(Un)bidden (9 page)

“If you see what’s causing your race problems, why aren’t you changing your ways?”

“What do you mean?”

My mouth was open to say more, but I noticed an unusual silence outside.  Mary tilted her head, and I watched her closely.  Her expression remained curious as she tried to listen.

“Let’s go upstairs,” she finally whispered.

I followed her from the room and struggled to keep up as she raced down the hallway and up the stairs.  The door to our room was open, and she went straight to the window where we had a clear view of the yard below.  Winded, I moved close beside her and tried to quiet my breathing so we could both hear.

All the men in the yard faced the woods.  I looked at the distant edge and saw three wolves.  The wolves stared at the group of tense men surrounding the truck.  Everyone in the yard, even Winifred, who once again stood in the bed of the truck, watched the wolves.  No one moved.  No one talked.  The wolf that stood a half a step in front of the other two looked straight at Winifred.

My stomach dipped as I stared at the lead wolf.  He had dark fur, not quite black because of the grey that scattered over his muzzle and underbelly.  There was something about him that hypnotically called my attention, and I didn’t like it.  Who was he?  Why did he face down Winifred like that?  He felt dangerous to me, most likely due to the snarl pulling back his lip.

I glanced at Mary.  With a serious expression, she studied the scene before us.

“What’s going on?”

“They’re arguing,” Mary said after a moment.

I looked back at the yard.  No, they were still just standing there.

“Who’s arguing?”

“Winifred and those others.”

“About what?”  My voice had slipped from its whisper—I was feeling a little left out and a little frustrated after the long morning I’d suffered.  One of the wolves glanced our way.  I quickly moved away from the window.  I didn’t need any more attention than what I’d already received.

I watched Mary’s eyes widen, and a blush crept into her cheeks.

“They’re moving,” she whispered.  “They’re getting pants from the truck.”  Her eyes tracked their progress, and her expression grew soft and wistful.

“He’s gorgeous,” she breathed after a moment, and I knew that they’d changed from wolves to men.  I fought not to blush and lost the battle.  Mary didn’t notice, though.  Her eyes remained riveted on an unknown person.  I totally wanted to look.

“Are they dressed yet?”

She grinned at me and nodded.  I peeked around the edge of the window.  The mood in the yard had changed.  Those who’d previously crowded around the truck now stood well back, giving the newcomers plenty of room.

The three stood near the end of the truck.  The angle of the view the window afforded wasn’t good for seeing much more than the top backs of their heads.  But from what I could see, if not for their obvious exclusion, the new men fit in with the rest.  Their hair was slightly longer and unkempt, they wore no shirt or shoes, and their pants were ill fitting.

Two of them were young, though.  I guessed just a few years older than Mary and me.

One of them stood out.  Perhaps it was because Winifred was glowering at him as he stood before her with his arms crossed.  Or maybe it was the way the muscles of his shoulders bunched in agitation.  Or better yet, the smooth skin of his corded back.  My blush reignited as I stared.

My stomach spun and dipped again at the sight of him shirtless.

His muffled voice reached us through the glass.

“Winifred,” he said with a stiff nod.  “We’ve heard some rumors that there’s a human here and that you’re exposing our kind to her.”  His angry tone carried his dislike of the idea.

My instinct to be wary of him had been right.  I narrowed my eyes at his back.

“That’s correct,” she said.

“How is allowing a human here in the best interest of the packs?  Of our people?  The last humans who were here shot four females and a cub.  She needs to leave.  Now.”

“I disagree,” Winifred said calmly.  “You know nothing of her.  She’s not like other humans.”

“I don’t care,” he said.  “For the safety of our kind, there can be no exceptions.”

“For the safety of our kind, we need to adapt.  You need to listen to reason.”

She looked away from him and addressed the listening men.

“There can be no life without purpose and no purpose without reason.  We struggle to survive because, as a species, we’ve lost our purpose.  The world is changing, and we need to change with it.  We need to find our reason.  It is the only way to continue our existence.  Even nature is telling us it’s time to change.  Charlene is human and a potential Mate.  Turn her away, and you might be turning away your future.  Think about it.”

She turned to the young man in front again.

“Some leaders are born.  Some rise out of necessity and are refined by circumstance.  The best leader is one who listens openly and considers all possibilities.”

Winifred looked up at the window, and I ducked away again.  Not Mary, though.  She stayed centered within the frame.  A slow smile curled her lips.

“He’s looking at me.  I have to go meet him.”

She turned away from the window and started toward the door.  I quickly moved to follow.

“He was pretty handsome,” I agreed, trying to keep up with her.  “But enough to let him bite me?  No thanks.”

Her steps slowed, and she gave me a troubled look.

“I guess I wasn’t thinking of that.”

How could she not?

“What were you thinking about?”

She sighed and gave a slight smile.  “I don’t know...just him.”

“You don’t even know his name.”

“No, but that doesn’t matter.”

“Maybe it should.  I think that’s what Winifred was trying to say.  You need to think more.  All of you.  Don’t just let instinct rule you.  You’re intelligent people capable of reasoning.  What if he’s grumpy most mornings or snores at night?  What if he wants twenty kids, but you only want two?  You need to think about what comes after the bite.  Plan ahead.”

Her frown grew, and her steps slowed further.  We reached the main room while doing a slow shuffle.

“You’re right.  But I still need to meet him, to talk to him.  If he tries...”  She glanced at the door.  She didn’t have Winifred’s promise like I did.

“I’ll roll up a newspaper and smack him on the nose for you.”

She grinned at me.  A knock at the door made us both jump.  The door opened a moment later.  Winifred strode in, her irritation still very evident.

