by Alisha Basso
Purposely sipping her coffee to negate the need to respond, Elise murmured in what she hoped was an appropriate manner. Was she proud of Kane? He was her mate and she supposed she should be, but she didn’t really know the man. It was hard to be proud of someone you’d just met. Helen continued chatting, oblivious to Elise’s thoughts.
“I can tell you from personal experience that an Alpha’s work is never done. I had to force my Zack to set ‘office hours’ so that we could have some semblance of a normal life together. You’ll likely have to do the same if you ever want to see him outside the bedroom.”
Carrie giggled. “They were just bonded yesterday, Helen. I imagine Kane’s going to be more interested in mating than in working for the next little while.”
Elise wasn’t quite comfortable with the direction the conversation seemed to be heading and swiftly tried to change the topic. “So, Carrie, when are you due?”
The pregnant woman rubbed her belly. “I’ve only got six weeks to go and I can tell you, it won’t be a minute too soon. My ankles and I haven’t seen each other in months and this one kicks up a storm at night. I can’t wait until I can get a good night’s sleep again.”
“Believe me, once that little pup is here, you won’t be getting any sleep. This is the voice of experience speaking.” Helen chuckled as she finished with the carrots and set them in a dish.
“Do you have a large family, Helen?” Elise wondered how old they might be and if they still lived here.
“I have four girls. Two are mated and part of this pack. One moved away to work out west and joined another pack. My baby, Chloe, is in university right now. She’s studying environmental science.”
“Chloe is one smart girl.” Carrie added as she peered at the roast, checking its temperature. “Kane’s hoping she can give him some advice on what to do about the northern acreage.” Glancing over at Elise, Carrie explained further. “There’s been a big push by an oil company to allow them to do some exploratory drilling in the northern part of our territory. They want to buy a large tract or lease it. Of course, we’re all against the idea, but they’ve been lobbying the local government. Kane, and Zack before him, have been busy keeping them away.”
“But if it’s your territory and you say no, they can’t come in, can they?” Elise furrowed her brow trying to understand the situation.
“You’d think.” Helen scowled as she dried her hands and then leaned against the kitchen counter. “But the humans want oil and feel that it’s their right to get it, even if it means destroying some of our property. Kane’s probably going over the company’s latest proposal right now. They seem to think that if they just offer us enough money we’ll give in, which is ridiculous. Lycans don’t need money; we need space to roam.”
Elise was nodding in agreement when Carrie spoke. “Unfortunately, not everyone feels that way. A few in the pack like the idea of the money.”
Helen snorted. “Yes and we all know who they are.” The two women exchanged knowing looks.
Chapter 5
By the time dinner was ready, Kane still hadn’t put in an appearance. Carrie shook her head in exasperation. “Elise, can you go fetch the men from the office? Knowing them and how they get so involved in what they’re doing, they’ll never come out on their own.”
“Okay. Can you point me in the right direction?” She wasn’t too keen on searching out the group—more wandering around on her own in ‘foreign’ territory—but she didn’t want to refuse and seem weak.
Helen gasped. “You mean Kane hasn’t even shown you around the house yet?”
Embarrassed, Elise shrugged and shoved her hands in her pockets. “He planned to but...”
“That man! It’s ridiculous how tied up in his work he gets. I’ll have to have a word or two with him about how to treat a mate!” Helen pursed her lips and looked thoroughly exasperated.
“It’s all right.” Elise tried to smooth things over. The freedom with which Helen was expressing her feelings about Kane seemed strange; her father would never have tolerated that. Of course, Kane wasn’t around to hear, so perhaps that explained things.
“No, it’s not. He has a mate now and he has obligations to you. Come on, I’ll give you a quick tour and then we’ll collect the men.” Helen took her by the arm and led her from the kitchen. Glancing back over her shoulder, Elise looked at Carrie who shrugged and rolled her eyes obviously used to Helen’s ways. As she followed the grey-haired woman down the hall, Elise supposed that after years of being the Alpha’s mate Helen was used to taking charge of certain things around the house. After all, it had been her home for quite a few years and suddenly being demoted would be a hard mental shift to take.
