Wolf's Den - A BBW Shifter Romance Novel (17 page)

“Wait!” I begged her as she emerged from the room and walked past.

“Yes, do you need something?” the pretty young girl asked.

“What do you mean you’re like her?  Why am I different,” I pressed.  Agnes looked at her feet.  The question made her clearly uncomfortable.

“Lady Violet should be the one to say.  I’m sorry,” she said and scurried off.  I looked at Yeager, then Edie.  They were both confused as well but Yeager seem wary too.

“This place gives me the creeps.  That old woman is keeping something from us.  I can smell it on her,” Yeager said.  I guess I could too.  Maybe that’s what I sensed that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

“Poor Agnes seems a bit cowed by her too,” I observed.

“She’s submitting.  Lady Violet is an alpha and Agnes has submitted to her.  Like Dolan and his gang,” Yeager explained.

“But I thought only males could be an alpha,” Edie interjected.

“Usually that’s the way it is with wolves but were not wolves.  We’re shifters.  Human women can be in charge, a leader, and so can female shifters.  I guess.  Until now, Cassie is the only one I’ve met but Cassie is an alpha, she’s got the traits and the strength.  Even Dolan couldn’t stand against her.  I wonder if that’s what Agnes meant.  She’s not an alpha but you are,” Yeager explained turning his attention from Edie to me.

“That makes sense, I suppose.  We should go downstairs early like Violet suggested.  Maybe she’ll give us some answers,” I said.  Yeager nodded, grabbed Edie’s hand and looked at her watch.

“It’s 5:30.  Say we meet out here in forty-five minutes?” he proposed.  Edie and I agreed.  Yeager and I walked a few steps down the hallway to our room as Edie went into hers.  Sure enough, on the rustic bed were laid out a black cocktail dress for me and a suit and tie for Yeager.  “I’m not wearing that thing,” he said.

“The dress is pretty.  I’ll wear it.  Why don’t you go get something out of the motorhome,” I suggested.  Yeager lived in jeans or cargo shorts and T-shirts.  I dressed casually as well most of the time but I didn’t have an aversion to dressing up like Yeager did.

“Yeah, fine,” he replied, kissed me on the forehead and turned to go.

“Nice jeans, OK.  No holes,” I prodded.

“Yes, dear,” he told me and winked before he left, closing the door behind him. The lodge, or whatever you wanted to call it, was nice even if the place did give off a weird vibe.  Rather, if Lady Violet didn’t give off a weird vibe.  At least we had our own space, Yeager and I.  I undressed and went to shower.  When I emerged, Yeager had returned.  He showered as I dressed.  He’d thoughtfully brought my stuff up to our room so I could dry my hair, put on a little make up and generally make myself presentable.

The dress Violet had provided fit well and looked pretty.  It was a simple black cocktail dress and she had supplied me some black heels too.  How she knew my sizes, I wasn’t sure.  I guess she had a gift. Yeager wore blue jeans, a plain white T-shirt and a leather vest along with black boots.  It was about time to go so we left our room and knocked on Edie’s door.  She opened it wearing a pretty white dress, matching heels and a frown.

“I look stupid!” she announced sourly.

“You look pretty,” I complimented her but Edie’s frown deepened and she rolled her eyes.

“Says you.  I feel like an idiot in this,” she said.  I laughed but then Edie noticed Yeager and his more casual clothing.  “Hey!  How’d you get away with wearing that?” she asked him pointedly.

“I grabbed these when I went to the motorhome to get our stuff.  I brought you your suitcase,” he informed her.

“Damn, I wish I would have thought to wear my own clothes.  Too late now, I suppose.  C’mon, let’s get this over with,” Edie told us and walked past us towards the stairs.  Yeager smiled at me and I smiled back amused at Edie’s complaining.  As we followed Edie down the stairs, she held the handrail with a death grip, not used to wearing heels.  She almost went down once but recovered, though it wasn’t graceful.  I could hear her swearing under her breath as she continued down the stairs.

Downstairs, we found Lady Violet, Agnes and a few others in the dining room off the side of the main room.  Violet glanced at Agnes and the girl scurried to pour us some wine.  “Well, a considerable improvement,” Violet greeted us, apparently referring to our clothes but she did raise an eyebrow at Yeager and his choice of dinner attire.

“Thank you, the dress is pretty,” I replied and then added, “Isn’t it, Edie?”  She glared at me and then turned to Violet.

“Yeah, thanks a million,” she said with just a bit of sarcasm.  Violet flashed her practiced smile to hide how she really felt about Edie and Yeager.  Agnes handed me a glass of wine, but Yeager refused.

“You have beer around this joint?” he asked.  Agnes looked at Violet and the woman nodded indicating it was acceptable to her.

“Yes, I’ll get you a glass,” Agnes replied.

“Bottle’s fine, sweetie,” Yeager advised her.  Agnes nodded and tried to hand a glass of wine to Edie but she refused as well.

“I’ll have what he’s having, please,” she told Agnes.  The girl, now in a tight fitting black dress that showed off her curvy figure and matching high heels, smiled and went to fetch the beer.  Violet watched the proceedings with a flat expression, obviously unimpressed by the whole scene.

“Let me introduce you around,” she said once Agnes was gone but Violet was looking only at me.  She then placed her hand on my back and guided me away.  I glanced back at Yeager but he seemed content to stand in the corner and avoid the others.  Two men were there along with a woman.  One of the men was middle aged with short brown hair and a mustache, the other was maybe in his mid-twenties with a shaven head and a full beard, both wore black suits.  The woman was a redhead, thin and pale but beautiful in a red dress and fashionable glasses.

