Queen Bitch of the Callowwood Pack (Siren Publishing Classic) (28 page)

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, you don’t have to pay court to all of them. You can pick one or two besides Ms. Morris to offer your attention. Mistress Cutter’s behavior is just this side of immature and Mistress Wolensky doesn’t interact well with the packmembers.”

“But, Dad, even the others just—”

His father held up a hand. “I know, Jeff, but we’re still in a political game here, and you have to keep up appearances until the time’s right and Ms. Morris passes the tests.”

“Dammit!”

“I concur. Still, the reports I’ve been getting indicate Ms. Morris has passed Courage, Generosity, Strength, Calm, and Secrecy. She only has to demonstrate Tolerance, Respect/Humility, and Honor/Diplomacy.”

“She’ll do it, Dad.”

“I know she will, Jeff. Still…”

Jeff looked up at his father with a raised eyebrow.

“While you can’t influence how she reacts to things, you can always put her into situations that’ll allow her to pass the last few tests so you don’t have to struggle so much.”

“What are you saying?” Jeff asked suspiciously. “Are you saying I should set her up?”

“Not at all. I’m just saying when a situation occurs where she can demonstrate her skills, you can always encourage her to take the lead.”

“That smacks of interference, Dad.”

To Jeff’s immense surprise, his father made a noncommittal sound and tossed his head from side to side slowly.

“Holy crap! You’re serious!”

“How badly do you want her, Jeff?”

Jeff laughed in disbelief, but he felt like he’d choke.

“Bad enough to let her get this on her own,” he confessed. “If I do this for her, she’ll never know if it was her merits or my pull. She’ll pass, but I gotta let her pass without my help. She’s my Mate. I can’t take this from her.”

Richard didn’t say a word. He just looked at his son thoughtfully, and Jeff slowly realized that he, too, had just passed a test. How could his father do something so underhanded? But in a game this serious, Richard had to be certain of all parties. He had to be certain the future leaders would play by the rules and keep everything fair.

“Crap.” Jeff rubbed the back of his head. “It’s killing me not touching her, but I haven’t, and won’t, do anything to jeopardize either of our positions until she’s passed the tests. I swear I did nothing more than a friend would’ve done in my place last night.”

Richard snorted with derision. “And it was so easy to resist her.”

Jeff laughed humorlessly. “Hell no. It was excruciating and damn near impossible. But she made us honorable. She did nothing to provoke either of us to break the rules.”

Well, mostly. Dad probably wouldn’t agree about that kiss we shared
.

“Not this time,” Richard admonished with a knowing look. “But it might not be the same next time, and the moon approaches full again. You’ll have to be a hundred times more careful when both of you are full to bursting with Her Song.”

“I know,” Jeff admitted glumly. “I just hope she’ll have passed the tests by then. Otherwise, I’ll have to leave town for a few days.”

“You can’t.”

“I’ll have to. My control is good, but not when my Mate is there in all her Lupine glory and baying for the Lady Moon. I won’t be able to stop myself. We’ll have the choosing ceremony that night, like it or not. I can’t be around Julianna in her Sister form and stay away from her. I just don’t have the strength.”

“She wasn’t here last month. Sebrina took her out of town.”

“Yeah, I know.” He’d missed her so much he’d had to fight the urge to search for her.

“Well, hopefully it won’t come to that.” Jeff had his doubts. “So with which of the others are you going to keep up pretences?”

Jeff wrestled his mind back to the discussion at hand.

“Ms. Winthrop and Ms. Solaris. Since they’re the only viable contenders, anyway.”

Maybe for the pack, but they make me sick to my stomach every time I’m near them. How the hell am I going to pretend I’m still interested in either of them?

“Good enough.” Richard wasn’t fooled by Jeff’s cool façade.

“Great.”

“Don’t worry, Jeff. This will all get resolved soon, and we’ll be able to make a decision.”

He wasn’t worried. He’d made his decision. The question remained whether or not the pack could accept it. Because he knew one thing for certain: his Luna would be Julianna or no one.

