Chapter 6

• ~Foxy~
• “I’ll ask again. Why is a fox in my pack?”
• I have no idea what to do or say, and this dickhead from the second row isn’t helping. The moron who was sitting next to me is snickering like this is the funniest shit he’s ever seen.
• Thankfully, Damon speaks up because I’m frozen in fear. “She was taken in as a child. Her parents were killed in a forest fire out west and we recovered her during one of our former wild shifter rescue missions. There was an ambush on their pack by a rival wolf clan teamed with a human crime group. Our old Alpha, before the Jones family took over, would do charity work with shifter wilds to help their starving families as an outreach program. When we arrived, they were already under attack.”
• “Interesting. Very admirable to help our innocent wild brethren, was it not?”
• “Yes, sir. Our tribe once prided itself on charity work. Jones’ family destroyed what honor we had here. First his father and then him.”
• “Who is responsible for this girl’s care?” Alpha asked as he continued to study me.
• “Her adopted parents are Jane and William, but she cares for them now. The older couple on South Hanging Rock Road in the little white farmhouse.”
• “Ah, the elderly couple. Tell me, girl. Do you think you belong in my tribe?” he asked, looking down his nose at me.
• “Well… It’s the only family I’ve ever known, sir. I know most wolves don’t accept me, but it’s where I grew up. I don’t know any fox families, and red fox tribes are going extinct. My entire pack was killed in that fire.”
• Nodding, his eyes say he actually feels sorry for me. “Yes. I remember hearing stories about that when I was younger. I’m sorry for your loss.”
• “Thank you, Alpha.”
• “Humm. What do you do for a living?”
• He really seems interested, and I hope whatever I say doesn’t set him off. I’ve been scared of shifters before, but this guy is as terrifying as he is handsome.
• “I work at the pack house, doing dishes, cleaning, and folding linens. That sort of thing.”
• “She’s a stripper!” I heard a man yell from the crowd, making me scowl in the voice’s direction, as others snickered in response to his taunts.
• “Is that true?”
• “Yes, Alpha. Part time. I’m a burlesque dancer and an erotic dancer as my second job. I needed the money to care for my family. They were starving, and my father is very ill.”
• “Your parents are retired then?”
• “Yes. Papa was the Blue Moon General in charge of the warrior recruits with special ops, but now we are just trying to get by.”
• Looking around the room, his brows narrow in irritation. “Damon, did Jones have a wellness plan for his retired people in his army?”
• “No, Alpha. Things were bad here before you came. Our pack only started to improve from the changes you’ve been making. Unfortunately, many of our pack are barely making ends meet, and most of them are going hungry, or going without. We have a lot of homeless in camps down by the river. I’m sorry. I thought you were briefed on that.”
• “No, I wasn’t. But we can deal with that later. I want our financial department to investigate this and figure out a way to distribute Jones’ personal earnings among those affected. None of my people will be begging for food, shelter, or medical care on my watch. I may be a ruthless bastard, but my wolf packs want for nothing.”
• I smile at that demand because my father hasn’t been able to afford his medication in months, and we get by with the bare minimum. That money may not last long, but anything could help. I’m getting tired of eating cabbage stew and soup beans.
• “What’s your name, girl?”
• “Foxy Wild. I mean Francis. Francis Wilder.”
• “Humm… Foxy, huh? It suits you,” he says with a sly grin as I watch his sexy ice-blue eyes shift from human to wolf and back again. “I want you to start working on learning to shift properly, understand? That tail and ears can get us into some trouble with the humans. I’ll have my people find someone who works with taming wilds. I assume that’s why you can’t shift.”
• “Sir… It’s a birth defect I can’t control. I’m not sure it will help, but I will try my best.”
• Circling me, he sniffs again. “I’ve never met a true wild before. Interesting.”
• “Sir, may I ask a question?”
• “Yes.”
• “Are you…” I gulp down a lump in my throat before asking, “Are you going to kill me?”
• “No. Why? Do I have a reason to?”
• “No, sir. I’m just a smaller animal and—”
• “And what? Do you think because you are small that means you’re not part of the pack? Obviously, this pack took pity on you and claimed you as their own. So, if you’re in my pack, you’re one of us, regardless of size or species.”
• Rolling my eyes at that, I can see he understands that isn’t always the case. The shifters in the room wouldn’t care if I were alive or dead. They just tolerate me.
• Stepping in closer, he whispers in my ear, making me shiver as his warm breath hits my skin. “I saw what happened before the ceremony. No one will hurt you under my command, my little fox.”
• Nodding in agreement, I sure hope he’s right.