I’m just not certain that now is the time. Hugh and I are still feeling our way. I don’t know if we’re ready to be parents. A lot of couples break up under the pressure of parenthood.”
“Oh, honey. That won’t happen to you. Hugh loves you. He’s not going anywhere.” Kiesha tried to reassure her.
Mary Elizabeth still doesn’t have a good understanding of the mate bond, or she wouldn’t be this insecure, Shannon thought to herself. Aloud, she said, “Talk to Hugh. Tell him how you feel.”
114
Zena Wynn
Mary Elizabeth shook her head. “I don’t want to upset him.”
“You won’t upset him. It’s his job as your mate to make you feel secure. He can’t do that if he doesn’t know what’s going on in your mind.”
“Shannon’s right, Mary Elizabeth. Talk to Hugh. I wasn’t too sure about the timing of this pregnancy either, but Alex eased a lot of my fears. If you are pregnant, you need to tell Hugh how you’re feeling. His support and love are what you’ll need most to get through this.
Besides, effective communication is a must for any relationship.”
“I’ll think about it. Enough about me. I heard you have a hunky vampire chasing after you,” Mary Elizabeth said in an obvious bid to redirect the conversation.
“Yes, how is that going? You still seeing him, or did you manage to chase him away?” Shannon felt herself flush. In that moment, she cursed her fair complexion that showed her reaction vividly.
“Look at the blush,” Kiesha crowed. “I’d say that was a yes. She’s still seeing him. Good for you. Don’t let those dimwits tell you what to do.”
“Who’s a dimwit?” Mary Elizabeth wanted to know.
“My mate and her brother. They don’t want Shannon and Nikolai -- that’s his name --
together.”
“Why not?”
“Something about vampires and shifters not mixing. Sounds like a bunch of racial prejudice to me,” Kiesha said with a look of distaste on her face.
Mary Elizabeth turned to Shannon with a look of awe on her face. “So, you’ve got your own Romeo and Juliet-style romance?”
“God, I hope not. Didn’t they both die at the end of that story?”
“Yeah, they did. Okay, maybe not the best example,” Mary Elizabeth admitted. “But you’ve got your own star-crossed lovers thing going on.”
“To be honest, I don’t know what I have. The man’s totally wrong for me, except he fascinates me.”
“Why is he wrong for you?” Kiesha demanded.
“Because he’s a vampire.”
“That’s bull, and you know it. Are the two species incompatible? No, can’t be or Nikolai wouldn’t think you’re his chosen,” Kiesha said firmly, answering her own question.
“What’s a chosen?” Mary Elizabeth asked.
“The vampire equivalent of true mates.”
“How can I be his chosen? That’s what I don’t understand. Shouldn’t his chosen be another vampire or even a human? Whoever heard of a shifter and a vamp? That doesn’t make sense. Besides, if I were his chosen, wouldn’t my wolf accept him?” Nikolai’s Wolf
115
“That’s not exactly true, Shannon. Remember, Alex said he’d heard of vampire-shifter matings in the past. Besides, whoever said love had to make sense?”
“Shannon, do you want to be with Nikolai?” Mary Elizabeth asked softly. “Do you love him?”
“It doesn’t matter what I want. Nor does it matter how I feel. I have a responsibility to the pack and to my species as a whole to find a shifter I can tolerate and mate with him.” Kiesha shook her head. “Tolerate? Do you hear yourself? Why should you have to settle for less than love? Screw the pack. Screw your species. If they haven’t died out by now, you mating with Nikolai won’t make a bit of difference. This is your life we’re talking about.
You have to do what’s best for you.”
“Because you weren’t born a shifter, Kiesha, you don’t understand. You saw what the reaction was when Rory and Alex knew that I had been with Nikolai. Rory’s my brother, and Alex is my alpha. Imagine how the rest of the pack will react. I would be ostracized.” Shannon shook her head. There was no way her friends would be able to understand.
Shifters were raised with a pack mentality. Every decision was made with careful consideration of how it affected the pack as a whole because everything you did affected the pack.
Mary Elizabeth laid her hand on Shannon’s forearm, which was resting on the table.
“What if Rory and Alex accepted Nikolai as your mate? Would you be with him then? That is, assuming you want to be.”
