Bridenapped: The Alpha Chronicles (6 page)

              She woke to the sound of bird song, and sat up with a start.  She felt as if she’d just run a full marathon.  Achy all over, but delicious.  Glancing over to her right, she saw that the huge window, which led to a balcony, had been flung open, letting in the sound of birds chirping and wolves howling off in the distance.

              Images from the night before flooded her mind, and she felt her cheeks flushing.  Good God, the things she’d said. The things she’d begged him to do. And he’d done them, all.

              She looked next to her, but Kristofer wasn’t there. Then she heard him talking. He was already awake, standing across the room, stark naked, talking on the cell phone. He was perfect from behind. Broad, muscular back. Round, firm butt sculpted by Michelangelo.

              Was it possible that the moonrise pheromones had still lasted until morning? If so, than it would be perfectly understandable if she ran over and jumped his bones. 
I mean, it’s chemicals. Nobody could resist them,
she argued with herself.

The more sensible part of her brain chimed in. No, she couldn’t pretend that she was still drunk on pheromones.  She sighed and pushed the covers off her, and then swung her feet off the bed, holding on to the sheet and using it to cover herself.

He turned around with a grin, said into the cell phone “My beautiful bride to be awakens. I’ll have to call you back later.” He hung up.

“Did you just tell someone we slept together?” she asked indignantly. She hauled the sheet off the bed and held it in front of her body.

“Yes, Caitlin,” he said, with a glance of amusement. “That’s what husbands and wives do, so I’m told.”

“We’re not married yet!” she spluttered.

She hurried towards her room, hauling the sheet with her.

“It’s only a matter of time. Why are you hiding behind a sheet? I’ve seen your body from every possible angle, and I plan to continue my exploration tonight.”

The sheet was way too long and she was tripping over it, so she dropped it on the floor, but only because her back was to him.

“No, you won’t! You won’t lure me in with that pheromone trick again!” she called over her shoulder.  If she was being fair, he’d tried to warn her and she’d ignored him, but she didn’t feel like being fair.

“I like the view!” he yelled after her, as she ran into her room. “I’ve got to take care of pack business this morning, but I’ll see you later!”

Not anytime near moonrise, you won’t, she thought. She’d learned her lesson. She’d be locked safely in her own room well before…she did a quick mental calculation…9:40 p.m.

She grabbed her cell phone which rested on top of the pearl-inlaid mahogany nightstand next to her bed, and called her home number. Priscilla answered.

              “How’s my favorite cousin?” she asked eagerly.

              “Your only cousin,” Caitlin reminded her. “How is mom? And why the sudden love?”

              “Your mother is fine, and because of you I’m the most popular girl on the internet. Now you just need to convince my mother that I should be able to blog about it.  I could make a fortune off the advertising, but she’s saying no.”

              “I’m with her on that one,” Caitlin said.

              “Hey! I’d share with the family! 75 -25,” Priscilla said indignantly. “With me getting the 75 percent, of course, since it was my idea.”

              “N. O.  No blogging.”

              “50-50? That’s my final offer.”

              “I don’t care if it’s 100 percent, you are are not blogging about this. Let me talk to your mom, please.”

              “Fine, dreamkiller. Moooom! My least favorite cousin is on the phone!” Priscilla set the phone done with a bang.

              She told Maggie what Kristofer had said about someone telling him that her family didn’t own the land.

              “Who would do that, just out of the blue like that? And do you even believe him?” Maggie asked. “It’s a big coincidence, he arrives here in Lakeville and then suddenly someone thinks to claim that the pack owns our property? I think he’s lying.”

              “Maybe,” Caitlin said uneasily. “How is mom doing?”

              “The same. Maybe a little more restless.” Caitlin heard Maggie yawn, and she winced. She knew it would be harder on them without her there to help watch out for her mother.

              “I’ll get home as soon as I can,” she said, and rung off.

              She showered and dressed, picking a black and white wrap dress and low heeled black pumps. She reached for a matching jacket, hesitated, and then left it on the hanger. It was warm out, and she had to admit, the dress looked fantastic on her.

She was scheduled to tour the pack lands today, after breakfast. 

To leave their suite, she had to go through Kristofer’s room. He favored her with a huge smile when she walked in.

              “You look beautiful.  Everything okay?” he asked. “I heard you mention your mother.”

              “Everything’s fine. Who’s that?” she said, realizing that someone had joined them.

              Kristofer introduced her to Frank, a beefy slab of a man with a military looking buzz cut. He would be her bodyguard until the wedding. Then he leaned in for a kiss, but Caitlin stepped back, holding her hands up.

              “The pheromone high has worn off,” she said loftily. “And you’re still the enemy.”

              He winked at her. “Good. We Verholds love a challenge. And we always win. I’m going to eat breakfast on the run, but I’ll see you at lunch.”

              Nothing rattled him, she thought with a scowl.  She tried to make conversation with Frank as he led her down to the dining room, but he wasn’t the chatty type.

              Elzbetka was already waiting for her. She picked at her food and then tapped her fingers on the table as Caitlin finished her meal.

              Twyla came in, with a broom and dustpan, as Caitlin pushed her plate away.

              “Hey, Twyla. Join us?” she asked.

              Twyla let out a giggle. “Me, eat with the Alpha Queen? My goodness. I already ate at my house, milady.”

              “Tomorrow, then,” Caitlin said, and Twyla nodded and began sweeping the floor. 

              “We’ll run through your schedule for the day,” Elzbetka said. As she pulled a blue leather bound scheduling book out of her purse, she accidentally knocked a napkin on to the floor.

              “Get that,” she said curtly to Twyla, who stopped sweeping and hurried over.

