Chapter 7 – Cabin
Maeve
We arrived at the mansion in the blink of an eye. I glance up at the stairs leading to the kitchen back doors, apprehension prickling along my neck.
“Are you sure you can’t come with me?” I nearly beg Brianna.
“Sorry, the Alpha King didn’t ask for me.”
The kitchen was teeming with food being prepared and plated for dinner. I inhaled the delicious aroma of crown-roasted lamb, vegetables, and spices. Shifters loved their meat, and five crown roasts were decorated with paper frills and being garnished by Nan. It was a feast fit for a king, and I wanted nothing more than to roll my sleeves up and help in the kitchen—to disappear in all the noise and shuffling and avoid my summons by the Alpha King.
“You’ll be fine,” Brianna assured me. “Maybe he wants to talk to you about your first shift tonight?”
“Or thank me for the work I do at the library,” I gave her a weak smile and waved hello to my Nan.
“Dinner’s about to be served,” Nan urged me. “Don’t keep the Alpha King waiting.”
“Good luck,” Brianna said, rushing me out of the kitchen and into the hall.
As I move closer to the family dining room, where the royals often dine, a feeling of unease settles in my stomach. The large wooden door swings open, and Rex steps out. His incredible blue eyes meet mine, and a shiver skips my spine. He’s so handsome, so strong, and there’s an air of authority that can’t be ignored.
I can’t stop looking at him, and words fail me. It’s like he’s sucked all the air out of the room. I swallow hard, looking at his full lips—remembering the bruising way he kissed me. Goddess, that mouth of his. I suddenly realize he’s moving closer to me, sniffing the air.
“Did you bathe?” He asks in a low voice.
I blink, taken aback by his question. “Yes, of course.”
“You still smell like me. Did anyone notice?” He lets out a frustrated sigh.
“I told Nan you hugged me to wish me a happy birthday.”
“Good, stick to that story,” he nodded. “You’ll sit between Persephone and me at the table so no one picks up the scent.”
I dipped my head down and sniffed but couldn't smell anything. Clearing my throat, I asked in a whisper, “Do you know why your father summoned me?”
“You’ll see in a moment,” he replies, and my stomach turns. He hasn’t touched me and seems to be keeping his distance. “Let’s go,” he turns his back to me, and I follow.
“Umm, about last night…”
“It never happened,” he snaps. His voice was devoid of emotion, but it sliced right through my heart.
I should have known.
I should have seen this coming.
I did see this coming.
He was probably looking for any female to use last night, and I was the only one stupid enough to violate curfew during a new moon. The only one desperate enough to let myself keep getting hurt by him. They say past behavior is the best predictor of the future, and I’m sickened by my foolishness.
“Stupid, silly, Maeve,” I scolded myself internally and swallowed the lump in my throat before I entered the dining room behind him.
Shite!
The room was full, and I tried to mask the shock and humiliation bubbling inside.
“Haggis!” Flaym greeted me.
“There’s a seat beside Persephone,” Rex said, pressing his hand against the small of my back.
“Haggis?” A deep Scottish brogue sounded, and I recognized the man.
“Hello, Alpha,” I greeted Alpha Hamish Lawless. “I called Flaym a Numpty when we were pups, and he called me Haggis. It sort of stuck,” I replied with an embarrassed smile.
“There’s nothing Flaym appreciates more than food,” Storm smirked.
“I still don’t know what a Numpty is, but I sure do love haggis with a side of neeps and tatties,” Flaym laughed, and I heard a low growl from beside me.
“Aye! Ye need tae hae it wi’ a braw whisky sauce,” Alpha Hamish told him. Flaym’s father, Wylder, and Dori also joined the conversation, which turned into a lively discussion about Scottish whisky with my old Alpha.
