Mated To The Wrong Alpha
Chapter 9

By the time dinner was ready, Arthur still hadn’t appeared. Ava was definitely feeling abandoned.

Carrie shook her head in exasperation. “Ava, can you go fetch the men from the office?

Knowing them, they’re so involved in what they’re doing, they’ll never come out on their own.”

“Okay. Can you point me in the right direction?” She wasn’t too keen on searching out the group—more wandering around on her own in ‘foreign’ territory—but she didn’t want to refuse and seem weak.

Helen gasped. “You mean Arthur hasn’t even shown you around the house yet?”

Embarrassed, she shrugged and shoved her hands in her pockets. “He planned to but…”

“That man! It’s ridiculous how tied up in his work he gets. I’ll have to have a word or two with him about how to treat a mate!” Helen pursed her lips and shook her head.

“It’s all right.” Ava tried to smooth things over. The freedom with which Helen was expressing her feelings about Arthur seemed strange; her father would never have tolerated that. Of course, Arthur wasn’t around to hear, so perhaps that explained things.

“No, it’s not. He has obligations to you. Come on, I’ll give you a quick tour and then we’ll collect the men.” Helen took her by the arm and led her from the kitchen. Glancing back over her shoulder, Ava looked at Carrie who shrugged and rolled her eyes obviously used to Helen’s ways. As she followed the grey-haired woman down the hall, Ava supposed that, having been the Alpha’s mate, Helen was used to taking charge. After all, it had been her home for quite a few years and suddenly being demoted would be a difficult mental shift to make.

Ava saw the laundry room, spare bath, living room, dining room, recreation area and the guest rooms. John and Carrie’s quarters were pointed out, as were Helen’s own suite of rooms. The whole house reflected the pride that Helen took in her role. Every room was immaculate, cheery, and welcoming. Too bad it didn’t smell right. The scent of foreign wolves assaulted Ava’s nostrils as she went from room to room and it made her feel edgy, as if danger was lurking just around the corner. How long it would be before her scent mixed with theirs and she would finally be able to relax?

Eventually they reached the offices, which turned out to be behind the closed doors she had seen from the front foyer. Helen knocked and then entered without waiting for an invitation, shooing the men out with threats of no dinner if they didn’t hustle. Arthur was the last to exit and Helen grabbed him by the arm and began to scold him for his neglect. Surprisingly, Arthur listened respectfully and then thanked Helen for her opinion. Ava watched the exchange, barely holding back a gasp when he winked at her over Helen’s head, then grinned and made a face.

As they turned to walk down the hallway to the dining area, Arthur whispered in her ear.

“Helen thinks she’s everyone’s mother and can’t resist pointing out the error of our ways. She means well, and she was right. I was caught up in something, but it was no excuse for ignoring you on your first day. I’m sorry. Do you forgive me?”

She nodded, taken aback at his admission. Her father never would have done that.

Arthur gave her a quick k**s, grabbed her hand, and hurried her down the hall. “Carrie and Helen are great cooks. I can’t wait to see what they’ve concocted for us tonight.”

The meal was pleasant, with general conversation. Ava mostly listened, trying to absorb as much information about her new pack as possible. It was just the five of them at the table tonight. Had the others stayed away because of her? At her old home, there’d always been extra people for dinner. She couldn’t remember how many times she’d been sent to count noses so they’d know how many plates to set out. Was this pack not as close-knit?

As if reading her mind, John explained. “I told everyone to stay away tonight. Since it’s your first day, I thought you might replace it overwhelming to have everyone here. With only four new faces, you can ease into things.”

“That was nice of you.” She smiled at him, thinking everyone was certainly trying to be considerate of her. Maybe it was time to explain some of her own feelings. These people were supposed to be her new family and no doubt could sense the unease coming off of her. “I… I must admit that I’m replaceing it unsettling to be the new wolf in the pack. I feel like I’m violating your territory by being here. It’s old instincts kicking in I suppose, but there’s this underlying idea that it’s dangerous to be walking around and that I should retreat as fast as possible.” She scanned their faces hoping she hadn’t made a tactical error.

