A wistful look crept across my face. I remembered. Rose often got that same look on her face a lot when we had new mated pairs come together in the pack.
I had seen mates that were comfortable with each other almost immediately, and generally wolves accepted their mates soon after meeting. Some had reservations. I knew that Nick, who joked about never wanting a mate, will be thrilled to meet his. Liam, on the other hand, I knew he was concerned about his mate. He wanted to be a Beta, but that wasn’t always the safest pack position. He was aware the effect would have on his mate if he lost his life.
I looked over my shoulder at Hunter. I wondered if the same was for him, that the fear of his position held him back. Or maybe it wasn’t simply that he wanted me more out of jealousy of Griffin, but it was his wolf drove him to that point. His job as an enforcer was even more dangerous than a Beta. He would be gone frequently. The enforcers in my pack were usually mate-less. When they did meet their mates, they retired from their positions. If Hunter thought my presence would change everything about his life, I could see how he would feel a little concerned and distant.
“Come along, dear. I think Hunter forgot to remember his manners.”
The older woman pulled me away from Hunter and locked her arm around mine. I looked back him, desperate. I didn’t know any of these wolves and, while she seemed nice, it didn’t sooth the bubbling nerves in my stomach.
“My name is Marguerite. Don’t you worry about a thing, dear. Hunter will come to his senses soon,” she gave me an exaggerated wink. “Men always take a little longer to catch up.”
I wanted to ask what she meant, but before I could she was moving us into a new room. Not only was I becoming more agitated as a person, but so was the wolf inside of me. I could feel her stirring, and for once in my life I could almost see an outline of her form. Her ears were pinned back and tail was down low. I fidgeted in Marguerite’s hold. I started to bite the side of my cheek my feet shuffling to shift my weight.
I was on the verge of losing it when a hand touched my arm. It was balm to my skin. I breathed a little easier and looked up to see Damian standing there. My official Alpha or not, he still had a calming effect. I looked a little past Damian and saw Hunter. He watched us. His yellow eyes seemed tormented. Jude stood nearby, his lips moved and Hunter turned to him. I twisted my lips and turned from him after a second.
“Don’t you worry about my boy over there. He’ll come around. I see you met my mother, Marguerite,” Damian said beaming at his mother. I looked at her in a different light now. She did have a sense of power that I hadn’t noticed before. Immediately, I wondered where Damian’s father might be?
“My old goat of a husband passed a couple years back. It would have been an honor to follow him, but this one right here needs me more,” she said patting Damian’s arm.
I watched them and wondered briefly about my own mother. I knew my father was a werewolf. The pack had tried to find him after rescuing me, but the rogue who had ‘received’ me originally told them my father was a good–for-nothing wolf that gave me up. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was all I had for years. I wanted to hold onto that, at least. But now I at least knew my mother was a witch.
And I wasn’t sure I wanted to meet her anymore.
Not that it mattered. My dream mother had vanished years ago. I didn’t know my father, but I knew a good father –Keith. I never needed anyone else. I looked over at Hunter and I wondered about his mother. Then there was Damian, and I wondered where his mate was. If she had passed, I knew asking about her would only bring up old memories. And I knew from Keith that memories are one thing no wolf wants to revisit.
Damian and his mother continued to speak about pack affairs. I felt out of place. I looked over at Hunter again. He was speaking with Jude still, and Jude caught my eye. I didn’t want to keep looking at him, but the wolf in me didn’t trust him. She whispered softly to me, the sensation wonderful and new!
… and also terrifying. She had never been so vocal or present in my mind before. I wondered if it was because of Hunter or the unfamiliar area. Maybe she knew I needed her now more than ever. Or even if it was because my witch side had been bound.
The wolf inside me, though, didn’t trust Jude. Something about him made me uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure if it was because of his initial threat, or if it was more. Jude nodded his head in my direction which caused Hunter to turn to see what he was looking at. I wanted to duck my head and look away but instead I stared at him with, what I hoped, was a pleading look.
