The Mating (6 page)

*****

Well, she’d unpacked, and explored, and shifted things about—now what? The idea of wandering around the home of a new pack by herself was rather intimidating. Wolves were territorial and her unknown scent might cause some ruffled fur; she’d much rather be escorted by her mate the first time she ventured out. Still and all, sitting and waiting endlessly for Kane to return, wasn’t that palatable either. If she stayed up here much longer, the other wolves might think she was hiding from them—that would really be a black mark against developing any status and rank.

A newcomer to a pack was immediately checked out for how dominant they were, and where they would fit within the hierarchy. As the Alpha’s mate, she would automatically be given a certain degree of respect and status, but if she showed herself to be weak and submissive then her position would start to crumble.

Elise decided she’d had enough of waiting. For whatever reason, Kane seemed to have abandoned her, so it would be up to her to establish herself in the house. Setting her chin, she put on a brave front and exited the bedroom suite.

The hallway was quiet but she could hear the sound of voices below and the scent of cooking was drifting enticingly through the house. Well, the kitchen was as good of a place to start as any. Following the mouth watering aroma of roast beef and fresh baked cookies, Elise made her way down the stairs. Even though she thought she could pick Kane’s voice out of the general murmuring, the idea of food was more intriguing at that moment. Her stomach was growling, causing her to recall that she’d been too worked up to eat lunch. Sniffing the air, she stepped eagerly towards the delicious scents. It was only as she got closer that nerves began to surface and she took a deep steadying breath before pushing open the door and stepping into the kitchen.

Her first impression, as it had been with most of the rooms in the house, was one of brightness. Whoever had designed the home had ensured that the outdoors was allowed inside. An impressive view of the backyard and the woods beyond could easily be seen from almost anywhere in the room. Sunlight streamed in through gleaming windows and sparkled off of the copper and stainless steel pots, the gleaming marble counter tops, and the polished appliances. It might have been almost too bright if not for the homey touches of herbs growing on the window ledge and bits of folk art adorning the walls.

Two women were standing at the counter and immediately looked up at the sound of the door swinging open. One was Carrie, the Beta’s wife, who she’d met earlier. The other woman was older with greying hair and a rounded figure. She was probably in her late fifties or early sixties.

“Oh, Elise! Good to see you. I was just saying to Helen that I wondered when you’d appear.” Carrie smiled over at her and Elise felt herself relaxing. The tiny redhead had a soothing quality about her, and Elise speculated whether she was always that way or if it was impending motherhood that was making her so mellow.

“Umm…I was unpacking and waiting for Kane. He said he had a bit of business to attend to and then he’d be back, but I guess he was delayed, so I’m exploring on my own.” Elise shrugged, not wanting to let on that she was upset by Kane’s abandonment.

“Welcome, Elise. I’m Helen.” The older woman eyed her up and down before smiling.

“Hi, Helen, I’m pleased to meet you.”

Carrie gestured towards the table. “Why don’t you sit down and we can talk while we finish making dinner.”

“Isn’t there something I could do?” Elise looked around, thinking she should offer to set the table or prepare vegetables.

“Not today, Sweetie.” Helen pulled out a chair and indicated that Elise was to take it. “It’s your first day here and we already have everything under control. You sit back and let us talk your ear off. Would you like some coffee and cookies? They’re fresh.”

Elise smiled and nodded, sitting down as she’d been told. The two women seemed genuinely pleased to meet her. As Helen handed her a plate of cookies and a cup of coffee, Elise felt she should offer condolences to the old Alpha’s widow. “Kane told me that your mate died recently. I’m sorry to hear of your loss.”

Helen paused and looked sad for a moment before giving herself a little shake and heading towards the sink. She picked up a peeler and began to prepare some carrots. “Thank you, Elise. It was a…shock, to say the least. Some days I still can’t believe Zack’s gone but we’re lucky that Kane was here to take over. He’s doing a fine job. You can be very proud of how he stepped up to the plate.”

Purposely sipping her coffee to negate the need to respond, Elise murmured in what she hoped was an appropriate manner. Was she proud of Kane? He was her mate and she supposed she should be, but she didn’t really know the man. It was hard to be proud of someone you’d just met. Helen continued chatting, oblivious to Elise’s thoughts.

