The Wolf in Sheep's Skin

Chapter 15

I bit my tongue, so I didn’t reveal my thoughts about the whole process. We stood, and the group filtered out of the room, into the kitchen. The women who’d been selected by Olivia to oversee things stuck together as a group, laughing like some awful clique.

Bridget joined them with her back to me. The woman I’d sat next to joined me, and we clung to the edge of the room. I glared at the empty spot where my tray had been.

As we stopped in the kitchen, Olivia passed me and wrinkled her nose.

“Are you the reason it smells like a mechanic in here?” She glared at the black blotch on my dress.

“Oh, um, I think I got some on me by accident.” I let out a nervous laugh. She looked me up and down and continued past me. Olivia stopped at a tray of desserts, and everyone kept chatting, but kept their eyes on her.

She grabbed a little plate and dished herself a few things. The other women craned their necks, watching her.

“Did you bring something?” The knitting woman asked me. She was standing next to me, eyeballing Olivia. I glanced at her and debated on lying. But what if someone here can tell I’m lying? What’s worse, saying I didn’t bring something, or saying someone else ate them all?

“Yeah, I did.”

“I brought a fruit tart. I’m Anna, by the way.” She smiled at me and turned her attention back to Olivia. She’d taken a bite out of what appeared to be a brownie. Her face twisted in disgust, and she looked around the room.

“Who made these?” She called out.

“I did.” A lady called out, chewing on her nails.

“What made you think pistachios belong in brownies? And stop biting your nails; it’s a disgusting habit.” Olivia grabbed the tray of brownies, walked to a trash can, and poured the whole tray in.

The lady grimaced, and the room grew tense. My mouth hung open, and shock kept me from shouting at her.

That was so cruel! I waited for someone to say something, but the woman hung her head, and the others near her scooted away from her.

“Tell her off.” Lilith growled in the back of my mind. I opened my mouth, but snapped it shut.

It’s not my problem. She can be cruel all she wants, I’m only here for the shop. It’s not my fault if the Alpha lets her act that way.

“It would be fun.” Lilith taunted. I pursed my lips, knowing I couldn’t disagree. But I kept my head down, showing off my best submissive act.

Olivia repeated the process, and either liked what was brought and praised the maker, or hated it, and tossed the whole tray. I thought of the melted, deformed cookies I brought, and relief went through me.

At least she won’t see them. The women who’d been insulted had huddled into a corner, and I swore I’d seen some of them wiping their eyes.

After Olivia had sampled each tray, she looked around at all of us; her eyes settled on me and narrowed. I tensed and stared at the floor.

“You didn’t bring something? Olivia waved at the counters behind her.

“I did.” I said, making sure I wasn’t lying.

“I don’t see it. What, you expect me to believe it walked off or something?” She scowled, glaring at me with hatred. She doesn’t believe me? Maybe she can’t tell if I’m lying or not.

Can any of them smell a lie? I glanced at the women around us. All of them appeared to be young. They’ve all been sucking up to her. Trying to get her to like her. Old wolves can smell lies. Why would an old wolf be here, trying to gain her favor?

I put my head down, hunching over. A smile tried to creep at the corners of my lips, but I forced it away. This’ll be a lot easier than I thought.

“I think I saw someone take the tray away?” I gave Olivia a confused look, scrunching my face and frowning.

“Who?” Her brows knitted together, and she crossed her arms. I could smell her jealousy and anger saturate the air.

“I didn’t recognize them. I… I wanted to say something. That they were for the group. But I couldn’t.” I said in a soft voice and hung my head like I was defeated. I could barely contain myself, keeping the smile from spreading across my face.

Olivia glared at me, and I froze with my hands clasped in front of me. I put on my best submissive posture, just like I’d been taught. She tapped her foot on the ground, huffing. She crossed her arms, glaring at me.

“How exactly did you slap Jay at the party? He’s above you. Above all of us.” Olivia spat out at me.

I tensed and tried to process her question. Eleanor must be right! I didn’t think she’d be so blunt about it though. All the other women gasped and stared at me with wide eyes. Some of their mouths opened in shock, while others exchanged whispers.

“Tell her to f*ck off. That we’re above her. Put her in her place, we don’t have to take sh*t from her.” Lilith growled in the back of my mind and clawed to get out. I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my teeth together.

My mouth wanted to say it. To tell Olivia off. To follow Lilith and do as she suggested. But memories came to mind. Of all the times I’d let Lilith win. When I’d gone against dominant wolves. Alpha’s and Beta’s didn’t respond well to being told off.

All the times my family had to move, to start over came to mind. My dad’s talks and lessons about how to behave, how to subdue Lilith came to mind. His warning of what would happen if I continued to have incidents played through my mind.

Packs don’t allow uncontrolled wolves. You’ve got to gain control.

“I’m not sure. I just… he was being rude. It just happened.” I mumbled down to the floor and my stomach tightened. Please believe me.

“Weren’t you scared? You went right up to him.” Olivia c*cked her head to the side.

F*ck.

“I… my sister dared me too. I was terrified, but I had to.” I lied through the skin of my teeth. My stomach dropped, and I tensed. Please don’t be able to smell lies.

