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  Charlotte gave a grim nod. "Yeah. I got shot, but it’s healed already." She set her spoon down. "Did you ever figure that you’d be something hunted and feared when you grew up?"

  Audrey shook her head. "Nope. This whole werewolf thing is crazy. Never in a million years did I think this would be my life." She rubbed her hand, the one missing a pinkie. "I’m sorry Nick bit so many people, but I’m also glad I’m not alone, you know?"

  "Word."

  "I mean, I know I have Tao, but he didn’t come to this like I did. He was never human, and sometimes I think it makes it hard for him to understand what I’m going through. You and I can talk, at least."

  "I wish I had a Tao," Charlotte said. Then she blushed. "Sorry, I didn’t mean your Tao, just someone like Tao for me."

  "Well, I heard the sheriff came to your rescue today. He just happens to be a single werewolf, right?" Audrey busied herself with cleaning off the kitchen counters and setting up a buffet with the chili and cornbread.

  "Single, but not for me," Charlotte said, squashing down the feelings that rose up to the contrary. "But we are going on a date."

  Audrey raised an eyebrow. "So how does that work?"

  Charlotte explained the whole girlfriend-from-hell scenario she’d cooked up with Kane, feeling somewhat silly about the whole thing. It made so much sense in the moment, but now she wondered if maybe it had been a bad idea.

  "Huh," Audrey said, noncommittal as she sliced up apples and laid out caramel dip. "Well, that’s one way to date. Can’t say I recommend it, though."

  "You locked me in a cage when we first met," Tao’s bass voice reminded them as the big alpha strode into the kitchen from the connected garage. A black t-shirt stretched over his broad chest and jeans hugged his powerful legs.

  "I didn’t know what you were then," Audrey said, slapping his hands away from the apples. "We’re not eating yet."

  He managed to filch a handful of apples out from under her. "But she’s eating." He pointed to Charlotte, who ducked her head, not wanting to meet the alpha’s eyes. His power radiated like a hard wind, and if she looked into it too long, she felt like her eyeballs were getting slapped by a hurricane.

  "That’s because I know she won’t eat all of it. You could eat a grocery store." Audrey stabbed the air in Tao’s direction with one finger. "And your brothers are the same way, which is why," she paused to grab some index cards from a drawer and wave them at him, "I’m rationing all of you."

  "Rationing?" Disbelief rumbled in the big man’s chest. "Like a diet?"

  "If I don’t, I’ll be bankrupt from the food bill alone." She wrote something on the index cards. "In fact, I was going to ask you if we could start taking a collection for these meetings." She propped a card that read ‘Two scoops per person’ by the chili, and then moved on to the cornbread.

  Charlotte read them as they popped up. Two pieces of cornbread each and five slices of apple with two spoonfuls of caramel. Pretty generous for her appetite, but she knew the men wouldn’t be satisfied. Not if they were hungry, and one thing she’d learned since becoming a wolf was that shifters were always looking for something to eat.

  "The alpha feeds his pack, Audrey," Tao said, his voice somber. "If you need money, I’ll get you money, but we don’t ask the pack to pay for it."

  "You don’t have a job," Audrey said, irritation pitching her voice high.

  He retrieved a beer bottle from the fridge and popped it open with a flick of his thumb. The metal cap sailed up into the, air and he caught it with his other hand and dropped it in the trash. "But I’m not penniless." His gaze flickered over to Charlotte before settling back on his mate. "We’ll talk about this later, okay?"

  Audrey nodded. She’d finished the portion size cards and had moved onto setting out a veggie platter. "Yeah, sure."

  "I love you, babe." He whispered it against the back of her neck, but Charlotte still heard. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be all right, okay?"

  Audrey closed her eyes and leaned into her mate for a second. Then, nodding, she pulled away. "Love you, too, you big wolf."

  "That's big, bad wolf to you, babe." He gave a wicked chuckle that caused Audrey to grab a dishtowel and snap it at him.

  Tao grabbed the towel and used it to pull her in for a kiss, breaking their lip lock only when there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," he said, dropping the towel on the counter.

  A blush staining her cheeks, Audrey looked at Charlotte. "Sorry about that."

