Wolf Women (The Madison Wolves Book 10) (13 page)

We reached Ember's room. She opened it and stepped inside.

I suddenly realized there were things I didn't know about her. Like, for instance, was she a slob? I stepped into her room and was pleased to see it was as neat as a pin. It was small, and she didn't have much. But what she had was well taken care of.

"I'm pleased to see you aren't a slob, Ember."

She colored. "I was. Elisabeth had a chat with me. I get in trouble if anything is out of place."

"You will be following the same rule in your new home, won't you?" Michaela said.

"Yes, Alpha," the girl said, lowering her eyes.

"We have weekly inspections," Michaela said to me. "And occasional surprise inspections. Any enforcer can pop in at any time and take a quick peek."

"And they do," Ember said. She looked at me. "I like my room neat, but I can be impatient about it."

Michaela leaned to me and whispered, "She just asked you to stay on top of her about this." I nodded. I had understood.

"All right," Michaela said. "Tonight we'll take what you need most immediately: pajamas and toiletries, clothes for school tomorrow, and your school work. And your pillow. Tomorrow after school you can get everything else."

"And Lester," she said.

"Who is Lester?"

She moved to her bed and picked up a stuffed bear from the bed. She held him in her arms for a minute then moved to me. She turned the bear around. "This is Lester. It's the only thing I have from when I was young."

She held the bear out, and I took him reverently, then held him up at face level and said, "I am pleased to meet you, Lester." He looked quite the worse for wear, but I didn't comment on that. I looked past him at Ember. "Does Lester like being hugged?"

"He loves being hugged," she said.

And so I hugged the bear. Ember moved closer to me and put a hand on the bear.

"I know it's just a stupid stuffed animal, and he's really old. He wasn't new when Mom gave him to me. He used to be hers. He smells, just a little, mostly of me. I used to be able to smell Mom in him, too, but not for a long time. I'd wash him, but I'm so afraid he'll fall to pieces if I do."

I thought she was likely quite right. I kissed the bear on the nose and held him out to her, but Ember said, "Do you think you could hold him for me?"

Michaela put her hand on my back, and so I brought the bear back into a hug and rubbed my cheek along his fur a couple of times. Ember smiled.

I nearly cried right there. She wanted the bear to smell like me.

"All right," Michaela said. "You shouldn't need much. Pajamas and clothes for tomorrow."

The girl set those on the bed then took her pillow from it's place at the end of the bed and set it next to the clothes.

"Your school work."

She spent a couple of minutes putting things into a backpack. That went onto the bed as well.

"Toothbrush and other toiletries."

"I have a basket," she said. There was a bookcase, and there was a small wicker basket. That moved to the bed.

"Computer?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I use the ones at the school. I've been saving my money for one." She did a small circle of the room. Then she straightened the bedding over the place where her pillow had been. "I think this is all I need tonight."

"I agree," said Michaela.

Ember pulled her school bag onto her back. She picked up the pillow, hugged it for a minute, then asked if I'd carry it. I opened an arm, and she stuffed the pillow into place so I could hug Lester and the pillow both. More of my scent.

"How should I carry my clothes?" she asked.

"You can do what I do for a camping trip," I said. "I roll them up into a log."

"Oh. I can do that." It took her a minute until she was satisfied, then she stuffed the log under her arm. Michaela stepped forward and picked up the basket, and we had everything she needed.

* * * *

"Oh good," Portia said. "Ember, come along. We need to know where you want the furniture." She grabbed the girl and pulled her upstairs, the rest of us trooping up afterwards, but Michaela stepped in front of me and blocked my path.

"Do you understand?" she gestured to Lester and the pillow.

"My scent."

"You're human. Her mother was human. Do you understand what's going on?"

I nodded. "Should I discourage it?"

"If she isn't welcome to stay, then yes. Otherwise, you have to decide how you feel about it." She paused. "You almost cried back there, didn't you?"

I nodded.

"Sadness for her?"

"No."

"Be careful, Zoe. She's a werewolf teenager. You have no idea what you're getting into."

"She's a very good kid," I said.

"Yes, she is. But she needs discipline. That is the nature of wolves. They either rule the roost or are ruled. You're seeing that in your relationship with Portia. If Ember were more dominant, I wouldn't allow this, not until you had been here a lot longer. She would walk all over you."

"She won't walk over me," I said. "I know I turn submissive to Portia. And you. But to a 14-year-old? I don't think so."

"Good." She glanced at the pillow, then took it from me, turned it around, and gave it back to me. "Hold both of those tightly until she takes them from you. She'll know when you've spread enough of your scent."

I nodded.

When we made it to the guest room -- now Ember's room -- Lara and Elisabeth were just making the last of the adjustments Ember had requested. Michaela smirked, watching the pack alpha accept directions from a pack mate. But they finished, and Lara pulled the girl into her arms, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you, Alpha," Ember said.

"You are welcome, Ember," Lara said. "Is everything good?"

"Everything is perfect."

I noticed my photos were still hanging on the walls.

"We should take these down so Ember can put her own things on the walls," I said with a gesture.

"No!" she said. Then she lowered her eyes. "Um. I mean."

"Would you like them to stay here for now?"

"Yes."

"All right. For now. I'll want some of them for my new office downstairs." I paused. "Alphas, is there any way I can get prints of some of my favorite wolves in their fur? I would prefer to use my normal printer. I want them much bigger than the pack printer is able to do."

