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“Audrey. Hi. Pull up a chair. Join me.”
She hesitates.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what it is that has her stumped as she slowly approaches the desk I’m sitting behind.
“Gem,” I remind her. “It’s okay. Call me Gem.”
A flash of relief crosses her face as she nods. “Thank you.” A tiny pause. “Gem.”
I’d tell her that there’s no need to thank me but that would probably cause another moment where she looks at me like a deer caught in headlights.
I get it. I do. Ryker doesn’t rule his pack ruthlessly without regard for the lower ranks, but a lot of the pack doesn’t know what to make of me. Unlike some other leaders, he doesn’t insist that his packmates refer to him as ‘Alpha’, though many do as a sign of respect.
What about me?
As his mate, regardless of my rank before I bonded with him, pack tradition says that I could also be addressed as ‘Alpha’ just because we’re a bonded pair now. Yeah… that’s a hard no from me. It’s bad enough that I’ve had to deal with my life-long secret getting out. No matter why they called me ‘Alpha’, it rubs my fur the wrong way to hear it.
I haven’t been able to shake my personal guard of the habit just yet, but if I can get my preference across to Audrey, it’s a start. Her mate, Grant, is a member of the pack council, and she’s well-liked in Accalia.
She’s also the sister of Shane Loup, which is the big, honking, elephant hanging out in the den with us.
This is the first time I’ve met with her since my Luna Ceremony. If I close my eyes, I can see her collapsing in Grant’s arms, sobbing. Loyal to a fault, she didn’t show any emotion while her brother and her Alpha fought to the death, but once Ryker gave her permission to grieve, she did, and I still haven’t been able to forget that.
Doesn’t mean I haven’t forgotten what happened during the time I met her before that. And though I made a point to forgive her, the catty side of me—firmly the human side—has me waiting for her to take a seat before I say innocently, “Thirsty? I’ve got refreshments. I know you drink Coke. Want one?”
She winces, but she keeps her back straight as she nods. “I’d love one. Thank you.”
Ryker has a small fridge behind his desk. No alcohol, since the den is a family-friendly space, but I know he keeps bottles of water and cans of soda in there. I grab a Coke for Audrey, a water for me, then nudge the fridge closed with the tip of my shoe.
I slide her can across the desk to where she’s sitting. “Here you go.”
“Thanks,” she says again. With a cracking sound, she opens the can and takes a sip.
My wolf approves. So does my human half.
That dig settled, I smile genuinely at her, hopefully putting her at ease. “Ryker said you wanted to see me.”
She nods, blonde hair whispering into her face.
“Cool. But, just so you know, you don’t have to make an appointment to see me or anything. Ryker’s Alpha. I’m just Gem. I can give you my number if you need it. I’m not so great at answering it, and I’m sure you know reception is shit on the mountain, but I owe you one.”
Audrey’s eyes widen. I guess she wasn’t expecting that. “You do?”
Oh, yeah. “For the Luna Ceremony. If it wasn’t for you and…”
I pause right there. Every packmate in Accalia knows what happened to Trish and they trust Ryker to handle the situation. He’s an honest and open Alpha, and he refused to let his pack think that he banished her again so close on the heels of our mating. She might’ve earned getting kicked out the first time, but Trish apologized—and she meant it. She really wanted to start over in Mountainside.
And then my sperm donor decided she was a bargaining chip.
I bite back my scowl. Audrey doesn’t deserve it, and from the way she lets out an involuntary yip, I know that her wolf is reacting to my wolf’s dominance.
I gotta cool it.
With a harder jerk than I mean to use, I rip the cap off of my water. I take a couple of gulps, and when I swallow, I feel a little more settled.
“Anyway, you get my eternal gratitude for stepping in at the last minute and organizing my Luna Ceremony for me. Even before the Alpha challenge, it was an event to remember and— oof.”
Jeez. Could I open my mouth wider and stick my shoe in any further?
