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“Wait there,” he said as he went through, closing it with a loud thud behind him.
Alone in the room, I let my head drop back and groaned. This was the single worst week of my fucking life, and that was saying something since I’d been through hell. I just hoped I didn’t find myself on the streets at the end of the impending conversation. Callum wasn’t my biggest fan, but he was also my only hope. I vowed that if he let me stay, I’d give him more information on the asshole causing havoc in their territory. If they found and killed him for his transgressions, then I could wait out my truck being fixed and get the fuck out of town.
Gods, please let this work out until then.
ChapterEight
Vanya
The asshole alpha took his time coming back, waltzing in nearly two hours later with another wolf in tow. The man behind him was huge, at least twice the alpha’s size bulk wise, though they were both easily six feet tall. He eyed me with annoyance, green eyes piercing through me, and I immediately bristled at the unspoken challenge there. He ran a hand lazily over his black beard as he watched me and I had to fight an eye roll.
Don’t dig yourself any deeper, Vanya.
“We’ve decided to offer you a probationary period. You have thirty days to prove you belong here before we have a pack meeting and decide on it. I suggest you learn to curve that mouth and attitude and learn how to be part of a pack.”
I was part of a pack…I shot back in my head, but kept my mouth securely shut, simply nodding instead. Showing a rare bit of self-control, I also didn’t point out that staying wasn’t really the issue, asylum was.
“Good job, little wolf.” Callum laughed heartily at my expense. Anger boiled through my veins, but I stood strong. I’d be the good wolf he was referring to out of pure spite alone. And if it kept that tracker off my back, then that was fine by me.
“Thanks. By the way, that wolf isn’t lone, he’s a tracker,” I noted in a bored tone, crossing my arms.
Callum’s demeanor changed, smile falling as he shared a glance with the man behind him. There was a slight nod before the man went and spoke to Antonio in hushed tones.
“Now, the rules. You’ll be staying with Leven, my warrior and my second. He leads the security and safety of this pack, so you can trust him.” There was sincerity in his tone, and I let out a breath of relief.
“Okay,” I agreed. “What do I need to pay for rent? The pack dues? With a place like this I assume it’ll be my life savings.”
“Pack dues?” the man spoke up. “And why is she staying with me?” It wasn’t a challenge, but he was angry.Guess I found out who Leven is.
“Yeah?” I said, confused, though it came out as more of a question. “The monthly pot we all contribute to?”
“You’re not just a lone wolf, are you?” Callum asked. Something in his voice said it was confirming his suspicions. I sighed and shook my head.
“I was part of a pack not long ago. But I have no family left and no real reason to stay.” There was truth in my words and he nodded once, believing it. Though we both knew it wasn’t the full story. But trust went both ways and I was glad to see he respected that at least.
“We don’t do any kind of dues. The homes here are fully paid off, everyone maintains them and the grounds. We do communal meals when pack meetings are happening or events, but our kitchens are open and run full-time, offering meals for those wanting more pack time and everything leftover is either taken home or donated.”
“But, surely there’s rent or something?” I pressed. It wasn’t that I wasn’t comprehending his words, it was that I’d never seen a selfless pack.
“No dues,” Antonio agreed. “We all have our jobs here and we do them well. This is our pack, our home, and we treat it as such. Some of us work out of town, or from home, the rest of us work within the pack. It works for us.”
“And I’ll be doing what?” I asked.
“Kitchens and grounds at first,” Callum said. “We’ll see from there. And now thanks to you, there’s a pack meeting tonight so you better report to Emma in the mess hall. Go down the street here, it’s the one with an attached pavilion.”
“All right,” I said. “Though I’ll need someone to come with me to grab my belongings and check out of the hotel at some point soon.”
“We’ll handle it,” Callum said. Not bothering to argue with him or press for more answers, I swallowed my annoyance and left.
Walking through the Bluffs was surreal, the homes bigger than anything I’d ever seen before. Even I couldn’t argue how beautiful it all was, though. Every piece of land was landscaped to perfection, the homes clean and maintained. And every damn step I took had me feeling so far out of my element I wanted to scream. How could a girl from a middle-of-nowhere, cabin-filled pack, end up here?
It’s probationary,I reminded myself. And if I couldn’t make it through a single year without earning a pack-inflicted punishment, then there was little hope for me. Though at least the grueling work I had ahead of me was how I lived in my old pack. Torryn’s father had us reliant on him, any and all money earned was done under his supervision and for the pack. He’d find jobs and assign us to them, so it was his money we paid back in dues. Clever and morally bankrupt—the stipulations for being an alpha it seemed.
The pavilion came into view. There was a full outdoor kitchen with a line of barbecue pits and smokers to the side. Polished wooden tables lined the space and a middle-aged woman was already cleaning up the top of the tables and brushing off chairs. She pushed a cleaning cart along with her, focused on her task. She had wavy brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. Her apron was a gaudy floral one, but somehow she made it look adorable. Between that and her jeans and sweater, she just looked cozy and sweet. That made approaching her so much easier.
“Are you Emma?” I called out. She looked up at me, blowing a strand of dark-brown hair out of her face and glancing up at me.
“I am…” she trailed off, the “who the hell are you” left unsaid.
