“Wow! That was…um…interesting. What the hell just happened? Why’d she wig out like that?” NeeCee asked.
Meka finally noticed that NeeCee had cleared the bed and was standing at the end behind the dubious protection of the footboard. Bull hovered protectively close behind.
“Let me explain,” Mark began. “Meka’s enhanced hearing and sense of smell is powered by her wolf. When we asked her to tap into it, it stirred her beast. Chad’s return after so long an absence brought her wolf to the surface along with the need to mate.”
“If she wanted to fuck, why did she try to take his head off?”
Meka flinched inwardly at NeeCee’s blunt language, but then the meaning of her words registered. “I tried to rip his head off?”
“Just a little love play,” Chad said soothingly.
She didn’t believe him and it must have showed.
“What you did was totally normal, Meka. Your she-wolf made Chad establish his dominance. It’s something all she-wolves do with their mates,” Mark explained.
Once again NeeCee asked what Meka was thinking. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means her wolf made sure Chad was strong enough to tame it,” Bull entered the conversation.
“By fighting him?” She was so confused.
“By testing him. Think of it this way, Meka. In the wild, female wolves force the male to prove how strong he is before selecting him as a mate. She needs a mate that’s not only a good provider, but one capable of protecting her and their pups. As women we do the same thing. Think about it. When you were dating, how many times have you tested a man by saying or doing something out of character, just to see how he would respond? Would he let you walk all over him or would he put his foot down? Black women in particular tend to be strong. We have to be. That strength is bred into us. And, we desire and search for men just as strong—not to dominate us --but because sometimes we’re weak and we need to know that when our strength fails, our man’s got our back,” Kiesha concluded.
That actually made sense. Tameka had dated some weak men in her life and she’d sent all of them packing. In the human world, the battle of wits and wills was more subtle but no less important. It all boiled down to one question, is this male a worthy mate?
“You’re right. There’s nothing I hate more than a ‘yes’ man.
I get rid of them real quick and in a hurry,” NeeCee stated.
Bull leaned forward and whispered something in her ear that caused her back to stiffen and eyes to narrow. He grinned wickedly and retreated to lean against the door, gazed still glued to NeeCee’s back.
A yawn escaped before Meka could stop it. “Forgive me. I don’t know why I’m suddenly so tired.”
“Don’t apologize. We’re the ones that sorry. You’re still recovering from the coma. Both Carol and Alex instructed us not to linger too long. I guess now is a good time to leave. We can continue this discussion later, after you’ve rested,” Kiesha stated.
“Thank you for coming. I appreciate it. Please, both of you, take some of these flowers with you. There’s no way I can take them all home.”
“Are you sure?”
“Very.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll take this one. It’s so pretty. Here, I’ll leave the card with you.” Kiesha selected one of the ones that was delivered recently and set the envelope on the bedside table.
“I’ll have Carol stop by and pick out the one she likes.
She’s the green thumb in our family,” Mark stated.
Bull left his position by the door and walked around, examining the offerings and reading the goodwill cards attached.
“Bull, you can have one, too,” she generously offered. “I had no idea the people around here were this friendly. They don’t even know me.”
“But they know Chad. Most of these are from the pack.
You’re one of us now,” Bull stated as he reinserted on card and pulled out another.
“I should go, too, and let you get some rest,” NeeCee stated after Kiesha and Mark left the room.
Meka was barely listening. Just before the door closed, she’d noticed a man standing in the hallway, right in front of her room. Now that she thought about it, he’d moved out the way, allowing Kiesha and Mark to exist before moving back into position. “Why is there a man standing in front of my door?”
“Rome had Alex put guards on you and NeeCee.” Chad spoke into her ear.
“Guards? Why?” Meka tried to twist around to face him, but he held her tight. Instead, she leaned her head back and looked up.
“Because Psycho Bitch tried to riddle his hide with bullets this morning. You should see his truck,” Bull stated as he moved to a new group of plants.
“What!” Meka was immediately wide awake, tiredness forgotten.
“Thanks, Bull,” was Chad’s dry response.
“Are you hurt? Let me see!”
“Meka, it wasn’t that serious,” he assured her as she struggled, needing to see for herself.
When his arms tightened like bands around her, she ordered, “Release me!”
“I’m okay,” he insisted, but he did as she commanded and with a long-suffering look, allowed her to check him for damage.
“I can understand Meka needing a guard, but why’d this Alex dude stick one on me?” NeeCee questioned.
Bull held up a card. “Take a look at this, Chad.” He turned to NeeCee, “This card is the reason your lovely person is now being protected twenty-four-seven.”
Chad took the note from Bull and read it. “Which plant did this one come out of?”
“The lily by the door,” Meka answered.
“You knew about this and didn’t say anything,” he roared.
“Don’t you raise your voice at me,” she shouted. “I was busy and forgot.” She moved to get off of the bed and he pulled her right back and onto his lap.
“You should have told me. This is important.” He glowered at her. She matched him glare for glare.
“Like your being shot at this morning is important?” Then she smiled sweetly, knowing her eyes glinted dangerously. “It’s almost three and I’m just finding out about it,” she reminded him. “From Bull,” she added pointedly.
NeeCee interrupted their staring contest when she took the card and read it aloud. “The old lady. Her husband. Your animal lover. Who else will you lose? Your sister? Give me what I want!
This woman really has a hard-on for that land. Why don’t you just give it to her—take the money and run?”
“If it were mine, I probably would. No dirt is worth all of this grief.” Then Meka explained about the property belonging to the pack and how she was just the trustee.
“If it’s their land, let them deal with it. You shouldn’t be in the middle of this,” was NeeCee’s response. “It’s not like they’re paying you, are they?”
“No, but they do pay the property taxes and such.”
“Well, duh! It belongs to them. If I were you, I’d pack up and move. Let them handle this mess. Go stay with Chad or something. You two are basically married anyway. Let him provide the roof over your head.”
Meka snapped around to see Chad’s reaction to the news.
“We’re married?” He gazed at her questioningly.
“You didn’t know?”
“Dude, I keep telling you. You gotta hang with the pack more often. What do you think a mate is?” Bull smacked his forehead and hung his head in pretended shame, his cowboy hat held against his chest.
“Married.” If the slowly spreading grin across his face was any indication, Chad was pleased with the news.
“I still want rings and a marriage license,” he told her.
“Whoa, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. One step at a time, remember?” She broke out into a sweat just thinking about marriage vows.