“I’m on it, brother. Operation keep the moronic possibly evil brother away from pack meeting is a go.” He winks at me and I know he’s trying to be funny to calm Pike down, and thankfully it works because Pike and I are both still laughing as Tucker walks out of the suite.
Chapter 31 – Pike
~ She’ll make one hell of an addition ~
I pull Bloom into the side of my body so I can wrap my arm around her waist. I have just introduced her and Bonnie to the pack, and though they seem to take the news of my mate being Rose’s daughter pretty well, I know she’ll be the hot topic in the pack tomorrow.
“You know we could’ve left out the part about Rose being my mom,” Bloom grumbles through our connection though outward she’s still smiling at the pack as they all come up to greet her.
“Darlin’, you can’t deny someone when she’s your spitting image.”
“We could force her to have plastic surgery. Turn her into the pack’s version of Joan Rivers.”
“Too late for that darlin’, the pack has already seen you and they’ve known Rose long enough to know what she looks like.”
“Dang, well keep it in mind for later. I might get tired of hearing people talk about how much we look alike.”
“Ok, darlin’.” I give her side a reassuring squeeze as she shakes yet another hand and then say, “Heads up, the elders and their mates are coming over.”
Her head swings around searching the room, she easily finds the group that’s descending upon us and plasters on her warmest smile, “We need them to help, Tennessee.”
“Don’t worry, darlin’, they’ll love you so much they’ll be begging to help.”
“Pike, I’m so pleased to hear our Kit and your Emily are mates. They make such a wonderful pair.” Isla Drake greets me wrapping me up in her arms the same way she’s been doing since I was a little boy. Isla is 46 and has long curly hair the same auburn color as her son, Kit. She is petite for a wolf only reaching five foot five to her mate Noah’s six foot one. She’s the peace keeper on the council and I know she’ll love Bloom, not just because I do, it’ll be because Isla loves everyone she meets. My mom use to say Isla could find the good in a serial killer.
“I’m awful pleased, too. Emily’s pretty darn lucky to being getting you as a mother-in-law. I might have to tag along to some of your family dinners with her so I can steal me some of your down home cookin’.”
She pats my chest and laughs, “You are always welcome at my table. But there is no need to wait, anytime you want some of my food you just call me up and I’ll whip some up for ya.” Isla turns her smile to Bloom and says, “Now, introduce me to this beautiful girl of yours.”
I place my hand on the small of Blooms back, “Darlin’, this is Elder Isla Drake and her mate Noah. Isla, Noah, this is my mate Bloom Daniels.” Bloom stretches out her hand expecting the elder to shake it, but Isla being Isla pulls my mate into the same kind of hug she’s just given to me.
Isla releases Bloom from the hug, “Welcome to our pack Bloom. I look forward to getting to know you as our new Alpha female and hopefully as a new friend.”
“That is very sweet of you, thank you Elder Isla.” Bloom gives the older woman a genuine smile. “Please, say you’ll come to our suite tomorrow morning for breakfast. We’re inviting all the Elders to discuss some issues and I’d love it if you’d join us.”
Isla returns the smile and nods, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Then turning to her mate and grabbing his arm, “Come on, Noah, we don’t want the rest of the wolves to get mad because we’re monopolizing the new mates.” Noah nods at me and shakes Bloom’s hand then follows after his mate. He isn’t being rude. Noah is just a quiet man who is content to let Isla do the talking for both of them. Though I know never to confuse his being quiet as him being weak, I have seen Noah (in his wolf form) take down a 12 point buck like it was nothing more than wobbly legged fawn.
Isla and Noah are followed by Price’s parents Fina and Lucas Greene. Elder Fina is a pistol who lives up to her fire engine red hair. I’m certain if you look up the definition of sassy in the dictionary you’ll find a picture of Fina beside it. She grabs me into a hug then proceeds to ignore me to give my mate attention.
“Now, I don’t know what happened between you and that momma of yours, but I know a rift when I see one, and I’m here to tell you that if you need help putting your momma in her place for whatever she screwed up you holler at ole Fina. You hear me?” Fina informs Bloom of this as she’s holding her in a tight hug, not much different than the one Isla had just given her.
“Um …” Bloom looks at me and then back at Fina before she finishes with a, “yes ma’am.”
“Good, now we’ll see you kids in the morning for this breakfast you’re hosting. Do you need me to bring anything? Pastries, fruit, liquor?”
“Liquor for breakfast?” Bloom asks as Lucas Greene steps around his wife to give her a hug.
“Doll, with that many dominate wolves in one room, you’re gonna need something to cut through the testosterone.”
“Um …”
“Fi don’t scare the girl before she gets a chance to know us,” Lucas chastises his wife then turns back to Bloom and says, “Don’t listen to this one. Us males aren’t that bad, fill our stomachs with some good home cookin’ and we’ll be so sated that we won’t even think of attacking each other. At least for a good forty minutes.”
