CHAPTER 7
Justice
I WATCHED THE SUNRISE FROM my bed. I hadn’t been able to sleep all night after that kiss and the fears that plagued my mind. My hopes were up, though, because Seuss had been awake. I decided not to tell anybody because I didn’t want to set them up for false pretenses. Maybe it was space that I needed from Seuss and that’s why I was caught in my feelings. My job was to cure him and then go home, simple. Not to be caught up in the titillation of HIM. There was a knock at my bedroom door, and I didn’t move to get up. I was comfortable and fully covered.
“Come in.”
Maddox walked in with his hand covering his eyes. “I needed to get to Seuss and you didn’t unlock the door.”
“Oh!” I chuckled. “I’m sorry. I’m decent so you can uncover your eyes. Feel free to head on over.”
Maddox looked at me and smiled. My first reaction was to laugh at how coy he was trying to be though I could tell that he was nervous.
“Have you been in to see him this morning?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I’ve been watching the sun.”
Maddox went into the other room and stopped short. “Well, shit! Maybe I should have you trim my beard too, Justice. You look damn good, brother.”
The compliment warmed me, and I listened as Maddox went about doing things. He emptied the water and changed the sheets in the room.
“He’s a lot warmer too, Just.”
Was that a nickname?
“Good!” I shouted to him.
“Whatever you’re doing, keep it up. It seems that the Alpha likes being pampered by his mate.”
I snuggled further into my blankets to hide my blushing cheeks.
“There is a pack meeting here in the East Wing today at noon. You don’t have to come, but it would be greatly appreciated if you could.”
“Is there anything that I need to do for it?”
I still hadn’t gotten any clothes of my own and that needed to happen before the meeting. It would look god awful to attend my first pack meeting in the Alphas clothes. Or would it? Somehow, the thought of being covered in his scent and wearing his clothes didn’t sound horrible. It sounded … right. I still wanted to look the part of his mate so laying around in his shirts would have to wait.
“Everybody usually brings a tray of some sort since there are so many people. I’ll have the girls sent over so that they can set up the chairs.”
“I’ll be there.” I glanced over at the clock. I had about four hours to find something to wear and then find a way to make the Alpha house look good.
I jumped up and headed to the bathroom to shower. Showtime.
***
I purchased quite a few decorative pieces, clothes and personal items before I headed to the grocery store to buy the food on my list. I got back in enough time to make everything happen. I made pinwheels, roasted bbq wings, deviled eggs and salami rolls. Maddox came back early from his errands to get dressed and stole an egg. He ran out of the room before I fussed at him. I snickered and went back to sprinkling paprika. He walked back into the room licking his fingers and shaking his head.
“Damn girl, you can cook.”
“They’re just eggs, Maddox.” I laughed at how easily food gratified him.
“Damn good eggs.” He stole another, and I smacked his arm.
“Out!” I pointed toward the door and waited for him to depart.
Maddox put his hands up in surrender, but when I walked away with the platter to put it into the fridge, he stole a salami roll.
“Make sure you save some of those for after the meeting,” he said with a mouth full of cream cheese and salami.
I chased him out of the kitchen and Alice moved out of the way laughing. She was coming into the kitchen and Maddox almost knocked her over as he passed.
“What’s he done now?” she asked between fits of giggles.
“He’s always stealing food!”
Alice laughed and walked into the kitchen behind me. “Anything I can do?”
“If you could just put things in the refrigerator while I check the wings that would be amazing!”
“They are going to love you.” Alice started covering things and putting them away.
“I hope so.” I wiped my brow and headed over to the sink to wash my hands. “I think I have just enough time to freshen up.”
“You go do that and I’ll take care of things in here.”
I knew that the wings only had about another ten minutes, so I hurried back, added my secret sauce, and put them in the oven for their final taste good minutes. I set up the food just before the pack arrived. I’d also warmed up the room with some table cloths and a few decorations.
