Wolf Women (The Madison Wolves Book 10) (3 page)

"Not as fast."

"Come on." I took her arm and pulled her outside and down the steps. "Take us somewhere we can sit and talk where I won't get too dirty."

We shifted grips. She took my arm, adjusted her hold, and then we were running. She was right. It wasn't as fast as with two. But it was a lot faster than I could run.

I laughed with the joy.

She took me deep into the woods, finding a fallen tree. We came to a stop, and she made a show of brushing it off for me. Then we sat, and I immediately took her hands.

"Well," I said. "Monique, I am older than your mother."

"No you're not," she said. "You're barely forty. My mother is fifty-one."

"She looks thirty-five!"

"She's a wolf. We mature fast but then age slowly."

"Oh. Someone else said something about that to me, too. How old is Portia?"

"Older than you," she said. "You'll have to ask her."

"Elisabeth?"

"Older than you."

"Lara?"

"Older than you."

"Michaela?"

She paused. "No comment."

"You're a brat."

"I know." She looked away. "I'm being stupid. I know I'm being stupid. I'm just a kid. I know."

"You thought I would wait?"

"I don't know. Maybe hoped. That's stupid, too."

"Honey, compared to you, I'm old. And wrinkled."

"You aren't wrinkled."

"You haven't seen me naked."

She didn't respond to that.

"Tell me, does Prudence look like a typical 90-year-old wolf?"

"No. She looks perhaps sixty-five."

"I would have guessed late forties, if even that. What is a wolf life expectancy?"

"If we don't die violently, then about one-twenty-five," she said. "Sometimes older."

"All right. I want you to think about something. Let's say I waited."

"You're mated."

"Let's say I wasn't. I waited until you're twenty-one."

"I'm an adult in three months."

"Not to my human eyes, Monique. And even at eighteen, you're a kid. Twenty-one and out of college, or it is just so amazingly creepy I can't begin to tell you."

"Fine. Twenty-one. That's not so long."

"No, not so long. So, you would be twenty one, and I would be." I sighed. "Fifty."

"Okay."

"A human at fifty is starting to fail. Knees going bad. Grey hair. Menopause."

She didn't say anything.

"Average life expectancy for a human who made it this far and is relatively healthy and takes care of herself is 80 or so. 95 is uncommon. Let's use 80. At 80, I am going to die. You are only 51 and still healthy with 75 years in front of you, more than half your life remaining. Do you know what it would do to me to leave you behind, Monique? I would die of a broken heart, knowing I was deserting you while you still needed me."

She turned towards me, and there were tears in her eyes.

"I don't want to think about you dying," she said.

"I don't want to think about you being lonely," I added.

She nodded, then she hung her head. "It's worse."

"Oh?"

"I am a dominant wolf. I would want to be able to support my mate properly. I won't be able to do that for a while. I can't ask you at fifty to live in a tiny apartment in the barracks. But it hurts, Zoe."

"I know it does, honey," I said. "So we're going to think about it differently."

"We are?"

"Honey, you are one of my dearest friends. I have human friends, but not that many. They are acquaintances more than friends. Most people think I'm a crackpot, and they sort of edge away from me. I can't help but share my views, after all. But you're a dear, dear friend. You matter to me a great deal."

"I do?"

I nodded. "You helped me fit in. We're scuba partners! You watch out for me. You help me. Monique, we're
friends
."

"Best friends?"

"I don't use that phrase, because it excludes others. We are dear, dear friends. That's better, because you can have Portia as a dear, dear friend, too, can't you? And you can also have dear, dear friends close to your age, and no one feels bad because she's not your best friend."

"That's smart," she said. She smiled. It was weak, but it was a smile.

"Monique, I need friends. I'm kind of alone here. It would kill me if we couldn't be proper friends."

Her smile grew slightly.

"Now, I'm going to tell you a few more things, and you are going to listen to me, because while you might be the enforcer and a dominant wolf besides, I am old enough to be your mother, and I know things. Are you listening?"

