Matt spent most of the day in the kitchen preparing dinner. Though he made it clear that the dinner party had everything to do with forging a friendship and nothing to do with joining a pack, I knew he wanted everything to go smooth. Those damn shrimp spring rolls and crab cakes made from scratch said as much. Had it been left up to me, I would have thrown some steaks on the grill and kicked back on the couch.

Six o'clock arrived and so did our guests. Matt remained sequestered in the kitchen while I answered the door. Stephan wore jeans and a button-front light blue shirt hanging over the waistband. Aiyana wore jeans with a white, ribbed turtleneck.

Handing me a bottle of red wine, Stephan greeted me with a kiss on the cheek, his overgrown hairs tickling my face. Aiyana eased between us to give me a hug. Before I could think my nose turned into her long, black mane and whiffed her scent. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to think about it. Smooth as silk, I kept going as though nothing happened. Our guests didn't act like I did anything wrong, so why should I?

After taking their jackets and the wine, I showed them to the living room and requested they make themselves at home. Literally. It felt so natural having them in our home that I forgot to offer them anything. Whenever my family came to visit, they knew enough to help themselves without thinking twice. Matt leapt to my rescue by offering drinks from the kitchen. By the time I returned with glasses in tow, our guests had pulled out several DVDs from our collection and asked if we could watch them later.

Sipping my lemonade, I relaxed on our brown, leather recliner. Stephan and Aiyana sat on the matching leather couch, facing the entertainment center. Her shoes were off; one leg folded underneath her thigh and the other swinging back and forth, toes brushing the light beige carpet. She leaned into Stephan's side. He also had his shoes off and ankles crossed with an arm around her shoulders.

Stephan sipped his sweet tea while asking me how much I knew about their society. Talk about twenty questions. I couldn't help smirking. However, the amount of pride I had for my wonderful husband kept my rebelliousness from going beyond the look on my face. Whatever they wanted to know, I told them, keeping my information general and to the point unless they asked for more. Anyone can know the rules and regulations behind their world, but my intrinsic understanding intrigued our guests even more.

"The full moon,” Stephan said, about to sip his iced tea again. “What about it?"

"Well,” I responded, “during the Stone Age, the full moon governed werewolves’ cycles because they weren't mentally developed enough to control their temperament. But like humans, werewolves have evolved. At least, that's what I've heard. Anyway, you experience a little excitement like drinking two cups of coffee, but not enough to force a change."

"And silver?” Aiyana asked, sly smile splaying her face.

"All hype,” I replied. “Metal is metal when it comes down to using it as a weapon, otherwise the planet would've been overrun with our kind by now. Put the slug in the right place, and you die regardless of the metallurgic properties.” Okay, based on their uneasy looks, maybe I should have left my blasé, cold-blooded tone out of it. I nervously squeezed my folded fingers to knuckle whiteness. “Anyone for a refill?"

Stephan hesitated before going into a chuckle. “Matt's prepared you well. At least you know the facts and not just the folklore. But hybrids are an even bigger mystery. Most werewolves are so genetically conscious that they would kill anyone who harbored a half-and-half child."

"Now I know why our numbers are even more obscure than werewolves. Even our family tried to hide from my grandfather."

"But things are different now,” Aiyana said, resting her hand on Stephan's thigh. “You've got a werewolf husband who'll most likely die to protect you. That's going to make him think twice about coming back."

"Maybe. But I wouldn't put anything passed the murderous SOB."

"Enough of the grim talk.” Stephan sipped his tea again before placing it on the end table beside him. “All in all, if Matt was going to fall in love with a human, I'm glad it was you and not someone who would bolt at the first sign of trouble."

My werewolf side kept Matt grounded, lessening his need for bonding with a pack. Being part human, I could only fulfill some of his werewolf needs. A pack could take care of the rest. Take changing for example. It was an act of intimacy my husband and I would never share. Granted, we ran together, but asking me to hunt with him was like asking a child to cook a gourmet meal with all the trimmings. I hunted with a weapon, a style Matt would never accept. In that one sense alone, we lived in different worlds.

