Chapter 5 - Violet

I had seen the front room of Nile's house when I had spoken to him before the ceremony, but I hadn't been paying attention to many details. Now that I was moving in with my mate and his daughter, I was surprised by how cozy and charming their house was.

The first floor of the house had a long hallway running from the front door back to the kitchen, off of which were a number of rooms, including the front sitting room, a more casual family room, a bathroom, and a dining room. Through the kitchen was the staircase, which led to the bedrooms. My new mate took the lead as we walked upstairs, and I felt my heart pounding in my chest as I wondered what was going to happen next on this tour.

"You don't have to share a room with me," Nile said, showing me to a bedroom on the second floor of the house. "I'm sure you want your privacy."

A dozen or so boxes sat in a pile—the entirety of my belongings, sent from my parents' house in Sparkle Hollow—next to the suitcases I had packed to bring with me on my trip to Pinedale.

I winced, realizing too late that I had just deprived my parents of seeing their only child get married.

"What's wrong?" Nile asked.

"Nothing," I said dismissively. "Just realized I didn't invite my parents to the ceremony. Everything happened so fast."

I cut myself off, not wanting to think about regrets any longer, while I continued inspecting my new home. The room was sparsely furnished in a light blue and cream color scheme. Two other doors were open against a side wall, showing an empty closet and a tile floor that could only be a bathroom. I got the impression that it had been rarely used prior to my arrival.

"Where do you sleep?" I asked.

Nile gesticulated toward a closed door across the hall.

"My room is the mirror of this one, and the third story has two more identical rooms," he explained.

"For Penelope?" I asked.

He nodded, and I stepped into my room to look around the space. It had large windows, as did all the other rooms in the house. They let in a good amount of light even with the setting sun.

"I'll leave you to get settled in," Nile said from the hallway. "Feel free to explore the house to find anything you might need or ask me if you need help with anything."

"I'll be fine," I said shortly.

He seemed surprised by my tone, but after hours of playing the part of the blushing bride, I was ready to end the charade for the day. He might be acting like he cared for my well-being, but our shared past showed me it was a lie.

"Goodnight, then," Nile said.

I closed the door as he descended the staircase and opened my suitcase. I changed quickly into a t-shirt and baggy sweatpants, discarding my wedding dress in the corner of the room. My fingers brushed over the necklace Nile had given me, and I felt a pang in my stomach. I tucked it inside my shirt out of sight before turning my attention to the pile of boxes.

By the time the sun had fully set, I had unpacked all of my belongings and put them away. I closed the door of my now-full closet, turned off the light, and crawled into bed.

The last thing that crossed my mind as I fell asleep was that the past forty-eight hours had not gone as I had expected. Tomorrow, I would wake up for the first time as luna of the Pinedale Pack.

***

The smell of bacon and coffee woke me up in the early hours of the morning. I peeled my eyes open unwillingly, trying to remember where I was.

I glanced around the room, and memories of the prior day reminded me of what had happened. The sun was barely peeking through the curtains, and a quick glance at the clock told me it wasn't quite seven.

I rolled over to go back to sleep when my stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten much yesterday. Grumbling to myself, I pulled back the covers and shoved my feet into the slippers I had placed at the foot of my bed. The smell of breakfast intensified when I opened my bedroom door, and I could hear the sizzling pan from the kitchen below me.

I shuffled down the stairs and around the doorframe, where I saw Nile standing at the stove sipping coffee. Jazz music played quietly from an old radio on the counter, and I watched for a moment as he swayed and tapped his foot to the beat.

"What are you smirking at?" Nile asked as he turned his head and caught me looking at him.

"You have absolutely no sense of rhythm," I said. "I had forgotten that about you."

"Har har," he laughed sarcastically. "I have plenty of rhythm!"

He moved his hips exaggeratedly, still off-beat with the song. Despite myself, I laughed at his antics. I cleared my throat, trying to regain my composure.

