Janine Page 3

  “Langston, this is Janine. Janine, this is my brother, Langston. He is the alpha of our pack.”

  I had started to offer my hand for a handshake, but the moment the word “alpha” passed Lenny’s lips, my training snapped into place, and I lowered my eyes to his worn, brown boots as I clasped my hands behind my back.

  “It’s an honor to meet you, Alpha.” My words hit the air and were met with silence.

  I looked up at Lenny to see her giving me a wide, confused look and chanced a glance at her brother to see something similar, visible on his chiseled features. Our eyes met and I immediately dropped my gaze to the center of his chest before swinging it back to Lenny.

  “Um…” For the first time since I’d met her, she seemed at a loss for words. I would have been amused if I didn’t feel so embarrassed for being the cause of this phenomenon. Suddenly, the only thing I wanted to do at that moment was hop in my Jeep and speed on down the road. Those cold cuts didn’t sound so bad right about now.

  The chocolate-dipped, panty-melting vision before me cleared his throat. “Please, it’s just Langston.”

  That seemed to snap Lenny into action. “Yeah, girl. Don’t get into the habit of calling him Alpha. His head is already big enough,” she laughed. He did not.

  Involuntarily, my eyes dropped to his crotch before I could catch myself, and my oculars had to be playing tricks on me because I could swear I saw the denim move where that muscle sat trapped against his right thigh.

  Yeah, I needed to leave.

  “Miss?”

  Though he hadn’t said my name, I gathered that he was addressing me, which meant I could give him my eyes. I took a calming breath before I met his virtually onyx irises.

  “Yes, Alpha?” Old habits were hard to break.

  His brows narrowed momentarily then rose as if he was unaffected. If I hadn’t been absorbing every inch of his face, I would have missed it.

  “I know that Lenny brought you here for dinner, but an unfortunate matter has just come to my attention, and I regretfully must call this visit to an end.”

  I truly was starving; I should have been disappointed to miss out on the enticing smells coming from inside of the house, but all I felt was relief. Sweet, gratifying relief. I nodded and Lenny’s disappointed face came into my outlying vision.

  “I understand.” I turned to Lenny and gave her a small smile that morphed into surprised laughter when she launched at me with a hug. Easily, I slid my arms around her waist and hugged her in return. For too long, I had been without the constant touching that my wolf required to feel connected to her pack, and I relished in all that Lenny offered to me.

  She pulled back and widened her eyes as she spoke. “We will share a meal together soon. Tomorrow? Breakfast before hitting up the Career Center?”

  Dipping my chin twice, I pulled my keys from my pocket and stepped off the concrete slab that was the front porch. “Sounds good. See you then.” Inclining my head, I acknowledged her brother. “Alpha.”

  “Just Langston is fine. Really.”

  The rich, melodious timbre of his voice only added to his attractiveness, and I turned swiftly toward the tree in the yard and made my way to my Jeep. I was on the road in seconds and didn’t look back despite how much my wolf howled for a parting glimpse of the Alpha.

  ♥♥♥♥

  I stood on the porch, watching the yellow Jeep disappear down the road and rubbed at my chest as my wolf proceeded to knock against it like he was trying to escape and follow the woman wherever she was headed. I was torn between wanting to do the same and being shocked that he was even showing an interest in anything other than wallowing in misery.

  The moment she came into view I was captivated. From the healthy glow of her bronze skin to the lush nest of black coils on her head, her oval-shaped face to her ample yet toned curves, I’d been unable to look away. My reaction made turning her away even more important.

  Lenny came to stand next to me, and I felt my sister’s disappointment as if it was my own.

  “I’m sorry, Len—”

  “No, no it’s fine,” she interrupted. “I caught her scent.” Then she turned to me, nearly tall enough to look me in the eye. “I didn’t even notice it until you showed up. You made the right call.”

  I released the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, more satisfied with her answer than I should have been. Until I realized she was still staring at me. That familiar sense of dread cropped up.

  “What?”

