Wolf Hills (14 page)

Sally bristled at the woman’s tone but decided to be polite and just ignore her. She began to eat, pretending not to notice the cold stare Jason sent Serena until she backed down and looked away. Some Alpha bitch, Sally thought carefully to herself. Serena tucked tail and ran at the first sign of Jason’s disapproval. Ha.

The meal progressed quickly, the wolves…well…wolfing their food down with gusto while she picked daintily at the salad and vegetables she’d chosen along with a small portion of roasted chicken. Josepha made polite conversation and even inquired about Carly and Dmitri in a gracious way that didn’t send up any alarms in Sally’s mind. She was careful to only talk about generalities where Carly was concerned until she knew for certain what kind of information, if leaked, could be detrimental to her friends. She’d do anything to protect Carly, and now, by extension, her new husband.

Serena kept quiet after that initial salvo. Kathy sat at a table a few yards away with her baby and did her best to blend in. She had to be one of the more subordinate Pack members, if Sally guessed correctly about their internal hierarchy.

Jason was attentive and jovial once Serena began behaving herself. Between him and Josepha, the meal passed quickly. A few of the men came over to talk to Jason in hushed tones about business matters. Jason introduced her each time and the men were respectful, though one or two of them seemed nonplussed to find a human at their Alpha’s side.

A few knowing looks thrown her way put her in no doubt that the wolves could smell sex on both of them, but nobody was ill mannered enough to mention it. A raised eyebrow here and there was the only fallout, thank goodness.

When the meal was over, Sally stood to help the others bus the empty plates into the kitchen. Jason tried to intervene, but it was only polite to assist after partaking of such a nice meal. Plus, she felt the need to stretch. Her leg muscles weren’t quite used to the exercise they’d gotten earlier and walking would help the stiffness that had begun to set in.

Sally also wanted to get a close-up look at the kitchen. Once she stepped inside, she realized it really was as awesome as she’d thought. Most of the wolves just dropped their dishes in the sink and walked out again. Sally stayed, stacking the giant dishwasher, glad for an excuse to examine the finer details of the beautifully equipped kitchen.

Cooking was one of her few hobbies and this kind of kitchen was an unattainable dream for a woman who lived in a small apartment. Especially on a cop’s salary. The stainless steel appliances made her mouth water, as did the industrial-sized ovens, range and grill. She could spend some quality time in here. Oh, yeah.

When she looked up from stacking the dishes, she realized she was alone. Except for Serena. The wolf bitch stood off to one side, tapping blood-red fingernails that were long enough to look like claws against her folded arms as if waiting impatiently for an opening. Sally rolled her eyes, not looking forward to the confrontation, but knowing it couldn’t be avoided. If this woman was going to pose a problem, it was better to get it out in the open and handle it now than to let it fester.

“You’d better watch yourself, human. Jason is spoken for.” The bitch crowded Sally against the counter.

Sally had heard enough. Hip-checking the taller woman away, she gained some space between herself and the kitchen island. She had enough room to maneuver should this turn ugly.

“First of all, he doesn’t act like a man who’s taken. Second, I seriously doubt he has any interest in you. And third, it really doesn’t matter since I’m only here on vacation. In two weeks, I’ll be out of your hair and you can resume whatever it is you think you have going on.
Comprende
?”

The bitch growled at her, and it wasn’t anything like the deep, warm, sexy growls Jason had given her when they were intimate. No, this was almost a whine mixed with pure rage and aggression. Serena stepped forward menacingly, one hand upraised as if to strike. It was a human hand, with those red painted, manicured claws. No doubt, she could do some damage with those, even in her human form.

Sally didn’t back down. It wouldn’t do to show fear in the face of bullying.

“Threaten me again,” Sally said with bravado, “and I’ll break your arm.” Inwardly, she was gauging relative strength, wondering if she had enough leverage, speed, and skill to follow through on her threat. None of that showed on her face though. She was careful to keep her war face on, even as she ran through the various scenarios in her mind.

