The Alpha's Choice (20 page)

Charles had slammed his hand down on the desk
and Kat was so startled she jumped. It was a good thing, too. She'd
been so intent on listening, she'd failed pay attention to what was
going on around her. Others were entering the hallway and she had
just enough time to scurry into the kitchen before she was
caught.

She didn't want to cause any further bad
feelings between Charles and his Council, so instead of accepting
his invitation, she'd helped Mrs. Martin straighten the rooms and
make the beds and wipe down the bathrooms. She was, after all, an
experienced hotel worker and she knew a lot more about that end of
the business than what was going on in the dining room.

Now, she was helping the housekeeper prepare
the massive lunch these wolvers required and since they were alone,
Kat decided to use the opportunity to seek some answers to her
questions.

Tilda didn't hesitate to answer. "A mate is a
spouse. A mating is like a marriage."

"So it's nothing special?"

"Ah, well, I suppose it's special to the two
doing the mating and if you want children it must be done. Unmated
pairs can't breed. Why do you ask?" she asked cautiously.

"Is it forever?" Kat had read somewhere that
wolves mate for life and she wondered if that was true for wolvers,
too.

"For life, you mean? For most it is, I
suppose, but what you're talking about is a true mating. That's
when you meet the one you're meant to be with. That one lasts for a
lifetime because the bonds are stronger."

Kat laid down the knife she was using to
slice the tomatoes and frowned. Tilda's answer was closer to what
she was looking for, but there was something else that Kat couldn't
define. It was, she thought, another one of the codes she couldn't
break.

"Sometimes, when I hear them talk about a
mate, I get the impression it starts with a little 'm' but other
times it seems to start with a capital. Like saying many wolvers
are alphas, but only one in the pack is the Alpha. Lowercase,
uppercase. You see what I mean? I'm asking because I think it has
something to do with me."

Tilda turned off the three frying pans she
had working on the stove and came to stand by Kat.

"What has the Alpha said about it?" she asked
quietly.

"Nothing. I haven't asked him. But Jo hinted
that she thought I might be special and Stephanie acted like I was
threat. I'm neither one."

"And the Alpha said nothing?"

Kat blushed, knowing that the housekeeper
already knew what she and Charles had been up to. "He hasn't said
anything about a mate. He wouldn't would he? We haven't known each
other that long," and then she blurted, "Mrs. Martin, I don't
usually act that way around a man I just met. Usually? I've never
acted with like that with any man. I haven't been with that
many…"

"Hush, child. You couldn't help yourself.
It's the way of the Alpha when he's searching for his Mate.
Stronger women then you have fallen to it." Her consoling pat was
awkward. She wasn't a woman who showed physical affection easily.
"Are you sure he's not mentioned it?"

"No, but he did say… Kat hesitated. "He said
he was convinced that I was the one," she said in a rush.

Tilda's comment wasn't what Kat expected.
"Hmph. Fool man," she said, clearly irritated. She cocked her head
in that way they all had when they were listening. "They're all
arguing in there. We won't be overheard."

Kat almost laughed, remembering that she'd
been 'punished' for eavesdropping when, with their hearing, these
wolvers could listen to conversations that would be impossible for
her to hear.

Tilda placed her hand over Kat's on the
counter, a good indication what she had to say was important. "It
isn't my place to tell you this, but them that should, haven't and
that ain't right. Poor Emily didn't know neither and that's how she
ended up locked in the bathroom. You're a bit ahead of her on that
score. You, at least, know what we are and I must say I'm proud of
the way you're taking to it."

"Emily. That's Charles' mother right? You
said she wasn't a wolver, but not quite human either."

"That's right, child, just like you."

Kat pulled her hand away. "Oh no, I'm human.
I know my mom and dad and everything. I never had any special
gifts. I wasn't special in any way. I'm human, through and
through."

