“So says him,” I shrugged. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Eloise’s fork clattered loudly to her plate, drawing the attention of the surrounding pack members in the room.
“You’ve never heard of fated mates? Your mother never even mentioned them?” she clarified as the other pack members returned to their breakfasts at George’s warning look.
“No?” Mm, bacon. Maybe I should join this pack.
“What happened to her?” George asked sadly. He was an intimidating as fuck alpha at first glance, but I had seen glimpses of the broken man underneath — the one who was mourning the loss of his daughter.
“I mean, we didn’t talk a lot about mating. We have spent zero time together since I was twelve. Mates weren’t a topic that came up a lot when I was a kid,” I explained, looking between them.
“Not even in fairy tales? Bedtime stories?” Eloise’s confusion was starting to irritate me.
“I’d never heard the term ‘fated mates’ before he sprung it on me yesterday,” I replied shortly, my voice dripping with disdain just thinking about his stupid, attractive face. “If there’s something I should know, you’ll have to fill me in.”
“Your fated mate is your other half, your soul’s twin. Built by the Fates themselves as your perfect match and you for them,” Eloise said quietly, giving me a look that bordered irritatingly close on pity.
“That does sound like a fairytale. Make-believe,” I replied cautiously, feeling a little unnerved by the intensity of their matching stares.
“It’s very real,” Eloise assured me. “Your grandfather and I are fated mates, as is your Uncle Daniel and your Aunt Valentina. There's no mistaking them. Their smell, the pull you feel to them the moment you look into their eyes. They'll look like your ideal match, your dream partner.
"In our pack — and I imagine the Audax Pack is the same — fated mates are sacred. Many wolves in our pack remain unmated late in life because they haven’t encountered theirs yet.”
“What, so they just stay alone forever?” I asked, horrified, my fork hovering halfway to my mouth. It’s not like I approved of the arranged mating practice in my childhood pack, but being alone forever, waiting, was a depressing alternative.
“Only if they choose to wait.” George shrugged. “Others take a mate not fated for them and no one thinks any less of them. There are no guarantees. Their fated mate might have died, or chosen to take someone else as a mate.”
I chewed thoughtfully on my bacon, thinking of what Tobias had said about not being interested in me because I wasn’t his mate. That he was waiting to find her and he was all on his own, it was upsetting. I’d resigned myself to never mating and that had been a hard decision to live with. Waiting in hope, with no guarantee that it would ever happen, seemed infinitely worse.
“I thought we could go into town today,” Eloise suggested lightly, deftly changing the subject. “We’re having a big pack dinner tonight so you can meet everyone, and I need a new dress. I thought we could get you one too. It isn’t every day you get to meet the family you never knew about.”
I snorted internally at her attempts to take me shopping without offending my pride.
“Sure, let’s go shopping.”
✽✽✽
The town of Huntingdon comprised one main strip of shops, with the Sunrise Motel just off the main road backed against the woods, and a school behind the stores on the other side. The entire street was abuzz with humans doing their Christmas shopping.
The crowd parted instinctively for Eloise and I as she led me into a small boutique. On the back wall hung cocktail dresses in every shape and color, and Eloise made a beeline for them.
She immediately admired a navy lace dress with long sleeves, very First Lady chic.
“That would look lovely on you,” I commented awkwardly. Eloise gave me an understanding smile.
“How about you? Anything caught your eye?”
I shook my head. I wasn’t about to accept charity from anyone and I couldn’t afford anything in this store. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d bought brand new clothes.
“You look very nice in green,” Eloise said, pulling a slinky emerald green dress off the rack. “You should try it on.”
I mean, it couldn’t hurt to try it on. It was the sexiest dress I’d ever seen.
“Sure. I’ll try it on,” I said nonchalantly, following her to the changing room.
After we’d finished dress shopping, Eloise led us to a small diner at the end of the street. I was pretty sure she’d sneakily bought the green dress for me, but she was being cagey about letting me look in the bag so I couldn’t tell for sure.
