Chapter 5
When we made it back to the massive lodge, Abraham shifted into a human and held the side door open for me to pad through. He trailed after me silently as I climbed the stairs to the third floor. When we reached my borrowed bedroom door, he sighed and finally broke the silence.
“Get dressed and meet me out here. I have the girls gathered in the meeting room downstairs already.”
My ears twitched in confusion and Abraham elaborated.
“I called a family meeting before I left to follow after you. We’re going to clear up a few things between you and my sisters.”
You mean sister, I said in my head. Although I knew he couldn’t technically hear me, my thoughts came through loud and clear.
“Yes, we both know which sister is the problem. I’ll handle her.” He placed a big hand on my head and stroked between my ears. “I’ll handle all of it. This will be a safe place for you, El, I swear.”
I sighed deeply, my insides melting a little with his sweet words.
His smile was soft as he opened my bedroom door to allow me inside. “I’ll be back in a few,” he called before closing the door.
I thought hard about changing back into a woman, and with a loud crack, my bones shifting, my fur receded, and I was left standing naked in the middle of my room. A low snarl followed by a vicious hiss sounded from under my bed and my heart sank.
My poor kitty was upset, and I was the cause of it.
I sank to the floor and slowly crawled toward where I’d heard Charlie’s distressed sounds. The brown and black striped cat was curled into a little ball, deep underneath the bed, only his lime green eyes shining in the darkness.
“Hey, buddy,” I called softly. “Come here, bubba.” I stretched as far as I could and reached out a hand for him to sniff. His little body was shaking slightly, cracking small fissures in my heart. “Char-lie, come here,” I called again in a sing-song voice, hoping my tone would coax him out of his hiding place.
A couple minutes later, it was clear my tabby wasn’t budging, and I had to give up and get dressed. With a shake of my head, I stood and brushed the lint off my bare knees.
“I’m sorry, buddy. Things will go back to normal soon, I promise.”
But, that was a lie.
Nothing would ever be normal again. I’d never be normal again. I was a werewolf now, and nothing was going to change that. I’d always look and smell like this, and I could only hope one day Charlie would accept that and stop fearing me.
I figured if he could make friends with Evey and Del, he could eventually accept me how I was now. I had a strong suspicion that food would be a useful tool in winning my cat back and vowed to pick up some cat treats as soon as possible.
I quickly checked Charlie’s food and water dishes before throwing on a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. I had just tossed my hair up into a messy bun when Abraham knocked on my door and stepped through without waiting for an invitation.
“What if I had still been changing?” I asked him with a smile.
He raked his eyes over me and snapped his fingers. “That’s what I was hoping for.”
I rolled my eyes, a small laugh escaping before I remembered why he was in my room.
“Is a family meeting really necessary? And should I even be there? I’m not a part of your family.”
Abraham’s large strides ate up the space between us until he was close enough to grip both my arms in his big hands. “Yes, it’s necessary, yes, you need to be there.” He pulled me closer. “And yes, you are absolutely a part of my family. An important part.” He placed a soft kiss on my forehead. “The most important part,” he said, his voice low and rough and sending shivers down my spine. “I know that’s hard for you to accept, El, so I’ll just keep repeating it until you get it through that thick, beautiful head of yours.”
I wasn’t sure if I should be offended that he called me thick-headed, or flattered he called me beautiful.
He took my silence as acceptance and slid a hand down to grasp mine before pulling me from the room. I shot one last look over my shoulder, but Charlie was still hiding under the bed. Concern for my pet overtook my trepidation over this meeting, and I knew I needed to speak up.
“I’m worried about Charlie.”
Abraham, although not a fan of cats, had the decency to slow his hurried steps and turn to me. “What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s not taking my shift well. He hasn’t really interacted with me since I got my werewolf sight. Del said I came home smelling more like you guys that day, and I think it scared him. Just now, he saw me shift in the room, and he’s been hiding under the bed since. I’m worried he won’t accept how I am now and that I’m uprooting his life too much by bringing him back and forth between here and Raleigh. I just think this might be too much for him.”
