Scum (Book 2)

106. Valoria

Chey’s POV

I never gave my pack a name, so on our registry paper, it just has a group number, but I have thirty days to change it before it’s chosen at random.

For that and other reasons, I’m holding a meeting with the pack members who live in the building, asking them their opinion because creativity was never my strong suit.

“How about New Haven?” I like New Haven, but I also like Fearless, Limitless, All’s Well, and Together.

“But there are too many packs that use the word Haven already.”

“What about Querencia?”

“You’re going to have to translate for us honey.” Dyson is really good at changing the mood in a room when it becomes too serious, and while I know Taniya didn’t mean anything by it, some of our pack members are, for whatever reason, jealous of her.

She used to work in customer support for a service provider, but now she works as a full-time translator for the state.

She’s doing the same kind of job, but now she gets paid three times as much, and she’ll eventually get life benefits for her and her children.

I had nothing to do with that though; it was all Dyson and Miguel, who have become somewhat like nannies to all of our pack’s children.

They, for obvious reasons, may never become fathers, but they like kids, so they’ve opened their homes without me having to ask.

“Querencia is kind of like feeling connected to a place. It doesn’t actually have a real definition.” Now I like Querencia too, but not for this place. This building doesn’t quite feel like ‘home’ to me yet.

“I think we should pick something with the word Den in it.”

“No, that's too basic. We also need to take into consideration that we are a city pack. Our name should channel cement, buildings, and alleys.”

“New Alley!”

“No, Concrete Hallows.” As ideas get tossed back and forth, I can’t help but chuckle.

Everyone is so different, but at our core, we are all looking for the same thing.

In short, we want stability, because none of us like the shaky footing we're on, and despite not being creative, I throw out the idea of…

“How about something like Valoria?”

“Oh, that's pretty. Does it mean something?”

“Strong,” I reply, knowing the definition only because, back when I wanted children, it was one of the names that stood out to me when I was reading naming books with Nora.

“I’m from the Valoria Pack,” Jett says, trying to see how it flows off the tongue.

It actually works, and whether or not everyone is in favor doesn’t matter because that’s the name I ended up jotting down on the paper.

“Next on the agenda is taxes.”

“We all know the government and state take their share; we’re only asking for an additional five percent to help keep us running. Chey’s a good alpha, but she works too.” I thought there would be a pushback, but it was voted and agreed upon in minutes, allowing us to move onto school registration, uniforms, necessities, and a chore list.

“Mr. David isn’t helping out of the kindness of his heart, although his kindness shouldn’t be ignored. We promised to keep this building up to standard and more, so everyone will have to play their part.” Again, no pushback, which allows us to move onto job placement.

There are still a few members who haven’t been able to secure employment. Mostly because of their level of education.

For those members, I’ve suggested for them to work out with Noah, because while I send them to complete general education development courses, they will also be responsible for making sure that our children make it to and from the bus stop, and with patrolling the building, especially at night.

Some of the people who didn’t make the cut keep showing up, and I don’t like that only me and Jett are strong enough to make them leave.

I believe in second chances, but I don’t believe that fundamentally bad people can change, so many of the intruders are on their third strike with me.

They’re taking advantage of the fact that I can’t kill them the way I would be able to in a more rural setting, but Marissa is good on a computer, so she’s learned all the tips and tricks of trespassing orders that we plan to hand over to Mr. David.

“Anything else while we’re all here? It won’t be easy to get twenty-four of us to meet like this again, so no subject is off the table.”

“Alpha Chey, when are you going to let me talk to my mate?” Jerome asks.

The man looks miserable, but I’m not the one keeping them apart.

“I can answer that,” Jett says, looking at me for permission to speak. “Your mate is mentally exhausted. She’s not ready to see you, but when she is, she’ll let us know and we’ll make the arrangements.

“Okay. Can you tell her that I’m sorry, and that I already did what the council asked. After we establish paternity, they’ll be set visitation and child support, so I’ll be able to get a regular job.” I didn’t know this before, but the mother of Jerome’s son used to drop the baby off whenever she felt like it, causing him to lose several jobs.

