The Wolf's Mate Book 7: Lindy & The Wulfen (5 page)

Eula gave her a nudge with her elbow.  “I told you that people would be able to look past your history if you just gave them a little time.”

“It’s a start,” Lindy agreed.

Which was how she found herself helping pass out maps to the various yard sales within the community on Saturday morning.  Shyne stood with her, and they passed out flyers to the humans and wolves who came through the gates.  It was the first community-wide yard sale, and the proceeds were going to help build an addition onto the community center.

Although there were some pack members who looked at Lindy with barely veiled disgust, for the most part, she was treated like a member of the pack.  And it felt damn good.

The next week passed quickly as she continued to walk around the community with Eula each night, and over the weekend, she helped out at Lonestar’s where Karly, the mate of the third ranked male, Linus, ran things.  Lindy had been surprised to get a call from Karly asking if she could help at the bakery counter on Saturday and Sunday, but she had been happy to do it.  Standing with Mrs. B., who baked all the delicious things, was entertaining as the older woman regaled Lindy with tales of knights in shining armor that she read about in her many romance novels.  Mrs. B. was a sweet woman with a rosy outlook on life that Lindy found infectious.

When Lindy stopped on Sunday evening to visit with Cades as she’d asked, her alpha was beaming with pride.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am for you, Lindy,” Cades said as she sat with her on a couch in the front room.  “You look so happy.”

“I
am
happy.  I had no idea how much I’d enjoy helping others, but I really do.  It’s made me feel connected to the pack in a way I never felt before.  I just feel bad for all the time I wasted.”

“Don’t.  You can move forward now and you want to, and that’s the important thing.  So I have a request.”

“Name it.”

Cades laughed.  “I like your enthusiasm.  Jason said the males are complaining that none of the females are doing their fair share with the full moon clearing.  Jason and some of the males cleared out another ring of trees to make the clearing bigger, so there’s more that needs to be cleaned up.  Do you think that you and Faith would be willing to help out this month?”

Faith had been doing her own version of cleaning up her life and had opted to enroll in community college to work on a nursing degree, something she’d wanted to do but had never pursued.

“Absolutely.”

“Great!  And I’ve never asked you before, but would you be willing to stand as a guard?  I know you two like to hunt together, so you and Faith can both guard the mates and then go hunting afterward.  I know Faith already guarded last month, but I hope she won’t mind.”

“I’m sure she won’t.  I’d be honored.”

“Oh sure,” Cades snorted and rolled her eyes, “it’s very exciting sitting around babysitting all us women-folk while the men-folk all go out hunting.”

“It’s important.  If I was pregnant and unable to shift, I’d want to make sure that the people watching over me were glad to be part of the guards.”

“You think about having pups?”  Cades asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

“I do.  I think about finding my truemate and settling down and having pups. I don’t know when that will happen, though.”

“Your mate’s not in the pack.”  She said it as a statement not a question.

“No.  But we’ll find each other when the time is right.  I was in a hurry before, trying to force myself into a mating that wasn’t right for me.  Now, I just want to find the right person, and whenever it happens, it will be the right time.”

“That’s a really good attitude to have.”  Cades smiled, and Lindy nodded.

“Thanks for trusting me and for helping me.  I don’t deserve it, but I’m grateful for it.”

“You deserve to be happy.  I’m glad I could help.”

With a skip in her step, she left her alphas’ home and spent the rest of her day off helping Faith move into her own small rental home on the same street as Lindy’s house.

* * * * *

The morning before the full moon, Lindy dressed in comfortable shorts, hiking boots, and a dark T-shirt she didn’t mind getting dirty.  When she was a teenager, she’d been part of the full moon cleaning crew, but she’d somehow managed to get out of the duty for the last few years.  Maybe because Jason and his males always seemed to choose only males to work, or maybe because no one really wanted her around.  Either way, she was excited to get her hands dirty.

Stopping to pick up Faith and then Mac, she headed to their alphas’ house and parked on the grass.  They walked through the backyard and into the woods to the clearing.  Jason, Cades, and a handful of males stood around the firepit.  Cades greeted them.  “The guys are going to dig out the firepit so we need to work on clearing the debris.  We’ll bundle up the twigs to use as kindling, so those will go in the wheelbarrow over there where the ball of twine is.  After we’re done, Karly is bringing lunch to the house for us.”

