Bound to My Mate Ch. 20

"You're...aroused," she said softly glancing down at Paul's bobbing erection.

"All for you, beautiful girl. I've never seen a creature so alluring. I promise I'll bring you pleasure, all that you can stand," Paul whispered leaning closer to Donna.

He wanted to scent her, but he didn't want to piss of the large Alpha next to her. Donna had been hanging out with us enough to know what Paul was trying to do. She tilted her head to the right to open her neck up to his exploration.

Joel took that as a sign she was no longer afraid and stepped back. When he shifted to his human form I passed him the pair of sweats Emily had brought.

"Luna, I hope it's not like this every time," Joel said.

Cedric grunted in response.

"So," Joel said crossing his arms and watching the other Alpha, "how are we going to do this?"

I stood confused for a moment before I understood. Were we losing our female or was Cedric losing a Beta?

"You already have my son for now, Joel," Cedric chided, "I'd prefer to keep at least a few of my strongest at home."

"Thought he was being demoted. I could use a guy to clean the windows," Joel said cooly appraising the male slowly licking up Donna's neck.

The guy was built like a rock. Joel didn't want him to clean windows that was for sure. He'd make a fine addition to the warriors.

"Patience, young man," Cedric said to Joel and I stifled a laugh, "this little mating dance isn't done yet. I still have six females you may gain."

"You're trading us?" Donna shrieked standing up and pointing at Joel. "You're just going to give us away?"

She was panicking now. Fear and anxiety boiled off her in waves. It was actually more than when the giant wolf leapt at her. Donna was safe in the Latro pack, she was terrified to go anywhere else.

Paul rose beside Donna. His strong arms wrapped around her and kept her steady. Paul soothed her and he turned Donna's body toward him. Her accusatory gaze stayed on Joel, though.

"We will discuss it with you, child," Cedric said moving cautiously forward.

Tears ran in rivers down her face and Donna looked crushed. I hadn't seen her this defeated since the day we took her in. Her broken sobs were wrenching.

"You aren't being abandoned," Paul said wiping the tears with his thumb. "You have me. No one will ever hurt you again. Come on, my brave beautiful girl, don't be afraid."

"You don't even know my name," she sobbed pushing at his chest.

Paul didn't let her go and smiled instead, "Tell me your name."

"Donna Marie McCalister," she said formally, now alternating between watching Cedric and Joel.

"Paul Adams of the Benson pack, very pleased to meet you," he said kissing the top of her head. "You have to at least come visit my family," Paul said throwing a glance to Cedric. "My sisters will want to meet you. My mother will love you. Please, don't decide you don't like us yet."

"I have no family to introduce you to," she said dully watching the ground. "I am a dead woman, at least according to the papers."

"We will share family then, Donna Marie," Paul crooned stroking her back. "The women in my family will all side with you in any argument, I am sure. They never agree with me. They will love you unconditionally. It will not replace all you have lost, but I will give you all I have. Please, give us a chance."

Donna pressed her face into Paul's chest and shook her head yes. Cedric smiled at Paul and nodded. Evidently Cedric had been through this before and had trained his Betas the way to talk to the victims.

Emily reappeared and I asked her to find a room for Paul and Donna. Donna's room in the infirmary was too busy a place for a soon to be mated couple. I wanted them put somewhere close to the rest of the Benson pack. My gut told me we weren't gaining that Beta.

I was just wondering where Will and Dia were. It was odd that Will had not come out to meet his father. That mystery was solved as soon as we walked in the den.

Will looked absolutely exasperated and stood at an entrance to the hallway under the stairs. It led to a small series of rooms that was infrequently used. Dia stood behind Will, ready to jump behind the door and close off that section of the den.

"Dad, nice to see you. Please promise my mate you won't hurt her and you don't demand payment for the theft at our den," Will said in a bored tone.

Cedric grinned and stepped toward them. Feeling a little silly, I got in front of him and spoke with authority.

"Dia, your son's mate, has requested the Latro pack protect her. We have sworn to do that to the best of our abilities. Please state whether you wish to harm this human, she is under our protection," I said hoping my little show would make Dia come out and play nice.

Cedric's grin got bigger watching me. I guessed he was old enough all this chest puffing seemed kind of silly.

