10. Cecil

Chapter 10

There was nothing romantic about the way Warwick and I agreed to accept that we were fated to be together. He had been apologetic that he couldn't scent me the way I did him, but he admitted that he was attracted to me, and his beast had a strong urge to protect me. I was going to accept it and run with it. I couldn't exactly say that I had an undying love for him either.

But after our talk, we'd gone to see the houses in mated enforcer housing and picked one. We decided to move in together and see how things went. Romantic? No. Practical? Yes. Well, sort of. I wasn't sure I'd ever have romance from Warwick, which was a sad thought, but I wasn't going to let that get me down. I'd had too much sad in my life already, and I was going to only look forward to all of the positive things I had coming my way.

I'd found my mate. He accepted me as I was. He wasn't worried that I wouldn't be able to give him children. He didn't think less of me for it. That had been a huge worry for a long time. The amount of stress that had left my body had surprised me. I hadn't realized I had been holding so much anxiety about that, but I obviously had.

Practical we were. After we'd picked our house in mated enforcer housing, Warwick had gone to work at the council, and I'd gone to the omega clinic. Dr. King had raised an eyebrow at me, and after I'd told him we were going to be meeting up later this afternoon, he'd sent me home.

I'd been told that I would have the next several weeks off from work. I tried to protest, but Dr. King had insisted. I wasn't going to argue just then, so I'd gone home and started packing my clothing. I had more than I'd come to Montana with, but I still managed to get all of my clothes into the suitcases and bags I had. I needed to get boxes for my other things, but that could wait. My stomach was growling, and I needed to eat. I wasn't going to give my mother a thought with her toxic views about food or how I needed to watch what I ate.

Hungry and wanting to take care of that so I could get back to packing my things up, I left the bedroom to go to the kitchen to find something to eat. A knock on the door surprised me though, and then I let my thoughts run away, and I had to wonder if it was my parents. I knew my father could scent me, and as a polar bear shifter, I had no doubt that most wouldn't think twice about his scent being on den lands.

Another knock, this one louder, caused me to jump. "Cecil?"

I absolutely did not expect to hear Warwick's voice on the other side of the door. I hurried across the small room and pulled the door open as quickly as I could. Immediately, my gaze went up to the giant of a man who was my mate. Well, technically, we weren't mated yet, but that didn't change the fact that he was my mate.

"Hi. I thought we were going to meet up on the mountain later? Did I remember incorrectly?"

"No. But it was discovered that I had gone back to work, and I was told I had to leave. I apologize for suggesting we meet up later. That was wrong, and I'm sorry. It was insensitive."

I grinned. I had a feeling that life with Warwick was going to be nothing like I had envisioned my life with a mate would. I already realized I needed to not take what he said or did to upset me seriously. He simply didn't realize. I wasn't sure how exactly that could be, but I knew I wanted to know more about hellhounds. Maybe the answer was there?

"Did you want to come in?" I asked as I stepped out of the way so he could enter. Warwick came in, and immediately, the space felt too small. It wasn't that he took up half of the space, but having someone Warwick's size in my space put into perspective just how small the cabin was.

"Your place is nice."

I smiled. "It's small, but it's what I needed when I came here. I was looking for somewhere I could call home. Alpha War was willing to let me stay here, and I appreciated his acceptance without too much hesitation. He, of course, has to worry about keeping his den safe, and he asked questions about family and such. I'm sure my family background had everything to do with me being allowed to stay here." I hadn't been one to throw my family around to get my way. That was more my mother's style. To me, they'd always been my great-grandparents, nothing else.

Warwick looked around again. "It's nice."

I chuckled. "You can say it, Warwick. It's small." Warwick only nodded. "How did you find me, anyway? I didn't give you the address." Not that I wouldn't have. I just didn't feel the need since I was about to move out.

"Master Edison. He's also who told me I had to take time off. Last time he forced me to take time off, I managed to find myself in Italy on vacation. That didn't really turn out well for things since I discovered the local coven there needed to be investigated."

"Should I ask?" Immediately, I wondered. "Oh, or maybe can I? You probably can't talk about your work too much, huh?"

"I can tell you most things. There will be certain instances and assignments we can't really talk about. At least not at first."

I nodded. I understood that. My family had always been around things of that nature. Our family had spent so many decades, probably longer, going around and trying to rid places of unethical alphas. Well, most of my family. There hadn't ever been a time that I remembered my own father going out and doing such things.

"What have you been up to?" Warwick asked, glancing around the space again.

"Packing," I said, pointing over my shoulder. "I was in the bedroom packing my clothes." My stomach growled, and my cheeks heated when Warwick looked in that direction. "I got hungry and was going to fix some lunch and then go back to packing. I need to get some boxes, though, to pack up most of my things."

Warwick scowled. "Why would you pack?" he asked. "You're planning on moving in to the new house still, right?"

I nodded. Warwick mirrored the gesture, and a tingle went over my body, and then I noticed that the picture on the wall behind Warwick was gone. I turned, looking at the room, and could only stare in surprise.

