Free Rae, Beverly - Chasing Cally [Night Runner Werewolves 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Special Edition) by Beverly Rae

with the women following behind in Cally’s car. Brittany had insisted on riding with him, which both confused and unnerved him. Little girls weren’t like women, and he had no clue how to handle them. But his shortcomings didn’t seem to bother the eight-year-old.
    “No, she’s not. Her name’s Lena Horton—”
    “Aw, hell. She’s not Carl Horton’s wife, is she?” Michael glared at him, lifting his lips in a human version of a wolf’s snarl. “Shit, man. Don’t you know not to interfere between a husband and his wife?”
    Max tried to keep his irritation in check, but a bit of it managed to leak out anyway. “I didn’t have much of a choice. Carl came after his wife and kid. What was I supposed to do? Let him break down Cally’s door and do nothing about it? Should I have let him knock Cally aside and drag his wife out of the house kicking and screaming?” He neglected to mention Lena ’s nonappearance during Carl’s attack. No need to cloud the issue with details.
    “Of course he couldn’t. Max, you did the right thing.”
    The six men abruptly stood at attention. Sara, the alpha-female, entered the room, an apron tied around her waist. She ruled the pack alongside Michael and, in some ways, held even more influence. All the men had shared her bed when she was first brought into the pack almost a year earlier. Since then, she’d grown into her role as a leader and could make them do as she liked.
    “Sara, you don’t know everything.” Michael’s voice softened, the hardness of his features morphing into the tender look he always gave her.
    “I don’t need to know everything.” She glanced out the window. “I’ve heard what people say about Carl Horton, and I wouldn’t make a rat live with the man. If his wife has finally taken off and is trying to keep her little girl from seeing more of her father’s awful side, then we’re going to help her.”
    Max sent Sara a look of thanks and tried not to stand too close to the frustrated Michael.
    “Fine. What do you want to do with them?”
    Max imagined he could hear Michael grind his teeth together.
    “ Lena and her girl can have the guest room at the end of the hallway.” Her gaze fell on Max, rushing heat into his neck under her perusal. “As for Cally, she can choose for herself. If she wants to boot Max out of his room to sleep on the couch, or let him stay with her, then so be it. Now, let’s go welcome our guests.”
    Michael held up his hand, stopping all of them, including Sara. “First things first. While they’re here, no shifting in the daytime.”
    The men grumbled, but Michael quieted them by holding up his hand and making a fist, the signal for immediate silence. “I’m not saying we won’t have our nightly run.” He cleared his throat and continued. “Because I have a feeling we’re going to need the release more than usual. But not as a full pack. Max and one other will have to stay behind to make sure Carl doesn’t make an unexpected appearance while we’re gone.”
    Max nodded, willing to make the sacrifice. The others remained silent, giving their unspoken agreement.
    “Oh, and one more thing.”
    “What the fuck now, Sara?” Jimmy rolled his eyes.
    She tweaked his arm. “No foul language around the little girl or I’ll tie your tail in a knot.”

Chapter Five

    After Sara had shown Lena and Brittany to their room, Cally went with Max to a bedroom located at the end of a long corridor. The bedroom was decorated sparsely with only a few pieces of furniture. An enormous bed dominated one wall.
    “Wow, that is one big bed.”
    Max placed her suitcase at the side of the dresser. “Yeah, we had them special made.”
    “You mean all the beds are like this?”
    “They are. Which is why Lena and Brittany will have no problem sharing a room. Plus, each bedroom has its own bathroom.” He shrugged. “What can I say? We may be ranchers at work, but we enjoy the finer things in life, too. At least as far as