by Celia Kyle
“The first thing she said about how lone wolves don’t make good mates? That proved to me she was worth paying attention to because it was something I already knew. But here’s the thing, Trina. I’m no lone wolf. I never wanted to be one, and I would make a poor mate if I had. Deep down, I’ve always wanted a place to belong. And more than anything, I want that place to be at your side. I want a life with you, Trina. I want to give you all the pups you want, and if Zeke will have me, I want a place here in the Soren pack.”
Trina looked as if she might burst into tears again, and she couldn’t hold back a trembling smile. Max took that as his cue and reached across the table to grasp her hand in his. The mere contact, flesh against flesh, almost made him feel whole.
“And the second thing she said?” she asked, her voice tight with emotion.
“Oh, the thing about how words can be more powerful than deeds?” He smiled at his beloved. “That gave me an idea for something I needed to explore immediately. I’d prefer to keep it to myself to see if it pans out, just so nobody’s hopes get up, but if you need to know, I will tell you. I’m just hoping I haven’t completely demolished your trust in me. I know that’s a lot to ask after disappearing like that, but—”
Trina cut him off by leaning across the table and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.
“I trust you completely,” she said when they broke apart, giving him a smile that melted his heart and told him his apology had been accepted. “Now, let’s get those stitches checked out. You’re dripping on my floor.”
Chapter Sixteen
Pretty decent turnout, Trina thought as she and Max strolled up to the pack house lawn for the training session the Ruling Circle had thrown together. Dozens of pack members were milling about in the yard, mingling and chatting with one another casually. Some of them were in wolf form, but most remained in human form. The little ones rolled around in the grass and played games, laughing and shrieking as they chased each other around. Clearly, they were jazzed up because the training was specifically for them—something that didn’t happen often.
With the recent influx of hunters targeting wolves, Valerie had developed a buddy system for the pups to lower their vulnerability. Most of the training would focus on teaching them to always go everywhere in pairs, as well as where it was safe to wander while they played. Hopefully adults would take the lessons to heart too so they could have a better chance at defending themselves. Aside from the safety talks, such events were always a meaningful bonding experience for the pack, reminding everyone they weren’t alone, no matter how far from the pack house they lived.
Zeke and Val stood at the front of the crowd, with Warren on one side and two of the pack’s best sentries, Newman and Rich, on the other. Of course, Fang sat pertly between her master and her mistress, as if there was no other place she should be. Even Levi hovered around behind them, which made some sort of sense, considering he probably had the most experience with the human hunters.
Val and Zeke exchanged a few quiet words, and then she stepped forward and clapped her hands loudly. “Alright, kiddos! I want all the pups to line up,” she called out, her typical drill sergeant tone appropriately softened a little to better suit talking to children.
Parents shushed and wrangled their pups, urging them to fall in line as instructed. Trina and Max stood back with the parents, watching with half-curiosity and half-amusement as Val did her best to keep the wiggly little kids in some loosely organized group. The older pups seemed genuinely interested and attentive, but most of the younger ones were having trouble standing still and following directions, which was to be expected. But to her credit, Val remained patient, and Trina knew she’d be an exceptional mother.
“Okay, pups. If you don’t know already, my name is Valerie. I’m the alpha mate and the pack enforcer. I’m here today to teach you some very important information meant to keep you all safe and healthy. Are you ready to learn and have some fun?” she asked, bending over slightly with her hands on her knees.
All the pups jumped up and down and cheered excitedly, drawing chuckles from the adults. Even Fang barked to get in on the action.
“Outstanding! Now, I know you all want to run and play, but you’ve got to listen up carefully for just a few minutes, and then I promise you can all go back to having fun. But first, I need to tell you all about our new rules.”
“She’s doing a good job. Isn’t she?” Max muttered to Trina.
“Yeah, she’s a natural at this stuff,” Trina whispered back. “She’s probably worried about becoming a mom, but she’s going to be just fine. She can be a little rough around the edges sometimes, but the kids adore her, obviously. More than that, they respect her, otherwise there’s no way she could get all those little kids to pay attention like that.”
