He mentally shook his head. Did he even want to know at this point in his life? Could he even recognize a True Mate? His emotions were so locked up, he didn’t even think he’d recognize her if she lay sprawled out at his feet.
“Reed, you can’t just stay unmarried forever.”
He could barely stifle his chuckle. “Of course I can. I’m a man.”
“But you need a wife. A duchess and a Lupa.”
“There is no rule that says I have to,” he reminded her. “Besides, I don’t want a wife, a duchess, or a mate. I don’t need one. I don’t even need an heir. William will inherit the dukedom and the Alpha title.” He had been contemplating it the last six months, and he had decided that that was the best course of action.
“But Reed, I—” Eleanor’s hands gripped that arms of her chair and her body went stiff.
“Eleanor?” He cocked his head at her. “What’s the matter?”
A loud scream pierced the air and Reed’s senses went on full alert. His wolf’s hackles rose, and its claws tore at his insides, warning him that something was definitely wrong.
“William!” Eleanor cried as her face twisted into a mask of concern. From the way his sister shot to her feet and called on her Lycan speed to propel herself out the office, she must have sensed real danger. A risk of course, considering half the staff wasn’t Lycan. However, his wolf urged him to follow Eleanor, and so he did, all the way out the door and to the gate.
He spied the slightly ajar gate and his sister about to exit. With his instincts on full alert, he pushed forward, pulling her aside so he could be on the frontlines, in case there really was a threat. He stopped short as a bundle of blue silk sprawled at his feet. Much to his surprise, a figure unfurled in a flurry of fabric and startlingly blue eyes stared back up at him. The color of the sky when lightning struck the clouds.
And then he felt it.
Heat ran down his spine, followed by numbing cold. Then, it was like his head had been hit by a blunt object while a large fist slammed into his chest. All of this happened in a split second and without any pain.
His inner wolf let out a soul-piercing howl.
Mate, a voice inside him whispered.
Hell’s bells.
“Oh, my Lord! William!”
His sister’s voice cut through the chaos in his mind, and he blinked. Eleanor was by his feet, kneeling down as she gathered her son into her arms.
“Oh, William … William, darling …” she cooed as she soothed the boy. “I was so scared …”
It was a feat to turn his gaze away from them. From her. He didn’t want to look at her, really look at her.
“Elise!” another feminine voice called out. A woman in a gold ballgown was running across the street toward them. What the devil was going on? A third person—a rather imposing and tall man dressed like some kind of buccaneer—ran up behind her.
“Are you okay? Elise, this isn’t what we—” The woman in gold looked up and locked eyes with him.
What strange eyes. One blue and one green. However, looking into this woman’s eyes didn’t give him the same reaction as the other one. Except that his wolf’s claws extended, feeling the presence of an unknown wolf.
Lycan. She was a Lycan. And so was her male companion.
“Who are you?” he asked her. “And what are you doing in my territory?”
“Alpha,” the man said in a reverent voice, his head dropping low and not meeting his gaze. “Forgive us for arriving unannounced in your territory.”
Reed felt his anger rising. They knew they were in violation of the Constanta Agreement, the set of rules that governed Lycan kind and territorial matters. No Lycan was to cross into another’s territory without permission. “You dare come here, into my territory and my home? How did you—”
“Reed!” Eleanor rose up to her full height and planted herself in front of him. “For goodness sake! She saved William! He could have been run over by that hackney coach.” She glanced around. “Where is it?”
“The coachman has gone, ma’am,” the man explained. “He didn’t even see your son or my … our … Elise when she caught him.”
His Elise? A pang of jealousy shot through him and he couldn’t help but look to her to gauge her reaction. It was a move he regretted because his body instantly reacted to her again.
She was standing now, brushing the dirt from her skirts, then as she lifted her head, locked gazes with him. Her presence struck him like a bolt of lightning, and this time he could not turn away, not when she was staring up at him with those vivid blue eyes so big, they took up half her face. Her creamy skin was flushed and her pouty lips slightly parted.
