Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,13

If this boy ever makes you worried, you tell the closest teacher, because if anything happens to you, I'm sending the whole pack to that school, you understand?"

Her response wasn't at all what I expected. "My mom's the Alpha Bitch!"

"Language," I reminded her.

"It's your title, Mom. Like, female wolf, you know? Ian's the Alpha Dog. Not my idea to call the boys dogs, but guess this means he is one." Then she shoved the last bite of the sausage into her mouth and hopped down. "I gotta do a book report for English. How long until dinner?"

"Um, half an hour? You want taco salad or steak?"

She paused to chew on her lower lip for a moment, thinking about that. "Steak," she decided. "Pax says that growing wolves often need more protein and red meat, and I'm starting to crave it."

"Uh-huh, or are you about to start your period?" I asked.

She made a face. "Maybe both?"

"Then steak it is," I assured her. "Now go make sure we have enough tampons and pads. If we don't, I'll pick some up tomorrow."

"Thanks, Mom!"

And she was gone, tromping up the stairs in the way only a teenager could do. I made a little mental note to ask the guys about this new meat obsession of hers, but I had a feeling they'd say about the same thing she just had. I might even call Heather, Olivia's mom, to find out if I should change her diet completely. Because being the mom of a wolf meant there were some strange things to learn.

I'd just pulled the steak out of the fridge and was rummaging in the freezer for some vegetables when a pair of hands closed around my waist. I yelped and jumped, bonking my head in the process. Immediately, I was tugged up against a big, broad chest, and a pair of hands gently touched the same spot where my hand was pressing against the injury.

"Did I hurt you?" Lane asked.

I shoved a bag of frozen peas against his chest. "You scared the shit out of me. Aren't you big enough to at least walk loudly?"

"Sorry," he mumbled, carrying the peas over to the counter.

I just groaned, pressing the sore spot. "It's not your fault, Lane. I was just trying to figure out what to feed my wolf-child. Think she'll eat peas?"

"I like peas," he said. "Doesn't she?"

"I don't know!" I closed the freezer door and then flopped back against the refrigerator. "She used to eat fruit. Now she just wants meat. So, I honestly have no idea what I'm supposed to feed her."

A smile took over his lips. "Protein. Lots of it. She's a new wolf, and her body is trying to adapt. She's growing, Elena, that's all. Seth did the same thing. He wanted anything with high proteins for about three months, then he was fine. Oh, and plenty of red meat. Not chicken, but steak. Salmon works well. Helps heal the muscles after all the shifting. Omega acids and all of that."

"So I need to be feeding her like she's an athlete?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, sounds about right. When that doctor moves in, she'll know more. Probably some vitamins she needs or something, but we never really worried about it. We were also born this way."

"What's it like?" I asked, not sure where the question had come from.

"Being a wolf?"

"Able to shift," I corrected. "Not in a wolf body, but being, I dunno, what you are?"

He turned to open my cabinets and began rummaging for spices. "In some ways, it's scary. We always knew that we couldn't let anyone outside the pack know. That was the fastest way to get killed. When we're wolves, we have to be careful of where we go. Real packs will attack us because we don't smell the same. We're bigger than them, so we usually have the advantage, but the fights aren't pretty."

"And knowing you can change?" I pressed.

He nudged the bag of peas toward me. "You cook those and I'll do the meat? Maybe some beans or something to go with it?"

I grimaced at that. "Only have refried, and it doesn't quite match the meal. Corn?"

"That'll work," he agreed.

He began rubbing the seasoning on the steaks. There were four in the package, which meant just enough for all of us. While he focused on that, I found a pot for the peas and tossed the corn in the microwave. There was something amazingly nice about cooking with the guys. I never had to