Page 19 of To Challenge a Wolf

Then it hit him like a full-strength punch to the gut: the essence of black tea. His head whipped around, toward the cabin and the long driveway fringed with vehicles. Her red hatchback had parked perfectly so as not to block in any others. This was an unspoken courtesy among wolves that went way back, some sort of nod to their possessiveness, though Rhett couldn’t imagine growling at one of his pack simply because they parked in front of his truck. Point being, Vivian knew the etiquette. Vivian knewwolves. Had met packs upon packs of them. Rhett outpaced Kelsey as he strode toward her without a clue what he’d say.

Vivian got out of her car like a pop star gracing the red carpet. Her black sweater was complimentary of every curve she’d grown into over the last ten years, and she was all legs in a flaring green skirt, black tights, and what she’d once taught him were called platform shoes. Tall but flat-soled, a way to achieve the height she liked when actual heels would stab the ground and sink her every step. Overdressed for a cookout? Yeah, but no one would think of her that way. She wore the ensemble too well, too easily.

Behind him, clad in her usual skinny jeans and athletic jacket, Kelsey said quietly, “Wow.” Then she stepped past the place where Rhett’s boots had melded to the ground and offered her hand. “Hi, I’m Kelsey Sterling, your hostess. You’re Vivian, right?”

Vivian shook her hand and smiled. “Vivian Rossi. Thanks so much for having me in your home, Kelsey.”

“It’s my pleasure. Our pleasure. My wolf Trevor—he’s around here somewhere.”

“I want to meet everyone,” Vivian said with a firmness that went beyond polite interest.

“There’s about twenty of us, so don’t worry about a quiz later. If you’re an introvert, well, we have a couple of those too.” Kelsey laughed. “Not me, but they tend to run in Trevor’s family.”

Rhett tried to step forward, but just then Trevor emerged from around the side of the house. “I heard my name. You must be Vivian; I’m Trevor.”

“Hi, Trevor.” Vivian shook his hand without hesitation. “One of the introverts?”

Trevor gave his signature barking laugh. “Not so much. But I’ve got a brother and sister-in-law who fit to a T. My dad too. What about you?”

“Absolutely not,” Vivian said. Together the three of them laughed while Rhett continued to grind his teeth.

“I was about to make a final food check before calling everybody in,” Trevor said. “I’m sure we’ll chat later, Vivian.”

“Wait.” When he turned back to her, Vivian took a step closer to him. “You haven’t acclimated me.”

Trevor rocked back on his heels. “You’re a guest. The wolves will shield for you.”

“Oh, forget that. You shouldn’t have to. You don’t have to. Just acclimate me.”

“You sound familiar with the process.”

Vivian waved a dismissing hand. “I’ve been through it at least fifty times.”

A growl shook Rhett’s chest. Trevor and Kelsey turned to face him, and Vivian looked past them as if noticing his proximity for the first time. With a roll of her eyes, she shifted her attention back to Trevor.

“Go on,” she said. “You have my permission.”

Trevor shrugged. “If you say so. Ready?”

Vivian nodded. She didn’t blink, met Trevor’s eyes, and drew a long breath that shuddered a bit. She held it for about five seconds, then slowly exhaled. And smiled. “Great. Thanks.”

“Okay, I’m impressed,” Trevor said. When he held up his hand, Vivian laughed and gave him a high five. “And now I’m off to call the pack for lunch. If you come with, you can beat the line.”

The three of them walked past Rhett, but then Trevor turned back. “Hey, Rhett, this friend of yours has nerves of steel.”

He tried to say something casual. He wasn’t an awkward wolf. But he only grunted as he fell into step with them, toward the long table set along the back of the cabin, spread with the delicious staples of the pack cookout.

“So this is unexpected,” Vivian said when he walked beside her. “I thought you’d ignore my existence all day.”

He shot her a sidelong glare.

Vivian laughed. “You thought you would too. I knew it.”

Across the yard, a group of wolves tossed lawn darts in gleaming arcs toward the targets in the grass. In an unintentional mirror, closer to the house, Jeremy and Lucy’s four pups tossed beanbags toward a weathered old corn hole board. The rest of the pack stood in small groups under a few maple trees, or sat in camping chairs or on long log benches set around the fire pit.

Cassius and Ezra broke away from said group to greet—and, at her request, acclimate—Vivian, having met her before in town. Rhett’s proverbial hackles rose again. Something must be wrong with him, because none of these wolves would harm a guest of their pack—or any other human for that matter. Then Trevor clapped his hands once and called, “Food’s up.”

A long table set along the back of the cabin was spread with a fragrant variety of meats and hot sides in lidded crockpots and on foil-covered plates. The pack headed for the food as if with a collective mind. Vivian stepped into line in a random spot, ignoring the custom that allowed her to cut, and looked up and down the queue. Rhett still knew that look. She was more hungry to know the pack than she was for the meal.

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