Alpha Wolf Need Not Apply (14 page)

As far as the kisses went, those were totally unplanned. But now when he dreamed about kissing her, it would be for real.

Even now as they explored the woods and searched for any sign of other wolves—other than his pack or hers—he noticed that though she was staying close by, which he was glad for, she was concentrating on the mission and not watching him like he was watching her.

He couldn't stop observing her because he was so enamored with her, but in addition, he was fascinated with her process—the way she was so focused and so thorough. At the same time, he was ensuring that he followed her lead and making sure he didn't lose sight of her. With their enhanced senses, wolves could easily multitask.

At that moment, he realized how nice it would be if she wasn't the leader of a pack but just a wolf he'd like to pursue. She wouldn't be worrying about him with her pack then.

Suddenly, she raised her head and perked her ears, her tail held out straight behind her. He looked in the direction she was watching, listening for any sound she might have heard, smelling the air for any scent she might have gotten a whiff of.

Another wolf, but it was from her pack. She barked and the wolf appeared from the woods, then headed for them. A big beige male, Richard, the same one who had taken charge when Eric carried Susan to the cabin. He was eyeing Eric warily, but then he must have smelled him and he relaxed considerably. Richard must have been out checking the forest, making sure that everything was all right without telling Pepper, or Eric was certain that she would have let him in on the situation.

Richard greeted her, head bowed a little.

The wolf waited, as if getting permission to continue what he'd been doing. Pepper woofed and nodded. He headed out and Eric continued searching her territory with her, ensuring no other wolves had been around. He was surprised none had been. He had expected to smell some sign of one or two investigating what was going on between the Silver pack and hers. Maybe Waldron's pack members were afraid some of the Silver wolves had stayed with Pepper's pack after the Silver Town buildings were burned.

* * *

Pepper, meanwhile, was trying hard to concentrate on searching for any sign of Waldron or his wolves, but she kept getting glimpses of Eric and catching him watching her. God, he was hot. The way he'd danced with her, up close and totally personal… She wanted more of his attention, to feel alive like that again. She didn't want to appear desperate, but ohmigod, he was one hunk of a wolf.

He seemed to be curious about her. He might think she was meek and mild-mannered from her behavior around her wolves and his, but her wolves knew better. If she was faced with real danger, she wouldn't hesitate to take care of it in the most ferocious way, if necessary.

She was glad he was running with her tonight. Though he was keeping an eye on her, it wasn't in a way that made her think he didn't believe she could manage on her own. She had been surprised to see Richard Oglesby checking out the area without mentioning it to her, but she was glad he was being vigilant too.

For two hours, she and Eric crisscrossed the area, looking for any sign of Waldron or his men. Yes, they'd been here, but not recently. Even so, it annoyed her to think they had been in her territory without her permission. She also smelled the Fairhaven boys' scent and hoped Darien would convince them to join the Silver pack so they could learn to be good wolf citizens and not get into trouble in the future.

When she and Eric returned to her house, he shifted and changed in the guest bedroom while she did the same in her room. Then he joined her in the kitchen.

“Would you like some wine?” she asked as a way to unwind after the nicest day she'd had in a long time.

“Love some.”

She knew what she was doing. She was thanking him for staying to protect her pack, even when his own place was damaged. She was saying she was willing to consider seeing him further. She'd decided it once she learned he was more concerned about her pack's safety than the condition of his house. Well, and because of how he'd tilted her world on its axis twice at the gathering with the way he kissed and touched her, promising more.

She didn't want Waldron harming Eric if she started seeing him socially. On the other hand, she wasn't about to take any crap from Waldron and bow down to his need to control what she did. As long as Eric thought he could manage the repercussions, she would give him a chance.

She took two wineglasses and he brought the bottle of wine.

“At least none of his people were wandering around your place during the gathering,” Eric said, following her outside to the patio.

“I agree. Maybe they were afraid, with the number of your people and mine, they wouldn't stand a chance of causing a scene.” She lit a fire in the fire pit next to the deck of the hot tub, and as the night air cooled, they gazed at the stars dotting the black sky above.

“I've got to say, this is really nice.” Eric poured them each a glass of wine and then they settled on chaise lounges. “I wasn't expecting this.”