And that hair—dark red curls that tumbled down her shoulders and back in an almost scandalous manner. No woman would leave the house with her hair in such disarray, and irrational anger surged through him, as if he wanted to keep such a sight to himself.
“Er, Elise?” the woman in gold said. “Are you okay?”
She blinked. “What?”
“Who are you?” Eleanor held William tight to her as her eyes narrowed at the three strangers. “And which clan are you from?”
“We’re from very far away,” the man said. “America.”
“Oh!” Eleanor exclaimed. “Americans! I’ve never met Americans before. Have you, Reed?”
“Only a handful,” he answered, finally able to tear his gaze from the woman. Elise. Her name was burned into his brain. Did he dare say who she could be, what his wolf recognized? Was it really her?
This woman, who seemingly came from nowhere, wearing a ballgown in the middle of day, was his True Mate?
Did she feel it too? She didn’t say anything, but instead, averted her gaze.
No. It couldn’t be. This was all wrong.
“You seem to know who my brother is,” Eleanor began. “At least, you acknowledged that he is Alpha, so you must know who he is.”
“You’re Reed Townsend, Duke of Huntington,” the man finished.
Eleanor looked at him meaningfully, waiting to make an introduction. He cleared his throat. “This is my sister, Lady Eleanor Griffiths, Countess of Winford, and her son, Lord William Griffiths.” He assessed the other man—quite tall, maybe as tall as his Scottish cousins, though he looked more like a tanned pirate with his long blond hair tied back and his buckskin pants, boots, and loose white shirt. He wore neither hat nor waistcoat. What the devil was he doing with two young women?
“You’re probably wondering who we are,” the man said.
Definitely not a gentleman, with those manners. But then again, they were Americans. Perhaps it was their first time in a civilized place like London. “Since you seem to already know who I am, I suppose you may introduce yourselves.”
The young woman in gold opened her mouth but shut it when the man gave her a meaningful look, then turned back to him. “My lord—I mean, Your Grace,” he began. “My name is Cross Alexander Jonasson of the New York clan. I am an … envoy sent by the Alpha of New York City to meet with you and celebrate your ascension to Alpha.”
“If you’re an envoy, then why was I not informed beforehand?” There was something not quite right about Mr. Jonasson’s story. “Our clans have no formal relations. There should have been a missive from your Alpha, and then a request for an introduction and meeting, which I would have had to approve with a letter of my own.”
“We did send a letter, Your Grace,” he said. “Did it not reach you?”
“Mail from the colonies gets lost all the time,” Eleanor said. “Plus, with so much going on … Did you address it to the right place?”
Mr. Jonasson shook his head. “I’m not sure, my lady. I mean, the Alpha just sent us …” He turned to his companions. “Forgive me for failing to introduce you to my companions. This”—he nodded to the woman in gold—“is Miss Julianna Anderson, daughter of our Alpha. And …” He hesitated for a moment. “Her cousin, Miss Elise Henney.”
Both women gawked at him silently, no
t greeting him or even giving a curtsey. Were all Americans raised like wild animals?
“Reed.” Eleanor placed a hand on his arm. “I think we should … invite our guests inside.”
He knew exactly what his sister was saying, of course—get these strangely-dressed people inside the house before some nosy neighbor sees them and sent all of the ton’s tongues wagging.
“Right. Let’s sort this out inside.” He led them to the front door which was now being held open by the faithful Neville. A Lycan himself, the normal unflappable butler frowned and his nostrils flared when his gaze landed on the newcomers.
“It’s all right, Neville,” he said in a low voice. “Would you please prepare some refreshments for our … guests?”
The butler harrumphed, but said, “Of course, my lord.”
“William.” Eleanor put her son down. “Are you hurt?”
“No, Mama.” William’s voice was much quieter than it usually was. His little face scrunched up into a serious expression. “I’m fine.”
