Page 21 of Wulf’s Pack

“I’ll pick some up when I go shopping tomorrow. We’re going to need a lot more groceries to feed us all, and if there’s anything any of you need, just make a list.”

Elise wipes her face with a paper napkin. “Sophia and I can do that, if you’d like. Her schedule is up to her, and I don’t work until two tomorrow.”

My first instinct is to tell her no, that I can do it, but when I open my mouth to say just that, Skylar squeezes my hand and speaks to me through our pack link. Let them. They want to feel like they’re contributing.

I snap my mouth shut and glance at my mate. My luna. I trust her instincts, so I nod. “Sure, if you don’t mind,” I tell Elise. The way she lights up, I know allowing her this task was the right call. “I’ll leave you some cash.”

“Oh, that’s okay. We can?—”

I cut her off. “I’ll cover it for now. I’m the one who’s disrupted your lives.

We’re not set up like a regular pack yet, so allow me to do this.

We can figure out financial logistics soon enough.

I’ll get a pack bank account set up, and we can all pay a small percentage of our earnings into the fund for things like groceries and stuff. ”

Elise hesitates, but then nods. She exchanges a look with Matthew, and he nods as well.

“That sounds good,” Matthew says. “But we’d like to at least pay our rent toward the pack funds while we’re staying with you.

We were on a month-to-month lease. I’ll call the property owners tomorrow on my lunchbreak. ”

Again, I want to say no, but I know this is how packs work—everyone contributing for the good of the pack. “All right. That sounds reasonable. I’ll get a pack account set up tomorrow.”

There’s a lull in the conversation, but Skylar picks it back up. “What is it you all do for work?”

“I’m in construction,” Matthew says. “I get general contract work where I can. Been really busy since Gorgeous and that hellhound tore up downtown.”

I’m sure. The property damage that fight caused was massive. The city’s rebuilding, but it’s been slow.

“And you?” Skylar asks Elise.

Elise swallows and dabs her mouth with a paper napkin.

“I work at Henry’s casino—or—er—I guess it’s Parker’s casino now.

” Her eyes flick to me with an apology in them as if bringing up the master vampire that tried to abduct Nora and put out hits on the rest of our clan would upset me.

I give her an encouraging smile, letting her know I don’t mind.

The casino and Henry have been an active topic in our clan since we wiped out Henry’s vampires.

It turns out, that while Henry had severed his sire bond with Parker and banished him from the clan, he never got around to changing his will.

Parker inherited everything. All of Henry’s wealth, the casino, everything.

He’s been real busy trying to get it all squared away while also being run ragged by the FUA.

Poor bastard has been exhausted for months.

Of course, the billion or so dollars he inherited probably takes some of the stress out of it.

“What do you do at the casino?” I ask.

Elise looks relieved by the question. “I’m a dealer. Mostly blackjack and poker.”

“Do you enjoy it?” Skylar asks. I like that she’s genuinely interested. Maybe it’s the omega in her, but she’s a nurturer. She’s going to be the perfect luna.

Elise’s face brightens. “Yes, actually. The job really suits me, and since the change in management, things aren’t nearly as tense.”

She means since the casino is no longer run by vampire mobsters.

Skyler smiles at Sophia next. “And how about you? You said you work from home?”

For some reason, Sophia blushes and her family all snickers. The reaction is intriguing.

“I’m a fiction writer.”

“Oh! I love books,” Skylar says.

I can’t help teasing Sophia. I lean my elbow on the table and sink my chin into my hand. “What type of fiction? It must be something good if you’re blushing like that.”

Her face turns ever redder. I grin. “It’s dirty, isn’t it?”

Preston barks out a laugh and elbows his mate. She glares at him, but he only laughs harder. When she sees that I’m still waiting for an answer, she clears her throat. “It’s not erotica.” She glances at her grinning family and sighs. “It’s werewolf romance.”

I blink at her and then burst out laughing so hard I throw my head back and almost fall out of my chair.

“It’s become really popular since the outing,” she says defensively, but she’s failing to keep the smile off her face, so I know she doesn’t mind my teasing. “I’m even considering announcing publicly that I’m a wolf. My book sales would skyrocket.”

My laughter dies, and I wince. “I hate to say this, but you’re all about to be outed whether you like it or not. My brother and I are literally the most famous werewolves in the world right now. I won’t be able to hide having a pack.”

They all exchange nervous glances, but it’s a fleeting look before they all sit up straight. “So be it,” Matthew says.

I’m glad they’re taking the news so well. It’s going to take gumption to be a part of a pack so in the spotlight as we’re going to be.

I look at Preston. He’s going to have to take on a bit of responsibility, being the second most dominant wolf.

I think he knows that already, but he seems willing to step up to the challenge.

It helps that his wolf has been so protective of his family for so long.

His wolf is strong. It’s his human side that will need to play catch-up.

“What did you do before?” I ask him. “You said you’ve been a wolf for two years? ”

Preston nods. “A little more than that. It was two years in December. Sophia and I had been out doing some Christmas shopping when we were attacked. Before that, I worked as a pack accountant.”

My brows lift. That’s convenient. I hate accounting. “Did you like it?”

