Josephine watched, though. She watched the city pass by outside the window as the dusk brought different shadows to town and lights illuminated windows up and down the high-rises.
I needed to hear her voice, though. There was definitely a huge dose of sexy in that back-note rasp of tired.
“It’s been a sunny one today. Sunniest in a while, I think.” Excellent fallback. Always the weather.
She half laughed. “Yeah, I think so. Kind of felt like the damn sun has mocked me the whole day, though.”
I considered her statement as I flipped on my turn signal and pulled into my allocated parking space, but before I could probe further about what exactly the sun had done to her, she leaned forward and looked up at the full scale of my building.
“Oh, wow. Lycan Heights,” she said. Then she laughed. “It’s almost the stuff of mystery, right? Kind of legendary here in the city.”
I nodded but didn’t reply. Her assessment of the place amused me.
“Silver Claw pack, then?”
I nodded again. It was well-known that Lycan Heights was ours, and I never had any reason to deny my pack. I wasn’t ashamed of all I’d achieved for us.
“I’ve never really known anyone from your pack before.”
“Oh?” Surely that wasn’t the case. We were all over the city and not really given to hiding ourselves.
“Well, not for any reason that I’d come back here,” she clarified as she looked up the height of the building again, leaning forward so she could look through where the windshield curved into the car roof. “My family hasn’t had a pack. At least not since I was born, anyway. So, we don’t really do a lot of socializing with members of established packs.”
Lone wolves and their families were fairly common, but I couldn’t imagine being without the support of my pack. We were family, but huge and sprawling. Despite all the negatives and personality clashes and petty arguments that brought — ones I always seemed to find myself solving — nothing could outweigh the positives: loyalty and friendship and shared aims.
I couldn’t imagine being without my pack members.
“I always thought being a member of a pack must be like living in a fairy tale,” she said. “Like some kind of charmed existence.” She shook her head almost like she couldn’t believe something. “And this building proves that. Just look at it,” she breathed as she craned her neck again.
I chuckled.
“It looks just so…so amazing.”
I tried to see my home through her eyes. What could she see? Just what I saw? My condo, a degree of work, of responsibility, of caring for others? Or did it look more like an upmarket hotel?
She had no pack, so it was hard to know what she thought. Silver Claw was the pack every other clan tried to become. We provided for our members.
“Would you like to be part of a pack?” My question was possibly unwanted, blurring the boundaries of a one-night stand, but I wanted to know.
“They’re not all like this, though.” She was still looking at my building like she was committing it to memory, and I allowed myself a small smirk of pleasure at her unconcealed curiosity. Hopefully a large part of that was also admiration.
She glanced at me like joining a pack was something she’d never really considered.
“The leadership of the pack takes a great deal of pride in caring for all the members, whether they live in Carwyn City or farther out in Pointsville. They provide homes and access to education and opportunity.” I could probably have talked her ear off about my ambition for expansion in those areas, but now wasn’t really the time.
She hadn’t come here for a Silver Claw sales pitch.
“I hadn’t really thought about packs. It hasn’t been…” She stopped and ran a hand through her hair, tugging a little on the ends when she got there. “It hasn’t been a consideration, if I’m honest.”
I nodded. That was fair enough. Not every wolf wanted to be part of a pack.
But I still couldn’t stop the next words. “You’re welcome to join Silver Claw.” I never offered invitations — not without extensive background checks or a sponsor from within, anyway. Yet, I carried on and cemented it. “I mean, no matter what happens tonight between the two of us. No caveats, no contingencies. You’re welcome to join, and your family, too, if you like.”
She nodded contemplatively but remained quiet, and I opened my car door. It was still warm outside, and I walked around to Josephine’s side of the car to open her door for her. I glanced at the building. Perhaps Jackson was watching, but I hoped not. I wasn’t sure I wanted anyone to see me bring Josephine home.
Not because I was ashamed to have an unexpected guest, but because I wanted to keep her for myself.
I led her into the communal entrance way, past the doorman, who did nothing but tip his cap respectfully, and into the elevator.