what felt like the top of their lungs. Ashley just steered Kim over toward the chairs, tilting her head for me to follow. Soon enough, the three of us were alone.
"Was Andrea angry?" Ashley asked.
Kim nodded. "She was livid. The whole reason she came over was to make sure I knew not to trust my kids around Elena. Said she wouldn't care about them since they weren't from one of the first families. I made it clear that not only are my kids welcome to spend time with the Alpha Female of our pack, but that I considered her to be a friend as well." She looked at me. "I hope that wasn't overstepping my place."
"No, Kim," I assured her. "I think of you as one of my first friends here. You and David have helped me so much. I just don't feel like I understand enough about wolves. I've been learning."
"That's it," Ashley said. "We'll make it clear that we've been teaching her about pack traditions, which is why she hasn't really been socializing, and that it has nothing to do with bloodlines except that we Langdons are the ones teaching her."
"Because I haven't wanted to offend anyone," I added. "And I don't! I just don't know how to fix this. Is there something I should be doing? Some part of dating Ian that I wasn't aware of?"
For a moment, Ashley and Kim said nothing. They both looked at each other, but it wasn't as if they were hiding anything. More like they were hoping the other had an idea. Then Kim suddenly smiled.
"Come to the run," she said. "The moon's full in two nights, and the whole pack will run. Not all of us can, though. David likes to go, but he stays at the front where we leave our clothes. Sasha Chimory is the same."
"And we have the new couple," Ashley said. "Emily is human. I think she's in the same boat as Elena, trying to learn all of this stuff because her new husband isn't human."
My mind was already going. "Think I could talk the guys into making a fire pit?" I asked. "And I could bring some snacks, warm drinks, and blankets for anyone who needs to rest. That way, if they've been running, they won't get a chill." I looked at both of them. "Too much?"
"No," Kim said. "That's absolutely perfect. I'll talk to Heather, and we can help get some things together as well. Don't worry, we'll give you all the credit." Then she smiled at Ashley. "We'll just let it be known that the Alpha Female is trying to make things comfortable for us, and she wants to watch her first run."
"She gets dizzy at the shift," Ashley told Kim. "I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be hard to convince Ian to let it slip that he encouraged her to get used to seeing us change so she didn't lose her dinner in front of everyone."
Kim actually laughed at that. "Which is a great way to explain her missing the last few. I might just spread that rumor as well, if you're ok with that, Elena?"
I just waved it off. "Sure. But my real question is, how bad is this really? Is this going to be some huge problem that Ian will end up having to deal with on top of everything else?"
"No," Kim assured me. "Things like this always happen when a new mate is picked. The jealous females of the pack test her, hoping to see how she'll handle the pressure. This is just us making sure that you aren't going anywhere. It's fine."
"Just women being bitches," Ashley grumbled. "Even humans have people who act like this, and often the rumor is worse than the reality. So, we'll do a little PR work, and make it clear that the Alpha Female of the Wolf's Run pack isn't merely the nicest woman ever, but she's got a lot of alpha bitches standing with her."
Kim smiled almost ferally. "Bodyguard duty, huh?" She nodded. "For the first time, having been born an alpha feels like it might be a good thing."
"Welcome to the Sisterhood of Being Too Old for That Shit," Ashley told her. "We drink wine at my place on Thursdays. Invite Heather."
"I'll call her later," Kim promised. "For now, I have got to get to work. I'm already late, and I'm blaming the school bus." She reached over and rubbed my arm. "This is going to be fine, Elena. Your pack will