I sat in stunned silence, watching as the platters of food started arriving. Rex made no effort to speak with me or acknowledge me… as if he was sitting beside a stranger. Persephone said something about the food, and I nodded my head. My eyes focused on the beautiful couple at the opposite end of the table. The Alpha King's great-grandparents from Greece had aged very well. Every time I had the chance to see them eat together, she always sat on his lap. The look in his eyes when he turned to look at her… it was like she hung the moon. They reminded me of my parents, of true mates.
I’d give anything to have someone look at me like that.
I turned my gaze back to Alpha Hamish. He was older and handsome but still unmarked by a mate. It had been eight years since I last saw him, and suddenly, I was having dinner with him at a table I’d never eaten at. I tried to focus on him, but my mind reeled back to Rex.
Deep down inside, I knew Rex didn’t feel the same about me. When I woke up, there was no note from him. No phone call. Nothing. The hopeless romantic in me secretly wished he’d come to check on me, but he didn’t.
I chanced a glance at Rex, but his focus remained on something Ranger was saying. He wanted to visit a club named Sanctum this weekend in the city. A club in the city would likely be full of human women throwing themselves at the Alphas.
I shouldn’t have come.
I should have sent a message to the Alpha King and told him I was sick.
How desperate was I that I would willingly subject myself to this? It’s not like Rex invited me over for dinner with his family. The only time I saw the inside of this room was when I was younger and helped Nan set up the meals.
“Maeve, I hear yesterday was a special day for you,” Luna Eudora said with a sweet smile. She was the epitome of beauty and grace. Of course, Rex would probably compare every female in his life to her.
My pulse raced thinking about everything that happened yesterday… last night. “Get ahold of yourself,” I quickly admonished myself. I couldn’t let myself think like this. In a room full of shifters, I had no doubt they could probably sense something.
“I had a lovely birthday dinner with my family and friends,” I nodded.
“How did you find the book?” Persephone’s father asked me. Persephone wanted to give me something extra special for my eighteenth birthday, and her parents helped her find the perfect gift.
“It’s incredible! There were only two thousand copies printed in 1810. I can’t believe you found a first edition in such excellent condition.” I felt so grateful to Alpha Balthazar and Demeter for allowing Persephone to be my friend all these years and for always being so generous. I knew the book had cost a pretty penny.
“I picked it up a long time ago,” he smiled.
“Probably when it was printed,” one of the triplets snickered.
“What kind of book was it?” Dori asked.
“Not one on BDSM,” Flaym chuckled, taking a bite of bread.
“1810? Wasn’t that the Regency Era?” The Luna Queen questioned. “Is it a Jane Austen novel?”
“It was The Lady of The Lake by Sir Walter Scott,” I replied.
“Wan o’ Scotland's finest writers,” Alpha Hamish nodded in approval.
“Do pack members wear kilts in Scotland?” Flaym asked.
“Aye, sometimes we dae,” he replied.
“I imagine it would be easier for shifting,” Dori chirped. “But the real question is… what does a Scotsman wear under his kilt?”
Alpha Hamish let out a hearty laugh, and I couldn’t stop the giggle that had escaped me. “Ye need tae visit Scotland tae find that oot, Lass,” he told her.
“I’ve always wanted to be called a Lass by a real Scotsman,” Dori beamed like a schoolgirl.
“I take it the new moon kept you from shifting,” the Alpha King turned his attention to me.
“A sliver of the moon should be visible in the next few hours,” Storm announced, reaching for the big knife to cut the roast. “You might start to feel your wolf awaken.”
“Ye wis just a wee bairn when ye left, Maeve,” Alpha Hamish said. “Tis braw tae see ye again.”
“Thank you,” I smiled politely and took the bowl of roasted vegetables Persephone passed me. I spooned some onto my plate and passed it to Rex. He took the bowl without saying a word.
“Now that yer all grown, I hae somethin fer ye,” he reached into his pocket and removed a key. “Yer father built th’ cabin, an it belongs tae ye.”
A gasp slipped from my lips, and tears pricked at my eyes. My childhood home! The happiest ten years of my life were spent at the loch side cabin I had called home with my parents, and now it was all mine. He leaned across the table and handed me the key.
