“Well, I guess disappearing on your mate is a Willette family trait,” Simon scoffed.
“That’s hardly a fair comparison. I have my phone. He knows where I am,” I argue, standing up, pacing around the room, “He trusts that I’m safe. That your pack will treat me as one of your own while I visit my sister. He couldn’t have known my sister is missing.”
Simon stopped me from leaving his room down the hall. He held out his hand, “Give me your phone.”
“No.” I crossed my arms over my chest, “It’s mine.”
“I just want to tell your mate how much of a moron he is.”
“How is he a moron?”
“What kind of a useless male just trusts someone else to keep his mate safe? I’d never let Thyme leave me.”
“You already did. You just want to procrastinate from the fact that you need to tell your father the truth about why my sister left.”
“You want to avoid the truth of why your mate doesn’t seem to care that you left.”
“He cares.” My bravado left me like air punched from my chest.
“Prove it,” Simon extended his hand again for my phone. I pulled it out and handed it to him.
Simon found Jules’ number and hit dial, putting it on speaker.
“Hey, Rosie, sorry I’ve been so busy. I hope you are having a ton of fun with your sister. Look, I don’t have time to talk. I probably won’t be home tonight either. I’m so sorry. I’ll try to block out a time to talk this weekend.”
“This is Simon Hill.”
Simon’s eyes flared with mischief? Anger? Amusement? I didn’t know, but his expression was hard.
“Who?”
“Thyme’s mate.”
“Huh, wh-?”
“Rosemary’s twin sister?” Simon rolled his eyes, “Your mate’s identical twin?”
“Why are you on Rosemary’s phone?”
“She was supposed to visit Thyme last week and never showed. Then one of our scouts found her luggage at a bus station in Las Vegas,” Simon lied.
“Simon.”
“That’s not possible, Rosemary texted, she made it safe.”
“Is she?” Simon mocked, “When was the last time you heard from her? When was the last time you texted her? Do you just leave her home alone in an apartment with no pack? No wonder she left.”
Simon hung up the phone and furiously stalked into his father’s office, slamming the door before I could get in.
“Simon! Give me back my phone!” I pounded on the door and tried to pull it open.
“Simon!”
My ringtone was muffled through the heavy door. I needed to talk to Jules. He didn’t deserve to worry about me. I was fine.
It was my sister who was missing.
I pounded on the office door, “Simon, give me back my phone.”
“Rosemary, did you learn anything about Thyme?” Celeste carried a tray of water and selected snacks.
“Yes, she left because that human loving son of a bi-” the door opened before I could finish my tirade.
“A little decorum please,” Alpha Hill said, handing me my phone, before closing the door again.
I answered Jules’ incoming call, “I’m fine. I’m safe, my sister is missing, and her mate is an asshole.”
“Rosemary,” the relief in his voice was everything to me, “I was so worried. Wait, Thyme is missing?”
I nodded but he couldn’t see it because it was a phone call, but I was so distressed I couldn’t put words to the action, just a wracking sob.
“I’m coming out there. I can help.”
Celeste set the tray down on an end table and motioned for me to hand her my phone.
I shook my head. I just got to talk to Jules, I wasn’t going to just give him away. Not when my wolf craved him so much.
“Speaker then, I need to talk to the boy.”
I did as she asked.
“Jules, this is Celeste Hill, Alpha Female of the Red Rock Pack.”
“I trusted you to keep my mate safe and you can’t even-” I’d never heard Jules sound angry before. He’d never raised his voice in the little time I spent with him. He was quiet, gentle, shy. Like Thyme.
“We are uncovering what happened to Thyme, but I’d like to talk to you about your current living situation with Rosemary if you have a minute.”
“Put Rosemary back on, my wolf is rioting through my skin and I need my mate.”
“I’m here.”
“You’re safe?”
“Yes. I’m going to help them look for Thyme.”
