Chapter Twenty-Eight

Emma was tempted to find some good, strong rope and tie Lukas down to a chair. Ever since he'd been able to leave the bed, he'd been walking all over the place, and every time he moved, Emma was sure that he was hurting. Lukas had assured her that he was fine and that wolves had a faster rate of healing than humans, but when Sophia and Jason were also telling him to rest, Emma found it hard to believe him.

In an attempt to put her at ease about his condition, Lukas reminded her that everyone had been surprised he had survived two silver bullets, trying to use that as proof that he was even tougher than the average wolf. But Emma asked Jason about that, who informed her that Lukas was silver resistant.

"Would you sit down?" Emma said, wincing as he stood up. "What do you want? I'll get it for you."

"I'm fine," Lukas said. When she took his hand and pulled him back to the chair, he gave in, if only to make his mate happy. "Could you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich please?"

"Oh, so now you're making me make you a sandwich?" Although trying to pretend she was angry, Emma couldn't keep a straight face and started laughing.

She went to the kitchen and came back a few minutes later with the sandwich and a napkin, which she gave to him.

"Extra peanut butter," Lukas said with a smile, noticing she had put on an excess of peanut butter.

"Blueberry jelly too," she said. "I've seen how you make them. And knowing you're a dog, the peanut butter thing makes so much more sense now."

"I'm not a dog!"

"You never should have told me you were a werewolf," Emma said, grinning. "There are just way too many good jokes I can make."

"You're right. I shouldn't have told you. Then when our hypothetical puppies turned into wolves, the look on your face would have been priceless." Ever since Emma had mentioned having hypothetical children, they had been popping up in conversation quite often, although Lukas always referred to them as puppies rather than children.

Emma smiled, but she also had more serious things to discuss with Lukas. She waited for him to finish eating, wanting to have his full attention.

"So, that cop," she said. "Beth gave me his name and contact information."

"Awesome," Lukas said.

"Um, what exactly are you going to do? You're not going to hurt him, are you?"

"Of course not. Honestly, I haven't really thought about it too much, but I thought maybe I could call him and meet with him? Maybe I can convince him to delete the video and forget he ever saw anything. How's Beth doing, by the way?"

"She's still a little freaked out about the werewolf thing, but I think she's getting used to the idea. Actually, I think she's more freaked out because she thinks you're mad at her for the whole cop taking a video thing."

"I'm not. Well, it's a bit irritating, sure. And she sure as hell had a stupid reason to be watching us in the first place."

"I know. But I guess you don't come off as very friendly to everyone. Still, I can't believe she thought you were hurting me."

"At least she was trying to look out for you. I can't fault her for that. So, what's this cop's number? Might as well get this over with."

Two weeks after being shot, Lukas walked into Emma's apartment. He had been expecting to find Emma there by herself, but when he first walked in the door, he saw Sophia and Jason.

"What are you guys doing here?" He sniffed the air and could tell that Emma was there, so he knew something hadn't happened to her.

"I've been thinking about some things," Sophia started to say.

"Which isn't good," Lukas said grumpily. "Anytime you think about anything, something bad happens and the fact that you came all the way over here to tell me means I'm really not going to like this."

"Probably not," Jason admitted.

"Right. What is it?"

"We hired you to take care of hunters and all. Basically, to keep the pack safe from outside threats. Wouldn't you say that's about right?"

"The part about the hunters, sure."

"Well, I think that as an extension of keeping the pack safe from hunters, you might also be wanting to keep the pack safe from other similar threats."

"Similar threats? What other enemies do we have?"

"Oh, you know. Lions."

"Lions?" Lukas asked in disbelief.

"Lions." Sophia confirmed.

"Are we watching The Lion King?" Emma asked as she walked out of her bedroom. She really hadn't heard any of the conversation except hearing them mention lions three times in a row.

"Hey, there's an idea," Lukas said. "Sing Lion King songs at 'em. Maybe they'll be annoyed and go away."

"Woah," Emma said. "You guys actually have real lions somewhere?"

"Like us," Lukas explained. "They're shapeshifters. They just turn into lions and not wolves."

"There's more than just werewolves? What other kinds of animals are there?"

"Lots of things," Lukas answered. "Cheetahs, tapirs, zebras, bears, deer, hyenas. Other things too. I think I've only met a zebra, but then, it's not like we go around advertising."

"I thought you could smell each other," Emma said. Ever since learning he was a wolf, she had noticed how he would smell the air on occasion, which led to a discussion, and demonstration, of his heightened senses.

"We can, but I have no idea what a hyena shapeshifter smells like. I've run into humans with different smells, but they really could just be a human with a different smell. Or they could be a hyena. I'd have to spend a lot of time around a lot of different hyenas to be able to identify a hyena anywhere."

"Shifter recognition isn't a problem, Lukas," Sophia said. "We got a damn lion problem. And we're going to need your help."

"What for?"

"You've got the most experience getting into fights," Sophia said. "Or at least the most experience winning them. Hopefully it doesn't come down to that, but if it does, and it probably will, we need you."

