Chapter 4

Four

"I've always had a plan for my life, or so I thought. Some of my plans didn't exactly work out, but there was always a plan B, C, and D when that happened. You get the picture. I don't like to feel unsure. I hate the unknown. Some consider uncertainty a chance for adventure. For me, it's a black void into which I will likely fall and probably never find my way out again." ~Alice

"I need to check on my pack," Maxim told Alice as he watched her run a brush through her dark, chin-length hair. He loved watching her. Just seeing her do everyday things, allowing him to be a part of those things, no matter how small, made him feel close to her.

She turned to face him. "Okay, I can hang out here. Lizzy is here, and I'm getting to know the other girls."

Maxim bit down the growl that instinctively rose at her suggestion that they be separated. How could she possibly think that now that he'd just met her, he'd let her out of his sight for longer than it takes for her to handle her business in the bathroom? And then only that because she insisted upon it.

"I should have worded that differently. When I said ‘I,' what I meant was ‘we.'"

The brush paused at the top of her head as she looked at him. "What?" she practically squeaked.

"Do you honestly think I'd leave you here, in the care of people I don't know very well, with other males?" Maybe that last part could have been left out, but it was the truth. He didn't like the idea of other males in close proximity to his mate.

"Umm, well, I mean…" The hand holding the brush dropped to her side. "Isn't that sort of like taking a girl home to meet the family? Doesn't this seem a little fast? Not that I'm an expert, but it seems like that's something that happens after a few months of dating."

Maxim's wolf perked up at the female's words. "Dating?" He took a step toward her and tilted his head, only stopping when she took a step back. "We are not dating. I thought the bite on your neck and the ceremony we performed made that clear."

"No, I mean, yes, I know." She shook her head. "I'm not saying… I'm just saying that… Crap." She huffed and then tossed the brush onto the bathroom counter. "I'm scared, dammit. Okay? What if they don't think I'm good enough for you? What if they don't like me? Good grief, I sound like a freaking teenager. But growing up doesn't always mean the insecurities go away. In some ways, they get worse."

"They will like you." Maxim would kill anyone who made her feel as if she didn't belong. It was just that simple.

"You say that as if you can make it happen."

"I can."

Alice rolled her eyes. "You can't force people to like me regardless of whether you're their alpha. Besides, I don't want them to be forced to like me. I want them to actually like me. Here, in this room, in our own little bubble, it's easy to believe that we're destined for each other. Reality can't pierce it, and doubts remain on the other side of that door." She pointed to the exit to the hallway.

"Nothing changes when we walk out that door," Maxim assured her. "I am still yours, and you are still mine. Nothing will ever change that." As he stared into her worried gaze, a thought struck him. "Do you regret it?"

Alice's brow furrowed. "What? Regret what?"

"Mating me. Letting me mark you, binding your soul to mine. Is that what this is about? Are you using this trip as a way to figure out how to get out of our relationship?" Just asking the question made Maxim nauseous. But how could he truly expect her to feel the way he did? This was his world, not hers. He'd known his entire life that he was destined for a soul mate. For Alice, it wasn't about finding a soul mate in the human world. There wasn't even such a thing, at least, not that he knew of.

Alice shook her head and strode forward until she stood right in front of him. "No." She placed her hands on either side of his neck and stared up into his eyes. "I will not lie and say that I am not sure how this is going to work. I have no freaking clue. The divorce rate with human relationships is astronomical. I do not know what a healthy relationship looks like. My mother and father didn't even attempt to make it work. And that was just with everyday issues, not issues that involved the end of mankind." She shrugged slightly. "So am I a bit apprehensive? Yes. But that doesn't mean I regret it or that I'm throwing in the towel."

The tightness in Maxim's chest loosened. He could work with apprehension. They would have struggles and disagreements. That was a given. How could two people with different thoughts, expectations, and experiences not have trials to face?

"I'm no relationship expert either. But I'm committed to you. I'm committed to us."

Alice pressed her forehead to his chest. "Thank you."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. "Now, will you come with me to meet our pack?"

"Only if you promise not to threaten them if they don't like me." She pulled back to look up at him.