“You could always stay here.”
I rolled my eyes. “How did I know you were going to suggest that?”
He replied without missing a beat, “Because you know it’s a good idea, too.”
I sighed. It wasn’t a half-bad one. I could at least admit that. Abraham and I had agreed that we’d take turns traveling every other weekend to each other, but even that wasn’t a very appealing solution.
There were a million reasons why our arrangement couldn’t work long-term. How long would it be before just seeing Abraham Friday through Sunday wasn’t enough? How long before the constant traveling got to us? Raleigh to Asheville was only about four hours, but that was eight hours of driving every other weekend for each of us.
It was just a lot.
A lot of traveling.
A lot of missing the other person.
A lot of sacrifice.
All because I refused to leave a career that was feeling more and more like just a job. A job that had become less fulfilling as time went on.
What was I really holding out for?
Independence.
My subconscious whispered the word so softly, I almost missed it, but I couldn’t deny the truth behind that single word.
If I moved out here, I’d be completely dependent on Abraham.
What if things didn’t work out between us?
What if we weren’t as compatible as we thought?
What if I uprooted my life, quit my job, broke my lease, and Abraham changed his mind and didn’t want me anymore?
What if I wasn’t really his mate?
It didn’t matter that he’d reassured me dozens of times that I was, because I knew, logically, that it shouldn’t be possible for a bitten wolf to be the mate of a born wolf. It just didn’t make sense. I was an anomaly. I wouldn’t even exist in this form if I hadn’t taken a simple hike in the woods a month ago. All of it was circumstantial–a lawyer’s least favorite word.
“El?” Abraham said, snapping me out of my reverie. I met his denim blue eyes. “Where’d you go?”
I shook my head. “Just thinking.” I could unload all of what had been going through my head, but now wasn’t the time. Instead, I gave him an easy answer. “I’m just worried about Charlie. Think we could swing by a pet supplies store today and pick him up some treats? I need a game plan to get back in his good graces, and I figured like all men, the easiest route would be through his stomach.”
I gave Abraham a cheeky grin, and he wrapped a thick arm around my neck, dragging me close so he could kiss my temple.
“Good idea. If I can’t take you, I’m sure one of my sisters would happily volunteer.”
His sisters. Ugh.
Although, that wasn’t fair–I loved his sisters.
At least three-quarters of them.
Evey, Del, and Callie had been nothing but sweet and welcoming to me. I loved those women like they were my own sisters.
It was Beatrice that was the issue. She’d had a problem with me since the first day we met, and I’d yet to figure out why.
For a little while, I thought she was averse to me because she was afraid Abraham and the others would get too attached when she was sure I wasn’t going to make it through my first shift.
Which I understood.
Did I need that extra hostility on top of everything else I was dealing with?
No.
But, Beatrice wasn’t exactly the warm and cuddly type on her best days, so I could sort of understand.
But, I’d made it. I survived my first shift and was a full-fledged werewolf now. So, what could she possibly still have against me?
It looked like I was about to find out as we finally made our way toward the meeting room Abraham had taken me to once before.
We walked in to find all four of his sisters sitting around the large wooden table in the center of the room, each wearing different expressions on their pretty faces.
Evey looked relieved to see me, Del had a proud glint in her dark blue eyes, Callie looked a little nervous, and Beatrice looked pissed. But, that seemed to be her default emotion, so I wasn’t too concerned.
A feeling deep inside me surged to the surface, begging to be heard and insisting I obey.
Do not show weakness.
I didn’t know where this sudden burst of intuition came from, but I instinctively heeded it.
“Thanks for meeting me here, girls. El, have a seat, and we’ll begin.” I sat beside Evey and turned to watch Abraham command the room. “There are a few things I need to get off my chest, and then anyone else who wants to talk or air something between us can do that after me, okay?”
We all nodded our heads.
