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Sharon giggled at that. “Maybe someday I’ll get to meet that Carlos. He’s dreamy.”
Benny was trying not to laugh at that. “Sleep now,” he said finally. “You did good.”
The three of them started to leave, when Benny stopped. “One last question,” he said. “How did you know to come here?”
“You showed us the link to the pack Second, remember?” Sharon said. “So when I ran out of the pack house away from Grandfather, I shifted. I hurt, you know? And we all know to shift when we hurt, because we heal faster. I asked my wolf if she knew where that link went. She did. So we came here.”
“Smart,” Benny approved. “You and your wolf both.”
“Not that it matters, but who is Carlos?” Ryder asked when they were out of the room.
Benny laughed. “He’s a young wolf who has mad computer skills. He set up their TikTok account, designed the website, and he keeps it all running for them. Does all the security for it, all that kind of thing. And the girls all crush on him. He, of course, thinks he’s way too old for them —I think he’s 25. But one of the things they do, is howl, and then they translate things into different languages. And they made him howl and speak in Spanish. Embarrasses him to no end.”
Ryder grinned. It felt good to have a few minutes of normalcy —of teens with crushes and playing games on TikTok. “So they were going to poison us? Poison Marta too?”
“Maybe they had some plan to avoid Marta,” Benny answered. “But he came through after we were seated apparently. Originally we were spread out. Did you see him?”
Ryder shook his head. “No, I don’t think Rory was in the dining room. He probably left when I asked Duncan to escort the senior women in.” He looked around, and it was just the three of them. “You and Duncan need to work things out, or figure out a way to stay apart,” he said quietly. “You’re too close in dominance.”
“Now that I know that’s the problem, I can handle it,” Benny promised. “But I thought something had aroused my suspicions, and I kept pushing him to see if he could be trusted.”
“And?”
Benny shrugged. “He hasn’t swung at me yet.”
Jessie rolled her eyes. “Men,” she muttered. Ryder grinned at her. “Let’s see if Cass has everything she needs for lunch.”
Chapter 19
Day 160 of the re-emerged Hat Island pack, Thursday, Nov. 14, Penticton
It was Amanda who cameup with the solution of how to deal with all of the recruits — Ryder’s recruits, Jessie thought with a grin. That had a much better sound to it than Chen’s recruits, and she couldn’t wait to see the deer-in-the-headlights look Ryder would get when she used it.
“Look, we move us eight women out to two of the cabins out back,” Amanda said. It was mid-afternoon and they were up in the attic, drinking coffee and watching the recruits down below. “We don’t need this whole house, Jessie. We’d be happier out there, I think. And maybe safer. The bikers are out there. You and Ryder are out there.”
Jessie considered it. She was in charge for the moment. She could consult with Duncan, but she already knew he’d just agree with whatever she thought. She liked him, but he was overwhelmed by all the changes of the last few days. He’d gone from a quiet life in that suite downstairs with that great study to this — a horde of young men camped out in his front yard, a new Alpha, a female pack Second, and a hostile takeover attempt. Not bad for the realtor of the year. She snorted.
