by C. D. Gorri
As a Werewolf her complexion was smooth and clear. Not a hair or freckle out of place. Still, she wondered if something wasn’t out of place as he took his time to study her.
“Aye, they fit. Why do you ask?”
“No reason. You look nice,” he nodded.
“Thanks. You too,” she blushed as she realized what she’d said. Oh well. Complimenting a fine looking man was easy as it was honest.
“I am glad you think so,” he grinned, “Can I walk you down to dinner? It’s Sunday. Charley makes pasta on Sundays,” he smiled and just then Elia got a whiff of something marvelous coming from the kitchen.
“Oh, aye. I don’t know the way,” she explained as if that was the real reason she wanted his company.
Yeah, right. Like it had nothing at all to do with the way her she-Wolf was riding her to be near him. Damn him and his fresh lavender scent. How he could smell like flowers and yet make it entirely masculine was beyond her. Anyway, she liked it. Wanted to bury her nose in the crook of his neck and take a good long sniff.
Good idea, her Wolf pushed, but she ignored the silly beast. She would not be giving in to any carnal desires. Not yet anyway.
Putting an extra wiggle in her walk, she went ahead of him down the hall, Following her nose to the robust tomato sauce she scented ahead of her. The sounds of folks laughing and yapping met her ears and she smiled. The atmosphere was charged with love and friendliness, it was positively contagious she realized as she entered the room with Conall hot on her heels.
“Come on, Charley, just one more,” a handsome young Wolf was on his knees begging for what she thought was a meatball off the tray the Alpha fem was walking over to place in the center of the table.
“No more, Liam! Not a single one before Rafe walks in or I swear I will whack you on the head with my nonna’s favorite spoon,” she bumped him with her hip as she placed the enormous tray full of delicious little tidbits in the center of the table.
There were a good dozen people and pups in the place, and enough food to feed three times that. Only, well, she knew they were Werewolves and had enormous appetites. Some of the men and women in the room looked familiar. Elia had briefly met them, and others, well, they were still new to her.
All seemed friendly enough as she walked in to a chorus of hello’s and nice to meet you’s. Americans were a lot more casual when it came to Pack rules and she appreciated that. If she were back in Ireland she’d have to constantly bow and bare her throat, but no one seemed to do that here. When they did it was with much more subtlety.
“Hi, sweetie! How are you feeling?”
Elia turned her head towards the speaker when she realized she was being addressed. A bit embarrassed she smiled briefly, surprised when the Alpha’s mate walked over smiling widely.
“Come on and sit over here,” Charley strode over and hugged Elia tightly before gently pushing her down towards an empty seat.
The woman smelled pleasantly of garlic and parsley, basil and tomatoes, and a dozen other herbs and spices that made Elia’s stomach grumble. Uh oh. She was feeling a bit puckish, she smiled when Charley winked knowingly.
“Good, I was hoping you were hungry,” she added expectantly, “everyone knows I love to feed people It’s in my Italian blood,” she said stage-whisper.
“Aye, I am always hungry,” Elia confided more than willing to laugh a little at herself.
She had to be the only chubby Werewolf she knew. It wasn’t all her fault. She was just shorter than she should be, that was all. She rationalized that had she been as tall as the other she-Wolves back home, her weight wouldn’t have distributed itself so unevenly, paying close attention to her belly and hips, not to mention her pretty sizeable arse.
“Great,” Charley’s smiled dropped as she caught the pup young Wolf she’d called Liam sneaking a tasty meatball out of the corner of her eye.
With unerring accuracy, the Alpha fem picked up a spoon and flung it at his head much to Elia’s surprise. She covered her mouth in shock. Surely a fight was about to break out. But she found herself lowering her hand when everyone simply laughed.
“Ow! Dang it, Charley,” the young Wolf mock-growled at his Alpha fem but stopped soon as the sounds of heavy footsteps were heard.
Elia turned eyes wide as she saw the biggest Werewolf out of all the massive Americans she’d been introduced to walk inside the dining room.
