Chapter 222

“This is actually genius.” I handed back her phone. “Now we just have to find it.”

“Actually, the store made it easy.” She scrolled for a minute. “This location has it in aisle twenty.” She led the way to the aisle. “And now that we are here, we can hit this button.” She pointed to a flashing tag halfway down the aisle.

“That’s convenience.” Toya laughed as she ran over. She grabbed a box and brought it over while reading the box. “It says it comes with everything, including the seeds and soil.”

“That’s actually amazing.” Jora walked over. “My mate would love this.” He looked down and then whistled. “Never mind.”

“What?” I pushed the cart closer.

“I didn’t expect it to be so expensive, is all.” I looked at the price tag and I winced. A few hundred dollars is nothing to me, but for someone working as a guard, it would probably mean a lot.

“No worries.” I grabbed another box and put it in the cart, then looked at the girls. “Did you want one?” I could see Wendy eyeing the box, so I laughed as I grabbed a third. “You guys know you can just tell me.” Wendy blushed.

“We know, you always tell us,” Wendy nodded.

“But she doesn’t want you to think we are friends with you just for the money.” Toya smiled as she hugged her to her side. “What I have been telling her, and what is hard for her to actually understand, is that you aren’t throwing your money around because you have to, but because you want to, and the money is nothing to you.”

Wendy shook her head. “Money always means something.”

“I made some fantastic investments months ago. Plus, my father’s money. I am more than comfortable.” I grabbed her hand. “Wendy, you are my sister, one of my closest friends, and I am more than happy to help when I can, where I can.” I waited until she met my eyes. “I need you to understand that money means nothing to me, and if you need it all, all you have to do is tell me. I can’t help if I don’t know.”

She waited for a few seconds before a tear dropped from her eye. “My alpha is threatening to raise our rent, and my mom’s pay was just cut.”

Toya stepped closer. “Why was it cut?”

Jora came closer, too. “Are you Mrs. Sandlewood’s daughter?” Wendy nodded. I turned to Jora, and he raised his hands. “I overheard some she-wolves closer to Vince talking about how the secretary stepped out of line and… Vince is pissed.”

“What else did they say?”

“Just that he thought she was the person who notified the Ring about some of the information about the school. She shouldn’t have, and he was squeezing her to put her in her place.”

I pulled out my phone and scrolled. I had all the Alpha’s contacts stored in my phone. I pulled up Wendy’s Alpha’s number and hit call. Wendy tried to grab for my hands, but I pushed her hand down and waited. The phone rang a few times before a groggy whine came through. “Hello?”

“Hi Alpha Kirk, it’s Amy Maclean.”

“Alpha Amy? Why are you calling me this late?”

“Oh, I just heard something that I needed to deal with right away. Now Kirk, do you remember ten years ago…” I trailed off as I waited for him to remember me diving into the lake by the Alpha summit ten years ago to save his daughter. She was about three and she had wandered away and fell in. The adults were too busy, so I dove in, being a scrawny eight-year-old who had just learned how to swim. He wasn’t breathing, so I did the only thing I knew how to do; I ran with her in my arms straight into the meeting room to my father, who performed CPR, saving the pup. Unfortunately for the nanny that lost his daughter, though, she was killed before the night was up.

“Of course I remember.” His voice sounded clearer.

“Honey, who is it?” His Luna’s words were soft.

“It’s Amy Maclean.” I heard the shuffling of blankets and then the phone clicked. We were on speaker. Then the luna’s voice came clearer. “If you need anything, we will do what we can. You saved Maddy.” I smiled.

“Actually, I do need something. A friend of mine is from your pack and she just told me her mother is having a little bit of an issue with her house. I just wanted to see if I could clear it up for her. I’ll buy it outright, of course, but I just don’t want them worrying any more.”

“Who is it?”

“Mrs. Sandlewood; her daughter Wendy is my friend.” There was a thick silence.

“Do it.” His luna murmured. “No, I don’t care what Vince said. She saved our daughter, for goddess’ sake.”

Kirk cleared his voice. “No need for money, Amy. You did us a service, and it’s our turn to return the favor. The house is hers. I’ll sign the title over to her in the morning.”