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Chapter 4

Elise sat on the edge of Kane’s king-sized bed and surveyed her surroundings. The black and white colour scheme was definitely masculine and matched Kane perfectly, but it left her feeling cold and out of place. The idea of her under-things draped here and there, or her makeup scattered on the dresser seemed wrong. A shiver ran through her; would she ever be able to feel at home here? She spent a few minutes considering how she could make the space more appealing then checked her watch again. It was four-thirty. After showing her to their room, Kane had left, promising to return and give her a tour of the house once he dealt with some pressing business. That was two hours ago. Since then, she’d explored the three rooms of their suite, finished unpacking her things, and familiarized herself with Kane’s collection of music, movies and books. Now what should she do? Kane had said he’d be back, but she was beginning to think he must have forgotten he now had a mate. He seemed to vacillate between careful attentiveness to her feelings and blatantly ignoring her. Right now she was feeling ignored, just as she had upon arriving. Her mind drifted back to a few hours previously...

Once Marla stopped blocking the doorway, Elise made her way inside and looked around with interest. She could see into several rooms from her position in the main foyer. A living room was to her left, a staircase with an oak banister was in front of her, and a dining room could be seen down the hallway. A few rooms were to her right, but their closed doors gave no indication as to what might be inside. Her first impression was that the house was simply decorated in a homey, traditional way with comfortable looking stuffed chairs and small occasional tables scattered about. Gleaming hardwood floors and neutral walls were a perfect foil for the dark green curtains that hung from the expansive windows. Light shone in from all sides and the impressive view of the outdoors, combined with the earth-toned decor, gave her a feeling of being one with nature. Not sure if she should follow the men carrying her boxes upstairs, or wait for Kane, she stood in the middle of the foyer, debating the best course of action. When she hesitantly stepped towards the stairs, Kane quickly called out her name.

“Elise, wait! I’ll only be a minute.”

How had he known what she was doing when his attention was so focused on Marla? The other woman was speaking intently to him and Kane nodded several times before ending the conversation with a one-armed hug. After watching Marla walk away, he moved to stand by Elise. “Sorry about that. Marla needed a bit of reassurance.”

Glancing over to where the woman stood near a window, she noted that Marla was shooting daggers at her with her eyes. Why had the woman taken an instant dislike to her? About to question Kane on the matter, he took her hand and led her upstairs. As she trailed her hand on the wooden rail, she could feel eyes watching her and had to resist the urge to turn around and see who it was. At the top of the stairs, a hallway led in two directions. Kane turned to the left and guided her to a set of doors at the end of the corridor.

“Our rooms are up here. Since the house is usually busy, I have my own retreat. There’s a bedroom, bath and a sitting room that are strictly off-limits to the rest of the pack. Sometimes, even social animals like wolves need their own space.” He offered this explanation with a crooked smile, while opening the door and ushering her inside.

The room was large and bright with sunlight streaming in from three sets of windows that spanned the outer walls. A king-sized bed dominated one side of the room and a large closet took up most of the other. Through an open doorway, she could see a sitting area with a fireplace and couch, while a second door appeared to lead into a bathroom. It was much grander than she’d expected. Apparently, Kane’s pack was well-set financially.

“This is nice.” She wandered about the room, peering into the closet and then into the sitting room.

“Carrie moved some of my stuff over, so there’ll be room for your things. She’ll help you unpack or rearrange anything that you want.”

“Thanks, but I can do it myself. With a baby on the way, I’m sure she’s tired and doesn’t need the extra work.”

“That’s considerate of you.” Kane came up behind her and squeezed her shoulders, then guided her to the window. He pointed over her shoulder and explained the view. “See over to the west? That’s the direction of your father’s land. Of course, you can’t see it, but possibly it will make your old pack seem not quite so far away.”

She looked up at him in surprise. It was a nice thing for him to say. She hadn’t supposed he’d understand how she felt. Kane guided her around so she was facing him and cupped her face.

“I know this has been hard on you, Elise. Leaving behind everything you know on such short notice has to feel overwhelming, but I’m proud of how you’re handling things; no whining, no temper tantrums, no angry accusations. I was expecting all of that and more.”

