Talons

Chapter 50: The Unease

Mandy’s POV

Carter has been behaving oddly. When he doesn’t sneak out of bed early, he is either whispering on his phone or just hanging up. This has me extremely put off, especially since his conversations always seem to end as soon as I enter the room.

I have asked him about it, but he just tells me that it's nothing I should be concerned with. I can’t sense deceit in his tone, but he and I have been practicing emotion blocking so that I don’t affect his role as beta, but for all I know he is thinking about leaving me.

A lot of she-wolves think their mates are faithful, but they are fantasizing about other women while intimate. There is also the fact that today is Valentine's Day and I haven’t even received a single kiss, which tells me that something is wrong.

I know his parents have grown to like me, but when I first came, they brought in women who they thought would suit Carter better and encouraged him to reject me. At the time, I didn’t care, but now that I love him again it hurts to think about. 

“Do you know where Carter is?” I ask Rachelle, Carter’s mother. She shakes her head before casually reminding me that there is an important alpha event that I must attend.

I have never heard of a white ceremony, but each pack has their own subculture. I’ve only just gotten off alpha Stone’s sh*tlist, and I don’t want to get back on it, so I nod my head obediently, and she gives me a stiff smile, which only serves to fuel my worry. 

Before I can walk away, Rachelle calls me back to the table. She rarely initiates conversation with anyone, so I take the request seriously.

“What is on your mind?” She asks. I of course lie because I’m about to accuse my mate, her son, of wanting to cheat on me with nothing but a few odd behaviors as evidence. “Mandy, Carter is extremely busy right now. You know how our alpha can be.” I nod, because that is code for ‘Alpha Stone is a d*ck’ and needs no further explanation.

“I just keep thinking about the girls Carter had to choose from.” Rachelle laughs while shaking her head.

“My son would rather gouge out his eyes before even looking at another girl if it meant losing you.” I force out a fake smile because I find that hard to believe. I know that the mate bond made Carter like me, not my appearance. “Have you two talked about children yet?” I sigh and Rachelle’s face takes on a look of concern.

I had my first heat a few weeks after me and Carter reconciled. He is incredibly careful when we are together, and when I asked him why, he said it was because he wanted to enjoy having just me for a while.

I believed him then, but I recently brought it up again and he said that pups weren’t in his plans.

I tell Rachelle that we haven’t, but that is another lie. I just don’t want to cause trouble between my mate and his mother. I know that she and her husband only have one child because Alpha Stone forced her to shift while she was carrying, what would have been, Carter’s little brother or sister. 

As a result, Rachelle lost the baby, lost the ability to reproduce, and nearly lost her life.

“My goodness, look at the time. You have to get ready.” I nod at Rachelle and start heading to the room Carter and I share. We haven’t moved out because the house is big enough, and if we ever have children there are empty rooms that can serve us until we need space. 

I’m in my room a good ten seconds before someone knocks on the door. The person tells me that I must look my absolute best and she has been sent to do my hair and makeup, which doesn’t shock me. 

Alpha Stone has been using my knowledge of finance to his advantage, and he has been selling my services to his friends. He drags me around everywhere, and even when we were supposed to be greeting my new little cousin, he was trying to convince my older cousin Lark to hire me as a financial consultant. 

Fortunately, Lark doesn’t need my help at all, but now that I think about it; Carter may be jealous that I’m spending so much time with another male. I know Alpha Stone is mated, old and just eww, but the jealousy of a fated mate can be irrational at times. 

Eventually, I’m dolled up in a way that makes me a little nervous. If the gown I was in were a little puffier, I would look like a bride, and I’m feeling self-conscious about it. I think about soiling the satin, but the girl who was helping me wraps me in a large jacket before I can ‘accidently’ ruin it.

“We’re late,” she says frantically, and being that I know how Alpha Stone is, I find myself rushing so that the girl doesn’t get in trouble. 

