Mating the Red Wolf: (Book 10, Grey Wolf Pack Romance Novellas) (2 page)

Chapter Two
             

The trip to the island was pretty short.  Kim spent the time trying to remember the names of Ed’s family, while also ignoring the beseeching looks Ed was throwing her and pretending she didn’t notice Will ogling her legs. 
Perhaps shorts hadn’t been a good idea.

When they arrived at the mainland, she’d felt more than a little sweaty and had swiftly changed into a pair of shorts, a tank top and flat sandals.  She pinned back her abundant red hair, allowing just a few curls to fall free.  She’d forgone make-up and was pleased that the thin sheen of sweat made her glow.

Ed had much the same reaction as Will when he saw her.  Her legs did look spectacularly long in shorts.  After having spent her teenage years as a graceless giraffe, it was gratifying that being so tall did actually have its perks later in life.

Okay, so back to the matter in hand. 
She could admire her legs later
.  Now, Ed said his grandmother was the head of his family.  Kim couldn’t remember her name, but she figured it was best to call her Mrs. Buchanan.  Or your ladyship, perhaps. 
She certainly sounded like a diva. 

Her only son was Ed’s dad who was Harold Sr. and who used to be the pack’s Alpha.  He was married to Ed’s mom, Marguerite.  Mental note, do not call her Mags or Margie.  She apparently only likes Marguerite. 

Harold Sr. relinquished control of the pack to his eldest son, Harold Jr. a few years ago.  Although, it seems that the grandmother really has all the control, at least that was what Kim gathered from the tidbits of information Ed had thrown her.

Anyway, Harold was 35, and married to Christine, and together they had four children.  Next up was Arthur, who was 33; he was also married to a woman called Jennifer, but they didn’t have kids, and both worked at the same law firm Ed did.  Then there was Jonathan, who was 30 and, according to Ed, a bit of a ladies’ man.  Other than Ed, there was an adopted sister called Olivia who was 21 and Will who had recently turned 19. 
Oh yeah, and every single member of his family was a red wolf.

Kim gave herself a mental pat on the back.  Ed hadn’t told her much over the months, but she was pleased that she had remembered it all.

The momentary elation soon waned.  It was all very well and good remembering their names, but how would they feel about her gate-crashing their party?  She wondered how they would feel about a divorced, single mom, grey wolf shifter taking up with Ed?  She wondered if the age difference would bother them?  At 31, she was still young, but Ed was only 26.

She braced herself as she saw someone on the dock waving at them. 
Well, she was about to find out.

*

Ed was annoyed to find Jonathan on the dock waiting.  He was stood grinning at them insolently, but Ed couldn’t fail to notice the sudden change in his demeanor.  Jonathan was suddenly very interested in what was happening.

His wolf whined.  This had been a bad idea.  He shouldn’t have brought Kim here – it wasn’t safe!  There were far too many single males running around. 
More than zero was too many.

Will was trying to help Kim out the boat but Jonathan easily pushed their younger brother out of the way.  He pulled her out of the boat and stood next to her far too closely.

Jonathan gave her a devastating smile.  “I don’t believe we’ve met, I’m Jonathan.”

Kim gave him a polite smile but carefully extricated her hand from his.  “I’m Kim and this is my daughter, Jamie.”

Kim pulled Jamie in front of her and bit her lip as Jamie gave him an impish little curtsy.  Oh, Ed really was rubbing off on her.

Jonathan politely shook Jamie’s hand and called her ‘milady,’ sending the 5-year-old into a fit of giggles.  He looked between the two of them pointedly ignoring Ed and Will, who were whispering and hauling the bags onto the dock.

“Not that you aren’t very welcome, but may I ask why…”

Ed slipped an arm around Kim’s waist and was extremely grateful that she didn’t try to shake him off. 
She wasn’t quite that mad yet
.  Although, she might be when he repeated what Will just told him.

Jonathan looked at the two in disbelief but quickly smothered that with another charming smile.  Ed wasn’t usually prone to jealousy, he knew that Kim garnered looks wherever she went and usually it didn’t bother him.  He felt proud that a creature like Kim belonged to him,
or at least would belong to him
.  But when it was his brother it was different; it incited twinges of inadequacy that Ed was rarely prone to.  He wasn’t as big and burly as other wolves, but he was smart and good at persuading people to do what he wanted, or at least women. 

