by R. J. Blain
Richard snorted, startling both of the women into retreating several steps. They exchanged looks, mumbled something I couldn’t understand, but after Richard acknowledged them with a nod, they made their escape.
At the other end of the kitchen, which opened up to a living room, curious kids and teens gathered to watch, though none of them dared to cross where the hardwood made way for tile.
“I know he’ll try and cause a problem. Simon does exactly what Simon wants to do. If he doesn’t show up here at some point, I’ll be astonished. I’m sorely tempted to just put the house on lockdown until after the full moon. Maybe he’ll get the point without one of us having to deal with him permanently.”
Alex flinched. “Running out of strikes?”
“He came about five seconds from being out of them at the lodge. Dominant or not, if he can’t control himself or his wolf, he’ll be a risk to the entire pack. You will need to be careful, Alex. You know how he feels about you.”
“I know. He’s made no secret about his belief that only Fenerec belong in the pack.” Glancing over his shoulder at the adjacent room, Alex shook his head. “If he tried for Nicolina, she’s probably at more risk than I am.”
“Why settle for one or the other when he could have both?”
I grimaced at the worn, tired quality of Richard’s voice. “But if he’s such a problem, why is he your Third?”
“He’s my Third because he had the strength and ambition to become it. If an opportunity knocked, he wouldn’t object to taking my place, Nicolina.”
Luke had wanted Richard’s place as well, and I hadn’t hesitated long when I had seen the wolf fighting my father in our living room. I should have felt more remorse for taking someone’s life, but if I hadn’t fired, my father might have died. Richard certainly would have, and I couldn’t accept that. If anyone was going to finish Richard off, it’d be me.
The idea of Simon coming to the house during the full moon worried me. I had Richard’s gun, but would I be able to fire it again if needed? Could I handle watching someone die again because of me?
I didn’t know.
~~*~~
Those Richard protected in his home wore fake smiles and offered kind words but kept their distance. There was none of the cheek kissing I had witnessed at Sophie’s place or any sign of the casual friendship he shared with Jessica and Al. The children and teens found somewhere else to be, and when they did come close to Yellowknife’s Alpha, they stole glances when they thought he wasn’t looking.
Like my sister, not one of them dared to look higher than Richard’s chin, leaving me and Alex the only ones willing to make eye contact with him.
By the time he finished showing me the second floor, which was a dormitory with several large gaming rooms, an arcade, and a home theatre capable of seating a hundred, I was weighing the advantages and disadvantages of saying all of the unpleasant things in the forefront of my thoughts.
When we returned to the kitchen, the audience had thinned to the adults and some of the older teens.
I clenched my hands into fists, and careful to keep my tone neutral, I asked, “Richard, what do you think you’re doing?”
He turned to face me, his expression puzzled. “What do you mean, Nicolina?”
Alex clamped his hand over my mouth. “Perhaps we should talk upstairs.”
It took every bit of my willpower to not bite Alex, his hand muffling my protests at being silenced. Richard frowned, reached over, and peeled his brother’s fingers away from my mouth. “Don’t worry so much, Alex. What did you want to say, Nicolina?”
I jabbed my finger at Richard’s shoulder. He dodged, catching hold of my wrist with a faint smile. “Someone’s annoyed at something.”
“I think you need to be thrown in the pool,” I snapped.
“Now that is something I’d like to see you try. Why do I deserve to be tossed in the pool?”
“You’re just… you’re…” Aware of the people watching me, I didn’t want to come out and say how rude I thought they were being, but I hated the subdued way Richard was behaving.
If they had the courage to look him in the eyes, they’d see his glazed, deadened expression.
“Upstairs,” Alex repeated, giving me a push towards the pantry. “It’s not what you think.”
Richard frowned, shrugged, and after a wave at those who hadn’t found somewhere else to be, he herded us into the pantry and closed the door before punching in a code to open the access to upstairs. “She can say what she wants, Alex.”