  "No need to apologize," Charlotte said. "If someone loved me like Tao loves you, I would be thrilled, not sorry."

  Chapter Twelve

  Audrey and Tao's house quickly filled up with the various pack members. They were a mixed group: a businessman, banker, doctor, firefighter, two cops, the bookstore owner and Charlotte. They normally wouldn't all socialize together, but Nick's attacks had given them a common thread and a need to gather together to process everything that had happened and all the things that had changed because of it.

  Richard, the doctor came in first, trim and fit in jeans and a polo shirt. He nodded to her as he helped himself to a beer. Annie was right on his heels, her t-shirt showing off the broad shoulders and strong biceps her job as a firefighter gave her. She threw a little salute to Charlotte, nodded to Audrey, and then joined Richard in having a beer.

  Danielle, a cop who worked with Kane, came in next, still wearing her uniform, her dark hair wrapped in a neat bun and her olive skin smooth enough to make Charlotte surreptitiously feel her own cheek, sure that her pores could hold Niagara Falls. She made a note to ask Danielle about her skin care regimen. The woman had a seriously amazing complexion.

  Christine, who ran the bookstore in Glen Vine, trailed in behind Danielle, her glasses perched on her nose and her eyes darting from one end of the room to the other as she took in the scene. Tucking herself into the corner opposite Charlotte, she nodded a hello no one noticed and pulled some knitting out of her purse.

  Andrew, a local businessman, and Mike, the bank president at Glen Vine Trust & Loans, came in together, almost matching in their navy suits. Andrew's had a sharper, more expensive cut though, whereas Mike had lost some weight and his suit hung slack on his frame.

  Mike greeted everyone with, "Hello, folks," and immediately launched into garrulous chit-chat. Charlotte envied the ease with which he had a kind word for everyone. She always felt awkward at their pack gatherings. Andrew didn't seem comfortable either and acknowledged the room with a brief nod, his expression closed.

  Richard handed both men beers. "Welcome to the party," he said with a smile.

  "Welcome and party aren't the words I would use," Andrew muttered. He was quiet, but everyone heard him anyway. Charlotte sighed and crossed her arms as the tension in the room pricked her skin.

  "You can at least try," said Annie, sounding annoyed. "Being angry doesn't change anything."

  "I am trying. This is me trying, right here, right now," he responded, his tone short. "I just haven't found the recipe that makes lemonade out of fur yet."

  "Your restaurant opened this week, right?" asked Mike, clapping an arm around Andrew and guiding him to a chair. "I heard your chef almost quit."

  Andrew shook his head and snorted, launching into a long diatribe about the trials and tribulations of restaurant management. The tension in the room eased, and Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief. Somehow she'd forgotten how tense these gatherings could be.

  Kane came in last, his scent preceding him. He tipped his head to Charlotte and she raised her hand in a wave and then Tao was pulling Kane away, speaking in a low murmur. The sheriff nodded and murmured back as they were joined by Kai and Leo. The four men spoke quietly, their expressions serious until Audrey broke them up.

  "Eat first, pow-wow second, gentleman," she said, waving a dish-towel at them. "The food’s hot now."

  Tao held up his hands. "Wait, just a second. I have something to say." Drawing Audrey close, he said, "We want everyone to know we
're engaged." A big smile filled Audrey's face and she held up her hand, waggling her fingers to show off her ring. A smattering of applause broke out along with several hearty 'Congratulations.' Leo came up to his brother and pulled him into a bear hug while Kai did the same to Audrey.

  "Congratulations, brother," Leo said, pounding Tao on the back.

  "The pack grows stronger today," Kai said, nodding to Tao.

  "We hope you'll all come to the wedding. We can't imagine getting married without all of you there," Audrey said once the celebratory hoopla had settled down a bit. "Now, come eat. I know you're hungry." She waved everyone forward.

  Charlotte snagged another bowl of chili and tucked herself into a corner, noticing the women followed the serving suggestions, but the men all cheated. Audrey must have made extra, though, because there was more than enough food to go around.

  When the food ran out, she helped clear the dishes and loaded the dishwasher, while Audrey collected the empty beer bottles. Then they had a store bought sheet cake.