"Got any more coffee?" I asked, moving toward the kitchen island where he had placed his breakfast feast. Stacks of pancakes, plates of bacon, and a tray of eggs—scrambled and fried—covered the surface. I took a plate and fork from the pile and began loading it as Nile poured me a cup of coffee.

"Can you add a—"

"Dash of cream?" Nile finished my sentence. "Got it right here."

I was surprised that after so many years, he had remembered how I liked my coffee. It was a small thing, really, but for some reason, it made my heart ache a little bit more.

"Thanks," I mumbled as I accepted the mug. "What's all this? Are you expecting to feed the whole pack this morning?"

"Not the whole pack, but a few members usually stop by for most meals. I find it's better to have extras so that we're always prepared," he explained.

"You cook like this for every meal?" I asked.

Nile shook his head. "It isn't always me doing the cooking. Whoever is here when it's time to eat is welcome to cook whatever is on hand. It's a tradition that the last alpha started a long time ago, and I've kept it going."

A quiet knock came from the front door, followed quickly by the sound of it opening. Clearly, the knocking was a courtesy, not a request for entry. Not wanting to get up from my stool at the island, I craned my neck and peeked into the hallway to see who was approaching.

Two men I recognized from yesterday made their way toward the kitchen, nodding at Nile and me as they entered.

"Good morning, Terry, Mike," my mate said.

"Morning, Alpha," one of the men responded. "You about ready to go?"

Nile flipped the last piece of cooked bacon onto the plate with the others and nodded. "Ready when you are," he told them.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To work," Nile chuckled. "Unfortunately, I didn't come from money, so I still have to work for a living."

"Although when you have as much fun as we do, I'm not sure it counts as work," the other man said, punching Nile on the shoulder jovially.

"What do you do?" I asked. I felt stupid now, but I hadn't even thought to ask what his job was prior to this moment.

"I work at a store," Nile said.

"Don't be so modest. Our alpha here owns Pinedale Adventures," the man said. "He's one of the most successful and well-respected men in town. Not just among the packs, either. He spends a lot of time with the customers, getting to know their needs so he can recommend the best outdoor gear and equipment for them."

So, not only had Nile become the alpha of a pack in my absence, but he had also become a rich and successful town hero. I felt my resentment growing the longer I heard them talk about Nile's accomplishments. Clearly, no one truly understood who he was or what he was capable of except for me.

"I'll be back later today," Nile said. "Penelope is still asleep, but her babysitter will be here soon to take care of her, so you don't need to worry about doing anything."

I nodded, unsure of how to respond. Everything for me had changed so quickly, but for Nile, life was continuing just as it had without me.

That day went exactly as Nile had explained it would—Penelope's babysitter showed up just after he left, and she spent the day taking care of her while I got accustomed to my new home. Nile returned for dinner, and we were joined by a few pack members. After dinner, everyone went to bed.

The day after was much of the same, as was the day that followed. The only thing that really changed was how much time I spent with Penelope.

Aside from that first day, Penelope attended preschool during the week. On the second day, Nile took me with him so that he could show me where her school was and add me to the authorized pickup list. I didn't believe it was necessary, but Nile said it might be necessary for me to drop her off at school some days, and he assured me it was fine if I wanted to pick her up early.

For a few days, Nile left the house with Penelope in the morning and returned with her in the evening, but as we spent more time getting to know each other, our attachment grew.

"I want to stay home with Violet," she told Nile one morning while he was trying to tie her shoes.

"Violet has other plans today, baby," he explained. "We need to get going so we're not late."

"Actually, I don't have anything going on this morning," I said, peeking my head into the hallway from the lounge where I was drinking my coffee. "We can do something together, and I can drop her off before lunchtime, if that's okay."

Nile looked surprised, but the smile on Penelope's face was worth the interruption to my morning routine. We spent the next few hours coloring before I walked her to school.

Before the month was out, Penelope and I were much more comfortable with each other and would spend nearly every morning doing activities together.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I was also able to meet almost the entire pack during either breakfast or dinner. I had met them at the wedding, of course, but so much had been going on that I hadn't been able to get a proper introduction. As they trickled in one by one, it was easier for me to remember their names and let them get to know me.