"I'm injured."

"You'll be fine in another two weeks."

"Three, probably. The bullet did break a rib, you know."

"That's fine. They say they're not going to be here for another two months anyway. But when they do get here, Jason and I are going to be meeting with them. But since it's probably going to turn into a territory battle, we need you there."

"Love to, but I actually got another job."

"What is it with you and your damn excuses?" Sophia growled angrily.

"I'm serious." Lukas looked at Emma and grinned. "You said you didn't want any involvement in the matter, so I won't bore you with the details."

"When did I say that?" Just as she was saying it, Sophia realized what Lukas was talking about. "This has to do with the video they had of you, doesn't it?"

"Yep. Met with the cop who had the video. As it turns out, he shared it with a few others. I went to talk to them today and well, long story short, they want me to work for them."

"You got a real job?" Emma asked, excited. She hugged him, but quickly remembered his injuries and let go.

"You're going to be your own K-9 unit?" Sophia asked with a snicker.

"Yep."

"Oh no," Sophia said, looking worried. "I just made a joke about you and you didn't start crybabying about it! I think hell just froze over!"

"Yeah," Jason agreed. "What's up with that Lukas?"

"After spending enough time with Emma, everything you guys say just has no effect."

"You make it sound like I make fun of you nonstop." Lukas gave her a look and she shrugged. "Okay, so maybe I do. But I can't help it! There's just too many good opportunities! Not my fault you're a dog."

"You're the one dating the dog."

"Damn. You got me there. Although I'm going to have to say, when you're in your wolfy form, we're broken up."

"Good thing I haven't been shifting much lately, then."

"Speaking of," Jason interrupted, "how much longer until you can shift again?"

"Probably at least another week," Lukas said with a shrug. "It still hurts, but I think the bone will be healed enough by then. Guess I should go to the doctor."

"You'd better," Emma said. "Don't go hurting yourself. You've got a new job."

"Are you really going to be working for the police?" Sophia asked, still not willing to believe it.

"Yep. I'll be starting my training in three weeks. I figure everything'll be healed by then."

"What all did you tell the cops?" Sophia asked.

"Not much. I didn't mention anyone's names but if they look into it, they'll find out that you and Talon are my cousins. Other than that, there really isn't any connection to the rest of the pack. And I neglected to tell them that we're born wolves and it's not something that you can turn into. So maybe they won't think anything of me having relatives."

"And Emma?"

"What about her?"

"You didn't mention her, did you?"

"No, but I think they'll realize I have a girlfriend once I start working for them. But she's human. She doesn't have anything to worry about."

"I really don't like this," Sophia said. "Humans knowing about us. Really, how long do you think this can be kept secret for? If they get the idea you're not telling them everything, I don't want them using Emma to get to you. I know you'll do anything to protect her even if it means selling out the pack."

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Lukas said. "They don't have any idea that she's my mate, nor would they even know what that means."

"And I can take care of myself," Emma added.

"She can," Lukas agreed. "I've already seen her take on a wolf and hold her own."

"She's perfect for you. Both of you starting fights." Sophia shook her head, almost glad that they weren't officially part of the pack.

"They were friendly sparring matches," Emma said. "Not a real fight like the trouble Lukas causes." She didn't mention that she'd be more than willing to get involved in a fight if it was necessary. She wanted to train with the wolves, and although Lukas didn't like the idea, once he saw her first matchup against Bryan, he'd been more than impressed.

Emma had neglected to mention that she'd been trained in martial arts.

"Anyway," Lukas said before Sophia could start talking about the trouble she seemed to think he was constantly causing, "what's all this stuff about lions? If you came all the way over here to tell me about it, I might as well listen to what you have to say."

"But you have a real job," Sophia said, mocking him. "You can't be bothered with lowly pack issues."

"Come on, Sophie. What's up with the lions?" Guessing that Sophia was going to continue to be difficult, Lukas looked to Jason, hoping he wouldn't follow his alpha's lead.

"They sent us a letter," Jason said. "It didn't say much. Just that they were going to be coming to the area and they wanted to give us warning and arrange a meeting to ensure that there aren't any issues between us."

"And what's the problem?"

"There's been reports from other shifters. About groups of lions coming in and pushing them out of their homes. So far, it doesn't seem they've been messing with any wolves, so it's hard to get good information, but we're sending some people out to see what we can learn."

"That doesn't make any sense," Lukas said. "What do they have to gain by pushing everyone else around?"

"No idea," Sophia said. "But I don't give a damn either. Whatever their reasons are, they're not going to be pushing this pack around. I don't care if I have to call in every damn favor from every damn wolf I know."

"I'll stand with the pack," Lukas said. "Hell, I'll call up my friends in California if you want me too. The pack I was with isn't too big, but the alpha there is mated to the alpha of another pack."

"Thanks," Sophia said. "Really. It means a lot to me. I'll keep you updated."

With that, Sophia and Jason left, leaving Lukas and Emma to celebrate his new job.