  “You do you know could put an end to this madness whenever you want?”

  I groaned, running a hand down my face. Here we go again. I turned and headed for the door, holding it open for Lenny to enter before me and pulling it closed behind me.

  “Don’t start with that shit tonight, Lenny, please.”

  “Uh-unh; you know I never miss an opportunity to tell you how selfish you’re being. I ain’t about to start now. You know good and damn well that you and only you can keep the pack from going insane with want. Seriously, Langston, look me in the eyes and tell me that it’s not crazy that we had to send her away.” She folded her arms across her chest and waited.

  I sighed. “I can’t tell you that. But…I also can’t tell you what you want to hear.” Feeling every bit of exhaustion from my hours out in the pasture, I shook my head.

  “You won’t even try—”

  “Why is it every time I turn a corner, I hear you two arguing?”

  We both looked up to see Ma standing in the doorway with a frown on her face. Abandoning the retort I’d been forming, I walked over to her and enveloped her in a hug before pressing a kiss to her cheek.

  “Sorry, Mama, she started it.” I tried to quickly leave the room and escape the scolding that was sure to come for arguing with my sister, but she grabbed my arm with a strength that you wouldn’t think she had if you didn’t know she had a wolf inside of her.

  Lenny rolled her eyes. “Oh really, Langston? I started it?”

  “Lenora, what is going on with you two? You haven’t fought this way since you were five and your brother started shifting before you. This is more than simple sibling pettiness. There is tension in the air, and I don’t like it. Have a seat, both of you.”

  Lenny plopped down into a plush armchair with a huge sigh, but I continued to stand. “Ma, I just came in from work. I need to take a shower.”

  Her narrowed eyes swung from my sister to me, and I hastily perched on the arm of the sofa.

  Lenny spoke up. “I’m worried about him, Mama. He’s fighting being the alpha, and it’s not healthy for any of us.” I frowned, feeling pressure in my chest as my wolf slunk away to assume his best impression of a lifeless rubber ball.

  Ma nodded sagely, no doubt already coming to that conclusion on her own, just by witnessing my actions. “I did hear a woman come and go not too long ago. Didn’t catch why.” She gave me a shrewd look, but I averted my gaze, refusing to answer the unspoken question.

  Once again, Lenny opened her big mouth. “She’s ovulating! He sent her away because despite how hard he’s trying not to give in to it, the Alpha in him knew that her presence would cause a problem amongst the unmated members of our pack when everyone came in for dinner tonight.”

  That damn girl thought she knew everything. “Lenny, man, you don’t know—”

  “Ah. I see.”

  My eyes bounced over to my mother. What did she see?

  I opened my mouth to ask a question I probably didn’t want the answer to, but Lenny was on a role. “Mama, this is driving me crazy! I’m tired of being alone, and I’m ready to start a family. I want babies, and I know you are ready for some grandbabies.”

  I groaned. “Not everyone is rushing to get mated, Lenny!”

  She glared at me. “Not everyone is running from love and affection either, Langston!”

  “That is enough!”

  We both fell silent as Ma yelled out. She pointed at me.

  “You know good and well that your actions have been concerning. Don’t treat her poorly for caring about you. It is what we do. We love one another and we want the best for them. Don’t punish her for that.”

  “Yeah!” Lenny cosigned, causing me to glare at her. Ma swiveled her head in Lenny’s direction.

  “Oh, you think you’re off the hook? Little girl, don’t try to use me as an excuse in your argument; I am old enough to speak for myself. Of course, I would love to hear the sound of a baby’s laughter in this big, old house. But I also know that trying to push your brother will do more harm than good. Listen to me, Lenora May; your time will come, but you must exercise patience. Your brother is on a journey that is changing not just him but our entire pack. What he needs is not your ire, but your support as his twin and as his omega. No one is going to understand what he is doing right now but remember; it is not up to us to understand but to trust. I trust him wholly. Do you?”

  She patted my cheek and squeezed Lenny’s hand before leaving us in the living room to mull over her words.

