“Are you a shifter?” she asked.
The older woman hid her hands in her apron and backed away a few steps. She ducked her head and spoke softly. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I told you, Lucille. You don’t need to call me ma’am. I’m younger than you.”
She shook her head, making the silver curls bounce. “No, ma’am. You’re the alpha’s mate. No, never. We can’t disrespect you.”
“Did Sebastian threaten you? If he did, I’ll talk to him. He should respect his elders too.”
“No, ma’am. Please, don’t do that. He wouldn’t be happy if he thought I complained to you.”
Sophia didn’t know what to make of the woman’s fear. Was she just scared because she was painfully shy even at her age? Or was it because Sebastian was a hard taskmaster and lorded his authority over them?
“Okay, if you’re sure.”
The housekeeper scrambled out of the dining room, and Sophia sank into her chair. She chewed on a piece of bacon and tried to sort through her own confusion. Lucille was one of the people Jack wanted to kill because they were violent and murderous wolf shifters, not human at all. Dealing with the older woman made it impossible to believe she could hurt anyone. It could all be an act of course, and there was the fact that Sebastian probably killed that man who attacked her.
While she thought through everything a million times, the dining room door opened. Sophia startled when Ava strode in. The woman was the last person she desired to see that morning, but at least Ava didn’t appear to be pissed off—yet.
“Good morning,” she mumbled and headed toward the sideboard.
Sophia stared after her. “You live here?”
Ava didn’t turn around but began to make herself a plate. “No, I stayed, and so did a lot of the others so we could be close for the selection.”
Sophia didn’t respond, but she noted the tension in Ava’s back and shoulders.
The shifter took her time turning around. Her plate was piled with more food than Sophia could have eaten. Eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, hash browns, and toast. How could a woman with a figure like hers eat that much and not gain?
“Sophia.” Unlike Lucille, Ava didn’t stare at the floor or fidget. She looked Sophia straight in the eyes. “Please consider me to be one of your Guard.”
Sophia’s mouth fell open.
“I know you don’t like me, and you don’t trust me either. I promise you. I would never let anyone hurt you.”
“Why would I believe you?” She didn’t end the sentence with ‘when you and I both know you want Sebastian.’ The expression on Ava’s face said she understood what wasn’t spoken.
Ava dropped into a seat down the table from Sophia, as far as she could get. “Because if anything happened to you, it would destroy Sebastian. I can’t let that happen.”
“Destroy is a strong word.”
“You only think so because you don’t understand mates.”
Sophia decided to test her. “I’ve heard that some of your people think Sebastian is lying, that he’s only claiming I’m his destined mate.”
She jumped to her feet. “Who’s saying that? I’ll—”
“Calm down. I don’t know who I heard it from. I don’t know everybody’s name yet.” She lied, but Ava looked too ready to prove herself to Sebastian. For all Sophia knew, the woman would take someone out for lack of loyalty to the alpha.
Ava sank into her seat and resumed eating. Between bites, she said, “Sebastian would do anything for his people, but he wouldn’t lie to them. He’s the most loyal of us all. He puts us all first before himself, and he wouldn’t marry a human for selfish reasons.”
Sophia didn’t bother telling her she heard the slight gag as Ava pronounced human. This person wanted trust. Yet, what Ava claimed rang true. She cared about Sebastian enough to protect his mate so he wouldn’t be hurt. Sophia wasn’t sure she could do that in a reverse situation.
“Why are you so desperate to be one of my Guard? To get closer to him?”
Ava colored. “You don’t bite your tongue, do you?”
Sophia shrugged. “Why should I?”
“Because it can be dangerous.”
“Is that a threat?”
She opened her mouth and then snapped it shut. A deep breath, and she blew it out with all the air of a harassed woman who needed patience to deal with ignorant people. “I’m not saying I’ll hurt you, but some of my people have short fuses. If you set them off by running your mouth, it will end badly for you.”
Sophia ticked the points off on her fingers. “In other words, you’re all animals pretending to be human. You’re prone to violence, and you’re sensitive because a person can’t speak their mind without you getting offended. Did I get everything?”
Ava’s expression turned sour. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone like you.”
“You haven’t. Don’t forget it.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “You’re either brave or stupid.”
“That’s a new one.” Sarcasm etched Sophia’s words. “Look, I’m a black woman. I don’t know if you know any or if any of your people are black. I just realized I’m the darkest spot around here. We don’t take anything lying down. I’m not going to let you or anybody else intimidate me because you’re the big bad wolf.”
And we talk a good game to cover our fear.
“So save the warnings, okay? I’ll choose who sticks close to me. End of story.”
Ava seemed to come to the conclusion that there was no talking to her. She let the matter drop and finished her food. When she was done, she stormed out of the dining room without another word.
Sophia stood to clean up her plate, but Lucille whisked in as if she picked up the scent of someone taking over her job. The plate disappeared with the housekeeper through the swinging door to the kitchen, and she had no choice but to move on.
Just like the night before, the mansion was overrun with people Sebastian called the elite. Sophia had never had to raise her chin so often as she strode by them. More than one threw her a look of curiosity, but she didn’t pause long as she searched for Sebastian.
