Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,22

interested in younger women."

"Yeah." Ashley reached over to rub my shoulder. "But his betas had no interest in being celibate. She kept offering, knowing there wasn't a possible relationship with them. She said she didn't care, that it was all about the easy sex, and such. I mean, they've been hooking up since they were kids, and she actually lost her virginity to my other brother, the twin that's now living in Mom's pack. And she then went right to Trent and Pax's bed, hoping Ian would join in."

"Shit," I breathed. "She was their first?"

"She was."

I groaned, putting all the little pieces together. "I'm pretty sure you weren't supposed to tell me that."

"I'm pretty sure they can deal with it." And she turned my chair so I had to face her. "Elena, be careful around that woman. If she challenges you, she will bite you. She also won't do it as a woman. I'm going to talk to a few others and see if we can get a support network for you, ok?"

"I don't want to be a problem," I insisted.

She just glared at me as if I was an idiot. "Heather, Kim, me. I'm thinking these are people you call friends, right? We'll watch your back, because while you're still learning, this is the most important thing about being in a wolf pack. We are all family. We take care of each other, and you, my new sister, are family."

"Thank you," I breathed, reaching over to hug her. "I have no idea what I'm doing, and it feels like there's so much coming so fast, and this morning I thought that my biggest problem was how to get laid!" Then I leaned back again so I could see her. "I really need to be a wolf, huh?"

"It would make things easier," Ashley admitted. "But we get it. Gabby comes first. She's more important than all of this wolf shit, and that's the way it should be. So, don't make a decision because some pissed off ex-fuck is jealous, ok? Just..." She waved a hand at the phone. "I dunno. Call Ian. Tell him he needs to talk to you about all of this. His betas made the mess, so let my baby brother sort it all out."

Nodding, I grabbed my own phone and sent a text instead of calling.

Elena: Karen came by. Ash was here. We need to talk because I have a million questions.

Ian: Dinner date tonight? I owe you one, and this would be easier in an adult-only setting.

Elena: Not really the most romantic thing ever.

Ian: Wear a dress and I'll change your mind. I intend to convince you that my mess is worth dealing with. Say 6? I'll make plans for Gabby.

Elena: It's a date, but only if you're spending the night.

Ian: How can I refuse an offer like that?

I just chuckled, then tilted the phone to Ashley. "Seems I have a date."

"Aww," she moaned, reading it quickly. "Yeah, I'm starting to figure out what you see in him. He's still an icky little brother, though."

"Just..." I shooed her away from my desk. "Go pretend like you have a job or something!"

She went, and I realized that Karen's moment of bitchiness still hadn't ruined my day. Nope, I'd had a good morning with Lane, and now I had a date tonight with Ian. I had exactly zero to complain about, because I knew they'd take care of Karen.

CHAPTER 7

I got off work at five and headed home. Gabby was there, and it seemed she'd already heard that I had plans. My darling little wolf-kid had three different dresses laid out on my bed for me, and a whole collection of supplies on my dresser for my face and hair. I grabbed a quick shower and started working on my hair first. Wrapped in a terry robe, I was sitting in front of my mirror when the door to my bedroom creaked open.

"Mom?" Gabby asked.

I couldn't hear her over the blow dryer, but I read the word on her lips. I quickly shut the machine off and twisted to see her. "Yeah, honey?"

"Trent's coming over to hang out with me. I know he's 'babysitting,' but he said we could work on drama stuff." She chewed her lower lip for a moment. "Is Ian spending the night?"

"He is," I agreed.

She jiggled her head to show that was ok. "Know how late you're going to be out?"

"No... Why?"

Gabby came the rest of the way in and closed the door