I handed her the card the mailman had left in our mailbox. “I have a package.”
She nodded. “Yes, all the way from Ireland too.”
Jana bent over, rummaging around under the counter and when she straightened back up, she held a small box in her hand. White and red ‘fragile’ stickers adorned its side.
“Sign here.” She set the box aside and pointed to a signature line on the package notification.
I grabbed the pen chained to the counter and quickly scrawled my signature.
Looking at the card, she said, “That was good, Chloe.”
“It was?” I asked confused. In school, my teachers had always taken off points for penmanship. I didn’t think my signature was good enough to warrant compliments.
“I meant with Vicki. The alpha’s mate has to be strong. Don’t let bullies like her push you around. If she’s dumb enough to call the test of blood, she’ll be the one torn apart, not you.”
“Oh, thanks,” I mumbled. I appreciated Jana’s support, especially since I really didn’t know what I was doing. I’d gone on instinct in the post office, trying to keep my anger in check so I didn’t do anything really stupid. I didn’t even actually know what the test of blood was, but I wasn’t about to admit that in public. I would ask Jackson about it later.
She waved me forward, leaning over the counter to quietly say, “I remember when Cal took his mate. It wasn’t much easier for her, but she got through it in the end.”
“Really?” I couldn’t keep the surprise from my voice. I would always remember Cal’s wife as a woman no one ignored. Everyone had listened to Betty without question.
Jana nodded. “Give it time. The pack has to know they can trust you and they’ll test you until they’re sure.”
I blinked as her words sank in. I hadn’t thought of it like that. Maybe all this friction was normal, part and parcel of being the alpha’s mate. If so, I needed to toughen up and fast. “Thanks, Jana.” I smiled at her, grateful for her kindness.
She smiled back. “Any time.”
Taking my package, I hustled out of the post office, keenly aware of all the eyes watching me go. Now that the tension of my confrontation with Vicki had dissipated, they, apparently, felt free to openly stare at me. The gossip I’d provided that morning would fuel them like caffeine, their jaws flapping non-stop as they recounted the latest exploits of the alpha’s ill-chosen mate. It made me want to crawl into a deep, dark hole and never come out again.
I silently cursed companies that required a signature for their deliveries. Yes, the crystal champagne flutes I’d ordered were very expensive and fragile, but they’d left the much more expensive wedding band for Jackson on my porch no problem. From here on out, I vowed to only work with companies that wouldn’t force me into town to pick up their goods.
Outside, I blinked as the sun’s brilliance hit my eyes. The day was cloudless and cold. The generously late Indian summer had faded over a week ago, and it now appeared the weather was fixing to grace us with the first snow of the season. I dropped the package off in my truck and then headed to the bar, wanting to order something to eat before I undertook the drive to Nashville.
I was just about to open the door and step inside when the loud squeal of tires made me pause. Looking over my shoulder, I saw a red corvette roaring down the street. Frowning, I let the door to the bar go and stepped back onto the side walk.
No one in Huntsville drove a sports car. We were pick-up truck people. Fancy cars were beyond our pay grade. We weren’t poor by any means, but our economics were limited to working in town or helping to administer the pack land.
We owned over five hundred acres, most of which was reserved for us to run. The edge of our property housed cabins that we rented out to the public. We also leased the mineral rights to a big mining company. They operated a coal mine in a gulley that was too steep for us to access in wolf form. The pack split the profits, which made for a comfortable existence, but not an extravagant one.
As I watched, the corvette zoomed through the town square and then jackknifed into a parking spot right in front of me. I held my breath, expecting the car to jump the curb and hit me, but the driver exercised the precision of a professional and the vehicle shrieked to a stop just before hitting the curb.
The noise attracted notice. Anyone outside stopped same as I had, riveted by the corvette’s progression. The car purred, the sound anything but content, and then the driver turned it off. The sudden silence rang in the air like an alarm bell.
I waited, curious to see who the driver was and ready to direct the stranger to Hudson, the nearest human city about twenty miles down the road. We weren’t so barbaric as to run humans out of town, but, if they insisted on eating at the bar, the service would be terrible and the food either undercooked or burnt. No one came back twice if they could help it. Not unless they belonged.
