The Alpha's Mail Order Mate: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (3 page)

“It would be difficult not to, Night,” she admitted. “You’re very handsome, and by the look of you it would be a most satisfactory endeavor. But as I’ve said, I simply cannot.”

Night just nodded at this. He could have easily gotten what he wanted by telling her that she already had permission, but that wasn’t what he wanted to do. Instead, he decided to distract himself by opening the bag he brought along and pulling out the soaps. Wordlessly, he gave one of them to Chastity, and then took the other with him as he stepped further into the cave to be alone.

The trouble was, his body was on fire with need just from being near the girl. He knew he should have just said something and gotten it over with, but in a way, he was enjoying his agony. It would make it much sweeter when she actually did give him what he wanted.

“Night, are you ready?” Chastity finally called when he’d been gone for some time.

“Yes,” he called, and then he was at her side. Chastity handed him her bar of soap and he put it into the bag, and then nodded toward the exit. Back on the shore, they put their clothes on again. The tension between them was thick all the way home, and when they arrived they joined the pack for dinner, each falling in with a different group for a little time apart.

This wasn’t the way that Night had wanted things to go between them. He had asked for a few days to see if he could get closer to the girl, not to push her away. Chastity clearly thought she was supposed to be saving herself for some unknown wolf, and if that was the case, she was bound to keep resisting any sort of urges she might have where he was concerned. It was completely maddening. And he loved it.

*

Rick was seated next to Night at the head of the table, riddling his ears with all of his findings for the day. Apparently, while he had been off failing miserably in his wooing attempts, this particular werewolf had been systematically examining all ten buildings and determining just how he might enhance the water wheel to bring electricity to each of them. It almost made him feel guilty to have accomplished so little while the newcomer had accomplished so much.

“My Lord, the real issue is that there’s a lot of wood rot all through these buildings,” he explained. “You would be far better off to start by building a better lodge so the wind didn’t blow straight through like it does now. I’m certain there must be days when rain or snow makes a gathering like this uncomfortable. A nice, big lodge complete with an electric stove to bake your bread and other items, would be just the thing.”

“Where would we be getting the wood to do that?” Night pointed out. “You certainly can’t take it away from the surrounding forest. These trees have been hiding us from the outside world for almost a century. We certainly don’t want to tear them down.”

“As to that, sir, I think I’ve come up with a brilliant idea that would make use of the trees without cutting them down,” said Rick with an excited grin. “How about tree houses? That way, even if someone did stumble onto this place, all they might be likely to find would be the remnants of the old town, while the real homes would be far above, hidden in more ways than one.”

“That’s a wonderful idea, of course, but that still doesn’t answer the question of materials,” said Night with a shrug. His eyes had wandered to the far end of the table where Chastity had taken refuge with the rest of the women and the two small boys. He had no idea what they were discussing, but he hadn’t seen any of the women here nearly half as animated, as she seemed to have them at the moment.

“Sir?” Rick smirked as he followed the direction of his eyes.

“Oh, sorry,” he replied, shaking his head as he looked back at him. “Mighty fine view of that table from here.”

“Mighty fine,” Rick agreed. “But I think you should know that Julian has big plans for her, whatever they are.”

“Yes, so I’ve been told,” Night replied with a smirk. “In fact, I’ve even been told what they are.”

Rick’s eyes widened. “Really, that secret’s been kept tight as a drum. Why would he tell you?”

“I’d rather not discuss it just yet,” said Night, fighting off a sudden wave of dejection. The last thing he wanted to do was let anyone know what had happened earlier that day.

“Fair enough, my Lord,” he agreed.  “Anyway, about the wood. I believe that if we got it from some of the old mining town buildings, we could create quite a comfortable tree colony. You give me the go-ahead and a bit of man power, the first thing we’ll do is fix the water wheel so there’s a bit of power to be had, and then we could springboard from there.”

“Fine, Rick, you do that,” he agreed. “Just keep me informed, and I’ll leave it to you.”

“Thank you, sir,” he said with a grin. “I won’t let you down.”

Night returned to his house before Boris and Chastity, feeling somewhat tired after the meal. He knew he ought to have rejoined them, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.
Depression is not something a leader has the luxury to feel
, he reminded himself. He remained in the living room, tidying it up a bit before they got there.

When the door opened, the Alpha of the woodland pack was wearing an apron and using a feather duster on the ancient wooden coffee table. His hair was hanging loose down his back, and he’d rolled up his shirtsleeves to keep them from getting dirty.

Boris hid a smirk, but Chastity laughed outright. “You forgot to put a turban on your head,” she teased him. “It keeps the hair from falling into your eyes, you know.”

