Glossary:

a' mhammaidh (a vammay) - mummy
uilebheist beag (oolivisht beck) - little monster

Chapter 33: A Day’s Work
~

Watching Ebbe wander around my room naked in the orange glow of rising sun was a view I could get used to. The light caught the shades of brown in his hair, and brought a warm glow to the darker tones of his skin. I must have looked like a ghost standing next to this male. A short ghost. My lips twitched as I propped my head on my hand.

I watched him pause at every childhood photo and worn knick-knack that he’d intently study, asking questions every now and again about them. Not that I was paying much attention to what he was doing, too caught up in a study of my own; the ripple of muscle as he moved, the paler scars crisscrossing his back, most his ass whenever his back was to me. It wasn’t the warmth of the sun that heated my skin, and caused the throbbing between my thighs.

Ebbe inhaled deeply, his head cocking towards me so I caught a glimpse of a smirk on his face before he carried on browsing through my DVD’s, even though I wasn’t sure he knew what they were.

Tease.

His fingers trailed along the spines of my books before he paused at desk beneath the window. Coloured pencils and old paints lay abandoned, and I held my breath as he rifled through one of my sketchbooks. My drawings were different from the artwork of the Norse Pack and I wondered what he’d make of the messy art made by an angsty teenage she-wolf.

“These are good,” he complimented, awe coating his tone while he flicked through. “The birds look like they’re flying.”

My cheeks heated with a shy smile. “Thank you. Birds were always my favourite, mostly because it’s all I could really draw well.”

Turning with a grin, he tipped his head in that puplike way. “Will you draw me?”

I laughed and shook my head, tugging the duvet up to my chin. “I don’t really draw anymore.”

“Why not?”

A loaded question.

Sitting up properly, I shrugged. “I don’t really remember. My lessons with dad grew few and far between, and training just became more important than art which wouldn’t help me in any way to reach my goals. I think Dad mentioned university art courses when I was preparing for my last exams at school...”

And if I remembered rightly, I’d laughed him off. Cringing internally, I hated how self-centred and standoffish I used to be. Maybe I should have gone to university and had another focus in my life.

Blue eyes watched me carefully, and I could see the slight shimmer of disappointment. With a sigh because this male was getting too good at manipulating me, I amended, “If you really want me to, I can draw you like one of my French girls.”

I laughed at my own joke while Ebbe stared at me like I’d grown two heads. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure Titanic would be the best movie to introduce him to.

“You’d probably enjoy posing in the moonlight anyway.” I muttered, my point proved when the male puffed up and grinned wide.

Rolling my eyes in fake exasperation that only made him smugger, I flung off the duvet and pushed myself to my feet.

Clothes were scattered all over the floor again, my room in desperate need of a clean. I’d worry about it later. Stretching my arms above my head to chase away the remnants of sleep, I pretended not to notice the sudden interest Ebbe had in me.
The spice of his arousal reached my nose, fuelling my own. My thighs pressed together, arms dropping to my sides as my breathing deepened and I dared to glance over at him.
Ebbe smirked, head cocking to the side but the second his mouth opened, I lifted a hand.

“Whatever smart ass comment you’re about to make, is it going to end in me jumping across the room to throttle you?”

“Throttle me?” He paused, leaning against my desk as if considering such an action before he smirked again. “I’d probably enjoy that too.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, allowing the warmth of contentment to fill me. How could one male make me feel so at ease with all the horrors that had happened?  Unfortunately, duty called with the sweet smell of pancakes drifting up from downstairs. By the end of the day, I was certain my shoulders would be tense again and my nerves frayed. I couldn’t wait for things to settle again.

Leaving Ebbe looking pleased with himself, I set about searching for clean clothes amongst the mess of my den.

“Time to get on with a day’s work then?” Ebbe pouted.

“Unfortunately,” I replied, smiling over my shoulder at him.

He was frowning down at his discarded jeans, and I slumped when I realised the problem.

“I’m sorry you have to borrow clothes. We could go shopping for something you feel comfortable in if you like? Trousers more like your used to, softer fabric with more breathing room.”

The smile he gave me lit up the room and my heart fluttered at the sight. He nodded and straightened up. “That would be nice. But won’t I look out of place?”

