by Alanea Alder
Aleks stared down in horror, realization slowly dawning on his face. His eyes showed he now knew the depth of the pain he caused her, and it had nothing to do with bruises or broken bones.
He stepped forward to reach for her and was brought up short when he saw Liam standing directly behind her.
Liam wrapped an arm around Rebecca's shoulders and steered her toward the door. "Come on, kitten, I can show you around town," he said and Rebecca nodded.
Aleks growled. Liam turned his head,"Back off, asshole!"
"Aleksander Aaron Arkadion, get your ass in my office now!" Ma roared before turning and heading into the kitchen.
Aleks's head hung down as he made his way behind the counter to go and speak to his mother and Alpha.
Rebecca couldn't find it in her to think about his pain, her own was threatening to overwhelm her. Unable to take the looks of pity from the diner patrons she let Liam lead her out the door.
Once they were outside Rebecca lost all sense of composure and started to sob uncontrollably. She almost laughed at the frantic expression on Liam's face as he looked around for someone who could help him. Seeing no one nearby, he scooped her up, walked around to the side of the diner and put her back on her feet so she could have her breakdown in private.
"I really like him, Liam, I really do!" she cried.
"I know, kitten. I know things are hard right now. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but, he's really a good guy. He and I have been competing since I beat him in a foot race when we were five. I know him probably better than anyone except his brothers. Now listen, kitten, I know that he hasn't handled this well," he said, and she snorted. He smiled at her unladylike gesture. "But what no one in town knows is that the reason he came back to Arkadia was because he worked a real bad homicide case in Raleigh where a human was killed by her shifter lover during sex. The only reason I know is because I hired a private detective to find out what happened. When Aleks got back to town, he had lost weight, wouldn't eat, and snapped at everyone. I had to provoke him into a fist fight before he started to feel better. Of course I won," he said, smiling down at Rebecca. She felt herself smile through tears.
"No wonder he is having a hard time accepting me for a mate," she said.
Liam kissed her forehead. "I would love to keep you for myself, kitten, but I know you'll be happier with your grumpy-ass bear," he said jokingly. "So no more waterworks okay? You're breaking this poor lion's heart."
"He is grumpy, isn't he?" she said and smiled.
"Of course he is, he's a bear. Now, how about I show you around our fair town? We have a killer ice cream parlor, and don't get me started on Nic's frappes." He wagged his eyebrows.
"How come you're not mated?" she asked. He was gorgeous, witty, charming, and considerate. Everything a woman could want.
He smiled sadly. "Because Fate has yet to give me one."
They were about to walk away when they heard a tiny mewl. Rebecca swung back to the alley. She went to step forward, but Liam pushed in front of her. Together they walked to the back of the alley. Rebecca gasped and Liam turned quickly. She bent down and picked up a small, bedraggled cat. She hugged it close.
"Look at the poor thing! It must be freezing out here," she said.
Liam eyeballed the small animal. "What are you going to do with it?" he asked.
"Take care of it, of course! It doesn't have any family or a home."
He smiled, and reached forward to pet the small creature. He looked surprised him when it turned its head into his hand and purred loudly. Rebecca lifted it up and checked near the back legs.
"It's a boy cat!" she announced happily and nuzzled it. "Okay, his name will be..." She trailed off, looking the little face over as it stared up at her.
"Sebastian," Liam supplied.
"That was quick, what made you think of Sebastian for a name?" she asked.
"I don't know, it just sort of popped in my head. Doesn't he look like a Sebastian?" he asked.
"Yes, he does. Do you hear that, little one? Your name is Sebastian. Do you think he would like some ice cream?" she asked.
"I think he'd love some." Liam laughed.
"Let's go!" Rebecca bounced out of the alley then realized she didn't know where she was going and turned to face Liam. He laughed and walked up, looping his arm in hers.
"Onward to ice cream," he said turning the corner with her.
Rebecca kept nuzzling the small cat in her arms. The poor thing was still purring madly, happy to be held. She smiled up at Liam when he opened the door to the ice cream shop. Carefully she set Sebastian down as they walked over to the large display case.
