Fine. Gem stepped forward boldly, accepting the seat Evan graciously held for her. At least not all the northern wolves were without manners.
Just hers. Heavy sigh.
“Caro, have you met Gemmita? She’s up north to do some research. Gemmita, this is Caroline. Head of the admin department at the Moonshine Inn and my right-hand man.” Evan winked. “So to speak.”
Gem nodded politely. “We met at the hotel. Nice to see you again.”
Evan leaned on his elbows and tilted his head toward Shaun. “So. You and him mates?”
Utter shock at him discussing such a thing in front of a human froze her tongue.
She must have unwittingly made a face because Caroline patted her hand. “It’s okay. I know about wolves. My stepdad and stepsiblings are all shifters.”
“Really? That’s very unusual. I mean, it’s uncommon down in Georgia.” Astonishment was followed by a flash of insight.
When she’d set out on this excursion, she’d had no intention of being entrenched in wolf society. Yet in less than a day she’d fallen back into the familiar pattern of feeling comfortable around pack, simply because they were pack. The idea of sitting and talking with a human had made her hesitate at the door almost as much as anticipating Evan’s reaction to her and Shaun’s mating.
Comprehension allowed her to let the curiosity she felt rise.
She’d never been in this position before, having someone fully human she could discuss wolves with. Caroline must have a million experiences to share. With one smooth swipe, some of Gem’s unvoiced concerns fell away. After years of dealing with people during formal events with her father, she knew she was more than capable of having polite conversation in public without anyone holding her hand.
Moreover, she had a lot of other skills that would be needed over the next weeks—not just the ones she’d practiced in the lab, but ones to let her take care of herself. Being helpless wasn’t part of her plan for this trip—she didn’t want to be coddled by anyone. Not by her father, not by her mate.
Happiness accompanied by a tiny bit of pride warmed her, and Gem turned to pepper Caroline with questions.
Evan sat and watched the women, contentment rising as he sipped his drink. Gemmita and Shaun’s mating, although they were a bit of an odd couple, didn’t concern him much. The tension between them was thick enough to cut right now, but that was to be expected. Knowing how strong Shaun was and having experienced a taste of Gemmita’s power the previous night, it was inevitable the two of them would take some time to find a point of balance.
His own future seemed far more uncertain.
Caroline had surprised him that morning, but after a couple hours of thinking through her proposition, he had to admit there was merit in it. Being distracted by the single ladies jostling for position had delayed his actual plans. A temporary moratorium on his solo-ness could help him make some important progress in amalgamating the two Whitehorse packs—which had been his goal since he had taken control of Takhini barely a year ago.
Would Caroline really be able to handle the rest of the pack? She had a way with people, evidenced by her skills at the hotel, but wolves were a cocky bunch. And they liked to get physical when they were uncertain or happy or… Hell, wolves just liked to get physical.
He let his gaze slip over her curves. More importantly, had she thought through what moving in with him implied? If the ploy was going to work, it wasn’t just her presence in his house he’d require. The entire crew would know if they were sleeping together or not.
Besides, while he’d love to have the ladies off his tail, he didn’t relish the idea of being celibate. Not one little bit.
Shaun approached, tray piled high with food and drink. Evan changed his position, deliberately moving closer to Caroline. Then he oh-so-casually stretched his arm along the back of her chair.
Instantly, her scent picked up like usual. Sexual arousal—spicy and invigorating. Yeah, he’d always known she was attracted to him physically. He took another deep breath, savouring her reaction and considering again if he should accept her offer.
“When will you be heading out to do your study?” Caroline didn’t jerk away as he dropped his fingers onto her shoulder, stroking her almost absently.
Gem accepted a drink from Shaun and turned back to answer Caroline. “I had thought the flight was to leave on Saturday, but I guess since Shaun is my pilot and guide, he can tell you better than I can.”
“Yeah, well…” Shaun twisted in his chair. “About that. We need to discuss some specifics. There are a few complications.”
Her whole body tightened. “Really? Doesn’t seem that complicated to me. I hired you to fly me to Dawson and then farther north. Did you need more time to arrange tickets or file for permission or something? I assumed you’d have everything all in place since I prepaid a deposit. I seem to remember receiving confirmation that the trip was a go.”
Shaun wiggled like a two year old, and Evan hid his grin. The irresponsible devil had something on his mind, and for the first time in history, he wasn’t simply spitting out everything without a thought. Maybe this mate business would be what it took to make Shaun live up to his full potential.
Evan watched the impending fireworks with interest, even as he played with the back of Caroline’s neck, caressing her skin, enjoying himself immensely.
She glanced at him, but he ignored the question on her face. Their conversation would come after the two lovebirds in front of them either spontaneously combusted or settled down.
Shaun nodded slowly. “I have the flights arranged, only the timing isn’t right for a direct trip. It’s best if we head up to Dawson City on Saturday and spend some time there looking around. We have to wait for word that the herd has moved past the Porcupine River before we can leave.”
A sharp acknowledgement from Gem. “I mentioned that in my request—I knew there would be matters of timing to deal with. That’s why the sightseeing tour was added in. I did research, you know.”
“Yes, but—” Shaun slammed his mouth shut.
Evan twisted in his seat, tempted to bury his face in Caroline’s neck to be able to let out a laugh. Shaun’s newfound self-control was extraordinary, although the sight was the funniest thing Evan had seen. How to bell a wolf? Bring in a Gem.
“But what? Of course, I’ll pay for your accommodations while we’re waiting in Dawson. Simply part of the research costs.” Gem offered a scone to Caroline, ignoring the wolf at her side who looked as if he was about to burst out foaming at the mouth.
“I don’t need you to pay. In fact, we’ll be refunding your deposit.” Shaun stared at her.
“I don’t think that’s wise. Your business partner has young children. I’m sure they need to eat. I’ll pay as usual.”
“You’re my mate, you’re not paying.”
“I can afford it, I’m paying.”
They glared at each other for a second before Gem coughed lightly and once again turned to speak to Caroline.
Shaun interrupted. “Look, fine. You can pay the cost of the trip, but not the extra. It’s my time, I’m donating it to you.”
Gem blinked. “Thank you.”
Shaun sat back, content.
“…but no,” she continued. “I want to do this, and I’m going to do this. On my own, without being catered to by my father or my mate or anyone else who thinks they have a piece of control over me.”
Heat flushed Shaun’s face. “That makes no sense at all. Why not let me help—”
She stood. “Because you don’t get it. I don’t need help right now. I don’t want help right now. I assume you have to go…somewhere to pick up the helicopter. My initial papers said you’d meet me at the Whitehorse airport on Saturday at noon. I will see you there at that time.”