“You’re home early,” called Christine as Harold came through the door.
“Yes.”
He gave her an awkward look as he found her in the living room, and she smiled encouragingly. It was a nice change to have Harold home before six. Over the last week she had taken to visiting him at work, and on the days she didn’t visit, she called him during the day just to chat. It was… lovely. She found herself wanting to talk to him, wanting to see him.
He came home late each night, so talking to him or seeing him – however briefly in the day – helped ameliorate her loneliness. Though, she didn’t have much time to dwell on that anymore.
She had tried to approach a few more design companies about jobs but had been turned down flat. Instead, she started volunteering at the pack care home. She was kind of worried the wolf shifters would be like Marie – Harold’s grandmother – but they couldn’t be further removed from her. They were kind and keen for the company. They weren’t exactly neglected by their family members – but during the day when family members were at work and school, they felt lonely. Christine could relate. She liked speaking to them and spending her time with them. She couldn’t honestly say she had much luck in talking to the rest of her new pack.
Her new pack mates were nice to her but too deferential. She was the future alpha’s wife, and none of them had any interest in hanging out or going for a mocha. She liked spending time with Jennifer, but the young wolf was busy with her studies, her part-time job and, last but not least, her boyfriend, Arthur. Christine tried once more to go out with Harold’s mother, but that descended into an embarrassing encounter with a waiter she tried to get fired – the girl turned out to be the owner’s pregnant daughter, so that was one restaurant they were never allowed to visit again. Particularly as the girl’s only offense was to bring Marguerite room temperature water. Christine had also been dodging visits from Marie – Harold’s grandmother. The last thing she needed was a lecture on getting pregnant.
Christine had decided to redecorate the house – it certainly needed it, and so had picked up every available paint chart, fabric and carpet sample the stores of Alexandria had to offer.
They were now spread out over the living room. She pushed a few off the couch onto the floor, making room for Harold.
“What’s all this?” he asked.
“Decided to redecorate – this place is too stark. I thought I might get some new furniture too.”
Harold loosened his tie. “Whatever you like.”
“What would you like?”
“I really don’t mind.”
Christine chewed on her lip. “I can’t make up my mind. What do you think of this, or this for the kitchen?” She held up two paint colors.
Harold squinted. “They’re both yellow.”
“They’re different shades of yellow.”
“Are you sure?”
Christine gave him a mock look of annoyance. “What are you doing home so early anyway?”
“I had a quiet day.”
She didn’t believe that for a second. Harold didn’t have quiet days, from what she could see, he was doing all the work of the alpha and the beta.
It was why he hadn’t made it home before ten every night the past week – and why he had worked the last Saturday and Sunday. She was trying to adapt to his schedule. Staying up late so she could at least see him when he came home, and inevitably they would have sex. Then waking up early so she could see him, and inevitably they would have sex. After that, she went back to sleep until noon, then, other than visiting or calling Harold, she spent the rest of the day seeking inspiration for decorating the house and visiting the care home. She wasn’t entirely sure how Harold wasn’t exhausted – he was certainly… energetic during their time together. She had taken to napping before he was due home to make sure she was awake for him.
Whatever problems they may have, the physical side of their relationship wasn’t one of them. In fact, their relationship only seemed to be going from strength to strength – in spite of their limited time together.
Her parents weren’t helping matters, though. Her phone calls to her parents had become increasingly strained since their visit to Texas. Her parents were of the opinion that Harold was the devil incarnate. Christine was of the opinion that nothing could please her parents – marry Harold, you shouldn’t have married Harold, we’ll save you from your marriage to Harold! Ugh, they were never freaking happy!
She hadn’t called them the last couple of days. It was too much hassle. She loved her parents. She missed her parents. But she didn’t like their attitude toward her husband, and she had to live with her husband.
Christine waved the paint samples at him. “C’mon, seriously, which yellow?”
Harold let out a breath. “The one of the left.”
