Her Mates by Tamara White
Twelve
I can’t believe what Laura has done! I look absolutely amazing!
She came in about two hours ago and helped me buff and polish every surface of my skin. I was lucky I showered before she got here, otherwise she may have insisted on helping with that too.
I didn’t quite understand the need for a mani-pedi, but hey, I won’t say no to a little pampering.
Then she started in on my hair. I thought there would be nothing she could do to make my orange hair look good, but she made me look like a princess.
She pulled it back from both sides by my ears and clipped it in the middle. She even somehow managed to put waves in it, making it flow down my back.
And my makeup—she managed a smoky look with my eyes, enough that it makes my normal green eyes flare bright. Laura wanted to use lipstick as well, but I vetoed that idea. I can’t stand the smell of lipstick longer than a minute, so I’d end up just wiping it off. Instead, we settled for some pale gloss that smells faintly of cherries while still giving my lips a little plumpness.
Combined with the jeans and flowing green top, I look like royalty. Well, casual royalty.
“Do you like it?” Laura asks, wringing her hands nervously while I study myself in the mirror. Who knew I had a floor-length mirror hidden in my closet?
“Are you kidding? You’ve made me look like an actual princess. Well, how I would want to look as a princess. What about shoes though? I hate wearing shoes in the forest, it seems like a waste,” I muse, pouting.
“Well, that’s up to you. I have a pair of kickass boots that should fit you and give you the appearance of being badass as well as royal. Or you can do what I’m going to do and go barefoot. It shows you don’t care about what they think while still being all fancy,” she suggests with her tinkling laugh.
“Barefoot it is.” I grin at how close we have become in so little time. She’s welcomed me into her home, showing me what I can and can’t do. She’s let me spend time with the boys, knowing we’re mates. I doubt many other women would let a female come into their home and pretty much date all six of the boys in her care without some kind of repercussion.
“Okay, wait right here, I’m going to get the boys. And maybe a camera.” She winks, running out the door.
I wring my hands, pacing back and forth until I hear them coming down the hall. My heart rate picks up, excited to see them. I wonder if they dressed up too.
Nate walks in, followed by the others. When I see them, my heart stops, and it’s as if I can’t breathe. They are so handsome.
Laura has dressed them all up in matching outfits but put them in different colored shirts.
Mitchell is wearing a green button up dress shirt, matching the color of Jonnie’s eyes. Jonnie’s shirt matches the exact shade of Mitch’s chocolate brown orbs. It’s mesmerizing, watching the two move together. They really do look like twins.
Pete’s wearing a dark blue shirt that brings out his defined cheek bones and pale blue eyes. When he looks at me, I feel like I’m staring into the ocean—an ocean that calls to my soul.
My gaze flits over Jason, and I smile at how sophisticated he looks. His hair is smoothed back, and he looks more like a teacher than ever. Instead of a shirt matching his eyes though, he’s wearing a soft lavender color. I wonder why Laura chose that instead of brown. Maybe she couldn’t get a chestnut brown shirt to match his eyes, but either way, he looks remarkable.
Nate’s shirt is slightly different than the others. It matches the electric blue of his eyes, but unlike the others’, it has silver stitching. The others’ shirts all have matching stitching, except for his and Cam’s.
The way Cam looks right now, he’s definitely meant to be alpha. His pale blue eyes are bright against the black of his shirt.
“Why do you get to wear black? The rest of us are all dressed up fancy and you get to go all goth? That’s not fair,” I whine.
Don’t get me wrong, he looks amazing, but I figured with his skin tone, he’d be in a gray or dark green shirt.
“Well, it’s because I can blend in. Once people see me, girls especially, I get swarmed like a popstar. It’s really quite annoying,” he explains with a sigh.
“Ha! Are you kidding me? Oh, poor Cam has to fight off all the pretty girls. Life must be hard,” Pete scoffs, shaking his head.
Obviously, they’ve had this conversation before judging by the groans from Nate and Jason.
