Keeping the Wolf

by E A Price

  “Wanna grab lunch?” she asked. “Yesterday, Aida and I tried a taco place, and it was great, I want to take you.”

  Aida was one of the project manager’s assistants and a sweet enough young pack member.

  On Christine’s first day, Michael – Christine’s manager - offered to take her to lunch, but Harold let him know that more lunch offers from him would not be tolerated.

  “What’s wrong?” she said, wrinkling her nose.

  “I just had a phone call from your father.”

  “Oh.” She visibly deflated.

  “He wanted to know why I was refusing to let you speak to your family.”

  Christine slumped into the chair opposite him. “I… stopped calling my parents and haven’t been returning their calls.”

  Harold leaned back in his seat. “Why not?”

  “Talking to them is just upsetting,” she admitted sadly.

  “Why?”

  “All they do is insult you, and no matter what I say, they won’t listen, and when they started defending Roark… I couldn’t bear it anymore.”

  Tears threatened to fall, and Harold growled. He knew her family hated him, but how could they be so insensitive to their daughter? He could care less whether they championed Roark for shooting him, but when the bastard broke into their house, it scared Christine – well, more like terrified her. She had been nervous even to set foot in their bedroom for a week after. No wonder she was annoyed with them. How could they defend a male who had caused her so much anguish?

  “I expect you want me to call them,” she said dully.

  “No.”

  Christine blinked at him. “No?”

  Harold shrugged. “The decision is yours.”

  She scrunched up her face. “My dad might keep calling you.”

  “I’m sure I’ll cope.” He had grown up facing insults from his grandmother – and Cole wasn’t half the vicious wolf she was. He could handle whatever the male wished to dish out. “Now, tacos?”

  He rose and donned his jacket, walking around the desk to help her to her feet.

  Christine gave him a sweet smile with rosy red cheeks

  “Yes, tacos.”

  She took his hand and squeezed it.

  *

  After lunch, Christine left for the care home. She was splitting her time between her job, volunteering at the home and overseeing the redecoration of their home. Although, she was happy for Esther actually to oversee the decorators – the female was glad of the company and plied them with cups of coffee and cake to the point where they were barely working.

  Harold glanced up at his assistant Thomas. “Send my wife some flowers.”

  “Okay.” Thomas nodded and started walking away.

  “Yellow ones,” he added making Thomas stop and turn back.

  “Any particular kind?”

  “Ah, I’m not sure…”

  Which flowers were yellow? He rifled through all his memories, trying to think whether Christine had ever mentioned a favorite flower or any flower at all really. He recalled that she had a pair of pajamas decorated with bright, yellow… yes!

  “Sunflowers! A large bouquet of sunflowers.”

  Thomas smiled. “Okay.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Christine spotted Harold Sr. walking in her direction and almost considered running the other way. He had been very angry since the dinner incident, and he and Harold had been arguing a lot. But, running away may look rude. Though maybe she didn’t mind being rude at that juncture.

  “Christine.”

  Oh, too late to run. “Harold.”

  His lips tightened. When others called him that, he insisted they call him alpha. But she was a member of his family, no matter how much he wanted to get rid of her.

  She could tell by his expression that she was still very much a source of irritation to him, apparently leading Harold astray by encouraging him to leave the office before nine and actually making him stop for a lunch break – the horror!

  “How are you settling in?”

  “Very well.”

  Given whose wife she was, everyone fell over themselves to be helpful.

  “I was a little surprised at Harold for creating a job for you.”

  “Well, I couldn’t get hired anywhere else,” she said half-jokingly, though it was true.

  “No, but it wouldn’t be the thing for a Buchanan to have a job. It would be different if you had a profession – like Arthur who’s training to be a lawyer – but we couldn’t really have you running around as an intern or for minimum wage at a cheap design company.”

  Christine blinked at him in bemusement.

  Harold watched her and started to smile nastily. “Harold didn’t tell you.”

  She remained silent, not liking where this was going.

  “My wife has many friends. She made sure you couldn’t get hired anywhere, Harold knew all about it of course – it was for your own good.”

  He gave her a look of triumph, before stepping past her and walking in the other direction, leaving Christine feeling very small and cold.

  *

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Christine asked the moment she was through the door to Harold’s office.

  He looked up and smiled. “Tell you what?”

  “That your mother scuppered my chance at getting a job!”

  His face fell, and he rushed toward her. “Ah…”

  He tried to take her hands, and she batted him away. “You let me get my hopes up, you let me waste my time getting nervous, trying on outfits and for what? Were you laughing at me behind my back? Was it funny? You knew I never had a chance!”

  “No, Christine…”

  “It’s bad enough I have to hide my birth control because I can’t trust your family not to force Esther to steal it, but this!”

  Seriously, she actually caught Esther trying to steal her birth control out of her purse earlier that day – she was trying to replace it with tic tacs!