"I'm listening."

"To my eyes, you are beautiful. Stunning. Amazing. I keep using the same words. I use the same words about you that I use about Portia and Elisabeth and Karen and Scarlett and Angel. You are unbelievable, and you are only going to grow more so."

"I'm not pretty."

"None of you wolves are thin waifs or anime characters," I said. "But you are beautiful and stunning, both like this and in your fur. Oh my god, I can't stop looking at all of you in your fur." I reached out and caressed her cheek. "But like this, you are beautiful."

"I'm not."

"You are! I know you don't believe me, maybe because the kids in your old school weren't nice. But kids that age are stupid, frightfully stupid, and they attack anyone who is different."

She looked away, but I pulled her back to face me.

"And you are also exceedingly kind and a whole lot smarter than you think you are. You are strong and brave and a damned good person. Everyone, and I mean everyone likes you. Everyone admires you. Monique, the alphas just taught you the instant shift. They haven't taught anyone on the council, have they?"

"No."

"They haven't taught Eric or Rory, either. They just taught Portia the same time they taught you. They haven't taught any of the other enforcer students, and you know what? I don't think they're going to. But they taught you. Do you know why?"

She shook her head.

"Because you are just that amazing. They trust you. They trust all the enforcers, but they trust you more than the others. They trust you will do the right thing. They trust you will use this skill to protect the pack, to protect Michaela and Rebecca and Celeste."

"And you."

"Yes, and me. And you know what else? All the kids in the science program are jealous, but they all admire you. Every single one. I won't say you could ask just any of them out, and he or she would say 'yes', but I promise you some of them would."

"Why don't they ask? They never invite me to anything."

"Because, honey, you are an
enforcer
. You don't get invited. You do the inviting."

She stared. "Oh shit."

"Yeah. Oh shit."

She stared for a while, then brushed the tears from her eyes, but she smiled. "Am I really pretty?"

"No. You're beautiful. They aren't the same thing. Pretty is just on the skin, and while you have perfect skin, you aren't pretty. Beauty is deeper. A woman can be pretty, but if she is ugly on the inside, then once you get to know her, she is also ugly on the outside. You are beautiful. You are radiant. And you are very, very important to me, and to the alphas and the other enforcers."

She sat there, and I imagined she was quite overwhelmed with her own emotions.

"I have a few more things to say, and I know you have to let this settle in. First, we are friends, right?"

"Dear friends."

"Dear, dear friends. And you are also friends with Portia, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Good. And so, I want you in my life, and I want to be in yours."

She smiled.

"I want to ask you something. I don't know how often I'm going to need protection."

"Whenever we leave Madison," she said. "Even Bayfield, although not on pack lands up there, and not as much as when we go anywhere else."

"I would never tell Elisabeth whom to assign, but if I make requests, she'll at least listen. If I request you, is that okay? I know you wanted to be on Michaela's team."

"I'd love to take care of you, Zoe."

"Good. Then I will make sure Elisabeth and Portia know how I feel. Two more things. You're fifteen. You're old enough to date. You're not old enough to become mated."

"Scarlett and Angel were only a little older."

"Yes, but you just learned a great deal about yourself you didn't know, and you need time to get used to it. It would be very easy for you to become mated to the first person you ask out. That is too soon. You need to date. They both dated a little before. Do you understand?"

"I guess."

"So I want you to think about going on very casual dates with a variety of people. Do you only like girls?"

"I like boys, too, I guess." She paused. "I like watching Eric work out."

"Oh honey," I said laughing. "Even I like watching Eric work out." We laughed together.

"I should date kids near my age," she said. "And I should do other things with them, too."

"There may be a few jerks in the science program, but if there are, I haven't seen it. They would be happy to include you, but you'll have to start it first."

She nodded.

"And so, I am going to also say one more thing. I need to talk to Portia, but she'll agree. We are going to start having movie nights at our house. I don't know when or how often. And I want you to come and bring a date. I expect to see a different date each time."

