by G. Bailey
“Right. Well, tell me about your coven. I need to learn about you,” I ask him, and he leans back in his seat.
“I’m going to need a drink for a long conversation like this, and somewhere to sleep tonight. I want to see Harper in the morning and make sure she is okay,” he says.
That’s fair enough. We have plenty of room in the house to find him a place for the night. I guess it's my first sign of trust if I do this, and he tells me about his coven.
“Done,” I tell him, and get up to make him a drink.
I blink my eyes open, feeling my head banging and a flood of memories of last night coming back to me. The dancing with Colt, the drinks, the kisses. I reach up and touch my dry lips with my fingers. Those kisses are not something I will be forgetting anytime soon. The way we moved our bodies together, how he kissed down my neck in between songs and finally found my lips. I feel like his kisses, and every stroke of his hands, are burned into my memory.
“Morning stops out,” Gold says in a loud, happy voice that makes me want to kill her. I look up to see her walking in the room, with a cup of tea in her hands and a massive grin. I sit up in bed, the room spinning a little, as she hands me the cup of tea. The tea looks normal but smells horrible, and I raise my eyebrows at Gold as I push the drink away.
“There’s wolfsbane in there, it has healing properties for wolves. Might help with the hangover,” she tells me. “But it smells and tastes horrible.” She pushes the teacup closer to me. I thought this stuff hurt wolves, but I guess that’s another rumour from tv shows.
“I guess it's my own fault for drinking,” I say as I take a sniff of the drink and mentally try to forget the horrible smell.
“The fey drinks are addictive though, so I get it. I’ve had many hangovers from them. Whoever invented the drink that just refills itself, is evil. I came to that conclusion ages ago,” she says.
“What are fey like?” I ask, actually wondering.
“Pretty and shiny; their skin gleams. I don’t know too much about them, they are a private race and like their own company. They live in trees, singing to plants to make them blossom or die, depending on the season.”
“That’s cool, and they make strong magic drinks,” I add in.
“That’s what they are most known for; getting teenage wolves drunk,” she says and laughs.
“Is Nikoli mad?” I ask quietly, drinking some of the tea and trying not to gag at the awful taste.
“Not mad, exactly, but he just looked upset,” she replies gently.
“I feel bad. I should have said something. I was just worried he wouldn’t let me go.” I remember his worried face when we got back to the pack. I think I might have called him Nicky. Oh God. I so hope that was a dream and didn’t really happen.
“He might have, but you need to trust him. Nikoli sees all his pack members as his responsibility, and leaving the pack without another wolf is against the rules. Not all supernaturals are good, and if something went wrong last night, Nikoli would blame himself forever.”
“I don’t know what to say. I feel horrible,” I mumble, knowing she is right, and I should have thought about it like that. I would never want him to feel responsible for me, but I know he does.
“See, I know the problem,” she says, and I raise my eyebrows. “You were brought up in foster care and never had a family who worries about you. You have a family now; a massive pack, and we would do anything to keep you safe. Just think about it because Nikoli wasn’t the only one that was worried.” She stands up, walking towards the door.
“I care about you too, you know? I never had a best friend before,” I say.
“Well, you have one now.” She winks at me.
“Have a shower and come down to the kitchen for breakfast,” she says with a smile, shutting the door behind her. I sit back in the bed and drink the rest of the horrible tasting tea, surprised that I feel much better and my headache is gone. I get into the shower and start washing my hair, thinking about what Gold said.
I guess I never had to worry about people missing me, about them worrying about me. I don’t know how to get used to having this amount of people caring, but I know I won’t do what I did last night again. I will tell Nikoli when I want to leave with Colton because I can’t give him up. I get out the shower, and towel dry my hair, brushing it and leaving it down before getting dressed in jeans and a tank top. I leave my room and run down the stairs, passing Tam on the way, who says hello. I walk down the corridor and stop in my tracks when I hear Colt talking. What is he doing here?
