I was wearing my bra and panties in a pool in the middle of November and making out with two of Austin’s pack mates. That probably wouldn’t go over well with his mother, considering that she was probably under the impression that I was going to be Austin’s mate.
I got out and picked up my wet dress before wrapping myself in a towel. I squished out as much water as I could so the dress wouldn’t drip all over the house as I carried it in. The twins had followed me out of the pool and were picking up their wet clothes while James talked to them. I tried to ignore the way the water beaded on their muscles and how their wet boxers clung in all the right places.
James was busy giving the twins orders, so I decided to sneak into the house to get cleaned up. I listened carefully as I crept inside and headed to the stairs. I didn’t hear anything to indicate that we had a guest in the house and I made it back to my room without running into anyone.
I closed my door behind me as I pressed my hand to my lips. I could still feel the sensation of lips on mine when I closed my eyes. Had that really just happened? In the moment, I had felt a sense of freedom and rightness, but now that I had taken a step away I was starting to question myself.
The twins loved to tease me, but I had not thought that they would have acted on it. I couldn’t believe that I had just kissed both of them. What would this mean for us? Would things start to get weird? How did I feel about each one of them?
If I was completely honest with myself, I would have to admit that my feelings went deeper than just friendship. Both of them had a special place in my heart, but what if they wanted me to choose between them?
I started to feel more nervous now that my arousal was fading. The twins had quickly become my two best friends, I couldn’t lose them. What would Austin think about me fooling around with more than one of his pack members?
I didn’t want to prove James right; I did not want to be the source of discord within the pack. What should I say to the twins tonight at dinner? Was I supposed to act like nothing had happened? Was this just casual ‘fun’ for them or were they acting on deeper emotions for me?
I took a deep breath. One problem at a time. Right now, I needed to meet Austin’s mother and find out why she was going to be staying here. It was clearly unexpected by Austin, was there something going on with Austin’s father?
I quickly showered and dried my hair, but I hesitated before getting dressed. The dress that had taken a dip in the pool was the only black dress I owned. I still had plans to scatter Evelyn’s ashes into the ocean later tonight with the rest of the guys. I knew they wouldn’t judge me for wearing something society deemed ‘inappropriate’ for that type of event. But how would Austin’s mom feel?
I shrugged to myself. I wanted to make a good impression on her so that I wouldn’t embarrass Austin, but she was probably going to notice that I was weird no matter what I did. Hopefully, I could blame most of my weirdness on being raised by humans.
After eyeing the contents of my closet, I decided on a pink dress that Quinn had picked out for me. I think that meeting Austin’s mom called for something nicer than my usual jeans and a hoodie. I even put on some lip gloss and mascara before slipping on some flats and heading downstairs to meet our guest.
I met Cody in the foyer. He was surrounded by a pile of luggage, there had to be at least nine bags there.
“How many people are here?” I whispered to him.
“Just one.” He said drily.
I raised an eyebrow at all the luggage and he chuckled as he ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, she’s in the living room if you want to go meet her.”
The living room had a few couches in it, but no TV or other entertainment so no one spent any time in there. I walked slowly in that direction. I was curious but also nervous. The rest of the pack was not too fond of Austin’s mother, but hopefully she wouldn’t be that bad.
I hesitated in the doorway to take in the scene. Austin was sitting in an armchair, looking stressed. A beautiful woman was sitting primly on the loveseat opposite him. She was well dressed and if I had to choose one word to describe her, it would be elegant. She had dark blonde hair, similar to Austin’s color, but it did not look natural.
I was surprised that I could pick up on the scent of expensive perfume wafting from her. I had gotten used to the guys not liking any type of perfume or cologne. They claimed it interfered with their ability to pick up on subtle scents.
I smoothed my dress down nervously but picked up my chin. I might not be as fancy as her, but that did not mean I was going to cower in front of her.
I took a deep breath and tried my best to glide gracefully into the room. Both Austin’s and his mother’s gazes turned toward me. Austin looked a little relieved to see me, probably because I took his mother’s attention off him.
Austin stood as I entered the room. “Anna,” he smiled at me. “I would like to introduce you to my mother.”
“Please, call me Reagan,” she said warmly.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Reagan.” I smiled at her. She didn’t seem so bad, why were all the other guys hating on her?
She sighed and looked at Austin. “I see what you mean; I have a lot of work ahead of me.”
I just looked at Austin in confusion. Had I done something wrong?
I could see an apology in Austin’s eyes. “Anna, the council decided it would be best for you to spend some time with a high-ranking female before you are introduced to other packs. This way you can learn more about our culture and what will be expected of you.”
Reagan nodded in agreement. “They chose me because I’m already mated and would have no desire to challenge you for your position here.”
That made sense to me. But I’m sure the fact that she was mated to one of the council members also impacted their decision. I gave Reagan a small smile. “Well, thank you for coming. I appreciate your help.”
She eyed me carefully from head to foot. “We are going to have to do something about your nervous habits. The top female in a pack should have the bearing of a queen.”
I tried to stand up a little straighter.
