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Maybe Trace would allow Mariam to visit Dark Claw by herself every once in a while. That was the hope I was going to cling to anyway.
The drive out to the Tumblewild pack was a beautiful one. Large trees and miles of clear sky followed us the entire way. I could easily see why a pack of werewolves would be interested in living in such a place. My wolf was yipping and prancing around like a pup at the thought of running through the dense woods with our sister. I wished I felt even a fraction of her enthusiasm, but instead, I wanted the drive to last forever. We arrived at the alpha house all too soon.
I sucked in a sharp breath as the building came into view. It was massive, confirming the considerable wealth the first-class ticket had hinted at. What kind of pack was Mariam joining anyway? A mafia? Some type of werewolf royalty?
"I'll take your bag up to your room if you want to catchup with Mariam," Randy offered. "It has an ensuite bath with a tub, too, if you're tired from the flight and need to rest."
I gave him a tentative smile, similar to the one at the airport, to acknowledge the kind gesture. I would absolutely be retreating to my room as soon as possible, but it's not like I could say that out loud. I followed Randy through the front door and into the oversized foyer. The house looked peaceful from the outside but inside was as chaotic as he made it sound. There were people coming and going from all directions, shouting questions and requests to each other over the madness. In the middle of it all was Mariam, with what looked like a plate of random bite-sized desserts. I had to admit that the smell made my mouth water. The air was filled with a sweet cinnamon scent, but much better than anything I had ever smelled working at the bakery back home. Maybe the caterer would be willing to share the recipe so I could recreate it for the wolves living in Dark Claw.
Even from a distance, my sister had a different glow and vibe about her. She had changed a lot over the past month and a half. She had matured, and it was easy to see that she was relaxed. She was a woman in love and secure in her place in the world.
It must be nice.
A smile swept across Mariam's face as our eyes met. She handed the plate to the woman with a clipboard who was trying to get her attention and ran to greet me with a hug.
Our family had never been overly affectionate, and the sudden display caught me off guard. I froze, arms pinned awkwardly at my side. When she didn't let up, I gentlymoved my hand to pat her on the back.
"I've missed you so much, Ella. I'm so happy you're here," Mariam said, giving me one last squeeze. "Come on. Let me introduce you to Trace."
"We've already met," I quipped. It was true. When Mariam had decided to give her mate the slip, he had searched our house several times over and had insisted on interrogating me himself. Of course, in his haste to find my sister, it is entirely possible that he might not remember very much about those conversations.
"Oh, yeah," she said, having the decency to look at least a little sheepish. "I forgot about that. Well, let’s go, and you guys can catch up."
She took me by the hand and gave it a solid tug. I turned to thank Randy, but he was long gone. My suitcase had to be with him, reminding me that he had mentioned something about an ensuite tub in the guest room. I carefully untangled my fingers from her grip. “Actually, Mare, I'm a little tired after the flight. Could I just rest and see you both at dinner tonight?"
A flicker of disappointment dashed across her face, but it was gone as quickly as it came.
"Of course. Sorry! I should have offered you some time to rest after traveling. I'm just so excited you're here, but I'll show you where the guest room is."
"I can manage," I said. "Just tell me which room. You've got a lot going on down here, and I don't want to take you from it."
"Okay, if you're sure," she said. "Up the stairs, third door on the right—"
"Thanks! See you at dinner!"
I scurried away, leaving Mariam standing on her own. Of course, I knew I was being abrupt, but I couldn't wait another minute. I needed time alone to recharge before facing Trace and my sister together.
The first thing I did after finding the guest room was lean against the door and slowly let out the breath I had been unintentionally holding in. I sank to the floor and inhaled more of the same sweet smell that had greeted me when I entered the alpha house.
I frowned. How had the pastry chef managed to infuse every inch of the home with the delicious aroma? Was the HVAC system circulating it from the kitchen all the way upstairs?
My wolf took notice, too. She had been uncharacteristically quiet since we entered the alpha house, and now I could see why. Her nostrils flared, and she had a thousand-yard stare like she was concentrating on the scent and trying to memorize it. Her ears twitched, and her muscles were tense, almost as if she was expecting something to happen at any moment.
The weight of her gaze made me think she could really use some down time, too. I pulled myself to my feet and walked into the oversized bathroom attached to the fancy guest suite. The clawfoot tub had a large assortment of bath bombs and body wash to choose from, but I idly wished I could cleanse myself in the cinnamon that clung to the air.
I shook my head to rid myself of the stupid idea and began stripping off my clothes and running the warm water. I settled into the bath, tilting my head back and closing my eyes as the heat enveloped me completely. Thetub back home was nowhere near this deep and luxurious. I knew right then that I would be taking a lot of baths on this trip.
I had almost fallen asleep when pounding on the bedroom door startled me awake. I blinked against the light in the room, confused about the urgency behind the sound.
"Yes? I'm in the bathroom. Is everything okay?" I cringed. Of course, that made it sound like I was answering while sitting on the toilet or something. "I mean… I'm taking a bath. Do you need me, Mariam?"
There was a brief silence and then louder pounding. The knocking turned frantic. I scrambled out of the tub, grabbing a terrycloth robe off its hook, and praying there wasn't a serious emergency. I was almost to the door when it suddenly flew off the hinges and crashed onto the floor at my feet. Trace Everett stood in the hallway, just outside the bedroom's threshold. He was as huge and intimidating as I remembered, but this time he was struggling to restrain another male werewolf with a mop of dark brown hair and eyes that looked almost feral. The other man was much smaller than Trace, almost scrawny in comparison, but he was putting up a decent fight to break free from the alpha’s grasp. The smell radiating off him was the same cinnamon I had been enjoying earlier, but now it was much more intense.
His penetrating stare zeroed in on me, and a single word fell from his lips that made me want to go back into the bathroom and hide.
"Mate."
Chapter 2
