“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 lupusare 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 deepV, 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.