He shrugs. “Yeah. I’m a numbers nerd.”

I give him a very wolfish smile. “Excellent. Numbers and I aren’t very good friends. If you want, you can be the new pack accountant. Paid, of course, but only part time since there’s not much to do with just the six of us.”

His brows lift in surprise, and he puffs up his chest a little bit as if proud to be given the responsibility. “Of course, Alpha. Whatever you need.”

I wince. Not sure if it’s from the title, or his willingness to follow my commands.

I hate to give him any, but there’s another responsibility we can’t ignore.

“Come with me to the bank tomorrow, and we’ll get you on the new pack account as well.

Then afterward we can have a meeting and talk security. ”

As I expect, Preston startles with surprise. I sigh. “I don’t know if you’ve realized this, but you are my second-in-command.”

He gulps, but quickly pulls his shoulders back. “I know. I’m no alpha, but I’ll do the best I can. I’m sorry we aren’t the strongest pack.”

I wave off the apology. “Physical strength and dominance aren’t everything. We’ll just have to be smarter and more vigilant about our safety. Normally I’d say if we keep our noses out of trouble, we’ll be fine, but we do have an omega to protect.”

Skylar’s shoulders hunch in on themselves. “I’m sorry.”

I take her hand and wait for her to meet my eyes. “Never apologize for what you are. You’re a gift to any pack, but especially to me.”

She blushes and forces a nod.

“We’ll all help,” Matthew says. “However we can.”

I look around at my small pack and see nothing but determined faces.

It’s not surprising, considering they’ve spent the last two years on their own.

They’ve been looking out for themselves with no alpha to protect them.

They probably have some good insights as to how we can defend ourselves without much power.

That they’re so willing to throw that determination and loyalty toward me is the only thing a bit startling.

“Great. Then we’ll come up with some kind of system and start doing pack workouts and training sessions together. I can teach you a lot. You don’t have to be the strongest to win a fight if you can be the smartest.”

All of them nod vigorously, except for Skylar. She’s blinking up at me with this strange mix of hope and desolation. “Even me?” she asks.

“Especially you,” I promise her. “Omegas can’t be the aggressor, but I’d be willing to bet you can defend yourself or even fight to protect others.

The more self-defense you know, the longer you’ll be able to buy time until one of us can help you.

Ask Nora about that. Before she broke her glamour and learned of her underworld powers, she was no stronger than a human female.

There were several times she was able to fend off attackers long enough for help to come. ”

Hope bleeds from her so strongly I can smell it. She swallows thickly, and her eyes gloss over. “I would really like that.”

From the nods all around the table, this is something they all really want.

It makes me wonder if their old pack didn’t train everyone.

I know some packs spend all their efforts on the alphas in the pack, but I’ve always considered that a weakness and a disservice to the lower ranked pack members.

Even the weakest wolf can have the heart of an alpha.

My chest pangs with something as I look at the people around my table. My pack. It feels something like pride. My wolf is satisfied with this new arrangement and is happy that I’m starting to accept it.

“Okay, everyone write down your schedules, and we’ll figure out a time to have pack training.

” I eye Preston and then say, “If you don’t mind, we’ll get you on two-a-days.

Once with the pack and once one-on-one with me.

I’m sure neither you nor your wolf are very healthy after spending so long disconnected from one another.

It’s an easy fix, though, with a proper diet and exercise.

If you put in the work, I can have you feeling 100 percent again in no time.

We can also use that second session for some beta training. ”

Preston swallows hard. I don’t know if he’s choked up because I offered to help or if he’s simply grateful that he’s finally human again and can get his life back. I imagine that’s got to be overwhelming. “Thank you,” he says once he’s got control of his emotions. “I would really appreciate that.”

His mate smiles at him with tears in her eyes, and his parents lean into one another, smiling happily. Skylar is not the only one here that needs time to heal, I realize. This whole pack has been hurt. I hope I can be the alpha they all need.

I push my doubts to the back of my mind and turn to my mate. “That just leaves you.”

She blinks at me, startled and completely confused. “Me?”

I don’t know whether to smile at her cluelessness or frown.

“Yes, you. You’re free now. You can do whatever you want.

You don’t need a job if you don’t want one.

As luna, you can simply focus on taking care of the pack.

But getting a job might help you feel a little more independent.

You need to heal, and that means taking control of your life. ”

Skylar blinks her wide blue eyes rapidly as if she’s pushing back tears.

“But I’ve never had a job. I don’t have any skills or education.

I don’t even have a high school diploma.

Victor wouldn’t let me go to school. He treated me as a servant most of the time.

I cooked and cleaned for the pack, but that’s it. ”

The shame in her voice breaks my heart. She’s so strong and courageous, but she has no self-esteem.

I need to change that. “None of that is your fault. Not getting an education because you were held captive like a slave doesn’t mean you aren’t intelligent.

Maybe that’s where we start. We can enroll you in an online high school and work on getting you that diploma. ”

Skylar’s eyes gloss over, and her jaw starts to quiver. She can’t seem to speak so she nods once. I hate to see her cry, even if it’s happy tears. I pull her into a side hug and kiss her temple. “We’ll get you taken care of. I promise.”