Olivia pursed her lips, squinting at me. Her eyes burned against my skin as she looked me up and down.

“Do you know who Jay is? What he does?” Olivia leaned in; her face harsh with frown lines as she glared at me. I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off. “He’s the enforcer, he goes around k*lling people. He isn’t someone people just walk up to.”

“What?” He k*lls people? I knew he’s a jerk, but that?

“That’s what he meant when he said he ‘handles problems’.” Olivia did air quotes with her fingers and hissed at me.

Shoes tapped on the ground, coming towards us. Olivia’s eyes got big as saucers, and she stood up straight.

“Hello, ladies!” Alpha Ansel said in a chipper tone. All the women turned towards him. He walked closer, with a big grin on his face.

“Alpha!” Olivia did a little bow, and her cheeks had a hint of pink.

Alpha Ansel stopped next to her and put his hand on her back. She tensed, staring past his face, like she was avoiding making eye contact.

“How did the meeting go? What’s the next theme?” He gave her a big smile, but it wasn’t like before. My stomach dropped, and it was painful to look at his smile. It was wrong; his eyes didn’t light up like they had when we’d met in the hallway.

“French, sir.” Olivia clasped her hands together in front of her.

“French? I look forward to it. Did everyone have a good time?” His eyes swept across the rest of us, a genuine look of curiosity on his face. Olivia’s eyes got big, and a hint of fear scented the air.

Everyone nodded yes, glancing at one another. But I knew our silence had to speak volumes.

“Just as I’d thought.” He nodded, and the unsettling smile spread across his face again. Olivia leaned away from him, and he dropped his hand from her back. “I’m sure you’ll remember to send invitations to all the pack members. Everyone is welcome, as always.”

She cringed at his words.

“It was a pleasure to see you all, thank you for your time.” Alpha Ansel tilted his head, and did a little old timey bow, before walking walk. Olivia sucked in her checks and glared at the floor.

The committee formed two groups after Ansel left. The women who had won Olivia’s favor through baked goods and ‘earned’ a job for the committee. And the women who hadn’t gotten on Olivia’s good side.

I stayed with the women who hadn’t won her favor and kept my head down. The group was silent, glancing at one another. Their eyes were red, like they were holding in tears. Some of them looked afraid.

I was next to Anna, and we all silently stared at one another. Tension was thick in the air, and I stared at the ground. Hopefully it worked. Olivia might leave me alone. At least she got what she wanted by snubbing me.

I chewed on my bottom lip, replaying the evening in my head. Was it enough for her? Will she believe that I’m some submissive not worth being bothered over?

Olivia cleared her throat, and everyone turned to her.

“Thank you everyone. Everyone who has an assigned job, come early to the pack event next weekend to help prepare. I’m sure you’ll all do well at your assigned jobs.” Olivia smiled at the women around her, in her little group. It was sinister, almost threatening. At least I don’t have to help with the st*pid pack party.

She glanced at our sad little group and gave us a mock frown.

“And to anyone who didn’t get a job this time, I’m sure you’ll get one next time.” She smiled at us. My skin crawled, and my instincts told me that wouldn’t be the case.

The groups split up after that, and we all shuffled out of the pack house. I went out to my car, where Bridget was wrangling Henry and Ava. They must have a daycare here. Henry argued with her about getting in the car and ran off into the grass.

“Don’t run away from me, it isn’t safe! We’re in a parking lot!” Bridget shouted. I walked towards them, and Henry raced to me. He leaped into my arms.

“Auntie!” He grinned, and I frowned at him.

“You know you’re not supposed to run from your mom!” I set him down, making sure to hold onto his wrist. He growled at me, trying to pull away.

“Thank you!” Bridget came over, huffing from the effort of chasing a toddler. “Get in the car.” She glared at Henry, and he stuck his tongue out at her.

I helped her get him into the car, and after she buckled him in, she stood and groaned.

“I really hope he naps in the car.” Her face fell, and she had dark circles under her eyes.

“If he doesn’t, hopefully he’ll go to bed soon.” I grimaced. “Congratulations on getting a job from the committee.” The Olivia committee. I patted her shoulder, and she beamed at me.

“Oh, I’m so excited! I love being part of pack stuff.” A smile spread across her face and her eyes lit up. “Plus, it gets me out of the house.”

“It is pretty loud. I can’t wait to get my own place, after the shop is settled.” I smiled at her.

“Ava doesn’t sleep well, but we’re searching. Hopefully a house will come up soon.” Bridget sighed and looked at Henry through the window.

“You’ll find something.”

We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. I drove to the shop, parked behind the building and went inside. The store was closed by now, Maeve and I had already planned on me coming over to discuss the meeting.

I went in the back door, locking it behind me.

“I got food from the diner! I tried calling, but you didn’t answer. I figured you were driving and picked something for you.” Maeve called. I followed her voice and found her upstairs, in the tiny apartment on the third floor.

She had a dinky little table with a few cr*ppy chairs. She was eating at it, with styrofoam containers stacked up, like we were having a feast.

“Sorry, I started eating without you.” Maeve said. She had an open container in front of her with partly eaten roasted chicken.

