“I know, Aunt Maddie. But he’s not a threat. He knows all about us. His wife, who ran off and left him, was a bear shifter. Their boy is only twelve now so he hasn’t reached puberty yet. He has no way of knowing if he inherited his mother’s genes or if he’s human. He’s afraid to take him to a regular doctor. I figured if he was here, he’d have the support of the pack, and he’d be near Tehran if he was needed.” Tehran had been the pack doctor for close to fifty years.
“When were you gonna tell us about him?” asked Maddie.
“Tonight or tomorrow. I made the offer before I left Casper, but he didn’t give me a firm answer and show up until this morning. He’s only been here a couple of hours. Is it gonna be a problem?”
Maddie bit her lip and wondered how much of an explosion Remus was going to have. She could understand Rennia’s compassion, but she had to learn the Alpha always has the final word regarding the pack.
Rennia narrowed her eyes. “If he’s not welcome, tell me now, and I’ll pack him and Jeff up and we’ll go back to Casper.”
Maddie growled softly and moved closer to Rennia. When the young woman lowered her head and exposed her neck, Maddie rubbed two fingers across her skin to show she was forgiven. “Watch your tone, little girl. I’m sure Remus will welcome new members to the pack, whether the boy inherited his mother’s DNA or not. But you will ask him respectfully before this night is over.”
Rennia bowed lower. “Yes, ma’am.”
Maddie took a step back. “This place will be great for the reception. I’ll get together with Kati and maybe you and your cook could sit in, and we’ll get a menu planned.”
Rennia nodded. “Sounds great. Talk to Kati and pick a time, and Jonah and I will meet you at your house if you want.”
“Sounds good. Your mother and I are gonna leave now so you can get back to work. The place looks great, honey. I’ll put in a good word with Remus before you come, but I’ll expect to see you tonight to talk to him. Where are Jonah and Jeff staying?”
“Right now they’re living in their camper, and it’s parked out back. I was gonna try and find them an apartment tomorrow.”
Maddie smiled. “The pack’s old guest house is empty. We never use it anymore since Remus had the larger cabin built. It’s small, and they’d have to share a bedroom, but you’re welcome to set them up there for now. They can use it as long as they need to. It’s near the school for Jeff, and he’ll have plenty of shifter neighbors in case Jeff has his first shift.”
Rennia threw her arms around Maddie’s neck. “Thank you! You’re the greatest.”
Maddie snorted. “Yeah, I know.” She looked at Kitania. “You ready to get home?”
“Yeah, but remember, little girl. After you talk to Remus and get your friends settled in for the night, you need to come by and assure your dads you know what you’re doing.”
Rennia raised her hands as if to surrender. “I’ll be there in time for dinner, Mom.”
Maddie walked out the door as Kitania hugged Rennia goodbye. She slid beneath the steering wheel and waited for Kitania to buckle herself in.
“What do you think Remus is gonna say about new pack members?” asked Kitania.
Maddie slowly backed out and then took off down the road that would lead them back up the mountain. “He won’t say much because I’m gonna go home and soften him up.”
* * * *
Latan looked at his only daughter as everyone enjoyed their meal. “Why the sudden urge to change careers, Rennia? I always thought you loved teaching the pups.”
Rennia raked her fork through the perfectly cooked fettuccini and speared one of the delicate shrimp. An interesting blend of French doors and floor-to-ceiling windows behind her father’s chair offered a fantastic view of the wooded acreage behind the house. The sun was setting over the mountains, leaving the sky bluish black and dotted with stars. Slow and bluesy music circulated the room brought in by cleverly hidden speakers. She glanced around the table at the collected members of her family. “I do love teaching. That hasn’t changed. But I need more in my life right now. The bar will be good for the pack, and it gives me something to concentrate on.”
Her brother Macon barked out a harsh laugh. “Why don’t you tell him the real reason you wanna keep so busy?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why don’t you—”
Synia cleared his throat. “I think it should be Rennia’s idea when she wants to share her feelings, and not anyone else’s.”