“It's really nice in the winter, and I love it on summer nights like this too. Sometimes I just sit out here and stargaze.”

“As a wolf?”

“Sure. Sometimes. It's really peaceful, no sounds of people intruding. Just nature. I love it.”

“Yet your pack members all have homes scattered throughout the woods. So no one's very far away.”

“True, which is convenient, but the woods make it seem as though I'm all alone out here.” Which in a way she was. “Do you ever wish things had turned out differently and you were the leader of Silver Town's wolf pack?” She still couldn't believe Eric would be truly happy unless he were running a pack. He wasn't even a sub-leader because Darien's own two brothers were.

“Nope.”

She studied his serious expression and thought he was being honest with her. She sipped some of her wine. “Somehow I find that hard to believe.”

“It's true. Just think of it. I get all the excitement and adventure I need being a park ranger. When I'm through with my shift, I can chill out. Unless the pack needs me for something. Otherwise, I can take off when I want to. Darien can deal with all the headaches of running a pack.”

“True.” But she still didn't believe that if given a choice, Eric wouldn't want to jump in and be the one to deal with all the “headaches.”

Eric leaned back in the chair, relaxed, looking perfectly content and sexy in his shorts and muscle shirt, and studied the water in the tub. “What about you? Do you ever wish your life had been simpler? That you were just one of the followers, not the leader responsible for the safety and welfare of your pack?”

“Nope. I'm perfectly happy with what I do.”

“When was the last time you took a real vacation away from here?”

Never, she realized, not that it bothered her. “If I wanted to take one, I would.”

“Now to me, that's hard to believe.”

She smiled. That was true. She didn't feel the need, but she also worried about her people. “When was the last time you took a vacation someplace you've always wanted to go?”

He shook his head.

“So where have you always dreamed of going?”

“Hawaii. Just once I'd like to run through a rain forest as a wolf, disappearing into a world that most can never see. What about you? If you weren't afraid of leaving your pack behind, where would your dream vacation be?”

“Scotland. I'd like to stay in a Scottish castle and run all over the mountains as a wolf.” Pepper leaned back on the chaise lounge. “Eric, are you sure you don't want to go home and guard your place? I really don't believe Waldron or his people are going to hassle us. We'll be fine.”

“Sarandon and my other brothers are taking care of it. CJ, the sheriff, and the other deputy are taking turns watching over it in case someone tries something else. I really don't want to see it right now.”

“You mean because you'd want to retaliate?” She would, if it had been her property.

“Yeah. I'd want to hunt down those responsible and make them pay for all the damage and give them a nice long stay in jail. Wolves don't like confinement. As long as no one's killed because of their actions, I think that would be enough punishment. But in truth, I really was concerned they'd strike here next.”

“Or that they'd at least come to see me. Then you could catch Waldron and interrogate him.”

“Yeah, I've considered that. I imagine if they did something to your property, you wouldn't be chasing them down. You'd be here for your people, ensuring everyone remained safe. Property can be replaced. People's lives can't be.”

“I'd be chasing them down. But if I didn't catch them, I'd return to my people.”

He smiled at her, and she wasn't sure whether he believed her or he admired her for it. Then his phone rang, and he checked the ID. “It's Darien.”

“I can leave and let you take it in privacy.”

“No, wait.” Eric answered the phone. “Yeah, Darien, is this something Pepper should hear?” He nodded to her. “Putting it on speakerphone.”

“I finally reached Waldron's former pack leader, and the news isn't anything that we really wanted to hear,” Darien said. “The pack leader is his brother. He said Waldron and some of the pack left to start anew. Dispersing, like real wolves do so they can establish their own territory and find mates. He said Waldron's a great guy and never caused any trouble for anyone.”

“If Waldron's responsible for setting the fires, in addition to stalking Pepper, I'd say that's all changed,” Eric said. “What if the brother is lying to cover both their backs because he never set Waldron straight or couldn't control him? Maybe Waldron caused problems for the pack, so the leader made him leave—and several of his buddies too.”

“It's possible. Or possibly he wasn't trouble under his brother's leadership, but once he got some power under his belt and some followers, he let it all go to his head. The problem is, without knowing of any crimes he committed where he's from, we really have no case against him.”

