The Alpha's Choice

by Jacqueline Rhoades

  Kat picked up the edge of her gown and wiped the girl's tears, looked around for a box of tissues for her nose and seeing none, offered Forest the hem of her dress's lining. "Blow," she said and at Forest's horrified look added. "It's going to be muddy and shredded from my run through the woods. Who'll notice a little snot? We'll blame it on your brothers."

  Forest smiled a little. "They're not really my brothers, you know."

  "I know, I know, and I'm not your mother and Charles isn't your father and Meadow isn't our daughter either, but we may as well start thinking in terms of brothers and sisters and daughters and sons, because like it or not, we're a family now and our family is part of this pack. We're not alone anymore, Forest. We have each other and we have the pack."

  There was another knock on the door and Kat helped Forest to rise. "We're in trouble now," she laughed and wiped away the last of her tears. "They'll think the Mate's run off." She stopped before she opened the door. "Are you all right? Because if you aren't, I can do this Mate thing any old time. They can party on without us."

  "I'll be okay," Forest told her and Kat knew it would be true someday if not right now. People didn't heal from those kinds of wounds overnight.

  "I know you will. Come on then. We've got a mating to attend."

  Chapter 34

  The crowd parted to form an aisle for Kat to make her way to her beloved mate. Her nose was red, her eyes were swollen from crying and her dress was soaked with tears and the drippings from Forest's nose. She'd stopped at the kitchen sink long enough to wash away the now smeared makeup that Jo had so carefully applied and laid her battered crown of rosebuds aside. She was coming to him naked, so to speak, with none of the sleek trappings of the women he was used to.

  So be it. This was what she was, the real Katarina Bennett. She wasn't glamorous and never would be, but after her time with Forest, she knew she could offer Charles and his pack something more. She had arms to comfort those in need, laughter to share their joy, and tears to share their sorrow. If Charles was to be the head of this pack, she would be the heart.

  There were murmurings in the crowd as she passed, some no doubt thinking she'd had an attack of cold feet. In truth, her heart was more determined than ever to see this through and make it work and when she saw Charles hold out his hand and the look of loving relief on his face, her last doubt fled.

  She took his hand and with the physical contact, the rightness of all this flooded through her. It was beyond the sexual heat of his magic. This feeling burned in the core of her heart. Kat kissed his cheek and the crowd murmured their approval and relief.

  Charles kissed her hand and held it high above their heads in a display of togetherness. "You see?" He said loudly. "I told you she hadn't run away. She couldn't," He straightened his shoulders, tugged on his shirt cuffs and shook his golden hair into place, a proud and preening peacock. "I had Ryker hide her car and keys."

  Kat rolled her eyes at his nonsense, but their guests loved it.

  "Family emergency. Forest needed me," she whispered softly for only Charles to hear, "Sorry."

  "Don't be," Charles whispered back, "It comes with the territory. I think it's in your job description." He turned to the guests.

  "Before we begin the mating and the Chase, I'd like to welcome the newest member of Wolf's Head Pack. River, step forward and be recognized."

  Kat held her breath, afraid that the River the crowd would see would be the sullen and angry River of the night before. She needn't have worried. The young man who stepped forward was solemn and humble and a little afraid. And no wonder, Kat thought. He was dressed in a loin cloth; a strip of cotton banding around his hips with a square white flap fore and aft to cover his nakedness.

  "Is it your wish to join Wolf's Head Pack?" Charles asked, loud enough for all to hear.

  "It is," River answered quietly, his voice shivering with emotion.

  "Will you swear to uphold Pack Law no matter the cost?"

  "I will." River's voice gained strength and he nodded his head as he spoke.

  "Will you swear to place the needs of the pack above your own and follow your Alpha in whatever he may ask of you even unto death?"

  "I will." River's answer was loud and clear.

  "Who stands for this man?" Charles called to the crowd.

  "I do," Ryker shouted immediately. "I stand for this man."

