by E A Price
She was achy and tired all the time. His wolf was livid; they hadn’t been with their mate for over three days, and, to boot, Rosalee had them eating vegetarian food. It was unbelievably awful, and his wolf was hanging onto his temper by a thread.
After the first month of living together, it became clear that Rosalee had zero talent in the kitchen, and her cleaning skills were spotty at best. Adam wasn’t above cooking for his mate, but his own ability only extended as far as grilling meat on a barbecue and pancakes, and he really didn’t have time to clean. It was, therefore, decided that they would hire one or two of the younger she-wolves of the pack as housekeepers. Adam was thrilled with the arrangement. Tilly covered all their meals; she was 19 and taking part-time community college classes. While, Aimee, a newly mated wolf, covered the housework. It left Adam and Rosalee with time to take care of the pack and time for Rosalee to pursue her painting.
Of course, now that Rosalee was on a health drive, Tilly had been dismissed. Rosalee didn’t say it, but he knew she blamed Tilly for the extra weight gain. Tilly was an excellent cook, and Adam told her that all the time. Rosalee had also dismissed Aimee, and said that she would do all the housework as it was good exercise.
Perhaps the worst part was the fact that the diet was working. She was already looking slimmer and more toned. Damnit, that annoyed him no end. When they met, she was skinny, too skinny, but over the months she had filled out and acquired some killer curves. Not that she didn’t look gorgeous before, he just liked a woman with curves. God, if he’d wanted a skinny, toned she-wolf he would have mated with one.
Not to mention how many other women she had roped into her endeavour. Carly and Kira had stuck with her, and Rosalee had now enticed a few other women to join her, including a couple of new human members of the pack and a couple of humans from the town. The women had already adopted Rosalee’s rabbit food diet, and Adam was starting to get the feeling that their males were pissed at Rosalee.
Kayleigh Cross, mate of the pack tracker Don, had briefly joined them, but on her first run she made it as far as the pack-run cake shop and sprained her ankle. She was helped into Cake Moon and spent the next hour recuperating. She decided it was best not to risk any more runs. Oddly enough, her ankle was fine the next day. At least Don seemed pleased about that, Adam doubted the gruff Texan wolf would want his mate to lose any of her voluptuous curves, any more than Adam wanted Rosalee to lose hers...
Adam watched as the group of them tried to cool down after the, undoubtedly, grueling regime Rosalee had just put them through. He had to admit all the women were starting to show signs of losing weight. He imagined there would be one or two males who wouldn’t be thrilled by that fact.
He watched as one by one the females peeled away and went home; Rosalee made her way inside. Adam stood by the sink, nonchalantly pretending he hadn’t been watching.
Rosalee puffed and panted and pulled a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. She guzzled just about all of it in one.
“Have fun?” asked Adam, testily.
Rosalee gave him the stink eye. Given his attitude to her diet he doubted that she would have been up for any nocturnal activities even if she weren’t bone tired.
“Yes, thank you,” she replied, tersely. “I’m going to weigh myself.”
His wolf huffed. “You don’t need to; I can tell you’ve lost four pounds already.”
A flash of triumph flitted over her face before it was replaced with a haughty look. “Well, it’s a good start.”
“What?!” roared Adam, “how many are you planning on losing?”
She sniffed. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Adam raked his hands through his hair as his wolf snarled and tried to force the change. Adam held tight. “Rosalee, this is ridiculous. You don’t need to lose weight, any more than any of those poor women you’ve brainwashed into following you do.”
Rosalee scowled at him. “They want to look good and get in shape, what is wrong with that?”
He let out a long breath. “Nothing, but have you even considered how their mates feel about this? How I feel about this?”
A flash of fury snapped through their bond. “How you feel? It’s my body, and I will do with it whatsoever I damn well please! If the situation were reversed, I wouldn’t have any problem with you doing exercise or dieting, so I don’t know why you can’t support me.” Not that he would need to diet. He was born lucky – a god.