His words filled her with warmth but also made her stop and reflect. “I think I’m in shock.” She furrowed her brow trying to sort out her thoughts and feelings in her own mind. “Everything happened so fast, that I didn’t have time to think or react. I instinctively followed the Alpha’s orders.” She shrugged and sighed. “Besides, there really wasn’t much choice. I could fall in with the plan or leave the pack.”

“You’re right. A wolf that refuses to comply with the Alpha doesn’t stay in the pack long, though I doubt your father would have immediately thrown you out.”

“Maybe not right away, but he’s traditional and expects obedience...” Her voice trailed off. What would have happened if she had kicked up a fuss? She couldn’t remember her brother or sister complaining when they’d mated to form alliances, but then again, she hadn’t paid that much attention, having been considerably younger than her siblings. Searching her memory, she tried to recall an instance when her father hadn’t been obeyed and what he’d done as a result, but no such occasion came to mind.

With a start, she realized that Kane was still talking. and after supper, I’ll take you for a walk around the immediate grounds. Tomorrow morning, we can go for another run.”

“I’d like that. It looks to be a nice territory.” She twisted around and focused her attention on the view again, noting the trees stretching as far as the eye could see. It was nice, she said to herself, just not as nice as her father’s land.

Not aware of her thoughts, Kane spoke with pride. “It’s a beautiful place, especially down by the lake. I think you’ll enjoy it here, but don’t go too close to the edge of the property. We have the same problem with hunters and trappers that your old pack has.”

She murmured her agreement, his comment about her old home causing her to shift slightly and study the view to the west; that was where her pack was. Pressing her hand against the windowpane, a wave of homesickness wash over her. Kane turned her in his arms once again, running his hands down her back, before pulling her body flush against his. “It will take some time to adjust, but soon this will feel like home. Don’t worry. I’ll be here to help you.”

She studied his eyes, curious as to how he knew what had been running through her mind. At this moment, he seemed so kind and understanding. Heat from his body seeped into hers, causing a funny flutter in her stomach. Before she could examine what the feeling meant, Kane pressed a kiss to her forehead, then let her go.

“I have a few things I need to do. You stay here and get settled. Check out the sitting room; feel free to move my stuff about, I’m not fussy. I’ll be back in about an hour to give you a tour of the house.”

Well, she’d unpacked, and explored, and shifted things about—now what? Wandering around the home of a new pack by herself was intimidating. Wolves were territorial and her unknown scent might cause some ruffled fur; she’d much rather be escorted by her mate the first time she ventured out. However, sitting and waiting endlessly for Kane to return wasn’t that palatable either. If she stayed up here much longer, the others might think she was hiding from them. That would really be a black mark against developing any status and rank.

A newcomer to a pack was immediately checked out for how dominant they were, and where they would fit within the hierarchy. As the Alpha’s mate, she would automatically be given a certain degree of respect and status, but if she showed herself to be weak and submissive then her position would start to crumble. Deciding she’d had enough of waiting, she set her chin, put on a brave front and exited the bedroom suite. For whatever reason, Kane seemed to have abandoned her, so it would be up to her to establish herself in the house. The hallway was quiet, but she could hear the sound of voices below, and the scent of cooking was drifting enticingly through the house. Well, the kitchen was as good a place to start as any. Following the mouth-watering aroma of roast beef and fresh-baked cookies, she made her way down the stairs. Even though she thought she could pick Kane’s voice out of the general murmuring, the idea of food was more intriguing; her stomach was rumbling, reminding her she hadn’t eaten lunch. Sniffing the air, she followed the delicious scents down the hallway. It was only as she was about to open the door that nerves began to surface, and she took a deep steadying breath before stepping into the kitchen. Her first impression, as it had been with most of the rooms in the house, was one of brightness. Whoever had designed the home had ensured the outdoors was allowed inside. An impressive view of the backyard and the woods beyond could easily be seen from almost anywhere in the room. Sunlight streamed in through gleaming windows and sparkled off copper and stainless-steel pots, gleaming marble counter tops, and polished appliances. It might have been too bright if not for the homey touches of herbs growing on the window ledge and bits of folk art adorning the walls. Two women were standing at the counter and immediately looked up at the sound of the door swinging open. One was Carrie, the Beta’s mate, who she’d met earlier. The other woman was older with greying hair and a rounded figure. She was probably in her late fifties or early sixties.