Elise saw the laundry room, spare bath, living room, dining room, recreation area and the guest rooms. John and Carrie’s quarters were pointed out, as were Helen’s own suite of rooms. The whole house reflected the pride that Helen took in her role. Every room was immaculate, cheery, and welcoming. Too bad it didn’t smell right. The scent of foreign wolves assaulted Elise’s nostrils as she went from room to room and it made her feel edgy, as if danger was lurking just around the corner. How long it would be before her scent mixed with theirs and she would finally be able to relax?.
Eventually they reached the offices, which turned out to be behind the closed doors that Elise had seen from the front foyer. Helen knocked and then entered without waiting for an invitation, shooing the men out with threats of no dinner if they didn’t hustle. Kane was the last to exit and Helen grabbed him by the arm and began to scold him for his neglect. Surprisingly, Kane listened respectfully and then thanked Helen for her opinion. Elise watched the exchange, barely holding back a gasp when he winked at her over Helen’s head, then grinned and made a face.
As they turned to walk down the hallway to the dining area, Kane whispered in her ear. “Helen thinks she’s everyone’s mother and can’t resist pointing out the error of our ways. She means well and she was right. I was caught up in something, but it was no excuse for ignoring you on your first day. I’m sorry. Do you forgive me?”
Elise nodded, taken aback at his admission. Her father never would have done that. Kane gave her a quick kiss, grabbed her hand, and hurried her down the hall. “Carrie and Helen are great cooks. I can’t wait to see what they’ve concocted for us tonight.”
The meal was pleasant, with general conversation. Elise mostly listened, trying to absorb as much information about her new pack as possible. It was just the five of them at the table tonight. Had the others stayed away because of her? At her old home, there’d always been extra people for dinner. She couldn’t remember how many times she’d been sent to count noses, so they’d know how many plates to set out. Was this pack not as close-knit?
As if reading her mind, John explained. “I told everyone to stay away tonight. Since it’s your first day, I thought you might find it a bit overwhelming to have everyone here. With only four new faces, you can sort of ease into things.”
“That was nice of you.” Elise smiled at the tall blond-haired Beta. Everyone was certainly trying to be considerate of her. Maybe it was time to explain some of her own feelings. These people were supposed to be her new family and no doubt could sense the unease coming off of her. “I...I must admit that I’m finding it a bit unsettling to be the new wolf in the pack. I feel like I’m violating your territory by being here. It’s just old instincts kicking in, but there’s this underlying idea that it’s dangerous to be walking around and that I should retreat as fast as possible.” She shrugged hoping she hadn’t made a tactical error.
Helen nodded in understanding. “This doesn’t feel like your home yet. You’ll be edgy and nervous for a while and then one day, you’ll find that your scent has blended with ours and you’ll wonder why you ever wanted to be anywhere else.”
“Changing packs is still a new concept,” John added. “A hundred years ago it was almost unheard of. With few exceptions, Lycans lived and died within the same pack. Bu
t the world’s changing and we have to change with it. People go away to school, get jobs in new cities; packs have to adapt if we’re to survive. Some don’t like the new ways—they want to cling to the ancient traditions—but our very existence depends on our ability to integrate undetected with the rest of the world.”
“And it’s even healthy for the packs to have new members.” Carrie chimed in. “New members bring new blood. There was too much inbreeding in the past.”
Elise was pleasantly surprised with how forward thinking these people seemed to be. Her old pack wasn’t exactly in the Dark Ages, but they did tend towards the traditional. “Thanks, that makes me feel a bit better. I hope everyone else in the pack feels as you do.”
“It will be fine. You’ll find your feet soon enough.” Kane hadn’t said much yet. Now he reached over and squeezed her hand. She was surprised at the comfort the gesture seemed to bring.
