Wolf in Red Ch. 02

Ashleigh couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something bad was about to happen. It had started when she knocked on her grandmothers door and it opened by a mouth watering member of the male species. Her grandmother had company over from time to time, but no one around her age and no one that she had ever had any sort of attraction to. It disturbed her that a few moments in his company and she got the feeling she was was being covertly observed. Sort of like when she was at work, with her hand in the biscuit jar and all the dogs start staring at her to jedi mind trick her into giving them the treat.

Ashleigh walked into the kitchen and put the flowers down on the cool creamy tiled counter tops, and opened the honey colored kitchen cabinets next to the sink and pulled out a vase off of the bottom shelf. Ashleigh could feel their eyes watching her moments. With a well practiced hand she dropped the bouquet of flowers into the vase and quickly filled it about half way up with water from the tap. Turning around, Ashleigh noted that Wade was seated in on of the kitchen chairs, trying to look relaxed. Her grandmother sat with her fingers interlaced, looking expectantly at Ashleigh to sit down. Resisting the urge to sigh, she placed the vase of flowers in the middle of the large kitchen table and took a place at the table. Silence was thick around the table.

"I'll start the kettle for the tea," said Ashleigh, trying to buy herself some time before sitting down at the table. Plucking the copper kettle off of the stove, she filled it three quarters of the way from the tap, and set the kettle on the stove. Turning the gas stove on, she set it to a medium flame, to hopefully speed up the processes with out it being obvious. The entire time, she could feel her grandmother watching her along with Wade. Holding back a sigh, she sat slowly down in the kitchen chair and waited.

"I am sure that you are wondering as to why Wade is here," said Lady Leona smoothly, ignoring the silence. Wade straightened up in the chair he was lounging in, since the focus seemed to have turned to him. Ashleigh darted her eyes quickly to him, to find him watching her, and then back to her grandmother.

"I am sure that you have many friends, and it is not my business to inquire about your choice of company," replied Ashleigh trying to side step the issue, because she could feel her stomach dropping at the grandmothers inquiry. What ever was going to happen next, it was going to be bad. Ashleigh could feel it.

"I do have many friends and have a deep appreciation for your restraint. Wade is not here for me, my dear, he is here for you," said Lady Leona. Her voice was cool and well modulated, and for a moment, Ashleigh had hoped that she had miss heard her grandmother. It took her a moment to remind her lungs that she needed to breathe. Ashleigh glanced at Wade, he was sitting straight up and watching her and waiting for some sort of reaction. If anything, Ashleigh prided herself on not being a drama queen, she was not going to give either one of them a reaction that she figured they would want from such a statement.

"Wade, you will have to forgive me, but I seem to be at a loss to what exactly you are here for, would you care to fill me in," said Ashleigh. Ice dripped from her voice.

"There is no need to be uncivil," said Lady Leona, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"I don't see how me asking a teeny tiny question would be considered uncivil, if he is here for me, then I am sure that he would have not problem expanding upon that. I really am not all that fond of guessing games," Ashleigh replied in a tight cool voice. As equally tight smile plastered onto her face as she looked at Wade expectantly.

"I...am here to be your mate," said Wade as if each word was being pulled out of him by pliers. Ashleigh was not quite sure what to say. Mate. Deciding to be quiet to see if he said anything else, she sat back and watched him for a moment. In her opinion Wade looked like he wanted to be any where but at that table with her and her grandmother. She wasn't sure exactly what he had meant by mate, but it didn't seem like it was something he felt he had a choice about.

"Thank you for your offer to be my friend, it is very kind of you, but I can tell that you are not comfortable with the idea of being my friend, so I am going to have to decline your offer," said Ashleigh frowning. She noticed how her grandmothers eyes were practically glittering with humor. Wade had gone pale at her words and was looking directly at her grandmother for guidance or perhaps and early escape.

" Well, as amusing as it is to watch Wade squirm, I am afraid that you misunderstood what he was saying, the tea kettle is about to go off. Be a dear and finish making the tea. I will explain everything to you when you are done" said Lady Leona. Ashleigh looked at her grandmother for a moment and wondered exactly if she wanted to know what this was all about. Half a second later the whistle on the tea pot started to scream. Standing up, she turned off the burner and opened the lid of the kettle. Pulling the tea out of a tin on the counter counted out tea bags and placed them in the hot water so that they could start to seep. Pulling a delicate blue sugar bowl with yellow flowers painted on the lid, out of the cabinet she set it on the table in front of Wade. If Ashleigh was a betting girl, she figured, he would be putting several scoops of sugar in his tea. He just seemed the type to have a sweet tooth. He looked up at her blankly and opened the lid the sugar bowl to see what was in it. Perfectly square white sugar cubes sat in the delicate blue dish. Ashleigh wanted to laugh at his confusion. It became obvious to her that he had never had tea with her grandmother before. Biting back a smile, she pulled matching tea cups and sauces out of the cabinet and sat them on the table. Pulling a tea pot out of the cabinet, she set it on the table. She could feel Wade's eyes watch her as she poured the hot liquid from the kettle in the the tea pot for serving. Setting the kettle back on the stove, she moved the tea pot to the table and poured tea for every one. Sitting back with a hot cup of tea in her hand Ashleigh waited. She was promised answers and she was going to get them.