  "I do." Tanner's voice came with Ryker's last word.

  "I do," shouted another and another, each voice coming faster than the one before until the tent rang with the voices of the Wolf's Head Pack.

  Whatever River expected, it wasn't this. His eyes went wide in his surprise. He squared his shoulders and stood tall.

  When the voices subsided, Charles spoke again. "Who do you stand for?"

  "I stand for my Alpha and the Wolf's Head Pack."

  "I stand for those who stand for me," Charles shouted and his power rolled over the crowd. "We stand for those who stand with us. We are the Wolf's Head Pack."

  A roar went up from the members of the pack and Charles raised his arms and spread them wide. Light surrounded the supplicant, so bright Kat could barely see the twisting and reforming of limbs. Where once stood a young man, a new made wolf emerged, long and rangy just like the man. A child's voice called out in awe and was quickly hushed.

  Charles placed his hand on River's dark head. "Henceforth you will be able to run under each full moon and at your Alpha's behest. Welcome, River, member of Wolf's Head Pack."

  This time, the whole crowd roared their welcome.

  Clearly bewildered, River looked around at the crowd.

  "Come stand beside me, son, until you get a feel for it," Ryker ordered and River obeyed.

  Unused to walking on four legs, he stumbled through his first few steps. There was another quick flash of light and Ryker now stood as a massive gray wolf beside the new member.

  "That, was amazing," Kat breathed.

  "It will be more amazing when it happens to you," Charles laughed and then sobered. "You still want to do it, right?"

  "As long as I don't have to do it in a loin cloth in front of a crowd," she laughed.

  "In front of a crowd? No, but I was counting on a little less than a loin cloth." Charles wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  The crowd had hushed and were waiting. "This is it," he said and took her hand in his.

  "This is Katarina Bennett, the woman I have chosen to be my Mate. She came to us by accident…"

  "No accident if Eugene Begley sent her!" someone shouted and the crowd laughed.

  "Maybe unannounced is a better word," Charles laughed and the crowd laughed with him. "But she took to us like a duck to water or a wolf to his pack. The first time she saw me go over the moon, another woman might have cowered and cried. Not my Katarina. She stood beside me and fought."

  "She saved my life. She saved my life," Buddy told everyone around him until Tilda told him to hush.

  "She did indeed and mine, too," Charles went on. "She has a kind heart," and here he gave a nod to his brother's Mate, Elizabeth, "Something I've been reminded is important in a Mate. She's intelligent and wise and loyal and beautiful. Most beautiful when she sacrifices her dress to comfort one of my own."

  He smiled down at her and murmurs of approval rippled through the crowd. Kat kissed the air to blow him a kiss. He'd made her excuses to the crowd without betraying Forest.

  "But most of all, I love the woman. She makes me who I am and who I will be and I'll spend the rest of my life telling her so." Charles took both of her hands in his. "Katarina Bennett, I take you as my mate and as the Mate of the Wolf's Head Pack. I take you into my bed so the pack will flourish and into my heart so that I may flourish as their Alpha."

  One more, he turned to the crowd. "I give you Katarina Bennett, The Alpha's Mate of Wolf's Head Pack."

  A cheer went up and Kat blushed. "Can I say something?" she asked.

  "They always do," someone called from the crowd.

>   "Make it quick. The moon is rising," yelled someone else, but it was all in fun and Kat wasn't offended.

  "I haven't had a family of my own for a very long time now," She told the guests and the pack to which she would belong, "I have one now, because you took me in. This is all very normal for you, but for me, it's a fairytale come true. Bless you all for being here to welcome me and bless this man for loving me the way I've come to love him. I know I have a role to fill as the Alpha's Mate and I'll try my best to do it right and Tilda Martin will be there to tell me if I don't." Kat smiled at the crowd's chuckle. "But I want it made clear that I would follow Charles Goodman anywhere, not because he's a wolver, not because he's the Alpha of Wolf's Head Pack and not because he's the Prince of my fairytale, but because he's the man I love more than anything on earth." Her eyes found Forest on the edge of the crowd, watching silently. "I freely choose to take Charles Goodman as my mate."

