Page 33 of Clawless

And spent an hour icing my hand and trying to work out what to wear to meet the mothers of the Hunter Moon Clan. I settled on a long black skirt with a bit of stretch, and a pale pink sweater with a rolled neck. It didn’t quite cover the collar, so I added my school scarf. It was Marshall red, which I was pretty sure clashed with my sweater, but I couldn’t find anything better in my limited closet. I was sweating by the time I was dressed, and figured I’d take out an eye if I tried to apply mascara with my left hand. Settling for a dab of lip gloss, I plastered on my most trustworthy expression and went to meet the mothers.

They were gathered in the breakroom of Omega House. The tables and chairs had been pushed aside and they were a blur of shining hair, bright smiles, and beautiful dresses in every shade of the pack colors. The combined chatter and laughter were almost overwhelming, and I hovered in the doorway, scanning the crowd. I recognized most of the omegas, along with a smattering of betas. And there wasn’t a male in sight, if you didn’t count the squirming, yawning, yipping bundles of fur in their mothers’ arms.

I was definitely the last to arrive and ducked inside as the three Head Omegas finished introducing the new omegas. Who weren’t really new, since they were all part of the same pack, and had known each other since birth. But it was a formality that gave the pack mothers a chance to look us over. And decide if we were worthy caregivers for their babies.

To put it simply, I wasn’t exactly their first choice.

“So, you’re a Marrow? But you grew up on human lands? And you came to the school as a dud?” The woman interrogating me was probably very nice, but her mouth contorted with every new question she spat my way. The bundle of brown fur in her arms was a nice bonus, though, and my fingers itched to reach out and pet him. And to feel his puppy breath on my face. Well, wolfie breath, but still…

“Who were your parents again?”

“My mom was Alana Marrow. My dad was Parker West, but I never met him. I was raised by a foster family.” I decided to omit the rest of my tangled parentage. “But the Marshall pack has been very welcoming.”

“But what do you really know about our ways?” She peered at me with worried eyes, but I was mesmerized by the squirming pup in her arms. Up close, he was the best mix of a human baby smell and the wild outdoors. It was tantalizing, and the itch in my fingers was so strong, I could barely feel the bruise from chopping Reed’s nose. Which had to be some kind of puppy voodoo. But his mother seemed oblivious to my infatuation, clutching her precious bundle more tightly. “And how much experience do you have with caring for pups?”

“Not a lot,” I admitted, deciding not to mention the old Labrador I’d adopted when I’d first moved to the Chances. “But Nadia said we might double up for my first Den Night.” I looked around a little desperately for my friends, but they were chatting with Jasper’s mom. The cold-eyed woman from the dinner dance looked almost human as she listened to something Nadia was saying. “Um… Do you have any tips, maybe?”

Before she could tell me I was way beyond the help of a few parenting tips, Pearl LaRue sauntered over and kissed the woman’s cheek. “It’s okay, Mama Becker,” she said in a soothing tone. “The Clan Alpha has put her in a containment collar. She can’t cause the pups any harm.” With a sinking heart I realized this was Baron’s mother. As in, the woman whose son I’d almost killed in the Wolf Fire nightmare. But before she could chew me out for it, another woman was hovering at her shoulder. “A what? A collar? Why on earth?”

“Clan Alpha felt it was necessary given her past… indiscretions.” Pearl gave me a smug look. “Some females just have to be kept on a tight leash.”

The venom under her smile was so strong, I took a step back before I could stop myself. But other women were crowding close, and someone hissed, “She’s the one who used Wolf Fire on your boy, Marie.”

I caught a glimpse of the woman’s horrified face, before she was swept away by her friends. Shocked murmurs rippled across the room until I was surrounded by a circle of hostile mothers. The pups in their arms were yipping and wriggling, clearly agitated by the tension, and I backed up another step. But there was nowhere to go. And then Jasper’s mother was staring at me with her cold blue eyes. “I think it’s best you return to your room, Omega. Den Night is a privilege that must be earned.”

She didn’t need to say more. The disdain in her voice was enough to drive me out of the room. I didn’t stop until I was sitting on the edge of my bed, my legs shaking with adrenaline. I caught a glimpse of my pale reflection in the mirror and watched as color flooded my cheeks.

