Engraven (4 page)

“Don’t talk about my mate—Root.”

“Rev!” The Alpha called to him with his hand over the phone and the Beta immediately stood down. Even I could feel the slightest pull of the power of the command meant for Rev and not me.

I got up and threw my trash in the trashcan and went back to work long before the hour was over. That’s what I did when they began laying into me—which they did often.

The cab of the Alpha’s truck was silent on the way home. Rev ground his jaw in the passenger seat while Aspen sat next to me, texting away. The Alpha hadn’t picked up on what he was doing. He would know one day, but not from me. I was no rat.

We pulled into the clan’s lands and got out, all heading in the direction of our respective homes.

“Tarrow!” Rev called to me, but I didn’t respond, choosing instead to walk forward, my mind on so much more than Rev and his bruised ego about his mate texting him all day.

I flicked my hand above my head, waving him off. I heard him grumble all the way to his house until the door opened where his grumbling was cut off by the almost shrill voice of Martha.

The man had enough to deal with without sticking his nose in my business.

Our house was one of the biggest on the clan lands. In terms of square footage, it rivaled the Alpha’s. My father had planned on filling it with cubs to the brim.

But the Creator had other plans.

There had only been my sister and I born to my parents. They loved us as though we were the family they’d dreamed about.

Even still, my mom refused to sell it even though most of the rooms weren’t in use and we had to yell just to hear each other from room to room.

Usually, when I came in from work, my mom was still finishing up dinner. But as I opened the door, I came face to face with a Mama Bear. Her face told me everything I needed to know.

“You found her and I had to find out from secondhand gossip at the bridge game today! You found your mate and snooty old Rosaline knew before me! I’m your mother!”

I threw my arms up, palm facing her in submission. There were just some people you chose to submit to. The Alpha, The Coeur, your mate, and an angry mother bear.

“Mom, come on. It happened in a public place and the Alpha was there. I get enough flak from the guys without calling my mom to tell her about my mate. Please, I’m sorry. Let’s sit down and I’ll tell you everything and I’ll take you to dinner.”

This was maybe the first time in several years she hadn’t cooked, so I knew she was upset beyond the norm.

I shut the door behind me and sat down with the only person who didn’t come down on me and told her everything I knew about the female who had just flipped the coin on my life.

Dahlia

I’d been in the car, parked at my house for at least a half hour. Acacia was the first person I told—she doubled as sister and best friend.

I had to hold the phone away from my ear, that’s how loud her screaming was.

I’d tried my damndest to keep his picture fresh in my mind, wishing I’d had more time to spend in his presence.

He wasn’t on any social media platforms and a web search came up empty. I even tried the school’s registration computer, thinking that maybe he was a student.

Nothing.

For the fourth time, I saw my dad not so casually stroll past the window and look at me sitting in my ’76 Beetle like an idiot.

I wish someone had taught me the protocol for telling your parents that you’d found the guy you wanted to be with for the rest of your life—without dating him or even knowing his name.

The sensation of belonging in his arms was almost too saturated to bear.

“Time to face the music,” I sang to myself, grabbing my bag and getting out of the car. I created a pseudo-calm within myself, forcing slow laborious breaths in and out, methodically. As the house door shut behind me, it all crumbled. The bag slumped to my feet and I had to catch myself, for the second time in a day, on the wall behind me.

I could still feel his hands on my waist.

“What in the world is going on today? Your sister came in, didn’t speak to anyone, and just shut herself in her room with those blasted headphones on. And now you come in here looking like you can’t even stand up straight. What is going on with my young?”

My dad, when he was upset, growled and his words became staccato, clipped and short, the thoughts being fed through his mouth directly from his bear. They’d become more frequent of late and out of nowhere—except today—he had some justification today.

“Just tell him, D.” Acacia entered the room, followed by my other five sisters. That was the moment I realized this wasn’t just about me. Whatever happened with my mating would set a precedence and an example for the other young females in our home.

“I found my mate. Or he found me. He was at the school. He doesn’t go to the school. He was with the Alpha. Shit.” The words barreled out of me, sounding more like a hyperventilated rant than actual good news.

It was good news.

I hoped everyone shared my opinion.

They had to. Tarrow was the male I would spend my life with—have a family with—raise cubs with. They had to be okay with that, no matter what.

Family.

Cubs.

Mate.

Overwhelmed, the onslaught of thoughts made me sink to the floor. Someone had clearly given my legs the day off without notifying me.

