could take it from him. “You can load the rest.”
Apparently, he is thinking the same way I am. Damn, he’s good.
“Yes, sir,” the wolf said quietly. I handed over my bags to Ryan, letting him deal with them.
We were ushered into the SUV with the quieter wolf driving. Ryan sat in the passenger’s seat, looking at us in the back.
“It’s good to see you again, Alpha Everson.”
“Ryan, just call me Heath.”
I snickered, causing the Seattle wolf to direct his gaze at me.
“What do you call him?”
“Heath,” I answered quickly. “Because I’m not a wolf, and he doesn’t have a pack.”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “You tolerate that, sir?”
“I live in her territory,” Heath said mildly. “Even if I was still Alpha in Dallas and Fort Worth, I wouldn’t press the issue. I was never a stickler for those sorts of rules.”
Ryan’s mouth opened and shut quickly like he was going to say something stupid and rash, but some decent part of his male brain figured out not to be totally stupid. The drive was quiet, and Heath kept my laptop bag in his lap. I tried my best not to feel anything. Heath was very good at not giving off any scents to let anyone know how he was feeling. I tried to channel that, so as not to give away my anxiety at where I was or my gratitude Heath was looking out for me.
Seattle’s airport wasn’t in Seattle proper. It was the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, between the major city and its smaller companion. The drive into Seattle wasn’t a long one, but it was noticeable. When the quiet wolf took us off an exit, I noticed how hilly the roads were, often finding us stopped at a red light on a steep incline.
Seattle was called the Emerald City, and as we drove, I could almost see it. There were a lot more trees than I was used to in cities. As we neared the Puget Sound, the smell of sea water and fish hit my nose, just underneath the scent of industry and cars. The roads were congested, but nothing like I hadn’t seen before in a city. It was familiar in the way men with brown hair were familiar. Lots of men had brown hair, but they didn’t all look the same, and sometimes, the differences were the important parts.
Seattle wasn’t a city I knew, and it only drove home how very far from home I was.
We parked at a tall building that was obviously either offices or condos. We were directed into the building and passed a large front desk area, where two men worked security, and guided to elevators.
“This is the pack’s headquarters,” Heath whispered to me. “They own the top five floors for pack business and living arrangements for some.”
“Interesting,” I mumbled.
“They turned the roof into a garden. Maybe you’ll get to see it today.” He smiled, obviously more comfortable with this entire affair.
A ding announced we were at our floor. I never got the chance to see what floor we were headed to, squished behind Ryan, probably on purpose. He stepped off first with Heath, then me following, the quiet wolf taking up the rear. Our things weren’t brought inside, left inside the SUV downstairs. Was it going to be parked? Was our stuff going to be searched? Heath kept a tight grip on the laptop, and I had my cellphone. There was nothing embarrassing except my underwear for them to find in my other bags.
I hope they like cotton.
11
Chapter Eleven
We were ushered into a large condo with floor to ceiling windows looking out over the Puget Sound, a beautiful and clear view. One could even see a hint of mountains on the other side of the water. I stepped closer to the window, a bit awestruck. It wasn’t my woods, which I was biased toward, but it was a gorgeous view.
“Heath,” a rich, masculine voice said loudly. “It’s so good to see you, my friend.”
“Geoffrey!” Heath laughed. “Alpha Lewis, rather. You know, your wolf, Ryan, is a stickler for the rules.”
“He is. It’s why I sent him. I wanted to make a good impression on…”
I was still staring out the window, just listening to the two wolves greet. When it became apparent I was the person he wanted to make a good impression on, I turned around slowly, my eyebrows going up.
“Really? I’m not all that special.” I offered him a tight smile. “Really, the less activity, the better for me.”
“Ah, I’m sorry, then.”