“She’ll find her feet a lot faster if her mate spends some time with her.” Helen pointedly looked at Kane and he grimaced.
“Yes, mother.” He replied with mocking subservience. Helen threw a roll at him, which he promptly caught and bit into. “Thank you. How did you know I wanted more?” Helen scowled at him and the others burst out laughing.
The rest of the meal progressed in an easy, affable way and Elise felt herself relaxing around her new pack mates. Even Kane seemed approachable, gently teasing her and laughing as she boldly replied with snappy come-backs. She found herself enjoying his company and felt some hope for the future. Maybe she and Kane could eventually become friends, at least.
Dessert was being served when the phone rang. John excused himself to get it but returned quickly, his face grave. “Kane, we have a problem. Thomas was out patrolling the far edge of the property today. Julia just called to say he never came home and she can’t make a mental connection with him.”
The table fell silent. Kane set his cup down with a definite thud and stood up, concern etched on his features. “Call Franz and Michael. We’ll set up a grid and go searching. I’ll meet you at the edge of the woods.” He turned to go then paused, looking back at Elise. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Nodding, Elise got up and followed him out of the room. Once they were by themselves, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry, Elise. It’s your first day here and all I’ve done is ignore you. I have to go, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“I understand. Do you think something serious has happened?”
“Thomas has only recently mated and there’s no way he’d be late getting home. Last week we found a whole line of traps in the area he’d have been patrolling. I’m worried the traps were reset and he stepped in one.”
Elise paled, thinking of her mother. “I hope he’s all right.”
“Me too.” Kane stared off into the distance, squeezing her shoulders tightly. She winced at the pressure.
John popped his head in. “Franz and Michael will be here in five minutes. I’m heading out to the tree line.”
Kane nodded then looked down at Elise. “Carrie and Helen will take care of you. Ask them if you need anything.” He pulled her in for a quick kiss and then left.
Elise made her way back to the dining room and joined the other two ladies in clearing the table and putting away the leftovers. It had been a pleasant meal and she was sorry it had ended so abruptly and on such a down note. She’d never thought about how busy her father was as Alpha but now she was seeing a whole different side to the job. Maybe Helen was right and Kane would have to set up ‘office hours’—not that she was sure how much time she wanted to spend with him—but since they were mated for life, developing some sort of relationship would seem to be necessary.
After cleaning the kitchen and doing the dishes, the three women sat down to watch TV in the new recreation room. Large overstuffed chairs circled the high-tech flat screen and a fire was burning cheerily in the corner taking the chill off the room. Elise declined the honour of controlling the remote and Carrie flicked through the channels before finding a favourite show.
At first, Elise tried to concentrate on the drama unfolding on the screen but found her gaze drifting more and more towards the other two women. Helen and Carrie kept shooting each other glances and seemed to be exceptionally tense. Finally, Elise gave up the pretence of not noticing and when the next commercial came on, turned to confront them.
“I’ve noticed you two looking at each other. Is there something else going on besides Thomas being missing?”
“It’s probably nothing.” Carrie stared down at her belly, stroking the child within.
“That’s right. We’re just being foolish. Thomas is simply late.” Helen bounced to her feet. “Why don’t I make us some popcorn?”
“No, thank you.” Elise bit back the desire to growl. They were hiding something from her and she didn’t like it. “If this is to be my new home, I need to know what’s going on, don’t you think?”
“Well, yes...” Carrie twisted her fingers and looked towards Helen.
Sitting back down, Helen sighed. “We aren’t trying to hide things from you, Elise. It’s just that Kane indicated that he wanted to explain the situation to you himself.”
“What situation? And why does Kane have to be the one to tell me?”
“Because it involves Kane on a personal level and he wants you to understand where he’s coming from.”
Elise frowned. “How does Thomas not coming home, involve Kane?”
“Well, possibly it might not...” Carrie let her voice trail off and shifted in her seat. “We’re just not sure. As I said, it could be nothing.”
