by Crystal Dawn
Ciaro suspected less than a third would resettle. That was alright for now. More would decide to come later and by then, maybe things would be easier and organized better than now. It seemed more than half of those requesting information were single females. If his mating was a done deal right now, some of these requests might have been avoided.
Ignoring all the information requests for now, he began working through the service providers. Some he just deleted hoping they would go away. Solicitors he unsubscribed, he had almost a hundred of those and they seemed to send him the same requests from a new email every day.
Once he replied to those suppliers he needed, he searched for personal emails. There, his brother was coming now. As early as Monday or as late as Wednesday. This was the perfect excuse to hunt Mairi down and remind her how much she wanted him. As soon as he checked all the emails, he would head out.
There was one from an old friend he’d not seen in years. Albion was planning to relocate. He wanted to know if any hierarchy was yet established. It wasn’t, but Ciaro hoped some of his brothers would claim spots toward the top. He explained to his friend hierarchy would evolve as panthers arrived and fought for position. It was beyond the control of the alpha and Ciaro was sure there would be a free for all once enough party members were here.
Most panthers loved a fight so at least they would have endless entertainment. None of the panthers that he’d communicated with had expressed any desire to be alpha. They must have heard about all the work and no pay. Even the land was owned by him personally. At this time he was unwilling to let the control go. If some blockhead managed to beat him which was unlikely, he’d find the title held no value at all.
His party had no money at all right now and might never manage to build any wealth. Most of his panthers had lived solitary lives as singles or even as families. It wouldn’t be easy to get them to put their party first. Many of those choosing to come here were destitute and would have to live in housing provided by the party. In reality, that meant provided by their alpha. The money being used for everything was his personal fortune.
It had always been his hope to help his people and giving them some of the things his money could provide to improve their lives was a start. Now that he’d handled the most important emails, he could hunt down his mate. His mind went back to last night and his body filled with need. That wasn’t the smartest thing to do right now. Thinking about sex would be a major distraction.
Loading up, he decided to go by and see his mate now. She probably thought hiding at the house she was fixing up for his brother would prevent him from finding her. As he pulled into the property, he saw the crew truck Ariel let her use in the driveway. The sounds of construction was coming from the house. A new metal roof had already been put on and the windows looked new too. Even the trim looked recently replaced. The exterior was old native stone. At least he thought it was. It was a medium gray color.
He heard Mairi’s voice giving directions, but he was certain she was in the middle of the work as well. As he carefully entered, someone came by carrying old sheetrock. It turned out to be good that he was careful. They would have mowed him down had he not been alert. The more he saw of the house the more he liked it.
Unfortunately, they were in the middle of the work and his brother would have to stay with him for a short while. As he entered the kitchen, he saw his spitfire nailing in sheetrock. He saw signs of smoke damage on the torn up pieces being pulled down and carried off.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Mairi asked.
“Just checking the progress on the house. My brother will be here soon. Maybe in the morning if all goes well.” Ciaro explained.
“It will be ready by Friday. I contracted out and had a company from Branson come in for the work. The upstairs is done and I suppose in an emergency someone could live there. Four bedrooms, a bath, and a bonus room are up there.”
“What’s a bonus room?” He asked feeling dumb.
“It’s a room that can be anything you want. It could even be a bedroom if he wants it to be, but I didn’t set it up as one.”
“Okay. Is it a large room?”
“It’s slightly smaller than the bedrooms upstairs but still a decent size. Maybe an office or a playroom, it could work for that.”
“This is a large house.”
“It was large before the last owners added the master suite. That’s a big addition to an already large house. I heard they had eight kids all within a year of each other.”
“That’s amazing. I’ve never heard of any shifters having cubs so close together.”
“They have more time to spread their kids out. Humans don’t live as long.” Mairi replied.
“Will it hurt your business to contract out so much work?”
“Not as much as I thought. I got a sweet deal because I contracted for more work. They’re already working on your sister’s place. I have two more places they’ll be on this month. It will help my stress factor too.” Mairi explained.
“Is it worth it to them to do all this work?” Ciaro wondered.
“Yep. It’s not that far from home for them and this is a new team being trained. They are doing well.”
“I can’t deny it helps to get these places ready for my people. There will be an apartment house once the party house is done. Most of my people relocating, eighty percent or so will be singles. They wish to build a new life on a strong foundation.” That’s what he wanted too. Mairi would be his strong foundation. It was amazing he’d gone from having no desire to mate to having no greater wish than to mate her.
“This is a good place to put down roots. If they work hard, it can be everything they want or need.” Mairi said. It was clear she thought a lot of this area. So far, Ciaro had liked it too.
It had the lure of the lakes that surrounded them in any direction they headed. The population was small, the opportunities there for anyone willing to grab them. Tourism was also everywhere and would give his people jobs if they wanted them. Moe, Tyne’s mate was already spearheading those possibilities. She might be crazy, but she had a head for business.
“Would you go to lunch with me?” Ciaro asked hoping she might.
