by Dana Archer
Chapter 7
The sound of the front door opening sped Jenna’s pulse.
Her mate had come to her.
Jenna turned off the water in the sink, dried her hands, and ran from the kitchen to the living room. Her heart sank at the sight of Noah’s signature dark blond ponytail.
Noah turned at her approach, revealing a huge potted container overflowing with flowers. Fat yellow chrysanthemums rose above a bed of delicate white mums. The contrast of size and color was striking, but Noah would know that. The hardened dominant who should’ve been leading her pack instead of her uncle had a soft spot for flowers. Noah had turned his dead mate’s love of gardening into a successful business.
Jenna froze, knowing if Noah got any closer he’d be able to scent Sean on her. Her mate had laved the bite on her shoulder, ensuring his smell would remain a part of her for the rest of her life and warning all other males away from her. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to offer my congratulations.”
Shoulders slumping, she linked her hands in front of her. “You know.”
Although she couldn’t hide her mating forever, she wasn’t ready to face the realities of her mated status. Or the fact that her mate had yet to seek her out. He might not know her name or where she lived, but Noah spoke to his cousin who was a Kagan pack member. Word might’ve gotten around. The Kagan pack was a close-knit group.
Actually, when she thought of it that way, it made perfect sense that Noah would come here. Who better to share her mate’s regret than Noah, a member of her pack Jenna respected. She’d never take her anger out on him, especially when he stood in front of her with a warm smile on his face. Noah rarely wore one, except in the presence of his friend, Ethan.
Noah set the potted container on the coffee table, clearing magazines and newspapers to make room for the huge display. “Sean Reynolds called me right after he discovered you ran out on him.”
Sean Reynolds. Top dominant of the Kagan pack and the male rumored to be the next in line to be alpha since the alpha’s son had left the pack. The Tanner males didn’t like that rumor. Not one little bit. Sean was strong. Very strong. And he’d made it clear he didn’t like how Michael Tanner led his pack.
Nerves and excitement warred within her, leaving a tremor in her hands. The rest of Noah’s statement kept the emotions at bay.
“I didn’t run out. I—” She clamped her mouth shut. Running out was exactly what she’d done.
“What did you do then?” Noah’s pointed look demanded she tell him everything.
“He hightailed it out of there first.” Jenna took off her apron, balled it, and tossed the worn material at the nearest chair. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man move so fast when his life wasn’t on the line.”
Noah shrugged. “Sean mentioned he didn’t handle the morning after too well.”
“Didn’t handle.” Jenna bit the words out. “He made some excuse about the diner being busy in the morning and he wouldn’t be back for an hour, maybe two. Two hours, Noah. To get take-out. That was after scrambling away from me with a look of terror on his face. Like I was prettier when he was wearing his beer goggles or something.”
“Beer goggles?” Noah raised a brow.
Jenna ran her fingers through her tangled hair. It was a good thing Noah had shown up and not Sean. She looked frightful after having baked all morning. She’d needed to do something, though. If she hadn’t committed to making a few dozen cookies, she might’ve driven out to the Kagan pack lands. “Yeah. He was drunk when I ran into him at the bar.”
“What about when he mated you?”
Closing her eyes, she let the memory from a few nights ago return. Finally, she sighed. “No. Neither of us were drunk. It just sorta happened, I guess.”
Noah studied her for a long moment. He cracked his jaw. “Sorta happened. Care to explain that?”
She forced a laugh. “You were mated. You know how it happens.”
Noah took a step forward. His nostrils flared. “Did he ask you? Or simply claim you?”
Jenna covered her mouth to hide her smile. Sean had intrigued her the moment he asked her permission to tend her cuts, but when he’d asked her to mate him, she’d fallen under his spell. She would’ve agreed to anything. Even soul-bonding.
Noah took another step. “This isn’t funny, Jenna. While I can’t change what happened, I can make sure Sean understands he should never take another choice from you. Our pride might follow the old ways, but I don’t want that for you.”
