Chapter 4- Henrik

One of the downsides of being a spare heir is that you often get assigned the bitch work. It doesn’t help that it feels like this is punishment for fucking that girl last night. Scratch that. This is not punishment for who I fucked. Nope, I’m being punished for who GUNNAR fucked and threw in the lake.  

Not saying she didn’t deserve that shit. She put a HOLE in the wall between mine and Gunnar’s bedrooms. It took us YEARS to get our own bedrooms. