Green - a werewolf story

28. Decisions

"Wait a second," Vanessa said and handed the phone over to Green. Aiden. It was going to take her some time to get used to his real name.

"It's your sister," she said.

He was still staring at her as if he'd never seen her before or perhaps he was checking for signs that she might explode. When she didn't move, or yell at him, he reached out and carefully took the phone from her.

"Yes?" he said.

"Aiden! Why haven't you introduced us to Vanessa yet?"

He flinched a little at Abby's use of his name and looked over at Vanessa as if he was trying to determine if she'd heard it.

Vanessa pretended to be super busy with the cold dregs of her coffee.

"I didn't want to push her," he said warningly. "I hope you haven't tried to..."

"Ted and I have invited her to come with you to New Orleans and stay with us for a bit before she meets the rest of the pack."

"You did what?" Aiden asked, looking at Vanessa with a slightly panicked glint in his eyes.

What was that about? Didn't he want her to meet his family? Was he ashamed of her?

"I think it's better for her not to meet all of them at once, you know they can be... overwhelming, let's call it, and she seems shy."

Shy? Vanessa bristled. She wasn't shy, she was cautious.

"Abby, can I call you back?"

"So long as you actually do call me back and don't just ghost..."

"I'm gonna call you back," Aiden said and hung up. "Are you okay?" he asked Vanessa.

"Yeah," she said, straightening in her seat. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He peered closer at her. "You look flustered."

"I do not!"

"I'm sorry about my family. They can be pushy."

"Your sister seems nice," Vanessa said. "I don't, however, give much for her taste in husbands."

Green grimaced. "I'd wondered if you'd run into Ted when you lived in New Orleans."

"He has very strong opinions about what an acceptable life for a wolf is like."

"Did he run you out of town?" Green asked.

"No, I left before he had a chance to. Didn't want to get accidentally recruited."

"Many of the former loners who were allowed to join his pack seem very happy about their change in circumstances."

"Yes, cult members tend to seem that way. Right up to the point where someone spikes their drinks with poison."

Green shook his head at her. "A pack is not a cult."

"Isn't it?" Vanessa asked, more comfortable now that they weren't talking about her past anymore. "Let's see. Strong, authoritarian leader that the cult members have to follow blindly or suffer the consequences. A belief in the higher power of said leader. Little to no contact with people who are not members and possible penalties for such contact. A religious faith that..."

"People are free to leave the pack whenever they want," Green cut in.

"And go where, exactly? If a wolf is on their own, people automatically assume they've done something terrible and have been cast out. They won't be welcomed into any new packs, won't be able to stay in touch with the ones they've left, won't..."