“You come home if you need to, okay? I’ll talk to Alpha Redford he can send-”
“-No,” Celeste interrupted, “This is a Red Rock Pack matter. We do not need outside interference until we know for sure we need it.”
“But he could help.”
“It’s fine, Rosemary. If she doesn’t want the other packs to know she lost her son’s mate, I’m not going to tell anyone. Look, I have to go. If it wasn’t an exam I’d skip but-”
“I’ll be okay, Jules. Knock the exam out of the park, okay?”
“I’m sorry I can’t be there with you, Rosemary.”
“Me too.”
He disconnected the call.
I stared at the screen, hoping against hope that he’d call again. Tell me he was dropping everything to help me find my sister. But it remained blank.
“You what?” The bellow of Alpha Hill caused even Celeste to jump.
“Who’s in there?”
“Simon. Mara knows he’s a shifter. Thyme didn’t go missing, she left because of Mara.”
Is it tattling if Celeste was about to find out? I didn’t particularly care. Had Simon been honest in the first place, my sister wouldn’t be missing.
“Get her here, now.”
The door opened and a red-faced Simon raced out. Celeste went in next, closing the door behind her. I had no idea what I should do.
I walked on shaky legs to the living room and dropped on the couch I’d woken up in a few short hours ago. Before my world turned upside down.
I called my Dad.
“Rosemary?” I don’t know why he sounded confused when he answered.
“Thyme ran away.”
“What? Did she come to you? She shouldn’t travel cross country alone. Why did you-”
“I didn’t Dad. I came to visit her at Red Rock and she... she ran away. I don’t know where she’s going. All I know is that she got her wolf. Do you have any idea where she’d go?”
Dad hollered for Mom and through a muffled exchange, he got her up to speed. A shrill scream followed by sobs. Mom muttered over and over again, “My baby. Where is my baby?”
“What does Alpha Hill have to say?”
“I don’t know he and Celeste are locked in his office. Simon is trying to fix something and I’m just... lost. Dad, what am I going to do if we don’t find her?”
***
Simon’s human was small. She seemed even smaller with Simon standing behind her, leering like a gargoyle.
“It’ll be okay, babe,” Mara said. She didn’t sound sure. She looked me up and down, “Are you her?”
“Mara this is-” before Simon could introduce me, Alpha Hill’s growl cut him off.
“My office, now.”
“He expects us in there too, Thyme,” Celeste said, pulling me under her arm, “Pretend to be your sister for now, please. It’ll make it easier on Mara.”
“How?” I hissed back.
Celeste squeezed my shoulder, “She needs to see the face of the wolf she’s messing with.”
Entering the Alpha’s office, Simon was in a chair at one end of the desk and Mara was in one on the other side. Celeste motioned for me to sit between them while she joined her mate.
“My son has informed me that you have been made aware of something you should not know,” Alpha Hill began.
Mara looked to Simon.
“Am I in trouble?” Mara asked, “I swear I wouldn’t tell anyon
e your secret. I love Simon I’d never do anything to hurt him.”
“That remains to be seen,” Celeste said.
“With all due respect Mrs. Hill, you never liked me dating your son,” Mara continued.
“For good reason,” I chimed in, “Wolves shouldn’t date. It’s unnatural.”
Mara bit her lip.
“Thyme,” Alpha Hill chided.
Simon grumbled.
“It is. You can’t expect me to just be okay that he has a relationship with a human when he has a Moon Blessed Mate,” I chose my words carefully. I wasn’t comfortable pretending to be my sister.
“Love isn’t biological,” Mara argued, “Simon loves me and that has to count for something. He explained the Moon Blessed Mate thing and I get it.”
“You don’t,” Simon spoke up, “I’m so sorry, Mara, but I didn’t understand until I met Thyme. I just didn’t know how to tell you.”
“So rather than breaking my heart in private, you dragged your parents and new girlfriend to witness my heartbreak?” Mara’s voice cracked.
“Mate,” I corrected.