When dinner was ready, I made Matt take a seat at the head of his table while I went into the kitchen and prepared the dishes. Aiyana helped, though I reminded her of her guest status in our home. I guess sitting at a table discussing the upcoming court case didn't interest her, not that it would have interested me either. In a few trips, we carried out a salad, a bowl of wild rice, a basket of rolls, mixed vegetables, and the main pot roast dish. It didn't seem like much until you took into account the serving sizes. Boisterous conversation broke out immediately with all the praises going to my husband.

Stephan looked at Matt while swirling a glass of burgundy wine. “There's something else we'd like to run pass you before the hearing tomorrow afternoon. You think you can make it to our office by nine?"

"Does that mean we're in your good graces?” I asked, beating Matt to a response. He glared at me. “Why are you looking at me like that? I just thought I should ask before having dessert ... and other stuff.” Something else came to mind, but I could see it becoming misconstrued as being rude.

The corners of Stephan's mouth curled into a smirk. While holding his glass of wine, he pointed his index finger at me and said, “Your candidness is refreshing. It adds spark to your personality."

"Really? Some people say I speak my mind to the point of no return, but I'm nothing like my sister or my mother. They're like a knife twisting in someone's back.” I licked my tongue at Matt.

Laughter dribbled out of Stephan's mouth along with splatters of wine he hadn't finished swallowing. A few burgundy colored splotches trailed down the front of his light blue shirt. He took his napkin and dabbed at the spots. What a slob. Puckering my laughter, I looked away.

"I wouldn't say you're to that point yet,” Stephan mumbled. “Otherwise you would have ended with something more blatant than ‘other stuff.’”

"So you're not mad at me about messing up pack protocols?"

"No. You already know what's acceptable and what isn't. If I had never told you my real rank in the hierarchy, then you guys would have been walking on eggshells around us. Being yourself is better because we know exactly what to expect."

"Then answer my question.” Teasing, I shot him a sly look of my own. “Do you like us?"

He stopped dabbing at the stains and sighed. “Yes. I like both of you very much. For a person who relies solely on her husband's teachings and him not having access to a pack for so long, the two of you have done quite well for yourselves. It shows you're respectful, intelligent, resourceful, and fiercely dedicated to each other. Those kinds of qualities only exist in a healthy pack. Parry lost a strong mated pair when he let the two of you go. He's a jackass if I ever saw one."

I scraped my chair backwards on the carpeted floor and approached him. “In that case, you need to give me that shirt before the wine sets in.” I held my hand out, waiting for his response.

"What about dessert?” His sparkling green eyes teased me back.

"You'll get an extra helping. The shirt is a bonus."

Stephan's smile grew to an ear to ear grin as he plucked the buttons free. Inch by precious inch, the material peeled back, exposing perfectly smooth skin. Not a hair or a blemish in sight, not that it would have mattered. Saliva flooded my mouth, forcing me to swallow.

Giggling brought my brain back to reality. Matt sat holding his forehead in a pose of humiliation, laughing and twisting it from side to side. Aiyana sat across from Stephan, unable to eat as she chortled behind her napkin.

Smooth fabric touched my hand, forcing my attention back to Stephan. Move, legs, move. Don't look at his ... too late. His wonderfully shaped physique, bare chest and all, ensnared me. Toned muscles, similar to Matt's, rippled across his hairless upper chest, tantalizing me. Yeah, he was handsome, to say the least.

Here I was, gawking over a stranger's body in the presence of my husband. What was my world coming to? I couldn't—no, forget that—I wouldn't look at Matt. Words like ‘adulteress’ and ‘slut’ bounced around my brain. Matt never called me that, so why give him a reason to start?

Clenching the shirt to wrinkles, I flew down the hallway towards the laundry room. A few seconds later, Matt swooped up from behind me, burying his face into the back of my neck. Tiny nibbles and kisses adorned my skin, sending spasms to my knees and deepening my breaths. Matt had nipped his way into one of my erogenous zones.

"You keep that up and we'll have to send our guests home early,” I said, fumbling the stain remover.

"I love you so much,” he said, steaming up my neck. “They won't care if we disappear for a little while.” His hands slipped under my shirt, kneading my breasts. Warm lips sucked the other side of my neck.

