Light the Fire (Jackson's Hollow #1)

Chapter 66

Jo put her hands on her hips as she watched the wolves emerging from the forest line. Unfortunately, she hadn't been around the Monroe pack long enough to recognize everyone in their wolf forms (heck, sometimes even putting names to human faces was hard). However, she did recognize Lexi. The black and grey wolf beside her...eh....

Blake crossed his arms over his chest. "So, we're going to be best friends now."

"Yeah, no," Jo said. She looked back over her shoulder to see if Ryker was back yet, and she found him frozen in place only ten feet behind her. Her eyebrows lifted. "Hey. You okay?" The look on his face would best be described as stony horror.

Blake whined. "Aw, come on, but Lexi's a part of our pack now!"

Jo jerked around toward him. "What--"

"Like hell she is," Ryker snapped, the comment forcing him into moving again. He waved an arm at the wolves coming closer. "This is a mistake."

"Would you like to explain what's going on?" Jo asked.

"That's Duncan," Ryker said, nodding his head in the black and grey wolf's direction. "Lexi's confused."

Jo started to say something, but her mouth simply hung open as her thoughts stitched together. Lexi and Duncan...no way...

"Right." Ryker scowled. "She can't be right."

"I don't see how she'd be wrong," Blake said, shrugging, "You can't just be like, 'whoops, my bad, I thought you were my mate but I was wrong'."

Ryker's jaw clenched. "Lexi will be a first."

Jo glanced at Ryker, then Blake, then back at Ryker. Ryker was fuming. This wasn't good. Ok, if her conclusion was right, then what happened with Lexi wasn't good either, but they didn't need him making things worse by wolfing out on his sister.

Stepping closer to him, she clasped his hand, her thumb stroking against his hand gently in reassurance. "Let's hear what Lexi has to say," she said softly. "Maybe it's not what it looks like."

"It sure smells like it," Ryker grumbled, although his tone had quietened down. Jo arched an eyebrow as she looked at him in confusion and he shrugged. "They smell...like each other."

A soft, rumbling sound came from behind them and Jo glanced back to find Malcolm eyeing the pair as well. Oh. Right. Lexi's dad had figured it too, which was probably even worse.

As they came closer the group slowed, most of them hanging back, but Duncan and Lexi came right up to the pack together until a low growl from Malclom stopped them. Lexi growled back while Duncan shifted restlessly.

Um, great. Wolf talk. Rawr growl woof woof snarl.

Ryker sighed finally and glanced at Jo almost as if he'd read her mind. "We're going to go in to talk while Dad's Beta stays out here and keeps an eye on the Duncans."

"What about Jake?" Jo leaned into Ryker and he released her hand so that he could wrap an arm around her instead, nestling her against his side. Sweaty, nasty side, but she wasn't going to fuss about that right now, considering she probably smelled a little on the smoky side. He bent to kiss her temple, eyes unfocused for a moment before answering her question.

"Charlie and Blake will escort him to the cabin to stay under guard while we decide what to do with them."

"I think at this point we need to rename that place Blake's Cabin."

Ryker snorted in amusement, but apparently it was at a comment made through the mindlink. "Charlie says he thinks the Duncan Penitentiary sounds better."