Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,180

Forest is only about twenty wolves, last I heard. If he's got three mates..."

"Yeah," Ian agreed. "He can't have more than a dozen full grown wolves, and that dick is fucking any woman he can, acting like it's a privilege for them. Not my problem, though. Not my pack. My concern is that Damon is making threats, so Karen probably is too."

Lane made an affirmative grunt. "She called Elena, so yes. But Elena has a good point. If she's already a wolf, then getting bit won't be as big of a problem. She'll still be just as vulnerable as she is now, but she won't have to deal with the sickness, let alone losing, getting kicked out, and turning on her own in the middle of the city."

"Which is a good point," Pax said.

Ian just turned to look at me. "No opinion, Seth?"

"Oh, plenty of them," I assured him. "Just not convinced you'll like what I have to say."

He actually smiled. "So tell me anyway."

"Ok." I paused to wipe my hands dry. "I think that Elena's smart enough to have thought this out. I think we've all done everything possible to make sure she has this option. I also think that she deserves this, and I will be right there beside her when she runs."

"What about the media?" Ian countered.

"Fuck them." I waited a moment to make sure he knew I was serious. "She has a good point about getting bit. If she's already a wolf, then what's the absolute worst that can happen?"

"She'll end up fated to someone besides Lane," Ian said.

I just scoffed. "Not likely. The truth is that we all want her to be a wolf. She wants to be a wolf. That woman is the best Alpha Mate I've ever heard of, and she's good for the pack. She's proven herself, she's been accepted, and she wants to do this. I think refusing to turn her when we're all going bareback with her any chance we can get is nothing but hypocrisy. So, if she wants to make sure she's a wolf before the full moon, I'll bite her myself and deal with the consequences."

"Ballsy," Pax muttered under his breath.

"That's why he's a beta," Trent pointed out.

Thankfully, Ian was still smiling. "I actually agree with you completely, Seth. My only concern has been that she'd want to turn because she thinks she has to."

"She told me not to tell you," Lane admitted. "She's convinced you'd try to stop her."

"So we don't tell her we know," Ian said as if that didn't hurt his feelings at all. "Lane, let her deal with everything else. She's got enough on her plate right now with Gabby, the fucking phone calls she's fielding in the office, and everything else. If letting her think that we don't know will make it easier on her, then we won't say anything. If letting her know that we're ok with this helps, then tell her that."

"I'm doing it Monday night," he said, looking over at me. "She asked if I would."

I was ok with that. I honestly was, so why did I feel so disappointed? Maybe I'd hoped that she'd ask for me, since we'd already shared so much about my own conversion when she was dealing with Gabby's change? No, I was pretty sure it was much simpler than that.

I wanted her to need me. We'd grown so close lately, and that woman was my mate too, but Lane really was the best man to do this. He'd spent enough time as a wolf to know just how hard to bite her. He would hurt her the least, and I couldn't say the same about myself, but I'd kinda hoped that she'd trust me enough.

"It's the right call," I told him. "Just... I know this is dumb, but try not to hurt her, ok?"

"I'll be careful," he promised. Then he gestured to the TV. "Samantha did an interview, by the way. Any idea if that helped?"

"Shit," Trent gasped, grabbing for the remote to turn it on. "I didn't realize how late it was."

Immediately, the news filled the screen, proving they'd been checking it throughout the day. I just pulled out my phone and decided to see what the masses really thought. So, while some news-contracted therapist rambled on about teen coping mechanisms, I went straight for Twitter. Of course it was trending.

Scrolling through the comments, it seemed like everyone knew it hadn't been real. Gabby had been right, and all the world needed