Page 37 of Wulf’s Pack

Chapter

Eighteen

A lpha and Luna Grant give us a tour of their compound.

There are roughly six hundred members of Grant’s pack.

It’s the largest pack I’ve ever heard of.

They all live in individual homes dotted throughout the surrounding forest. The town is owned and run by the pack.

Tourism is their main source of income. With so many humans coming to enjoy the mountains, they have a lot of security.

Especially since the outing. After the outing, every human who comes onto their territory needs a permit.

But the visitors are restricted to certain areas, and they’ve got many enforcers patrolling all around the territory.

I’m not sure I’d be comfortable letting outsiders into the heart of my territory, but I can’t deny Grant has an impressive safety system.

The alpha and luna show us the town. The gym, the schoolhouse, the medical center, a few other shops, and finally the community center, which doubles as the main pack house.

They have monthly pack socials, and lots of activities, clubs, and community sports.

It’s a simple life and reminds me a lot of where I was raised.

Part of me likes the idea of finding something like this, where my pack could live in peace with plenty of land to run and hunt freely in.

But how could I leave the city? My clan?

The club? Detroit is my home. Will I have to, for the good of my pack?

When we get to the community center, there’s a flurry of activity.

The large multipurpose room has been set up with tables and chairs, and a long row of banquet tables are already filled up with food.

Crockpots and baking dishes of all kinds.

It’s a wide variety of smells, but it’s all mouthwatering.

I’m looking forward to a good home-cooked meal.

When the room is packed with people, Alpha Grant leads us to the front, where he stands at a microphone and calls everyone’s attention.

The ruckus of noise quiets quickly. “Welcome, everyone! Thanks for putting this together on such short notice. As I’m sure most of you have heard by now, thanks to this pack’s severe gossiping problem”—He pauses while the group chuckles at what is obviously a long-standing joke—“we have a few honored guests.”

All attention shifts to Skylar and me. Murmurs sweep through the room, and I get the feeling Alpha Grant didn’t warn them who their guests were.

It’s eerie having so many eyes on me, but the faces are all full of smiles, curiosity, and excitement.

My wolf is as interested in them as they are in me. His interest makes me uneasy.

Alpha Grant pulls Benjamin and Isabella forward and clasps a hand on Benjamin’s shoulder.

“A lot of you should remember Ben and Isabella. We’re so glad to have them safe and healthy and visiting with us.

” He waves Skylar and me forward next, and we switch places with Ben and Isabella to stand next to Alpha Grant.

“And I’m sure this guy needs no introduction, but in case you’ve been living under a rock, this is Alpha Wulf Winters and his mate, Luna Skylar. ”

More excited whispers spread through the crowd. Alpha Grant has to get their attention again. He holds up his hands and in a raised voice says, “Now, I know it’s exciting to have a celebrity in our midst, but let’s try to act with dignity.”

“Dignity?” someone shouts. “This crowd?”

Everyone laughs. It makes me smile.

“Yes, James,” Alpha Grant says. “Especially you. Stay away from Marisol’s punch, or you’ll spend the night in a cell.”

This gets an even bigger laugh. Alpha Grant gives Skylar and me a crooked smile. “At last year’s Christmas party, James tried to spike the punch, but he mixed up the kids’ punch with the adults’. Let’s just say it was an interesting night, and there were a lot of angry moms.”

I smile, but it’s not just because of the story.

I like the sense of community in the room.

The sense of family. I have no doubt Alpha Grant knows all six hundred of his wolves personally and cares deeply for each of them.

I can’t imagine being responsible for so many people.

It’s admirable. Strong pack , my wolf whispers in my mind.

My first instinct is to be suspicious of his interest, and a quick surge of panic flashes through me. I bury it. I need to work with my wolf. Yes. A very happy pack. Take notes .

“I want you all to let our guests eat their dinner in peace. When they’re ready to mingle, make them feel welcome, but try not to mob them or bombard them with a thousand nosy questions. Got it? Good. Let’s eat!”