“No, you two, don’t start. You have a mate here, and you’re talking about other women swarming you. That’s extremely disrespectful. I’ll hear no more of it when Dani is standing right there!” I blush as Laura scolds the boys while they look thoroughly chastised. “Now, all of you get over there by the wall so I can get a nice picture,” Laura demands, pushing Nate toward the stretch of the wall in my room.
We spend what must be at least ten minutes being maneuvered by Laura because the way we lined up wasn’t what she wanted. She organized the boys in a line with Nate and Cam on the outside since they are taller at six-foot-two and six-foot-four. Then Mitchell and Jonnie were placed on my right side with Nate, since they are six-foot-one. After she lined those two up, I realized what she was doing. She was placing us in descending order with my short ass smack in the middle of them.
Jason and Pete stand on my other side, then Laura grabs me by the shoulders and steers me in between them.
“Aw, look how sweet you are, like your own little pack,” she coos while taking pictures. I glance over at Tim and my dad with a pleading gesture, hoping one of them can get me out of this nightmare.
“Alright, honey, that’s enough. Walter and Monique are waiting to talk to Dani,” Tim interjects, saving me from more unnecessary torture.
“Thank you,” I mouth, running through the door before anyone can stop me. Don’t get me wrong, I love the mothering, but I hate pictures. Always have, always will.
“Ah, Danielle, we were just looking for you,” Walter says, appearing around the corner of the hallway. At least I went the right way.
“Yeah, I heard, I was just coming to find you. What’s up?” I ask, ignoring my grandmother’s disapproving glance at my outfit.
“First, young lady, you will turn around right this minute and put on the dress I chose for you!” By the end of her demand, I’m almost covering my ears to stop her shrillness from making me go deaf.
I rub my ear, making a point to look at her while I’m doing it.
“No! I refuse to wear something so old. Besides, pink is so not my color,” I argue, smirking and waiting for Monique to explode, but she just keeps a straight face, staring me down.
I wait her out. She has to back down sooner or later. Her lip twitches, and I nearly die from shock.
“You really are your mother’s daughter. Blair would have done the same thing.”
I look at Walter, confused. Why would Monique demand it then?
“Sorry, Dani. I know you don’t know us yet, but it’s part of us testing you and preparing you,” Monique explains. “Over the next few weeks, you’ll probably think we’re monsters, but the truth of it is you have no real-life experience with us or our society.
“The trials are designed to make sure that the one who carries on the legacy of the Alpha Pair is strong and smart enough to do so.
“I tested you then by demanding you to be obedient, the same way your grandfather tested your loyalty when he held your mate by the throat,” Monique continues, clarifying some of her motivations. It just leaves me with more questions.
“What does that even mean?”
“We don’t really have time for this, but I would be happy to tell you about it tomorrow. Would you like to join me for tea? Around midday? We can talk, and maybe I can tell you about your mother. I can bring some photos, if you like?”
Monique looks at me with a hopeful expression, and I feel my will crumbling. Despite overhearing that they want to spend time with me, I’m dubious after they were willing to force me. Though, I would like to see more photos of my mother. Dad only has a few and they’re all from after they left the pack. The one I have is my most cherished possession, which is the day of my birth.
When my mom gave birth, it was at home, and Dad was the one helping her deliver me. He said at the time it was too risky to go to the hospital, so they had no other choice. Thankfully, I was born quickly with no trouble. After Mom got cleaned up, she asked my father to take a picture. She wanted to remember how happy she was. I have it tucked in my pillowcase so I won’t ever lose it.
“Okay, sure. But if you don’t leave my mates alone, you’ll get the coldest shoulder anyone has ever felt. Got it?” I warn.
Monique nods while Walter pulls me in for a bone crushing hug. This is so totally awkward. We barely know each other. When he pulls back, he has a massive grin stretched across his face, making him look twenty years younger.
“Thank you for giving us a chance. Now, what have they told you about our rules and traditions so far?” he inquires, becoming serious in an instant.
