The Mating (5 page)

“Besides yourself?” He grinned over at her before returning his attention to the road. “My Beta is John and his mate’s name is Carrie. They’re expecting their first in a few months. Zack’s widow—he was the previous Alpha—she’s continued to stay there as well. Her name is Helen.”

Elise nodded thinking that with three other people in the house, it should make things easier. She wouldn’t be alone with Kane all the time—she still wasn’t that comfortable around him—and having two other women to talk to would be nice. Hopefully, they’d like her. If Carrie was just having her first, she’d be about the same age, so maybe they’d have something in common. “There are always people in and out of our house—I mean my father’s house. Is yours similar?”

“Yeah, sometimes it’s a three ring circus. With you arriving, it will probably be especially busy as everyone stops by to meet you.”

She bit her lip, not looking forward to meeting so many new people. Names, and scents and hierarchy placements to remember… It sounded overwhelming. Possibly sensing her trepidation, Kane reached over and clasped her knee. “It will be fine. We’re not as… traditional…as your old pack. They’re a friendly bunch and will be happy to meet you.”

*****

As they got closer to Kane’s home, he offered further explanations as to who the pack members were as well as pointing out areas of interest. There was a medium-sized town nearby that they went to for supplies, though for the most part the pack stayed within their territory. It was heavily wooded and at the farthest point came close to her father’s land. Several streams fed a small lake and there was even a waterfall due to ancient, glacier-cut ravines.

They stopped once along the way to get gas and then Kane pulled into a small strip mall, explaining that he needed to pick up a few things. Elise opted to wait in the truck and watched Kane sauntering down the sidewalk. The few people he encountered nodded at him but none stopped to talk. She wondered what the pack’s relationship with the townsfolk might be like. Were they friendly or did they secretly whisper about the strange group of people who lived just outside of town? From her own experience with her pack, she knew that most people were wrapped up in their own lives and didn’t give a great deal of thought to the close knit group that lived nearby. People thought they were odd but that was it. No one suspected that a pack of werewolves lived next door.

That hadn’t always been the case. She’d heard tales of packs that had been persecuted by the human population, not because they were werewolves but because their close knit society was somehow deemed unnatural. Some packs had even been forced to leave their territory for fear of being discovered. All it took was one or two radicals to start questioning their life style… Elise hoped that wasn’t the case here.

Soon Kane returned and stowed his purchases in the back. He climbed back into the cab of the truck and smiled over at her. She noted that he seemed happier and more relaxed the closer they got to his home. It was only natural, of course. No wolf was comfortable if it was away from its pack for too long.

By the time they pulled into the driveway that led to Kane’s house, Elise was a bundle of nerves. She did her best to mask the fact—it wouldn’t do for the others to smell fear on her. As the Alpha’s mate, she had a status to maintain. In ancient times, a weak mate might have been challenged by one of the other females who wanted to usurp her position, but that wasn’t done now and Elise was thankful for the fact. Being a new pack member would be hard enough without someone wanting to bump her position.

The truck came to a stop in front of a sprawling two storey home that featured a wrap-around porch. It was situated in the middle of a large treed lot with woods on three sides. As Kane climbed out, the front door opened and people spilled out, calling his name and enveloping him in hugs. Elise watched the activity from inside the truck and when she realised that it would be awhile before Kane could free himself from the crowd, she stepped out of the cab on her own.

Hesitantly, she stood by the vehicle, unsure of what to do. Kane looked up at that moment and, catching her eye, made his way over to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “Everyone, this is Elise, my mate.” The people stopped talking and stared at her. Tentatively, she smiled back, and then a petite, red-haired woman about her age stepped forward with her hand extended. From the size of her belly, Elise decided this was Carrie, the Beta’s wife.

“Hello, Elise. I’m Carrie. Welcome to our pack.” Her voice was calm and friendly, making Elise immediately feel welcomed. Some of the tension in her body began to relax.

“And I’m John, her mate, and Kane’s Beta.” The man was about the same height as Kane, with blonde hair and friendly blue eyes.