I honestly thought the child was older, but he’s only a toddler, so he absolutely needs childcare. However, dropping him off unannounced is definitely a power play, one similar to what Liam was doing by messing with my work schedule.

“Noted. Anything else?”

“Will we have laws to follow?”

“Absolutely,” I reply, rambling off several that I’ve already written down, but haven’t gotten around to printing.

“So, until it’s finalized, we just have to be nice to one another?”

“That’s all I’m asking.” Some things should be common sense, but for werewolves, we tend to have to be reminded of the simple things that go into interpersonal relationships.

“And how much is childcare? We can’t expect Dyson and Miguel to foot the bill forever.”

“As of right now, I’m paying them on your behalf. When we’re better able to determine the cost of operating a daycare out of their home, we will bring you the information, and you can choose how you want to pay.”

“Anything else?”

“What will happen once you meet your mate?” I wasn’t expecting that question, so I couldn’t immediately respond because I don’t know. “Will you leave us once you start a family of your own?” Honestly, I have no plans for any of that.

My mind is completely preoccupied with getting even, so if I were to meet my mate right now, I don’t think I would be able to treat them the way I should.

“You don’t have to worry. I’m only eighteen, and none of that really interests me right now. However, I will say that I will not leave this pack without the framework to succeed without me.” I don’t think my response was well received, but I’m just being honest.

I could have lied to them and told them that I would never leave, but I don’t feel at peace here, so I don’t want to tether myself to a place that may eventually become a prison.

“Anything else before we adjourn?”

“Can you tell us the leadership dynamic? I wouldn’t want to disturb our alpha with every issue I have.” That’s a great suggestion, but I can’t actually give the woman an answer.

Something is happening within the pack that Jett, Dyson, and I can’t actually pinpoint, but it kind of feels like they’re sharing a role.

Sometimes, Jett is my second in command, and sometimes it’s Dyson, so we’ve done as much research as we could on the matter and found that as the ‘bonding’ process completes, their default roles will be more clearly established.

I don’t actually know how bonding works, but I know that, in the past, Jett was the most in tune with my emotions. However, now that the pack’s expanded, he’s much better at organizing and explaining, and without him, this meeting wouldn’t have occurred.

“You’ll all get that information shortly. In the meantime, you can approach me or Dyson.” That was the last of the questions, so we planned to meet again next month, then we formally adjourned.

Getting to know each other is important if we want to avoid bigger issues, so I’ll probably make these meetings mandatory for everyone.

I was just about to get into bed when my phone rang, but it wasn’t Noah like I thought, it’s my job, and they asked me to cover for a sick coworker.

Because I don’t have anything else planned, I let Marissa and Jett know where I’ll be and leave.

I don’t like working shifts that conflict with my regular hours, but the differential pay is really good, and I need the money.

Fortunately, the only thing the elderly do at night is sleep and pee, so work wasn’t exhausting, and I still have enough energy to run a few errands, but once I’m outside, I spot Bruno, who immediately starts walking toward me.

I’m going to purposely ignore him because there’s no reason he should be looking for me, and I don’t need another male companion.

“Please, just hear me out.”

“Then walk and talk.”

“I found her… I found my mate.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Bruno quickly explains that, almost immediately after meeting, his mate told him that she wasn’t interested, and would rather be rejected.

He, in turn, tried to scare her, and she replied by saying that she’s always been able to protect herself.

I’ve had to stop walking because I think I may be misunderstanding, but…

“Are you asking me to beat up your mate?” Bruno looks down, making me chuckle in disbelief. “I hope you just realized how ridiculous that is, and why me?”

“She lives in the area you’ve claimed.”

“Who’s her alpha?”

“She’s a wiccan, she’s illegitimate, and doesn’t belong to a pack. Please Chey, you're the only person I trust.”

“Why?” I’m confused because Bruno and I aren’t friends, and based on his inability to meet my eye, I won’t like his answer. “You think she’s like me.” I’m annoyed that the man may be using something I accidentally said in anger to his advantage, but since he wants to play…

“Fine. I’ll help. Just tell me where to find her.” I don’t know if what I’m doing is right, but I want to show Bruno that I will never allow my emotions to be used against me, not even in a situation as ‘innocent’ as this seems.