Sitting behind the wheel of his navy green Camaro, Manon watched his mate climb into the Jeep. He cocked his head as she rolled her eyes at something one of the men said. It irked him beyond belief that his mate was leaving in another man's car, but it wasn't as if he could insist on taking her home. She was human and couldn't understand that he needed to protect and keep her for himself.
She was also a woman. That was unexpected. He'd really thought he'd end up with a male. When he'd left his original pack in Louisiana after hurricane Katrina, he'd specifically looked for open-minded alphas before petitioning to join a new pack. Manon had thought finding out that Declan, the Stone Ridge pack alpha was gay, was a sign from Fate.He knew the alpha wolf wouldn't mind he was bisexual, since his own mate was a man.
Manon had been with plenty of women, but they hadn't satisfied him quite as much as his encounters with males had. He supposed since it was his mate, it wouldn't matter. He'd trust Fate knew what she was doing.
Remembering what happened to his buddy, Kyle, Manon quickly picked up his phone and dialed Shane Alvaro's number. Shane was their pack beta and the man in charge right now, since Declan was still on holiday in Ireland and Scotland.
"Shane Alvaro here," the beta wolf answered.
"Hey, Shane. This is Manon. I have news," he stated. Pausing, he uttered the words that he knew would change his life. "I met my mate."
"Congratulations, Manon," Shane immediately replied. He paused, then chuckled. "I guess I should ask if your mate is male or female."
Manon grinned, knowing exactly what Shane meant. "Her name is Chris Richardson. She's human, so I did the only thing I could. I got her phone number," he admitted, grimacing. "It looks like I'll have to woo her the old fashioned way."
"I appreciate the heads up, Manon," Shane said. "Let me know when you're at the point to reveal your wolf. You know we'll help any way we can."
He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I gotta admit somethin' my maman said before she passed makes me a little worried."
"Oh? What's that?" Shane queried.
"She said my mate would lead me on a merry chase." When Shane didn't respond right away, he added, "My maman was a bit of a seer. Sometimes, she knew things."
"And did these things always come to pass?"
"In one form or another," he said.
"All right. Keep me informed," Shane ordered.
"Yes, Beta," Manon replied.
He disconnected the call, started his Camaro and headed home. As much as he'd love to follow Chris's delicious scent-and with her leaving in an open-topped Jeep, it was possible-he didn't want to come off as a stalker. And he had work in the morning.
Somehow, Manon resisted the urge to call Chris the whole time he was at work. Every time he moved, he felt his wallet pressing against his side. He knew inside his wallet was her phone number. After he passed the Life Flight piloting duties to his replacement, a sturdy fellow named Lionel, Lenny, his replacement's brother asked if he wanted to join them for a beer.
Manon shook his head. "No thanks, bra," he said, using the friendly term for brother to soften the refusal. "I'm gonna give that pretty gal from last night a ring. See if I can set somethin' up."
Lenny frowned, nodding slowly. "There was som ething about her and her friends," he muttered.
"What you mean?" Oddly, Manon thought Lenny had good instincts, for a human. And he had to credit the guy, Manon had thought the same thing. Chris's three friends set off his gaydar big time, but if that wasthe case, what in God's green earth were they doing at the clearly straight bar? With the cloying scents of sweat, beer, and perfume, Manon's sense of smell had been going overtime. He'd desperately wanted to press his nose to Chris's shoulder and inhale so he could learn her true scent. Problem was, with a human, he figured that would send her running for sure.
"I don't know," Lenny said, shaking his head. "Just … something."
"Well, I think I can handle her just fine," Manon responded, slapping Lenny on theshoulder. He'd find a way to make this work, damn it!
Lenny grinned and winked. "Good luck!"
Manon headed out of the hospital and climbed into his Camaro. Pulling out his phone, he dialed the number for Chris. He waited with bated breath, trying to focus on driving. Manon nearly swallowed his tongue when Chris's breathy greeting sounded across the line.
"Hello?" she said.
Unable to stop a smile, he said, "Hello, cherie. This is Manon Lemelle. How are you?"
"I'm good. How are you?"
He grinned. "Good now, cherie."
"You still haven't told me what that means."
Manon could hear the frown in her voice, and didn't like that one bit. "I apologize, Chris," he murmured, maneuvering around cars. "I promise I will tell you. Just not until you know me better."
"Why would it matter? It's not something bad, is it?"
He shook his head, though he knew Chris couldn't see it. "No, Chris. It is no' bad."
After a few seconds of silence, Chris said, "Um, I hate to rush you, but you managed to catch me on break, and I only have a few minutes left. Is there-Is there something I can do for you?"
You could let me hold you down and love you forever. Manon kept that thought to himself, though. "I'd like to take you out. I want to get to know you better."
"Oh, um, well … "
He gritted his teeth, not liking that his mate might say no. He needed to be with her, in person so there could be no mistaking the matepull between them. He'd seen enough human-shifter pairings to know the human could feel it.
"Ah, don't say, no, cherie. At least give me a chance, oui?" He bit his tongue. He knew he slipped French and Cajun words in at times, confusing the crap out of the people around him. It was worse when he was nervous, agitated, or upset. Right now, he'd peg himself as nervous, and for good reason. Manon wanted his mate.
"Okay," she whispered softly.
Manon did a mental fistpump. "Thank you," he said, knowing his gratitude shown through his tone.
"What did you have in mind?" Chris asked.
Just then, Manon's phone beeped in his ear, alerting him to a text. Pulling it away, he saw that it was from Shane. "Zut," he hissed.
Chris giggled. "Naughty boy," she whispered.
His brows lifted. She knew the French equivalent of damn? He hadn't meant to say it, but getting a text from his beta while trying to make a date frustrated him. Manon would need to know what his beta wanted before making plans.
Evidently, he'd stayed quiet too long. "What's wrong?" Chris asked pensively.
"Got a text from … from my boss. Let me see what he wants. Just a sec." Before Chris could reply, he pressed a button and read the text. He grimaced, but after a second, realized this would probably be better. Since Chris was at work, on her break, it meant she'd be there for a few more hours, right? She wouldn't have time this evening anyway.
This brought another question to mind. "Where you work, cherie?" he asked into the phone.
"All Weather Outfitters. Why?"
She sounded a bit suspicious, which concerned Manon. It ruined any plan for dropping by to say hello. That would make her think he wasa stalker. Instead, he commented, "Oh, Tom's store. I know it." Well, well, wasn't it a small world? He'd have to ask Tom if he knew Chris. Except, damn, Tom is out of town with the alpha."How long you been workin' there, cherie?"
"Look, I'm sorry. My break's over. I gotta go," she said quickly, carefully avoiding his question.
Did I push too hard? Women were hard to read at the best of times. "Wait, real quick, cherie. You busy tomorrow? Let me take you out."
"Well, I work in the morning, but I'm done at two," she said uncertainly.
"Okay, how about I pick you up at five, oui? An early dinner and miniature golf. You like dat?" He shook his head. Fuck. He was beginning to sound like he'd just left the bayou.
"Okay. That sounds okay," she murmured.
Manon grinned, liking the sound of her voice. It was deeper than most women's, but breathy. He pulled over and adjusted his hardon, then he wrote down her address. "I look forward to it, Chris. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow," she replied. "Bye."
"G'night." He disconnected the phone, then stared at it for a moment. He knew he was grinning like a fool, but he had a date, with his mate.