She watched Sebastian stand up on his hind legs and peered into the case, mesmerized by the smells.
"I think he wants some ice cream. See, his paw is pointing to Butter Pecan," Rebecca said, watching her cat.
"I'll be damned, it is." Liam replied.
"Hey, Liam, who's your friend?" a light male voice asked.
When Rebecca looked up, she saw one of the most beautiful men she had ever laid eyes on. He wasn't handsome. He was almost feminine in his beauty with bright blue eyes and soft lips. His shoulder-length blond hair framed his faces in waves. She couldn't help smiling at him.
"You are so pretty," she said without thinking. He looked at her, blinked then laughed.
"Thank you. I have to say so far I've only heard that said behind my back. It's refreshing to have someone tell me to my face and not as an insult." He chuckled.
"Why would anyone say that as an insult? You make me feel bad for not being a great artist or sculptor or something. It's like..." She looked up, trying to think of the words to explain herself. "It's like your beauty is wasted on my eyeballs," she said after a moment or two.
The man blinked again then turned to Liam.
"She's serious, isn't she?" he asked. Liam nodded.
"Rebecca is very special. It seems she accepts everyone for who they are and likes them despite themselves. She will make a very good Alpha Mother," he said.
The man paled then looked at Rebecca. "My apologies, Alpha, I didn't know." He looked down.
Rebecca turned and looked up at Liam. "This is a shifter thingie, isn't it? And what is 'Alpha Mother'?" she asked.
Liam sighed. "Ashby here isn't a pack leader like most of the town's residents that you've met so far. He is showing you deference out of respect to your rank once your mating with Aleks is complete. After mating you will become 'heir to the throne.' When Ma retires you will take over as the town matriarch as Aleks will take over as patriarch. The Arkadions have always run Arkadia. They are trusted to be neutral in shifter disputes. Historically, the Alpha couple always have seven sons. The eldest son and mate takes over when the current leaders retire. It's been that way since the town was first established. Prior to that I believe that the family ruled in Europe. It is said that the Arkadions are descended from Arcas, the son of Callisto, the first bear-shifter. To me they are just a bunch of grouchy bears though," Liam said, shrugging in a very cat-like manner.
Ashby eyed Rebecca as she started to sway.
"She's going down," he said simply.
"Shit!" Liam wrapped his arm around her waist as her knees gave out.
"Seven boys. They all have seven boys. Seven. Boys." She kept repeating this over and over.
"Liam, I think you broke her." Ashby came around the counter waving his dishtowel to fan her.
"She'll be fine," he said in a way that sounded like he was trying to convince himself rather than Ashby.
"Right, kitten? You don't want your good friend Liam torn to itty-bitty bits because I scrambled your brain." Liam lightly tapped her cheek.
"Yeah I'm okay, yeah, wow, seven." She looked at Ashby.
"I'd like a quadruple death by chocolate mocha fudge sundae with caramel, Oreo crumbles, and brownies please. Oh and Sebastian would like one scoop of Butter Pecan," she said, moving to sit in the chair across from Liam.
Ashby, seeing h
er need for chocolate, put his preternatural speed to good use and whipped her up the chocolate concoction that would help her face her destiny. He set the dessert in front of her before putting a tiny bowl on the floor for Sebastian. He walked around the table to sit across from them.
They watched her eat spoonful after spoonful. When she was done she leaned back her stomach distended.
"Oh my God, I bet sex isn't as good as that," she said after she scrapped the last of her ice cream off the bowl. Ashby giggled and Liam groaned.
"That bastard gets all the luck. Untouched? You are almost too perfect." He shook his head. She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Okay, kitten, where to next?" Liam asked as he paid for the ice cream. Rebecca went to fuss at him for paying, but the look he gave her silenced her protest. He was easily the most elegant gentleman she'd ever met.
"I'm dead, don't ask me," Rebecca said, almost lying in her chair patting her stomach. She turned to look at Ashby. "Where should I go next?"
