shocked silence that Jill broke. “You are his mate, though.” She fell silent for a minute, apparently thinking hard. “You know, I think it"s a good idea. You and me will go to Taye"s Pack in Kearney for the winter. Come spring, Shadow can court you.”
The women seemed even more shocked at this. “Grandmother!” gasped Stands Tall.
“You can"t leave the Clan!”
“Why not?” said Jill. “Your brother Dan is almost never here, and Lobo and Jimmy
White Elk wander all summer long. I"m an old woman now. The cold makes these old bones ache. Me and Glory will be safe in Taye"s den. His Pack will look out for us.”
Tara frowned. “Shadow may let you go, Grandmother, but Glory? His wolf will go mad imagining her with other men.”
Glory huffed. “It"s none of his business if I go out with a dozen men!”
A couple of the big wolf-dogs howled.
“He would kill them all!” Tara warned.
Jill nodded reluctantly. “Yes, that really is true, Glory. But I"ll be there to chaperone you.
And Taye"s Pack won"t let any strange men near you. So I"ll talk to Muddy Wolf about it tonight. We can leave before the Clan heads off to the winter camp in the Black Hills.”
Glory climbed laboriously to her feet. This sitting on the ground was going to kill her.
She hoped Taye"s den had chairs. “Hey, Jill, who"s Taye? Is he, like, part of the Clan?”
“He"s the grandson of my husband"s second brother. Del and Naomi"s son. You heard their story just now. Taye"s Pack is part of the Clan, but they live separately from us in a remodeled motel. They are the ones with the hot running water.”
That sounded good. She still didn"t know who any of those people were or how they were related, but hot water sounded good. Glory nodded with enthusiasm. “Rock on. When can we leave?”
“First we have to clear it with Muddy Wolf. Then pack. Probably a couple days.”
“But Grandmother,” wailed Stands Tall. “Who will lead us women when you"re gone?
You"re our Lupa.”
“You girls will have to figure that out yourself. I won"t be around forever, you know.”
No, Glory agreed to herself. Jill already looked so frail she could die any minute. Her heart jolted. Jill was all she had here. Jill was all she had, period. She noticed the women looking at her. “What?”
“You are an alpha, Glory. You will be the next Lupa.” Emma was serene about it, almost congratulatory.
Yeah, and she could fly, too. “No, thanks.” Glory looked down at the women still sitting on the ground. “You seem pretty calm about me being here. I mean, how often do you meet people who were living in 2014 just a few days ago? Especially ones you want to put in charge?”
The women exchanged glances. Stands Tall Woman shrugged. “Never. But what can we
do about it? You"re here. You"re an alpha that Shadow"s wolf chose for his mate. We"re just glad you"re here.”
Glory stared at them. What were they, zombies? Shouldn"t they be mad at her for butting in their territory? She opened her mouth to ask, but the dogs were standing now, staring in one direction. The boys leapt up and abandoned the women to go see what had the dogs all riled up. After a minute the littlest of the boys came trotting back. “Grandmother! Women are coming!”
The women all jumped up, looking awfully excited. Glory suddenly remembered that she hadn"t combed her hair yet. She looked for a place to put her empty bowl, and her eyes found Jill still sitting in her chair.
“What women are coming?” she asked, juggling her bowl as her purse fell off her
shoulder to jerk her elbow down.
Jill"s scanty eyebrows lifted. “I don"t know. These days women don"t just wander around without an armed male escort for protection. Maybe they are survivors from the plane?”
Glory blinked at the idea that a woman had to be led around by a man as if she were a puppy on a leash. That explained Shadow"s question about she and Jane being alone yesterday. And that was probably why his “wolf”
The women seemed even more shocked at this. “Grandmother!” gasped Stands Tall.
“You can"t leave the Clan!”
“Why not?” said Jill. “Your brother Dan is almost never here, and Lobo and Jimmy
White Elk wander all summer long. I"m an old woman now. The cold makes these old bones ache. Me and Glory will be safe in Taye"s den. His Pack will look out for us.”
Tara frowned. “Shadow may let you go, Grandmother, but Glory? His wolf will go mad imagining her with other men.”
Glory huffed. “It"s none of his business if I go out with a dozen men!”
A couple of the big wolf-dogs howled.
“He would kill them all!” Tara warned.
Jill nodded reluctantly. “Yes, that really is true, Glory. But I"ll be there to chaperone you.
And Taye"s Pack won"t let any strange men near you. So I"ll talk to Muddy Wolf about it tonight. We can leave before the Clan heads off to the winter camp in the Black Hills.”
Glory climbed laboriously to her feet. This sitting on the ground was going to kill her.
She hoped Taye"s den had chairs. “Hey, Jill, who"s Taye? Is he, like, part of the Clan?”
“He"s the grandson of my husband"s second brother. Del and Naomi"s son. You heard their story just now. Taye"s Pack is part of the Clan, but they live separately from us in a remodeled motel. They are the ones with the hot running water.”
That sounded good. She still didn"t know who any of those people were or how they were related, but hot water sounded good. Glory nodded with enthusiasm. “Rock on. When can we leave?”
“First we have to clear it with Muddy Wolf. Then pack. Probably a couple days.”
“But Grandmother,” wailed Stands Tall. “Who will lead us women when you"re gone?
You"re our Lupa.”
“You girls will have to figure that out yourself. I won"t be around forever, you know.”
No, Glory agreed to herself. Jill already looked so frail she could die any minute. Her heart jolted. Jill was all she had here. Jill was all she had, period. She noticed the women looking at her. “What?”
“You are an alpha, Glory. You will be the next Lupa.” Emma was serene about it, almost congratulatory.
Yeah, and she could fly, too. “No, thanks.” Glory looked down at the women still sitting on the ground. “You seem pretty calm about me being here. I mean, how often do you meet people who were living in 2014 just a few days ago? Especially ones you want to put in charge?”
The women exchanged glances. Stands Tall Woman shrugged. “Never. But what can we
do about it? You"re here. You"re an alpha that Shadow"s wolf chose for his mate. We"re just glad you"re here.”
Glory stared at them. What were they, zombies? Shouldn"t they be mad at her for butting in their territory? She opened her mouth to ask, but the dogs were standing now, staring in one direction. The boys leapt up and abandoned the women to go see what had the dogs all riled up. After a minute the littlest of the boys came trotting back. “Grandmother! Women are coming!”
The women all jumped up, looking awfully excited. Glory suddenly remembered that she hadn"t combed her hair yet. She looked for a place to put her empty bowl, and her eyes found Jill still sitting in her chair.
“What women are coming?” she asked, juggling her bowl as her purse fell off her
shoulder to jerk her elbow down.
Jill"s scanty eyebrows lifted. “I don"t know. These days women don"t just wander around without an armed male escort for protection. Maybe they are survivors from the plane?”
Glory blinked at the idea that a woman had to be led around by a man as if she were a puppy on a leash. That explained Shadow"s question about she and Jane being alone yesterday. And that was probably why his “wolf”
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