"Where did everything go?"

"I sent it to the house up on the mountain. Was I not supposed to? Did things need to stay here?"

I looked over at Warwick and after a moment started laughing. It took me several seconds to get myself under control before I could answer him.

"The furniture. Well, the TV was mine. As were the end tables. But everything else was here when I moved in. All of the furniture: the bed, the dresser, the chairs, the dining room set, the love seat. All of that came with the cabin. My clothes, obviously, and the blankets and other linens were mine. Everything in the kitchen was mine as well."

Things suddenly reappeared, and I wondered if I would go up to the mountain and find more things that needed to be returned. It wasn't that I had intentionally taken things, and I shouldn't get into any trouble if something was missing, but I needed to make sure I went through things right away.

"So everything is up at the new house?"

"Did you want it all back?"

I shook my head. "No. But I was going to fix some lunch." My stomach growled again. I'd not finished breakfast, and I'd been busy since. My stomach was letting me know it was past time for a large meal.

"We could go to the council for lunch if you'd like. Or perhaps you want to go eat somewhere down here? I know there are places, but I've not been to any of them."

I slowly nodded at Warwick. I could understand why. He'd mentioned earlier that most people tended to avoid him. That had to be difficult on your self-esteem.

"Or we could go up to the new house and I could fix something there?" It wasn't that I was ashamed to be seen with Warwick. I simply didn't wish for him to feel uncomfortable about going out to eat where there would be several human tourists. "What do you like to eat?"

"I'm not picky. I'll eat anything I'm offered. But I've already messed up more than once today. I'm not going to let you cook for me. Not yet anyway. I was told I needed to treat you, so I will. What do you wish to eat?"

That was new. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had someone who wanted to provide me with a meal. Well, other than Grandpa Lev. I didn't even hesitate though. "There is a Chinese place in Timber Valley. Are you okay with going over there to eat? Or we can bring it back here." I glanced around. "Or maybe not. Perhaps we should eat there since you sent all of my things up to the other house."

"Did you wish for your things to be returned here? I thought it would be much easier to pack and move my way." Warwick tilted his head to the side to look at me. "Is that tiny car in the driveway yours?"

I grinned. "Yes. But I don't expect you to try and fit into it. I know you won't. When I bought it, I didn't have a mate in mind, only that I wanted something cute and fun. I wasn't thinking about anything beyond that, and I discovered it isn't really the greatest in the winter here." I should probably get rid of it, now that I thought about it. If I was going to be mated to Warwick and we were going to live up on Treasure Ridge, I wouldn't need it for the most part.

"How about this?" Warwick said. "Since this place is now packed and moved and you want Chinese, we can drive back to the cabin to park our vehicles, and then I'll take you up to our new place, and we can enjoy whatever Chinese food you want. I'll go to the restaurant with you if that's what you truly want, but I have to warn you that I don't usually get positive reactions most places."

That was just sad. I didn't want for Warwick to feel out of place nor for him to be uncomfortable. "Going to the new house sounds good. And since I was told I had some time off, maybe I can go for a run after lunch. Did you want to do that?" I had seen Warwick in his hellhound form a few times, but I would love to run with him. Having a mate to run with would be a new experience, and I was looking forward to it.

"I would like to run with you."

That made me smile again. "Shall we go, then?" I glanced around the place that had been my most recent home. I would need to come back and give it a good cleaning, but I wasn't upset about starting a new chapter in my life. I knew I still needed to let my grandparents know that I'd met my mate, and I had to wonder how they were going to react. Would they approve of Warwick? Would they like him beyond him being an enforcer? Would they be welcoming?

I went to grab my keys only to realize that my entryway table and everything that had been on it was gone.

"Umm, Warwick?"

"Hmm?"

I pointed to the wall. "Where's the table? Did you send it up to the other house too?"

Warwick looked confused. "Yes. Did it need to come back as well?"

"No, but my wallet and keys were on it." I took a deep breath. He had only been trying to help. I understood that.

"I can bring it back. Or you can ride with me."

I nodded. "I'll go with you." I figured why not. It wasn't like we weren't going to the same place anyway. I followed Warwick out the door and hesitated for a moment once outside. I wasn't sure what I expected, but the massive pickup shouldn't have come as such a surprise. My mate was as big as a dragon shifter. "Has your truck always been so tall?"

Warwick glanced at me. "That's the way it came from the dealership. I haven't done anything to it."

I was a bit surprised when Warwick walked to the passenger side. He opened the door for me, and when he did, the running boards dropped down. I stared at them, surprised. "Oh."

"Is there a problem?"

I glanced at Warwick and shook my head. "No. I was just trying to figure out how I was going to get up into it. I didn't realize there were steps."

"They retract when the doors are closed. There's also a handle for you to grab on to."

I nodded and reached for the handle that Warwick had indicated. I stepped up and couldn't help but smile when I felt Warwick's hands on my waist. I sent him a grin, and after I was securely in the cab of the truck, he closed the door.