Adam’s nostrils flared as his beast roared. “Rosalee, I forbid you from carrying on with this ridiculous diet.”
“You forbid me? How dare you?” she yelled.
“I am your Alpha and...”
Rosalee threw up her hands. “And I am your mate, and I deserve more than this high-handed behaviour from you. Good lord, Adam. I’m not some pup who has been caught with their paw in the cookie jar. You know what? I am going to take a shower, and by the time I’ve finished I sincerely hope, for your sake, you've had an attitude adjustment.”
She grabbed another bottle of water and stamped upstairs, leaving her irritated mate in the kitchen.
Ugh! How dare he? God he could be insufferably bossy! She wasn’t doing anything wrong, and he was being a total tool!
She locked herself in the bathroom and pulled at her clothes. As much as she loved him, it had taken a lot of effort to get used to living with him. The hardest part was that they both wanted their own way, all the time. Neither were big on compromise.
Case in point: the baby issue. Adam wanted a baby. No scratch that, Adam wanted babies. Plural. About five would suit him.
Adam said it was his duty to father a boy to become Alpha one day. Rosalee rolled her eyes and asked what he would do if they only had girls. He was adamant that wouldn’t happen. No pressure there then!
It wasn’t that she didn’t want kids… some day. She just wasn’t sure she would make a good mother. She couldn’t cook or clean; she didn’t exactly make a good mate. She couldn’t understand why Adam had wanted to mate with her at all. Alright, maybe she could. It was the pull of being true mates; fate decreed that they should be together, yada, yada, yada… But that was it. Would Adam even give her a second glance if they weren’t true mates? She doubted it.
He was the Alpha of the pack, and he needed someone who would be a good wife and mother. He needed a she-wolf who could give both him and the pack what they really needed. Not a dumpy human with the same homemaker skills as a silverback gorilla. How would Adam react if she did give birth to a human baby? Would he still want her and the baby?
Rosalee felt unhappy tears well and quickly closed the bond she shared with Adam. No way did she want him charging up there and trying to make her feel better. That would be just like him to console her while she was mad at him, and make her forget why she was mad in the first place.
No, this was something she needed to work out on her own.
*
11th February
Adam sneered at the assembled males before him. All but one had the sense to tremble under his gaze. He was in no fucking mood to deal with them right now.
Relations between him and his mate had turned downright frosty in the last few days. Rosalee refused to give up her diet and Adam refused to support her in this insane diet. His wolf was constantly on edge and desperate for a fight. The fact that he hadn’t had sex in over a week sure wasn’t helping.
“Look, Alpha,” started Gabe diplomatically, “we all love Rosalee, but...”
“You need to control your female!” roared Cain.
The burly bear shifter was livid. His tiny mate, Carly had taken to exercising non-stop and eating very little food. It was some comfort to Cain that Carly hadn’t lost any weight; she had, in fact, added a bit due to muscle mass. But when she wasn’t crying over the fact that she hadn’t lost any weight, she was too tired to make love. Cain had decided to take his rage over the matter out on the Alpha.
The male wolves shouted out in agreement but were quelled with a look fro
m Adam.
Gabe rolled his eyes. He was also concerned about his mate, Kira, but, thankfully, his mate was a little more practical about the matter and was mainly sticking by Rosalee because she was concerned. It was actually Kira who suggested Gabe speak to Adam in the first place.
“As I was saying, we’re a little concerned about her influence on the other females. As much as we care about our female Alpha, we don’t really like the way she has... ummm...”
“Made our mates think that they need to diet and lose weight,” snarled Cain.
Adam’s wolf roared at the bear’s disrespect, but Adam soothed the beast. He couldn’t agree more. “The situation is being handled,” he told them as calmly as he could.
He hoped. He’d brought in someone who he thought might stand a chance of getting through to his mate.
*
Rosalee opened the door to find her sister-in-law, Delilah, on the other side. The two women hugged, and Rosalee led her into the kitchen.
Rosalee folded her arms. “Adam asked you to come speak to me, didn’t he?”