Hunter looked to my right where Damian stood and took in a deep breath. He had a determined look and headed in my direction. I felt my body sag a little in relief. He headed towards us.
“Damian, Marguerite,” Hunter’s voice was stiff and formal. Why wasn’t he more relaxed?
“Hunter, we were just speaking with your lovely mate,” Damian said a little too loudly. People turned to him, their surprise evident. I suppose it hadn’t gotten around to the pack yet who I was to Hunter.
I tried not to squirm under their stares. News travelled around the room quickly. Hunter didn’t change his stance at all, but I knew he was annoyed. I wondered briefly if he was annoyed that they knew, or if it was only because of me. I stood a little straighter knowing that if I didn’t I would come off as weak.
“Are you finished speaking?” Hunter asked sounding bored.
“We are. But don’t go too far, Hunter, we still need to discuss things.”
Damian’s voice went a little low and I knew his words weren’t a request. It was a command from an Alpha. But Hunter didn’t even look phased by it. The wolves in my pack, everyone, really, would dip their heads a little out of respect to our Alpha’s command. Hunter remained straight, tall and defiant.
“We will be around.”
With that Hunter grabbed my elbow and steered me away from his father and grandmother.
“You seem very formal with your family members,” I muttered.
I knew he heard me, even if I had said that under my breath. His blank face shifted a little to something resembling puzzlement. I was waiting on the edge of my metaphorical chair waiting to see what he would do next.
“He’s not my real father.”
Hunter walked us a little faster, his head bent down to when he spoke. I wondered if it was supposed to be a secret. I leaned a little closer when I realized he wasn’t bending down to whisper to me, but rather open the door at which we had arrived.
I swallowed hard when I realized how close we were. My heart was pounding to a new unusual beat. My palms were sweating with tension. I felt so foolish when Hunter’s eyes meet mine and they didn’t seem to hold the same heat or the tautness of the moment.
“Yes?” Hunter whispered, leaning in closer for a second. His scent wrapping around me.
I shivered. I locked eyes with him, my wolf was practically screaming with desire. She was deafening in my head, and she was being just as impatient as Hunter, whose eyes dipped down to my lips. I knew that I was seconds from losing my composure and just going in for it.
“I…wait.” I pulled back, his words finally registering over the uproar of my wolf. “Damian isn’t your father?”
“Let’s go outside.”
Hunter opened the door pulling back from me both physically and emotionally. He was about to shut me out and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Part me thought it might be better this way.
If he were Damian’s son, even though he claimed not to be, then he would be an Alpha one day. He would be this pack’s Alpha. I wasn’t Alpha-mate material. I knew that for a fact. I didn’t like the spotlight. I didn’t like being at the top of the food chain. My wolf had been muffled my whole life, it wasn’t in me to become a pack leader. Not only that, but for me to be Alpha mate to a pack that hated witches, when I was part witch. My powers might be bound, but as much as I wanted to forget it, it would always be there. One day I would have to tell him. Hell I should have told him already.
The other part of me, the selfish part of me along with my wolf, wanted him. Wanted him to want me as well. Not to push me away, but pull me close. We were mates after all we were chosen to be together. While my body might know that, my head and heart were still catching up.
We moved forward to the railing. I saw the twins gathered around a group of younger looking pack members, a good portion of them women. I watched as the girls flirted carelessly with the guys and saw how at ease they all seemed. I was envious of the twins. Why could they get along so well with she-wolves that weren’t their fated mates while I was stuck in this awkward phase with Hunter? Why couldn’t things have been easier for us? I rolled my eyes at my own thoughts, knowing exactly why this wasn’t the case.
Griffin.
If I hadn’t been so caught on a love that would never last, and if Hunter had never seen us together, maybe this would have been easier. I wondered if Hunter was being cautious with me because he didn’t know how to act around me. If I was still in love with Griffin, which I wasn’t, then how could he possibly win me over especially since Griffin was my pack-bonded mate? I wanted to groan into my hands. Everything was a complete mess.
