“You really are a beach ball.”
“Shut up. Wait until you meet your mate and get pregnant. You’re not much taller than me. There’s nowhere for the baby to go but out, and this time with two of them…” Missy paused, then narrowed her eyes. Maggie felt her face heat up. “Crap, you’ve met your mate. Haven’t you?”
Maggie leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Anyone ever tell you it’s damn hard to have a conversation with you when you seem to know everything, about everybody, before they tell you? It was bad enough when we were young, but since you’ve accepted you’re an Omega, it’s gotten ridiculous.”
Missy snorted. “It’s worse than you think. With Tad being an Omega too, we occasionally have really freaky conversations. Quit stalling. Who is it?”
Maggie stared out the window. “I’m not ready for a mate.”
“Who is it?” Missy rubbed her hands together with glee. “Someone in Vancouver? Why didn’t he come with you? Or is he making arrangements to move north too?”
Maggie stood and wandered away a few steps. She didn’t need this. Not now. Did Missy not realize how difficult it was to be surrounded by wolves again for the first time in years? Had she forgotten what it was like to be truly afraid? The only reason Maggie had maintained any contact with their old pack was to keep in touch with Missy. As soon as Missy had mated with Tad, Maggie instantly severed all final ties with Whistler.
Her sister wouldn’t drop the topic. “You met him in Whitehorse? Mags, you do realize this might be the solution to your problem.”
Yeah, right. “Didn’t you listen to me? I don’t want to be tied to a mate. I’m still wondering if I made the right decision to come and be with your pack.” She looked down at her sister. “How can you be so comfortable around all these wolves? After everything they did to you? All those years of your life wasted because our Alpha—”
“Oh, honey, I’ve told you this so many times over the past two years. These wolves have been nothing but kind to me. Our Alpha wasn’t an Alpha—not in the truest sense of the word. Tad is more than twice the man my first husband ever was. I’m happy now, Mags, really I am. Yeah, it was a rotten situation, and I didn’t deserve to be treated like that, but I’ve moved on. Isn’t it time you did the same?”
The only person in the world Maggie knew who had gone through more hell than she had sat before her, huge with her second and third children. Living with a man she trusted, who went out of his way to make her smile.
Was it really possible to leave the past behind?
“Maggie. Tell me. Please.”
It was impossible to resist her.
“Erik.” Maggie squeezed her eyes tight as her body reacted to even saying his name. Her wolf woke again, this time with a slow and sensuous stretch itching up her spine. She hadn’t felt that sensation in years.
Complete and utter silence greeted her announcement. She poked open an eye to see Missy sitting with her mouth gaping open. “What?”
Missy giggled naughtily. “You don’t want to know.”
“Bullshit. You made me tell you who it is, now spill. Do you not trust him?”
Her sister gasped. “Not trust Erik? The Friendly Giant? Girl, there is no one I trust more, except Tad and my Alpha. I was just imagining…umm…the two of you together. That’s all.”
Oh God. Not what she needed right now. “Great. I tell you I found my mate and the first thing that jumps to your mind is how we’re going to manage sex. You’re such a bitch.”
They both laughed. “Yeah, well, sex is kinda up there on my ‘things to think about’ list these days since I’m not getting much.”
Maggie rolled her eyes. “Enough. I haven’t accepted the mating yet. I need to figure other things out first.”
Missy lifted her belly with her hands and wiggled to the front of her chair. “What you’re not taking into consideration is with Erik as your mate, he’ll help you figure those things out. You need help, and he’s the one able to give it. You need to trust him.”
“Stop being a bloody oracle.”
“I’m not being an oracle, I’m being an Omega. More importantly, I’m being your sister and I only want the best for you. Why are you fighting it so hard? Erik is a good man, and he’s gorgeous. If I wasn’t mated I’d be interested in a roll in the hay with him.”
A low growl burst from Maggie. She froze in shock.
“Oops, looks like your wolf isn’t as asleep as you thought.”
Maggie dropped back into the chair opposite her sister. “No, she’s getting more and more vocal, especially when it comes to Erik.”
“That’s a good thing.”
The delight in her sister’s eyes bothered her. Get a mate, solve all your problems. Maybe it just wasn’t that easy. Maggie jerked to a standing position.
“So you say, but I’m not convinced. I only met him a few days ago. I need more time.” She scrubbed her hands over her face, rubbing her temples. Her body and mind ached. Plus she wanted Erik so badly she could scream, but she was attempting to ignore those sensations. “I’m tired. I’m hoping to catch up on my sleep tonight before I hop into nanny mode for you.”
Missy wrinkled her nose. “Heading to bed? Already? But we have plans for tonight.”
Oh hell, no. “I can’t do any big events yet. I only have to see you and Tad, right? At least for a while?”
Missy hemmed and hawed a few times. Something was up. “Dinner has been planned. The Alphas will be there. You can’t insult Keil and Robyn and not come.”
Shit. Her first night here and already she felt like running into the woods and hiding. She gritted her teeth together and spoke through tight lips. “Fine.”
“There’s the Alpha’s brother, TJ. And…well…”
“Erik’s going to be there, isn’t he?”
“He goes where the Alpha goes, especially at formal events.”
The only sound was the water tinkling in the fountain. Maggie turned to stare in horror at her older sister. “Formal events? What are you talking about?”
Missy sighed. “I’m really sorry, Mags, I didn’t do it on purpose. There’s kind of this thing tonight. It’s a big deal around the wolf community. I didn’t realize the timing overlapped when you called to say you were arriving. It only happens every five years. I don’t know if you remember from when we lived in Whitehorse before moving to Whistler. The AWG?”
“The Arctic Wolf Games? Those are now?”
“Yeah. The selection banquet for the Granite Lack pack is tonight. That’s why there’s a crowd of cars at the pack house.” Panic must have shown on her face because Missy rushed to reassure her. “Honey, it’s going to be okay. I’ll sit with you, and Tad will, and we can leave as soon as they finish the announcements.”
A shiver of fear rolled over Maggie. There was going to be a gathering of wolves and she had to go.
Welcome to hell.
She kept her back against the wall for as long as possible. Hidden in the shadows, she watched the pack members stroll around the large hall, chatting and laughing.
It looked safe. For now.
“You okay?”
She bit back a little scream. “How did you sneak up on me like that?”
Erik stroked a finger down her arm, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “I’ve been here for five minutes watching you. I thought you might like an escort back to the table. We’re going to do the selection soon, and it will get a little noisy in here.”
She swallowed hard. Somehow her fingers snuck their way into his. The warmth of his hand reassured her, calmed her slightly. There were a hell of a lot more wolves in the building than she had ever wanted to see in her life again. Still, she couldn’t hide in the corner all night, no matter how much she wanted to.
“Okay.” She stood straighter and held her head high. She might be shaking inside but there was no way she would let any of the pack know. Erik squeezed her fingers as he led her past the Alpha and his mate. The two of them smiled at her before turning their attention back to the man seated beside them.