Excellent.â Ro replied with a nod, satisfied for the moment with her response. At the news that Kirstenâs family had been killed, Rowena grew concerned, but decided it would be more prudent to delicately question her about this in private. âIâm sorry for your loss. To lose both pack and family at once is a terrible thing.â She offered inadequately. Words could never do justice to the gaping hole left in ones heart by loss, but she hoped to provide some comfort.
As Naomi arrived, Rowenaâs smile softened. âReplace you? Hardly. Logan would have a fit at the thought.â Ro teased mildly before extending a hand toward their soon to be newest Pack member. âThis, is Jacob Robertson, one of the local veterinarians near the city.â She introduced.
âHe has decided to join the pack as our newest member.â She continued vaguely, deciding sheâd let Jacob fill in any more blanks he felt like sharing.
Jacob looked out towards the yard as Rowena addressed the new arrival. She spoke of loss. He felt like he should leave them alone but no one else was moving so he stayed put.
Another woman arrived. Rowena introduced him and Jacob nodded, taking the womanâs hand and shaking it. âUgh nice to meet you. I guess...yeah I am sticking around.â He looked towards the man who had kidnapped him who he now knew as Rowenaâs brother. âI have a clinic a bit away. I hope to get back soon.â He looked at the first woman. âMy dogs are there and likely getting antsy.â He gave her a nod in thanks. He hadnât wanted to interject earlier to thank her for returning the dogs to the office.
âBut yeah, I am going to be part of the group.â Again he looked towards Al. Not that you gave me any say in the matter. Jacob wondered if and when he would stop being annoyed and resentful of the man for his actions.
Al met eyes with the Vet, whose name he now knew was Jacob, whose gaze was trying to burn a hole in his head. The posture was subconsciously hostile, and human or not, Al wouldnât be the one to show weakness by looking away first.
Henry on the other hand, looked immensely relieved. âOh good, all taken care of then.â He went on with a smile. âGlad to have you on, my wifeâll be thrilled to have another human in the pack as well. Itâs been so long since weâve had some fresh faces around here.â He continued conversationally.
âRight. One less thing to worry about.â Al replied vaguely. âHenry and I put the call out to the rest of the pack, everyone should be here before dark.â Al informed his sister.
âGood. Hopefully this matter wonât take too long to resolve, but weâre dealing with an emergency situation, so until Iâm satisfied that the danger has passed, the pack will be staying at the ranch.â Rowena informed them, here alpha authority ringing through to make it clear that this was not a request.
âI ugh, I am not staying here though. Right?â Jacob frowned. He needed to get back. He had a clinic to run and animals who needed him.
âFor the moment yes, we all are. Someone who knows an awful lot about werewolves tried to kill my brother and I today. We may only have been the first targets, and until I know for sure that the danger has passed and that no one is going to have gunmen with silver bullets shooting up their homes, everyone is staying here. Including you.â Rowena replied.
âIf you are concerned for your animals, I can have someone pick them up and bring them along on their way here.â She offered like an olive branch.
Jacob looked around the room. He wished they were alone. He felt as if he was being duped into staying here. She had said he would get to go home. She had said he would get to go back to work and now she was saying he wouldnât, at least for now.
He was breathing in big deep breaths in an attempt not to get angry or upset. Jacob looked out the nearest window. âFine. I donât seem to get a choice.â He kept his voice low.
Al growled low in his throat at Jacob, grated by the angry dismissal. His sister was trying to keep his ass alive, he didnât need to act like a pouting child.
âAl, knock it off.â Ro commanded sharply toward her brother, eyes flashing blue. âIf you canât control your temper then go for a run around the barn.â
Al exhaled harshly through his nose. He knew a confrontation with Ro was coming, heâd braced for that when heâs made the judgment call to grab the vet, but he didnât understand why she was letting this guy get away with his behavior toward her, especially in front of other members of the pack. If Al had ever acted so aggrieved by a direct command in front of the pack heâd be in for a lot more than some laps around the property. Ro met his eyes, and Al averted his own, submitting to her dominance. âIt wonât be a problem.â He promised blankly.
