Filed to story: The Wolf Prince’s Fated Love
With a sharp nod, she took her seat, and I hurried the last few tables over to my assigned number and sank gratefully into the cushioned chair. The few minutes before the start time felt like eternity as I looked around the room, taking in the soaring, rough-hewn ceiling beams, oversized windows, and sawdust floors. This really was a barn, and not the fancy, million-dollar rustic wedding kind. It had the faint scent of oil, mixed with the sawdust beneath my shoes and the rich earth and pine that permeated everything here.
My butt had barely touched the seat when a stream of men started pouring in through the big, open barn doors. My nerves ratcheted up, sending anxious butterflies careening around my belly like drunken sailors. Was Kane going to be in this group of men? I bit my lip, scanning all the unfamiliar faces. I did see the men from our own pack who I recognized, and the few who spotted me gave polite nods, but their eyes were wide and eager for other, new females. It might have stung if I weren’t avidly looking for someone else too.
There, toward the back.
He wasn’t in the crowd, mingling, but he stood just outside the far door, scanning the gathering, lingering here and there on another wolf before moving on.
Protective. Alpha. My wolf rumbled inside, and I rubbed hard at the spot dead center of my chest where the sound wanted to escape. Her feelings added to mine were leaving me flustered and split. I was annoyed with Kane. Sure, there was a physical pull, but also he was a pompous, overbearing ass with a whole lot of over-the-top ego. We weren’t going to talk about how that translated into panty-melting, heart-stopping, palm-sweat-inducing energy.
No, definitely not. His eyes reached the row where I sat, and I pointedly looked down at the small wooden table in front of me. It was simple, wide planks cut from rough-edged boards, but made with care. I could swear I felt Kane’s eyes burning tracks down the side of my face, but stubbornly refused to look back up.
A she-wolf, heavily pregnant and reclining in a big, cushioned chair with an anxious-looking male at her side, blew a whistle. Everyone froze, and I resisted the urge to make a joke in the resulting silence about Pavlov’s dogs.
Barely.
A small argument broke out between the she-wolf and her mate, but in the end, she stayed seated with a huff and accepted the megaphone that he passed her.
“Hello, hello, everyone! We’re so glad you’re here, and you’re going to have so much fun the next few weeks!” She waved enthusiastically, and I instantly liked her. She was vivacious, and the wide smile on her face was genuine. Her ankles may have been puffy-my trained doctor’s eye clocked it from across the room and made a mental note to introduce myself after the activity and ask if she’d tried any ginger compresses-but her spirit was high.
“My name is Gracelyn, and I am the organizer of all the activities this week. If you have any questions at all, you can come and see me-” A snarl ripped from her mate’s throat, and she gave him a pointed look over the top of the megaphone, before amending her statement. “You can come see one of my assistants.” She waved over to four volunteers, each wearing a whistle of their own, like we were at some sort of twisted singles summer camp. “And my assistants will notify me if needed. Now, today is speed dating, to get some basic compatibility flowing, but there is so much more coming. Just you wait! And for any true mates that are identified and confirmed by the Alphas, I’m working on some fun, secluded activities to let you get to know your one true love, in style.”
Her eyes sparkled as she looked down at the clipboard in her lap. “Okay, the order is posted on the wall, and men, you’ll be rotating to the left this hour. Ladies, please stay seated. We’ll blow the whistle every five minutes to let you know it’s time to shake hands and move on. Ready, set… Go! Meet your true loves!” She grinned as she passed the megaphone back to her mate, who handed it to one of her many volunteers. I tracked Kane with single-minded focus as he approached the line of tables in front of me, until a broad chest blocked him from view.
When I looked up, a smiling Gael was standing in front of me. He’d been next to Kane, but I never saw him move. Heat filled my cheeks, and I waved for him to take the seat in front of me.
He pulled it out and sat with a brief smile. “Good morning, Brielle, how are you?” he asked politely, though the smile hadn’t reached his eyes.
“I’m okay. I admit, though, I’m surprised to see you here. It seemed you three were running things, not participating.”
He chuckled, the sound a low rumble in his chest as he dropped his wide, tanned hands on the table between us. “Even we don’t get excused from the high alpha’s scheming. If he says everyone unmated, we say yes, sir.”
“Ahh, well, I guess he couldn’t excuse just a handful of you, then, could he?”
