right over there, up the street and around the corner. We had this. The alcohol made us all feel a little warm, so the winter weather didn't matter, and the women were acting like a pack of wolves.
Well, they really were, but I liked it. The group of us laughed on our way there, talking about how we'd show up and she'd be long gone. Or maybe how Kim would throw her to Ashley like a pair of cats playing with a mouse. There was a clear undertone of vengeance in my friends, but I wasn't any better. That bitch had tried to bite me! She deserved everything she got!
When we reached Karen's house, the lights were still on, but the inside had been cleared out. I still walked to the door and pounded on it while my friends moved to flank me. That felt a little bad ass, like something from a movie. It made me feel powerful. Most of all, it just felt good.
Then Karen opened the door. "I'm almost - " The words died on her lips when she saw me. "You're not Ian."
"I'm not," I agreed. "I'm the alpha bitch of this pack, and the sun is setting. It's time for you to go." Then I held out my hand for her key. "This is no longer your pack."
Karen's jaw clenched. "I could tear you apart without trying."
"Not really," Ashley said. "See, that's the one thing you can't wrap your mind around. Elena's our alpha because she cares about the entire pack - not just herself. She doesn't need to know how to fight because we'll do it for her. We need her to remind us how to stop fighting, how to compromise, solve our problems, and be more than just animals."
"Which is why Wolf's Run is weak!" Karen told her.
Bridget took a step closer. The woman was small and delicate, but she still looked threatening when she did that. "This pack is advanced," she corrected. "And you have no idea, since you've never lived anywhere else. Trust me, savage isn't as much fun when you have to live with it every day."
"Fine," Karen said, reaching behind her for something. Then she slapped her key into my hand. "There you go, Leasing Lady. You can have your house back. Figure that must be what Ian sees in you, someone to wash his boxers and take care of his property."
I smiled. "So you know, he doesn't wear boxers. But hey, if you'd ever made it higher than fucking his betas, you might know that, hm?" Then I leaned a little closer, right into her face. "You have ten minutes to grab the rest and go. If you don't, I'll let my sisters here drag you out. I promise they won't mind at all."
"You attacked my child," Kim growled.
Karen just sneered at her. "That boy came at me. He interrupted a dominance challenge."
"Not a dominance challenge if you don't declare it," Kim countered. "No, you were just acting like a jealous ex, but you forgot that it is every wolf's duty to protect their alphas. Us?" She gestured to my friends. "We're Elena's guard."
"Her Sisterhood," Heather added, shuffling her feet like she was struggling not to grab the woman.
Never in my life had I felt this powerful - or safe. Sure, my guys would do anything to protect me, but my girls? These ladies were what happened when mean girls grew up. They were the strong ones. The ones who didn't care about the rules unless they made them, and they had my back. They were on my side.
"Time's ticking," I told Karen. "When the sun sets, I will turn them loose."
"Fine!" She turned around, stormed back into the house to grab a few things. I could hear her rummaging around. Then she was back. "I'm leaving! And don't think it's because of you, Elena." Her eyes moved to Ashley.
Ash just smiled back, but the look was clearly a threat. "Oh, I'm Elena's bitch too, Karen. That means your fear of me? It is because of Elena. Besides, didn't your mother ever teach you that sometimes it pays to be nice? No? Huh, maybe that's why Ian never wanted you."
I stepped aside, giving Karen a straight path to her car. The women did the same, splitting down the middle. Karen braced, lifting her chin in a bad attempt to hide it, and then she walked straight through us toward her car. As a group we turned, waiting, watching