Shelly Laurenston: Pack Challenge

“I can’t.” Miki leaned her head to the side to stretch the tense muscles, and Zach heard Conall give a low growl. “No pets. No plants.”

Sara smirked, “You mean anything that needs actual care?”

She gave a wave of her hand, “It’s just too much to remember.”

“Please tell me you’re not going to breed.”

“It’s just,” Angelina began to whine and Sara knew what was coming, “I don’t want us to end up three old maids, living in a house with cats.”

“That won’t happen.” Miki stretched her whole body. She did love to forecast. “I’ll be kidnapped by Black Ops. They’ll be hoping to use my brilliance against this government’s enemies.” Sara and Angelina looked at each other.

“Your brilliance?”

Miki ignored her, like she always did during this conversation. “Angelina will marry someone very wealthy but cold. She’ll last about 10 years, then she’ll plot, plan, and execute his murder. Get away with it. And marry a younger man. Maybe even his son.”

“Hey.” Angelina never liked that future prediction.

“And Sara…” Miki looked at her friend, “Well, she doesn’t like cats.”

“I don’t like cats? That’s the best you can do? How about ‘And Sara will live happily ever after with Mr. Doesn’t-get-on-her-nerves-too-much.’ Why can’t I have that?”

“You’re too picky.”

“It’s not my fault that scarred, damaged women aren’t high on the market. And I’m not going to take any old thing thrown at me.”

“You’re too picky,” Angelina confirmed. “Because I remember a few interested individuals that weren’t too bad. Troy.”

“Too strict.” Miki explained.

“Fred.”

“Too neat.”

“Bobby Joe.”

“Too tall.”

“Mike.”

“Too short.”

“Okay. Okay. I get it.” Sara didn’t need to hear this. All those bad attempts at relationships had happened years ago. The well had been quite dry for some time.

“Wait. There’s still my personal favorite. Kenny Ray.”

“Too nice.”

“Nice? He said I was boring. How is that nice?”

Angelina gave a wicked smile, “Too nice in bed.”

“Oh. Yeah. He was.” Sara shuddered, “Yuck.” She remembered she actually threw him out of bed. Out of bed and across the room. Odd. Maybe she was drinking that night too.

“I bet Zach’s not nice.” Angelina’s smile just became more wicked, if that were possible. “I bet he’s not nice at all. In bed or out.”

“He’s on the List.” Miki reminded them.

“But he doesn’t look like a biker, does he? You know, he actually looks like he bathes. Besides, I’m not talking marriage. I’m talking about getting control of your aggression.”

Sara looked at her friend of twenty years. “Dear god, woman! Are you talking about him fucking the aggression out of me?”

The three women began to laugh hysterically, “I’m not seeing the problem here, people. You get in. Do what you have to do and get out.”

“That’s it!” Sara cut them off. “We’re not having this discussion anymore.”

“You should just think about it. That’s all I’m saying.”

“No. I’m a nice girl. I’m not a whore.” Her friends didn’t say a word. “I’m not.”

Angelina shrugged, “You just keep believing that.”

Sara tossed her empty beer can, just missing her friend’s head.

Angelina didn’t even turn around. Instead she looked out into the darkness. “It’s such a beautiful night.”

Sara grinned, “Yup.” Her grin widened, “And it’s about that time.”

Miki closed her eyes, “I hate this.”

Sara leaned back, “Sssh. Listen.”

A moment later, Zach heard the first howl. Full bloods. He’d smelled them as soon as he stepped onto her property. He had been waiting for hours for them to give him a hard time about being in their territory and for not being full wolf but a mystical hybrid of both—they were amazingly snobby about that sort of thing. But, to his surprise, they still hadn’t bothered him or Conall. Maybe the full-bloods knew that they were there to protect Sara.

Because when they howled, their howls were for Sara and for Sara alone.

Miki cringed. Angelina looked unimpressed as she still rocked to the German techno coming from the house. But Sara had her eyes closed and was smiling. Then, she howled back.

“Sara,” Miki warned with a laugh. “I swear to god, those things come over here, I’m leaving your ass out here.”

Sara’s smile didn’t change. “Pussy,” she muttered. Then she howled again. The wolves answered. And all Zach wanted to do was go to her. To heed her call.

Angelina wrinkled up her pretty nose, “Aren’t you worried that they’ll come down here looking for who’s howling back?”

Sara shrugged, “I find them on my porch all the time.” At that, Miki jumped up and went into the house. “They never give me any trouble, but I always remember they’re wild animals. And this is probably more their territory than mine.”

Miki stood behind the living room window. She opened it probably so that she was still part of the conversation, but could easily close it if “they” decided to attack. She had no idea; however, that that window couldn’t protect her from shit.

“Besides, they’ve always made me feel safe. And when I had to live here with her, they always made me feel like I wasn’t alone.”

“Well,” Miki advised from inside the house, “Now you’ve got us.” Sara and Angelina turned and looked at their friend. “See?” She held up a cordless phone, “911 is just a quick dial away.”

“That’s it. We’re done.” Angelina stood up abruptly and brushed off her rear with a well-manicured hand. “Let’s meet tomorrow morning for coffee at the bookstore.”

“So you can get free coffee from me again, you cheap bitch?”

“And the newspaper. And it’s Mistress Cheap Bitch to you.” Angelina looked over at Sara, “Can we take your truck? Not feeling the walk tonight.”

“Yeah. Sure.” Sara looked at Miki, “The keys are on the…”

“Yeah, I know. I know.” Miki disappeared back into the house after closing the window.

Sara slowly lifted her leg up and swung it off the banister. “Pick me up tomorrow first.”

“You got it.” Angelina sauntered down the stairs, heading toward the truck. “Let’s go, Mik.”

Miki appeared in the door, the truck keys in one hand, and a pump-action shotgun in the other. She headed toward the stairs, but Sara grabbed the gun from her as she walked back to the house, “Not on your life, missy.”

“You call to animals and then you won’t give me anything to defend myself.”

Sara slowly limped back into her house, “I’ve found that it’s never the animals you have to worry about, Miki. It’s the humans.”

Miki headed toward the truck as Angelina started it. “I’ll remember that when we find your torn, headless carcass.”

Interesting girl , Zach thought to himself, and wondered if Conall knew what he was hoping to get himself into.

When the light went off in Sara’s house, Zach figured it was time to settle down for the night. But Sara re-appeared on the porch. A can of soda in her hand. She slowly limped to the porch swing and just as slowly lowered herself into the contraption. Once she was sitting, she let out a deep sigh. She drank her soda and rubbed her leg while looking out at the night.

The wolves called to her again and, with a smile, Sara answered. But the wolves did not respond this time—Zach did. He lifted his muzzle and released a howl that tore through the night. He called to her. Zach assumed that she would simply respond again as she had for the other wolves, but when he lowered his head, he found her standing. She limped over to the porch rail and leaned against it while she looked out into the forest. She looked right at Zach although he was sure she couldn’t see him. She walked to the porch stairs and stood there. Debating whether she should go in search of that howl’s owner? Maybe. Zach didn’t know. He had no idea that what he did would have such an affect on her. To untrained ears, his howl was no different from the wolves who just now headed back to their den. And yet she still knew.