The problem was that Jonathan was just as smart and persuasive as him, but also had four extra inches of height and a lot more muscles than him.  Realistically, he knew that Kim was his true mate, and he had nothing to worry about, but he also knew that true mates were regarded less highly in his pack than in Kim’s.  A number of his pack considered them to be a nuisance rather than having someone to share part of your soul.  If Jonathan really wanted Kim, he wouldn’t care whose true mate she was.  His beast snapped at his brother, and Ed tried to remain calm and trust that Kim wouldn’t betray him.

“Well,” said Jonathan, “I’m Ed’s
big
brother.”

He put such an emphasis on big that Kim was sure whether she wanted to punch him in the face or burst into laughter.  Arrogant tool.  How dare he belittle Ed that way?  She may be mad at Ed, but she and her wolf certainly didn’t appreciate anyone putting down their mate. 
That was their job!

Kim relaxed a little and slipped an arm around Ed’s shoulders.  “Nice to meet you big brother.”

Jonathan gave them a stilted smile and oofed as Will threw a bag at him.

“Give us a hand, will you?”

Ed gave Will a grateful look as Jonathan grumbled and snatched up the bag.  The two brothers started walking up the house, which Kim noticed looked more like a hotel than a family home. 
A beautiful, expensive hotel that she would have to sell a kidney in order that she could afford to stay there.

Ed held back a little and started walking with her slowly.  “I’m sorry I haven’t told my family about you.”

Kim huffed a little but didn’t say anything.

“I was worried that if I did they would want to meet you…”

“What?!”  Kim stopped walking and rounded on him.  “Why in the hell would that be a bad thing?”

Ed put his hands on her shoulders; he flicked his eyes to make sure Jamie wasn’t going far.  At the moment she was sat on the ground ten feet away.  Bored with the conversation she was looking at the book her grandma - Kim’s mom, had given her for the trip.

“Gorgeous, it wouldn’t be bad for you, it would be bad for me.”

Kim narrowed her eyes.  “How?”

“Kim, my family are…”  His face pinched thinking of the possibilities,
arrogant, rude, elitist
… “Snobs, okay?  They think anyone who wasn’t born a red wolf in Alexandria is beneath their contempt.  I was worried that if you met them, you wouldn’t think I was worth the effort.  And if I told them about you, they’d want to meet you right away.  I just needed time to worm my way into your affection, and make sure that you wouldn’t be scared off too easily.” 

Kim arched an eyebrow.  “Worm your way into my affection?”

Ed gave her a wry smile.  “Well, crowbar my way in.”

“Ed, I love you, nothing will scare me away.”  She brushed her lips over his, and he sighed.

He slid his hands down her arms until they were holding hands.  “Gorgeous, I love that you feel so much for me, but maybe you should wait until you meet them before you say that.”

“Babe, they cannot be that bad.”

Ed chuckled hollowly.  “Oh, yes they can.”  There was a reason he stopped bringing his girlfriends home a few years ago.  Inevitably, they ran off crying and refused to speak to him again.  He couldn’t afford for that to happen with Kim. 
And it got worse than his immediate family…

He winced, and even his wolf whimpered about what he had to say next.  “And it gets worse; my ex-girlfriend is here.”

Kim pursed her lips as her wolf snarled.  “What ex-girlfriend?”

Ed tried not to gulp.  “Helena.”

“You never told me about a Helena.” 
What the hell else was he keeping from her?!

“Because she wasn’t important,” Ed told her soothingly.  She really wasn’t; Helena was a huge blip on his dating past, and it was a source of contention that she remained friends with his sister.  “She doesn’t mean anything to me, but she’s friendly with Olivia.”

Kim shifted from foot to foot trying to calm her snarling beast.  “When did you date?  How long did you date for?  How did you meet?  Why did you break up?  What does she look like?”

Ed tried not to smile at his jealous mate;
it worked both ways
.  “It was about a year ago; it lasted three months; we met through my sister; she slept with Jonathan and she’s about five seven, auburn hair and blue eyes, and absolutely pales in comparison to you in every way.  But then, so does every other woman on the planet.”

Kim tried not to smile at that, but he could see it in her eyes, she was pleased with what he said. 
It was all true too; he hadn’t even looked at another woman since meeting her.