She smiled. "I'll come."

"Good. I'll let you know when." Then I leaned forward and hugged her. "Better?"

She nodded. "Thank you, Zoe." She paused. "Congratulations."

"Thank you."

She grinned. "Is she good in bed?"

"She's amazing in bed," I said. "And on the sofa. And in the shower. And she was eyeing the countertop this morning, but we had to go."

Monique laughed.

"So, who are you going to ask out first?"

"Cassie. Or maybe Sebastian. No, I think Cassie. Zoe, if I decide to only ask girls, is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay. If you want to talk about it some more, we can, but we should get back."

She popped to her feet, pulling me up after her. "Run?"

"How far are we?"

"About a mile."

"Run us halfway back, but I want us to walk from there."

I could get used to being tugged around. I really could.

When we got back, Monique peeled off, heading straight for a group of the teenagers. "May I join you?"

"Sure," said Valeria, making room. "But I think we're all leaving soon."

Monique plopped down, and then I saw Valeria offering a one-armed hug, and I decided she was going to be just fine.

Later, I saw Monique speaking to Cassiopeia, and I heard Cassie say, "Really? Monique, I'd love to!" And the two hugged.

I almost cried at those words, and then Michaela caught my eye and nodded to me.

But that was later.

I went in search of my mate, then stopped. My mate. I had a mate. I had a werewolf for a mate. I had a big, strong, dominant, protective werewolf who was going to devote her life to my happiness. For a mate.

My mate.

My mate.

I stood there, unable to get past it.

"There she is," Lara said. I turned and found myself approached by half the pack leadership. "Ready?"

"Ready for what?"

"To move you," she said. "Really, Zoe, keep up." She grinned when she said it.

"Don't pick on her," Michaela said. "That's my job."

"Don't be greedy," said Angel. "It's all our jobs. You have to share her."

Portia stepped up beside me, putting her arm around me. I leaned against her. "I'll share her for teasing," she said. "But only because you're all my friends."

"Don't think you're getting off," Lara said. "I never would have guessed you for a howler." But before I could say something smart, she turned to me. "You must be really good."

"I am," I said even as I blushed.

Portia kissed the top of my head.

Then Michaela clapped her hands. "All right. Anyone helping Zoe move, outside." She literally began pushing people out the door, which was quite funny to watch.

Especially as she emptied out the entire house.

"All right," Michaela said, looking around. "Head enforcer, do you care about the arrangements?"

"As long as Serena is with you," Elisabeth said, "I'm happy. The kids are staying here, I presume, and Nora and Emanuel have them in hand."

"Yes," said Serena. "Emanuel took them all to our house for some game, and they'll go swimming later."

Michaela looked around. "If everyone is going, we need the limo, too. Serena, send someone for it."

"Angel and Scarlett, go get it," Serena said, and the two took off to return in just a couple of minutes with Scarlett driving.

"In the limo, Lara and me, Portia and Zoe. I guess Angel and Scarlett up front, Serena with me, and one more." She looked around. "Monique, I need you with some of the kids. Kaylee, would you care to join us?"

"Sure!" the girl said.

"After that," Michaela said, "I don't care. Enforcers grab a car. People climb in. Let's see if we're good, or if we need more cars."

"Everyone is going? I have like ten things."

"Then we can haul it all in and out a few times," Michaela said with a grin. "And not everyone is going. Francesca grabbed some kids to help with the picnic preparations tonight."

It took another fifteen minutes, but everyone got settled, and soon we had a huge convoy heading into town.

Once we were away, Michaela said, "I know we only needed about four, but welcome to the pack, Zoe. This is important to them."

"It's very sweet," I said.

Michaela continued to organize when we arrived. Someone else was moving, too, in or out, I couldn't tell, as there was a large delivery truck near the front door. But then Eric and Rory climbed out of it, and I knew it was for my things. I'd barely fill a quarter of it.

