Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,1

even better. Seeing her tipsy on champagne on New Year's Eve? Priceless. Dancing with her in front of the whole pack at our party in the community center? Yeah, I was a very happy man. No, we weren't back to where we'd been before she learned about werewolves and I'd made a stupid decision, but we'd get there. I could feel it in my gut.

The shocker was Seth! He could understand her confusion best, so he’d stepped in to help her learn. They had lunch together most days, and I couldn't count the number of times he hadn't come home from her place at night. The next morning, when he showed up to work, he always had the silliest smile on his lips. The bastard had a serious crush on his girlfriend, if I wasn't mistaken.

And Lane was content. He could touch her. He could make a lap around her house before bed without freaking her out. His need to take care of her didn't have to be a secret, so Elena now kept a couple pairs of running pants at her place in case he came to visit and forgot his clothes. It had happened enough times to be a necessity.

I had a feeling our sexually-transmitted - and bloodborne - disease wasn't the only reason she wanted to take this slow, though. There was also the issue of her divorce. She had to be legally separated for six months before she could file, but that was only a little over a month away, and my father was representing her. He'd make sure she got full custody of Gabby with no loopholes to worry about. What she didn't know was that he'd also been looking into ways for us to find a guardian for the teen girl. If anything happened to Elena, I'd promised her that the pack would take care of her daughter. My pack, and as the alpha, I would not go back on my word.

Not that anything would happen to Elena, but it would make her feel a bit less paranoid about getting exposed to this virus we all had. That was why we'd been cut off. Her reasoning made perfect sense. Her point was valid. Still, I could remember that one night I'd spent with her, and the way she'd felt around me. The little sounds she'd made as I pleased her. Which I shouldn't be thinking about while balancing at the top of a ladder!

I got the banner free and started to climb down, only to notice that I was no longer alone. Making her way down the sidewalk was a wolf I knew a little too well. She was bundled in a long coat, with her hands buried in the pockets, and her short blonde hair was tousled by the winter breeze. I tipped my head at her politely, and she smiled back, heading right for the side of my truck. By the time I was off the ladder, she'd leaned her ass against the passenger door, clearly waiting for me.

"Can I help you, Karen?" I asked.

Her eyes dropped down my body. "Thought that maybe I could help you, Alpha."

"Mhm." I put the banner in the back of my SUV, set the ladder on top, then moved around to see her. "Am I going to regret asking how?"

She shrugged, giving me a pouty little smile. "Sounds like things aren't so good with your new mate. The whole pack knows you're just looking out for the kid."

"And 'the whole pack' is clearly wrong," I assured her, knowing she was mostly talking about herself. "We're pretty happy."

"Seth says he's not getting laid." She lifted a brow, daring me to deny it.

"Which is really none of your business," I reminded her.

With a sound that was supposed to be playful, she pushed herself off my truck and closed the distance between us. "C'mon, Ian. You know I've always been discrete."

The bitch reached up to straighten the collar of my jacket. As gently as I could, I caught her wrist and eased her hand away. Karen's jaw clenched in frustration, but she didn't try to fight me. She did, however, press a little closer.

"Quit," I told her. "What you and my betas did in the past was your business, but it's over."

"You and I used to be friends too," she reminded me.

"Yep, and I'd like to think we still are, but friends and fuck buddies aren't the same thing. Look, I never had a problem with what you, Pax,