Page 13 of Wulf's Pack
“There are ten of us,” Rook says. He nudges me in the side. “We all live together, except for this guy. He’s got his own place. Claims he needs his space.”
I huff. I know they’d all prefer I move in with them; I just can’t do it. My wolf really does need the space, but that’s not the only reason. “Nothing wrong with not wanting to share a bedroom wall with my newly mated brother. My shifter hearing is way too good for that.”
I gag, and the tiniest, cutest giggle escapes from Skylar. The sound of it punches me in the chest. That giggle is going to own me. I have no doubt.
“All right, we’ll stop by to see Nora on our way home.” I squeeze Skylar’s hand again. “You don’t mind, do you? She reallywill be disappointed if we don’t. Then, I promise to feed you and let you rest.”
She nods and gives me a small smile. “I’d like to meet her.”
“Great. Let’s go.”
I lead her toward the door, still holding her hand. She gives me a side glance, as if she wants to say something and isn’t sure she should. “What is it?” I ask.
She chews on her lip and glances around at all my clan brothers before meeting my waiting gaze again. “Um…” She hesitates again before blurting out, “Is your name really Wulf?”
There’s a moment of silence, and then my clan brothers all explode with laughter. Terrance’s booming voice vibrates the whole room. My face falls flat, and I give my annoying clan mates a dry look. “Laugh it up, assholes.”
Wulf the werewolf. Yeah. I know.
When I look at Skylar again, she’s got her lips sucked into her teeth, trying her damnedest not to laugh. It’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen, and I crack a smile despite myself. “I had cruel parents.”
A real laugh escapes her, and the moment I hear it, I know I’m in trouble. The sound clamps around my heart like a ball and chain. This beautiful woman is going to change me, whether I want her to or not.
My wolf paces smugly in my mind.Yes. Mate.
I groan at his one-track mind and force my fears aside. I may not have asked for a mate, but I’ve got one now, and she needs me to take care of her. I plop my hand on her head and ruffle her hair. “Come on, little mate. Let’s go meet the rest of the clan.”
Chapter
Four
Since I’m not completely freaking out anymore, Terrance asks Rook to stay back with him at the club to fill in for me. Honestly, I think he’s trying to give Skylar and me alone time. I don’t know if I appreciate it or not. I’m not panicking now, but I’m still nervous as hell. I have no idea how to be a mate. I haven’t had to look after anyone other than myself for so long I doubt I know how to be unselfish.
Skylar’s nervous too. Oliver had to drive his own car back to work, and Charlie and Enzo both had other things to do, so it’s just the two of us on the drive to the FUA office. She’s sitting stiffly in her seat, wringing her hands and chewing the hell out of her bottom lip. I can smell the nerves coming off her, and I hate it.
I want to put her at ease, but I don’t know how. Usually, I’m great with people, but Skylar isn’t just some beautiful stranger I can flirt and joke around with. She’s my mate. I don’t know what kind of expectations she has, and I don’t want her to feel any kind of pressure from me. Honestly, I need to take this slow for my own peace of mind, no matter how much my wolf wants to jump right in.
The silence in the car isn’t doing anything to ease the tension. I drum my thumbs on the steering wheel, wracking my brain for something to say. “You’re going to love Nora, and she’s going to be so excited to have another female in the clan. She’s always complaining about the amount of testosterone surrounding her. Terrance is our clan leader, but Nora’s the heart of it. She’s the one who brought us all together and made us a family. She’s also a lot like you. She’ll understand where you’re coming from.”
Skylar glances at me. “She’s like me? You mean, she’s been…hurt?”
Sorrow pangs my heart again. “She had a very hard life before meeting us. She was raised in the human world, ignorant of her underworlder status. She didn’t know about her siren’s allure, much less how to control it. She’s seen a lot of violence in her life. But she’s healed so much since building our family. You will too. I promise.”
Skylar sits back in her seat and loses herself in thought again. I reach across the console and take her hand. My grip is gentle, and I rub my thumb in soothing circles over her skin. She relaxes a little. Wolves are physically affectionate. We all crave touch. Something tells me Skylar isn’t used to positive physical contact. It’s going to take a lot of small touches like this to help her wolf heal from the abuse she’s known for who knows how long.
We don’t speak again until we reach the FUA office, but the silence is a lot less tense.
FUA headquarters recently moved downtown into the same high-rise as the local FBI field office. It’s a nice part of the city. They used to be in an old, run-down building disguised as a shipping company on the other side of town. That was before the FUA was known to the general public and before the building was destroyed in the battle that ravaged the city the day humans learned the truth about us.
The Agency has only been around for a few decades, and until Detroit-mageddon, it was a highly-classified branch of the government with very few humans knowing of its existence. After the dragon was out of the bag, there have been a lot of changes within the Agency. Mainly, a lot more human involvement. But it also meant a lot more funding, which allowed them to move their office to a nicer place with proper security.
I curse internally when we reach the place and see the chaos gathered outside in the building’s forecourt. There’s always a small crowd of humans now. A mix of human groupies hoping to catch the attention of the underworlders and hateful protesters wanting to kick all supernatural beings out of the city. They’d wipe us from the face of the earth, if they could manage it.
We find a good parking spot on the street out front of the building. Skylar’s eyes widen when she sees the crowd, and she hunches her head into her shoulders. “What is this place?”
“FUA headquarters.”
She turns back to me, biting her lip. “What are we doing here?”