Eloise and I ordered tomato soup and grilled cheese, taking in the bustling diner. It was a cute town.
“Why do you really think my mom left your pack?” I asked quietly.
Eloise let out a heavy sigh that had the weight of the world in it. “I think she assumed that being one of many submissive wolves in a pack was a better option than being in a pack with a more even split of dominant and submissives.”
I chewed my grilled cheese slowly. “She was wrong. There’s no one to look out for the interests of the wolves in the Azymus Pack except for the Alpha pair. Alpha Mercer even chooses centurions who are barely dominant so that no one can challenge him. No one keeps him in check.”
Eloise nodded sadly. “Those ‘paradigm’ packs all are the same. They make submissive wolves feel like they’re better off and twist their willingness to serve into a perverse desire to give up their free will for the good of the pack.”
I didn’t have any hope for my parents, but I remembered Marco fondly, I’d have gone out of my mind with touch starvation without him. Maybe I could get a letter to him, let him know there were packs like the Fortis Pack who did things differently. Who wouldn’t care that his wolf was dormant.
“We should get going,” Eloise said, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. “I need to supervise in the kitchen. Take the afternoon to relax, Wren. Run a bath. Have a nap.”
I liked the idea. I was exhausted.
The moment I opened the door to the diner, Archer’s delicious scent slammed into me.
“Fates, you ignored me just fine for months, have you forgotten how? Shall I show you how it’s done?” I said stalking past where he leaned against a lamppost.
I swear I heard the faint sound of Eloise’s suppressed laughter.
“I just wanted to see how your shopping trip went,” Archer chuckled pushing off the lamppost to fall into step with me, not quite close enough to touch, which somehow upset me as much as it mollified me.
“Why?”
“Because I want to know everything there is to know about you.” He said it so factually, it was disarming.
“Now. You want to know everything there is to know about me now,” I muttered.
Tobias was waiting in an idling Jeep at the curb and I hopped into the backseat without a backward glance, leaving the front seat for Eloise.
As we pulled away, I glimpsed Archer’s undeterred face staring at me from the sidewalk. Infuriating wolf.
✽✽✽
I took Eloise’s advice and treated myself to a soak in the tub, followed by a two-hour nap. As annoyed as I was to see Archer wandering around town, him being happy as can be, it had settled some of my wolf’s anxiety to know he was okay. Ridiculous animal.
“Wren?” Eloise’s voice carried through the door as she gently knocked. “May I come in?”
“Of course,” I replied, climbing off the bed.
Eloise entered, wearing the navy dress, with the slinky green one draped over her arm. I raised my brow questioningly at her.
“I won’t hear a word about it. I’ve bought Alec and Sadie more clothes than I can count over the years, I intend to even the score.”
I shook my head, even as I fought a smile. “I still want to pay you back, but thank you. It’s beautiful.”
“It will look better on. Go cha
nge. I’ll help you with your hair and makeup.”
I took the dress from her and slipped into the bathroom to change. The silk felt as cool and smooth as water against my skin.
Eloise directed me to sit on the bed as she skillfully applied make-up to my face.
“I borrowed some sandals for you from Sadie’s room, she won’t mind,” Eloise said, nodding at the dainty gold sandals on the floor that looked to be about my size. I’m glad she hadn’t picked out heels. I didn’t fancy trying to walk in them for the first time in front of a whole pack.
“Thank you. And please thank Sadie for me.”
“I will. Archer and his packmate, Miles, will join us for dinner,” Eloise said, a little too casually.
“Why?” I sighed. I was both annoyed, and a smidge exhilarated.
“Because he is your fated mate, and even if he wasn’t, it would be remiss of us not to invite members of the Audax Pack to join us for a meal while they’re in town. We have always had a good relationship with their pack.” There was a scolding edge to her tone that immediately got my back up.
“You heard what I said to him earlier. He knew who I was to him and ignored me for months.”
