Harold was gone by the time she woke up. Not surprising considering she slept until eleven. When she focused on the time, she scooted out of bed, running to the bathroom to dash into the shower until… she realized she had nowhere to be. That depressed her. Back home, she was always rushing around. Rushing to work, rushing out to spend time with her friends, rushing to see Roark, rushing to see her family, rushing to run a pack errand or visit a pack mate… Always rushing. Now, she had nothing to do.
Yeah, she could do whatever she wanted. Except everything she wanted to do was back in Texas. Everyone she wanted to see was back in Texas.
She pulled on her robe and grabbed her phone, scrolling through the comments and pictures posted by her friends back home on various social networking apps. They told her they were missing her. Said they hoped everything was going okay. But their lives were pretty much as they always had been. They were all pack mates; they had understood about the arranged mating, and to them, she was just doing something that had to be done. With or without her, their lives would go on.
Just like her job had already been filled. She wasn’t needed; she wasn’t irreplaceable.
Christine snorted. If she proved to be an unfit wife for Harold, she would probably be replaced with another Alpha’s daughter.
Needing a little reassurance, she flicked to her contacts and dialed her mother. She answered on the second ring. They had taken to speaking to each other every day on the phone. They probably said more than back when they were in the same state, never mind the same house.
“How are you, sweetie?”
“I’m fine,” replied Christine.
“You don’t sound fine. Is everything okay with Harold?”
Christine sighed. “It’s just early days.”
They were both still adjusting to the other, course that would be easier if Harold spent more time at home. The only thing she really knew was that they were compatible physically.
“He isn’t… harming you in any way is he?”
“No! Jeez, Mom!” Christine shook her head.
“Well, we really don’t know anything about him – who knows what he’s like in private. He could be a sexual deviant for all we know!”
Since her mother’s idea of a sexual deviant included everything from bondage to people who had sex outside the bedroom, the bar was pretty low for that. But, unless Harold had a secret sex dungeon she hadn’t discovered yet, she was going to say that Harold had pretty normal tastes when it came to sex.
“Mom…”
“I mean, the private detective hasn’t been able to discover anything…”
“Private detective? What do you mean?”
Her mother hesitated. “Well, we didn’t have the money before you got married, but as soon as we got home after the wedding we hired someone to look into Harold – just in case there was… well, anything that we could perhaps use to get you a divorce.”
“Mom, we haven’t even been married a week,” she ground out angrily.
Her mother took on a hurt tone. “You never wanted this marriage; we thought you would want this.”
“Mom…”
No, of course, she didn’t jump at the chance to marry a stranger, but she had, and she wanted to honor the agreement they made. She didn’t want to run around behind his back trying to figure a way out of their marriage.
She wasn’t sure what she was going to say next, and thankfully, she was spared having to come up with something. Esther knocked and bustled into her room, whispering that Marie – Harold’s grandmother - had arrived and was waiting for her downstairs. Esther was as flustered as if royalty was visiting, and Christine supposed that in this pack, Marie was the queen.
Christine wasn’t exactly thrilled that Marie had shown up unannounced, but it gave her a reason to end the phone call. She moved to her closet to grab some clothes, and Esther stopped her, grasping her hand and tugging her to the door.
“Esther, I’m not dressed!” exclaimed Christine.
She was wearing a pair of big pajamas – Harold’s pajamas in fact, and while they covered her admirably - she had sleepily pulled them on after she and Harold had sex. Well, after the final time they had sex – they had a rather busy night and she absolutely reeked of him and their lovemaking.
The older she-wolf took on a harried expression. “You do not want to keep her waiting, trust me. It’s better you get down there.”
Christine frowned. Marie had called on her unexpectedly – the least she could do was wait until Christine was ready.
Esther squeezed her hand. “Please, for my sake.”
She sighed. She didn’t want Marie to take her annoyance out on Esther. “Fine, but at least let me put a robe on.”