“I can tell you from personal experience that an Alpha’s work is never done. I had to force my Zack to set ‘office hours’ so that we could have some semblance of a normal life together. You’ll likely have to do the same, if you ever want to see him outside the bedroom.”

Carrie giggled. “They were just bonded yesterday, Helen. I imagine Kane’s going to be more interested in mating than in working for the next little while.”

Elise wasn’t quite comfortable with the direction the conversation seemed to be heading and swiftly tried to change the topic. “So Carrie, when are you due?”

The pregnant woman rubbed her belly. “I’ve only got six weeks to go and I can tell you, it won’t be a minute too soon. My ankles and I haven’t seen each other in months and this one kicks up a storm at night. I can’t wait until I can get a good night’s sleep again.”

“Believe me, once that little pup is here, you won’t be getting any sleep. This is the voice of experience speaking.” Helen chuckled as she finished with the carrots and set them in a dish.

“Do you have a large family, Helen?” Elise wondered how old they might be and if they still lived here.

“I have four girls. Two are married and part of this pack. One moved away to work out west and joined another pack. My baby, Chloe, is in university right now. She’s studying environmental science.”

“Chloe is one smart girl.” Carrie added as she peered at the roast, checking its temperature. “Kane’s hoping she can give him some advice on what to do about the northern acreage.” Glancing over at Elise, Carrie explained further. “There’s been a big push by an oil company to allow them to do some exploratory drilling in the northern part of our territory. They want to buy a large tract or at the very least, rent it. Of course, we’re all against the idea, but they’ve been lobbying the local government. Kane, and Zack before him, have been busy keeping them away.”

“But if it’s your territory and you say no, they can’t come in, can they?” Elise furrowed her brow trying to understand the situation.

“You’d think.” Helen scowled as she dried her hands and then leaned against the kitchen counter. “But the humans want oil and feel that it’s their right to get it, even if it means destroying some of our property. Kane’s probably going over the company’s latest proposal right now. They seem to feel that if they just offer us enough money we’ll give in, which is ridiculous. Werewolves don’t need money; we need space to roam.”

Elise was nodding in agreement when Carrie spoke. “Unfortunately, not everyone feels that way. A few in the pack like the idea of the money.”

Helen snorted. “Yes and we all know who they are.” The two women exchanged knowing looks and Elise wondered who they talking about.

By the time dinner was ready, Kane still hadn’t put in an appearance. Carrie shook her head in exasperation. “Elise, can you go fetch the men from the office? Knowing them, they’re so involved in what they’re doing, they’ll never come out on their own.”

“Umm… Okay. Can you point me in the right direction?” She wasn’t too keen on searching out the group—more wandering around on her own in ‘foreign’ territory—but she didn’t want to refuse and seem weak.

Helen gasped. “You mean Kane hasn’t even shown you around the house yet?”

Embarrassed, Elise shrugged and shoved her hands in her pocket. “He planned to…”

“That man! It’s ridiculous how tied up in his work he gets. I’ll have to have a word or two with him about how to treat a mate!” Helen pursed her lips and looked thoroughly put out.

“It’s all right.” Elise tried to smooth things over. The freedom with which Helen was expressing her feelings about Kane seemed strange; her father would never have tolerated that. Of course, Kane was nowhere about, so maybe that explained things.

“No, it’s not. He has a mate now and he has obligations to you. Come on, I’ll give you a quick tour and then we’ll collect the men.” Helen took her by the arm and led her from the kitchen. Glancing back over her shoulder, Elise looked at Carrie who just shrugged and rolled her eyes, obviously used to Helen’s ways. As she followed the grey haired woman down the hall, Elise supposed that after years of being the Alpha’s mate, Helen was used to taking charge of certain things around the house. After all, it had been her home for quite a few years, and suddenly being demoted would be a hard mental shift to take.

Elise saw the laundry room, spare bath, living room, dining room, recreation area and the guest rooms. John and Carrie’s quarters were pointed out, as were Helen’s own suite of rooms. The whole house reflected the pride that Helen took in her role. Every room was immaculate, cheery, and welcoming—if it only smelled right. The scent of foreign wolves assaulted Elise’s nostrils as she went from room to room and it made her feel edgy, as if danger was lurking just around the corner. She wondered how long it would be before her scent mixed with theirs and she would finally be able to relax.

