Chapter 2

Chapter

Two

I t was the end of the last chukker—the final seven-minute period out of six in polo—and most likely the last chance to take the ball downfield and score a winning goal. Oz, Simon Howard's top polo pony, was easily the most fit horse in the game. They galloped across the field, Simon hitting the ball with a controlled power that made him a top player.

As the opposing team's nearest players closed in, Simon could hear the thunder of galloping horses behind him. Relying on Oz's superior ability and speed, Simon continued to hit the ball out of reach, changing direction four times to outmaneuver, confuse, and ultimately bypass the other players. Knowing Oz would chase the ball on his own, Simon dared a glance back and realized he had pulled away from the pack and was all alone. It was now or never.

He leaned into his horse, swinging his mallet up and around in a sweeping gesture that would give him the most power. Simon urged Oz for one last burst of speed and blasted the ball through the goalposts to the cheer of the capacity crowd.

"Well done, Simon!" called an opponent as he galloped past him down the field.

Oz ran on a loose rein once around the field in a victory lap. Simon could have done without it, but his horse seemed to genuinely enjoy the attention. Once they'd made their way around the field, Oz broke into an extended trot as Simon headed toward the team's grooms.

Once he could do so safely, Simon brought his horse to a halt, dismounted and loosened his girth, and walked him the remaining distance to the saddling area.

"He really looked wonderful out there, Simon," said one of the grooms, a lively girl from his pack named Suri. "I can take him if you like."

"No, I'll handle it. Did you have a chance to look at Tilly's shoe?"

She grinned at him. "You were right. She's missing a nail and that shoe would have been torn loose. Could have been a nasty injury. The farrier's already fixed it and said he'd send you the bill."

"Thanks, Suri," he said, untacking his horse.

"Let me at least take your gear," she offered. "I wanted to spend some time conditioning it anyway."

"What would we do without you?" Simon asked.

"It's nothing, really," said Suri, blushing slightly.

Simon led his horse to the bathing rack, adjusted the water pressure and temperature, and hosed Oz down. He squeegeed the excess water off the blue roan's coat and began to walk him in the shade until he was dry. It was a warm day and didn't take long before he could get him curried and brushed and ready to load so they could return to Tanglewood Castle.

"Are you heading back with us to celebrate?" asked Suri.

"No, I'm going to my house to get showered and changed, and then I've got a command performance at the townhouse. I shouldn't make it sound so bloody awful, but you know my parents. I have several friends who will be there, and I shall endeavor to enjoy myself."

"Your mother has been making a lot of noise about you not coming home very often."

Simon shook his head, smiling. "I'm home more often than not. The problem is she considers home to be Tanglewood Castle, while I think of it as my place in the Cresswell Place Mews." He stood and watched her for a moment. "If you need help, I can follow you out."

"No, we're fine. It's just your mother isn't the only one in the pack who misses you."

"I'm not unaware of that. I'm also very sure that my fated mate is not of our pack."

"Your father says..."

"Look, Suri, I know what my father says. I know he's told me all my life that fated mates are a myth and that Howard wolves mate for far more practical reasons. But I have too many friends who have found their fated mates. When I lost Abriana to hers, I decided I would wait until I found that one she-wolf who completes me. It is my hope that more of our pack do the same. And if any of you ever do and my father gives you grief, I hope you'll call on me."

"I don't wish your father ill, but I think once you are alpha, our pack will be better off."

Simon sighed. Suri wasn't the first member of the pack to express that sentiment. One of the reasons he didn't go to Tanglewood very often was the arguments between him and his father that always ensued. Simon had lost count of the times his father had threatened to banish him. His father never carried through. Partly, Simon supposed, because he knew if he tried, Simon would feel compelled to challenge him for leadership of the pack. He had a feeling that that time was coming soon, one way or another.

"It's not nice to wish my father dead," said Simon gently.

"I don't, Simon, truly. I just wish he'd step down and let you take over. You know if you ever choose to challenge him, there isn't one of us who won't have your back. Even your father's oldest and most ardent supporters have lost faith. I shudder to think what would have happened if you hadn't stepped in last year."