“And that behavior must be atoned for,” Eloise conceded. “Tension between dominant pairs affects the surrounding wolves, though. It would be a kindness to the pack for the two of you to put on a united front.”
“We’re not a pair.”
“Everyone in that room will know you’re fated mates by the way you look at each other, Wren.”
“Like I’m trying to murder him with my eyeballs alone?” I asked hopefully.
“Like you want to leave him a scratched up, bloodied mess while you kiss him senseless,” she replied with a straight face.
“I do not,” I said weakly, feeling my cheeks heat.
“A lie,” she pointed out, nostrils flaring slightly. “Then there’s Archer, who looks at you like he wants to punish you for being put on this earth specifically to tempt him, while he worships you for that same reason.”
“You got all of this from the thirty seconds you saw us interacting on the street?” I asked, bewildered.
“I’m an old woman, Wren. I’ve seen hundreds of mates find one another over the years. One thing I know to be true is ‘you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar’, my dear,” Eloise said, looking at me expectantly.
“I’m not trying to catch him, that’s the whole point.”
Eloise sighed, looking at me like I was dense. “Anything can be a weapon if you know how to wield it, including sweetness.”
She gave me a knowing look before leaving the room. I turned back to the mirror to check out my reflection.
How would being sweet to Archer punish him?
I disregarded the idea as I admired myself in the mirror. I’d never owned such beautiful clothes or felt so glamorous. The silky, emerald green dress had thin straps, leading to a v-neck that stretched tightly across my breasts. I definitely couldn’t wear a bra with this. The entire thing hugged my figure, falling to my knees, but with a slit up one side that showed a generous amount of thigh.
A perverse part of me wanted to look hot for Archer, even though he was a selfish asshole and entirely unworthy of my affection.
I twisted my hair into a loose knot at the base of my neck, with my bangs framing my face, and admired Eloise’s handiwork. She had apparently perfected the art of winged eyeliner way back in the sixties and never forgotten it. Giving my reflection a final once-over, I let myself out of the room.
The moment I reached the bottom step and Archer emerged, Eloise’s advice made perfect sense. Archer’s icy blue eyes crawled up my legs, lingering on the slit in my dress, the curve of my hips, the fabric stretched tight across my chest, the unmarked column of my neck. Eventually, his eyes landed on mine after an extended look at my scarlet lips, and I almost combusted on the spot from the heat in his gaze.
Archer didn’t look at me like he wanted to fuck me. He looked at me like he wanted to consume me. Like he’d take me apart and put me back together with little marks all over me that told the world I was his.
It was exactly what I wanted to do to him. Too bad he’d ruined us before we’d even begun.
I sauntered up to him, leaning into his personal space like it was my right.
“See something you like?" I purred into his ear, letting my breasts brush against his chest. He sucked in a breath, shuddering slightly at my touch.
Mission: Weaponize Sweetness is a go.
“You know I do.” His hand ghosted over the curve of my hip and I steeled myself against the intense reaction I had to his touch.
“Shall we?” he asked, stepping back and holding out his arm for me to take.
“We’re not a couple,” I reminded him, taking his arm and ignoring the censuring look Eloise gave me at my words, and George’s snort of amusement.
“Believe me, I know,” Archer chuckled. “But you’ve decided you’re in the mood to play with fire, so I’m going to make the most of it,” he added amiably as we made our way into the large dining hall, past the tables of pack members to a long table at the front. George sat at the head of the table with Eloise to his right. They had saved two spaces for us to the left of the Alpha, and Archer surprised me by guiding me into the chair closest to George, who gave him an approving look.
“Wren, my darling,” Archer cooed in my ear like the shithead he was, his arm resting on the back of my chair. “This is my packmate, Miles.” He leaned back so I could see the dark-haired, dark-eyed shifter sitting on his other side.
Archer’s fingers grazed my exposed back as he reclined arrogantly in his seat, legs spread like his balls were too big to sit normally. Unwilling to let him have the advantage, I planted my hand on his thigh — obscenely close to the generously sized bulge in his slacks — and leaned across him to shake Miles’ hand.