“Damian isn’t my real father. He took me in when I was younger.” Hunter said leaning on the porch railing. His strong arms flexed and his muscles bulged. I tried really hard not to stare at his strength. I couldn’t help hoping to feel those arms around me. I was more curious on the…circumference of them.
Yeah, right.
“What happened to your parents?” I asked, quietly realizing that I needed to get my head back on the conversation. I had a hard time focusing with Hunter. I wanted to learn about him, but he was always so stoic and quiet. I didn’t feel connected to him. The boys I grew up with had always tried to pull me out of my shell. They wanted me to have fun, play, and joke around. That’s what I was comfortable with. Hunter on the other hand… I don’t think I recall him laughing since I met him.
Hunter stiffened.
“Doesn’t matter anymore.”
With that, he went cold again. I knew if I pushed more right now, that it would destroy any semblance of a relationship we had. I had to be patient. After all, if he was going to ask me about my parents I wouldn’t tell him either. Though for different reasons, I’m sure.
“You know when I first moved in with Keith he used to come into my room and check on me. I think he couldn’t quite believe that I existed. Or he was worried I had stopped breathing in my sleep. Or, maybe, I don’t know, maybe he was worried I would run away from him. I never asked him. He was always so quiet about it. I had learned from my time in those cages,” I swallowed. My eyes were moistened. It wasn’t easy talking about it even now. Tears threatened to fall, but did not.
“I had learned how to even out my breathing so it seemed like I was sleeping. Keith if he knew, never let on. But it was nice to know he cared enough to check on me through the night,” I whispered.
I told him in the hopes that he might be willing to share with me. It was beginning to seem like we had more in common than we realized. I wanted to know if he had experienced the same thing as me. Did he have the same loving relationship I had with Keith? Instincts told me he didn’t, but that was only conjecture. I was ready to start trying to get to know one another. To give each other a shot.
“Colette,” Hunter started, but someone called his name from inside.
He turned and looked at the people milling around inside, then back at me. I gave him a half shrug, and I hope a smile that conveyed I was fine. I wasn’t fine. I was anything but fine. But I wanted him to see my effort. I watched him as he walked away from me and inside to his pack.
Well this was going to be hard. Hopefully we would work through our awkward phase and start getting to know one another. Until then, I drifted through the crowd to the twins, and spent a good portion of the night with them. They were wonderful. Made me feel at ease. Hunter would appear once and a while and watch me from afar, but he seemed to be pulled away a lot. It surprised me because Enforcers for the most part in my pack were more social creatures. They didn’t have many connections in the pack because they were rarely home for too long. I wondered if Hunter was different because Damian had claimed him as his child. I wanted to ask more about that, but for now I would wait.
Chapter 14 — That’s Called Stereotyping
“He likes you. He’s just new at this wooing thing. Give him a shot.”
Jameson whispered when he caught me “staring” at Hunter. I wasn’t staring at him, per se. Just in that direction. I shifted my weight and scrunched my nose. I turned to Jameson to thank him, but he was already gone. He kept up his quiet flirting. It was a subtler approach than his twin. Billy was loud and adorable in his flirtations. It wasn’t necessarily my style, but I smiled and blushed for the she-wolves who were sure to fall for his boisterous character.
“Hello, gorgeous. You know you’re staring at him again,” Billy said. He was entirely too close, but he never touched me. He was a flirt. I knew it. He knew it. I didn’t mind it. But from the death glares Hunter sent our way, he did.
I pressed my lips together, holding in a laugh.
“You should stop teasing him. You’re just going to piss him off.”
“That’s a good thing. If he is pissed off, you know he likes you,” Billy said.
“You shouldn’t provoke him while he’s like this. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
As much as my warning was from him, his words had warmed me. These were Hunter’s comrades and if they believed he was interested then perhaps I should relax a little.
