Chapter Twelve
“Mom, I’m sorry.” Alicia rolled her eyes as her mother continued to yell at her. “Mom! It’s okay. We’re on our way now. We should be there in just a few minutes. Uh-huh. Okay. Right.”
Stacey watched her as she spoke to her mom. She was happy to be out of the dress although she was pleasantly surprised at how she looked in it. She was fairly sure Patrick’s jaw would hit the floor when he saw her in it.
Alicia rested her head against the headrest once they finished talking. “Why did I want to do this? I knew my mom would go overboard and end up ruining this for me.”
“Alicia, she has been wonderful so far. You are over-reacting.”
“Maybe.” She sighed. “My mom called Max. Max! And he came to get me. I know it was an excuse to see me but now she’s going to think whenever she wants something from me, and knows I’ll probably say no, she’ll call Max.”
“And my mother will probably be the same way when she meets Patrick and realizes I do everything he asks of me.”
“We’re both doomed, aren’t we?”
Stacey nodded and started to laugh. Alicia joined in.
“Then we’re just going to have to help each other.”
***
Alicia’s mom paced as she waited for the limo to stop. She started talking before they could get out of the car.
“I’m sorry to drag the four of you out here so quickly but time is of the essence.”
“Four of us?”
“Yes, Max and Patrick are here as well.”
Alicia and Stacey looked at each other. Alicia mouthed, ‘I told you so’.
“Okay. You said time is of the essence?” asked Alicia.
“I know you two decided on the mansion, but I also know that you’ve dreamed of having your ceremony out in the beauty of nature. I happened to speak to a few of my old planner friends and they spoke of this place. It’s not a nightmare to secure so Max should be able to keep the media to a minimum and it’s one of Max’s properties so won’t cost you anything. We can still have the reception at the mansion, this is a dream location and someone is looking at the same date as you.”
“That’s why you were frantically trying to get in touch with me? Mom, you had my schedule why didn’t you just come by the dress shop?”
“I was too far away. By the time I would have gotten to the shop you two would have been gone and I would have used up valuable time figuring out if you were still at lunch or had gone to your next appointment, which wasn’t the same place as Stacey’s I might add. Max was that much closer, and he would have caught you two together.”
“Where are Max and Patrick?”
“They are checking the grounds to see if they feel it’s safe,” her mom explained.
“How much time do you have?”
“About an hour and a half.”
“Okay. Let me find Max and see if we can give you an answer quickly.” She grabbed Stacey’s hand and tugged on it to get her walking. “Okay, use that sniffer of yours to tell us where our mates are.”
“Don’t have to.” Stacey pointed with her free hand. “There they are.”
Max walked up to her and slipped his arms around her. “Where is your mom?”
“Around here somewhere.”
“She thought we might like this spot better.” He took her hand and led her to the spot most used as the focal point to say their vows.
“Holy cow, this is beautiful.” Alicia walked around the area as she took it all in. “Can you keep it secure? I don’t care if that asshole messes with us during the reception, but I don’t want him causing any trouble during the ceremony.”
“We can. It will be easier to keep him and his boys away during the ceremony without anyone realizing we have uninvited guests.” Patrick and Stacey were following them. Alicia turned to face them. “What do you think? Would you rather get married here or at the mansion?”
“When you put it like that, here would be a lot prettier, but we’d have to deal with the weather. We wouldn’t have that at the mansion. A hurricane could be blowing outside and we could still have the wedding.”
“That’s true, but this time of year we have very little rain and no matter what people may say we don’t get hurricanes here.”
“There was that one time.”
“That was a fluke and you know it.”
“Doesn’t stop people from raiding the grocery store the moment one approaches the coast.” Stacey was talking about Hurricane Hugo that cut into North Carolina in 1989 and dumped a ton of rain, the ground was so saturated it didn’t take much for trees to topple and take out powerlines. Every year after that people would wipe out grocery stores if there was a hint of a hurricane coming.
“Can we speak privately?” Alicia looked at Max and Patrick. “No men eavesdropping?”
