“Close the door behind you when you come down, and
hurry up
.” She left the bedroom. As she closed the door, she could hear Mark muttering about women who didn‟t know how to stand up to their parents as an adult.
Heart pounding, Carol took the stairs in a single bound and sped into the kitchen. She snatched up the damp dishrag and a bottle of air freshener and raced around the living room, straightening pillows, wiping down tables, and spraying the couches and carpets—every surface where she and Mark had made love. It wouldn‟t mask what they‟d done, not from shifters, but it would tone it down, make it less obvious. She hoped.
She could sense them standing at the door, politely waiting, and knew they could hear her frantically scrambling around inside. Carol dashed back into the 38
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kitchen and grabbed a trash bag. Two pizza boxes, newspapers, a couple of empty two-liters, empty plastic water bottles, and multiple chip bags later, she tossed the now full trash bag in the pantry, wiped her hands on her pants, and went to the door, trying to calm down.
Saying a brief prayer, she swung open the door. “Alpha, Mona. I didn‟t expect you.”
Mona came inside and gave her a brief hug. “I told Tom we should call first.” Nostrils visibly twitching, Thomas Wolfe, the Raven pack‟s alpha, glanced around briefly before his gaze locked on to Carol. She swallowed hard and lowered her gaze submissively. He stepped forward, and his mate moved to the side to give him room. “Family never stands on ceremony,” he stated as he swept Carol into a brief but powerful hug that lifted her off her feet.
Upstairs, the bedroom door opened and closed; then Mark‟s slow and steady tread sounded on the stairs. The scent of sex, followed quickly by Carol‟s fear, filled the air. Tom‟s eyes went wolf, and a low growl vibrated through him. Carol shot Mona a pleading look.
Mona took his arm and said, “Let‟s go into the living room and give Carol a moment to collect herself.”
He allowed himself to be led away but kept looking back. Not at Carol, but to the opening of the stairwell. The minute he was out of sight, Carol turned to confront Mark as he stepped off the last stair. “You need to go,” she said in a low voice. “Now.”
Mark narrowed his eyes, his expression one of disbelief. “I‟m not running out of here like some teenage boy caught with his pants down.”
“You don‟t understand,” she began.
“No, you don‟t,” he corrected. “I‟m a man, and you‟re my woman. Now, unless you‟re ashamed of me…?”
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“I‟m not,” she rushed to assure him. Scared Tom would rip his throat out, yes.
Ashamed of her relationship with Mark? Never.
“Then we‟re going to walk in there like adults, and you‟re going to introduce me to your parents.”
“Guardians,” she corrected absently.
“They‟re still your family, whatever you call them, and they‟re important to you. Now come on.” He took her arm, much like Mona had taken Tom‟s, and led her into the living room.
Mona and Tom stood when they entered. “Alpha, Mona, this is Mark. Mark, my guardians, Mona and Thomas Wolfe.” Carol cursed inwardly at her slip, hoping Mark wouldn‟t ask what an alpha was.
Way to go, stupid, as if you’re not in enough
trouble already.
Mark leaned forward with his hand outstretched. “Sir, ma‟am,” he greeted them.
“Nice to meet you,” Mona stated.
The alpha gave Mark a measured glance as he shook his hand. Carol held her breath. Finally Tom nodded and said, “Have a seat.” The alphas settled on the couch like they owned it—which they did—and she and Mark sat on the love seat across from them. Carol had to make a conscious effort to keep her leg from shaking. Tom hadn‟t tossed Mark out on his ear. So far so good. Shifters respected courage. Mark couldn‟t have known her guardians would hear every word he‟d spoken earlier, and that made his actions all the more courageous.
“So how did you two meet?” Mona asked.
“A group of us guys were playing football on the green. The opposing team asked Carol to play, and we were introduced,” Mark answered.
“You‟re a student here?”
“Yes, ma‟am.”
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“What field of study?”
“Pharmacy.”
“You‟re a little old to be a full-time college student, aren‟t you?” Tom asked, speaking for the first time since they‟d sat.
Mark nodded. “I served four years full duty to get the money I needed for school, and another four years in the reserves.”
“What branch?” Tom asked.
“The army.”