“Good.” Abraham’s sharp eyes took in each of our faces before continuing. “First of all, I’d like to make a few points clear. I will not repeat myself, so listen close.” He took a deep breath, and his eyes hardened. “Elizabeth shifted successfully and is now a full member of this pack.” He paused, letting his words sink in. “She is also my fated mate.” A soft scoff came from the other side of the table, and I didn’t need to turn my head to know who made the sound.
Abraham’s eyes hardened further. “You will each respect her position in this pack and beside me. I will not tolerate another episode like we had earlier today. We are a family, and we will act like one, goddam it.” He slammed a fist on the table in front of him, and I only just stopped myself from jumping in my seat.
Beatrice sat up straighter in her chair and placed two clenched hands on the table. “So, some random human shows up, gets attacked and bit, and she just happens to be your fated mate?” She rolled her ice-blue eyes.
“Yes,” Abraham answered slowly between gritted teeth. “She is.”
“I don’t believe she’s your fated mate. It’s just not possible for a bitten wolf to be a born wolf’s mate.”
“Believe what you want, Beatrice, but from here on out, I don’t want to hear about it.”
Beatrice shook her head, her dark, chin-length hair whipping around her face. “The pack won’t accept her as your mate, Abraham, you know this.”
“They will if they want to stay in this pack.” Abraham’s voice was deep and threatening. “But, I know it’ll cause contention, and that’s one of the reasons why I have a new assignment for you. Elizabeth needs to learn how to defend herself as a wolf, and you’re going to teach her.”
My stomach dropped while Beatrice flew out of her seat. “The hell I am!”
“Beatrice.” Abraham’s voice held a note of authority anyone would be hard-pressed to defy. “That was not a request. That was an order from your alpha. I want you to spend at least one hour training her every day that she’s here, starting today.”
“Abraham, I have too much to do. I can’t take that kind of time–”
“You’ve been talking about getting a third in command,” he interrupted, “now would be the time to find a gamma.”
Beatrice sank back into her seat, and it was my turn to protest. Because what the hell was he thinking?!
“Abraham, this really isn’t necessary,” I said.
His deep blue eyes turned to me and softened slightly. “It is necessary. Trust me.”
“Why would I need to learn how to defend myself? And do you really think Beatrice is the best person to teach me?” I didn’t care if I offended her, at this point, I’d say anything I could to get out of this.
“You have a serial killer looking for you, and Bea’s right, not everyone in the pack will be happy about hearing you’re my mate, fated or chosen. You’re bound to run into times when you need to defend yourself, and I won’t have you walking around defenseless.” His eyes darted to his sister and back to me. “And, despite her prickly demeanor, or maybe because of it–”
Beatrice scoffed again from across the table.
“–she really is the best fighter we have, man or woman. If you’re going to learn how to defend yourself, you need to learn from the best, and that’s Bea.”
“Why can’t you teach me?” I was practically whining by this point, but I didn’t care.
“Because you need to learn how to fight like Bea. She’s smaller than all the other enforcers, yet she’s beaten each of them on multiple occasions. Her style is a lot different than mine and you need to learn hers.”
His tone was serious and sincere, but I was having trouble imaging a situation where I’d need to know how to defend myself. I was used to fighting with words, not fists or claws.
Who would want to fight me, anyway?
An image of Peyton swam to the front of my mind, and this offer to learn how to fight looked just a little bit better.
Then I thought about what he said about the serial killer. I thought about how I felt in the woods, just a little while ago, when I’d heard someone approaching me and how defenseless I’d felt. How small and insecure I’d been. How weak and unprepared I was. Although I’d vowed to not make a habit out of running through the woods alone, if the killer really was a member of this pack, it was only a matter of time before they got to me.
Did I want to be a victim again? To hope that Abraham or someone else would be around to save me? Or did I want the chance to defend myself? To stand up and fight back instead of cowering in fear. When I looked at things that way, it was an easy decision.
“Okay, I’m in.”