“What was that Liam?” Rafe Maccon walked in with three toddlers in his massive arms and a scowl for the young Wolf on his face.
The man radiated power and Elia was hard-pressed not to bare her throat to him, though she did avert her gaze. Well, up until the little darling in his arms cupped his face and kissed his nose.
“Daddy, it’s not nice to yell at Uncle Liam,” the little pup with the big glittering pink bow in her mop of messy curls said to her da.
“Sorry, Alpha!” Liam squeaked and ducked his head, baring his throat in submission despite the grin he wore.
“Okay, princess,” Rafe spoke to his daughter as he handed the pups one at a time to their smiling mother, before dropping a kiss on her mouth.
“So, how many did he take before I got here?” he asked his wife.
“Six,” she returned.
“How did you know? I took them from different sides and everything!”
“Charley always knows,” a bearded Wolf holding a newborn baby and sitting next to a blonde-haired boy said before looking at her.
“Hi, I’m Randall. These are my kids, and my wife Tulla,” he nodded at the smiling woman next to him.
“Nice to meet you,” Elia smiled.
“Ignore the insanity,” the woman named Tulla spoke as conversation resumed, “the Wolves here get a little bit nuts when Charley makes meatballs.”
“That good, are they?” she smiled and sat down.
Before she could say anything, Conall was taking the empty chair to her right and filling her plate with all sorts of deliciousness.
“How do you know what I like?”
“I don’t yet, but I really want to learn,” he replied and offered her bits of sliced prosciutto and fresh mozzarella.
“Dang, Conall, she got you tied in knots already?” asked the one named Liam followed by a grumbled, “Ouch! I was just teasing.””
“Ignore the idiot,” Conall rolled his gorgeous blue eyes and refocused on her, causing all her girly bits to sit up and pay attention.
“Alright,” she said.
“Now, you haven’t tried a meatball until you’ve had one of these,” he held his fork to her lips.
It was somewhat intimate, having him feed her from his fork, but she leaned forward, aware of the sounds of her heightened pulse. Conall’s lids grew heavy and she was hypnotized by the blatant need she saw in that stare. She opened her lips wide waiting until he made his move. She moaned aloud as the most succulent piece of culinary perfection she’d ever tasted filled her senses.
“Dear Lord almighty, it’s like eating a cloud! They’re perfect,” she moaned, stopping only when she noticed his heated stare.
Conversation seemed to have stilted a bit and she looked around only to have it start up again. Apparently, Conall’s attention to her was being noted.
Uh oh. That wouldn’t do. Not at all. She looked around until she found Aleeza hoping a little girl chatter would take her mind off him. The man was driving her mad. Tempting her with lovely homemade Italian delicacies and managing to touch her every chance he got. A brush of his fingertips as he handed her a napkin, the slide of his jeans against hers when he moved in his seat.
Well, maybe he couldn’t help that. He was well over six-feet in height and wide as a seasoned rugby hooker. She had a thing for men with athletic bodies and this Wolf was a perfect specimen if she ever saw one.
As a matter of fact, the male Wolves around the table were all tall and fit. The young Liam winked when she looked his way and she blushed at the unaccustomed attention. Of course, the sudden growl of the man
next to her had her frowning.
He could be jealous all he wanted. She was allowed to look. She lifted an olive and took a bite while enjoying the conversation around her. Everyone talked and laughed. There was no standing on ceremony.
It was marvelous chaos, a real family, she thought, and grinned widely. Elia had always longed for this. For a free and open place where folks could just enjoy each other and not be afraid to speak their minds. In fact, she could hardly get over how familiar and comfortable they all were with each other. So different than her village. So welcomed too.
“Hey Elia, are you joining us tonight to celebrate Aleeza’s big news?” Liam asked.
“Yes, I already invited her,” Aleeza answered him, and smiled up at the big severe-looking redheaded man who held her hand in his.
“Hi, Elia, I’m Dib, Aleeza’s mate,” he grunted.
“Oh, um, hello,” she cocked her head to the side and looked back at the young woman, “You have a mate?”
