Secret number one was out between us. She knew I had returned and had searched for her. She knew that I was her friend. But there was an even bigger secret still between us, one that had always been between us, that I wasn’t sure how to broach with her.
Max had told me that lycanthropes rarely mated with humans, but my wolf always knew that Holden was the one for us. We had seen her in that lab and had sat up and howled. He wanted to claim her before we had left, but I thought we had time.
But we hadn’t had time. How can I tell her now? Now she was on Pack land, she would find out my secret. The pups or Max might show her lycanthropes exist.
I wished that Holden had been a lycanthrope. She would have been a glorious wolf, given how she had jumped in front of Soren when Tessa had come into the compound. In fact, there were many times I had almost forgotten she wasn’t a wolf, because her instincts had been the same as one. It was because she had studied them so much, had interacted with them so often, that she had taken on many of the lupine aspects.
I couldn’t explain what had changed my hair and eyes. This had been something that I learned was common to lycanthropes who experienced extreme trauma. A Pack found me soon after the explosion, which was the only reason I still lived. That Pack had nursed me back to health. By the time I had returned to my unit, my body had healed but something had changed my hair and eyes.
I had then discovered that everyone else in my unit had died that day. My Command declared me dead with them. There just hadn’t been enough pieces for anyone to identify individuals. So, they had declared everyone dead and our next of kin had been informed.
They discharged me with honors and had returned to my Pack, a broken wolf. Max had treated me, both mind and body, and I had recovered enough to rise to become Beta for the Pack. But I had never forgotten Holden, my mate.
And here she was, seeing me, again. After thinking I had died.
I walked out to the deck and watched Max, her, and the pups play a game of tag. Max and the pups had slowed things down to a more human speed, allowing Holden to play since there was no way she would have been able to catch them if she had been ‘It’. I smiled, watching as she tagged Lexi and then scooted away, her laughter filling the air.
My wolf whined. Holden happy was something we craved. I wasn’t sure why my mate was a human, but I decided I didn’t care. I liked who she was as a person. She just was it for me.
Betta ran up on the deck, sliding to a stop, her nose touching me, before she ran off. Invitation to play initiated. I grinned evilly, noticing where Max was standing somewhat closer to the deck, watching Holden and Soren, and leaped.
Max turned his head right before I landed on him.
“It!” I ran off and Max just shook his head.
It didn’t take long before Holden and the pups were flopping to the ground, tired from the game. Max and I sat on the deck stairs, watching them and the forest beyond.
“Why don’t we see if we can bring in a submissive, Shane? A true one, not Tessa. I was thinking perhaps Maggie, since she is so submissive it is almost painful.” Max kept his voice low, not wanting the pups to hear us.
I hesitated. “The pups are higher on any ladder than she is.”
Max nodded. “So, they shouldn’t feel threatened by her coming here. She wouldn’t hurt Holden. In fact, she may just cower in a corner.”
I felt uneasy, protective of the young wolf as her Beta. “Is it okay for her, though? I don’t want her traumatized either, Max.”
“It will be good for her. Maggie is good around humans and puppies. The bitches in the Pack recommend her for new pups. Your pups need to meet other wolves. They need to discover that living in a Pack is not horrible. That other wolves – adult wolves – will not reject them. I think it will be a win-win. Besides, I think Holden will instinctively know she is submissive and will react accordingly. The pups will follow her lead. I sometimes think she is part wolf herself.”
I glanced at my friend. Interesting that Max shared my belief about her.
“Do you think…?” Hope peeked through my eyes.
Max shook his head. “I have never heard of a human-wolf hybrid. At least not in the northeast here. If one existed, we would know. Things like that don’t stay quiet.”
My shoulders slumped. “You are right. It must be her interest in wolves. She has always been interested, so much so that her parents moved into the city to keep her from roaming the woods to search for them. She knows more about our natural brothers than we know.”
I glanced over to Holden, who was cuddling the pups. “And she loves pups. She always has.”
Max heard the longing in my voice, but ignored it, thank goodness.
I mused over the idea and then agreed. “Okay. Let’s invite Maggie here. As a wolf. We will let the pups and Holden know beforehand, so it does not startle them. And we can see what happens.”
Max turned away, pulling out his phone. I could sense he had waited until his back was facing me before he grinned. I wasn’t sure what he thought was amusing.
Then I frowned. Holden was the piece of a puzzle I couldn’t get to fit. I would keep turning it until I figured this out.
Holden
I wasn’t sure where Max had found the young female wolf, but he came into the compound via the new back gate, the wolf collared and leashed. I watched her, observing the way the wolf held her head low, eyes toward the ground, her body almost slinking. This was either a very submissive wolf or an abused one.
The pups clustered around me, their stances protective, but they didn’t make a move. I knew they were wary after the other female had attacked us. But Max had explained to them he was bringing this wolf, and they seemed to understand him. He vouched for her, explaining what he was doing before he brought her in. And they trusted him.
