The Mating (The original Law of the Lycans story)

Chapter 5

Carrie shook her head in exasperation. "Elise, can you go fetch the men from the office? Knowing them and how they get so involved in what they're doing, they'll never come out on their own."

"Okay. Can you point me in the right direction?" She wasn't too keen on searching out the group—more wandering around on her own in 'foreign' territory—but she didn't want to refuse and seem weak.

Helen gasped. "You mean Kane hasn't even shown you around the house yet?"

Embarrassed, Elise shrugged and shoved her hands in her pockets. "He planned to but..."

"That man! It's ridiculous how tied up in his work he gets. I'll have to have a word or two with him about how to treat a mate!" Helen pursed her lips and looked thoroughly exasperated.

"It's all right." Elise tried to smooth things over. The freedom with which Helen was expressing her feelings about Kane seemed strange; her father would never have tolerated that. Of course, Kane wasn't around to hear, so perhaps that explained things.

"No, it's not. He has a mate now and he has obligations to you. Come on, I'll give you a quick tour and then we'll collect the men." Helen took her by the arm and led her from the kitchen. Glancing back over her shoulder, Elise looked at Carrie who shrugged and rolled her eyes obviously used to Helen's ways. As she followed the grey-haired woman down the hall, Elise supposed that after years of being the Alpha's mate Helen was used to taking charge of certain things around the house. After all, it had been her home for quite a few years and suddenly being demoted would be a hard mental shift to take.

Elise saw the laundry room, spare bath, living room, dining room, recreation area and the guest rooms. John and Carrie's quarters were pointed out, as were Helen's own suite of rooms. The whole house reflected the pride that Helen took in her role. Every room was immaculate, cheery, and welcoming. Too bad it didn't smell right. The scent of foreign wolves assaulted Elise's nostrils as she went from room to room and it made her feel edgy, as if danger was lurking just around the corner. How long it would be before her scent mixed with theirs and she would finally be able to relax?.

Eventually they reached the offices, which turned out to be behind the closed doors that Elise had seen from the front foyer. Helen knocked and then entered without waiting for an invitation, shooing the men out with threats of no dinner if they didn't hustle. Kane was the last to exit and Helen grabbed him by the arm and began to scold him for his neglect. Surprisingly, Kane listened respectfully and then thanked Helen for her opinion. Elise watched the exchange, barely holding back a gasp when he winked at her over Helen's head, then grinned and made a face.

As they turned to walk down the hallway to the dining area, Kane whispered in her ear. "Helen thinks she's everyone's mother and can't resist pointing out the error of our ways. She means well and she was right. I was caught up in something, but it was no excuse for ignoring you on your first day. I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?"

Elise nodded, taken aback at his admission. Her father never would have done that. Kane gave her a quick kiss, grabbed her hand, and hurried her down the hall. "Carrie and Helen are great cooks. I can't wait to see what they've concocted for us tonight."

The meal was pleasant, with general conversation. Elise mostly listened, trying to absorb as much information about her new pack as possible. It was just the five of them at the table tonight. Had the others stayed away because of her? At her old home, there'd always been extra people for dinner. She couldn't remember how many times she'd been sent to count noses, so they'd know how many plates to set out. Was this pack not as close-knit?

As if reading her mind, John explained. "I told everyone to stay away tonight. Since it's your first day, I thought you might find it a bit overwhelming to have everyone here. With only four new faces, you can sort of ease into things."