“I have some news that might sound bad, but it’s only to keep you safe and sound,” Val announced. “Zeke and I have set up a curfew. Starting today, all pups under eighteen must be safely inside either their own home, a friend’s home, or the pack house no later than seven in the evening. So, if you go to a friend’s house for dinner, you must also spend the night. Parents, did you hear that?”
A rumbling of agreement rippled through the crowd. Drastic times called for drastic measures, and everyone in the pack wanted to keep the pups safe.
“Aww, man,” whined one of the older pups.
“Listen to your elders,” hissed the boy’s mother from several feet away.
He quickly zipped his lips and stood up straighter. Trina and Max had to stifle a laugh.
“I know. I know. It sounds horribly unfair. But I’m not going to lie to you. Some dangerous men have been spotted out in the woods who will harm you if they catch you out alone in your wolf form. The curfew will keep you out of the woods alone at night, when you’re most vulnerable. On top of that, we’re starting a buddy system. Can any of you tell me what a buddy system is?”
Little Hux raised his hand and jumped up and down, his tiny body wriggling with excitement. Val smiled and pointed to him.
“Go ahead, Little Hux.”
“A buddy system is when two people, like, hold hands and go places together so they don’t get lost,” he answered, puffing out his chest proudly.
“Very good,” Valerie said, beaming. “And can someone else tell me what ‘strength in numbers’ means?”
This time an older kid raised her hand. “It means it’s easier to fight back in a group than by yourself.”
“Precisely. You’re much safer when you have your friends or your mom and dad around to help if you run into trouble. There’s just one more new rule, and it’s a super-duper, mega important one. Everyone listening? Howl for me to show me you’re listening.”
The group of tykes did their best impressions of their wolfy howls, earning grins and chuckles from the gathered adults.
“Good,” Val continued. “I’m not going to sugar-coat this, kids. No one’s going to like this one, but hopefully it won’t last long. Your alpha is working very hard to make sure of that.”
She shot Zeke a trusting smile and it was his turn to puff out his chest with pride.
“I’m sorry to say, Wolf Woods are no longer safe. That means they’re temporarily off-limits. No one is permitted to get within a thousand yards of the boundaries to Wolf Woods. A thousand yards is about from here to that big tree over there.”
All assembled followed her pointing finger to a large tree on the edge of the forest. What a sad day, to limit their scope, but after seeing firsthand what the asshole hunters had done to Max, Trina was completely onboard.
“Does that go for just the pups?” asked Hux Davenport, Little Hux’s father and the owner of the best bar in town—The Wolf’s Lair Bar & Grille.
“Sorry, but no,” Zeke said, stepping forward to let the adults know no exceptions would be made to the rule. “The only pack mates allowed to approach Wolf Woods are the Ruling Circle and the sentries. Val’s set up extra patrols to keep the hunters off our
lands, but we’ve already received reports of them breaching the borders.”
Muffled murmurs of surprise rippled through the crowd. As a pack, they’d never had to deal with such an affront to their autonomy. The gravity of the situation really hit them then.
“Considering the magnitude of the threat,” Val added, “it’s advisable that adults also use a buddy system and stick to the curfew as much as possible. Most of you can defend yourselves well enough but consider the example you’ll be setting for your children. If you’re extra-careful and hypervigilant, they will be too.”
Little Hux edged his hand up, almost as if he was afraid to be called on this time. Val tried not to smile when she called on him.
“My daddy doesn’t come home from work until really late at night,” Little Hux said, worry clouding his normally cheerful brown eyes. “Does that mean he…”
The words stuck in the poor kid’s throat, and his mother rushed forward to pull him into a comforting hug.
Val’s amusement fell away. Stepping forward, she kneeled in front of Little Hux, with Fang trotting up to the small group. When she picked up the dog, Fang was quick to rain wet puppy kisses on Little Hux, which seemed to cheer him up a little, but not as much as it normally would have. Trina felt an intense urge to go comfort him as well, but he had enough support at the moment.