She looked at him in concern.  “Wait, she slept with Jonathan?”

Ed shrugged.  “Yeah, it’s not a big deal.”

Her eyebrows almost shot off her head.  “Not a big deal?  Your brother sleeps with your girlfriend, and it’s not a big deal?”

He squeezed her hands.  “It’s not a big deal that he slept with Helena; if he tried anything with you, I’d murder him.  But with Helena…”

“Hey!”

They turned to see Will calling them.  “Ed, Grandmother is asking after you.”  With a nervous expression, Will ran toward the house.

Ed sucked in a breath.  “We’ll talk about this in private later.”

“You’re damn right we will.”

Ed inwardly groaned as his wolf pawed the ground.  “Alright, but let’s just face the ravaging beasts that I call family first.”

Chapter Three

Kim giggled and threw herself backwards onto the huge four-poster bed, and Jamie eagerly did the same.

She had no idea what was wrong with Ed; his family weren’t as bad as he thought they were.  True, they could hardly be described as warm or loving, unlike her mom, but they weren’t that bad.  Or maybe she was just more thick-skinned than his ex-girlfriends.  Hey, she’d survived being married to a complete asshole for over a year; she could handle a few snarky comments from people with sticks up their butts.

When they made it up to the house, it was, as expected, just as lush on the inside as the outside.  It was literally the fanciest place she had ever been to; it made the hotel she stayed at for her honeymoon look as opulent and inviting as Bates’ Motel.  But then, they hadn’t exactly had much money to spend; they were saving all their money for the baby. 
At the time, she was six months pregnant…

When they entered, everyone suddenly went quiet and stared at them.  She was surrounded by a sea of uptight, well dressed and very surprised red wolf shifters.

Ed introduced her, and they all looked even more surprised.  It was odd, because, by that point, she knew both Will and Jonathan must have told them all about her.  She considered shouting boo at them just to see what they’d do, but doubted that would make them like her.  From what Ed said, they seemed predisposed to not like her, so it was probably best not to actively give them a reason to hate her.

Ed took her around the room introducing her to everyone.  For the most part, they were kind and smiled at her.  Harold Jr. was thoroughly unimpressed by her, but his wife was actually quite warm and welcoming and took to Jamie straight away, while their children all looked at her shyly.  Olivia looked pained, but Kim didn’t think that was because of her.  While Helena… as Kim expected the red she-wolf was less than pleased at Kim’s presence and tried to whisper to Olivia while sneaking snide glances in her direction.  It didn’t work very well; Olivia was in a world of her own.

There were also two full-time staff members at the house, a married couple called George and Ethel who took care of the house all year round.  Ed later explained that they also hired local men and women from the mainland during the day to help out whenever the family was there.

Other than the expected family, Olivia had brought her boyfriend, Kurt with her, although she didn’t seem overly interested in him, and instead was throwing hurt glances at her brother, Will.  There was also his grandmother’s assistant, Judy, who Kim guessed was Hilda’s replacement. 
And then there was his grandmother…

She looked like she ought to be luring children into her gingerbread house.  Kim shook herself for thinking mean thoughts, even if they were accurate.

His grandmother crooked a finger at her, and then gave Helena a withering glare.  Helena soon scooted out of her seat opposite, and his grandmother motioned for Kim to sit down.  Helena gave Kim a haughty look, when she was certain the grandmother wasn’t looking.

Kim almost rolled her eyes. 
Wuss
.

His grandmother sniffed as she tapped her fingers against her cane.  “You’re very tall.”

Kim shrugged.  “I drank a lot of milk when I was young, plus it didn’t hurt that my dad was six foot seven.”

The old lady’s lips twitched.  “So you’re dating my grandson.”

“Yeah, the cute one.”

Ed was chatting to his parents but looked up and grinned when she said that.  Kim noticed that Jamie was being entertained by Christine and smiled.  Apparently, Christine had four sons and was dying for a little girl, but Harold Jr. didn’t want more children. 

The grandmother banged her cane on the floor to get Kim’s attention.  “Are you dating my grandson for his money?”

A few family members gasped, and both Ed and his dad, Harold Sr. shouted a rebuke out to her, but Kim waved them away.  Was this the worst the old woman could throw at her? 
Ha!  Try being married to an abusive grey wolf for a year!