Ashby looked surprised that she was asking his opinion. "If I had that much ice cream, I would want some coffee I think, to settle my stomach. My best friend Nicholas runs the Grind, it's the coffee shop across the street," he said shyly.
Rebecca got up and faced Liam. Sebastian purred at her feet. "Coffee please," she said. He nodded and offered his arm again. They were almost to the door when she whirled back to Ashby.
"Okay, I know it's the worst possible manners, but I have to know. What do you shift into?" she asked, looking at him expectantly. Liam slapped his forehead with his palm.
Ashby looked surprised but quickly recovered. "It's okay since you look like you won't make fun of me and Liam knows already." He closed his eyes, then disappeared as he shrunk down out of sight behind the ice cream case.
Liam looked thoughtful then said, "Ashby is very reticent about revealing his animal. He must really like you." A tiny animal appeared from around the tall counter. Rebecca inhaled then quickly scooped him up.
"You are without a doubt the most adorable animal I have ever seen!" She turned to Liam. "I want him," she said, snuggling the small animal's white fur. He had large eyes and larger ears. Liam laughed. She rubbed her cheek against the top of his head then kissed it.
"Sweetie, he's not a pet, he's a Fennec, a rare type of fox-shifter," he explained.
Rebecca put him down and he ran back around the counter. He shifted back and pulled his clothes on, obscured by the ice cream case. Once dressed, he came back around to stand with them.
"You're the first person to not look down at my animal," Ashby said, smiling shyly. "Most of the shifters in town are predator animals, lions, bears or wolves. So us smaller animals are usually thought of as weak." He didn't meet Liam's gaze.
Liam just nodded. "He's right. Food chain mentality and all," Liam explained.
"Well, that's just silly since you're all human." She picked up Sebastian, who purred.
Liam and Ashby just stared at her.
"What?" she asked, looking back at them.
Ashby just smiled widely. "You're right, Liam, she is special. I look forward to her being my Alpha Mother," Ashby said, inclining his head.
Liam's eyes widened at Ashby's choice of words and pushed Rebecca forward. "To acknowledge him and establish your rank over him, lean forward and lightly touch your lips to his neck," Liam explained.
"B-b-but I'm not over anyone," Rebecca stuttered.
"You will be. Ashby is giving you his fealty and his respect, but he is also asking for your protection," he explained.
"I'm doing this because you're my friend and I would take care of you anyway," Rebecca said leaning forward to touch her lips to the side of his neck. He let out a blissful sigh. Rebecca felt a distinct shift in her heart as she felt tiny strands bind them together. She was no longer alone. "He's mine," she realized, touching her chest. She knew that this moment had changed her. She had finally found a place to call home.
Movement by the door had them both turning to see a seedy looking man moving away from the entrance. Liam's eyes narrowed. "Damn hyenas." He looked down at her then shook his head. "Come on, kitten, let's get you some coffee then go check on your car. I'm interested in seeing your 'toy' car, as Pa puts it." He steered her toward the door.
"Bye bye, Ashby, see ya later," she said, waving. Ashby smiled wide and through their bond she felt that for the first time since moving to Arkadia, Ashby felt like he could really call the shifter town home.
* * * *
"Sit down son," Ma said when they reached her office, located in the back of the diner, past the kitchen. Aleks sat with his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. She looked over and the lecture she was about to give him seemed to die on her lips.
"Do you finally want to tell me what happened in Raleigh?" she asked softly.
He lifted his head to meet her eyes. "It was a bad case, Ma. The poor girl was torn up horribly. I had nightmares for months. I just couldn't shake it." He looked down and stared at the floor.
She walked over and firmly cuffed him in the back of the head. He looked up, shocked. She paused, then cuffed him again.
"Ma!" he exclaimed. When he brought his head back up she had tears in her eyes.
"What have your Pa and I done that made you feel like you couldn't come to us after a trauma like that?" she asked.
"Nothing! Ma, you and Pa are the best parents a guy could ask for. I felt like if I talked about it when I was here it would follow me. I should have been able to handle that on my own," he said. He ducked when she reached out to cuff him again.