“Of course not,” I promised with a chuckle. “You should see some of the fashion choices humans make these days.”

He laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve never actually met a human before.”

“What?” I blanched, mouth hanging open in shock.

“I’ve walked past a few, Hagan and Dirk took me with them to trade at a village last winter, but I’ve never been truly face to face with one, or shared words with them.”

Shaking my head in amazement, I gave him a wry smile. “Well, be prepared to meet a few now you’re here. Sometimes a few manage to slip past the wards around the territory. And I’ll take you with me to shop for your clothes.”

“Wards?” he questioned, tasting the unfamiliar word.

“Our territory has become so closely intermingled with human towns and cities that it makes keeping them from noticing us a little difficult. The inner border is protected by a...” Gods how to explain this in a way he’d understand, I wondered as I tugged on a pair of ripped jeans. “A barrier made of energy. The pack have an arrangement with some local witches who created it. Invisible to the naked eye, all it really does is nudge wayward humans away. It also stops them from being able to focus on Wulvers. They could be standing at the bored opposite you and the magic would guide their eyes right over you. But sometimes one or two slip through.” 

A glimmer of excitement shone in his eyes at the prospect of coming face to face with a human, alongside a fair dose of understandable wariness. Perhaps he’d like it here more than I originally believed.

Setting about taming tangled auburn hair, I watched in the mirror as he finally conceded and got dressed too, leaving him to chew over all I’d told him.

Once we were both ready, he held his hand out for mine. I stepped forward to take it, only to hesitate. Even from my bedroom, I could hear the voices of my family drifting up from the dining room. Was now the best time to be making a show of my relationship with Ebbe? 

Clenching my jaw in determination, I shook away the remaining doubt, lifted myself tall and entwined my fingers confidently with his. We would get looks, I knew that, but it wasn’t a shudder of anxiety that shot up my spine, but a thrill of excitement.

I was about to publically - if only to family this morning – claim the male grinning down at me.

“What can I do today?” Ebbe asked as we traipsed down the stairs, giving me an earnest look. “Give me something that will take pressure off you, and your parents.”

I smiled at his want to help, squeezing his hand that bit tighter. “You could take food to Braden again for me, maybe see if you can continue to get him to open up.”

“Braden. That’s the male in the dungeon?”

I gave him a look. “It’s hardly a dungeon, Ebbe.”

“Oh? Have you ever been locked down there?” he parried, raising an eyebrow.

He had me there.

“Well. . .no.”

With an easy shrug, he left it at that and pulled me to a stop outside the dining room door. It was slightly ajar, voices and the smell of food wafting out.

Stepping close to me, he took my other hand in his as well, keeping his voice low. “I’ll make sure Braden gets fed, and I will speak with him some more too. Maybe I’ll let it slip how it’s rather enjoyable to be on your good side, Princess.”

Bristling at that damned nickname only made my male grin down at me. It faded slightly as he glanced towards the door. Without allowing either of us to overthink, I pushed the door open and stepped in with my hand still clasped firmly in Ebbe’s. His scent shifted, a subtle sourness of nerves, but my own scent was probably the same.

Conversation didn’t stop, but eyes fell to our joined hands and looks were shared around the large table. Even the pups noticed; Jamie scrunching his nose in distaste while Maebh stared up at us both with wide crystal eyes.

“Good morning,” I said steadily, taking a seat. Ebbe sat next to me, nerves replaced with confidence. Had he expected someone to outwardly challenge this?

I would need to find a way to sooth his doubts. My parents didn’t disapprove of him, or one of them would have said something by now; probably before I even left for Jakkon’s pack if I was really honest with myself.

“Good morning. Raeghan, could you go into the office once you’re finished eating and make sure we got sent the delivery times for the medical equipment, and pass it onto Sam?” Quillan asked, straight down to business for him, that in itself showed his approval. As did the hint of a smile at the edge of his lips, while Oria next to him grinned at me.

“Of course. I’ll need the password for the computer.”

Quillan grunted and handed a neon yellow sticky note to Jamie who jumped off his chair and raced around the table to give it to me.

