Chapter 5: Insults Here, There, & Everywhere

Evan's gaze lingered on my flaming face as I caught up to them. His eyes narrowed, and he turned to stare at the redhead quickly walking away. It wouldn't have happened if they'd been close to me, and from the look on his face, a discussion or worse would come once he'd dealt with me.

I walked directly behind Cane, watching the play of muscles in his back underneath the blue Henley shirt he wore. He hadn't said a word since agreeing to my frankly outrageous salary request. Evan leaned over.

"You'll get used to it."

Glancing up at him with a quizzical look, he jerked his head toward Cane.

"Strong silent type."

"Shut up, Evan," Cane growled, not slowing his pace a bit.

Evan grinned and shrugged, winking at me. I hid my smile and tried to keep the pace. I was on the petite side, so one of Cane's strides equaled about two or three of mine. He walked so fast that I felt like I had to jog to keep up.

When my breathing got ragged, Cane turned down a narrow path and finally stopped. I exhaled a deep breath and resisted the urge to lean over and hyperventilate.

"Here," he said.

My brows furrowed, but Cane pointed.

"You'll stay there."

The house was around the same size as the others in the compound but had more windows and was painted a cheery white. The sight of it lifted my spirits. I liked the rental house I had, but it was older and needed a lot of work. This one looked brand new.

"How many people live here?" I asked, itching to run up the steps and peek inside.

Cane's brow dipped. "What?"

"Roommates?"

At his blank look, I shook my head. Exasperated, I waved my hand at the house. "How many people will I be sharing this house with?"

Cane stared at me like I was an id**t.

"No one. Every wolf has their own home unless they're a family unit. When the oldest child ages out, they can choose to leave or build a house within the compound."

I still didn't love the idea of moving, so I tried another tack. "I can't afford to break my lease. Getting an eviction on my credit report will make it hard to rent when this is over."

Cane's eyes narrowed. "Are you poor?"

I choked. "Excuse me?"

"Money. You have no money?"

Evan coughed and turned away.

"I have money." Crimson stained my cheeks. This wasn't completely a lie. I did have money. Just not a lot of it.

"Are you already thinking of leaving?" Cane's tone was soft and deadly. Apprehension trickled down my spine as my thoughts spun, wondering how I could answer this without telling a lie.

"Every job has an ending," I finally said.

Evan huffed a laugh. "Good one," he said quietly.

"Beta," Cane barked, sliding a furious glance his way. "Silence."

Evan bowed his head slightly and took a few steps away. He could still hear us, I was sure.

Silence stretched between us. "I will take care of your lease."

"I—"

"No," Cane said, raising a hand to silence my protests. "You are coming to work for me, and one of the stipulations is living on Pack land. I will bring this up to your landlord and…convince him to see my way."

I didn't like the way he paused there.

"Why can't I stay in my own place?"

Cane's eyes flashed.

"Because you are caring for our most precious resources. Your behavior will be monitored until you are fully vetted and trusted. Until such time, you must live here with us. If you still choose not to, Evan will escort you off our property, and you will be on your own."

Our gazes clashed. Power swirled in the depths of his strangely colored eyes.

Even though I knew I shouldn't, I held his gaze.

"I don't like this."

Cane flashed a savage grin. "I don't care."

Huffing a breath, I dropped my gaze and headed up to the front door.

"Does it have a deadbolt?"

From too close behind me, Cane spoke.

"It does, but very little will keep out an angry shifter," he said mildly.

I swallowed hard and opened the door.

***

I wanted to hate it. I really did. But I couldn't. The door opened to an airy, well-lit living area furnished with what looked like new furniture. A matching cream-colored living room set was arranged around a large crackling fireplace with a burnished dark wood banister. Above it hung a large television with Netflix open.

A reading chair sat close by the window with a royal blue ottoman and a soft, grey blanket laid neatly across. I gave him a look. Cane huffed and brushed past me.

