4

"Dad? How much should I talk about our Pack business?" I talked to him over our family bond.

"A lot of it is public knowledge, Ella. I'm sure they already know about how big Alpha Holdings has become since the Bakken oil boom started. Just don't brag."

I looked back at her. "I suppose so, but I really don't want to leave the Midwest and I have no desire to ever live on the East Coast. By Luna, can you imagine being a wolf out there? You'd have to drive for hours to take a run. Going to the Twin Cities is pushing it, but I have to in order to get a good school."

"Well, the good news is that we will still be able to get together. My Pack is only three hours north, and Olivia will be on your way home. They are at least buying you a car, right?"

I snorted. "My parents don't believe in just giving me stuff, I have to work for it. They will match whatever I save, so there is that. They are paying for my school and room and board, but I have to earn my own spending money."

"That sucks, I thought you'd be rolling in it." Olivia looked over at her intended. "One advantage of becoming Luna is that I won't have to worry about money."

"It's not so bad. Really, our family and Pack isn't like that. I mean, we're in the middle of Nowhere, North Dakota. It's not like we have to out-do the Rockefellers there. Plus, we don't pull a lot of cash from the business, almost all of it is being reinvested. The oil boom can't last forever, so Mom has us diversifying into other investments that will be more stable."

We finished up our meals and looked for the exits; we got our respective parent's permission to leave and headed back to the rooms to get changed. I put my favorite red bikini on, then pulled up jean shorts and put on an Australian Pink Floyd concert T-shirt. I grabbed a windbreaker just in case it got cold on the water, slipped on sandals and was ready to go.

I met the girls down at Carol's car, we were going to meet Curtis at the lake. He and a few of the other boys were taking another of their boats fishing, while we girls were going to ski and maybe catch some sun on one of the deserted islands in the large lake. As soon as we were on the road, I looked to Olivia. "Spill, girl. Why are you giving up your true mate for Alpha David?"

Her shoulders dropped a little before she pasted on a fake smile. "He's a good man, I like him. He'll be a good mate to me."

"Good, but not the true mate that Luna made for you. Don't you want that?"

She sighed. "Not everyone has the luxury of being able to chase their dreams, Ella. Sometimes you have to give up something for the good of the Pack. This arrangement helps both of us, and I get an Alpha for a mate. And have you seen him? He's great in the sack, too, but don't tell my Mom that."

I put on my shocked face. "You've already slept with him?"

She grinned. "My Dad came to me when the negotiations were nearly complete, but he hadn't agreed yet. He had a couple hundred acres of land my Dad wanted but he had refused to let go. My Dad thought a 'try before you buy' would help, and it sure did. He's a great lover, best I've ever had, and he signed the agreement the next morning. We just couldn't bite each other yet, you know, to keep up appearances."

"Is he..." Carol moved her hands on the wheel until they made a big circle.

"Of course," Olivia laughed. "Everything is bigger on an Alpha. He's packing major heat, far more than any of my other lovers." I raised my eyebrows. "Not everyone is cloistered away like you, Ella. I turned in my V-card at fifteen, and I've had humans and werewolves. None since David, of course, he would kill me and them if he found another man's smell on me now. I'm so looking forward to graduation, then I won't have to sleep alone again."

I shut up and looked out the window for a while. She acted like she was happy, but what about her poor mate? To have your one and only mate another, not even trying to find you?

Not me. I would wait for him, and I would save myself for him. I want it all. I want the fairy tale.

It was pretty quiet the rest of the way to the lake. When we pulled in to the parking lot at the boat ramp, Curtis Goodwin was just parking his truck after putting the speedboat in the water. They parked and got their stuff out of the back and headed down to the boat. When we got there, Carol's older brother David was pulling away in the big Lund fishing boat with Curtis and Olivia's older brother Nathan. Carol got the boat fired up while I changed into a wetsuit, I would be the first to ski this afternoon.

We headed out into the open water of the main lake on a beautiful fall day. The wind wasn't bad, just enough to leave a light chop on the water. The sun wasn't that strong and the water was cooling into the high 50's, but I didn't care. The lake was almost empty and I was going to ski.

Once I was ready, Carol stopped the boat and I jumped in the water. I floated on my back, feet forward and ski tips up, while she slowly moved the boat away and took out the slack in the towline. When taught, she waited for my thumbs up before gunning the engine. The twenty-foot speedboat roared to life, pulling me forward as I leaned back against the rope. I popped out of the water and immediately cut left to pick up speed.

The next forty minutes went by like a blur. It didn't take long for me to get comfortable, and soon I was jumping the wake and spinning a full 360. It took a few tries and a few wipeouts, but eventually I was able to land a back flip to the cheers of my friends.

After one last wipeout, I yelled to Carol I was done. I took off the skis as they came alongside me and handed them to Olivia, who was already dressed out and ready. I climbed up the ladder in back as she got ready to go; I barely had time to get out of the wetsuit and get a towel around me before Carol gunned it again. Olivia could ski, but she wasn't near my level and didn't last as long. Twenty minutes later, she was done and we were picking her up.

"Your turn," I asked Carol.

"Nah, I'm more here for the sun than the water." She pointed at a small island about a half mile away. "There's a small beach there, how about we pull up and catch some sun while we eat what is in the cooler?"

"Oh yeah, I could use a break," said Olivia, still working her way out of the wetsuit. Carol made sure the skis and equipment were stowed before heading over to the island.

I opened the bond again. "Dad, what's going on? How are the talks coming along?"

I could feel his frustration through the link. "Slow, honey. They are very interested in you, despite me warning them off. They are pushing an arranged mating as a way of cementing a relationship with their Packs."

I started to growl in my chest. "You told them to pack sand, right?"

"Yes, and I'm starting to get worried they won't take no for an answer. Are you all right?"

"Yep, it's just me and my two friends out here, we're taking a break from skiing and we're going to a beach on a small island. We'll be heading back in a couple hours."

"All right, keep your guard up and have fun. Love you." I felt the link shut down while I thought about what he has said. I could think of a couple of the boys who would want me as their mate, I could feel them sizing me up as we were introduced. I'd just have to stick with my girls.

We got to the island, it was less than fifty yards across with tall trees in the middle. Carol raised the motor and let the momentum carry us up to the sand, and Olivia jumped off the front and ran forward to tie the boat off to a tree. I helped Carol with the blankets and cooler, then went off to scavenge dry wood for a fire. By the time I got back with an armful of dead branches, they had the blanket set up and a buffet on top of the big cooler.

I got the fire started quickly, warming us all up after the cold water, and Carol handed me a Solo cup with a greenish liquid in it. "Diet Slice and vodka," she said. "No one even knows it has alcohol."