I mulled over what had happened and realized romping with Derek this morning was sort of like what happened with Agent Stanton. I'd let my emotions get the better of me and lost control. At least I hadn't turned into the wolf this time, but I could feel those instincts buzzing around in my head. She wanted to go hunt Derek down and continue what she'd started. Part of me wanted that, too, but I was in charge here. Not the wolf. I wasn't going to go jump Derek, no matter how much we both wanted to.
It looked like I'd be taking a cold shower this morning. A shudder ran through me as I remembered the feeling of his body on mine ... a very cold shower.
After I was showered and dressed, I wandered down to the kitchen. Derek wasn't there, but Noelle was. She looked amazing. It was a simple outfit: jeans, a sweater, really great shoes and a gorgeous scarf. It wasn't the clothes so much, but how she put it all together and added the perfect accessories to give it style. Having her along for shopping was going to help immensely, since my style tended toward jeans, sneakers, and baggy t-shirts. Then again, I'd never had a body I'd wanted to show off before and clothes that fit had never been all that easy to find. I couldn't begin to guess what size I wore now. The sweats I had on were large, but they were very loose. Today was going to be all sorts of fun and I grinned thinking of it.
"Good morning. Derek went up to get a shower but he said he'd make pancakes when he's done."
Pancakes? Sure enough, on the counter was a bowl of frozen strawberries thawing. I couldn't help but grin. Derek was keeping his word, even though I hadn't shut up and let him go back to sleep. He was still making me pancakes.
Noelle was still chattering, "Today is going to be fantastic. Pancakes for breakfast, shopping, and then dinner with the pack. I hope you slept well, you're going to be one tired wolf at the end of the day."
I sighed, "Actually, I had a pretty bad nightmare. But Derek calmed me down and I managed to get some sleep after. I think I'll be okay. Where are we going shopping?"
"Woodburn. It's about halfway between here and Portland. They've got a really nice outlet mall there that should have plenty to get you started. If you want, we can go to Portland in a few days, but this is a little closer to home and they have a nice mix of stores. There should be some good stuff there."
"That sounds great. I slept through most of the plane ride yesterday, but I'd rather not spend hours in a car again."
"Me either," Derek grumbled from behind my left shoulder.
I whirled in surprise, I hadn't heard him come up behind me. A small growl escaped before I tightened down and convinced the wolf Derek was no threat. He took a step back and apologized for startling me. I couldn't see his eyes. I was so ashamed of myself.
His fingers lifted my chin and he grinned a crooked smile. "You can't help it. You were attacked and now you're a wolf. Your instincts are going to be jumpy and defensive for a while. No blood, no foul, okay?"
Breakfast was excellent. I hadn't had strawberry pancakes in a very long time. I helped myself to a second plateful and washed it all down with Derek's amazing coffee. When we'd stuffed ourselves silly, Derek took a look at my neck.
"I think the stitches can come out now. It looks almost healed. If we leave them in until tomorrow, I think we'll have trouble getting them out. Besides, getting the stitches out will make it less noticeable, and you'll be more comfortable if people aren't staring at you all day."
Which brought me back to reality with a hard thump. "I don't think I can go shopping today. Stanton said my stuff wouldn't be here for a few days, so I don't have access to my resettlement money yet."
Noelle rolled her eyes at my comment. "You don't need that. Derek, haven't you told her anything yet?"
The look on his face made me want to scoot my chair away from him a little, but I sat still. He glared at Noelle. "I haven't exactly had a chance to explain it, yet. It's not like we've been on a vacation, Noelle. She damn near died and the hospital isn't exactly the best place to talk about private matters."
I looked at them both. Clearly there was something going on that I didn't understand.
Derek sighed and turned to me, "You don't need the government resettlement. It's a token they give you to make you feel obligated to follow their rules. Not like they need it. The threat of death hanging over your head is generally enough to get you to go along with whatever the government wants.
"Wolves in North America fall into the jurisdiction of the CanUS Council. It's a play on the fact that gray wolves are Canis lupus as well as identifies that it's the Canadian/United States Council. The Council governs all the werewolves here. There are rules to this new life, which you aren't in any danger of violating, so they can wait until tomorrow.
"In addition to being allied with CanUS, you're also now an employee of CanUS Research and Development. I have some forms you'll need to sign, but you've already been added to the company roster and payroll. Basically, CanUS R&D is a simple way for the Council to keep tabs on all of us and to provide all werewolves gainful employment. I use that term loosely, because you're not required to work at all, really.