Finding Her Fated Mate

CHAPTER 4

　　There were murmurs of agreement across the gathering. Erin tried not to look bored, but she feared that this intro from Gary was the beginning of a long windy speech that might not end any time soon, and that was one of the reasons why she hated coming for this feast thing.

　　"Being that we are very few compared to our human neighbors, it is important that we stay close and never miss an opportunity to welcome a new member into our fold. With that said, I would like to introduce to us a new member of our clan; a werewolf who has achieved notable feats in his chosen career, won accolades for his admirable talent, and has only recently set up a business that is already creating employment for locals. Please welcome into our midst, Devon Grey."

　　Erin felt the hairs on her spine rise when she heard the name. Devon was here? How come she didn't notice him before?

　　As if to answer her unspoken question, a huge grey wolf stepped out from the gathering and made his way to the front to stand beside Gary. When he turned around and faced everyone, Erin recognized him as the wolf she had seen in the giant painting at the gallery. She didn't know whether he had spotted her in the crowd already, but the moment he turned his face to look in her direction, their eyes met and she saw the recognition registered there.

　　"In case you are wondering why none of you have ever seen Devon before," Gary continued speaking. "It is because he has been quite the nomad, traveling from place to place to practice his craft, but now, he is finally ready to establish some roots and make his home amongst us. It is my pleasure to also announce that Devon has found his mate and I am hoping that he will reveal the identity of the lucky she-wolf to us tonight."

　　Erin stiffened where she stood when the last part of Gary's speech sank into her brain. Devon had told her this morning that she was his mate but she had chucked that aside as some sort of confusion on his part.

　　Now here he was, about to announce to the entire clan that she was his mate, when she doesn't even know him. Didn't she have a say on who she's supposed to spend the rest of her life with? Was she supposed to just accept this stranger as her mate with no questions asked?

　　"Over to you, Devon," Gary said excitedly. "Please, go ahead and tell us who your mate is. The suspense is killing me."

　　There was a smattering of laughter in the gathering because everyone could relate to Gary's sentiment. Announcing a mate on a night like this was one of the most auspicious things to happen in the werewolf clan.

　　While everyone eagerly awaited Devon's announcement, Erin found herself digging her claws into the cold earth, dreading the words that were about to come out of the grey werewolf's muzzle. With her heart pounding furiously in her chest, she stood and watched helplessly as Devon opened his mouth to speak.

　　Devon could tell that Erin was very nervous about his announcement and he couldn't blame her for feeling that way, not after how he freaked her out this morning at the gallery and even called her by a name she obviously couldn't know was hers.

　　In fairness to him though, he had been caught off-guard by the sight of her. He'd thought that his trip to the past had been merely a dream and not a real depiction of his previous life, but now he knew better.

　　Resisting the urge to look at Erin, he looked straight ahead and began his speech. "Thank you for the flattering welcome, Chief," Devon began. "And thank you to every clan member here for accepting me into your midst. At least, I hope that I'm welcome."

　　"Of course, you are, son," said Dame Black, the head of the Black pack. "We are one big happy family here, and you are now one of us."

　　"Can we skip to the good part already?" Asked Darren White, head of the White pack. "Who is your mate?"

　　Erin felt her stomach tighten in anxiety. Please, don't say my name. Please, don't say my name, she thought nervously.

　　"I will get to that soon, but let me give a quick background about myself first," said Devon. "You may not know, but I am related to Eli Grey, a clan member in Moose Creek."

　　"We know Eli. His wife, Mirabel, took care of Eric when he was injured last year," said Aubrey Brown, and she rubbed her muzzle against her husband's affectionately.

　　"I'm glad to hear it," said Devon. "Well, I got orphaned at a young age and Eli and his wife took me in. I lived with them until I left to go to art school in Vermont, and after graduation, I never looked back. I went wherever my art took me, and the rest, as they say, is history."

　　"Hear, hear," Gary said encouragingly.

　　"And about my mate… I did mention that to the Chief this morning because I was excited about finally finding my lifelong companion. However, I now realize that announcing her identity tonight may not be such a great idea after all."

　　There was a murmur of disappointment among the werewolves who had been eagerly awaiting Devon's announcement. There is nothing more exciting than a surprise mating ceremony during a Full Moon Feast, and it was one of the high points of these quarterly gatherings.

　　"I know you are all disappointed," Devon continued. "But I don't want my mate to feel ambushed. I think she needs some time to warm up to me first and get used to the idea of having me as her mate."

　　Erin quietly let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, she thought, as her taut muscles began to relax.

　　"There you have it. No mate announcement tonight," said Gary dully, unable to hide his disappointment. "And on that note, I say we move on to the next item on the agenda, werewolf news. Over to you, Byron."