“Funny,” Night grumbled good-naturedly. Their eyes met and held, and he was sorely tempted to simply yank her into his arms and carry her off into his bedroom. He wondered what Boris was likely to say if he did so.

The look in Chastity’s eyes clearly indicated her awareness of his line of thinking, and she quickly turned away with a slight blush, making Night smirk as well. He deliberately brushed against her as he headed for the kitchen to put away his cleaning attire. When he returned, both Chastity and Boris had taken seats. Boris was sitting on the single chair, and Chastity’s only choice was to sit on the sofa. She arranged herself as close to the arm of the thing as possible, and found a book to keep herself busy.

“A bit of light reading?” Night inquired as he read the title, which was clearly upside-down.

“Oh, yes, it looks like it might be interesting,” she answered.

Chastity set the book aside, unaware of her mistake, thanks to her obviously jangled nerves where he was concerned. He sat a bit closer to her than was strictly necessary, and she crossed her legs, trying to appear unaffected by it. He knew better.

“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow then?” She wanted to know. “I saw you and Rick talking in great detail, so surely you must have come up with something. It seemed like it was going to take hours for the two of you to be done, and then all of the sudden you were just gone.”

“I just thought the house could use a bit of cleaning, since I’m not the only one in it anymore,” Night excused himself. It sounded lame even to his own ears. “Anyway, apparently Rick has come up with a great idea for what to do with this place, and I told him that he could proceed.”

“Really?” she asked curiously. “And what was that?”

“He intends to build the bulk of our new stronghold up in the trees.”

“Tree houses?” Chastity gasped “And how are we supposed to get up to them? What is he going to do, build a huge elevator so we can haul up the furniture?”

“I don’t know, maybe something like that, I suppose,” Night said. “We haven’t really hammered out many of the details as yet. First, though, he intends to fix the water wheel so we can have electricity.”

“Hot running water would be nice,” Chastity said.

“You mean you didn’t like bathing in the cave?” Night teased her, grinning when she blushed.

“I—I liked the cave very much, but it’s not the best place for doing the dishes, is it?” I mean, you’re the one who wanted them, did you ever think of that?”

Night laughed. “I suppose not.”

“Okay, so now we know what Rick is supposed to be doing tomorrow, what about me?” Chastity wanted to know.

“Were you not sent here to teach werewolf first aid?” Night reminded her. “Perhaps you should start teaching it.”

“Is that what you want me to do?”

“Yes, I’d like you to do so,” Night said. “Some of these people have no idea how to take care of themselves properly. They are still thinking like humans.”

“Then maybe I should get some sleep so I can start fresh,” she replied.

“I put fresh covers on the bed for you,” said Night with a smile. “I want you to be comfortable here.”

“Yeah, I know,” she answered softly, blushing when he brushed a lock of hair off her forehead.

“Then I’ll bid you good night,” Night replied. He smiled as he watched her go.

CHAPTER THREE

Chastity was awakened the following morning by the sound of a songbird outside her window. She had no idea what time it was, but she was feeling quite rested. For all she knew, it might be early still, maybe even dawn. Whatever time it was, however, she knew she would never be able to get back to sleep.

In the living room, Boris was sleeping on the couch. Chastity didn’t know whether Night and Boris had stayed up drinking again, but she hoped that was not the case. It would be unwise for the leader of the pack to indulge himself in drink every evening. But she supposed that was really none of her business.

It wasn’t like Chastity would be there long. As far as she knew, she would only be there for the three months that it would take before anyone returned to the path. Asking Night for a house had only been a bit of fun. However, after the way he had been behaving yesterday, she wondered if Night would rather that she stayed.

All her life Chastity had been groomed for something special. She had no idea what Julian had in store for her, but she was certain that he hadn’t planned on this. How could he have done when Night hadn’t formed his pack until after she was born? Perhaps that didn’t change the purpose, but rather just the destination. Maybe Julian did intend for her to stay here.

It wasn’t as though she had ever been this far from home before
, she thought.

The excuse he had given for her journey that she was meant to teach werewolves first aid, now seemed rather ridiculous in the light of day. What use did a shape shifter really have for poultices and remedies when they would simply heal over time anyway?

Then again, maybe she just wished her thoughts were the truth. Maybe she liked Night so much that she hoped Julian would let her stay. After all, if he wanted her for himself, wouldn’t he have taken her by now?

It was a question she pondered as she added wood to the little pot-bellied stove and lit it, then made a pot of coffee on the top. She sighed as she did so, and decided to make another batch of porridge as well. It would be nice if they managed to get some electricity and a working stove so getting breakfast would be a bit easier. She suddenly visualized how difficult it would be to haul a stove and refrigerator up into a tree house, and caught herself giggling about it.

