Meadow, no longer afraid of her Alpha, followed Charles around like a puppy, and twice they'd found her asleep tucked up in the kneehole under his desk where she quietly played while he worked.
The younger boys were bundles of energy that seemed capable of being in six places at once. Kat finally gave up trying to keep track of them, satisfied that they were safe under the eyes of so many wolvers and they always managed to show up to be fed. Tilda assured her that this was as it should be.
In one fell swoop, Kat had a mate and a family. It wasn't the house in the suburbs with the white picket fence and they certainly weren't the two children she'd envisioned, but she was happier with her makeshift brood and her soon-to-be mate than she'd ever have been with Brandon.
River still worried her. His change from boy to man hadn't wavered and the solemn Ryker had taken the young wolver under his wing.
"They're two of a kind," Jo declared with some pride.
Kat thought so, too, and she was confident the older wolver would be a good role model for River. Ryker was strong and solid and no-nonsense, but underneath the hard surface there was a compassion in the man that he tried to keep hidden. River would be fine if he followed in Ryker's footsteps.
He still, however, escaped each night and Kat wondered how long she should keep his secret. River and Charles were on firm if not companionable footing with each other and she hesitated to bring up anything that might upset that delicate balance. There was so much else going on that needed Charles' attention.
"A penny for your thoughts," the man who was constantly in them said from behind her as he slipped his hands about her waist.
"I was thinking of you," she told him, leaning back into the firmness of his chest, "And the children and Tilda and Buddy and Hell Hall." Kat tilted her head back to look up at him with her eyes filled with tears. "I'm happy."
"I'll take your word for it," Charles chuckled and kissed her nose, "Though it beats me how women can be happy and cry at the same time."
She ran her knuckle under her eyes. "I've wondered that, myself. Are you happy, Charles? With all this? With me?"
Charles paused for a moment before he spoke. "If you'd asked me a year ago if I wanted a Mate and a family and a falling down estate, I would have laughed in your face. I wanted fast cars and a sleek, modern apartment in a high-rise. Now, I wonder how I could have been such a fool."
He released her and led her over to the schoolroom sofa that was already spotted with unknown splotches made by children's sticky fingers and made her sit. He got down on one knee and took her hand in his.
"All this makes me happy. Even the cubs make me happy, but none of it would matter without you. You're the heart of my house, kitten, the center of my soul. Your love and trust are honors I don't deserve. I want to be the man you see in me. I want to make you proud. You make me whole. You make me complete. You make me laugh. So, Miss Katarina Bennett, I'm formally asking for your hand on bended knee. Will you please be my Mate and love me as I love you."
With his free hand, he held out a small black velvet box, opened to show her the gold and diamond band within.
"We wolvers don't do engagement rings or wedding bands. Jewelry tends to get lost in the change, but I thought you might like this."
Kat was crying openly now, snuffling like a baby. "Well it took you long enough." She tried to laugh, but she couldn't. She held out her hand for him to slip the ring on her finger. "I accept your proposal, Charles Goodman, and I will love you with all my heart for as long as we both shall live and then some." She leaned forward for a kiss.
"How touching! And to think I'm the only witness to this momentous occasion."
Stephanie stood in the doorway, smiling benevolently. "Let me be the first to congratulate the happy couple."
Charles rose, still holding Kat's hand. "I thought you were out of town."
"Ah yes, and shame on me, Alpha. I shouldn't have left you with so much going on. You needed me here, but I needed time to readjust my thinking and my plans. That's done now, so here I am, rested and ready. I wouldn't have missed this for the world. Our Alpha has found himself a Mate." She walked toward them and held out her hand to Kat. "You'll be just what we need."
* * *
"I smiled and said thank you, oh so politely, but it wasn't easy," Kat said later to Jo as they stood out on the patio watching Stephanie make the rounds among the men. "I feel sorry for her in a way. I know what it's like to have all your plans ruined."
