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The possibility of getting to stay in Tumblewild with Gabe made me see that maybe not everything was ruined when I met Trace. Perhaps being truly mated to him was the motivation I needed to leave my old pack behind and start a new life.
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“Hi, Linda,” I said, greeting the town hall receptionist and peeking my head around the boxes of pastries in my hands. “Gabe asked me to pick these up for the council members arriving today. Do you know where he wants them”
Linda nodded and pointed to a door on the left. “We usually set them out in that conference room. The members just arrived, but they won’t start their meeting for about ten more minutes. Would you mind setting them out on the trays in there? There’s a large ceramic stand and a few smaller serving dishes. The drinks and glasses were set up this morning, so no need to do anything with those.”
“Sure, no problem.” I walked sideways through the door, trying my best to balance the boxes and not trip over my own feet. Somehow, I managed to set out the food and napkins with a few minutes to spare. When Gabe entered the room, he gave me a grateful look that made me feel like a million bucks.
“Thanks for your help, El. If you want to stick around for a few minutes, I’ll introduce you to our beta. Or one of our betas, I should say. We have two, a mated couple. If you decide to petition for pack membership, he would be the one to approve it if our alpha hasn’t returned, so it might be a good idea to say hello.”
I nodded, suddenly nervous. The only beta I had ever known was Neil, and he was kind of an asshole.
Gabe gave my hand a squeeze. “Don’t worry. Our beta was an outsider, and he had to petition for membership, too, so he knows how you feel. And if the mating ceremony goes forward, it will be completely painless.”
“Mating ceremony? Are you planning on declaring a mate, Gabe?” A sandy-haired werewolf grinned at him from the doorway.
Gabe smiled back politely and gestured to where I was standing across the room. “You haven’t met Ella Landis yet, Randy. She’s the one I contacted you about, remember? She’s visiting for a few months, but she might like to apply for pack membership at some point.”
The smile on my face quickly turned to a frown as our eyes met, causing Randy to do the same. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I’d seen him before.
Realization dawned on him first, causing him to slam the door shut and reach for his phone.
“Are you okay, Randy?” Gabe frowned, sending him a look of concern. “Is something wrong?”
And that’s when I remembered. He was one of the wolves in the Feldman Hotel when I first met Trace. And I had seen him in my dreams through Trace’s eyes. But if he was the beta of Tumblewild, that meant…
I turned to Gabe; my eyes filled with panic. “You have to get me out of here,” I begged. “Please, I’ll explain everything, but I need you to help me.”
Chapter 9
Randy held the phone a good foot away from his face as Trace yelled at him through it. He didn’t need to put it on speakerphone; Gabe and I could hear every word from where we stood across the room.
“You’re telling me she’s at Tumblewild? Is that what you’re fucking telling me, Randy? She’s standing in my fucking conference room while I am interviewing packs in Massachusetts, trying to find anyone who has seen or heard from her?”
The ranting went on like that for a few more minutes. The beta made no attempt to answer Trace’s questions because there really wasn’t anything else to say. Gabe’s hand rubbed my back in small circles, trying to comfort me and still attempting to understand what was going on.
“Put her on the phone this fucking instant!”
Randy pushed away from the wall he was leaning on and walked toward me, phone outstretched. I shook my head, not wanting to be on the receiving end of whatever else he was going to start screaming about.
“You know Trace?” Gabe asked, turning to me.
“Who the fuck is that?” Trace’s voice dipped a few octaveswhen he heard Gabe’s voice.
I sighed and took the phone. “Hi, Trace,” I said, not sure what else to say. I’d say pretty much anything to get his attention away from Gabe.
“Hello, Mariam.” His voice sounded like nails on toast, but at least he wasn’t yelling anymore.
I frowned and hit the speakerphone button. It was difficult to hear him now that he was speaking at a regular volume, but I wasn’t going to risk my hearing by putting it up to my ear in case he went off the rails again.
“You sound well-rested,” Trace said. “Have you enjoyed getting to know your new pack mates this past month?”
I frowned at his change in tone, wondering if it was a trick. “Actually, yes. I’m not an official pack member. I’m just visiting, but Gabe and I were talking about ways to make it permanent.”
“Oh, you and Gabe were talking…that’sgreat.” I heard him throw something heavy in frustration, even though his tone remained even. “Well, you and Gabe won’t have to worry about that anymore, Mariam. I’m the fucking alpha of Tumblewild, so when our mating bond is complete, you will sure as fuck be a member. And a rather important one at that.”
I closed my eyes slowly. It was taking me time to process everything, but that was probably due to the shock of it all.Trace wasn’t just a council member; he was the mysterious alpha who had been gone since before I arrived.And of course, if we were mated, Tumblewild would become my new home.
