He wished them a good day before they skied in different directions. He navigated over to a more difficult trail, waiting for the trio ahead of them to drop in, and then followed suit soon after.
As he cut into tight turns, he slipped into a brief period of skiing and nothing else. The steepness of the trail required his full concentration. Once he steered off onto a winding cruiser, his thoughts returned to Aurora.
Talking to her about the concept of mates during dinner last night had to be one of the oddest conversations in his life, consideringshewas his mate. At least as a witch, she was familiar with the idea, unlike what Damon had gone through in explaining the connection to his human mate.
Did it make the situation any easier, though? Not one bit. He shouldn’t reveal the truth to her, at least not until the issues with the Sacco pack were resolved.
After he completed the run, he removed his skis and returned to the lodge. Before returning to his office, he headed to Rafe’s to see if he was in.
Rafe sat behind his desk, staring at his computer monitor. He glanced up when Grayson approached.
After initial greetings and a quick run-down of operations, Rafe asked, “How was dinner?”
Grayson’s mouth twitched. He had to admit the snafu in his attempt for mediation to his alpha, but first, he summarized getting Aurora up-to-speed with the situation. After a heavy exhale, he added, “There was a bit of a surprise when I met her.”
“How so?”
“My wolf thinks she’s my mate.”
“What?” Rafe’s eyes widened. “Your mate?”
Grayson exhaled. “Yes.”
Rafe rubbed his beard. “Are you sure?”
Grayson nodded. “Without a doubt.”
“Oh.” Rafe’s jaw twitched. “That complicates matters.”
“Indeed.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
Grayson glanced out of the window to the trail he’d just skied. He returned his gaze to Rafe. “Ignore it, at least for now. I can’t let my feelings interfere with what’s best for the pack.”
“Will you be able to do so? She is your mate, after all.”
“I will.” As he returned to face his alpha, Grayson raised his chin, resolved to ignore the call of his mate. He’d lived without one for over thirty years. What was another week or two?
A week or two of what? She could book it back to Salem once she was done here.
He’d have to think about that. Right now, he could only worry about so much. And his primary concern was how Aurora fared over with the Sacco shifters.
“That might be difficult, but I appreciate you putting pack first,” Rafe said. “Although I haven’t been fortunate enough to find my mate, I know it won’t be easy for you to ignore what your wolf wants. With shifters on both sides itching to fight, we can’t add anymore complications or delays.”
“I understand.” Grayson bowed his head. “My duty and loyalty remain with the pack.”
Aurora
What a pain in the ass. The Sacco wolves were stubborn as hell.
Aurora took deep breaths to stay calm as she stood in the Sacco pack’s meeting house set in a log cabin. This wasn’t her fight, and there was no way she should let their complaints get to her. She’d dealt with arguments like this in the past and had always been able to maintain a smooth veneer. That’s why she was good at her job.
“All of this trouble is because of the Franconia pack,” Lars, the Sacco beta wolf, said. “We lived peacefully for years abiding by the terms of the treaty, and one of their wolves broke it when he trespassed onto our lands.”
“Yes, but I understand he had a reason for doing so,” Aurora said. “He thought his mate was in trouble and was trying to make sure she was safe—”
The beta snorted, cutting her off. “Bullshit. That’s a pathetic excuse that allowed them to spy on us.”