"Oh boy.” Licking my lips and closing my eyes, I started again. “Um ... we ... can't..."

"They can smell sex on us anyway.” His hands came down, pressing my groin backwards so that my backside could rub the hard bulge in his pants. “Guess what's for dessert?"

My breathing deepened as Matt fondled the buckle on my pants. Whatever worries I had, they began slipping away the moment he popped the button on my pants. Slowly, he slipped his hand in my panties, finger burrowing past my pubic area and snuggling between my folds.

Good, lord, was it hot in here!

A gulp stifled any more words of dissent. His other hand moved towards my right breast, massaging the nipple to pebble hardness.

We couldn't do this here. Not this. Not with guests in the other room. But if we could make it upstairs, perhaps our guests could wait a few more minutes—

A throat cleared behind us.

We froze in shock. Matt got caught with his hands in my cookie jar. We regrouped by retracting our various appendages, zipping up my pants, and straightening out our shirts before saying anything. So much for first impressions.

"I didn't mean to interrupt,” Stephan said in a cheery voice, “but I was hoping you could lend me a shirt until mine's ready."

Don't look back.

No matter how calm his voice sounded, I wouldn't do it. The embarrassment did enough damage. Facing him would have killed me.

Matt cleared his throat and turned around. As though nothing had happened, his buddy voice directed Stephan away from the laundry room. Regaining my own self-control took a little longer.

"You two have been away from a pack too long,” Aiyana said, suddenly at my side.

Her voice rattled me to the point that my body trembled like a guitar string. I should have heard her footsteps or at least smelled her scent. If it weren't for us indulging in early foreplay I wouldn't have been in this mess right now. No words could dig me out of this ditch, so I kept my mouth shut.

Aiyana leaned her back against the dryer and folded her arms across her chest. I couldn't meet her eyes, so I continued applying the spot remover.

"The reason I say that is because you guys don't have to hide your sensuality from us. We can smell the heat and desire on you two as though it were blood."

"Maybe. But I'm not one for having sex in front of strangers. We should have been more discreet."

"Please,” Aiyana said, waving a dismissive hand. “Don't apologize when you guys have nothing to be sorry for. Sex is as natural as changing forms."

"That's not a good excuse. Neither is flirting with one of our guests in front of my husband."

"What's wrong with that? Flirting, open expressions of love; they're all acceptable practices among our kind. That's why there's no such thing as personal space with us. So you can flirt with Stephan all you want. Besides, it's interesting seeing your werewolf side come out like that."

"My what?"

She grinned. “Think about it. If Matt had been a human male, he would've strangled you by now. Instead he came in here with lust in his eyes."

"And other places,” I mumbled. I couldn't help the tiny smile that curled my lips.

Snickering, she continued. “Your flirting excited him. Our being here triggered the wolf in both of you. With Matt, that's expected. With you ... it's like watching a young girl blossom into a woman. It's a beautiful thing."

I appreciated her honesty, knowing that they didn't take offense at our behavior. Her feeling completely comfortable with my flirting and Matt arousing me a few steps away, astounded me. Had the shoe been on the other foot, I would have pushed Matt out the door and told him that his horny friends were off-limits.

Pack life wasn't just a lifestyle; it was a way of thinking and seeing the world through their eyes. My visceral wolf begged to have a piece of that world. I wanted to dig deeper into their reclusive society, to find out what we'd been missing. I had the drive of an explorer, desperate to know more about the world I stood on the cusp of, never allowed completely inside.

Aiyana bridged a gap for me. Even though only a day had passed since our initial meeting, I saw her as a sister. Outside of my husband, I'd never felt such a deep connection to another werewolf. This type of bonding went beyond friendship and words. I remained on the outside of a cohesive family unit and I wanted in. The glow in Matt's eyes made sense to me now. Even more, I could feel it.

"What are you looking at?” Aiyana said, smiling.

I blinked a couple of times, unaware of my staring at her. “It's nothing. Just a weird feeling is all.” Tossing Stephan's shirt in the washer, I put in the detergent, and set the dials.

"What sort of feeling?"