Throwing up her hands in despair, Elise flopped back in the chair. “You’re talking in circles. Kane said it was possible that Thomas stepped in a trap left by hunters. How could that personally involve Kane beyond the fact that he’s the Alpha?”
“Well, if it really was set by human hunters, then it wouldn’t involve Kane and we certainly hope that’s the case.” Helen nodded as if her positive thoughts could make the situation true.
“If it involves human hunters? What other kind is there?” Elise tried to wrap her brain around this new puzzle. What was there besides human hunters? Surely not... The very idea made her gasp. “Another Lycan setting traps? But why? That’s absurd!”
The two women exchanged anxious glances again and then Helen spoke. “It’s complicated. Suffice to say that there’s been some controversy and division in the pack. We’d hoped it was over, but recent events are leading us to believe otherwise.”
“Recent events? Like what?” Elise queried.
Helen opened her mouth and seemed about to speak, then shook her head. “We really can’t say much else. It’s Kane’s place to tell you.”
Sighing in frustration, Elise concluded that she’d get nothing more out of her two new friends. If the Alpha had forbidden them to speak, they wouldn’t. “All right. I’ll ask Kane when he gets back.” Checking the time, Elise stood up. “I think I’ll head up to bed. It’s been a busy day.”
Carrie stood as well. “I’m going to turn in, too. The little guy inside me is quiet right now and maybe I can get a few hours of sleep before the gymnastics start again.”
“I’ll rest down here for a while. The men should be back soon and might want a cup of coffee or a snack after being out in the cold.” Helen picked up the remote and settled back in her chair.
Bidding each other a good night, Carrie and Elise each turned toward their own wing of the house. Opening the bedroom door, Elise didn’t bother to turn on the lights. Moonbeams streamed into the room through the bank of windows and she wandered over to them, staring out at the night.
Her old pack was out there, miles away. What they were doing right now? Was her father sitting in his office, working late into the night as he often did? Had Sarah finished the apple pies that she always made and then stored in the freezer for the winter months? And what was Bryan doing? She’d been so busy trying to
settle into her new home that she hadn’t thought of him all afternoon. Mentally, she scolded herself for forgetting the man she loved.
The sound of a wolf howling drew her attention to the shadowy outline of the surrounding forest. Somewhere out there, Kane and the others were searching for the lost pack member. Had they found him? Was the howl a signal? She hoped the man was all right. Nerves fluttered in her stomach. If they had found him, then Kane would be home soon.
Turning, she looked at the large bed that dominated the room; the bed she’d be sharing with Kane for the rest of her life. A shiver ran through her at the thought. The intimacy involved made her both uneasy and excited. Last night had been embarrassing yet pleasurable. Quixotically, she both hoped that he’d not come home until after she was asleep, while at the same time she was curious to try mating again. The sensations had been...interesting.
She scowled. How she could even be thinking that way? Not two minutes ago, she’d been reminding herself that she loved Bryan, yet here she was contemplating having sex with Kane! Shaking her head at her tangled thinking, she changed into her nightgown and climbed into the large, empty bed. Turning so she faced the windows, she stared out at the moon and let her thoughts drift between the two men in her life...
Chapter 6
Elise awoke with a start, blinking in confusion at the sunlight that bathed her bed. How could that be? The window was... Her thinking screeched to a halt as reality dawned and she recalled she wasn’t in her old bedroom. This was Kane’s room. Well, technically it was her bedroom too, but it would take a while before she felt any ownership of the space.
Surprisingly, she’d slept quite well in her new bed. Rolling onto her back, she stretched her arms and legs until they were fully extended, before releasing them and sinking back down in pleasant relaxation. Turning her head to the side, she noted that the other half of the bed was completely undisturbed.
Kane hadn’t slept with her last night. Had he come home late and bedded down somewhere else so he wouldn’t disturb her, or had he not come home at all? Possibly he and the other men were still out searching for the missing man. If that was the case, then something was seriously wrong.