“If Alex accepted Nikolai and my mating, then the rest of his pack would have to follow his lead. Rory will never accept it. I could live with that. I love my brother, but I wouldn’t let his opinion of Nikolai keep me from him. The biggest problem is my wolf. She hates Nikolai, and as long as she does, a mating between us won’t work. I would never be able to relax with him, always have to be on guard so that my wolf didn’t surface with him.”
“I think Nikolai can handle your wolf. He seems to be the type that can handle anything. You never answered Mary Elizabeth’s question. Do you want Nikolai? Forget about all the reasons why you shouldn’t. Be honest with yourself, at least. If none of these obstacles were in the way, would you take Nikolai as your mate?” Kiesha’s gaze drilled into Shannon’s, daring her to admit the truth.
She was silent for a moment, allowing herself to imagine the possibility. “Yes,” she said quietly. “Yes, I would.”
“If you want him, then go after him,” Mary Elizabeth advised, squeezing her arm encouragingly before pulling back. “Don’t let anything stand in your way. Forget about everything and everyone and just follow your heart.”
“Don’t worry about Alex. I’ll handle him. He’ll handle the rest of the pack. You won’t be ostracized.”
“What about the problem with my wolf?” Shannon worried aloud.
116
Zena Wynn
“Talk to Rory,” Mary Elizabeth suggested. “Tell him how you feel. If he sees how much you want Nikolai, he won’t stand in your way. Give him a little time to adjust to the idea. He may have the solution to your wolf issue.”
Shannon looked at the two women who’d become good friends over the last couple of months. She could see from the expression on their faces that they really wanted what was best for her. “I’ll think about it. I promise.” They were all quiet, each with their own thoughts, when Shannon asked, “So, what happened with the will? Are you megarich now?”
“I don’t know. The executor read the will and is sending out copies to all of the heirs, which is a good thing. I was too busy trying to keep my hands off of Hugh to hear much of what he was saying. I do know that we were given thirty days to contest if we didn’t agree with any of the provisions listed.”
“You think anyone is going to contest it?”
“Who knows? I’m not even sure why Charles wrote me into his will to begin with, although the man was crazy so maybe no other explanation is needed.”
“Think of all the good you could do with that money,” Kiesha continued.
“That’s what I said. Hugh still doesn’t like the idea of my receiving anything from Charles. ‘It’s a man’s responsibility to provide for his mate,’” Mary Elizabeth said, mocking Hugh’s deep voice.
“Hey, don’t knock it. A lot of men want the women to do the providing while they sit on their sorry butts,” Kiesha offered while Shannon nodded her head in agreement.
“I’m not knocking it. I’m glad he feels the way that he does. I don’t particularly want Charles’s money, but since he gave it to me, I’m going to use it.”
“Hear, hear,” Shannon said as she raised her cup of sweet tea in salute. Kiesha raised hers as well, looking at Mary Elizabeth expectantly. When Mary Elizabeth lifted hers, they touched cups together in a toast.
* * * * *
Alex viewed the test results in his hands. He’d run them twice to be sure. There was no doubt. He picked up the phone and dialed Rory’s number.
“McFelan Construction.”
“We need to talk.”
“Same place as last time?”
“Yes.”
“Be there in an hour.”
Nikolai’s Wolf
117
Alex flipped his cell phone closed and slid it back in his pocket. Then he went and cleared his schedule for the rest of the afternoon. An hour later, he was at Lover’s Lookout, pacing beside his SUV as he awaited Rory’s arrival.
Rory pulled up five minutes later in his company truck. “Sorry I’m late. Got detained at the last minute. I presume this concerns Shannon?” he asked as he got out of the truck.
“It does. Here, read this.” He thrust the papers at Rory.
“What’s this?” Rory’s eyes were scanning the paperwork.
“It’s Shannon’s lab test results.”
Rory looked at him sharply before returning his gaze to the document. “What does this mean?”
“I compared the results of this test to the one I took a few weeks ago. Shannon’s changing. Her DNA is changing,” Alex clarified.
“Changing how?” Rory pinned Alex with a look that demanded the truth.
“Becoming more. Something other. She’s not vampire, but neither is she simply shifter.
Her cells are still mutating, from what I can see.” Rory crushed the papers in his hand. “It’s that damned bloodsucker. He did this to her.
I’ll kill him.”