To my surprise, the driver who emerged from the corvette’s interior, was a woman. Given the crazy driving, I’d expected a young, cocky guy. Instead, a striking redhead stepped out of the car, sharp stilettos clacking on the concrete.
She stood tall as a super model and svelte as one, too. Her red wrap dress and designer stilettos spoke of money and her scent identified her as a wolf, just not one from Huntsville. Checking out the front plate, I noted she was from Louisiana.
Funnily enough, so was Jackson.
Lifting her sunglasses to the top of her head, she quickly scanned the area with bright green eyes. Zeroing in on me, she sniffed and said, “Are you the bitch who thinks she can have my mate?”
Her voice carried in the quiet pre-winter air to the point where people inside the bar came out to better hear her. Wolves can smell anything, especially good gossip fodder.
Chapter Three
“Excuse me?” I asked, utterly confused.
She stalked toward me and leaned down until we were eye-to-eye, the gesture making me feel very short and very fat in comparison. She narrowed her eyes into emerald slits and repeated her question. “I said, are you the bitch who thinks she can have my mate?”
“Your mate being?” I asked, although I had a sinking feeling who it was.
“Jackson Swift,” she said with a tight smile that showed off her sharp, pointy canine teeth.
“Kelsey,” came Jackson’s voice before I could respond. We both turned to see him coming down the sidewalk, a wide-eyed look of surprise on his face.
He greeted her with a warm hug. “What are you doing here?”
Kelsey laughed and the trilling sound made my hackles rise. “Just checking up on you.” She looped her arm through Jackson’s and looked at me. “Making sure this town is doing right by my best friend.”
Seeing the confusion on my face, she smiled at me. “Sorry, um, Chloe is it? I was just having some fun with you. Jackson’s mom showed me a picture, and, when I saw you, I just couldn’t resist the temptation to pull your leg.”
I pushed out a fake chuckle while giving Jackson a ‘WTF’ look. Seriously. What. The. Fuck? “You didn’t tell me she was coming.”
He shrugged and gave me an equally ‘WTF’ look. “I had no idea.”
“I swore your mom to secrecy. You know she can’t tell me no.” She snuggled up to Jackson, which made me want to rip her face off.
My hands curled into fists, the nails breaking the skin of my palms. “What are you doing here?” I cleared my throat several times as I spoke to keep my voice from coming out in a hostile growl. My wolf was practically frothing with anger. Vicki had already put her on edge and now Kelsey threatened to push us both over. If I wasn’t careful, I would change right here, right now and it would be a blood bath. The arch look Kelsey gave me suggested she knew exactly what effect her appearance had on me.
“I’m an event planner on the side and when I heard Jackson was hitched, I thought I’d come help out with the wedding.” She scanned the town, taking in the few paint worn buildings lining the street and wrinkled her nose. “You know, help you
make it an event to remember. The Swift pack likes to celebrate with class.”
Jackson smiled at me weakly. “How about we grab a bite to eat, ladies?”
So we all traipsed into the bar, Kelsey laughing lightly as if she didn’t have a care in the world and constantly touching Jackson. For his part, Jackson looked happy to see her although from the concerned looks he shot my way, he seemed to have picked up on the fact that I wasn’t as thrilled. I trailed behind them glowering, fighting the urge to start a bar brawl. The entire bar fell silent, acutely aware of our entrance and straining to hear every word.
Great.
We all ordered beer and burgers, the waitress staring at us with open curiosity. While we waited for our food, Kelsey smiled at me brightly. “How ever did you two meet?”
Jackson put a protective arm around me and pulled me close. He’d been sure to sit with me, and I found that small gesture reassuring. Under the table, I gripped his thigh with one hand, staking my claim. Even though she couldn’t see it, the contact made me feel better and less likely to leap across the table at her.
“I knew she was the one the first time I laid eyes on her,” Jackson said. “She took a little convincing though.” He smiled at me.
I returned his smile, remembering the night he’d shown up on my doorstep with the promise to ‘make me howl.’ I’d doubted him, but he’d been right. Jackson had brought my wolf.