“Unless we can prove he committed arson,” Pepper said.

She knew they didn't expect her to be part of this. But the Silver pack had endured all this because of her reluctance to see Waldron. Now that they had pledged their support to her and her pack, she was pledging her support right back. She might not have the numbers or a bunch of alpha males like they did, but she and her pack members would offer all the support they could.

“If we can prove it,” Darien said.

Pepper told Darien she and Eric hadn't found any evidence to indicate Waldron or any of his people had been there while the celebration was going on. “I really don't believe they'll bother us now. Thanks for the news, Darien. I'm calling it a night.” She wanted to give Eric some privacy so he could speak to Darien if he needed to.

Eric said good night to her, staying on the patio to talk to Darien. She thought Eric looked a little disappointed that Darien had interrupted their visit and now she was going to bed. But she was tired and this was the perfect way to end the night before she did anything she would regret in the morning.

Eric took a shower in the guest bathroom, dried off, then started to shift, his muscles stretching and warmth filling every cell until his paws hit the floor. He headed out to the back deck and lay down beside the tub. For a long time, he just stared out at the woods, listening to the breeze ruffle the oak leaves and pine branches, searching for any sound that indicated wolves or humans might be moving about. Though he suspected that if Waldron and his people were around, they'd be running as wolves.

As a wolf, Eric was perfectly comfortable in his wolf coat during the cooler nighttime temperatures, and he'd rather be here like this, listening for sounds of trouble, than sleeping inside on Pepper's guest bed, which would require her to change the sheets after he went home. He only wanted to be here to help, not make more work for her.

He didn't get much sleep, because every sound made him raise his head to check it out. He took seven wolf runs during the night and was just coming in from the last one when he saw Pepper standing on the porch in jeans and a sweatshirt, her arms folded across her chest as she frowned at him.

“Did you get
any
sleep? You didn't even use the guest bed last night. I didn't mean for you to prowl the forest all night long. Come in and get dressed, and I'll fix us some breakfast.” She turned on her heel and went back inside, leaving the door open for him.

Eric woofed at her in greeting, amused she'd scold him. He was glad he could help and hoped that because of it, she'd had a good night's sleep. She looked tired though. He hoped she hadn't come looking for him half the night and worried he'd gotten himself into trouble.

When he joined her in the kitchen, she was making waffles and sausages, the smell of pork and maple syrup scenting the room. “Do you like waffles? I should have asked first.”

“Anything is good. Thanks for making them. What can I do to help?”

“Nothing, really. Just sit down and relax. Thanks for taking care of things, but I really didn't mean for you to run all night long.”

“Just checking out sounds.” He frowned at her as he took a seat at the kitchen counter. “I didn't keep you up, did I?”

She pursed her mouth a bit.

“Sorry. I really had to check out anything I heard, or I wouldn't have been doing my job.”

“Did you see any sign of Waldron or his wolves?”

“No. I can't understand it either.”

“Maybe that's his ploy.” Pepper served the waffles and sausages and brought over containers of maple syrup and butter.

“How so?”

“He's backing off with me. Maybe focusing his attention on you. Or maybe he realizes that attacking you—through the arson business and whatnot—has pushed me into making friends with you and your pack for protection. So he sees his actions are backfiring. He probably didn't realize you belong to a large pack and run a whole town. Or that your cousin is the pack leader.”

“That's certainly possible.” Eric cut into a waffle and took a bite. “I haven't had waffles in eons. And with chocolate chips? Even better. Just the way I like them. So thanks.”

“After running most of the night, you need more than that. But I hadn't figured on having a guest for breakfast so I didn't have anything else to fix.”

“These are great. And just for your information, I wasn't alone. I had company almost every time I went out.”

“You're kidding.”

“Nope. Susan ran with me once. Richard went out with me twice. A couple of other male wolves from your pack went with me at other times. And another she-wolf joined in on the fun one last time.” He had wondered if they thought to get to know him, to show they supported his actions and let him know he was appreciated. He really hadn't expected all the camaraderie.

Pepper just laughed. “Well, good to know you had company. Even so, I imagine you didn't get much sleep.”