“No,” replied Kim simply.  “I mean, come on, I know he makes a decent wage as a lawyer, but I do okay myself.” 
At least she was doing okay now that she had paid off her ex’s debts.

The elderly woman pursed her lips.  “But what about his inheritance and his allowance?  I’m worth a lot of money.  How would you feel if I told you that I would cut him out of my will if he married you?”

“Grandmother!” roared Ed, rushing over to Kim’s side.  He didn’t know what pissed him off more, his grandmother talking to Kim about marriage before he had a chance to, or insinuating that Kim was only dating him for monetary gain.  His wolf howled in frustration at the controlling old woman.

To Kim’s credit, she didn’t blush, nor was she taken aback by his grandmother’s attitude.  “First of all, I had no idea he was in your will or how much money you might be worth.  Second of all, you seem very healthy to me, so the contents of your will seem very unimportant at this time.  Thirdly, we aren’t getting married, and if we were, I can honestly say that your opinion on the matter wouldn’t make a blind bit of difference to me.”

Ed flushed with pleasure at Kim’s answers, while the rest of his family were shocked into silence.  The only people who had ever been so frank with her were Harold Sr. and Ed. 
Not even her own husband had been ballsy enough to handle her!

Their eyes bulged even more when the old lady started chuckling.  After she calmed she reached out her hand, and Kim shook it.  “You may call me Marie; it’s a pleasure to meet you, Kim.”

“And you, Marie.”

“Are all grey wolves like you?”

Kim smiled.  “We’re a pretty rambunctious lot; we don’t tend to be very refined and we prefer to act first and blurt out whatever’s on our minds.”

“How refreshing.”  Marie gave her family a significant look before she told Judy that she was going to the study to finish some letters, and she asked Ethel to make up a room for Kim and Jamie.

Ed coughed.  “Kim could share…”

“No,” interrupted Marie sharply, “I may be old-fashioned, but while you’re under my roof and unmarried you will sleep in separate bedrooms.”

Ed scowled, and Kim had to stop herself from keeling over in laughter. 
He looked like a 4-year-old boy who’d just found out he wasn’t getting any dessert.

Marie reached out a hand to Kim, and she helped her to her feet.  She walked away with Judy scrambling behind her.

Ed thought it was a good idea to take both her and Jamie on a tour of the house, and she concurred.

Jonathan winked and said he’d see her later.  Will blushed and tried to say the same thing.  Olivia mumbled something and ran out the room.  Helena quickly followed, cutting a look of irritation in Kim’s direction before she did.

Ed took her hand and led the two of them away as quickly as possible.  As soon as they were out of earshot he turned to Kim.  “I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s okay; I’ve met worse people.  Remember, I manage a bar, I deal with drunk people all the time and they are way worse than your family.”  Besides, she could stand his family to be with him, it was a very small price to pay.  Her wolf agreed with that whole-heartedly.

“Well, just wait until later when they’re obnoxious and drunk,” whispered Ed, out of earshot of Jamie.

Ed showed her the whole house, save for the inside the occupied bedrooms.  It was a lovely house, and Jamie was thrilled at how big the pool was.  Kim, on the other hand, was most impressed by the bed she and Jamie would be sharing.

Ed chuckled as they jumped up and down a few times.  After a few minutes Jamie took herself to the bathroom and shouted out, “Mommy, it’s huge!”

Kim rushed to have a look, and yep, the bathroom was even bigger than either of their bedrooms at home.   Wow, did Ed make that comparison too?  Did he look down on their small house? 

Kim came out, and Ed swept her into a kiss.  She sighed and relaxed as his hands traversed her body, and his tongue tangled with hers.  He pulled away to spread fluttering kisses over her jaw and neck.

“I’m sorry we have to have separate rooms,” he murmured.

She snaked her arms around him and raked her fingers through his hair.  “Mmmm, we’ll live.” 

“That bed looks awfully big…”

Kim let out a tinkling laugh.  “Don’t worry, I’ll have Jamie to keep me company.”

He grunted in mild annoyance.  “I guess it is just for a few days,” he muttered, although nothing could stop his grumbling wolf.  He’d envisioned them together, night after night, entwined in one another’s arms… sigh.