"The Benson pack does not demand any retribution from the human that stole from us. I will not punish her or allow any harm to come to her. The human is not in danger, you have my word, Madam Alpha," Cedric said formally.

I watched Cedric's face and his eyes were twinkling merrily. Will's father had a much better sense of humor than Will had, this was funny to him. I wished I could tell Dia that.

A piece of paper with keys taped to it hit the marble floor and slid to Cedric's feet.

"Title to my truck and the keys, they are yours, Alpha Benson. It's the best payment I can offer you," Dia said still behind Will.

Cedric picked up the package and looked it over. "I had been told your mate was something of a hell raiser. Have you lied to me son?" Cedric asked still smiling.

"I'm not an idiot," Dia said pushing past Will. "I've seen what angry wolves do to humans that attack their dens."

Dia's eyes were blazing, but the dark circles underneath told me she hadn't been sleeping well. Poor girl honestly believed Will's family would hurt her. It explained the completely out of character cowering she had been doing.

"Ah," Cedric said striding forward and taking her head in his hands, "I see the stress marring your features, child. This isn't good for you. An Alpha's word is their bond. You have been offered protection by both our packs, you will not be harmed. Come to my rooms. There is a tea my mother used to make. It will relax you."

I looked at Joel with raised eyebrow as Cedric lead Dia up the stairs with an arm around her waist. He was still chatting away about the marvelous tea he would make her. He seemed to know exactly where he was going.

"There is a set of rooms for visiting Alpha's. Cedric has stayed there before," Joel said watching them go.

Will passed by Joel following his dad and Joel grabbed his arm.

"You must impress upon her that what I did was wrong," Joel said, "she still believes an Alpha will lie to her. When you all take your parent's place, she must understand the correct way to act."

"Yes, Alpha Latro," Will said automatically.

Joel kept his hold on Will's arm and they didn't break their gaze. Will sighed and said what had been on his mind.

"She wasn't ever honest with anyone about anything. She found our ways refreshing. Dia respected our culture. What you did, it blew her expectations away. I don't know how to fix it," Will said looking the way his mate had gone.

"Your father is a fresh face for Dia. Perhaps a fresh start," Joel sighed, "I will talk with him."

"Dad will fix this," Will said with conviction. "He has been around a long time and has a great deal of practice. I trust he will know what to say."

Joel released Will to follow his father.

"Perhaps it would be better for Dia if I sent them home with Cedric," he said leading me to our rooms. "Despite Will's conviction he is learning here, his mate doesn't feel safe with us."

We got our answer to Joel's question at dinner. It was a private affair tonight held in one of the smaller dining rooms. Joel and I were breaking bread with Cedric's pack and the human females.

The hall we were in was still fairly sizable. The women were seated together along a large table. Most of Cedric's Betas sat at another table. Cedric, Will, Dia, Joel, and I sat at our own smaller table.

"What do you plan to have my Dia do after she is changed?" Cedric asked Joel.

The phrasing was surprising, Cedric claimed Dia and was leaving her here. Joel didn't answer quickly enough and Cedric went on to explain Dia was bored just hanging out at the den. She needed something to do. His bright expectant eyes held Joel's for an uncomfortably long length of time.

Joel spoke finally, "You know what I own Cedric. The business at the docks, the hotel, a new clothing venture, and several restaurants."

"Perhaps the local college has a place for her," Cedric said happily. "None of what you offer could sate my girl's creative spirit."

"I have contacts," Joel said slowly. "I'm sure I could get her placed in the next semester's classes."

"Good, good," Cedric said patting Dia's arm, "you choose whatever you want to study my girl. The bill goes to me, of course. It will give Will time to finish his studies, too. The boy has to get that degree finished."

Dia smiled at Cedric and looked warily over at us. I didn't get the feeling she wanted to stay. She trusted Alpha Cedric Benson, she'd obviously prefer to be with him. It just wasn't the appropriate time to talk about it.

Instead of focusing on them, I watched Donna and Paul. He was eating at the table with the human females. The women from the Benson back all seemed at ease around him. Our women had initially looked leery of him, but warmed up quickly. I hoped he would be good for Donna.

"Elizabeth," Cedric said bringing me back to the conversation, "I take it you have not been to one of these events we will have tomorrow."

"No," I told him shaking my head, "I've never been to one."

