by Delta James
“Honestly, Jean-Michel, are you going to keep the poor man standing in the foyer all day?” said Darby, coming forward and extending her hand.
Griffin watched Jean-Michel, who started to make a low growl at the back of his throat. Griffin knew all alpha males were territorial about their mates and he rather imagined Jean-Michel more than most. It didn’t help that Jean-Michel would have recognized Griffin as an alpha male. But Jean-Michel, seeing Griffin looking at Maddie, relented and then grinned at him infectiously.
“Oh, hush,” Darby said, laughing at Jean-Michel. “What do you think, he’s going to grab me, rip my clothes off, and try to have his way with me? Oh, no, wait, that was you.”
Gautier surprised Griffin by laughing. “I did not try to have my way with you. And you took your clothes off to shift and try to run from me. In fact, as I recall and JD can attest, I was insistent you get dressed.”
Darby rolled her eyes and turned back to Griffin. “Only after he’d managed to pin me to the ground and rub his stiff cock all along my backside.”
Gautier went to say something but was preempted by JD. “She’s right. I’ve often wondered what would have happened had you not been joined by the rest of us.”
Jean-Michel laughed. “My beautiful mate would have succumbed to my charm and I would have had my way with her… at her insistence.”
Darby snorted. “Hardly. I would have made a clean getaway if it weren’t for that alpha wave and that damn call of yours. I tell you, Maddie, beware the call of an alpha wolf. Should you ever be so unfortunate as to hear or feel it, run as fast as you can.”
“But my love,” said Jean-Michel, “that would do her little good. All that would be accomplished is that her mate would be forced to run her to ground. Then once caught, he would have to paddle her pretty bottom before making her his in far more pleasurable ways.”
“For Christ’s sake, Jean-Michel,” said Darby with exasperation. “We have guests, one of whom is not a shifter and is probably appalled by your behavior.” She turned to Maddie. “Please accept my apologies again for my mate’s bad manners. I know for a fact he was raised better than that.” She turned once again to Griffin. “Come on, let’s take you upstairs. We’ve put you in the room next to Maddie’s.”
* * *
Maddie had entered the house with Darby after enjoying a lively conversation with the mistress of the pack. It had become readily apparent that she was deeply, madly, and passionately in love with the man who had claimed her even though she had resisted that claiming at first. Darby had shared with Maddie that she had felt drawn to Jean-Michel from the first but had wanted no part of being mated to him or to anyone. She had related the tale of how they came together and that although he had been implacable and strict, he had also been loving, kind, and passionate. It was the last, Darby confided, that won her over.
When they entered the house, Maddie could swear she heard a kind of buzzing inside her head. She looked to see if some insect had entered with them, but could see nothing. She watched as Jean-Michel had drawn Darby into his embrace, kissing her deeply regardless of others being around them. Maddie was quite certain that the all-powerful alpha was deeply in love with his mate.
When Jean-Michel introduced her to Griffin, Maddie had smiled at him and he had done the same. Just as Darby was to take Griffin upstairs, the housekeeper, Mrs. Hastings entered and requested a moment of her time to consult with her and Claudine.
Maddie stepped forward. “I can show him upstairs, Darby. It’s the room to the left of mine, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Thanks, Maddie. Griffin, get settled and if you’d like, come down and join us for lunch. If you’re tired, I can have something sent up for you.”
“I wouldn’t want you to go to any trouble,” said Griffin.
“It’s really not any trouble anymore,” said JD. “Staff have become used to having to take trays up to one or more of the Holy Trinity when they get it in their pretty little heads to misbehave. They’ve got to take one up to Megan.”
“Isn’t Megan feeling well?” asked Maddie.
The five members of the New Orleans pack burst into laughter.
Darby turned to JD. “I take it my dear Megan informed you of her feelings regarding Maddie being made our guest without anyone asking her feelings on the matter?”
JD said nothing but smiled. Geoff leaned in closer to Griffin. Maddie was standing close enough to hear him say, “As I said, Megan just tends to act out with JD in private.”
All four men chuckled and Darby elbowed her mate playfully. Jean-Michel turned her back into his arms and kissed her even though she tried to protest. Maddie couldn’t help but watch as he drew his mate more thoroughly into his embrace and kissed her until she acquiesced.
“And if you are not careful, ma choue, you will be having lunch upstairs as well.”
Darby raised her eyebrow at him and then addressed Maddie. “Forget all that romantic bullshit I told you outside. As I said, alpha males are nothing but a major pain in the ass and should be avoided at all costs.”
Jean-Michel laughed at her and swatted her behind as she went to join Mrs. Hastings.
She yelped and turned to look at Jean-Michel, shaking her finger at him. “Just you wait. You have to close your eyes some time.”
“Ah, but I have learned it is best to do so once you are exhausted from my amorous attentions and have closed yours first,” he teased.
“Arrogant jackass,” she said, smiling at him.
“Beloved mate,” he corrected, returning her smile.
Maddie and Griffin both laughed quietly and Maddie showed him up the stairs.
“This one is yours,” Maddie said, opening the door to the left of her own.