*****

Wade shifted in his chair and tried to count the petals on some of flowers in the vase. This day was getting weirder and weirder for him. He had been called to the Alpha's house on an urgent matter, told that he was going to mate her grand daughter, rejected by said grand daughter and now was sitting at the table drinking afternoon tea as if he was a little old lady. He wanted to feel relief over not having to mate so soon, but he also felt a little bummed that Ashleigh didn't even want to give him the time of day. It didn't help that he hated tea. It didn't matter how much sugar he put in it, it still tasted bitter to him.

"What Wade so eloquently said, was that he wants to mate with you. While I am sure that it would be a benefit to be friends first it is not entirely necessary. Friendship can be developed," said Lady Leona.

"Ah. So he wants to mate with me... That clears up nothing. What does that exactly mean," said Ashleigh. Wade wasn't sure what to do. He was not sure if she was being difficult or being dense. He could tell she was getting frustrated with this conversation. In truth, he was to a bit. It seemed like there was a lot of tip toeing around something, and he was not entirely sure what it was.

"You work at a shelter and you don't know what mating means?" asked Lady Leona. He saw Ashleigh color up, her cheek darken in embarrassment.

"I don't see what that has to do with me," said Ashleigh, Wade could hear the tightness in her voice. He noticed that she seemed to have death grip in the delicate handle of her tea cup.

"I will lay all the cards on the table, since it seems that Suzanna has not quite been doing her job," said Lady Leona in a huff. Wade turned and looked Lady Leona. He saw sadness and pity fill her eyes, before she started again.

"I believe that you are a Latent Were. Latent Were's only come into their own when they mate. Therefore as Alpha, I have taken it upon myself to find you a suitable mate. Wade is to be your mate. Once you come into your own, I will be training you to take over as Alpha." said Lady Leona. Wade watched her sip her tea calmly.

He couldn't believe it. He was going to be mated to the future Alpha. What a beautiful future that was. He was going to be top of the pack with her. Making all the big decisions. He mind swam with all the possibilities that the future could hold. He couldn't believe he was going to be so lucky. They would have to have pups. Reeling his thoughts in at having pups, he looked at Ashleigh. Her face was a shuttered mask. She was extremely still. Some thing was wrong. Very wrong.

"Latent Were. Were as in werewolf?" said Ashleigh softly. Wade could feel a tension building in the room again. It confused him. Why would something so simple as what they are be and issue?

"Yes, Latent Were's or Werewolves are Were's that do not change. Regular Were's change into wolves, and start doing so around the time they are four or five. Most Latents catch up to regular Were's when they mate, you have never mated, so you have never changed," said Lady Leona.

"How come this is the first that I am hear about this," said Ashleigh. Wade felt as if the other shoe just dropped. The silence in the room as thick and heavy as the sun was high. He couldn't help himself, he needed to ask the question that was tapping at the back of his mind, begging to be asked.

"Has any on ever talked to you about Werewolves," said Wade. He had a feeling he knew what the answer was, but he just wanted to be sure. He could feel the anger building up in Ashleigh.

"This is the first and if it weren't for the fact that I know my grandmother is an honest woman, I would think that you are both lying to me. There are no werewolves. I am not a werewolf and there is no way that either on of you are werewolves, so there has to be an explanation to all of this," said Ashleigh. Wade could hear a little bit of a tremor in her voice. He was not sure if it was fear or if it was anger that was causing her voice to tremble. The sugary tea in his tea he had gulped down was making him all jittery with anticipation.

"I was afraid of this, I told Suzanna to protect you until you came of age and it looks like she did it a little too well," said Lady Leona with a small sigh.

"What does Suzanna have to do with this," asked Ashleigh.

"Suzanna is your guardian, after your mother died, she was assigned to protect you until you matured. It seems that her way of protecting you was to leave you ignorant of everything," said Lady Leona.

"So... I don't know if I can believe all of this. You are telling me that I am a werewolf and that you are a werewolf, and he is werewolf and that Suzanna is a werewolf, and...." sputtered Ashleigh.

"Wade, please change. Let Ashleigh see your wolf. That should make things easier," said Lady Leona. Wade thought he was going to panic. Or perhaps Ashleigh was going to panic. He had not expected this turn of events.

"Uh..."started Wade.

"Now." said Lady Leona, there was death dripping from her voice if he did not comply. He did not want to die today. Bowing his head in submission, he started to slide out of some of his cloths. He did not have spare clothing at the Alpha's house and still wanted to be able to go home on two legs. Taking his shoes off he, pulled his socks off and set them on the chair bottom. Sliding out of his pants he folded them and set them on the chair, next came the shirt. Standing in nothing but his boxers, he looked up at Ashleigh. Her face was bright red and she was trying not to look at his boxers. Smiling slightly, he called forth his wolf and shifted. The boxers ripped and fell to the ground. Sitting on the floor was a large brown wolf. A clatter of a chair falling to the ground as Ashleigh rushed to stand up, had him growling and some of his hair standing on end. Realizing there was no real danger , he settled down and watched Ashleigh as she watched him.

A moment later Ashleigh had walked out of the back door with out saying a word. Wade was confused. He wanted to follow her, but he also knew that he had to wait for the Alpha to indicate it was alright.