Esther breathed out in relief and murmured a thank you, eagerly getting Christine’s robe and helping her put it on.
She found Marie in the living room, sneering at nothing in particular.
“How good of you to deign to get out of bed to see me,” she said, looking Christine up and down in disapproval.
“Hello Marie,” said Christine, ignoring the jibe.
Marie sniffed and banged her cane. “Tea.”
Esther flinched and scurried away.
A middle-aged wolf shifter was standing behind Marie. She was a little plump, had bags under her eyes and sported a harrowed look. She was Marie’s assistant. Not a very nice position to be in.
Christine sat on a chair opposite Marie and offered her assistant a seat.
Marie banged her cane again. “She can stand, well enough.”
Christine doubted she even needed the cane; she suspected Marie carried it so she could bang it for attention, and so she could hit people if the desire took her.
“Is there something I can help you with?” asked Christine.
Hopefully quickly, so you can leave. She had barely spent any time with Marie, but Christine knew she did not like her. She could sense the other woman’s viciousness. Her wolf must have been something to behold when she was younger. Marie exuded strength, even at her advanced age.
Marie’s lips curled. “How soon can we expect the arrival?”
Christine blinked at her. “Arrival?”
“Of my great-grandson,” said the older wolf with relish.
Christine stared at her for a few beats – took her that long to realize she was talking about her and Harold’s future offspring.
“Harold and I agreed that we would wait,” said Christine, nearly laughing at Marie’s earnestness. Plus, they had only been married a handful of days – she was hardly going to pop out a pup next Thursday!
Marie’s eyes narrowed. “Wait? Whatever for?”
“Well, we barely know each other…”
“I was pregnant with my son an hour after my mating,” Marie proclaimed proudly.
“Well, things were different back then…” Marie’s eyes became slits. “Ah, not that you’re old!”
But before shifters came out to humans, they kept to themselves, and there were fewer matings between different packs or species. That coupled with shifters being hunted as their animals meant that the birth rate was abysmal. Arranged matings started becoming the norm, and there were some questionable rules to ensure that the mated couples were having sex – like them having to couple in front of at least ten witnesses every night for the first month of their union. Christine was sorely glad they didn’t practice that any longer.
“You have five years to give me a great-grandson,” said Marie coldly, “and if you don’t, you can rest assured that I will have every single member of your pack penniless and homeless.”
Christine swallowed a growl at the threat to her pack. No, must not kill grandmother-in-law.
Marie smiled with the warmth of a glacier. “Now get to it, and bear in mind, if you do anything to contravene the agreement, you’ll be back in Texas with the rest of your bumpkin family so fast you’ll think your trailer park was hit by a tornado.”
Esther scuttled into the room, carrying a laden tea tray.
Marie snarled at her and Esther quivered, nearly dropping everything.
“Too late, I’m leaving.”
Her assistant moved to help her, but Marie batted her away. Yep, as she swept out of the room, it was clear that she could manage just fine on her own. The assistant shrugged at Christine before running after Marie.
Christine slumped in her seat. Well, wasn’t that just dandy?
*
Harold found his wife already in bed and asleep when he came home. He perched on the edge of the bed and watched her for a few moments, a strange feeling stirring inside him.
They had not spoken all day, and a part of him was disappointed in that. He had tried calling the house, but she was not there. Esther told him Christine went to the club, and a flash of irrational anger had him calling the club manager to ensure his wife was not taking tennis lessons with the club instructor. She wasn’t. According to the manager, she was only using the pool. High handed and petty maybe, but he had told the manager that his wife was not allowed to take tennis lessons with Lars – should she request them. Having his mother sleeping with the man was embarrassing enough, he did not want his wife to do the same.
Though, it wasn’t just the embarrassment with Christine. He didn’t want any other male touching her – ever.
Carefully, he brushed a wayward lock of hair aside and leaned over to kiss her cheek.
She was his. Mine.