Amber turned shining eyes toward Dylan. “This is the best day ever. Except for earlier. That was not so great. Edward will help you get everything set up and— now why are you snarling?”
“I do not need help setting everything up. I was trained by a damn good Alpha on how to be an Alpha. I know what do to. I know how to do it. You have to slow down. This morning I had no thoughts of having a mate or a pack until you decided my territory was the best place in the world to hide. Wait, no, don’t cry. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.” He turned panicked eyes toward Edward, “What did I do? Why is she crying?”
“Don’t look at me. You made her cry and it is your job to fix it.”
“Actually, no, she is still part of your pack, definitely your job to fix it.”
“Stop talking about me like I’m not here. I am not an it to be fixed.” Amber shoved Dylan away. “You don’t have to be mean to me. I had a rough day and I am trying to fix the rest of my life here.”
“That’s fine. I will help you. But you will not run over me doing it.”
Shut up. Shut up.
No, you shut up. She can not treat us like she owns us.
Owns me.
No. We are partners. She does not own us and we do not own her.
Own her too. Own each other. You make her cry.
We do not own each other. We belong to each other. That is completely different.
Don’t care. Let say what want then we fix what best.
Oh. Yeah, that might work.
Of course it work. Always work in books.
“I’m sorry Amber. I am being a beast. Of course you want to plan the rest of our life. We should have pen and paper and write everything down. I can’t fix everything if I don’t know how you want it.”
Edward tilted his head to the side and watched the pair for a moment before he grinned. The boy must be older than he looked. Amber was steady writing while Dylan looked over her shoulder. What Amber couldn’t see was the times he shook his head with a thoughtful look while letting her believe the idea was grand. Some of her plans wouldn’t work but some had a bit of merit to them. Now if the boy could curb her enthusiasm he might make a good leader. He had the power for it.
“May I sit?”
“Yes, oh my gosh Edward why are you still standing.” Amber pointed to a chair, “Sit there.”
“NO! Don’t sit there. That is my chair.”
“Dylan, don’t be rude.”
“I am not being rude. That is my chair and I do not want to sit in it and have to smell the stench of another Alpha. I won’t be happy and my wolf won’t be happy. I do not want another Alpha in my house, but yet there he is. I absolutely refuse to have one in my chair. His scent will linger in my house for weeks as it is. No, Amber, that chair is my chair and you will not give my things to others. That is rude.”
“Edward doesn’t stink.”
“He does to me.”
“Edward lets Trevor come over all the time and he doesn’t throw a tantrum.”
Dylan turned to Edward, “Do you have a chair in your house that is your favorite?”
“Most people do. And no Amber, I don’t let other males sit in my chair. I would throw it out if another Alpha sat in it. The wolf claws at you enough around another Alpha but to have to smell another on your chair or bed would be unbearable. Your favorite chair is where you should be able to relax and you can’t relax around other Alphas. I rarely invite Trevor to spend time in my home, I make him visit his mate at Dennis’ home. It is easier on him. Now if the man was staying the night, he would stay under my roof where my wolf could keep an eye on him.”
“Oh. I didn’t know. Is it very hard being in the same room together?”
“Hard enough we don’t need to add to it.” Edward nodded toward another chair and Dylan waved him to it.
“Why are you still here anyway. She is safe, she wants to stay. We will work everything out and I will bring her home for her parents to see her mated.”
“Yeah, no, that won’t work. My wolf knows that is our pup and my wolf doesn’t want to leave one of ours with someone we don’t know.”
“But I am her mate.”
Edward shrugged, “He doesn’t care and I have to live with him. I don’t have to live with you. Besides, if I go home without her you will have her parents here within an hour of my return home.”
Dylan blanched. He didn’t think he would ever have a pack and although the Alpha in him had to have enough territory for a pack, he didn’t build his home for company. His bathroom was as large as his kitchen and he only had the one bedroom. The largest room in the house was his living room and most of it was taken up with wood carvings and books.
“If Trevor can handle leaving his mate in my territory for the majority of the last four months you can be without your mate for two days. Besides, you want your home ready for her after you mate, right? She has no clothes here, she has no toiletries, she has no belongings. She needs to go home and pack her things to move. You need to petition Trevor to request, again, for any members who may want to move. Consider your petition to my pack approved. You have to consider what you have to offer a pack and how they will live. Most packs are independent with companies within the pack. What skills do you bring to the table and how will you provide for the pack members starting out. What do you do?”
Dylan motioned to the books throughout the room. “I own a publishing company. About a quarter of the books in this room were put out by my company. The pack won’t starve. I have investments in mining and I own a property out west of here where I run a few thousand head of cattle. I could use people in both the publishing, if they have computer skills, and on the property if they know anything about cattle. I have some humans employed at the moment but I need more people. I can’t expand like I want without skilled labor. Hell, at this point I would take unskilled labor if they were willing to learn.”
“How many people do you need?”
