7

Fallon

He’s trying to show he cares.

He’s going to get us killed.

I stormed through the front of the lodge where flannel-covered couches and mismatched wood chairs sat around an old stone fireplace. Everything here was musty and cramped–worn in by the generations of shifters who’d lived here. It all had a history. A story. One that didn’t include me.

And it never would if John couldn’t control his protective urges long enough to let me find my footing. That was one thing Ranger never did. He was a great big brother, but he wouldn’t fight my battles for me. Because of him, I’d been able to establish my own place in the McCaw Pack.

As much as I hated to say it, I was starting to miss home.

Maybe we should rethink this. The old males weren’t so bad. My wolf growled as I turned toward the kitchen where female voices clashed along with the pots and pans.

We’re going to need to do this eventually. I took a deep breath before I pushed open the door.

The silence was instant. Even the steam seemed to hang in the air as every eye turned toward me. It was crowded in the galley-style kitchen with the women I’d been briefly introduced to earlier before John ushered me to his office to meet the elder males.

Reba I remembered the most clearly because the blonde woman had the unfortunate circumstances of being married to that pig-headed shifter Tim. She sat on a wood stool next to Beatrice, Patrick’s wife. Both women were hardened, with leather skin, and wore shirts in different colors of flannel stretched across large busts. It was the local dress code apparently. Not the hipster type of breathable flannel worn back home. This was beat-in flannel. Served a purpose flannel. It'd seen a thing or two and had the wool pills to prove it.

Two younger females about my age chopped vegetables on the butcher block counter near the sink in the back of the kitchen. Colleen, Reba’s daughter with matching hair color to prove it, and Rachel, the woman who worked at the post office, both had the scent of guilt and onions all over them. I assumed whatever they’d hurried to stop talking about had something to do with me.

I ignored them, turning to the matronly woman with a jean apron tied over her wide hips who stood guarding the stove. Shirley was in charge here.

“What can I do to help?”

She regarded me with sharp eyes behind her fogged glasses. “Nothing, Luna. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable while the girls and I fix up the meal?”

I knew a dismissal when I heard one.

But you’re not going to listen. My beast rolled her eyes.

I pushed up my sleeves and turned to the kitchen sink, shoving my hands into the hot soapy water.

“What are you doing?” Rachel gasped. Her mousy brown hair reminded me of Aspen’s, but that was where their similarities ended. She was a tiny thing, swimming in her overalls, and she took a step back as if I threatened her space. But she wasn’t a low-ranking wolf, which meant she must’ve either mated a higher-ranking wolf or been from one of the “founding families.”

“The dishes.” I started scrubbing the plates.

Awkward silence intensified as I felt their eyes burning into my back. I scrubbed at the stuck food particles.

“Now, Luna, we don’t want you to chip a nail.” Colleen leaned forward over the butcher block counter, smiling with a toothy grin. She was taller than me by a foot and prettier than I’d expect for someone who came from Tim’s bloodline. I glanced at Reba, seeing past the scowl on her face. That’s probably where Colleen got her looks.

“They’ll grow back.” I rinsed the plate and propped it on the drying rack before digging into the suds again. “So what’s there to do for fun in this town?”

I really didn’t expect them to keep up the silence. At this point, it was just rude. I washed a cup and a plate before I looked over my shoulder.

Beatrice smiled over her cup of coffee. Her ruddy complexion deepened with the grin. “I don’t suppose you like hunting.”

She does know we’re all shifters, right?

“My wolf enjoys it.” I shrugged. At least someone was speaking. I looked to Colleen and Rachel, who both turned their eyes to the vegetables.

“Were you two close with Amber and Danielle?” I wasn’t, but I couldn’t imagine those sweet girls hanging out with rude women like this.

Rachel glanced up. “Amber was in my class. We graduated last year. Danielle hasn’t been around though. She’s enrolled in community college.”

“And the college is where?” I asked, feeling around the bottom of the sink.

“Far away from here,” Colleen mumbled under her breath. “Maybe you should go sometime.”

My hand clasped around the butter knife at the bottom of the sink. It was the only thing left. “Maybe I will check it out. Is there anything else I should see? Or is there anything you’d like to bring to my attention as your new Luna?”

Rachel’s cheeks flushed as she glared at Colleen. “I think we’re alright. Thanks.”

I rinsed off the knife. “Are there any more dishes for me?” I looked around the kitchen and made sure I met everyone’s eyes. My wolf sighed as all the women glanced at the floor.

Well, that sucked.

I schooled my expression to one of cool indifference as I dried off my hands. “Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.”