Eventually they reached the offices, which turned out to be behind the closed doors that Elise had seen from the front foyer. Helen knocked and then entered without waiting for an invitation, shooing the men out with threats of no dinner if they didn’t hustle. Kane was the last to exit and Helen grabbed him by the arm and began to scold him for his neglect. Elise wondered how the Alpha would take such a dressing down but he listened respectfully and then thanked Helen for her opinion. Surprised, Elise stared at him and then bit back a gasp when he winked at her over Helen’s head, grinning and making a face.

She puzzled over this as they turned to walk down the hallway to the dining area. Kane pulled her back and whispered conspiratorially in her ear. “Helen thinks she’s everyone’s mother and can’t resist pointing out the error of our ways. She means well and she was right. I got caught up in something but it was no excuse for ignoring you on your first day. I’m sorry. Do you forgive me?”

Elise nodded, taken aback at his admission. Her father never would have done that. Kane gave her a quick kiss, grabbed her hand and hurried her down the hall. “Carrie and Helen are great cooks. I can’t wait to see what they’ve concocted for us tonight.”

The meal was pleasant, with general conversation. Elise mostly listened, trying to absorb as much information about her new pack as possible. It was just the five of them at the table tonight and she wondered if the others had stayed away because of her. At her old home, there’d always been extra people for dinner. She couldn’t remember how many times she’d been sent to count noses, so they’d know how many plates to set out. Possibly, this pack wasn’t as close knit.

As if reading her mind, John explained. “I told everyone to stay away tonight. Since it’s your first day, I thought you might find it a bit overwhelming to have everyone here. With just our four new faces, you can sort of ease into things.”

“That was nice of you.” Elise smiled at the tall blonde haired Beta. Everyone was certainly trying to be considerate of her. Maybe it was time to explain some of her own feelings. These people were supposed to be her new family and no doubt could sense the unease coming off of her. “I…I must admit that I’m finding it a bit unsettling to be the new wolf in the pack. I feel like I’m violating your territory by being here. It’s just old instincts kicking in, but there’s this underlying idea that it’s dangerous to be walking around, that I should retreat and get out as fast as possible…” She shrugged hoping she hadn’t made a tactical error.

Helen nodded in understanding. “This doesn’t feel like your home yet. You’ll be edgy and nervous for awhile and then one day, you’ll find that your scent has blended with ours and you’ll wonder why you ever wanted to be anywhere else.”

“Changing packs is still a new concept,” John added. “Just a hundred years ago it was almost unheard of. With few exceptions, we lived and died within the same pack. But the world’s changing and we have to change with it. People go away to school, get jobs in new cities; packs have had to adapt if we’re to survive. Some don’t like the new ways; they want to cling to the ancient traditions but our very existence depends on our ability to integrate undetected with the rest of the world.”

“And it’s even healthy for the packs to have new members.” Carrie chimed in. “New members bring new blood. There was too much inbreeding in the past.”

Elise was pleasantly surprised with how forward thinking these people seemed to be. Her old pack wasn’t exactly in the Dark Ages, but they did tend towards the traditional. “Thanks, that makes me feel a bit better. I just hope everyone else here feels as you do.”

“It will be fine. You’ll find your feet, soon enough.” Kane hadn’t said much yet. Now he reached over and squeezed her hand. She was surprised at the comfort the gesture seemed to bring.

“She’ll find her feet a lot faster, if her mate spends some time with her.” Helen pointedly looked at Kane and he grimaced.

“Yes, mother.” He replied with mocking subservience. Helen threw a roll at him, which he promptly caught and bit into. “Thank you. How did you know I wanted more?” Helen scowled at him and the others burst out laughing.

The rest of the meal progressed in an easy, affable way and Elise felt herself relaxing around her new pack mates. Even Kane seemed approachable, gently teasing her and laughing as she boldly replied with snappy come-backs. She found herself enjoying his company and felt some hope for the future. Maybe she and Kane could eventually become friends, at least.