“Colt?” I ask, walking into the kitchen and see him eating breakfast next to Nikoli. The two of them stop talking when they look at me and smile.
“Come and eat,” Nikoli says, standing up, offering me the chair next to him. I slide into the chair and keep my eyes on both Nikoli and Colt. I’m sure I look as confused as I feel.
“How are you feeling?” Colt asks me.
“Good. Gold got me some wolfsbane tea, or I think that’s what it’s called,” I say, and he nods.
“Ah yes, I had some this morning from Nik. The stuff tastes horrible, but it works.” He taps his head, and I don’t know what I’m more in shock about. The fact he is sitting here and has apparently been here all night and morning. Or the fact Nikoli let him call him Nik, and got him a cup of healing tea for his head. What the hell happened when I was sleeping? Did I wake up in another world?
“I have to go, but can I have a moment alone with Harper before I leave?” Colt asks Nikoli, who, to my shock, nods and walks out the room, even shutting the door behind him.
“How did you do that?” I ask, waving my hand towards the door Nikoli left through.
“We spoke and decided that we need to attempt getting along to make this work between us all. Neither of us wants to lose you, and everything happens for a reason, so here I am,” Colt says, and I sit in silence, completely baffled. Colt moves from his seat and comes over to me, grabbing my knees and turning me in my chair so he can part my legs and step in between them. I gasp when he slides his hand into my hair, pulling me up to meet his lips. This kiss is nothing like the last one, which was gentle. This time, he kisses me like he can’t get enough. And neither can I. I wrap my arms around his shoulders, moaning a little when he presses his hard-on close to me, and his other hand slides down my back, grabbing my ass and pulling me closer to him.
“On Tuesday, can you stay over at my house?” He pulls away a little, to look at me. I’m too breathless and turned on to do anything other than nod. Colt grins, kissing me lightly this time, before stepping away and walking to the door.
“By the way, I can’t wait to see you Tuesday, and I’m missing you already,” he says and then walks out, leaving the door open. I hear him talking to Nikoli outside the room, but I can’t hear their words. Seconds later, Nikoli walk into the room. He doesn’t even look mad, just average, and I don’t know what to say to him.
“Do you want some bacon, eggs, and beans?” he asks me, going over to the counter where there is food warming on the stove.
“Sure, thank you,” I respond, and he dishes me up a plate before bringing it over and placing it in front of me. There’s an awkward silence between us for a while as I eat before I blurt out an apology.
“I’m really sorry for last night. It was cruel and childish to sneak out and not tell you where I was. All I can say is that I’m sorry.”
“Harper,” he sighs and leans over, picking me up from my chair and putting me on his lap. I can’t believe he just lifted me like I was nothing. I pause when he kisses my forehead, his lips staying there for a long time, and I don’t feel any reason to move.
“Being alpha means I’m connected to all my wolves, and if you ever mate with me, as the alpha female, you will feel them all too. My wolf and I know we have to protect them because they are weaker than us. Because they need us. I was born to be an alpha, to be protective of those I know are mine, and I can’t help that side of myself. I don’t want t
o control you, Harper. I just want to know you’re safe.”
“I’m not used to people, other than Colt, caring about me. Being protective of me,” I whisper.
“That’s got to change now. You’re not human anymore, and you are certainly not alone. I want you to remember that I’m here, and if you want to go with Colt, please just tell me,” he murmurs softly.
“I was worried you would get jealous, and not let me go,” I tell him honestly.
“I might have gotten jealous, I might not have understood the vampire before last night, but I trust him with you. I see the way he looks at you, I know he would die to protect you, and that’s enough for me to know you’re safe with him,” he says gently.
“You seemed to have changed your tune,” I whisper.
“We spoke a lot last night. He told me about his coven, how he doesn’t drink from humans or hunt them. How his coven is the same. I know he isn’t a bad guy; just young and a little foolish,” he chuckles. “But for someone his age, he isn’t a complete fool,”
“We’re the same age,” I chuckle.
