The Mating

by Nicky Charles

  “See?” Julia looked smugly at Marla. “Yet another reason to stay away. The ground could be contaminated as well as the water. If we went that way, we could end up getting sick.”

  Marla seemed to cool down and returned to the pleasant persona she’d been assuming. “You know Julia, you’re right. I’d totally forgotten about that. We are supposed to keep clear. See what happens when you stay away from the woods for too long?” Marla’s apology almost sounded sincere, but Elise had her doubts. Still, she was curious as to the other woman’s motives.

  “Why did you want to go to that particular spot, anyway?”

  “Well, like I said, it would be interesting for you to see, and Ryne and I used to spend a lot of time there as well. He loved taking pictures around here.” She shrugged. “I really miss him sometimes and revisiting places that we shared helps me deal with the loneliness. Ryne and I were very close. We’d actually discussed becoming mates, rather than just lovers, and now that he’s gone…well…I feel that a part of me is missing, too.” Marla’s eyes began to fill with tears and Elise awkwardly patted her shoulder.

  Julia just looked at her and shook her head. “If you miss him so much, then why didn’t you go with him, when he left?”

  “Umm, I…” Obviously searching for an answer, Marla shifted uncomfortably. She looked around the woods and then shrugged. ”This is my home. I couldn’t just leave it.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Julia snorted in disbelief. “Well, it’s time we were heading back anyway. I want to visit Thomas again and it gets dark early this time of year. While we might be able to see quite well, those stupid hunters can’t. After Thomas’ close call, I’m not taking any chances.” With that, Julia shifted. The other two followed suit they began loping back home.

  Chapter 13

  Somehow, Marla managed to get herself invited to dinner and ended up sitting on one side of Kane, while Elise was on the other. As he entered the dining room, Kane gave Elise a peck on the cheek and, it was only when Marla stood looking at him expectantly, that he absentmindedly helped her into the chair. Rolling her eyes, Elise sat down, moving her chair in by herself; she wasn’t helpless and could manage her own chair just fine, thank you very much!

  For his part, Kane seemed oblivious to any undercurrents between the two women, merely inquiring how their day went. Marla happily reported that she and Julia had shown Elise some of the woods. Elise wanted to point out that Marla had just basically tagged along, but Kane seemed so pleased that their day had gone well, that she didn’t want to burst his bubble. His face seemed exceptionally drawn and he kept rolling his shoulders and turning his neck as if his muscles were too tight. Elise wondered what had happened that day to make him so tense, and made a mental note to offer him a shoulder massage later on.

  Despite his obvious stress, Kane thought to apologise to her for not personally conducting a tour of the territory. “I’d really meant to take you out myself, Elise. I’m sorry. My intentions were good, but with one thing and another, the time slipped by.”

  “That’s okay. Julia did a fine job of showing me the most popular trails. Maybe one day you can take me to some of the less well known spots.” Under the cover of the table, Elise felt Kane give her thigh a squeeze. Her heart did a quick flip flop when he didn’t immediately remove his hand, and the look he gave her seemed to hold interesting promises for later in the evening. Who knew where that shoulder massage might lead?

  Marla chose that moment to lay her hand on Kane’s arm, drawing his attention away from Elise. The blonde opened her mouth to speak, but Carrie suddenly shoved a bowl of mashed potatoes in front of her face. “Here Marla, you have to have some more of these. They’re Helen’s special recipe, you know.” Forced to take the bowl that was practically touching her nose, Marla removed her hand from Kane. Immediately, John got Kane’s attention by asking about a pack meeting that had been called for that evening.

  Elise chuckled inwardly at how her friends were putting up road blocks to keep Marla away from Kane. Looking across the table, she met Helen’s eye and received a slow wink from her. Smirking, she knew the older woman had clued the other two in on the situation. Biting her lip, Elise stared at her plate and ate quietly, concentrating on the men’s conversation to keep from laughing out loud at Marla’s sour expression.

  “So, I’ve called everyone about the meeting tonight at seven o’clock. Even our members that live in town are coming here for it. Only Julia and Thomas won’t be there.” John summarised his afternoon efforts. “I told Thomas you’d probably stop by tomorrow and give them a personal update.”

  Kane nodded in approval. “That will work out nicely since I didn’t get a chance to check on how Thomas was doing today. I have the outline for the meeting run off and the chairs are set up downstairs, so everything is ready.”

  “Helen and I made some cookies and muffins for refreshments.” Carrie added. “And John carried the coffee urn downstairs so it’s ready to go.”

  Elise marvelled at how efficient a team they all seemed to be, and wondered when she’d find her own niche in this group. She hadn’t even known that there was a meeting tonight! Was it a regularly scheduled event or something special? And why hadn’t they told her? Of course, she’d only been here a few days, and she’d been out of the house all afternoon, but surely someone might have mentioned it in passing. Trying to be positive, Elise decided that it had likely just slipped their mind that she wouldn’t know, and at least this gathering might give her some more insight into how this particular pack functioned. She didn’t like feeling that she was out of the loop and was coming to realise that Kane’s pack wasn’t nearly as traditional as her father’s.