She sighed. “I know it’s warm out today, but you should have already switched out your summer wardrobe for your winter one. Sundresses really should not be worn in November.”
I was starting to see why the guys all ran in the opposite direction. Who cares if I was wearing a sundress in November? It was warm and the dress was comfortable.
I sighed. This was Austin’s mother, so I was going to try and be cooperative with her. After all, she was here to help me.
Reagan stood. “Now let’s go up and take a look through your wardrobe. We should get you dressed properly before dinner.”
“We weren’t planning on having a formal dinner tonight, mother.” Austin helpfully interjected.
I was happy when she turned her attention away from me to look at him with a frown. “Surely, you can have something prepared for us.”
I cleared my throat. “I was planning on making fettuccine Alfredo with grilled chicken tonight. But we could have something else if…”
My voice trailed off as she looked at me in horror. What was she upset about? Yeah, it wasn’t exactly healthy, but we were a pretty active group of wolves.
“Dear,” she reached out a hand to me. “I know that you aren’t officially mated yet, but the dominant female in the pack is not a servant.”
I looked at her in confusion and then turned to Austin. He looked chagrined. “Mother, you know I run my pack a little differently here. Everyone contributes, and Anna likes to cook.”
I nodded enthusiastically. “I don’t mind. Plus, it was more of the twin’s job. I kind of stole it from them so that we would have decent food to eat on a regular basis.” I told her with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
Reagan sniffed and looked at Austin. “I raised you better; you know how to treat a woman properly. How do you expect to keep a female here when she would be treated like a queen anyw
here else she went?”
I took a small step back. I was not really comfortable dealing with conflict, especially when it was between Austin and his mother. I sensed that this was about more than just me cooking dinner, though. This seemed like an argument they had before.
Austin just sighed. “Why don’t you take Anna upstairs and see if she needs anything for upcoming events. I’ll make sure dinner is taken care of.”
Reagan raised her chin. “Come on, dear.”
She walked out of the room and I gave Austin a glare before following after her reluctantly. He was lucky I was not connected to him with the pack bond yet, I was not happy that he had foisted her onto me.
Reagan gracefully strode to the staircase and I tried my best to mimic her. I was going to try and learn what I could from her; I didn’t want to embarrass Austin or the Seaside pack in front of other wolves.
I took the lead once we reached the top of the stairs and showed her to my room. She glanced around the room, which was bare except for a bed and a small nightstand.
“How long have you been living here?” She asked with a frown.
I gave her one of my best smiles and tried to sound peppy. “A few weeks.”
“Hmmm. We are going to talk to Austin about getting you proper accommodations.” She murmured, heading for my closet.
“Oh, I don’t really need-“
“Don’t be silly,” she interrupted. “Even if you don’t end up staying, he is still going to have to furnish his home.”
I just swallowed and tried to keep a pleasant look on my face as she opened my closet door. Her frown got deeper.
“I suppose you don’t really need proper clothing, either?” She asked drily.
My face turned bright red, but I raised my chin. “I have appropriate clothing for what Austin and the pack require of me.”
She turned and looked at me thoughtfully. “So, you do have some spine under there. I was worried you were just sweetness and fluff.”
My jaw dropped. She was complimenting me for challenging her? Interesting.
She waved a hand at the handful of clothing I had hanging in the closet. The twins had brought me the rest of my clothes from home, and Quinn had provided me with some outfits, but the giant closet was still mostly empty.
“We may as well just start from scratch. I’ll call my stylist and have her bring some things by tomorrow.”
I remained quiet. She had a stylist? I had not realized that Austin must have grown up in a wealthy household. That made me feel a little more intimidated by him. He had grown up thinking that he would be mated to a polished and elegant female, similar to his mother. My shoulders hunched in a little.
Compared to the women he was used to, I must seem like a homeless stray he found wandering the streets. I was proud that I had managed to build a career for myself, but I was just a middle-class worker compared to someone like Reagan.
Reagan thumbed through the couple of blouses and a dress I had hanging next to my hoodies. She gave me an exasperated look but thankfully didn’t comment further on my choice of clothing.
We spent the rest of the afternoon together in the dining area. Reagan drilled me on the appropriate way to greet another pack’s pack-master, alphas, betas, and omegas. She explained that it was in poor taste to directly ask for another pack member’s status but told me I should be able to tell by picking up on cues. I should be able to ‘feel’ who was the most powerful in the pack.
I was feeling frustrated with all of the nuances she was trying to impart to me, but trying to be respectful of her culture. Why couldn’t I just say hello to everyone exactly the same? Thankfully, she seemed to be just as frustrated with trying to teach me and looked like she was about to give up.
I decided to take the moment to ask something that had been bothering me all day.
“May I ask you something, Reagan?” I asked politely.
She sighed tiredly. “I suppose.”
“It seems like females are treated well, from what you are describing.” I hesitated, not sure how to phrase this. “But I had heard that in other packs the females are treated horribly, like slaves or brood mares. It seems like those are opposite extremes.”
