The Mating(47)

Kane nodded in approval. “That will work out nicely since I didn’t get a chance to check on how Thomas was doing today. I have the outline for the meeting run off and the chairs are set up downstairs, so everything is ready.”

“Helen and I made some cookies and muffins for refreshments.” Carrie added. “And John carried the coffee urn downstairs so it’s ready to go.”

Elise marvelled at how efficient a team they all seemed to be and wondered when she’d find her own niche in this group. She hadn’t even known that there was a meeting tonight! Was it a regularly scheduled event or something special? And why hadn’t they told her? Of course, she’d only been here a few days, and she’d been out of the house all afternoon, but surely someone might have mentioned it in passing. Trying to be positive, Elise decided that it had likely slipped their mind that she wouldn’t know and at least this gathering might give her some more insight into how this particular pack functioned. She didn’t like feeling that she was out of the loop and was coming to realize that Kane’s pack wasn’t nearly as traditional as her father’s.

“So what’s on the agenda?” Marla asked, flipping her hair and leaning towards Kane, obviously trying to draw his attention.

“Just an update on recent events. I’d rather not go into it right now. You’ll get all the details the same time as everyone else.” Kane calmly ate his meal, not really looking at Marla so he missed the frustrated glare that quickly passed over her face. Apparently, Marla wasn’t used to having to wait for what she wanted.

“I wasn’t aware that there was a meeting tonight,” Elise tentatively stated.

“Really?” Kane looked surprised. “I thought Helen said she’d tell you.”

“Me? Now, Kane, why would you expect me to tell your mate about the meeting?” Helen looked at Kane in puzzlement.

“Well...I suppose I thought you’d see her during the day while you were working around the kitchen since I was in and out all the time...” Kane’s voice trailed off as Helen shook her head at him.

“Kane, you really need some lessons on being a mate.” John good naturedly teased him. “Rule number one is never assume your mate spends all her time in the kitchen. Rule number two is never spring a surprise on her because then she’ll fuss and fume about her hair and her clothes. I mean, just look at poor Elise right now. There’s a meeting in less than an hour and she hasn’t had a chance to comb her hair from her run or even change her clothes and she’ll be meeting the rest of the pack...” Suddenly John quit speaking and gave a grunt of pain as if someone had kicked him.

Indeed someone had kicked him! Carrie was glaring at him and he gulped in anticipation of her ire. “John, you have the biggest mouth in the world! Don’t worry, Elise. You look perfectly fine.” Carrie smiled encouragingly at her. Marla just smirked.

Elise felt herself flushing. She hadn’t really looked in the mirror when she came home. Did she have twigs in her hair or dirt on her face? If it was bad enough that John had noticed... Pushing away from the table, she excused herself. “Maybe I should go and get cleaned up a bit. John’s right. I was out running and I’m probably a mess. Do I have time for a quick shower?”

“Well, yes. But you really do look okay to me.” Kane caught her hand.

“Right. You look fine. I didn’t mean—” John began.

“No, no. It’s okay. I want to look presentable...” Elise pulled her hand free and backed out of the room, before turning and hurrying up the stairs.





*****





Elise had the quickest shower on record and then stood in front of the closet trying to decide what to wear. What was the appropriate attire for a pack meeting when you were the Alpha’s mate? The meetings at home were usually rather stuffy and she’d avoided them like the plague, but were they the same here? She didn’t want to dress too casually and look as if she didn’t care. On the other hand, too formal of an outfit would make her seem stuck up, as if she thought she was better than the rest.

Finally she decided on an almost new pair of black jeans and a cotton sweater. Slipping in a pair of gold earrings and a bracelet, she studied herself in the mirror, hoping she’d hit the right note. Her hair fell softly around her face and she used a touch of eye shadow to bring out the green in her eyes. After adding a bit of lip-gloss, she decided the look was about as ‘middle of the road’ as she could hope for. Too bad there wasn’t some sort of manual that explained the ins and outs of being an Alpha’s mate. To be sure, her father was Alpha but he’d been a widower for many years, and as a child she’d never paid attention to what her mother did or wore.