“Sounds like you barely got any either.” Eric's cell phone rang, and he answered the call.

“Have you had any trouble there?” Darien asked.

“No, it's been quiet here, Darien,” Eric said to let Pepper know who was calling.

“Okay, well, you're not going to believe this, but Waldron called and said he'd heard about the trouble we'd had in town. He wanted to know if he could do anything to help us out.”

“You're kidding. Mind if I put this on speakerphone so Pepper can listen in?”

“No, go ahead.”

“Okay, thanks.” Eric put the call on speakerphone.

Darien said, “Good morning, Pepper.” He repeated what he had told Eric, and even hearing it twice, Eric couldn't believe it.

“You're kidding,” she said, parroting Eric's response.

“We suspect he didn't realize we ran the whole town until
after
they set fire to a few places. Not a well-thought-out move on their part. Because the Fairhaven boys have been spying on you and Eric, I imagine someone would have informed Waldron of the get-together.”

“And now he's backing off. Maybe he'll just leave,” Pepper said.

“Hold on. My psychologist wife just finished feeding the kids and has something to say.”

“Hi, Pepper? It's Lelandi. I've given it a great deal of thought, and I don't believe Waldron will leave. If he wanted to, he would have already left with his people. The fact he's sticking around and trying to make belated amends? That indicates to me he still intends to court you.”

“So in your expert opinion, what would be the best course of action?” Pepper asked.

“Well, it's hard to say how he would respond, but if I were you, I'd begin courting another wolf.”

Pepper's gaze immediately shot to Eric, who sure liked Lelandi's psychology training right about now.

“He can be one from another pack or even one within your own pack. Show Waldron he's already lost out. It might backfire though, and he might take the other wolf on. That's always a hazard of dealing with an alpha male who wants something others don't want him to have. But that's what I'd do,” Lelandi continued.

“I wouldn't want to put any of my own wolves in jeopardy, since they're betas and couldn't deal with an aggressive wolf like him, and”—Pepper looked Eric in the eye—“I don't want to involve any wolf from another pack that would have to face the consequences either.”

“All right. It was just an idea.”

Still, Eric aimed to prove to Pepper he would do it, even if nothing came of a relationship between them, just to send Waldron the message he'd lost out. If it ended up in a wolf fight, Eric was ready for him.

“So if I don't court another wolf, do you think now that he's tried to make some amends, he'll leave Eric alone? Not try to drum up some scandal to make him lose his job?”

“There's really no telling. If Waldron thinks it will have a negative impact on how you view him, maybe not. But if he feels Eric still represents a threat to Waldron getting his own way, maybe.”

Pepper tensed. “Well, I'm not courting any wolf.”

“Then he will probably still try to win you over and leave us alone. At least, that's what I would do if I were him. But I'm not him, and like I said, there's really no telling. We were totally surprised when he came with a peace offering this morning.”

“Did he offer to pay for all the damages?” Eric asked. He would love it if Waldron and his men got jail time too, but if they'd pay for the damages to the three buildings, he could live with it.

“He won't admit his people did any of it. But he did say he'd help us rebuild. Some of his people are carpenters,” Darien answered. “There's no way in hell that he would offer to help out if his people didn't do it,” Eric said.

“I agree. But he says because of the bad blood between you and him, he was certain we would automatically assume he had his people do it. He apologized for biting you too.”

“And you said?” Eric was angry with the way Waldron was trying to make himself out to be the good guy when Eric knew damn well the wolf was responsible for the fires.

“I declined his help, saying we only wanted the persons responsible to pay for all the damages, and we wouldn't press charges if this ended here and now.”

“That's agreeable to me.”

“Did you want a personal apology from Waldron?” Darien asked.

“No. We both know why he attacked me. If he attacks me again, there won't be any need for an apology.”

Pepper let out her breath, and Eric ran his hand over hers, telling her he wasn't stepping out of her life unless she really wanted him to. He certainly wouldn't do so, even if he believed Waldron would refrain from doing more to him or his property.

“Sarandon said you'd be staying with him while the renovations on your house are going on. Now that Waldron says there are no more issues between you and him, I'd say it's safe for you to go back to work if you want,” Darien said.