  Christine took a piece the size of her hand. Smiling, she said, "All these wolf runs burn so many calories I can eat whatever I want these days."

  Charlotte shook her head. "It hasn’t worked that way for me." She glanced down at her curves with a small frown. She’d been running just as much as the rest of them, so why couldn’t she face-plant into cake and lose weight, too?

  "Eh, I haven’t lost any weight, either," Audrey said with a wave of her hand. "I think genetics are still genetics, no matter how they get rearranged."

  "Lucky us," Charlotte murmured as she poked at her small piece of cake with her fork.

  "Well, I know I wouldn’t have it any other way," Tao said, pulling Audrey close and nuzzling her neck. "Your curves are awesome, baby."

  She giggled and flushed. "Tao! Not in front of the pack."

  Tao gave her a smoldering smile, but let her go without protest. Clearing his throat, he said, "We have some other things we need to discuss. First, Kai," he gestured toward his brother, "has found us a pack clearing."

  "What’s a pack clearing?" Danielle asked.

  Kai stood, waiting until he had everyone’s attention before speaking. "The heart of a pack’s land. It’s where we would gather when we shift to go running. We’d like to build a community lodge there, too, someplace where we can be together without squeezing into someone’s house."

  "We'd like to get married there," Tao said. He caught Audrey's hand and gave it a squeeze.

  "So where’s this clearing?" asked Richard.

  "It’s a hundred acre parcel that is flanked by the national parks," said Kai. He reached into his back jean pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Unfolding it, he revealed a map with a section circled in red. "We’d have lake and forest access, and with the parks, we wouldn’t have to worry about neighbors."

  "And we can build cabins for everyone on the land," added Leo.

  Andrew frowned. "I have someplace to live, thanks."

  Tao shook his head. "Eventually, you’ll want to be on pack land. We can’t live among humans, it’s not safe. They’ll see us shift or see something they shouldn’t, and then we’re all in trouble. This kind of property gives us privacy."

  "We can keep our secrets there," said Kai.

  "Do we have a choice, or does everyone have to join the werewolf commune?" Andrew asked. "I didn’t sign on for this. Sure, get together, go for a run, but a secret society? With a housing development? No, thank you."

  Tao pinned Andrew with a penetrating gaze. "You’re different now. All of you. The human world can be dangerous. We must have a stronghold that will shield us from the outside world."

  "Most packs sequester themselves as far away from humans as possible," said Leo, moving to stand behind his brother, his arms crossed over his chest. He was just as large as Tao, but where Tao was dark, Leo was bright. His blond hair reached his shoulders in unruly curls, and his hazel eyes held more gold than green.

  Charlotte stepped forward then. "They’re right." She fell silent as everyone looked at her. Kane came to stand at her side, hand gently touching her shoulder.

  "Go on," he said quietly. "Tell them. They need to know."

  She nodded and licked her lips, still nervous, but steadied by the sheriff’s support. "I was shot earlier today by humans." Hiking up her shorts, she showed them the faint red streak that remained. "They think we need to be exterminated, and they don’t even know we’re shifters. They just think we’re a pack of wolves."

  "And then we," Tao waved at Kane and his brothers, "were shot at by a hunter. One using silver bullets."

  "Silver? That’s not standard ammo for a hunter, is it?" Danielle asked, wrinkling her forehead.

  "It is for a hunter wanting to take out some werewolves," Tao said. "We’ve been found."

  The room fell silent as everyone absorbed that.

  "How?" asked more than one pack member at once.

  Tao’s mouth thinned into a grim line. "We’re not sure, but my best guess is someone pieced together the truth of the news reports on your bites. That’s the only place where your names were made public. And now they’ve come to town to see it for themselves, and do a little exterminating on the side. We're not alone out here anymore."

  "Damn," said Richard. "You mean there are people who hunt us? Like we’re animals?"

  Tao nodded. "Yep. They’re rare but deadly. You all need to be extra careful."

  "What are we going to do?" Christine’s eyes were wide, and she hugged herself as if looking for comfort. "I’m not happy to be bitten. I don’t want to be a werewolf, but I don’t want to be targeted for assassination either. Are we even safe here?"

