by G. Bailey
"You're an asshole," I state, pulling my hand away.
"Yes. Yes, I am, and so are you. I think I will enjoy chasing you when you run," he says, leaning back in his seat as I glare at him.
"You deserved that, son," Betty says, shaking her head at her son as I look away, and she slides a bottle of cider in front of me and a beer to Callum. "Now stop being an ass, and let's learn more about Gold." I shoot a surprised look in her direction. I thought she would surely tell me off for hitting her son, and instead, she looks happy I did. This pack is confusing.
"Do whatever you want," he waves a hand at his mother but keeps his eyes on me the whole time. I don't give him the satisfaction of looking back at him. He doesn't deserve it.
"Tell me Gold, how come you have no trace of an Irish accent, yet you were in an Irish born pack," she asks. I know all of them sound English because they only moved to Ireland fifty years ago, when the U.K. became too overpopulated to hide such a big pack.
"You will find most the Forest Pack is like the Bearlay Pack, we moved here. When I met Nikoli, he was young and had lost his pack lands. He was building a pack in England. London actually, where I was born."
"London you say?" she asks, sounding interested.
"Yes, though my accent shows how much I moved around, training to be a hunter with my brother," I explain.
"I trained to be a hunter once," Betty tells me, shocking me a little.
"What stopped you?" I ask.
"Getting pregnant with three troublemakers, that's what. My mate and I didn't expect a pregnancy only a few months into the mating," she tells me and sips on her glass of wine.
"Isn't Nikoli's mate pregnant after only a year?" Callum asks, and I nod.
"Yes, we were all very surprised. But she does have more than one mate, so there is a higher chance of unexpected pregnancy. We all know it’s rather easy to get pregnant in heat, but she hasn't gone through that yet, so it was a big shock," I shrug, knowing Harper will be an amazing mother. I remember when we found out, and Nikoli shouted it around the house. Colton looked so happy as he held Harper in his arms, and then she threw up on him. I felt so bad for her in the first few months when she couldn't even get out of bed without being sick. She kept shifting just so could be in wolf form and not throw up. Wolf pregnancies are always hard on the body, and it makes me shiver at the idea of getting pregnant. I guess I never thought about it because there was no mate or mates around. If I decide to be with any of them, it's something I need to think about because there isn't any kind of protection for supernaturals. Not even the elves have come up with something that actually works without bad side effects. I remember about five years ago when they thought condoms would work, but they kept ripping all the time.
"It must have been a shock for the girl, but how lovely to have a baby on the way. I did not know, and I will send a gift basket over tomorrow," Betty says and shakes her head in a disappointed way at Callum.
"Why didn't you tell me there was an alpha baby on the way in our neighbour pack?" she asks.
"Err...I didn't know until I spoke to Nikoli when he called me today," he explains.
"Did he scare you?" I ask with a smile.
"Nope, see, I remember this time we all went to Las Vegas, and Nikoli did something completely embarrassing that he would rather I not tell his mate," he says, and I laugh, wondering what it is. I will have to find out later.
"I remember that. I should have used that to get him to stop threatening my balls on the phone earlier," Chase grumbles, make me chuckle as the door opens and a little boy walks in, with Cain right behind him. The boy looks about ten, with lovely, thick black hair and pale brown eyes. He has a football shirt and shorts on that are covered in mud.
"Who is this, mum?" he asks, pointing at me.
"Gold. Gold, this is my youngest son, Liam," she introduces us. "We will be back in a minute. Callum, can you turn the oven onto the middle setting please." I'm really surprised that she is saying this is her son because he doesn't look, or smell like her. He has the scents of his brothers a little, but I highly doubt that Betty is his biological mother. I suppose she could have adopted him, but it’s all a little confusing. He smells human almost.