We all piled into my apartment, but Michaela immediately said, "Eric and Rory, take a small crew back to the truck. We'll deliver things to you, and you will fill it. Take a few extras to come back with boxes."

They called out some names, and about eight people left. Then Michaela looked around. "All right. We need a small team to assemble boxes. Hands."

Ember and Dawson were fastest, so she assigned them. "If you can't keep up with demand, recruit help," she said. "Do you know how to make the boxes?"

They didn't, but Kimbriella stepped forward. "I do. Three of us will be enough. I'll show them."

"Perfect," Michaela said. "Don't get too far ahead of demand; we don't know how many we'll need."

Just then two wolves came in carrying a bundle of boxes, still flat, and a third wolf with a couple of tape dispensers and other tools.

"Perfect," Michaela said. "Monique. Where are you? And Kaylee."

"Here," said Monique.

"Monique, grab Kaylee and two more wolves. Pack Zoe's clothes. Kaylee has the best handwriting, so she can label the boxes. Be careful of the contents of her dresser, and use girls."

"Iris and Lindsey, will you help?" Monique asked. "Bring four boxes as soon as they're ready."

"Connor," Michaela said. "We need all the small things in this room packed, and then there is furniture to haul. Pick three people to help you."

"Cornelius, Dawson, and... Cassie."

"Good. My mate," said Michaela. "Artwork. Hmm. We need the rest of the packing materials. And there are narrow boxes for the framed photos."

"I'll get them!" Nash said. "Come on, Sebastian."

"Angel and Scarlett-" Lara started to say.

"No," Michaela said. "Angel and Scarlett, the bathroom."

"Portia and Karen," Lara said. "Artwork."

And like that, Michaela and I were left. She grinned at me.

"How did you organize all this so fast?"

"Lara owns an interest in a trucking company. She keeps trying to unload it, but so far, it's been problematic. It was one call, and they had everything ready and a truck Eric can drive long before he and Rory arrived. Now, I guess that leaves you and me for the kitchen, but we'll get more help as they finish what they're doing."

* * * *

An hour later, everything I owned was in the moving truck, and we watched it drive off.

An hour after that everything was in Portia's house. Michaela dismissed most of the wolves, but we kept enough to move things around. My clothes and toiletries got unpacked. She and Portia discussed where to put my few pieces of furniture. Most of my kitchen items went into storage, but I had a few things Portia didn't have, so we rescued those first. The artwork went up on the walls, but I knew I'd be moving it.

And then we were done.

I couldn't believe it.

Lara, Elisabeth and Serena then approached Portia. "Enforcer," Elisabeth said. "You have from now until Wednesday off, but we need you again beginning on Thursday."

"Thank you, Head Enforcer," Portia said. She glanced over at me and smiled.

"You may stay here, of course, but the house in Bayfield is there if you want to get away."

Portia looked at me. "I want to organize our home," I said.

"Then that is what we'll do," she said.

"All right," said Michaela. "You haven't had each other for hours, so we'll leave you alone. We'll see you in a few hours."

They were barely gone before Portia began chasing me all over the house. Every time she caught me, she tickled me terribly, then she let me get away again.

I spent the entire time shrieking with laughter.

I felt like a little girl.

It felt amazing.

* * * *

"I think I'm bloated," I said.

Michaela laughed. "Francesca outdid herself. And did you notice? The aloo gobi disappeared."

"I did notice. Did someone throw it away?"

"No!" she said.

A couple of kids came by and collected plates. We sat in our chairs for a while. Lara and Michaela cuddled on a double chair. Portia and I were side-by-side in solo chairs, holding hands.

I was still so overwhelmed, and amazingly happy.

Finally Michaela stood up. "We're going to play some games later. But for now, I need you to come with me." She took my hands and pulled me up, and then she linked arms with me. Then we wandered through the assembled wolves, and she collected Michele Lassiter and a female wolf I didn't know.