When we get to the room where guests are supposed to be waiting, my jacket is removed and I’m pushed inside, but there is no one around. The only thing I can see is one illuminated table, and my stomach starts to churn.

I think that the old man’s mate being away for so long has driven him mad, and I want to run.

“You look amazing,” I hear, and I spin to see Carter wearing a well-fitting white suit that makes my heart flutter. He has trimmed down the sides of his head and combed back the middle, giving him a mature look that I really like.

“Where is everyone?” Instead of answering, Carter gets down on one knee and my wolf starts going crazy. I don’t even hear what he is saying, but I know that each word is perfect; just like him.

At some point I must have said yes because a ring appears on my finger, and my mate is kissing me deeply. Again, I am lost, and when I open my eyes, our parents are standing next to the alliance officiant.

I stare at my mate wondering how he knew exactly what I wanted in a wedding. The simple setting is perfect for me, and we can celebrate with all other relatives and friends later.

After Carter ruins my makeup with his beautifully written vows, I find my own words stuck in my throat. I don’t know what to say, but I know what I haven’t said, even though I have wanted to for a long time.

I squeeze my mate’s hand tightly as I take a step closer to him.

“Carter, I love you.” I see his chest rise as he sucks in a deep breath of air. 

Time stops, but I am now Mrs. Mandy Hendrick.

Colton’s POV

Carter sends me a wedding photo, and it reminds me of my complication-ship with Jessica. Somehow, my father was able to convince her parents to uproot themselves from their pack and move to ours. He has promised them that Jessica will be the pack luna if I do not find a mate. I’m only twenty, but I’m quickly approaching the age where finding a mate is rare.

The average age gap between mates is two years. Anything more than that is extremely uncommon, but thanks to the law, neither Jessica nor my father can ask me to mark her before it's legal. Even then, I want to wait a full year before I mark anyone.

A pack that was new to our alliance had something happen to their beta that terrifies me. He was offered a contractual relationship that would keep the alpha title within the blood line, and being close to twenty-three, the beta accepted it. 

After marking and mating with his chosen mate, the couple visited several packs to introduce themselves. It was at Lark’s pack that he met his fated mate and while she was drawn to him, he was only mildly affected by the bond.

Still, he tried to appeal for a rejection from his chosen mate, but the council claimed it was too dangerous. Not affected by the bond enough to risk his life, the beta decided to reject his fated mate, but she refused. 

It wasn’t until after the girl felt the pain of infidelity that she finally relented and what happened to her after that is unknown. I know that the beta became weaker and was eventually demoted to gamma rank.

I don’t want that to happen to me because as it stands now, my father is already struggling with the idea of handing over the reins. He has told Carter and I that he will only step down when I have taken a mate. He later added that he will also need time to assess her ‘worthiness’ of the title.

I don’t know what he means by that, because if I have a fated mate his opinion of her won't matter.

My door knocks, and I open it to find Jessica dressed in a sexy red pajama. She reminds me that it’s Valentine’s Day and I remind her that we don’t have plans. She snakes her way into my suite and starts heading toward my bedroom, but I stop her before she can walk in.

“That’s not going to happen,” I say, and she nods with a dejected look on her face that almost reminds me of B, and oddly enough, I find myself growing hard.

I strap up, and take Jessica on the floor, holding her legs up and closed as I enter her.  She spreads them for me, and it becomes a position as close to missionary as I have ever done. She doesn’t seem like she is in pain, so I move faster and harder until I can feel my release building. 

Jessica surprises me by lifting her body up so that she is straddling me while I stand on my knees, then she kisses me. I allow the kiss to happen, but before it can become too deep, I pull away, bending her over to avoid her lips.

I don’t love Jessica, and I’m afraid she will read too much into our kiss. It isn’t my first time, but it’s been over five years. The last time was when I was going after a girl who had been saving herself for someone special. She told me that she loved me, and I immediately ran the other way.

If Jessica says those words to me, I will flee, and I know my father will be livid.