“More than you and Trevor could spare to be honest.”
“Alright. I will take Amber home to her parents and you get a list of jobs you need filled. You figure out the plans for pack housing. When you have a plan together I will let you petition my pack for people to join your pack. That is how is was done in the old days, or near enough to how we did it.”
“Edward?”
“Yeah?”
“Why are you willing to break up your pack for me? I mean, is this an empty gesture? I know you are telling the truth, but I can’t see what you benefit from it.”
“I am from an older generation. A time when humans knew of us and believed in us and hunted us. We were strong together, but if we fell we lost too many. A large pack, except in special situations, can make a pack weak. More people to care for, more people to house, more people to employ and more destroyed if the humans find out. I believe in packs splintering off to make new packs as long as the pack members in the new pack come from many different places. We keep the bloodlines diluted easier if we have more packs. You have my pack and Trevor’s pack and I will speak with my brother about his pack. The young frequently want the safety of an older, more seasoned pack while wanting the more modern ways. I think, besides Amber and her parents, I have about eight pack members who will be willing, probably even eager to move to a pack if you have the right jobs to offer them. I can’t speak for Trevor, but I know Gammon has a few younger ones who would be willing to move and he has at least three older pack members who are sick of the cold of Alaska. You don’t have to take my advice, but if I were in your shoes right now I would plan for a pack of twenty with expansion in mind. Trevor’s pack is smaller than mine but still substantial. If the humans were to ever find our about a pack, they have the means to destroy us, and they would. Most of the older wolves would favor smaller packs if they took the time to think about, or had ever lived through the destruction of a pack at the hands of humans.”
“My parents told me about the curse. Would you have offered to let your pack split off
before we knew the problem was a curse?”
“I don’t know and it doesn’t matter. We know the problem and from what I have been hearing there may be a cure. If that is the case then one day the females will again be plentiful enough packs won’t have to fight. We won’t have to hide them and watch over them so diligently. But that is for the future and you only reach the future if you plan for it. So plan well.”
Dylan nodded. “Will you allow me to come tomorrow to visit?”
“Wait, I’m not leaving. You said I could stay. You owe me a story.”
Dylan placed a finger on her lips and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Yes, you are. I don’t want you to leave, my wolf does not want you to leave, but I have to make this a safe place for you. I have to arrange for more people and for right now that may mean moving to my other property where there are outbuildings that can be temporary housing while housing is being built. I don’t have housing for a pack and I need a pack to keep you safe. So you will go with Edward. I will come see you tomorrow and show you my plans. I will need your help in planning the future but you have to have a place to start and I can’t do that with you here. You are too distracting.”
Amber smiled and licked his finger. “I am a distraction?”
A shiver rocked his body as he growled. “Don’t do that.”
“Don’t pet the wolf, don’t lick the finger, go home. You are bossy.”
“She petted your wolf?”
Dylan flushed red, “Yeah. Why didn’t anyone ever tell her not to do that? Isn’t that something females should be taught?”
“And you managed to shift back? How old are you?”
“Twenty-nine.”
Edward blinked. “Twenty-nine? That is younger even than Trey. Although, he was younger when he killed his former Alpha for control of the pack. How long have you been on your own?”
“Eleven years.”
“I see. The rain has slacked up. I will wait in the Ute. Amber, you have ten minutes.” He nodded at Dylan. “I will see you tomorrow. Bring me your plans. I am not asking you as an Alpha trying to direct you, I am asking as the Alpha willing to let you petition my people. Show me you can provide a secure pack.” He rose from the chair and headed toward the door. As he ducked his head to exit the house he gave one last thoughtful glance around the room.”
Amber glared at Dylan once the door closed. “You said I could stay. You said my word was law.”
“You want to argue in the ten minutes we have?”
“I, well, no, but I want to stay.”
“Amber, beautiful, you will be the mate of an Alpha. Ask yourself if this the person you want to show to our people?”
“That is not cool, Dylan. Don’t patronize me. Things will not go well for you.”
“Don’t threaten me. I know you have had the worst day ever. And I know you were never trained for the position you will hold. I hope you will allow me to lead in things I know.”
“Lead me like a child you mean?”
“Have you ever had a job?”
“Of course I have. I work.”
“And that job, whatever it is, you magically knew how to do everything about that job the first day you started didn’t you?”
“Oh. I guess you think I am stupid. I sounded pretty childish there didn’t I?”
“No beautiful, I think you are an intelligent, funny, amazing woman who will be an amazing leader of our people. But you are not trained to lead and if you rush head-long into the position, refusing to be trained, we will both fail our people. You will be the other half of me. You will speak with my voice and rule along side me. You can’t rule if I don’t train you to the position. I know it sounds medieval, it sounds like you are less than what you really are, but consider this, Trevor started training me for the position of Alpha when I started talking. I trained for seventeen years for the position. And you have two days to get used to the position. You don’t know what is expected. You can’t. Even if you were Edwards daughter, and lived with him, you would not know all that the leaders do. So you may get around me by going through my wolf and driving me crazy, but for the sake of the pack we will have, please quit doing that. For us, in the privacy of our home, you can tease me all you want. But when it comes to the future of our pack, please stop trying to have your way over everything. You have the power to make me lose all thought and all reason. I understand you want to test that power. I don’t care if you test if between us. But not with the future at stake.”