Kati smiled at Rennia. “I agree.”
“Kati, did you make any headway on picking out a pattern for your dress?” asked Kitania.
“Elyne had the perfect pattern. It’s a simple design, but elegant with lots of lace. It even has a small train and a waist-length veil. We decided on an off-white satin for the material. We’re heading down to Casper tomorrow to get the supplies she’ll need.”
“That sounds great. When is your family arriving?”
Rennia tensed as she waited for her future sister-in-law to answer.
“They’re flying in tomorrow. Synia and Kinnith are gonna pick them up at the airport.”
“Did you get their accommodations settled?” asked Kitania.
“We offered to let them stay with us, even though it would have been a little crowded. But, as you already heard, Ray isn’t comfortable staying on the mountain with the rest of the family.”
Ethan frowned and put down his fork. “What do you mean, he’s not comfortable?”
Kati glanced at Rennia. “He’s still a little resistant to the idea of shifters. I talked it over with my dad, and we both agreed it would be better not to force him to stay with us. We’re hoping if he’s exposed to the family in small increments he’ll thaw out and be more accepting by the time the wedding’s here.”
“Where’s he gonna stay?” asked Ethan.
Synia grinned. “Zack still has the lease on his apartment. They’ve already moved all their personal things to the new house, so he’s gonna let them stay there.”
Kati shook her head. “Not they, just Ray.”
“Is your dad gonna stay with us?” asked Synia.
“He wants to take Remus up on his offer to stay with him and Maddie. From what I understand, his old army buddy, the one that introduced him to shifters, is gonna try and come for a visit, and apparently there’s some kind of protocol that says he’d have to present himself to the alpha. Pop thought it would be easier if he was already staying with the alpha.” She laughed. “I think he just wants to be near Remus so he can pick his brain and learn as much about your family as he can.”
Latan nodded. “Sounds like your father is a good man, very open-minded.”
“He can be, but he can also be stubborn as a mule, which is where I’m sure Ray gets his personality.”
Kinnith rolled his eyes. “Of course, you’re never stubborn, my love.”
Rennia laughed. “Dinner was great, Mom, but I need to get going. I still have a slew of things to do tonight before they come to wire the building with the new sound system tomorrow.”
Latan pointed his finger at his daughter. “Before the place opens, Ethan and I wanna come in and inspect the place and see what security measures you’ve implemented.”
“That’s fine. I’m hoping I can talk Victor, Kanor, Macon, and Alexander into taking turns acting as a bouncer for me until the money starts coming in. I’m only gonna open on Fridays and Saturdays, so they could spread out their time pretty well.”
Macon belched loudly and then sheepishly looked at his mother. “Sorry, but the food was really good.” He turned his gaze to Rennia. “You can count me in for any Friday nights. I’m happy to help.”
“Thanks, bro. You’re the greatest.” She pushed back her chair and stood.
“Wait a minute,” Kati said. “Rennia, if you’ve got a minute I’d like to talk to you.” She glanced around the room. “Privately.”
“Uh, sure. I’ve got a few minutes.”
“You girls c
an use the office,” said Latan. “I’m ready for your mother to bring out that chocolate cake she’s hiding in the laundry room.”
Kitania growled. “You’ve been snooping where your nose doesn’t belong.”
Macon winced. “Sorry, Mom. I found it when I put in the load you said I could wash. I didn’t know it was a secret.”
Kitania got up and headed for the kitchen, muttering under her breath. Rennia chuckled and motioned for Kati to follow her. She walked down the hall and entered the office her fathers shared. She’d always loved the huge fireplace that took up one end of the room. A loveseat and small bistro table with a pair of chairs offered the perfect place to share coffee or curl up and read a book. The room was done in warm wood paneling and polished hardwood floors. There were two huge, solid oak desks covered with equipment and papers of all sorts. In the corner the fax machine rang, then hummed busily as it spat several sheets of paper out onto a tray.