As the kitchen door closed behind me, I pretended not to notice the sound of the dishes I’d just washed being dropped back into the water.

*

The afternoon breeze danced around the trees. I kicked a pinecone, sending it sailing toward the bushes as I slid my phone into my back pocket. No cell service out here. It figured.

Things will work out.

Always the optimist.

One of us has to be.

“Are you the new Luna?” a little voice called.

I turned my face to the sky, squinting between the branches of the trees. “Are you a squirrel?”

“No.” Giggles followed as a little girl shimmied down the nearest pine tree. Booted feet hit the earth and she turned big blue eyes up my way. “You’re prettier than on TV.”

I chuckled. Maybe everyone wasn’t an asshole here. “That’s good to know. Did you see the show?”

“We all did.” She nodded eagerly. “Bryant played it at the lodge and we got popcorn when we watched. We even got to stay up late.”

“How many kids are there?” I frowned. We hadn’t passed a park in the area and John barely mentioned the school. Not that I liked kids or anything, but I’d almost assumed the whole pack was made of elderly shifters or young adults hurrying to get away.

“Come on. I’ll show you. We’re meeting at the fort.” A small hand laced through mine and I cringed.

It’s touching me.

It’s got little teeth. We’ll be fine.

“I’m Alice by the way.” The surprisingly strong, tiny girl pulled me along behind her. “And I love your black fingernail paint.”

*

The “fort” was a lean-to made of fallen tree branches and a moldy piece of plastic siding surrounded by a circle of rocks half-heartedly stacked like a fence. A frayed ladder rope hung from a low branch overhead where a heavyset boy sat kicking his bare feet on a piece of rotting plywood. Another small child crouched inside the fort, watching me approach with distrustful eyes. The sight of the dirt on their faces and clothes had my wolf whining. I took a deep breath, slowing my heart.

They’re fed and cared for. Look at their bellies.

Where are their parents?

Probably glad they’re out playing.

Memories of my childhood, of Ranger and me in wolf form as we hid out in the woods, and of the hunger pangs that plagued us, came to me in snippets. I pushed them away like I always did and focused on the present.

“Password,” the boy on the tree branch commanded. I thought about tossing a rock to knock him off, but I glanced at Alice instead.

“It’s password.” Alice whistled a tune out loud as she whispered the answer through our link. That tugged on something. The connection she shared with me was pack, but it was also something more. As if my soul was called and it answered with purpose. Maybe being a Luna meant I felt the links to the weakest members of the pack stronger. Or my heart was growing larger.

Strange. Very strange.

I should probably get that checked out.

“Password,” I said confidently.

The boy passed over the rope with a smile and just like that, I was in.

*

“Alice wants to be a Luna like you,” Hannah teased as we sat around the empty firepit inside the fort.

“Do you?” I asked.

Alice lowered her face. “Not like all of them other girls. More like Aspen on the show who was looking for her fated mate. No offense.”

“Why would I take offense?” Sure, it stung a little that I was lumped with the other girls. But I’d spent years in their circles, so it was to be expected. Besides, Aspen was my sister-in-law and, unlike some of the people I’d met here, she wasn’t a bitch.

Though I had to wonder why they thought Aspen was actually on the show to find a mate. One day, I needed to watch Season Seven.

“Because she doesn’t want to be a gold digger.” Aiden poked a stick into the imaginary firepit. I’d wanted to light them a real fire, but I wasn’t sure about the rules with kids and flames.

“Shut up, Aiden.” Alice shoved him “Gold digger isn’t a nice word.”

I frowned, studying them. “Is that what everyone thinks? That the females on the show were gold diggers?”

By the way they all looked anywhere but my face, I had my answer. “Are Amber and Danielle gold diggers?”

“Oh no,” Hannah gasped. “We don’t have many options up here. They were lucky to get a chance to find mates from different packs on the show. It’s the other girls who just want money. The rich ones who…” Her voice trailed off as Alice’s mouth dropped open. “What?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Am I right in assuming you all think I’m a gold digger for mating with Alpha John?”

“Not us,” Hannah rushed to explain.

“But the dams sure think so.” Aiden nodded.

“It’s not your fault though.” Alice patted my hand. “You can’t help being a pampered city girl.”

Did she just call us…

I guess she did.

I burst into laughter, laughing even harder at the horrified expressions on their faces. This was great. More than great.

The O’Neil Pack thought I’d left my comfortable position in McCaw, with my own house where I made all my own rules and had more money than I knew what to do with, for a life like this?

They were all high as a kite.