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traditional…as your old pack. They’re a friendly bunch and will be happy to meet you.”

    *****

    As they got closer to Kane’s home, he offered further explanations as to who the pack members were as well as pointing out areas of interest. There was a medium-sized town nearby that they went to for supplies, though for the most part the pack stayed within their territory. It was heavily wooded and at the farthest point came close to her father’s land. Several streams fed a small lake and there was even a waterfall due to ancient, glacier-cut ravines.

    They stopped once along the way to get gas and then Kane pulled into a small strip mall, explaining that he needed to pick up a few things. Elise opted to wait in the truck and watched Kane sauntering down the sidewalk. The few people he encountered nodded at him but none stopped to talk. She wondered what the pack’s relationship with the townsfolk might be like. Were they friendly or did they secretly whisper about the strange group of people who lived just outside of town? From her own experience with her pack, she knew that most people were wrapped up in their own lives and didn’t give a great deal of thought to the close knit group that lived nearby. People thought they were odd but that was it. No one suspected that a pack of werewolves lived next door.

    That hadn’t always been the case. She’d heard tales of packs that had been persecuted by the human population, not because they were werewolves but because their close knit society was somehow deemed unnatural. Some packs had even been forced to leave their territory for fear of being discovered. All it took was one or two radicals to start questioning their life style… Elise hoped that wasn’t the case here.

    Soon Kane returned and stowed his purchases in the back. He climbed back into the cab of the truck and smiled over at her. She noted that he seemed happier and more relaxed the closer they got to his home. It was only natural, of course. No wolf was comfortable if it was away from its pack for too long.

    By the time they pulled into the driveway that led to Kane’s house, Elise was a bundle of nerves. She did her best to mask the fact—it wouldn’t do for the others to smell fear on her. As the Alpha’s mate, she had a status to maintain. In ancient times, a weak mate might have been challenged by one of the other females who wanted to usurp her position, but that wasn’t done now and Elise was thankful for the fact. Being a new pack member would be hard enough without someone wanting to bump her position.

    The truck came to a stop in front of a sprawling two storey home that featured a wrap-around porch. It was situated in the middle of a large treed lot with woods on three sides. As Kane climbed out, the front door opened and people spilled out, calling his name and enveloping him in hugs. Elise watched the activity from inside the truck and when she realised that it would be awhile before Kane could free himself from the crowd, she stepped out of the cab on her own.

    Hesitantly, she stood by the vehicle, unsure of what to do. Kane looked up at that moment and, catching her eye, made his way over to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “Everyone, this is Elise, my mate.” The people stopped talking and stared at her. Tentatively, she smiled back, and then a petite, red-haired woman about her age stepped forward with her hand extended. From the size of her belly, Elise decided this was Carrie, the Beta’s wife.

    “Hello, Elise. I’m Carrie. Welcome to our pack.” Her voice was calm and friendly, making Elise immediately feel welcomed. Some of the tension in her body began to relax.

    “And I’m John, her mate, and Kane’s Beta.” The man was about the same height as Kane, with blonde hair and friendly blue eyes.

    “I’m pleased to meet you.” Elise tried to sound confident and shook their hands firmly. After that, several others stepped forward and soon her head was