Reviving Bloom (20 page)

“I hopped the first plane to Columbus, then rented the car and drove the rest of the way down here.”

“I suppose Tuc
k
er
told you the address?” I ask thankful she drops
the previous subject, for now.

“Yeah, he wanted to come too but he knew he couldn’t leave the command you left him. I guess with this new discovery it
’
s good that he didn’t.”

“Yeah, it is. So what’d you bring me?”

Waving her hand towards the simple green duffle bag I
carried
in with her ridiculously exp
ensive designer luggage she says
, “A couple outfits
, those nasty boots you love so much, your wallet, deodorant, toothbrush, and your cell. You said you’d be coming home in a few days so I didn’t think you’d need much else. If I forgot anything you have your money now so you’ll be able to replace it.”

“Thanks, I need a good shower and my own clothes.”

Looking over at me and taking in my spaghetti c
overed borrowed sweats she asks
, “Whose are you wearing anyways?”

“This guy Billy, he was a friend of Bloom’s
Dad
. He knows about us from Rose.”

She opens
her mouth to r
espond to the fact that Rose
revealed her true self to Billy and
not Michael, but quickly closes her mouth and
sh
a
k
es
her head from
side to side. I have
a feeling when we g
e
t home
,
Bloom w
on’t
be facing her long lost mother alone. Emily’s loyalty ha
s
already latched it’s sel
f onto Bloom and once Em decides
something it would be easier to rip her arm off than
try to get her to
change her mind.

Just then Bloom walks
back into the living room rubbing the
towel over her hair. She looks at Em then back at me and says
, “I left you some hot water. After you’re done I thought maybe we could go to Billy’s and get a pizza, if you’re still hungry that is.”

I stand up and cross
the room to stand dire
ctly in front of her. She tilts
her head up to look into my eyes and I s
ee
the desire staring back at me. Just being close
i
s driving us both crazy with need, but I w
on
’t do anything to embarrass her in front of my sister so instead of pulling her the last few inches to my body, like my wolf
i
s howling for me to do, I simply place one of my hands on her neck and use my thumb
to
rub circles over
the
freckle there.
When her eyes flutter close and
a
soft moan escape
s
her lips I grin and sa
y
, “Pizza so
unds great,
you’ll learn quickly that us wolves have a very high metabolism so it takes a lot to fill us up.”
P
ull
ing
away from her and grabb
ing
the duffle bag Emily brought me
,
I
head towards the bathroom but before I
’m
out of ear shot I add, “and a lot to tire us out too, darlin’.”

I hear
her sharp intake of
breath
and
her
heart rate speed up and I kn
ow my meaning
got thr
ough
. I don’t think the grin on my face c
an
go any wider as I t
a
k
e
in the thoughts running through my mate
’
s mind.

Chapter 24 – Bloom

~
I’m a freaking Alpha?
~

“I know we just met, but I’d like for you
to feel comfortable with me. We’re
going to be related, so i
f you have any questions please
feel free to ask me
.
” Emily says
br
eaking into my thoughts. We
c
a
me into the kitchen to straighten up while Pike t
a
k
es
his shower.

Wiping down the counter I have
a hundred questions running t
hrough my mind. Finally I pick
out the one that
’s
at the front most of my thoughts.

“Will you explain this mating thing to me? I understand that Pike and I are mates. I feel the pull to him and w
h
e
n we
try we can read each other thoughts but is there more to it? Is there something we have to do to cement this bond?”

She smiles
at me fr
om the sink, “Yes, your bond’s alre
ady recognized each other, but the mating won’t be complete till Pike marks you as his and introduces you as such in front of the pack. We usually hold a ceremony a lot like a wedding to do this. At the ceremony he’ll announce you as his mate and the two of you
will
make a pledge to each other, then you will spend some time at a reception so
the whole pack can congratulate you, then the two of you
’ll
leave and that night he
’ll
mark you as his.”

Confusion cl
early showing on my face I ask
, “How does he mark me?”

“Well he bites you, usually in a place everyone can see like your neck or shoulder. The bite heals fast but it leaves a scar. It’s the
shifter’s
version o
f a wedding ring.” She explains
watching my face to see my reaction.