  “They want to control me having a kid, but I’m not even allowed to have a job!”

  The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

  “Christine please,” entreated her husband in a worried voice.

  “No… I…”

  She felt woozy and closed her eyes for a second as she weaved on her feet

  “Christine!” he snarled, swinging her into his arms and carrying her to a chair.

  “Linda, fetch my wife some water.”

  Her vision blurred as Harold barked at his assistant.

  “I’m okay,” she lied. She felt anything but okay.

  “Don’t lie,” he scolded softly, kneeling before her.

  He pressed ice-cold water to her lips, and she eagerly guzzled it all.

  “Fetch a doctor,” he ordered – presumably to Linda.

  “No, I just skipped breakfast. I felt a little ill after that take out we had last night.” She was probably just hungry.

  “Christine,” he growled censoriously.

  “I would have thrown up if I had eaten,” she argued weakly.

  “Well, you must eat something.”

  “Maybe some crackers…”

  “Linda, some crackers!”

  They were found and eaten, under Harold’s watchful gaze, and she did start to feel a little better.

  “I’m taking you home,” he declared.

  “There’s no need.”

  “You’re not staying here; you might faint again.”

  “I haven’t fainted once yet…”

  “Sir, you do have a meeting in half an hour,” intervened Linda.

  “My wife is ill!”

  “Harold,” she sighed, “I’m okay - just hungry.”

  “I could take Mrs. Buchanan home,” offered Linda.

  “No.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “No!”

  “Harold please, just let Linda take me.” Christine gave him a pleading look. While she was grateful for his concern, she actually wa
nted a little time away from his bossiness.

  His lips tightened, and his eyes darkened. After a few moments, he nodded.

  “Make sure she gets home and gets something to eat,” he said to Linda.

  Christine frowned, considering whether she should argue but decided there was no point. If she argued, Harold would probably just change his mind and decide he should drive her again. She started to stand, and Harold was quick to help her.

  “I will get Esther to…”

  “No.” She didn’t trust Esther in the least. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Call me if you need anything,” he entreated, looking a little lost and uncertain and not liking it one bit. “Christine?”

  “Okay, I will.”

  He insisted on walking her to the elevator and seemed reluctant to let her go, but he did finally. Unsure what to say, he let her go without a word.

  “You don’t have to hold my arm,” she told Linda, as the older she-wolf led her to her car.

  “I don’t want you to faint again.”

  “I haven’t fainted at all!” protested Christine.

  “Okay, I don’t want you to almost faint again,” replied Linda in a mild voice. “It is more than my job, and possibly life is worth.”

  Christine huffed. “I’m sure his family would just find some other alpha’s daughter if anything happened to me. Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

  Linda clucked her tongue. “You don’t give Mr. Buchanan enough credit. He’s better than both his parents and his grandmother combined.”

  “I already know that.” Those three set the bar pretty low.

  “I don’t know why you’re angry with him, and it’s none of my business, of course, but I doubt he purposefully did anything to hurt you. He adores you in a way I’ve never seen him adore anything. I’ve known him since he was a child – and he’s never cared for anything or anyone the way he does for you. You’re special to him.”

  Christine felt her bottom lip tremble, and before she knew it, she was crying while Linda patted her on the back with motherly efficiency. She didn’t know why she was crying – of course, she liked hearing what Linda had to say, but it wasn’t this emotional. Though, she did have a sneaking suspicion about the cause of her tears.

  “We need to make a stop before I go home,” she managed to mumble in between sobs.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The meeting was interminable, and he was out the door the moment he could manage it. Linda only managed to get out a ‘good b’ before he was on his way to his car.

  Damnit, he should have told Christine the truth when he found out. He was a fool. But he would make it up to her.

  He found Christine in the living room. She was perched on the edge of the couch, her small frame tense and hunched. She seemed tense, even more so when she heard him enter the room.

  “How are you?” he asked uncertainly.

  “Okay.”

  Her face was worryingly pale.

  “Forgive me; I did not know what my mother did until it was too late.”

  She looked at him for a couple of moments. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed otherwise.”

  “But I should have told you.”

  “You didn’t want to hurt my feelings,” she muttered tonelessly.

  “No.” Never.

  “I don’t blame you,” she continued in her uninterested monotone.

  “I made arrangements to take the next five days away from work.”

  “Oh?” She almost seemed interested as she raised her eyes to his.

  He continued, determined to fix the problem. “We have not had a honeymoon yet; I thought it was about time we did. I’ve arranged for us to go skiing.” He would start by doing something he should have already done.

  “Oh.” She looked dismayed.

  Not the reaction he was hoping for, but better than an angry one.

  “You said you wished to learn,” he reminded her of one of the first conversations they ever had. Not that they had actually had that many since. He had not been around enough to know his wife really.

  Christine licked her lips. “I do remember, but I can’t go skiing.”