Alex held out a hand in warning. “Before you go running off and getting yourself killed, you need to consider a few things.” Rory visibly bristled at the implication that he couldn’t defeat Nikolai. Alex ignored him and continued. “Shannon’s life may depend on her mating with Nikolai.”
“The hell you say.”
“Remember the blood condition I told you Shannon has?” Alex waited until Rory gave a terse nod. “It was triggered not by Nikolai, but by Shannon.”
“You’re blaming Shannon for this mess?”
“Rory, I’m not blaming anyone. I’m just telling you that Nikolai is not the villain you’re trying to make him out to be. He is the one who found Shannon out on the ridge and brought her to me. Apparently, Shannon attacked and bit him, ingesting his blood when he got too close, not knowing he was there to help. That’s what caused the initial transition and allowed Nikolai to bond with Shannon.”
“What are you saying? I was there that night. It was a shifter who found Shannon, one of yours. I would have attacked anyone else who came near her that night.”
“Nikolai wanted you to think he was a shifter. He must have masked his scent. He’s powerful enough to do so.”
“If what you’re saying is true, then this whole mess is my fault. If I hadn’t chased Shannon out there, she would never have met Nikolai.” 118
Zena Wynn
“It’s nobody’s fault. I believe Nikolai is right. Shannon is his chosen. This would have happened no matter what any of us did. She is his chosen mate, the one the Creator intended for him to have. Her body is changing. She’s producing the blood Nikolai needs to sustain him. His feeding from her is actually helping her stay healthy.”
“Is there any way to reverse this? Some way to break his hold over her? There has to be some way around this, Alex.” It was evident to Alex that Rory just did not want his sister mated to a vamp.
Alex shook his head. “I don’t believe so. They’ve already completed two of the exchanges. There’s only one remaining. That’s not the only -- nor the most important --
consideration. Shannon’s spent all of her life in your pack and never found a mate. We both assumed she would find one in the Raven pack. She’s met every one of the unmated wolves, and none of them appealed to her on any level. The only man to have captured her interest is Nikolai.”
Alex was silent, allowing his words and their implications to sink in. He watched as Rory struggled to take in what he was saying.
“A bloody vamp? Do you know what you’re asking me to accept?” His accent was so strong, Alex had to listen carefully to understand what he was saying.
“You know he’ll take good care of her. He can do no less. She’s his chosen, his mate.
Blood of his blood. She’s safe with him.”
“I know, but…it’s just a lot to take in. A bloody vamp in the family,” Rory muttered to himself as he paced. Finally, he stopped and turned to Alex. “Have you told Shannon the results?”
“No, I wanted to speak with you first.”
“Don’t tell her.” Alex opened his mouth to object. Rory cut him off. “At least, not yet.
Shannon needs to make up her own mind about the bloodsucker. If she decides she wants him, nothing we say or do will stop her from mating with him. It has to be her decision, with no outside influences.”
“What if she decides that she doesn’t want him?”
“I really don’t see that happening. Do you?”
“No. She wants him. I don’t know if she wants him bad enough to go after him after all we’ve said to her, but I know she wants him.”
“Then we’ll wait and see what happens. If she really is Nikolai’s chosen, she’ll go to him soon. If not, I’m sure Nikolai will come for her. It’s what I would do, given the opportunity.”
“It’s what we all would do. Nothing stands in the way of a male claiming his mate, including a reluctant mate.”
* * * * *
Nikolai’s Wolf
119
Another week passed before Shannon reached the point of no return. She craved Nikolai with an almost-painful intensity. She desired all of him, and not just his body. She wanted to go to sleep curled up in his arms and to be there when he took his first true breath of the day. She needed more than the stolen moments they spent together. More than the precious hours spent nightly in his arms.
She had to “come out of the closet,” as it were, and boldly proclaim to all who would listen that Nikolai was her mate. Her chosen. The man she desired above all others. She would like to spend the rest of eternity with him, and if the Creator was feeling benevolent, she wanted her belly to swell with his seed and to present him with a child.
There was only one thing standing in the way. Her wolf had to accept Nikolai. If not as its mate, then at the very least it had to recognize Nikolai’s dominance over it. Shannon needed help. She needed answers. So she turned to the one person she’d always run to when she was in trouble. She went to Rory.
She was waiting on the porch when he came home from work. She set the swing in motion and lifted her face to the breeze as he got out of the truck and came toward her.