“Um, sure.” Stacey rested her hand on Patrick’s arm as she brushed up against him before she left to join Alicia.
“That was interesting to watch,” commented Alicia.
“What?”
“The way you brush against him. I’ve learned that’s how you guys show affection for each other while in wolf form, but you’re the first couple I’ve been around. To see you do it and it look so natural is a beautiful thing.”
“You don’t do that with Max?”
“Max tries, but I’m human. I don’t have the grace you do. Half the time when he brushes against me I lose my balance.”
“Ah. I guess I’ve been with you so much I sort of forget you’re not like us.”
“Mom nearby?” Alicia asked.
“Close enough.”
“I know you were trained to make sure you don’t make the decision for the alpha, but I want your honest opinion. I think Max and Patrick’s family would be a lot more comfortable here. Your family would be too.”
“What do you want?” Stacey asked.
“I could ask the same question.”
“Alicia, Max is doing this for you, not his family. You could want to get married in Times Square and he would make it happen. Would this place make you happier than the mansion?”
“Yeah, standing here calms me. I can see how relaxed Max is here. You guys as well. The wedding will be nerve wracking enough. I’m just worried about the logistics. Where would we get dressed? What if we have to change everything to the mansion at the last minute because of the weather?”
“Let’s ask your mom.”
***
Max watched his mate nod as her mom spoke. She would ask a question and nod some more.
“You understand what is going on?” asked Patrick.
“They are debating on how the weather could cause problems because they seem to want to have the wedding here,” Max responded. “I just hope this is what Alicia wants, not what she thinks I want.”
Alicia hugged her mom then headed to Max’s side. “I told Mom to book this spot, which you never told me you own, by the way.”
“My father bought it. He had grand ideas of moving the council here.”
“Would they move if you built them a town here?”
“Maybe when Dad first proposed it, but not now.” He slipped an arm around her waist. “It would be too hard to hide. If the council had moved here a long time ago then we might have been able to keep up with technology, but it would be hard to hide a parcel this big all of a sudden.”
“You hide an island.”
“That no one knows exists. That is so much easier. The island isn’t visible from the coast of Ireland and as technology started to develop we were able to stay ahead of it and keep the island from being detected by everything out there. No radar, satellite, or sonar can pick up the island. Anyway, back to the wedding. Is this what you want?”
“Yeah, I used to dream of getting married in a meadow. Mom knew that. Even though the mansion has a beautiful garden she knew it wasn’t my dream location. I think that is why she kept looking.” Alicia looked at him. “She even contacted a few of her old planning buddies to find out what was out there.”
“She knows you.”
“She’s also doing our work for us. The rumor mills are going to want to know why she came out of retirement and the less she says the more they’re going to want to know. I give it a week before you get a call from your friend covering social media for the local news.”
“I didn’t realize she was that well known.”
“Mom was the best in the state. A lot of people were upset when she retired. She still has some really big names begging her to come out of retirement for them.”
“Does she do it?”
“There’s been an event here and there she’s done, or at least used her connections to help the planner in charge, but she promised my dad she’d retire so they could travel and she’s kept the promise. My wedding is something my father knew she would want to do. She wants it to be perfect.”
“So do I.”
She smiled as she tilted her face up to his, offering her lips to him. He took her offer, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close as his lips claimed hers. His tongue brushed along the seam of her lips, wanting her mouth to open, sweeping in the moment she did.
A frisson of desire raced through her blood when she felt a slight vibration in his chest. A low growl came next. She knew he wanted her and it filled her with a power she couldn’t explain to anyone. Max might be the alpha but when it came to the passion that flared between them she had the power and she loved it.
Max released her with a sigh. “You and Stacey brought the limo?”
“Yeah, who drove? You or Patrick?”
“Who do you think?”
“That I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Alicia?”
“Yes, Mom?”
“Is there any way you could ride back with me? I have a few questions and you could answer them during the ride.”
Alicia looked at Max. He looked crestfallen but shooed her to her mom. She wrapped her arms around Max and gave him a quick kiss. She spoke to him softly, “You could follow me to the mansion and let Patrick and Stacey have the limo.”
