Chapter 41: Acceptance

Alpha Leo Volkov’s POV

I smiled when I saw Adrienne’s car parked next to the pole barn. She hadn’t called me back or replied to my texts, but I knew I’d see her soon. We pulled my new truck into the extra-deep stall, the extended-cab pickup truck easily fit inside the garage with room to spare. Mike came around and got the scooter out, helping me slide down into it. “I can’t wait until I can use my arm again,” I said. “And get a walking boot.”

“Scooter-boy doesn’t exactly scream Alpha, does it,” Mike teased as I drove towards the house. He set the plywood down for me to drive up the stairs and get into the dining room. The smell of fried chicken had me hungry in an instant.

“How’s the new truck,” Donna asked as she popped out of the kitchen to give me a hug.

“Fancy. It’s a long way from the AM radio and gear shifter of the old days,” I said.

“Go get washed up. We’re eating in ten.” I thanked her for cooking, then drove down the hall to my room. I could hear people downstairs, including a certain little girl who always made me smile.

I opened the door and drove in, closing it behind me. I was about to start moving again when the bathroom door opened, and Adrienne walked out.

In a lacy bra and panty set.

She froze when she saw me, starting to cover up. “No, don’t,” I said. “By Luna, you’re beautiful.”

Her face was flush with embarrassment. “I didn’t know you were home.”

“I didn’t know you were changing in here.”

She walked over to the dresser that used to hold Catherine’s clothing before I donated most of it. Opening one of the drawers, she pulled out a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt. “I hope you don’t mind that I put my things away. I did some shopping today, as I didn’t bring a lot of clothes with me on this trip.”

“That’s fine. Is there anything left in the guest room?”

“No. There was no point in keeping my things in there. My wolf wouldn’t let me sleep away from you.” My eyes couldn’t avoid her body. She was almost fifty, but her body was still a work of art. She obviously worked out, with lots of weight training and cardio. I could smell her arousal, and she could sense mine. “Did you find you worked out more after your mate was gone?”

“Not for a few years,” she said as she pulled the tight jeans up, her rounded backside jiggling as she hopped. I was entranced. “I tried a lot of things to move on with my life. Working out was the healthiest of them. I tried to keep it up after I joined the Council.”

“You did better than me. I didn’t start again until recently.”

“You weren’t ready yet, Leo. Moving on after the loss of a mate doesn’t go by a formula you can write down. It took time, family support, a therapist, and a reason to get up every morning. You moved on when you were ready to, and not a day before.” She pulled the shirt on, buttoning the red and black as she did.

I couldn’t decide if she was hotter in plaid or in lingerie. Maybe I’d have to get her plaid lingerie. Yeah, that’s the ticket. “I’m getting there, Adrienne. Vicki and Liv gave me a reason to live, and you have given me a reason to love again. I’m not the same man I was last week, and I’m far from the man I was a month ago.” I looked at her, the love my wolf and I had for her shining from my eyes. I was afraid to move as she came towards me.

She leaned down, capturing my lips in a kiss. I closed my eyes as the tingles of the mate bond shot through my body, further aggravating the excitement down below. The kiss went on for a few seconds, then she let me go. I felt physical pain at the loss of contact. “Wash up, dinner’s almost ready.”

“I’ll be right there.” I used the bathroom and washed up before driving back out to the dining room. The rest of the people who lived here were at the table, with Susan and her children joining us. I drove to the open spot at the head of the table just before Donna brought the tray of chicken over. “Thank you for cooking tonight, Mom. Tomorrow night is my treat.”

“Wiederholt’s?” Vicki was bouncing in her seat.

“Tuesday night, so yes. The tradition of Prime Rib Night can’t be lost. It brought you and your Mom here, after all.” Vicki clapped as Liv looked a little embarrassed. “I promise to get you home safe this time, Liv.”

“I appreciate it, but I was hoping I could go back to work sometime. I’ve always worked hard, and I don’t want to take advantage of your generosity.”

Adrienne was scooping mashed potatoes on my plate, staying quiet on this as I answered. “You aren’t taking advantage of me; you couldn’t, Liv. You are family and Pack now.”

“I can’t just stay inside and help clean and cook,” she said. “I need to set an example for Vicki, and I’m not lazy.”

“True.” I’d talked briefly to Brent about her studies and now was as good a time as any to discuss them. “Adrienne, in your son’s Pack, how do you handle college and vocational training?”

She was a little shocked to be asked but quickly recovered. “We’ve always believed in investing in our members. We finance up to four years of college or job training at a public university; if the person wants to go to a private school, they can use their own money or scholarships to make up the difference. The Pack is there to support you as you find your way in the world; we want every person to be ready to contribute, whether in a Pack job or among the humans. If you work in the human world, you pay a portion back to the Pack for room and board. That covers expenses, and pay of the people who work for the Pack.”

“What if they need more schooling, like a doctor or a lawyer,” I asked.

“We will pay some of the cost, provided they serve the Pack in a capacity we need,” she said. “It’s all about what is best for the Pack. A Pack doctor isn’t cheap to train, and he or she has to work in the human system to maintain their qualifications.”

I looked over at Susan. “It’s been a while, but how did you handle things in the Welch Pack?”

“We didn’t pay up-front, but we did have tuition reimbursement for those who work for the Pack for a defined time, and whose skills are needed. I should talk to you, Alpha, about the ones in that program who are now with you. They wouldn’t bring it up, but they are anxious to hear about any changes.”