“Why not? But we need to bring the guys some food back.”
“I would be pleased to help you with that.” He was amazed she’d agreed and looked up just to be sure the sky wasn’t falling.
She followed him out and they both climbed into his SUV. He drove to Sara’s, because it was the closest and he really liked her food. “Sara will be happy to see us. I think she likes you.”
“Me?” Ciaro stuttered. “She doesn’t know me.”
“You’re wrong. Sara knows everyone if they eat in her diner at all.”
It was true he’d eaten there, but how could that be enough? Was this a white wolf power? If she knew he was after Mairi, would she help, hinder, or stay neutral? He decided not to worry about it until it became a problem if it ever did.
The diner was close and they pulled into the lot. Sundays looked to be busy. “Sara originally closed on Sundays. Then she realized it would be her busiest day.”
“That’s why she closes Mondays and Tuesdays?”
“Yes, she can’t keep help and if she didn’t close, she’d never have a day off.”
“Then she’d be like an alpha.” Ciaro teased even though it was true. They made their way in and the place was packed, but Sara gave them a table covered with silverware after she cleared it off. It was a table for six as many of the ones in the diner were and Mairi used it to put distance between them.
They had just ordered lunch, when Ciaro got a call. He looked and saw it was Fiaro and was sure he was close. “Hello, brother.”
“Ciaro, I’m at your house and you’re not.”
“That will teach you to surprise me.”
“We’re tired, hungry, and in need of a shower.”
“Come to Sara’s and you can eat with me and take food back to your group.”
He was there fast and he brought everyone with him. “I said to just come yourself. They haven’t the room for all your crowd.” Ciaro said. He didn’t like the look his brother or the two males with him sent Mairi.
“We’ll have the others sit outside and I and my two friends will sit with you.” Fiaro suggested. He sat next to Mairi with one of his friends on her other side. Ciaro was across from her and not impressed at all.
Fiaro leaned in close and took a deep breath of Mairi. A small growl came from him which set off a growl from Ciaro. “We’re getting too much alpha around here.” Mairi said.
“Ain’t that the truth.” Sara agreed as she set their food on the table. “Can I take your order?”
“All these females smell wonderful.” Fiaro observed.
“It’s the food.” Sara insisted.
“Just give them the special, Sara.” Ciaro said. “You’ll excuse Mairi and me if we eat since we have our food.”
“Of course. The lovely female here is Mairi?” Fiaro asked.
“This is Fiaro and I don’t know his friends.” Ciaro explained.
“They are Albert and Ferris.” Fiaro said.
Sara brought their food quickly and Ciaro was glad. He wanted these guys away from his mate. But until then, he wanted them busy. They all ate without speaking much. Mairi put in a large order and it arrived before they were done.
“Do you want your brother to look at his house now?” Mairi asked and Ciaro wished he could kiss her to shut her up.
“My house? Is it nearby?” Fiaro asked.
“It is and near enough to completion a few days will see it done.”
“That’s way ahead of schedule. How did you manage this brother?”
“I asked Mairi nicely so she sped things up.”
“This is the contractor? Lovely and talented.”
“Also kickass.” Ciaro whispered.
“What?” Fiaro asked.
“Nothing. Some things you must discover for yourself.”
He could tell Fiaro misunderstood. Hopefully, Mairi would correct his thinking. If she didn’t. Ciaro would. Mairi gave Fiaro the address and Ciaro took her back to the house. When they returned, while the guys ate, she toured Ciaro though the house. It was one he’d like for himself.
“I like it too.” Mairi admitted. He must have said that out loud. They weren’t back long before his brother pulled up.
“This is nice.” Fiaro said as they met him outside but his eyes were on Mairi the whole time. The other males just followed behind him.
They all went upstairs with Ciaro last. When Fiaro followed her into a bedroom, there was a suddenly loud screech. Ciaro smiled. His brother would now keep his distance from Mairi, he was sure of it. Mairi led them through the house with Fiaro never getting as close as he had before.
“That woman is a wild cat. Why didn’t you warn me?” His brother asked.
“She’s mine. Now you know to leave her be. These women aren’t like those you are used to.” Ciaro explained. If he were honest, he felt better about his chances with Mairi now. Many of his past lovers had moved on to Fiaro when they’d broke up.
“So what do you want to do?” Ciaro asked.
“I’m ready to buy the house and move in upstairs. The guys can share a room. I’ll take the bonus room for now and the others can fight over what’s left.”
“What about Jezzie?” Ciaro asked.
“She wants to stay with you especially since she plans to take the job you offered her.”
“That will work fine.” He was thrilled to have his niece working with him. She was a sweet and lovable young female. “What do we need to do to make it happen, Mairi?”
“We can run by Ariel’s and do the paperwork.” She suggested.
“Let’s all ride in my SUV.” He suggested.