"Sure," he says, getting up as Liam and Betty leave the room. Cain slides into Callum's seat, pushing his bottle of beer to the other side of the table. I trail my eyes over Cain’s tight black shirt, which has three buttons undone so I can see his golden chest. I finally make myself look away from the little bit of his chest I can see to meet his green eyes that are fixed on me.
"How are you, gorgeous?" Cain asks.
"Good, you?" I reply.
"Better now you are here," he replies, and it feels like a completely honest answer instead of a line.
"Can I ask something personal?" I ask when Callum gets back to the table and sits opposite me, handing his brother an unopened beer. Cain twists the cap and pulls it off effortlessly. That's cool, and I need to learn how to do.
"Our alpha female can ask anything," Cain replies simply, resting back in his chair.
"Where is your dad? And is Liam your half-brother? Only, he looks nothing like you or your mother," I ask, just blurting it out, and then realising how rude it is to even bring it up or ask. I just can't help wondering, and part of me wants to know everything about this family.
"I'll explain this one to you," Cain answers, "But when we are alone after the meal. It's not a good story, and my mum doesn't need to hear it repeated."
"I understand that. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ask something quite so privately," I say, just as the door is opened, and Betty walks in before Cain can reply to me. She is closely followed by Liam dressed in a nice shirt and jeans, no mud in sight. He sits next to Callum, who fist bumps him.
"How was football training, little man?" Callum asks, and Liam's whole face lights up as he rapidly starts telling Callum all about the practice and how his day went. I have no clue what he is talking about, as sports have never been something I'm interested in. Unless you count hunter training sports, which it kinda is I guess, but it is way more fun. You get pretty weapons.
"Do you want some help, mum?" Cain asks as Betty somehow carries three bowls of pasta to the table and sets them down. There are three different flavours, and they all smell amazing. My eyes go straight to the bacon, chicken, and tomato pasta right in front of me. Betty puts down a bowl of chips, mixed salad and sauces before sitting down.
"I’ve got it! Dig in," she says, and I put some pasta on my plate, chips and salad before reaching for the mayonnaise but Cain picks up first. He hands it to me, and I catch Betty's pleased smile as I pour my mayonnaise.
"Here you go, thanks," I say, handing it back to Cain.
"I was thinking, tomorrow I could show you around the pack," he offers.
"I'm going on a date with Callum tomorrow, but what about the next day? I'd love to see more of the pack. I've heard you have beautiful lands, and I could do with a shift," I reply, knowing it’s getting close to a week since my last shift, and that is far too long.
"Sounds like a plan, gorgeous," Cain says with a wink.
"Are you not going to ask for some time with Gold?" Betty asks Chase, who just rolls his eyes.
"Gold knows where I am if she wants me, it's her choice," he says, watching me. His words feel like a dare or challenge of some kind. It makes me grind my teeth as I look away and finish my food.
"Desert?" Betty asks.
"Not tonight, mum. We have to check on the rogue, and I'm sure Gold needs an early night. She was driving for so long and had a busy week," Cain explains. "Plus, we have to find out answers about the rogue tomorrow and decide if he can be trusted in the pack."
"No problem. Gold must rest. I hope you will come and see me when your mates let you out of their sights for a little bit," she winks, and I laugh, nodding.
"I will. I think we will get along really well and thank you so much for dinner. Would you like me to stay and help you wash up?" I
ask her, seeing how her whole face lights up before she answers.
"No need, dear. I'm sure Chase and Callum will be able to help with the washing up tonight."
"Okay," I smile when I hear Chase groan, but he doesn't say no. This woman raised them right. I stand up after Cain does, and he places his hand on my back, leading me out of the room.
"Do you want to see the rogue before we go back?" he asks me, and I shake my head.
"No, I haven’t read the file yet, and I think I need to figure that out first, before seeing him again," I say as we walk down the steps.