Raised voices echoed in the hall. A man stood outside the room where they had had the party, and a small crowd of men and women gathered behind him. They all faced Sebastian and his Guard.
“No disrespect, sir,” the man was saying. Sophia hated when people began a statement with those words. It always meant they were about to disrespect whoever they were speaking to. “But we need to see some proof. No one believes she’s your mate.”
Sophia rolled her eyes. “That again?”
Several of them looked her way, and she covered her mouth. She’d forgotten they could hear well. Not to be intimidated as she had told Ava, she straightened her back and started toward the group. She hadn’t taken more than a couple steps before Ava blocked her path.
“Move, Ava,” she snapped.
The woman glanced at her over her shoulder. “Temporary. Just stay put.”
Sophia put her hands on her hips. “Who do you think you are?”
Ava didn’t answer. She focused on the group ahead of them. Sophia couldn’t actually move her, so she decided to wait and hear what Sebastian had to say.
“You have my word,” Sebastian told the doubtful group.
Sophia raised an eyebrow. Was he kidding?
The man snorted. “Gonna have to do better than that.”
Alex moved forward, baring his teeth. “Watch your mouth.”
The man wasn’t daunted. “Sebastian has always encouraged us to talk to him and tell him our concerns. Why is now different? Just because he wanted to marry a human. He kept it quiet all this time and didn’t even invite us to the wedding. Why?”
The others in his group echoed his sentiments, protesting loudly.
The man continued. “Because he knows she’s not his true mate. Sure, we get how bedding them can be fun.”
This time Sebastian growled, but he didn’t make a mo
ve.
“Check your history. At no time has any shifter been fated for a human mate.”
“This is not the day for this discussion,” Sebastian said. “The Guard is what’s important. At a later time, we can—”
“I heard she doesn’t even respect our ways.”
“How can she?” another chimed in. “She’s human.”
Sophia had enough. She started around Ava, and the shifter wasn’t even looking at her when her hand shot out to capture Sophia’s arm.
“What the hell?” Sophia grumped and tugged. It was like fighting against Sebastian’s hold of steel. So not feminine. “Sebastian!”
Her husband spotted her and frowned. “Take her to her room, Ava, and keep her there.”
“What?” Sophia shrieked. “I’m not some prisoner. I thought I was your wife. If you’re having a problem, I can help.”
Ava moved in front of her, blocking her view. Her lips were tight, and an expression of regret registered in her eyes. Sophia wasn’t sure if she hated missing the argument or if she didn’t think she was helping her cause with Sophia by following Sebastian’s order.
“I’ll carry you if you don’t go on your own.”
“That would make us both look like idiots.”
Ava waited a beat longer and then bent as if she would lift Sophia.
“Fine!” Sophia marched toward the stairs. She was going to let Sebastian have it for treating her like this. If what that man said was true, and he kept her a secret until after they were married, then he screwed up. How were they going to believe Sebastian knew what he was doing when he pulled stuff like that? Everyone might calm down if he let them talk to her and get to know her a bit. Instead, there were rumors running rampant. Was this the type of alpha Sebastian was, or did suspicion and subterfuge run through their veins?
They reached her room, and Sophia paced while Ava stood near the door, her arms folded. Sophia eyed her in distaste. “You know this is some bullcrap, right? I need to be down there talking to those people not holed up here twiddling my thumbs.”
Ava smirked. “Why should they listen to you?”
“Well they aren’t going to believe him if he keeps me away from them, are they?”
“You’ll get in the way.”
“Excuse me?”
She sighed. “His mind will be filled with keeping you safe and not finding a diplomatic way of calming them. Of course he could always make them.”
“Make them what?”
“Obey.”
Sophia frowned. “He gave them orders, didn’t he? And if you’re talking about fighting them as you all seem ready to do at the drop of a hat, I’d say Sebastian is big but so are all those guys—even the women. It’s a muscle convention down there.”
To her surprise, Ava chuckled. Then she coughed and cleared her throat. “You have a lot to learn about the alpha. I’m going out to the hall. I can’t hear them over this conversation.”
She stepped out and shut the door. Resisting an urge to kick it, Sophia huffed instead. “Must be nice to eavesdrop from a mile away.”
She walked over to the window, opened it, and looked out. They were on the second floor, and the roof above the first floor verandah wasn’t so slanted that she couldn’t walk on it. If she kept as quiet as possible, she could escape the room and find out what was going on downstairs. No one would try to attack in broad daylight, so she was safe.
Well, here goes nothing.
Chapter 6
Sophia hid behind the door across the hall from where Sebastian held his meeting. She couldn’t believe her luck. The roof over the verandah led from beneath her bedroom window all the way around the mansion to the other side. She was able to climb into an open window.
I’m so proud of myself. I almost believe I was meant to be a spy.
She suppressed a laugh at the ridiculousness of that idea and tried to pick up any sounds in the hall. Sebastian had apparently ushered his visitors into the big room and was holding discussions there. Too bad she couldn’t hear through the door without leaving the safety of her hiding spot.
