Her Mates by Tamara White
Thirteen
Standing by the door, I look at everyone outside and try not to panic. There has to be close to a hundred wolves out there.
“Dani, we have ten minutes before the pack meeting starts, so we need to tell you a few basics. Unless provoked, try not to challenge anyone. Everyone is going to be curious, so they’ll want to meet you. Some to feel you out, others because the only other Alpha Queen they’ve met is Monique and Carrie, but Carrie doesn’t really count. You’re a real heir,” Walter says, pausing to let Monique speak.
“And if you’re approached by another wolf, be polite and respectful, regardless of their rank. If someone demands you submit to them, then you can say no and walk away, just avoid any challenges. We want the packs to like you and, since there are wolves from all packs here tonight, what you do will travel back to all of the packs. So, if you’re as nice as possible, all the other packs will hear is that you were extremely pleasant and polite.
“However, if you start a small fight, even just an argument, it could escalate to you starting a full-out brawl. The catch, though, is you mustn’t present yourself as meek. If you do, then the elders will hear you’re weak. They will try to petition you out before the second trial. That will do for now. Your mates will be with you the entire time, so if you need help, just ask them. If things get heated, they all have strict instructions to steer you away from conflict. We will call you out in a moment,” Monique explains with a soft smile.
I watch her and Walter walk out onto the back deck. I step over to listen to what they say and hope they don’t expect me to talk.
“I will hand things over to our former Alpha Pair for a little more clarification on the situation. Please wait until they have finished speaking before asking any questions,” Tim instructs, stepping back as Monique stands at the edge of the deck with Walter by her side.
“As some of you have probably heard, we came here at great haste due to the news of a surviving heir,” she starts, then stops to let everyone absorb the news. The whispers and gasps are pretty profound. Sure, I expected a few, but the whole pack looks shocked.
“As my mate was saying, we arrived here this morning to meet our granddaughter,” Walter continues, taking over. “When I met her, however, she triggered the first trial. She is of age and eligible to participate in the trials, and, on our authority, they will continue. Today, the unmated males here will have the chance to see if they are a possible mate, then we’ll let you all meet her.
“She is new to this life, so I ask that you be patient and kind. Dani is here on personal invitation by Alpha Tim and his mate Laura. Those who disrespect Dani will have to deal with Tim. Now, I think it’s time for everyone to meet our granddaughter. Dani, could you come out here please?”
I look to the guys before opening the door. It’s like there is a giant spotlight on me, and it’s worse when I hear some of the chatter from the pack.
I glance back to see that none of the boys followed me. Starting to panic at their absence, I see Tim shake his head subtly. Great, apparently I’m on my own.
Moving up to stand next to Walter and Monique, I try not to let my nerves show. I put my head up and straighten my back, presenting my confidence. The wolves are all staring and whispering as they check me out.
“Dani, would you like to say anything?” Monique asks, and I almost run away. I hate public speaking.
“Um, hi,” I say, blushing when there are a few laughs.
“Well, I guess that’s it. Is there anything anyone would like to ask?” Walter addresses the crowd. A few people raise their hands, and Walter nods at one of the girls in the back. When she steps forward, I nearly groan. It’s one of the girls from the school. This should be good.
“How do we know she’s the heir? She smells human,” Melanie or Sarah, whichever one of the Barbie quads it is, sneers, causing a few of the wolves around her to back away from her as if they’re afraid.
I wait for Walter to answer, but it’s Laura who does. She jumps from the deck and stalks over to her.
“How dare you disrespect the Alpha Pair in our home!” Laura stops, grabbing the girl by the ear and pulling her toward the stage.
“Stacy, Bain, come claim your child, who dares to be so disrespectful in the presence of our previous Alpha Pair and our future Alpha Queen.”
I watch as two wolves detach from the back of the crowd, making their way up front with their heads hanging. Both of them are as blond as the girl in Laura’s grasp, and they are roughly the same height. I can smell the fear coming from them and wonder why they’re so afraid.
Monique steps down from the deck to approach them. They tremble in her presence, and I try not to smile at the expression on her face. She’s enjoying their fear. My wolf is alert in my mind, watching through my eyes to see what happens.
“What’s your name, child?” she questions when she stops at Laura’s side, while the girl whimpers.
“Sarah,” she whispers.
“Tell me, Sarah, are you high in the pack?”
“No,” she replies, her shoulders slumping.
“Then why do you assume it’s okay for you to question us? As for your parents, they have the choice of disciplining you for your disrespect or taking the punishment for themselves. What will it be?” Monique inquires, staring her parents down.