“I know, and I know you need someone like him around; someone you can relax with, and that can’t be me,” he says.
“You make it sound like you offer me nothing, Nikoli, when that’s not true.”
“I know. We just need to get to know each other better.”
“First off, did you cook this?” I ask, and he nods.
“It’s amazing. Could you teach me how to cook? None of my foster parents would let me near the kitchens; they thought I would steal too much food or something. Who knows?” I say, and shrug my shoulders.
“How about we make some cupcakes? They are nice and easy to make,” he says with a smile when I nod, and kisses the side of my head before standing us both up. “Okay, you get the flour, sugar, and eggs out of the cupboards. I will find the rest.”
I search the cupboards for the things we need, placing them on the side. Nikoli puts butter, two bowls, and an electric mixer on the side next to us. I watch as he gets out a scale and we measure all the ingredients to match the weight of the two eggs. After we have weighed them all, we put them all in a bowl and Nikoli shows me how to turn the whisk on. It takes a few minutes to mix everything together.
“Okay, try some,” he says, putting his finger in the mixture and lifting it into his mouth. I catch his hand, pulling his finger close to my lips, and suck the batter of his finger slowly. My eyes remain locked on his the whole time, and his start lightly glowing.
“Delicious,” I say, and he grins, as he picks my hand up and dips my finger into the batter, before lightly sucking it off.
“It is,” he comments, but I doubt he meant the batter. I know I certainly didn’t.
I take some more batter and lightly spread some across his lips, and as I move closer, I hear him take a deep breath. I place my hand on his chest, and lean up, kissing his sweet tasting lips. Nikoli groans as he kisses me back, a light kiss that grows deeper, until he lifts me onto the counter and steps between my legs, much like Colt did.
“I don’t think we should take this further. Not until we decide where we all want to go,” I tell him gently when I break away from the kiss.
“I know, but let me enjoy kissing you. Nothing more yet, as this is more than enough for me. Anything from you is enough,” he says, and I lean up and kiss him again, giving him the answer he wants.
“It will be fine, don’t look so nervous.” Snow nudges my shoulder as we each carry in a plate of food to the dining room. This room must be one of the biggest in the house, with two long tables that have at least fifty chairs on either side, and dozens of plates of food. All day, I’ve been helping the women, and some of the men, cook all the food here and get everything ready. Nikoli is formally introducing me to the pack when everyone is here tonight, and despite the fact I’ve met or seen a lot of them, this is still a big thing. I spoke to Colt on Facetime this morning, and he is babysitting his little sister tonight, who I can’t wait to meet.
“They will love you. Just remember that half the pack, or maybe more, have been turned. Turning humans is illegal, so most have a bad story, very similar to your own,” she tells me softly.
I take a deep breath, placing the tray of carrots on the table, just as the room starts filling with people. I smile as I see Arisa walking in with Erik holding her hand. She has a little yellow dress on that sways as she moves.
“Mummy!” she shouts, running over, and Snow picks her up. I smooth down my silver top and skinny jeans, thankful that everyone who is walking in looks as casually dressed as I am.
“Come on, Arisa, let’s sit down,” Snow says, as Erik walks over to a seat and sits down. I watch as Snow sits Arisa in between them, and she literally bounces up and down in her chair.
“Do you like children?” Nikoli says behind me, making me jump a little. I turn around to see him standing close to me, an amused expression on his face.
“Yes. I grew up in foster care, and the place was full of children of all ages. I liked the younger ones and used to read them stories,” I tell him, as he takes my hand and leads me over to our seats opposite where Snow, Erik, and Arisa are sat.
“I like them too,” he tells me, his voice low for only my ears. “Maybe one day, we will have our own.” Nikoli pulls my chair out for me, and I slide into it, my cheeks red from his words, as he sits beside me. Gold takes the seat next to Erik when she comes in, and the room keeps filling with people. More food is placed on the tables as we wait.