“Little Hux, your father will be fine.” Val looked up at Hux, giving him a silent nod. “He’s going to follow the rest of the rules and he’s going to be just fine. Right, Hux?”
Hux joined the women next to his boy and gripped his shoulders. “That’s right, son. Nothing’s going to happen to me because I’m going to be so, so careful. Just like you and your friends. Understand? We all have to be very careful for a little while, and if we are, we’ll be fine.”
The boy flew into his father’s arms, burying his sweet face into the cavern that was Hux’s neck. Leaving them to their moment, Val stood and clapped her hands to refocus everyone’s attention on her.
“Next, we’re going to teach all you pups how to sniff out dangerous humans so you can avoid going anywhere near them,” Val continued, moving on to the fun and games portion of the day. “How does that sound?”
The pups hooted and clapped, excited to learn new skills. As the larger group broke into smaller groups, Trina noticed some members of the pack eyeing Max suspiciously. And who could blame them? He hadn’t taken his vow of loyalty yet, and with everyone on edge, they naturally were leery of outsiders.
And just as naturally, their uncertainty put Max on edge as well. Or maybe the anxiety she sensed wafting off him was merely a result of being in a group setting. Hopefully with her by his side to calm his inner beast, his nerves would settle down quickly enough. To his credit, he seemed outwardly calm. Only she, as his mate, could intuit how he really felt deep down. They peeled off and strolled arm in arm across the lawn. She kept a tight hold on his bicep, partly to comfort him, but also to soothe herself.
“You ready to tell me yet?” Trina asked, smirking up at Max and already knowing what he was going to say.
Two days had passed since his bloody return, and she’d vowed not to ask where he’d gone, but she couldn’t resist teasing him a little. He gave her a wry look that said he was about to tickle her as punishment for asking, even though technically she hadn’t asked where he’d been, only if he was ready to tell her. Sure, it was a loophole, but hey, a girl had to try.
“Not yet. Mostly because I don’t want to get your hopes up. It’s a long-shot. Probably a fool’s errand, and only time will tell.”
She rolled her eyes but still snuggled closer to him to show she trusted him. Whatever he’d done, he’d done it for the pack, and regardless of whether it worked, that meant more to her than just about anything.
“I’m a patient woman, Max, but the suspense is killing me.”
“Me too,” he murmured as he pressed his lips to the top of her head and took nice, deep sniff.
“Okay, this is ridiculous,” he said, releasing her. “I can’t just skulk around like some moody outsider. Not if I want them to accept me. I’m going to see if I can help teach some defensive techniques.”
Trina thought about wiggling her finger in her ear to make sure she heard him correctly. “Really? You’re comfortable with that?”
He grimaced in response. “Not especially, but practice makes perfect, right?”
“Right,” she said, standing on tiptoe to give him a sweet kiss on the cheek.
He moaned softly and pressed against her lips before dragging himself away. Trotting over to Warren and Valerie, he wasted no time in showing the kids how to fight and how to retreat from a threat. Trina’s heart swelled as she watched him do his best to adapt to pack life. That was good because he’d be well enough very soon that they could finally claim each other.
They’d spent the previous couple of days relaxing into a routine and getting to know each other on a deeper level by sharing their hopes, fears and desires. Every moment she spent with Max eased her guilt over “betraying” Dean. She knew her guilt was nonsense, and she didn’t dare tell anyone about the irrational emotion, but it simmered just under the surface nonetheless. Of course Dean had loved her above all else, and there was no way in hell he’d have wanted her to remain alone and unloved forever. No, he would have wanted her to jump at the chance to be happy. But jumping blindly into things had been Dean’s forte, not hers.
That was just one reason why she’d insisted she and Max sleep apart. The other was that she didn’t trust herself. Both she and her wolf craved him at a cellular level, and every minute spent near him felt like a century of medieval torture. As soon as he was fully healed…oh hell, who was she kidding? Once he made it to seventy-five percent, she’d probably jump his bones and deal with the consequences after.
