Chapter 10 - Meeting the Pack

Spencer/Ambrose

She refused to let go, even as the tired feeling began taking over. I could almost sense McLain and Jared’s amusement at my mate, but they didn’t know that this was new for her. I clutched her close to me, smelling that smell of gun powder and cedar. She had the air of feeling secure with me, but watched them cautiously from my shoulder.

“Okay, you can stay with me.” I caved easily, putting my chair as far back as I need to keep her in my lap.

She knelt on either side of me, resting her head on my shoulder, and nuzzling down as low as she could so I could see. I began driving slowing through our boundary, an invisible shield that protected us from others in our world that would cause us harm, listening to her steady breaths slow down. She fit snuggly against me, gaining more contentment in the warmth and smell of me now that she had been marked.

“Are you sure this is how you want to greet the members of my pack?” I chuckled, running my hand slowly up and down her spine.

“Do you want me to move? I will if that’s how you want me to greet them,” she replied softly, touching my ear gently with the tip of her nose.

I knew she wasn’t submissive, she was just happy and feeling the high of me marking her, but her will to make me happy still made me smile. “I want you where you are most comfortable.”

“Then I’m ok.”

The drive was short but she still fell asleep, which was probably for the best. One of mygoodfriends on patrol must have told everyone that I had brought someone back with me because I never got this kind of turn out alone. Our pack was mostly males, and at the front of the house many of them had gathered around on the steps, watching us coming down the driveway.

I scanned the crowd, finding the Alpha in the middle on the steps staring at my car intently. I would leave this pack before Evadiene, and I would tell him as much if needed. Ellion and his mate Daley stood beside him, looking, thankfully, far more excited. I pulled up to the front door, knowing pulling into the garage with this crowd would be rather passive aggressive.

Kissing her head I said softly, “Evadiene, tewpie, we’re here.” She moaned and began to stir when I chuckled. “Don’t panic, they’ve come out to meet us.”

I felt her body stiffen. “Are they all in wolf form?”

I looked over everyone gathered again. “No, only a couple but they’re not standing close by.”

When she turned her head to look I licked up one side of my bite mark and she giggled as she scrunched away. “Ambrose stop, they can see. If you want to eat me up I’ll be more than happy to oblige you later.”

“They can hear too.”

Her face flushed. “Oh, yea.”

I parked the car and opened the door, taking her out with me and she slowly lowered her legs to the ground. Her hand wrapped around mine and then was joined by the other as she stood beside me, trying to look confident. Ellion and Daley pushed their way to the front first, which I was incredibly grateful for as seeing another girl calmed her down a little bit.

“Hey Spencer! Who’s this then? You don’t usually bring girls home to meet the family,” Ellion laughed holding Daley’s hand as both a sign to me that he wasn’t a threat to my girl and to show her that he was taken.

“Ambrose?” Evadiene asked, looking up at me and taking a small step away to see me better.

I saw Ellion and Daley go straight faced, as well as anyone else who had heard her. Just as quickly Ellion’s face turned to a shit eating grin and Daley started beaming at Evadiene beside me.

Ellion grew more excited as he looked between us. “She called you Ambrose? So that must mean…”

“Ellion, Daley, this is my mate, Evadiene.” She looked to them, seeming to gather that I hadn’t lied about my name but it’s use was important.

Evadiene nodded her head, accidentally flicking her hair into her eyes and ruffled it back through her fingers. “It’s good to meet you, and don’t worry, we’re starting on an equal footing, I have heard absolutely nothing about anyone.” She smirked up at me and squeezed my fingers.

“Yea,” I laughed. “Well I thought we would have more time.”

——-

Covyn

There she was. Novaestarus Vesperios. Exactly as I remembered her, except for the pink hair. He found her much sooner than I had, but still I could see large finger width bruises on her neck.

She looks happy with him at least, and like she had been given the choice to come here.

The thought depressed me severely but I had to remember it wasn’t their fault. It was me who made the deal, and this was what I had hoped for. I repeated this to myself as I approached them, others parting for me to get through.

Evadiene’s eyes darted to me and then quickly away and I saw a tick in her jaw.

“What if he won’t let me stay?” She whispered, but I caught every word and wondered what he’d told her.

He kissed her head. “I won’t leave you.”

“Spencer,” I boomed over the murmur of voices and they silenced. “No call?”

He chuckled but it was more strained then usual as he moved Evadiene slightly behind himself.“I had planned to talk about it in person before bringing her here, but she was attacked and is no longer safe in the city.”

I buried my cringe at that. “What kind of attack?”

