Page 10 of Curvy Alpha Bride (Wolfshade Brides-for-Hire #4)

After the meeting, I stand by the snack table, watching Mabel as the women surround her. She seems happy and relaxed, and for a moment, I let myself think about what it might be like if she decided to stay.

The pack is so excited to have her here. I can’t imagine what will happen when she tells them she’s leaving.

Mabel looks so comfortable, it’s hard to believe she could be inwardly counting the minutes until she can leave Valentine Creek forever.

And me.

As I wash down a mouthful of cinnamon cake with a swallow of strong, hot coffee, I realize I’ll be left alone here when Mabel goes. I’ll probably be expected to take another luna—but I know I don’t want to.

How can I possibly choose another mate, now that I have the chance to reconnect with Mabel? But if she really does leave, I can’t deny the pack their luna. It clearly means so much to them.

“How are you, son?” Ivan asks, coming up beside me. “You seem besotted by your bride, as all good men should be.”

“I am,” I admit, my eyes caught on the sight of Mabel doing a little twirl in the green dress as she laughs with the girls. “She’s very beautiful.”

“Do you two have a history? There seems to be something between you.”

I shake my head. “Nothing worth mentioning. We were both on the council at Cyan Lock. We were friends.”

Ivan’s gaze flicks over to Mabel, then back to me. “Well, us old-timers have a sense for this kind of thing, and I’d say she’s got a soft spot for you, for sure.”

I chuckle softly. “Well, it must be a small one, because I’m having trouble finding it.”

Ivan laughs. “Newlyweds always have issues to iron out at the start, especially when it’s a marriage of duty. But I’ve seen the way you look at her, and trust me, she’s sneaking the same looks right back.”

I’m pretty sure Ivan is lying to make me feel better, so I just nod and smile in agreement. “Thank you, Ivan. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Don’t forget to woo her, young man,” Ivan says, waggling a finger at me. “Never stop courting her, even if she falls into your arms. Remind her—constantly—how special she is, and how lucky you are.”

The words seem to hit me like a blow to the chest. I’m right where I am now because I didn’t respect her or understand how lucky I was.

I can’t expect forgiveness. Not ever.

“It’s been so long since we had a luna,” Ivan says, watching Mabel and the other women. “I can feel new life in the pack already. We’re whole and complete.”

“How long has it been since my mother died?”

“She died almost straight after you were born, son,” Ivan answers.

“Your father and aunts immediately devised a plan to get you out of here—it was the only way to save your life. We shut down the town, put up massive defenses, and hunkered down in fear. After losing our luna in such terrible circumstances, we had no choice.”

“What circumstances?” I ask, my voice tight with tension. “No one will tell me how my mother died.”

“Better you don’t know,” Ivan says. “She wandered too far, and your father went to great lengths to make sure no one else died as a result of her mistake.”

“Ivan—”

“No,” he says firmly. “Don’t ask me any more questions. It’s better if you don’t know. The past is past, and we have a new future now. With Mabel, and with you.”

Ivan moves away, and I can feel frustration itching in my blood. I’ve asked a lot of people about what happened to my mother, and so far, they can’t—or won’t—answer me.

And how will the pack feel when Mabel leaves them? They seem to be pinning all their hopes on her. It will devastate them.

“Are you alright?” Finnah asks, putting an arm around me and giving me a quick squeeze. “It looks like that was a tense conversation.”

“Yeah,” I say. “I asked him about my mother.”

Immediately, Finnah’s face freezes up, and her eyes go cold. “You shouldn’t ask, honey,” she says gently.

“Why not?” I retort, a harsh edge creeping into my voice. “She was my mother. Don’t I deserve to know?”

“Usually, yes. But there are things you just don’t need to know. Things that we left in the past that can’t hurt us anymore. I took you away to protect you, and all of us are still doing that. Please, trust us.”

Finnah takes my hands and squeezes them hard as she looks into my eyes, imploring me to understand.

“What are we talking about over here?” Serra asks, sidling up to Finnah. “The serious business should be all done with for today. Why don’t you relax and enjoy yourself, Xavier?”

Seeing Serra and Finnah together is a bit of a trip for me.

I grew up thinking that Finnah was my mother and believing that I had no family except her.

Even though the most mind-blowing detail I learned about my past was that I’m an alpha’s first son, finding out my mother was my aunt and she has an identical twin was high on the shock list as well.

Both are very tall and slender, with long, wavy white hair; they always wear loose.

Their pale blue eyes are exactly the same shade, but Finnah’s are a little softer.

Even though they favor the same style of full-length wool dress, they usually wear different colors.

It’s the only way to really tell them apart.

“My mother,” I answer, challenging her.

Serra smiles, meeting my eyes with an even, confident gaze. “I’ve discussed this with you already,” she says firmly. “Please don’t ask questions about this anymore. We are doing this for your protection.”

“But was she killed by warriors from Gryphon Eyrie?” I press on. “Were they coming for me as well? Is that why you hid me away?”

“Xavier,” Serra says, still smiling, though the warmth drains out of her eyes. “It’s done now, and can’t be changed. We all want to forget. Leave it.”

She stares me down for a few minutes more, and I end up turning my face away from her. Even though my curiosity and frustration keep rising, I also don’t feel like challenging Serra.

