Page 12 of Wicked Wolf

She would just have to make sure she didn’t react to Quinn like her wolf wanted to.

Easier said than done.

“What are you thinking about so hard?” Parker asked as he came up to her side.

Gina looked over at her cousin and smiled. He was taller than her by at least half a foot, and he had grown wider in the past couple of years as he bulked up. He wasn’t the young kid she’d met when she’d joined the family. Then again, she wasn’t a kid either.

Of course, Parker’s unruly hair was the same. His light brown hair went in every direction possible but still looked as though he’d paid for it to be that way. The ladies of the Pack seemed to love it.

Between him and Finn, the younger Jamenson men were proving to be every bit as lethal as their fathers. The other kids, all of Gina’s brothers and cousins, were showing that same edge.

Of course, all the girl cousins were so different that she wasn’t sure they’d ever match their famous aunt Cailin’s attitude and rebellious streak, but a few of them were trying.

Gina was one of them, but that was only by accident.

She couldn’t help the fact she was a dominant wolf.

“Gina?”

She shook her head and leaned into Parker. He put his arm around her shoulder, and she sighed. “Just thinking about how old we’re all getting.”

Parker snorted. “Well, we’re not that old, but I, for one, am glad that we’re getting an adult job right now. You know? We aren’t kids anymore.”

“No. We aren’t.”

They were the next generation of wolves. Scary to think that her younger siblings and cousins would one day help rule the Redwoods.

“I’m here. Let’s go.”

Gina turned around at Farah’s voice. She didn’t know the other woman well but knew Farah was older than both she and Parker by a couple decades. Her dark hair fell to her butt while braided, and her large, dark eyes gave her a youthful look.

Farah was quiet, but when she spoke, her voice held impatience. She wasn’t as dominant as Gina or Parker, and that fact apparently didn’t sit well with her from the look on her face.

Well, that wasn’t Gina’s problem as long as Farah didn’t try any dominance games. After all, they were here to form an alliance and council with the Talons, not show weakness.

“We’re ready,” Gina said, her voice holding her wolf in check since she couldn’t let the other woman think she was more dominant. They were wolves, not humans.

They were only a five-minute run or fast walk from the meeting place. They’d each driven to the Redwood meeting place separately since they had other things to do that morning, but now they could walk to the Talons as a unit. She was pretty sure Quinn would be doing the same. There were just some things that needed to be done as a show of Pack unity, even though both Packs were supposed to be friendly.

When they made it to the meeting place in the middle of neutral territory, Gina had to hold back a smile at the sight of the three Talon members. They were walking into the area in the exact same fashion as the Redwoods. At least they were on the same page in that respect. Hopefully that boded well for the others.

“Quinn,” she said, her voice neutral. He stared at her with such intensity it took everything in her power not to either bow her head or rub up on him. Neither would be appropriate.

Her wolf whimpered.

Damn wolf.

“Gina.” His voice hit her in all the right places, and she held back a curse.

This was going to be a freaking long day.

“This is Parker and Farah.” She nodded toward her Packmates, who said their hellos.

“And this is Lorenzo and Kimberly,” Quinn said, his voice so deep she wasn’t sure it wasn’t a growl.

After the introductions, they made their way into the meeting room. It was a little awkward since no one spoke, but today would be a day of testing ground, rather than making major decisions. This wasn’t a competition but a way to make things work in the long run.

She just hoped no blood would be spilled.