Most of the pack treated me kindly, although a few were more hostile. It was understandable, considering I was an outsider who had been chosen to be a second mate to their alpha.

But no one was more hostile than Diana.

It had been three weeks since the ceremony when I finally met Penelope's grandmother—the mother of Nile's first wife, Jana.

The Pinedale wolves were gathered in the clearing where we had gotten married for a skirmish with Jasper and April's pack. Nile and I had been seen in public together occasionally, but this was the first time we had the entire pack as our audience.

I no longer needed Nile's reminders to put on my "happy wife" charade. We held hands as we walked into the forest, Penelope skipping along in front of us and a wide smile plastered to my face. It was much easier to feign contentment when I focused on my new stepdaughter.

"So, this is her, then," a woman in her sixties said as she approached us.

I saw Nile's smile fall at her words, replaced by a look of pain and sadness.

"This is my mate, Violet," he told the woman. "Violet, this is Diana. My mother-in-law."

"Not anymore, it would seem," Diana said coldly. "You've replaced my daughter now, and I'll be next."

Nile sighed in exasperation as he released my hand. Reaching toward Diana, he encircled one of her hands with both of his.

"Diana, let's not do this again. I've already told you that you are still a welcome member of my family. Isn't that enough?"

"I guess so," she responded with a pout.

"Good," Nile said. "I need to speak with Jasper. It was good to see you, Diana. Violet, I'll see you in a little bit."

I was about to walk away in search of April when Diana grabbed my forearm. Her face was not unkind, but her grip certainly was. Her long nails bit into my skin as she held me tightly.

"It was bad form for Nile to take a second wife, you know," she said. "My daughter was his true mate, and he loved her more than life itself. If it weren't for their little girl, he would have wasted away to nothing when Jana died."

I swallowed nervously, unsure of whether she expected a response from me or what I would say if she did.

"Just you watch. He'll never love you like he loved my Jana," Diana warned.

I nodded, and she released me before scurrying away toward the rest of the pack. She hadn't said anything that I didn't already believe to be true, but I hadn't expected her to say it quite as publicly or bluntly as she had.

I tried to shake off the confusion that she had left in her wake as I rejoined Nile around the circle. I was quiet as I watched the events of the evening. It was a short night—only three groups of wolves were participating in the skirmishes tonight.

When the final winner was declared—April, the Dark Moon luna—Alpha Jasper called the assembly to attention.

"Congratulations to my beautiful mate," he said as she winked back at him exaggeratedly. "Before you all go, please give a round of applause to Alpha Nile and Luna Violet, who are joining us together for the first time!"

A few wolf whistles accompanied the claps and cheers, and then I heard a chant rise up from amidst the wolves.

"Kiss! Kiss her!"

I felt the heat rising in my cheeks as I glanced at Nile.

"You want to see a kiss?" he shouted back to the crowd.

"Yes! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

"Sounds like the people have spoken," I said in a voice that didn't quite sound like my own. It sounded too upbeat, and far too pleased with the idea of kissing Nile.

We had discussed public displays of affection before tonight and agreed that, while necessary to maintain our fa?ade of a happy union, they shouldn't become a spectacle. I placed my hands on his shoulders as he held my waist. He bent his head down so that our lips could touch, but what started as a perfunctory peck almost immediately sparked something deeper.

Just like at our mating ceremony, as soon as our lips touched, I felt a burning desire in my core to have Nile closer to me. Our kiss deepened, and I opened my mouth to explore his with my tongue. As I did, I felt his grip on my waist tighten. He was pulling me closer to him, and it was exactly where I wanted to be.

A sudden wind blew through the trees, and I was reminded of where we were. And who was watching.

I pulled back suddenly, embarrassed by our display and shaken by how I let myself get carried away. Nile offered me an apologetic smile, which I returned. My feelings were so conflicted, and I had nowhere to go to process them. All I could do was ignore them as I blushed with newlywed bliss while the pack hollered their approval.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Diana glaring at us.

That's going to be a problem, my wolf pointed out.