  The pack looked out the window almost as one as they realized they might be in danger. Andrew, who'd been sitting with his back to the sliding glass door, got up and went to stand under the arched entrance to the dining room.

  "Nobody panic. We're safe here," Leo said. "For the moment, at least. I spent all day patrolling the area. He's not anywhere near here. My guess is he's recovering from his wounds. We gave him a good pounding earlier today."

  "We’ll find him," Kai said, his gaze distant, as if he was looking at something outside of Audrey’s small dining room. "We’re too strong for him."

  "But we still have to be careful. Until we get rid of this hunter, stay human. No shifting. No night runs. And this is all the more reason to build our own stronghold. Who knows when the next hunter will come along?" Tao looked at each member of the pack in turn, the weight of his words palpable.

  "We need a place to run, where we can be free," Kane said. "We can’t just run wild anywhere. People notice that, and they do things like hunt us down." He gestured to Charlotte to prove his point.

  "The danger isn’t just from hunters who know what we are. Humans are a problem, too. The ones who shot me today wanted to stuff me and hang my head on the wall." A growl rumbled in Charlotte’s chest and her wolf paced through her blood, angry and thirsty for revenge.

  Kane leaned in closer to her and whispered in her ear, "Easy there, she-wolf."

  She sucked in a shaky breath. "I’m good," she whispered back. And she was. Kane had pushed her wolf back. Again. She liked that about him, she decided. Having the sheriff close was a good thing. For the moment, anyway.

  "So how are we going to pay for this land?" Annie asked.

  "We have some money between the three of us." Tao pointed to his brothers. "Enough for a down payment, but we’ll all have to work together to make the mortgage every month."

  Mike Gable cleared his throat. "I can help with the loan. Get us the best terms and lowest rates. You want a fifteen-year or thirty-year pay off?" People nodded as he spoke. Mike was the only one in their small pack who could facilitate the finances it would take to see Tao’s idea through.

  "Fifteen," said Tao. "I don’t want to carry more debt than we have to."

  Andrew Marksman held up his hand. "Wait a minute, not so fast. So now that we’re wolves and un
willing members of this pack you’ve appointed yourself alpha of, we have to give you money?"

  "It’s for everyone’s benefit," Tao said.

  "Maybe so, but I didn’t realize I was going to owe money on top of everything else." The businessman looked bitter. "This shifter shit is wreaking havoc with my ability to work. Half the time, I feel like my wolf is going to jump through at the negotiating table and rip out people’s throats. I’ve had to push off a lot of my plans while I wait for my wolf to calm the fuck down."

  "It will get better," Kai said. "The more you run, the quieter your wolf."

  "I can’t wait that long."

  "I can come with you to work." Kai pointed to his brothers. "Or they can. We can steady your wolf."

  The businessman shook his head. "It may come down to that."

  "If we had pack land, you could run every day," Tao said. "And learn to control your wolf that much faster."

  "Maybe." Andrew shrugged, unconvinced.

  Christine cleared her throat and adjusted her wire rim glasses. "What about those of us who don’t have a lot of money? Yeah, I own the bookstore, but it’s not exactly making me rich."

  "I second that question." Annie raised her hand. "My job has good benefits but the pay is lousy."

  "We have some ideas," said Leo. "You want to tell them, brother?"

  Tao nodded. "We’d like to open a few businesses in town and sell some things."

  "What things?" asked Andrew, leaning forward, a gleam of interest in his brown eyes.

  "I am good with wood. I can do custom cabinets and furniture," said Tao.

  "And I want to open a smoothie shop," said Leo, beaming with excitement.

  "A smoothie shop?" Charlotte echoed, furrowing her brow.

  "Yeah, smoothies." Everyone looked at Leo like he’d said something in a foreign language, cocking their heads to the side almost in unison. Undeterred, he kept going. "This area gets a lot of people who are into fitness. They come here to hike, bike and swim. You’ve got at least ten different five-k events and one marathon every year, but no one’s serving that demographic. The food up here is bar fare or bar fare. I think some health conscious cuisine could do well."