Dana Bell - Steel Beauty

And Gina, the bane of his existence, was determined to do everything in her power to see to it that, without her by his side, he could not run the Pack, despite his announcement of having found his Luna and mate in Belle.

Rumor had it she’d been down in the Lodge’s archives, researching God-knows-what. He decided to have someone keep a closer eye on her. The woman was more trouble than she was worth, and if it hadn’t been for Dave he would have already exiled the evil bitch.

When he’d first taken over, he’d been glad of the assistance she’d given him, grateful that someone was willing to take on the difficult task of controlling the Pack females. But Gina had taken things further than that, practically creating an Amazon Pack, and God help anyone she deemed weak or unworthy. By the time he’d figured out what was going on, he’d met Belle, and the balancing act had begun.

If he ever wanted his Pack to acknowledge his mate as Luna, he could do nothing to interfere with how she dealt with the females. All he could do was deny Gina’s every request, refuse to see her, and defer all of her questions to “the future Luna”.

To say Gina was pissed would be an understatement. A number of the weaker females had shown up bruised and bloodied at the Lodge’s clinic in recent weeks. Ben was rapidly running out of patience; if Rick didn’t get Belle installed soon, certain female heads were going to roll, and damn the consequences.

He stomped into the living room of his apartment, making sure his boots were firmly on his feet. He plucked his heavy leather jacket out of the closet and put it on, ready to face whatever his Luna had in store for him.

He only hoped Dave and Ben had been able to make her understand the situation. His playful kitty could be stubborn at times. He headed into the elevator and punched the button for the lobby. He had most of his shaking under control by the time the elevator stopped.

The doors opened. Immediately he wished they would shut.

“Hello, Rick.”

His Wolf growled as the Pack’s dominant female sauntered up to him, daring to stroke his arm possessively.

“When is your little mate due to arrive?”

“The Luna will be arriving shortly. Take your place with the other females.”

Her eyes narrowed angrily, but the smile never left her lips. “I look forward to meeting your mate, Rick.”

She tried to loop her arm through his, not at all deterred when he pushed her hand off. “I’m sure she and I will get along just fine.”

She blew him a kiss, laughing huskily as she glided out the front doors of the lodge.

“God, I hate that woman.”

“Amen.”

He turned, not surprised to see Graciela Mendoza hovering by the elevator. She was sporting yet another bruise on her cheek. He could see red finger marks, recent, around one slender wrist. Her expression was sullen and defiant. “Please tell me the Luna is going to eat that puta for breakfast.”

Rick nearly choked. He’d never heard Chela curse before.

“Sorry.”

He sighed as Chela’s head dropped, her shoulders hunching inward. Her small defiance appeared to be over. “Go outside and wait for the Luna, Chela.”

Her curt nod was swiftly followed by her jerky exit. Not even her breeze touched him as she gave him a wide berth.

He followed her out, determined to keep Gina away from his mate, at least until he had a chance to properly mark her as his.

After that, unfortunately, she was on her own.

Belle stared as they pulled up to Rick’s “home”. “Wait. It’s a lodge?” Rick had failed to mention that during their long conversations. Everything they spoke of had revolved around Pack, Pride, her injuries, and whatever else had popped into their heads.

You’d think the fact that the man owns a freakin’ ski lodge would have come up in conversation at some point during the last two months…

Ben was grinning with pride as Dave nodded. “Yup. We’re not as popular as some of the bigger lodges around here, but we’re one of the best.” He carefully maneuvered the tank Belle was beginning to think of as Big Bertha up the driveway. It was plowed and sanded, something Belle was grateful for. “We cater mostly to people who don’t want the experience of the larger runs, and crowds, but still want a relaxing week of skiing.”

“What are the facilities?”

Dave’s brows rose at her professional interest. “Two ski runs, one bunny, one intermediate. We have a four-star restaurant we’re hoping will someday become five. We have a spa on-site. There are rooms in the main lodge, as well as cabins that can be rented on the west side of the mountain. The east side is reserved for the Pack and their families, all of whom work for the lodge.”

She stifled a laugh as the lodge’s sign came into view. “Red Wolf Ski Lodge and Spa, hmm?”

Ben grinned. “Like it?” He chuckled when she snorted. “Most of the big ski resorts around here shift into water parks for the summer, but people mostly come here from New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia for the skiing. Recently we upgraded some of our facilities to be more wheelchair accessible.

“We have a full gym, a day spa, babysitting services offered by some of the Pack females, and even a small golf course. All of it sits on about three thousand acres, a third of which is forested. Hiking and horseback riding are popular in the spring in this area. We just warn the humans to beware of wild animals. Right now, our only guests are shifters; Rick arranged it that way because…well, you’ll see.”

She stared at the huge wood and stone building. It looked like a mountain cabin on steroids. It was long, two stories high, with a vaulted, dark grey rough barely visible under the snow. She could see the doors of the hotel rooms through the railings of the huge deck that ran all around the second story. “Where are the cabins?”

Ben took one hand off the steering wheel and started pointing. “The cabins are around the back. If you follow the road to the right, it leads to them. Follow the road to the left, and it takes you to our banquet facilities.”

She turned back to Dave. “Banquet facilities?”

“Winter weddings are pretty popular up here. Wait until you see the room. With the fairy lights lit, it looks like a winter wonderland.”

Ben flicked a glance at Dave. “Damn, Dave. You’re such a girl.”

Belle covered her mouth before Dave could see her smile.

“What?”

“Fairy lights?”

“Isn’t that what they’re called?”

“Yeah, but… I mean, real men don’t say fairy lights . Call them Christmas lights, or, I dunno, string lights.”

“Are you questioning my masculinity?”

“All I’m saying is, if I see you dancing around in a tutu, I’m not gonna be surprised.”

“Asshole.”

“Fairy.”

“I’m gonna kick your ass when we get out of the Pack meeting.”

“You can try, Tinkerbell. You can try.”

Belle leaned forward. “Dave?”

“Hmm?” He stopped glaring at Ben long enough to turn towards her.

Belle grinned and kept her voice low, but not so low Ben couldn’t hear her. “I think he likes you.”

She sat back and waited for the explosion.

“On, no. No way.” Ben’s face was beet red as he pulled up outside the lodge.

Dave leaned over, an evil look on his face. One hand fumbled the door open behind him. “Admit it, sweetie. You want my ass.” He blew Ben a kiss before hopping out of the truck, sprinting for the front of the lodge before Ben could even turn the truck off.

Ben scowled after the Beta as he exited the car. Belle smirked as he opened her door and held out his hand, his eyes still on the figure of the Pack Beta as he took his place next to Rick. The Pack Alpha stood surrounded by his people, men, women and children waiting to welcome her to her new home. A tall brunette woman stood next to Rick, too close for comfort in Belle’s opinion. The smirk on the taller woman’s face brought up her hackles. Her resemblance to Dave marked her as his sister, Gina.