“
H-h-h-he has
to b-b-bite me!” I stutter
turning my face
away to hide the blush that’s
covered my cheeks. The thought of
Pike sinking his teeth into
th
e same spot on my neck where he
kissed me less than an hour
ago sends
s
hivers through my body. My body’
s craving Pike’s mark, which
is
confusing and exciting me all at the same time. I’m not sure I’ll ever get use to the
se
feeling
s he
cause
s
me to h
ave. Heck, that kiss earlier had
me putty in his arms.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Bloom, the bite is a very
normal thing in our culture. I’ve been told it’s very pleasurable.” That’s what I
’m
afraid of, ugh.

“You haven’t found your mate?" I ask turning back to look at her.

A wistful look crosse
s her face when she says
, “Not yet. We don’t usually find them until we’re in our mid-twenties and I’m only 21. So I have a few more years.”

“But, I’m only 20.”

“Yes, but
your
mate is 25 and I think
your
bond knew you two needed each other sooner.”

I think
about the dark place I went into after losing
Dad
and then of
Pike running after having to take out his father
and realize that
Emily’s
right
;
we needed each other.

“Any other questions?” she ask
s
going back to the dishes.

“I have hundreds
,
” I answer
honestly.

“Well, then we better get started or we’ll be here all night.” She giggle
s
.

“
Ok
ay
, will you tell me how the pack works? I know Pike is now the Alpha, but that’s about it.”

“Well, there’s also his beta, Tucker. Beta is the second
-
in
-
command
after the Alpha pair
. Then there are the pack elders, they don’t
have
as much control as the Alpha or the Beta but they are respected. The Alph
a usually uses them as council. There is usually an Omega in
a
pack, as well. They’re outside of the pack hierarchy and have the ability to calm the members of the pack. But, our pack hasn’t had one since my mo
mma
died.” She ge
t
s
quiet af
ter mentioning her mom and I know she needs
the moment to remember her so I
don
’
t push her to go on. She grabs a dishtowel and wipes her eyes then continues
. “As Pike’s mate, you
’ll
be the female Alpha. Any problems among the women
will
go through you first. If you feel you need Pike’s help you can bring him into the problems as well. The rest of the pack is ranked by strength. And of course the male and female rankings are separate.”

“I’m going to be in charge of a group of wolf women? Emily, I can’t even shift!”

“Bloom, you may not shift but I can feel your strength. My wolf recognizes you as her Alpha.”
If my wolf was a cat she would’ve been purring at that proclamation. She likes the idea of being in charge of a bunch of she-wolves.

I’m a freaking Alpha?
Of course, we’re an alpha!
Don’t wolves fight for their dominance?
Well we sure don’t settle it by taking a vote.
“What if someone challenges me? That’s how these rankings work, right? I can’t shift so I’
ll
be
fighting them as human!” I say
dropping the rag I’
m
using to wipe down the mess.

Emily wipes
her wet hands off on the towel and then c
o
me
s
over to me and place
s
a hand on each of my arms. “Bloom, please calm down. Pack members don’t challenge the Alphas, because as Alpha they carry the stren
gth of the en
tire pack in them.”  Wow, that isn
’t help
ing
. I don’t want to carry the strength of a pack of
wolves
in me. Dang it, I have a hard enough time carrying around my own freaking problems let alone all of theirs.

“Darlin’, you won’t be carrying the burden alone. I will be right beside you, so please don’t stress you
r pretty little self
,
” Pike says
pulling my attention to him. His black hair
i
s damp an
d i
t mak
e
s
his already impossibly
dark hair even darker. A simple white t-shirt cl
i
ng
s
to
his muscular chest,
a pair o
f dark blue boot cut jeans h
a
ng low on his hips and
worn in black work boots cover
his feet. The whole look ma
k
e
s
for a mouth watering package
. The smirk that covers
his face t
ells
me that he
’
s reading my thoughts and
is
taking great pleasure in it. To tease him I sen
d
him the image of him marking my neck and then turn around and continue talking to Emily.

“So I think
we’re done cleaning up in here. Thanks for helping.”