“Nice to meet you, Miles.” I instantly recognized his scent as that of the other wolf on campus.
“And you, Wren.” His eyes were darting between Archer and I, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Archer’s hand trailed up my back to rest at the nape of my neck, his thumb stroking soothing circles over my skin. The possessiveness of the hold made me bristle and had my traitorous, affection-starved wolf panting. I squeezed Archer’s thigh in a warning, and he squeezed my nape right back.
Pack members brought platters of food and laid them in the center of the table, the smell of cooked meat and assorted casseroles, making my mouth water. We waited for the Alpha pair to serve themselves before spooning food onto our own plates.
“Chicken?” Archer asked smoothly, putting a piece on my plate at my suspicious nod. “Green beans?”
I caught the approving look Eloise was giving Archer across the table and fought the urge to roll my eyes. He was filling my plate, not walking across hot coals for me. Perspective, Grams.
There wasn’t a lot of talking as we all got stuck into our food. I was cataloguing every item on the table, curious about the logistics of cooking for such a big crowd. I’d never catered anything before. It seemed like a fun challenge.
“What’s got you thinking so hard?” Archer asked, stretching his arm along the back of my chair and plucking at the spaghetti strap of my dress. His rough fingertips brushed against my skin as he toyed with the fabric and it took everything in me not to shudder. His touch was potent. It lit a fire inside me that went out and left me cold whenever his hands weren’t on me.
“Archer, how are your parents?”
Archer’s hand stilled, his body tensing at George’s innocuous question. I discreetly looked up at him through my eyelashes. His face and body language gave nothing away. I doubted I’d have even noticed anything was amiss if I wasn’t sitting so close to him.
“My dad is doing a lot better now we’ve called him and let him know we didn’t cause a diplomatic incident,” Archer said with a smirk. “This is the first time he’s allowed Miles and
I to visit another pack without adult supervision. Dad and Joe were waiting for a call to say you’d locked us in the basement and you needed them to come pick us up.”
“No such luck, though not for lack of trying on Wren’s part,” George laughed. I pursed my lips, trying not to smile. Archer relaxed and his hand resumed its gentle ministrations against my back. He’d deflected like a pro, but there was a story behind that split second of tension and I was desperate to find out what it was.
No, I wasn't. I hated this guy. I didn’t care about his story at all.
“Wait, does that mean your dad is the Alpha?” I asked incredulously. “Your dad is the Alpha.” Eloise gave me a disapproving look at my mutter.
“Of course,” George replied, in an obviously tone. “Archer is the presumed Alpha heir of the Audax Pack.”
“And Miles is the presumed Beta,” Archer added helpfully, Miles tipped his chin in acknowledgment.
“Daniel’s first trip to visit another pack on his own was a disaster,” Eloise said fondly, shaking her head, smoothly changing the subject. “It was to a pack in Argentina and it turned out his mate, Valentina, was the Alpha’s daughter. He wasn’t best pleased to discover his beloved daughter’s fated mate was taking her so far away.”
“Do they visit them often?” Miles asked politely. I didn’t even know him, but I was certain he was trying to give Archer and I a moment to ourselves.
“You’ve got a secret,” I breathed in a sing-song voice, just loud enough for him to hear.
“Says the girl who hides her scent,” Archer replied, equally quiet, raising his brow at me. “We’ve both got secrets, but not for long. Not from each other.”
“You are delusional.”
“I’m a realist. We’re fated mates. We’re inevitable.”
“Is that honestly what you expect?” I hissed. “That you can just stroll into my life whenever you feel like it, and I’ll drop everything to be with you?”
“Of course not,” he replied with a wry smile. His calm demeanor enraged me even more.
“Let’s move the tables out of the way,” Eloise announced loudly, shooting me a warning look. “We’ll have some dancing.”
Fire & Gasoline: A Shifter Romance (Audax Pack Book 1) Page 14