* * * *

Julianna slipped into the bar later that afternoon and tried to ignore the stares peeling the clothes off her back. She sighed as she stowed her purse and keys in the office.

You gotta love small towns. Everyone knows everybody’s business, and if they don’t, they’ll just make up a story to make sense of it.

She knew Jeff had spent the entire night, and elation rippled through her. He’d said he’d stay only until she fell asleep, but he’d been there in the morning to kiss her good-bye before stepping out the door.

Julianna wanted more of that, though she doubted she’d get her wish. Now tongues would wag about why he’d stayed and what they’d done together. She suspected the patrons believed they’d had sex, but neither her nor Jeff’s scents had changed at all, despite their kiss.

I guess Sebrina was wrong. His kiss didn’t start the bond.

Everyone should know they hadn’t mated, but some folks just didn’t heed the facts. Julianna tightened her lips before she screamed in irritation. It was no one’s business but her own whether or not they’d had sex.

Small town politics suck.

Squaring her shoulders, she stepped out of the office and made her way to the main room of the bar.
Sink or swim, Morris
. Once again, she walked amongst the wolves. Julianna hoped her calm poise would dissuade the gossips.

When she returned to the main room, she smiled and greeted Zach behind the bar. He studied her intently and scented her then frowned. She raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for his appraisal.

“Afternoon, Zach,” she challenged when he said nothing to her. “How’s it going?”

“Good, Ms. Morris,” he replied carefully, then he lowered his voice and added, “You don’t smell like him.”

“Like who?”

“Like Jeff.”

“No, should I?”

He hesitated, and she tried to curb her disgust.

“Do you have a real question for me, Zach?”

“We know he stayed there all night, Ms. Morris,” Zach admonished her mildly.

“That wasn’t a question, but I’ll answer it anyway,” she remarked tersely “Yes, Jefferson stayed at my house all night. It’s not really anyone’s business, but he came to make sure I was okay. I guess he fell asleep when the night went too late. I do know he didn’t intend to stay.”

“That’s not what the rumors are saying.” Zach wiped down the bar, his eyes on the few patrons in the taproom. “Rumor has it he’s chosen you over the others because you’re the newest candidate in the pack, and we can smell his interest every time you’re around.”

Julianna snorted as she unloaded the dishwasher beneath the bar.

“And who’s the source of these rumors? Certainly not me or Jeff. It’s no secret we care about each other, but neither of us would jeopardize the tests before they’ve concluded. As for whom he’s chosen, you’ll have to ask him. I’m not privy to that information as of yet. But”—she leaned closer to him and gave him a conspiratorial smile—“if he does choose me, you’ll be the first to know.” Then she winked.

Zach snorted with humor, and his lips quirked into a small smile.

“You know, you should smile more often,” she mused as she kept working. “You’re pretty handsome when you smile. I know Tawny has noticed the few times you do. I think she keeps a running total in a notebook.”

“She told you that?”

“No, but I’ve caught her scoping you out every time she comes into the bar. I know she thinks you’re fascinating and your smile’s a rare treasure, indeed. Just thought I’d mention it.”

She shrugged and retreated to the pool tables, checking on the chalk cubes and the condition of the pool cues. Julianna didn’t have to look. She could feel Zach watching her progress through the bar. She hoped she hadn’t gotten either of her friends in trouble, but she knew Tawny only had eyes for Jeff’s head bouncer and Zach stood straighter and taller when Tawny came to the bar.

The afternoon passed without incident, though she kept getting looks from most of the
west of left field
patrons. She suspected they’d come to the bar just to see if the gossip had merit. Guilt knocked at her awareness. It had been a close call last night, but she and Jeff hadn’t overstepped their bounds and her scent hadn’t changed. Acting guilty would only encourage the small-minded humans who couldn’t scent the truth for themselves.

I
did
kiss him pretty thoroughly, but I fell asleep almost before my head hit his chest.
She felt a smile curl her lips.
Expert in loopholes. Oh yes, I am!