“Go to your mom.”
Alicia nodded and headed to her mother’s car.
Her mom waited patiently while they said their goodbyes. “Thanks for agreeing to do this.”
“Mom, you act like I’m some stranger.”
“You’re different around Max. It’s like you two are already married. There’s an intimacy between you two that goes beyond being engaged. Did you two already marry and you’re just doing this for me?”
“What? No, we haven’t gotten married, but his family already considers me family and Max is so open with me that I want to be the same way. Maybe that is why we seem to be so close.”
“That might be part of it, but I still have questions. Your father is hiding something, and I think it’s about you two.”
Alicia was caught. This wasn’t how she wanted to tell her mom the truth. Shoot, she wanted the information from Catherine’s students, but she knew her mom deserved better than for her to try to put this off. “Okay. So, let me ask you a question. Do you remember me telling you about the Tears of the Queen?”
“The legend?” Her mom was quiet for a moment. “A female werewolf cried when her mate died and her tears fell as diamonds.”
“Okay, good. What else do you know?”
“What is there to know? The Tears are a myth. One that Max hired you to find.”
“Can you pull over? I have something to show you.”
“There’s a rest stop coming up.”
“That will work.” Alicia wondered if Max would follow them. Her mom pulled into the parking lot. Alicia didn’t say a word as she pulled out the necklace she had been working on.
“Oh my god.”
“You know what I have in my hands, don’t you?” Alicia said more as a statement.
“I never thought I’d see them in person.” Her mother touched one of the stones. “Oh, my, they’re warm.”
“They keep a constant temperature of seventy-two degrees.”
“You found these?” She looked at her daughter.
Alicia nodded.
“Then you were the woman in the legend.”
She nodded again.
“And Max?”
“What about Max, Mom?” There was something about the way her mom asked the question. Did she know werewolves were real?
“What would you say if I were to tell you a story about a family that worked for a family like Max’s. That they knew their secret because the family trusted the people that worked for them and loved them as family.”
“You know?” Alicia shook her head. “Dad and Max have been pushing me to tell you the truth and you already know?”
“Your father knows?” She shook her head. “My family worked for an alpha. I grew up around werewolves. But it’s not something you advertise. I couldn’t tell your father.”
“Did Grandma know?”
At that question she smiled. “She cornered me one day. I was pregnant with you and she came by to see how we were doing. Your father was working so I was by myself. She started talking about the legend. I’m not sure why, but she must have suspected something. She wondered what I knew about the Tears.” Her mom paused for a moment. “She never confronted me straight out, but she did ask too many questions. I must have shown my hand somewhere along the way because she smiled and offered to take me to lunch. Your father joined us and that was the last time she ever mentioned the Tears or the legend to me.”
“So you never told Dad?”
“I couldn’t. There was a promise made between my family and theirs. If I had said anything they had a right to hunt me down to protect their secret.”
“And what about now?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.” Alicia touched the necklace. She was wondering what her mom’s next question would be.
“It’s too late, isn’t it?”
“Too late?” That made her look at her mom. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“Have you used the Tears?”
“Oh, no.” She relaxed a little. “It is something I’ve been debating on, but I haven’t changed.”
“But you are mated, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.” Alicia nodded at that.
“Then why haven’t you used the Tears?”
“That is the question most of his pack is asking me.”
“Sweetheart, if you two plan on having children you might want to think a little quicker.” Her mom placed a hand on her arm. “Your body, right now, might not handle carrying Max’s children. There have been very few mixed marriages because there are stories of human females not surviving the birth.”
“No one has told me this.”
“Maybe they don’t know the stories, or Max has forbidden them from bullying you into using the Tears.”
“More likely the second one. Mom, what would you do if you had to make this choice?”
“Let me ask you this. How much do you love Max?”
“With all my heart.” She touched her heart as she said the words.
“And you’d do anything to keep him happy?”
“Of course. Max feels the same way. He even wanted to use the Tears to become human because that was what he thought I wanted.”
