Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,49

smart and easy to talk to."

"You make me want to smile," Seth said. "And you're so gentle and feminine. Not weak or fragile. It's more than you wear dresses and heels. You cook. You do these things that you probably don't even notice, and I'm entranced because it's so perfectly girly, and I like that. It's sexy."

"He's not wrong," I agreed. "I honestly thought all of this would blow over in a few days if we just ignored her." Then I reached over to push her hair back so I could see her face. "Elena, I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad that you used to date, or fuck, or whatever with her," she assured me. "Guys, I'm not. I mean, I had another man's child! How hypocritical would it be for me to complain that you had sex before? I had a kid! A piece of him that's never going to go away."

"Yeah," I said, "but we wanted you to think we weren't just stupid guys. That we are, I don't know, mature men who can keep up with you. Not horny barely-out-of-college guys. I like it when you look at me and see a man you can respect, not a boy."

"Every time you're with Gabby," she promised. "Trent, how is what you did any different than me feeling giddy that I had these five gorgeous guys from the house next door flirting with me? It makes me feel young and dumb, and I liked that."

"Gorgeous, huh?" I asked, feeling my lips curl into a smile. "So, you're not mad at us?"

"I'm not," she promised, looking over at Pax. "I'm really not. I'm intimidated. Karen's so pretty."

"Not really," Pax grumbled, refusing to meet Elena's eyes. "She's ok. She's in shape, but so are you. She's got that stupid fucking hair style, and she has a serious case of resting bitch face. She's also nothing compared to you. When you walk into a room, I can't help but look. Her?"

"I keep waiting for her to ask for a manager," Elena joked.

That was too much for Seth. He laughed, choking on the sip of coffee he'd just taken, and hacked a few times to get it down. "Me too!"

"But how am I supposed to deal with this woman stalking me?" she asked. "I keep thinking I need to be a wolf!"

"Wait," I begged, touching her arm so she'd look at me. "I would have no problem at all with you wanting to shift, but not because of her."

"But I'm weak!" she insisted.

"You are not!" I snapped. "You are gentle, and that is not the same thing. Being a civilized and decent person should not be seen as a weakness. Being nice should never be something you're ashamed of. Sure, maybe people look tough when they treat others like shit, but that's not really how it works. Forcing people to agree, to do what you say, or to shut up when they bother you? That's what happens when you aren't willing to grow, learn, and accept that not everyone has to be like you. Instead, you're sitting here listening to us, and forgiving us for being ruled by our fucking dicks!"

"What Trent said," Pax agreed, waving a hand in my direction. "All of that."

"You," Lane told her, "are elastic. You don't break; you bend. You care for others, even when we don't deserve it. That's why I love you."

My eyes jumped over to Pax, but beside me, I saw Seth nodding in agreement. I wasn't quite ready to use that word, but damn, this woman made me want to consider it. I just wanted more than the quick and hurried moments we'd had. Pax just glanced away, his shame still burning hot. It was just more proof that we needed to spend more time with our mate.

Not with Gabby. Not as a group. Not being nice neighbors. He and I needed to start putting in an effort because Lane being in love with her made sense. Seth? He was definitely getting there, and fast. Ian had already made it clear that he'd gone all the way, but he'd had more chances. In trying to make this work, he'd been the frontman, but now she knew everything.

Now, we could finally prove ourselves to her. The problem was that I wasn't convinced she'd like it - like us. Elena was refined and glamorous. Pax and me? We were rough around the edges, trained to work as a pair, and two sides of the same coin. On the