  Charles took her in his arms and kissed her as the crowd cheered. "Are you ready?" he asked. "I'll give you two minutes, no more."

  "Catch me if you can, Wolfman!" Kat pushed him away and ran.

  She lifted her skirts and sprinted for the trees and felt more than saw the power rising behind her as the men went over the moon under the influence of the shining orb rising high above the treetops. She'd be caught. That was a given, but she'd give them the best Chase she could.

  The surrounding trees were fully dressed in their spring finery, but the light from the moon was bright and gave her just enough light to see by. She'd planned her route and knew her path. It was one she walked frequently with the children. Two minutes was not a long time when the creatures who were after you could run like the wind, so she kept up her pace as long as she could.

  Kat heard them enter the woods and would have laughed at all the noise they made, knowing they did it on purpose, but her breath was coming fast an her heart was beating faster. The excitement of the Chase was getting to her, too. She took a narrower path to the right.

  She screeched when a deer suddenly appeared in front of her, leaping high over a patch of underbrush, startled from its nighttime bed. She paused to catch her breath and found it strange that the animal had come from the left when the noise of the wolves behind her came distinctly from the rear and to the right. But deer were notoriously stupid and were known to run into cars rather than away so the thought was no more than a passing one. The deer was safe from the hunting wolves. She was not. She laughed and ran on.

  Her goal was a small pool of water fed by a rushing stream that flowed over an outcropping of rock into a short fall of water. Buddy had taken them there several times and Dakota and Ranger thought it great fun to climb the rocks and crawl behind the sheet of cascading water to hide in the shallow cave worn into the stone at the back. It would make a wonderful place hide and catch her breath.

  The wolves behind her were closer now and she picked up her pace. She was almost there. She could hear the rushing water up ahead and the closeness of her goal gave her speed.

  She found the steam and followed the narrow path along its edge until she came to the falls. The rocks were slippery with moss, but not a dangerous climb. She looked down at her gown, the hem already muddied from her run, shrugged and removed her shoes for the climb, a lesson she'd learned from the boys.

  In less than a minute, she was crouched behind the falls and peering out at the pool of water below. This was a secret the boys had kept to themselves. You could not be seen behind the falls, but the world was visible to you. She started to laugh, but it caught in her throat, choking her to silence.

  A wolf stood by the pool and it was certainly not Charles. It stood in a patch of moonlight and she could clearly see its unkempt and dingy brown coat. Unlike the smooth, shining coats she'd seen on the wolvers of Wolf's Head, this one was rough and uneven with what she realized were scars. This was not a guest from the mating. She was sure of it.

  This was a rogue and by the way it stood and stared into the trees beyond the pool, she knew she'd seen it before. This was the wolf that Forest spoke of when she recounted her mother's life and death. This was the wolf she'd seen leading the others along the edge of the trees the first night she spent at Hell Hall.

  Charles had doubted her vision because he believed the rogues had been run off just as now he believed they'd been run off again.

  Kat held her body as still as the stone surrounding her, afraid that even an intake of breath would attract the monster's attention. She prayed the rushing water would be enough to disrupt her scent.

  The wolf raised its head, testing the air. It stared at the waterfall for one long moment and then its tongue came out to slather across its jaws.

  Chapter 35

  "Charles!" Kat cried in her mind, "Oh God, Charles, come quickly. Charles!" The game was over. The Chase was done. She wanted Charles here beside her with his arms around her, telling her she was safe from the menace of this rogue wolf. "Charles," she cried again in her mind, "Charles!"

  Like a warm ray of sunshine on a cold winter's day, Charles voice was suddenly flowing through her mind. It was different, hard and raspy, but it was Charles. She knew it in her heart of hearts.