âGood. Henry, get on the phone with Marisole. I want to know what the vamps know about this.â She commanded efficiently. âAl, take Jacob for a tour of the property and properly apologize for your conduct this morning. Iâm going to call Logan and inform him to pick up your dogs.â
Jacob nodded. âOkay.â He didnât want to go with Al. He didnât want to tour the place. He was angry and wanted to be alone. He turned to Al and looked at him expectantly.
Al wasnât happy about this, but he nodded as he turned toward the door. âAlright, come on Doc, Iâll give you the scenic tour.â He gripped as he descended down the porch and out toward the main barn, not really looking to see whether Jacob bothered to follow.
Jacob sighed and followed Al down and off the porch. âI can see we are both super enthused about this.â
âOh yeah, like a couple of kids at Christmas.â Al groused sarcastically as he led the way toward the barn. âHorses here, gated pasture connects to the back and stretches out for about a mile.â He waved his hand generally in that direction.
âThereâs a wooded area a little farther out, and a creek that runs through the property on the north end of the pasture.â He gestured vaguely.
âGreatâŠâ Jacob commented offhandedly. âSpectacular tour guide you are. It doesnât matter. I donât plan to be here long. She said I could have my life back, you know but with the other parts of being part of all this but I can go back. She never said I was going to have to wait butâŠâ He breathed out slowly through his nose.
âSheâs making you wait here because there are people out there who didnât have any qualm shooting at and bombing us this morning, and we donât know who they are or why they did it yet. Like it or not, you are a part of the pack now, which makes you a target if someones tries to hurt our pack. Sheâs trying to keep you alive, so stop getting mad at her for doing her job.â Al ground out.
Jacob huffed. âI could leave, no one knows about me. And she didnât say I had to stay when she offered me the choice. In fact she said I would get to go. I donât really like surprises. You know like people breaking into my place or kidnapping me. I am not mad at her I am pissed off that I am in this situation to begin with and that what I was told would happen is not happening. I think it is pretty fair of me to be pissed that I was kidnapped and now told death or join a group of werewolves donât you?â He practically yelled at the man, only just barely reining it in. It was getting harder and harder not to let the anger take over.
âI donât like surprises much either Doc. Like getting shot this morning before watching someone blow my sister up with a fucking pipe bomb. Iâm not going to apologize for doing what I thought I had to to keep her alive. Lifeâs full of unfair shit sometimes, but the fact that she even gave you a choice in the first place is something you should be grateful for. We donât know you, and certainly not well enough to trust you with our secret. Sheâs risking her head on the chopping block to protect yoursâ, so Iâm sorry youâve had a suckie morning, but I think you can put up with being here for a day or so while we figure out if thereâs a maniac on the loose trying to kill our family, or something much worse.â Al growled back, holding onto the wolf by his fingernails.
Jacob cocked his head. âYou ever consider just bringing her in and letting me work on her in the clinic? You could have taken her out before she changed. Same effect. I get it you were freaked out but if there are things like secrets and such maybe you should have kept a cooler head.â
âWeâd just gotten lured to a back pasture tracking whatever was killing my cousinâs cattle in what I can only now guess was some kind deliberately planned trap to kill us. I went running for that van with gunfire behind me and a slim lead. For all I knew at that point, we were being followed by the same nut jobs looking to finish what they started. I busted into the clinic because at that point, If I didnât do something, she was going to die. Staying stationary wasnât an option until I could get her somewhere more secure, so I made a call. Thatâs on me and you can be pissed about that and at me if you want, just donât act huffy around everyone else.They donât need that crap.â Al argued back.
