A Mate For Christmas

Chapter 6

Then, right before her eyes, they shifted. The gray wolf became a young man with dark hair. The brown wolf became a young woman with red hair. They were laughing, throwing snowballs at each other.

It was so normal. So human. Except it was not human at all.

Evie pressed her hand against the cold window. What was she supposed to do?

A loud crash from downstairs made her jump. Then shouting. Angry voices.

Evie ran to the door and yanked it open. The shouting was coming from the main hall.

She ran down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. The entire pack seemed to be gathered in the entry hall. Gideon stood in the center, facing a group of angry looking wolves. Victoria was there, along with Jayden and several others Evie had not met yet.

"This is madness!" Jayden shouted. "You are putting the entire pack at risk for one human!"

"Watch your tone, Beta," Gideon said coldly. "I am still your Alpha."

"Then act like it!" Jayden stepped forward. "Send her away. Before other packs find out. Before they see this as weakness."

"They already know," a new voice said.

Everyone turned. A tall man with silver hair and sharp green eyes stood in the doorway. He wore an expensive suit and carried himself with authority.

"Maxwell," Gideon said. "I did not expect you until tonight."

"I came as soon as I heard," Maxwell said. He walked into the hall, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on Evie. "So this is her. The human mate."

Evie shrank back against the stairs. Maxwell's gaze was intense, calculating.

"Word travels fast in our world," Maxwell continued, looking back at Gideon. "By now, every pack in Europe knows that the great Gideon has found his mate. And that she is human."

"Let them know," Gideon said.

"Raphael Volkov certainly knows," Maxwell said quietly. "He sent me a message this morning. He wants to meet with you. To discuss the situation."

The room went silent. Even Evie could feel the tension that name brought.

"Raphael Volkov is the Alpha of our biggest rival pack," Delilah whispered from beside Evie. When had she gotten there? "He hates Gideon. Has for centuries."

"What does he want?" Gideon asked.

Maxwell's smile was grim. "He says he wants to offer congratulations. But we both know he wants to see your mate for himself. To assess whether she is truly a weakness he can exploit."

"Then he will be disappointed," Gideon said.

"Will he?" Jayden demanded. "Look at her, Alpha. She is terrified just standing in the same room with us. How will she handle meeting Raphael? How will she survive in our world?"

All eyes turned to Evie. She felt her face go hot. Jayden was right. She was terrified. Every instinct screamed at her to run.

But something else rose up inside her. Something that had been buried under years of Dave's criticism. Under years of being told she was not good enough.

Evie stepped forward. "You are right. I am terrified. I found out werewolves exist less than twelve hours ago. My boyfriend cheated on me. I watched Gideon kill someone. Everything I thought I knew about the world has been turned upside down."

She walked down the stairs, her legs shaking but her voice steady. "But I am not weak. I flew to Paris alone. I confronted Dave when I could have just left. And I am still standing here, still trying to understand, instead of running away screaming."

She stopped in front of Jayden. He was much taller than her, much stronger. But she met his eyes without flinching.

"Maybe I am not a werewolf. Maybe I cannot shift or fight like you can. But that does not make me weak. It just makes me different."

The room was silent. Jayden stared at her, surprise written all over his face.

Then, slowly, he smiled. "Perhaps there is more to you than I thought, human."

"My name is Evie," she said firmly. "Not human."

Jayden's smile widened. "Evie, then."

Gideon was watching her with something like pride in his eyes. Victoria, on the other hand, looked even more annoyed.

Maxwell laughed, a deep, warm sound. "Well, well. She has spirit, I will give her that." He bowed slightly to Evie. "I am Maxwell Stone, elder council member and advisor to this pack. It is a pleasure to meet you, Evie."

"Thank you," Evie said.

"Now," Maxwell said, turning back to Gideon. "About Raphael's invitation. What will you tell him?"

Gideon's expression hardened. "Tell him I will meet with him. But on my terms, in neutral territory. And if he so much as looks at Evie the wrong way, I will rip his throat out."

Maxwell nodded. "I will relay the message. Though perhaps with slightly more diplomacy."

"When does he want to meet?" Gideon asked.

"Tonight. At the old cathedral in the city. Neutral ground, as you requested." Maxwell paused. "He specifically asked that you bring your mate. He wants to meet her."

"Absolutely not," Victoria said. "It is too dangerous."

"I agree," Jayden added. "It could be a trap."

But Evie heard herself saying, "I will go."

Everyone stared at her.

"Evie, you do not have to do this," Gideon said gently.

"Yes, I do," Evie said. She did not know where this courage was coming from. Maybe it was anger at Dave for making her feel small. Maybe it was the way Gideon looked at her, like she was precious. Or maybe she was just tired of being afraid. "If I am going to be your mate, if I am going to be part of this world, I need to start acting like it. Running away will not change anything."

Gideon moved to stand in front of her. He took her hands in his, and that electric feeling sparked between them.

"You do not have to decide right now," he said softly. "About being my mate. About staying. I told you I would take you to the airport."

"I know," Evie said. "But I think I want to stay. At least for a little while longer. At least until I figure out what this bond means."

Gideon's eyes searched hers. "Are you sure?"

"No," Evie admitted. "But I am doing it anyway."

A slow smile spread across Gideon's face. It transformed him, making him look younger, lighter.

Then he pulled her into his arms and held her close. Evie felt the warmth of him, the strength, and underneath it all, that strange connection that hummed between them.

"You are the bravest person I have ever met," Gideon whispered against her hair.

Behind them, someone cleared their throat. Evie pulled back to see Victoria watching them with narrowed eyes.

"If she is staying," Victoria said coldly, "then she needs to learn our ways. Fast. She cannot embarrass us in front of Raphael tonight."

"I will teach her," Delilah offered quickly.

"No," Victoria said. "I will teach her myself. If she is going to be Luna of this pack, she needs to learn from the best."

Gideon's eyebrows rose. "Mother, are you saying you accept her?"

"I am saying," Victoria said through gritted teeth, "that if she is staying, I will not let her make a fool of this family. Come, girl. We have work to do."

Victoria turned and walked away. Evie looked at Gideon, panicked.

"Go," he said with a small smile. "My mother is harsh, but she is an excellent teacher. You will be fine."

"Will I?" Evie whispered.

Gideon kissed her forehead. "Yes. You will."

Evie took a deep breath and followed Victoria up the stairs, wondering what she had just gotten herself into.