“Then I think you have your answer.”
***
Max pulled into the rest area behind Alicia and her mom. The limo followed. He waved them on and texted Patrick to head on into the city, but he knew they probably just went to the other side of the parking area and waited. Patrick took his position as his second very seriously and would probably hate himself if something happened when he wasn’t with Max.
He couldn’t hear what they said because her mom never turned the car off, had the AC running and the windows up. Body language told him his mate was annoyed. They sat for about fifteen minutes before they pulled out and headed toward the mansion again.
What was that all about?
***
“Max wants me to make this decision on my own, but I don’t know how. There is a part of me that wants to be able to stand at his side as his equal. Be able to run with them, understand their way of life because I am one of them. But even if I use the Tears I’ll still be the little human who became a werewolf. It doesn’t mean anyone will see me as his equal.”
“True, but they will see how much you love him to go through that kind of change. I mean people have left their country for love, turned their backs on a way of life for love. How many would be willing to become a different race for love?”
“Will you and Dad see me differently if I do this?”
“You are my baby girl.” Her mom switched lanes when she came up on a slow driver. “I love you unconditionally. You know that. If you had done this and hid it from us it would have put a wedge between us that we might not have been able to get around, but you’re being up front with it. We will support any decision you make.”
“Thank you, Mom. I want you and Dad to be there.”
“Excuse me?” Her mom glanced at her as she kept her focus on the traffic around her.
“I thought about doing this as a wedding present for Max, but I know there has to be a learning curve. Catherine and Stacey have offered to help me once I made the decision. Max will want to be there to protect me, Patrick will be there to protect Max, but none of them have been human. You are my family and this is a huge decision I’m making. I want you there to help me through this.”
“When?”
“Friday night.”
***
Alicia stood outside Catherine’s office. How was she going to tell her friend that she had already told her mom and she didn’t need the essays now?
The door opened and Catherine watched her. “Why are you fidgeting outside my door? Get in here.”
“Um, my mom knows.”
“Knows? Oh, so you found a way then.” She stepped to the side as Alicia stepped in. Catherine let the door close on its own as she went back to her desk. “I’m glad you were able to talk to your mom, but that doesn’t excuse you from reading these essays.”
Alicia looked at the pile of blue books. “They still use these things?”
“I do. I like it because it makes them think. E-mail allows you to polish before you send. This little blue essay book makes you think about what you want to say before you put ink to paper. The smart one’s will use a pencil.”
“You like that raw creativity, don’t you?”
“Very much.” She picked up the pile of books. “You have this weekend to read through these. I expect you to have your favorites to me by Monday.”
“Monday? Wow. I’ll do my best.” She took the booklets. “I’d like you to come to dinner tonight. Your brother and his mate will be there as well as my parents.”
“Thank you.”
“Dinner is at eight, no need to dress up. This is very casual.”
Catherine nodded.
Alicia clutched the booklets as she left the office. She hadn’t told anyone but her mom why she wanted her friends there. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out onto the quad. Tonight she was going to make a change that would alter everything she held dear. Would Max be happy?
She got home to find Jacob working hard in the kitchen.
“Dinner will be ready on time, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Jacob. Is Max home yet?”
“I believe his car is pulling into the garage as we speak.”
“Thanks.” She headed to the garage meeting Max in the hallway leading to it.
“Hello, sweetheart.” He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a big hug. “You don’t normally greet me here.”
“I know, but I wanted to talk to you before our guests arrive.”
“Okay.” He leaned back so he could look in her eyes. “Anyplace in particular?”
“Here is good for me.”
“All right. What would you like to talk about?”
She pulled the Tears out of her pocket. “I asked everyone here so I can use these tonight.”
“Are you sure?” He searched her eyes as his nostrils flared.
“What do your senses tell you?”
“That you’re excited and scared. Your excitement is stronger.”
“That sounds about right.” She smiled as she touched his cheek. “Mom brought up something that had me thinking about children. If I remain human there will be something missing from our bond. I won’t be able to run with them like you will when they learn to shift. They will have to go to our friends and ask those questions they normally ask their mom. I don’t want that.”