âI havenât been huffy and I am pissed at you. Slightly annoyed that Rowena didnât make it clear upfront that I wasnât leaving when I asked her. Also abundantly clear I donât belong here so I have no idea what I am supposed to do during this little lock down while my clinic is left sitting there and I am not making money. I have things to consider so yeah I am pissed at you, I am pissed at this whole fucking situation. Forgive me for not being over the moon.â Jacob threw his hands into the air. âYou call it huffy I call it annoyed that my entire life was just turned way the fuck upside down and I havenât had any say in it. You dragged me out of there. You could have taken the shit and left but no. I think youâd be a bit pissed if you were in my shoes and likely adjusting just as well to all this.â
âProbably.â Al agreed stiffly. âHell knowing my short fuse probably worse to be honest. I was hoping to get you out of here before it came to any of this, so Iâm probably more pissed at myself right now than really angry at you. The wolf is just a little hyper sensitive about Ro right now, and your tone in there rubbed him the wrong way.â Al forced out as he rubbed a hand down his face in an attempt to sooth the wolf.
âIâm not sorry about what I did to save my sister. Honestly, If Iâd tried to patch her up myself, she probably wouldnât have made it. I can fix up cars no problem, but Iâm shit with people. I am sorry that it had to come to this though, and that you had to be involved in the first place.â He continued in the closest thing to an apology he could grit out.
Jacobâs shoulders relaxed. It was then that he realized how much tension he was holding in. âI appreciate you needing to get her help. She was in really bad shape. I can appreciate you hoping to get me out of here. I guess I just wish it would have worked you know?â He scuffed the ground with the heel of his boot. âNo kidding you are shit with people. Not sure punching me was necessaryâŠâ He chuckled, just a little. He wasnât sure if he would ever not resent Alâs actions even though he understood them. âI wish I didnât need to be involved too.â He shoved his hands in his pockets.
âWhat the hell am I going to do here? Sit around trying not to go stir crazy? I am not used to sitting still. Not good for me or...just not good.â The less active he was, the less busy his mind the more likely Jacob knew he was to snap or lash out at someone irrationally. Part of his annoyance with all of this was he was worried about being unable to keep himself in control.
âHow else was I supposed to stuff a full grown man quickly into the back of a van?â Al replied with a small smirk. âIf it makes you feel better, youâre still taller than me.â As Jacob went on about going stir crazy, the smirk grew bigger. âI might be able to help with that.â He replied as he led them back toward his garage, opening the sliding metal doors and presenting with just a hint of pride.
âWelcome to the man cave.â It wasnât much, but it was Alâs filled with a pool table, pictures of muscle cars everywhere, and a fridge full of beer. âIâve got corn hole set up in the back too if thatâs more your speed. Enjoy the solitude while you can, because the whole packâs going to be coming in today, and Betsy Geller is one nosy busy body who will have you playing bridge with her faster than you can say cuebid.â He replied dryly, but with a hit of fondness.
Jacob laughed. âYeah taller, that is what I have going for me.â He looked around. âNot bad. You must hide out here a lot?â
He leaned against the pool table. âCan I ask you something? You say the whole pack is coming but in the end that doesnât mean a whole lot to me right? I mean I am going to be a part of it but I am not...well I am just a guy. No one is really going to care about my day. I am not like you and I canât see them having much in the way of super happy feelings about some random guy being here for no reason. I just donât understand I guess. She said for my protection, either I join or she had to kill me but I am not a husband, a brother, I am just a guy.â
âThis kind of thing doesnât happen very often.â Al agreed. âI canât say how the other wolves are going to feel about this, but they arenât going to say anything if Ro says youâre one of us. Theyâll get over it either way. As for the humans, if Naomiâs response was anything to go by, Iâd say theyâll probably be pretty excited. They canât really talk about this part of their lives with other people, so youâre fresh meat to complain to and gossip with.â Al shrugged.