"Can I show you something really quick?" he asks, and I nod, letting him lead me around the houses and to the white picket fenced off garden at the back of the three houses. He opens the gate and lets me in. I spot the gravestones first, then the beautiful water structure behind it. It’s a stone carving of a woman holding up a bowl of water, letting the water fall down her body into the pool of water at the bottom. There are dozens of planted roses surrounding the one grave, and I step closer, seeing the white plague just has the letter 'C' and Bearlay written underneath it.
"Whose grave is it?" I ask quietly as Cain stops at my side.
"My dad’s," he explains and sits on the ground. I follow him down, sitting quietly next to him. "I felt like this was a good place to explain our family history."
"You don’t have to tell me anything...I shouldn’t have asked. I have no right to your family’s past, Cain," I say gently. Cain lifts my hand of my lap, holding it tightly, and for whatever reason, I like that he does. I like how his rough, large hand feels in mine.
"You are family to me now. You were the moment I saw you, and you are welcome to know the secrets our family hides," he says.
"Secrets?"
"My father was...well, he was a good man until an accident where his bear got run over by a car driven by a human. He never really recovered. It wasn’t all that long ago, and we all watched as my father changed dramatically," he pauses, placing his hand on the stone for a second. There is silence between us as we just listen to the owls sing and the trees creaking in the distance.
"Like how?" I ask finally.
"First, it was his temper, and he would take it out his pack members. We had to step in, challenge our father, and become the alphas before he destroyed the pack. We kept a very close eye on him in the pack after that, and he didn’t like it one bit. Then he started to figure out if he left the pack, he could escape us watching him. He started leaving the pack lands for weeks at a time, coming back for one night occasionally for his bear and then disappearing again. The worst thing is that he would never tell us where he was or what he was doing," he stops, sighing. “Mum just gave up chasing him. She couldn’t cope with who he had turned into.”
“That’s…I don’t even know what to say,” I whisper.
"We got a phone call one night...and it was the human police. They called to tell us that there had been a fire in a local house, and that they retrieved my father's ID from the wallet they found on a body inside," he says, his voice catching a little at such a raw memory.
"I'm sorry," I murmur, but it is like he doesn’t hear me as he keeps talking.
"We all rushed to the hospital, where there was a woman covered in ash, holding a little baby with black hair. She saw us, and ran over, handing the baby to my mother," his words come out so softly that I almost miss it.
"Did she say anything?" I prompt.
"Yes. She told us that the baby was called Liam. That he was her best friend’s son. She told my mother that our dad was the father of the baby, and that Liam should be with family now that both his parents were dead," he tells me.
"Oh my god, your poor mother," I whisper, not having a clue how anyone would cope with that.
"My mother is so brave. She held Liam close as she went to see our father’s body, and then asked to see Liam's mother. I don’t know exactly what happened that day, but we all came home with Liam, and my mother adopted him," he says. “Liam knows who his parents are, and he loves our mum for taking care of him when she didn’t have to.”
"She is amazing to have done that," I say.
"That’s true, not a lot of people could have done what she did. My mum even built this for my father, even if he didn’t deserve it in his last days," he says sadly.
"I am sorry your father did that to you and your family," I tell him, rubbing circles with my thumb on his hand as Cain turns to look at me. We are a breath apart as he leans in and brushes his lips gently across mine. I notice a slight taste of mint, but mostly, I'm stunned at the way one kiss sends butterflies through my stomach. I haven’t felt anything like this before, and I have dated over the years. One brush of a kiss, and I want more. I have to stop before I forget my common sense.
"Wait, no," I say, pulling my hand from his, jumping up, and striding in the opposite direction.
"Shit, I didn’t mean," I hear Cain comment behind me just before a hand grabs my arm, turning me to face him.
"It’s not you, honestly. I've spent years alone, and I don’t know how to let anyone get close to me. I think I need to think about everything, instead of rushing after just one day. This is all just-" he cuts me off by putting a finger against my lips.