Mairi grabbed shotgun which surprised his brother. The two friends sat in the back leaving Fiaro the whole middle seat. They made it to Ariel’s in no time and she was sitting in the kitchen nook taking a break. She allowed them to use Blake’s office and Mairi had the paperwork done in minutes. His brother clearly had no idea who Ariel was since he gave her the once over and a come hither look.
They left as soon as they were done. “Fiaro, how have you lived as long as you have?”
“What do you mean brother?”
“You just tried to hit on the white wolf.” Mairi broke out in laughter.
“Are you joking?” Fiaro asked.
“No, I’m serious. Her mate would have killed you had he been there.”
“You should have warned me.”
“You need to be more careful who you hit on. There is no doubt she scents as mated. Why would you want to lure someone’s mate away?”
“You mean like someone did to me?”
It was true Fiaro’s faithless wife had left him for another. But why spread that unhappiness to others? There was work to do to help his brother heal from his broken mating. He’d not thought it had affected him so bad since they weren’t fated mates, now he knew better. Fiaro had only had email and phone contact with other members of their family. It seemed he needed more support from them than that.
She’d not had much character, she’d left all the cubs behind not caring for them either even though they were hers as well. It seemed the alpha duties were presenting themselves already. An alpha looked out for the wellbeing of party. That meant physically, mentally, and emotionally. He was worried that many of his people might be broken emotionally as his brother seemed to n be.
“Why didn’t you let me know how things were?”
Fiaro didn’t pretend not to understand. “Our kind aren’t touchy feely. There was nothing you could have done anyway. Even had I killed the male it would not have made her a good mate.”
“Why didn’t you kill him? That is our nature.” Ciaro pointed out.
“That’s true and she knew it too. He was gone and waiting for her far away. Good riddance I say.”
They’d both forgotten that Mairi was there until she snorted. “I would have had a cousin hex him. Maybe make his pecker stay soft.” She said with a giggle.
Ciaro chuckled. “Magic? Shifters and magic don’t mix.” Fiaro said.
“Not always true. I know several witches mated to shifters.”
“White wolves maybe. They are different.” Fiaro declared.
“Really? How?” Mairi asked.
“Don’t you know anything?” Fiaro asked.
“I guess not. Educate me.”
“White wolves are like the daughters of the goddess. They have special powers and should be worshipped.” Fiaro explained.
“You don’t say. If that true, why were you so coarse with Ariel?”
“I didn’t know who she was.”
“Around here, there are many white wolves and their friends.” Mairi said.
“That’s right. You are Ariel’s friend. How did you become a friend of the white wolf?”
“How does anyone become friends?”
“I was just curious because I’ve heard so much about white wolves. Our people think highly of them.”
“That’s why you need to be aware they are everywhere.” Ciaro said hoping to end this conversation.
“I’ve heard there are many of them.”
“Wait until you settle in to learn more.” Ciaro directed. His brother finally got a clue. He dropped Mairi off at the house with Fiaro’s two friends.
“Is she truly yours?” Fiaro asked as they pulled away.
“The little white wolf is mine even if she doesn’t know it.”
“She is a white wolf?”
“An unchanged one. You need to learn to keep your mouth shut brother. I don’t think she’ll hold it against you. She might tease you though. It is hard to say what Mairi will do.”
“What will you do if she denies you?” Fiaro asked.
“I will keep p
ursuing her until she admits she’s mine.”
“I wish you luck. She clearly had no interest in me.”
Ciaro dropped him at his truck and went back to his house where his niece waited for him. “Uncle Ciaro!” She yelled as she ran and jumped into his arms.
His niece was beautiful, the perfect combination of her parents. Her eyes were a golden green, her skin the color of coffee with cream, and her hair was an unusual shade of red. She had the confidence in her beauty her mother had without the devious and cruel character traits.
“I’m glad you’re letting me stay. Dad isn’t any fun these days. I hate to listen to all the females crying as he breaks their hearts.” Jezzie said.
“You should have let me know. I had no idea he was this bitter.”
“He wouldn’t have appreciated being snitched on. I didn’t believe you could help anyway. I hope this move will help.”
“Maybe it will help all of us. We need to come together in the way we did in old times. Some changes aren’t good and we’ve had too many of them.”
“Wow, Uncle! You’ll be a good leader if you can bring all that about.”
“I’ll have help now that you’re here.”
“We’ll start tomorrow. Right now I just need to eat, take a shower, and sleep until tomorrow.”
“Didn’t you stop along the way?”
“No, we came from California and everyone took a turn driving. All the sleep we got was when we fell asleep in our seats. He was in a crazy hurry to get here once he made up his mind.”
“Let’s go inside and we’ll see what I have in the kitchen.” He led Jezzie into his house and she rummaged around and ended up eating cereal. Quick and easy he supposed. Once she was done, he led her to a guest bedroom that was next to the guest bathroom. “Need anything brought in?”
“Just my bags for now.” Jezzie said so he got them and dropped them in her room.
It would be great to have her here, but for now he needed to get back on his emails. Tomorrow she would be able to help him with those. Not that he’d trust just anyone with his emails, but Jezzie was family.