She peered at it. She preferred the one on the right. “Hmmm, really, why?”
He gave her a deadpan look. “I like the way it doesn’t look anything like the one on the right.”
Christine giggled, and Harold chuckled.
“Would you like to go to dinner?” he asked.
“Yeah, that would nice. Like a date night.”
“Yes, I suppose.”
Though he didn’t sound thrilled by the prospect.
“I know you have been on dates before.” With that awful Sabrina creature at least.
“I’ve taken women out to dinner before,” he clarified.
“There you go.”
Harold didn’t look convinced. “It’s not quite the same as a real date.”
“Well, tonight won’t be either because we’re married – the mystery is taken out of it for you.”
“Mystery?”
“Yeah, usually men spend the whole date wondering if they’re going to get lucky, but you already know you are.”
“I am?”
His face filled with glee at the prospect. It was such an unexpected expression for Harold that she burst out laughing. She could tell he wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or annoyed by that. Christine edged closer to him, linked an arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder. That certainly appeased him.
“Let’s go to a movie as well,” she said.
“If you like.”
“What kind of movies do you normally like to watch?”
“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve been to see one,” he admitted.
She figured he would be too busy working to go normally, and anytime they watched TV he always let her choose what she wanted to watch.
“Mmm, how long?”
“Nine years.”
“Nine years?! Jeez, we definitely have to go. We should get popcorn, too – lots of popcorn.”
Harold smiled. “If you like.”
Christine leaned a little closer. “Maybe we can even sit in the back row and make out.” Her lips brushed his earlobe.
“If you like,” he rumbled, moments before his arms wrapped around her, seeking a kiss. Then another kiss, then a deeper kiss, and then something else entirely.
They didn’t actually make it to the movie, or dinner, but neither of them complained about that. They did watch a movie on TV, and Christine was a little surprised to find her husband was a fan of romantic comedies. Surprised, but not disappointed.
*
As Harold strode through the restaurant, he was reminded of the last time he was there – also answering a summons by his family, but back then it was to discover they had arranged a mating for him. It seemed like an age ago, and yet being with Christine still felt so new and exciting.
Everything was going well, except for one thing… Christine had sent out more resumes looking for jobs and he – the coward - didn’t say a word when she told him. He needed to; he knew he did, but he was worried she wouldn’t believe he didn’t know anything about it.
He had been fairly busy at work, but he found himself leaving earlier to see Christine. To get a chance to be with her, to take her out for dinner and to finally take her to that movie. They really did make out in the back row. He’d felt as silly as a teenager, and he had loved every moment of it. He hadn’t felt so lighthearted since before his first shift.
More and more he found his thoughts turning to Christine. Before her, it had been a struggle for him to tear himself away from work. Now, it was a struggle to tear himself away from her in the morning.
She had taken to waking early with him so they could talk and make love. Dragging himself away from his beautiful, flushed wife every morning was getting harder and harder and he increasingly found a reason to rush back to her every evening.
He found his parents and grandmother at their usual table. Their grim expressions clashed with his unusually sunny mood.
He kissed his mother’s cheek and sat down. “Can we make this quick, I have a meeting in half an hour?”
“It’s about your wife,” said his grandmother.
Harold immediately growled. “What about her?”
In the back of his mind, he worried it was about Christine – worried his father, who currently wouldn’t meet his gaze, had not let the matter drop.
His mother patted his hand. “We’re not sure it’s working out with her, darling.”
Harold stared at his mother until she became uncomfortable and had to look away.
“What makes you say that?” he asked carefully.
He was aware of his inner wolf stirring, getting angry and he wanted to remain calm. But, his family was trying to take Christine away from him – and that would not be tolerated.
“We brought her here to give you a mate and a child.”
“We’ve barely been mated more than a month – do you really expect her to have given me a son in that time?”
“Don’t be facetious,” snapped his grandmother.
