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We’re ushered into a comfy living room and Tilly plops down with a sigh. “Oh,” I point back toward outside, “shouldn’t we grab our bags?”
Eleanor waves her hand as Noah pulls her down to sit next to him. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll have someone grab your bags and bring them in.”
“Okay,” I acquiesce even though I have more questions.
Before I can satisfy my curiosity, the air in the room shifts and my entire body goes on high alert right before the scent of burning wood and crisp apples fills my lungs. My head whips around to watch as a guy who looks to be a few years older than me comes striding into the room like he owns the place.
His blonde hair is cut longer on top and swoops forward enough that it almost obscures his eyes. His blue eyes, which are locked onto me. I suck in a sharp breath of surprise with the way my entire body shudders in response to the way he’s looking at me.
I’ve never felt more like a juicy steak than I have right now.
Who the hell is this guy and why do I want to run into his arms so that they can wrap around me and make me feel safe?
CHAPTER 4
CREW
“Alpha,” Anthony’s voice comes through the mind link, “your sister and her guest has arrived.”
The headache that has been threatening to come on since the moment Trina waltzed into my office makes itself known in full force. My wolf isn’t helping with the way he’s yipping and carrying on in my mind. I have no idea why he’s carrying on the way he is, but something is up.
I don’t bother replying to Anthony, but I do ask my wolf, “What is going on with you?”
With a toothy grin in my mind he growls, “You’ll find out soon enough. I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”
I can only roll my eyes and try and relieve some of the pressure in my neck and shoulders by rolling them. I’ve spent the last few hours, again, looking over the pack’s paperwork. I’m pretty sure the pile has only grown instead of gone down.
I’m tempted to start a bonfire and use it as kindling, but that would not make me a good Alpha. It’s all necessary papers, even if I do despise each piece.
Mayer enters my office without knocking, knowing that I’m working since he’s been the one to bring me more of the dreaded tree carcasses to add to my piles. I glare at him and grunt in warning, “You better not be bringing me more paper.” I lean back in my chair and take a deep breath because it feels like I’ll drown if I don’t. “I have plenty,” I make a sweeping gesture with my hand to indicate the work already in front of me.
“No,” he shakes his head and grins, “I’ve already finished up my work and brought you what I needed you to be aware of or sign off on.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me and winks, “I’ve spent the last hour with my mate.”
The way he puffs his chest up with pride has me twisting my face in disgust. He might be my best friend, but I have no interest in knowing what he gets up to with his mate, Ivy. They were lucky to find each other on the day Mayer turned 18. Ivy was training to be a warrior and was at the top of her age group.
When they found each other, I knew that she would make an excellent Beta female. I haven’t been disappointed for a moment since then. She’s kind and caring, but she’s also fierce and loyal.
My Beta isn’t the only member of my inner circle who has found his mate. At this point, I’m the only one within the hierarchy who isn’t mated and marked. Having so many happy couples around me is a constant reminder of what I’m missing and only pushed me farther away from craving my mate.
It’s hard not to let the bitterness seep into my heart and I stopped fighting it a long fucking time ago.
“I don’t need the details, Mayer,” I spit out the words.
The look of understanding with an undercurrent of pity that my Beta shoots me has me wanting to roar out in displeasure. I hate the idea of anyone pitying me just because I haven’t met my mate.
Has the Moon Goddess forsaken me? Have I not earned the love of my mate? What has been keeping her all this time?
Normally, I push those traitorous thoughts from my mind because they aren’t worth my time or focus. I’ve come to terms with my mate never showing up even if the thought of her being dead is like a knife to the gut. It wouldn’t surprise me if that’s the case at this point. Even worse, I’ll never know if that was her fate.
I’ll just continue to be mateless.
With renewed knowledge that I’m just fine as I am, I ignore the headache and look up at Mayer. A smile tips my lips upward as I stand. “Tilly’s just arrived.”
There are only two women who I love unconditionally—my sister and my mother. Both women are strong in their own right, but there is something soft and pure about them as well. They have worked tirelessly for the pack.
I wasn’t happy when Tilly wanted to leave the territory to go to college, but I couldn’t dash her dreams. She wanted to go and further her education to be able to make the pack stronger. When she comes back after graduation, I’m sure she’ll put her business degree to good use.
She’s not the only young wolf who has wanted to leave to go to college. If their college is within another pack’s lands then it involves a lot more paperwork, but it’s worth it for the chance to strengthen our pack. Power is not just in the warriors. We need people at all levels of our pack to be the best they can be.