“Let’s get cracking!”  Mac said.  “I’m starving already.”

The four women worked, talking and laughing like old friends.  It made Lindy proud that her alpha was so accepting of them and also that her friends were happy to be more active participants in the pack.  Mac wielded a rake and picked up leaves while the other women gathered sticks and tied them into bundles.

While they worked, Mac told them about her overstuffed closet.  Drake had officially moved in over the weekend and apparently had a penchant for shoes and clothes that she hadn’t been fully aware of.  Lindy laughed, and Mac threw a handful of leaves at her.

“It’s not funny.  I had no idea he was such a clothes hoarder.  He’s even got more shoes then me!”

And that was saying something.  Mac’s shoe collection was epic and often made Lindy green with envy.  It was too bad they didn’t wear the same size.

“Do you want some help organizing things?”  Lindy asked.

“Yes, please.”  McKenna brightened considerably.  “I’ll leave the door open and you guys can come in and steal all his stuff, and I’ll just feign ignorance.”

Cades chuckled.  “Leave the poor guy some pants!”

Mac snorted.  “I’ll think about it.”

Linus’ phone chirped, and he looked at it and said to the group, “Karly says lunch is ready.”

“I’m starving,” Lindy said, tying a bundle of twigs and carrying it to the wheelbarrow.

“Me, too,” Cades said.  “Thanks so much for helping.  It’s good for the females to take part in the full moon prep.”

“I’m glad I could help.”  Lindy’s back ached a little from all the bending and picking up, but a sense of satisfaction had settled over her as she worked, a rightness that she was exactly where she belonged.  It might have been easier to leave town and start over somewhere else, but the only place that had ever felt like home to her was Allen.

And it was good to be home.

Chapter 5

Crimson stood outside his commander’s office in the military training complex.  He had spent the previous day cleaning his home after his chat with his father and had spent a good portion of the day thinking.

“Captain Ta’rek, you may enter,” Commander Fenick said loudly.

Crimson opened the heavy wooden door and entered the office.  Fenick was one of the most decorated males in the military, and Crimson respected him a great deal. Outside of his father, there was no one that Crimson looked up to more than Fenick.  Fenick was seated behind a massive desk and gestured to one of the straight-backed chairs across from it.  Clipping the end off a mulberry cigar and lighting it, Fenick blew a few smoke rings into the air and gave Crimson a long look.

“Did you plan to tell me what you wanted, Crimson, or are you just going to watch me smoke?”

“Sorry, sir.”  Crimson cleared his throat.  “I’d like to request a leave of absence during the next full moon.  I want to spell for my truemate, and I believe the best time to do that is on the full moon.”

“Because of your wolf?”  Fenick raised a brow.  “You can’t do it any other time than the full moon?”

Crimson shrugged slightly.  “I just feel like the full moon is the best time to do it.”  He couldn’t really explain the feeling, but something told him to wait, and his wolf, although anxious, was not grumbling at him quite so much.

“Well, I don’t pretend to understand what you deal with having a beast hanging out in your brain, but I do know that when a male is ready to find his mate, instincts are best heeded.”  He leaned back in his chair and blew a plume of smoke straight up.  “Do you want to step down?”

Crimson straightened farther in the chair.  The military had a rule that mated males could step down from infantry service and take less dangerous positions, such as patrolling and training new recruits.  It had been one of the things he’d thought about while he cleaned his home.

“I’m going to wait until I speak to my truemate, sir, before I make any job changes.”

“Good, good.”  He rolled the tip of the cigar in a marble ashtray and said, “When you settle in with your female, let me know what you want to do.  If you do decide to step down from the infantry, you’ll be missed.  You’re one of the best.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Crimson left Fenick’s office and walked slowly down the hall.  He passed offices of high-ranking military officers.  In between the doors were paintings of important members of the military who had retired from service.  Many of the males he knew from his father’s time, many he’d read about in history classes.  All of them warriors.  When he was young, he’d envisioned his own likeness in the hall, a testament to a lifelong dedication to the military.

But since he had decided to spell for his truemate, had finally given in to the angry rumbling of his wolf, he could admit that his desires were changing.  The most important thing didn’t seem to be living up to his father’s legacy but finding his truemate, making her happy, ensuring her safety.  His wolf grumbled in agreement.  They hadn’t even found their truemate yet, and already the beast was arguing with Crimson about keeping his job and putting himself in harm’s way.

