Chapter Thirteen
Tavish sat at his desk after a meeting that seemed to have lasted days, although it was probably only a handful of hours.
For the first time in his life, he resented his company.
His thoughts centered around Mairi and this obsessive dilemma.
Was this part of the mate bond? Or was his lack of focus because they weren’t mated yet? Or did he simply miss her like hell?
It was definitely the latter. Possibly the former. The middle question was debatable.
“Laird MacAlary.”
He blinked, coming out of his confusing thoughts, and realized he’d spaced during the meeting with his potential new subsidiary. The stocks in the company he wanted were lucrative and he knew they would turn a nice profit, but the owner had been balking on his acquisition.
“Excuse me,” Charles, his assistant, cleared his throat. “’This is the projected revenue against the cost analysis.”
He handed over a tablet and Tavish studied the information and graphs.
It took all his willpower to maintain his concentration.
He simply couldn’t gloss over the numbers.
Day after day, and hours later, the inevitable agreement was reached.
He stood and held out his hand, ending the negotiations that had taken far too long to resolve.
“Reschedule the rest of my meetings to Zoom calls,” he ordered as they left the boardroom. “I need to visit with my gran before I fly back to America.”
“Aye, sir.”
A minute later he rode the elevator down to his private parking where his McLaren waited.
He slid behind the wheel and felt the power of the engine vibrate through his body.
He’d always loved the sensation. He left the city to head toward his grandmother’s estate where she resided in her small-ish castle just outside Edinburgh proper.
The damn thing had eight bedrooms, four reception rooms, and was nestled on twenty-four acres complete with an apple orchard.
Apparently, his gran was out to save the historical orchards of Scotland.
His McLaren rumbled as it pulled through the gates and he saw several gardeners working in the large flower beds that lined the road.
Tavish waved at them and they waved back.
He parked and exited his car, racing up the flight of stairs to the front door, where the butler had opened it and gave a slight bow in respect to his title.
“Hello, Gilbert, where’s my gran?”
“In the sunroom, m’laird.”
He nodded his understanding and headed to the large sunroom, with arched windows showcasing said orchards. His grandmother sat at her desk, working on her laptop. She looked up when she became aware of his presence.
A smile lit up her wrinkled face. “Tavish! What a lovely surprise.”
“Granaidh,” he greeted, walking over to place a kiss on her cheek.
She closed her laptop and swiveled to face him as he sat in a chair near the windows.
“Have you eaten dinner yet?” she asked. “I can have the cook fix you something quick.”
“I’m fine.” He took a deep breath and for a moment, his stare defocused as he thought of Mairi, wondering what she was doing right then while he sat over four thousand miles away.
“Are you all right?”
Tavish blinked. “Oh, aye. Sorry. May I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Why did you insist I marry Mairi Monroy?”
Confusion furrowed her brow. “Well, that was an unexpected question. Why are you asking this now?”
“I assume you know she left Scotland,” he said. “I finally tracked her down in America. So, I went to divorce her.”
“What!” His gran surged to her feet. “Tavish MacAlary! I won’t allow that.”
“Allow that? I’m a grown man, Gran, and I didn’t want to have an arranged marriage. You forced my hand, so how could I not want a divorce?”
“She’s good for you, Tavish.”
“She was a stranger.”
She tilted her head, looking confused. “A stranger?”
“I went there with divorce papers,” he admitted. “When I found her, I realized she was my moon-fated mate.”
A huge smile spread over her face and she clasped her hands together in happiness. “Really? ‘Tis wonderful news. I knew it. Her gran and I knew it.”
“Wait. What do you mean, you knew it?”
“How could we not? You two went everywhere together when you were little.”
The bombshell struck him over the head, and had him collapsing back into the chair. “What?”
“You two were inseparable when you were children. Did you not remember?”
“I ... how...” The words died away as he racked his brain trying to retrieve memories long lost. “Nae. I thought a lot of bad things about her, Gran. I thought she wanted me for my money. My title.”
