Free Temptation (Journal of the Wolves of Spruce Hollow) by Tarrah Betts Page B

and could have led a small expedition through the Alps, I swear. Nothing ever seemed to faze her, she just took life as it came and didn’t worry about things until she had to.
    The Big house was comfortable and homey and was decorated in country décor with an extra large dinning room table, capable of holding twenty people, right smack dab in the middle of the enormous kitchen.
    As a kid, there was rarely a time when all twenty chairs weren’t filled for breakfast, lunch or supper as Weres were highly social pack animals and were happiest when they were together with their pack mates.
    Plus, it didn’t hurt that Rosie was a fantastic cook who always had something delicious coming out of the oven.
    As we made our way downstairs, each of us laden down with bowls or plates filled with snacks that Rosie had instructed us to carry for her as we headed downstairs to the meeting room, I could hear my pack brothers and sisters talking and laughing in the large room that served as both a social gathering area and a spot to hold group meetings purely because of it’s size and ability to hold our entire pack if the need arose.
    We got down the hall and rounded the corner and were greeted by thirty-three Weres in various stages of dress. Some were in bed when they received the late night call from the Alpha and had rushed over in their pajamas. One was dressed in medical scrubs, having been on her way home from work and another in tactical vest with a side arm strapped to his side.
    We had Weres in important vantage points throughout the community so we could monitor and cover the entire town, in one way or another.
    The humans would have been fearful had they known how much of the town was run by us, so keeping our secret was vital to all of our survival.
    Everyone called out their greetings as we deposited Rosie’s bowls of chips and dip and a plate of fresh cookies on the enormous table. Everyone started digging in as I made my way over to sit at the Alpha’s right hand.
    He gave me a knowing look, nodded imperceptibly and started the meeting when I nodded back.
    “Thank you everyone for coming and getting here so quickly. I’m afraid we have run into a problem.” My inner wolf and I sat up straighter in our chair and listened intently, wondering what had gone wrong. As the pack’s Beta, I knew I would be called upon in some capacity to deal with whatever had happened.
    “I’m afraid we have run into a problem with our new male Were. Roan was supposed to pick him up tomorrow morning at the train station and then bring him directly to the training camp, but unfortunately that plan is not going to work out,” he said as he turned to look at me.
    I frowned at him, wondering what had happened.
    “It seems the new Were accidentally phased before his parents could get him to the station and load him on the train. Our new Were is presently holed up in the basement of his parent’s home and is stuck in phase and can’t figure out how to change back. So, what we have right now is a starving, angry and frightened new Were imprisoned in the middle of a heavily populated city,” the Alpha said gravely, “It’s a disaster just waiting to spill out into the city.”
    As soon as the words were out, everyone started talking at once. Asking questions and voicing opinions on what we should do. The Alpha sat back in his chair, folded his arms and listened for a moment before he turned to me.
    “What do you think, son?”
    I shook my head and an unspoken message passed between us. I was not happy with this recent turn of events. As far as I was concerned, it only meant one thing: that I would have to go and forcefully retrieve the new male Were and then bring him directly to the training camp. What this translated into was more time away from the pack, but more importantly in my eyes…more time away from Aspen.
    “Alright, it’s decided then, get this room back under control so we can all go home and get to bed,” he said to me