  "Kaa-taa-rinaaa," it called and she heard his worry and concern in her name.

  She closed her eyes and silently called again, "Charles!"

  A howl sounded, clearly close by, followed by another and another and a few sharp barks.

  The rogue raised its snout and snarled, showing off its yellowed teeth. Its head snapped toward the sound of the oncoming wolvers and it turned in the opposite direction to trot off into the cover of trees.

  Kat wanted to run, to bolt from her hiding place and race toward the sound of the approaching wolvers, but she held herself still until the great golden wolf was in sight.

  "Charles, oh Charles."

  Kat scrambled from her hiding place, icy water splashing over her gown and hair in her haste to get to the safety of her wolver lord. She threw herself at him, circling his silken ruff with her arms, sighing with relief now that the danger had passed.

  "He was here. He was here," she said over and over. "The monster, the rogue. The one I saw by the trees. He's here, Charles. He's here."

  Charles, the wolf, chuffed and barked what was clearly an order and half the assembled wolves silently moved off into the trees. The others stayed close by, fanning out in a circle, watching and waiting. No longer noisy and playful, they were on the alert and ready for attack.

  Kat stood and moved away from her wolf and watched as Charles changed back to a man. Her man and as she had his wolf, she threw her arms around his neck and clung to him for dear life.

  "I saw him, Charles, I saw him and don't you dare tell me I didn't. He was standing right there." She pointed to the spot. "And I think he was looking for me all along." She told him about the deer. "I don't think he knew, at first, where I was hiding, but he found me. Just before you howled a warning, he found me."

  Charles held her close and rubbed her back. "Hush now, you're safe. The others will keep looking. I'll take you home."

  "But Charles, our mating! We can't go home."

  "We can and we will. There'll be no mating in these woods tonight. There's nothing that says we can't mate in our bed where I can keep you safe and warm." He patted her rear end and kissed her nose. "I promise I'll make it a night to remember."

  Kat stepped back from his embrace. "No."

  She said it so vehemently that several of the wolvers snapped their heads around to stare. Now that Charles was here, she was no longer afraid. Conscious of the wolver's scrutiny, she stepped closer to Charles to whisper her plea.

  "This is the only night we get, Charles. It only happens once. You want to bring back tradition to the pack? Well this is where it should begin. With us, Alpha and Mate. I want this, Charles, and I want it done right. I know you have the place all ready and waiting and that's where I want to be, in the place that you've prepared for me.

  "I'll
be safe as long as you're with me. I've happily gone along with everything you've planned because I want to be a part of you and your pack, but this I want for me. I want to be mated in the wild and before the dawn calls us home, I want to run free by your side as a wolf."

  "Are you always going to be this stubborn?" Charles asked.

  "Only about the really important things," she said and smiled because she knew she had made her point.

  "So be it," he said resignedly. "It's not a good idea to start your mated life with an unhappy woman. Just give me a minute with my men and I'll carry you off to the place I've prepared. It's right up there, a little way beyond the falls."

  "You knew I'd come this way?"

  "Who do you think showed Buddy this place and who suggested he take you and the children here time and time again?"

  "You're a sneaky and conniving man, Charles Goodman," she laughed. "A sneaky and conniving man."

  "I know," he said proudly, "Though we prefer to call it clever and cunning."

  * * *

  They weren't completely alone and no matter how much she begged, Charles would not let her have her way in that.

  "You deserve my full attention, kitten, and I can't give you that and guard you, too."

  "He's gone, Charles. Your men would have found him if he was still here and he wouldn't dare come back with all these wolvers around." Kat was talking to his neck, her arms wrapped tightly around it as he carried her up the slope.

  Eight wolvers flanked them, four on each side. When they reached the mating place, they would spread out in a wide circle to protect the couple within. Charles promised Kat the wolvers would be far enough away that they wouldn't interfere with her privacy.