“You know they will love you no matter what.”
“I do, but it won’t be the same. I’m also curious. What would I look like as a wolf? How would it affect me? You, Patrick, Catherine, even Stacey are proud of what you are. Things that could bother you, loud noises and foul odors, you have learned to take it in stride because you love the fact that you can shift.” She slipped one arm around his waist and urged him to start walking. “Your metabolism is amazing. I haven’t seen anyone overweight and I’ve seen all of you eat. Even though I’m sure you can do some damage everyone from your village, or werewolves that work for you are the calmest people I’ve ever met.” She couldn’t help but smile at his stern face. He was still making sure she wanted this and wasn’t pushed into this. “I also want to share everything with you. I can’t as a human. There are things we’ll never share as long as I stay human. I love you Max and I want to do this for me, but also for you. I want it for the both of us.”
He stopped walking and turned to face her. “Are you sure?”
She nodded.
“You are going to be a beautiful wolf.” He captured her lips with his, sharing her joy in their kiss. The door behind them opened, making them break apart.
“Sorry. Didn’t expect to see you two down here,” said Catherine.
“You’re fine.” Alicia gave Max a quick hug before she grabbed Catherine by the hand and dragged her away from Max. “You mentioned once that there were things I might want to have on hand if I decided to use the Tears. I’m curious what these items might be.”
“Oh my god, you’re going to use them!” She pulled out her phone. “Patrick? Yeah. I need something from my place. I know I’m a pain but it’s important. It’s in my hall closet. Two bags. They’re leopard print.”
She paused and made a talking mouth with her hand. “Stacey? Good. Can you make sure my idiot brother grabs the right items? Thank you. Hey no growling, Patrick. I know where you live.”
Snapping her phone shut she smiled. “Do you have any questions?”
“Tons, but the big one is will it work. The poem you showed me reads like something a child wrote.”
“I know, but it came from a vision by one of our leaders years ago. You know we never question stuff like that.”
“No one has used the Tears before so this will be trial and error. I have no idea what to expect.”
“I’m assuming it will be like when our children learn to shift. They have to be trained to control it. You’re going to have to be taught as well, but since you’re an adult it could be a little more intense.”
“Great,” she said sarcastically. “Something to look forward to.”
“So who all is coming?”
“Just family. I want you, Patrick, Stacey and my parents there for me.”
“And Max?”
“Nah, he’ll pace too much.” She busted up laughing when she saw the stricken look on Catherine’s face. “I shouldn’t have to name my mate. His presence is a given.”
“Sorry, this is your rite of passage and you can request the men to wait in another room.” Catherine touched her arm. “You do realize you won’t be able to control the shift in the beginning, right?”
“Yes and it can do a lot of damage to my clothes. What about a bathrobe?”
“Sorry, same problem. That’s why I asked my brother to stop by my place. I have everything you should need to do this and keep your dignity.”
“Thanks.” Alicia led her into the kitchen and then into the dining room where Jacob had painstakingly set the table. She held the necklace in her hands and waited for Max to join them. “Will you fasten this for me?”
“Any excuse to touch you is a yes.” He stepped up behind her and closed the clasp. He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Patrick has arrived as well as your parents.”
She nodded, butterflies soaring in her stomach. She was nervous, not sure how everyone would react. Her mother seemed to support her decision but how would she feel with her husband at her side.
“Relax,” Max whispered in her ear.
She leaned back against him. His support was all she needed. Her parents came in first and she gave them a quick hug. Patrick and Stacey gave them a slight bow and right on cue Jacob walked in and announced that dinner was ready.
She knew Patrick and Stacey noticed the necklace and she bet they were brimming with questions, but their training kept them from questioning their alpha and his mate. It made it a little easier for her to make it through the meal without blurting out everything.
Max kept up the small talk, and Alicia did her best to keep up with the dialogue as well. Her father commented on the necklace.
“That is beautiful. Did you create that?”