Noah’s concern warmed her. She went to him and rested her fingers against his bicep. “Sean asked me. I said yes. There’s no need to go all protective on me.”
He tucked her hair behind her ear. “Yes, there is. Nobody else will go to bat for you.”
She turned away before Noah saw how much those words affected her, making her feel important to someone, even if it wasn’t her mate who cared.
The flowers Noah had brought drew her attention. She motioned to the container. “This is beautiful. Thank you.”
Noah turned the pot as if looking for the best angle. In truth, the uniform display was perfect. “I woke up early in the year with this combination of flowers in my mind. I knew it’d be beautiful, but I kept finding excuses for not putting it out for sale at the shop. The moment I got Sean’s call, I knew why. I was meant to grow this for you.”
While Jenna loved flowers, she didn’t understand the significance behind them. She was guessing this is where Noah was taking this conversation. “For me?”
“And Sean.” Noah caressed one of the yellow flowers. “He’s the hope of his pack.” Then Noah brushed his forefinger over the smaller white petals. “And you are the goodness of ours. Together you can lead us into a bright future.”
This time her laugh didn’t carry a fake ring to it. Her amusement was real. “Nope. According to Sean, he doesn’t want to lead his pack, let alone our messed-up one which is perfectly fine with me. I wasn’t meant to be an alpha female.”
“And I wasn’t meant to be a widower.” Noah’s stare drove his point home. “But life happens, doesn’t it?”
The tightness in her throat made it hard to swallow. She glanced at the floor.
Noah tipped up her chin. “Don’t let a chance at love slip through your fingers.”
The pain in Noah’s eyes broke her heart. Jenna wanted to tell him she wouldn’t lose her chance but she refused to lie to the one pack member who’d always told it to her like it was. “It takes two to make love work. I can’t do it alone, and if you haven’t noticed, my mate isn’t here.”
“Sean hasn’t abandoned you, Jenna. Give him time to wrap his head around the idea of being a mated male.”
“It’s been three days.” The longest three days of her life.
“If the goddesses bless you the way I think they have, you’ll have Sean by your side for several centuries. A few days now won’t matter.”
Jenna wanted to wrap Noah’s words around her. While she didn’t need a man in her life, what she’d felt in Sean’s arms had been magical. A glimpse of happiness wasn’t enough. She wanted centuries of it, exactly as Noah hinted at, but she also loved herself enough not to grovel.
She snatched the balled-up apron and motioned to the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”
Noah shook his head on a sigh as if understanding her question was meant as a diversion, then raised his gaze to hers. “What kind did you make?”
“Chocolate chip.” Lots and lots of chocolate chip cookies. She’d embraced the recipe knowing she wouldn’t have to think about the mechanics of baking. She’d made them hundreds of times before. Her body knew the steps by heart.
“That’s Sean’s favorite.”
Hers too. She tucked the other side of her hair behind her ears. “Maybe there will be some left for him.”
“Or maybe he can bake the next batch with you.”
Smiling at the thought of the impressive male she’d mated working beside her i
n the kitchen, Jenna shrugged. “Maybe.”
The future was full of maybes. The biggest one at the moment involved the motives of a man she knew little about. All she had to go on was what her heart was telling her. Except, if she listened to those instincts, she’d be driving over to the Kagan pack lands with a plate of cookies. And that might send Sean running a second time.
Chapter 8
The sunlight brightening Jenna’s bedroom did little to improve her mood. A week had passed since her mate had run from her, claiming he was getting them breakfast. She wouldn’t know what he ever returned with since she’d hightailed it out of there too, but there was one thing she was positive about.
Sean Reynolds, her mate and the top dominant of the Kagan pack, hadn’t come looking for her. And she hadn’t been able to leave town, ensuring he couldn’t find her. The longing to return to him had stopped her.
Jenna pressed her forehead to the glass windowpane and fought her tears. She would not cry. She’d managed not to shed a single tear all week, even at night when she’d reached for her mate and only cold sheets had met her touch.
