Page 5 of Night's Bride

Vrel flattened his ears back at him in a clueless expression. Why was he looking at him? It was not as if he knew how any of this was to work without an alpha.

Her soft sigh filled the room, but the look she gave them was wry rather than disappointed. “I’m guessing that look means that you two do not know either.”

Vrel swallowed visibly. “It is not that… Not exactly. It is just that the alpha is supposed to…” His voice trailed off in embarrassment.

“I see,” she murmured, her gaze shifting between the two of them thoughtfully. “And neither of you is an alpha, I take it.”

Vikt grimaced, his ears flicking unhappily. “We are an unusual circumstance. While it is common to have more than one rog in a litter among our people, twins sharing the same sack are rare. Such rogs bond so closely that it is difficult for us to leave each other to find forming triads that would accept us.”

“And most alphas would not want a triad with two males bonded more closely to each other than they would ever be with him,” Vrel finished in a whisper. “We are not shunned by the clan precisely, but no one knows what to do with us.”

Her lips pursed in a fascinating manner as she regarded them. “I see. Okay, that explains a few things. I suppose I will need to take matters in hand to get everything moving along tomake this official. Who wants to go first?” she asked, her fingers going to the buttons of her top covering.

Vrel’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open slightly with shock. He stumbled back as panic rose sharply with a bitter acridness within his belly just as Vikt backpedaled from their mate.

“Food first,” the male barked. “It is not good to… proceed… without being properly nourished. I think I have some extra tasty bits stashed in the snow just out back. I will get them now.”

“I will help,” Vrel volunteered as he hurried after his twin, shame making his ears flatten to the top of his head.

He could not believe he was running away from his mate and an opportunity to enjoy his first rut, but here he was, running, and their female’s eyes followed them with startled amusement.

Chapter

Five

CHAPTER 5

Emily stared after them, unable to believe what she was seeing. Were they really running from her? Her first impulse was to take it as an insult but the whole thing was just too funny, and she had to admit that she was a little sympathetic. She hadn’t been a virgin for some time, but it was clear that the twins were a timid pair and as pure as the snow falling from the skies just outside the door. She rolled her tongue thoughtfully within her mouth and considered whether she should go after them or not. Thankfully, she was saved from the option of chasing after them like a jilted lover by a loud knock at the door. The timing of it startled her but she hurried over with a burgeoning sense of relief and threw it open.

A tall figure wrapped so thoroughly in furs that it couldn’t be anything other than a human stepped inside with a blast of snow and cold wind that made Emily shiver.

“Sorry, sorry,” a woman’s voice apologized from beneath the deep hood as she hurried into the house. A large Ragoru withsteel gray fur beneath all the rapidly melting snow followed behind her. “Get the door, please, Sabol.”

The male’s bright yellow eyes fell briefly on Emily before turning back to his mate with obvious adoration. “Of course, rya,” he rumbled as he turned and closed the door firmly behind them.

Emily watched the pair apprehensively but managed a small, uncertain smile when the woman threw back her hood to beam happily at her. The auburn braid thrown over her shoulder was threaded through with a number of smaller braids and ribbons, some of which terminated in tiny carved figures and beads that appeared to be made of bone. They clattered softly with the movement of the woman’s head as she looked around the room with an air of satisfaction.

Just who was this woman looking around with such unmistakable authority? Was there some sort of ceremony that Emily wasn’t aware of? She had assumed that the mating process was straightforward: be collected by one’s mates, travel over an obscene distance in freezing temperatures, and then get plowed until incapable of walking—mating completed. So why did she have a strange woman standing in the middle of her living room?

“Sabol.” Vrel’s surprised greeting alerted Emily to her mates’ return. She turned her head to glance back at them as he dipped his head respectfully, his eyes shifting warily to the woman. “We did not expect you.”

“Apologies,” the woman replied. “I know that we are interrupting, but we wanted to be something of a welcoming committee for your mate. You know, beyond just the basics of warming your den for your arrival.”

“Evelyn.” Vikt rumbled with a brief dip of his head. “Your generosity is appreciated.”

Not just appreciated—Vikt sounded almost relieved at the interruption. Who did this Evelyn… Wait, Evelyn? Emily’s head whipped back to her guest in surprise. “Evelyn Willock?”

“So you have heard of me.” The woman’s cheeks, already reddened from the cold, took on a deeper hue. “I didn’t expect that, not when I was so careful to keep my name off the reading material that I compiled for our new… ah… brides. Anonymity is safe, and it’s a blessing when one doesn’t want anyone arriving to the conclusion that one has more power and influence here than one actually does.”

She didn’t want anyone deferring to her or expecting her to fight their battles for them. Emily could understand and appreciate that. She just wanted to be seen for what she was—just another woman mated to a Ragoru triad.

Emily gave her a sympathetic smile. “Understood. I will keep the knowledge to myself. I heard of you only in passing and then made it a point to read everything I could find on the woman who became a bride of ‘monsters’—no offense—and helped construct the current bridal arrangement. I hadn’t even believed that I would meet you here. The northlands seem so large that I figured that it was unlikely.”

Evelyn chuckled as she drew off her cloak and handed it to her mate. “A reasonable expectation. We don’t share information about the northlands with the capital or any of the other citadels. As I said before, anonymity is safe. In truth, while the homes—or dens as you’ll hear them more commonly called—were built spread out for the comfort of the originally intended inhabitants, they are still close enough together that the distance is equal to only a handful of blocks within the capital. My own home is almost within the heart of the den lands and is distinguished by a red door. A mark that my mates suggested as a color of welcome from their divine Mother Ewa to convey a place of safety.”

“I see,” Emily murmured in reply. “And so you are here to?—”

“To welcome you,” Evelyn reiterated with a broad smile. “I would have brought gifts, but Ragoru are touchy about anyone offering something to their mate unasked. It is viewed as some sort of insult to their ability to provide and care for you.” Sabol nodded approvingly at her side, but Emily didn’t miss the slight roll of the other woman’s eyes. “I tried to explain that humans like things like sweet cakes and such, so stop by at my little red door sometime and I will bring you in for some tea and cake… or coffee if you prefer. Just this summer I headed over to the port for Northern Run Mines to acquire supplies in bulk. Blythe Manchen has become a good friend, and we radio frequently. She is happy to adjust her orders for me, so if you think of something you are missing just make a list for the next run. But I’m rambling. Just come by and we can enjoy something sweet without overstepping any mating boundaries.”

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