“So, tell your story again?” Ryne shifted his attention back to the male before him.
The man replied quietly and respectfully. “As I said, there was a change in leadership. The Alpha and I did not agree on the mating of my younger sister. He saw her and desired her, but such a union was not...pleasing to her and she was too young, anyway. As a result we had a...falling out.”
Ryne nodded. It was commendable that the fellow wasn’t bad-mouthing his old Alpha, even if the leader had been a bastard from the sound of it. “So you moved to Canada from Spain. That’s quite a distance. Was there no pack in another part of Europe?” He sipped his coffee and observed the man over the rim of his cup.
“My previous Alpha has much influence with the European packs. We thought it best to make a completely new start.”
“And you chose my pack, how?”
“The registry, of course. We thought that, as a developing pack, you might be more willing to accept us. We wouldn’t represent a drain on your resources or space.”
Ryne nodded in understanding. The more established packs were often reluctant to accept outsiders, especially when there was little opportunity to expand the territory on which they lived. Wolves might be social animals, but they also needed room to roam. His pack—all three of them, he inwardly chuckled—didn’t face such problems. Stats would show there was considerable space around Stump River and he’d listed as being open to accepting new members. Many packs were harder to join than the most exclusive human country club, birth, or bonding being the only possible avenues in.
“What was your position in your old pack?”
“I was a scout.” The man lifted his chin slightly, obviously proud of his job which entailed constantly patrolling the territory, keeping tabs on neighbouring packs, and warning the rest if there were intruders.
“Good. We can use help in that area.” Ryne smiled at the man for the first time. “How are you at construction work? Ever done any carpentry?”
“A little... Does this mean, you accept us?” His tone was cautious, but Ryne noted a slight flush of excitement showing under the man’s swarthy skin.
“Yes. Welcome to my pack, Marco Lobero.” They shook hands across the table and Ryne stood, gesturing towards Marco’s family. “Come and introduce me to your mate and sister.”
*****
It was five o’clock. Mel sat at the bar in The Broken Antler, morosely sipping her beer. She didn’t like beer and wasn’t sure why she’d ordered it except, when Armand approached her, she’d been too in awe of the giant man to think.
“Bear.” It was the first word that had popped into her mind and out of her mouth, upon looking at the man. Trying to cover up her faux-pas, she’d quickly coughed and then said “I mean beer.”
Armand had smirked and Mel had a sneaking suspicion that the man had known exactly what she’d said and found it highly amusing. Still, he hadn’t commented, merely placing a glass in front of her. Nervous at being alone in a bar, Mel drank the first glass much faster than intended. It had given her something to do and kept her hands occupied, as she continuously scanned the room for any sign of Ryne. When the first glass was gone, another had miraculously appeared in front of her. At first she’d been going to protest, but the firm look Armand gave her, had her quietly accepting the offering.
That had been two beers ago. Ryne still wasn’t here and she’d given up looking expectantly at the door every time it opened. Sighing, she knew she should just leave, but some small part of her held onto the hope the he would still come; that he’d just been delayed.
What kind of a masochistic person did that, she wondered. Here she sat, alone in a bar, waiting for a man who didn’t have the decency to tell her he’d be late or unable to come at all. Not only that, but he’d lied to her about the wolf by the stream, and she strongly suspected there was something fishy about the wolf attack on her first day in Stump River. On top of those sins, there was the fact that he had given a ridiculous answer to a very basic and harmless question about his background.
‘Didn’t exist before photography’ indeed! He’d been mocking her, just as he’d done so many times before. Why did he have to be so difficult? And why had he been all in a snit about those stupid pictures she’d accidentally downloaded? Why had he suddenly walked away, just when things were getting interesting between them? He’d had sex with her, then brushed her off, then teased her by getting into her bed, all naked and hunky. Mel felt herself getting aroused, just at the thought of the man being between her sheets. She shifted on the bar stool, trying to ignore the excitement building low in her belly.