My wolf sighed in contentment at the touch. While I’d enjoyed the casual contact my friends had introduced me to as a human, now that I was a wolf, the sensation had been taken to the extreme. I saw what Raff had meant when he’d told me that wolves needed touch. Every time one of my packmates touched me, my wolf made a contented noise in my head, approving of her pack. I still wasn’t used to the duality of hearing her and my thoughts, but it was becoming more natural every day. “You don’t need to be dressed up.”
“You’re not going before the whole pack,” Zev explained, leading us down the hallway. The marble floor caused our steps to echo. I kept glancing around, expecting to see someone else watching our progress, but as it had been the past few days, the halls remained empty. I was sure some of the pack were away enjoying the short school break, but I couldn’t imagine that everyone had decided to take a vacation at once. This seemed more like something that was planned. I’d even been taking my meals alone with the others rather than be in the dining hall.
The door leading wherever they were taking me were highly decorated. The stylized moons and howling wolf head of the Lupine Hollow Pack symbol were etched deeply into the door, overlaid with what looked to be pieces of metal, turning the entrance into a sculpture. Zev knocked once, though he didn’t wait for a reply, before he tugged the door open, ushering me inside. I blinked at what appeared to be an auditorium, which was not at all what I’d been expecting. Rows of seating led downwards to a large, open wood floor where an oak table similar to those in the dining hall stood sentry. Seated at the head was Raff, though he pushed to his feet when we stepped inside.
“Zev. Thank you for bringing her.” Although Raff smiled, like Zev, it didn’t reach his eyes. “Pixie, will you join me?” He waved a hand, indicating a seat at the table. I started forward before I realized the others hadn’t joined me.
“Um…” I glanced back to where Raff waited, before turning back to Shannon. Shannon gave me an encouraging nod, and I continued down the stairs. When I stepped closer to Raff, my wolf shifted inside me. Alpha. I couldn’t tell if it was truly a word or merely a feeling, but the knowledge was in my wolf’s mind. Rather than feel fear, she sighed in contentment as an energy I hadn’t felt before washed over me. My eyes widened in shock and Raff smiled again, and this time his eyes lightened.
“I imagine the pack bond will take some time for you to get used to.”
“That’s the pack bond?” My words came out as a squeak. Alarick had told me about the pack bond before I’d been turned, and I knew it had been mentioned again when I’d woken up, but I hadn’t really processed what he meant. I’d felt closer to Shannon, Chann, Zev, and Alarick, but they had saved my life, so I hadn’t really noticed it. Feeling Raff’s power this close to me, though, was completely different. It was soothing and invigorating all at the same time, making my wolf settle inside me.
“Yes. As soon as you became a wolf, I felt the bond snap into place. I apologize that I haven’t spent time with you to initiate you into this like I should have.” He sighed before pulling out a chair. “Sit, please, Pixie. It may be easier this way.”
“But…” I glanced at my friends again, who were waiting by the door. It felt wrong for them not to join us.
“Would you prefer for them to be here with you while we speak?” Raff watched me carefully as I considered his words. I didn’t believe he would hurt me in any way, if anything, my wolf wanted to be close to him as much as she could. Yet it didn’t feel right having my friends excluded either. Was I making some kind of social faux pas? I really needed to read that damn manual again.
“We will wait outside.” I looked up, surprised. I hadn’t seen Alarick sitting in the row of chairs behind his father. He sent me a small smile, angling his head in a nod of greeting, and stepped forward to gently pat my hand before turning for the stairs. “Just for a few minutes