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“We were going to run some errands in town for a few of the retirees. It’s nothing that can’t wait while we catch up,” Jeremiah said. “So you met in the woods? That’s the rumor in town.”
Adam smiled as he put his arm around Dani. “Yeah, on the full moon. She and her brother stopped in town to get gas and she felt me.”
Honey sighed wistfully. “That’s very cool. It’s like how we found each other,” she said as she smiled at Jeremiah.
As the couples shared the stories of how they met, Adam was conscious of a growing sense of camaraderie that he hadn’t felt before. It wasn’t just that Jeremiah was his best friend; now he realized that he’d come to think of him as a brother of sorts.
“The reason we wanted to see you is that I talked to Acksel and Dade about Dani and I joining the stewards. They agreed, as long as both of you don’t mind the company,” Adam said.
“Seriously? That would be awesome!” Jeremiah said. “Honey and I were just saying the other day how it would be nice to have some more responsible stewards who actually wanted to do the work.”
Honey wrinkled her nose as she smiled. “The teen wolves are just not that interested in hard work, unless they’re doing it right in front of Acksel or one of the high-ranked males. They’re always wanting to impress them, but when it’s just us, they get powerfully lazy.”
“Unless there are teenage girls around,” Jeremiah said with a laugh. “Then they’ll do anything that makes them look strong.”
“Acksel said we could join the stewards now even though Dani won’t be made an unofficial pack member until the March full moon.”
“That’s great,” Jeremiah said. “Dani, do you understand what we do as stewards?”
She nodded. “You work with the retired wolves.”
“Right. When a wolf ages out of the pack, they often find themselves alone. Some retirees are still mated, but most of our retirees lost their mates and are alone. Because they don’t join in the monthly hunts, they can get lost in an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ way. When I was simply an omega, I used to take the time to check in on them. I felt like it was important, because I know what it’s like to be forgotten and overlooked.”
“When Jer was offered the opportunity to fight for rank, he got a little pissed that Acksel expected me to just take over all his duties,” Honey said. “Stewards are an old-school pack position. Most modern packs don’t have stewards, or even know what they are. They offered the position to both of us, and it was a no-brainer. I love working with the retirees, plus I get to work with my mate.”
“That’s so neat,” Dani said.
“How about we give you a tour of the development and we can introduce you to the retirees?” Jeremiah asked.
“That sounds great,” Adam said.
He and Dani followed them outside, and then he walked with Jeremiah ahead of their mates, who already were talking quietly together, their arms linked and smiles on their faces as if they were old friends. “Thanks,” Adam said.
Jeremiah patted him on the back. “It’s my pleasure. I’m glad you found your mate. Honey and I had been talking about asking Acksel to make you a steward so that you could help us out.”
Adam hummed. “I’m not sure he would have let me do that. There aren’t a lot of omega males who can do the work that needs to be done, but with Dani, it just made sense for us to work together.”
“I love working with Honey. The retirees will love to have another couple to help out. Honey and I have started to get backlogged.” Jeremiah reached into his back pocket and pulled out a rectangular magnet. “We’ll make up new magnets with your cell phone number and Dani’s, so they can call you in the middle of the night when the heat goes out instead of just us.”
“Or when one of the old ladies hears something outside and wants someone to investigate,” Honey said with a chuckle.
Adam glanced over his shoulder at Dani, and she smiled, her blue eyes dancing. He knew then without a doubt that it was the right thing for them to do. Dani had wanted to find a place in the pack where she fit in, and not being able to take part in the pack hunts on the full moon wouldn’t help her feel connected to the group. But helping the retirees was a step in the right direction.
As they stepped onto the porch of the first home, Dani slid into his arms and kissed him. “This is awesome.”
“I think so too.”
CHAPTERSIX
The next afternoon, Adam opened the door and Dani saw Brynn and two other women standing on the front porch. “Welcome wagon!” Brynn said.
“Wolfy welcome wagon,” one of the other women added.
Adam held open the door and said, “Sweetheart, this is Mia Slattery and her sister-in-law, Nila. Where’s Jack?”
“With Mal,” Nila said. To Dani she said, “Jack’s my son. He’s staying with my mate, Malachi.”
“Who likes to call him ‘carrot,’” Mia said as she stepped into the house and Adam shut the door.