“Thank you, Ms. Stone.”
“Maddie, please.”
“Then you must call me Griffin,” he said, smiling.
Maddie’s brain didn’t really register his words as much as she listened to the silky tone and the timbre of his voice. It was deep and soothing with a British accent she would not have been able to identify save for the fact that she knew Skylar Owen and Calon Onest were Welsh. She felt the sound of his voice wash over and through her. It was at once comforting and a bit unsettling.
Griffin tossed his duffle on the bed. “I’ve been either flying or rushing through an airport for almost eighteen hours. I’d like a chance to stretch my legs and breathe some fresh air. Could I impose on you to show me the grounds?”
“I don’t really know them myself. I only got here last night, but I’m willing to go exploring if you like.”
“Excellent. I think they said lunch was ready. Why don’t we have something to eat and then we’ll go take a closer look at these beautiful grounds.”
“They are spectacular, aren’t they?”
Griffin nodded. “Quite. This place has been in Gautier’s family for hundreds of years and it looks as though it has always been well cared for.”
Maddie couldn’t help but startle ever so slightly when Griffin reached for her hand and put it through his arm. She couldn’t help thinking it was the kind of reaction one of the heroines in her novels would have to one of her alpha heroes.
“It’s all right, cwningen bach, I won’t bite,” Griffin said gently with a smile.
“Cwningen bach?”
“Little rabbit. Forgive me, I was teasing you. I startled you. You’re a human and I’m the big bad wolf…”
Maddie gave a little nervous laugh. “No, that’s fine, I just don’t speak any… was that Welsh?”
“It was indeed. Hard to learn to speak… impossible to learn to write. Even those born to it often look at words written down and think, surely that isn’t the way that’s pronounced.”
Maddie found herself warming to his easy charm and good looks. They were walking down the stairs when she suddenly stopped and really looked at him.
“Are you all right, Maddie?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine. Just was a bit dizzy for a mo
ment.”
“If you’re unwell, perhaps you should go back to your room. I can let Darby know and she can have something sent up to you.”
“No, no. Really, I’m fine. Just a lot more excitement in the last twenty-four hours than I’m used to. I fear you wolves live far more vibrant lives than we mere humans.”
Griffin chuckled. “We do seem to be slightly more willing to embrace the passions in our lives. You weren’t offended at Jean-Michel and Darby, were you?” he said, almost holding his breath.
“Quite the contrary, I found myself envying them the depth of their love for one another. Are all alphas equally as passionate about their mates?”
“The good ones who are fortunate enough to find their fated mate, yes. But I fear as with your own kind, there are good shifters and bad ones. Darby’s first mate was one of the latter.”
Maddie couldn’t believe that she was walking down the stairs with her arm linked with the man from her dream. The dream she’d had just last night before the intruders had tried to hurt her. She suddenly felt a ripple of arousal course over her body like a gentle wave. It washed through her, leaving her feeling mildly unsettled but somehow happy about it.
* * *
Griffin wondered if Maddie could feel it and if so, would she know what it meant? He was quite certain Jean-Michel had recognized the connection, and from the grin that had spread across his face, he was also quite sure the alpha of New Orleans had found it amusing.
He chuckled to himself. It would seem that fate had smiled upon him at last, but had set him a difficult course. He hoped that his only obstacle would be convincing Maddie to leave her humanity behind and become a shifter. Perhaps the next few days would offer him the opportunity to speak with other alphas about the best way to accomplish his goal.
Chapter Eight
Maddie enjoyed lunch with Griffin and the New Orleans pack. They had a way of making one feel as though you were amongst friends you’d known for years. Maddie was fascinated watching the difference between the mated male members of the pack and those who were as of yet unattached.
The New Orleans pack consisted of seven mated couples, its three ranking members among them, six unmated males, two unmated females, and several children. Maddie envied the strong family and pack ties among the shifters. All of the couples seemed devoted to each other.
She knew from Halsey that men were the dominant partners. The women were cherished, but submitted to their mates. And should they misbehave or disobey their partner, they would be punished, which most often included being spanked. The idea was abhorrent to her and yet she couldn’t deny the arousal she had felt in the dream in which Griffin had spanked her.
As lunch was coming to an end, Griffin double checked with their host that he would not be needed this afternoon and that he and Maddie were free to explore the grounds of the plantation. She thought she might have seen a look pass between Jean-Michel and Griffin and wondered what that meant.
They wandered out the French doors out onto the lawns. Griffin had once again tucked her hand through his arm as they exited the house.
“So, you’re from Wales?” asked Maddie.
“Most of the time,” said Griffin with a chuckle. “I was born and raised there and I go back fairly often or my older sister gets distressed.”
“Are you a ranked member of the pack?”
“No. My sister’s mate is alpha. My brother, father, grandfather, etc., have been the alphas before Ioan.”
“Forgive me for being nosey and please feel free to say no, but why aren’t you the alpha? Are you not an alpha? Can’t you train to be one?”
