The Mating

by Nicky Charles

  Her arrival downtown ended her train of thought. A quick glance at her watch told Elise that she only had a few minutes to park the car and get to the Grey Goose for the start of her shift. Pulling into a parking spot, she moved to turn off the engine but paused when she noticed a warning light was lit up on the dash. Darn! Supposedly, a mechanic had checked the car over thoroughly, but apparently something had been missed. Well, she didn’t have time to worry about it now. After work, she’d stop by a garage she’d noticed the other day, and get it checked out. Locking the car, she ran across the street and hurried into the restaurant.

  *****

  Her shift was busy and when one o’clock finally rolled around, Elise breathed a sigh of relief. Taking off her apron, she hung it on her hook and grabbed her coat, thinking longingly of sitting somewhere quiet and putting her feet up. As she rounded the corner towards the door, the sight of a tall sandy-haired man brought her up short.

  “Bryan!” Joyfully, she launched herself across the remaining few feet and jumped into the open arms of her childhood friend.

  “Elise!” He spun her around and then kissed the tip of her nose. “It’s so good to see you.” He smiled down at her, his hazel eyes warm and welcoming.

  “Same here.” She slid down from his arms and stood gazing up at him with what she knew must be a ridiculously happy grin on her face. Impulsively, she gave him another bear hug. Behind her, someone cleared their throat and she suddenly remembered she was still in the restaurant, no doubt making a spectacle of herself.

  Stepping back, she glanced over her shoulder and saw her boss frowning at her. “Sorry, Mr Mancini. This is an old friend of mine, Bryan. I haven’t seen him in a while.” Mr. Mancini just raised his eyebrows and Elise felt her grin falter. Apparently her boss didn’t appreciate his employees hugging friends in the entryway. “Er… We’ll just go somewhere else to talk.”

  Mr. Mancini folded his arms and nodded. Elise grabbed Bryan’s arm and led him outside. There was another restaurant just down the road, where they could sit and talk. Turning to the left, she started to lead the way.

  “Who was that grump?” Bryan asked as he casually put an arm around her shoulder.

  “Mr. Mancini? He’s my boss. Usually he’s really nice. When I applied for the job, at first I didn’t think he’d hire me, but after he thought it over, he did. Since then, he’s helped me learn the ropes, given me good shifts, and just been really great. I’m not sure what was wrong just now.” Frowning Elise chewed on her lip for a moment, then gave a shrug. “We were really busy today, so maybe he’s just tired. I know I am!”

  They arrived at the restaurant and sat down. Under the cover of the table, Elise slipped her shoes off and wiggled her toes, sighing in relief. Bryan noticed and playfully reached down, grabbing her ankle. Elise gave a squeak and jerked her foot back while Bryan grinned, looking entirely too pleased with himself. She couldn’t help but laugh. Gosh but she’d missed him.

  “So, how have you been?” Bryan reached across the table and took her hand. His expression sobered. “Has that Alpha been treating you okay?”

  “His name is Kane.” She gently reminded. “And yes, he treats me very well.”

  Bryan exhaled gustily and looked at little disappointed. “Yeah, I supposed he would. Much as I’d like to hate the guy for taking you away, everything I’ve heard about him tells me he’s all right. I think a part of me wanted him to be a rotten thug so I’d have a reason to go beat him up.” He shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “Just male ego, I guess.”

  Thinking that Kane would likely wipe the floor with the younger man, Elise made no comment. Instead she turned the initial question back on him. “And how are you? And I mean really, not just the politically correct ‘fine’ that people always give.” Elise studied her friend’s face carefully. The last time she’d seen him, he’d been bitter and angry, almost slinking away after Kane had warned him off.

  Silence stretched between them. Bryan was staring intently at their entwined fingers, his thumb tenderly caressing the back of her hand. Finally he looked up. “I’m all right. I spent the first few days in an angry funk and then another couple wandering around feeling sad and lost. But now, I’m okay. I’ve actually been doing some thinking—“

  The waitress arrived to take their orders, interrupting whatever Bryan had been going to say. He chose a burger and fries while Elise picked the soup and salad luncheon special. As they placed their orders, Bryan started searching in his pocket for something. When the waitress moved away from their table, he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and held it up triumphantly for Elise to see. “Here, before I forget. Sarah sent her recipe for squash soup. She said you’d been talking about it.” He frowned, obviously puzzled. “Who calls to talk about soup?”

  Elise laughed. “We do. I was telling her about Helen, one of the members of my new pack, and how she likes to cook. Sarah said that she was making squash soup when I called and then I said that Helen told me she’d never made it before and… Well.” Catching the look on Bryan’s face, she giggled and snatched the paper from his hand. “Never mind. Just tell Sarah, thanks.”

