Rutting Season

2

“Racyn is visiting from a Canadian pack. At twenty-six years old, he is the next in line to be Alpha of his pack….” Again, Denise’s words were lost on Tessa. As soon as she heard his age, she dismissed him from her mind. He was handsome but too old for her. She wasn't looking for a mate, but if he hadn't found one after mating season, she would have considered dating him for a while. However, at his age, he was indeed determined to make a match this year.

As dinner concluded, they were ushered to the arena for the fight. “Do we have to stay for the whole thing,” she asked her mom. Tomas had gone to mingle with the other chaperones. With the men in the arena, there wouldn't be any contact for them to be worried about monitoring.

Kyla shot her a sharp look, “No, but it would be smart to stay. You will get a better idea of each man’s talents. How can you make a comparison if you don't observe?” Tessa blinked rapidly, trying to choose the right way to phrase her words. “Mom, I'm not here to select this year, remember? I came to learn what it's like. Surely, after a few fights, we can go?”

Kyla relented, “Sure, honey. Let's watch a few. Then, if you're ready to leave, we can.” Tessa was determined to get out of there early but sat up a little straighter when the first group of fighters was brought out. There were three mats, and each pair would take one. The losers would be eliminated, and a new opponent would be brought out until one victor remained.

Like the introductions, the fighting order was drawn at random. This time, Racyn was in one of the first pairs. He stood in only a pair of tight blue shorts that matched her dress, and she admitted to herself that the color was stunning with his white hair. His opponent was a large man with black hair wearing black shorts, but she couldn't remember his name.

The whistle blew to signal the start, and she held her breath. Time seemed to slow as she watched the men exchange blows. Racyn was so pale that the strikes left pink marks on his skin, but he never flinched, landing hard blows of his own.

The other two matches ended, and new opponents took the mat, but Racyn and the dark-haired man were well-matched. Tessa found herself wanting to root for him, but she didn't dare make a sound. Some women yelled for their preferred winner, but she was too focused on him to notice which group they were cheering for.

Finally, Racyn struck the man in the temple, and he crumpled to the mat. Tessa clenched her hands into tight fists in excitement, happy to see he hadn't lost the fight. “Well, that was quite a fight. What do you think? Do you want to watch the next one,” her mom asked, snapping Tessa’s focus away from the white-haired man.

“No, I've had enough. Let’s go home,” she answered. She followed her mom down the aisle, and her father joined them. “Ready to go so soon,” he asked, and Tessa nodded. “Yeah, let's go home.” she glanced over her shoulder just as Racyn fell his new opponent, and she tried not to grin.

In the car, her mom chatted away about the night. She loved social events and talked about everyone there, what they wore, the men, and the fights. Tessa let her speak as she tried to stay awake.

Once they were home, she changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed. Her eyes were heavy, and she soon drifted off to sleep.

She felt like her eyes had just closed when he mom knocked on her door. “Tessa, wake up, honey. We need to get you ready for this morning.” she threw the pillow at the door. “No, go away.”

Her mom was persistent. “I have coffee. Come on now. The breakfast will start in an hour. That doesn't give us much time to get you ready.” she rolled over and tossed her arm over her eyes. “What breakfast,” she called out as her mom opened the door and stuck her head in.

“I swear, do you really not pay attention to anything I say? This weekend will be full of events. This morning is a breakfast. Then, we will have an afternoon break before the talent portion. Then tonight is the ball. This morning will be the first time you will have a chance to mingle with the men.”

Tessa grunted, “Let's skip this morning, and I will suffer through the ball.” Her mom pulled the blankets off. “Not a chance. Now get up.”

An hour later, they were mingling with the large group of ladies. Two of her friends from school found her, and she was relieved to have someone to talk to. “Tessa! I didn't know you would be coming this year,” Candice hugged her in greeting.

She rolled her eyes, “It wasn't my idea. Mom is more excited about all the events than I could ever be.” Candice laughed, and Eva joined them. “You’re not excited to find a mate,” Eva asked.

Tessa shook her head, “I don't expect to find one this year. I'm more here to see what it's all about.” Eva grinned, her blue eyes lighting up. “Well, that's good for us. Less competition.”

Candice laughed, “Do you have anyone in mind yet?” Eva winked, “There are a couple I'm interested in. We will see if they’re interested in me too.” They talked about the guys and the fights, and Tessa nodded and agreed where appropriate.

Then, the room hushed as the men entered the room. They spread out, eager to make introductions. Tessa watched her friends as their eyes roamed the room for their picks.

She was surprised when one of her pack mates approached her. “Tessa, you look lovely this morning,” he greeted her. She smiled at him. He had been a year older than her in school, but she remembered him all the same. “ Lincoln, it’s great to see you. That’s quite a bruise you have there,” she indicated to his eye.

“How was your fight last night? I’m afraid I missed it,” she asked. He laughed a pleasant sound and offered her his arm. “Shall we walk? I’ll tell you all about it.” She took his arm and glanced over to ensure her dad was watching. She didn’t think Lincoln would be an issue, especially this early in the rutting season, but there was comfort in knowing he would be close by.

Thomas gave her a slight nod, and she looked up at her companion. “A walk would be great. I had no idea how many people would be in attendance.” He led her to the edge of the room and out one of the open glass doors on the side.

She was surprised to find herself enjoying the walk more than she expected. The garden was beautiful, and the morning was cool. They talked easily, and time slipped by much quicker than she had expected. As they returned to the breakfast room, she looked him over from the corner of her eye.

He was tall and slender with dark brown hair like her own and bright blue eyes. He was handsome and easygoing, but nothing about him gave her an immediate feeling of attraction.

She had always imagined having a solid attraction to whomever she chose as a mate and wondered if maybe that could come later, once they got to know each other more. Then she reminded herself she wasn’t looking for a mate, so it didn’t matter, which made her feel a little guilty for wasting his morning when he could have spent his time with someone genuinely interested.

When they entered the breakfast room, she saw her dad standing at one of the windows, where she had no doubt been watching from a distance. Her mother though, she didn't see. “Thank you for the walk. I enjoyed it,” she told him. He kissed the back of her hand, and again, she felt nothing.

After they said their goodbyes, she realized she wanted to ask her mom about her thoughts. Turning to find her, she bumped into someone. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she gasped as strong arms steadied her.

Her brown eyes met golden ones, and the air seemed to leave her lungs. “Well s**t,” she told herself, “I guess I have my answer.” She felt an immediate rush of attraction to Racyn and tried to feign indifference. No matter how attractive she thought he was, it didn't change that he was much older than her, and she wasn't in the mate market.