Chapter 2 #4
But Chelsea was their baby, the youngest, and in some ways Duncan felt like he’d betrayed her by not telling her the full truth sooner.
He didn’t want her to feel obligated. He didn’t want to inadvertently push her toward Charlie if she wasn’t ready.
Worse, in some ways, he dreaded that she might feel a mate bond with Charlie. Age differences weren’t the issue; that was a common occurrence in wolf relationships. Louisa was several decades younger than him.
But Chelsea was his baby. And that thought kept returning to his mind.
He’d have to bring his full weight down on both of them if she did feel a mate bond and tried to convince Charlie to consummate their mating earlier than Duncan wanted.
Not that Duncan really wanted to think about any of his daughters consummating anything, but he knew the facts of life.
Still, this wasn’t Scotland of a couple of hundred years ago. This was America and modern times, and he’d be damned if he’d let his daughter’s fate be determined by anyone but her.
They were almost to the clearing when Chelsea pulled up short, head up and nostrils flaring, eyes suddenly wide.
Before Duncan could stop her, she jerked her hand free and bolted toward the clearing.
“Badger!” he bellowed. “She’s coming!”
He and Louisa ran after her, bursting into the clearing as Chelsea started screaming at Badger to get away from Charlie.
Badger stood with a sword held across the front of Charlie’s neck. Charlie knelt on the ground, frozen, whether from self-control or Badger’s Prime order, Duncan didn’t know.
Duncan was finally able to grab Chelsea’s arm before she launched herself at Badger.
“Freeze!” Duncan yelled, his daughter immediately stilling over his Prime command as he wrapped his arms around her waist and dragged her back.
“Da, he’s my mate!” she cried. “Make Uncle Badger let him go!” He felt her mind struggling to make her body work and defy his command, which shocked him because she should have gone completely limp in his grip. “Don’t let Badger hurt him!”
“Well, answers that question,” Louisa grumbled.
“Will you please stop fighting me?” Duncan told Chelsea. “No one will get hurt if you’ll just calm down and listen to me.”
She finally settled, but he didn’t release her. Charlie stared at her, his eyes wide and nostrils also flaring, but he wasn’t moving, wasn’t straining against Badger. Duncan suspected it was more his own self-control than Badger compelling him.
“Here’s the deal,” Duncan said. “If you are certain he’s your mate, he can court and claim you, but absolutely no sex until you’re at least sixteen.
If he does, or if you try to get him to do that, I’ll kill him.
He’s already sworn to me that he won’t, so don’t make him break his oath. Do you understand?”
She nodded, but she wouldn’t look at Duncan. Her gaze was focused on Charlie.
“Sit down right here,” he told her. He dared to release her. She finally dropped to the ground, but looked like she wanted to launch herself across the several yards separating the two.
“What do ye want me to do, Duncan?” Badger asked.
“Charlie, are you in control?” Duncan asked.
“Yes, sir.” He slowly tipped his head back more, fully exposing his throat. “My oath still stands, sir.”
Duncan looked down at Chelsea. “No sex—and I mean no oral or handjobs or anything like that—until you’re at least sixteen. You can hold hands and kiss and cuddle, but unless you’re in a group run with others, clothes stay on. Swear it, daughter.”
She finally looked up at him and tipped her head back. “I swear it, Da.”
He sighed and looked at Louisa. “Well?”
She finally nodded. “I know that look in her eyes,” she said, one corner of her mouth quirking up in a beautiful smirk. “Pretty sure that’s what I looked like when you and I met.”
Duncan held out an arm to his mate, and she stepped over and tucked herself against his side.
Back to Charlie. “You can put a mark on her shoulder, but you have to ask her and she has to say yes first. She also has to willingly bare her shoulder to you, on her own. And you cannot use your Prime on her for this.”
He nodded.
Duncan sighed again and nodded to Badger. “Let him go.”
Badger stepped back. “Thank the Goddess,” he said. “I was afraid of accidentally slicin’ his silly head off.”
Charlie didn’t move, though, other than to change positions from kneeling to sitting, finally offering Chelsea a smile. “Charlie Bleacke. Nice to finally meet you, Chelsea.”
She looked up at Duncan. “Please, Da?”
He nodded. “Go ahead.”
Chelsea threw herself across the gap. But instead of letting her kiss him, Charlie gently caught her by the wrists. While Louisa tensed against Duncan’s side, he let this play out. Charlie wasn’t using his Prime powers on her, either.
