Chapter Seven

 

Saturday had finally come, today was the day, she was finally going to meet Jax. At least she hoped he liked that nickname as she had been calling him that all week. She rolled her head back and forth from shoulder to shoulder, she was a nervous wreck. A small part of her was scared she had built him up and she would be sorely disappointed when he didn’t measure up.

She pulled up to Caeden and Koira’s house and parked. They had bought a couple of acres of land a few months ago and decided to have an outdoor wedding.

A small walkway wrapping around the back of the house was decorated with candles and blue violets lining both sides. She fell in line behind a couple and followed them towards the dull roar of noise she heard off in the distance.

Sinead had to adjust her eyes as the wedding came into view. The only thing white was the tent, other than that everything was doused in color. The brightly hued colors were astounding, from the blood red tablecloths to the royal purple lace draped across the ceiling of the tent, twinkling fairy lights woven in between. So many colors in one space should have been overwhelming but they weren’t., Since getting her sight back, Koira was determined to have everything as vibrant as possible and no one would ever fault her for that.

To the right of the tent, people were gathering in rows of chairs facing the pond. She placed her gift on the table and grabbed a seat towards the back. She smiled and waved at people she recognized, her mind was searching for her mystery man. She would have thought it would have been easier but shifters are notoriously tall and the entire pack was in attendance.

“Mind if we sit next to you?” Sinead smiled, relieved to be sitting with someone she knew. She had met Sheriff West Graelin last year when he moved to town. She was thrilled when he found his mate Tucker, or Rook as he demanded everyone call him. Sinead had known Rook for a long time, as pack enforcer, she had worked with him a few times on cases through the years.

“I would be insulted if you didn’t.” She kissed both their cheeks as they hugged then settled in next to them.

She fell into easy conversation with them while she continued to scan the crowd. After a few minutes, a hush fell over the crowd as Cadean and his groomsman came out of the house and stood at the front by the pond.

Music started playing over speakers set up around the tent. Excitement coursed through the crowd, everyone eager to see the bride. Koira did not disappoint, her dress was stunning and she looked ethereal as she walked towards them. The dress started out white at the corset top but after a few inches it morphed into yellow then orange followed by red then purple and last was deep blue like the violets in her bouquet. Sinead had never seen a more beautiful gown, tears welled in her eyes seeing Koira as the beauty queen she never got to be.

Sinead had never been to a wedding of mates, it was more intense than a regular human wedding. Their love for each other was palpable and their vows were moving. Sinead prayed she would find a love like that one day.

A firm arm wrapped around her shoulders and squeezed, she gave a watery smile to Rook, she hadn’t realized a tear had rolled down her cheek. What a sap to cry at someone else’s wedding.

After the kiss, the too gorgeous for real-life couple hugged everyone as they walked down the aisle. They opted not to have bird seed thrown, they were worried about getting dive bombed during the reception or worse guests running for cover so they didn’t get pooped on.

“Let’s go find our tables, shall we?” West stepped back to let Sinead out of the row.

The line moved slowly as people found their seating cards and went to find their tables. Sinead was disappointed when West and Rook showed her their cards. They were two tables away, she noticed their table had filled with couples quickly. That must mean she was relegated to the lonely-hearts table which was currently empty. Her guess, no one wanted to be the first single to sit down.

She grabbed a drink from the open bar and made her way to her seat. Her shoes were sexy but they weren’t fun for long periods of standing. She didn’t anticipate dancing so she chose style over functionality.

It wasn’t a surprise when her tablemates started filling in quickly, cowards. She chose the wrong time to take a large gulp of her drink. Directly across from her was the last empty seat and of course who else would sit there but Dr. Jaxson Connelly. The last thought she had before her mind froze was needing to thank Koira for an obvious assist.

Keaton, the best baker in town was seated next to her and patted her back to help her get a cough out. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, unable to get past the burn in her throat yet. Her eyes met Jax’s across the table, he was staring intently at her. What a way to make a first impression.

“Well, that’s one way to break the ice.” A woman in her thirties seated next to Jax laughed, “My name is Joanna, I’m a cousin of the groom.” She smiled at each person then turned to Jax waiting for him to reciprocate.

“Hi everyone, I’m Jaxson and I have a vet practice in town. Friends of both the bride and groom.

His sexy southern drawl sent a shiver down her back. That was a voice that could definitely talk her out of her clothes.

She nodded politely at the others as they introduced themselves, finally it was her turn. She cleared her still scratchy throat, “My name is Sinead, besides being able to make an awesome first impression, I have a law practice in town and I am friends with both the bride and groom.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of you, don’t you specialize in working with shifters?” The older man who hadn’t introduced himself yet asked politely.

“I wouldn’t say it’s my specialty but yes I am known for working with the shifter community.” Her eyes flitted over to Jax, she couldn’t be sure but it looked like he rolled his eyes.

The salads were served while the rest of the table said who they were. Sinead could feel him looking at her, their eyes connected multiple times.

She took that as a good sign that maybe he was interested in her, which she was praying was true. The feelings she had been having about him had intensified tenfold since she finally laid eyes on him and part of her was afraid she wouldn’t be able to handle the rejection.

She’d heard the stories about mate’s intense reactions to meeting each other and obviously, humans could be mates as well but she never expected it to happen to her. She didn’t want to assume that was what was happening but it was the only explanation for why her life had turned upside down since seeing him.

Their cat and mouse game continued throughout the meal. Sinead had a suspicion that other possible mates were at the table given the looks certain people were giving each other.

After Koira and Caeden’s first dance the floor was open for everyone to join them. Nerves danced in her belly, this was it, her big moment. With a deep breath, she stood and circled the table. Her prey’s eyes never leaving hers. “Would you like to dance?”