“Well maybe he will make a move. Otherwise all these males are going to get the idea in their heads that you are free game. You are very attractive darlin’. He is certainly stupid for letting you stand here all alone.” Billy said. He quickly moved to the thick of the group, finding a place among the she-wolves. Most of the women shunned me. Molly’s doing, of course. Her stinking smirking face confirmed it.
Outside there were mostly younger wolves in their own small groups speaking to each other. Hunter was near the back entrance. Not quite inside, not quite outside. I was with there with a couple of males, and a few she-wolves. They were a little standoffish but not as combative as Molly’s group had been when they came over before.
It wasn’t so bad. The twins made me feel welcome in their group, so I didn’t feel completely isolated. They tried to get me to join in with jokes, or stories. Much like I was used to. Still, it was a new place and I was a little reluctant. The twins also had a sister, and she was the only girl who didn’t shun me. She was quiet, but since I wasn’t feeling talkative, I think we hit it off.
Of course we barely said more than five words to each other all night. I didn’t stay at the party long. As soon as I had an opening I headed upstairs and hid in my room.
****
It was my second night there, and there wasn’t a party to distract the cramping in my stomach from my hunger. After my time with the hunters as a child, there were many things I appreciated more than most.
I loved food. I never missed a meal, and while I couldn’t pack away as much as a werewolf, I could hold my own at the dinner table. I had snuck out of my room a few times throughout the day to get an idea of what was going on, but I didn’t find much. The house was deadly silent as I crept around.
Finally, my curiosity at who might be in the kitchen got the best of me. The kitchen was the one place I always felt safe. I wasn’t about to let that change. I set my jaw at a decisive angle. Well, Damian and Hunter told me to treat this place like home.
I guess I’d do just that.
I went into stealth mode heading down the stairs. I cringed every time a step creaked under my weight but I kept moving forward. I was never quite as light on my feet as other wolves. Once I hit the bottom, I went around the back where I had saw the entranceway to the kitchen. I slipped inside and stared in wonderment.
Keith and I made do. Our kitchen was
okay. Functional’s a better word. Isaac’s kitchen was a dream compared to ours. This kitchen, however, was different. This kitchen put both to shame.
The counters were glossy black, the appliances were silver, and looked brand new. I spent probably far too much time staring at the outside of the oversized fridge.
“Mm-hmm,” Someone cleared their throat.
I jumped and met it with my own feminine squeak.
I turned to face this new contender in the kitchen. Hunter stood with a gray shirt, and the same raggedy jeans from the day before. His hair looked all disheveled, like he had just woken up. His arms crossed in front of his chest. I was starting to long for them again. His lips were lax but, his eyebrows were high.
I gave him the best charming smile I could.
“When did you know I was headed down here?” I asked my, cheeks warming. One eyebrow stayed raised, the other went down in a query.
“The stairs,” he answered.
I twisted my lips, skewing them to the right.
“You weren’t that quiet,” he didn’t say unkindly. It was just his way. Straight forward and to the point.
“No, I suppose not.”
I had hoped I was. I got an itchy sensation, and I just felt awkward. I wasn’t entirely comfortable to be hanging out in someone’s kitchen. In our pack, everyone had their own homes, and we were respectful of that. But the Alpha’s home belonged to the pack. Here I didn’t know if that was the case. I felt strange coming in their space.
“Where are you going?” Hunter asked as I started to leave, still feeling uncomfortable.
“Back upstairs,” I answered. I felt confident when it was just me and the kitchen, but him watching already had my skin crawling. Not only did I feel like I was intruding in his domain, but he seemed annoyed. No reason to bother him more.
“You’re hungry,” he said.
“Not really.”
But my stomach gurgled a different answer. I blushed fiercely. I didn’t dare look at him. I was still so unsure how to act with him.
Hexed Hearts Page 15