She put her hands on her hips. "You have a family that loves you and would fight and die to keep you safe and happy! Do you know how much it hurt us to see you suffering and we couldn't do anything about it? It felt like you didn't trust us to help," she said.
"It wasn't like that," he said, shaking his head then he sighed. "You're mad at me, and I've probably ruined any chance I have with Rebecca. Maybe she would be better off with Liam," he said. His head jerked forward as her hand came down on the back it.
"Ma!" He rubbed the back of his head.
"Don't be dramatic, Aleksander. Of course you are clearly the better choice, all my sons are. You just need to show her, not tell her, that you really care and want her." She smiled slyly. "Isn't your Pa working on her car now at his garage?"
He nodded absently then stopped and looked up smiling. "Love you, Ma," he said, standing and giving her a huge hug.
"Love you too, baby boy. Now, go get your mate. I can't wait to finally have a daughter," she said, rubbing her hands together. Aleks laughed quickening his pace as he left to go help his Pa with his mate's car.
All the way to the garage he thought of ways he could make it up to Rebecca. Flowers? A gift? He was still strategizing when he walked through the open bay doors.
His Pa was staring down at a little toy.
"Hey Pa," he said walking over to his father.
"Did you talk to your Ma?"
"Yes, Sir," Aleks replied.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Pa asked as he stared down.
"No, Sir," Aleks said, also staring down.
"Aleks, your mate is tiny," Pa said, rubbing his hand over his chin.
"Yes, Sir, she is." Aleks frowned and gulped nervously, he wondered if he was going to get a lecture about sex and mating. He hoped not. That would be awkward.
"She fits in this car," Pa said, pointing down.
"This is a real car? Wait! This is her car?" Aleks, exclaimed, looking down at the tiny vehicle in front of him. "I thought you were building something to enter into that innovative engineering contest you go to every year," Aleks said, frowning at the death trap before him.
"Yes, I watched her drive up to the bay doors and get out. She even had room for her luggage too," Pa said, scratching his head. "Now, I can work on it, but I can't get in to change gears." He looked at his son who stood taller than him by an inch.
"I could get her a new car
. Like an Excursion or Hummer," Aleks said.
Pa shook his head. "Her car is one of the only things that survived the house fire that claimed her father's life," he replied.
Aleks felt frustrated. It seemed like everyone knew more about his mate than he did. Of course he had only spoken three or four sentences to her. He sighed.
"It will be okay, son. Your mother didn't talk to me the entire time I held her prisoner on the mountain before we were mated," Pa said.
"Uh-huh," Aleks nodded then he froze as the words sunk in. "Wait, what?" Aleks asked, feeling stunned.
Pa gave a lazy shrug. "She was so stubborn. She fought our mating and refused to speak to me. So I just bundled her up one night, put her in the trunk of my car, and drove her out to your grandfather's hunting cabin. You were conceived in that cabin." Pa smiled as he reminisced.
"I thought you said she didn't talk to you the entire time?" Aleks questioned.
"Son, as old as you are, I'm sure you know by now that talking has little to do with cubs getting made. At the end of the second week she finally said, 'Okay, I'll keep you.'" Pa laughed.
"I think if I tried that with Rebecca she might kill me in my sleep. She was really pissed at me," he said, eyeing the car from a new angle.
"I could tell right off she had fire. She'll be a perfect mate for you, boy. Don't know why it took you so long to see it. You're stubborn though, just like your Ma, once you get something in your head you need a crowbar to get it out." Pa just shook his head.
"I want to fix her car, but I don't want her driving it. The thought of her hurt gives me a heart attack. And I want to learn everything about her. I'm tired of hearing others tell me about her and not know it myself. She's my mate, dammit! I should know about her car and her family." Aleks sighed. "It seems like I only know one thing about her." He turned to his Pa "Did you know she has the smile of an angel?"
Pa nodded and then motioned with his head to the door.
"Do now," he said grinning broadly.
Aleks turned to see his mate standing before him clutching a bedraggled cat. She had tears in her eyes.