Reagan’s mouth tensed. “I’ve heard those rumors as well. As far as I know, they have never been substantiated.”
I was shocked. Austin hadn’t seemed surprised when we talked about Evelyn’s former pack; I assumed it was common knowledge.
“Oh, no.” I told her emphatically. “It definitely happens.”
Reagan sighed and leaned in closer to me. “If there were packs that treat females like that, it’s because they are barbarians. We are a group of civilized wolves, but we hold close to our pack hierarchy. That’s why all of these rules and customs that seem so silly to you are so important to us.”
I frowned. “How could the council let any packs get away with it, though? Shouldn’t they step in?”
Reagan looked at me sharply. “What do you think would happen if we marched into another pack’s territory and took their females? They would come after all of us. They would destroy our packs and take any female they could get their hands on.”
Reagan clenched her hands together. “The reason why we live in peace is because they let us live the way we want, and we let them live the way that they want.”
I looked at her incredulously. “And you’re okay with that? Knowing that there are females out there being brutalized right now?”
“Count yourself lucky that you are not among them right now.” She hissed at me.
I seethed. She knew exactly what was going on, she just chose to ignore it and pretend that it was not happening.
We locked eyes and neither of us was willing to back down. We stayed like that for a few moments until she eventually lowered her eyes.
Reagan took a deep breath and stood. “Anna, I apologize for losing my temper with you. It has been a trying afternoon, why don’t we take a break for now and freshen up for dinner?”
I nodded. “That sounds good.” I tried to give her a soft smile, but it probably came out more like a grimace because I was so angry. I was started to notice that it was more difficult to hold my tongue when I got angry, I used to be able to just brush my anger aside.
Reagan left the room and I tried to calm down. What I really needed was a good run, but I wouldn’t have time before dinner. I wasn’t changing before dinner; she would just have to accept me in my pink sundress for now.
No one was in the kitchen, so I assumed that meant the twins were sent to pick up dinner from somewhere. Where were all the other guys hiding? I looked outside, but the patio and pool areas were empty. I doubted Austin and James would be in their offices, that was the first place Reagan would look if she wanted them for something.
I chewed on my lip. Where would Reagan never go?
I smiled to myself and headed for the garage. Sure enough, Austin, Cody, and James were sitting in the garage. They had placed some folding chairs in a circle in one of the empty spots. Each one of the traitors had a beer and looked quite comfortable until they heard me at the door.
Cody stood abruptly and looked behind me, probably to see if Reagan was following. He looked relieved when I shut the door behind me. The air in here was cooler than in the house, probably because the doors were closed and none of the warm air or sunshine could get in here.
“What is going on with you and Reagan?” I asked as I took a seat in one of the empty chairs. I was a little annoyed but still curious.
James and Austin both chuckled and Cody looked embarrassed. “Nothing.” He mumbled.
James took a sip of his beer and watched me with examining eyes. He didn’t say anything, so I decided to ignore him.
“Austin.” I said with more than a little frustration in my voice. “Do I have to keep being nice to your mom or can I tell her that I am going to wear whatever I want, say whatever I want, and interact with my pack the way that I see fit?” I fumed.
James s
mirked. “That doesn’t sound like our sweet Anna.”
“Sweet Anna is taking a break.” I announced. It was happening more and more often that my real feelings were bursting out of the layer of shyness and fear that kept me silent for so long.
Austin smiled at me with amusement. “She did tell you that you are the dominant female here and that you should act like a queen.”
I huffed. “What I mean to say is that if I give her a difficult time, will that negatively impact our pack or your relationship with the council?”
He cocked his head at me. “I like that you put the needs of the pack ahead of your own desire to tell her off.” His voiced turned from serious to teasing, “It seems that I chose well for my queen.”
“I like that you call it ‘our pack’ now, Anna.” Cody smiled at me. “I don’t think I have ever seen you look so angry before. I like this feisty side of yours.”
I made a face at him. “You can blame the twins, they have been encouraging me to express my emotions more and not hide so much of who I am.”
“You remind me of an angry little white kitten. You might puff out your fur and bare your teeth, but you just end up looking more adorable.” James told me with a smirk.
I looked at him in disbelief. Did he just call me adorable? I crossed my arms across my chest and gave him a dirty look. I was sure Mr. Dark and Mysterious considered ‘adorable’ to be more of an insult than a compliment anyway. And what was up with him comparing me to a cat? Last time I checked I was a wolf.
“That’s fine.” I told him smugly. “Reagan should be right out, I’m sure she will give me some lessons on how to scare you guys.”
All of their eyes immediately flicked to the garage door with varying amounts of alarm and concern.
James scowled at me when I laughed at their reactions.
“Why are you guys intimidated by Reagan?” I asked curiously. Their reactions were particularly strange after Austin had just given me permission to tell her off.
Austin cleared his throat. “She is the mate of one of the most powerful and influential pack-masters and council members. Believe me; you do not want my father to come after you for disrespecting his mate.”
Finding the Fire Within: Seaside Wolf Pack Book 2 Page 4
