The Pack (The Pack 1)

“Well?” Leah asked immediately when I sat down. She gave me an arch look and continued, “Rumor has it you skipped out after lunch.”

“I had a doctor’s appointment,” I answered, using the same excuse my dad had. “I’d totally forgotten about it.”

“Oh, I thought maybe you went to check on your friends,” she replied, nodding toward the Pack who had congregated at their normal table as if nothing unusual had happened.

“Nope,” I responded brightly, maybe a little too brightly because Leah shot me a glance. I toned it down and tilted my head as if I had gossip to share. She leaned toward me eagerly and I told her, “I heard there was a death in their community and everyone stayed home to pay their respects.” Leah’s mouth formed an O and she nodded, slightly abashed. Anna had told me the story they’d fabricated to excuse so many of them and since Hank Navarre allowed the principal to hunt on part of his lands, he’d accepted it easily enough.

“That’s so sad,” Leah murmured, casting a lowered gaze toward the Pack’s table. “Hmm,” she hummed after a second and I knew exactly why she’d made the noise. I could literally feel the weight of his gaze on me and shifted my head slightly so it wasn’t as obvious when my eyes met his.

There was no mistaking whom he was staring at and I lifted my eyebrow in warning. Nothing had changed where we were concerned. Too many looks like this would garner unnecessary attention.

He pulled his gaze away from mine. Finally. But by then it was Leah who was giving me a curious glance.

“You ride with him, Caleb, and Anna every morning,” she mentioned casually.

“Yeah,” I answered, not elaborating.

“I’m impressed, girl. So, how big is he?” I choked at her question, but she ignored me as she continued to talk, “I mean considering the rest of him.” She held her hands apart, widening them when I didn’t say anything.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I answered, a little too desperate in my denial. “I know him but only because he brings Anna.”

“Yeah, but Anna didn’t start riding with them until you did,” Leah replied, satisfaction in her voice as I glanced at her in startled surprise. I hadn’t put that together, but she obviously had.

“I mentioned I might sit with them at lunch. I’m sure he was just curious why I wasn’t over there,” I stumbled through my hastily made up excuse, and even though Leah wrinkled her nose like she didn’t believe me, she let it go, obviously having tortured me enough today.

Chapter Sixteen

Two days later, I was pushing the heavy cleaning cart to my next room, cursing a sticky wheel, when someone cleared their throat.

I stopped suddenly, my gaze sharpening on a good-looking male standing right in my path, my cart millimeters from ramming him.

He smirked at me, a dirty green duffel slung over his shoulder, and I took a wary step back, my hand going to my side where I’d hidden my gun under my shirt. The Hanleys hadn’t attempted anything yet, and it had everyone on edge. The elders hadn’t decided to attack, citing the Hanleys’ continued nonviolence since Dominic had killed two of their pack members, but we knew it was only a matter of time.

I’d continued to hide the gun in my backpack at school and taken to keeping it on me when I cleaned the rooms. I even stashed it next to my bed at night. Dominic and the other wolves in his pack continued to keep watch over the motel, their howls comforting me, but I also wasn’t content to let them be my only defense if I could do more.

“Room 206?” He asked, and I nodded to the room I’d just freshened up. We weren’t so busy that it needed an actual cleaning, but Dad thought mints on the pillow and a dusting was good business. I couldn’t argue since there wasn’t much else to recommend the place. The lower floor was in the process of renovation, but until it was done all we had to offer were rooms straight out of a seventies horror movie.

He nodded his thanks and I watched as he took a deep breath and froze. My hand went to the gun, fumbling with my shirt as I worked to free it, my hands shaking as I remembered Dominic telling me not to hesitate.

“An unclaimed female?” He tilted his head, not seeming to notice my nerves as he sniffed the air again. “Not completely unclaimed,” he continued and my hand gripped the gun. “Someone has their scent all over you and I can’t blame him, but I also can’t believe he’d leave you here unprotected.” He glanced around warily and I managed to get the gun up.

“I can protect myself,” I informed him, holding my hand steady, the cart a barrier between us. I took a few steadying breaths, already knowing I should have taken the shot and cursing myself for my hesitation.