Page 29 of Her Shifter Pack
Ollie opened a can of soda, the crack, pop and hiss sounding loud in the room. “We went over to Lexie’s apartment, sorted out her rent and got some clothes.”
“But you’re still staying here, right?” I’d asked the question before I was able to moderate my tone. I sounded half desperate.
Lexie grabbed a napkin to wipe pizza sauce off her chin. “For the moment, yeah. Ollie offered, and, well... I’d rather stay here until I can get another job and pay you guys back for everything you’ve done already.”
“Pay us back for what?” I asked.
Ollie glared at me. Oh. He’d sorted out her rent issue.
Then I looked at Lexie, and her face was glowing red with embarrassment. Shit! “Doesn’t that asshole diner owner owe you a stack of money?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I went by to get my charger today, but he... Well...”
I narrowed my eyes at her look of shame, then switched to Ollie. “What did he do?”
“Ran her off, basically.”
“How much does he owe you?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t know exactly. Two weeks’ pay, plus he’s held onto all the tips I’ve made since I started. He said he’d give them to me eventually, but...” She shrugged.
“He hasn’t given you any of your tips? For the whole time?”
At her head shake, I only just suppressed a growl. “Figure it out for me,” I told her. “I’ll sort it out.”
I fucking hated bullies. Especially men who preyed on women.
“Oh, no, please don’t. I’ll just get another job and go from there.”
I smiled at her, working hard to soften my tone. “Could you please figure it out for me? I’ve got some friends in the industry. I might be able to sort something out for you.”
“A new job?”
I shrugged. “Sure.” But if Ollie had his way, she’d never work again. He’d always wanted a woman to spoil, to love, to...
Lexie sat up straighter, flicking her long, dark hair over her shoulder and rapidly changed the subject. “So, can you tell me more about the twin thing? And the mate thing, and everything?” She stared between us, waiting expectantly.
I reached for a beer that was sitting on the coffee table. I was gonna need one.
“Well, yeah. Sure,” Ollie said, putting his half-eaten pizza down on the couch next to him. “How much do you know about wolf shifters?”
Lexie’s eyebrows lifted high on her forehead. “Ah... what? Sorry, I think I misheard.”
She glanced over at me, confusion clouding her eyes. I glared at Ollie, who said to me, “Everything we have to tell her is based on the paranormal element. It won’t make sense otherwise.”
“But you know the rules.”
Ollie sighed and turned to Lexie. “What we’re about to tell you is a pretty tightly held secret, and although I’m totally comfortable telling you, because I want you as part of our life... If it doesn’t work out, you can’t tell anyone.”
Lexie huffed out a soft laugh. “I grew up in a biker gang. I’ve seen more things and held more secrets than most. You don’t need to worry about me.”
A ton of questions immediately popped into my mind. What gang? Why? How? Was she okay? But I put the beer to my lips and swallowed the questions down for another time.
“Okay, well, basically Markus and I were born wolf shifters. We’re part of a large pack in town that is integrated into the human world here. We’re not werewolves, and we don’t lose control of ourselves or turn into monsters at the full moon. We simply can turn into wolves and back again whenever we want.”
There was a lot more to it, of course. Our hierarchy, our strength and speed. Not to mention the fact that the perfect pair phenomena only occurred in shifters. Not only wolves, but also mountain lions, and others. But I kept drinking and let Ollie tell the tale in his own way.
“Ah... I don’t really believe you,” Lexie said, then gulped. “But I’m also smart enough to know that I don’t know shit about this world.” She crossed her arms over her middle in a gesture that looked like self-protection. “Can you prove it?”