I just wasn’t sure why Max thought telling the pups beforehand made a difference. Except these were very intelligent pups and probably picked up on his tone, if nothing else.
Shane was at our backs, up on the deck, watching silently. I absently noted that he was acting like an Alpha wolf – observing and ready to respond in case anyone was hurt in this exchange. But my focus was mainly on the other wolf.
Max let the female off the leash. She instantly dropped to the ground and whined. My heart stuttered. I slowly moved towards the bitch, ignoring the pups who followed at my side. Sitting down cross-legged in front of her, I held out my hand.
“Does she have a name?” My voice was soft and gentle, since I didn’t want to startle her. Lexi leaned against my legs, while Betta dropped to the ground next to me, ready to attack if needed. Soren sat near my back, off to one side. No one could approach me with the pups on the watch.
Max smiled, observing the positions the pups had taken around me.
“Maggie.” He kept his voice low.
“Hey, Maggie.” I crooned, my hand out in front of me, still.
Maggie looked at my hand uncertainly and whined again. She didn’t look like she wanted to be in this position, but she didn’t leave either.
“Oh, baby, no one will hurt you here.” The truth rang in my voice. This was my territory. This was my decree. I protected everyone within this compound once the pups accepted them.
Maggie responded, sniffing at my outstretched hand and then crawling a little closer so that my hand rested on her head. I rewarded her by scratching behind her ears, and Maggie’s whine changed to a groan of pleasure. It wasn’t a purr, but it sounded like it would have fulfilled a similar function.
Soren relaxed, dropping to lie down behind us, while Betta flopped to her side while I petted and crooned to the older wolf. Lexi reached out and touched Maggie nose to nose. Maggie moaned and collapsed, dropping her head into my lap. Lexi licked the other wolf’s muzzle while I dug my fingers deep into the wolf’s fur around her neck, massaging the muscles there.
A few minutes later, I moved to the cage where we had placed the rabbits for hunting. I had felt sorry for the little bunnies, but I knew the pups needed to practice hunting. I let one go.
Soren went straight for it, missing the rabbit when it had leaped up and switched directions on him. Betta tried to predict its turn but got the direction wrong. Lexi just nosed Maggie, as if inviting her to hunt.
Maggie got up with a wolf grin. The wolf shot after the rabbit, foreseeing its turns and caught it, holding it in her mouth. Soren stopped, obviously a little disgruntled that he hadn’t caught it, but okay with Maggie having it.
Except Maggie then dropped the rabbit, and the hunt was back on. Lexi now joined in, hunting with her siblings.
I joined the two men on the deck, excited. “She is teaching them how to hunt rabbits! Look, Max! She catches it and releases it when they totally miss where it is going!” I bounced on my toes, my eyes sparkling.
Shane grinned at me as Max laughed. “She is. This was definitely an unexpected benefit.”
When Soren had finally caught the rabbit, he killed it and started to eat. Betta joined him, even though he growled a little.
Lexi, though, trotted over to the cage and pawed it, yipping at me.
“Oh, she wants another one.”
I skipped down off the deck and went to release another rabbit. This time, Lexi caught it, having learned how quickly the rabbit could change directions. Except, after she had killed it, she pulled off a leg and took it to Maggie, offering it to the bitch.
“And with that, you may have a Pack, Shane.” Max turned and entered the house.
Shane
I watched them, a bittersweet look on my face. Max joined me on the deck, after Holden had left us to release more rabbits for the pups.
“I suspect this is the first time Maggie has been accepted so easily.” His voice was soft enough that it didn’t carry to either Holden or the wolves in the yard.
I nodded, still watching.
Max continued, frowning. “Holden is good at this. She seems to know how to react to us. How does she know? I have never seen a human so in tune with wolves, Shane. It must be more than study. I think you are right. There is something different about her, something we are missing.”
I shrugged. What was there to say? I had already said all this to Max before when he hadn’t believed me. I knew Holden though. My wolf wanted the woman. That was what was important to me.
We watched them chase rabbits, Holden releasing them and Maggie teaching the pups how to hunt them. The air was full of Holden’s laughter and the pups yips after they had caught one. In my head, I could hear their excited exclamations as they threw themselves into this hunting game. I knew they were letting both me and Max hear their commentaries.
When Lexi had shared her kill with Maggie, Max had to get the last word in.
“And with that, you may have the beginnings of a Pack, Shane.” The doctor turned and entered the house.
I stood, shocked. This was my Pack? I was the Pack Alpha? Max implied that Holden was part of the Pack in addition. I could tell by the underlying nuances.
I looked out over the group. Holden was laughing and petting the wolves, giving them encouragement to hunt the rabbits. Maggie was teaching the pups, and the pups were learning from her.
Pack.
I grinned, my mood lifting.
We have to tell Holden about lycanthropes. We also have to introduce her to our dual selves. I wasn’t sure how we would swing that, but we would get it done. Somehow.
Pack.
Home.
My wolf huffed, content.