“No, he wouldn’t. He wants us all mated and making little wolf pups.”
I chuckled at the thought and couldn’t help my gaze wandering over to Gracelyn, the heavily pregnant she-wolf. I couldn’t imagine myself mated, let alone pregnant and beaming.
One problem at a time, Brielle.
“So, tell me about yourself. How was the trip?” Gael broke the ice, and I was grateful that I didn’t have to think too hard.
“It was good, but long. I enjoy flying for the most part, but Leigh’s a big chicken, so she tries her best to stay tipsy.”
His eyebrows shot up, and he glanced a few seats over, where Leigh was leaning forward, showing off her cleavage in a low-cut tank top to a shaggy-haired, blond wolf. They’d make very blond babies together who could be on surfer magazines.
He snorted, and I realized belatedly that I’d said the last bit out loud. “Sorry. What about you? Are you local, or…?”
He nodded. “Yes, we’ve lived here for two years. Mostly it’s quiet. We’ve been trying to build good pack infrastructure, so we started with the lodge and clearing some nice hiking trails. We’ve also got some wolves in community-outreach positions, so we can ensure we keep up a good reputation with the locals.”
“Community outreach, that’s smart. What do you consider to be-“
A sharp, shrill whistle cut me off midsentence. “Oh, well, then,” I stammered to a stop.
He gave me a brief smile and stuck out his hand dutifully. No sooner did my palm graze his than he winced and pulled it back. I barely even felt the warmth of skin on skin, and I couldn’t help but frown.
“Gael, why-“
“I’d better get a move on. Your next wolf is already waiting.” He nodded and left abruptly, leaving me confused. Why hadn’t he wanted to touch me? It was literally the whole point of this exercise, and… My brain went into a full spiral. Did he find me so repulsive, he couldn’t even bear a handshake?
I knew as a psi I would be an undesirable mate for a strong alpha, but it still hurt. I was just a person. My intestines were trying to tie themselves into a knot, but I shoved the embarrassment and confusion down as the next male wolf sat.
He was shorter and narrower than Gael, with a thinner face, but very kind eyes. When I sucked in a steadying breath, the scent of clean linen and something medicinal and herby washed over me that I couldn’t place. Nothing that compared to Kane’s intoxicating cinnamon-orange scent, but not offensive either.
“Hi there, I’m Xander. What’s your name?”
“Hi, Xander, I’m Brielle.” I forced a smile, and pushed thoughts of Gael’s oddness out of my mind. If I spent my time worrying about Kane’s pack and its idiosyncrasies, I’d be here all dadgum day.
“Beautiful name for a beautiful woman. I’m from Washington. How about yourself?”
The hour passed in a swiftly churning blur of faces, each handsome in its own right. First was Xander, then Ober, a surfer dude who was, amusingly, scared of the ocean-James, Brett, Steven-I met them all, and I’d be hard-pressed to pick them out of a lineup, besides the quick mental snapshots I was trying desperately to take.
It seemed to be a divine law that there were no ugly shifters, though none of the men I met called to me like Kane, the next row over and tantalizingly out of reach for the whole hour. I did not let myself look his way again, though my wolf sulked at the back of my mind, unwilling to so much as sniff any of the men who clasped hands with me, one after the other after the other. Finally, Gracelyn let out two short, sharp whistles to signal the end of the hour and the beginning of a fifteen-minute break. I breathed a short sigh of relief and shook hands with the handsome shifter across from me-Kevin? I thought it was Kevin.
“It was lovely speaking with you, Brielle. I’d be interested to take you kayaking, if ever you’ve got some free time.”
“Umm, sure. Let’s see if they give us any free time.” I forced a chuckle, and held out my hand. His fingers wrapped around mine carefully but firmly, just the right amount of pressure to invoke a feeling of friendly familiarity, but just as with all the others-save Gael, who wouldn’t deign to touch me-there were no fireworks and no spark. I could see the disappointment in his eyes, and couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong with me, that I didn’t feel disappointed?
I pushed back my chair, glad to stretch my legs, and met Leigh’s eyes. She jerked her head to the side, and I quickly made my excuses to Kevin and followed her over to get Shay, who looked withdrawn and pale.
“Shay, are you okay? What’s wrong?”
She just shook her head, refusing to speak or meet our eyes, keeping them fixed on her hands, clasped in her lap.