“So, you and Nikoli are getting close,” Gold says, nudging me with her shoulder.
I wouldn’t say close, just spending a lot of time together as he teaches me about my wolf. Nikoli has taken me out every night these last three days to shift and learn more. I’ve mainly spent days sleeping or eating in the kitchens alone because Nikoli gets busy sorting pack issues out. I haven’t even seen Gold, until she opened my bedroom door a moment ago and walked in. I turn my phone off, a little upset that there is only one text from my old friend Skye, who congratulated me on getting into another foster home. She didn’t sound suspicious at all, which is crap. She apparently didn’t care much about me. I did have a chat with Colt, who is missing me and can’t wait until Tuesday. It's strange being away from him this much, as we used to be together every day. I also listened to all his voice messages he left me, sounding so panicked when I went missing. They were hard to listen to because I could hear how worried he was.
“He is helping me learn how to be a wolf. Shifter control and all that,” I say, and she laughs.
“You have more control than any wolf I’ve ever seen, and I highly doubt you couldn’t control your wolf alone at this point,” she says.
I reach down, feeling my wolf in my mind, and I know Gold is right. My wolf trusts me, as much as I believe her.
“It’s girls’ night, and you’ve been hiding in here all the time, or with Nikoli. Come and meet some of your pack,” she says, nudging me, and I frown at her.
“I forgot about that,” I mutter, and she smiles.
“They aren’t too bad, but they are interested to know more about their new pack member who has stolen the alpha’s heart, and already has a vampire’s,” she says, as we stand up from the bed and walk towards the door.
“I haven’t stolen anything,” I say.
“You’re so completely in denial, it’s almost funny,” she chides, laughing harder.
“Can I ask you something?” I ask her.
“Anything,” she says, leaning against the wall by the door.
“Okay well, I’ve never been with a man, but I know how sex works. But is there anything I should know about wolves or vampires?” I say way too quickly, and she laughs when I finally stop speaking.
“Well, I’m assuming you guessed that to mate, you have to have sex?” she asks when she sees my blushing cheeks, and stops laughing. I can’t stop thinking about mating with Nikoli and Colton, but I need to careful.
“Well, the male must bite the female during the mating for it to work. It’s the same for vampires, but they have to exchange blood, I’ve heard. I would guess that you have to bite him hard enough to break the skin. But I’ve heard most of this comes from instinct,” she explains.
“What about birth control?” I ask, not wanting to admit how happy it makes my wolf and me at the idea of mating with Nikoli or Colt.
“Wolves have trouble conceiving, and we have certain times of the year where our hormones go out of whack, and we need sex. That’s the only time you can conceive. It’s basically unheard of to conceive any other time,” she says, and I nod, a little relieved.
“Do you have a mate?” I ask her. I also wonder what the females of the pack do when that time comes around, and you don’t have a mate. I doubt many of them would be happy having a child with someone who isn’t their mate.
“No. It’s not common to find your destined mate, and most never do. Look at Snow. Even if you find your destined mate or mates, it doesn’t mean you’re going to be happy with them,” she says, a hint of sadness in her words.
“How many mates could you have? I mean, I don’t think I could cope with more mates turning up,” I say with a chuckle, and she smiles.
“There isn’t a limit on how many males can be destined for one woman. There is a woman called Daisy in the pack, who has four mates. They all live here and are happy together,” she says gently.
“Wow. I can just about deal with one alpha, and one vampire, let alone anymore,” I say, causing her to chuckle.
“You’ll meet Daisy and her mates at Sunday dinner, and their son,” she tells me.
“Who goes to that?” I ask, dreading her answer.
“The whole pack. It’s the only time we all get together, other than meetings, which are rare.”
“Have you ever dated anyone long-term?” I ask her, and she shakes her head.
“Some humans here and there but they grow old, and I can’t tell them what I am. Eventually, it becomes easier to stay away from humans, as they die so easily and live so little,” she says.
It makes me sad, in a way, that everyone I had in my old life, other than Colt, will eventually die, and I will still be here.
“What about dating wolves?” I ask her.
“And risk that they find their destined mate, then leave? No, I couldn’t do that, and most wolves can’t.”
“Ah, I see,” I say, and she nods sadly. It’s not a great situation to be in for anyone, and it sounds lonely. So, part of me is glad that I met Nikoli when I did. I follow her out the room, and she gives me a small smile as we reach the bottom of the stairs. We walk down the corridor and back to the room where I first met the women, and Gold opens the door. I follow her in, and Snow walks over.
“I’m so happy my grumpy brother finally found his mate,” she says and hugs me. I don’t move as she attempts to squeeze me to death.
“We haven’t mated or got together,” I tell her, and she chuckles as she pulls away.
“Nikoli hasn’t dated in years; he likely needs to work on his pickup skills. From what I saw in the kitchen, it won’t be long,” she says with a big grin, and I shake my head.
“Everyone, this is Harper. Nikoli’s destined mate and our soon-to-be alpha female. I hope that you all will welcome her, and give the respect she deserves,” Gold shouts into the room, and it goes quiet as all the women turn to look at me. A little girl, who looks about five, walks over and puts her hand out. She has curly black hair, a pale complexion, and bright green eyes, and is wearing cute fox pyjamas.
“I’m Arisa, and you’re going to be my new auntie. We can have sleepovers and play dolls, and when you have your own baby, I will be its friend,” she says, and I shake her hand, not knowing what else to do.
“Auntie?” I ask quietly, looking down at the little girl who is the image of Snow, but with Erik and Gold’s eyes. I guess this must be Snow and Erik’s child.
“Yeah, we totally creeped you out now, but honestly, we are all just happy. This is my daughter,” Snow says, and Arisa gives me an innocent smile as she pulls her hand away.
“What? Did I say something? I want her to have a baby, so I have someone to play with,” Arisa says with a pout, and Snow laughs.
“Usually when you meet someone, you don’t tell them to have a baby, Arisa. It’s considered rude,” Snow tells Arisa, who apparently thinks about it for a while.
“I don’t get it. You tell me to always tell the truth, and I did,” she says, and crosses her arms in annoyance. It's really hard not to laugh at her serious face; she is just too cute to pull it off.
“Come and sit down. We’re about to put Wonder Woman on. The new one,” Snow tells me, changing the subject. I ignore the looks of most the women in here as I follow Snow over to an empty sofa. Gold chooses to sit on the rug with another woman, and Snow plops down next to me. Arisa comes over and sits on the edge of the couch.
“No, it’s bedtime for you,” Snow tells her, and she gives her another cute pout. I would have trouble saying no to that, but Snow doesn’t.
“I mean it. I told you that you could meet Harper, but that’s it. Your dad is waiting to put you to bed,” she says. Arisa frowns, but gives her mum a hug before running out of the room.
“She is so sweet,” a blonde-haired woman seated on another sofa says, and I nod.
“She is,” another woman, with bright red curly hair, agrees from across the room. A very awkward silence fills the room as they all watch me for some kind of reaction. I look at Gold, who gives me a cheeky smile, but doesn’t say anything.
“Let’s watch the film. I’ve heard it’s really good,” I say into the silence of the room, and Snow winks at me as she gets the remote and presses play. It may have been awkward at the start of the night, but by the end, I made some new friends.