"That's what Emily thought, too, and you're
right for the most part, except for bein' special. You're an
Alpha's Mate. You're a human woman born special and once you reach
your womanhood, should you meet an Alpha and that's with a capital
'A'," she laughed, "He'd know you right away for what you are the
minute he laid a hand on you. The instinct to mate is powerful in
an Alpha and if he finds the one he wants, the magic is almost
impossible to resist." She paused for a moment, waiting and
watching for Kat's reaction. A minute passed, then two. "Are you
going to say something or are you going to stand there with your
mouth hanging open? You're meant to be an Alpha's Mate and our
Alpha needs a Mate more than most."

"Why?" Kat's mind was reeling and it was the
only word she could speak. That one word covered a lot of
territory. Why was she born that way? Why hadn't she been told this
before? Was this why she had always felt like she didn't belong?
Why now? Why would these people consider her special when no one
had before?

The housekeeper chose to answer the question
that was most important to her. "Our Alpha needs his Mate to help
him take this pack in the direction it's supposed to go. It ain't
normal to have a pack of lone wolvers. That ain't the way the Good
Lord intended. The men, they may go out to hunt and fight, but
without their mates and families, they got nothing to hunt and
fight for. They got nothing to protect. They can pair up with a
likely woman, but they can't mate and if they can't mate, they
can't breed. No young'uns, no families, no pack. It's the way it's
always been and the way it always will be."

Kat was thinking about what Jo told her about
traditions and there being more to them than she thought. "I don't
see what all that has to do with me."

"It's got everything to do with you, girl. It
don't matter how strong the Alpha is. If he don't find a Mate, the
pack can't breed. You having your babies, allows them to have
theirs."

"What exactly does that mean?" Kat asked
worriedly. "Is the Alpha's Mate some kind of breeding machine
having baby after baby just so other women in the pack can have
theirs? Charles said he only has two brothers. Was he lying? Or was
he trying to ease me into it. And how do these babies come out
anyway, because I don't see myself raising a litter."

Tilda laughed at that. "Don't go borrowing
trouble where there is none. It's the possibility is all, though
with the first one there's usually a passel of others following
right along. You'll have them one or two at a time, just the way
your mother did. It ain't no different really, except for when
they're grown they can go over the moon."

"I don't even know if I can have children."
She'd made mistakes in the past and it was always a tense few weeks
until the pregnancy test came out negative. She'd always thought
she was lucky. What if she was barren?

"You'll have 'em," Tilda said with
confidence. "Never heard tell of a Mate who couldn't."

"I don't know if I can do this. I think I
need to sit down."

"You go sit and I'll make you a cup of tea."
Tilda busied herself with the teapot and cups while Kat went to sit
in a little room off the kitchen where a table had been placed for
Tilda and her son.

"What if I'm the wrong woman for the job?"
Kat muttered to herself. "What do I know about being the Alpha's
Mate?"

Tilda answered as if Kat had called the
question across the room instead of whispering to herself. "If
you're the wrong woman, we'll all know soon enough, but I don't
think you are. I see a lot of Emily in you. You're down to earth.
You don't mind pitching in when it's needed and you're listening to
what the Alpha's people have to say. You're on his side and it
don't matter what side that is as long as it's his. You were ready
to give that highfalutin Stephanie her comeuppance this morning
because she insulted your man. If you ask me, and I know you ain't,
you got the makings of a good Alpha's Mate."

Tilda brought in the tray, set it on the
table and settled herself into the other wooden chair. She poured
tea from the pot into two cups and handed one to Kat.

"Thank you." Kat took a sip of the steaming
brew and sighed. Like everything else in the kitchen, Tilda knew
how to brew a good pot of tea. "I'm keeping you from your work.
They'll be hungry when they're finished."

"Then they'll be good and hungry by the time
it's ready. If they complain too much, I'll serve them salad.
That'll fix their wagons."

Kat laughed and her laughter was as
refreshing as the tea. "Don't take their shit, huh?"

"Damn right I don't. I answer to the Alpha
and no one else. You'd be wise to do that, too." Tilda sipped her
tea, in no hurry to get back to fixing lunch. "So, what are you
planning to do now that you know?"