Smiling, Simon said, "I'm glad you clued me in, so I wasn't too late." He nodded toward the big horse trailer. "Take them home and make sure they all get another good rub down and extra feed. They've earned it."

"All right." Suri grinned. The girl lived for polo. "That was an amazing game. I wasn't sure we'd get the win until I saw you get the ball on that last pass. I swear, if Oz ever learns to swing a mallet, your days of being in charge are over."

"Agreed," Simon laughed. "Take it easy and buzz my cell when you get back to the castle."

"Will do."

Suri ran to join the others, all of whom waved and called to him. He watched them leave together. He hadn't lied to Suri; he was attending dinner at his parents' townhouse tonight because his father had insisted. He had planned to refuse, but then heard that several people he wanted to see would be there. He had much to discuss with Skylar, Travis, Kat, and Jed.

B ack at the Savoy, Abriana, Skylar and Kat had paired off with their mates, leaving Piper and Mariah on their own. They headed up to their suite and ordered room service.

"Your parents are coming tomorrow night, aren't they?" asked Piper.

"Yes. Dad had something he had to finish in Montreal before he could come, and my mother won't come without him. She doesn't like to be away from his side. According to my mom, Skylar is right and that whole alpha knot thing is amazing. She maintains that if I'm going to get tied to a wolf, make sure it's an alpha who can actually do it."

Piper almost spit out her mouthful of bottled water. "God, your mother and mine are so much alike. My mom says the same thing. The only reason alpha wolves are worth putting up with is their ability to knot and tie their mates. You can always, and I mean always, tell when my parents have done it."

Mariah nodded. "Same here. It's really funny and kind of gross and then kind of sweet all at the same time. My Aunt Liza says once my dad ran my mom to ground, she's been crazy about him ever since. The cool thing is, he feels the same way."

"Same with my folks. In some ways my dad is very traditional and then he throws the pack a curve ball," said Piper.

"You mean like with Travis?"

"Yes. There has always been an expectation by the rest of the pack that Travis would take over as alpha when our father passed or wanted to step down. But long ago he told me Aunt Amy had seen that wasn't where his destiny lay. Some of the most revealing conversations I ever had with Trav as a kid were about his knowing he would never be alpha to our pack. I think if something happened to my dad, Trav might relent, but only for a while."

"So does it hurt your feelings that they're not considering you?" asked Mariah.

Piper thought for a moment. "Sometimes. I do get it. I think a female-run pack could work, but only if it was something the whole pack wanted. After all, didn't Darby run the New Orleans pack when everyone thought Jean-Michel was dead?"

"Yes, but only as a placeholder until Jean-Edouard was old enough, and she did have the entire pack's backing." Mariah laughed. "My mother always said the Ruling Council would have been sent home with their tails between their legs if they'd tried to take Darby on. That she-wolf is a force to be reckoned with."

"Do you ever think about it?" asked Piper, looking out the window.

"About what?"

"Mating outside your pack. There is nobody in our pack that I could see settling down with, so it means I'd have to leave Wolf Meadow. But I'm not sure I could do that. It's a part of me in a way it never was for Travis."

"I think about it too. My brother will lead our pack when my dad dies or steps down, but that sort of leaves me with no place to go. I mean I'm an alpha she-wolf like you, and I don't think I'd do well with a wolf who wasn't my equal. Sometimes I think I could make it work with the right beta, but only because of my Uncle Bash. He's tough and strong." She laughed. "But my mom says that Bash is an alpha in beta's clothing."

"I think about this shit a lot too," said Piper. "My dad says I think too much because I spend too much time alone out on the range, but it's where I feel at home. I've considered going to culinary school with an eye toward being a pastry chef. Neither my mom nor Travis likes having anything to do with desserts, so I could make a name for myself."

"Wouldn't your parents let you—carve out a different kind of life for yourself?"

"Begrudgingly. And that's the rub—dad wants me out at the ranch helping him but at the same time won't even turn over the ranching operation to me, much less allow me to run the pack. It sucks."

"That must be awful. Your mom and brothers get to do what they want, and you're sort of stuck in limbo. My mother insists that everyone—males and females—learn how to cook well enough to feed themselves. So, we have ongoing cooking lessons. It's a lot of fun and I have several things I can make that are really good."