“Sure, she can. She could also say the right thing for exactly the wrong reason and end up ostracized by the entire community. That wouldn’t go over so well, now would it?” Waiting for Richard to head upstairs, Alex nudged me through the door. “You’re upset because he’s acting like he broke a Ming vase in his own house, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I hissed through clenched teeth.
“It’s not like that,” Richard grumbled.
Snickering, Alex pushed me up the stairs. “Yes, it is.”
“Do you want thrown into the pool, Alex?”
“I’m sure you’ll do it anyway.”
While the two brothers bickered, I considered why we had gone to the second floor in the first place. Something about their reaction to him was related to his lack of interest in my twin. However, the only things I had noticed were their distance and the way they refused to look him in the eyes.
No one wanted to challenge an Alpha. I did it because it annoyed Richard, and I liked the way he bristled. Lisa didn’t keep much distance from Richard, as shameless as my mother and father in touching him when he was a wolf. However, like those on the second floor, she kept her eyes lowered. I was pretty certain she sneaked peeks when she thought he wasn’t looking.
He was, by far, the best looking man our father had ever brought home for us.
“Is it always like that, Alex?” I demanded.
“They’ll relax after the full moon. He’ll come crawling home after the pack hunt and collapse on a couch downstairs. They’ll unwind, he’ll trap a few people who get too close, he’ll get cuddled, and he’ll be a happy wolf. It’s normal. Don’t judge them too harshly, Nicolina. The full moon worries them—especially those who are old enough to understand what’s going on. With Simon acting up, they have reason to worry. Richard doesn’t have a mate either, and they know it. Really, they probably think you’re insane for being anywhere near him right now.”
“Did they not notice I have his gun?”
“They probably think it’s weird you look comfortable carrying it with you. That’s not exactly normal for around here.”
Richard frowned. “Many people around here don’t like guns, though they make exceptions for hunting rifles. If they find out you’re skilled and aren’t gun shy like them, they may not be all that friendly with you.”
“So, let me guess. If they found out I shot Luke, it would be a problem,” I muttered.
“They’d probably thank you,” Alex grumbled. “Let’s not find out. Simon can’t get into the fourth floor, so you’ll be safe.”
“What about the second floor?” I demanded.
Alex stared at me, and for a long moment, I expected his eyes to turn wolf-gold before I remembered he was a Normal like me. Richard stood statue still, watching us.
“What about the second floor?” I repeated, clenching my hands into fists.
“Alex will be carrying the Glock, just in case,” Richard whispered in a tone allowing no argument.
When Alex refused to meet Richard’s gaze, I sucked in a breath and held it. For all Alex was Normal, he was still pack with Simon.
Alex swallowed. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”
~~*~~
Long after Alex returned to the second floor, taking the Glock with him, Richard paced, growling with each breath.
I never should have asked him about my sister. While Richard hadn’t been calm or happy before, stress etched deep lines acro
ss his brow. He halted, staring at the door leading down to the second floor.
Swallowing, I stared at my hands. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Nicolina.” Richard sighed. “It’s not your fault. You deserve to know the truth. If it makes you feel better, they treat all Fenerec like that right before the full moon. It’s smart. If anything, you’re the one taking stupid risks.”
“Stupid risks,” I echoed, clenching my hands into fists. “I’m not a doormat.”
Richard sank down on the couch. “I’m not interested in your sister because from the instant she came down the stairs, I knew. If I wanted her, I could have her.”
The truth hurt. Bristling at the no-nonsense way he spoke, I flexed my hands before sitting on them so I wouldn’t reach out and throttle the Alpha for being honest. “She’s not a slut.”
“She’s not. She’s a Fenerec-born young lady. I don’t have a mate. That’s why the distance downstairs. Not a single one of them wanted to even give a hint of interest this close to the full moon. They acted like that because I told them to. They don’t deserve to get nipped because it’s winter and I perceived an invitation that wasn’t there. Trust me, I get nipped at often enough to know what it’s like.” Stretching out his legs, Richard planted his feet on the coffee table. “Fortunately, there are no new bitches in the pack this year, so I’m safe.”