“We will have to figure that out, I guess.” I looked back at Liv. “We want our Pack to prosper, and our members to be happy and engaged. I want you to go back to school full-time,” I said. “With Vicki going to school here, you should be able to do that around the chores and Pack training you’ll still have.”

Brent took her hand. “I’ll be working, and we’re a team now. The Alpha is right; finishing your degree should be your focus. A degree in Elementary Education would allow you to take over the Pack school, allowing Paul and Lois to return to their retirement.”

“It’s two years,” Liv said.

“It’s five if you keep going at the pace you are now,” he said.

I didn’t want to force her, but I wanted to push. “Classes start again in a week, right?” She nodded. “Contact the admissions office and see about adding a few more classes this semester and in the summer. Finish your generals, then we’ll see about transferring you into Winona State in the fall.”

It was more than she hoped for, and her eyes showed it. “All right,” she said.

Adrienne changed the subject at the right time. “Vicki, how was your first day of school?”

“It was fun, Auntie Adrienne,” she said. I could see my mate’s face twitch at the title, and I smiled a little. Vicki knew we were mates, and that made her Auntie. “Tomorrow, we are going to the zoo!”

“That sounds fun,” she said. “Is it only for the kids, or can adults go?”

“Could you come? Please?” Vicki had her best pouty-face on.

I linked with Lois, who was thrilled at having the Luna spend time with the children. “Lois would be happy to have another adult to help out,” I told them.

“Are any SHARKS there,” Adrienne asked.

Vicki nodded. “It’s not as good as SeaLife. Tiger sharks and leopard sharks only, and not as big. They have snow monkeys and wolves, but Miss Lois said we can’t talk to them.”

I laughed. “No, we may look similar, but we are humans who can become wolves. A simple blood test would show we aren’t wild wolves. Your wolf isn’t much smaller than those timberwolves are, and I’m a small horse compared to them.”

“Luna is too! I can walk under her, and my ears don’t touch!” Adrienne has a powerful Alpha bloodline and was a mantled Alpha. She was noticeably bigger than Susan and even taller than Catherine was. My wolf loved the look of her in her fur. We talked about a lot of things, including my first day at work. Susan looked like a different woman now that she didn’t have the Pack and the company weighing her down.

“How was your day, love,” I asked.

“It was good,” she said. “I finished early and swung by the Mall of America to do some shopping. I thought of Sharkbait when I saw the aquarium,” I told her.

“What did you do?” She had left my work to take care of the Todd problem, and I wanted to know what was going on with him. It affected my Pack and my family.

“Council business,” she replied. “I can’t talk about it.”

“I saw Todd was in court this morning; were you there?” She shook her head, no. “At least his bail was denied. His trial is set for April.”

“I heard,” Adrienne said. “This is the tastiest fried chicken I’ve had in years, Donna. Is it your own recipe?”

“My mother’s,” she said. It was clear she wasn’t going to say more, so I left it alone. After dinner, Liv took Vicki upstairs for her bath time, while the rest of us relaxed over coffee or drinks.

“Thank you for the college talk, Alpha,” Brent said. “I know she wants her degree done before we can start a family, and if we wait too long, Vicki will be too old for them to really bond.”

“From what Sharkbait said about the noises and banging up there, you might be starting a family already,” I teased. “It’s tough to put a condom on in wolf form, isn’t it.”

His face flushed. “I wouldn’t mind if she got pregnant right away, but Liv would be mortified if she got pregnant before getting married again. I don’t want her disappointing her family again.”

“That’s why you ‘technically’ have a guest room in the basement,” I said. “Maybe you guys can keep it down and Sharkbait will stay in her own bed tonight.” I didn’t mind a pup crawling in bed for comfort, but I didn’t want to make a habit of it. I had a mate to take care of, and I didn’t need anyone else in my bed for that.

Susan left for home with the kids, and we watched the news and a documentary on coral reefs before it was time for Sharkbait to go to bed. “I’m going to take a shower and go to bed. This work thing is exhausting,” I said.

“I’ll be in soon,” she said. I drove into my room, grabbing a pair of shorts and tossing it on the vanity as I parked by the shower. I pulled off my clothes, the loose athletic pants and boxers going over the boot I was wearing on my left ankle. I left the sling on the counter, then started the uncomfortable process of taking my shirt off.

“Let me,” her voice said as she came up behind me. My eyes got wide as I realized she was already nude. She guided the shirt off, then helped me move into the shower and sit on the seat. She had the water on and the shower wand in her hand before my brain caught up with me. “You aren’t in as bad a shape as I expected for a used model with lots of miles on the chassis. A few months with the treadmill and weights, and we’ll be able to see your abs,” she teased.

“Classic forms never goes out of style, love,” I said. I relaxed and tried unsuccessfully to keep my body from responding as she did my hair. Her fingers felt fantastic as they massaged my scalp. The tingles were setting my body on fire as if the scenery wasn’t enough. After that was done, she cleaned the rest of my body, saving the best for last. She finished it quickly, leaving me on edge as she turned around and did her own routine before she rinsed us both off.

We finished our bedtime routine, and she didn’t put my shorts back on before helping me back on the scooter.

She said I didn’t need them.

She was right. We were marked and mated before ten, making me the happiest wolf in the house.