  “So what’s on the agenda?” Marla asked, flipping her hair and leaning towards Kane, obviously trying to draw his attention.

  “Just an update on some recent events. I’d rather not go into it right now. You’ll get all the details, the same time as everyone else.” Kane calmly ate his meal, not really looking at Marla so he missed the frustrated glare that quickly passed over her face. Apparently, Marla was not used to having to wait for what she wanted.

  “I wasn’t aware that there was a meeting tonight,” Elise tentatively stated.

  “Really?” Kane looked surprised. “I thought Helen said she’d tell you.”

  “Me? Now Kane, why would you expect me to tell your mate about the meeting?” Helen looked at Kane in puzzlement.

  “Well…I suppose I just thought you’d see her during the day while you were working in the kitchen since I was in and out all the time…” Kane’s voice trailed off as Helen shook her head at him.

  “Kane, you really need some lessons on being a mate.” John good naturedly teased him. “Rule number one—never assume your mate spends all her time in the kitchen. Rule number two—never spring a surprise on her because then she’ll fuss and fume about her hair and her clothes. I mean, just look at poor Elise right now. There’s a meeting in just under an hour and she hasn’t had a chance to comb her hair from her run or even change her clothes and she’ll be meeting the rest of the pack…” Suddenly John quit speaking and gave a grunt of pain as if someone had kicked him.

  Indeed someone had kicked him! Carrie was glaring at him and he gulped in anticipation of her ire. “John, you have the biggest mouth in the world! Don’t you worry, Elise. You look just fine.” Carrie smiled encouragingly at her. Marla just smirked.

  Elise felt herself flushing. She hadn’t really looked in the mirror when she came home. Did she have twigs in her hair or dirt on her face? If it was bad enough that John had noticed… Pushing away from the table, she excused herself. “Maybe I should just go and get cleaned up a bit. John’s right. I was out running and I’m probably a mess. Do I have time for a quick shower?”

  “Well, yes. But you really do look okay to me.” Kane caught her hand.

  “Right. You look fine. I didn’t mean—” John began.

  “No, no. It’s okay. I want to look
presentable…” Elise pulled her hand free and backed out of the room, before turning and hurrying up the stairs.

  *****

  Elise had the quickest shower on record and then stood chewing her lip in front of the closet. What did one wear to a pack meeting when you were the Alpha’s mate? The meetings back home were usually rather stuffy and she’d avoided them like the plague, but were they the same here? She didn’t want to dress too casually and look as if she didn’t care. On the other hand, too formal of an outfit would make her seem stuck up, as if she thought she was better than the rest.

  Finally she decided on an almost new pair of black jeans and a cotton sweater. Slipping in a pair of gold earrings and a bracelet, she studied herself in the mirror, hoping she’d hit the right note. Her dark brown hair fell softly around her face and she used a touch of eye shadow to bring out the green in her eyes. After adding a bit of lip-gloss, she decided the look was about as ‘middle of the road’ as she could hope for. Too bad there wasn’t some sort of manual that explained the ins and outs of being an Alpha’s mate. To be sure, her father was Alpha but he’d been a widower for many years, and as a child she’d never paid attention to what her mother did or wore…

  The bedroom door swung open and Kane walked in, finding her standing in front of the mirror, nervously adjusting her clothes. He swept his eyes over her and an approving smile appeared on his face. “I see you’re ready for the meeting.”

  Elise nodded nervously. “Do I look all right? Not too casual or too dressy?”

  Kane pulled her into his arms and gave her a comforting hug, then kissed the tip of her nose. “You look perfect, but then again, you did before as far as I was concerned. I thought you might be nervous and wouldn’t want to walk into the room by yourself, so I came to get you.”

  “Thanks. I wasn’t looking forward to that. It’s a bit nerve wracking to think that I’m the Alpha’s mate. Everyone will be expecting me to be like Helen…”

  “No they won’t. They just expect you to be you.” Kane gave her another hug, and then taking her hand, led her down the stairs to the meeting room. Elise concentrated on steadying her breathing and composing her nerves. Wolves could smell fear and that wasn’t the first impression she wanted to make.

  The faint buzz of voices could be heard coming from the other side of the door and Elise frowned. “It sounds like everyone is there already. I thought the meeting didn’t start until seven?” She checked her watch; it was still only six forty-five.

  “I guess they’re all early for some reason.” Kane shrugged unconcernedly and pushed the door open.

  Elise peeked inside and gasped.