"Two bedrooms, one bath. The kitchen is set up with gas and all the appliances. If anything breaks or you need anything, contact Evan."

He pointed to a sheet of paper taped to the kitchen counter.

"All the important numbers are there."

I skimmed the list. Cane's number wasn't listed. Crossing my arms over my chest, I leaned against the counter and studied him.

"This seems overly generous."

His eyes flashed with an emotion I couldn't place.

"It's not. We have no reason to trust you."

I bristled.

"Considering where I met you, I have no reason to trust you either. Do you make a habit of sleeping naked on stranger's couches?"

Cane took a step forward. I held my ground and tilted my chin up.

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers were warm and rough, the touch a gentle caress. "And if I did?"

I swallowed.

"Well." Too breathy. I tried again.

"Then I'd say you have bigger issues than I do because I can say with the utmost confidence I've never woken up naked on a rando's couch in my entire life."

It was the only thing I could come up with. I was such a dork. And a prude. On my tombstone, they'd write, "Here lies Aspen. She died a virgin. Sad story."

His eyes went dark. A flash of gold swirled over his eyes.

"I'll hear about it if you ever do, Aspen."

The way he said my name made my breath catch.

"In my Pack, you answer to me and only me. I approve who you date and who can date you. My wolves will soon know you are off-limits. You are not one of us."

His jaw clenched.

"Having fun is another story."

His words sounded forced. Cane touched the underside of my chin with his index finger, tilting it up so I stared right into his beautiful eyes.

"But I will know. And I won't like it. Understand?"

I nodded.

Cane released me and stepped back. He took one deep breath and cleared his throat. The gold sheen cleared from his eyes.

"Evan will escort you back to your house with a truck. Take what you need and leave the rest behind. I will send people over to clean out the rest. You will start training tomorrow."

"Job training?"

Cane nodded.

"Among other things."

He scanned my body, and his lips tightened. "We dress for dinner, but I'll make an exception due to your unusual circumstances. Meet us at the dining hall at eight p.m."

Without another word, he spun on his heel and left before I could ask any more questions.

Evan popped his head in while I was still gaping. "Let's go before it gets dark. Two of my guys are already in the truck."

I followed him outside without a word, only realizing then I didn't have the keys.

At my look, he laughed.

"Few people lock their doors." He tapped the side of his nose. "We can smell anyone coming and going. No one is stupid enough to steal anything."

I didn't like it, but I nodded for now. I'd get them out of Cane later. With that redhead running around glaring at me, I wasn't so sure I could trust his words.

A massive moving truck rumbled in front of us. Evan held the door open for me, and I scrambled inside, using my body weight to haul myself into the passenger seat.

Everything I owned wouldn't fill up half the truck.

Wasn't that a sad state of affairs? On our way out, I locked eyes with the nasty redhead. She and the other girls she was with earlier lounged on a porch close to the gate. A malicious grin lit her lips as she slowly lifted one hand and gave me the middle finger.

Evan's eyebrows rose as we passed. "Making friends already, are we?"

I sighed. "I have no idea what I did. She hates me."

He stared in the rearview, his jaw tight. "I'll talk to Cane."

"No!"

I waved my hands frantically.

"Absolutely not!"

Evan's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Why not?"

"Because it's not his problem. It's mine. I'd like to fight my own battles, please."

He blew out a breath.

"She's a wolf, Aspen. Not a human. We solve things differently."

"I'm aware of what she is," I said tightly. "Please let me try."

He said nothing for a long moment, then shrugged.

"Fine. But the first time I see an errant scratch on you, I'm going to Cane. You have to be careful. Wolves are born, not made. If you get bitten, you'll turn into a Loup."

From the tone of his voice, it didn't sound good.

"What's that?"

"Loups aren't meant to live," he said.

The rest of the drive was silent.

Telling him I couldn't be turned was to reveal too much of my secret. It was too soon.

By accepting this job, I'd put them all in danger. But by telling them who I was, I'd endanger myself.

Neither were very good options.