“We believe she’s a bad influence,” huffed his father.
Harold thought of his sweet Christine – he couldn’t imagine her influencing anyone to do anything bad. Well, except making out in the back of a movie theatre.
“Your work is suffering because of her - because you’re leaving early to spend your time with her.”
No, it just meant that his father had to do more than he usually did – which was very little.
“I hardly think it is suffering,” Harold hissed.
No, he made damn sure the work got done. He just delegated it to people who were more than qualified to do it. Work that usually would belong to the actual alpha and beta.
“We thought she would be such a submissive little thing,” complained his mother. “But she just refuses to try and fit in. I keep asking her to come to the club and play tennis, and I keep trying to take her out shopping, but she just snubs me.”
“Never mind that,” snapped his grandmother. “She refuses to have a pup – her one purpose in the pack!”
“She is not refusing,” said Harold with his last reserve of patience. “She merely wants to wait – as do I. You are speaking about her as if she is nothing more than an object. Christine is a person. She is my… my wife – she deserves respect.”
“Then there’s her father…”
Harold stiffened. Had the male complained about what happened in Texas?
“What about him?”
His father huffed. “He’s been difficult about the agreement – I sent one of the legal team down there – Sabrina…”
Harold thought his life had been a little quieter the last couple of weeks.
“He won’t give her access to any of the company records. He’s trying to shut us out.”
“He can’t, not if he wants to keep the money.”
But maybe he didn’t care. Maybe he wanted to back out of the agreement entirely - to give back the money and get his daughter back. It was too late – he couldn’t!
“Yes, Sabrina pointed that out, and he started making a few concessions. It appears the money still has some hold over him, but I’m beginning to wonder if it wasn’t all just a big mistake.”
“Alphas are rarely easy to get along with,” said Harold pointedly.
“It was supposed to be an easy acquisition that would pay out in years to come, but if the alpha is going to battle us at every turn, I wonder if we shouldn’t just dissolve the agreement and the marriage.”
Harold frowned. He knew his father had been annoyed by Christine, but whatever she said clearly pissed him off so much that he was willing to forget the whole deal. His father could be arrogant at times… okay, all the time, but usually he valued money more than this.
“I hardly think there’s call for that…”
“It’s in the agreement that you have pups,” reminded his grandmother.
“Within five years,” he snarled. “Is your real only criticism that I have to spend time with her and that she refuses to go shopping?! How she chooses to spend her time is up to her.”
“As long as she isn’t with another male.”
“She isn’t.”
Any fears he had over her ex, Roark were ebbing. The silent phone calls to the house had stopped, and even if she had seen him again in Texas, she didn’t spend any time with him – Harold was with her nearly every moment.
“As for how I spend my time, she’s my wife – I must speak to her on a regular basis. Do you want me to see her less? And how can you expect me to produce pups if I can never see my wife? How can I impregnate her if I do not sleep with her? How strong do you think my sperm is?”
“Harold!” exclaimed his mother. “Don’t be disgusting young man!”
“You're ridiculous! Christine and I have only just begun to get to know one another.”
“You are quite right, Harold,” said his grandmother.
That stunned everyone into silence. His grandmother rarely agreed someone else was right. She was firmly stubborn to the point of ridiculousness. She had once got into an argument over who starred in the movie, Some Like it Hot. To that day, she still maintained that Marliyn Monroe was not in it – in spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, she was too pig-headed to be budged on the matter.
“It is still early days. We shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Christine.”
His father huffed.
“I’m sure we are being too hasty,” she continued. “I’m sure that Harold can prove that he is devoted to his position as alpha.”
“Future position,” muttered his father.
Prove himself? Hadn’t he done that over and over?
“After all, isn’t your pack the most important thing to you?”
“Of course,” he said, even as doubt crept in.
“Well then, we have nothing to worry about. Right?” She gave him a significant look.
A few beats passed before he finally murmured, “No.”