Anger was better.
Screw Sean Reynolds. She’d given him a week. If he didn’t want her, she wasn’t going to sit around any longer, feeling sorry for herself, or stand by this stupid window for hours on end, wondering if he was going to show. She could survive on her own, exactly like Mya did.
Jenna did not need a male in her life, especially a tall, incredibly handsome Kagan male who made her heart race just thinking about him.
With her head held high, she shoved from her spot by the window and strode across the room. It was time to make some decisions. The first one would be a no-brainer. She couldn’t remain on Tanner pack lands. After missing last month’s celebrations, she’d be expected to participate in this month’s activities. Maybe even join the mating run. Only her neighbor Noah, who’d stopped by earlier in the week to offer his congratulations, knew of her mated status. She’d avoided everyone, friends and family alike.
No more. She was done.
She snatched her cell phone, selected Mya’s number from contacts, and dialed. The sound of screaming babies filled the line. Jenna grimaced and eased the phone from her ear. After a moment, a door slammed, cutting off the sound of their cries, but stirring Jenna’s protective instincts. Why were Mya’s girls crying?
“Hello?” Mya’s breathless, ragged voice filled the line.
“It’s Jenna. Are the twins okay?” As a single mom who no longer lived on pack lands, Mya didn’t have the same support network mothers in the pack had.
“Yes. They’re fine.” Mya lowered her voice. “Todd is here.”
Jenna tightened her grip on the phone and fought her anger. “Did your loser mate finally decide to meet his kids? You only had them three months ago.”
“Leave it alone, Jenna.”
“Your happiness and the twin’s safety are my business. I’m your friend.”
“I know you are. I’m grateful for that. Other than the humans I work with, you’re the only person on my side, but this is none of your business.”
“Call the human cops on him, and while they have him locked up for the night—”
“Stop.” Mya sighed. “As their dad, he has a right to see them, and as my mate, he has a right to see me. Mating law guarantees him those things. It doesn’t require him to support us, protect us, or even be nice to us. Todd says he’s had a change of heart, though. He thinks he’s ready to be a dad and wants to spend time with us.”
A snarky comment sat on the tip of her tongue, but Jenna clamped her mouth shut before she said anything to upset Mya. It wouldn’t change anything. Female shifters had no rights, unless their mates or guardians granted them.
Jenna worked her jaw, easing the pressure. “Do you think he’s sincere?”
“No.” Mya snorted. “I’m going to be coming into heat next month for the first time since the girls were born. He’s here for sex.”
Squeezing the bridge of her nose, Jenna fought her frustration. “He kicked you out because you got pregnant. Why would he be sniffing around you now? Does he want more kids he can abandon? And how are you going to feed and—”
“I have a job now and a decent apartment. I’m doing fine. I don’t need Todd. Besides, I won’t get pregnant. He brought condoms, even wrapped them up as a gift and handed them to me with a smile on his face.”
If she could, Jenna would rip Todd’s throat out, but as one of Michael Tanner’s loyal dominants doing so would only end Jenna’s life. Michael believed wholeheartedly in revenge.
“Where did you get a job?” Jenna asked to change the subject. As much as Mya’s situation infuriated Jenna, there wasn’t a lot that could be done about it. At least not while Todd lived.
“The Black Widow. It’s a bar in one of the human towns nearby. I’m waiting tables. It’s tiring, but I’m getting a dollar above minimum wage and I get to keep my tips, not share them with the rest of the staff. Plus, my boss is always stopping by with groceries, and the other waitresses take turns watching the twins when I’m working. For free too. Can you believe it? They do it out of the goodness of their hearts.”
“Really?” The humans Jenna had interacted with seemed cold and self-centered. Of course, her only interactions with them were at the college where she was taking nursing courses, and admittedly, she’d stuck to casual conversations only. Befriending humans could be dangerous. They might learn something they shouldn’t.
“I know what you’re thinking, but they’re good humans. They make me laugh. They look out for us. Make us feel as though we’re family.” Mya chuckled. “They’re like my own personal pack.”