  Disappointed and anger thundered through him. Was he too late to try? Had she already decided she wanted them to be as distant as his own parents? “I thought you did not blame me.”

  Her lips quirked in amusement. “I don’t.”

  “Then what is it?” he demanded impatiently. “Tell me what I…”

  “I’m pregnant!” she blurted and then blushed, seemingly surprised by her own vehemence.

  Harold blinked at her. “I thought you were taking the pill.”

  Christine scowled. “It’s not one hundred percent, and besides, who knows what I’ve been swallowing for the last couple of months.”

  Harold stared at her.

  “I thought you’d be pleased,” she said quietly.

  A pup. His pup. Their pup. Mine. “Are you pleased?”

  Christine nodded, and then her face creased and tears burst forth.

  Harold melted, rushing to her and gathering her in his arms. “Oh, my darling, this is wonderful news.”

  “I know,” she sobbed. “I’m very happy.”

  “I can tell.”

  She giggled in between hiccups. “The agreement…”

  “Fuck the agreement!” he snarled with enough rancor to hush her tears.

  Christine looked at him in astonishment. He rarely swore.

  “Harold?”

  He swiped his thumb over her cheek, wiping away the tears. “I am glad we are having a pup – I could care less about the agreement right now. Aren’t you glad?”

  “I am, of course, I am. I just…”

  “What, my darling?” he crooned, pride and happiness swelling within him. He was having a pup with his beautiful mate – what could be better than that? Would could be bad about that?

  “I just regret how happy this is going to make your grandmother.”

  Harold threw back his head and laughed in relief.

  *

  Christine watched as Harold climbed into bed and carefully lay down beside her. His hand hovered over her before settling on her stomach.

  “Jeez, I’m not made of freaking glass,” she complained.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, his eyes on her stomach. It was like he was expecting it to do something exciting all of a sudden – fat chance.

  “You’ve never hurt me, and you can wipe that look off your face – I am not having nine months of you treating me like a fine piece of china.” An afternoon spent hurling into the toilet hadn’t exactly put her in a good mood.

  Harold met her eyes. “You are very precious though.”

  Christine gazed at him. “I am?”

  “Of course.”

  “Aww.” She snuggled against him.

  He chuckled. “You both are.”

  “I always wanted kids, but I don’t think I really knew it until I saw my niece, Brandy.”

  “Then you are pleased?”

  “Of course I am.” Just overcome with hormones, and worry about both of their families’ reactions.

  “You don’t think it is too soon? Do you think we are ready?”

  She hesitated. Honestly, she may have preferred longer for them to get to know one another, but it was a moot point.

  “Maybe, but bubs here,” she patted her hand over his, “is gonna come whether we feel ready or not, and I’m not gonna waste time worrying about that. I think we should just be happy he is on his way.”

  “Or she.”

  “Or she,” she echoed quietly, uncertainly. She knew his family would very much hope for a boy, and she didn’t like to think about their reaction if bubs turned out to be a girl.

  “Let’s go away for a few days,” he said.

  “Really?”

  “I told you I cleared my schedule.”

  “Not skiing.”

  “No, maybe one day. But for now – wherever you w
ant.”

  Yes, some time alone with her husband, time to get used to the idea of them having a baby, with no family members bringing them down – that was just what they needed.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “Let’s not tell them tonight,” Christine said as Harold helped her out of the car.

  They were summoned to dinner at his grandmother’s palatial house. When they got the summons, a weight seemed to drop inside her. She knows said an inner voice. But how could she? The only ones who did were her and Harold, and possibly Linda who was there when she bought the pregnancy test, and she could be trusted.

  Since they couldn’t go skiing, Harold had taken her to New York for a long weekend. It had been wonderful, and she had even managed to pry him away from his phone for four days straight.

  For once, they had just been a young couple, out enjoying themselves, and it felt marvelous. There were no worries about his interfering family, or her increasingly frustrating one. It was just them and bubs. Bubs being barely a month old, but he was with them all the time. She sometimes caught Harold staring at her stomach with a look of pride. When she did, she promptly threw a cushion at his head.

  “I agree, in fact, let’s wait until three months after the birth.” He was joking, but that sounded wonderful.

  “Will we just tell them I’m getting fat?” she quipped.

  “Better than having this poor little mite exposed to them,” he said, nodding at the house, and with just a hint of darkness in his voice.

  “Don’t you listen, bubs, Mommy and Daddy will protect you.” She patted her stomach. “I think he’s sleeping at the moment.”

  “Or she.”

  Christine gave him a pained smile. She had been referring to the baby as a boy, while he pointed out it might be a she whenever he could. He was right, the baby could be either, but she was expected to produce a boy.

  Everyone was already at the house. The younger children were watching a movie, overseen by the nanny, while the adults were already throwing back hard liquor. Christine could understand the urge – his family was infinitely more appealing while drunk.

  “Drink?” offered Harold Sr.

  Harold squeezed her hand. “We’ll both take water.”