The Mating Game

A Woman Now

A/N: No editing has been done. I thought I would get this out sooner...sorry guys.

The Mating Game

                  

Chapter Thirteen

---------------

Bailey was sure Howl was tired of the constant state of blue balls he'd been in the past three days. She was surprised he hadn't really tried anything on her. She felt guilty being that she became obsessed with his excellent mouth skills, yet didn't have the courage to start any form of actual penetration with him. If he was giving her time to actually give into sex then she was all for it.

They'd just finished one of their 'sessions', which lead Howl to a cold shower, when the doorbell rang.

A door bell ringing was not really odd, but it was in this case. Everyone decided to leave the newly mated couple to do some 'nesting'. No one would be bold enough to interrupt the initial days new mates spent together.

When two individuals mated they tended to separate themselves from their pack in order to have privacy when completing the bond. It was meant to be a special occasion for the two. It wasn't exactly normal for a couple to take as long to complete their mating as Bailey and Howl, but she was absolutely sure no one would interrupt and if they did it had to be something extremely important.

Bailey felt bad for leaving Howl hanging so she decided she would handle the guest. She quickly slipped her clothes back on and bounded down the stairs in record time. For some reason she didn't want anyone to think they were just having sex, even though that would naturally be assumed anyway.

If it were anyone but Howl whose house she was staying in she wouldn't be so quick to answer the door. But being that she was his mate she figured she needed to get comfortable. That meant meeting his friends, pack, and learning to work around everything within his life.

Bailey almost lost her nerve when her palm wrapped around the door handle, who was she to be answering his door? What if it was someone important? What kind of faces should she make? What should she say? Would they judge her?  Before she could chicken out she quickly pulled the door with a big smile on her face. The smile didn't feel very real, it was too big. When she greeted her father's guest she didn't greet them in that way. God why was she so nervous?

"Hell-," Bailey's words faltered at the face that greeted her on the other side of the door, "-lo?"

Bailey mentally face-palmed herself. She had to stop being so nervous. Whenever she was nervous she didn't tap into her senses as well as she was capable of. Hell if her mind was right she wouldn't have been so shocked by Ann standing there. She would have smelled her. She was in close combat with the woman of course she knew her scent.

Before Ann could answer her Bailey quickly rounded on her, "What are you doing here?"

She felt a bit disrespected by Ann. Ann knew how special a mating was, she certainly shouldn't have interrupted their time. Especially when she was one of the women who were after her mate in the challenge.

"Where's Howl?" Ann deadpanned. Her voice was stripped of emotion and her face blank. It wasn't typical Ann behavior, the woman was feisty. There was no way she would sense the attitude rolling off of Bailey and not comment on it. The blank look in her eyes and the withdrawn monotone Ann had unnerved Bailey.

Bailey couldn't help but wonder what the hell was roaming through the woman's mind?

"He's busy. You should leave."

Ann's eyes finally narrowed into small slits at the blatant lie that rolled off of Bailey's lips, "Get him now. I don't have time for your childish games."