Chapter 3 #2
She reached down to kiss Emma’s little forehead, reassuring her that Mama wasn’t upset with her.
Kevin was old enough to understand, but when she finished tucking Emma into the car seat, Tracy brought her little brother in for a quick side hug.
He hadn’t meant to rile her protective instincts, but he was right to wonder.
Wolves had strong instincts about hunting and chasing anything that wasn’t wolf.
Heck, they even chased each other for fun, when they were in their fur.
Tracy would have to be super vigilant with Emma going furry all of a sudden.
If the little miss escaped her mother’s watchful eye, she could end up in trouble all too easily in the middle of wolf territory.
Not that any Pack member would deliberately hurt her daughter, but some of the younger werewolves hadn’t mastered the fine control needed over their beasts’ instincts yet.
Kevin was part of that young group of wolves, which was why he’d probably thought about what would happen if some of his less-stable friends encountered a jaguar kit in the middle of Pack territory.
“I’ll spread the word. Subtly, of course,” Kevin assured her with a lopsided grin.
He was growing up to be quite the charmer, and Tracy fully expected him to be beating the girls off with a stick in a year—or maybe less.
He had a good heart, and he wasn’t bad to look at either.
He was at that lanky stage where he was just coming into his full adult height.
Kev was probably one growth spurt away from topping six feet, and he was filling out, too.
But not too fast. He was still her little brother, and she wanted to keep that sweet childhood friend for a little while longer.
“Yes, I know. You’re the king of subtle.” Tracy rolled her eyes as she ruffled Kevin’s hair then moved toward the driver’s door.
“Do you think Emma’s going to change again soon? Can I come over and see when she’s a jaguar?” The eagerness in his tone made him sound younger than his years, but she understood the excitement.
“I honestly don’t know when she’ll shift again, Kev, but you’re always welcome. You know that. Tell you what. I’ll order a couple of pizzas, and you can come over and watch the game with me tonight.” She climbed into the driver’s seat and hitched up her seatbelt as she spoke to her little brother.
Tracy had moved out of her father’s house soon after Emma was born.
She’d needed space and time alone with her baby.
Not to mention a nursery she could set up and decorate for her daughter.
She’d recovered from the birth at her dad’s house, then set about fixing up a much smaller house nearby that the Pack owned and rented out.
Tracy could easily afford the rent out of her salary from the restaurant, and once she had the place decorated to her liking—with a whole lot of help from her father and brothers—she moved herself and Em over.
They never lacked for company, especially in the early days of their tenancy.
Family members and Pack mates dropped by all the time to check on them when they were just starting out.
Wolves were like that. Always in each other’s business. But Tracy enjoyed it…most of the time.
Once it was clear Tracy and Emma were doing very well on their own, the checkups lessened.
People still dropped by and socialized, but it was less frequent now.
Tracy usually enjoyed the alone time with her daughter, when they could play together while Emma was still young enough to enjoy her mother’s protective presence.
It also gave Tracy plenty of time to think.
Tonight, though, Tracy didn’t really want to be alone with her thoughts. Or worse—cornered by her father or some other well-meaning Pack mate. If Kevin was already at her place, he could at least run interference if anyone else dropped by.
“Deal. But if Em shifts before that, you need to text me a pic, okay?”
Tracy just shook her head. Kevin had always had the ability to cheer her up, even on her worst days.
Today didn’t quite rank up there with the worst days of her life, but it had definitely been a shocking sort of day so far.
Hopefully, with Hank’s departure, things would settle down a bit, so she could think and make decisions and plans, before he returned.
*
Tracy should’ve known it was too much to ask for a little peace once her daughter had shown the world—or at least the Pack—what she really hid under all that cuteness.
Over the next few days, people started phoning to check how she was doing and dropping by her workplace or home, just to say hello.
More than one Pack mate seemed to stare at Em in fascination, and a few rather tactless old biddies tried to question Tracy about Hank, but she was having none of it.
When some of the bigger males offered to hunt down the cat who’d done her wrong, Tracy knew she had to put a stop of the rumors, once and for all.
She picked her time and showed up at the Pack house for the general assembly they held just before every full moon.
Most of the Pack would be there to discuss plans for whatever party they were planning to celebrate the howl, as they called it, when the entire group got together to run together under the light of the full moon.
Her father was running the meeting, and she waited until they’d discussed all the pending business and he opened up the floor to new topics.
Tracy walked forward, out of the shadows and into the center of the room, feeling every eye on her as she made them aware of her presence.
She held her tongue until she was certain she had everyone’s undivided attention, then she spoke in a clear, ringing voice.
“As most of you know, the father of my baby came back earlier this week. He didn’t know I’d conceived, and it was my choice to hide the existence of his daughter from him until now.
” She felt the disapproval radiating from some of the older members of the Pack, but she let it slide.
She had more to say, and they all needed to hear it.
“I don’t want anyone seeking any sort of retaliation on him for my choice.
And, while I appreciate all the offers of help, and those of you who’ve felt the need to check how Em and I are doing, please let me assure you, we’re both fine, and right now, we need some time together.
Alone.” Her Alpha bitch was coming out, and she let the growl come into her voice.
“Anybody trespassing into my territory, again, without an express invitation, will face the consequences. My wolf is riled up enough without having to deal with busybodies all the time, okay?”
Now, that was probably a bit harsh, but all the concern sent her way over the past few days was really getting to her.
Wolves were Pack animals, but right now, Tracy needed time alone with Emma to figure things out.
It was clear Emma wasn’t comfortable with every last member of the Pack dropping by to stare at her.
Maybe it was a cat thing, or maybe it was just a child who was very aware of being under scrutiny.
Either way, Tracy didn’t think it was good for Em, and she wanted it to stop.
Having said her piece, she backed away before anybody could say anything.
Actually, she thought they were all a bit stunned by her declaration, which served them right.
Tracy had been a little too docile since she’d discovered she was pregnant.
Well. That time was over. The mama wolf was in charge now, and everybody had better just watch out!