“I only know the basic rules. Respect your alphas, respect your elders, and submit. I know there are a few things I can’t do, like approach an alpha or his mate without submitting. There was some weird thing with my mates and my dad as well the other night when they met for the first time.”
“Shit. Did they not fill you in on anything more? Goddamn, horny wolves,” Walter curses.
I burst out laughing at the language coming from his mouth. He just seems like the type of person to abhor curse words, yet here he is, spitting out profanity.
“Excuse me, Walter. I overheard the last of that and we haven’t filled her in on much because we didn’t want to overwhelm her. It’s got to be hard to be human with a wolf living inside you, and then being thrust into our society. Besides, now that we know who she really is, there aren’t many things she needs to know as the Alpha Queen,” Cam explains, coming to stand beside me as the others follow his lead. My wolf preens at being surrounded by them. What a hussy!
As it is, I have no idea how long they were listening for. Why do they sneak up on me so much easier than others?
“While that may be true, she still needs to know everything to pass the trials. The elders will test her on her knowledge in the third trial. Each trial is usually a month apart, but we don’t have that time, so we’ll be pushing for only a few days to a week between trials. Now, come, we need to introduce you to everyone. We can tell you some basic dos and don’ts along the way.”
We all follow after Walter, and Cam brushes his hand against mine. I grip it for courage, waiting for Walter or Monique to continue on, but it’s just silent. I glance behind us and can’t see my father, Tim, or Laura.
“Where’s my dad?” I ask Cam.
“Oh, they’ve taken a shortcut. Alpha Tim has to make a speech first and explain about new pack members, then it’s up to Walter and Monique to step forward and acknowledge your lineage,” Cam explains.
“He’s right. We’ll present you to the pack, asking for any mates to present themselves to compete in the trials. Once the second trial starts, no other mates are able to step forward. It also helps weed out any undesirables. Your mate will be strong enough to handle the trials, which means anyone can say they are your mate, but no one can get through unless they are destined to be with your wolf.”
I think over what Monique said and start wondering what the hell is going on. Things aren’t making sense.
“If that’s true, then why does more than one mate make it through the trials and why do we choose?” I question, hoping to get a straightforward answer.
“Well, it’s complicated. Basically, we rely on the trials to know your mate is chosen by the community. As in our elders and alphas choose your best options, then you have the final say. Ever since the first Alpha Pair, it’s been that way. The first Alpha Queen was very irritated at having multiple mates and refused to have all of them compete in the trials. It was decided that after the trials, she would choose from those who remained and we wouldn’t be able to undo her choice,” Walter explains, not breaking his stride until we reach the double doors that lead to the backyard.
My stomach is going crazy with nerves, knowing I have to go out there and be presented like a piece of meat.
“Dani, are you alright?” Jason asks, stepping up to my side.
I take a deep breath, in and out, before replying, “I’m fine. Just nervous. What if I go out there and they hate me? What if I trip on my way outside and make a fool of myself?” I ramble, voicing my doubts and fears.
“Seriously, that’s what you’re afraid of?” Pete scoffs, incredulity lining his voice.
“Yeah, I have to second that. You’re about to face off with wolves when you can’t shift, and you’re afraid of embarrassing yourself?” Jonnie inquires from Pete’s other side.
“Well, now that you say it like that, it seems stupid,” I grumble with a frown. “I don’t think I’m scared of those things happening. It’s just…I’m supposed to be their leader. How will they respect me if I embarrass myself?”
They each share a glance before Nate grabs me and turns me to face him. “You don’t need to worry about that. We’re your mates, and we’ll help you not look like a fool. And if you do something, I’ll ask Dad to demand the pack forget what they saw. Okay?” He smiles at me softly, the blue of his eyes sparkling and making me feel ten times better.
I trust that they won’t let me screw up too badly.
“Okay, I can do this.” I cross my fingers and straighten my back. I have to do this right. I don’t want to disgrace my mother’s memory by doing anything but perfection.