I looked over to my dad and sobbed. No matter the tone of my words, my dad heard them and reached backward for the nearest solid object, the recliner, and eased down into it while a lone tear rivered down his cheek. At the same time, a wooden spoon tumbled onto the tiled floors in the kitchen.

Now everyone knew.

And there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

“What’s his name?” Briar, my youngest sister at eight was the only one who actually seemed to be excited about the promise of my mate. I couldn’t even conjure excitement at this point, I was still sludging through shock like a crawfish shuffles through mud.

“Tarrow. Tarrow Rivers.”

“You’re gonna be Dahlia Rivers. Sounds like a singer.” With that comment, Briar was content and left the room in a skip.

“He’s in a clan.”

“Yes, Dad. I’m sure it’s fine. He’s my age. I doubt he’s in any kind of leadership position. Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“What does he look like?” My mom stepped in. Her eyes revealed that she too had been crying, but had wiped the tears away to help support me.

“He’s very tall. At least six foot. He’s got black hair and the darkest eyes. He must run a lot.” That was my not so subtle way of conveying to my mom that he was built. “He’s very kind.”

I aimed the last point at my father, whose face had evolved into a more stoic stance.

“When do we get to meet him?” He attempted to sound upbeat about the whole thing, but my father had always been transparent to me.

“I’m supposed to call him tonight. I don’t know. I got to talk to him only about ten minutes—maybe less. I—I lost track of time. I lost track of everything.”

A slight smile grew on my mom’s face. “That’s the way it should be. You should call your m—mate, Dahlia. I’m sure you’re as anxious as he is to speak to you again.” My mom barely choked out the word mate with my name in the same sentence.

None of us were quite ready for Tarrow—especially me.

I fished my phone out of my pocket and excused myself, going outside for more privacy. There was no such thing as privacy in my house.

“Dahlia?” Tarrow answered, the relief was apparent.

“Hi. I’m home.”

“That’s good to hear.” On his side of the conversation, I could hear a female whispering to him. “I’m sorry. My mom is non-stop with the questions about you.”

“My parents have some questions as well. But mostly—I do.”

“We didn’t have much time today, did we?”

“No.”

“When can I see you?”

The promise warmed my cheeks.

“I’m running tonight. You belong to the Lafourche clan?”

“Yes. I do. I believe our lands are close to you. I can come there and get you, just tell me where. Or we can meet halfway if you’re uncomfortable with me knowing where you live.”

I was beyond comfortable having him know where I lived, but I wasn’t sure my family would feel the same way.

“Halfway sounds good. I usually run that far anyway.”

He sighed. I got the feeling it wasn’t his first choice to meet me halfway. “Stay in your bear form until you get to me, please. I don’t want anything to happen to you. It can be dangerous out there.”

“What time?”

“Whatever time is okay with you. Name it and I’ll be there.”

We decided on ten o’clock. I’d have to carry clothes in my mouth, which I often did anyway. I’d kept my eyes closed during the conversation, loving the sound of the bass rumble of his charm roll over me. I didn’t know how he knew where I lived, but I suspected he’d scented me just as I had scented him during the past weeks—maybe months.

“Come in here, Dahlia,” Mom called from the kitchen as soon as I went back into the house. My chest swirled with questions and all things unexplained.

The muscles in my stomach pulled taut in expectation of seeing him again.

He would kiss me.

And I would let him.

“Yes, Mom.” Two cups of coffee were set up on the kitchen table. I took the seat across from her and allowed myself to smile.

“I love that smile. That’s an in love already smile.”

“Not in love, yet, Mom. Just the hope.”

“Says the girl who’s been avoiding her mate for goodness knows how long.”

I shrugged. There was no concrete reason for waiting.

“The Creator’s plans will not be overturned. Just when you think you’ve gotten control over them, he corrects us ever so gently.”

Acacia entered and took the seat next to me, stealing my coffee and taking a big gulp.

“What’s next?”

Mom patted her hand over the table, pushing her patience into my impatient sister. “That’s all up to the couple.”

“I’m going to see him tonight.”

“He won’t come here?” I could tell the scenario distressed Mom. The wrinkle on her forehead creased with her question.

“It was my suggestion. He wanted to come here. I need to know more about him before he comes here.”

“I don’t agree with it, but I knew that a normal coupling wouldn’t be possible with my wild child. You’ll carry your phone with you and let us know you’re safe with him, won’t you?”

