The Red Wolf's Mate novel Chapter 2

Lizzie took my hand and pulled me towards the bonfire. The pack town was beautiful. There were many houses – the pack was rather large. The town itself had many shops, restaurants, a café, and other types of businesses. The pack land was expansive and many of the stores and businesses in the neighboring human town were also owned by Alpha Callan and the pack. I had only ventured into the pack town a few times since coming to stay with Lizzie. Most of the time, I just went school and came back home. With just a few days left in school, I was just hoping to finish without any more problems.

The large field located behind the pack house was the perfect place for the bonfire. The setting was beautiful. The clearing was surrounded by trees on three sides and a steep hill on the fourth side. I had never come to the pack house so I didn’t realize how much forest surrounded this part of the town. Lizzie’s house was on the far other end of town and opened more to fields. I kicked myself for not coming this way sooner. Lela would love to go for a run. The trees seemed to offer plenty of cover.

There were many more people in attendance than I had expected. The Red Moon Pack was large, and it seemed like half the pack was here. I could smell food cooking and despite having eaten dinner, my stomach growled.

Lizzie squealed as a handsome young wolf approached us. “Raina, this is my boyfriend, Alex.”

I smiled politely and waved at Alex. “Hi, nice to meet you”. Despite having lived with Lizzie for a few months, I have not yet her boyfriend. I had wanted to me him, but Lizzie understood that I needed time to adjust and try to finish school. I was also convinced that they were just together to have sex. Never confirmed, but it was just my hunch based on things Lizzie had said to me. While I didn’t care, I didn’t enjoy the snarky comments Lela always had when Lizzie talked about her relationship with Alex.

Alex smiled back and then turned to Lizzie. “Come here you” he said as he picked her up, pulling her close in to kiss her.

Turning away to leave the two lovebirds have some time together, I head over to the food tables. I grabbed a cookie from the table and headed towards the drinks. As werewolves, we can consume alcohol in quite large quantities and not get drunk. We could definitely feel tipsy but getting drunk was almost unheard of because of the amount of alcohol one would have to drink. Seeing as this was my first time meeting most of the pack, I decided that a beer would probably help calm my nerves.

I wandered off to the side and just observed everyone. People watching has always been a hobby of mine. I learned a lot about human behavior that way. There were many traditions in the human world that were not as common in the wolf pack. Understanding this made it easier to fit in with humans, especially when you work and go to school with them.

Several people came up and introduced themselves. I enjoyed small talk and met some very nice people. A girl by the name of Joy had stayed longer than others and talked, a lot. Joy was friendly and it was enjoyable to talk with her. Joy was filling me in on different aspects of the pack and different people in the pack, including who was good to possibly date and who to avoid. She also told me about Alpha Callan. He was gone currently, visiting another pack but was supposed to return in a few days. Her description of him was pretty similar to what Lizzie had told me earlier.

“That tall blonde over there is Joseph. I would avoid him. He tends to go through girlfriends quickly. I speak from experience.” She shook her head as she spoke, clearly still feeling the effects of the relationship gone bad with Joseph.

I finished off my beer and grabbed another one and another cookie and headed back over to Joy. She nodded over to a guy who looked to be about my age standing off to the side.

“That guy is Nathan. Him and his family left the pack when his grandparents became ill to help take care of them. They never left the pack so when they came back four months ago, Alpha Callan gladly welcomed them back.”

I look over at Nathan. “I doubt he is our mate but he is good to look at.” Lela chimed in. I smirked at her comment, happy that she might be coming around a bit to the idea of dating.

“Lela, really? I thought you were all about waiting for our mate?” I berate her kiddingly.

“I know. I know. But damn Raina! Look at him! How is he just standing there all by himself when he looks like that!”

Lela wasn’t wrong. While this pack seemed to have more than a few good-looking guys and girls, Nathan seemed to exude sexy. His chestnut brown hair was short on the sides but a bit longer on top. His hard jaw line and steel gray eyes gave him a firm but mysterious look. His short sleeve shirt was tight and revealed nearly every muscle in his biceps and chest.

I found myself getting lost looking at him when Joy snapped me from my trance. “Raina, Nathan is coming over here!” She whispered yelled to me and I pulled myself out of my fantasy.

“Hi Joy. Who is your friend here? I haven’t seen her around before.” His voice was deep and soothing.

“I’m Raina. And you are?”

“Nathan. I haven’t seen you at any of the bonfires before.” He looks at me intently, almost to the point of making me feel uncomfortable with his stare. While he was gorgeous, I could not pinpoint exactly what, but something made me slightly uneasy. Perhaps him being so forward?

“I have been here about two months. Just trying to make up for missing the first part of the school year so I can finish up and graduate this year. I don’t really get out much.” I shrugged. Determined to not be intimidated by another guy, I maintained eye contact. In my old pack, whenever I did date, I always felt a bit timid around guys. I wasn’t shy, but I felt easily overwhelmed whenever a guy would hit on me. I wanted this new pack to be a fresh start for me. “What about you? Joy mentioned that you and your family just came back to the pack”.

He seemed a bit surprised by my question, judging by his reaction. “My family moved back here a few months ago. My grandfather was sick, so we went out to take care of him and my grandmother. We were gone a few years. After my grandfather died, we decided to move back here with my grandmother”. He appeared somber as he spoke.

“I am sorry to hear about your grandfather”. Sympathy poured through me, as I understood the significant emotions that came from losing a close family member.

Being a bit bold, and wanting to show my sympathy, I put my hand on his arm as I spoke to him. His skin was warm to touch and I could feel the muscles, even in his forearm. I pulled my hand away before I let it linger too long and show how truly awkward I could be. I wanted to convey caring, not appear to be some socially inept wolf.

Nathan seemed to shiver slightly at my touch. “What about you? Where did you come from?”

Wanting to avoid the long, painful discussion, I gave him the abbreviated version of events that happened. “A large group of rogues attacked my old pack last year. My mom and dad were killed. My brother was lost. I tried to stay and help rebuild but too many lives here lost. I came here about two months ago to live with Lizzie and her family. Lizzie’s mom was my mom’s best friend.” I cut myself off to avoid becoming too upset by the conversation.

“Wow, I am sorry Raina. That is terrible. Did they ever figure out why the rogues attacked? I have never heard of such a large group of rogues attacking.” Nathan had moved closer to me as he spoke. He looked intently into my eyes, making me feel as if he truly cared about what I had to say. Or maybe I was just reading too much in to it.