“I’m pleased to meet you.” Elise tried to sound confident and shook their hands firmly. After that, several others stepped forward and soon her head was swirling with names.

The group moved towards the house and Kane grabbed two of her bags from the vehicle. “Come on inside. The others will bring the rest of your things.” A few of the men immediately headed towards the truck, grabbing the remaining boxes. Kane hadn’t issued a command, but they knew implicitly what he expected and obeyed unquestioningly.

Elise followed behind Kane until they got to the door. Just as she was about to walk in, another female pushed her aside with her hip and cut in front. “Excuse me.” The tall, blonde woman threw the comment over her shoulder, blocking the doorway for a moment, effectively separating Elise from Kane. From her tone of voice, Elise knew there was no real regret for the action and frowned, wondering at the aggression she sensed emanating from this new person. She searched her mind for a name but then realised that this female hadn’t stepped forward to introduce herself outside.

“Marla.” John was standing behind Elise and issued a low warning to the individual blocking the doorway.

“Oh. Am I in your way? Sorry John.” The woman, who must be named Marla, flashed John a smile and sauntered on her way as if nothing had happened.

Elise looked at John but the man shrugged and gave her a slight smile. “That’s Marla. Just ignore her. She has some…issues.”

Watching the woman slide up to Kane and rest her hand on his arm while smiling brightly, Elise wondered what the ‘issues’ might be. Somehow, she just knew that Marla was not going to be welcoming her to the pack.

Elise sat on the edge of Kane’s king-sized bed and surveyed her surroundings. The black and white colour scheme was definitely masculine and matched Kane perfectly but left her feeling rather cold and out of place. The idea of her under-things draped here and there, or her makeup scattered on the dresser just seemed wrong. A slight shiver ran through her; would she ever be able to feel at home here?

She spent a few minutes thoughtfully considering how she could make the space more appealing then checked her watch again. It was now four-thirty. After showing her to their room, Kane left, promising to return and give her a tour of the house once he dealt with some pressing business. That was two hours ago. She’d explored the three rooms of their suite, finished unpacking her things, and familiarised herself with Kane’s collection of music, DVDs and books. Now she was wondering what to do next. Kane had said he’d be back, but she’d run out of ways to occupy herself and was beginning to wonder if he’d forgotten that he now had a mate.

She couldn’t quite figure out how he viewed her. He seemed to vacillate between careful attentiveness to her feelings and blatantly ignoring her. Right now she was feeling ignored, just as she had upon arriving. Her mind drifted back to a few hours previously…

*****

Once Marla stopped blocking the doorway, Elise made her way inside and looked around with interest. She could see into several rooms from her position in the main foyer. A living room was to her left, a staircase with an oak banister was in front of her, and a dining room could just be seen down the hallway. A few rooms were to her right but their closed doors gave no indication as to what might be inside.

Elise’s first impression was that the house was simply yet tastefully decorated in a homey, traditional way with comfortable looking stuffed chairs and small occasional tables scattered about. Gleaming hardwood floors and neutral walls were a perfect foil for the dark green curtains that hung from the expansive windows. Light shone in from all sides and the impressive view of the outdoors, combined with the earth toned decor, gave a feeling of being one with nature.

Not sure if she should follow the men carrying her boxes upstairs, or wait for Kane, Elise stood in the middle of the foyer, debating the best course of action. When she hesitantly stepped towards the stairs, Kane quickly called out her name.

“Elise, wait! I’ll just be a minute.” She wondered how he knew what she was doing, when his attention seemed to be focused on Marla. The other woman was speaking intently to him and Kane nodded several times before giving her a one armed hug and walking over to Elise. “Sorry about that. Marla needed a bit of reassurance.”

Glancing over at the woman, Elise noted that Marla was shooting daggers at her with her eyes and wondered why the woman seemed to have taken an instant dislike to her. Before she had a chance to question Kane, he took her hand and led her upstairs. As she trailed her hand on the wooden rail, she could feel eyes watching her and had to resist the urge to turn around and see who it was.

At the top of the stairs, a hallway led in two directions. Kane guided her to a set of doors at the end of the small corridor.