Eleanor smirked at Reed. “My, that sounds awfully familiar. I wonder where he learned that?”
With all the excitement, Reed nearly forgot about his nephew. He bent down to William’s level and then checked him over. He breathed a sigh of relief. Aside from his torn trousers, the boy looked unhurt. “William, you must never do that again, understand me?”
He nodded. “Yes, Uncle Reed.”
“Excellent.” He smiled at him and then ruffled his hair affectionately. “Now, why don’t you go with Neville and he’ll bring you a snack? Then you can go to the playroom.”
His little head bobbed up and down, then walked toward Neville and tugged at his coattails. “Do you have some of those butter biscuits, Neville?”
“I believe Cook might have some hidden away somewhere, Lord William,” Neville said. “Let’s ask her, shall we?”
As his nephew followed the butler down the hall, Reed walked to his office, trying not to look back, despite his wolf’s desperate desire to look at Elise and make sure she was still following. Enough, he said. It was undignified enough that he had to lead them into his own home like some servant, but he wasn’t going to give in to his animal’s whims. Because surely, this strange woman, this American, couldn’t possibly be his True Mate. He was more convinced of it now. Maybe her reaction to him was because she was foreign.
“I hope Neville is brewing some strong tea.” Eleanor sighed. “This excitement is too much.” She turned to Elise. “Miss Henney, please forgive me for not thanking you right away for saving my son. You have my utmost gratitude.”
“I-it was nothing, m-my lady.” She curtseyed, and while Reed thought the move utterly strange, his sister seemed to be amused.
“Well, uh, they must do things very differently in America.” Her eyes scanned Elise’s evening gown. “Very different.”
“Indeed,” Reed muttered under his breath, then turned to Jonasson. “So, explain yourself and what you are doing here.”
“As I said, Your Grace, we were just sent here by our Alpha. I believe … he was first in contact with your late father, and he invited us to come here.”
“My father told me no such thing.” Surely Lowell would have at least mentioned it.
“We had heard he passed away,” Jonasson continued. “And of course, our Alpha waited for the appropriate mourning period before contacting you and sending his condolences, along with an acceptance of your father’s invitation to continue relations.”
He could not erase that seed of doubt in his mind. “He would have discussed something like that with me.”
“Reed, do you think it could have been right before the accident?” Eleanor said. “They’d been staying in Huntington Park for a few months and Father conducted most of his business from there.”
A year before they died, Annabelle and Lowell had become tired of the London life and decided to live in the largest of their country estates “indefinitely.”
“And you were always too busy to visit them regularly,” Eleanor added.
Reed knew his sister had no malicious intent to her words; no, she was merely stating facts. His life revolved around their business in London and he had scarce little time to journey up to Huntington Park on a regular basis, so instead, he and his father relied on messengers who made the long trip. Reed had not seen his parents in two months when they passed away.
He did not say anything which his sister took as an affirmative. “See? It could be possible that’s what happened right?”
“Perhaps Lady Winford has made a logical conclusion,” Jonasson said. “Of course, you could confirm it with a letter to our Alpha. It will take a while, and the journey back will be long. Maybe we can come back next spring, should you still desire an alliance.”
“Another year?” Eleanor said. “After you’ve journeyed for months to come here? Reed, surely you’re not going to turn them away.”
His wolf growled. I should send them home, he told his animal. How can we trust them? His every human instinct told him he should send them away. Yes, including her. The things she made him feel … it unnerved him. But he had a feeling this was two against one: both his wolf and Eleanor would never give him peace. “I suppose you could stay in London. For now,” he added in an ominous tone. As Alpha, he could ask them to leave at any time.
Eleanor clapped her hands together. “Splendid. Miss Anderson is the daughter of an Alpha, and I wouldn’t want to offend their clan if we sent her away.”