“Yes,” Aleeza said and seemed completely contented with the news. Happy even.
That hadn’t been Elia’s experience with mated pairs. She knew it was rude but she continued to stare.
“So, you are mated and you are still going out for drinks and whatnot tonight?”
“Yeah?” the woman asked puzzled.
“I’m sorry, it’s just where I am from the males do not allow their women to go to the pub all that often, much less have a career like being a lawyer!”
“Oh, I am so sorry,” she said and looked genuinely concerned.
“We do things differently here,” Dib nodded and his gruff manner somehow seemed more friendly now.
“I am getting that idea,” Elia said.
“You are in Macconwood now. We do things different than where you are from,” Liam added, “If you like, I can show you the ropes.”
Once more Conall growled a waring at his younger Pack mate and she rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the gut. The eejit.
“Knock it off,” she whispered though she knew well enough everyone heard it.
“Can’t help it,” he shrugged but he wasn’t all that apologetic as he stared down the younger Wolf who was almost salivating with glee.
“Why can’t you help it?” Liam asked.
“Shut up,” Conall barked and tossed a piece of bread at the other man’s head.
Elia laughed. She couldn’t help it. It was humbling to know she had the big man losing his cool over a bit of harmless flirting. But was that all it was? Could she be feeling something more maybe?
She’d just have to wait and see.
Chapter 5
Conall rapped his knuckles on the bar at The Thirsty Dog. He’d almost lost his damn mind the second they’d all walked into the place.
There were simply too many people there. men in particular. It was loud and noisy with music blaring and the crowd grinding against each other on the two main dance floors and in between. Sure, it was run by one of their own, a Werewolf named Mike and his mate Claire. Another Wolf, Jordan was the manager.
The guy was a legend with the ladies, but he’d recently mated a Witch and was crossed off the available list. Which was the only reason he’d introduced Elia to the man when they’d gone in and asked for their usual booth.
Conall was a regular there, but he’d never gone to the bar with a mate before. He was on edge and that was putting it mildly. Everyone with a cock was his enemy. His yet-to-be-claimed mate was new blood and he’d already seen too many interested eyes on her curvy little body as they’d been shown to their seats.
Grrr.
His Wolf didn’t like being reminded of that little bitty fact. Elia frowned at him and he cut off the sound. It was difficult, but he did it. He knew how much she disliked possessive males. But he was fucking Werewolf, it was kinda like his thing. Shit. What was he gonna do? How was he going to win her over with that attitude?
“Hey, Clara and Delia are here! Let’s go dance!” Aleeza jumped up and kissed her mate’s nose, grabbing Elia’s hand and dragging her over to meet her two friends.
Dib grunted and nodded at his mate then picked up his tumbler of Summer Bite. The locally distilled whiskey was known for its smooth finish and unique flavors. It took a lot for a Werewolf to get drunk, so Conall wasn’t worried about the fact that the man had ordered a whole bottle along with some champagne and wine for the table.
Personally, Conall preferred a good, cold IPA. But that was just him. He sipped his beer and watched Elia as she was introduced to the two she-Wolves. He knew the Crescent sisters though not that well. He’d known the Wolf who had caused the accident that eventually cost him his life and had left Clara with a long silver scar on the left side of her face.
They joined the Pack for runs, but mostly kept to themselves. Running their own bookstore was time consuming and he didn’t know how they made a profit, but Crescent Moon Books managed to stay in business year after year.
“So, she your mate?” Dib’s voice cut into his wandering thoughts, startling Conall into dropping his glass beer bottle onto the tabletop with a resounding clank.
“Fuck,” he grabbed a napkin and wiped the bit that spilled before answering thoughtfully, “yes. She is my mate, but I haven’t claimed her.”
“I could tell,” the older man nodded.
Conall waited. Deciding whether or not to confide in Dib was easy enough. Unlike his twin brother who was currently making a fool of himself on the dancefloor and sporting another of his garish t-shirts.