"That's why you'll make a good Mate. You try to love everyone. There's no snarkiness in you. That'll be my job." Jo offered her a glass of wine. "So are you ready for this? They'll start showing up tomorrow morning. It's an all day affair."
"When do I get dressed for the mating?"
"You may as well do it first thing, by afternoon at the latest. You only get to wear it once. It won't be worth much by the next morning."
"No saving it for my daughter?"
"Not unless she's into muddy and torn," her friend laughed.
"It's a planting moon," Tilda said beside them, "A good fertile moon to begin a family under." She winked at Jo. "You and that wolver of yours should be looking at that, too."
"Now tell me I'm not getting any younger, Mom." Jo rolled her eyes.
"Well, you ain't and neither is your man." Tilda was not to be deterred. She had her Alpha and her Mate and she was set on creating a flourishing pack single handedly. She'd been dropping hints all day about the single wolver women who were bound to be attending the mating.
"Okay, okay!" Jo threw up her hands. "Next month during the Honey Moon. The big guy's got a thing for honey," she confided.
"I'm not going there. I don't want to know," Kat laughed. "But I'm happy to hear it."
"You and my real Mom," Jo said, glancing at Tilda. "She cried. I'm now under orders to give her a granddaughter. Shit! We haven't even talked about kids."
Tilda was lost in thought. "I thought I was missing a jar. I reckoned it was them boys. Not missing any bread or biscuits, though."
The younger women burst into laughter. Tilda looked from one to the other and turned an odd shade of red. "He didn't need any bread, did he? That rascal had his own honey bun!"
Jo's laughter stopped abruptly and she stared past Kat's shoulder. "What's up with him? I haven't seen that look in days."
Kat turned and saw River at the corner of the house, staring out onto the patio. His lip was curled and he looked like he didn't know whether to curse or spit. She followed his eyes, but there were too many clustered around Charles to pick out the victim of his animosity.
Charles stood by Alex and a fawning Stephanie, who'd been so affable and apologetic since she arrived that Kat felt something akin to a hairball in her throat. Next to them, Tanner and Rawley passed their time with two other men who'd returned with Alex. One of them had received the physical talking to from Charles in the TV room.
Right behind them, Becky was chatting with Rhonda while keeping one eye on Rawley and Kat wondered if Rawley had a favorite moon like Ryker. If not, Becky was more than ready to supply him with hers.
There were more men and a few women, but none of them looked particularly guilty or suspicious. Ryker, with a sixth sense for trouble, looked over the heads of the others, caught River's scowl and moved toward the teenage, but when he got close enough to speak, River turned his back and walked away.
It pained Kat to see him this way. She thought he would be happy and excited. Tomorrow would be a big day for him, too. Tomorrow, Charles would take him over the moon for the first time and he would be welcomed into the pack as a full-fledged member.
She'd thought River might want his own day, separate from hers and Charles, but Charles explained that it was not an event, more an acceptance after repeating a few words of loyalty. The important part for the young wolver was running with the pack. Still, Kat expected to see River more excited than angry.
There was nothing to be done about it now. After the mating, when
the company was gone and things had settled, Kat would make the time to talk with River.
Chapter 33
As promised, the day dawned bright and cloudless and also as promised, guests began to arrive soon after breakfast. Tilda had been cooking for three days, but there was no way the vast amount she'd prepared would feed this crowd all day and into the night. She didn't seem concerned and Kat soon found out why. The two large festival tents Charles supplied were only the beginning.
Men brought out chairs and tables from trucks and cars and women brought out baskets filled with baked goods and platters of fried chicken and ham and pork roasts and beef. Gigantic coolers of lemonade and kegs of beer appeared along with huge tubs of ice packed with bottles and cans.
Canopies went up to offer shelter and shade when day became warm and fully enclosed tents appeared across the field on the edge of the trees answering the question of where all these people would sleep.
Older children ran everywhere, hugged or scolded depending on the need, by anyone who was near. And babies! Kat had never seen so many babies!
Marshall, Charles' brother and the Alpha of the Rabbit Creek pack, arrived early with his Mate, Elizabeth, and two small, but chubby babies in tow.