“I heard you were a null, Chloe.” Kelsey unwrapped her silverware and smoothed her napkin into her lap.
I shrugged. “Not anymore.”
“They say nulls are weak and infertile.” Her lips smiled, but her eyes shone with malice.
“Kelsey,” Jackson said, a note of warning in his voice.
At the same time, I said, “Try me.” I’d face her down same as Vicki. As for having babies, who knew, but I wasn’t overly concerned about it because, no matter what everyone thought they knew, I had never been a true null.
She put a hand to her chest, an innocent expression on her face. “Oh? Have I said something wrong? Sorry.”
I looked at Jackson and was surprised to see he accepted her blatantly false apology. This bitch knew exactly where all the buttons were and had no problem pressing them. Surely he could see that? But from the warm expression on his face, I could tell he was blind.
“What was it you said to Chloe outside?” Jackson asked, aware enough to at least know he should change the subject. Unfortunately, the topic he chose added fuel to the fire instead of establishing neutral territory. “The look on her face was--“
Kelsey cut him off with a giggle. “Priceless, I know. All I said was, are you the bitch who thinks she can have my mate?”
At Jackson’s shocked expression, she paused. “Too much?”
He nodded. “Yeah, that’s a little aggressive.”
She grimaced. “Sorry. You know me, all action and no thought.”
I sipped my beer, my glance ping-ponging back and forth between them. Did Jackson really buy her brainless ditz defense? How could he miss that her apology was directed at him and not me. She wouldn’t even look at me. How could he not smell the desire that permeated her scent? It was faint, but I hadn’t missed it.
Wanting to remind her I was alive, I cleared my throat and asked, “How do you guys know each other?”
Kelsey waved a hand. “Jackie and I go way back.”
Jackie? I sputtered as my beer went down the wrong pipe.
Jackson pounded me on the back. “We grew up together.”
“His momma practically raised me. I didn’t know my daddy and my momma, well...” Kelsey trailed off and her facade of good cheer faded a bit.
Jackson reached across the table and took her hand in his. “Her loss, Kels.”
My eyebrows went up at the exchange. It sounded like there was some painful history there. A pang of sympathy went through me for Kelsey. I knew what it was to have a shitty childhood without the parents you deserved. Of course, the tiny pang I felt wasn’t enough to eradicate my irritation with her behavior so far. Things had never been easy for me, either and I’d managed to avoid becoming a badass bitch. It could be done, if you worked at it. The fact Kelsey had, apparently, chosen not to, spoke volumes about her character. Or lack thereof. At least, in my opinion.
Kelsey nodded and then blew out a big breath. “We got into a lot of scrapes growing up. Remember the frogs in the toilet?”
Jackson laughed and released her hand, much to my relief. “As I recall, that was your idea. I thought momma was going to skin us alive for that.” To me he said, “We put a bunch of frogs from the creek in the toilet the same day momma was hosting a Junior League luncheon.”
“We stuffed them in and put the lid down,” Kelsey added. “Made for a nice surprise just when you wanted to pee. All the ladies of our pack screamed like little girls and ran scared in their Sunday best.” She snickered and pretended to clutch her pearls. “You’d think they’d never torn out a rabbit’s throat with their bare teeth.”
“What about the time we dumped the sugar and replaced it with salt?” Jackson asked with a chuckle. “That was also your brainchild, although momma didn’t believe me.”
Kelsey made a face. “Ugh. She made us drink that lemonade too. I haven’t drank it since. What about you?”
Jackson shrugged. “It’s okay in small quantities, but yeah, I can never quite shake the taste of salt and lemon from that day.”
She leaned over the table, eyes focused on Jackson as if I didn’t exist. “Oh hey, remember when we swore we’d be each other’s mates?”
I gasped and stared at her, stunned by her brazenness. Who acted like that? Wolves looking for a fight, that’s who.
Jackson shifted uncomfortably next to me. “That was a long time ago. We were just kids.”
She tossed her head, flipping her long hair over her shoulder. “Yeah, like I said, ancient history, but for a while we thought we were meant for each other.” She sighed. “Those were the days, but now you have Chloe.” Her glance fell on me and then quickly slid over to Jackson.