The alpha nodded once and sat back, allowing Mona to continue her grilling, disguised as polite conversation. Carol sat tensely, speaking when spoken to but otherwise remaining silent.
After about fifteen minutes of tortuous questioning and answering, the alpha interrupted. “As pleasant as this is, we came to see Carol on a matter of important family business. I‟m sure you‟ll understand and excuse us,” he said dismissively as he came to his feet.
“Of course, sir,” Mark stated agreeably as he rose to a standing position. “It was nice meeting you,” he said to Mona.
“You too. Carol, walk your young man to the door,” she commanded.
Carol stood and led the way. As soon as they were out of sight, Mark caught her to him and kissed her soundly. “Call me.”
She nodded as she opened the door and all but pushed him outside. As soon as the door closed, Carol turned and, taking a deep breath, prepared to face the music.
Before she could take the first step, Mona called out, “Go shower and change into something nice. We‟re taking you out to eat.”
A reprieve, she thought, as she ran up the stairs.
* * *
They were seated in the high-back, U-shaped booths of the local expensive steak restaurant, whose low lighting and spacious seating offered the illusion of True Mates: Carol’s Mate
41
privacy from other diners. Carol was in the curve, with Mona on her right and Tom on her left, hemming her in. Not that she was intending to run. The Wolfes had been extremely good to her. She loved them as much as she could love anyone who were not her parents. They took their responsibility toward her seriously, and she knew they‟d made it a point over the years to treat her with the same loving care that they gave Alex, their birth son. Still, she was extremely uncomfortable.
Her alpha let loose with another growl.
“Thomas, quit growling at the girl. Carol, stop fidgeting,” Mona scolded.
“She‟s afraid—of us, her
parents
,” he ground out in a low voice.
“She‟s
nervous
,” Mona contradicted. “She was caught, if not with her pants down, then close.” She sighed and pushed her glass and silverware out of the way and rested her forearms on the table with the wrists crossed. “I can see that neither one of you is going settle down until we get it out of the way, so let‟s discuss what happened so that we can move on to the purpose of our visit.” Carol shifted in her seat again, then froze when Mona pinned her with a stare.
“Now, Carol‟s twenty-three, more than old enough to experience her first taste of passion. The Creator knows, between you and Alex, she‟d never have gotten the chance at home, but I think every woman should have the opportunity. I know you were hoping she‟d remain pure until her mating. You don‟t want to see her hurt, but that‟s not realistic in this day and age, and there‟s no guarantee that she‟ll find her one. Do you really want her being overwhelmed by the first male strong enough to take her without having any kind of relationship experience of her own to know how to handle him?”
Tom grumbled something indistinct in reply but subsided.
Mona then turned to Carol. “I know we‟ve taught you to stay away from relationships with human males, but really, as a means of testing your wings, they‟re perfect. You don‟t have to worry about pregnancy or being mated against your wishes. Disease isn‟t a concern. You can learn about what it means to be a woman and a sexual being in your own right without the possessiveness of a male 42
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wolf to contend with. Just remember that while human men are fun to play with, you can‟t let yourself get too attached, and you have the added complication of having to hide what you are. Besides, we need all the females that we have. You know all about our low birthrates, so there‟s no need for me to go into it again. I‟m sure you‟d like children someday, and with so many viable males to choose from, it‟s really not a lot to ask, now is it?”
“I love him,” Carol said in a low voice.
Mona reached out and patted Carol‟s hand gently. “I‟m sure you do. That‟s what makes it all so exhilarating. That first rush of love, the challenge of something new and exciting. Eventually it will fade. You‟ll see. I know you don‟t believe me now, but I went through the same thing when I was your age. That‟s why it‟s better this happened with a human male. This way you won‟t be tempted to make a mistake—an unwanted mating—that will haunt you for the rest of your life.”
“I marked him.”
Carol kept her gaze lowered, but she could still see the stunned glance her guardians shared and feel the sudden tension in the air. Mating marks—a bite one shifter gave another, usually on the tendon that joined the neck and shoulder—were nothing to play with. Shifters were taught from early childhood to only bestow them on the mate they planned on spending the rest of their lives with. After all, mating marks in the shifter world were as sacred and binding as human wedding vows.