Night came out of his room just as she did this. His hair was still down, but now it looked disheveled from sleep. He cast her a curious gaze over her outburst that left her blushing. He grinned at her discomfiture, and asked, “What’s so funny, Chastity? Are you remembering how I looked naked or something?”

“Why would I think your nudity was funny?” she wanted to know.

“Mostly because you didn’t seem inclined to take advantage of it,” he said, his grin broadening as her blush deepened further.

“You’re incorrigible, aren’t you?” she grumbled.

“Maybe I’m just trying to figure out the best way to seduce you,” he chuckled. “I guess putting the thing right out there in front of you didn’t do the trick, so now I’m going for saucy banter. Is it working?”

“Of course not!” she protested, much too quickly. She was well aware just how falsely her words rang when he stopped grinning and slid a hand under her chin instead.

“Really?” he asked then. “My sense of smell disagrees completely.”

“Night, don’t—” Chastity began, but then he was kissing her. It started out as a gentle kiss, meant only to tease her senses a bit, but when she didn’t pull away, it turned into something much bolder. Having no idea what else to say or do, she simply whispered his name again. “Night!”

Boris woke up with a snort, and the two of them moved apart to look over at him. “Oh, have you told her, then?” he inquired sleepily as he saw their proximity. “Good job, then.”

“Told me what?” Chastity wanted to know.

“Oh, nothing important,” said Night. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Night, will you just tell me?” asked Chastity with an exasperated sigh. “If Julian’s been handling my future yet again, I’d rather know about it now than later.”

Night sighed, knowing she would persist. “Before I tell you, I must make certain you understand that nothing Julian had to say, has to do with how I feel about you. I want you to know my attraction existed well before Boris told me what I’m about to have him tell you now.”

“You want me to tell her, then?” Boris clarified.

“It might be better, coming from you,” Night said.

“Chastity, I know that you’ve always suspected Julian intended to use you as breeding stock,” Boris said dryly. “Well, I guess he’s selected the other party at last.”

“What, just like that?” she asked quietly. “Why? There must be something more to this.”

“Julian has never allowed me to tell you any of this before, but now that it’s time. I feel it best if you understand the entire situation,” said Boris. “Both of you, in fact, since Night also needs to be told. You see, many years ago Julian got it into his head that we werewolves needed to improve if we were to survive into the future, and he decided to try to create a super-wolf.

Well, Night, what you don’t know, is that you were one of the first attempts. Your mother only told you you’d come to Julian at a young age because she didn’t want you to know what you really were. And you, Chastity, you are an improvement on that experiment. Julian believes that mating the two of you may create the wolf we’ve all been hoping for.”

“And so he sent me here to—to have sex with a total stranger in order to make a baby with him?” she stammered, incredulous.

“Yes, my dear, I’m afraid that’s the real reason that you’re here,” Boris admitted. “But it’s not as bad as it sounds, you know. Night seems to be a pretty straight-up kind of a guy, and he thinks you’re the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. I can tell by the way he watches you. The two of you might actually enjoy being the parents of the next generation.”

“And what if I say no?”

“If you say no, you will crush the dreams and plans of the man who raised you, and who has been working for the betterment of our people for over two hundred years now,” Boris pointed out. “Is that really something that you could live with?”

“Chastity, sweetheart, Julian means as much to me as he does to you,” Night pointed out. “Besides, you know that we’re trying to build a whole new colony out here. You might as well contribute to it if you’re hoping to stay.”

“Why do you think I hope to stay?” she asked stubbornly.

“Well, I don’t think it’d be worthwhile to build you a house if you’re not even going to be here to live in it, do you?” Night asked with a grin. “Unless you want to keep living in this shack while we’re trying to raise our kids.”

“Our kids,” she gasped, blushing again.

“Yeah, sweetheart, you don’t think one baby is going to fit the bill, do you?”

“I suppose not, huh?” she whispered, blushing even more. Night slid his hand under her chin again, tilting her face up so he could see her eyes. He kissed one, and then the other, and then gave her a small kiss on her lips for good measure.

“Then it’s settled,” said Boris briskly. “I’ll begin supplementing your food right away. All things considered, I may need to move out of here and find a bunk with the men. You two aren’t going to need a third party kicking around while you’re trying to tend to business such as this.”

Chastity was so flustered that she almost burned the porridge. She turned and took it off the stove without looking at either of them. “I guess I should dish this up then, hadn’t I?” she said. “I still intend to teach my class today. I wouldn’t feel right if the only job I did around here was—well, you know.”