Stupid, Vail. I should have known the mothers wouldn’t want me near their pups. It was bad enough I was a Marrow, but I was a dud in every way that mattered. Dragging the scarf from my neck, I stared at the collar, wondering if this was really Jasper’s revenge. Not keeping me away from other males, but marking me as a danger to the pack and its pups.

That fleeting scent of Baron’s baby brother still teased my nose, and I felt my chest squeeze with longing. I’d always wanted siblings, especially in those early years where I was alone so much of the time. When Darkness came along, I’d been so in awe of my new big brother, I hadn’t slept for the first week. Just the thought of him on the other side of my bedroom wall had made me as jittery with excitement as those pups. And the first time he’d flicked my ear and ruffled my hair, some empty little space inside me had closed up.

But that emptiness was back, and as painful as a fresh gut wound. To distract myself, I quickly undressed, pulling on a pair of warm sweats and thick socks. It was probably just the humiliation still prickling my skin, but I was cold down to the bone, so I wound my scarf back round my neck. Pulling my comforter over my shoulders, I dug in my nightstand for my omega study cards. The mothers might not trust me, but I’d already learned my lesson. A clueless wolf was no use to anyone. Shifting might have still been beyond me, but nothing was stopping me from learning all I could about my role in the pack.

I was deep in the section on raising pups when there was a tap at my door. I caught a whiff of my new favorite scent – talcum powder and pine needles – and then Nadia and Jasmine were creeping into my room. They were in their pajamas, and each girl held a squirming pup in their arms. It was like they’d brought the sun right into my dank little cave and I felt tears welling again at their kindness. If I couldn’t go to Den Night, they were bringing it to me.

I tossed off the comforter and the pups both fixed on me with their pale blue eyes. Their fur was a familiar golden color and I looked at the girls in shock. “Are these...?”

“Jasper’s brothers,” Nadia whispered. “We couldn’t bear the thought of you not meeting them.”

They crowded onto my bed, the pups pushing from their arms and leaping onto my study cards. They began to tear at the cardboard with their sharp teeth and I laughed, but the girls were watching me with concern. Jasmine grabbed my hand. “I’m so sorry they treated you like that, Vail.”

I squeezed her fingers, but shrugged. “I can’t really blame them. I mean, Pearl was a complete bitch outing me like that, but she wasn’t wrong. I’m not exactly pup-sitter material.”

“Nonsense.” Nadia clicked her tongue. “They’re a lot tougher than human babies.” She was watching me closely. “It’s okay. You can touch them.”

“But won’t my scent be on their fur? Their mom…” The girls exchanged worried glances and I tucked my itchy fingers under my thighs. “I don’t want to upset her more than I have. And it’s enough to just see them…”

Before the words were out, the nearest pup bounced into my lap and I was suddenly inundated with a barrage of excited images. The school. Their mom. The woods. The treats they’d had in the car. And Jasper, looking back at them with such love the tears spilled down my cheeks. The pup in my lap gave a whimper and licked my face, his tongue as sharp as sandpaper. “Ouch!” I laughed and pushed his head away. “I thought you were supposed to have puppy voodoo!”

Not to be outdone, his brother leaped at my chest, his claws digging into my school scarf. I didn’t have much choice but to flop back on the bed and let them attack me. Which was a mixture of licks, nips and more of the excited mental images. The girls were laughing, too, trying to wrestle them off me. I pretended like I was helping, but it was pretty obvious it was just for show. “Oh, wow! They have so much to say!”

Jasmine suddenly peered down at me in disbelief. “You can hear them?”

“Well, they’re shouting some pretty cool pictures at me. And I think my Marshall scarf is their new nemesis.” I tried to pull it away from their sharp claws, but the thing was pretty much a shredded wreck. As much as I knew I needed to keep my scent off them, I buried my face in their scruff, breathing in that familiar sunshine smell. Tears pricked again, and I forced them back with a mock-angry voice. “Seriously, pups? You have to give my scarf a break. I don’t have your gorgeous fur to keep me warm!”

“Wait, Vail.” Nadia sat back on her heels, her serious face instantly putting me on guard. “Pups only communicate with their kin. And even then, it’s usually just feelings. Not pictures. You can really read their minds?”

I was now squirming as badly as the pups, who didn’t care for human talk and were playing tug-o-war with a chunk of my scarf. “I don’t think it’s that. It’s little flashes, not actual thoughts. Is it a bad thing?”

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