Griffin smiled. “No. Alphas are always born. Betas are generally born, but can be trained. Omegas are the same. I’m not alpha of Calon Onest because I was away when my brother was murdered. I was also a member of an elite special ops group and I had obligations there. By the time I was free to return home, my brother-in-law had taken on the mantle of alpha and I had too much respect to challenge him.”
“But if it was your birthright…”
“It’s not a monarchy. Just because your family has been alpha for generations, it doesn’t mean you have a lock on being alpha. Your pack has to feel they can trust you to lead and protect them. Another alpha can challenge you at any time for leadership of the pack.”
“So why didn’t you challenge him?”
“Because my sister picked the right wolf as her mate and to lead our pack. No one has ever been a better alpha than Ioan. He has always welcomed me to live within the pack and has said he would step down, but he’s the best wolf for the job.”
“So do you think you’ll ever settle down there?”
“No. I thought I’d never settle down. I’d accepted that until about a week ago.”
“What happened?” she asked, genuinely curious.
“I saw an old friend and spent time with his pack. He and his mate are expecting their first child. Then I saw my sister and Ioan. I decided I want what they have—my own mate, a pack of my own to lead, a place of my own.”
“In Wales?”
“No. Interestingly enough I think here in America. As I was flying across the Atlantic, I had the feeling that I was coming home and that my destiny and my mate would be here.”
“Are there still territories left or how do you do that?”
Griffin laughed. “The short answer is yes. I gave that a bit of thought. My brother’s former mate will be here this weekend. I mean to ask her about the home she left when her pack was disbanded.”
“This is the all-female pack? The one to which Darby belonged?”
“Yes. I could establish myself there. It’s on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The Welsh have had a presence in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama for almost a thousand years.”
They continued to wander somewhat aimlessly around the grounds of the estate. There were various gazebos and gathering spots as well as other dwellings for members of the pack, stables, garage, sports courts, etc. It was easy to see why the pack so enjoyed living here.
Maddie was glad Griffin wasn’t insulted or resentful of all her questions. It was just so fascinating and he seemed happy to share with her.
“Do you advertise or recruit for pack members? Then pick a mate from within your ranks?”
He laughed. Maddie noted he had a great laugh and perhaps the sexiest chuckle she’d ever heard. Both seemed to skip along her skin and made her happy just to hear them.
“I fear I’m something of a romantic as are a great many alphas. We prefer to wait for what we call a fated mate. A woman with whom we have spent many lifetimes and to whom we are destined to be mated.”
“But with the smaller numbers of born shifters, doesn’t it mean that there are fewer fated mates?”
“No. Shifters have been intermarrying with humans for thousands of years.”
“So, your fated mate could be human?” Maddie asked.
“Yes. In fact, I’ve come to believe she may well be human. My friend Marco’s mate is a turned female. No female could be better suited to Marco than Catherine. And your friend Halsey’s fated mate is a turned female. I figure it doesn’t matter how you start out that counts, but where you end up. Don’t you think?”
“I suppose. I hope you don’t mind all the questions. I’m a novelist, and some of this I can use in my books. Don’t worry, I don’t write about werewolves and I would never expose your kind, but it’s just so damn interesting. Sorry. I sound like a geek, don’t I?”
Griffin smiled. “No. You sound like an open-minded person who got confronted with some pretty startling information but instead of being a good little human and reporting all of this to someone who might harm our kind, you protected our secret. That’s to be respected.”
“Do only females get turned? And how does that work?”
“Either sex can be turned, but it tends to be females more than males simply because there are fewer females. The short version of how is that a shifter’s blood or sal
iva enters the bloodstream of the non-shifter and basically takes it over and turns or changes it to shifter blood.”
“Does it hurt?” she asked.
“Yes, and makes the one being turned sick. A human’s DNA will fight to survive and not be overwritten. It usually turns out right especially if there’s a medical professional there to support the change, but there are instances of the change killing the person being turned.”
“How awful… not just for the person who dies but for the person they’re changing for.”
“It’s not a thing to be undertaken lightly or capriciously. I understand Oliver offered to turn you.”
“He did,” said Maddie.
“Ever regret not saying yes?”
She shook her head. “Not really. Although watching everyone last night and yesterday I have to admit there’s something to be said for the strong sense of family.”
Griffin laughed. “Yes—both good and bad?”
“How could anything be bad about having a large family?”
“Ever had one? Or lived in a really small town?”
“Only child. Parents have passed. No other family. Chicago.”
“Ah,” he said, “then you don’t know. Basically, everyone knows your business. And everyone thinks it’s perfectly fine to get into your business.”
“You mean everyone cares and is there to support you.”
He laughed. “I suppose you’re right. Remind me of that the next time my sister is driving me nuts and Ioan gets on me because he doesn’t want her upset.”
Maddie laughed with him. “Next time.”
* * *
Griffin knew that he should be focused on the battle that was no doubt coming. He knew that he should want Maddie far away from all of it. But the idea of not being able to spend time with her made him feel like he’d been gut shot with toxic silver. And the idea that she wouldn’t be his was not acceptable.
He couldn’t help but smile at all her questions. He suspected she had no idea she was asking things that in the coming days ahead would be critically important for her to know.
