Page 86 of Old Secrets

Only one obstacle came between me, Jake, and our happily ever after, and it involved the situation with his family and pack. As promised, Desmond introduced us to Seattle’s pack leader, who was mated to an Omega like Jake and lived next door. Within ten minutes of meeting him, my fox decided Sanders would do.

Sara may as well have been yet another star hung in my fox’s sky.

Desmond made it clear we’d be coming to his pack after we were settled and he finished attending to some business, which amused Sanders. With the posturing out of the way, the pack transfer went better than I expected, although whatever Sanders did dropped my mate to the floor.

Fortunately for my sanity, Desmond had been ready, catching him under his arms and lowering him to the floor. “He’ll be fine, Karma. He’s just sensitive. His file in the Inquisition made it clear he’s a fainter during pack transfers—or at the very least, very wobbly.” The enforcer grinned at me. “Unlike you, who just stared at Sanders expecting something to happen and you completely failed to notice for a solid minute.”

“It took her that long for the bond to stabilize enough for her to start hearing the wolves,” Sanders reported, shaking his head and staring at my mate. “With him out of the way for the moment, let me see if I understand this. You want me to host the Washington Alphas, who essentially did the same that happened to Richard but non-violently?”

“It was accidental, Sanders,” Desmond replied. “They assumed their pup was dominant because they’re dominant, and it never occurred to them that their people-pleasing submissive son could possibly be anything other than a dominant. Now he’s an Omega, and I’m expecting good results after he’s with you for a while. Then I’ll train him in enforcement and use him ruthlessly to increase puppy survival rates. Karma will shake out as a good general enforcer when they aren’t working with the FBI rescuing Normal kids. I’ve already discussed the situation with the Inquisition regarding their new job; you’ll get them for two months before Jake’s evaluated for if he’s stable enough for active duty.”

I blinked. “Wait. If Jake’s stable enough?” Pointing at myself, I raised a brow.

“Karma, you’re fine. Mellisa evaluated you in Tibet. You handled yourself with grace and professionalism, used good judgment, and passed all her basic tasks. Jake’s hesitating.”

I stared at my mate, who was still on the ground. “Should we just leave him there?”

Desmond shrugged. “He’ll be fine. I mean, if you want to have some fun with him, we can stage him on your lap and be dramatic about it.”

Laughing, I got down on the floor. “I’m never passing up on an opportunity to witness Jake come around in a vulnerable position with me. Don’t be silly.” With help from the two Alphas, we situated Jake so his head was nestled on my lap. “He hesitated?”

Joining me on the floor, Desmond nodded. “According to her, he initially froze during the ambush. She thinks part of it was being startled by how you made a decision and followed through with your plan. He delayed long enough he only got in one kill versus your two. He should have been a kill ahead of you with his training, although you may have tied. Mellisa mentioned you were quite efficient at dispatching your prey.”

“Is it because he’s an Omega now?”

“It might be.”

“We’ll sort it out. As long as one of us is swift on the draw, if he needs a little more time, it should be fine. I used to be the slow and methodical one compared to his swift reaction times, so I’ll step up if he has to work out any bad habits.” Tilting my head to the side, I began the process of counting howling and warbling wolves in my head. “It’s a big pack.”

“We are. We have a lot of Normals in it, too—I bring the mates of my wolves in as soon as they’re ready, and our witches are also in the pack. You’ll start picking up on them soon enough. Jake’s sensitive, so he got plowed; it’s the largest pack he’s been in by far, and he wasn’t prepared for the interest and greeting. Don’t fret, though. The pack was briefed on his situation, so he’ll be wrapped in a nice warm blanket along with his wolf until he settles. I’ve already got a few wolves who have volunteered to keep an eye on him. We have to do the same for Sara.”

The woman in question raised her hand and waved. “We’re very bad about putting everyone else first and getting lost in the noise. When I start getting lost, somebody tells Matthew or Desmond, and I get what I need, which is usually to be particularly submissive. I’m put at the back of the pack rankings for a while, so everyone takes turns standing guard until I recharge my battery. And if I go the other way, Desmond suggests I pick a fight with my mate and take over the pack for a while.”

“She’s gotten quite good at hostile takeovers of the pack,” Sanders admitted in a rueful tone. “We’re still working on her going to the submissive wolves on her own for attention. You’ll have similar problems with Jake, but Wendy is submissive enough she can take care of him when he needs to be sensitive. When do you want me to bring them back to your place?”

“Keep them for three or four days. I’ll arrange for the Thomas family to visit, and they can have a chance to clear the air. The foxes should be fine without her for a few days. There are a bunch more of them coming in, and at this rate, I’m going to have to send some over here. Once I’m satisfied the Thomas Alphas can come over here and play nice, I’ll bring them over. I’m going to referee Karma’s family tearing strips out of them. Sorry, Karma, but you don’t need to witness that. Mellisa’s orders.”

The true ruler of Seattle was Mellisa, and she reigned with an iron fist. The one time Desmond had tried to overstep his bounds, she had warned him he had a choice of backing off or being shoved into a silver cage until he changed his mind.

Desmond had decided against spending time in a silver cage.

Sanders joined us on the floor, as did Sara. “All right, Karma. You can wake your mate up. It’s a good chance to see how he reacts.”

I began with toying with Jake’s hair, and when that didn’t get the result I wanted, I flicked his ears. While it took a minute, he roused, blinking up at me in a state of confusion.

“You fainted,” I announced with glee. “You swooned right into Desmond, and because he adores you, he caught you in his arms. Just like a princess.” I worked my fingers into his hair and made a mess of it. “Apparently, you can’t handle the adoration of so many wolves.”

“Damn it,” he muttered, and he draped an arm over his eyes. “Next time, I’m just sitting on the ground during pack transfers.”

I laughed, shoved his arm out of the way, and wiggled underneath him until I could give him a kiss. “You’ll survive. We should shift and go steal a deer from Desmond’s woods.”

Desmond got up, flung his hands in the air, and headed for the door. “Just bring back anything you don’t eat so it can be put in the freezer. If you don’t have space for their spoils, Matthew, bring over the extras. Are you out of paper?”

“I just got some, so I should be able to handle their attack on your stock. Are you going to put on your fur coat and play with them?”

“I’ll talk with Wendy and see if she wants to hunt. You’re welcome to come if you’d like, Sara.”

The woman whooped, pivoted, and bolted for the stairwell.