“Thank you,” I said, leaning down to rub my cheek to his. I took the note and placed it next to my plate.
With a proud grin, he ran back. A ruffle of hair from his father set him sitting taller for achieving his small task. Ebbe chuckled quietly at the pup. I could see he and Jamie getting along.

Picking up my cutlery, I moaned at the sweetness of pancakes and sugar. I’d missed the food here so much. It was better than the plain porridge I’d gotten used to with The Norse Pack. From the way Ebbe was shovelling down bacon and egg, he agreed

“Is mum busy today?” I questioned through a mouthful of eggs. “I should fill her in on a few things with Braden, the male downstairs.”

That I’d managed to get his name gained me a few surprised glances. Had I even told anyone here what I’d found out? I’d gotten so distracted, lost in thought trying to put together the puzzle pieces of who exactly the male was. And then I’d gone to Maya’s, rushed back for tea, and then Ebbe and I had...well, made up.

“She has a few things to tend to, I’m sure, but she should be free today as I’m taking over a few of he duties. You, Quillan and Ben are doing a fine job of taking on most of the responsibilities too. She’s needed that...” Oria trailed off with a frown.

She’d noticed Mum’s odd behaviour as well then. It wasn’t until a warm hand slid under my top, calloused fingers spreading over my back, did I noticed how much I'd tensed up. Deflating, I smiled gratefully over at Ebbe, resisting the urge to sigh in content as his thumb drew soothing circles on my skin.

I opened my mouth to murmur a thanks, then with a flash of bravery decided to speak in the language Ebbe was more comfortable with.
Leaning in, I pressed my lips to his. At first, he was still, frozen in disbelief probably. It shocked me too, and by the silence around us, most of the room as well. He wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity though. He kissed me back, a gentle but soul clenching kiss.

There was an unexpected shimmer of appreciation in his eyes when I pulled back. And that made my heart sing. Filled with too many overwhelming emotions, and feeling the eyes of every grown wolf burning into me, I found it all a bit too much. Blushing beet red, I cleared my throat and reached for the coffee.

“Why is she kissing him, a mhamaidh?” Jamie whispered to Oria, who snorted a laugh and then quickly covered her mouth. Once she’d sobered up under my narrowed eyes, she patted her pup’s cheek.

“Why don’t you ask Raeghan?” she said sweetly, smiling over at me.

All eyes locked on me again, I sat straighter in my seat, avoiding the gazes of Freydis and Bjarke.  “Because...because Ebbe is my potential mate, uilebheist beag,” I stated with more confidence than I believed I had in that moment.

Without even looking over my shoulder, I knew Ebbe was preening at my declaration. Somehow, I felt his absolute delight and pleasure in my admission as if it was my own, an impossibility, surely? We weren’t bonded, yet.

“I want to tell Mum and Dad myself so please keep this quiet for now,” I pleaded, looking around the table, especially at Ben who was known for his love of gossip around the pack.
Liam chuckled and clasped his mate’s shoulder. “I’ll make sure he keeps quiet. We better get going so we can relieve Flidais and Brighid of their guard duties.”

Ben nodded and grabbed one last piece of toast to take with him. He ruffled my hair as he walked past, and Liam murmured a quiet congratulations by my ear. My face was on fire and I focussed on my food again, refusing to look at Ebbe who sat back in his chair with an aura of triumph.

“I better go feed Braden,” Ebbe murmured, grabbing some of the food leftover to put on another plate.

Nodding, I finished up and happily fled the dining room with him to the hallway. He leaned in for another quick kiss that I deepened, my fingers curling into his shirt as if to keep him close before I forced myself to let go.
I really hated that we had to part ways every morning now.

“Come find me when you’re done and let me know if Braden says anything?” Looking up at him, I watched for any wavering sign that he felt the need to bolt out of the house. But he held himself well, no trembling, no darting eyes, he smiled easily.

“I’ll find you. We still need to talk to Quillan about when we can patrol.”

My heart swelled again. I nodded, grinning back as my shoulders dropped. He had no intentions of running away today. “Yes. We do. I’ll see you later then?”

“See you later,” he repeated awkwardly, his nose scrunching in a way that told me he wouldn’t try that phrase again.