âSo basically I can just hide out here? Is there a bed?â None of that sounded ideal to Jacob. Al said he wasnât good with people and Jacob understood that all too well. He preferred the company of animals for a reason. Jacob sighed. âThis is sort of like my worst nightmare you know. A large group of strangers.â
âI canât really claim to be much of a people person myself, at least without boobs and booze involved.â Al sympathized. âBut if youâre going to be part of the pack, youâre going to have to get to know them all at some point. Youâre going to be over here at least one night a month with these people.â He explained. âTheyâre good people, a little clingy sometimes, but everyoneâs just close. Itâs hard not to be with a bond connecting everyone.â
Jacob cringed. âGreat...another question...if I am not like you and I donât change why do I have to be here on what I assume is the full moon? Sorry playing to cliches as it is what I know. If I am wrong tell me cause honestly I feel like I donât know much expect what I have seen in movies. And Rowena was definitely not an ugly wolfman thingâŠâ He shook his head as he pushed back the image of her on the bed in the towel.
âYouâre not wrong, we change with the full moon whether we want to or not, but it's healthier for everyoneâs mental states if the whole pack is present. If we change together, with the whole pack around, it helps us through the change and keeps us in control. Especially with younger wolves, being able to control their wolves can be difficult sometimes.â Al explained. âAre you saying you think think my sisterâs hot? Cause man, thatâs usually not a conversation you strike up with the brother.â Al joked lightly.
âI said she didnât look like the wolfman in the movies. You on the other hand...who knows?â He laughed. âDonât worry I wonât tell you if I think she is good looking.â He stood fully once more. âIn seriousness is there a bed out here? You make it sound like a lot of people and well, I am not exactly up to sharing a bed with a stranger.â Jacob couldnât stop the immediate thought of how he wouldnât mind sharing a bed with Ro. Time to think with my brain, not other things.
âOh yeah, Iâm way scarier.â Al smirked. âIâve got an old mattress over in the corner that I keep out here when I get caught up in projects, but the ranch has six bedrooms, and three have bunk beds. Still not enough for everyone, but if this does turn out to be a strategic attack, weâll probably all be sleeping in shifts anyway.â Al replied, sobering a bit. âMy moneyâs on Kegan though, so weâll see if this is just a one off assassination attempt, or if heâs actually trying to start another turf war.â
Jacob frowned. âTurf war? Kegan? What are you fighting over?â He gave his head a shake as if to clear it and find the beginning. âA better question might be can I have a bit of a history lesson, maybe a short version about what led to Rowena being attacked and why I find myself about to be surrounded by a lot of people?â
âWe donât know who attacked us yet,â Al corrected. âBut Iâd put money on Kegan because he and his lot are a bunch of power hungry, sexist, pricks who think that just because heâs got something dangling between his legs, heâs entitled to something.â Al growled lowly, his eyes taking on a more golden hue.
âLong story short, our dad used to be alpha. By the time he kicked the bucket, heâd mentally checked out to the point that Ro was pretty much running the show and had for a while as his beta...er second in command. When she stepped up to the plate to take over as Alpha, half the pack decided they didnât like the idea of a woman being in charge, and Dan Kegan tried to make himself Alpha. The pack split in two and things got messy. Since then we became two separate packs and no one messes with their territory as long as they donât mess with ours. Lately though theyâve been running around Carson City, buying property and doing god knows what else.â Al informed sourly.
Jacob frowned. âSo I have ended up in the middle of a pissing contest, a violent one with your sister competent and this guy having a thing against women. Great.â
He ran his fingers through his hair. âYou think the other group would do something like a bomb?â
âI donât know, we havenât had anything this violent happen in like...fifty years. Things have been getting tense again after Dan kicked the bucket and his ass of a son took over, but itâs all mostly been mind fucks with him, symbolic taunting stuff. Whoever went after us today was aiming to kill, which is a pretty big escalation, even for them.â Al admitted tiredly.
Jacob shook his head. âI am in the middle of a war.â
He raised his eyes to Al. âIf it is all the same to you I will crash here, on the mattress. I donât really feel like I belong. I get that it will change but I donât really do well with lots of people.â He clenched and unclenched his hands.
âThat might work for a while, but if youâre going through with the bonding ceremony, youâre going to end up the center of attention before long.â Al shrugged making a welcoming gesture toward the mattress.