What had he joined the military for?  To follow in his father’s footsteps.  To make him proud.  If he quit now, what did that mean about his dedication as a male?  His honor?  His loyalty?  His wolf grumbled again, and Crimson sighed.  He’d never considered being anything but a soldier.  What else could he do?

Deciding to think about it later, he continued down the hall, left the compound, and headed home.  The full moon would be here before he knew it, and there was still much to be done.

* * * * *

Crimson manifested his sword and struck at the practice dummy as it flew toward him on an elaborate pulley system.  Pivoting, he struck again and again, envisioning some large creature instead of the dummy.  A meaty-fisted
bronyak
or a winged
flinglan
.

Merik lounged nearby with Riyad.  They had put down their swords already and were waiting for Crimson to finish for the day.  He was usually the last one in the military training compound, but ever since he had decided to spell for his truemate, he’d been too busy preparing for his truemate to continue with his training regiment.

His best friends weren’t trying to talk him out of spelling for his truemate, but he could tell they were concerned about what the future would bring.  They were worried because he wasn’t a full fae, and his truemate could come from anywhere.  His journey to find her and bring her home could take years.  Both Riyad and Merik had recently turned twenty-five and would spell for their truemates when they were ready.  Like he had been, they were not ready to stop their training to settle down.

Except Crimson
was
ready now.  Only a week remained until the full moon, when he would spell for his truemate and cross through into the Mortal Realm to find her.  He didn’t know what lay on the other side of the portal, and he wanted to be prepared physically to do whatever was necessary to protect her.

Now that he had set his mind on finding his truemate, he wished that he’d done it earlier.  Years ago.  So that he and his truemate could have grown up together and not wasted any time.

“Aren’t you tired yet?”  Merik asked.

Riyad laughed. “He’s trying to make sure he’s all toned before he meets his truemate.”

Crimson released the sword, and it disappeared as one of the young apprentices in the compound drew the dummy away with the pulley.  Crimson waved at the young male saying, “I’m done for the night.”  The boy, barely ten, nodded and began to repair the holes that Crimson’s sword had left behind.

His friends were teasing him, and he accepted their ribbing with a smile.  “I’m not doing anything different.”  He stretched fully and tucked his wings into his back, cracking his neck.  Sitting down on the floor next to his best friends, he took a drink from a wooden cup of water and let out a long sigh.

“No?”  Merik raised a dark brow.  “You’ve been in the military since you passed the tests at age seventeen, a full year before most males.  You raced through the ranks until you attained captain.  You work harder, train longer, fight more fiercely than any other male.  But for the last three weeks, you’ve been entirely focused on preparing your home for your truemate.”

Crimson raised a brow.  “When you spell for your truemate, don’t you plan to prepare for her?”

Merik gave a loud snort.  “I’m not going to pretend I’m something I’m not to impress a female meant to be mine, Crim.  Don’t you think you should have left your home as-is so that she’d know what she’s getting into?”

“Hey, I’m a clean male; I’ve just been busy since the last battle.  Give me a little credit.”

Merik chuckled, and Riyad said, “I’ll be sure to pull her aside and tell her just how much of a slob you are.”

Crimson’s wolf didn’t much care for Riyad doing any such thing, and Riyad stopped laughing immediately as Crimson snarled.  “Whoa, sorry, man.  I was just kidding.  Shit, leash that dog.”

“Wolf.”

“Whatever.”  Riyad rolled his eyes, and Merik gave him a shoulder shove, telling him to stop antagonizing their friend who could shift into a big, huge wolf.

Merik stood and offered his hand to Crimson, who accepted the help as he stood.  “I’m happy for you, Crim.  Whoever your mate is, she’s a lucky female.”

“Aw, I’m gonna cry, this is so sweet.”  Riyad said as he made a face.

“You’re gonna get your ass beat if you don’t stop being such a smart ass,” Merik said.

Crimson laughed as the two began to swing lazily at each other and steered clear of their fists as he gathered his things to head home.  Each day that passed brought him closer to spelling for his truemate.  Riyad and Merik were right in some ways that he had changed over the last few weeks.  He’d been obsessed with living up to his father’s legend to the exclusion of all else, even his own happiness.  He’d been content, but he hadn’t been truly happy.  Something had been missing, and he’d tried to fill the emptiness with service and training, but it hadn’t worked.  There was something very freeing about his decision to spell for his truemate, and he was glad he wasn’t waiting any longer.

