Once Bitten

the long center hall.

“Ah, there she is.” Her mother hugged her tightly, briefly, before stepping back and looking her over with narrow eyes. She pushed her to a chair. “Sit. Did they forget to feed you?” More like she'd spent most of the last few days too wound up to eat, but she wasn't about to tell her mother that.

Liza pulled a chair out and sat, gaze taking in the crowded room. Measuring. Zach, standing near the back door with her father, met her eyes with a nod, his face expressionless as he focused on whatever Henry was saying. Caleb was at the stove, flipping bacon and arguing good-naturedly with Ethan, one of her soldiers. As if he felt her watching, he turned and winked at her.

Her mother had moved to one of the wall ovens and was pulling out a sheet of homemade biscuits. Liza drew the familiar smell into her lungs. It was good to be home. When she stood to help, her mom tried to wave her back to her seat, but she ignored her and helped set up the sideboard. Platters of biscuits, eggs and bacon, and a bowl of fruit were set out. Unsurprisingly, she found herself seated between Caleb and Zach.

She was rinsing her plate when Gabby came in. The other woman gave Ethan a dark look and approached her. “Thank gods, you're back,” she muttered.

Liza cocked an eyebrow. Gabby was one of her few good friends, another soldier, and perennially cheerful. “Problems?”

“Nothing I can't handle,” she answered darkly.

Ooo-kay. There was definitely a problem, but she'd wait to push Gabby about it when they were alone in her office. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “Are you eating?” Gabby shook her head. “Already did.”

Caleb and Zach had already left, so she went to her office, Gabby and Ethan tagging along.

Inside, Gabby kept several feet between them and avoided looking at him while he watched her with heavy- hooded eyes. Liza sighed. If she had to guess, her money was on a recent horizontal tango between the two of them. The problem was werewolves tended to go possessive under those circumstances. Gabby would have ended the affair the minute that started to happen.

“Is this going to be a problem?” Liza asked them sharply.

Ethan grinned, and Liza bit her lip at Gabby's sharp intake of breath. Not as unaffected as she'd like to pretend. “Nothing I can't handle,” Ethan said.

She rolled her eyes. The man was delusional if he thought he could handle Gabby pissed off at him. Professionally? Sure. As an angry lover? Not so easy.

“I really don't have time to referee right now, Ethan.”

He immediately sobered and nodded. “Understood. The challenge is scheduled for one this afternoon at the circle.” With a considering look for Gabby that made it clear he wasn't backing down, he went on. “I'm going to head over there and make sure everything is set up.”

“Okay. Go ahead.”

Liza waved him out, and Gabby shut the door behind him with a little more force than necessary. Her desk was piled with reports and message slips, but she ignored them and, leaning back against the front edge, crossed her arms over her chest.

“Spill,” she ordered her friend and lieutenant.

Gabby paced, finally shrugged, and sank into one of the chairs in front of the desk.

“Nothing to tell, really. I had an itch. He scratched it. End of story.”

“Uh huh.”

“You know how they get.” Gabby narrowed her gaze on Liza's neck. “Both of them? Ethan filled me in last night, but I didn't believe it.”

“Last night, huh?” And here she'd been under the impression the affair, or one-night stand, or whatever Gabby was calling it, had been several days ago.

Gabby groaned. “I keep saying this is the last time, but then he'll show up just in time for dinner and I figure, fine. I'll feed him and send him on his way.” Liza laughed when instead of continuing, Gabby blushed. “You can't resist him?” she teased. “What's the problem then?”

The blush faded as quickly as it had come on, and growling, Gabby jerked to her feet and stalked to the window. “He's the worst playboy in the pack. You know that. He'll move on when he gets bored.”

As much as Liza hated to admit it, her friend was probably right. In which case it would have been better for Gabby and Ethan to leave their friendship strictly platonic. Gabby had always had a soft spot for him. Liza sighed. This wasn't something she could mediate for the good of the pack. “I'm sorry,” she said softly.

Gabby looked over her shoulder to meet Liza's eyes and nodded. “Me too.” She went back to her chair and sat. “Let's get to work.”

Liza let her change the subject and started sifting through the papers on her desk. She sighed. For all intents and purposes, she was the pack's police chief and administrator, and as such not much more than a bureaucrat. What had made her think she actually wanted this job?

The papers were nothing but busy work. Patrol reports. Incident reports. Requests for new training equipment. The hours passed at a crawl, but finally it was late enough to head down to the pack circle.

A small crowd was already hanging out, including both alphas and her father. She couldn't help but be suspicious when she couldn't find Zach or Jonas. She glanced at her watch constantly while she chatted with Gabby. Fifteen minutes. Ten. They finally entered the clearing with three minutes to spare. Neither appeared injured, but Zach's smirk was too satisfied for something not to be going on.

Jonas bowed low to her. “I withdraw my challenge.”

What the fuck? Jonas had been gunning for her for years and he was passing up his chance now? She glared at Zach. Her power pulsed through her, and for a minute she was afraid she would lose control of it. Caleb said something, she missed the words while she struggled for control, and the crowd slipped away until only she, Caleb, and Zach were left.