“Wait!” Flaym shot out. “Are you leaving us?”
“What?” I replied, unsure of everything. My life had been twisting and spinning the last two days, and I was dizzy trying to keep up.
“Yer welcome tae return tae Oor pack, or keep th’ cabin fer holidays,” Alpha Hamish told me. “Me mam’s offer tae attend university still stands.”
Rex’s great-grandmother from Greece let out a long sigh. “Oh, I remember when I left home to study overseas. It still feels like it was just yesterday,” Luna Raven beamed happily. “That’s when I met this handsome beast.”
“School in Scotland?” Persephone questioned, sounding a bit envious.
“Scotland has some o’ th’ finest universities,” Alpha Hamish announced.
“New York also has some great colleges,” Rex finally spoke.
“They sure do,” Dori agreed. “I was thinking about attending Cornell myself.”
“Grandma, why would you want to attend law school?” Lukas asked the loaded question.
“For the frat parties, of course,” she shrugged.
Storm pushed the crown roast closest to her toward Rex. He reached for the metal tongs, lifted two large rib steaks, and placed them on his plate. Without looking in my direction, he pushed the platter to me. I took the metal tongs and lifted a small piece of meat.
I wasn’t very hungry, and I was always self-conscious about eating around others. If I took too little, people would think I was ashamed of my weight. If I took too much, it would confirm why I was overweight. When I ate at pack events, I always felt like people were watching me— trying to figure out if I was a closet binge eater or something. Werewolves had accelerated healing and fast metabolisms, but I didn’t have my wolf yet, so I had neither.
I pushed the meat platter to Persephone, who took two large pieces. She was a little thing, but she could eat.
“Are you thinking about returning to Scotland?” She asked me in a low whisper.
“I have no idea. I think I’m still in shock about the house.”
“You might find your mate after you shift,” she replied. “Then you’d have to stay.”
“If he’s not here, he could be in Scotland.”
Nan and Grandad were the only family I had, and the idea of leaving them made my chest ache. Attending university appealed to me, but it had nothing to do with frat parties. I wanted to be more than just an Omega helping to care for the pack's basic needs. The only problem I had now was figuring out which pack I belonged in. The one I was born into? Or the one that took me in?
Several different dinner conversations continued all around me amongst the family. It felt a bit strange seeing them all together and relaxed. I was an only child, and my only family could comfortably sit at a table for four. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel out of place. I knew the experience would have been different if Rex hadn’t just used and discarded me so quickly.
I forked a chunk of roasted zucchini and chewed on it. I tried not to listen to what Ranger was saying but I felt my heart tear a little more when Ranger suggested a double date. Rex didn’t say yes, but he also didn’t say no. I sliced a chunk of meat and shoved it in my mouth to keep from talking. There really was nothing I could do or say.
Last night never happened.
I felt the tightness in my chest and a sting in my eyes. The Alpha King brought Luna Eudora’s hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. All around the table, I saw happily mated couples. Rex’s Parents, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Great-Grandparents… generations of perfectly mated fated couples. It was a beautiful and inspiring thing to see.
Shame pulsed through me, and I looked down at my plate in a daze.
What was I still doing here? Goddess, he must think I had no self-preservation at all. I had also used and encouraged him last night, knowing he wasn’t my mate. I was no better than Dottie and Denise… and all the other females chasing after the royals. I pushed my chair back and stood faster than I had intended.
“If you’ll excuse me,” I bowed my head to the Alpha King. “I need to go home and get ready for my shift.”
“I’m sure you have a lot to discuss with your grandparents,” he replied. “Thank you for joining us tonight.”
“Thank you,” I replied, raising my head. “And thank you, Alpha Hamish. You’ve given me a piece of my parents back.”
“O’ course, Maeve,” he nodded with a warm smile.
With the key clutched firmly in my fist, I walked out of the dining room, through the castle, and bolted right out the front doors.