"They are a strange occurrence," he said dropping his tone so no one past our table could hear us. "We cannot simply parade the poor women past your eligible bachelors without making them feel like meat."

"Oh, no that would be bad," I said suddenly realizing I had left the planning of what was probably a delicate event to Emily, who was younger than I was.

"What we usually do is pretend it is a social gathering. We send in ten or twenty men at a time to have some punch and cookies with the available ladies. As one leaves, another is admitted. The humans find it acceptable and the wolves tolerate the experience. How have you planned it?" he grinned.

'JOEL,' I shouted through our bond, 'I have no idea what Emily planned.'

Oh god, had Emily planned a meat market? Were we about to be embarrassed in front of this old Alpha? My heart fluttered thinking about it.

Cedric just continued to smile watching me.

"Cedric," Joel sighed, "don't panic my mate for fun. She is still new to this. Love," he said addressing me, "Emily called the other packs and we are all doing this the same way. That's how she set it up."

"Oh, good," I said feeling relieved, "but apparently I should have already known that."

"Don't let dad get you down, Madam Alpha," Will cut in eyeing his father ruefully, "he's just good pointing out a person's perceived deficiencies. My mother probably noted you never called them about the arrangements, only Emily did."

"No, no," I argued, "he makes a valid point. I should pay more attention to how things work."

"You are the Alpha bitch," Cedric said nodding. "It is your job to know what is going on at all times. The more attention you pay to what's going on around you, the less mistakes you will make that must be fixed later," he said eyeing Joel critically.

"Hard to miss that one, dad," Will said staring at his plate. "Be a little more obvious next time and just call Alpha Latro down to his own circle."

I looked between my dinner companions and wasn't sure what was going on. Will looked like a petulant child, Cedric looked calm, Dia looked confused, and Joel looked contrite.

"Dia," Joel said looking over at her, "I owe you an apology I know you are not ready to accept. I never should have forced you to stay with us. Beyond that, threatening to harm you was beyond reprehensible. That is not how I was raised, which Cedric knows, and it is not how I usually act. I feel great remorse and hope one day you will forgive me."

"Thank you, Alpha Latro," Dia said reflexively, "I forg-"

Cedric cut her off with a wave of his hand. "My dear, I highly doubt this is the one day Joel was referring to. When you truly understand what happened that day, you may forgive him, not a moment before."

Dia hated being babied. She was irritated with Cedric's assessment that she couldn't figure this out on her own and it showed.

"Alpha Benson," she said formally, "I am well versed in what a mistake is. I have made plenty of them. That day Alpha Latro was upset because the source had been in this town the whole time. I would have been upset, too, if someone dropped that "package" off at my door and refused to explain it. Hell, I might've gone back on my word and made them stay."

"An Alpha's word is their bond, my dear. It is a sacred-"

Dia cut him off this time. Her voice was raising and the human women were openly staring at us. Cedric's Betas were trying hard to ignore us.

"It wasn't completely a mistake. If I had left and the witches had lived through the night, they would have hunted me down. Will was right, they would have found me," she huffed breathing hard and watching Cedric warily.

"And threatening to torture you?" Cedric pushed watching her squirm.

"That was a...bad thing, a desperate act. I can understand why he wanted the information quickly. The witches would have declared war on this pack when they found out Alpha Latro destroyed their money maker," Dia said.

"That was a mistake, then," Cedric clarified.

"Yes, a mistake and I understand why he made it. Desperation to save his family drove him to do it. It's the reason everyone feels safe here. The Alpha would do anything to protect them, even if it shames him," Dia said.

"Ah, is that how it works?" Cedric asked taking a sip of his wine.

"Nobody is perfect all the time Alpha Benson. Circumstances drive us to what we have to for survival," Dia said.

"Call me Cedric, Dia. You must understand, an Alpha's life is different. We are defined by our choices. The whole of our society is defined by our choices," Cedric said smiling.

"Then make the best choices you can, but don't expect perfection. Life isn't like that," Dia said gulping from her glass and slamming it back down.

"Interesting perspective," Cedric said tasting the vegetable medley on his plate.

Dia stabbed angrily at the food in front of her. Watching her I was sure she wasn't far from storming off. What I wasn't sure of was who she was more angry at: Cedric, Joel, or herself.

