Page 3 of Bad Wolf's Nanny
“Deal,” she said, setting her chin and jutting her hand out. After a beat, the woman reached across to take it, an amused glint in her eyes as she shook it up and down.
“My name is Ethel, by the by. Ethel Peabody. I sit on the Elder Council of the Iron Walkers. We give advice when theyoung cocksure alphas in charge start thinking with their brains instead of their balls and actually come to request our input.”
“That sounds…important,” Lola said, wiping her palms on the plaid of her skirt.
Ethel huffed out a laugh. “Some of my peers would certainly think so. Now come on, let’s go to the Pine Shadow Club so that you can meet Felix and swear allegiance as a non-pack shifter living in Silvermist.”
Lola’s eyes widened. “What…now? I thought that maybe I should find my apartment first, unpack, maybe get to know the town a little—”
“No, we’re going now,” Ethel said, pulling on a smartly tailored cream coat. “Chop cop, get yourself together.”
“But…but I have no idea what I need to do! Can’t I at least have a moment to research how to pledge allegiance—”
“Dear Lord, girl, it’s not that complicated,” Ethel said, sliding on some gloves. “I’ll present you to the Alpha, you’ll swear loyalty and fidelity, and that’s all there is to it. There’s no need for histrionics!”
“But won’t the whole pack be there?” Lola said, desperate now, her hands wringing. “Surely it would be better to go when it’s slightly quieter, maybe after I’ve read the pack charter—”
“Miss Devereaux,” Ethel said, turning smartly on her heel, any ounce of amusement gone, “if I hear one more word of complaint from you, I shall send you back to Yale here and now. Is that understood?”
Lola gulped, bowing her head. “Understood.”
“Excellent.” Ethel pulled open the door before hesitating and looking back. “I know this must seem intimidating. But if you have any hope of understanding the culture and history ofthe Iron Walkers, you have to be willing to put yourself outside of your comfort zone.”
“I know,” said Lola, trying her hardest to smile. It came out more like a grimace.
“Felix is a very reasonable alpha,” Ethel continued. “You show him respect, and he will return the favor. And if some of the other alphas get boisterous, well, you can just ignore them.”
Boisterous alphas. Lola’s heart sank in dread. What had she gotten herself into?
Chapter 2 - Dane
Dane leaned back against the bar and cracked open a cold beer.
Life was pretty good at the moment.
Sure, Felix had him running the border more often, but that was fine. He liked the exercise, the adrenaline, the feel of the earth under his paws as he thundered through the forest.
The Black Claws were acting up again, but when weren’t they fucking on one about something or other? The odd ‘diplomatic’ mission he had to go on often ended in a scrap, but Dane reckoned that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Let both packs blow off some steam; no harm done. It kept the line secure and the expectations clear.
There was the small fact that he was currently being ignored by roughly three-quarters of the pack females after blowing off Jessie—shereallyhadn’t handled it well—but a guy needed some peace and quiet every now and again.
So yeah, life was good. So, of course, some mopey bastard had to come along and ruin it.
Rick swirled a glass of amber liquid listlessly in his hand next to him, the ice tinkling against the crystal, and heaved a sigh.
Dane glanced over. “Problem, Reinhardt?”
Rick tilted his head, his eyes flashing as he surveyed the assembled pack members, the rec room of the Pine Shadow Club thrumming with life and energy. “When will Nicolas finally tire of domesticity and show his face? He was supposed to be here hours ago.”
“What, my company not good enough for ya?”
Rick huffed. “I merely want to catch up with him regarding some rather…sensitive politics to do with Congress.”
Dane knocked back a large swig of his drink. “Didn’t realize Nicky had an interest in politics.”
“Please,” Rick muttered, “he’s CEO of one of the largest corporations in the country. He can’t affordnotto have an interest in politics.”
“Give him a break, Rick, the baby’s barely a month old!”