“She is old enough to shift, so she’s old enough to face the consequences,” Bain, Sarah’s father, responds. He stands there with a stoic expression, watching his daughter as she cries.
Wow. What kind of punishment would cause this type of a reaction?
“Sarah, your punishment will be a week of isolation with no communication with anyone in the pack, except for your parents. If you break this, you will get the cage. Is that understood?”
I watch as she slumps in defeat, sinking to her knees on the ground. I thought I heard her sobbing, but I don’t understand what just happened.
“Now, to answer your question, just as you can smell your mother and father, I can smell my family blood. The reason Dani smells human is because she’s spent her life living as one. Hopefully, the exposure to the packs will bring her scent to the forefront. Until then, I suggest you all get accustomed to smelling a human on the grounds. Are there any other questions?”
A man steps forward, raising his hand. He’s roughly the same age as my father by the looks of it, but for some reason, he looks familiar.
“Does she have any mates yet?” he asks in a deep, gravelly voice, sending shivers through my body. His voice brings a sliver of déjà vu, and I try to think if I’ve seen him before.
“Yes, a few mates have made themselves known, but they wish to remain anonymous until the second trial starts. We have, however, appointed a few trusted wolves to keep Dani safe. We all know how rough the trials can be, so we will rely on our very own alphas to keep her safe. She will never be without one of them by her side. So, if you wish to step forward as a mate, even though you don’t smell or feel the connection, be warned. If you try anything, they each have permission to lock you in the cages,” she declares with an evil smirk as the doors open behind me.
All my mates step out, looking hot as hell and extremely fierce. If I was an enemy, I wouldn’t want to mess with them.
“You all know our pack alphas? Good. Now, are there any males who would like to step forward as a mate? Once you reveal yourself, you can’t take it back and must compete in the trials,” Walter states, stepping close.
I swear, if he starts saying good shit about me as if I’m in an auction, I’ll deck him right here.
Thankfully he doesn’t, instead remaining silent as he looks out at the pack, waiting for any mates to step forward. I’m relieved when no one steps up, but I should have known my luck wouldn’t go that way.
A guy moves forward, roughly the same age as the boys, with light brown hair and sky blue eyes. What is with all these wolves having blue eyes? Only minimal numbers have green or brown, while the rest have varying shades of blue. It’s starting to remind me of a cult.
“I believe I’m her mate,” he announces, stepping onto the first rung of the staircase to the deck and surrendering his neck. Walter stares then nods and gestures for him to come over to me.
I literally have no idea what to do when he steps in front of me, but thankfully all he does is introduce himself.
“I’m Stephen of the Tiern Pack,” he says, smiling at me softly. It’s a beautiful smile, but my wolf isn’t the slightest bit interested.
In all my meetings with the others, she was always at the forefront of my mind, excited just being around them. Now, she’s just lying down in my mind, bored with their meeting.
“Hi, I’m Danielle,” I reply, nodding my head slightly. From what I heard from the others, I shouldn’t have to submit since I’m the one in a higher position.
He moves off to the side of the guys, and another two people step forward from the crowd.
“She smells as if she’s our mate,” the taller of the two states. I try not to gape at his height, but he has to be six-foot-five, maybe even six-foot-six. His companion is only six-foot-four, but still, they’re massive. I thought my boys were huge, but these guys are built like body builders. I admire the fact that they have been able to keep their bodies in such marvelous shape.
I watch as they present their necks and wait for a nod from Walter. What I’m not expecting is a nod and a small smile. He’s been straight-faced the whole time, so why is he smiling now?
Both guys step in front of me.
“Your Highness, my name is Jake, and this is my best friend Rick. We just want you to know even if we don’t win the trials, we vow to protect you and your Alpha King,” the first guy, Jake, promises, dropping to his knees.
I look to his friend Rick, and he smirks before bowing his head and following his friend to his knees. I literally have no idea what to do. I glance at Walter for some kind of hint, but all I get from him is a smirk.
Laura, however, is miming behind his back. I try not to laugh at her obvious need to get a message across. I think what she’s trying to say is to get them to stand up, but I have no idea how to do that. Guess I’ll wing it.
“Rick, Jake, you do me great honor with your vows. I hope you make it far in the trials. Rise and take your position beside my protectors,” I say, my voice oozing authority I don’t feel. I glance back at Laura and see her give me brief thumbs-up, making me sigh in relief.
They rise from their kneeling position and stand by Nate, and it’s not until I see them exchanging looks when I realize they didn’t say which pack they were from. Why didn’t they say anything?
“Okay, everyone—” Walter starts, but he stops when a guy steps forward.
