know that?” Lena nuzzled in closer to her mate.

  “I’m awfully glad you think so.”

  “Caden.” Lena knew who that voice belonged to without turning: the Mater. “Bring Lena over to see us.”

  Us turned out to be a table full of smiling submissive wolves, and they were beckoning Lena over. Caden nodded at Lena’s questioning glance, and as she hurried over to join them, she wondered why Caden looked so concerned. It must have been her imagination.

  “Sit down, Lena, I thought we’d never get rid of Caden.” After a brief greeting, Caden was packed off with Conan to play with the other cubs. “You already know Stella, and this is Ava, baby Hannah, her sister-in-law Kyra, and Dante’s mother, Iris. Vance will be here soon—he and Flash are running late.”

  Lena fiddled with her glasses nervously. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you all. Your baby is beautiful, Ava.”

  “Thank you. Would you like a hold?”

  Before Lena could respond, she found her arms full. “I’m not very good with babies. Am I holding her all right?”

  “You’re doing fine. Just support her head,” Ava told her.

  They all smiled to each other as they watched Lena coo and talk to the baby. “Hi, Hannah. You’re a pretty girl.”

  “She has a pretty good pair of lungs too,” Ava joked.

  “So?” Eden said. “How are things with Caden? Wolfie things, I mean.”

  Stella laughed and said, “Going by the love bites on her neck, I’d say things were going well.”

  Lena knew she was blushing brightly. “Yes, things are good. She trusts that I won’t break just because I’m a human, and in fact…No, I shouldn’t say anything.”

  They all huddled closer, and Eden said, “Oh no. First thing you have to learn about den talk is there are no secrets from each other. That’s why it terrifies the dominants so much, keeps them on their toes. Right, girls?”

  The women nodded and smiled, encouraging Selena to talk and feel comfortable. Having never mixed well with people or ever having had close girlfriends, it was a strange experience to now be sharing secrets with these women. But she felt they were on her side, and that was something very new for her.

  “Caden and I are going to ask Dante, the Alpha, for permission to have a mating ceremony.”

  There were squeals from her new friends, and Eden jumped up to carefully hug her, as she was still holding the baby. “I’m so happy for you, Lena.”

  “Can you believe it?” Stella said. “Our committed bachelor of a Second, going to be mated.”

  “Do you think your pack will have any problems with me being human?” Lena asked.

  Eden looked to Iris, the pack matriarch to explain. “Lena, my dear, the Great Mother decides before we are born who our mate will be. It doesn’t matter who that person is, be they male, female, human, or wolf. We trust her judgment completely and only care that the couples are happy.”

  Lena looked down at the baby in her arms, and said, “Will I make her happy, though? I won’t be able to give her a cub.”

  Iris smiled enigmatically. “Caden’s grandmother was my friend, a close friend. She was a remarkable woman who saw things others did not. When I asked her why she had told Caden her wolf mate didn’t exist, she simply answered that it was the truth, but despite that her granddaughter would have a very happy life. I can only conclude that you are the one to make her happy.”

  “You really think so?” Lena asked.

  “I do. Don’t spend your time worrying about what you can’t do. Concentrate on what you can do.”

  Ava grinned as she added, “Besides, the Wolfgang pack is going to be overpopulated anyway, with our Mater likely to be pregnant straight through to menopause.”

  “Ava.” Eden pretended to be shocked but couldn’t help but laugh along with her friends.

  Lena looked around the faces of the happy, smiling women, and thought, for the first time in her life, This is where I belong. I’ve found my home.

  *

  It was an idyllic day, and Caden couldn’t remember being happier. She was playing baseball with the cubs, Dante was by her side with Conan in her arms, and Lena was sitting with the people she loved, watching her and looking happier and more relaxed than she’d ever seen her.

  The pack was accepting her as one of their own, and it meant the world to her. She should have been concentrating on the game, but she couldn’t help but gaze at her mate lovingly.

  The wind blew the hem of Lena’s dress up a few inches and Caden gave a low rumbling growl when she saw the bite mark she had made there only that morning. She had bitten down, just as Lena had begged her to, while she made her come with her fingers. Each time she made her mate come, Caden’s hunger didn’t seem to wane. She wanted Lena again and she wanted her now.

  Caden felt fire spread all over her body, and her claws started to emerge. Just as she started to move toward Lena, Dante stood in front of her. Conan was in her arms, chewing on her T-shirt.

  “Second? Are you with us?”

  “What?” Caden looked around quickly. She had completely forgotten they were in the middle of a game. Cubs laughing and shouting, the sound of the ball hitting the bat, adults cheering, nothing had roused her from her distracted state. The players were all dispersing from the field in search of food. “Did I miss the whole game?”

  Dante laughed and handed her a bottle of water. “Yes, you missed it. You spent the whole time staring at your mate. You, my friend, are totally drunk on love.”

  “I think I am. It’s so confusing. I just want to be near her, touching her, all the time, but it’s never enough. No matter how many times I touch her, I just want her more each time. It’s like never being able to quench my thirst.”