âCenter of attention?â Jacob groaned miserably. He moved to the mattress and sat down. âThanks.â It really was his worst nightmare. âRowena didnât say anything about center of attention. Maybe death is better.â
He looked up. âWhen? When does this happen? The ceremony I mean.â
âWhen everyone gets here I guess. Roâs gotta make the announcement about whatâs happening anyway. It would only make sense to do it them while everyoneâs here.â Al guessed. âThis kind of thingâs a pretty big deal for us man, Itâs not like signing some contract in a back room or getting a club card you forget about in the back of your wallet. Youâre agreeing to be a part of our lives, and protect and be protected by the group. Itâs not something you can do impersonally.â He explained sympathetically.
âIâve got some Jager back here somewhere if you think itâll help.â Al offered up.
âFuck yes.â Jacob knew what the bond meant but the more he thought about it the more it scared him. He didnât like people that much, he really didnât. He didnât have a choice though. Death or bond with a bunch of people. Could he do it? Really, could he be apart of the lives of so many strangers. Then he thought of Rowena, those eyes as he was trying to get her to sleep so he could save her life.
He sighed and hung his head. âJager is good.â Yes, life over death, no matter what.
Al rummaged around for a bottle and a couple of clean glasses, pouring them both a generous amount and passing one over to Jacob. âItâs not so bad, especially for humans. You guys canât sense things through the bond in the same way we can, so it wonât be as intense. Youâre never going to be completely alone again, but that doesnât mean itâs invasive either.â
Jacob took the glass and downed a quarter of it. It burned but it was what he needed. âSo there are perks to being human.â He sounded slightly bitter.
âThereâs bound to be a few at least.â Al shrugged. âIâve been a werewolf my whole life though, so I canât really speak from experience.â
Jacob nodded and took another drink. âOnly humans are family members though right? Husbands, wives...that makes me an anomaly.â
âPretty much. Who else are you going to risk getting offed by the Covenant over?â Al replied draining his glass. âIf you ever snapped and decided to go running your mouth about werewolves, youâd be dead, Ro would be dead, and thereâs no telling who else theyâd make disappear to cover up even a hint of something supernatural in this area. Thatâs why so many packs wonât even allow humans to join in the first place, except maybe for children. If they know, they die. End of story.â
Jacob downed the last of his drink. âYou are telling me that she has her neck on the line for a man she doesnât know. She gave me a choice when really she shouldnât have. This Covenant, they some sort of FBI? The way you talk cover ups and stuff it reminds me of that. Who is she going to tell them I am? Wonât they wonder why she thinks it is a good idea to let some stranger in?â
âIâm saying most wouldnât have, but she did.â Al replied, rolling the glass lightly in his hand. âFBI, CIA, NSA, theyâve got their main offices through the Bureau, but theyâve got their feelers out everywhere. Right now, as long as you donât do anything to draw attention to us, theyâre not going to care enough to get involved. Once youâve been in the pack for a while, become more established here, it wonât matter anymore. Youâll be one of us, and unless you do something wrong, itâs not their business to police who my sister allows in the pack.â
Jacob nodded. âSounds like there are a lot of rules. Hoping someone tells me before I do anything stupid.â He rubbed his face again. âI wasnât always the best at watching my mouth as a kid, got myself into a lot of trouble. Learned to control it when I learned to control my temper but I donât do well with sudden changes. This might prove a challenge at first, especially with all the new people.â
He looked up, âGuess I gotta learn to deal though. Not like I am going anywhere.â
âWell, sounds like weâre peas in a pod there then.â Al replied dryly as Jacob mentioned his past tendency toward smart mouthing while he poured them both another glass.