Amber reached up and Dylan leaned down. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled his cheek with her lips. “If I say I am sorry will you forgive me?” She whispered before she swiped her tongue along his jaw.
Dylan whimpered.
“I thought you would. I am sorry. Be patient with me and I will try to be less enthusiastic. No promises though. Now, are you going to kiss me, I have never had a kiss you know.”
Dylan leaned down and slid one hand behind her back and one under her knees and lifted her closer to him. Running his tongue along her lips he nudged them open. They both moaned as his tongue met hers and for a moment in time the world ceased to exist as Amber learned how much she loved to kiss her mate. Too soon the blaring of a horn interrupted them and Dylan growled. “I swear I’m gonna kill him.”
Amber laughed and swatted the back of his head. “You can’t kill Edward. You better take me to the Ute before he comes looking for me.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Oh my god, only you could get into so much trouble and come out as an Alpha’s mate. I can’t believe Fletcher did that to you. No, I take that back, I can. Tell me again about the guy coming out of the bush. Weren’t you scared?”
“Yeah, I mean I guess. I was still so scared Fletcher would find me, you know. I think I was almost relieved it was not him. I didn’t even notice, at first, that I felt comfortable with him. It wasn’t love or first sight or anything, but still. You know how when you are really tired and you first get home and even though you still have chores to do and everything else but you are just relieved you are home? It was like that. But, I didn’t even notice! Can you believe it?
Nadia stared at her best friend in envy. “God I am so jealous of you. I mean, not about getting thrown in the boot. I would have died of fright, but the rest. Do you think you could help me talk my parents into joining your pack?”
“Of course we can. Dylan is amazing and so funny. You should hear some of the things his wolf says.”
“You can hear his wolf? We were always told we can’t hear until after we shift the first time. Is it different when you find your mate or is it because he is an Alpha?”
“No, silly, he told me what his wolf was saying. They talk a lot. I think they must talk to each other more than any of the guys in our pack, I mean, in Edward’s pack. It seems odd to think this isn’t my pack anymore. Come on, we have to talk to your parents.” Amber grabbed her crutcheds and balanced on them, then grabbed Nadia’s hand and pulled. “Get up lazy, I want to start seeing who I want in my pack. Let’s go.”
“Um, shouldn’t Dylan be with you for that? I mean, he is the Alpha and you did tell me you went a bit crazy on him trying to be the leader and all.”
Amber let go of Nadia and sat on the bed. “I don’t know. I didn’t think about it. I mean, he has to get along with them too. I don’t think I will make a good leader.”
“Hey, none of that. I have known you since we were babies and I think you will make a great leader. I mean, think about it, who always drags me, uh, maybe that isn’t the best example. You know you can always talk me into, oh, wait, yeah, bad example. But you know what, you can lead, if you were a bad leader I wouldn’t follow you so much. Maybe we just aren’t as grown up as we think we are and you make bad de— I’m not helping here.” She stared at Amber while she tried to think of the best way to explain what she meant. “Okay, I got it. No, don’t shake your head, I really do this time. You remember that time Darryl got hurt? Who took control of the situation
and organized the rest of us into getting him back to help? You did. And everyone listened to you even though you weren’t the oldest. We panicked and then you did this deep breathing and told everyone to stop. You looked at the situation and had everyone working together to help him. Edward told us if we had acted any slower, or had gone for help from a grown up first Darryl wouldn’t have lived. You saved his life because you got everyone to work together. Maybe, sometimes we don’t think things through, but when it matters you take control and get things done. I would not have gotten myself out of the boot of the car. I would have screamed and screamed and cried and probably suffocated. But once you had time to yourself you calmed yourself down and worked through it. You were even working your way home instead of staying in the car. And look at you, you found a mate. You are a leader. Maybe you don’t know enough about the job but he did say he would train you. So come on, get up, I have an idea.” Nadia jumped to her feet.
Amber drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Sit back down. Tell me your idea first and let’s look at it. That is one of the things I am trying to learn. I have to consider things now because it won’t be just me or just me and a friend it will be my pack on the line.”
“Okay, you said Dylan owns a publishing company, and how cool is that? Did you swoon when you saw all the books? Does he know you want to be a writer? Did you tell him?”
“No, and you won’t tell him either. I don’t want to be published because I mated a guy who owns a company. I want to get published because people love my stuff. Now tell me your idea.”
“Alright, I guess that makes sense. How many people do we know in this pack?”
“All of them.”
“No, Amber, seriously know. How many do we seriously know?”
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