"What's your specialty?"

"Cream of Crab soup," admitted Mariah. "It's my ultimate comfort food so I wanted to learn. My brother's, oddly enough, is crab cakes." She went to the small bar in the corner of the room and opened a bottle of water. "Do you want another one?" she asked Piper, as she raised her bottle.

"No thanks," said Piper, setting her empty one on the coffee table. "You know, we should have your brother and Trav do a cookoff. Trav's crab cakes are killer, even better than my mother's." She paused before continuing. "Do you sometimes feel like we need to do something extraordinary in order to live up to our mothers' exploits?"

Mariah nodded, sitting down next to Piper. "Sometimes. There are times when I hear people talking about my mother and yours—the ones who brought down DeMoncada. I think about the fact that all I do is create metal sculptures. Don't get me wrong, I think they're really good and I think each one is better than the last, but it's not like I'm ridding the world of a great evil or anything."

"I feel the same way. My mother bucks the system—she goes rogue on my Uncle Aiden, lives on her own for a few years, and hunts DeMoncada and his minions. And if that weren't enough, she then becomes this world-renowned chef. My oldest brother is following in her footsteps, breaking with tradition. I have one brother who's a Texas Ranger and the other is out on the rodeo circuit and screwing as many buckle bunnies as he can. And me? I just want to raise cattle for gourmet beef. Sometimes I think I have to be a letdown to the whole family."

"But you're good at it and you know what you want," countered Mariah. "Hell, at least you're feeding people. I think it can be quite a lot to live up to if you're always worried about other people's opinions. I worried a lot more when I was younger, but then my dad told me that I should only worry about the opinions of the people I care about, and the rest of the world can go to hell." She smiled and became lost in thought as she remembered how much her father enjoyed giving her sage advice.

"That seems like good advice," Piper said.

"It was. He also pointed out that I'll always have access to a great fortune and the best way to honor him and my mother is to do something I'm passionate about. And when the opportunity presents itself to make a situation better than I found it, to take it. I know a lot of people think of my dad simply as Oliver Halsey, international businessman. But at the end of the day, he's my dad, alpha to his pack and the fated mate of my mother. Trust me, it's that last one that means the most to him."

"My dad too," agreed Piper. "A couple of weeks ago, I was restless and went to the kitchen to make a sandwich, which is all I'm allowed to do in there because my mom, brother, and the kitchen staff don't like untrained people in their space. My parents were in my dad's study. It was totally dark except the light from two candles, and they were dancing. There wasn't any music playing. They were just dancing, and I knew they were hearing the same song in their heads."

Mariah let out a little laugh. "My folks are like that. They have this big ole Harley touring bike. Mom got it for my dad for their first wedding anniversary and then taught him how to ride it. They never ride on separate bikes. If they're both going, she always rides behind him and most often with her arms wrapped around his waist and her head resting on his back. She says he's the first and best safe place she's ever had."

"Okay, we have got to snap out of this or we're both going to be all weepy at this party tonight," Mariah said, rolling her eyes.

"What's with the eye roll?" asked Piper. "You did that when Abriana was talking about Simon Howard, the alpha's son."

"Seriously? Micah tells him Abriana is his fated mate and he just backs off? What kind of alpha wolf does that? He was banging her on a regular basis. She's Marco DeMedici's daughter. She's gorgeous and she fits in with his kind of people."

"What do you mean?"

"He grew up in a castle, she grew up in a grand villa. They're both European and from the upper class. She could have stepped into the life of Mistress to the London pack without missing a beat. And instead of fighting for her, he just walks away? They say he's an alpha. These London wolves must be a pretty weak pack if that's the guy they want as their leader."

"The rumor is the pack would like him to challenge his father."

"In what way? Sabers at dawn? Rock, paper, scissors? No. If I'm tying my fate to some alpha wolf, he'd damn well better have more to offer than tea and crumpets."

"I don't know. My mother always says still waters run deep."

Mariah shook her head. "No, I'll pass. Give me a wolf with some umph ," she said making a fist and bringing it up in an obscene gesture. "If some wolf wants to knot me? He'd better be able to rock my world—literally."