Wolf Women (The Madison Wolves Book 10) Read Online Free PDF Page B

trustworthy!" I said.
    "I know that," Hadley said. "Everyone here knows that."
    "Zoe, we just taught her the instant shift," said Michaela.
    I eyed her sharply then glanced at the other two.
    "Don't worry about that," she said. "These two are privy to everything in the pack, although behind the scenes. We taught her the instant shift. We haven't taught anyone on the council, and I refuse to do it. There are members of the council that don't trust her."
    I hung my head. "I have to do it."
    "No," Hadley said. "You don't."
    I turned to look at her.
    "You don't," she repeated. "Portia will be accepted over time. You will be accepted over time. You don't have to do it."
    "But if you accept this tradition," Michaela said, "You will make things easier. Politically for Lara and me. Socially for Portia and you. Professionally for Portia. And I think you will look back on it with pride at having honored the traditions."
    "What-" I looked down. "What would they do to me?"
    "There is a punishment, an inducement to beg Portia to buy your freedom," Hadley said. "The time between punishment varies, but an hour is typical, sometimes half that. Initial punishments are almost nothing. Even when it is a wolf, initial punishments are something you would call small. You are not supposed to beg at first."
    "Like what?"
    "My first punishment was a spanking," Michaela said. "I think it was designed to move me emotionally to feeling more vulnerable than anything else."
    "It probably was," Hadley said. "Punishments can be amusing as well, the sort of pranks human teenagers play during Truth or Dare. There is a party, after all."
    "All right. But later?"
    Michele spoke. "Mine was difficult," she said. "Normally, it is a bride's sisters, cousins, and closest friends who do this. Never a mother or aunt. And no men of course. But other than Donald, I had no wolf friends. And so Donald's mother, a few weeks before the wedding, introduced me to friends of hers, and their daughters. They kidnapped me early, so to speak, and we spent a long weekend as a sort of bachelorette party, becoming friends. And then the daughters offered to hold my ransom. But they didn't know what to do or how to treat me. And so my punishments were very, very erratic. Some would be nothing to a wolf, but they were horrible for me."
    "How did you handle it?"
    "Stubbornly, and perhaps a little stupidly."
    "That is not how it should be," Hadley said. "For a wolf, yes, the punishments become horrible. For a wolf, it is pride, and if the punishments were not horrible, she would feel very cheated. But the wolves should be able to control the punishments. They should grow slowly horrible. But for a human, we do not expect horrible. We expect you to honor the tradition." She paused. "If I were your maid of honor, and I spent enough time to understand you far more than I do, then eventually, I would make you beg, but it wouldn't be before you had fully honored the tradition."
    "This is..."
    "I know," she said. "You don't have to do it."
    "I think I do," I said.
    "Portia will try to block it," Michaela said. "She mustn't. She absolutely mustn't. If you don't do this, it must be because you are too afraid to allow it, Zoe. The pack could accept a human who appears timid. But you must not let Portia block it."
    "If she blocks it, she will never gain the council's trust," Hadley said.
    "She's supposed to protect me though."
    "She is also supposed to have faith in you," Hadley replied.
    "So when it becomes time for you and Portia to discuss this," Michaela said, "You must already had made up your mind, and on this one thing, you must be firm. She must not block it."
    I nodded understanding.
    "Zoe," said Hadley, "If I were running your ransom night, then you would know when you had honored the tradition. You would know when you could beg without dishonor."
    "How would I know?"
    "Because until then, the punishments would grow unpleasant, but you can handle unpleasant. It is when they grow worse than