The four of us headed for her house. On arrival, she said firmly, "Everyone outside." She cocked her head, and then there was scampering from upstairs. Iris and Lindsey appeared and headed outside.

"What were they doing?"

"No idea," Michaela said. "Not sex, if you were wondering. They're friends, but not that kind. Come." She tugged on my arm, and three of us went upstairs to Michaela's bedroom. Michele peeled off, but she appeared a minute later with a pitcher of lemonade and four glasses.

"Zoe, this is Hadley Smith. She is the mother of one of my former students and serves as the pack lawyer."

"Pleased to meet you," I said, shaking hands.

The four of us took seats

"Why are we meeting up here?"

"Privacy," Michaela said. "The walls and door are soundproofed. It doesn't stop me, but it stops teenage wolf ears, if we aren't too loud."

"Zoe," Michele said, "The pack has five human female members and two male members. You've met both Nick and Benny. The other three female members are mated to wolves that don't come to the compound often. You'll probably meet them eventually. But you and I are the only two females who are regulars on the compound or who are on first name basis with the alphas and enforcers."

I nodded understanding.

"And Zoe," said Michaela. "You, Michele, and I have something else in common. None of us grew up to the wolf lifestyles and traditions. However, Hadley has, and that's part of the reason she's here."

"All right," I said cautiously.

"I did not receive a proper introduction to some of the pack traditions," Michaela went on. "I do not want you to have an introduction similar to mine."

"My introduction wasn't as jarring as Michaela's, as my mother-in-law took me under her wing," said Michele. "But there are traditions that are still very jarring and nearly incomprehensible to human sensitivities."

"The three of us are here to help you," Hadley said. "You may ask us questions, tonight or at any other time." She slid her business card to me. "I would recommend you start with Michaela, but if you want human perspective, you can ask Michele. If you want wolf perspective, you are better asking me than perhaps your mate."

"This is very kind," I said.

"We have two we are going to talk to you about tonight," Michaela said. "First, has Portia taught you about taking your throat."

"That's where she bites me here?" I gestured. Michaela nodded. "Actually, Elisabeth taught me."

"All right," Michaela said. "If you have questions, you may ask."

"Donald doesn't do that to me," Michele said. "I do it to him. I am the dominant in our relationship."

"Oh. Wow."

She smiled.

"There is another tradition," Michaela said. "It is possible Portia doesn't know this one, and right now, Lara and some of the enforcers are talking to her about it. It is not something you need to worry about tonight, but you need to know about it. Do you understand the difference between being mated and being married?"

"Portia explained."

"Well then, you are mated, but not married," Hadley explained. "And perhaps you will not become married. But if you do, we have the same traditions as humans do, more or less anyway. But we perhaps have a few extras."

"Sometime in the last few days prior to your wedding, there is something called Bride Ransom Night," Michaela said. "The bride is kidnapped and held for ransom."

"What?"

* * * *

The three of them spent quite some time explaining. Per a request, I held my comments back until they were done.

"That's-"

"Tradition," Michaela said. "I learned when there was a group of wolves at my door, trying to quietly sneak into the room. Lara hadn't told me. No one had told me."

"But... they would want to torture me?"

"For humans, it is a little different," Hadley said. "For a wolf, it is a test of strength, an opportunity for her friends and closest family to show how strong she is, so her mate knows he is getting a powerful partner, someone strong enough to protect their young."

I looked between them. They were all watching me.

"If this is the tradition, I believe that Portia and I will be eloping."

Michaela looked pained, but it was Hadley who spoke. "There are female wolves who refuse the tradition. It is run by her maid of honor and whomever the maid of honor invites. She may simply tell her maid of honor, 'no ransom night'. Although from time to time, the maid of honor does it anyway."

I narrowed my eyes.

Hadley went on. "When the bride refuses ransom night sometimes it is fine. The marriage proceeds. At other times, the groom's family may refuse to allow the marriage. Sometimes grooms back out of a marriage offer if the bride is unwilling to accept this tradition."