“Yeah.” She touched the necklace. “It took a while for me to come up with the right design but I’m happy with it.”
“I knew you had a strong artistic side and that shows it.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Jacob set dessert in front of her. “By the way, I think you and Mom need to talk. She and I discussed everything you and Max wanted us to talk about and it was an eye-opening experience.”
“Really?” He turned and looked at his wife. “You know what Max and his friends are?”
She sighed and glared at her daughter.
“Mom also promised to never tell another soul but being the alpha’s future bride does have its perks.” She grinned. “Her family used to work for an alpha. I didn’t ask who they worked for, but I’m sure once Mom feels safe she’ll tell us.”
“I will.”
It was her mom’s turn to look at her husband. “You knew all of this and didn’t think to say something?”
“Max loves our daughter and she loves him. He was willing to get married to keep us happy.” He shrugged. “Not knowing you knew about the truth of werewolves living amongst us I wasn’t real sure how to broach the subject.”
“Yet you thought our daughter should?”
“Dad knew if I wasn’t the one to tell you it would have driven a wedge between us and he didn’t want that to happen.” She looked at her father. “And as much as I resented him pushing me to do it, he was right.”
Max patted her hand.
Alicia stood. “And that leads to the reason I asked all of you here. I’ve made my decision and have decided to use the Tears. Each of you has a special place in my heart and I wanted you to be here as my witnesses.”
“We are honored.” Stacey, Patrick and Catherine spoke at the same time and the three of them stood and bowed at the same time.
“What was that?” asked her father.
“Pack mentality. You’ll get used to it.”
“Toward you?”
“I am the mate of the alpha. Believe me in the beginning it was a bit disconcerting but now I expect it.” She looked at Max. “I want to do this someplace safe.”
“The vault is probably the best place.”
“I thought the same thing.”
Everyone headed down to the vault. It basically was a basement, but Max had made it the most secure spot in the house. Catherine took control at this point.
“Where are the bags?” She looked at her brother.
“Bags? Oh, I, uh.”
“I had Jacob bring them in while we were having dinner. They should be by the front door,” said Stacey.
Max and Patrick raced up the stairs and ran back down in record time. Catherine took the bags and started pulling things out of them. “Mom and Dad can you help Alicia into this? Alicia, make sure you remove any clothing you don’t want to ruin. Max and Patrick I need you to assemble these.”
Alicia flapped her arms in the oversized tablecloth. “Cute. Isn’t this a bit much?”
“This is the first time anyone has ever attempted to make the change. This is all new territory, but I can assume the things our coming of age children go through will probably affect you as well.”
“Like what?”
“Like not being able to control your shifting in the beginning. When our children come of age it normally starts with an odd shift. Maybe a hand or a foot. That lets the family know that they will start shifting. Patrick grew a snout in the middle of lunch. Thank goodness we were in our village when it happened.”
“And the flooring Max and Patrick just put together?”
“Footing. This place has hard wood floors and there is no traction.”
“You didn’t want me to look like Bambi on ice, did you?”
“Nope.”
Alicia slipped the stones out of the necklace and handed two of them to Catherine to place around her. She placed the first at twelve o’clock, and the second stone at six. Alicia handed one to her mom and pointed to the three position. The fourth stone went to her Dad who placed it at the nine. She handed the other three to Stacey, Patrick and Max. They placed the final stones in a triangle that cut though the circle of the other stones yet outside the original circle of stones.
She could feel the energy flowing around her. Alicia closed her eyes and started saying the poem she had committed to memory. When she started it a second time Stacey joined in. It felt good to have someone say it with her, but it wasn’t something she had asked Stacey to do. When they repeated it for a third time she heard Patrick start in. Catherine joined in next. To her surprise when they started the poem for the fifth time she heard her father’s voice, the sixth time her mother. The seventh time she heard the voice of her mate.
The energy flowing around her and through her grew in strength. It started to fill her as she started the poem one more time. Their voices mingled together creating a cocoon around her. She started to feel lightheaded. It became harder for her to say the words. Her voice fell off as she slipped to the floor.