Reluctantly, he pulled back.  “Well, I guess I’ll leave you to unpack.”

He dragged himself to the door; Kim blew him a kiss and told him she’d miss him.  She was half-joking and almost started chuckling at the hungry look on his face.

This may not be the vacation either of them was expecting, but it wasn’t as bad as Kim thought it would be.  His family members weren’t nearly as awful as Ed painted them to be.  The presence of Helena was a bit of a fly in the ointment. 
Cow
.  But Ed was adamant that she didn’t mean anything to him, and Kim, in spite of her wolf’s yowls, took him at his word.  Yep, she was determined to have a nice time.  She was in the Caribbean for a free holiday with her daughter and her mate. 
What’s the worst that can happen?

*

Ed slowed as he passed Arthur and Jennifer’s door.  The two were shouting at one another.  He shook his head and sped up again.  He hoped they sorted out their problems and soon.  They were so happy when they first married.

He groaned as he approached his own bedroom door.  This was a list of people he wanted to avoid and right at the top was his eldest brother, who just happened to be pacing in front of his door, blocking the entrance.

The two had never got on.  Ed was generally easy going, but Harold Jr. just brought out the worst in everyone.  He was amazed that Christine stayed married to him, although Ed partly presumed it was out of a sense of duty and that she enjoyed being the female Alpha.  Christine was the daughter of the Alpha of a red wolf pack in Texas; it had been an arranged marriage.  Christine was nice, nicer than she might have been, but she was given to value things like tradition and duty over love and happiness.  Ed was in two minds about that.  If it came down to it, he could never agree to an arranged marriage to a stranger, not now that he’d met Kim.  His wolf vociferously agreed.

Harold Jr. had always been controlling and cold, and since his father stepped down as Alpha, he had only gotten worse. Ed had clashed with him over his high-handedness numerous times.  Although, he did have to admit that he wasn’t nearly as bad as their father had been…

“Harry,” Ed greeted him.

Harold Jr. winced; he hated being called Harry.  “What have you brought that woman here for?” demanded Harold without preamble.

Ed tensed as his wolf snarled.  “Kim is my girlfriend, and I wanted her to meet my loving family,” he sneered.

Harold’s nostrils flared.  “Is she really, or this some kind of game to you?  If it is, well done, she plays the part to perfection and the kid’s a nice touch.”

Ed’s wolf was furious, but the man himself was just baffled.  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said trying to get past him to the bedroom.

Harold folded his arms and refused to move.  Ed considered punching him.  Red wolf Alphas weren’t exactly chosen for their physical fortitude, not like grey wolves.  Grey Alphas are the strongest males of the packs, and best equipped to protect their pack mates.  Red wolf Alphas are the savviest businessmen in the packs and the best able to handle the pack’s businesses.  There were contrasting dynamics between the different packs.

Harold was built much like Jonathan, but his stomach was starting to gain a little paunch.  Ed doubted Harold’s schedule allowed much time for working out.  Ed could probably take him. 
Although the ramifications of beating up his Alpha were another matter…

Ed sighed as his wolf prowled.  “What do you want Harold?”

“Is Kim really your girlfriend, or is this some kind of move to get money out of grandmother?  Because, if it is, it won’t work.  Grandmother might pretend she likes her and that she’s all for Kim’s honesty and forthrightness, but if you were going to ask Kim to join the pack – you’d find out the hard way that she wouldn’t be welcome.”

Ed frowned. Harold found it irritating that their grandmother retained control over the family’s wealth’ as the Alpha he believed the role should fall to him.  Their grandmother would never relinquish control; she liked being able to pull Harold’s strings whenever she wanted…  Each member of the family, their father and all the grandchildren each had a trust fund and would receive an equal portion of the family’s wealth after their grandmother died.  But, Ed also knew that his grandmother was apt to impart gifts of money to whomever her favorite happened to be at the time…

“Kim is really my girlfriend, and I am not here to try and get any money, now if you will excuse me…”

Harold breathed in and out a few times before he clucked his tongue and strode away.  Harold didn’t look very convinced, but Ed didn’t see how he was going to change that.

He pushed his way into his bedroom and was dismayed to find Jonathan lounging in an armchair by the window.  Who was next? 
Was Will about to jump out from behind the curtain?!