“You’re safe?” I twisted around to face him, my eyes widening. “You’re safe?”
The corners of his mouth turned up in a smile. “Did you think nipping only worked one way, Miss Desmond? Trust me on this, a lady can get her way just as easily as a rutting male in winter.”
I flushed. That was exactly what I had thought. Determined not to embarrass myself any further, I clenched my teeth so I wouldn’t say another word.
“Females are just as prone to rutting as males. There are just far fewer female Fenerec. Right now, my pack has four unmated bitches, and all of them are below the age of twenty. It wouldn’t surprise me if I have at least ten proposals for Sasha by tomorrow. I’ll reject them all, with one exception.”
I sucked in a breath at the thought of the girl. “But she’s twelve.”
“Didn’t your father teach you any of this? Jesus, Desmond’s an idiot sometimes.” Richard ran his hands through his hair, making a frustrated noise in his throat. “He should have told you this years ago. You really don’t know?”
My father had explained what the rutting males would do—not that we could instigate such intimacy ourselves. I flushed, and for a long moment, I stared at Richard’s throat. If I wanted Richard, was it as simple as nipping him in the same way the visiting Fenerec had nipped me?
“I’m not asking him,” I spluttered, the heat from my embarrassment spreading down my neck.
If I talked to either my mother or my father, they’d think I was interested in doing exactly what Lisa did, which would result in a revival of the endless stream of rutting suitors. I didn’t want strangers nipping me.
Shivering, I shook my head. “If I ask them, they’ll take it the wrong way.”
“This talk either needs coffee, alcohol, or both,” Richard mumbled, standing. “Why don’t I show you the kitchenette?”
Drawing a deep breath to steady my nerves, I nodded and rose, following him out of the room.
What Richard considered a kitchenette was roughly the size of my apartment at Stanford. I gawked at the elegant yet rustic decor, the stainless appliances, and the granite countertops. One corner of the room was taken up by a stone and brick fireplace.
There was an island with stools, much like the one at home in Seattle.
The table, however, bothered me. It was tucked in the corner near the fireplace with two stools, its wood dulled and gouged from age. Something about it felt out of place, although I couldn’t quite tell what. It had a loved, often-used feel to it.
“If this is a kitchenette, I’m afraid to ask what you think a real kitchen is.”
“What we have at the lodge,” Richard replied, going to work brewing a pot of coffee. “Six can cook in that thing without bumping into each other once. It even has four stoves. During the summer, having seventy or eighty people around is normal. Last year, we had almost three hundred people there for Labor Day.”
“That’s insane.”
“It was. I didn’t even know I was hosting a party. Frank, Tully, Alicia, and Vivian suckered me. I’m sure there are pictures,” he grumbled. “I know there are pictures, because I have some of them. They’re all embarrassing.”
“Show me,” I demanded, grabbing a stool and sitting at the island.
Richard glanced at me, smiled, and shook his head. “I don’t know, Miss Desmond. They’re really embarrassing pictures.”
“I will get my hands on those pictures,” I promised him, narrowing my eyes. “If you won’t cooperate, I’m sure Frank will. Sasha seems nice, maybe I could ask her to ask her father for them.”
“You play dirty, Miss Desmond. What do you want in your coffee?”
“All coffee tastes terrible.”
“Well, will your coffee taste terrible with or without liquor?” Richard asked, opening a cupboard to reveal a staggering collection of bottles. “I have four types of cream liquors, more whisky than you can shake a stick at, three chocolate liquors, and a variety of other types of liquor coffee plays nice with. At least, I think they do. I’ve been told this is the case, but I have not done any trials to determine if it’s true. I’m sure this province has a drinking age, but I’m also certain I have selective memory loss right now.”