"Nothing," Kat told her honestly, "Not until
I've thought it through."

"At least you ain't a-howling and crying
locking yourself in the bathroom."

"Nope. I'll fall apart later when I have more
time. I'm not going to think about it right now. The children
should be arriving soon and I need to get ready for their
arrival."

Tilda nodded sharply to indicate she thought
that was a wise decision.

Chapter
19

It may have been a wise decision, but it was
one Kat couldn't keep. She thought about it while she helped Tilda
finish the lunch preparations and all during lunch. She tried to
concentrate on the conversations going on around the table, but her
mind kept straying to the conversation in the kitchen.

Charles kept eyeing her with concern and
touching her hand. She smiled weakly at his unasked question and
closed her eyes to indicate she was tired and to let him know she
was all right. Charles, however, wasn't buying it and after lunch,
he detailed four of his Council members to the kitchen for clean-up
and directed Mrs. Martin in no uncertain terms to put her feet up.
He then grabbed Kat's hand.

"How would you like to go for a little
stroll?" he asked cheerfully of Kat and practically dragged her
through the front door. He set off at such a rapid pace Kat was
almost running to keep up.

"It would be nice if you asked," she grumbled
and tugged on her arm to release it from Charles' grip. His fingers
wouldn't budge. Kat gave up and yelled at him instead. "This isn't
strolling, it's power walking. Slow down!"

"I asked," he argued, keeping up the pace
until they'd gone about fifty yards.

"It's only a question if you give the person
a chance to answer," she said and tugged on his arm. "Slow
down!"

She had to dig in her heels and skid a few
feet before Charles got the message and even then she got the
feeling he only slowed because he'd come as far as he wanted to
anyway. He looked back at the house and readjusted their hands to a
friendlier position as he slowed to a comfortable walk.

"What did Mrs. Martin say to upset you?"

Kat stopped walking, snatched her hand from
his and smacked his shoulder with it. "You have a nerve, Wolfman.
You spanked my ass for eavesdropping and here you are doing the
same thing."

Charles' lips twitched. "Does this mean you
want to spank my ass?" He sighed regretfully, "Because if you do,
then I need to tell you that in this instance, what's good for the
goose is not good for the gander. It ain't happening, kitten. Your
bottom stays on the bottom. Which is all moot since I never spanked
your ass for eavesdropping."

"You did so. I was there, remember." It may
have made her feel hotter than hell, but it was still a spank.

Kat turned and stalked away, then realized
she was marching every bit as fast as he'd been before. She slowed
to a walk. It didn't really matter how fast or slow she walked.
Charles would catch up if he wanted to.

"Then you should also remember that you got
spanked for speaking out of turn, not eavesdropping. That was
running the bases." Charles reached for her hand.

He was laughing at her and she'd be damned if
she'd hold his hand. Se folded her arms across her chest. "You know
what I mean," she huffed.

"I do, but I definitely think a refresher
course is needed to jog your memory. You have a terrible memory,
kitten, and I think we should jog it at least once a week, maybe
twice. There's a great little clearing up here with an oak tree
that would be perfect. I can see it now. A little rope, a few
feathers and you won't believe what you can find on the
internet…"

"Charles! Stop. You're making me angry."

"No I'm not. When you're angry, you get that
little crease in your forehead. Right there." He touched the spot
with his finger. "Okay, okay. Serious business," he said quickly
when the crease appeared. "I still claim not guilty." He was now
walking backward so he could speak to her face to face. "I didn't
eavesdrop. It was the process of elimination. You were happy when I
left you upstairs and you weren't when lunch started. Everyone
except Buddy and Mrs. Martin were with me. Buddy isn't likely to
say anything upsetting to you, Ergo…" He spread his hands and
bowed.

Kat relented. "Mrs. Martin didn't upset me.
She answered some of my questions. There were things I needed to
know, things I should have been told," she said, giving him what
Grams called her evil eye. "She told me about the wolver version of
the birds and the bees. She told me about the Alpha's Mate."