âI guess we could always be radical and aim for optimism. Maybe youâll even end up liking a few of these guys, who knows right?â Al shrugged. âAnd itâs not like youâre stuck here forever man, just until we figure out who the hell is trying to kill us.â
âI get it. And maybe.â Jacob smiled. âAnything is possible.â He put his glass down. âHow long can we drink and avoid going back in there?â
âUntil someone comes looking for us I guess.â Al shrugged, taking another swig of his drink. âMy evening plans have pretty much been shot to hell, so Iâve got no plans to be doing anything until Ro calls her meeting at this point.â
Jacob grunted and held out his glass. âIf you donât mind a fresh pour thenâŠâ
âNot at all.â Al indulged Jacob with another generous glass. âSo, blonde, brunette, or redhead?â Al asked after a moment with a quirked brow.
Jacob laughed. âIn a beer or in a woman?â
He took a sip of his refilled drink and smiled. âHonestly, not sure I have a preference. I have avoided women...dating I guess for a while. That being said, nothing like a pretty blond with large blue eyes or a fiery red head. Brunettes too, I mean who can resist putting their hands in long brown hair and pulling a girl in for a kiss?â He looked down, smiling remaining as he thought of Rowena on the bed, hair haphazardly spread about her head.
Jacob cleared his throat. âWhat about you? You have a favourite? You have a girl here?â
âNah, I donât really do relationships so to speak, and neither do the ladies whom which I spend my time.â Al replied. âAlways be partial to Brunettes myself, but I am not a picky man.â He continued with a wolfish grin.
Jacob nodded. He understood. Relationships were hard, asked a lot of a person and it was more than he was able to give.
âSo do you guys have jobs or do you just work around here, on the farm?â
âYeah man, weâre not Amish.â Al joked. âIâve got a garage out in the city, fix up cars and tractors for the mechanically disinclined.â
âAnd Rowena?â Jacob took a deep drink. He could feel it warming his body. He rolled his shoulders. Today had been long.
âContract lawyer. She operates her own private practice and works most the legal cases for the pack.â Al explained.
Jacob looked up in surprise. âLawyer? She doesnât look like a lawyer. I mean...not that lawyers look like anything..â He frowned. âWow. Lawyer.â He smiled slightly to himself.
âWell I wish my skills were more useful, not a lawyer or a mechanic.â He looked up at Al. âI barely even helped her you know. She was all healed a short time later. Is the healing thing not a typical ugh, werewolf thing?â He rubbed a hand on his knee as he took a drink with the other hand.
âNormally, yeah. We heal at a pretty accelerated rate. Wonât help if someone cuts off our head, or stabs us somewhere that kills on impact, but gunshot wounds, torn flesh, things like that, we can usually handle it.â Al explained, pulling back his shirt slightly to show off the healing wound where heâd been shot that morning.
âThe thing that bomb today was that somebody stuffed it with silver. Donât ask me why, but that stuffâs like acid for us. Burns us, zaps energy, keeps our wounds from healing. Ro got shot up with the stuff, so trust me, you did a lot.â Al said gratefully.
Jacob looked thoughtful. âSo anything not fatal or silver, you can heal. Rowena was full of silver so she couldnât heal.â He nodded slowly. Jacob downed his glass. âWell I am not sure she will appreciate me drunk so I wonât ask for a refill.â
He scratched his chin. âYou guys realize this is hard to wrap my head around right?â
âIn theory, yes, which is why we donât really do this kind of thing, but I was born into the pack, so I guess I canât really say I know what itâs like. Honestly, the only ones who may truly be able to relate are the turned wolves. We donât have many in the pack, but there are a couple, like Henry and Fiona. If you ever need to kind of talk through the crazy with an understanding ear, they might be the most qualified.â Al suggested.
Jacob nodded slowly. âSo born and turned? You have been one since you were, well born and others are turned? What does that mean?â
âIt means that some of us were born this way, and that others were made into werewolves. Being turned is a gruesome process that involved pretty much being mauled to an inch of your life, and playing russian roulette with the odds of your body accepting the change and healing itself fast enough to live. Overnight you have to adjust to a body that has completely changed, as well as living with the part of yourself that is a wolf and has as much sway over you as your human half does. Itâs hard enough striking that balance when youâre born this way, but adjusting to it after is a bitch. Very few people survive through the entire process, much less end up well adjusted on the other side of it.â Al explained.