  Chapter Four

  Lenny was knocking on my door before the sun rose to burn off the morning dew. She hugged me as soon as I opened the door to let her in, rattling off apologies that I didn’t need.

  “Wait, wait, wait! Calm down, girl. It’s okay.”

  She looked at me with pursed lips. “Are you sure? I know it was kind of shady, me inviting you to dinner and my brother sending you away as soon as you got there.”

  I shook my head, sitting on the small two-seater couch and pulling on my canvas sneakers. “Pack business comes first, always. It’s no big deal. I swear.”

  As we were leaving, Lenny eyed me. “Is that how it was in your old pack?”

  “Yes. Of course. Isn’t that how it is everywhere?”

  “No.”

  I cocked my head to the side at her short answer. Really? That was interesting. She amended her response. “I mean, pack business is important, but business is not more important than the people who make up the pack.”

  Oh. That was new. I nodded my head, saying nothing as I buckled into her car and waited for her to drive out of the parking lot. As she’d said two days before, the diner was right down the street. It was probably a ten-minute walk, at best, and only a three-minute drive which wasn’t nearly enough time for me to dwell on yet another example of how different other packs operated from the way my life had been with the Elders.

  “Here is the diner. It’s owned by one of the few humans in Madow.” She parked the car, and we got out. “I mean, we have humans here, but they are very few and usually the mate of a resident wolf and who elected not to be turned.”

  Startled, I tripped as I walked. “Y’all can mate with humans? Like… that’s allowed?”

  She nodded slowly, giving me an indecipherable look. “Yeah…” The word dragged out for several seconds before she pulled open the door to the diner.

  That one threw me for a loop. Back home, my pack didn’t have any contact with humans. In fact, I never even met one until I turned twenty and was allowed to have a job outside of our pack community. I worked at a nearby daycare where being around babies and toddlers all day helped me escape from the mundane existence I had lived for four years. If I were going to miss anything that I’d left behind, those babies would be it.

  The aroma of syrup, eggs, and bacon grease permeated the air, and the ever-present rumble in my stomach made its presence known.

  Lenny grinned at me. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that.”

  I scratched the top of my head, careful not to disturb the elaborately pinned afro puff I’d wrangled my hair into an hour before. “If I could just get fed regularly, this wouldn’t be a problem.”

  “I’m on it, Chief!” She saluted me before weaving her way through the tables and chairs, toward a man who was sitting in a booth in the back corner of the room, hunched over a half-eaten plate of French toast and eggs. I followed behind slowly, wondering why she was damn near sprinting through the restaurant.

  “Good morning, Adrian!” She ran her fingers across his shoulder before sliding into the booth across from him and patting the seat next to her.

  “Nora,” the man responded, saying a shortened variation of her name like it was a greeting itself.

  I hesitated, uncomfortable with inserting myself into the space of a strange wolf, no matter how well Lenny seemed to know him. Though I didn’t sense the authority of an alpha on him, there was something there that made me wait before sitting. I needed to know who I was dealing with before I could eat with him.

  Looking up at me, Lenny grabbed my hand and attempted to pull me into the booth. “Come on, girl, sit down. I’m trying to feed you.”

  Maybe it was Lenny’s words that caught his attention, or maybe he could sense my growing resistance, which sometimes used to happen back home. Whatever it was, he finally lifted his eyes from his plate and considered our presence at his table. He reached across the table and touched Lenny’s exposed forearm.

  “Good morning, Nora.”

  Then his round eyes swung up to where I stood, and he immediately slid out of the booth and stood. His movement was so swift that it startled me, and I rocked back on my right foot, widening my stance in a defensive pose. Tension rolled through me as I waited to see what he would do, but to my surprise, he dropped his chin to the ground, curving his head to the side ever so slightly, exposing a sliver of his neck in a submissive pose that assured me he wasn’t a threat. It also knocked the breath from my lungs. Why would he show me his neck? Who the hell was this guy, and why hadn’t anyone trained him to only show his neck to an alpha or another wolf with authority? Although subtle, it was an easily recognizable move by anyone who knew what to look for.