Blooms mouth drops open and Lucas chuckles. I lean into her and whisper, “Darlin’, he’s pulling your leg.” She looks at me then Lucas and he gives her a wink accompanied by a wolfish grin then saunters away with his wife, still chuckling.
Elder Cathal Burke and his mate Shea walk up and introduce themselves next. Cathal at 56 is the head of the Elders and his wife is only a year his junior. He isn’t a large man the way Noah or Grady are being less than five foot ten, but his dominance is so strong that it makes him seem ten feet tall, and maybe a little bullet proof. He had been my father’s beta and there was never a question as to why he held that position. His mate, Shea, is quiet and soft spoken on most occasions, preferring to sit back to take a room in instead of joining in, but if you can spark her interest in a topic you’ll be treated to the fire that lays behind her gentle appearance.
After the Burkes come Elder Andrew and Lilith Cade. Andrew Cade always reminds me of a fallen angel with his dark hair, pale skin and sharp sculpted features. People who see Andrew would guess him to be vampire instead of the dark wolf he truly is. If Andrew is a fallen angel his mate, Lilith, would be an angel still in god’s grace, with her pale blonde hair that is closer to white than blonde. Skin that has a soft ivory color and honest to god the woman has violet eyes. The only thing the pair is missing is contrasting black and white wings sprouting from their backs.
The last elder to approach is Elder Darius Arden and his mate Mae. Darius is an older black man with salt and pepper hair. The elder and his mate stand right around the same height, five foot ten. Mae is of Italian descent and has the olive skin to prove it.
Bloom invites all the elders to breakfast in our suite the next morning. Of course they all accept.
Once the welcomes stop Bonnie comes over and joins us.
She locks arms with Bloom and then looks at me and asks, “So Big Bad is it time for that tour?”
“Aren’t you two tired? It has been a long day.”
They look at each other and then back at me. Their faces remind me of children on Christmas morning, alight with excitement, anxious to see what the shinny wrapping paper will reveal. In unison they answer, “We’re not tired!”
“Alright, give me a minute to call Tuck.”
“Tuck?” Bonnie asks Bloom.
“Tucker. He’s the oldest of my three brothers,” Bloom explains.
“Oh yeah, so is he hot?”
“Bonnie!”
“Well is he or isn’t he?”
“He’s my brother!”
“He could be your hot bro
ther.”
“I thought you weren’t going to get involved with members of the pack.”
“I didn’t say I wanted to be his mate and give birth to his pups. Geesh Blu, I just want to know if he is easy on the eyes.” They’re still standing with their arms locked together but now both of them have their other arms cocked on their hips and are staring the other one down.
“Bon …”
“Blu, is he eye candy or not.”
“He could be considered attractive, if he wasn’t my brother.”
“Heck yeah!” Bonnie turns to me, “Alpha man, invite him to join our little tour. Oh or maybe I can get myself a private tour.”
I dial Tuck’s number and shaking my head say, “Sure thing.”
Tucker picks up on the second ring, “Hey brother.”
“Hey man. How’s the Kyran situation going?”
“At the moment he’s in town at the bar shooting some pool with his boys.”
“Is Killian with him?”
“Nope, he’s at home with mom. So how did the announcement go?”
“Better than it did the first time around. Bloom made arrangements for us to have breakfast with the elders in the morning. Do you wanna join us?”
“I think I’ll skip this one, man.”
“Understandable.” Bonnie grabs my attention by waving her hands and mouthing “Tour! Ask him!”
I turn my back to her and sigh, “Man, the girls want a tour of the house and they thought you might want to join us.”
“Why? I’ve seen it before.”
“Bonnie has it in her head that you can be her eye candy for the night.”
I hear Bloom giggle and Bonnie gasp. “So not cool Big Bad!”
Tucker asks around a laugh, “She calls you Big Bad?”
“Among other things,” I grumble.
“I already like this chick. Is she hot?”
“Tuck man, my mate’s standing right here.”
“Sorry forgot man.” He’s silent for a second then continues, “But is she?”
“I doubt you’d kick her out of bed for eating crackers.”
“Mmm, ok I’ll be there in …” There is a loud crash in the background and a lot of hollering.
“Tuck, what’s happening?”
“Shit man, it’s Kyran.”
“What the hell is he doing now?” I growl.
“He’s starting shit with some of the older wolves.”
“Do you need me to come put him in line?” I’m hoping he says yes, I’ve been aching to put that boy in line since his scene earlier today.
“Nah, I got this. Tell the girls I’ll take a rain check on the tour.”
“I will. Call if you need me, Tuck.” There’s another crash in the background.
“Shit, I got to go man before he tears down the whole damn building.” Tucker is growling when he ends the call.