One finely arched eyebrow lifted, he was clearly surprised she made the first move. Her confidence faltered slightly when she saw the indecision in his eyes. He was clearly attracted to her so she couldn’t imagine what his hesitation was.

She was thankful he turned out to be a gentleman, he stood and walked towards the dancefloor. She took a quick glance over to the head table and found Koira giving her a huge smile and thumbs up.

Sinead’s hands were damp with nerves, she wiped them on her dress before taking his hand.

Their fingers touched, electricity zapped between them. The intensity on his face increased like he was bothered by the possibilities that were between them right now.

“Dr. Connelly, have you lived here for long?” Sinead stared into his sapphire blue eyes, she was trying desperately not to pay attention to how good he smelled or how firm his body felt.

“I moved here a few years ago, I needed a fresh start and wanted to live in an accepting shifter town.” Sinead loved watching his mouth move, she fought to not lean up and kiss him. He didn’t seem like the type that appreciated women throwing themselves at him.

His words did seem curious though, she was always intrigued by the shifter-human dynamic. “I don’t think I’ve lived anywhere humans didn’t exist peacefully alongside shifters.”

“It wasn’t humans that were the problem, more of an unsupportive pack. I decided to go my own way and now I get to do what I love every day. How about you, what made you decide you wanted to be a lawyer?”

Sinead was burning to ask more about his pack, she had never heard of a pack not accepting one of their own. Her stomach clenched, a tiny worry in the back of her mind made her wonder if he had done something terrible and was banished. He was obviously trying to change the subject and given they knew each other less than hour she decided to save that information for a later date.

“I was given up for adoption when I was a baby, passed around to a few different foster homes for a few years until I was finally taken in by my parents. I remember the uphill battle it was for them to get custody of me. There were lawyers, judges, and family services involved. I felt kind of alone and lost and decided I wanted to help others who didn’t have a strong enough voice to navigate the legal system like I was.” She had been looking around the room during her story and hadn’t been looking at his face. She couldn’t understand how she could feel the desire radiating from him but his face was giving her a very different story.

“I’m sorry you had to start life in that situation, a child should not be punished for what they can’t control.” He blinked and shook his head slightly like he needed to clear his head. “How did you get into shifter law?”

“A young man came into my office, I could see he was broken and devastated. His mate was human and died giving birth to their child. Her parents weren’t accepting of him and were suing for full custody of the baby. They didn’t think he had any right to raise their grandchild.” Sinead cleared her throat, tears threatened as she remembered how hard that case had been. “Even if a child wasn’t involved I would have taken the case. I don’t see any difference between humans and shifter’s when it comes to the law, we should all get equal treatment.”

Sinead stiffened when Jax suddenly leaned down and brought his forehead down and touched hers. His hand slid up her side and around to cup her face. His thumb stroked her cheek, that small movement got her wet and horny instantly. Her eyes fluttered closed, painfully aware how close his mouth was and waited for him to kiss her.

A growl had her pop her eyes open. The song was over and Jax had pulled back and led her off the floor. She was grateful he was steering her or she probably would have continued to stand on the dance floor, dumbfounded at what was happening.

He pulled out her chair for her, thanked her for the dance and walked away. She couldn’t handle the rejection, getting up on unsteady legs she rushed to the pond before anyone could see her tears.

She stared at the water letting her eyes unfocus while she tried to calm her breathing and get her emotions back under control. She thought they were mates, he should be going insane for her, instead, he looked like she was bothering him.

A small hand tapped her shoulder making her jump. Sinead was mortified to see it was Barbara Wolfe. The town matriarch looked concerned, “What happened, dear?”

Sinead wiped the tears from her face and pasted on a smile. “I get sappy at weddings, I’m such a dork.”  She laughed hoping Barbara believed her.

“What did that boy do to you?” Barbara’s face went from concerned to angry. Sinead was surprised she had put two and two together. “Don’t look shocked, I watched you with him and every shifter in there sensed your emotions towards each other.”

Sinead nodded her head, deciding to give up the charade. “He didn’t do anything that is the problem. He’s cold towards me and I thought,” her breathing hitched for a second, “it’s stupid but I thought maybe we were mates.”

“It wasn’t stupid, you are mates.” Barbara’s matter of fact tone had Sinead whipping her face around towards her.

“How is that possible, I always heard such wonderful stories about mates meeting.”

Barbara reached down and squeezed her hand, “Because I know you’re mates I am going to tell you something about him. He’s a white cougar.” She stopped and stared at Sinead like she should understand what that meant. “White cougars are born because of a genetic mutation. His pack refused to accept him but didn’t immediately kick him out. Once he was old enough to start dating he was found kissing a girl from the pack. They were outraged and demanded he leave.”

“What about his parents, why didn’t they go with him?” Sinead couldn’t keep the outrage out of her voice.

“They sided with the pack, they thought of him as a malformation and turned their back on him. Koira told me she thought you were mated and I had hoped his feelings for you would override anything else but apparently, they haven’t. He’s pushing you away because you’re human. He has it in his head if he mates a shifter his pack might take him back.”

Sinead was devastated. Her heart broke for him, his words making more sense now. She understood the need to be accepted and loved. She spent many years hoping her biological parents would come for her. “I don’t want to hurt him more if he needs to be with a shifter to be happy I won’t stand in his way.” The words weighed heavily on her heart.

“That’s not how it works my dear. You only have one mate, he can’t be with someone else. Whether he likes it or not, you are his other half and he needs to realize that mating with you is the only thing that will make him whole again.”

“I don’t know where that leaves us, what do I do?” frustration and indecision warring inside her.

“Give it time, take it slow. He is not going to be able to stay away now that he has met you. Have faith that it will work out. Now let’s get back in there before all of Keaton’s cake is gone, you know how crazy people go for his desserts.”