Wolf's Pack (Wolves Next Door #3) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,132

portraying her character that way.

And every evening, we all crowded into Ian's place. Between myself and the guys, plus Gabby and her newly-forming group of betas, mine simply wasn't big enough. Trent moved some of his clothes into Pax's room, and the pair cleaned up Trent's so that Gabby could use it any time she needed. I couldn't say we were moving in, but the fact that I bought my daughter a toothbrush for their place said a lot.

When I stayed over, I slept in Lane's room. First, because it wasn't on the same floor as my daughter. Second, because it had an attached bath and a bed big enough for a little extra company. Somewhere in the last month, I'd gotten over being embarrassed about Gabby knowing what was going on. Plus, from the looks the boys she hung out with were giving her when she wasn't paying attention, my little girl was going to end up building her own harem.

Theo was the one who surprised me the most. Not that he gawked at my daughter, but he didn't seem to mind when Nik did. Plus, he and Roman were getting to be pretty close friends. The boy seemed to be adapting well to his transformation, but unlike Nik, Theo still had that need to be with his pack. Ian made quite a few comments about it.

Although, with Gabby's play coming up so fast, my own wolf lessons got put on hold. Heather and Lev worked together with Gabby and her betas to make sure that Theo could at least shift with control and walk as a tiger. Those few hours every day were also the only time it felt like I got to actually relax. My mates would make dinner, I'd sneak in a hot bath in Lane's tub, and for just a little bit, everything else got put on hold.

Until the day finally came. Yes, it was a high school play, but for Gabby, this was a Big Deal, capital letters and all. That Friday, Roman brought her straight home after school. I was still at the office, but they stopped for a minute to say she was headed back. As soon as I got off work, I hurried home to change. I picked a nice dress and heels, and had just pulled them on when Ashley walked into my house, yelling to let me know she was there.

"What?" I asked, peeking my head out of my bedroom. "I didn't know you were going to the play!"

She just rolled her eyes. "Gabby's been talking about this since she got here, Elena. After Gerardo, the pack wants to make sure that she has one hell of a cheering section. Her betas are all going. Your Sisterhood. Ian and his betas. Then there's Dad. I talked the guys out of suits, but Roman's insisting on ties so she knows we take this seriously. Lev had to find something that would fit Theo, but they're at Heather's making this work."

"Speaking of Lev and Heather," I said.

Ashley just grinned. "Do not mention it. Do not breathe a word of it. Nothing is happening, she swears."

I nodded to show I understood. "Gotcha. Well, make sure she knows that I have enough space for the kids to spend the night with Gabby when she needs a little excuse."

"Will do. Now, can I borrow your curling iron? We're on a schedule, woman."

The pair of us got down to work. Ashley used my bathroom sink to fix her hair and touch up her makeup. I sat down before my vanity in the bedroom and did the same. The pair of us were just finishing when my doorbell rang. No one used my doorbell!

"I think that's for me," Ashley said, hurrying out of the room.

I slipped on my heels and followed in time to see her laughing and opening the door as wide as it would go. On the other side was Vic, Jax, and Scott, but behind them my mates were struggling not to laugh.

"So, I see this is going to be an event," Ian teased.

"Ashley just said she needed an arm to hang off of," Vic assured him. "And, well, we have room for one more in the truck."

"Oh." Ian nodded as if accepting that, but the corner of his lip was curled a little too high. "Because, when my sister dresses like that, it means you should definitely take her out to dinner afterwards. I mean, whichever one of you is brave enough