Juniper
“Wake up, sweetie, you’re sleeping the day away.”
Opening my eyes, I stretched and rolled over. My grandfather stood at my door, grinning at me. Outside, the sun hadn’t even fully risen yet, but from the way he spoke, you’d have thought it was past noon.
“I’m up,” I mumbled.
“Your gran’s making bacon and eggs with toast. You want some?”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure.” I sat up, wiping the sleep from my eyes. “Thank you.”
“I’ll let her know,” he said, closing my door as he left.
The dark, hardwood floors beneath my feet were comforting and nostalgic.
Outside the window, the town stretched out in the gray light of early morning.
It was strange to be back here, living with my grandparents.
My room looked exactly as it had when I’d left: dresser topped with framed photos of my family and friends, the same pale-yellow curtains that had been there since I was fifteen.
Everything was exactly how it had been. The weeks in Hidden Grove might as well have been a dream.
Stranger still was the weird courtship ritual Anders and I were going through.
Shifter culture in this area dictated that once a mate pairing had been accepted by both parties, they had to go through a courtship.
It was incredibly old-fashioned, but right now, I was all for it.
It made getting used to being with Anders a little easier.
Also, it gave me an excuse for why we hadn’t had sex yet.
In the couple of weeks since I’d returned, I’d noticed that Anders hadn’t fully changed.
He was much better than he used to be, but he still hadn’t quite rinsed off the stain of being a spoiled rich kid.
Sometimes it seemed like his attempts at being a better man were more a task he was doing against his will than a true emotional change.
That, along with my old baggage from dealing with him when we’d been younger, hadn’t inspired me to get intimate with him yet.
I hoped that might change, but I was starting to worry about that.
Regardless, I was going to be his mate. I’d make it work.
I’d made my decision, and I would follow it.
No one had forced this on me. I needed to fake it until I made it.
There was no going back to Hidden Grove now.
This was my last option, and I’d be damned if I screwed that up because I wasn’t hot for a guy.
“Food’s ready,” Gran called from the kitchen.
I smiled as the scent drifted up the stairs.
With my new enhanced senses, I could make out the delicate smell of the eggs, the faint, sour scent of the yeast from the toasting bread, and the smoke and salt of the cured bacon.
It was so much more complex than breakfast had smelled to my regular senses.
“Be right there,” I called back as I got dressed.
My grandparents were already sitting at the dining room table when I came down the stairs. My grandfather had found the antique, heavy oak table at an auction years before I was born. The top was worn smooth by years of meals and celebrations.
“This looks great,” I said, taking my seat before a plate heaped with bacon and eggs.
Gran had even sprinkled some cheddar cheese on the way I liked.
I’d missed them so much while I was gone; it still made my heart ache.
How much would I miss them if this last chance didn’t work out?
Shaking that thought off, I dug in with reckless abandon, shoveling food into my mouth like I was mad with hunger.
Grandpa chuckled to himself. “It’s neat watching you like that.”
“Like what?” I asked around a mouthful of toast.
“That,” he said, pointing at my food and laughing again.
“Usually, the increased metabolism happens when kids hit puberty. You get used to seeing them stuff their faces until it balances out. I’ve never seen an adult go through this.
It’s funny. Though, not in a bad way,” he added, his eyes widening with worry.
“I know,” I said, wiping my mouth. “It’s like I can’t get or stay full. It’s crazy.”
“More?” Gran asked, holding out a plate of bacon.
“I better not,” I said, patting my stomach. “My metabolism has sped up, but it’ll balance out soon. No need to start bad habits. I’ll save my overeating for when you make your famous fried chicken and mashed potatoes.”
“Mmmm,” Grandpa said, tilting his head back as though in a blissful thought. “I could go for some of that, now that you mention it. How about it, my love? Tonight, maybe?”
“Oh, I suppose.” Gran said it as though it was some big burden, but her cheeks flushed with delight. God, I loved them so much.
“What are your plans for the day, dear?” Gran asked.
“Busy day, actually,” I said.
“What’s on the docket?” Grandpa asked, alternating his attention from me to the newspaper in his lap, his reading glasses sitting low on his nose.
