Page 1 of Conri

Chapter 1

Conri watched the greenhouse going up.It was larger than he thought it would have been.But then, he knew very little about the management of greenhouses and how many people it would take to run it.His dearest and best friend, Brewster, told him it would require fifty people to handle the daily tasks and ten more to manage the registers and sales floor.His pack was going to benefit the most from the employment of his people working there.

Moving across the valley where his pack was, Conri, as his wolf, stretched out and let his muscles stretch as well.It was a good feeling being a wolf when he’d been a human for nearly four months without a shift to his other self.He was going to enjoy this as much as he could today because he didn’t know what tomorrow would bring.

“You’re needed at the bank.”Growling low, he asked his brother Yanick what the issue was.“The new banker is asking if people opening new accounts are shifters or not.Then, he turns them away when they answer truthfully.It’s not going to be easy for them to cash their new checks if he’s going to stop them from getting money against the checks that they’ve been waiting for.He needs to be taken to task.”

“He needs to be taken to the woods and killed.”Thankfully, his brother didn’t agree with him.“Call Brewster and see what he can do.I believe he has an interest in the bank as well.Something about him owning the land, I believe.While I have you, could you please check on the men and women at the car dealership?I know they were having some issues as well with being paid their full commissions.”

So far, the new businesses coming to town have only made it more difficult for him.Not only was it difficult to get checks cashed, but they were either not receiving all their pay or not receiving any pay at all.Having an income didn’t do them any good if they weren’t able to spread a bit of their hard-earned cash around.Then he heard from his vampire friend Brewster.

“Yanick just contacted me about the bank.I’m not going there, but my lovely wife is.She’ll get it straightened out in no time.Or we’ll need to start having a graveyard for people that have pissed her off.You know how she can be.”He told Brew that he was afraid of Calla, and with good reason.“Yes, I’d not say this to her myself, but she’s been testing herself out on some of the magic I’ve given her.Who would have thought that a tiny little human like her would come to mean so much to both of us?”

“I’m betting by the end of the day, not only will my people get their checks cashed, but we’ll need to be learning the name of the new banker.Your mate does not suffer fools lightly, does she?”They both laughed.“All I wanted to do today was let my wolf have a bit of fun.I’ve been bombarded with one thing after another since I left the pack house.”

“I would tell you to ignore all the requests for help, but you’d not do that anymore than I would.You’ve made yourself indispensable.And part of being a great leader makes it so you have no time for yourself.Sometimes that’s good, but like now, I’m betting you wish you could chuck it all and become just another wolf in a pack.”Conri agreed with him.“I know you so well, my friend.The bank manager will be dealt with even if I have to step in.What else may I do for you?”

He told him about the dealership and the lack of getting all commissions.“But I can take care of that, I think.It might be a simple thing that they’re not getting them put on the checks like they think.I don’t know.I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt or assume they misunderstood something.I don’t want to jump to conclusions about something I know very little about.”

“Rette is running the daily operations of the place without the benefit of selling cars.He wanted to make things good for those that work for him.If you need me to, I can set up a meeting among the three of us so I can understand how it works as well.Like you, I have people working there too.”He said he sent his brother over there, and if he didn’t have any luck, then a meeting would be great.“Very good.I’ll look forward to hearing about it from you.How are things going for you otherwise?Has your mother been keeping you fat andlazy?”

“You know my mother well enough to know that she’s not cooking for anyone including herself anymore.It’s really hit or miss if I can get in touch with her.Did I tell you my cousin met his mate?Now, that’s all my mom can talk about.How she’ll be a great aunt and not even a grandma yet.It’s hell being this old with no one to placate your relatives with a mate and babies.”

“Everyone coming around is having babies, it seems.I guess progress makes people horney or something.Most of the people in town are having one, I swear to you.”Again, they both laughed about other people.“I must go and see if my mate needs me.She does that less and less of late.Do you suppose she’s grown bored living with a vampire?”

“Doubtful.Calla is a good person.And hellishly right all the time.Did you hear about my books she did for me?Found out I was paying taxes on the land around here that I don’t even own.While we struck a deal long ago about my pack being on your land, I know for a fact that I’m not to pay taxes on someone else’s land.And that being said, I do wish you’d allow me to pay you something for it.”