“Yeah, I do.” He gave me another squeeze and I leaned into him. “How about you, Kels? You find your mate yet?”
She pouted and shook her head. “Not yet, but I keep looking. You ever hear of Moonpair dot com?”
We both shook our heads.
“It’s a wolf dating site. No one in my pack is my mate so I’ve branched out. That’s part of the reason why I’m up here. There was a promising candidate in Nashville.”
“Oh?” I asked. “How did it go?”
She looked so crestfallen I almost felt sorry for her. My sympathy didn’t last long, though. Kelsey was trouble, I could smell it. If I went soft on her, she would destroy me. Just like Vicki.
Her gaze dropped to her lap where she fiddled with her napkin. “Not a match.”
“Sorry to hear that, Kels.”
She shook her shoulders and sat straighter in her seat. “All in good time, right? Let’s talk about your wedding. Have you made any plans yet?” Now she looked at me, finally.
“I’ve ordered a few things and looked at lots of magazines.”
Kelsey frowned. “Magazines are so last century. Honey, all the wedding action is on Pinterest these days.” Her mouth split in a wide grin. “Don’t worry, I’ll hook you up. Where’s the hall going to be?”
Jackson and I exchanged glances. This was the most we’d talked about the wedding since we’d decided to have one. “There isn’t one,” I said. “We do outdoor weddings in our pack.”
“Perfect. No contracts or fees. Very budget friendly. I approve.” She winked at me conspiratorially. “I have some great ideas for the decor.”
“I was thinking of a wild flower arbor,” I said. It would mean a late summer wedding so we had time to grow extra flowers as well as harvest wild ones at the peak of the growing season, but the pictures would be stunning. I’d been to a pack wedding when I was little and never forgot the beautiful archway of flowers fr
aming the happy couple.
She raised an eyebrow. “That sounds nice, very country, but Jackson’s family are city folk. You need a more cosmopolitan twist.”
“Like what?”
Her eyes lit up. “Chrome accents.”
I made a face, I couldn’t help myself. “Chrome?”
“Yes, industrial stuff is very trendy right now. It would be a great contrast with your old-fashioned flowers.” Her gaze fell on my left hand as I lifted my glass to take a sip of beer. She reached out and touched my naked ring finger and gave Jackson a speculative look. “He didn’t give you a ring?”
Jackson shifted uncomfortably. “It’s only been two weeks, Kels. Cut me some slack.”
“We’re moving as fast as we can,” I said, feeling the need to defend him even though I often wondered when a ring would make an appearance myself. I also sometimes wondered if marriage to Jackson was really what I wanted. We hadn’t even said ‘I love you’ yet, which made me nervous. The fact I was nervous made me more nervous. Matings weren’t supposed to come with doubts. Not in Huntsville where the divorce rate was zero.
Kelsey locked eyes with Jackson for far too long. “Well, let me know if you want some help.” She looked down at her own perfectly manicured hand and sighed. “I’m a bit of an expert on the subject and I know all about diamonds.”
“I think Jackson can handle it,” I said. The last thing I wanted was a ring that Kelsey helped pick out. I wanted it to be from Jackson alone. “We just haven’t had a lot of time to focus on the details.
She leaned back as the waitress set our burgers on the table. “That’s why I’m here. Weddings need a schedule and a plan.”
“I think we’ve got it,” I said as tactfully as possible. “Thanks though.” When I blinked I caught sight of my wolf, her hackles ran down her back in a mohawk and there was a murderous gleam in her eye. If Kelsey kept pushing buttons, I would lose it like I had with Vicki earlier. The last thing I wanted to do was lose control, not when I wasn’t sure of my wolf or her strength.
Unlike Vicki earlier that day, Kelsey didn’t push me any further and I was grateful it didn’t come down to another confrontation. We dove into our burgers and ate in silence. Once I’d finished mine, I excused myself to use the restroom.
Fated Mates: The Alpha Shifter Boxed Set (12 Book Bundle) (Insatiable Reads) Page 77