“We’re heading out to the park,” Serra says. “Come on, Xavier. The whole town is waiting.”

I follow my aunts to the side door, glancing behind me to see Mabel walking with the other women. They seem reluctant to leave her alone, and the younger girls, in particular, glow under her attention.

I don’t know what’s going on there. I guess it’s sweet, but something about this still strikes me as weird.

Out in the glade, we’re greeted by a large crowd. I drop back a little so I can take Mabel’s hand, and we walk through them, treated with almost the same reverence as royalty.

Now it feels even weirder. The town was welcoming to me before, but since Mabel got here, they have shown me even more respect.

We’re led to a small table at the head of all the others, and platters of food are set out for us. Eventually, the crowd dissipates a little as men go back to grilling meat and women sit down in small groups to share wine and snacks.

“We seem to have been left to ourselves for the moment,” I murmur.

Mabel glances over at me, but doesn’t let her gaze linger. “Still very much in the public eye, though,” she notes.

That’s when I realize she’s only holding my hand for show, not because she wants to. The knowledge strikes me like a dart in the chest—a small but sharp wound.

“Mabel, I really need to ask you something.”

“Okay,” she says with a shrug. “I suppose this is as good a time as any.”

I take a deep breath and squeeze her hand a bit, hoping she’ll look at me properly, but she doesn’t.

“I know what we agreed on, but surely you can see how well you fit in here, and how much the pack loves you. Are you sure you won’t consider staying?”

Finally, she turns to look at me, and her dark gray eyes seem to roil like a breaking storm.

“Xavier, it was your decision to end the relationship six months ago. You made it very clear you didn’t want me.

Even if both of us wanted to stay together for the sake of these people, it would be nothing but torture. ”

“Well, I don’t think it would be that bad—”

“Both of us are extremely lucky that we only have a week—less than that now—before we can break this contract and go our separate ways. I feel for the people in this town, I really do, but they deserve a luna who belongs here. Who really wants to be here.”

She turns away from me to look back at the happy scene spread out in front of us, and even though my mind races, I can’t think of anything to say in response.

If she really doesn’t want to be here, the best thing I can do for everyone is let her go…

“It’s so strange,” Mabel adds with a little frown. “There aren’t any children here. Do you know why?”

“It has to do with limited resources,” I answer. “They weren’t able to get out and hunt regularly, and being self-sufficient in town meant that pregnancy and childbirth could be very dangerous. I was told that welcoming a new pack member was a rare decision, one very carefully considered.”

“Interesting,” she mutters. She looks like she’s about to ask more questions when Dove and Lyssa arrive and ask her to go dance with them.

A few pack members have started to play jaunty music, all of them using handmade instruments.

The sounds are completely unique because of this, and I don’t know the tune.

Even with the cheery beat, it has a haunting tone, reminding me a little of the way the wind moaned around the house this morning.

The party goes on into the evening, with lots of dancing, singing, and games. The isolation created a strong sense of community within the pack, and I still feel like a stranger to it.

The way they treat me and Mabel doesn’t help at all. As if we’re above them, somehow, and not actually part of the pack.

As the sky begins to darken, I notice a change in the atmosphere. Everyone is looking up at the sky, towards the peaks, and starting to pack up in a rising frenzy of activity.

“What’s going on?” I ask Hector as he passes me with a stack of plates and cutlery.

“Party’s over,” he answers gruffly. “It’s a new moon.”

He keeps walking, delivering the line with finality, as if it needs no further explanation.

“Finnah,” I call out, and my aunt comes towards me through the crowd. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, son,” she replies, smiling and patting my cheek. “We’re just creatures of habit, is all. It’s tradition to be inside before full dark, and not leave shelter until dawn.”

“On a new moon?”

“Any night, really. But especially a new moon.”

“Why? Is that when the town would most likely be attacked?”

“Yes, son.”

“By Gryphon Eyrie?”

I lay the last question down like a challenge. The war with Eyrie should be the only thing they need to defend against, so my question isn’t needed, but I’m hoping to dig deeper into the mystery.

“Of course,” Finnah says tersely. “Hurry and pack your things now. Even though we’re safe, it will take time for us to let go of these old superstitions.”

As she finishes talking, Finnah looks up towards the nearby peaks. I see a shiver run through her.

Whenever we talk about danger, everyone looks up towards Kootenai Peak. But Gryphon Eyrie is in the other direction.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Dove asks, coming over to me with her arm around Mabel. “We don’t have to be scared anymore because of you!”

“Yes, honey,” Mabel says, stroking Dove’s hair. “We’ll protect you. No more of these silly rules. You can stay up late, even on a new moon night.”

Dove’s eyes brighten, and she hugs Mabel. “Thank you for being our luna! You’ve changed our lives forever.”

I have to look away from the exchange, because all I can think about is how Mabel is planning to leave and is currently lying through her teeth.

I help the others pack up, keeping an eye on Mabel the whole time. She looks so happy and comfortable, it’s even harder for me to believe this is an act.

As the last of the light finally drains out of the sky, I get in the car with Mabel to drive back to the cabin, and I can’t douse the hope in my heart that maybe, just maybe, she could decide to stay.