Rachel watched the poor girl struggling. This wasn’t fair to her. Cal insisted she could handle learning the ropes of the club and pack business. What he failed to do was look at her critically. She told him she couldn’t do it job. It wasn’t because she wasn’t smart enough, but because she lacked the education and confidence to deal with the job. It was the connection between the person and the job. She couldn’t read properly, and it was having an effect on her performance. That would become yet another to work on with her. Rachel never found herself a mate, and she was fine with that. But she hated to watch the matings that weren’t exactly happy-ever-after. She often felt like she’d dodged a bullet not when it came to having a mate. Rachel wasn’t sure if this was just something that happened to the young or happened to everyone that found their mate. It’s part of the reason she took the role of Den Mother and Floor Manager. She was out there fixing this a
Tara wanted to believe Rachel. She really did. But there were enough pack members giving her the evil eye to force her to call the alpha’s decisions about her into question. She’d heard someone behind her at one point say to another. “What makes her so special? She looks so ordinary.” Tara pretended not to hear them. But it was Abby who made her feelings know to anyone that would listen. She was angry because she believed the Alpha was hers to claim. Tara was in the way of Abby’s dreams to be the Luna. She accused Tara of being unfit for the position. Until the male who held the key to her chains put a stop to her tantrum, as he called it. He’d gone so fat as to threaten her with some punishment that Tara didn’t understand, but Abby did, and she’d not be on display until he said otherwise. “You won’t understand. Abby is an attention junkie. That’s why she was with Cal. He would display his sessions with her, and she ate up the eyes on her. Taking that away is like sen
Cal walked up the stairs from the basement behind the others, finally leaving the meeting. It’d been draining down there listening to the speculation versus the facts, the plans they made, and the plans NARC made that would change their lives. He would have to go home and change his reputation and how the public saw him. He’d fought hard and lobbied not to be put on display as an example of an upstanding wolf shifter and happily mated. Cal warned them that his mating was far too new to be stable as yet. The response came back quickly to him. Fix it fast. They had days. They needed to ensure that the Fae really had left the city and the surrounding area for everyone’s ease of mind and safety. The problem they dealt with was that evidence didn’t rule out rogue interference or Fae enslaving rogues to do their dirty work. The effort to bring in the lone packs, lone wolves, and rogues for their safety and survival started months ago. That effort
Tara sat in what everyone called her office. She felt like she was drowning in jobs and duties. There were traditions and etiquette she needed to adhere to when dealing with the pack members and the pack’s needs. Her body was exhausted, and she was developing a headache. Tara lay her head back on the chair and closed her eyes just for a moment. She was very aware of the slim collar around her throat, but she needed a brief rest. Just a little shuteye. A quick nap. “No sleeping on the job, dear. I just got a call. We have a staff meeting in as soon as Cal gets back.” Rachel poked her head into the room and announced this. Tara blinked and frowned. “Okay, but I’m not staff, so what has it got to do with me?” Rachel closed her eyes and touched her forehead with her delicate fingers. “Sorry. Staff meeting means it’s a meeting of the pack’s top level command structure. Alpha, Beta, Gamma.” “And?” “Luna falls under Alpha, dear. Cal will expect you a
Cal caressed Tara’s left arm, making her shiver. The fact is, they sent a report up to them. Alpha Elmwood had sent several demands. It appears he wants his money and his people back. He wants to punish them since you won’t.” “How much is he asking for?” Cal couldn’t believe the nerve of this wolf. That money came from people who Elmwood promised protection from rogue harassment. His victims expected that protection to come from the Crimson Nights. His people had reported for several weeks now this was happening. “I guess I will have to have another talk with him. If that doesn’t work, there’s going to be a physical meeting, and that Elmwood won’t like one bit.” “I will say something at the next meeting. Jaxon field the reports and gets with Guy about previous reports. I’m going to file a report with the Ruling Council. If war breaks out and we take them down, I want them to understand what Elmwood has done. This won’t end well. Wait, add in any report that invol
Tara watched the group break up, but Cal kept her back. As soon as the door closed behind the last person, he pulled her into his lap and buried his face in her dark hair. “Dang, I missed that. Okay, baby girl. Take off your panties and straddle my lap.” She could feel his smile as he ordered told her what to do. Tara felt her core clench at the images his orders illicit in her mind. He wanted her now on his terms and her body eagerly prepared to comply. “Yes, Daddy.” Her hands moved under her short skirt and slid the barely there panties off her legs. She felt her pussy flush and swell with the thought of his cock driving home and knotting in her. Her liquid passion slipped from between her folds as she parted her thighs wide and returned to his lap. She watched him lean back and examine her body. “Open your blouse and show me how you like to play with your nipples. Make them ready for me to suck.” Tara hesitated for just a moment before her hands went to
Cal found he needed to meet with the entire pack. It made the problems with these changes in their very existence more difficult because they played a game of broken telephone each time someone passed the information along; they changed or left something out of the explanation. For over an hour, he answered questions. They would continue with their businesses right now. The connection between certain businesses that were less legal than others must stay separated from the legal enterprises. Because of the extra eyes watching them from the human population. They must keep any disappearances of humans or others to a bare minimum. The humans would be curious about them for a long time to come. They didn’t want any stumbling upon the evidence of past crimes or current one. As for the shifter only businesses, he would review each one after they assessed the business to see if they could expand to servicing or providing products to interested humans. They had to clean
Cal disliked needing to change his operations so much, but the Ruling Council made things quite clear. No matter what, he must change to protect his pack from the human laws before they pertained to them. They may not need them as a representation of the humans of a healthy relationship. The Ruling Council didn’t allow him to say no. He understood their subtle threats. You’ll do this or we’ll replace you. When an Alpha is replaced, he’s never left alive. They liked the idea of using Tara’s trauma and how he saved her from a dangerous situation. It wasn’t a lie per se, but it wasn’t the truth either. Tara would have to relive her trauma far too soon. She wasn’t ready to face the realities connected with most of it. He knew this because she always deferred to everyone else. He knew she had opinions and thoughts of her own. From what little she’d said to him, he suspected she believed she wasn’t worthy of expressing her thoughts, and no one wanted to hear them. Cal