He couldn't help the grin that stretched across his face. "But that is one perk of being alpha. Just ask Fane."

Later, Alice stood next to Maxim in Fane's office, surrounded by a room full of people. Some she knew, and others she didn't. Despite the large space, the people crowding in made Alice feel cramped. It didn't help that all the males were huge.

"How are things in Wonderland?" Jen looked at Maxim and raised her eyebrows up and down suggestively.

Alice chuckled. "You're trouble."

Jen winked at her. "The best kind."

"A little advice," a girl who'd introduced herself as Crina said. "Stay away from trouble, especially that kind." She pointed at Jen.

There were nods of agreement all around the room.

Jen paid no mind to the others around her as she leaned back against her mate, who was sitting on the couch. He was a quiet, stoic man who said little. Though when he did, people paid attention, even Jen.

"Listen up." Fane drew everyone's attention to where he and his mate stood. Jacque was all bright and cheery with her red hair and inviting smile, while Fane looked as if he bore the weight of the world on his shoulders. He wasn't unkind or even uninviting. He'd been very welcoming since she and Maxim had arrived. But there was a seriousness to him that made it clear he was the one in charge. "Before you all get completely off-topic on one of your crazy tangents, let's deal with the business at hand."

"All ears, Alpha," Adam, the fae male that was Crina's mate, said with a cheeky grin. Alice had already picked up on the fact that he was the male version of Jen. Those two should not be allowed to hang out without adult supervision.

"Maxim has brought it to my attention that he needs to check in with his pack," Fane continued.

"Is that the rogue pack?" Heather, one of the other healers Alice had met, asked. She was sitting on her mate's lap, which seemed to be a common theme, considering the males snagged their mates and pulled them onto their laps any time they could.

"That's what I wanted to discuss," Fane responded. "You can't be a rogue pack, Maxim. All established packs fall under my care and the Great Luna's. As a rogue pack, you are vulnerable to attack by other rogues and other supernaturals. Not to mention the human government is apparently now aware of our kind. I'm not saying your pack has to relocate, but you will need to be an established pack under my rule. This will allow our supernatural allies to help you protect your territory and your members."

Alice wasn't sure how to take Fane's words. He didn't sound like a cruel dictator or a power-hungry asshole. But it was clear there was no room for negotiation.

"Canis lupus are not like humans ," Maxim said into her mind. " We do not function like a democracy. We can't. Wolves need to know their place in the pack or else they will fight and kill in order to establish their place. It's necessary to have an alpha. Fane has been put over all the alphas. The world has changed since I became alpha. It appears a full-scale supernatural war is brewing. In such times, an alpha of alphas is necessary."

"So you're going to become a legit pack?" Alice asked, feeling weird about thinking the words to him when her mouth wanted to say them out loud. She knew her face must look really strange. It took a lot of concentration to speak through the bond and not out loud.

"We," he corrected. "We are going to become a legit pack."

"I understand," Maxim told Fane as he tilted his head slightly to the right, exposing his throat.

"That's a submission thing," Jen said to Alice, pointing at Maxim. "In case you need werewolf body language interpretation."

"You don't need to be interpreting any werewolf's body," Decebel rumbled.

Jen ran a finger down his neck. "I interpret yours all the time. And you like it."

Alice couldn't help but grin and shake her head. The couple was seriously hilarious.

"I will bring my pack under your rule," Maxim continued, completely ignoring the byplay.

"How will they feel about it?" Fane's brow drew down in a deep V , and he folded his arms in front of his chest. Jacque reached over and slipped her hand around his bicep and leaned into his side. Alice had also noticed that there was a lot of touching amongst these werewolves. And not just between mates. The males often bumped each other's shoulders affectionately or even gave those manly hugs with the single pat on the back.

"There might be a few that I will have to convince," he admitted. "Change is hard for older wolves."

"That means you're going to have to kick their butts, doesn't it?" Heather's face tilted in Maxim's direction despite her lack of sight. "It's okay if you just want to say it. You don't have to sugarcoat it. Sugar is for kids. We like meat up in here."

"I could do so many things with that, Helen." Jen sighed. "Please don't stop being you."