I looked around, not at all surprised at how large the thing was. Warwick wasn't a small man. And in all honesty, it didn't look like some monster truck. It was just…well, a lot bigger than my tiny car.

"So where is this Chinese place you like to eat?"

"Oh. I thought we were going to the new house?"

Warwick looked at me as he started the truck. "That was the plan. But I thought we were eating there? I've never been to the place you've mentioned, so I can't get the food you would want. I thought we would go through the drive-thru and take it to Treasure Ridge. Unless you wanted to eat at the restaurant?"

I shook my head. "No. At the house is fine." I already knew the food would reheat well, so if it was cold by the time we made it back to the house, that wouldn't be an issue. I shouldn't have worried though. After Warwick expertly drove his truck through the drive-thru at the restaurant and then back to the cabin to park his truck, he had us back on Treasure Ridge and in our new place.

It looked odd with my sparse furnishings, and we would definitely need to get more furniture soon, but I was happy to have our first meal together in our new place. What surprised me the most was that the food was still incredibly hot. When I opened my paper carton and saw the steam coming from the food, I looked at Warwick in question.

"Perk of having magic. Food doesn't get cold if you use magic to keep it warm." Warwick nodded before taking a bite of his beef broccoli and closed his eyes. He nodded several more times before he opened his eyes. "This place is good. I can see why you like it."

I grinned. Arik had recommended it to me when I moved into the cabin. I liked Alpha War's mate, and the fact that he was Master Edison's son made me feel a bit easier to relate to him. He understood even more than I did what it was like being from a family such as we came from. It wasn't like any other family, and even if there weren't voiced expectations of you, they were still there. Arik had been friendly, and despite him being quite a bit younger than I was, he already had five children with his mate. I sighed thinking about that.

"What's wrong? Is the food not to your liking? I thought that was what you wanted?"

I shook my head. "No, it's amazing." I took another bite of my lo mein. "It's exactly what I wanted. In fact, it's what I always get. I've tried a few other dishes, but this one is my favorite, and I always seem to come back to it."

Warwick studied me for a moment before he set his fork down. "What's wrong? There seems to be something off. Did I mess up again?"

"No," I told him. "I was just thinking about how I found the restaurant. That had me thinking about Arik and how he's already mated and has kids with Alpha War. That's all. I was simply thinking about how it can be odd how fate works at times." I looked around the house. We'd been in it all of twenty minutes tops, and things were still settling in. This is absolutely not how I ever envisioned my life with my mate starting. I had always hoped for romantic gestures and a great love story. I obviously wasn't going to get that.

I sighed and looked at Warwick. I really needed to ask about the hellhounds. I knew nothing about them and wondered if they were all like this or if I just was unlucky and got the unromantic one. He hadn't been unkind. But the man hadn't even smiled at me.

Suddenly no longer hungry, I got up and took my food to the kitchen to put it away. Maybe a run through the forest would make me feel better about things. Familiar emotions crept in, and I knew from past experience that they never brought anything good.

"Are you finished?" Warwick asked as he came up behind me. I noticed that his containers were empty. Mine had barely been touched.

"For now, yes. I guess I wasn't quite as hungry as I thought I was. Maybe it's nerves. I'm not sure. Perhaps a run will change that."

Warwick stared at me a moment before nodding. "Did you want me to go running with you still, or are you wanting time alone to calm your nerves?" Warwick pursed his lips. "I need to check in at the council quick because I need to discuss something with Atticus. But I could come find you after that."

Oh. I tried to not let my disappointment show, and I might have been successful, but I couldn't be certain. "Sure. I'm just going to go for a quick run. I might wander my way over to see Grandpa Lev for a bit, but I won't go far."

Warwick nodded. "The mountain is safe for the most part. There's always the chance of a stray mountain lion or bear, but you know the signs of those, right?"

I nodded. I hadn't ever encountered either, but we all knew that every so often, they would wander onto the mountain. I wasn't sure how much of a defense I could put up toward a grizzly bear with as small as I was, but I wasn't too terribly worried about mountain lions.

"I'll be careful and watch out for them. If we don't run into one another out there, or if I finish with my run before you do with whatever you need to take care of at the council, I'll just meet you back here."

Warwick nodded. He looked as if he wanted to say more, but instead, he simply disappeared. I knew things were new with us and that I had agreed to our arrangement, but that didn't change the fact that it still hurt that my mate didn't seem to be even a little interested in us as a couple. I was going to do my best to be optimistic though. We hadn't even claimed one another yet. Surely he'd eventually feel something for me? Fate wouldn't be quite that cruel to me, would it?

After putting my food away, I stepped out onto the back deck. It was a large space and could easily be a cozy outdoor space with the right furniture. For now though, it was a blank canvas, much like most of the house. I sat on the steps that led down to the ground, and instead of shifting and going for that run, I let my emotions take over and cried. I knew it wouldn't do any good, but it was simply too much for me. Didn't I deserve love? Why did it feel as if that was always going to be denied to me?