  I resolved to add that to my list of things to ask Lenny when we had a moment alone. Grateful that this wasn’t about to be a showdown, I relaxed and flexed my fingers, assuring my wolf that she didn’t need to make an appearance in the middle of this semi-crowded diner. When she stood down, lowering her lips back over her fangs and smoothing her fur back down, I calmed further. It made no difference that I was chill if she was still keyed up. At any moment, she could burst free and tear shit up if she felt I was in danger.

  The man released a breath and took a couple of steps back. I could see the veins throb on the side of his neck and faintly hear how rapidly his heart was beating.

  “Who are you?” He sounded out of breath as if he’d been running.

  Lenny was on her knees in the booth. She grabbed my hand, and any remaining tendrils of anxiety melted away. I smiled sheepishly at her. My face must have been scrunched up for her to feel the need to lay a calming hand on me.

  “Adrian, this is Janine. She’s the woman I was telling everyone about at dinner last night.”

  Ah. This man was in Lenny’s pack. No wonder they were so familiar with each other. Lenny shook my arm.

  “This is Adrian. He is Langston’s beta.”

  Oh. And there was that something I sensed on him. Not the power of an alpha but more than a simple pack member. Betas where the right hands of an alpha, helping them to lead objectively and effectively. A good beta begat a great alpha.

  I tried for a smile. “Good morning, Adrian.”

  His eyes flickered between me and Lenny before he slid into the booth and picked up his fork. “Morning.”

  A server appeared at my elbow just as I decided to join them in the booth. She was a round woman with golden-brown skin and black hair heavily salted with gray.

  “Good morning, Lenny, darling. What are you and your friend eating today?”

  She hadn’t given me a menu, and I didn’t know what they served. I gave Lenny a dumbfounded look, and she laughed.

  “Hey, Cynthia. We’ll have two orders of the breakfast special.”

  The woman nodded and aimed a friendly wink at me. “No problem, sugar. I’ll have that right out for you.” Then she turned and headed to the back of the restaurant, all without writing down a thing.

  Adrian shoved the last bite of eggs into his mouth and wiped his mouth with a fabric napkin before sliding out of the booth. Lenny frowned.

  “You’re leaving already?”

  He pointed at his plate. “I’m done.” Then he pointed to his watch. “And now it’s time for work. I’ll see you later.” He nodded at me, but it looked more like he curved his upper body forward a few inches before straightening and leaving the restaurant.

  My mind was still reeling from his submissive pose from before but this—this… bow of sorts—made my head hurt. I couldn’t make heads or tails of it, especially not on an empty stomach.

  “It looks like I ran him off; sorry about that.”

  She waved away my apology. “Oh, that? Adrian is always ornery around new people. He was a bit more intense today than I’ve seen in the past, but I swear it’s not you. It’s him.”

  I didn’t agree with her assessment, but maybe being an omega meant she only saw the positive in any situation. Whatever the case, Cynthia returned, carrying two huge plates piled high with food, and all thoughts of anything but eating flew out of my mind.

  “Enjoy, girls.” She touched my shoulder briefly before moving over to a nearby table to check on other patrons.

  My mouth watered as I dug into my food. There was scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, sausage links, blistered tomatoes, home fries, and two chocolate chip pancakes topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

  “Cynthia may be human, but she’s been the mate of a wolf for long enough to understand our appetite. Nothing on her menu will leave you hungry afterward.”

  With a full mouth, I simply nodded in response to Lenny’s statement. I had mowed my way through half of my plate, savoring every delicious morsel when I blinked, and it seemed like Lenny inhaled her food all in one go. She sat back against the cushioned booth and rubbed her slightly rounded belly.

  “That was good.”

  What in the Dirt Devil is going on here? With wide eyes, I chewed the last of my pancake before starting on my tomatoes.