"-too fast, and I am sorry. You are beautiful, and hard to resist...and I’m a bit of an idiot. I won’t kiss you again, not until you kiss me first, gorgeous. I know we don’t have that instant bond like you and Callum. Or the love/hate thing like you and Chase. Or whatever it is you have with the rogue, but I think we could be really good together. I swear, my life plan is to make you happy," he says, and I find it hard to be mad at him when he explains it like that.
"I'm working on trusting you all..." I whisper, suddenly finding it hard to not kiss him.
"I get it, you don’t have to explain anything to me. Plus, I want to get to know you before we take things any further. I want you to come to me, wanting me to your mate," he says, stepping closer to me and tucking some of my hair behind my ear. As his fingers graze the side of my cheek, he whispers. "I know once we start, and I’m inside of you, making you desperate for more of me, I will be making you my mate."
"Cain," I shiver as I can’t admit how much of a turn on his words are.
"And I know you aren’t ready for that with me…yet," he says, stepping away, and nodding his head towards the house. "Let’s get you back home."
"I will see you in the morning then," Cain says as we both get to the top of the stairs.
"Er, yes," I mumble, sounding like a damn teenager or something. How can one bear do this to me? I watch as he walks away, my eyes tracing the muscles on his back that I can see through the tight shirt. I blink as he turns around, an amused look on his face when he sees me watching him.
"I forgot to say, I checked in on your rogue and gave him food earlier," he tells me, never losing the sexy smile.
"Thanks, well for everything today. I worried that I wouldn’t fit in here, that even though we are mates, we wouldn’t get along or something. I spent a year worrying and not admitting that I was both curious to come here and very scared too, as well. Thank you for…well you know," I say, pretty much blurting it all out.
"Anything for you G-G," he says playfully, and turns around, walking to his door. I quickly move to my door, pulling it open and stepping into the cool room. I stare at the dark room for a second, just calming down from how much I want to go back in the corridor and claim one of my mates. It takes a few moments before I turn the light on. I glance to my right, seeing the file on the cabinet, and know I've left it for far too long to not open it and have a look now.
"Come on, Gold, it can’t be that bad," I mutter under my breath, convincing myself to walk over and pick up the file off the cabinet. I look around the room and know I don't want to open it without a drink in my hand and chocolate nearby. Let's hope the bears have decent stuff in their kitchen. I walk back out of the room, down the corridor and to the stairs, briefly glancing at the two rooms on the
other side and knowing Cain is in one of them. If I wasn't so stubborn, I could knock on his door, and he would read this with me, but I still keep walking down the stairs, holding the file. It’s only been one day. One day, and I’m ready to jump into one of their beds. God help me. I walk to the right into the kitchen area, which has white cabinets and black granite worktops. There is a massive island in the middle, which has one huge piece of wood as the top. I pause when I hear a noise behind me, and I swing around, scanning the empty corridor, but I don't see anything. I shake my head as I turn back around and walk over to the fridge, opening it and searching for anything chocolate looking.
"Hey darling, so did you finally get a chance to read up on me?" my rogue’s voice comes from right behind me and making me jump, barely able to withhold my shriek of surprise. I slam the fridge door shut, turning to face him as he sits on the island, eating Snickers bar like he hasn’t got a care in the world. And I want that damn Snickers bar.
"How?" I ask, staring at his now neatly cut black beard, and his black hair that has been shaved on the sides and cut at the top. He looks amazing and so bloody attractive. I can feel the mate draw when I’m near him, when usually, females can’t feel the draw at all. He has on grey tracksuit bottoms that lay low on his hips and a blue shirt that shows off a red tattoo on his collarbone. It is lots of swirls with what looks like numbers written on the edges around them. I run my eyes over his sides, not seeing any weapons on him.
"I'm good at escaping, and that room got boring after a while," he says, like it isn’t a big deal, and his eyes drift to the file. "So, what do you think about my crimes?"
"I haven’t looked yet," I say, briefly glancing away from him to look around the room for anything to defend myself with if this rogue decides to attack me. I spot a block of cutting knifes a few steps to my left.