“When we were growing up, this room was considered off-limits. The dads were always afraid we’d spill something colorful and sugary on some of their papers. It seems strange to be in here now.” She turned and watched as Kati closed the door giving them a little more privacy. Rennia grinned. “Maybe I should remind you that shifters have really great hearing. Just closing the door might not keep whatever you wanna say a secret.”
Kati shrugged. “I’ll whisper.”
“What is it, Kati? Is everything all right?”
Kati walked over and looked out the glass French doors that led out onto a stone patio. “Ray is your mate, isn’t he?”
Rennia froze and closed her eyes, desperate to hold back the tears she could feel forming. Her eyes flew open when she felt Kati’s hand on her arm.
“I’m not trying to hurt you, Rennia. I wanna help if I can.”
Rennia brushed at the moisture in her eyes with the back of her hand. “I appreciate your concern, Kati, but there’s nothing you can do. Your brother made it pretty clear what he thought about shifters. If you will recall, he told me, in no uncertain terms, to stay away from him.”
“But he didn’t know who or what you were at the time. He’d just been rescued when he’d already resigned himself to dying. His emotions were all over the place. You can’t hold that against him.”
Rennia dropped down onto one of the leather chairs. “I’m not holding anything against him. But I have to respect his wishes. You can’t just force a mate to accept you. Our own laws prevent a forced mating.”
Kati sat down on the loveseat. “I’m not talking about forcing him to do anything. I’m talking about you letting him get to know the real you, the human Rennia.”
“How the hell am I supposed to do that if he won’t let me near him?”
Kati shrugged. “He never saw you in your human form. You could meet up with him, and he’d never even know you were a shifter.”
Rennia frowned. “You want me to lie to my mate.”
“Lying is such a strong word. Just withhold the part about you being a shifter until he gets to know you a little better. Kinnith and Synia told me that, even human, Ray would feel at least some of the mate pull just like I did. He just won’t understand it, or he’ll mistake it for plain, old-fashioned lust. Either way, he’s gonna want to get to know you better. He’s staying in the apartment down in Takoda, and I’m told you have a place there, too.”
“Yeah, I rented a house with an option to buy. I didn’t wanna live up here on the mountain where everybody and their mother knows your business.”
Kati laughed. “Yeah, that’s gonna be tough for me to get used to.”
“When do you start the new job?”
“The sheriff kindly told me that I could wait and start after the honeymoon.” She laughed. “He specifically told me he didn’t want some lovesick deputy daydreaming about her coming wedding when she ought to be driving around handing out speeding tickets.”
“You think you’re gonna like working with him?”
“Yeah, he seems like a pretty straightforward guy. We won’t have any problems.” Kati stood and moved toward the door. “Just think about what I’ve said, Rennia. What would it hurt to let him get to know you, maybe even fall in love with you, as a human before you introduce him to your other halves?
Rennia watched as Kati left without waiting for her to comment. She thought about her words for a moment and then shook her head. He’d never forgive her when he found out the truth. She looked over the darkening property and sighed. “What could take your fear away?”
* * * *
Remus studied Zack’s mate with narrowed eyes. He frowned and leaned both elbows on his polished mahogany desk. “Are you sure, Aurelia? You were in hiding for so long, could you have imagined it?” When Zack bristled, Remus growled softly.
“I’m sorry, Alpha,” Zack said. “You don’t know her like I do. It takes a lot to rattle my mate, and if she says someone was watching the house today, you can bet your bottom dollar someone was there.”
Remus turned back to Aurelia. “Tell me again what happened.”
Aurelia threw her chocolate braid over her shoulder and folded her hands together in her lap. Her brown eyes flashed briefly before she glanced at her mate. “Zack and I moved the last of our stuff into the house last night. It was too late to really get into it so we left the boxes piled up on the back porch. This morning, Zack left for work around six, and I kind of just lazed around drinking too much coffee and just enjoying that feeling you get when you move into a new house. I spent some time lining the kitchen cabinets with shelf paper, and then headed out to the porch to bring in some boxes.