“I’m meeting Anders at the clinic. He’s swinging by to give the pack members there some encouragement.”
“He’s been much better about that stuff the last little while. The whole pack is talking about it,” Gran said, reaching over and patting my hand. “I think a special someone has touched his heart.” She winked at me, and I did my best to smile as though I believed that.
She was right about him changing. Ever since he’d surprised me at the overlook, he’d spoken and acted like a different person.
Though, part of me still wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t an act.
It didn’t fit his personality, and I could tell he was forcing it sometimes.
But, it appeared he was forcing it for me, which seemed like a good step in the right direction—at least, I hoped it was.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “After that, we’re supposed to go to a luncheon at the country club with a bunch of the wealthier members of the pack. Anders wants me there to get used to being with him for these things. I’ll be the alpha’s mate; it’ll be expected of me once we’re officially together.”
“When do you need to be at the clinic?” Grandpa asked.
Checking my watch, I pushed away from the table. “I should head out. I’d rather get there early than late.”
“Have a good day, sweetheart,” Gran said as I stepped out the door.
My car sat in the drive. Funny. People had always looked at me strangely for driving all over town. Most shifters simply ran anywhere they needed to go and only used vehicles for long-distance trips. I gave the small sedan a glance, then shifted and ran down the sidewalk.
The run invigorated me. Being in this form allowed me to push aside many of my more human thoughts and bask in the animal nature of my inner wolf.
Still, it didn’t fully push out the thoughts of Levi that continued to trickle in.
I kept having flashbacks of the look on his face when I’d left, and it haunted me to no end.
I knew, deep inside, that it had been the right decision, but that didn’t make it any easier.
How could I love a man when a piece of his heart would always be with someone else?
“There she is,” Anders called as I trotted into the clinic’s parking lot.
I shifted and joined him at the door. “Good morning. You’re early.”
“Had to have a meeting with the clinic administrator. Alpha business, you know?”
Anders leaned forward and kissed me. It still didn’t come naturally, but I allowed it.
Having his lips on mine was a bit like putting my shoes on the wrong feet.
Not awful, but definitely not comfortable either.
Thankfully, I’d managed to train myself not to pull away when he showed affection.
I kissed him back, but kept my lips closed, preferring that to the open-mouthed spit swap he seemed to enjoy the most.
He took my arm. “Ready?”
“Sure.”
The morning was both fun and depressing.
Even shifters had illnesses and injuries that didn’t always heal.
One teenage boy had been struck by a falling tree, which had crushed his leg.
It had been too severe for his healing powers to fix it, so the limb had been amputated.
He looked dejected and sad, but meeting with Anders and me did bring a smile to his face.
“I appreciate you coming,” he said, shaking Anders’s hand.
“Anything for a packmate,” Anders replied with a wide grin.
He was more a politician trying to curry favor and goodwill, rather than actually caring, but at least he was trying.
When we were done at the clinic, we headed over to the Idlewild County Country Club.
It was one of the few places within the town that was used by both shifters and humans.
In fact, over half the members were humans, which was strange in a shifter town, but the club brought in lots of money and provided things for the community—the swimming pool, golf, and a venue for parties or mating ceremonies.
As the alpha, Anders would want to ensure we kept a good relationship with them.
As ready as I’d been to do all the duties of an alpha mate, I hadn’t anticipated the luncheon to go on for more than four hours.
It was the most mentally draining thing I’d ever had to go through.
It seemed that every single man in attendance wanted to talk to Anders about how he’d scored the winning touchdown when Idlewild Prep had won the state title back in our senior year.
I swear to God, I had to hear that story at least ten times.
As I sat in the ballroom of the country club, watching everyone eat at tables adorned in white, sipping drinks from crystal glasses, and enjoying petite sirloins and roasted potatoes on shining white plateware, I longed for the simple pleasures and surroundings of Hidden Grove.
The gleaming white floor tiles reflected the sunlight through the large bay windows and gave me a headache.
“Anders, Anders, tell ’em again how you got that cornerback to fall on his ass,” one of the men said.