  “Sure” Bryan stared at her for a moment, a faint smile on his face. “You know, Elise, when you laugh like that, you have to be one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen.” He tucked a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear with the ease of familiarity and let his fingers trail down her cheek before allowing his hand to return to the table top where he fiddled with the cutlery.

  Feeling inexplicably uncomfortable with the gesture, Elise picked up her napkin and arranged it in her lap, keeping her eyes down. “Thanks Bryan. That was a nice thing to say.”

  “No, it wasn’t a nice thing to say. It’s the truth. I’ve always thought you were pretty and when you laugh, your eyes get all sparkly, and you’re sweet and always trying to see the positive side of things.”

  Elise shifted in her chair, suddenly nervous. What was Bryan getting at? He’d never gone around spouting her virtues like that before. Surely he wasn’t still thinking that they—?

  The arrival of their meal cut into her line of thought and they both waited silently for the waitress to place the food on the table.

  Once the server was gone, Elise cleared her throat. She had a bad feeling that Bryan was going to ask her to run away with him or some such thing and she wanted to head him off. “You know Bryan, I am bonded to Kane.”

  “I know that. I—“

  “And it wasn’t just a normal bonding. It was part of a political alliance to keep peace between the packs and ensure that we all have enough territory to roam. It’s binding for life.”

  “Right. That’s why—“

  ”And Kane is an Alpha, so—“

  This time, Bryan interrupted her. “Elise, are you happy with Kane?

  Was she happy? Two weeks ago, she’d thought her world was coming to an end but now… It didn’t take her long to come up with an answer. “Yes, Bryan. I…I like him very much and I’m happy.” She reached out a hand in anticipation of comforting him, but was surprised by his response.

  “Good. That takes a lot off my mind. As I was saying earlier, after you left I did a lot of thinking and… Well…” He paused and then spoke in a rush. “ After seeing you again today, I’ve come to realize that while I still love you, I think it’s more of a brother-sister kind of love. We’ve known each other all our lives and we sort of drifted into a relationship but… After you left, I found that I wasn’t as devastated as I thought I’d be.” Bryan seemed to be a bit apologetic and was holding his breath, waiting for her response.

  Elise blinked. That wasn’t what she’d been expecting at all and yet… It mirrored what she’d been coming to suspect. She gave a dry laugh. Here she’d been thinking he wanted them to run away together and instead he was letting her down easy! “So you’re basically ‘breaking up’ with me?” She smiled at him so he’d know she was teasing but even still, he squirmed, looking a bit uncomfortable.

/>   “Yeah, I guess I am. Have I hurt your feelings?”

  “No. I was coming to the same conclusion myself. We shared some great times but now we’ve grown up and moved beyond the ‘puppy love’ stage.”

  Bryan groaned. “Puppy love? Oh, Elise that’s a really bad joke.”

  “Well, what else would you call it? We were puppies and we thought we were in love.” She defended herself with mock indignation. This was what she’d always enjoyed about their relationship—the friendly camaraderie, the teasing and bad jokes. They grinned at each other for a moment then Bryan’s stomach growled, sending them both into a fit of laughter again.

  After that, they ate and talked about old times. before Bryan questioned her further about her relationship with Kane. Strangely enough, she found it very helpful to talk to someone from outside her new pack. Helen, Carrie, and Julia all saw Kane not only as their Alpha but also as a much beloved friend. Bryan had very few preconceived notions and Elise felt he’d be able to interpret things in an unbiased fashion. By time they had finished eating, they’d reached the conclusion that she was definitely falling in love with her mate.

  “After all,” Bryan said as he walked Elise to her car. “What’s not to love about the man? He’s done everything he can to make you happy and except for sticking you with Marla, he hasn’t made a wrong move, has he?”

  “No, and even Marla isn’t that bad any more. I think Kane and I have a good future together. He seems to like me and maybe one day he’ll… Well, who knows?” Elise turned to look at Bryan, placing her hands on his chest. “Thanks so much for listening to me ramble on about Kane. It was really good to see you again…” She paused and frowned. “You never did say why you were in town.”

  “No, I guess I never did. Well…” He shifted uncomfortably. “Don’t take this wrong—it’s nothing against your father, I swear—but I’m thinking of heading out and seeing a bit of the world, maybe even forming my own pack one day.”

  “Oh, Bryan! Your own pack?”

  “Yeah. I…I think I have it in me to be an Alpha or at least a Beta someday, though not for a few years to come. There’s this feeling that’s been growing in me for a while now, but I always ignored it because I knew, or at least I thought I knew, that my future was with you. Now that you’re gone, I’m starting to realize that I want more out of life and the chances of advancing in our pack are really limited. It’s too big, with too many other wolves in line.”

  “But your own pack? You don’t have the money to buy land or even a house. What will you do?”

  “Well, I’ve heard rumours that there’s another wolf who also wants to strike out on his own. I’m in town to see him and maybe we can work a deal.” Bryan shrugged nonchalantly but there was an excitement about him that she hadn’t seen before, as if he couldn’t wait to start a grand new adventure.