Cedric grinned, quite satisfied with the way the conversation had turned out. I was torn with whether he was trying to force Dia to consider forgiveness or chastise Joel for a bad decision. Really, it could have gone either way.

When Joel and I climbed the stairs after our nightly run, I was glad to see the bedroom. This day had been stressful and annoying. If anyone came to our door tonight I was tempted to pretend we weren't home.

"Cedric is...," I whispered to Joel when we curled up together under the blankets. I couldn't find the word to describe him.

"A good Alpha," Joel chuckled, "always in control and always teaching. He was my father's friend. Cedric swore to me he would do whatever he could to help me when I became Alpha. At the time I was powerful, but too young and inexperienced."

"Who was he teaching today?" I asked sitting up.

"All of us," Joel grinned crossing his arms behind his head. "Dia needs to learn how to be a fair and respectable Alpha, capable of both anger and forgiveness. You need to be more involved with certain things and I need to control my temper better."

"You don't mind him calling you out like that, in front of everyone?" I asked.

I'd never seen Joel talked to like that by anyone.

"Cedric is my mentor, he'll probably always reserve the right to talk to me like that. It's one of the prices I pay to have the knowledge and wisdom he has gained over the years at my disposal," Joel shrugged.

"So, not even a little irritation?" I fumed.

"Are you mad he called you out, love?" Joel laughed watching me.

I watched him through narrowed eyes. Yes, I was upset another Alpha had noticed I hadn't been up to speed. Being knee deep in guts down in the infirmary was preferable to the boring things I had Emily do for me. I breezed past the mechanics of pack management because Joel and Emily did most of it.

"Maybe," I equivocated instead.

"Meaning, yes," Joel said rolling to face me.

"Fine, yes," I frumped laying down and pulling the covers up to my chin.

"I'd love it if you willingly spent time with me in pack meetings," Joel said softly watching my eyes. "I like having you near me. Your ideas are always novel and I enjoy listening to them. I know you don't like the meetings, though."

My hand went out to trace the line of Joel's cheek. I had hoped he didn't notice I avoided meetings with a passion.

"I'll be better, Joel," I whispered as his lips brushed mine.

"I know, my love," he said pulling me so we snuggled together, "we both will."

The next day dawned and I was anxious as soon as I opened my eyes. After seeing Paul's reaction to Donna the day before, I was nervous to see what would happen when we paraded our men past these women. Hopefully, it would not turn into a huge fight.

Seeing the worry on my face as we dressed, Joel consoled me.

"Love, we've done this before. We just weren't this formal about it. When we brought the women into the den initially, there was a risk. It's why we had them dine with the pack. A wolf finding its mate doesn't have to be violent."

"Quit changing your story," I fumed, "yesterday you said you wanted to kidnap me from dinner that first night. I'm just nervous we're going to have to take down some raging wolf...again."

"I know Paul," Joel laughed, "he's always been full of energy. I believe him when he says he'd given up on mating. His wolf just lost control momentarily. He never would have hurt Donna, though. Probably knocked her down and smelled her hard-"

I cut him off with a sharp sound. "Humans are fragile creatures Joel. The wrong move, even a slight one with enough force, could kill. I'm just nervous about it is all. The pack is all wound up about this."

"I'll talk to the pack again," Joel promised kissing my head. "We will remind them this morning how important their control is."

Joel and I took our breakfast with the pack in the main dining hall. The Benson pack and the humans ate in a smaller hall. The meet and greet would start about ten and last until it was done. At breakfast, Joel addressed the pack again warned them to be careful. They seemed to take his warning seriously.

The pack was all excited and we ate in mostly silence, which was strange. When Paul, Cedric's Beta, came into the room the small amount of conversation died. Everyone watched as he came toward Joel and I.

Paul walked with the easy gait of a powerful man. His face carried a small smile as though his appearance in the hall was completely normal. As he approached closer I could see the tension around his eyes, something had happened.

Joel rose and I followed him. We stepped into the food preparation area and Joel ordered everyone out. Paul stepped through the door and closed it before bowing his head to Joel.

"Speak freely, Paul," Joel commanded.

"Alpha Latro, one of the females became upset this morning. The other women did not tell us because they feared we would lock her in a room in the infirmary. She hung herself from a fan in the room she was staying in," he said bluntly.