“I thought you didn’t drink much.” I leaned over the counter, whistling at the vast quantity of alcohols. “You must have some wild nights here, Mr. Murphy.”
“Most of them are unopened. I swear, I end up going to the liquor store and buying something I don’t have just because I don’t have it. I don’t know what half of this stuff tastes like. I keep it just in case I’m hosting business up here for some reason. I couldn’t keep it on the second floor.”
I snorted. “With a house full of teens? They’d have a new theme song in about thirty minutes. Could have been the whisky, might have been the gin…”
Richard laughed, picking a tall, thin bottle from the cupboard. “Chocolate makes everything taste better.”
A smart girl would have said no. A smart girl would have run away. Instead, I nodded my approval of his statement and replied, “If chocolate can’t make coffee taste better, nothing can.”
Either measuring was too much work or Richard simply didn’t care. He poured some of the dark brown liquor into each mug before topping it off with coffee. He slid one to me, hooking a stool with his foot and dragging it to his side of the counter. “Did your father and mother really not tell you anything about winter rut?”
I took a sip of the coffee. Chocolate did improve the coffee’s bitter taste, though I had a feeling it’d take a lot more of the liquor to make it something I’d enjoy drinking. “Dad’s the live and learn type. Mom’s not all that different. She’s the go with the flow and like it type.”
Richard took a sip, sighed, and replied, “I take it your sister liked it, but you did not.”
At the rate I was going, my face was going to burst into flames. “Right.”
“I could have let Sasha start looking for a mate seriously when she turned eleven—a year after she became a Fenerec. I usually won’t perform the ritual on Fenerec-born children any younger than eleven, not unless it’s really necessary,” Richard said, running his finger along the rim of his mug.
“The ritual. That’s how someone becomes a Fenerec?”
“Correct. Interested people petition their sponsor—the person who wants to bring them into the pack. I talk with them, have a look at their situation, and try to figure out if they really mean it. If they don’t, it’s lethal, Nicolina. You have to want to become one of us or you die trying. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Do or die. If you really want it, i
t works. If you don’t, well, you won’t live to learn from your mistake.”
“Holy shit. That’s crazy.”
“I don’t like killing people, so I try to make sure they really want it. I wouldn’t have even considered the ritual for Sasha for another two or three years had the circumstances been different.” Richard drummed his fingers on his mug.
“Then why? If you wanted to wait, why did you make her a Fenerec?”
“This doesn’t leave this room,” Richard said, meeting my gaze.
“I won’t talk,” I promised.
“It isn’t uncommon for Fenerec to have Normal mates. Some choose to become Fenerec later in life, some don’t. Alicia was one of the ones who chose to remain a Normal. She wanted children, Tully did as well. They wanted lots of children. Changing forms causes miscarriage. So, they were going to wait, have a few puppies, and then she was going to become a Fenerec. It’s hard enough for Normals to carry Fenerec-born to term.”
“Fenerec women can’t have kids?” I blurted, going cold from shock and dismay.
Richard shook his head. “No, they can. It’s just not easy. They have to resist the change through the moons after the first month or two of pregnancy. It usually takes a really dominant male or a witch to help them. In the pack, it’s my job to keep the mother and puppy safe. After the baby is born, the mother often stays a wolf for a few weeks, leaving the father to take care of the puppy while she recovers. It’s really hard on a mated pair. To make matters worse, males don’t like being far from their mate, often requiring an intervention so the puppy gets the best care possible. Once again, that’s my job, since most males won’t trust anyone other than their Alpha or their mate with their newborn puppy. During the late fall, the second floor sometimes becomes a nursery.”
I took a sip of my coffee, wondering what my mother and father had gone through so my sister and I could be born. I couldn’t even imagine it. “That’s crazy.”
“Alicia and Sasha underwent the ritual together. Tully was out of town doing some business for me. He’s a worrier, so I offered to stay with them for the weekend. Alicia was restless, so I took them for a walk along the lake.”