Only unlike in the human world, there was no divorce, no way to undo it once it was done.
Their waiter returned to the table with their orders. No one said a word as he set the sizzling plates of food before them. The tension was so thick, the waiter kept glancing from one person to the other. He rushed to finish his task, haste making him clumsy in his effort to escape before the eruption.
Not daring to look at the alpha, Carol raised beseeching eyes to Mona. “I didn‟t mean to. I know the rules. My beast…it just”—she shrugged helplessly—“it took over.”
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Mona‟s expression changed from concerned outrage to something Carol couldn‟t identify. She shared another speaking glance with her mate, and the atmosphere altered. It was still charged, but…Carol tried to put a name to what she was sensing and couldn‟t.
“I think you‟d better explain,” Mona told her gently.
Carol took a deep breath and began her tale. “I noticed his scent first. He smelled so good. If he‟d been a shifter, I would have sworn he was my one. It was like everything you told me to expect, you know? But he couldn‟t be, because shifters and humans don‟t mate.” She paused to see if Mona understood. She still couldn‟t bring herself to look at her alpha.
Mona nodded encouragingly.
“I tried to stay away from him. He asked me out. I told him no, that I was busy with schoolwork. We know some of the same people and haunt some of the same places. Whenever he‟d show up, I‟d leave. If I saw him coming, I‟d change directions.
I knew a relationship between us was wrong and couldn‟t go anywhere. I thought he‟d get the hint and leave me alone.”
“But he didn‟t?” Mona asked.
“No. He said later he was as drawn to me as I was to him. Mark finally cornered me and asked me to have a cup of coffee, promising if I‟d sit and talk with him, get to know him a bit, and afterward still wasn‟t interested, he‟d leave me alone.” Carol‟s voice trailed off as she thought back to that night. It seemed so long ago, but it had only been a few weeks.
“What happened?” Mona prompted.
“We talked…for hours. It was scary nice, you know? We have so much in common, and Mark‟s really a great guy. Mature, has a great head on his shoulders, feet firmly grounded. He knows what he wants out of life and has the drive to obtain it.” Carol sighed again, this one a reflection of the regret she‟d felt after that first get-together. “He walked me to my car, and I explained again that as much as I‟d enjoyed myself, nothing had changed. I still wasn‟t interested.” She paused.
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“Then he kissed me and my”—she glanced around quickly, her voice lowering as years of keeping what she was a secret automatically kicked in—“that
other
part of me tried to come out.”
At her words, Tom stirred for the first time. Mona‟s gaze sharpened, but she said nothing.
“I shoved him away, reminded him of his promise, and drove off.”
“But he didn‟t stay away.” This came from the alpha.
She glanced briefly at him. He wasn‟t looking at her, but off into space with a contemplative look on his face.
“Mark said he tried. That he attempted to find another woman to interest him, one that would take his mind off me, but couldn‟t. He showed up one day at my door, and…and I let him in,” she finished softly, feeling her cheeks warm at the memory of what followed.
There was another silence, this one longer. Finally Tom said, “Eat. We‟ll finish this discussion later.”
Carol‟s nostrils quivered as she tried to scent what the alpha was feeling. She didn‟t sense or hear any disapproval or anger. Whatever he was thinking, he kept to himself.
She looked at the twelve-ounce porterhouse, which had blood and juice coming out of it onto the specially designed plate the restaurant used to keep the food warm. Her loaded baked potato was just as she loved it: topped with butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon, and chives, and with steam still rising from it. The steamed broccoli was cooked to perfection. It all looked and smelled so good and, as far as Carol‟s stomach was concerned, was as appetizing as burned wood. She had to force herself to pick up her knife and fork and begin eating.
Mona started discussing the progress of the new medical clinic that was being built, of which Alex would be in charge. A government grant they‟d applied for had been approved and was being used to purchase some state-of-the-art medical equipment. In addition to federal and state funding, the local and surrounding True Mates: Carol’s Mate
45
communities were going all out to raise money to make Refuge‟s clinic the best in the area. Not only would it provide jobs, but having a facility of their own meant no more forty-five minute drives down the mountain to get to the closest hospital in emergency situations.