  Elise stared up at him, then smiled. She brushed his sandy brown hair from his eyes and, standing on tiptoe, pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “I hope it works out for you, Bryan.”

  “If it does, I’ll likely be back here in a day or two. I won’t just leave my pack without saying goodbye to everyone and explaining to your father. If I’m heading back this way, could we meet again?”

  “Sure. I’d really like that.”

  Bryan gave her a quick hug and then opened the car door. “Okay, I’ll give you a call in a day or two.”

  “Great. I’ll be waiting.” Elise started the car and pulled away. As she left, she rolled down her window and waved.

  “Bye Elise. Take care. Love ya!” Bryan called after her.

  “I love you, too!”

  Chapter 21

  Elise hummed to herself, thinking of how nice it had been to see Bryan again and to have things worked out between them. The confusing feelings she’d harboured for him over the past few weeks were finally straight in her mind, allowing her to focus on Kane without any guilt or ambiguity. Kane was her future and she was pretty sure she was beginning to love him. Mind you, she’d thought she’d loved Bryan, but this felt totally different. Hugging Bryan had been familiar and comfortable, while being with Kane gave her a sense of security and completeness, along with an interesting, tingly excitement that just seemed right.

  Stopping at a traffic light, she glanced down at the dashboard and frowned. That warning light was on again. Rolling her eyes in exasperation, she altered her course and headed towards the nearest garage. Thankfully, it wasn’t too late and the mechanic was still on duty. He took the car back into the service area to check it, while Elise sat waiting in the front office.

  It wasn’t the cleanest place she’d ever been; the smell of old oil and gasoline assaulted her nose. A coffee maker was on one corner on an old Formica counter, while the cash register beside it sported a sign offering a complimentary cup of coffee while you wait. Elise poured herself some and took a sip, grimacing at the taste. It was several hours old and as thick as tar. She left the coffee and perched uncomfortably on the edge of one of the old vinyl chairs, its plastic surface was cracked and sadly in need of cleaning. A dog-eared magazine was lying on the chair beside her and she flipped through it. Unfortunately, it was several years old and focused mostly on sports cars and motorcycles that were draped with scantily clad, buxom beauties. Dropping the magazine in disgust, Elise stood and looked out the window.

  There wasn’t much to see. The sky had darkened to a dull grey that threatened rain or possibly even snow. Cars zoomed by on the highway that ran in front of the garage, a billboard advertising insulation was to the right, and a parking lot with cars for sale occupied the space to the left. Idly, Elise studied the cars, her gaze skimming over the shades of brown, blue, and grey until coming to a stop on the lone flash of red. It was a sports car, bright red in colour and strangely familiar.

  Drawn like a magnet, Elise pushed open the outer door, the bell above jingled merrily to signal her exit. Walking over to where the car was parked, she circled it, studying the vehicle from all angles. She’d be the first to admit that she knew nothing about cars but she’d bet her last dollar, this was the one that had sprayed gravel at her two weeks ago. It wasn’t a common make, possibly an import.

  Tugging at the door handle, she was surprised when it opened; usually people kept their cars locked. Leaning over, she examined the interior. It was clean, with no papers or garbage lying around. She wondered who the owner was and sniffed but didn’t detect any recent scents. Thoughtfully, she closed the door and made her way back to the customer waiting area. Once inside, she glanced towards the door that led to the service area. It was ajar and she could see the mechanic was still working on her car; the noise from the engine obviously had kept him from noticing her brief departure. Casually she strolled over to the counter and leaned against it. Ostensibly pouring herself more coffee, she peered at the labelled binders that were stacked on the other side of the counter.

  Keeping one eye on the door to the service bays, Elise picked up a binder entitled ‘Auto Sales’ and began to flip through the listings. About half-way through, she came to a snapshot of the red car. There was a write up about its age, engine size, and number of miles. The date on the page indicated that it had been brought in about a week and a half ago. The owner was listed as Ryne Taylor!

  Elise snapped the book shut and pressed it to her chest. Ryne must have been at the house just two weeks ago! He was the one who had peppered her with gravel. But it had only been her second day—she hadn’t even been there twenty-four hours yet! How had he known who she was? And why had he shown such disrespect to her? Maybe it was because he hated Kane and she was guilty by association or… Possibly, he was just a maniac when driving and thought the stunt he’d pulled was funny.

  She’d have to tell Kane what she’d discovered. It might prove to be a lead that helped them locate the rogue wolf. Carefully, she slipped the binder back where it belonged and sat down again to wait for her car, all the while thinking how pleased Kane would be with her news.

 
*****

  It was almost five o’clock by the time Elise finally got home. The problem with the car had been a malfunctioning sensor light, rather than an actual fault with the engine or brakes. A new sensor was on order and the mechanic said he’d call when the part came in.