Page 11 of In The Shadow of The Wolf

Lance seated Ronan at the breakfast bar and hurriedly started a pot of coffee. “How about a Danish to go with it?” Ronan nodded probably a little too eagerly. The Danish he pulled out of the fridge was delicious-looking. He watched as Lance went about preparing him coffee and a snack. He noticed the firm muscled build of the man again and appreciated the smooth grace of his movements. Considering Lance’s size, he moved like a gazelle. Lance glanced at him as he filled two cups with the fresh coffee. Ronan understood the questioning look and asked for both cream and sugar.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes while Lance watched Ronan eat the Danish. Ronan thought he recognized lust in the intensity of Lance’s gaze but wrote it off as delusion brought on by stress and exertion.

“Have you heard anything about Molly’s condition?” Ronan asked.

“I’ll call.” He pulled his cell from his pocket and dialed without ever taking his eyes from Ronan. “What’s the word?” Lance took a sip of his coffee as he listened. “Okay, see you later.” He closed his phone and put it back into his pocket before speaking.

“She has a sprained ankle and minor cuts. They’re putting her ankle in a brace and are prescribing pain killers for her. Aaron will be bringing her here in about two hours after they pick up her medication at the pharmacy.”

“If Molly uses her medical insurance card, Jordan will be able to locate us. Her medical coverage is through the county, which Jordan pretty much rules.” Ronan dropped his head and stared at the tabletop feeling all kinds of helpless and stupid.

Lance reached across the table to grip his hand, causing him to look up. “The Pack has taken care of the medical costs. It was my fault she was hurt, so it is my responsibility.”

Ronan was ready to broach the subject of ‘what the hell do you mean by Pack’ when Dean came into the kitchen. “Terry is out front. He is asking for an audience, and he is asking to be allowed to apologize to Ronan. Do you want me to get rid of him?”

Ronan wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw Lance’s eyes flash and change color, but that couldn’t be possible. Lance shook his head like a dog dislodging an irritant, and then his eyes were brown again. Ronan watched him as he stood and walked around the table. “This is your call, Roe. You and Molly were the injured parties, and your sister is not present, so it is up to you; you decide.”

“Decide what? I don’t understand.” Ronan also stood and stepped back from Lance.

“Terry is Pack, and as such, he has rules that he must abide by. He was entrusted with the care of you and Molly, and he failed, and more importantly, he failed purposefully.” Lance explained, but he still made no sense.

Okay, so Pack must be like the Elks lodge or some fraternal order of something, and Terry failed when given responsibility by the lodge leader, which he assumed to be Lance. Okay, he was starting to sort of getting it. “You people really take your clubs seriously,” Ronan commented to no one in particular, although he noticed a chuckle from Dean. “Really, all I would like is the opportunity to punch the stupid bastard in the face.”

“Done.” Lance took Ronan’s hand and pulled him along with him as they headed back to the front door and out onto the porch. Ronan saw Terry, the big dummy, standing between Frank and Alvin, who were holding him by the upper arms keeping him immobile. He looked a little uneasy. He stole a couple of glances at Ronan but never looked at Lance.

“Speak,” Lance growled.

Terry kept his eyes downcast but began to explain his actions to Lance. “I did not take the care necessary for the safety of the two mates. I was lax in the duty given due to my own prejudice. I understood their importance, and yet I believed them unworthy and treated them as such. My behavior resulted in injury to the female. I accept whatever punishment you decide, and I would ask permission to apologize to your mate for my words and my actions.”

Lance stepped towards the man, who was now literally bowing to the larger man. “For your affront to me, you will be stripped of your rank of Enforcer for the Lonepine Pack for one year. After one year, you will be given the opportunity to challenge to regain your position. For your affront to my mate and his sister, I have let Ronan decide on your punishment.” He raised his right hand towards Ronan, beckoning him to his side. “Ronan has asked for the right to ‘punch the stupid bastard in the face,’ his words.” Lance looked at Ronan and, with a sweep of his arm, indicated that he could take his shot at Terry.

Ronan walked closer to Terry and watched him for a moment. “You have to let him go.” He spoke to Frank and Alvin. “I won’t punch a man who’s being held down.” They released him, and the second they did, Ronan threw a punch and put his entire body into it. He didn’t want Terry to have a chance to intercept the strike. Ronan wanted to punch this piece of shit more than he wanted anything, and this was his opportunity.

His fist connected with Terry’s jaw with a resounding thud, and he saw his head jerk back from the force. Ronan wasn’t large, but he knew how to use what he had. “That’s for threatening us and talking to my sister like she was garbage and for forcing us to run, which caused her injury, and for making Molly cry.” Ronan was breathing heavy, and his anger was palatable, especially to Lance, who was observing his mate with a continued newfound love and admiration. Even as angry as he obviously was, he hit him once and did it fairly. Lance was very proud of his mate.

To say Terry was shocked would be an understatement. He couldn’t believe the power behind the punch that little human gave him. If he had not been a wolf, he would be lying on his back right now and probably unconscious.

“I’m sorry, Ronan.” That was all he could think of to say.

Ronan nodded and returned to stand next to Lance. They turned and went back into the house together. Lance slipped his arm around him and once again pulled him close. He loved being able to touch and hold his mate after waiting so many years for his arrival. Terry was lucky he still had a place in the Pack after scaring his human, his man, his mate.

Lance wasn’t sure how to go about explaining everything to Ronan in regard to the Pack and the fact that he and Lance were predestined mates. He started to approach the subject with the use of the words during conversation, but Ronan hadn’t questioned it yet. Although he seemed to think a Pack was some sort of club which wasn’t actually that far off.

“What did you mean by the punishment you gave Terry?” Ronan asked as soon as they were once again seated in the kitchen, and Lance had prepared him another cup of coffee. He offered another Danish, but Ronan declined.

“He is removed from his position for one year, and he has the right to challenge to regain it.” Lance knew he was being vague but wanted Ronan to dig for the answers and therefore process each answer slowly.

“Enforcer is that the title they use around here for Police Officer. Did Terry lose his job over this? He was an asshole, that’s for sure, but he didn’t deserve to lose his livelihood over it.” Ronan set his cup down and looked at Lance.

“Terry is part of the Lonepine Pack and has been since birth. He became an Enforcer for the pack three years ago when an opening occurred, and he challenged for the position and won.” Lance took a sip of his coffee before continuing; it gave him a chance to gauge the acceptance of the information he’d shared so far. He could see Ronan’s thought process trying to make everything fit into the reality he understands.

“Enforcer is not a Police Officer. The Enforcer works only for the Pack, and a Police Officer works for the town and the surrounding area. The two are not the same. Terry is still a Police Officer, although I’m beginning to question his suitableness in that regard. We don’t need officers that possess bigoted or superior beliefs.” Lance watched as Ronan repeatedly blinked as he took in all that had been said.

“This is probably crazy but is this Pack like the Elks or a men’s club?”

“Sort of, but it is not exclusive to men. Women and children are also part of the Lonepine Pack.”

“Wow, that’s very progressive of you.” Ronan knew there was much more to the explanation than that, but he was almost afraid to ask too many questions. The whole pack thing could be a cover for something better left unknown.

---