She tiptoed out and peeked into the hall. No one seemed to be around. She wondered where all the candidates for Guard had gotten to. Were the ones complaining about her still in the running? She couldn’t remember everyone’s faces, so she wasn’t sure. Doubtful Sebastian would let them get close after the attitude he was getting.
She dared to cross the hall and stand outside the double doors with her ear pressed to the panel. Agitated voices mingled together, but she couldn’t pick out much of what they said. It seemed like no one bothered to listen to anyone else’s opinion. She tried to hold her breath and concentrate.
“What are you doing, Sophia?”
She jumped and spun around. “Sebastian, what are you doing out here? I thought you were in that meeting.”
“What I want to know is what are you doing out of your room.”
“First of all, I’m not your servant, and you don’t tell me what to do.”
“And Ava?”
“Yes, Sebastian?”
Sophia jumped at hearing the woman’s voice behind him. They both looked around. Ava leaned in the doorframe of the room Sophia had just snuck out of. Behind her was the open window where she climbed into the house after shimmying down a trellis. Ava must have silently followed her the whole way. How embarrassing. She’d thought she was being clever, but it was a huge fail. The situation reminded her of the time she tiptoed through a friend’s house, trying not to let the friend’s dog hear her, who was outside in the yard at the time. She’d thought she outsmarted him only to peek through the blinds to see him standing at the window looking directly at her. Maybe to the dog she was stomping, or he followed her scent somehow. Human hunters thought they were going to kill all shifters? She began to wonder if it were possible.
“I thought I told you to keep her in her room,” Sebastian said.
“I’m sorry. She climbed out the window.”
“What?” His eyes widened in alarm. “She could have fallen.”
“I would have caught her.” Ava’s smug gaze switched from Sebastian to Sophia. “She had no idea how close I was the entire time. I promise you I wouldn’t have let anything happen to her.”
Sophia rolled her eyes because there wasn’t much more she could do. She focused on Sebastian. “Are you finished with your meeting? I hope everything got resolved. You know if you let me talk to them, I can straighten all this out in a jiffy.”
He chuckled. “You’re that confident in your negotiation skills?”
She shrugged. “Just saying.”
“How about we visit some people first?” he suggested.
“Who?”
“A few members of my pack and their families. Not everyone is an elite with potential to be Guard. Most of the pack are just regular people, working their nine to five jobs. They depend on me to lead them and sometimes to be a liaison between them and humans.”
She gasped. “You mean there are humans who know about you? I thought you kept your existence a secret.”
He hesitated as if he searched for how to explain. “You’re right in that we keep our existence a secret. There are a few who know about us.”
Hunters.
“However,” he continued, “some of my people have trouble keeping their true natures hidden. Sometimes they get into conflicts with humans, and I have to smooth the way. Damage control, advice, et cetera.”
“Damage control. What’s involved with that?”
He tipped her chin up and gave her a quick kiss. “Come on. We’ll go out and meet some of them.”
“What about the people in that room?” She gestured to the meeting room behind her.
“I have one of my men dealing with them for now.”
Sophia didn’t miss how he avoided the question about humans. She wondered if this was one of those situations Jack alluded to. Damage control when a wolf shifter revealed his existence to a human might involve eliminating
the human. She swallowed, thinking about the prospect. On one hand it terrified her to think Sebastian might order someone’s death. Then again it was hard to believe. Not in her world. It couldn’t be. Yet, she never would have thought someone like him existed in the first place.
They left the house to find a waiting car and all three of his Guard present. As they climbed into the car, she thought about the amazing fact that his people anticipated his needs.
Sebastian’s first stop led them into the Isle of Hope area of Savannah, a community that lined the Skidaway River. Sophia recalled looking into a house to rent in the area when she first planned to move to Georgia. Needless to say, the houses were out of her price range. Many of them sold for three hundred thousand and above.
They turned onto a quiet tree-lined road with modest houses, and Sebastian gestured. “Because I’m alpha, I run the real estate corporation that in turn owns most of these houses on this street and in other neighborhoods around the city.”
She gasped. “You own Isle of Hope?”
He chuckled. “No, I said most of the houses on this street, and no, I don’t own them per se. We have a corporation that is basically owned by the entire pack. A portion of the profits are distributed to every family with a generous amount to the alpha. That’s how we can afford to live in the mansion. The corporation also owns it. I’m sorry to disappoint you, my love, but if I weren’t alpha, we might live in one of these.”
“I’m not moneygrubbing if that’s what you’re hinting at, but wow, that shocks me. Everybody gets an allowance?”
“Yes, from the greatest to the least. Most of our people still work full time jobs of course because the corporation can only pay so much for so many.”
“Talk about taking care of your own though. That’s incredible.”
“It’s our way.”
The car came to a stop at the end of the street where a mini-park had been designed into the landscaping. Music blared, and benches, picnic tables, and people crowded the small green area. They all appeared to be waiting for them to arrive. Sophia’s belly tied into knots. These were animals, she reminded herself, wolves in particular.
Married to the Wolf Page 5