Page 29 of Wulf's Pack
“Not to mention the training gym,” Nora says. Preston perks up at this, and Nora grins at him. “You’re going to love it.”
“It isn’t a permanent solution, but it’ll work for the time being while we figure things out.”
I drag my fingers through my hair, nervous about how I’m going to handle this living arrangement. I’ve always needed my space. My wolf is territorial. Hopefully he behaves. He’s the one that got us into this mess. He doesn’t seem bothered by the thought, though. He’s still feeling smug and content.
Skylar slips her hand in mine, reminding me of yet another problem. I wince and give her an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry I claimed a pack without discussing it with you first. I’ve made you a luna.”
Skylar squeezes my hand. “I understand. And I think I’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure?” Not that she could do much about it now.
“I’m sure. My wolf has already claimed the pack as hers. I’ll need to be with them as much as they’ll need me.”
The tension slips from my shoulders. “Still, we’re strangers to one another. Just because we’re the alpha pair of a new pack, doesn’t mean we have to rush to complete the mate bond.”
Our mate bond is different. I assume because we are true mates. The bond snapped into place the moment our wolves met, but it feels incomplete. It’s there, but it’s buried. Like it’s trying to connect us through water. Usually, a bond isn’t formed until we exchange bites. Then the magic fuses our souls into one. My wolf has been pushing me almost from the first minute tocomplete the bond. The greedy bastard can wait, though. I’m not going to pressure Skylar like that.
Her face flushes again, and she looks at her feet. “I know we’re strangers, but my wolf already…”
“Still. There’s no rush to complete the bond. We can take things slow.”
She starts nibbling on her bottom lip. I raise an eyebrow and crack a smile. It seems my beautiful mate is as affected by her wolf as I am by mine. She was the one who first initiated the kiss, after all. Perhaps this courtship will progress more quickly than I first assumed. I like that thought more than I should. I lift her chin, forcing her to meet my gaze, and flash her my most charming smile. “Of course, if you want to speed things up,” I tease, “I’m okay with that too.”
Her eyes bulge, and her face turns so red I fear it will never return to its normal pallor. I hold my hand out to her. “Come on. Let’s help the others pack and get you all settled at my place before the club opens.”
“The club?”
I sigh. “Yeah. It’ll be a good place to get the clan together before everyone heads off to work. We’ve got to break the news to them and introduce the Kellers.”
Chapter
Nine
Idrop Nora and Illren off at the den before taking my new pack back to my place. They promise to call a family meeting and have everyone meet at the club in an hour. Once Skylar and I are alone in the car, with the Kellers following behind us in their own car, my nerves start to kick in. Somehow, having Nora and Illren with me had worked as sort of a buffer up to this point. Now I’m truly on my own with my new pack.
I’m also nervous about taking them to my place. I’m not rolling in cash like some of my other clan members. Shifters don’t usually amass the amount of wealth that the immortal species do. Terrance, Parker, and Illren are all loaded. I’ve always had enough to suit my needs, and I have a nice little nest egg I’ve saved up, but it’s not enough to support a pack. I know every member of a pack usually supports themselves, giving a small percentage back to the pack, but I still feel this need to provide for them as best I can.
I don’t know what they’ll think about my place, either. It’s a bit unconventional, especially for wolves who tend to live in cheery neighborhoods that border wooded lands where they can run. My place isn’t near the woods or in some perfect suburban neighborhood. It’s not in any neighborhood at all. It’s downtownnear the club. I bought an old warehouse and converted it into a living space. My wolf is anxious of our pack’s reaction to it as well. Will it be good enough for them? Will they be happy?
Skylar startles me from my thoughts. “Are you okay?”
I want to say I’m fine, but she’ll know it’s a lie. I try to give her a reassuring smile, but I’m not sure I accomplish more than a grimace. “Just stressed. I don’t know what I’m going to do with a pack. I really am a textbook lone wolf by choice. We’re rare, but we exist. I was relieved when I finally left my pack, and I’ve never felt the need to go back. Suddenly, out of absolutely nowhere, my wolf is acting crazy, and we’re out of sync for the first time ever. Not a good thing to be when I now have a mate and a whole family depending on me.”
Skylar reaches across the center console and offers me her hand. I take it greedily. “We’ll be okay, Wulf. The Kellers seem like good people. We’ll all figure it out together. I don’t have any experience with a healthy pack, but I know what kind of pack I don’t want to be. And you have the best example to learn from. Seeing your clan at breakfast today was incredible. There’s no reason we can’t strive to have that sort of dynamic with our pack.”
I hope she’s right.
We reach the warehouse, and Skylar blinks up at the building. The Kellers eye the place with curiosity as they exit their car. “You live here?” Matthew asks when I go to punch the code into the front door.
He doesn’t sound upset or anything, but I feel self-conscious anyway. “I know it’s different…”
Skylar squeezes my hand and smiles at me. “I’m sure it’s great.”
I hold my breath and swing the door open. The pack follows me in gasping softly when the cavernous room lights up. I breathe a little in relief. I know the gym is impressive. My entireclan is in love with it. I had the whole warehouse gutted and converted into one big, open training ground. It has a pool, a boxing ring, mats, all the workout equipment anyone could ever need, and a track that circles the whole room. “I don’t get the chance to leave the city and shift much,” I say while they all take in the sight. “This helps.”
I push forward across the room to the back of the warehouse where there are stairs to a second floor. “The living quarters are upstairs.”
The pack follows me quietly, exploring the space with their eyes. We reach the top of the stairs, and I step aside when I hit the lights. The main living room, kitchen, and dining nook are all part of an open concept with the bedrooms and bathrooms down a hall in the back. It’s a contemporary industrial décor. Not the homiest, but I figured I’d be an eternal bachelor. “It’s not a lot. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and dining nook, and the main living room. We’ll be a bit cramped with the six of us, and not much privacy, but I can look into buying the building next to us and having it converted into apartments or something. There are a couple of rooms downstairs that used to be offices that I use for storage space, so we can keep any furniture you want to from your house.”