His gran blinked. “Are you joking?”
He shook his head. “Why else would she marry a stranger?”
“You thought I’d force you into a marriage with a stranger?”
“Aye! You did! Because she was the granddaughter of your friend.”
“Oh, Sweet Jaysus, you’re an idiot,” she muttered.
“When your mum passed, your da could not take care of you while he rebuilt his life without her. So, for a while, you stayed with me and when you met Mairi, you gravitated toward her like she was your sun. That’s when her gran and I figured you were moon-fated mates. ”
He leaned forward, with his elbows on his knees as thoughts swirled through his head, trying to find Mairi in the blank void after his mother died.
“I, uh, I don’t have those memories,” he admitted softly.
“What?”
“Da ... he was a hard man. I respected him as my father but hated his coldness.”
His gran’s brow furrowed. “Tavish, did he hurt you?”
He glanced up and stared into her eyes. “His excuse was that he was teaching me how to be a Highland laird. To be ruthless. I have a vague recollection that I lived with you for a while. Not long. But I don’t remember Mairi at all.”
“He beat the softness out of you,” she said sadly.
She rose and went to his side, pulling a chair closer to him, and taking hold of his hand.
“Bonnie was my only child. Her birth was difficult and I was unable to have any more children. I knew your da was a hard man, but they were mates, so I accepted him. She loved you so much, Tavish, and I hate the thought that you had to block her out because he didn’t allow any happy memories to stay. ”
“He took so much to his grave.” He shook his head. “I didn’t connect to my wolf at all, you know. Not until recently. At first, when I met Mairi in the Sheridan Pack, I wasn’t sure if it was some sort of shifter chemical, a biological wolf hormone, forcing us to procreate.”
She opened her mouth and then closed it, before shaking her head.
“Biological wolf hormone? What’s in that noggin of yours?
Every shifter is born with two souls. The human and the animal.
The High Luna realized we may not recognize our other half when we’re learning and fighting with our dual nature, so she gave us a way to find our true mate.
You were born to love her, Tavish. And she you. ”
“Aye,” he whispered. “I’m realizing this.”
“Now, if only you weren’t such an imbecile.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’ll grant you that. I’m not divorcing her, Gran, but I’ve hurt her. I have a lot to make up for, but I’ll eventually bring her home.”
“That’s a good boy. Now, I expect your first daughter to be named after me.”
Pups? Hopefully, but even if they don’t have any, he would be okay with that as well. He couldn’t give her up. “What if Mairi wants our daughter to be named after her gran?”
She smiled. “Laoise áine does have a nice ring to it. All right. I accept the deal.”
Here he thought he was a good negotiator. His gran had one up on him.
****
Later that night, he walked into a pub on High Street and glanced around until he saw his friend wave from the far end of the bar.
Tavish wove in and around people until he sat next to Adair.
The two had met in university, and shared a friendly awareness when they scented they were both wolf shifters.
Although there were a few other wolves scattered on campus, he hadn’t connected with them because of the stigma of pack life.
It had been all about hiding groups of wolves running together.
Now, however, he knew it was time to end that exile, which was why he’d reached out to Adair.
“Good to see you again,” Adair said with a grin.
“Likewise.” Tavish held up a finger to the bartender and then pointed to his friend’s dark stout. “Thanks for meeting with me on short notice.”
“Sounded like it was urgent.”
“Nae, not urgent, but definitely something I needed to run by you.”
The bartender placed the beer in front of him and Tavish handed over a bill, indicating he could keep the rest. The man nodded his head in thanks and then moved to serve another.
“I wanted to ask about your other half.”
Adair quickly glanced around. “Other half isn’t something that should be discussed in public.”
Tavish took a drink of his beer. “I could’ve meant your wife.”
“You would have a point if I had a wife. Go on.”
“Have you heard your other half?”
“Heard? What do you mean?”
