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“That’s an entirely different type of thing, Mariam. Male werewolves are pretty much designed to dominate their mates, whether they’re an alpha or not. The direction he gives to the rest of us is on an as-needed basis…and I can guarantee you that it’s a different brand than what you’ll receive,” she said.
Her smile slowly disappeared, and she gave me a thoughtful look. “You are really independent and smart, which is great for our pack and for Trace, whether he wants to believe it or not.”
I shrugged. “It just seems like another thing for us to argue about, to be honest. Dealing with someone who is as cranky as Trace day in and day out doesn’t sound like fun at all.” I paused, realizing that I was insulting her brother. “I mean, I’m sure that he’s a great alpha and brother--“
“No, I get it. Trace has been a lot lately, and not in a good way. But I think you might underestimate him as a mate. He might surprise you. The goddess put you together for a reason, after all.”
“Yeah, maybe.” I suppressed the compulsion to roll myeyes. As nice as Justine was, she just wouldn’t be able to understand. Her relationship with Randy seemed…interesting…but they were also obviously happy together. She wouldn’t know what it felt like to be tied to someone you didn’t even want to be around.
A knock at the front door interrupted us, causing Justine to look over my shoulder. I knew Randy must be in view because her gaze softened, and she winked at him. The beta opened the door and greeted whoever was waiting.
“Hi, Randy. I heard that our alpha has returned, and I wanted to drop these off for him,” a female voice answered as she crossed the threshold.
My wolf perked up, very aware that she sounded young and a little too excited about our mate returning to the pack.Down girl,I warned her.
Justine stood to greet the woman, and I followed, not wanting to be rude to the guest. She led me to Randy and a young brunette werewolf. She had dimples on both cheeks as she smiled at us.
“It’s good to see you, Jess,” Justine said as we entered the foyer. “This is Mariam. She’s Trace’s true mate.”
Justine’s introduction caused the other woman- Jess- to freeze and her smile to falter. The glimmer in her eyes dimmed a little, and it was clear she was struggling to hide her emotions. I frowned, knowing that her negative feelings must be directly tied to meeting me. I held out my hand to her.
“Hi, Jess. It’s good to meet you.”
She hesitated, but only for a fraction of a second before taking my hand and giving it a soft shake. Her sadness was morphing into worry and fear. I shot Justine a questioninglook, but she was focused on the basket of muffins Jess was carrying.
“Are you Trace’s friend?” I asked the woman. My wolf grumbled at the idea, but she was also aware of how intimidated the other wolf was of us already. This person wasn’t a threat to our relationship with Trace, so thankfully, she stayed in check and didn’t lash out at her. Jess’s cheeks turned bright pink at the question.
“We were- I mean, I guess we are. But that was before, of course. Before he met you—”
Her rambling would have gone on for much longer, but Justine cut her off. “I’ll take those muffins and give them to Trace for you,” she said, easing the basket out of Jess’s hands. Jess nodded, relief flooding her features.
“Thanks, Justine. I’ll go and leave you all to it. Please tell Trace…er, I hope you all enjoy the muffins, that is.”
Jess backed out the door and shut it behind her, leaving the three of us in the foyer. Justine and Randy each grabbed a muffin, but I just stared at the closed door.
“Who was that?” I asked.
Justine gave me a look of pity. “That’s Jess. She’s had a major crush on Trace for years. Like, since we were in elementary school together. She’s always hoped that one day he would realize they were true mates.”
“Or just give up on finding a true mate and be with her anyway,” Randy added with a mouth full of muffin. “It’s not a big deal, troublemaker. She’s not as jealous of Trace as you are of me, obviously.”
Justine scowled at him, but I was still focused on the girl who brought the muffins.
“Oh.” What else could I say? Jess seemed really sweet andwas obviously afraid of my reaction to her being in love with Trace. My wolf already knew she wasn’t a threat; the conversation we were having now wasn’t even piquing her interest.
“Don’t worry,” Justine said, carrying the basket into the kitchen. “She was obsessed with him, but she won’t do anything now that you’re here. She just needs time to sort out her feelings.”
I nodded, unsure if I should follow her or go back into the living room. What was I even supposed to do today? It was still only mid-morning, and soon, the kindergarten classes would be getting ready for their first recess. Maybe I should try to go to work.
Randy raised his eyebrows when I turned to him, almost as if he was reading my mind. “If you want to leave the house, you’ll have to ask Trace.”
I scowled at him. Being a prisoner wasn’t appealing in the first place, and hearing something like that made my blood boil. But what could I do? No one was going to come and save me.Unless Patrick makes good on his promise.
The idea fluttered across my mind, causing my wolf to stir and glare at me. She wasn’t a fan of that line of thinking, but him breaking me out of here might be my only hope, even if it was a long shot.
I begrudgingly walked with Randy into the kitchen. Justine was savoring the last of her muffin. Her mate reached for a second one, having finished his in a few bites. I sat on a barstool and watched as Justine pretended to swat his hand away before handpicking him one with extra berries in it. Randy gave her a warm smile when he bit into the dessert.
This quiet exchange was sweet and felt almost too intimate to watch. Obviously, Trace had seen them together. Did he think that we would be like that one day?