Mara turned her freckled face to me, “Seriously? Are you that much of a literal bitch that you feel the need to pour salt in the wound? You already won, Thyme. You get him and I don’t.”
“Did my son inform you of what happens to humans who know our secret?” Celeste asked.
Mara wiped tears from her cheeks, “Great, so rather than just killing me, you decide to humiliate me first then kill me.”
Simon growled, “You said you wouldn’t kill her.”
“What are your post-secondary plans?” Alpha Hill asked.
“Huh?”
“We will let you live. In fact, we will welcome you into the pack as a trusted human. Provided you agree to our terms.”
“Your terms.”
“You are going to go work in government. The pack will fund your education provided after you graduate you work for our interests.”
“So, you want me to be a corrupt senator?”
“Senator? Oh no, mayor at highest.” Celeste laughed, “We already have trusted humans in federal governments.”
“I don’t have much choice do I?”
“No. You don’t.”
Mara looked at Simon, “Will this make you happy?”
He shook his head, “But it’ll keep you alive.”
“The pack will pay for my education and expenses,” Mara said, turning back to Alpha Hill, “And you will provide a monthly living stipend.”
“You will make sure that humans accept Thyme into the school. I’m sure your breakup will have some humans taking sides and I don’t need things any harder on Thyme than they already will be,” Celeste said.
Mara looked at me, then at Simon, “Is this what you want?”
Simon’s throat bobbed and he nodded.
Mara turned back to the Alpha pair, “Deal. Now do you need me around longer or can I go gorge myself on ice cream and crappy movies?”
Her voice cracked and tears streamed down her face. Simon moved to comfort her, but I stopped him. He couldn’t show her any extra kindnesses if he wanted to set the human straight.
“Celeste will walk you out.”
Mara followed the Alpha Female out of the office.
“Why was Rosemary here? Why did you keep calling her Thyme?” Simon snapped.
“Yeah, what he said.”
“The pack thinks she’s Thyme. Might as well make the talk with the human impactful.”
Simon huffed out of the office and I was excused to Thyme’s room.
***
The next morning Alpha Hill and Celeste were waiting for me at the breakfast table.
“We talked to Alpha Redford. He agreed that Jules needs to focus on his studies and that it isn’t suitable for a young wolf to be left alone in the apartments.”
“Did you find my sister?”
“As far as Red Rock and Redford are concerned, you are Thyme until she returns, or your mate finishes his out of pack education.”
“I didn’t agree to this.”
“My son informed me that you were the one to convince him to confess about the human.” Alpha Hill’s tone was even but there was a layer of worry that prickled over my skin.
“Yes sir. I don’t know for sure, but I feel that if he had been honest with Thyme about Mara from the beginning that she wouldn’t have run away like she did.”
Alpha Hill nodded, “You and Thyme are nothing alike.”
It wasn’t a question.
“My son also tells me that your mate was okay with you leaving and coming here,” Alpha Hill continued, “Is that accurate?”
I bit my cheek, and nodded, “He is very busy with school and was excited for me to see my sister.”
“I don’t want to force your hand. If you would like to go back to your mate, I will book your ticket now. But should you prefer to make this charade permanent…” he leaned forward in his chair, resting his hands on the desk. His eyes met mine, no mystical power flooded through the connection, whatever he was offering was completely my choice, “You would make a fine Alpha Female for Red Rock. My son needs a mate who is unafraid of consequences. Who values the integrity of the pack over reputation. He needs a mate who doesn’t cower or flee. I have not known you long, Rosemary, but I would be honored to have you in my family.”
My throat constricted and my eyes stung with building tears.
“I do not know much about Redrock, but what I do know, I love,” I admit, “But I could never impersonate my sister or abandon my mate.” Not that he noticed I’d disappeared in the desert for days.
Alpha Hill nodded, “I understand. I will be contacting Alpha Redford after that; I will arrange with him your return to your mate.”
“Thank you sir.” I stood and extended my hand to him, “For what it’s worth, I would love to have joined your pack and your family. It’s just not what the Moon Goddess has in store for me.”