“Yeah.” Eric sighed. “I guess it's early enough that I can finish breakfast here, head to Sarandon's place, and then run in to do my job. At least I can save my leave days for something more important.” Like if Pepper needed his assistance again.

“All right,” Darien said. “If you have any inkling of trouble, you let us know.”

“Will do.”

Eric and Pepper said good-bye to Darien and Lelandi, then finished their breakfast.

“So what are your plans?” Eric asked Pepper as he helped clear the dishes.

“I hate to say.”

He frowned at her.

She shrugged, smiling just a little. “All your running about kept
me
up. After cleaning up and seeing you off, I'm going back to bed.”

He chuckled, then pulled her into his arms and said, “You know what Lelandi said had some merit.”

“The part about me pretending to court a wolf? And then putting said wolf into a world of danger?”

“I like living dangerously. Why do you think I carried Susan to your campsite when she was injured, knowing your wolves weren't happy with me doing so? Or why I didn't kill the wolf who bit me when it would have been better for my own welfare to do so and not tuck tail and run.”

“You didn't tuck tail and run. Your tail was alpha straight behind you. And this?” she said, her hands on his chest. “Must be some of how you like to live dangerously.”

“Not that, but this.” He leaned down to kiss her, her hands still between them, but nothing stopped his lips from claiming hers. Not in a soft and sweet way either, but in one that said he wanted to be courting her, pretend or otherwise. If he courted her for pretend, he was certain something more would develop between them. But this was definitely the first step.

Her hands never left his chest, and she seemed reluctant to go further, but her heartbeat, her mouth against his, and her scent said all he wanted to know.

She loved this, and if she could get over feeling like her world would end if she let an alpha male wolf into her life, maybe he could be the one to help her through it.

“Got to go,” he said, wishing he could go to bed too—with her.

* * *

When Pepper said good-bye to Eric, she actually hated to see him go. She'd felt his heart beating rapidly beneath her palms, the heat singeing her, the way his mouth pressed against hers and asked for more. But she didn't want to make him late for work and get him in trouble, as much as she wished she could have had him stay.

She was tired and wanted to go back to bed, but she couldn't. Not when she needed to alert everyone to what was going on with Waldron and his pack. After she called everyone for a pack meeting to let them know the news, Susan and Richard hung around to talk with her further about it.

“Do you think he's going to honor his word?” Richard asked, taking a seat on the sofa in the den.

“Nope. I sure don't. Not after what they did. Well, maybe for a while, worried that the Silver pack will destroy them. They'd have the power and the reason to do so.” Pepper served them fresh cups of coffee.

“I don't trust Waldron,” Susan said. “And I think Lelandi's suggestion is a sound one. She's got the training to understand people better than anyone.”

Richard agreed. “If Eric is willing to court you on a pretend basis, that will force Waldron to do something—either leave or show his true nature.”

“Are you kidding? No way do I want a wolf from another pack to put himself in harm's way just so Waldron will leave us alone.”

“Even if the wolf is willing? Eager?” Susan was practically sitting on the edge of her seat, ready to cheer Eric on.

“For what reason? To prove himself to the pack? To me? And for what benefit to him? There is absolutely no way I would do that to any wolf, even if he is alpha to the max and willing to take Waldron on.”

Richard finished his cup of coffee and leaned back on the couch. “We could pay him to offer his protection.”

“No.”

“What good is there in having a trained psychologist offer advice if you're not going to take it?” Susan asked, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

“Lelandi might be a psychologist, but that doesn't mean she knows exactly how Waldron or his people would react if I pretended to court Eric. It doesn't mean they'll go away. And it could mean they'd kill him. So no.”

“Pepper,” Susan said, “for seven years you've allowed yourself to believe it was your fault Harold died.”

Richard nodded, looking sympathetic.

“And whose fault was it, if not mine?”

“The wolf who killed him,” both Susan and Richard said vehemently, only Susan added, “Damn it! And you can't keep taking the blame for it. Harold loved you. You loved him. An alpha wolf wanted what Harold had and killed him for it. And you killed the wolf. But you can't believe it was your fault. Any of it.”

“If I hadn't mated Harold…”