Helen nodded in understanding. “This doesn’t feel like your home yet. You’ll be edgy and nervous for a while and then one day, you’ll replace that your scent has blended with ours and you’ll wonder why you ever wanted to be anywhere else.”

“Changing packs is still a new concept,” John added. “A hundred years ago it was almost unheard of. With few exceptions, Lycans lived and died within the same pack. But the world’s changing and we have to change with it. People go away to school, get jobs in new cities; packs have to adapt if we’re to survive. Some don’t like the new ways—they want to cling to the ancient traditions—but our very existence depends on our ability to integrate undetected with the rest of the world.”

“And it’s even healthy for the packs to have new members.” Carrie chimed in. “New members bring new b***d. There was too much inbreeding in the past.”

Ava was pleasantly surprised with how forward thinking these people seemed to be. Her old pack wasn’t exactly in the Dark Ages, but they did tend towards the traditional. “Thanks, that makes me feel better. I hope everyone else in the pack feels as you do.”

“It will be fine. You’ll replace your feet soon enough.” Arthur hadn’t said much yet. Now he reached over and squeezed her hand. She was surprised at the comfort the gesture seemed to bring.

“She’ll replace her feet a lot faster if her mate spends some time with her.” Helen pointedly looked at Arthur and he grimaced.

“Yes, mother,” he replied with mocking subservience. Helen threw a roll at him, which he promptly caught and bit into. “Thank you. How did you know I wanted more?” Helen scowled at him and the others burst out laughing.

The rest of the meal progressed in an easy, affable way and Ava began to feel at ease around her new packmates. Even Arthur seemed approachable, gently teasing her and laughing as she boldly replied with snappy come-backs. She found herself enjoying his company and had hope for the future. Maybe she and Arthur could eventually become friends, at least.

Dessert was being served when the phone rang. John excused himself to get it but returned quickly, his face grave. “Arthur, we have a problem. Thomas was out patrolling the far edge of the property today. Julia just called to say he never came home and she can’t make a mental connection with him.”

The table fell silent. Arthur set his cup down with a definite thud and stood up, concern etched on his features. “Call Franz and Michael. We’ll set up a grid and go searching. I’ll meet you at the edge of the woods.” He turned to go then paused, looking back at Ava. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Nodding, she got up and followed him out of the room. Once they were by themselves, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry, Ava. It’s your first day here and all I’ve done is ignore you. I have to go, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“I understand. Do you think something serious has happened?”

“Thomas has only recently mated and there’s no way he’d be late getting home. Last week we found a whole line of traps in the area he’d have been patrolling. I’m worried the traps were reset and he stepped in one.”

Ava paled, thinking of her mother. “I hope he’s all right.”

“Me too.” Arthur stared off into the distance, squeezing her shoulders tightly. She winced at the pressure.

John popped his head in. “Franz and Michael will be here in five minutes. I’m heading out to the tree line.”

Arthur nodded then looked down at Ava. “Carrie and Helen will take care of you. Ask them if you need anything.” He pulled her in for a quick k**s and then left.

She made her way back to the dining room and joined the other two ladies in clearing the table and putting away the leftovers. It had been a pleasant meal and she was sorry it had ended so abruptly and on such a down note. She’d never thought about how busy her father was as Alpha but now she was seeing a whole different side to the job. Maybe Helen was right and Arthur would have to set up ‘office hours’—not that she was sure how much time she wanted to spend with him—but they needed to develop some sort of relationship.

After cleaning the kitchen and doing the dishes, the three women sat down to watch TV in the new recreation room. Large overstuffed chairs circled the high-tech flat screen and a fire was burning cheerily in the corner taking the chill off the room. Ava declined the honour of controlling the remote and Carrie flicked through the channels before replaceing a favourite show.

At first, Ava tried to concentrate on the drama unfolding on the screen but found her gaze drifting more and more towards the other two women. Helen and Carrie kept shooting each other glances and seemed to be exceptionally tense. Finally, she gave up the pretence of not noticing and when the next commercial came on, turned to confront them.