“Of course, Mom.”

“Well…” She leaned back in her chair and turned her coffee cup around with her pinkie. “I wish we knew more about this male, but I trust your gut. It’s never steered you wrong. Sometimes, I swear, even when you were growing up, it was like there was no thoughts in your head, and your bear led you by pure, unadulterated instinct. It got you into so much trouble and then wiggled you right out of it. It was like watching a cub in the swamp instead of a child.”

“What’s for dinner?” Robin came in with Briar, those two holding hands as always.

“Whatever Dahlia wants. Tonight is a celebration. What will it be?”

My smile answered her.

“Salmon steaks it is. Ever ruled by her bear.”

I blew out a breath, weighted down with worry. I just hoped my bear didn’t crawl out of me trying to get to my mate like she did earlier. I almost had her tamped down to a minimum—then he put his hands on me.

Only a sliver of humanity stopped us from shifting right there in the halls of the college.

Hearing me think about her, she sent lonely and wanting thought and images to me, blinding me to my human thoughts. Pictures of Tarrow and I curled in embraces with only the moon covering our bodies. The pressure of his bite on my hip. A nip on my lips.

“Look at that blush!” Of course, Acacia would call me out on it.

“Just make the salad and shut up.” I smacked her in the arm and threw open the refrigerator, begging the cold air to shut down the warmth in my cheeks and the jokes cackling behind me.

Payback would be swift and with that many sisters, I would get all the payback in the world.

The meal went off with no more jokes and even my dad emitted a hopeful attitude about it. Once he nearly fell to pieces after my announcement, I thought he’d changed his mind.

“I’m going to study for a while. I’ll check in before I leave.”

Mom hung on to Dad’s arm while he sighed. “I can’t imagine trying to concentrate on studying on the same day as a mating.”

“It’s not going to be easy.”

I ran up the stairs to my room, determined to study, but instead came face to face with what would be my mate’s most critical opponents—all of my sisters.

The onslaught of questions was swift and unrelenting.

“I will answer everything. Can I please just study and see him for more than ten minutes before I have to answer questions? Write them all down. I’ll answer them tomorrow. I swear it.”

With heavy sighs and whining, they left, all but Acacia. She didn’t say a word as I opened my books and notebooks, prepping for at least a valiant attempt at cramming.

“Just say whatever you’re going to say.”

“If you’re happy, that’s all I care about.”

“There wasn’t time for anything today but the hope of happy.” I sighed and tipped my head back. “He’s gorgeous, Cia.”

“At least there’s that.”

I read the same pages over and over, never sponging any of the information I needed to. I hoped that speaking to him that night would afford me a little calm so I could at least survive the rest of the week without ruining the four years I’d already put in.

“Here.” At nine-forty, Acacia handed me a plastic sack with jeans, a long-sleeved thermal shirt and a hairband in it. “I didn’t want you to forget.”

“Thanks.” I hugged her harder than I should. Meeting my mate felt a lot like growing up and abandoning the one soul in the world that understood me and accepted me for what I was.

I made my goodbye to my parents swiftly and then crept out of the back door that faced the swamp. The tang of the murky water invaded my senses and my bear perked up. A smirk rose as her teeth poked through, shifting my human ones out of the way. They would be no good to me amongst the Cypress trees and rabbits already being hunted by my sharpened skills.

Pacing myself, I strolled slowly as the change took over my being, step by step. Toes turned to claws—fur sprouted in and between pores—nose turned to snout.

Tossing the bag full of clothes ahead of me, I fell forward onto all fours and roared, my beast’s call reverberating through and stirring a raven ahead. He cawed in fright and flew high into another tree.

Shivers skittered down my spine, rounded to match my stance. The bag of clothes was fetched between my teeth and I took off in a run to match all runs. I diverted along the trail I usually took, not wanting my steps to be premeditated. My bear heeded my mate’s warning, even if my human didn’t.

Conflicted, I staggered between fast leaps and more lethargic walks, not wanting to seem too eager, but at the same time, craving his presence more and more as the seconds passed. There was a clearing between the break in the trees behind my house and the weeds that began the Clan’s lands. I dropped my clothes several hundred feet before reaching the expanse and paced, huffing impatient breaths through my snout.

One sound of crushing leaves and twigs was all it took to know he was right where we’d decided to meet. The scent of pine and the sound of rapid breathing piqued my ears and nose.

My mate smelled like heaven and sin—slow delicious sin.