This one was a favorite of Conall’s. It said “Eating is my superpower. What’s yours?” with an outline of a slice of pie next to it. Subtle. Real subtle.
Snort. Of course, it was funnier when the Wolf wasn’t gyrating anywhere near Conall’s mate.
Grrr.
“Easy, bro, he knows she is off limits,” Dib said.
The two brothers were polar opposites, but notoriously close. Even had that whole mind connection thing that twins were famous for. Conall studied him for a moment. He could tell Dib wasn’t making fun of him, though God knew he would have deserved it.
How many times had he teased the mated Werewolves in the Pack about being pussy whipped? And here he was, nowhere near to getting any of his own and he was already a one-track-minded pining pup crazy of a woman who had no intention of letting him near her.
Well. Shit.
“So, what’s your plan?”
“What?” he felt like a fucking idiot as it was, but he had no idea what Dib was talking about.
“You gotta have a plan with a woman like that,” Dib nodded.
“I haven’t thought about it,” he confessed.
“Conall, the woman ran away from an unwanted mating. There is no way she is going to fall into your arms without you doing some serious heavy lifting first.”
“I fucking know,” he growled.
“Look, she’s bright, but she’s been cooped up. Kept under lock and key. I’ve read the reports on the Spark Claw Pack. Seamus Spark is a cousin twice removed. The fucker waited for her father to be on his deathbed then acted.”
“She told me.”
“Yes, but did she tell you what life was like there?”
“What?” Conall was trying to pay attention but some fucker was inching towards the she-Wolves and his hackles were raised.
“You need to get her to open up, man. That Pack was bad news. The women can’t even wear pants.”
“What?”
“Yeah, her cousin’s a real tyrant. They treat their females like they are stuck in some 1950s time warp. They aren’t allowed to have jobs other than cooking, cleaning, and having children.”
“I guess I never really considered what that could do to someone.”
“It’s important you try if you want to win her for keeps. Trust me. Listen to her. Show her you don’t want to own her, you just want to love her.”
It was strange and a bit uncomfortable hearing the tough as nails Pack attorney, Dib Lowell, talk about love
. Hell. Conall didn’t love Elia. He didn’t even know her. She was his fated mate, but that was all.
“It’s different for me. You knew Aleeza before you mated her. You two had time to fall in love.”
“Bro, we’re Werewolves and she is your fated mate. You don’t need time to love her. Believe me it’s not just sex, you want her to trust you, to believe in you. There is nothing quite like it.”
“I can’t explain it. I feel like, well, like-”
“You can’t sleep, can’t eat, can’t do anything but think about her? Her soft pale skin, that wild dark hair, those sparkling eyes. You can taste her lips on your mouth even when she’s not there. Her scent drives you mad with need. Being near her is the only thing that keeps you from Wolfing out and tearing the whole fucking world apart. Something like that?”
“Uh, fuck man, yeah. It’s like you’re in my head with that shit.”
“No, bro. You got it wrong. That’s how I feel about Aleeza. And if you feel that way about Elia Spark, she’s more than just your fated mate. She’s your soul, bro. You love her. And the second she returns your love, it’ll all make sense.”
“How? How do I get a woman like her to love a fuck up like me?”
“Biggest mystery of life, mi amici,” a voice said.
Conall tensed as a big hand slapped down on his shoulder in a friendly gesture that was still startling since he’d not heard the man approach.
Fucking Vampires.
“Hello Bal,” said Dib, greeting the giant blonde Vampire with a nod of his head.
“Ciao,” Bal nodded.
The Vampire was something of an ally as of late, though truth be told, Werewolves and Vamps didn’t usually have such a treaty. However, theirs was a unique situation. Bal was not your average bloodsucker.
Apparently, he was some kind of big wig and had helped the Macconwood Pack, as well as their Bear Shifter neighbors the next town inland, in the past. Whatever he was, Conall needed to see the man about a certain female who was becoming an irritation.
“Did you get my message?” Conall asked not taking his eyes off where Elia was laughing and dancing with Clara, Delia, Aleeza, and Kurt.