  Dante put Conan on the grass and allowed him to toddle around. “You’ve got the hunger, my friend. You’ll never lose that hunger, but once you bite and your wolf is secure that she’s yours, you’ll be able to control the hunger better.”

  Caden scrubbed her face with her hands, trying to rid herself of the clawing frustration her wolf felt. “I’m like a cub, unable to control myself.”

  “I’m your Alpha. I feel what you feel, and that’s why I came over to calm your emotions. This is Lena’s first pack event. She’s finding her place among us and among the submissives. Calm your wolf and let her be. Your time alone with her will come soon enough.”

  Dante was right. Lena was relaxed and happy for the first time in her life, and from the smile on her face and her laughter, it appeared as if she was making true friendships for the first time in her life.

  “You’re right, thank you. Will you give us permission to be mated as soon as possible?”

  Dante pulled her into an embrace. “Nothing would give me greater pleasure. You and I are strong leaders, but we are given strength by our mates. The heart of our pack will now be complete, and with a strong heart there’s nothing our pack cannot face.”

  It was then that Dante’s cell phone rang. It was Blaze.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “Here he comes, Alpha.”

  Ler
oux and Ovid watched a black van approach them on a desolate plot of wasteland, a few miles from their base. They were accompanied by two cars full of fully armed Lupa wolves, for protection.

  Leroux looked in her side mirror and saw the van for herself. “Let’s just hope, for Kurtis’s sake, that he has delivered what we wanted.”

  The van stopped to the side of them and the wolves from the security team got out and surrounded the van.

  “He looks terrified,” Ovid said.

  She watched Kurtis carefully. He was as white as a sheet and he held the steering wheel with a death grip. Beside him was his son, and next to him, his mate. She was thin and sharp featured, and looked less frightened and more determined than he did.

  “What is it about Wolfgangs, Ovid? They cower and hide behind their mates like they have no teeth.”

  Ovid laughed and got out of the car to walk around and open Leroux’s door. “And he thought he could be your Second.”

  Leroux smiled and slapped her on the back. “I’ll have no other Second but you. We’re just using his jealousy and hatred to get what we want. Now, let’s inspect our package.”

  They walked to the back of the van where Kurtis and his family were standing. Leroux immediately stood in front of Kurtis’s mate and said, “Are you going to introduce me to your mate?”

  Kurtis gulped and said, “Of course, Alpha. This is my mate, Dorcus, and my son, Jasper.”

  She didn’t even give the boy a second glance but took Dorcus’s hand and kissed it chivalrously. “What a beautiful wolf. Have you been hiding this treasure in Wolfgang land, Kurtis?”

  Dorcus giggled and blushed. She was clearly excited by very dominant wolves, and Leroux could scent interest.

  “Thank you, Alpha,” she gushed. “Thank you for allowing us to join the Lupas. Kurtis has been consistently overlooked by Dante each time a place among her elite wolves has become available.”

  “That’s enough, Dorcus,” Kurtis snapped. “Leroux doesn’t want to hear all our troubles.”

  “Now, now, Kurtis. There’s no need for that, but Dorcus, your mate and I do have some business, so why don’t you take your cub and sit in my car, hmm?”

  Once they were escorted away, Leroux indicated for Ovid to open the van. Ovid threw open the doors, and there in the back were two terrified-looking cubs, a boy and a girl, bound and gagged, tears rolling down their cheeks.

  In an instant, Leroux grabbed Kurtis and smashed him so hard into the van it made a dent, and held her claws at his throat. “Those are not the Alpha’s cubs. You promised me her two oldest cubs, Kurtis,” she spat.

  Kurtis looked terrified. He averted his eyes submissively and said, “I couldn’t get them, but I got the sheriff’s daughter, Tia, and Flash’s son, Marco. They are Dante’s closest friends after the Second. She will go on the hunt for them, I promise.”

  Leroux knew that already, but her heart had been set on causing Dante as much pain as possible. In an instant, though, Leroux masked her fury with a smile. “You are quite right, Kurtis. In fact, Dante is so disgustingly noble that she would probably go on the hunt for the weediest runt in her pack, but the sheriff and Flash are the next most dominant wolves, so I’ll take that.”

  She let Kurtis go and he breathed a big sigh of relief. “Thank you, Alpha.”

  Leroux cupped his face in a deceptively gentle gesture and said, “But if you ever fail me again, Kurtis…Well, I don’t really have to say, do I?”

  “Never again, Alpha.”

  Marco and Tia chose that moment to squeal as best they could through their gags, and Kurtis glanced back at them.

  “It’s too late for second thoughts now, Kurtis. You’ve betrayed your pack, your kin, and there’s no going back, because Dante will tear your throat out. You have new loyalties now.”

  Leroux turned to Ovid and pointed to the other car. “Second, take Kurtis to ride with my wolves.”

  Kurtis looked panicked. “But my family is—”

  What a weak runt he was. “They are riding with me. Off you go, then.”

  When Ovid escorted him away, Leroux looked at the two terrified cubs in the back of the van again and roared, enjoying the fear she induced. She slammed the door shut and laughed. “Come and get them, Dante.”

