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The last time Blake had seen her, she’d been sulky because Xander had towed her down to Rhinestone against her wishes. That was before she’d decided that she preferred the company of humans to that of wolves.
She’d been so little then, Blake remembered. He could remember how she sat cross-legged in a corner of the room, scowling at anyone who turned to look at her, and refusing everything that was offered to her.
Blake had been put off by her behavior and had told Xander afterward not to bring her down again if she didn’t wish to come. Xander had looked properly embarrassed for his sister but had nodded in understanding.
That was the last time Blake had seen her. She’d been a lanky thing, tall for her age, and sassy for days. She was just a child, though, and Blake had not looked at her twice.
The person standing before him now was not a child anymore. She was a grown woman who had transformed so fully it was terrifyingly satisfying to see.
She wasn’t lanky anymore. She had grown into a tall, curvy woman with hips that swayed when she walked. She had on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and Blake fought hard not to gape at her when he saw her walking into the den.
Her black hair ran down her shoulders and back, smooth like a waterfall, and stopped just before her waistline. The only thing he remembered from all those years ago was her eyes. They were the same as Xander’s—gray like the moon, and beautiful in their pale, lovely faces.
Her transformation had been so absolute that Blake knew if he’d met her under neutral circumstances, he would have had trouble recognizing her as his best friend’s sister.
He remembered that Xander constantly spoke about how much his sister had changed, but Blake always assumed he was referring to her behavior and her new habits. It was glaring thateverythingabout her had changed, though.
He could see that she was staring at him as well, and she was doing it with much less grace than he was trying to show. Clearly, she was as pleasantly surprised to see him as he was to see her.
He knew that he had also undergone some changes over the years, and he liked the warmth he felt at seeing her admire him so brazenly. He shook his head to clear it, rightly wondering why it was important to him if Xander’s sister found him attractive.
With difficulty, he turned his attention away from Eleanor and to Xander, who had a knack for noticing everything but often remained quiet about what he may have observed.
“Brother,” Blake said, as he shook his friend’s hand. “You have some news for me, I hope?”
“I do,” Xander replied in his usual calm, breezy voice.
“Right. I see you brought Eleanor as well?” Blake raised a brow at Xander who nodded. Blake felt a tightness in his chest and cleared his throat. “Why don’t we all sit for a moment then?”
“Good idea,” Xander replied.
He smiled at Eleanor as they shook hands, and tried not to make much of the fact that she’d left him hanging for several long seconds.My, her eyes are beautiful, he thought.Scratch that. Everything about her is beautiful.
When they had all settled down, Blake tore his attention away from Eleanor. He had not forgotten what was going on. Without any ado, he turned to Xander and said, “So, what’s going on?”
Xander sat with his back straight and looked unfazed. “We tried to find a mate for you using the seal. The seal failed. The elders say they tried everyone who was old enough to marry. Nothing.
“When they ran out of potential mates, they conferred for a long time. As we’d feared, they lacked the protocol for selecting a mate in the event that the seal failed to pick one on its own. It was agreed by all the elders present that the most suitable mate for you would be Eleanor, the sister of an alpha and your closest friend.
“The way they saw it, an arranged marriage was already bad enough, and this way, at least you’d be marrying someone you knew. They told me all about it when I returned, and as can be expected, Eleanor wasn’t too thrilled by the arrangement. I did convince her to come see you, though.”
Xander took a deep breath. He rarely ever spoke for so long. Blake could tell that this was hard for him. He knew there was no one Xander loved more in the world than his baby sister.
He may have agreed to her becoming Blake’s wife, but Blake knew that he only did it out of a sense of duty. He watched Xander for any sign of emotion but all he saw was the same cold, blankness that he had come to love and rely on.
The elders had come together and decided that he was to marry Eleanor, a girl little more than half his age. He had not gotten over the shock of Xander’s words, but when he’d seen her entering the den with Xander he’d suspected that this had been the outcome of the selection process.
He leaned back in his seat and let out a deep breath. “There’s nothing we can do to stop this, is there?”
“We both know that there isn’t,” Xander replied patiently, almost sympathetically, even. “That’s why I brought her with me. I wanted you to present our plan to her and convince her to come on board with us.”
Blake had been trying his hardest not to look at Eleanor since they’d sat down. He found it easier to concentrate when he wasn’t looking at her. He turned to her now and was worried when he saw her eyes closed.
Had she drifted off to sleep? Xander was talking about her as if she wasn’t in the room, and she’d remained so silent it was easy to forget that she was in fact in the room.
He turned his attention back to Xander. “I think I want a drink. A stiff one.”
As he stood up, Xander called, “One for me as well.”