Damn Kyran, he’s gonna make me break my promise to Bloom. If he keeps this shit up I will have to put him down, and he won’t be getting back up. And that’ll hurt my mate. Damn it!
I feel her hands on my arm as she presses herself to my back, “Tennessee, what’s going on?”
I turn in her arms to face her, “Kyran’s causing a ruckus at the bar in town.”
“Do you need to go and handle him?” She asks softly, searching my face.
“No, Tuck is trying to get a handle on him.” I push her hair off her shoulder and use my thumb to rub the freckle on her neck.
“Baby, I …” she looks away from me but she gathers her courage and turns to my eyes, “If you need to handle your business I won’t hold it against you.”
“Bloom …”
“No Pike, let me finish. I know you promised me but I see now that this is about more than me. He’s putting other in danger now, right?”
I nod.
“All I ask is that you try to reason with him first. If he can’t see reason, I promise I won’t get mad if you have to …” She can’t finish her sentence.
I circled my arm around her neck and pull her closer to me. Planting a kiss on the top of her head I whisper, “Darlin’, that will be a last resort. We’ll try everything we can to get through to him first.”
Her hands are fisted in the front of my t-shirt, “I hope it doesn’t come down to that.”
“Neither do I, darlin’.”
“I don’t think I feel like a tour.”
I look over at Bonnie, “Sorry, can I show you around tomorrow?”
She is watching her friend when she answers, “Yeah, that’s fine.” She turns her eyes to me, “Do you need me to help with anything?”
“No, Tuck has it under control.”
“Okay. I’m gonna head back to my suite, if you need me don’t hesitate to come get me.” She’s back to watching Bloom closely and I see how much she worries about her friend. My mate is strong, but today she has went through a lot of crap and it’s taking its toll.
“Thanks, Bonnie,” I call as she’s walking away.
She turns and continues walking backwards as she replies, “Anytime.” And I know she means it. She will do anything for Bloom anytime she needs her. She has moved almost 600 miles away from her family so her best friend won’t have to face all of this alone. I hope she joins the pack; she’ll make one hell of an addition.
I remove my arms from around Bloom’s neck to grab her hand and inform her, “Come on darlin’ I think it’s time I take you home and tuck you into my arms for the night.”
“Tennessee how is it that after such a short time you already know that that’s what I need to wipe away all the bad that’s happened today?” Her voice is barely a whisper and her eyes are shinning with unshed tears that I know she doesn’t want to release. She doesn’t want anyone in the pack to see her as weak so she’s using all of her will to keep them from spilling down her cheeks.
Still holding her hand I lean in to whisper in her ear, “I know it because you’re mine, and I’m yours. Bloom, we may be two people in two bodies but our hearts and souls are connected as one. And thanks to that I will always know what you need to make your day better. And you’ll know what I need to do the same for me.”
“This mating stuff is pretty freakin’ awesome.”
“Yeah, it is,” I agree trying unsuccessfully not to chuckle.
“Come on Tennessee; let’s head home so we can get to the part where you wrap me up in your arms.” She pulls back enough so I can see the grin that’s lighting up her face.
“As you wish, darlin’,” I say around a grin. Then I guide my mate back to our suite and hold her tucked into my arms the whole night.
Chapter 32 – Bloom
~ Unfinished business ~
Early that next morning I shoot up out of my sleep with a horrible sense of dread. I can’t explain what I’m feeling. I just know something bad is going to happen. I try to recall the dream I was having before I woke up but I can’t remember a single moment. Once I settle myself down and trample down the bad feeling (I don’t want Pike feeling my apprehension through our connection), I get out of bed to begin preparing for the breakfast with the elders.
When I walk out of the bathroom I find Pike sitting on the balcony off our suite talking on his cell. I can tell by what’s being said that he’s talking to Tucker. When he sees me he tells Tuck goodbye and disconnects.
I walk to him and put my arms around his middle and my head on his chest and mumble, “Good morning.”
He kiss the top of my head as he wraps his arms around me, “Mornin’ darlin’, I won’t say good though by the way you were feeling when you woke up.”
“Dang, I thought I hid it well.”
“Nope, I caught it.”
“Hmmph.” I need to get this dang connection under control if I’m ever gonna have secrets again.
We shouldn’t have secrets from our mate. My wolf chastises me. I, of course, ignore her.
“I understand you wanting not to worry me, but darlin’ if these feelings are anything li
ke the gut “feelings” you were having yesterday I need to know.”
“I don’t want to worry you over something that’s nothing more than a bad dream,” I confess to his chest.
“Even so, please share these feelings with me. I can at least hold you and help you through them if it’s just a dream, but if it’s something more we’ll figure out how to handle that together.”
“Alright,” I concede.
“Thanks darlin’,” he says using one hand to rub my back and the other to play with my hair.
Reviving Bloom (Bloom Daniels Series) Page 16