“Please,” Charlie said. “Just sit there for a moment.”
She finally complied, and only then did Duncan realize Charlie hadn’t captured her wrists. He’d cupped them in his hands, but his fingers weren’t wrapped around them. She could have easily jerked free if she’d wanted.
Once she sat in front of him, Charlie pulled something from his back pocket. Duncan heard Louisa’s soft gasp as Charlie opened the box and showed Chelsea the engagement ring.
A very nice one.
“I never want to control you,” Charlie said.
“I never want to force you. I want you to be my mate, my wife—my partner. But only if you want to be with me. I will obey your father’s orders because I swore an oath to him.
Not just as my Pack Alpha, but as my friend. So if you want this, please ask me.”
Chelsea was already nodding, happily crying. “I want to be your wife and mate and everything. Please?”
He smiled, and Duncan didn’t miss how Charlie’s hands trembled as he slipped the ring on her left hand.
“Then will you please marry me, Chelsea? When you’re ready for that, of course.
There’s no rush. I will be happy to be your mate and know we don’t need a piece of paper to be devoted to each other. ”
She nodded harder. “Yes!” She leaned in and kissed him, and Duncan didn’t object to that.
Louisa grumbled a little next to him, but he didn’t hush her. Badger stood there, the tip of the sword planted in the ground and leaning on the handle, watching.
When they ended their kiss, Chelsea unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse and pulled it aside to bare her right shoulder. “Please do it!” she said.
Still, to Charlie’s credit, he looked up at Duncan one last time. Duncan tightened his grip around Louisa as he nodded.
Charlie smiled at Chelsea as he leaned in, one hand carefully cupping the back of her head and his other arm slipping around her as he put on Duncan’s daughter’s shoulder what had to be the gentlest mating bite he’d ever witnessed.
Chelsea’s happy cry as she wrapped her arms around Charlie tugged at places deep inside his fatherly soul. Wistful, bittersweet—hopeful.
The couple had their entire future ahead of them. As long as they practiced a little patience, they would get their happily ever after.
When Charlie finished, he kissed her again, and even Badger sighed. “Ah, young love.” He looked across at Duncan. “At least now ye know ye’ll be able to retire on your own timeline.”
After a few minutes of sitting there, nuzzling each other with their eyes closed and likely silently talking to each other through their new mate bond, Charlie stood and helped Chelsea to her feet.
Holding her hand, they turned to Duncan.
“Sir,” Charlie said, “I’d like to present my claimed mate to—”
“Yeah, yeah.” He pulled them in for a hug that Louisa and Badger joined. “Welcome to the family, son.”
Nine Months Later
Duncan was working in the pack offices just off the main hall when someone knocked on his closed door.
He sat back. “Come.”
Endquist opened the door. He wore a smile that had increasingly creeped Duncan out over the past couple of months. “Good afternoon, sir.”
Duncan hoped he successfully stifled his sigh. “What do you need? We’re not having the Enforcer discussion again. I’ve told you there are no openings, and won’t be for some time. There are others ahead of you on the list, too.”
“No, sir, that’s not why I’m here.” He hesitated, like he was awaiting an invitation to sit, but Duncan wasn’t giving him one.
“I have a lot on my plate today, Walter. Let’s make this quick.”
A cloud flitted through the man’s expression and it nearly set Duncan’s hackles up, his demeanor so close to a challenge that it breathed on the line. Duncan shifted his legs, his right knee bumping the holstered revolver he kept stowed in the well of his desk, ensuring it was there.
Just in case.
“I want to seek your permission to court Chelsea.”
That time, Duncan did snort out loud.
Except Endquist wasn’t laughing. “Oh, wait. You’re serious?”
“Yes, sir. I think that I could be—”
“No. Absolutely not.”
Endquist scowled. “Is it the age difference? Because I—”
“She’s already a claimed mate, son. She’s spoken for as of nine months ago.”
The man’s mouth gaped momentarily, obviously caught unprepared by this news. “By who?”
“None of your business, but she has a reciprocal mating bond with him.”
He stared at Duncan. “I—”
“Is that all?”
He hesitated. “Why didn’t you announce it?”
Duncan knew Chelsea had limited contact with Endquist, so it was understandable that the man hadn’t put together her and Charlie’s bond.
He knew several others already suspected, but the unwritten rule of not talking about it until the couple themselves—or the Pack Alpha—announced it had been respected.