RIEKA Drea starts bouncing in place as she tries to contain her excitement. I try my best to give her a smile and pretend to be excited, but she must sense my apprehension. Her smile faulters for a second before she recovers and then her smile grows even bigger, showing off those gorgeous perfectly white, perfectly straight teeth of hers. For the first time since I met her, I can almost see how her teeth could look menacing. I know that sounds crazy, she’s not a rabid dog, but there is something about her teeth that suddenly strikes me as a potential threat. Before I have any more time to think about this new revelation about my friend, she takes my hands in both of hers. Her eyes are beaming with excitement and anticipation. I give her my best smile, “What is it?” Then suddenly she squeals “I’m pregnant!” I don’t know what I thought she was going to tell me, but that wasn’t it! My face quickly transforms from nervous, to shocked, and then quickly morphs into excitement! I c
RIEKA My talk with Drea at the furniture store really helped me to feel less embarrassed about dinner, but there isn’t much anyone can do about my insecurities. I’m meeting with Aleksandr for lunch before meeting with one of the property owners, and for some reason I feel especially uncomfortable in my body today. I walk into the restaurant that he asked me to meet him at, and it’s the cutest little Italian place, although pasta isn’t great for my waistline. Running my hands across my stomach to smooth my shirt, and then pulling on the edges of my jacket to cover my stomach as much as I can, I wonder if I can get away with just ordering a salad. I’m actually pretty hungry, but I’m so sick of feeling overweight and gross, and today I’m extra sensitive about it. The hostess walks up and offers to show me to the table. I’ve decided that I’m not going to let myself feel awkward. He doesn’t know what I’m thinking, and while I can’t fully control the way I respond to his presence, I
ALEKSANDR Lunch was going great, but her scent hadn’t changed and was still faint. I had an idea. Up until this point I have been very careful not to be too forward or openly flirtatious because I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but I wanted to know how she would respond to me if I was more obvious with my attraction to her. As we chatted and I flirted more openly, I thought her scent was growing stronger, but it was very gradual and not extremely obvious. When I started asking about her children and showing that I paid attention and remembered details about them I noticed a more significant increase in her scent. Near the end of the meal, I noticed that her scent had definitely grown stronger, but still nowhere near what a mate’s scent should be. Suddenly, out of nowhere, her face started looking somewhat disheartened. What could she possibly be thinking about right now to make her look so downcast? When I question her about it, she gives me a line about work. I know
ALEKSANDR The lunch meeting/date was a HUGE success! I was getting in my car, about to call Dustin and Drea to update them, when I began to feel like something was wrong. My wolf was pacing in my mind and unhappy about the idea of Rieka leaving without us. I tried to reassure him that we would see her again soon, but he would not settle down. The more agitated he became, the more worried I was about Rieka. Call it my wolf’s intuition, but I just knew that I needed to get to her. Rieka had emailed me the address of the property where she was going. She’s smart, she always lets several people know where she is going to be so that if she is late or doesn’t show up somewhere we all know where to look for her. She doesn’t tell me about all of her appointments, but because this one involves me, she included me in her list of safety contacts. I open my email on my phone and pull up the address. I’m about to start driving that direction when my phone rings. I look at the caller ID a
RIEKA The next morning, I get up and go through the motions of our usual routine, but my mind is consumed with thoughts of Aleksandr. He’ll be here at nine o’clock, and even though I cleaned last night before bed I still keep thinking of things I should try to get done before he comes over. After dropping the older kids off at school, Calvin and I head back home. I put on a little mascara and then decide to put on my playlist again while I try to get a few last-minute things done. I have about 30 minutes before Aleksandr is supposed to get here. I’m in the zone and getting a lot of cleaning done. This is probably the most productive I’ve been with cleaning in weeks! I lose track of time and suddenly I hear the doorbell ringing. Looking down at myself I realize I look a little homely in my black leggings and t-shirt with a sheen of sweat on my brow, but there’s nothing I can do about that now. I don’t want to make him wait at the door for 20 minutes while I try to fix myself u
ALEKSANDR I’ve enjoyed my time with Rieka, but after our run was over, I had to get back to work. Dustin was spending the day with our trackers and seeing if we can find any more information on the rogue situation, and I’m itching to know what they found. I want to know that Rieka and her kids are safe. Back at the packhouse, I grab a quick lunch and then head to my office. I mindlink Dustin to meet me there for a report update on the rogues. I spend a few minutes reviewing the work my dad has been covering for me. Even though I have extra help right now, I still need to know what’s going on. Dustin wanders into my office about 10 minutes later. He pulls one of the armchairs over in front of my desk and takes a seat waiting for me to give him my full attention. I tuck away the files I’d been reviewing, and fold my hands together, resting them on my desk. “What have we found so far?” Leaning forward, Dustin hands me a map with several markings on it. “We’ve been scouring the
RIEKA There’s always music playing in my car. I have so many playlists and I feel like there is a perfect song for every situation and every feeling a person can experience. During the drive I heard the song “When He Sees Me” by Sara Bareilles. This song describes my anxiety over Aleksandr so well. “What scares me the most is what if when he sees me, what if he doesn’t like it? What if he runs the other way, can’t hide from it. What happens then? If when he knows me, he’s only disappointed. What if I give myself away, to only get it given back? I couldn’t deal with that.” The kids had so many questions during the drive over to Aleksandr’s house. Unfortunately, it couldn’t distract me from my anxiety since all their questions made me think more about tonight, but as we approached the house the car grew quiet. I knew they would all be just as amazed by his house as I was the first time I arrived. Well, all of them except for Calvin. He was too young to understand or care.
ALEKSANDR I had just finished setting up all the details for our date. I hate that I’m running late because I know how punctual Rieka is, but I wanted everything to be perfect. I know that it might be difficult for Rieka to leave her kids as well, so I planned the date to be close by. As I enter the packhouse, I can smell her delicious milk, honey, and rain scent. I love that her scent is stronger and more easily detectable now. I follow my nose and find Rieka and the kids in the game room with my mom and Drea. I can’t help but stand back at the door and just watch for minute. I almost feel like I’m seeing a flash into my future. I love the idea of my home being full of children. I don’t mind that they aren’t my kids. I will love them and protect them as if they were my own pups. Rieka must have sensed me behind her. She turns to look over her shoulder, and mom and Drea turn as well. Of course, mom and Drea already knew I was here. They could smell my scent as soon as I b