“Elise! Good to see you. I was just saying to Helen that I wondered when you’d appear.” Carrie smiled over at her and she began to relax. The tiny redhead had a soothing quality about her, and Elise speculated whether she was always that way or if it was impending motherhood that was making her so mellow.

“I was unpacking and waiting for Kane. He said he had some business to attend to and then he’d be back, but I guess he was delayed so I’m exploring on my own.” She shrugged, not wanting to let on that she was upset by Kane’s abandonment.

“Welcome, Elise. I’m Helen.” The older woman eyed her up and down before smiling.

“Hi, Helen, I’m pleased to meet you.”

Carrie gestured towards the table. “Why don’t you sit down and we can talk while we finish making dinner.”

“Isn’t there something I could do?” She looked around, thinking she should offer to set the table or prepare vegetables.

“Not today, Sweetie.” Helen pulled out a chair and indicated that Elise was to take it. “It’s your first day here and we already have everything under control. You sit here and let us talk your ear off. Would you like some coffee and cookies? They’re fresh.”

She smiled and nodded, sitting down as she’d been told. The two women seemed genuinely pleased to meet her. As Helen handed her a plate of cookies and a cup of coffee, Elise felt she should offer condolences to the old Alpha’s widow. “Kane told me that your mate died recently. I’m sorry to hear of your loss.”

Helen paused, a sad expression washing over her face before she gave her head a shake. “Thank you. It was a shock, to say the least.” She walked to the sink as she spoke and began to peel some carrots. “Some days I still can’t believe Zack’s gone, but we’re lucky that Kane was here to take over. He’s doing a fine job. You can be very proud of how he stepped up to the plate.”

Purposely sipping her coffee to negate the need to respond, she murmured in what she hoped was an appropriate manner. She barely knew the man. It was hard to be proud of someone you’d just met. Helen continued chatting, oblivious to Elise’s thoughts. “I can tell you from personal experience that an Alpha’s work is never done. I had to force my Zack to set ‘office hours’ so that we could have some semblance of a normal life together. You’ll likely have to do the same if you ever want to see him.”

They talked about general matters for a while and then, noticing Carrie rubbing her belly, Elise asked, “So, Carrie, when are you due?”

The pregnant woman sighed deeply. “I’ve only got six weeks to go and I can tell you, it won’t be a minute too soon. My ankles and I haven’t seen each other in months and this little one kicks up a storm at night. I can’t wait until I can get a good night’s sleep again.”

“Believe me, once that pup is here, you won’t be getting any sleep. This is the voice of experience speaking.” Helen finished with the carrots and set them in a dish.

“Do you have a large family, Helen?” Elise wondered how old they might be and if they still lived here.

“I have four girls. Two are mated and part of this pack. One moved away to work out west and joined another pack. My baby, Chloe, is in university right now. She’s studying Environmental Science.”

“Chloe is one smart girl.” Carrie added as she peered at the roast, checking its temperature. “Kane’s hoping she can give him some advice on what to do about the northern acreage.” Glancing over at Elise, Carrie explained further. “There’s been a big push by an oil company to allow them to do some exploratory drilling in the northern part of our territory. They want to buy a large tract or lease it. Of course, we’re all against the idea, but they’ve been lobbying the local government. Kane, and Zack before him, have been busy keeping them away.”

“But if it’s your territory and you say no, they can’t come in, can they?” Elise furrowed her brow trying to understand the situation.

“You’d think.” Helen scowled as she dried her hands and then leaned against the kitchen counter. “But the humans want oil and feel that it’s their right to get it, even if it means destroying some of our property. Kane’s probably going over the company’s latest proposal right now. They seem to think that if they offer us enough money we’ll give in, which is ridiculous. Lycans don’t need money; we need space to roam.”

Elise was nodding in agreement when Carrie spoke. “Unfortunately, not everyone feels that way. A few in the pack like the idea of the money.”

Helen snorted. “Yes and we all know who they are.” The two women exchanged knowing looks.

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