Night grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Pretty soon, you’re going to know, too.”

*

Chastity was feeling a bit nervous as she followed Night out to the main tent. He found her a little corner within the large enclosure and set up a small table for her and her students to sit at as they talked. When he turned to go, he gave her shoulder a little squeeze. “I’ll send you five the first time till we see how it goes, okay?”

“Sure,” she agreed softly.

Night’s touch did queer things to her insides, and this fact made her even more nervous than before. She wondered if her reaction was stronger simply because she was well aware of what they were likely to be doing later, or if his touch would have unsettled her this much even without that knowledge. She tried to remember how Night had made her feel beforehand, but she just couldn’t stop focusing on upcoming events.

What would it be like to have that beautiful, hardened cock she’d seen in the cave, deep inside her, making a baby? What would it be like to give herself to Night completely? She felt giddiness well up inside of her that she couldn’t seem to squash with logic or reason. Nothing she did to quell her thoughts on the matter seemed to help. Obviously, she liked the idea very much.

Four men and a woman all showed up about fifteen minutes later. Chastity recognized the woman named Tess as the mother of the only two children who lived in their pack. She was wife to one of the wolf-born males who had come with Night when they came to the town. The two smiled in greeting as the four men settled into chairs around the table.

“So, do you know a whole lot about midwifing?” she asked conspiratorially. “I may have need of that service in about six months.”

Smirking, Chastity replied, “If Night gets his way, I’ll end up needing one sometime as well.”

Laughing, the woman said, “Well, I was beginning to wonder if that sort of thing didn’t interest him at all. None of the four women here seems to have struck his fancy. Did he actually try anything with you yet?”

“This topic should probably wait for later, Tess,” Chastity reminded her as the men glanced over at the two of them expectantly. “Come and see me around dinner time, assuming Night hasn’t got me set possessively on his knee or some such nonsense. Men are weird that way.”

“Yes, I agree,” she chuckled. “John did something like that with me.”

“Night’s the Alpha,” said Chastity with a sigh. “My Alpha, Julian, apparently sent me out here to be his mate, and I’ve only just found out about it. You just know that now it’s all decided that he’s going to make sure every man here knows it.”

“Then you had no choice in the matter?” Tess gasped. “That’s barbaric.”

“There are many reasons, but now is not the time to discuss them,” Chastity insisted. “I’ve got a class to teach, and these men don’t need to hear anything about this from me.”

Nodding her agreement, Tess strode over to the table along with Chastity and took a seat by her side. The group spent about an hour discussing how to care for wounds during regeneration, how to deal with substances toxic to werewolves, and what to do in instances of blood loss, such as when limbs were first hacked off or during a particularly violent birthing.

That last topic made Chastity more nervous than ever. Was she really about to purposely attempt to create babies with a man she didn’t even know? What if they ended up not liking each other? What if once they had sex it was terrible and she was forced to keep repeating the distasteful act numerous other times anyway? The whole thing smacked of disaster, didn’t it?

But then she thought about everything that might go right as well. Night was handsome, intelligent, and a good kisser. That much she already knew. So unless he was secretly harboring traits that she had not yet discovered, what was there about him that was not to like? So far, she liked him very much.

Chastity spent hours discussing werewolf first aid to various groups of men. Tess elected to remain with her for the greater part of the day so the two could exchange bits of gossip during the breaks.

The men gathered at the little table. The last group was the liveliest, and it was this one that Night decided to join.

“The hunters should be back soon with whatever they managed to catch for the evening,” he told her as he sat in the chair she had formerly been using.

“Is that how you treat a lady?" she admonished him. The stern effect was completely lost behind the desire to devour his lips with hers. She had been thinking about it all day long, and his sudden presence did nothing but make her wanton thoughts increase in their intensity.

Tess smirked as she looked between the two and noticed that she and the men were now completely forgotten. Night and Chastity stared at each other until her blatant chuckle snapped them out of it

“There’s plenty of room on this chair for the right lady," he replied with a grin.

“So I was right, then,” said Chastity to her new friend. “Started in already.”

“I don’t think I will bother to ask what that is,” Night commented, smirking in Tess’s direction. “There’s absolutely no way two women sat together all day long without this morning’s events being recounted and thoroughly analyzed.”

“It so happens that Tess may be having a baby,” Chastity said “We may very well have been talking about that, instead of the rather sudden change of my plans.”

“Liar,” he chuckled. “Unless you were talking about your babies growing up together, that I might believe, but not that you said nothing to her at all.”

"Not as much as you seem to believe I have,” Chastity said. “I only said that Julian has sent me to be your mate, and nothing more than that.”