Gary came in to take over bartender duties from Zach and custom picked up around five-thirty. A few humans arrived, but the bar filled with
west of left fielders
intent on scoping out the alphas. Most of them gave her a narrow eyed once-over, sniffing surreptitiously, but she shrugged it off as small town politics. Her scent protected her.

When she saw Eloise Farkas and Tommy Scatterstone come in, she waved at them and strode over to their table.

Tommy was a dark-haired, dark-eyed young man built like a pro wrestler. He had broad shoulders, a wide barrel chest, and biceps as thick as Julianna’s thighs. Julianna buried her revulsion as his eyes wandered over her physique and his smile curled with lascivious arrogance. His scent sharpened into cloying interest.

“Good evening, Eloise, Mr. Scatterstone.”

“How are you tonight, Mistress Julianna?” Concern filled Eloise’s eyes.

“I’m okay, actually. Thanks for asking.”

“Oh, I am so glad to hear that. I was so worried for you after the party. Did you, uh, well…” Eloise stammered to a halt, before she blurted, “Did you tell Mr. Jeff about my sister?”

At first, Julianna looked at the other woman blankly then the lightbulb went on in her brain, and she smacked her forehead. “No. Crap, I completely forgot! Thanks for reminding me. I’ll talk to him tonight.”

“You were a little busy last night, eh?” Tommy remarked with a knowing leer, and Eloise gasped in dismay, her face blooming scarlet.

Julianna turned her full attention on him as she lost her smile and the leer disappeared into chagrin.

“What do you mean by that, Mr. Scatterstone?”

“Uh, well, everyone is talking about how Mr. Lightfoot spent the night at your place.” Tommy’s gaze dropped away.

“It seems they are.” Julianna turned her attention back to Eloise. “I’ll make sure Mr. Lightfoot knows about your sister tonight.”

“Thank you, Mistress Julianna.”

Julianna nodded at them and started to walk away, wanting to dump a glass of water in Tommy Scatterstone’s lap more than she’d ever wanted to do anything in her life.

“Oh, Mistress Julianna!” Eloise called, and Julianna paused. “I meant to ask if you’d heard the news.”

“News?” She hoped it wasn’t more rumors about her and Jeff.

“Yes, the candidates for Luna have been cut to three.”

“Really? Do you know which three?” Her heart beat a fearful tattoo in her chest. Had their night together disqualified her?

“Mistress Solaris, Mistress Winthrop, and you.”

Relief slithered down her spine. “Wow. Did you hear why the others were dropped?”

“I haven’t heard everything, but I think Mistress Cutter was just too young and inexperienced, and Mistress Wolensky was too withdrawn.”

“Huh. Well, I certainly wish them the best.”

“Yeah, right,” Tommy sneered, and Julianna let a little frown crease her brows.

“To gloat over someone else’s misfortune is small-minded and mean-spirited, Mr. Scatterstone. I never wished the others ill. The only way I can gain this post is through my own merits, not the failings of my fellow Candidates.” She paused and took a deep breath. “Excuse me, I need to get going. Nice to see you again, Eloise, and thank you for the news. I hadn’t heard it. Have a good night.”

She turned and moved swiftly away from their table before she did grab a glass of water and dump it over Tommy Scatterstone. She hoped he learned better manners before his wedding. Shaking her head, she slid behind the bar where Gary produced drinks like an automaton. She smiled at him and loaded the dishwasher with the used glasses from the sink.

Gary inhaled deeply through his nose, but he tried to do it unobtrusively. Julianna shook her head and said nothing. If he wanted the story, he’d have to ask. Gary gave her a quick look and his own smile, but kept his mouth shut.

He must’ve gotten his answer
.

Julianna thought of the leering remarks Tommy had made in reference to Jeff’s overnight stay, and she suspected the rest of the town probably thought the same thing. Thinking of Scatterstone reminded her she needed to speak to Jeff about Eloise’s sister.