I sat up front next to Maddox until the meeting began. He opened the floor up to concerns and immediately the meeting was filled with the buzzing sounds of issues. There were things not fixed, some issues with the youth, programs fallen apart, the elderly needed help, and the list just continued to grow. I disappeared to grab some paper from Seuss’ office and found some clipboards. I made three categories. Community needs, repairs. and rising problems. The people seemed weary of writing down the issues, but when I explained that problems couldn’t be fixed if we didn’t have them documented, things ran much smoother. That was, until the ex-Alpha showed up.
Augusto seemed to command the room immediately upon his entrance. Seven men filed in behind him turning the room eerily quiet. I turned toward Maddox, about to ask who the man was, but the menace across his face halted me.
“How lovely for you to join us, Augusto. I see you’ve brought the elders as well.” Maddox spat each word as if they left a bad taste in his mouth.
“Glad to be here. Since this meeting covers official pack business I’m required to attend. The elders are here of their own accord.” Augusto smiled, but for some reason it didn’t meet his eyes.
“Please be seated as there is a discussion in progress.”
Augusto and the others sat down, but he seemed to watch my every move. His eyes seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place them just yet. The more he studied me the more I felt the challenge in them. I tilted my head a little trying to figure out what his aim was, but he only smiled and waited. The noise around us filtered out, and my heart began pounding through my ears.
“Justice, he’s baiting you. Please let it go. He’s not worth it.” Maddox’s voice was so low that I barely heard it.
I moved my eyes only to look at Maddox. I could see the cords in his neck working, and knowing that the Alpha was affecting him only amped up my defenses against Augusto. I turned back to Augusto, and he was busy writing something on the clipboard in his hands.
“I’ll look over the concerns that you all have and cover them with the Alphas. Make sure to enjoy the feast here today. I know that Justice contributed quite a few goodies to the table for her new pack.” He began naming off foods, but I still watched Augusto.
Augusto was up to something. I could feel it. I found Alice as soon as everyone started moving about.
“Hey, Justice!” She smiled as I approached her.
“Can I speak to you for a second?”
Alice nodded, and we moved to a quiet corner. “How can I be of service?”
I could feel her nervous energy. “Why do I get the feeling that I’ve seen Augusto before?”
“What makes you say that?” Alice’s fidgeting didn’t go unnoted.
“His eyes.”
“I don’t know …”
I cut her off. “Alice, spill it.”
“Shit!” She looked at her feet gathering strength. “I couldn’t get you to shift back.”
“What?”
“When you were in wolf form, nothing that we did made you shift back. I had Alec, Seuss’ brother, transport the ex-Alpha to you to make you shift. He came to you in wolf form.”
I thought back to that night. I didn’t remember anything else happening after I climbed into bed except the dream that I’d had. I’d been asleep when a wolf came in. His scent was strong and bold like Seuss’ but it wasn’t as appealing to me. It didn’t smell bad, it just wasn’t my Alpha. He’d climbed onto the bed and hovered above me. I was underneath a sheet, cozy and warm.
When my eyes met his, I’d slowly and reluctantly shifted back into human form. I’d fought him so hard though, that when I was fully shifted, I was exhausted. I remembered him pulling my hair as he padded off but that was it. I’d passed out in defeat afterward. I didn’t remember the man. I’d also thought that it was all a weird dream. Hell, I’d thought everything about that day was a dream. Thinking back, I wondered what the purpose of him pulling at my hair was, or had he? The details were fuzzy, but I knew one thing for sure; that was where I’d encountered his intense stare.
“You let the ex-Alpha into my room?!” My voice was louder than I intended catching the attention of some of the pack members. I growled.
“Seuss told me that if something happened to him that I could use whatever measures I needed to keep us on target. Justice, you’re strong. When Maddox tried to get you to shift, you didn’t even blink an eye. Augusto is an Alpha male. He is the only male that I trusted to get that close to you in your vulnerable state. He would never have hurt you.”
I looked over to where Augusto stood talking to the elders. Feeling my eyes watching him, he turned toward me and smiled. He then turned and headed my way with the elders in tow.
“Nice to finally meet you, Justice.” Augusto leaned forward to hug me, but I stiffened in his arms.