"You aren't going to sell them, are you?" Lara asked.

"No. Michaela hasn't told me I have to stop asking, but I wouldn't do that without permission."

"And they will look like wolves? You won't have them sitting on the sofa or something like that?"

"Out in the woods."

Lara and Michaela communed with their eyes, then Michaela said, "Yes, but I must approve the images."

I smiled. "Would there be any way the two of you would allow me to take photos of you in your fur."

Michaela laughed. "Still hoping for that photo shoot session, are you? I will allow these photos on my memory card, and we will pick the ones you may use. I keep the rest."

"Agreed," I said immediately. "Thank you! As long as I'm asking..."

"Yes?" Michaela said, her eyes narrowing.

"I know I can't send to a human printer an image of a fox and a wolf playing together, but I wonder if I could use an image of a mother wolf with her two pups."

Lara scoffed.

"Yes," Michaela said. "On one condition. There will be two prints coming from that selection. I want one for my office."

I smiled. "Thank you."

Ember found a place for her backpack, put away her clothes, and took her toiletries basket from Michaela. She didn't take her pillow or Lester from me.

"Well," Michaela said. "I believe everything here is handled. Zoe, I'll email you a copy of the house rules we use in our house. You can use them as a start and make adjustments as appropriate here."

Ember eyed me, then she took the pillow and set it in place, but she said, "You can hold Lester for a while longer, if you want to."

"I like Lester," I said. I pulled him tightly into my arms.

Everyone descended the stairs. Ember hugged Michaela, Lara and Elisabeth in turn, thanking them several times each. Once the door closed behind them, Portia said, "Let's move to the living room and talk for a few minutes. Then I believe it is past someone's bedtime."

"Yes, Portia," Ember said.

Portia led the way. She gestured for Ember to take one of the easy chairs, then she and I sat on the sofa.

"Who is this?" Portia asked, gesturing at the bear.

"This is Lester," I said. "Ember has had him a long time." I held him up for Portia to see.

"Lester needs a bath," Portia declared. Ember tightened, but she didn't say anything.

"Lester wouldn't survive a bath," I said. I gave him a sniff. He didn't smell bad to me.

Portia frowned.

"Lester once belonged to Ember's mother," I added.

Portia nodded. "Of course," she said.

I pulled the bear back into my arms, and Ember smiled.

"Ember," Portia said. "We want to officially welcome you into our home. This is now your home, too."

The girl grinned.

"I am going to say a few things. They are going to sound harsh. I am being clear so there are no misunderstandings later."

"Portia..." I said.

"No, Zoe. This is a wolf thing. Ember understands."

The girl nodded.

"Zoe is submissive to me, Ember. She is not submissive to you. She is a human, smaller and weaker than you are, but you will offer her the same respect you offer me. That is the only way this is going to work. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Portia." The girl lowered her eyes.

"I know you're a good girl," Portia said. "What I don't know is how much of your behavior is because you've had the enforcers looking over your shoulder constantly. Moving in here is no excuse for you to let loose."

"Of course not, Portia," Ember said. "I understand. I-" She looked up. "I know what you're saying."

"All right. Good."

"We've already talked about keeping her room neat," I said. "She has asked us to stay on top of her about that."

"Military barracks neat?" Portia asked.

"Do you require it that neat?" I asked her.

"No."

I looked at the girl. "You will make your bed every morning. You will do your bedding weekly, or more often if necessary. We have spare sheets, so you can strip your bed, make it with fresh sheets, and then wash the old ones."

"Yes, Zoe."

"Homework and a neat room come before play," I said. "Also, I do not want you running off to school with your room a mess. It does not need to be perfect, but it shouldn't be embarrassing, and you will return it to perfection when you come home."

She nodded.

I turned to Portia. "Friends over?"

"This is a small house," Portia said. "You may have friends over, but this isn't party central. Small groups. For now, no more than four teenagers in the house at a time, and that may be a little cozy."

We talked about curfew and a few other things. Finally Portia said, "You and Zoe will formalize all this over the next few days." Ember nodded. Then Portia said, "Now, neither of us has ever done this before. We might make mistakes. We may not know what you need. You're going to have to tell us. Can you think of anything? Questions? Requests?"

"Portia," I said, "she currently uses the computers at school."

"I will create an account for her on my computer," Portia replied.

"Really?"

"Yes. Do not install any software without permission."

"I won't."

"And don't fill the hard disk. If that becomes a problem, we'll add a drive just for you."

"Really?" She seemed more surprised.

"Yes."

"All right. Questions or requests?"

She looked down, not saying anything.

"That looks like a question you should ask, but aren't," Portia said.

"I know I'm too old for this," she said.

"Just ask, Ember," I said.

"At night, could one of you tuck me in?"

"Oh honey," I said. "Of course. We'd love to tuck you in."

She looked up. "You're like, um, my foster parents now?"

I looked at Portia, but she left it to me to answer. "I guess we are."

"What do I call you?"

"I think," said Portia, "that for now, you will stick to our names. If this works out, then we should have a ceremony."

"A ceremony?"

"Yes," Portia said. "And then we may discuss other names you might want to use."

"Okay," Ember said.

"All right," Portia said. "We'll all figure this out as we go. Go get ready for bed. Do I need to remind you what that means?"