“Does he talk to you? Oh, and do you remember everything after a moon run?”
“Remember? Being a wolf?”
Tavish nodded.
“Aye,” Adair replied, sounding confused. “Don’t you?”
“What if I told you, I had never heard my wolf?” He leaned forward.
“Not until I found my moon-fated mate, then all of a sudden, he talked to me. I felt his presence in my soul. And when I shifted without a full moon, I remembered every single detail. The scents. The air rushing through my fur. The speed as I raced along the pathway through the trees. It was incredible.”
Adair tilted his head. “You mean to tell me you’ve never felt him?”
“Correct. He and I never talked with each other until that day.”
His friend looked stunned. “What did he say?”
“Mostly just told me to go find our mate. He’s got a one-track mind when it comes to her. Why are you looking at me like that?”
Skepticism swam on his friend’s face. “I’m wondering if you’re having a lark with me.”
“We’ve known each other a long time. Have I ever pulled a prank?”
“Nae,” Adair conceded. “But ‘tis a little hard to believe you’re a shifter and had never heard him.”
“I swear on my title.”
“Your da never taught you?”
Tavish shook his head.
“And your mate triggered this? She has her wolf, right?”
“Aye, but her parents were wolves and raised her. I don’t know if my wolf stayed silent because I had no one to help coax him out, or if he’s just horribly stubborn.
My mum died when I was young and my da only cared about the title and business.
His only guidance was to tell me to not get caught running. You know how packs are discouraged.”
Tavish explained everything that had happened in Sheridan, how Alpha Jericho took him out on a run and introduced other wolves to help him play nice. When he was finished, Adair sat back, looking stunned.
“It’s hard to fathom you’ve gone your entire life and not heard your wolf.”
“I’d always felt like there was something missing,” Tavish admitted. “Now I feel whole, and I don’t want to lose him again. I was wondering if you wanted to run together?”
“Now?”
Tavish shrugged. “I have a helicopter on standby. We can reach Rundlaith Keep in under an hour.”
Adair thought for a moment, downed the rest of his beer, and nodded. “I got nothing to do tomorrow. Sounds like fun.”
****
They raced side by side through the moonless night. His ancestral home was the perfect place to run, and now that he was front and center with his wolf, he wasn’t afraid of waking up somewhere he didn’t know.
How did he go through his whole shifter life without feeling such exhilaration? Tongue lagging out, the joy was indescribable. He wouldn’t even mind running like this every evening, and he imagined Mairi beside him. Their pups joining in as they darted between trees.
How different he felt now that he knew what the excitement was about.
They ran for hours, eventually returning to the Keep so they could reclaim their skin.
After showering and dressing, he invited Adair to join him for a drink.
When his grandfather inherited Rundlaith, he’d had the castle overhauled to bring it into the twentieth century.
Then, when his father died, Tavish had continued with the renovations, until it was turned into a smart home.
It had taken years and a ton of money, but the Keep would now last at least a few hundred years more.
He poured whisky in two tumblers and handed one to Adair. “Thanks for the run.”
“Thanks for inviting me,” his friend returned. “You know you’re an alpha, right?”
“Aye.” He swirled the amber liquid for a moment. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about starting a pack.”
Adair’s eyes widened.
“Structured differently, of course,” Tavish continued.
“In Sheridan, the pack is the town. It wouldn’t work like that here, but it could be a pack that comes together when needed.
Celebrations. Full-moon runs. A support system for new transitioning wolves.
I can reinforce Rundlaith’s borders to make sure we stay on this land and not encounter shotgun-happy hunters surprised to see a wolf in the UK. ”
“I think that would be amazing.” Adair took a sip of his liquor. “I have to admit, even though I usually run with my brother and parents, I’ve always felt lonely. It would be nice being around our kind, who isn’t blood related.”
Tavish nodded. “Agreed. Wanna be my beta?”
“Is that how these things are done?”
“Fuck if I know,” Tavish admitted. “Making things up as I go.”