Page 27 of Wolf's Vow

Why the heck was I here? I looked around the cabin, which was smaller than my rooms back at the pack hall. The kitchen and living space were one room. There was a door at the back corner, and when I opened it, it revealed a simple shower stall, a washbasin, and a toilet. A ladder between the bathroom door and the kitchen led up to a hole in the mezzanine floor, where the bed and a trunk were kept.

I could smell the faint scent of Wolfe here: oakmoss, leather, andhim. Gingerly, I climbed the ladder and poked my head into the “bedroom.” The bed was wider than I thought. There was little room for anything other than the two pieces of furniture. There was no whimsical decoration, not even on the exposed beams, which were crying out for some fairy lights.

I descended the ladder and then remembered that Killian had my change of clothes. He’d said to wait here. Well…I was the alpha’s mate, and this was technically my pack, too, now.

Maybe not technically. Maybe just my pack too.

I opened the door and wandered outside. There were no obvious signs that said Store, Pack Hall, or School. Blueridge Hollow had a large pack hall, where schooling, meals, and pack events were held.

I knew some packs had stores, more than just food stores. I’d visited a pack once, high in the Canadian mountains, that had an actual school, but their pack had been huge.

This pack wasn’t huge.

I walked up the path, shelters straddling each side, and I counted ten. Where was everyone?

“You lost?”

I turned and met Diesel’s cold stare. “Um…no.” I shoved my hands in my pockets to stop myself from twisting them nervously. “Where is everyone?”

“Training.”

Right. I rocked back on my heels. “Killian has my clothes.” Diesel looked me over, his eyebrow raised.Dear Luna, protect me.

“I don’t think you’re his size.”

“Huh?” I pushed my hair back as I tried to understand what he meant. “Oh…” I tried to laugh, but I sounded like a squeaking mouse. “Um, I mean?—”

“I know what you mean.” He walked past me. “You coming?”

Was it rude to say no? I hurried after him. His boots made no noise as he walked, and I was fascinated that a man like him could be so light on his feet.

There was a hidden dip in the hill, and as we reached the crest—something I hadn’t realized I was climbing because it was so shallow—I saw more of the timber shelters in the dip. There was a large square field where the pack was gathered, and I saw they were in fighting stances.

“What are they training for?” I asked Diesel.

His look was inscrutable. “Monday.”

Monday?Once again, I was rushing after Wolfe’s beta, who wasn’t making any allowances for the fact that I was his alpha’s mate.

A shifter I recognized peeled himself away from the training and looked at me curiously as he walked over. “Rowen?”

“Hi, Cody.”

“Is Wolfe here?” He looked confused.

“I came with Killian.”

Cody blinked in surprise. “Why?”

What a fabulous question. It was one I was waiting for the answer to myself, because it was quite clear I wasn’t here to “meet the pack,” and if it was why I was here, this pack had no interest in meeting me. Not one of them had looked my way.

Diesel lit his half-smoked cigarette. “It’s time.”

Cody looked at me, his eyes widening. “Ohhh.”

“Time for what?” I asked them both. I’d been polite, but this was annoying me now. “At the Hollow, Wolfe told Killian to tell Diesel it’s time. Here, Killian tells Diesel it’s time. Now Diesel is telling Cody. When does anyone tell mewhatit is time for?”

Diesel blew smoke out in a circle. “Fuck me, I hope you fuck better than you look.”