“Don’t worry about it; thanks for picking something up. I’m starving; all I’ve had was sweets.” I sat down and grabbed the only closed container. I opened it and my mouth watered. Grilled steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, and a side of buttered broccoli.

“How’d it go? What happened? The store’s been dead all day.” Maeve asked, but I dove into my meal, taking too big of a bite. The steak was perfectly seasoned, and the mashed potatoes were real, not the cr*p from a box.

“Eat first, story after.” I took a bite of steak, savoring the melt-in-your-mouth texture.

“Was today that bad?” She scrunched up her face. “Want a beer?” She held hers up, and I shook my head no.

“It’s been a weird day, but not that weird. Olivia obviously hates me.” I said after swallowing. I told her about the group meeting, skipping my interaction with Jay beforehand.

“So, it’s just a big, bend over for Olivia fest then?” Maeve scoffed and shook her head. “I guess it’s relieving to see she’s a b*tch to everyone.”

“Right? I mean, all these women look up to her, and she practically spat on them!” I told her about the desserts.

“She threw them away?” Maeve’s face twisted in anger, and she huffed, taking another drink of her beer. She crossed her arms and scowled. “Who does she think she is?”

“I don’t know, but she must think she’s pretty important.” I pictured the women standing in the corner, unable or unwilling to defend themselves. And I was one of them. Waiting, pretending. Hoping she’d leave me alone. I frowned at the thought.

“Did she do that to you? What did she say about the cookies you brought?” Maeve leaned in with a vengeful look on her face. My face warmed, and I looked away.

“Well, they weren’t exactly there for her to try.”

“Did you not make them? I know cooking isn’t your thing.” Maeve’s face softened, and I glared at her.

“I did make them! I made little chick cookies; they were charming!” I pictured them, their sad little eyes staring up at me as their frosting melted. “Who am I kidding; they were awful.”

“I was worried when you said you were going to make them.” Maeve shrugged. I wanted to tell her off, but I couldn’t help but laugh. She joined me, and I sat there, my gut aching as I pictured the horrible cookies I’d made. After a few minutes, we’d caught our breath.

“If you made them, why didn’t she try them?” Maeve wiped tears from her eyes.

“Jay ate them all.” I giggled, still coming down from my fit of laughter.

She froze and blinked at me.

“You saw him again?” Maeve leaned in, her eyes lighting up. “Why didn’t you start with that?” She frowned at me. I stopped laughing and ground my teeth together.

Olivia’s words replayed in my mind. He k*lls people. I frowned. Everyone is so afraid of him. Should I tell her? I glanced at her, so eager to hear the events of my day.

I don’t even know if what she said is true. She could’ve been lying. I wouldn’t put it past her. Or maybe it’s in his past? Lots of old wolves have had to k*ll people to defend themselves. Dad has.

He might be rude, but I can’t spread rumors about him without knowing if it’s true or not.

“I caught him eating all the cookies I brought.” I scowled.

“Well, maybe it was a blessing? Olivia didn’t see them.” Maeve grinned ear to ear. “Did he like them?”

I frowned and glared at her.

“Come on, we’re sisters! How else are you going to talk to about it? I give great man advice. Are you going to make me beg?”

“You are begging, and he was very blunt about how awful my cookies tasted.” My face practically caught fire, thinking about the other time he’d mentioned my ‘cookie’. Maeve beamed at me, and I groaned.

“You’re blushing.” She put both elbows on the counter and rested her head on her hands.

“He, it was…” I scowled; my mouth unable to spit the rest out. I eyed her, sighed, and leaned in, whispering. “He said he wanted, to, uh… he said he wanted to eat my ‘cookie’.” I emphasized ‘cookie’, scrunching my brows together and motioning to my lap. Her eyes got big, and she gasped, sitting up straight.

“Oh my God!” She shouted. “Did you let him?”

“What? No, of course not! He’s rude and insolent and acts like some kind of animal!” I recoiled, leaning back.

“But doesn’t that make you want to be ravaged?” She practically swooned.

“No! It makes me angry, it makes me want to yell at him! I’m not interested in playing around with someone!” I scoffed in disgust and crossed my arms.

Maeve flinched and looked away, towards the floor. My gut dropped, and I kicked myself.

“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with playing around with people or experimenting. It just isn’t for me. I just… don’t enjoy it.” I scrunched my face, remember the few men I’d been with. Maeve’s face softened, and she gave me a pitiful look.

“You aren’t even going to give him a try?”

“He isn’t my type.”

“Do you find him attractive?” Maeve raised a brow at me.

“No!” I responded too quickly. “I mean, he isn’t awful. He’s just not what I’m looking for.”

“Right. You’re looking for some gentleman to sweep you off your feet.” She sighed.

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting a good, respectable man. One that doesn’t use vulgar language.” I crossed my arms and scowled.

“Don’t you remember what dad always says? Fate decides who your mate is, and when you find them. There’s no harm in having fun along the way.”

“Jay isn’t fun; he’s annoying and inconvenient.”

“Alright, if you say so.” She shrugged and picked at a chip in the table’s paint.