If she had been facing a human opponent, there would have been no doubt at all about her ability to handle the situation. Werewolves were something new. Something she hadn’t dealt with before. Creatures whose natural senses rivaled and surpassed her own. Sally was used to having the upper hand because of her sharpened sense of smell, hearing, eyesight, and agility. If Jason was anything to go by, werewolves were even better. Sally would have to compensate some way. If nothing else, she had more experience in confrontations both armed and unarmed than almost anyone she knew. And that included most of her brethren on the force.

“You and what army? Don’t make threats you can’t follow through on. You really expect me to believe a skinny little human like you could take on a full-grown Alpha bitch and come out on top?”

Serena made her move even before the last word was out of her mouth, but Sally was ready. She sidestepped the attack, using the other woman’s momentum against her. Sally caught Serena’s forearm as she stumbled past her, and redirected the flow of energy and movement, using her other hand to grip Serena’s upper arm and force the woman downward, into a position where Sally could easily break her arm.

The wolf bitch snarled up at her, well and truly caught. Sally had learned something. Even a werewolf couldn’t get out of this hold easily. Especially one that was both surprised and enraged at being bested by a human.

“Simmer down and I’ll release you,” Sally cautioned, holding tight to the woman’s arm. Both of them knew just how vulnerable Serena was at the moment. “And as a bonus, I won’t break your arm—even though we both know how easily I could shatter your elbow right now. Somehow I don’t think even shifting would heal that. But you called me skinny, so I’m feeling generous. Just don’t push me too far.”

Serena growled in frustration this time, taking a moment to calm herself.

“I relent,” she spit out finally. The word was so formal and spoken with such simmering hatred, Sally believed it was genuine.

Easing her grip on the woman’s arm, Sally stepped back and let her go. Serena straightened immediately and stormed out of the room, past the astonished faces of Kathy and Josepha and the hardened mask of disapproval on Jason’s normally friendly visage.

Damn. All three of them had been watching from the doorway. They must have come in sometime during the middle of the confrontation, when Sally’s attention was focused solely on her opponent. It was bad form to allow someone—much less three individuals—to sneak up on you during a fight, but Sally cut herself some slack considering they were werewolves and had the ability to move silently.

She was somewhat embarrassed they had seen the altercation. She had wanted to settle things quietly between Serena and herself. There was no reason to embarrass the woman in front of her Pack. She might be a bitch, but all she’d done was growl. She hadn’t managed to actually lay a finger on Sally, so it wasn’t really a big deal. The audience probably made it into one, at least for Serena. Sally would have spared her that, if possible. It was no fun at all to be a laughingstock, or to lose face in front of your peers.

“I apologize on behalf of the Pack for her behavior,” Josepha was quick to say. “You’re our guest. She should not have pushed a challenge tonight. It’s not polite.”

“It’s all right,” Sally assured her. “I’ve dealt with worse than her.”
But not often
, she added silently to herself.

“You acquitted yourself well.” Josepha was hard pressed to hide the surprise in her tone. Sally could almost hear the unspoken
for a human
, tacked on the end of her statement. Sally tried not to let it irritate her. The wolves were clearly unused to having a human in their midst. Especially not a woman who’d just had sex in the office with their beloved Alpha.

“I should be getting you back to the Master’s house.” Jason stepped in to save her from answering.

The women said their goodbyes and took over the mop-up in the kitchen. Jason led her back through the house on a different route than they’d come in. They passed through a big living room where a familiar teenager was sitting on the couch with one leg elevated on a bunch of pillows.

“How are you feeling, Colleen?” Sally asked as they passed.

The girl’s eyes widened and she got to her feet unsteadily. Jason stopped, allowing the girl time to say what she so obviously wanted to say.

“I’ll be okay. I wanted to thank you, Detective, for helping me get away. You walked into serious danger in my place and I owe you a debt.”

The words and the girl’s tone were so serious it made Sally uncomfortable.