I watched her arms move from behind him to circle his waist, but she dipped at the same time and he turned on one knee to catch her. As her head fell back the fresh mark on her neck was revealed and everyone understood why she was so tired. Spencer stood slowly with her in his arms, adjusting her head to rest on his shoulder.

His eyes met mine again as he spoke. “One of the mob bosses in town was threatening her. I found him and I broke his hand, and jaw…” a nerve flexed in his jaw at the memory and I understood that feeling. “He nearly killed here, and I wasn’t about to just take her home to be alone, and if not here we’ll have to leave to go farther North to get out of their range… as much as I’d enjoy killing them all..”

I rolled my eyes. “You know I can’t let you go Spencer, you cannot be replaced in your skill set. She can stay, I think we can handle the local mob, eh troops?” I called out and booming laughs surrounded us.

Evadiene flinched at the sound. She was different with him than she was with me, more timid and nervous. I hoped it was only because she was tired but a part of me wondered is she had been loud solely to combat my strong energy. This definitely wasn’t the same kind of first meeting that she had with us before, joking and cracking wise at Ellion and Daley in the parking lot, barking back at Spencer’s comments which I understood better now.

Evadiene’s eyed were fluttering, staying open less and less when she muttered. “Sequoia.”

Quickly through the open drivers door her cat ran out and jumped up onto her stomach in Spencer’s arms. The natural cringe at seeing a cat took over my face, even knowing how important she was to Evadiene and how we had grown to become friendly. Spencer’s face was apologetic but somehow still firm.

“This is her cat, Sequoia. She’s goes where Evadiene goes.”

“You had time to pack?” I asked questionably.

He seemed confused. “Yes? After she was attack I took her home and we grabbed what we could quickly. She has movers going there today to pack what’s left and put it in storage.”

Evadiene’s eyes wandered to me for a second and quickly shut before her head flopped back against Spencer. Her breathing grew slower and deeper, and a unified understanding circled my people as they realized she was asleep. People began to disperse, I’m sure looking forward to seeing her at dinner but knowing the exhaustion she felt now required lots of rest.

Spencer’s head dipped toward her and he started to lick and kiss her mark tentatively. My emotions slipped and a low growl escaped my lips towards him. He slowly looked up towards me, his tongue still possessively on her neck, and growled in return. I saw his eyes switch to black almost instantly as he clutched her tighter to him and took a step backward.

Ellion and Daley took a step towards him, I’m sure getting ready to take Evadiene to safety should he lose control and shift. I bit my tongue and turned away from them walking towards the house.

“Take her and the cat to your room before you wake her up. If she doesn’t get some decent sleep after you marking her your bond will suffer,” I muttered, leaving before I could do something else stupid.

I was supposed to allow things to happen on there own, but she was here months before when she would have been. She already had her things, she had chosen to come here, and from how long she had stayed awake with the look of her mark he had probably marked her at the boarder so I wouldn’t turn her out. Glancing in the car there were three large suitcases or bags and an old book on the seat. She had been able to save her things.

I heard Spencer going up the stairs, and Daley offer to help bring the bags in for him. That unfortunately left Ellion to harass me and no sooner had I entered my office was he catching the closing door to talk to me.

“What was that?” He demanded. “Do you have the hots for Spencer’s mate?”

I scoffed at his words, remembering once saying how she was out of his league. “I would never act towards another’s mate. He was irritating me licking his girl in front of me.”

Ellion gave me half an eyebrow raise. “Yea sure maybe if it was me and Daley I’d understand. But it’s Spencer, and he marked her probably less than an hour ago. He’s showing he’s a good mate by caring for her mark and you know that. What’s really the problem?”

I gruffed an unattractive sound. “She’ll be a distraction to him. I already have one love sick Beta that drops everything if his mate sneezes.” And the Goddess knows I know what a distraction Evadiene can be.

“You barely know her. Give her time. All you know for sure at this point is she isn’t wolven, based on how tired she is. Don’t be such a prick, just because you don’t want a mate doesn’t mean the rest of us need to suffer.”

I growled at him. “Watch your step beta, just because you are my best friend doesn’t mean I won’t whip your ass for being a turd.”

He mocked a grand bow. “Well I am so sorry Mr. King Alpha, I do hope I haven’t displeased you. Prick.”

He left my office, probably going to find Daley in Spencer’s room and that left me alone. I sighed a little with relief. At least she was here, here I could help protect her, but she was scared of me.

The thought depressed me again, and I imagined her face before. Her face in the club when I’d first seen her. Her face telling me off and standing up to me. I could be fine if she was with Spencer, I could be happy that she had her true mate back, but I wanted my friend.