Chapter 3

Toklo

I don’t know what I expected, but being thrown out on my ass was a big possibility. And I wasn’t lying when I said I had nowhere to go. I had sided with the wrong candidate for alpha, not something forgiven easily by the winner of the challenge. And despite my strong feelings, cheating had been involved in his win, which mattered not at all.

The Male-Order app had seemed like a godsend. Especially when the possible match had been nearly 100 percent, and everything about him went right with that. He was hot, so hot, and smelled amazing. I had no desire to be in charge of anything, but I had great respect for those who were and who did it with grace and garnered respect from their followers.

Chrach, the new alpha up north, was none of those things, but until someone stronger came along, he would hold his place despite all his negative qualities. I just hoped he didn’t do too much damage to those I loved. My leaving eliminated one of his great annoyances. Perhaps that meant my family wouldn’t be a target for his meanness. I mourned the death of the old alpha still.

But I could do no more for them, at least for now, and since the alpha here, Sheppard, had made his complete lack of interest in me apparent, I must turn my attention to being a useful member of the pack. I could earn my keep and then some. Work scared me not at all. Idleness rather did, coming with time to worry about those I left behind.

Ralph was chattering away as he led me down a long gravel path to a long, single-story wooden structure. “Here’s the bunkhouse. Leave your stuff on one of the beds with the mattress rolled up. I’m afraid you’ll find mostly uppers, so I hope that’s okay. You can move everything into one of the open, empty lockers this evening before bedtime.” He waited while I walked to the other end of the building before finding the promised bed, and it was an upper bunk. But I didn’t mind. As a cub I’d climbed anything I could find, not always much in the great whiteness, but there were a few trees and quite a few boulders.

I followed the beta back outside and we continued along the path. It curbed toward the back of the house and then farther to a woodlot. We’d had one up north as well, although the abundance of trees in this area made it easier, no doubt, to gather enough for everyone. Lengths of wood were piled around three sides of the area, with a mechanical wood-splitter on the fourth. A solar panel appeared to power it, which I found admirable. But Ralph stopped in the middle of the yard, where stood a stump with an axe in it. “The alpha wants you to use this instead of the machine, got it?”

“Sure.” I reached for the handle.

“We need a lot of wood for the winter.” He fixed a stare on me. “It gets very cold.”

I arched a brow at him, pausing. How cold did it get here in the Pacific Northwest? Did it even snow? But perhaps people’s idea of hot and cold were based more on what they were used to. “No problem. Are there any gloves?” I didn’t mind chopping wood, but hands could get sweaty.

“Do you need them?” His voice held a little bit of snark, but I’d heard worse.

“They help prevent injuries. I’m fond of all my fingers.” I waited. He knew that. I hoped this pack didn’t have a penchant for hazing new arrivals.

“Gloves are in the shed over there.” He pointed. “Help yourself but don’t take more than you need.”

“Thank you.” I released my grip on the axe handle and started toward the shed.

“Toklo? That’s your name right?”

“Yes.” I waited. “Did you need something?”

“Remember all those rules I went over. We take them seriously.”

Oh shit. While he was chattering about nonsense, he’d managed to slip something important past me. Deliberate or not, it didn’t matter. Although most were probably common sense, like be respectful to the alphas and betas, courteous to the others, don’t draw negative attention on the pack, every group had its own preferences based on the area or the personalities of its members.

Or some that seemed to hold no logic but were enforced with a vengeance. “Uh, there is a lot to remember for my first day. Are the rules written down anywhere?”

He stared at me like I’d grown two heads. “You mean like a handbook?” His sarcasm warned me that I should have paid better attention. Of course, I should have. “Since there are only four rules, we’ve settled for writing them on the whiteboard on the back of the bunkhouse door.”

Thank the gods.

“Oh, right. Sorry, I’ve been traveling a long way, and I just want to be sure to do my part and fit in.”

He seemed to consider a moment then gave a nod. “You’ll manage. I can’t wait to see you on the first run though. All that white fur. It would be entertaining not to tell the rest of them.”

I shrugged. “Don’t they already know, since apparently, they were all in on the joke of inviting me?” The rejection stung, I couldn’t pretend it didn’t.

“They know about the app, but not about your background at all.” His grin won me over. That and it couldn’t hurt to have the man who was apparently my boss on my side. “Okay?”

“All right.” I started off again then stopped and turned. “They aren’t going to want to fight or anything?”

“Nah. Holt knows and a few others, and they will love to be in on the joke. Now, go get the gloves and get to work. I would razz you about them more, if you had said you didn’t want blisters.”

I held up my hands. “I have calluses on top of calluses. I don’t see blisters happening while chopping a little wood.”

“Listen for the dinner bell.” And he was gone, leaving me to my thoughts and my axe and a pile of fire-ready wood that grew until it was taller than my head before I heard the chime announcing dinnertime.

I was hungry enough to eat almost anything.