Delilah shrugged and smiled. “Yep, he’s pretty predictable. Do you have any cookies? I’ve been craving cookies.”
Rosalee gave her a half-smile in return. Delilah had proudly told them she was pregnant after Rosalee and Adam returned from their honeymoon. Adam had been overjoyed at the news, but, truthfully, it made Rosalee a little tense. The pressure for Adam to also produce a child was on now that his younger sister was expecting.
“Sorry, I got rid of all the sweet stuff. How about some caffeine-free tea?”
“Sounds good.” She sat down at the table. “So, how is the diet going?”
Rosalee arched an eyebrow. “What does it matter? You’re here to talk me into quitting anyway.”
Delilah held up her hands. “No, I’m here because Adam is worried about you, and, honestly, so am I. You’ve been kind of quiet around me since Christmas.”
Rosalee fidgeted guiltily. “That’s not true.”
The she-wolf looked at her in disbelief. “Come on, be honest. Now, the only thing that’s changed is the fact that I’m pregnant so...”
Rosalee blushed, and Delilah sighed. “What’s worrying you?”
“It’s nothing; I just... I know Adam wants kids and soon, but I...” Rosalee looked out the window and chewed on her cheek.
“You’re not ready? I’m sure Adam would understand...”
“It’s not that; I’m just not sure that us having kids is a good idea.”
Delilah furrowed her brow. “Why not?”
“What if... what if the baby turned out to be human? Adam wouldn’t want it.” She felt her stomach twist even as she said it, and it was only made worse by the flash of amber in Delilah’s angry eyes.
“Of course he would want the baby!” Adam may be a domineering ass at times, but he would never reject his own child!
“But he told me he needed to have a son, a wolf, who could be Alpha after him. What if I can’t provide that? What if I only give him human girls? I’m not a she-wolf, I can’t promise pups. God knows, I can’t even manage to clean or cook properly. I have to get in better and more capable she-wolves to do that for me. Maybe Adam should have mated with one of them!”
Rosalee dissolved into tears and Delilah leapt up to sweep her into a hug. She eagerly rubbed her back while she made soothing noises. “If Adam wanted to be with a she-wolf he would have. He wanted you, and it’s breaking his heart to see you so miserable.”
Through hiccups she said, “But he was always going on about how good a cook Tilly was, and how wonderful Aimee was. How was I supposed to compete with that? How can I compete with skinny, young she-wolves?”
“It’s not a competition, and certainly not a close one; you win hands down every time. They’re sweet enough girls, but that’s all they are to Adam. She-wolves like them are all one and the same to Adam. They all suffer from one simple thing.”
“What?” asked Rosalee through sniffles.
“The fact that they aren’t you. Now, you have to stop feeling sorry for yourself, and stop doubting who you are. You’re Rosalee Grey, damnit! Female Alpha of the Grey wolf pack, and the only woman to tame the beast that is Adam Grey.”
Rosalee giggled. “Well, it wasn’t easy.”
Delilah pursed her lips. “Trust me, I know, do you think growing up with him was fun? Are you maybe feeling a little better about things now?”
Rosalee nodded and dabbed at her eyes with tissues.
Delilah raked her fingers through her black hair. Rosalee smiled; Adam did that all the time.
“You wait until I see Adam; I will give him a piece of my mind. He should know better than to be singing the praises of other women.”
Rosalee shook her head. “It’s not his fault; I should have told him how I felt.”
“Do you think Andy is ever dumb enough to walk around our house talking about how great other females are?”
Rosalee doubted it; Delilah’s bear mate, Andy worshipped his she-wolf and she doubted he would be that suicidal.
“Or, for that matter, do you run around telling Adam how great other males are?”
Rosalee’s eyes widened. She wouldn’t dare; she imagined Adam would tear apart any other male she had the nerve to compliment. “I agree, but please don’t say anything. It should come from me.”
Delilah grudgingly agreed and with one last hug she left. Rosalee let out a breath and felt more relaxed than she had in weeks. She knew what she had to do, and first, she thought it was best that she burn those damn lycra leggings.
