Page 38 of Welcome Home: When Shifters Unite!
The wolf pup seems to be independent. He’s pinpointed every wolf shifter in the pack and from what I’m seeing, he could be an alpha pup, which means his father was one. Or maybe his mother! I’ll have to give out some gentle enquiries and see if I can pick up any gossip. But in the meantime, he is with Dottie,who has just returned from a visit to see her son who lives in the Dark Water Pack.
As soon as Dottie saw Elias she picked him up and smothered him with kisses. Which, funny enough, had him giggling loudly. From that moment, he was happy to be with Dottie in her house on Main Street, and she was beyond excited to have him living with her. I don’t think for one minute he’ll be living with anyone but Dottie.
Although I feel sorry for the shifter children, I am happy they have found safe homes, with people that will love them as much as their parents did.
Before I can consider any more regarding the children, I receive a mind link from Conris who is on patrol of the main street into and out of town.
“Alpha Adira. I have visitors for you. I’m taking them to the café, but will stay with them until you arrive.”
“Okay. Do I need to be worried, or on high alert?”
“No. They seem friendly.”
“Thank you, Conris. I’m on my way.”
I quickly make my way to the café. Opening the door and stepping inside, I’m more than surprised when I see Bella, Warden and Grant sitting at a table while Jenni serves them beverages.
“Bella, Warden, Grant, what are you all doing here?” I ask as I reach their table.
Bella, who ran the diner in the Blackbird Pack, and was a dear friend, grabs me as she surges to her feet. Hugging me so tightly I can hardly breathe. “Oh, it’s so good to see you. We three haveleft the Blackbird Pack. We were sick of the internal politics, infighting and that nasty ass Joliee. Now, you know you are very lucky that you are not actually blood related, don’t you? She is strutting around trying to order the pack around, but it’s not working as nobody wants her as the Luna.”
“Bella, leave Adira alone. You are strangling her,” Warden grins.
Grant laughs as he eases Bella out of the way and wraps his arms around me. “We three have, as Bella just told you, gone rogue. We would like to join you here, if that is possible?”
“Of course, you are more than welcome. Jenni?” I shout the last and watch as Jenni quickly comes to the table. “Do you still need a staff member here? Because Bella has been in charge of a diner for a long time and would be a blessing to you I’m sure.”
Bella looks at Jenni hopefully, and Jenni throws her arms around Bella with the brightest smile on her face. “Oh, you can start as soon as you can because, Bella, I’m fed up with chasing my own butt around here. The one who was supposed to be helping is useless, and I got rid of her a long time ago. Then I got a replacement, but she found her mate, and of course off she went with him to his pack. So, it’ll be me and you and Missy, but she only works three days a week.”
“I’ll start in the morning. I want to be a pack member and have somewhere to lay my head at night,” Bella says, giving me a hopeful look.
“Oh, you can live in the café’s cottage. It’s not big, but it is lovely. One bedroom, kitchen which is the living space too, and a bathroom. That’s it, but it’s yours if you want it. I lived in it for four years until I bought the house I live in now. But I loved it that much that I kept it.” Jenni is rubbing her hands together,and I can see she’s excited about having Bella’s help and a new friend.
“Jenni, I’ll send Bella over in a short while. But she needs to come with me, and these two new warriors.” I give Grant and Warden a wink, which I can see shocks them both, but I jauntily walk out of the café with my arm linked with Bella. This is a good day, gaining three pack members who I know will be great additions to the pack.
Stopping dead in my tracks with Bella as stunned as I am when we both gape at Joliee, who is shouting and verbally abusing Conris.
“I said I want to see that bitch, Adira.”
“And I said if you continue to cause a ruckus you will be removed from the packlands. Before you start spitting anymore shit, the packland is the town, and ALPHA ADIRA will have every right to lock you up if you keep up this drama.”
“Conris, what the heck is going on here?” I ask. Ignoring the elephant in the room.
“This…”
Before he can say anything more, Joliee of course, opens her mouth to spill more idiocy.
“You have to come back to the pack and tell them to accept me as their Luna.” Slamming her hands on her hips, tapping her foot and looking like a ten-year-old having a tantrum.
“And why, pray tell, do I have to do that?” I ask calmly, which seems to up her ire somewhat.
“The pack is not accepting me because of you…”
Now, I interrupt her dramatic roll. “I don’t have to do anything of any kind for you or that pack. Get this into your head. You are not my sister, that is not my pack, and I don’t care they don’t want you as the Luna. In fact, it makes them sensible not to accept you. WE all know the Moon Goddess will not be happy that you purposefully broke a fated bond. This results from your selfish actions. Now, live with it. Conris, remove her from the packlands.” Before he can, however, Joliee allows her wolf , Ivory, and surges towards me.
I don’t have to think about it. Blue comes to the fore and rears onto her back legs as Ivory reaches us mid air. Grabbing Ivory on the side of her neck, Blue shakes her violently. Ivory growls, but it’s not anywhere near what you would expect. Then I realize that Ivory is an Omega. Now that is amusing as she has always tried to portray herself as a Beta.
Blue snarls as she pushes Ivory to the ground, pinning her down by the neck. It doesn’t take long for Ivory to whine in defeat and flick her eyes away in submission. That is the point at which Blue gives a warning growl before releasing her and stepping back, but is still on alert if Ivory tries again.
