Her Mates by Tamara White
Seven
I can’t believe I’m moving into a house with boys. Worse yet, my father’s here. Even worse, it’s the alpha’s house.
Well, when I say house, I mean a huge housing complex that’s centered around a giant mansion. This house has four wings alone! Four!
Dad said this would be the best option for us, but staring around at the vastness of this home, I’m not sure. Isn’t it too soon to be living with my mates?
I’m skipping school today for this. Dad called in sick to help move our crap here on Tim’s insistence. He wants to protect me and my mother’s legacy, though I don’t see why we should have to stay here. I could’ve just come over each day after school, but Dad put his foot down. I think it helped that Tim’s the principal at school.
“So, this is the east wing. My mate and I have this one to ourselves, but you’re more than welcome to a room here, Greg,” Tim says, pointing to a room on his left.
“No, it’s okay. I’ll take a guest room. I don’t want to impose on your space.”
“Alright, follow me and I’ll show you to a guest room before we take Dani to her room. My mate just finished decorating it for you,” he informs us with a soft smile.
My father and I won’t be together. My chest constricts at the thought of being separated. We’ve never been apart like this. Sure, the neighbors babysat me when I was younger while Dad was at work, but this is different. We’ve always lived together and been no farther apart than in the next room. By the looks of this place, I’m going to have to walk twenty minutes just to get to his room.
“Here you go, Greg.”
Tim opens the door and my jaw drops in shock. The room is more of a suite, but it’s amazing! Different shades of blue and green are splashed around to make a stunning space.
“Wow, this is incredible,” my dad whispers, grabbing his bags and throwing them on the turquoise bed cover. He turns in a full circle, taking in the magnificence of the room that is definitely bigger than most of the homes we’ve lived in. “I’m done gawking now,” he says, laughing, joy clear on his face.
“I’m glad you like it. Laura loves having guests. It gives her a reason to dress up the rooms. The boys will be relieved she’ll have new toys to play with. I’d be careful, Dani. If you don’t like shopping, hide whenever my mate is around or you’ll be shopping your life away,” Tim teases.
“I’m not sure. Maybe one day of shopping could be good,” I reply, grinning back at him.
“Ha! Say that when you come back carrying a hundred bags. Come on, let’s go see your room. I really hope you like it. Laura stayed up all night trying to make it the best she could. If you don’t like it, I’m sure she’ll change it for you. She wants you to be happy here,” he says sincerely.
“Oh, I feel it’s fair to warn you that I’ve put you in the south wing with the boys. I know you may not be okay with that, but your father and I agreed that you need to get to know your mates. I have a feeling you’ll need them more than you know, though for safety’s sake, we put you in a room with a panic button.
“All you have to do is press it, and my enforcers will be alerted. They’ll come running. Seems strange, but we have to tell Luke about you soon. He’s going to be visiting his son, and there’s no hiding your father or who your mother was. You look too much like her,” he states sadly.
I walk behind them, thinking over what he said, wondering how I’m going to handle meeting Luke. Or better yet, what do I do about Cam? His father killed my mother, and who’s to say once his father finds out I’m his mate, he won’t want Cam to do the same thing to me that he did to my mother?
“Here we are,” Tim announces.
The room is absolutely magnificent. Nowhere near as big as Dad’s, but it’s still stunning. So many shades of orange, pink, and purple help give it the appearance of a sunset, which is gorgeous.
I doubt I’ll ever change this room. I explore after setting my stuff down, shocked to find a bathroom attached to the room with a built-in shower and massive bathtub. I know what I’ll be doing later.
“This is amazing. Thank you so much. Please tell your mate I love it. It’s absolutely stunning,” I gush, smiling widely. It’s been a long time since I’ve had things as nice as this. I kept it to a minimum once I knew Dad was struggling to provide for us.
“I’m glad,” a soft voice says from the door.
I spin, staring at the vision of beauty that’s standing in my doorway. Now I understand why Nate looks so handsome. His father’s good looks and his mother’s phenomenal beauty would make any child they had stunning.
She’s shorter than me at five-foot-two, with long, flowing black hair. A soft, heart-shaped face highlights her sparkling blue eyes. Nate has his mother’s eyes, that’s for sure.
“Oh, hi! You must be Laura,” I chirp, stepping forward to greet her. My father stops me, holding out a hand. I look back at him, not understanding why he stopped me when Tim laughs out loud.
“Jeez, Greg. You really didn’t teach her anything, did you?”
My father bristles, asserting, “I didn’t feel it was necessary at the time. My priority was teaching her to defend herself, not learning politics. I figured it could wait.”
“Can someone explain what’s going on? Did I do something wrong?” I ask the room, feeling foolish.
“Oh, you two, no formalities until we help Dani understand the pack rules and traditions. We can’t judge her for not knowing our ways,” Laura argues, defending me, then she turns to me and clarifies, “Sorry, honey, it’s just wolves and humans are different. I’m sure your dad has done a wonderful job raising you, but he’s raised you more human than wolf.” Laura’s gentle tone makes me feel safe. I know immediately I can trust her. She wears her heart on her sleeve, showing her kindness with words.
“I know, sweet pea, but she needs to learn,” Tim insists softly before addressing me. “Dani, you remember last night how the boys greeted your father? Well, that’s a type of tradition that means a great deal of respect in our community. As part of the Alpha Pair, you won’t need to worry about this. That doesn’t mean that you don’t have to learn these things, because the slightest mistake will lose you points in the elders’ eyes until your ascension, especially since you haven’t grown up with wolves. It will win you more favor if you know more about us. However, we might win more points with the elders if we present you as willing to learn our way after you’ve grown up without our traditions.
“So, to explain what went wrong, while you were appreciative of Laura’s gift, you never approach an alpha’s mate without submitting to the alpha first—that way he knows you mean no harm—and then you can approach any of the pack members.
“Submitting to the alpha means you have agreed to follow his rules. However, it’s possible to overrule the alpha, but that can result in a challenge. For this, you fight the alpha. The downside to that, though, is if the alpha is especially offended, then he can request the fight be to the death. If the alpha enjoys the challenge, then he could request the fight’s only until one of you is unconscious.”
Well, that sucks. Maybe I do need to study up on these rules and traditions.
“Don’t worry about it for now, honey,” Laura soothes. “You get settled in and we’ll give you some privacy to adjust. I can send some of our history books for you to peruse if you like. They have the majority of our society’s rules so you can read through it until the weekend. Then, we’ll start your official studies.
“Sorry, I’m rambling. We’ll leave now. The boys won’t be home until five because they have practice, and Jason should be home not long after school. If you need anything, just call out, we’ll hear you,” Laura chatters, still rambling while Tim drags her out of my new room.
Dad lingers for a moment, like he doesn’t want to leave. It’s hard, the idea of him being so far from me.
“You know where I am, Dani. If you can’t sleep, come find me,” he says firmly.
“Thanks, Dad. But I’ll be fine.”
He smiles at me, but he doesn’t say anything more before stepping out of my room and shutting the door behind him. He knows I was lying, but he would never call me out on it.
Sighing, I collapse on the bed and close my eyes. It’s been less than an hour since we got here and I’m already exhausted. I might take a bath and have a quick nap.
I definitely deserve it after the past few days.
