Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,20

sure you, uh, pay for it."

"Oh, is that a new service fee?" she taunted.

Yeah, I couldn't let that one go. "I don't know, did you have old service fees?"

She slammed her hand down on my desk, proving I'd just pushed too far. "I knew those men before they cared about your existence!"

Ashley took a step closer, but I had this. "Doesn't matter who they fucked first. It's all about who is last, and so you know, that's me."

"They aren't even fucking you," Karen snapped. "How long do you think that's going to last, hm? They just feel sorry for you! The only interest this pack has in you at all is your daughter. I know what people are saying when the alpha can't hear."

"Out," Ashley said, her voice the coldest I'd ever heard. "You will not threaten my family. Not my father, not my brother, and not my sister." She paused. "Make sure you heard that. Elena Castillo is my life sister. I claim her as my own, and that gives me the right to stand for her."

The sound Karen made was the closest thing to a growl I could imagine coming from a woman's mouth. It made my blood run cold, but I refused to back down. Instead, I pushed to my feet.

"Get out of my office," I warned her. "If you don't, I will have you removed, do you understand me?"

"Sure, human," Karen sneered.

But she did leave. I didn't even care that she made "human" sound like an insult. I was used to it. I'd been called so much worse in my life. As the Latina daughter of a soldier, I'd pretty much heard it all, and my skin wasn't that thin. I was also tired of letting people walk all over me.

Ashley and I said nothing until she was not just out of the office, but had made it to her car and backed out of the parking lot. Only then did I finally drop back into my chair with a heavy sigh, letting my head fall back to relieve the tension in my neck. Ashley just huffed out her annoyance and grabbed one of the chairs at the side, dragging it over beside me.

"She's trying to run you off," Ashley explained.

I nodded. "Jealous ex-girlfriend. Yeah, I'm definitely getting that vibe."

"Um, it's a little more than that." Ashley reached up to massage her forehead. "So, this is going to get complicated, but I really think you need to know." And she gestured to my cup. "Need a coffee before we start?"

"I'm good," I assured her. "Give me all the bad news."

"Ok." She bit her lips together for a moment as she chose her words. "Ian is the pack alpha. That's the king. He earned that title through dominance, not inheritance. Yes, Dad was the last alpha. He taught all of us how to lead, and his kids all ended up with alpha personalities. But, that doesn't mean we automatically get anything. In fact, everyone assumed Ian and I would fight it out and the loser would be chased from the pack."

"Doesn't sound friendly," I admitted.

Ashley just shrugged. "It's kinda barbaric, truth be told. So, we didn't fight. I don't want to be alpha. Ian's good at it. He can't help but care, so it made sense. I took over the business, and he's handling the community. Anyone could've challenged him when he claimed the title of alpha, but no one wanted to. Not after the squabbles they had as kids, because my little brother always won."

"Ok," I said, keeping up so far. "Which means that Ian's mentally and physically the strongest wolf, right?"

"Yep," she agreed. "And you know about betas. He chose them, but they had to volunteer. Well, then there's the position of the Alpha Female. That's basically the queen. You, Elena. The title becomes active when Ian makes it known that he's found a person he cares about. It's a very casual ceremony - you thought it was a date. Officially, it's when he makes it clear that he can support a mate and the pack without neglecting either one, but keep in mind that the tradition came about back when wolves still lived in feudalistic societies. The position can also be closed, however, with another simple ceremony. Basically, the pair saying they're done and dividing their assets - just like any breakup. One ceremony to open the position and another to close it, because the position is conditional. My parents used the closing ceremony