“Mary, there is someone out there who’d like to meet you.”

Mary glanced at the floor for a moment, and Winifred gave a long-suffering sigh.

“You know I can’t promise that, Mary.  Charlene is unique.  If I tried preventing him from Claiming you, the tenuous trust they have in me would be lost.”

I knew what Mary had silently asked and felt sorry for her.

“Can I meet him first?” I asked.  Both of them looked at me in surprise.  If Winifred couldn’t ask him to wait, I was willing to try.

“That would be up to Mary,” Winifred said slowly.

“It’s okay with me,” Mary said.

“I’d prefer he come in here, though,” I said, thinking of all the men who still waited for me outside.  “Alone.”

Winifred gave me a long look then nodded.  As soon as she left, I waved Mary back toward the bathroom door.  It placed me between whomever would step through the door and her.

It only took a moment for the outer door to open again.  A tall man, who looked in his late teens, walked in.  He wasn’t the lead man I’d noticed from the window but still one of the three.  His eyes skimmed over me as he searched the room for Mary.  His gaze warmed when it landed on her.

I took a step to the side to block his view and smiled at him.

“Hi.  I’m Charlene.”

He stalked toward us, sparing me a brief glance before his eyes drifted back to Mary.  I quickly stepped into his path.  He didn’t seem to notice and almost barreled over me.  I slapped both hands on his very bare chest and gave him a slight push.

“Stop for a moment, please,” I said.  His skin heated my hands, and I hoped Mary wouldn’t think me too forward with him.

He stopped moving, tore his gaze from Mary, and gave me a puzzled glance.  I nervously removed my hands.

“Here’s the thing; she saw my neck and is worried.”

He tilted is head and studied me, not just my neck but all of me.

“So you’re the human,” he said with a slight smile.  “Winifred was right.”  He leaned in and sniffed me.  “You are different.”

Before I could become nervous or uncomfortable, Mary cleared her throat behind us.  The man straightened away from me and smiled at her.

“She’s nowhere near as interesting as you are,” he said to her.

“So, what’s your name?” I said, trying to reclaim his attention.  He didn’t look away from Mary as he answered.

“Gregory.”  He had a pleasant, easygoing voice.

“Gregory, this is Mary,” I said, turning slightly to indicate her.  “She’s hoping you two could talk first.”

“I’m not ready to be Claimed,” she said softly.

His brows rose.  He considered her for a moment and scratched his jaw.  He didn’t seem upset when he finally spoke.

“Why not?”

She looked around the room for a moment as if trying to decide what to say to him.  Her gaze briefly met mine before they settled back on him.

“I
am
nervous about the bite, but I really just want to stay here with Charlene for a while.”

He nodded slowly and looked around the room.  His stare lingered on the table and the cookware on the fireplace mantel.  Then he looked at me.  “You’re making changes.”

I nodded warily.  Their kind didn’t seem too keen on change based on Winifred’s speech.

“He’s going to want to meet you,” he said.

For some reason his words made my stomach clench, and not in a good way.

“Could I speak with Mary alone for a minute?” he asked.

I glanced at Mary.  She gave me a small smile and nodded.

Outside, the yard was much too quiet.

“I’ll just go upstairs, then,” I said, and with a last look at both of them, I headed for the double-doors.

In the yard below, the men, who’d only minutes ago fought each other, now gathered in small groups.  Most cast subtle glances at the newcomers Winifred had rejoined near the front of the truck.  She was speaking to the man who made my stomach flip, but I couldn’t hear anything she said.

The man stood with crossed arms as he listened to Winifred.  I hoped they weren’t still discussing me.  My presence didn’t warrant that much debate.  If they wanted me to leave, I’d move on as simple as that.  Well, not that simple.  I still didn’t know where to go.  But, this place was only ideal if they wanted me here, and except for Mary, I really wouldn’t mind leaving.

A tap on the bedroom door distracted me.

“Charlene?” Mary said, peeking in.

“How did it go?” I asked, turning away from the window.  She opened the door further, and I saw Gregory standing behind her.  I glanced at her neck.  It was unblemished.

“Gregory wants me to go outside with him to speak to Winifred.  I didn’t want to leave you in here alone.  Will you come?”

“Of course,” I said.  I didn’t really want to be inside alone, either.

I stepped into the hallway, and Gregory nodded in greeting.  He stood aside so Mary and I could precede him down the stairs.  Mary remained quiet as we made our way through the main room to the outer door.  There she hesitated and glanced back at Gregory.

His gaze met hers, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

“I’ll go first,” he said.

He pulled open the door and stepped outside.  Most of the men stood with their backs to the door so Gregory had to nudge his way through.  When those he nudged turned and saw me standing behind him, they made room.

“If she’s so important,” a raised male voice said, “take her back with you and keep our sanctuary safe.”

The men around me growled in response.  Whoever was speaking wasn’t making friends.  I wondered if the rest would challenge the speaker as they had Anton.

“As you can hear, they don’t want her to leave,” Winifred said.

Gregory took a few more steps forward, with Mary and me closely behind him, then stopped.  The men quieted as I passed.  Gregory reached back to offer a hand to Mary.  She shyly wrapped her hand in his and stepped forward, leaving me alone in Gregory’s shadow.

“I acknowledge Gregory as my Mate,” Mary said.

She stood facing Winifred.  At least, I thought she did.  I wasn’t ready to peer around Gregory to find out.  Instead, I glanced at the men around me.  A few gave me small smiles.  Given the current conversation about Mates, a topic I wanted nothing to do with, I nervously returned my gaze to Gregory’s bare back.