“Stand up with me,” Nikoli says quietly. Just before he stands up, the room falls silent. I slide my chair out and stand next to Nikoli, who wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me to his side.
“As you all know, we have a new pack member. This is Harper, and she is my destined mate, which, in time, will make her your alpha female. Tonight, we eat and drink to Harper, as I’m ever thankful she is in our lives,” Nikoli says and leans down, brushing his lips against my cheek as everyone starts cheering and clapping. I don’t look away as Nikoli stares down at me; the room is still full of noise but all I can see is Nikoli, and I lean up and kiss him. The kiss is only brief, but the smile Nikoli gives me after I move away is enough to know it meant something to him.
“So, let’s eat and drink,” Nikoli thunders, his voice carrying around the room, and someone cues some light music. I settle into my seat and start putting food on my plate; it’s all fantastic and well-cooked.
“So, we are going to town tomorrow to get some clothes and other bits. Would you like to come?” Snow asks me.
“I would love to,” I reply, and she nods, going back to cutting up Arisa’s food for her.
“I’m coming too.” Gold adds.
“I have to leave next week; the prince has a job for me,” Erik states, and Snow glares at him over Arisa’s head.
“I want you to stay for the next month, Erik. With me having a new mate, I want you to help out with the pack,” Nikoli says. His words are demanding, and it's apparent when Erik looks over at Nikoli, that he isn’t impressed.
“Fine,” he says, and pushes his chair out before storming out the room. I glance over at Snow, who just looks down at her plate, sadness written all over her face.
“Mummy, why is Daddy angry all the time?” Arisa asks.
“Because he just is, Arisa. Maybe one day, he will be happier,” Snow replies.
“Can’t you make him happy, Mummy? My teacher said that destined wolves make each other happy.”
“Your teacher is right most the time, Arisa, but not this time. Now, eat your food,” Snow says gently, and she nods, turning her attention to her plate. There’s a tense silence until Snow smiles over at me before she speaks.
“So, did you have any plans before the rogue?”
“Like job-wise?” I ask.
“Yes, or travelling. Anything, really.”
“Well, I like to paint, but I didn’t see myself getting a good job out of that. Colton used to collect the p
aintings I did in school. He said I was good too,” I tell her.
“You should practise and then maybe you could get a job selling paintings,” she says, and I shake my head. I’m really not that good.
“I have something to show you after you’re finished,” Nikoli comments, and I nod, going back to eating my food. After dessert, me and Nikoli help carry the empty plates to the kitchens, before helping them clear away some of the food.
“Go, I’ve got this.” Gold waves me away when I try to help her wash up, and points at Nikoli, who is waiting by the door. I give her a thankful look and walk over to him, sliding my hand into his.
“So, what did you want to show me?”
“A room,” he says mysteriously. I laugh and let him lead me up the two flights of stairs to our floor, and instead of going into any of our rooms, he opens the third door I haven’t seen used. Nikoli turns the lights on as he walks in and I shut the door behind us. I turn around just in time to see him pull a white sheet off a large easel. It’s an old-fashioned wooden one, which is massive and placed right in front of the window. The rest of the room has white sheets covering things, and I wait as Nikoli opens the blinds that cover the window.
“This was my father’s study; he used to paint. What you said at dinner; well, I thought you might like to use it,” he says softly, and then goes around the room, pulling the white sheets down that are covered in dust. There is a mixture of everything in here, and half-finished canvas paintings of wolves on the wall.
“I will ask Snow and Gold to take you to a paint shop and get you whatever you need,” he tells me.
“I’m not that good, and I don’t want you to give me this, and waste money on me,” I say quietly, and he walks over to me, placing his finger under my chin and lifting my face, so I have to look up into his eyes.
“Doesn’t matter to me. Please just consider this a gift.”
“And you don’t want anything in return?” I ask quietly, and he smirks at me.