  Kane grinned and tugged her into the room as everyone called out, “Surprise!” Two large banners were strung across the far wall. One said “Welcome Elise!” and the other had “Congratulations Kane and Elise” printed across it. Elise didn’t know what to say. She scanned the room, taking in the sea of smiling faces. Kane squeezed her hand and led her to a table where a slab cake was decorated with a little plastic bride and groom. Someone had made little furry tails and taped them to the figures. Kane picked one up and examined it with raised brows.

  Carrie burst out laughing. “They don’t make werewolf bride and groom cake decorations, so I improvised.”

  “Hmm…” Kane looked at Elise. “If my tail is ever sticking out of my suit coat like this, you will tell me, won’t you?”

  Elise chuckled and nodded before being enveloped in a bear hug by a repentant looking John. “I’m sorry for what I said about how you looked at supper, but I was told to do it. We wanted you upstairs so everyone could sneak in, and figured if you were in the shower and changing your clothes, you wouldn’t hear them arriving.”

  “Well, it certainly worked.” Elise pretended to scold him. “I figured I must be a real mess, and that Carrie and Kane were just being nice when they said I looked fine.”

  Smirking, Carrie explained further. “I know how a woman thinks. The more we tried to reassure you, the more you’d believe something was wrong. It was a foolproof plan.”

  “Enough chit chat! Open the presents!” Helen urged her towards a large table covered in gifts.

  Elise took in all the boxes and bags then looked at Helen and the assembled crowd in shock. “You didn’t have to bring presents. The cake, and the banner, and…well, everyone being here—that was more than enough!”

  “We weren’t able to give you two a shower or attend the bonding, so we’re just having our own little celebration.” Helen said smugly.

  “Besides,” Marla added, appearing beside Kane. “We usually do a large birthday and anniversary party at these meetings for anyone in the pack who had a special day that month. October was empty and we had nothing better to do.” She smirked at Elise and leaned against Kane. “Just teasing, of course.”

  Carrie’s eyes flashed with temper that matched the red of her hair. She grabbed Marla’s arm and gave it a firm tug. “Marla, come help serve the coffee and tea.” And before Marla could protest, she was whisked away.

  Kane and Elise spent the next half hour opening presents and thanking everyone who had gathered around them. Elise felt overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity and was happy Kane was at her side to speak to all the well-wishers. Just as on her first day there, most people seemed pleasant, a few were curious, but everyone seemed generally welcoming, well, except for Marla, but that was a different story.

  As she stood by Kane’s side nodding and smiling, she allowed her eyes to drift over the room wondering if Marla had managed to escape Carrie or not. After a few moments of searching, she found her near the beverage table. While she wasn’t really serving coffee or tea as Carrie had asked, at least she was still in the general vicinity of her post. Elise speculated why Marla hadn’t abandoned the job as soon as no one was looking. A shift in the crowd allowed her to see that Rose was standing with Marla as well.

  Hmm… She hadn’t thought the two were friends, though Rose had greeted Marla in the mall on Saturday, even if it had been in a rather subdued manner. Watching the interaction between the two, it was hard to determine if they were enjoying each other’s company or not. They barely looked at each other and to the casual observer, it probably wouldn’t even be apparent that they were speaking.

  Elise noticed that while Rose’s face was rather impassive, she was clenching her fists. What had Marla said to upset the girl? A group of people momentarily obscured her view and by the time they had passed by, Marla was by herself again appearing rather smug.

  Scanning the room, she finally located Rose standing near Phoebe and Zoe. Daniel, Zoe’s brother-in-law was there, and seemed to be talking earnestly to her. Well, at least if Marla had said something cutting, Rose had Daniel there to help pick up the pieces.

  Chapter 14

  Once the presents were opened and the cake served, Kane cleared his throat. “As much as I hate to interrupt the festivities, we do have a monthly meeting to hold, so if everyone would take a seat, we can begin.”

  The general rumble of conversation slowly dissipated as people settled into their seats. Helen, Carrie, and Elise sat to the side near the front, while Kane and John took their places at a central table and podium. After smiling over at Elise, Kane began.

  “Before we start, I’d like to thank all of you once again for your good wishes and the warm welcome you’ve given Elise. I know we both appreciate it. Your support means a lot to us, especially in these difficult times.” A polite round of applause cut him off, and he waited for it to die down before continuing. “I have a number of important points to bring up tonight and then we’ll open the floor to discussion.”

  “First, as I’m sure you all know, Thomas was shot two nights ago while out on patrol. I’d like to assure you that he is recuperating at the infirmary and will be fine. At this time, we’re not sure who was responsible. It could have been human hunters from town, trespassing on our property—it’s been known to happen before, but…” Kane paused and then dr
opped the bombshell. “Thomas thought he scented Ryne just before the gun was fired.”

  Gasps filled the room and then conversations burst out all over. Elise’s eyes widened as she took in the bits and pieces of dialogue that flowed through the room.