Heather shrugged. "I make no promises, CAB."

"CAB?" Alice asked before she could stop herself.

"Crazy-ass bitch," Heather translated. "Jen speaks in abbreviations. It's her love language."

Alice's eyes widened as she blew out a breath that caused her cheeks to puff up. "Okay, then. Should I write these down as I hear them? Is it like a language I need to learn?"

"No."

"Absolutely."

Jacque and Jen said simultaneously.

"Alpha female trumps bossy beta." Crina grinned.

"No worries." Jen waved off the she-wolf. "I've already begun writing the Girl Code book. Winner, winner, chicken dinner."

"And now I'm hungry," Nick rumbled, rubbing his stomach but staring at his mate like she was the meal on the menu.

"This is so weird," Alice shook her head

"Weirder than finding out you're a supernatural being and then having your blood taken to make an entirely new kind of supernatural being?"

"All of this is equal weirdness."

"Focus, people," Decebel spoke up, and the room once again fixated on Fane.

"Decebel is Fane's beta," Maxim explained through the bond. "That means he is second in charge."

Alice nodded and then stopped herself when she realized no one would know why she was nodding, and they'd most likely think her an idiot.

"I would like this to be more than just a trip to check on your pack's wellbeing," Fane said. "One of the fae can take you directly there, but on your way back, I'd like you to hunt. We've got rogue hybrids out there, not to mention vampires that need dealt with."

"We got spikes that need heads on them," Jen offered. "Just saying."

Sally rolled her eyes. "We don't have spikes."

Jen narrowed her eyes at the brunette healer. "I can have spikes delivered with two-day shipping. I've already looked into it."

Sally's head whipped around to look at Jacque. "I thought we agreed to monitor her online activity."

Stella, yet another healer Alice had met, cleared her throat and then pursed her lips as she looked at Sally. "We were trying to save Lizzy, Finn, and Alice while also trying to find Alice's mate, so she didn't make a huge mistake and join the dark side. And some people here were also attempting to raise healthy, supernatural children to keep them from having any sort of complex when they get older. When did we have time to monitor her internet searches?"

Wadim, A.K.A. History Boy, according to Jen, cleared his throat. "A better question is when did she have time to do an internet search for spikes?"

Decebel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm seriously considering going rogue myself, Fane. I'm pretty sure with a few other warriors, I could get more done in a couple of hours than this bunch does in a week."

Fane wasn't fazed by Decebel's comment or any of the random rabbit holes the group seemed compelled to jump into.

Alice motioned around the room. "Are they always like this?"

"If I had a dollar for every time we've been asked that…" Bethany, a she-wolf and mate to Drake, shook her head. "Well, I'd have a bunch of dollars. I haven't kept count, so I don't want to just throw out some random number, but it would be a lot."

"Yes," Kara chimed in as she looked at Alice. "We are always like this, and the more of us that get pregnant, the worse it gets. Welcome to the wolf pack."

"And on that note, I'm volunteering to join Maxim and Alice," Adam said. He stood and pulled Crina up beside him. "I can flash them and Elle…" His words died off as he glanced around the room. "Where the heck are Elle and Sorin?"

"Sorin contacted me to let me know they were called away on urgent business," Fane answered.

"Urgent business?" Jen's eyebrows raised. "What urgent business?"

"I trust Sorin to handle whatever it is," Fane replied. "And if they need our help, they will let us know."

Adam's forehead was scrunched up in concentration as he continued to look around the room. It was as if he couldn't reconcile what Fane was telling him with the fact that the couple weren't present and hadn't been for the entire meeting.

"What about Peri and Lucian?" Zara spoke up for the first time. Alice noticed that Wadim's mate seemed to be a watcher among the group. She listened and took in what was going on around her. She probably knew more about this group than any of them realized, simply because she observed silently.

"Again, urgent matters of a personal nature. Nissa is with them. Fae business." Fane said nothing more about it but began pointing at people and spitting out orders. "Dec, Jen, Adam, Crina, Stella, and Ciro will accompany Maxim and Alice." He turned to Adam. "Once Maxim has handled everything with his pack, please bring them to the Colorado pack mansion. I, Jacquelyn, and the others will meet you there. Dillon will expect us. Sally, Bethany, Kara?—"

"Baby duty and growing baby duty. We know." Sally gave the alpha a thumbs-up.