* * * * *

Riyad looked at the leather bag that Crimson packed.  “You sure this is a good idea?”

“Definitely,” he answered, folding a shirt and tucking it inside.  After almost a month of preparing to spell for his truemate, he had come to the conclusion that it was well past time for him to settle down and start a family.  Yes, he enjoyed living alone, coming and going as he pleased, but he didn’t enjoy it so much that he would not take the opportunity to find his truemate.  Since he’d been thinking about finding his mate, the house had begun to feel empty, and, in spite of his friends, he found himself feeling lonely.

“What did you do to get your mother to back off while you’re gone?”  Riyad plopped down on the freshly made bed, and Crimson growled at him until he got up.  No one was getting on that bed until he and his new mate came back to christen the room.  And every other room in the house.

“I told her I was really busy with training exercises for the first few weeks of the month, and then yesterday I sent her to the spa for a week with a few of her pals and said it was an early birthday gift.”

“She bought that?”

“I don’t know if she really bought it or not, but she was too giddy with the thought of going to the spa to really question me.”  There was a good chance that when his mother got back from her trip to the spa, if he hadn’t already returned with his mate, that she would try to cause trouble, but there was really nothing she could do once he spelled for his mate.  The truemate bond was sacred.

Closing the bag, he looked around the room to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything he’d planned to take along.  Satisfied, he walked with Riyad out into the main room.  His dwelling, like most in the Homelna Glen, was made of the slate colored stones found in the mountains.  He’d grown up in the Ulnait Glen, but when he’d turned eighteen, he moved away from his parents’ home and into Homelna, which was where the army mainly called home.  It was well known as a soldiers’ glen, where retired and active members built their homes by hand with the help of their fellow warriors.  The military compound was in the center of town, along with market stalls where food and goods were sold and a tavern where they gathered to tell war stories and drink.

He walked out into the backyard where lush
givenon
trees shaded the stone walkway that led to his private fae ring.  “Keep an eye on the house for me, but don’t even think about touching anything.”

He gave Riyad a good, hard glare, and his friend chuckled and put up his hands in surrender.  “I swear on my mother’s favorite hen that I will not set foot in your house.  But if you die on your quest to find your truemate, can I have your stuff?”

He slugged Riyad in the shoulder.  “You should try being serious, Riyad.  Maybe you’d find your own truemate.”

Riyad gestured at himself.  “And deny the female population of our realm the joy of my incredible body?  That hardly seems fair.”

He gave him a shove on the shoulder, and Riyad left with a wave and a loud laugh.

Kneeling down in front of the portal, he set his bag down next to him and closed his eyes, trying to calm his beast.  With each day that drew them closer to the full moon, his beast had been practically clawing him from the inside to find her.  He readied the portal so that when he spelled for his truemate he would be able to be taken wherever she might be.  As a wulfen, he was more powerful in some ways than other fae, and with his truemate spell, he would be able to go very close to where she would actually be.  Most fae, when they spelled, would be taken to the same realm but might not be anywhere near their mate and would have to search.

He didn’t know why it was that way, but figured it was just nature’s way of making sure the warriors of their people didn’t spend ages trying to find their one perfect mate.  Now that he was ready to find his mate, he certainly hoped she was ready for him.

He took in a breath to begin the spell but paused.  It was entirely possible that the truemate spell would lead him to a fae within his own realm or one living in the Mortal Realm.  Because he never felt connected to a female fae in his realm, he believed that his truemate was not within the Fae Realm, but it was possible that his truemate might be a fae.  Some fae didn’t care for
wulfen
like himself, believing them to be little more than their beasts.  He was one of only two
wulfen
living in the Fae Realm. 
Wulfen
were so rare they were revered as much as they were feared.  His truemate could be any kind of shifter or even human and might be terrified of his shifted form or even his white wings.  His wolf shift was much larger than the Mortal Realm’s werewolves.  Frowning deeply, he didn’t know what he would do if his mate was afraid of him.

Shaking his head, he banished the dark thoughts.  If she was afraid of him, then he would seduce her so thoroughly that she wouldn’t care if he changed into a horn-toed
wollbeast
.