“Our rooms are up here. Since the house is usually busy, I have my own little retreat. There’s a bedroom, bath and a sitting room that are strictly off limits to the rest of the pack. Sometimes, even social animals like wolves need their own space.” He offered this explanation with a crooked smile, while opening the door and ushering her inside.

The room was large and bright with sun streaming in from three sets of windows that spanned the outer walls. A large bed dominated one side of the room and a large closet took up most of the other. Through an open doorway, Elise could see a sitting area with a fireplace and couch, while a second door appeared to lead into a bathroom. It was much grander than she’d expected. Apparently Kane’s pack was well set, financially.

“It’s very nice.” Elise wandered about the room, peering into the closet and then into the sitting room.

“Carrie moved some of my stuff over, so there’ll be room for your things. She’ll help you unpack or rearrange anything that you want.”

“Thanks, but I can do it myself. If she’s going to whelp soon, I’m sure she’s tired and doesn’t need the extra work.”

“That’s considerate of you, Elise.” Kane came up behind her and squeezed her shoulders, then guided her to the window. He pointed over her shoulder and explained the view. “See over to the west? That’s the direction of your father’s land. Of course, you can’t see it, but possibly it will make your old pack seem not quite so far away.”

Elise looked up at him in surprise. It was a nice thing for him to say. She hadn’t supposed he’d realise how she felt. Kane guided her around so she was facing him and cupped her face.

“I know this has been hard on you, Elise. Leaving behind everything you know on such short notice has probably been a bit overwhelming, but I’m proud of how you’re handling things—no whining, no temper tantrums, no angry accusations; I was expecting all of that and more.”

His words filled her with warmth but also made her stop and reflect. After a moment, she responded to his comment, “I think I’m sort of…in shock, maybe?” She furrowed her brow trying to sort out her thoughts and feelings in her own mind. “Everything happened so fast, that I didn’t have time to think or react. I just instinctively followed the Alpha’s orders—I’m not usually considered that passive.” She shrugged and sighed. “There really wasn’t much choice was there? I could fall in with the plan or leave the pack.”

“You’re right. A wolf that refuses to comply with the Alpha doesn’t stay in the pack long, though I doubt your father would have immediately thrown you out.”

“Maybe not right away but he’s rather traditional and expects obedience…” Elise let her voice trail off, wondering what would have happened if she had kicked up a fuss. She couldn’t remember her brother or sister complaining when they’d mated to form alliances but then again, she hadn’t really paid that much attention either. Frowning, she tried to recall an instance when her father hadn’t been obeyed and what he’d done as a result, but no such occasion came to mind. Suddenly, she realised that Kane was still talking.

“—and after supper, I’ll take you for a walk around the immediate grounds. Tomorrow morning, we can go for another run.”

“I’d like that. It looks to be a nice territory.” Elise twisted around and focussed her attention on the view again, noting the trees stretching as far as the eye could see. It was nice, she said to herself, but probably not as nice as her father’s land.

Not realising her thoughts, Kane spoke with pride. “It’s a beautiful place, especially down by the lake. I think you’ll like it but, just like at your old home, don’t go too close to the edge of the property. We have the same problem with hunters and trappers that your old pack does.”

She murmured her agreement, his comment about her old home causing her to shift slightly and study the view to the west—that was where her pack was. Pressing her hand against the window pane, she felt a wave of homesickness wash over her. Kane turned her in his arms once again, running his hands down her back, then pulling her body flush against his. “It will take some time to adjust, but soon this will feel like home. Don’t worry. I’ll be here to help you.”

Elise studied his eyes, wondering how he knew what had been running through her mind. At this moment, he seemed so kind and understanding. Heat from his body seeped into hers… It caused a funny little flutter to occur in her stomach. Before she could examine what the feeling meant, Kane pressed a kiss to her forehead, then let her go. “I have a few things I need to do. You stay here and get settled. Check out the sitting room—feel free to move my stuff about, I’m not fussy. I’ll be back in about an hour to give you a tour of the house.”