“It’s my job, kid.” She tried to keep her response easy and nonchalant. “I’m just glad I was in the right place at the right time to be able to help.”

Colleen responded by touching her arm and moving close for a small hug. It hit home in that moment just how young the girl really was. She may be almost as tall as Sally, but she was more than a decade younger, in that tricky time of life where you weren’t quite a child but not quite an adult yet either. Sally returned the hug, putting her arms loosely around the girl’s shoulders. She looked up at Jason for guidance, a little surprised that Colleen would turn to her—a relative stranger—for comfort. Jason only nodded, approval in his gaze as he patted Colleen’s shoulder.

Sally realized something in that instant. These people were also wolves. No doubt, physical contact meant a great deal in their society. From what little she knew of dogs and wolf Pack behavior, touching was a form of communication that was vital in their society. By giving a youngster a hug of reassurance, the stronger, more dominant members of the Pack surrounded the traumatized teen with their strength and unspoken promise of protection.

Sally was both surprised and honored to be part of that behavior. Colleen stood between her and Jason, no doubt feeling enclosed by his height even though he was at least a foot away from the teen. His presence was undeniable. And his hand on her shoulder was a silent indicator of his support. Sally understood the fear and pain the girl had been through. She’d been shot, for goodness’ sake. Only her shifter heritage allowed her to walk away without serious physical injury. Emotionally, the teenager still had to deal with the trauma of strangers in the woods with rifles, trying to kill her. Or maybe worse—capture her.

Colleen had been the victim of a violent crime. It would take time for her to heal on all levels and Sally knew that the internal emotional scars were often the hardest to deal with. It said something for the youngster that she was still able to reach out to a stranger.

When the girl’s trembling had eased, she stepped back, out of the hug. “I’ll never forget what you did for me.”

Sally brushed Colleen’s hair out of her eyes. “That’s all right. Just promise me you’ll be more careful from now on. It was in no way your fault that those idiots were out there, but everyone has some responsibility for their own safety. Idiots exist. We all have to be vigilant to protect ourselves from them. Even strong people like you can get into trouble if you aren’t aware of your surroundings and the dangers that might be nearby.”

Colleen looked surprised by the advice coming from a human, but nodded seriously. “I wasn't smart about where I was going,” she admitted. “I won’t let it happen again.”

“Good.” Sally stepped away from the girl, dropping her hand to her side. Colleen looked as if she were finding her own strength once more. Sally was glad.

As the teen hobbled back to the couch with Jason’s assistance, Sally noticed a man and woman watching from the background that she hadn’t noticed before. Sally nodded to them cautiously, wanting to be polite and acknowledge their presence. Seeing that they’d been spotted, the woman led the way over to Sally, reaching out her hand. Sally took the offered hand but was a little confused by it until the woman started speaking.

“I’m Colleen’s mum, Laura and this is her pa, Jacob. Thank you for helping the Alpha get her to safety.”

Now Sally understood. She’d dealt with parents a time or two in her work. It was good to be able to give them good news whenever possible. The alternative was always heart wrenching for all concerned.

“I’m just glad I was there and able to help,” Sally replied quietly. She had always been a little uneasy with expressions of gratitude. She’d just been doing her job. Doing the job well and helping to protect innocent people was satisfaction enough for her.

Jacob moved closer and took her hand when his wife released it. His grip was strong and his gaze was direct.

“We’ve already spoken to Colleen about going out alone. We’re grateful beyond words that you and the Alpha were there to save her from worse injury.” Unspoken was the knowledge she saw in his eyes that his little girl could easily have been killed or captured by those jerks in the woods.

Colleen had been in real danger and only Jason’s protective instincts that prodded him to check on the cougar’s report of hunters in the area had put Sally and him in the right place at the right time. Jason was the real hero here. He was the Alpha who put his Pack’s welfare above his own plans. A lesser man would have gone on with his afternoon of seduction and let the reports of possible danger slide until he was done with his personal desires and had spare time to check. Or not check at all and wait until someone was hurt or killed to act.