‘Are you trying to kill me?’ I linked him back. He just gave me an innocent smile, which I didn’t buy for a moment. After breakfast I took Martin on a walk around the town to show him around. It didn’t take long, as there really wasn’t much to show. But it was nostalgic for me. Martin was sweet about it and listened to me rambling on about the place. We got a lot of attention, mostly from the single women in town. I found it hilarious watching them flirt with Martin, who categorically turned them down. It led to them giving me the stink eye, as if I was the reason he turned them down.
We headed back to eat lunch at the diner and then got ready for the wedding. I used the same dress I had worn on my bloodening. Martin dressed in a granite-grey suit.
“You look good,” I told him.
“Thank you. You look beautiful as always,” he said. We drove out to the farm. CeCe and Jessie had hired the entire senior highschool class to act as sober drivers. It meant people didn’t need to skip the alcohol. The ceremony was beautiful. CeCe was dressed in a long, lace gown that moved in the wind. Jessie looked at her with so much love it had me in tears. Martin held out his handkerchief and I smiled as I took it.
‘Thank you,’ I mindlinked him.
‘No problem. They make a beautiful couple and it’s easy to see how much they love each other,’ he linked back.
‘It is. I’m happy they finally took the leap.’ He gave me a look I pretended not to see. We joined in with the other guests and cheered as CeCe and Jessie said ‘I do’ and then kissed. The party that followed was in true CeCe and Jessie spirit. The barn was decorated with lace fabric and hay bales. The tables were scattered throughout the open space and were decorated with wildflowers and fairy lights. Outside there was a fleet of BBQs set up, the diner had a table with side dishes and the local bar had an open bar for the guests. Martin and I made our way to the bride and groom. I hugged them both and Martin shook their hands.
“Congratulations! It was an amazing ceremony,” I told them.
“Thank you. I still can’t believe we actually did it,” CeCe giggled. “Is that the dress I forced you to buy? It looks amazing on you.”
“It is, and thank you.”
“Make sure you eat and drink and have a lot of fun,” Jessie told us.
“We will do our best,” Martin promised before we moved on to let others congratulate them. “You heard the man, time to have some fun,” Martin told me and wiggled his eyebrows. I laughed as we headed to get some food.
Both Martin and I had surprisingly much fun at the party. After we both had refused a couple of offers to dance, people got the picture and we spent most of the time chatting with people. Martin asked me to dance and he was a good dancer. Neither of us had been drinking and as evening turned to night and the party got a little wilder, we decided to head back to town. CeCe and Jessy had left at one point and we just waved to the sisters and some of the guests as we left.
“That was a nice wedding. I was afraid it would feel stiff as I didn’t know anyone but you,” Martin said as we were in the car.
“CeCe and Jamie are easy going. I’m not surprised they had an easy going wedding. It suited them,” I told him. We parked on the back of the coffeeshop. “Want to take a walk before we turn in?” I asked.
“Sure.” We walked along the lake and ended up on the same picnic table where Finlay and I had sat when we first met. The night was quiet, as most people in the town were at the wedding.
“What about you?” I asked.
“What about me, what?” Martin tried to evade.
“Are you looking for your true mate?” I asked, not letting him get away.
“Yeah. I can’t see myself settling down with anyone else, always wondering who is out there and if she is waiting for me. I’m not saying I don’t scratch the itch once in a while,” he told me and gave me a grin. “But it’s always with someone who knows it’s just for the night. We have a night of fun and everyone is happy.”
“Sounds like a good deal.”
“I’m not going to offer it to you,” he said.
“I hope not. I would hate to have to beat you up,” I told him. We looked at each other and laughed. We texted Sam and Finlay while we sat looking out over the lake. Then we headed back to sleep.
Chapter 21
Finlay
Iwas stretching out on the bed in my small room and was looking at the selfie Amy had sent me. It was of her and Martin sitting in the same place where I had got to know her the first time. They looked happy and relaxed. Amie was wearing her teal dress with the large flowers on it, and she looked even more beautiful than usual. I regretted that I couldn't be the one who accompanied her to her friends’ wedding. But I needed to be here at the Alpha meeting. I was happy Martin had gone with her, I knew he would keep her safe. The two of them had grown close, in one way or the other they had both lost a sibling and they had found a surrogate in each other.
Red
Don’t think you are fooling me with all the talk about how great the gathering is going. I know you can’t talk freely with all the wandering ears around you. But know that when you get back home, we will talk about whatever is bothering you. I’ll be waiting with a beer and if I’m in a good mood, I will have made apie from those gigantic rhubarbs in your garden. Stay safe, Alpha.
I read Amie’s message and smiled. It was nice to have someone who knew me well enough to see through my facade. It was irritating, but nice. The thing rubbing me the wrong way was my brother. Nothing new under the moon. It had been almost five years since I left his pack and he still hadn’t let it go. What was worse, he had involved our mother and had taken her to this gathering as his plus one. My brother, I could ignore. Especially since I knew it drove him insane when I did it. My mother, that was another matter altogether. My mother had taken every opportunity she could to tell me how much she missed me. How the pack wasn’t the same without me and all the others, and how my brother had grown and things were different. On one hand, I felt the guilt of hurting my mother. She had always been a good mother, and I loved her. On the other hand I felt hurt that she so clearly took my brother’s side. She didn’t take the time to talk to me, to see how happy I was. She didn’t ask about the pack and every time I tried to tell her, she just changed the subject. As if it wasn’t important. I sighed and put my arm over my eyes. I should really get some sleep. Two more days of this and then I could go home. I smiled as I imagined Amie making a pie in my kitchen. It wouldn’t be the first time she cooked at my house. Ever since she had started tending to my garden, she insisted I needed to eat some of the produce. Most of it she collected and handed in to the kitchen. But sometimes I would get home and there would be a bowl with carrot and green pea soup waiting for me with instructions on how to reheat it. Or an upside down cake with whatever berries she had picked that day. The best times were when I got home while she was still in the middle of cooking. I would offer to help and she would refuse to let me. So I would sit at the kitchen table watching her cook, talking to herabout our day. Evenings like those were everything I ever dreamed of. Maybe add a pup or two to the mix. It confused me how right it felt. Amie wasn’t my mate, I knew it, my wolf knew it. In the past, when I had flirted with women, my wolf had always remained reserved. He allowed me to have some fun, but was always cold towards it all. A silent reminder to not get attached. But with Amie, he had no reservation. He enjoyed the evenings in the kitchen as much as I did. He revelled in the late night runs in the forest with her wolf. All in all, it confused me and my wolf. I think it was just as confusing for Amie as well. Which is why we didn’t talk about it. If we kept it undefined, we wouldn’t need to deal with the possible fall out. It was a cowardly way of dealing with it. But too much was at stake. I still worried. If you buried your head in the sand, you only had a higher chance of getting shot in the ass. I felt myself gliding into sleep. Then there was a knock on the door and I sat up straight in the bed, scenting the air. I got up and put my pants on as I headed for the door. I pulled a t-shirt over my head as I opened the door.
“Councilman Rador, what do I owe the honour?” I asked and bowed my head ever so slightly. The elderly wolf outside my room returned the gesture.