“What time was this?” asked Remus.
“It was nine o’clock.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. My favorite morning talk show was just coming on.”
Remus turned to Zack. “Where were the patrols at nine?”
“They would have been on the north perimeter about fifteen miles away.”
“What happened then, Aurelia?” asked Remus.
“The boxes had been moved around. Nothing major, and probably nobody else would have noticed. I’m a little OCD about stuff like that, and I knew they weren’t in the same order. I stepped off the porch and looked around. I couldn’t see anyone, but it felt like there was someone there.”
Remus frowned. “Someone where?”
“In the woods, right inside the tree line.” She sighed and seemed to gaze off into space. “I know it sounds crazy, but I could feel their eyes on me and it felt like they were closing in.”
“What did you do then?”
Aurelia snorted. “I hightailed it back into the house, bolted both doors and checked all the windows to make sure they were locked. I tried to call Zack, but I only got his voicemail.”
“Where were you, Zack?”
Zack ran his fingers through his hair. “Koril assigned me to the south road today.”
Remus cursed under his breath. “No cell reception.”
Zack nodded. “Not even one bar. I got home around four and found the house locked up tight and my mate hiding out in a closet off our bedroom.”
Remus took a deep breath. “Maybe the two of you should stay with us until we figure out what’s going on. Your house is awfully remote, compared to everyone else in the pack.”
Aurelia sat up straighter. “No, I—”
“Yes,” said Zack. “I want you protected.”
Aurelia let her head fall back, her gaze directed toward the ceiling. “I’m not gonna let some creepy feeling chase me away from our first home together. Even if there was someone watching the house, it doesn’t mean they were targeting me. Nobody knows I’m alive, so it’s doubtful they were after me. They had all afternoon to approach the place, and I never heard a soul.”
Zack laced their fingers together. “I don’t wanna leave you alone out there. Will you at least agree to spend the day here while I help the others search the area for any intruders?”
Remus watch
ed the play of emotions race across Aurelia’s face. She’d been a hostage of the government for most of her young life while they studied her special gifts. Aurelia could heal injuries and illness with just the touch of her hands. He chuckled silently. It’s a little more complicated than that, but I can’t explain it any better than the scientists that studied her for years. Zack and a Marine buddy helped her escape the prison and smuggled her out of the country so she could have some kind of life. When the strange illnesses began taking root in the pack’s children, Zack had gone looking for the little girl who could heal with her touch. He’d been shocked to learn she was his mate.
He’d brought her to the mountain, narrowly escaping her former captors who wanted her back at any cost, and watched as she healed the sick children. With the help of the National Council, they’d arranged her death and given her a new identity so the government would stop looking for her. Unfortunately, most of the family had trouble remembering to use her new name.
Aurelia sighed heavily and wiggled her fingers in Zack’s grasp. “Okay, I’ll come and keep Maddie company and help her work on this wedding while you make sure there aren’t any boogeymen in the woods.”
Remus snickered. “That’s good, Aurelia. I wanna keep everyone safe. I’m gonna give Zander a call and see if he can spare some men to help us comb the mountain. There are a lot of caves, and it’ll take us quite a while to check them all. With extra men we wouldn’t have to worry about intruders doubling back after we’ve searched an area.”
Zack got to his feet. “You gonna talk to Koril, or do you want me to?”
“You go ahead and fill him in and let him know I’m calling Zander tonight. I want everyone on full alert and extra patrols out tomorrow. Did you go and scent the area after she told you what happened?”
Zack nodded grimly. “Yeah, and I couldn’t smell anything.”
“So you can’t say for certain someone was there.”
“No, Alpha, you misunderstood. I could not scent anything in the area. Not the trees, or the flora, or any of the animals that live in the trees. It was the strangest feeling I’ve ever had. It was like I’d lost my senses right after I crossed the tree line.”
Do You Take This Cat [Wind River Pack 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 3
