Chapter 27: Chapter Twenty-Seven

Cassidy found herself looking up at a wall of a man, her fist held high above her head. He tall enough she had to crane her neck up to see him. He was broad shouldered and looked like he had just came from some kind of work out with a sweat suit on. He was older, much older with what once had been black hair silvered out and gray. An elder probably with his tan leathered skin from long days out in the northern sun. The man had laugh lines on his face and around his eyes that were as blue as the sky and kind as he looked back down at her.

When Cassidy relaxed, the man eased off the pressure of her fist but he still held onto her just incase she got aggressive again. “Jennifer. This is a guest of your Alpha. He trusted you to take her to her quarters and to make her feel welcomed. Do you feel welcome Miss Roan?” he asked in a deep rich voice without taking his eyes off the the other woman who had suddenly gone pale when she realized her mistake.

“Not particularly, no.” Cassidy said, looking over her shoulder at the woman with a glare.

“I didn't think so. Jennifer, your attitude is not welcome here. You are dismissed to go back to your job.” The man commanded and held enough authority that the she-wolf backed away a few steps and then turned, running without looking back. “There. That is better. She has always been a little high strung. I will escort you myself.” The man said and gently patted the hand he held in a fatherly way. “You may call me Julian.” He said before tucking her hand into the crook of his arm and started to walk, leaving little choice but for Cassidy to follow after him.

“Julian…” Cassidy repeated and looked up at the man, smiling a little. He reminded her a lot of her grandfather and already she felt like the two of them would get along well. “Thank you. I'm sure my presence here is not going to go over well with everyone and I cant promise I can fully control my wolf yet. I'm a late shifter…” she said in almost a guilty voice.

“You will learn. Better late than never and besides, we all have to learn how to live with the wolf. Try not to think of it as controlling, but as coming to an agreement. Your wolf is your soul after all.” Julius had said, turning her at a driveway that led right to the Packhouse. “Here we are… The alpha wanted your room on the third floor. You are welcome to come and go as you feel and explore.” He said while taking her up the drive.

The pack house was massive. Much bigger than she could ever remember her own packs main building being. It was four stories tall and crafted of massive pine logs with wide expansive windows. They walked up the walkway and onto a long and wide porch with scattered rocking chairs and a porch swing. She was escorted through a large black door, thinking to herself how appropriate the color was for the alpha’s name. She was given a brief tour of the first floor. Kitchen, game and movie rooms. A massive common room with an equally massive wood burning fireplace. Julian explained there was a full time house staff and what times meals were served and if she needed anything she was welcome to come and make herself something.

The pair ascended the wide stairs that wrapped around the common room to the second floor to an open seating area. The second floor was for out of town guests from other packs. They went to the third floor and Cassidy could smell James here stronger than anywhere else in the house. “The fourth floor… is the alpha suit and the alpha’s offices. Those are off limits for you. This floor is for the beta, gamma and the alpha’s family if they choose. Your room is at the end of the hall on the right Miss Roan. You are his guest and he wants you to be comfortable. Do you have any questions?” Julian asked Cassidy.

“No… Thank you for your help Julian but I think I can take it from here. I hope I will see you around more, it has been nice speaking with you.” Cassidy said and was taken by surprise when the elder wrapped her up into a brief bear hug.

“Welcome to BlackStone Miss Roan. I hope you make your stay a permanent one.” He said before letting go of her and continuing on his way to the fourth floor, to speak to James she assumed.

Cassidy watched Julian disappear upwards before she looked down the long hall and sighed. The elder made her almost wish she was going to stay. He reminded her so much of her grandfather…

She went down to her room and stepped inside and was pleasantly surprised at what she seen. The room was thankfully not white, but left exposed to the natural pine logs. The bed was king size and all the furniture was black. A large walk in closet was just off of the full bathroom that had a large tub that she was just aching to get into. But the best, and biggest surprise of all when she walked in, her suit case and backpack from the truck was sitting on her bed. Her phone and laptop had been removed, but that was a small loss when she had everything else she had been traveling with for years. Cassidy quickly went to work getting all of her belongings spread out over her bed and getting a few changes of clothes out, planning to re-pack her backpack incase she needed to bugout quickly and couldn't take everything.

Julian had gone up to the fourth floor. He called it the alpha’s suit to try and keep the woman at ease. He had heard enough from his son’s beta about James and Cassidy, how she was an alpha female and she and James were like oil and water. If she was truly Jame’s mate, his son had some major hurdles to cross to get her trust before she ran off. He knocked on the office door before he walked in without being welcomed.

James looked up from the stack of paperwork he was looking through when the door opened, ready to bark at whoever was bold enough to come in but seeing it was his father he relaxed. “Have a seat. What are you doing at the pack house this time of day?” he asked, slipping the papers into a folder and sitting back in his chair as his father took a seat in one of the two leather chairs at the front of the desk.

“I was heading back to the school when I seen your sweet Jennifer escorting your mate to the pack house.” Julian said with a bit of a smirk, leaning back and folding his hands behind his head. “I think the little alpha was about to rearrange Jennifer's face if I had not stepped in.” He said with a chuckle that had James frowning.

“I sent Jennifer to bring her back to her room. Is Cassidy already causing problems with my pack?” he asked with a growl and stood up from behind his desk.

“Whoa whoa whoa son!” Julian said and laughed. “The little alpha can take care of herself. She was just defending herself. Jennifer was not very happy she was sent to bring in another woman to your house and she tried to stake a claim on you and tried to put Miss Roan in her place.” The older man said in amusement, remembering back when his own mate first came to the pack how all the females at first had turned on her. James however, did not look amused. The alpha looked down right murderous hearing Jennifer had tried such a thing.

It wasn't the fact that Jennifer had tried to make a claim on him, it was the fact that her foolish possessiveness of him could have cost him Cassidy. What if she left now because of Jennifer? What if she was leaving already? “That fucking bitch…” he growled and clenched his fist, starting to go around the desk, his wolf’s temper getting the better of him but his father was up on his feet, blocking the way in an instant and grabbing onto his shoulders.

“James! What do you expect? You have been bedding down every available she-wolf in this state and in the next… and you have kept Jennifer in your bed for almost a year straight until after that night you tried to turn that poor girl in the prison. You have to let Cassidy work through this or she is going to be attacked by every female that ever had hopes of becoming your mate… James! Listen to me!” he raised his voice when his son just seemed to get angered and shook himself free of Julian's hands and rushed out of the room. “You're making a mistake!” he called after his son.

Jame’s wolf wanted to strangle Jennifer for endangering his chances with Cassidy… He wanted to physically hurt her for assuming he still wanted her. He took the stairs three at a time down, intending on tracking Jennifer down, but he picked her scent up right away. At one point in his life, he had been attracted to her and what his father said was true. He did keep her around for a long time, letting her practically move into his room so he could fuck her every time he got the chance. He could have called Jennifer to him on the pack link, but where was the fun in hunting her if she just came when she was called.

Cassidy’s scent in the hallway was distracting to him, but he forced himself to stay focused, tracking Jennifer’s fresh scent right to his room. He bared his teeth silently. He had kicked her out after that last night with her and she was told to stay away…

Opening his door, he stepped in and slammed the door shut, growling at the sight in front of him.

“James…” Jennifer said in a sweet voice, stretched naked on the alpha’s bed. “I knew you would choose me…” she said happily before she took a sharp breath when James let out a sinister growl and started towards her aggressively.