“Wait, I’m her mate also,” he claims, marching up to the deck in front of Walter. He doesn’t immediately show his neck, but after a minute he gives in while Walter stares him down. Following a tense moment, he frowns and nods while the guy strolls over to me.
I study him, trying to recognize where I know him from. It hits me the moment my wolf starts growling in my mind. This guy and his father tried to kill me two years ago.
I was leaving the gym and was ambushed by them. They grabbed me, trying to stab me with a knife made of pure silver. I was lucky my dad showed up to pick me up and we fought them off together.
I glance back at Dad and can see by the look on his face that he remembers. Immediately after that happened, we moved again. We went all the way across the state so we could lose them.
“I’m Trey from the Bairn Pack,” he states, grabbing my attention. He’s from Cam’s father’s pack? Somehow, it doesn’t surprise me. If this guy thinks he stands a chance with me, though, he’s got another thing coming.
“Thank you,” I respond, trying to be polite and not draw attention. I have no other words for him, otherwise my wolf will leak through. It doesn’t help that Nate and Cam are getting a bit fidgety over to the side. They must sense something’s off with me.
“Well, if no one else has anything to say, then let’s get this party started. As for your mates, Dani, it’s best if you tell them to prepare. The second trial will take place in five days. If you have any questions, we’re here for you,” Monique says, stepping beside me and gripping my hand.
“Alright, pack, let’s show our future Alpha Queen and King how we throw a party,” Tim shouts, getting the pack to cheer.
I wait for someone to tell me what the next step is, because I don’t want to move and cause any disrespect. I’m supposed to be playing stupid, not arrogant.
My dad comes to my side, steering me back into the house with Monique and Walter not far behind us.
“Do you want to explain what that was about?” Monique demands, looking from me to my father once the door closes behind us.
“It was nothing,” Dad replies, playing it off, but Monique gets right up in his face.
“Don’t you dare pretend like it was nothing. I could feel her wolf, that’s how afraid she was. Her mates could also feel the change and almost reacted to it. It was lucky they showed great self-restraint.”
“Wait, you could feel my wolf?” I ask, excited.
“Yes, child, I could feel her. If your mother was here, she would have as well. It’s part of a built-in, protective instinct required of our bloodline,” she explains, looking at me with soft eyes. Since she’s being honest with me, it’s only fair I do the same.
“I’ve met the last wolf who came up, Trey, before,” I divulge, watching their reactions. Walter and Monique both watch me patiently, and I plow through it as quickly as I can.
“He and his father tried to kill me when I was fifteen. I had just left the gym and was waiting for Dad to pick me up. He usually picked me up the same time I was finished, but he was running late because of traffic and they took advantage of that.
“His father stepped up to my side, cutting me with the knife he held, and told me to walk toward the alley. I knew I had no choice, so I did what he asked. His son was waiting there, holding another knife.
“Trey’s father pushed me into the wall, and I hit my head hard. The next words I heard were ‘kill her now, you won’t be a part of the pack until you do.’ I was terrified, but I knew my father would be disappointed that I didn’t fight, so I got back up, prepared to hold them off, when my father jumped out of nowhere in his wolf form.
“They tried to fight back, but we were stronger together and they took off. We moved after that, never really discussing it again, until now. I just find it too much of a coincidence that he and his father are here,” I admit, pondering what their motivations could be.
“Wait, his father was here too?” Walter inquires with a perplexed expression on his face.
“Yeah, the guy in the crowd who asked if I had mates, that’s him.”
“Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. I didn’t know Trent had kids. This makes things a whole lot more complicated than I expected,” he mumbles, exchanging glances with Monique.
“Why?”
“Because he’s my cousin,” Cam answers, coming through the door. He heard us? And Trey is his cousin?
“What?” Dad exclaims, clearly enraged.
“Relax, I barely know him, but yes, he’s my cousin. Trent is my dad’s brother and head enforcer. That means he knows you exist and has for at least two years. You have to promise to be careful around him. Trent is just as bad as my father. Sometimes, he helped punish me,” Cam confesses with sadness in his tone.
I hate that his father has this effect on him. He doesn’t show it on the outside, but my wolf and I can sense it when the subject of his father comes up, which means it must really hurt him.
“Okay, we’ll have to deal with this later, everyone’s looking for you,” Monique interjects, cutting off the conversation.
“Sorry, Dani, she’s right. Just be careful,” Cam murmurs with his heart in his eyes. I agree purely to keep him happy, but I doubt I’ll be caught near Trey. Now that I know exactly who he is, I’ll be keeping my ass as far from him as possible.
Besides, I’m not an uneducated fifteen-year-old anymore. I’m stronger and faster than ever before.