  *

  The elite wolves and their mates started to gather around the Alpha, who’d put the call on speaker. “Blaze, calm down. Tell me what we know.”

  “They’ve taken our cubs. Flash called as soon as he realized they were gone. They have my baby cub.”

  Dante saw Flash and Vance speeding across the grass. “Blaze, stay calm. We’ll get our cubs back. Go to the war room, and we’ll meet you there.”

  Flash and Vance were beside them in an instant. “Alpha, Marco and Tia are gone. She took them,” Flash said.

  Vance had tears falling down his cheeks. “They were just hanging out at the park while we got the picnic ready, and we were going to pick up Blaze on our way, but they were gone. They were just gone, Alpha. This note was left taped to the slide.”

  He handed Dante a note which read: Missing something, Dante? We have your cubs. Come and get them, if you dare.

  She crumpled up the paper in her hand and said to Caden, “Second, have my wolves go home to their dens, and order the elite wolves to the war room. Leroux is back and has taken first bite.”

  *

  Dante stood at the head of the conference table, with Caden at her right hand. The elite wolves all sat before them, except Flash and Blaze, who stood, unable to calm themselves.

  “Flash says the scent is strong from where they were taken. I will lead a hunting party with Flash, Blaze, and Caden. Xander, I want you to stay and take command. Organize twenty-four-hour patrols around the border of the county. No one stands down until we have the cubs back.”

  “Yes, Alpha,” Xander said.

  Flash banged his fist on the table. “Can we go now? Our cubs are out there in the hands of a wolf who kills without mercy. We’re wasting time.”

  Caden growled and was in Flash’s face instantly. “Mind your place, Flash. We will get your cub back, but we must make sure our pack land and families are secure while we are gone. Do you understand me, Wolf?”

  Flash lowered his eyes in submission. “I’m sorry, Second. I just want my cub back.” Then he turned to Blaze, who was barely keeping his rage under control. “I was supposed to keep them safe, Blaze. I failed.”

  Blaze pulled Flash to him. “You have not failed, we are going to get them back, and when we do, you and I will tear her apart.”

  It was good to see the dominant wolves settle this tension themselves, because Caden knew they would need unity and obedience out on the hunt.

  Dante addressed her wolves one final time. “Our pack has been attacked, and we will bring those responsible to justice. Xander, I leave the remaining wolves under your command.”

  “Very good, Alpha,” Xander said.

  “Good hunting, Wolves.”

  *

  Dante and her wolves had been following the cubs’ scent in a truck for around two hours. Before they left Wolfgang County, they’d discovered Kurtis, a low-ranking wolf, and his family had packed up and left. She was sure they had something to do with this attack. Kurtis’s grandfather had been Second and had betrayed Dante’s own grandmother. The betrayal had nearly killed Dante’s grandmother, and now it looked as if his kin had done the same.

  Caden looked in the rearview mirror and saw the terrified looks of two frightened parents who had lost their cubs, and she couldn’t imagine how she would feel in their place, fearing for the safe return of a cub or a mate.

  It had been so hard to leave Lena. She had never gone on a hunt before, leaving her love behind. She was desperate to have Lena in her arms, protected and safe.

  “How are you bearing up, Second?” Dante asked.

  “Me? I’m okay. I just want to get the cubs back where they belong.”

  “It’s the first mission you’ve been on
with a mate waiting behind,” Dante said.

  Caden glanced at her quickly and returned her eyes to the road. “My wolf is clawing my insides to shreds. I want to be with her, around and over her, keeping her from harm. I don’t know how you’ve done it all these years, Dante, especially when Eden’s been pregnant. I simply don’t know how I could do it.”

  “It drives me crazy, but that’s part of being Alpha. I have to make decisions and take actions for the good of the pack, and I pray to the Great Mother she will be kept safe.”

  Caden’s burden had been made easier by Eden insisting on Lena staying with her while their mates were gone. She hated to think of her mate alone in their den.

  “I’m so happy the Mater and Lena get on so well. She doesn’t make friends easily and has been lonely for most of her life. Eden has been so welcoming to her.”

  “That is why Eden was born to be Mater. She mothers the pack and makes any newcomers feel part of us. But she genuinely likes Lena, and we’re both so happy for you, Second.”

  “Thank you for allowing our mating ceremony to be held as soon as possible.”

  Dante smiled and smacked her best friend on the shoulder. “Nothing would give me greater pleasure. As soon as we get the cubs back and dispose of this Leroux problem, the pack will rejoice in Lena becoming a Wolfgang.”

  “Thank you, my friend. Then let’s get the cubs and get back to our mates. My hunger is growing.” Caden smiled.

  *

  The strong scent Dante, Caden, and their wolves had been following brought them to the perimeter of a large run-down ranch and house. They left the truck and shifted to pelt. They stalked the perimeter of the land until they were close enough to get a look at the front of the property.

  Dante signaled for the others to stop and observe the guards covering the front door of the house. Caden held her snout high in the air and inhaled all the scents, painting a picture of the surrounding area.

  Status report, Second?

  The front is well guarded, Alpha. We should make our way round to the back and find a way in there.