"It's my fault," Elizabeth explained about the babies after introductions were made. "The pack was without a Mate for a long time before I came along. They're making up for lost time!" and then she frowned, "They explained the part about the babies, right?"
One of the babies started to cry, joined by her brother. "I knew this would happen," Elizabeth laughed, handing the squalling infant to Kat. "Do you have a place where I can feed them in peace?"
An hour later, the schoolroom was transformed into a nursery as the nursing Elizabeth took charge of organizing the place where mothers could relax away from the chaos outdoors. Older women kept watch over the sleeping babes so younger ones could join in the gossip and fun.
"It's one of the things I love most about the pack," Elizabeth said later when the babies were fed and asleep. "The teamwork. They help one another. We help one another. That's not true of every pack, but with a good Alpha to lead them, that's the way it will be and Charles will be a good Alpha. Now that he's pulled his head from his ass," she laughed.
Kat bristled at that. "Charles is a good Alpha and he'll make a success of this pack. You be careful what you say about my mate."
Elizabeth wasn't offended. She laughed again. "You love him, don't you? Not just the Mate hoo-doo." She waved her fingers like a magician. "You really love him. Not every Mate does, you know. Sometimes it's just the hoo-doo. I had a hard time with that."
Kat realized she'd just passed a test. "I didn't," she said honestly. "I'm a believer in fairytales and this one is mine. I'm looking forward to my happily ever after and I'm terrified someone will wake me up and it will disappear."
"You don't know how happy I am to hear that, because once the deed is done, there's no turning back. You're stuck with each other 'till death do you part." She smiled and took Kat's hand. "Charles has changed since you came along. It's in his face and in his voice. There's more confidence than bravado. That's a good thing. And now," Elizabeth said, looking up at the women standing in the doorway, "I think your entourage is waiting."
* * *
It was almost time. Kat stood in front of the mirror for one last look before her mating. The dress, so lovingly created by Tilda, who'd become so much more than a housekeeper, flowed over her body like a waterfall of silk and clung to all the right places. It was a lovely dress and its simplicity suited her as no expensive boutique gown ever could.
Jo had done her makeup, scolding her when she protested that it was too much. As usual, Jo was right. The face staring back at her was someone from a magazine with smoky dark eyes, flawless skin and full, rosy lips. For once in her life, she was one of those women she envied. She was beautiful.
The afternoon had flown by with eating and drinking, games and music. Kat was introduced to hundreds of people whose names she couldn't possibly remember. It was like having the reception before the wedding only Kat was too on edge to eat and too afraid the alcohol would go to her head to drink. She hadn't seen Charles long enough to have a conversation and she was pretty sure there was a conspiracy among the guests to keep them apart. The sun was setting and people were beginning to gather under the largest tent. It was time.
Walking to the door, she glanced through the window and happened to see Forest standing apart from the crowd, head hanging and her hands twisting together at her waist. Kat thought she knew what might be wrong and decided there was still enough time to before the ceremony to gather the younger members of her brood and use Mrs. Martin's sitting room to have a little talk.
"Have you ever been to a mating party before?" she asked when she finally got them all rounded up.
"No, but I like it. There's lots of food and kids and nobody's made us wash our faces all day," Dakota declared.
Ranger nodded his enthusiastic agreement. "Lots of kids, too."
"What about you, Forest?"
The girl nodded slightly while keeping her eyes on the floor.
It was what Kat was afraid of. She took a deep breath and began, "I've never been to one either, but I wanted to tell you what I think will happen because I don't want you to be scared. The Alpha will say a few words and then I'll take off running into the woods. You might hear some laughter and you might hear some squeals and you might hear some screams. They'll be the same kind of screams Meadow makes when Buddy pretends he's a bear. It's all in fun. Then the Alpha and I will spend some alone time together and we'll be home smiling and happy in the morning. "She looked from one to the other. "Any questions?"
The younger children eyed the door, wanting to make their escape. They, at least, were sure that Miz Kat would come to no harm and Kat let them go.