*
13th February
Adam walked into the house with some reluctance. Since his sister visited, things had been marginally better than the days preceding them, but Rosalee had still been quiet and withdrawn. At least she didn’t seem to be angry with him anymore.
She had disbanded her group of exercisers. The other males were thrilled, Cain in particular. Carly felt a lot better and figured that her obsession with exercise and diet had been channeled from the other females.
He’d been out all day; first of all dealing with issues from the new hotel a company from Alexandria were trying to build and then problems at the Sheriff’s station. He hadn’t seen Rosalee since he left her asleep in bed that morning.
His wolf had stopped snarling and had taken to whining instead.
“Rosalee?” he called, tentatively.
“In the dining room.”
His wolf was practically salivating at the delicious smell of steak and fries. His favourite meal. He quickly followed his nose and was elated to find the dining room bathed in candlelight, a huge slab of steak waiting to be eaten and, best of all, his mate was in a slinky dress and smiling at him.
“Surprise! Happy Valentine’s Day,” she cooed.
“It’s not until tomorrow,” he murmured as Rosalee came to him and brushed her lips over his.
“That’s the surprise, Alpha.”
She led him to the table and sat him down, wiggling her curvy butt as she went. He didn’t know what he wanted more, the steak or his mate. Who was he kidding? It was his mate, every time.
Adam looked at the steak. “Did you cook this?”
“Nope, I asked Tilly to come work for us again, and she made it. I also managed to get Aimee back; that’s why the house looks so good.”
Adam took a bite out of the steak and groaned at the taste. “I didn’t think you wanted them to work for us.”
Rosalee shrugged and began digging into her own steak. “I didn’t, but I realized I was just being stubborn. There are always going to be people in the world who are much better at certain things than me. And I know you prefer Tilly and Aimee to me when...”
“What?” roared Adam as his wolf howled in displeasure. “In no way do I prefer either of them to you! Why would you think that?” His eyes flashed to amber; how could she even imagine that any other woman even came close to her?
Rosalee smiled nervously. “Yo
u were always saying how great they were at cooking and cleaning…”
“Who gives a fuck about those things?” snarled Adam as his wolf prowled impatiently. “Why would I care whether you can cook or clean? I don’t need you to do those things; I certainly don’t do those things; I just need…” Adam took a deep breath and calmed from his mini-rant. He reached across the table and laced his fingers with hers. “I just need you.”
She beamed as she felt the strength of his feelings through the bond. “I feel the same way, and honestly it doesn’t bother me that you couldn’t fix our refrigerator…”
His wolf snapped his jaws. It had been irritating when their refrigerator broke, and Adam hadn’t been able to find the problem. He hadn’t really liked the way he had to call in a younger wolf to do the job for him. Particularly as Rosalee had told him he was clever and had done a good job. It dawned on him, and he almost kicked himself as his wolf hung his head. He realized why Rosalee had wanted to get rid of Tilly and Aimee; it was because of him, and the way he had incessantly complimented the girls. He had unintentionally made her feel inadequate, and he felt like such a jackass.
He reached over and pulled his very compliant mate onto his lap, his dinner completely forgotten. “To be clear, sweetheart, you are perfect. No other woman can ever compare.”
“I feel the same way, I am incomparable.”
Adam chuckled as he took in the tight red dress. “This is really pretty,” he breathed, fingering the low-cut neckline, “I take it you managed to diet back into your clothes.”
“Nope, even better, I bought bigger clothes.”
“You look beautiful.” He leaned his head down and pressed kisses onto her breasts.
Rosalee sighed as hot desire shot straight to her womb. “I think we should try for a baby.”
Adam pulled his head back abruptly and looked at her in surprise.
“I’ve stopped taking my birth control, and I threw out the condoms.”
Although Rosalee had been on birth control, at her fertile time of the month she had always insisted that Adam use condoms too. She heard rumors about male wolves’ virility and hadn’t wanted to put it to the test.