“Cassie, this is Phillip, Gerard and this lovely creature is Sophia,” Violet introduced them in turn.  I shook their hands.

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

“We’ve heard all about you,” Sophia replied.

“You have?” I asked.

“Of course.  A prophecy isn’t fulfilled every day, you know,” Gerard, the bald man with the full beard, told me.

“What?” I exclaimed and looked at Violet, puzzled.  Prophecy?

“Cassie’s only just arrived.  I haven’t explained everything yet,” Violet told the others firmly.  Gerard stroked his beard looking as if he’d been scolded.

“Sorry, Lady Violet,” he said and then to me he added, “It’s not as dramatic as it sounds, I assure you.”

“Come with me, child.  We should speak alone,” Violet suggested and placed her hand on my back again, guiding me from the dining room.  Yeager and Edie were drinking their beer while Agnes stood nearby as Violet and I walked by.  “Dinner will be served soon,” Violet assured them.  I shrugged at Yeager as we passed.  He followed me with his eyes but didn’t move to join us.

“What did he mean?” I asked Violet as she guided me to the front door and onto the porch.  There outside in the cool evening air she turned to face me.  She was dressed as usual except this time she wore a black knit dress along with her knee-high boots.  Her platinum hair was worn up, pulled tight into a bun, as it always seemed to be.

“Where to begin, child?” Lady Violet began to explain but I wasn’t interested in a long story.  I wanted to get right to the heart of it.

“Start with the prophecy thing,” I told her.  She showed me her disarming smile, the one I was sure she used to hide her anger and displeasure as well as put people at ease.

“Yes, that.  Our kind’s history is incomplete.  Where we come from, how we evolved, is sketchy at best.  We do know that our kind once thrived in Europe and our ancestors came to the new world after it was discovered.  With them came legend and myth, most of which is utter foolishness.  One legend, however, is known by all of our kind and always has been.  You, it appears, are the personification of that legend,” Violet told me.

“How so?  Because I’m an alpha?” I asked.

“No, child.  Many of our women are alphas.  The legends speak of the Wolf Mother that will be born to a human woman.  Your mother was human and she mated with a shifter, Dolan’s father, your father.  You know this, though.  However, such pairings may only produce male shifters and human females.  That is until you arrived,” she explained.

“So, I’m a mutant?” I asked only half joking with Violet.  She smiled.

“Hardly.  You’re...special.  My parents were both shifters.  So were Agnes’ and Sophia’s as well.  All females of our kind are born to two parents that are able to turn.  As you might expect, females are at a premium among our community.  Most males find mates among humans and only the strongest and most successful males manage to court a female shifter,” Violet told me.

“So, I’m the only one born to a human mother?” I asked.

“Yes, as far as we know.  You can imagine our interest when we heard of your existence,” she told me.

“So, what’s the big deal?” I wondered.  So I was born to a human.  What did that matter?

“Legend says, and I believe that the legend is true, you will bear sons that can mate with humans and bear both male and female shifters.  If that is true, our kind’s future will be assured.  Females will no longer be the exception.  That is what the legend, the prophecy, says.  That you will save us from extinction.  That you will spawn the beginning of a new era,” Violet explained to my astonishment.  I hesitated for a moment as I digested her words.

“I...I don’t know what to say to that.  I find it hard to believe I’m going to save shifters from extinction,” I said, my doubt apparent.  Violet, despite her calling most of the legends brought over from Europe foolish, seemed to believe this one.  I found that a bit odd.

“You will.  You’re sons’ human wives will bear female shifters and so will their sons and so on.  You can see why I wanted you to come here, to live amongst us.  You’re important and you must be protected.  You must find a mate and bear children so that our kind may not only survive but flourish,” she told me.

“I already have a mate,” I said.  Violet smiled again but this time it seemed genuine if a bit self-satisfied.

“I suppose he told you the two of you were fated to be together, that you are his one and only mate,” Violet replied.

“Yeah, he did. So?” I wondered.

“Child, that’s utter rubbish.  We are no more fated to mate with anyone than humans are.  In the vernacular of young people, that’s a pick up line and it appears to have worked,” she said.  That made me bristle a bit.

“That’s not true.  I felt it.  I know that Yeager is my mate,” I argued but Violet’s words were already working their way into my thoughts.  I didn’t want to believe her but I remembered the way I felt when Yeager first told me.  I didn’t believe it then but part of me wanted to.

“Of course, you felt it.  A girl like you suddenly told by a good-looking, albeit rather uncivilized, man that she is his mate for life.  It’s a romantic notion, a fairytale of sorts, and I suppose his bad boy demeanor didn’t hurt either.  Young girls are so susceptible to that sort of thing.  I don’t doubt Yeager is interested in you but I wonder what his motives really are,” Violet said.  I recoiled at that.

“I’m not some naive schoolgirl.  I love Yeager and he loves me.  We are mates,” I assured Violet hotly.  She flashed that familiar smile again.

“Of course, child,” she said and just then Agnes appeared at the door.

“Dinner is about to be served,” she announced.

“Excellent.  We can discuss this later, child,” Violet told me and led me inside, her hand on my back again.  Suddenly, I felt the possessiveness of that simple gesture.  I realized it was a subtle display of dominance.  I pulled away from her touch and let Violet walk ahead of me.  She smiled that false smile again as we entered the dining room.  The head of the table was empty, Violet’s spot I was sure.  Agnes took her seat leaving me to sit at the opposite end of the table from Yeager and right next to Violet.  Sophia was seated next to Yeager.