“No, I have it well in hand.As I told Calla once.I could remodel all the houses in town twice over, and it wouldn’t put a dent in what I have in the way of money.You’re a good friend, Conri, and I’d not have money issues coming between us.”Conri thanked him.“Now, I shall go and check on the poor banker.I’m betting that he’s regretting getting out of bed this morning if I know my Calla Lily.”

Conri answered questions when they were put to him, but for the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening, he enjoyed being his other half.Being able to run in the woods had always been a particularly good time for him.He also swam in the lake that separated the pack land from Brew’s land.

It was all Brew’s land, but he’d plotted out enough to allow the wolves free reign around his when they wanted.He would repay him at times by watching over his home and land as well.He’d recently done that when Calla’s uncle was trying to kill her because he thought that her money was his to use as he wanted.Daniel didn’t last long after he got out of jail.And the best part was no one would ever find his body or be able to test anything for DNA.They’d done such a good job of cleaning up after he was killed.

Conri was just getting into his home when he heard from Brew again.Calla had dealt with the banker, and they’d have no more issues with getting accounts opened up.He’d even gotten the commissions taken care of.

It had been a corporate thing in that the loans for the cars they sold had to wait ten days before they got it on their checks.It was in the contract the employees had to sign when they sold a car.So if, in a relatively low occurrence, they returned the car within the first few days, the commission wouldn’t be paid.

“Thank you for that.”Brew also told him that there was a new banker in the bank as well.“She didn’t kill him, did she?Christ, that’s all we need, your mate in prison for killing a stupid banker.”

“No, she made a couple of phone calls and got him fired.He wasn’t too keen on that either, by the way.So, if you’re out and about, keep an eye on her.I will kill him if he so much as looks in her direction.”Conri said he’d do that easily.“Thank you so much, my friend.Now, when the greenhouse is open to the public, hopefully, nothing goes on there it would be a great day.”

After setting up a time to meet in the coming week, Conri took a long hot shower and went to bed.He was in the habit of sleeping in the nude, and tonight was no different.Having worn himself out today, he knew that he’d sleep well.As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out.

At half past six the next morning, he was up and having breakfast with his mom.The pack provided him with a cook, so it wasn’t unusual that she’d come and have the first meal of the day with him.Sometimes, his brothers would join them, but today, it was just the two of them.She told him he looked rested.

“I feel like I got a good night’s sleep too.Running around all day yesterday ignoring everything, for the most part, really wore me out.I might have to do that more often.”She asked him about the pack meetings.“They’re going to start back up now that it’s getting to be winter.With summer and kids being off from school, it’s been difficult for us to have them then.But I believe everyone is excitedfor them to start back up.”

“You can count on me to do the organizing of food, you know.I won’t cook anything, but I can organize the hell out of it.”She smiled at him.“You do know if you had a mate, she’d be doing this so I can enjoy my golden years with a newborn cub in my arms.”

“Mom, if it were possible, I’d knock up several humans just so you can have what you want.However, I’m not sure anyone is out there for me anymore.I had my chance at happiness, but Dad…well, you know what he did.”She looked away from him, but not before he could see the tears that she was shedding.“Carol was a good mate, and I loved her.I’m not sure that I could love like that again.”

“She’s out there.I know it.”He nodded.They’d been having this same conversation for the last fifty years or so.“All right then, I’m going to start bothering your brothers then.Kendrick is next oldest and far too old to be running around flirting with every woman he sees.”

“He’s a charmer, he is.I believe he could charm his way out of just about everything he gets into and not have any trouble.”He thought of his other brothers.All five of them were charmers when it came to women.“Maybe I need to hang out with them more.They seem to have no trouble wooing a woman to their beds.”

“Go on with you now.What a thing to tell your mother.”She stood up, and so did he.Getting a tight hug from her and a kiss on the cheek, she left him to his day.It was going to be a good day, he hoped and left his house just as the clock chimed the eight o’clock hour.

Conri thought about his mate.Carol hadn’t really been good at anything but causing trouble with him and his pack.He’d never told anyone about what really got her killed but for Brew.And only because he’d walked up on him when he was putting a gun in his mouth.It had been just too much for him when she’d been killed with his father.

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