Wolves normally healed quickly from natural injuries, but bullet holes were about as far from natural as they could get. They didn’t just magically close up overnight like they were never there. He seemed to be moving around more easily, so maybe another day or two would do the trick. The bigger question looming in her mind was whether he’d be emotionally ready by then.
“He’s got a knack for teaching children,” said a voice beside Trina, making her nearly jump out of her skin.
Cassandra. She should have known.
“Surprisingly enough,” Trina agreed with a forced smile.
The omega’s smile was serene. “Full of surprises, that one.” Then she glided off to the next group.
Trina watched her for a moment, the weight of the woman’s previous comments still niggling the back of her mind. She shook it off and distracted herself by joining Max’s group to help teach female pups how to utilize their strength in a fight. Not because he needed the help though. He, Warren and Newman joked around and laughed like they’d known each other for years. He really seemed to be fitting in.
Maybe everything would work out after all.
Chapter Seventeen
Shrill screams, sharp barks, and raucous laughter filled the small clearing on the Soren pack lands as all of the kids from the previous day’s training session played and tumbled and chased each other around. A few remained in their human form, but most had shifted into their adorable pups as soon as they hit the clearing. Max would never tire of the sounds of kids having a good time, but being surrounded by so many people at once while out in the woods set his teeth on edge.
He worked his way to the periphery of the clearing as sentries kept their eyes on the forest and parents kept their eyes on their kids. Most had brought some food and blankets with them to make a nice little picnic out of the day, and others were playing with the pups and having the time of their lives. Max had to admit, he couldn’t wait until he had some of his own out there with them.
He found a spot just inside the tree line and leaned against an ancient moss-covered tree trunk. A large lower branch about a foot over his head had broken off about a thousand years ago, leaving a weather
ed, jagged stump. It reminded him of himself, before he’d found Trina.
Integrating into a pack wasn’t an easy thing for a former lone wolf, even if that state wasn’t in his true nature. While he wanted to be part of all group activities with his future pack, he sometimes needed to separate himself. Take a breath.
From his new vantage point, Max satisfied himself that they all were about as safe as possible, considering they were barely a mile from Wolf Woods and McNish’s hunters were getting bolder every day. Max didn’t think the risk was worth the benefit, but the Ruling Circle had decided otherwise.
“Still don’t approve?” Warren asked, sidling up to Max as they watched the activities.
Max shrugged. “Not my call. But to answer your question, no. It doesn’t make sense to take such a risk, especially with the kids.”
“Trust me, the RC discussed this plan thoroughly. Val was willing to back down, but Zeke agreed with her that play-training in the forest would be the fastest way for them to start developing safety habits. They do have a point. Words alone don’t always sink in.”
“Well, hopefully all the human noises will keep any overzealous hunters away.”
“And if they don’t, they’ll have to get through our sentries,” Warren said, glancing around at all the burly dudes keeping their eyes trained on the woods.
“And the parents,” Max added.
“So how are you doing?” Warren asked, not looking directly at him. Maybe he sensed Max’s discomfort and wanted to give him someone to talk to.
“Pretty good. My wound is healing nicely, now that I’ve stopped breaking open my stitches. Should be right as rain soon enough.”
“Good to hear, but I didn’t mean just physically. How are you transitioning from being a rogue to living in a pack setting?”
Max normally wouldn’t have opened up to another guy. Growing up as the heir apparent in the Kincaid pack, he’d been discouraged from talking about his feelings. Alphas carried a lot of weight on their shoulders and blabbing about it to the rest of the pack could weaken their trust. So, he’d internalized all of his doubts and fears, shoved them way down deep inside. Even after they’d been run off their land, he’d had to hold it together for his ragtag pack. Of course, once he’d gone off on his own, there’d been no one to tell his troubles to. Until Trina had come along. But if being part of a pack meant discussing personal stuff with other dudes, he’d give it a shot.