Fane inclined his head at them.

As if an alarm had gone off, everyone suddenly jumped to their feet and sprang into action. Goodbyes were said, hugs were given, and jokes were made. They were a family, and Alice found she was jealous of what they had. She'd always longed for this, for people to love her just as she was and to care about her life. To know that she was safe, to cheer her on, to be her back up when she needed them. Her own upbringing had been the complete opposite.

Maxim took her hand and pulled her closer to him. His warmth didn't just affect the connection, but it enveloped her.

"You will have this now. You are my mate, a part of my pack, which is now our pack. You don't have to live life on your own anymore, Malishka ."

"Thank you," she whispered, hoping his supernatural hearing would hear her words.

Adam and his mate stepped in front of them. A mischievous grin spread across his face, and Alice got the feeling the expression was second nature. "You two ready to go?"

Crina nudged him. "Stop with your psycho smile. It's freaking Alice out."

"Good thing you like my psycho, babe, 'cause you're stuck with me." He darted over quickly and pressed a kiss to her lips. The grin remained.

"Let's get this show on the road," Jen saddled up beside Alice. She leaned an arm on Alice's shoulder, and her eyes roamed over the woman's face. "You're a fighter." Jen nodded her head and then tapped Alice on the nose. "You didn't let the bloodsucker win, and you haven't let any of us intimidate you."

"You haven't met my father. Few things are intimidating after dealing with him."

"Ahh." Jen nodded. "Grade A asshole. Yup, you're definitely a fighter. I like her," she declared loudly. "We're keeping her." The people standing nearby rolled their eyes.

"Why are you the one who gets to declare who we adopt?" Stella asked, joining their circle.

"You guys realize that Alice isn't a puppy we found on the street, right?" Crina's forehead wrinkled as her brow rose. "How many times do y'all have to be reminded you can't just ‘keep' people?"

"I carry the heads of my enemies around, therefore, I get to make declarations. It's like how old people and pregnant people can get away with saying just about anything, and no one gets offended."

Crina shook her head. "She's gonna pull that one out of the bag just as much as she did with ‘I gave birth in a cave.'"

Adam put his arms out, and everyone around put their hands somewhere on him. Maxim did the same with her hand in his. He looked down at her. "Don't let go."

"Where are we going, Max?" Adam asked.

If the nickname bothered him, he didn't let it show. "My pack is on the outskirts of a large city in Belarus."

"I thought you were Russian," Alice said.

He smiled. "I am, but I'm also old and Russia has changed a lot over the centuries." He looked back at Adam. "Can I project it to your thoughts?"

Adam nodded and closed his eyes.

Maxim closed his as well. A second later, the ground beneath Alice's feet fell away. Darkness surrounded them, but it only lasted a few seconds. Then her feet were once again on solid ground. Her attention was immediately drawn to the chorus of growling and snarling surrounding them.

She released Adam's arm and turned slowly, her eyes roaming the area. They were hemmed in by huge wolves with hackles raised and teeth bared. Each was crouched, clearly indicating that they were ready to attack at a moment's notice.

A large man dressed in dark pants and a grey shirt stepped out from between two of the snarling wolves. His eyes were on Maxim. "You don't write, you don't call. We didn't know if the fae were lying and had abducted you. I'm hurt, Alpha." The man pressed a hand to his chest, right over his heart. "I thought we were closer than that."

"Aleksey," Maxim said dryly. "Quit your whining. You're just bored. The rest of you"—he looked at the wolves—"stand down. Now."

The wolves all dropped to their haunches, and the growling stopped. They stared at Maxim, their alpha, as if waiting for him to tell them what to do next.

"Phase," Maxim barked.

Alice's mouth dropped open.

"Finally, something interesting happens," Jen said as her mate cursed.

They were no longer surrounded by wolves. From one breath to the next, they were suddenly surrounded by a host of naked men.