Alpha and Luna Grant have my pack go through the line and fill our plates first, and they follow right behind us. After that, it looks like families with small children go first as opposed to forming a line based on dominance.

Alpha and Luna Grant sit at a table with my pack. His beta and his mate join us. I had assumed their omega would sit with us so that we could meet him, but Luna Grant points him out across the room and says, “Just watch.”

Quinn looks to be in his forties, which would put him a good forty or fifty years older than me.

He flits down the line of people, laughing and talking with all of them.

One mom is struggling with two young kids, so he jumps in and takes the little girl from her mother while she fills plates of food.

When he holds out his hands, the girl squeals with delight and nearly leaps into his arms. Her brother clings to his leg, sitting on his foot and wrapping his arms and legs around the man’s leg.

Quinn proceeds to drag the boy along, laughing and making a game out of it.

After helping the mom get her kids situated at a table, he’s off, talking to the next group of people who seek him out, which everyone does.

He moves from person to person, giving each of them his undivided attention.

Most of them touch him in some way, giving him hugs, clapping a hand on his back, or throwing their arms over his shoulder.

He touches them in return, making physical connections as well as emotional ones.

He isn’t working the room like it’s his job, it just seems natural for him.

The longer I watch him, the more I can see what Luna Grant wanted me to understand.

The omega thrives on connecting with his pack.

But he isn’t like a mascot. It’s more like he’s the heart. He’s the pack’s center of gravity.

Eventually, he jumps in the food line and fills a plate. We’re finished eating, but stay seated at the table. Benjamin, Isabella, and the pack beta and his wife clear their places to go mingle, and Alpha Grant calls Quinn over. “Quinn! Have a seat. Meet our guests.”

Quinn’s eyes light up. He sets his plate down and comes over to shake all of our hands.

“It’s an honor.” He sits down and studies Skylar and me with a big smile.

“Congratulations on the mating. I didn’t realize you’d settled down.

Weren’t you on the cover of a magazine last month listed as Detroit’s most eligible bachelor? ”

I groan. That stupid article had been at the government’s request as a human/underworld PR stunt. It really brought out the she-wolves. It was a pain in my ass. I lift my arm over Skylar’s shoulders. “When the right one comes along, sometimes you just know.”

“Wulf and Skylar are fated mates,” Luna Grant says.

Quinn’s jaw falls open. He blinks at us several times. “Wow. That’s…I guess I didn’t think those stories were real.”

“Neither did we,” Skylar admits. “It was a bit of a shock.”

Quinn shakes his head, watching us with awe. “Wow,” he says again. “What a gift.”

Skylar returns his smile and leans into my side. I tuck her in close, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Luna Grant speaks up again, waving a hand toward Skylar. “Luna Skylar is also an omega.”

The shocked expression returns to Quinn’s face. He shakes off his surprise and beams at Skylar. “You’re the woman from the news. The one who saved the bear. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you. You were amazing.”

Skylar blushes. “I’ve never met another omega. I was excited to come.”

“For sure. We’ll have to talk. Swap stories. I’ve only ever met one other omega.”

A very dominant alpha female plops down in the empty seat beside Quinn. “Swap what stories? You’re not telling them all my most embarrassing moments, are you?”

Quinn’s face softens, and he leans over to give the woman a kiss. “But they’re so entertaining,” he teases her. “You didn’t grab any food?”

“I’ve only got a few minutes.”

Quinn pushes his half-eaten plate of food in front of the woman, and she doesn’t hesitate to dig into it. He smiles at us again. “This is my mate, Leia. She’s our chief enforcer, so she’s usually busy when the whole pack gets together.”

“Someone’s got to keep you safe,” she says.

“Leia, this is Alpha Wulf Winters and his mate, Skylar. Luna Skylar is also an omega.”

Leia’s eyebrows lift. I worry she might not like Skylar being here.

Wolves are very possessive and jealous by nature, especially the dominant ones.

She might feel threatened by the fact that Skylar and Quinn have something very special in common.