"Wash those hands and faces first and leave the dirt in the sink, not the towel," she called after them and then she turned to Forest, who hadn't moved an inch. "You know what's going to happen, after the Chase I mean."
The girl nodded and then looked up with such agony in her eyes that Kat was brought to tears.
"No," she said, "It's not what you think," and then she amended, "It's not what you've seen."
Forest's eyes told her it was true.
"Wolvers are beasts and men," Kat said gently. "The wolvers you knew chose the beast. They were cruel and heartless and they didn't love their mates. That's wrong, Forest, so very, very wrong. Our Alpha enjoys his beast in other ways, but not when he makes love. That's what will happen between us, sweetheart, we'll make love. It's still sex, but a different kind. He loves me and I love him and we'll share the joy of that love together. Charles won't hurt me, not ever and he'd kill any man who tried."
"You'll have babies," Forest whispered.
"I guess I will." Kat smiled, thinking she understood what worried the child. Fear of another abandonment was something she was familiar with. "And when I do, I'll love that baby as much as I do you and the others. That's the wonderful thing about having a heart." She tapped Forest's chest with her fingers. "There always room for one more to love."
But Forest didn't smile back. "What happens when you don't give him a son?" she asked in a whisper.
Oh God, Oh God. Kat had hoped Forest would one day talk about what River had blurted in the schoolroom that day. Now was not the ideal time, but she couldn't pat the girl on the head and send her on her way. This chance might never come again.
There was a knock on the door. "They're ready and waiting," Jo called.
"Then they'll have to wait some more. Forest and I are having a chat. The Alpha will understand. You can make something up for the guests."
Kat got down on her knees in front of the girl and looked up into her sad and frightened face. "Is that what happened to your mother? She didn't have a boy?"
Forest shook her head. "She had them, but they died and he beat her. Every time one died, he beat her. He hit her o
ther times, too. Lots of times. Sometimes he hit her because of me, but the worst times were when her babies died." Once started, the girl couldn't stop and she poured out all the horror she'd kept bottled inside. Her shoulders heaved and she gasped for air, choking on her tears.
Kat gathered the child in her arms. "How horrible. For your mother, for you. How horrible. I'm so, so sorry."
Forest melted into her and Kat sat back, her legs curled beneath her and the girl on her lap. Forest was almost as tall as she was, but that didn't matter now. This was a child who needed her mother's lap and that comfort had been viciously taken from her. Kat's lap was a poor substitute, but all she had to offer.
Forest clung to her, soaking the front of her gown with tears. "She wanted to leave. She tried, but she was the Mate and she couldn't. She had to go back. She had to."
"I know, honey, I know," Kat whispered, when in fact, she hadn't known until now.
"Once the deed is done, there's no turning back." That's what Elizabeth had said only a few hours before. The magic and the bonding that would occur tonight was more than words, the magic more than great sex. There was no divorce court for an Alpha and his Mate.
"That's why we left."
"What?" Hadn't Forest just said they couldn't leave?
"That's why we ran away. He killed my mother and then said I was old enough. I would have to do," Forest sobbed.
Kat gagged on the thought of a monster using this poor child. She tried to turn it into a clearing of her throat unsure of whether expressing her revulsion would be a good idea or bad. Good won out.
"That monster. That beast," she cried with a venom she never knew she possessed. "He should be put down like a rabid dog."
"He s-said an Alpha's daughter could be a Mate, too. Is that true? Will I have to be a Mate?"
"You don't have to be anything you don't want to be, my precious, darling girl. I don't know if it's true or not and it doesn't matter right now. We can ask Mrs. Martin, later. You're young and shouldn't be worried about such things. You have to understand that no one and I mean no one will ever make you do what you don't want. Charles and the wolvers of this pack would die before they let that happen. You understand that what that animal wanted from you is wrong because you were his daughter and a child and because you're someone of value. You have choices. Your mother had choices and he took that away. For that alone, the monster should be shot."
The Alpha's Choice Page 25