              “Excuse you?” Caitlin said with astonishment.  “Twyla, don’t worry about the napkin.” Twyla paused where she stood.

              “Have you ever heard of the word ‘please’?” Caitlin asked Elzbetka.  “For that matter, you seem like a strong, capable woman. I bet you could pick up that napkin all by yourself and not interrupt people who are working.”

              Caitlin had been the victim of bullying long enough that she couldn’t stand to sit by and watch it happen to others.

              There was a brief pause, and Caitlin saw pure hatred and fury flash in Elzbetka’s eyes. She took a deep breath, and appeared to be struggling to compose herself. Then she pasted her smile back on.             

“Of course,” she said, nodding politely. “Where are my manners. Twyla, I’ll get it.” She bent down, picked up the napkin between two fingers, and dropped it on the table. Twyla went back and resumed her sweeping.

Caitlin knew that things worked differently in werewolf culture.  There was an Alpha wolf at the top of the food chain. There was a Beta directly beneath him. Wolves naturally had a social order, like chickens had a pecking order.  Some wolves were more naturally dominant, and apparently, those wolves had more prestige and power than the less dominant.

That didn’t mean the more powerful ones should treat the less powerful like crap, however, and Caitlin wasn’t going to let it happen on her watch.

“Now, are you ready to begin?” Elzbetka asked.

              “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Caitlin leaned back in her chair and sighed.

              “The Alpha Queen oversees all social functions throughout the village and the pack lands, and there are many. You don’t start those duties until after the wedding.  In many instances you just give your official approval, but for important events, you sit on the planning committee and help select decorations, theme, food and drink, that sort of thing.  For the next few weeks, you will be meeting with a special planning committee to work out all the details of the wedding.”

              “Uh, yeah,” Caitlin said wearily. “I’ll probably leave the planning details to your committee. Do whatever works for you guys.”

There was no point in telling Elzbetka that she wasn’t going to be the Alpha Queen, so she let her drone on.

              The Alpha Queen must never embarrass the Alpha or challenge him in public, her behavior must be above reproach at all times, and she must uphold the sacred traditions of the pack.  They would travel to visit other packs throughout the year, and also visit the Alpha Congress once a year.   Every pack had its own traditions and laws, and before she visited a new pack, she would be briefed on their traditions and etiquette.

              “And in case you need to refresh your memory on any of these points, I have printed up the Alpha Queen code of conduct for you.”

              Elzbetka handed her a bound booklet, and it was all Caitlin could do not to roll her eyes. “I’ll keep all of that in mind,” she said coolly.

              Elzbetka raised an eyebrow, looked as if she wanted to say something, and stopped herself.

              “Well, time for the tour,” she said briskly. “Milady.” There wasn’t a lot of warmth and enthusiasm in the way she said the word.

              “I’d like to start with the kitchen,” Caitlin said. “Since I’ll be doing some cooking while I’m here.”

              “Oh, no, the chef does that. It’s
tradition
.” Elzbetka said those words primly, as if Caitlin had said she was going to go streaking on the front lawn.

              “I love to cook, and I plan to do some cooking while I’m here,” Caitlin repeated firmly. “I’m sure there’s plenty of room in the kitchen for me. I won’t get in the way.”

              Color flooded Elzbetka’ face. “I’ll have to get approval first.”

              “I thought that, theoretically, this was my house. So you’re saying that I am not allowed to go where I want in my own house?”

              “That is not what I said.  It’s just that it’s never been done before. Taddeus is the one we consult on matters of pack tradition. So I will need to speak to Taddeus to ascertain whether he believes that it is appropriate to allow -”

              Caitlin pushed back her chair and stood up. “It’s enough that I’m being confined to the grounds here like some kind of prisoner for the next few weeks.  I’m not going to ask permission every time I want to go into a room in the home that I am living in. Which way is the kitchen?”

              “As soon as I’ve reviewed this with Taddeus…” Elzbetka’ face was getting redder and redder.

              “Twyla! Let’s go to the kitchen!” Caitlin said cheerfully, pushing her chair back.

              Twyla leaned her broom on the wall, and led Caitlin out of the room. Elzbetka started to follow them, protesting, but Caitlin held up her hand. “I don’t need your assistance. I’ll let you know when I’m ready for the tour of the property.”

              Twyla was smothering a smile behind her hand as they walked down the hallway.

              As they walked, Caitlin’s cell phone buzzed.  It wasn’t a number she recognized. She hesitated, then answered.  And immediately regretted it. It was Mayor Klinghoffer.

              “Caitlin, first of all, let me offer my congratulations,” the mayor said. “This is just wonderful for the town. It’s really putting us on the map.”

              That was mighty big of him, considering that everyone in town knew he’d frantically tried to push Kristofer to marry his daughter Melodee. He’d arranged numerous events and celebrations, always invited Kristofer to them, and always made sure that Melodee was there, dressed to the nines and seated next to Kristofer whenever possible. 

              “Yes, hip hip hurray and all that.  I’m just in the middle of something, so I’m afraid I’m going to have to let you go,” she said.

              “Wait! I need to meet up with you at noon,” he said hastily.

              Meet up with him? Ugh. He wasn’t exactly on her list of favorite people. Aside from the fact that Melodee had always been a bitch to her and every other underdog in high school, the mayor had also taken the side of the Verhold Pack in the land dispute.  Her family had lived in town for generations, and he knew damned well they really owned that land, but he hadn’t done a thing to help them. He’d publicly condemned them, going to the press and expressing his shock and horror at the offense her family had allegedly committed against the Verhold Pack, and vowing to do whatever it took to help them put it right.