She surprises me, though, giving both Skylar and me a warm smile.

“Pleasure to have you. I’m sure Quinn’s dying to chat.

He gets lonely sometimes, being one-of-a-kind.

It’ll be nice for him to spend time with someone who understands. ”

Skylar nods as if she feels the same way.

I never considered that Skylar might feel alone or separate from the rest of us.

Hopefully after this, she can keep in touch with Quinn.

Leia focuses on the last bit of food in front of her, shoveling it in like only a soldier on a tight schedule can.

I study her and Quinn a moment, then can’t help asking, “Does no one challenge you?”

Quinn and Leia shoot me questioning looks.

In wolf culture, mates are generally equal in dominance.

It’s shifter instinct. Sometimes, though, our human sides form attachments stronger than our animal instincts, and a couple falls in love despite their difference in dominance.

The problem with that is that stronger wolves are always looking for other strong wolves.

Usually, if a strong wolf is together with a weaker wolf, other wolves will challenge the weaker wolf for the right to mate with the stronger wolf.

Quinn and Leia are a lot like Skylar and me—opposite ends of the dominance spectrum.

I’ve been terrified that if I keep adding more female shifters to my pack, eventually I’ll get one willing to challenge Skylar.

But these two are in a pack of nearly six hundred wolves and are happily mated.

“You’re so dominant,” I say to Leia.

Understanding dawns on the couple, and they shrug. “We were worried about it at first,” Leia admits. “We liked each other for years before we braved starting a relationship. But no one has ever challenged us.”

My jaw falls slack. “No one?”

Quinn wraps his arm around Leia’s chair, pulling her to his side in a mirrored pose of Skylar and me.

She looks him over proudly, adoringly. “People can’t help but respect omegas.

The drive to protect them is so strong, it’s hard to challenge them on anything.

The pack loves him and wants him happy. They were okay with our mate pairing because they trust me to keep him safe. ”

I let out a breath and a laugh. “That’s a relief to hear. I’ve been worried about mate challenges since the moment I realized Skylar and I were fated.”

“It’s instinct,” Luna Grant says. She waves toward Quinn and Leia.

“Omegas need strong mates. On their own, they are too weak. Biologically. They need the strength of others, both physically and mentally. Without it, they get depressed and physically ill. They’ll essentially waste away from a lack of dominance.

Their mates, as well as their pack, feed them strength through their bonds.

Quinn is originally from a very small pack.

He wasn’t doing well. His pack came to me asking to join because they weren’t enough for him. ”

Skylar and I share worried looks. Is our pack too small to sustain her needs? Is that why my wolf is going insane right now? I look around the room, panic in my heart. I could never give her this.

My wolf leaps on my panic and starts to push to the front of my mind. Need pack. Challenge alpha. Take pack.

I stumble to my feet, my chair flying out behind me. “NO!” My panicked shout rings out, catching the attention of the entire pack.

“Wulf?” Alpha Grant rises to his feet, as if to help me.

Challenge , my wolf demands again.

“No, damn it!”

I throw out a hand to stop Alpha Grant from coming any closer. I start to shake as my wolf fights to force the shift. I grit my teeth and push back as hard as I can, but I can feel my control slipping. I’m going to lose to him again. “Skylar,” I gasp.

She takes my hand, and suddenly her honeysuckle scent hits me so hard my knees buckle. Skylar catches me and helps me to the ground. My wolf droops in my mind, but he’s still determined to claim this pack. “Not enough,” I grit out.

Skylar squeezes my hand. “Do you carry a tranq gun on you?” she asks someone, but I’m too distracted to focus on her conversation. I don’t hear an answer.

“Shoot him.”

“What?”

“Shoot him! Please!”

My wolf finally wins the struggle, and I shift. I let out a growl, issuing a challenge, but Skylar’s power is slowing me down so much I can’t act. I can barely get to my feet.

I feel a sharp sting, and before I can figure out what it was, I fade out of consciousness.