I met her eyes, despite not answering right away. “A longing. Not to the point where it's unbearable though. Just a weird need that needs fulfilling."

Aiyana's smile brightened. She cupped her cinnamon colored hand on my cheek. Soft strokes smoothed back and forth. Warmth similar to Matt's lingered in places on my skin. Had it been anyone else, I would have pulled back and cursed them out for touching me like that. Not in this case. If anything, I leaned into Aiyana's comforting touch even more. My eyes closed and my head tilted against my shoulder, sandwiching her hand. I wanted to lean all the way into her soothing body heat so I could soak up every last drop.

Now it made sense why I took a piece of her scent at the front door. Aiyana carried her own scent, but she also had the scent of the pack. She lived with them, dined with them, and spent a good portion of her life with them. Smelling their scent on her was my only gateway into the mysterious pack that had eluded me. For now, she and Stephan would have to do.

"You're feeling your own pull towards the pack,” she replied. “Your blood is calling our blood.” She brought her other hand up to the other side of my face, stroking my cheek while combing her fingers through my hair.

"But I've never felt the need to be around a pack before. Matt was all I needed, so that was enough."

"We always feel the need to be with our own kind. You're part human, so you can tame your desires. Full-bloods like us? It's hard. Very hard. We don't handle loneliness well. Matt gets some of his needs fulfilled through you. That's why he's been able to maintain balance in his life."

"But..."

Aiyana smiled, taking her hands away from me. My face almost followed until I stopped and opened my eyes.

She smiled. “You need a pack. Whether you're ready to admit it or not doesn't matter. I'll bet you spent all this time worrying about Matt's desires for a pack, so much that you didn't see your own."

"But you said everything depends on your Alpha. No offense, but I'm not jumping through hoops for him. If that's the case, then you guys can count me out. Blood call or not."

"That's that jackass you left back in Boston. Not all Alphas are like that. Seth demands obedience like any normal Alpha but nothing more. When he's ready to meet you guys, he'll say something. Asking Matt for help with the hearing tomorrow is the first step. Reintegrating Matt into a pack isn't a problem. But proving his worth will secure his position."

"So where does that leave me?"

"You're his wife and part human. The choice is yours. Being part werewolf doesn't mean you'll fit snugly into the big picture. You have to decide if this is for you or not. And Matt's not allowed to make that decision for you."

I reached towards the wall and turned out the lights. Taking it as a hint, Aiyana stepped into the hallway. I came out, closing the door behind me, and let Aiyana lead the way back to the dining room.

Both Stephan and Matt sat at the table, applauding us as we entered. Stephan wore one of Matt's faded Boston University sweat shirts. The men were finishing off the rest of their meals when Aiyana sat down. Taking both her plate and mine I stepped into the kitchen to nuke our food in the microwave. The scent of sweet-smelling apples took me by the nose, leading me to the oven. Looking inside, I saw the pie's fruity filling bubbling over the crust. Before heading back to the dining room, I put on the coffee for dessert and finished re-heating both plates. I handed Aiyana hers and took my seat at the other end of the table. I stuck my fork in the roast beef and was about to take a bite when I stopped. The utter silence in the room was bad enough, but the looks around the table ... all eyes were watching me, grins stuck to their faces.

"Okay,” I said, dropping the fork into my plate. “What gives?"

Matt threw his napkin down and scooted his chair away from the table. His eyes remained transfixed on me the whole time as he stalked toward me. What did I do now? He got down on his knees, turning my chair so that I could face him. A suspicious smile curved his lips before dropping his head into my lap, nuzzling my thighs. My poor husband had lost his mind. Not having a pack finally caught up to him.

I glanced around the table for answers. Our guests stared back at me, conveying nothing except extreme happiness: Aiyana with excited energy in her dark eyes and Stephan sitting on the edge of his seat.

"You felt it,” Matt whispered, face still nuzzling me. “You felt the call."

I lifted his head to so that I could see his eyes. “What call?"

"The call of the pack.” He pushed up on his knees, pulling my face to his. We kissed, tongue and all.

Never have we been so eye to eye on something. We both needed a pack, and we wanted this one. Other than marrying Matt, I'd never been so sure of anything in my entire life.