I sat back, sighing softly, as Anders launched into the description of the play for the third time that hour.
“All right,” Anders said, a big grin on his face.
“It was third and seventeen, we were backed up on our own five-yard line.” Standing, he mimicked holding a football.
“Center hikes me the ball, and I drop back. Whole damn defensive line is rushing me. My O-line can’t hold them back, and I’m already in our own endzone, about to get tackled for a safety.
“Anyway, I spot my boy Brock down the field, but he’s covered by a cornerback.
Linemen are all up in my face, and I do a little pump fake with the ball, and this dumbass cornerback thinks I’m actually gonna throw it.
He slows down, thinking he’ll snatch an easy interception.
Instead, I chuck the ball over his head, and Brock pulls that bad boy out of the sky like it’s nothing.
Cornerback realizes he messed up, spins to tackle him, but trips on his own feet.
Falls flat on his face and has to watch Brock run in the touchdown with only ten seconds left on the clock. It was beautiful.”
“I was there for that,” one of the other men said, slapping Anders on the back with more enthusiasm than was warranted. “Dropped my popcorn when I started cheering.
“No big deal,” Anders said, shrugging and trying to pull off some form of modesty that had never been part of his repertoire.
Finally—blessedly—the luncheon ended. It was late afternoon by the time we finally left, and I was fairly exhausted by it all. Several hours at the clinic, followed by this? The responsibilities of an alpha mate was a little unnerving.
“You want to grab an early dinner?” Anders said.
We’d just finished the luncheon, but the food had all been eaten over three hours ago, and my new shifter metabolism was rearing its head again. My stomach gurgled at the mention of food.
“Sure. Why not,” I said.
He took me to a local burger joint. Not very romantic, but by the time we got there, I didn’t really care. I was starving, and I spent more time eating than I did talking to Anders.
“Why don’t you come back to my place after?” Anders said.
I nearly choked on my bite of food, coughing into a napkin to keep from gagging on the lump of fries at the back of my throat.
“Uh…I’m sorry?”
Leaning back in his chair, he gave me a knowing grin. “You heard me. This has been a fun day. Why not have a little more fun?”
A hundred excuses ran through my mind. I was not ready for that. I needed a way to stall.
“Well, uhm… Anders, we’re courting. You know there can’t be any, uh, funny business until after we’re official,” I said, trying to sound as serious as I could.
He waved a hand through the air like he was swatting at a fly.
“Come on, June. That’s old-fashioned bullshit.
It’s more a formality than a rule.” He leaned forward, eyeing me like I was a piece of meat.
“Besides, don’t you want to have a little sample of what you’ll get to enjoy the rest of our lives? Huh?”
A hot and uncomfortable fist clenched inside my stomach.
“See, Anders, my grandparents are really old-school. I’d prefer to keep things the way they are until the actual Mating Ceremony. I hope you’re okay with that. It would mean a lot to me if we did it the right way.”
Please. Please let it go.
Ander sat still for several long seconds before slumping back in his chair. “Whatever. I guess that’s fine.”
He acted a little petulant after that and only started to warm back up as he walked me to the door of my grandparents’ house.
“Well, if we aren’t fucking, can I at least get a kiss?”
Wow. What a charmer. Ugh.
“Sure,” I muttered. Maybe I could polish some of his rough edges over the years.
“Sweet,” he said, then leaned in.
Despite everything, as I closed my eyes and pressed my lips to his, it wasn’t Anders I was thinking of.
It was Levi. I cursed myself for the betrayal of my subconscious, and almost to spite my head, opened my lips and allowed Anders to slide his tongue into my mouth.
Even then, knowing Anders was my chosen mate, and the man I’d spend the rest of my life with, I nearly gagged, fighting back a flinch of revulsion.
Anders must have mistaken my shiver of disgust for arousal.
“Just you wait, baby,” Anders said, pulling away. “There’s better than that once we’re mated. See you tomorrow.”
With that, he shifted and trotted off. I cursed myself, and once and for all tried to shove Levi from my mind. I had to. This was my life now.