Spinning around with a small chuckle, I took a moment to revel in finally making my intentions with Ebbe clear, to him and the high ranked. There was still my parents to tell but they already knew enough without me outright saying. Still. Tradition was tradition.

I wondered how mating ceremonies worked in The Norse Pack. Would Ebbe want it done that way, or would it even matter to him? Did it matter to me?

Wow. Where had all the fear gone? At this rate, I’d end up using the computer to find a damn mating dress.

That thought had a healthy dose of anxiety hitting me in the chest again.

Too fast. Slow down.

There would be time for that later. Much later.

Slumping into dad’s office chair, I switched on the computer, using the username and password that had been written in my mother’s loopy handwriting on the sticky note for me. Alongside instruction to rip it up or burn it once I had it memorised. 
It thrilled me to have permission to go onto the office computer, even if it was just to find out the delivery time for the medical equipment delivery.

While I knew better than to snoop and open anything I shouldn’t, I did skim some of the headings. It gave me insight into the businesses the pack were involved in, human and otherwise. There were emails from construction companies, local and international shops, a few were even from other packs that had curiosity growing. If it weren’t for the sudden blinking of a red light on the dashboard, I might have broken my no snooping rule

Clicking on the unassuming icon, another screen popped up. It took me a second to figure out what I was looking at.

It was the angle that had stumped me, I realised. I’d never seen the room from the far corner before. This was the livefeed for the basement. And there Ebbe sat, on the other side of the bars this time. The audio was muted, but from the way he ducked his head, dark hair falling over his face as his shoulders shook, he appeared to be laughing.

I frowned, moving to the other camera so I could see Braden as well, and then nearly fell out of my chair.
Sat on the old bed, head against the wall, the male was grinning. Not his usual sardonic smirk either. Hands relaxed on his lap, he nodded at whatever Ebbe was saying, his gaze falling to the plate of food next to him.

I hovered the mouse over the audio button, desperate to hear what was being said, to know how Ebbe had gotten through to him. And what had he said to make my male laugh?

Just as I was about to give into temptation, stormy grey eyes suddenly locked onto the camera. I froze, breath catching in my throat. But Braden couldn’t know I was watching, there was no way, even if it appeared he was looking right at me. Moving the mouse away from the audio button, I decided listening in would be an unfair betrayal to them both. Prisoner or not, Braden deserved his privacy.

With a sigh, I exited the live feed and shook my head. If I wanted to know what was being said, I’d ask Ebbe.
Just as I was about to get up and find Quillan to talk about patrols, the damn phone rang. Grumbling to myself, I sat back down and picked it up.

“Hello, Roarke Lyall’s office-“

“You lied to me, Raeghan.” Tone filled with glee, my grip tightened on the phone.

“I’m quite sure I don’t know what you mean, Alpha Tàmas.”

“Don’t play games with me, pup!” he snapped, going from gleeful to irritated in a split second. “The wellbeing of every Alpha, and every pack, is all I care about, and having an unranked female lie to me breaks the trust of the ruling council. You could be severely punished.”

What he said was true, but nobody would call for my punishment. My parents wouldn’t allow it. After all, they’d given me permission to act on their behalf...to an extent. A swell of unease washed over me. If every alpha called for my punishment, they might not be in a position to refuse. But I hadn’t lied, more omitted the truth. That was no crime.

Speaking calmly, I stood my ground. “I assure you that if there was something imperative for the council to know, you would all know.”

“And you don’t think the fact your Alpha is currently bedbound is information that should have been passed on? Especially as I hear rumours that it may be because of a challenge.”

Shit. 

“I don’t see why, if my father won and remains the Alpha.”

A frustrated growl from the other end of the line betrayed Tàmas' fraying patience. “I demand a council meeting, Raeghan. You will pass that on to your Alpha. And in that meeting, I’ll be demanding to see you disciplined.”

“This is ridiculous, you have no right-“

“When a wolf who challenged an Alpha has been left alive, allowing him to potentially cause threat to other packs, it is my business. My Beta will be in touch with dates. Your pack will host. If you’re so certain we have nothing to worry about, you can prove it.”

He hung up before I could protest.

“Cac!”