Jenna smiled and some of her tension eased with the warmth in her friend’s voice. Mya trusted these people. That much was clear. “Do you think they need another waitress? I’m looking to get something part-time.” She’d need the extra money. The hand-me-down trailer she lived in was rent-free, thanks to Noah. Once she left the pack, she’d have to pay for a place.
“You want to be a waitress? I thought you were thinking about asking Michael if you could reopen the clinic once you graduate?”
“No. I’m going to ask him if I can leave the pack for a while.”
Silence stretched. Finally, Mya asked, “What happened?”
“I mated a stranger a week ago, then he promptly took off. Haven’t seen him since.”
“Oh no!” Mya gasped. “Are you okay?”
Eyes burning, she reached for the crumpled photo Noah had given her. She smoothed the wrinkles out, glad she hadn’t torn the thing in a fit of frustration, and stared at Sean’s face. Contentment slipped through her, even as she fought the sense of peace looking at his image brought. She didn’t want to feel any soft emotions toward her no-show mate. It was hard not too, though. He was a part of her. She felt his emotions, his drivers, and his goodness. The warmth and brightness of his soul radiated through her.
Why hadn’t he come to her? Or more to the point, why hadn’t she gone to him?
She pressed his picture to her chest. They needed to talk. Neither of them had planned this. Maybe they could date. Or at least become friends. She didn’t want to end up like Mya, who hated her mate.
“Yeah.” Jenna nodded, even though Mya couldn’t see her. Doing so made Jenna feel more confident. “I am. It was kinda a spur-of-the-moment thing. We’re both still finding our way. In the meantime, I need to be off our pack lands before the next full moon. I don’t want Michael finding out who I mated.”
“So you didn’t mate one of our males?”
“No.” Jenna rolled her eyes. She would’ve rather remained unmated. Most of their males were either jerks, like Todd, or beaten down and too afraid to challenge their alpha. “I mated a male from the Kagan pack.”
“Oh my! Aren’t you lucky for snagging one of them. I hear they’re good in—” Mya gasped. “Todd!”
Static filled the line, along with the whimpering of babies, then a male
’s voice boomed, drowning out the girls’ cries. “I’m glad I decided to stand by this door so these little brats could hear their mama. I must agree with my mate, though. You are lucky for snagging a Kagan. Our alpha will be pleased. He’s wanted his hand in the Kagan pack for years. With you as the alpha’s mate, he’ll have that. I’m sure that was your plan all along, right?”
“I don’t even want to lead my pack, let alone your screwed-up one.” Sean’s words skipped through Jenna’s head.
Sweat trickled down her spine. Her mate didn’t want to be alpha. She couldn’t imagine why. He was powerful and pure. His goodness brightened her soul. Whatever the reason, though, she’d rather run to the other side of the country, never getting the chance to reconnect with Sean and see if they could work out their problems, than force him to do something he didn’t want to do.
“No.” She shook her head. “I can’t do that. Sean’s not strong enough.” The lie rushed out.
Todd laughed. “Don’t lie. I’ve met Sean many times. He’s powerful.”
Caught. She licked her lips and tried to come up with a believable diversion. All she had was the truth. “Powerful he might be, but he doesn’t want me. I was a mistake. Why do you think he hasn’t been around? He mated me a week ago.”
“Poor, naïve Jenna. Don’t you understand? He doesn’t have to want you. He just needs to sleep with you every full moon until you conceive a son. That’s all I want from Mya, and once I have my boy, I’ll let her go to live whatever kind of life she wants with our girls. I have lovers in the pack who satisfy me much better. Too bad none of those females are strong enough to birth me a worthy heir.”
Jenna’s heart broke for her friend. Mya deserved someone who’d love her and respect her, but as Mya had often said, it was none of Jenna’s business, and Todd had mating law on his side. Until he died, she was stuck with him.
“I can’t force him.” Jenna gave the only response she could.