“Augusto.” I nodded.
“I have to ask your secret. What’d you put in those wings?” he asked.
“Spice,” I responded sarcastically.
He chuckled and held up his hands in mock surrender. “You’ll have to cook for me sometime.”
I nodded. “Sure thing.”
“How’s Seuss holding up?”
“He’s doing just fine. Almost brand new.”
“That’s good. He’s been down a long time. We wouldn’t want anybody trying to challenge the throne. Things seem kind of crazy and out of control leaving that possibility on the table.” His threat didn’t go unnoticed.
“Miss Justice?”
I turned to see a boy that had to be at least six feet three.”. I turned back to see Augusto departing through the crowd. I needed to talk to Maddox.
“Well, aren’t you tall,” I half joked. I didn’t want to seem standoffish to the members with everything going on. I still searched for Maddox while half paying attention.
He smiled nervously. “I just wanted to let you know that I really liked the wings.”
“Thank you! Help yourself to as many as you’d like,” I said distractedly.
“There aren’t any left unless you have more somewhere.” The look on his face was priceless. The puppy dog expression wasn’t lost on me.
“Tell you what, we can do a trade of sorts. What skills do you have? Can you fix anything?” I inquired. There was no way that the boy didn’t have any strength in those arms of his.
“Sometimes I help my dad around the house. Mostly, I help him outside. Chopping wood, cutting grass, repairing the wire on the fences.”
Interest piqued, I asked. “How old are you?”
“Seventeen. I’ll be eighteen in the spring.”
“I’ll tell you what. If you agree to help Mr. Maddox clear out the trees near the housing complex, I’ll make you some more wings.”
“Really?!”
“Yup. What’s your name?”
“I’m Billy.”
“Billy, do you have any friends that could help out anywhere else?”
I had a few more conversations like that throughout the night. Jeanie was a homemaker that sent her last child off to school leaving her nothing to do during the day. Starting tomorrow she was going to be cleaning the Alpha House. Her son needed more responsibility and would tend to the yard of the Alpha House.
Turns out that Ree was actually nineteen years old, though her friends were younger than her. She asked if she could come back for me to teach her more. I offered her a position to work in the house if she promised to take the culinary classes that the restaurant owner was offering. Out of all the girls, she’d been the easiest to teach. Between the two of us teaching her, she should come around in no time.
I’d made other connections sending some more of the boys to help the elderly in the pack. The girls that were supposed to be working with me in the house were being sent out to help in the community. They could handle picking up groceries for senior wolves.
By the end of the night, I’d eliminated quite a few of the community issues and repair list. Maddox walked toward me shaking his head in amazement. Where had he been?
“Those ideas were brilliant. I’d never have thought of them. I don’t know how Seuss will respond, but it should cut down on a lot of labor intense items so that I can focus on the more important pack business.”
“I’ll need keys to close off the master suite. I don’t want anybody in there for now while Seuss is vulnerable.”
“Already a step ahead of you.” Maddox handed me a set of keys, and I slipped them into my pocket. “I went upstairs to close off the master suite and to check on Seuss. He’ll probably need his dose of you soon.”
“I’m beat!” I yawned to drill home my point.
“Then you should go nap. The girls are going to clean up the mess from the meeting.”
I didn’t object to that at all. “I’ll check on Seuss, too.”
I checked on Seuss to find his body temperature still warmer than it had been lately, but cooler than when I left him. I knew that if I laid with him I’d probably not get up. I kissed the side of his face and laid my head on his shoulder briefly.
“The meeting was so good today. I think you’d have been very proud of Maddox. He handled things very well.”
It was too easy to settle into him. It’s why I’d remained standing. I sighed and headed back into my room and climbed into bed fully clothed. Today was very productive, but the stress of Augusto’s words hung heavily on my shoulders. I couldn’t let somebody challenge the throne. Seuss had worked too hard to maintain it. I planned to do my part and make sure that he was well enough to defend it. First things first though. I needed to sleep so that I could withstand his need to feed from me. I closed my eyes and let everything else fade to black.