yelled.
Bridget followed me in and closed the door, looking around the whole time. Together, we headed to the living room, where Ashley was setting out three bottles of wine, three glasses, and had clearly cleaned up. She immediately waved us both to chairs.
"White, pink, and red," she explained. "Take your pick, and I have more if you want it. You're ok to drink, right, Bridget? Not on call?"
"Technically, I'm always on call, but if you don't care, then I don't," she said.
I grabbed the bottle of white and filled a glass just a little too full. Ashley went for the red, so Bridget chose the pink. Once we were all comfortable, it was Ashley who decided to break the silence. Of course, she did it with her usual gusto.
"So, divorce papers?" she asked, looking at the packet I'd set beside me.
I just nodded. "Almost six months. Well, five, but close enough to start planning. And your dad says he's filing tomorrow."
"Ugh," Bridget groaned. "I hope it went better than mine."
That caught my attention. "You're divorced?"
She nodded. "Hence changing packs. My ex-husband was the alpha's brother. I was working for a human doctor in the city, so I moved into an apartment, but about four months ago, the isolation started to get to me, and I put a few feelers out. Quite a few referred me to Wolf's Run."
"And when I heard she was looking," Ashley said, "I reached out. After Gabby turned, Ian basically said that there was no limit on what we'd offer. We needed a doctor for our community."
"So I didn't ask for enough?" Bridget teased before waving Ashley down. "All I need is to pay my bills and be able to afford the medications and supplies for my patients. Well, and have the authority to do what I need, even if that means pushing the alpha aside to treat someone."
"Is that a normal problem?" I asked.
Both Ashley and Bridget nodded, but it was Bridget who answered. "Elena, every pack needs an alpha. He - or she - is the strong arm who sets the punishments. For as long as wolves have existed, our alphas have been terrifying. The problem is that so much power often comes with just as much arrogance. It's easier to throw someone to the ground to get your way rather than debating it."
"Sounds barbaric," I admitted.
"It is," Ashley agreed. "And my dad proved that civility bonds a pack better than brutality. Ian took it a few steps further, and it's been working, but he's not afraid to throw down when he has to."
"Is that why Karen wants to beat the crap out of me?" I asked. "Is this like, some side effect of the virus?"
"Yes and no," Bridget admitted. "Yes, increased feral tendencies are a part of this, but it's no different than PMS, Elena. Sure, you're moody. Yeah, you might snap at someone. Doesn't mean you're going to become a homicidal murderer. But, if your entire society claims that you couldn't help it, well, it makes the option easier to accept, right? Some woman flirts with your boyfriends and you could just shoot her dead? What's stopping you?"
"Oh," I breathed, because that made sense. "Please tell me that's not allowed?"
"It's not allowed," Ashley promised. "Even though we're wolves, we still have to deal with human laws and police. If someone is killed, well, we need a doctor to write the medical report. We need a funeral or cremation that wouldn't cause issues. We can't just make people in the community disappear and think there won't be questions."
I could accept all of that. "Ok, I feel a little better."
"We're people," Ashley insisted. "Just somewhat supernatural ones. We've learned how to adapt to modern society, and we're a little different, but not drastically."
"Turning into wolves is pretty drastic," I pointed out. "Ash, I feel like I moved to a whole different country. I may know the language, but it's not always used the same way, and all of the customs are different."
"But you're doing good," Bridget promised. "And your daughter will do even better. Kids tend to adapt easier than adults."
Speaking of Gabby, I leaned back and let out a heavy sigh. "Did you know there's a bully at school who's targeting the girls from the community?"
"Ian mentioned it," Ashley said. "He said that Roman groveled to him and explained it all." Then she grabbed her glass of wine and leaned back. "That kid is trying so hard to prove himself now, but Ian's