“I’ve noticed you two looking at each other. Is there something else going on besides

Thomas being missing?”

“It’s probably nothing.” Carrie stared down at her belly, stroking the child within.

“That’s right. We’re being foolish. Thomas is simply late.” Helen bounced to her feet.

“Why don’t I make us some popcorn?”

“No, thank you.” She bit back the desire to growl. They were hiding something from her and she didn’t like it. “If this is to be my new home, I need to know what’s going on, don’t you think?”

“Well, yes…” Carrie twisted her fingers and looked towards Helen.

Sitting back down, Helen sighed. “We aren’t trying to hide things from you, Ava. It’s just that Arthur indicated that he wanted to explain the situation to you himself.”

“What situation? And why does Arthur have to be the one to tell me?”

“Because it involves Arthur on a personal level and he wants you to understand where he’s coming from.”

She frowned. “How does Thomas not coming home, involve Arthur?”

“Well, it might not…” Carrie let her voice trail off and shifted in her seat. “We’re just not sure. As I said, it could be nothing.”

Throwing up her hands in despair, she flopped back in the chair. “You’re talking in circles. Arthur said it was possible that Thomas stepped in a trap left by hunters. How could that personally involve Arthur beyond the fact that he’s the Alpha?”

“Well, if it really was set by human hunters, then it wouldn’t involve Arthur and we certainly hope that’s the case.” Helen nodded as if her positive thoughts could make the situation true.

“If it involves human hunters?” she tried to wrap her brain around this new puzzle. What was there besides human hunters? Surely not… The very idea made her gasp. “Another Lycan setting traps? But why? That’s absurd!”

The two women exchanged more anxious glances again and then Helen spoke. “It’s complicated. Suffice to say that there’s been some controversy and division in the pack. We’d hoped it was over, but recent events are leading us to believe otherwise.” “Recent events? Like what?” She queried.

Helen opened her mouth and seemed about to speak, then shook her head. “We really can’t say much else. It’s Arthur’s place to tell you.”

Sighing in frustration, she realized she’d get nothing more out of her two new friends. If the

Alpha had forbidden them to speak, they wouldn’t. “All right. I’ll ask Arthur when he gets back.” Checking the time, she stood up. “I think I’ll head up to bed. It’s been a busy day.”

Carrie stood as well. “I’m going to turn in, too. The little guy inside me is quiet right now and maybe I can get a few hours of sleep before the gymnastics start again.”

“I’ll rest down here for a while. The men should be back soon and might want a cup of coffee or a snack after being out in the cold.” Helen picked up the remote and settled back in her chair.

Bidding each other a good night, Carrie and Ava each turned toward their own wing of the house. Opening the bedroom door, Ava didn’t bother to turn on the lights. Moonbeams streamed into the room through the bank of windows and she wandered over to them, staring out at the night.

Her old pack was out there, miles away. What were they doing right now? Was her father sitting in his office, working late into the night as he often did? Had Sarah finished the apple pies that she always made and then stored in the freezer for the winter months? And what was Seth doing? She’d been so busy trying to settle into her new home that she hadn’t thought of him all afternoon. Mentally, she scolded herself for forgetting the man she loved.

The sound of a wolf howling drew her attention to the shadowy outline of the surrounding forest. Somewhere out there, Arthur and the others were searching for the lost pack member. She hoped everyone was safe. Carrie and Helen’s cryptic comments had her worried. If there was a problem and Arthur was leading the search, would he be the first to stumble into danger? True, he’d noticed the trap this morning, but in the dark he might not be so lucky. Her stomach gave a nervous flutter at the idea of him being injured.

Reluctantly, she turned from the window, changed into her nightgown and climbed into the bed which now seemed even larger than ever. The sheets were cool and she curled into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest as she tried to warm up. It was her first night in her new pack and she was spending it alone. Was this how the rest of her life was going to be spent?

Rolling over so she faced the windows, she stared out at the moon and tried to convince herself everything would be all right.