He frowned. That was the other thing that bothered him. “Why exactly did an Alpha send his daughter and niece without a proper chaperone across the sea?” The thought of Jonasson alone with Elise on board a ship with no one else for company made him want to break something. Even if the two women were not compromised, it simply wasn’t proper.
Jonasson spoke. “I am their cousin as well,” he explained. “Twice removed.”
“And your chaperone? Surely your Alpha would have provided a duenna for the two young ladies. An older aunt or paid companion with impeccable reputation?” If they were lying, he would catch them now.
“She died,” Julianna burst out.
“Miss … Lucinda Jones passed away right before we docked,” Elise said quickly.
“How awful!” Eleanor cried. “What did she die of?”
“Dysentery!” Julianna offered.
His sister looked like she needed her smelling salts. Dysentery? What proper young woman talked about such things in company? Elise, at least, had the decency to glare at the other woman.
“Truly terrible,” Reed said. “Where did you intend to stay in London?”
“We have just arrived from the port and will be looking for a suitable hotel,” Jonasson said.
“Hotel?” Eleanor exclaimed. “No, you shan’t be staying in some hotel! You’ll stay with us,” she declared.
“Eleanor—”
“If they had not traveled all the way here from America, William would be crushed under the hooves and wheels of that coach!” Eleanor got to her feet, her hands clasping together. “We have plenty of room and I will be an impeccable chaperone to the girls. It’s no bother, since Bridget will be arriving soon, and so will Grandmama, so all three ladies will have two women of irreproachable reputations guarding their virtues.” Her face brightened with recognition. “Oh, of course! Silly me. I’ve wondered why your Alpha would send two unmarried women across the pond. You’re here for the season, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, definitely. Totally. That’s it. Whatever you say,” Julianna nodded enthusiastically. “I—ow! Elise, why are you jabbing your elbow in my ribs?”
Elise’s pretty face went pale. “It’s not—”
“Oh, don’t you ladies worry,” Eleanor said, excitement tinging her tone. “I’ve already made a list of eligible Lycan bachelors since my cousin is also here for the season. This is so exciting. We’ve always made matches with nearby clans, but we might be making the first trans-continent alliance through marria
ge.”
“M-m-marriage?” Now it was Julianna’s face that drained of blood.
“Yes, Julianna,” Elise said wryly. “Like you said, we’re here for the season. London’s marriage mart.”
While the thought of Elise surrounded by a gaggle of beaux vying for attention made him feel like he’d been punched in the gut, the distaste in her voice made Reed’s anger lessen. Still, the emotions inside him were in chaos, a state his normally controlled self did not enjoy.
Eleanor’s lips pursed, and she tapped a finger on her chin. “Of course, you both are a little … older than most of the girls coming out for the season. You’re probably what … twenty-four? Not fresh out of the schoolroom, but not quite … of debutant age. Still, you’re both quite the catch, especially if you’re related to the Alpha of New York.”
Julianna opened her mouth, but Elise hooked her arm around her waist and pulled her back. “Thank you, my lady, you’re too kind.”
“I can have someone fetch your things,” Eleanor offered. “Are they still at the port?”
“We don’t have any luggage, my lady,” Jonasson said. “They were stolen.”
“Stolen?” Eleanor gasped. “By whom?”
“Pirates!” Julianna said.
“Robbers!” Elise added at the same instant. The two girls looked at each other in bewilderment.
“Well, which is it?” Reed asked impatiently.
“Both,” Jonasson said. “We were beset by pirates on the sea and then robbers had stolen our things when we landed.”
“How terrible!” Eleanor’s cheeks puffed up. “But it makes sense now,” she said with a laugh.
“Sense?” Julianna asked.
“Why, yes,” his sister tutted. “Why you’re dressed up in evening gowns and why Mr. Jonasson doesn’t have his coat. I thought it was a colonial quirk.”
“We’re dressed in … evening gowns.” Julianna sounded like she was asking a question and stating the obvious at the same time.
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