I tried to keep my voice even and stoic. But the reality of returning to the small apartment and the forced solitude weighed on me and my voice cracked. Tears fell but I remained steadfast. If Thyme was not going to return, Simon needed to find a more suitable mate, and the longer I pretended to be her, the more difficult it would be for his real mate to integrate into the pack.
Celeste’s face softened, “The walls are thin in this house, Rosemary. I’ve heard how envious you were of your sister getting to go to school and join teams and make friends.”
“Why can’t I do that as Rosemary?”
Alpha Hill straightened his shoulders. My wolf pulled at my spine. She wanted me to cower, to back away, to do whatever it took to keep the Alpha happy with us.
“The deal is you help us by assuming your sister’s identity, or you go back to the apartment in Vancouver.”
“I need to talk to Jules. I won’t make this decision without him.”
“We need an answer by the pack picnic today.” Celeste slid a full plate of food over to me, “I’m confident your mate wants you to be happy and safe.”
I ignored the plate of food and started calling Jules.
When he didn’t answer I texted.
Call me when you can, it’s an emergency
Jules was probably in class, but I needed to talk to him before I went back out there. Alpha Hill said I could take time to think, but I couldn’t make this decision without Jules.
I wanted to stay. Thyme was missing. If anyone could help find her, it was me. Plus, before she disappeared, Thyme had the life I wanted. But I didn’t want to betray Jules. I hardly saw him in Vancouver, anyway. At least this way, he’d know I was safe and happy. And when Thyme came back, I’d go back to Jules and it’d be no big deal. Right.
Why did it feel so wrong though? I tapped my phone again. I needed to talk to someone. Normally I’d call Thyme, but she was missing. I wanted to call my dad, but my parents were furious that I couldn’t keep Thyme safe.
Jules, I’m serious,
I need to talk to you
Still nothing.
I hit Olga’s number, and she picked up right away.
“What’s up, Rosemary?”
“I got my wolf my sister went missing and now her new pack wants me to pretend to be her until she’s found and I kinda want to do it because I’ve always wanted to go to human school and Jules is never around but he’s not calling me back and I’m freaking out because I have to give them my answer by lunch and-”
“Whoa, girl, breathe,” Olga’s voice wrapped calm through me like magic. I inhaled and exhaled with her a few times.
“So, let’s start at the top. You got your wolf,” she whispered the last part, “Congrats. That must be scary and exciting. Jules must be thrilled for you.”
“Eh-” I couldn’t remember if it’d come up when we talked last night. I was so overwrought with the revelations about Thyme that I couldn’t remember if I mentioned it.
“But you haven’t heard from him. Got it. Okay, this sounds serious, I’m going to drive over to the campus and see if I can find him. Okay? Hold tight.”
Olga stayed on the phone with me the entire time, chattering about nothing to keep me calm, “Oh, I think I see him. JULES! Ope, not him. Alright, let’s try over there....”
Finally, she found him deep in the depths of the library and handed him the phone, “Rosemary’s been trying to get ahold of you.”
“Rosemary? What’s wrong? Did they find her sister?”
I burst into tears. My wolf perked inside of me at the sound of his voice, but I was so emotionally exhausted I couldn’t speak. Thankfully, Olga translated for me.
“Rosemary’s been offered the opportunity to go to school at Red Rock until you finish your out of pack education.”
“Is that what you want?” he asked.
My blubbering sobs answered him, “Kinda.”
“Rosemary,” he sounded so sad, “If that would make you happy.”
“I…don’t…. want….to…abandon…you,” I cried.
“We have our whole lives. We can survive a few years apart,” Jules said. His voice cracked too, “I’ll call and text whenever I can. It’ll be like you’re still here.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
“Oh well that was less dramatic than I was expecting,” Olga said hopping back on the call, “You doing okay, Rosemary?”
Ginger and Thyme (Kootenai Pack Book 4) Page 10