some battle within herself. He'd give anything at this moment to have cemented their bond, so he would know what she was thinking...how she felt about everything he'd thrown at her today...how she really felt about everything that had happened to her. She was tired and stressed from her time on the run. Had he overplayed his hand?
"How can you possibly blindly accept that we're going to fall in love, that our lives will magically fit together and we'll live in some idyllic Shangri-La?"
Jaryn reached across the table and turned Nicole's face back towards him. He picked up her hand and held it between his. His larger palms swallowed her delicate fingers. “I believe in the mating bond. I've never met a pair of true mates who didn't love each other with ultimate passion and devotion. As for making our lives fit? We are two intelligent individuals. With work and compromise and the desire to make it happen, I know it's possible. I'm not saying there won't be bumps along the way. I'm sure we'll argue and on occasion annoy each other, but at the end of the day, I have faith that my life will be better for having you in it, and I hope in time you'll think the same."
"It sounds too good to be true. I'm scared to believe. You're asking me to believe that I've travelled from hell to heaven in two days. That's not realistic."
Jaryn frowned. He and Shaun had a lot to discuss tomorrow about the investigation. He wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly was going on in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, and shut down Broyles’ operation for good. But tonight, his mate and building their bond came first.
"Will you at least think about accepting me as your mate? Will you help me with our investigation?” he asked.
Nicole met Jaryn's eyes for a long moment. “I'll do everything I can to help you. I owe it to those I left behind. The rest...we'll have to see."
It was something. Right now Jaryn would take whatever he could get.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Four
* * * *
Jaryn sat at his desk going through phone messages that had been logged into the system. Some of them were current clients, some prospective. There was one from the ASC, and the remaining dealt with pack business. At least he'd finally be able to give the chairman some solid news on the investigation front. He handled the business issues for both the pack and his and Shaun's architectural and contracting firm out of the office on Main Street, wanting to keep his home a sanctuary. The restrictions disappeared if there was an emergency within the pack, but most of the members respected the imaginary lines Jaryn had drawn when he took over the Alpha position from his father.
It had been a change from when Jaryn was growing up. When his dad had held the Alpha position, their home would frequently be bombarded at all hours with wolves needing their Alpha for anything from settling a squabble between members, to those filing for permits to build on the pack-held land. Jaryn had sworn at a young age that when he was Alpha, the home he would someday share with his mate and pups would be a home, not a conference centre. He was available day and night, but there was no need to bang on his door unless it was an emergency. In the two years since Jaryn had taken over, the new system seemed to be working well.
He'd also implemented the bi-weekly pack meetings. The meetings gave him, Shaun, and the enforcer of their pack, Cooper Tessen, a chance to touch base with all the members. Most of the time the meetings ended up having the atmosphere of a large family get-together. They didn't have a huge pack, only around a hundred members including the young. The meetings allowed Jaryn to update the pack with the status of their business ventures in the area, and address any issues that came up day by day. The business portion of the meeting took up a relatively short amount of time, and the rest was spent socialising with friends and family. Wolves were always very social creatures,
"How can you possibly blindly accept that we're going to fall in love, that our lives will magically fit together and we'll live in some idyllic Shangri-La?"
Jaryn reached across the table and turned Nicole's face back towards him. He picked up her hand and held it between his. His larger palms swallowed her delicate fingers. “I believe in the mating bond. I've never met a pair of true mates who didn't love each other with ultimate passion and devotion. As for making our lives fit? We are two intelligent individuals. With work and compromise and the desire to make it happen, I know it's possible. I'm not saying there won't be bumps along the way. I'm sure we'll argue and on occasion annoy each other, but at the end of the day, I have faith that my life will be better for having you in it, and I hope in time you'll think the same."
"It sounds too good to be true. I'm scared to believe. You're asking me to believe that I've travelled from hell to heaven in two days. That's not realistic."
Jaryn frowned. He and Shaun had a lot to discuss tomorrow about the investigation. He wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly was going on in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, and shut down Broyles’ operation for good. But tonight, his mate and building their bond came first.
"Will you at least think about accepting me as your mate? Will you help me with our investigation?” he asked.
Nicole met Jaryn's eyes for a long moment. “I'll do everything I can to help you. I owe it to those I left behind. The rest...we'll have to see."
It was something. Right now Jaryn would take whatever he could get.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Four
* * * *
Jaryn sat at his desk going through phone messages that had been logged into the system. Some of them were current clients, some prospective. There was one from the ASC, and the remaining dealt with pack business. At least he'd finally be able to give the chairman some solid news on the investigation front. He handled the business issues for both the pack and his and Shaun's architectural and contracting firm out of the office on Main Street, wanting to keep his home a sanctuary. The restrictions disappeared if there was an emergency within the pack, but most of the members respected the imaginary lines Jaryn had drawn when he took over the Alpha position from his father.
It had been a change from when Jaryn was growing up. When his dad had held the Alpha position, their home would frequently be bombarded at all hours with wolves needing their Alpha for anything from settling a squabble between members, to those filing for permits to build on the pack-held land. Jaryn had sworn at a young age that when he was Alpha, the home he would someday share with his mate and pups would be a home, not a conference centre. He was available day and night, but there was no need to bang on his door unless it was an emergency. In the two years since Jaryn had taken over, the new system seemed to be working well.
He'd also implemented the bi-weekly pack meetings. The meetings gave him, Shaun, and the enforcer of their pack, Cooper Tessen, a chance to touch base with all the members. Most of the time the meetings ended up having the atmosphere of a large family get-together. They didn't have a huge pack, only around a hundred members including the young. The meetings allowed Jaryn to update the pack with the status of their business ventures in the area, and address any issues that came up day by day. The business portion of the meeting took up a relatively short amount of time, and the rest was spent socialising with friends and family. Wolves were always very social creatures,
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