Chapter 1
Taking a deep breath Emma held the flimsy paperwork to her chest with one arm as she opened her car door with the other.
It'd already taken her over twenty minutes just to find the administrators office on grounds. When she first worked up the courage to apply to Camp Lobo she hadn't realized just how large the grounds were.
It was three minutes from the back roads just to make it to the grounds themselves. Then another ten minutes trying to navigate the outer buildings and cabins before she found the main hall. Which turned out to be the Dining Hall not the admin building, but other than a few curious looks the people there pointed her to the right place.
Now here she stood in front of a set of intimidating dark oak doors wondering if she should just turn around and go back home. Apply to a library, maybe be a waitress, after all she was just as familiar with those jobs as camp work.
Without warning the door in front of her swung open, a tall slender woman looked her up and down. Her black eyes and dark hair accentuated her long nose and sharp features. Her elegant countenance was nearly the opposite of Emma.
Choppy shoulder length dark Auburn hair framed a heart shaped face and blue-green hazel eyes. Her short, just a few inches over five foot, frame was pudgy and round. And with the way this woman was sizing her up, what little self confidence Emma had wilted further.
First impressions matter, she told herself as she squared her shoulders.
"Hi, I'm here to apply for the event coordinator's position. I was told this is where the offices are?" She gave the woman her best smile.
The woman blinked, eyebrows raising in surprise. "Right."
Emma fought the urge to squirm as the woman continued to just stare at her. The emotions flitting across her face indecipherable. Her nostrils even flared as if she was smelling her.
Did I forget to put on deodorant?
Trying to move past the awkward moment, Emma offered her hand. "I'm Emma by the way."
If their differences weren't emphasized enough, seeing the woman's carmal tanned hand, slender and delicate, gently take her own pink hued irish pale sausage fingers further made Emma shrink mentally.
It doesn't matter...she told herself. It doesn't matter because she's just a woman like me. Not everyone has the same taste.
It didn't stop her from thinking the woman lucky. But it was a mantra she repeated to remind herself not to despair over her own self image.
"Faye." The woman, Faye, shook her hand firmly. Very firmly.
Emma held back a wince and continued to smile through her discomfort.
"Well, hello Faye. This is where the applications are taken, right?" She asked, double checking that this was the right place.
Had she gotten turned around? No, that couldn't be. This was the only place that could be considered the main house.
In an instant Faye's demeanor completely changed. Her shoulders relaxed and the judging gaze eased into a happy, relaxed expression. Not quite a smile.
"Yes, Lu-," Faye cleared her throat. "Yes, let me show you to the Be- the head administrators office."
Emma's smile dropped behind Faye's back as she led her to the head admins office. Filing the strange hiccup away, Emma figured it was a slip up due to an inside joke or nickname. Maybe it meant something, maybe it didn't, whatever the case it wasn't any of her business.
The house had an open feel to it. The foyer, kitchen and living room were all in one enormous open area. A single set of stairs led to the second level which was completely closed off for privacy. On the other side of the stairs was a long hallway with doors on either side, each of them closed.
Following her guide back into the house, Emma began rifling through her papers and documents making sure she had everything she needed. Her nerves were starting to rise again.
There's nothing to worry about. What are they gonna do? Say no? ...say yes?
She let out a breath as Faye pulled up to a door near the back of the hall. And when her guide turned her, her polite smile easily slid back on her face.
"Thanks for the help." Instead of stepping inside to let her in, Faye began her staring again.
"Um," Emma glanced between Faye and the door. "Do I knock or just...go in?"
Faye's head cocked to the side. "You go in." She continued to stand there.
"Right...ok." Emma resigned herself to her one woman audience as she mentally prepared herself to be interviewed.
Right, just...go in.
Rex finished denying the latest applicant. He set the paperwork down in the rejection bin a scrubbed a hand over his face.
Everyone was antsy trying to finish re-marking their territory and it didn't help that Alpha Derek, Luna Mae and Matt were still at the summit meeting with the other Alphas.
As Matt's Beta, he was in charge for now. Under any other circumstances this wouldn't have happened. Usually one of the Alpha's family members, if not the Alpha himself, would stay behind and take care of pack business. But this was an unusual circumstance.
Because Matt hadn't found his mate yet. Everyone else in their age group had paired off between fifteen and eighteen. But Matt was twenty-four and still looking. That was part of the reason they were all at the meeting. Alpha and Luna Lobo were hoping that Matt would find his mate among one of the other packs.
Letting his head fall from his hands, it landed with a thud on his desk. He let out a low whine, itching to just run off for awhile. He swore the next person to walk into his office was going to get bit.
"Excuse me, are you the head administrator?" A soft female voice asked politely.
Rex felt a growl build up in his throat. The what? Lifting his head he aimed a glare at the woman.
To her credit, she didn't flinch under his stare. Just sat down across from his desk and gave him a sympathetic look.
"Bad day?" He felt annoyance at her attitude. As if she understood what he was going through. Yeah, right. She wasn't much to look at, so he prepared himself to turn her down on the spot.
...and then he smelled her.
His shoulders drooped and he leaned against his desk tiredly. Even his wolf seemed to relax in her presence. She exuded calm and care.
Rex blinked and shook his head, he straightened up. Tell her to go away. She shouldn't even be on pack grounds.
"I can come back another day if that'll make anything easier." She suggested.
"No," He blurted without thinking. "That's alright. It just..." He let out a sigh.
He looked her over, confused about why this female human seemed different than the rest. Tell her to go away.
No, his wolf paced a little, uncomfortable with the idea.
The woman smiled gently, waiting quietly for him to speak. She went ahead and set her papers on his desk and folded her hands in her lap.
Rex sucked in a breath, ready to tell her he wasn't intrested in interviewing her.
"I'm not used to being in charge. This last week has been hell." He clicked his mouth shut. Why did you tell her that?
She can help...
"New to the job?" She asked.
"Not really, more like..." He bit his lip trying to figure out how to put this. "The boss and his whole family have been out of town and won't be back for another few weeks."
"And they left you in charge." She finished.
"Yeah," He grabbed her papers from his desk and glanced through them. "Oh, wow. You've...done a lot of different stuff."
Rex read down the list of previous employments. "Librarian, factory worker, fundraising coordinator, hostess, assistant cook, caregiver..."
She smiled and nodded.
"Well, you're certainly qualified." But human..."You're help is needed pretty badly." But she's not a wolf...
...say no! This is going to get you in so much trouble!
"You're hired."
