Dreaming of the Wolf (Heart of the Wolf #8)(52)

He just hoped the hell he’d learn she wasn’t already mated.

As soon as they arrived at Darien’s home, Lelandi and Darien greeted Alicia as if she were a long-lost pack member. She remained glued to Jake’s side, however, and he recognized that she was feeling anxious.

“Come with me,” Lelandi coaxed, “and I’ll show you the guest room.” She smiled brightly. Jake didn’t think he’d seen Lelandi this excited in weeks. She fairly glowed, and he was glad she was so thrilled to see Alicia. That would make it easier for her to fit into the pack. Although Alicia didn’t seem any less anxious.

At least when they’d had a newly turned wolf before, Carol had been from the town, had had psychic visions of what werewolves were beforehand, had been resigned to the fact she’d be turned, and had had a pack to teach her the ways once she’d been turned. Alicia didn’t know anyone here and might not know a lot about being a wolf if a pack hadn’t been watching over her. And he didn’t think one had.

Alicia glanced up at Jake, and his heart went out to her. If he didn’t think it would upset Lelandi, and if he didn’t think Alicia might still feel unsure of herself as far as shifting into a naked woman in front of him, he would have insisted on going with her instead.

What the hell. He crouched in front of her and stroked her underneath the chin. “Alicia, did you want me to go with you?”

Her large brown eyes studied him for what seemed an eternity. Tom and Peter were standing behind them, waiting for her response. Darien and Lelandi were just as quiet. Alicia shook her head.

Jake smiled. “All right.” Then he handed the two sacks of clothes to Lelandi and rubbed Alicia’s head between her ears. “Go with Lelandi then. I’ll wait for you down here.”

She nudged his thigh in an intimate agreement, then went with Lelandi. He knew Lelandi would be good for Alicia, no matter how apprehensive she might be feeling right now.

When she’d disappeared up the stairs with Lelandi, Darien said to Jake, “We have to talk.”

Tom looked halfway glad he wasn’t needed for the lecture Jake was sure his brother planned to give him. When Jake and Darien entered his office, Darien took his seat on the couch, rather than behind the desk. It was a way of saying, This isn’t pack business as much as it is family business.

Jake sat on a chair nearby and waited for what Darien had to say, already feeling defensive.

“All right, you don’t know for sure if she’s mated, do you, Jake?”

“She came to me in my dreams.”

“Jake.”

“No, not for sure.”

“And you don’t know if she’s pregnant or not.”

As much as he hated to admit he truly wasn’t one hundred percent sure, Jake shook his head.

“Why are these men after her?”

Jake leaned back in the chair and explained as much as he knew from the time he’d met her to what Peter was sure to have passed along to Darien from the sheriff who oversaw Crestview.

Then women’s laughter drifted to them all the way from the upstairs guest bedroom.

Darien raised his brows, questioning Jake as if he had a clue what the women thought was so funny.

***

“Oh, you poor thing,” Lelandi said, holding her belly, tears in her eyes because she was laughing so hard as Alicia chuckled again in the guest room where she would be staying. Lelandi’s red curls clashed with her red cheeks as Lelandi ran her finger over the “barely there” crotch of one of the red thongs. “I never liked wearing anything this skimpy. Jake must really have it bad for you.”

Alicia smiled. “I should buy him one and see how much he likes wearing it.”

Lelandi laughed, her green eyes smiling. “He might just like one. You never know. As soon as it’s feasible for you to go shopping, I’ll take you. Lisa, who owns the lingerie shop, must have been shocked to pieces to see Jake buying for a wolf no one knows.”

“Does she know what we are?” Alicia asked, incredulous. She couldn’t believe she was in a house full of wolves—Darien, Jake, Lelandi, Tom, and Peter, but that there could be more in the town seemed surreal.

Somehow she had to ask Lelandi about Jake’s ties to Ferdinand Massaro, though. She wondered if maybe he alone was tied in with them. That maybe the rest of Jake’s family was clueless about his association with the criminals.

“Oh, yes. Of course.” Lelandi reached out and squeezed Alicia’s hand. “We run the town.”

“Run the town? Jake said Darien did. But—”

“Our pack does. As far as I know, it’s pretty rare for a pack to run a whole town. Most packs just infiltrate towns, work at jobs among the humans, live among them, and have their getaway spots when they have to take a run on the wild side. But they don’t decide who works in all the key positions. We only allow wolves to run the hospital, in case we have an emergency. And the vet clinic is werewolf run, too. So are the bank, the bed and breakfast, the florist shop, and most other businesses. But we’ll explain all that later.” Lelandi lifted the nearly sheer robe and raised her brows. “This barely covers anything lengthwise, and it’s practically see-through. I’ve got an extra robe if you need one. Do you like red?”

Alicia frowned at the push-up bra. “It’s all right. I would never have worn red lingerie, though, if Jake hadn’t bought it for me.” She pulled on the T-shirt and jeans.