Page 19 of New Blood (Werewolf Alliance #1)
E ve slammed the driver’s side door of her Audi shut, not waiting for Ransom to get out of the car.
The sun had just set, and they were finally back home.
Normally, spending the better part of the day at the equestrian estate that she ran for the family always put her in a good mood.
Working with the horses relaxed her, and riding her favorite horse, Blue, made her happy.
But with Ransom in tow, the vibe was off.
Simply being in the same car with him, with him trying to make conversation while he took up so much space, made her feel like a caged tigress.
She’d thought she would feel less claustrophobic once out in the open on the estate, but he kept sticking to her like toilet paper to her heels.
His never-ending questions hadn’t helped lift her mood one bit.
On the contrary, she’d felt like she’d somehow landed in a police interrogation room.
Even the horses had reacted differently today, attuned to her mood, and had been nervous and skittish when she’d visited with them.
Blue in particular had been off, and she hadn’t even tried to saddle him, knowing he was more likely to kick her or anybody standing close by.
How had her life changed so quickly in such a short time?
She felt the loss of privacy, of security, and of physical autonomy, and didn’t feel right in her own skin.
She was relieved when it was time to drive back home, just so she could rid herself of Ransom’s company.
It still infuriated her how he’d handled her the previous night, how he’d given her only half-truths about at whose hands her brother had really died.
He’d let her believe that the vampires were the ones who’d killed Cameron, while it had been Jude, the new alpha, and the man whom she was to mate with.
Maybe that was why she was so pissed off.
Despite all her father’s faults, he would have never forced her into a union she opposed.
He wouldn’t have dared. She’d always expected to mate for love.
Yet she wouldn’t. She would have to mate just to keep this pack together, or worse, to help the usurper hold onto power as the alpha.
“Thanks for the ride,” Ransom called after her, but she ignored him and marched into the house.
It was busy like a beehive. The pack members who didn’t live on the estate but worked for various Gallagher businesses were starting to arrive for the oath ceremony tonight—another reminder of how her life was changing.
She felt her heart beating out of control.
She needed to find her equilibrium again, to find calmness, but how could she do that with all that was going on?
She headed upstairs. In the corridor, she almost collided with Flora, who came out of her room.
“Eve, you look tired,” Flora said with a kind smile. “How was today?”
Without a word, she put her arms around her aunt. “Oh, Flora, I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Do what? The oath ceremony?”
“No. Mating with him.” She couldn’t even say his name right now.
“But you have to. For your own good.”
Eve shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. “For my own good? I get nothing out of this.”
Flora ran her hand over her hair, caressing her gently like she’d done so many times since her mother had passed. If her aunt hadn’t been there for her, she wasn’t sure how she would have dealt with the overwhelming loss and grief. And the guilt, too. Because her mother’s death had been her fault.
“But you do,” Flora insisted. “You might not love him. In fact, it might take a long time before you develop feelings for him, but it’s not about that right now. You need to mate with him so that you have power. Without it, you have none.”
“It’s all Cameron’s fault. If he hadn’t—”
“Rehashing the past won’t do you any good,” Flora interrupted. “What’s done is done. You’ll have to make the best of it. And you shouldn’t delay it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jude said that he’ll give you an adequate time to grieve, but I think making him wait would be a mistake. You don’t want him to change his mind, do you? There are lots of other single women in the pack. And they’ll all be here tonight. You don’t want him to meet somebody he likes better than you.”
“He doesn’t look like he likes me at all.”
“Be that as it may. That’s why you’ll have to make the first step.
Don’t wait too long. Men are fickle. The males of our kind have stronger carnal urges than humans.
We both know that. You can’t risk him satisfying those urges with somebody else.
It would only undermine your position in the future. ”
Her aunt was probably right. But that didn’t make it easier to do what she suggested. She needed a few days to think about it. A decision like this couldn’t be made on the spur of the moment.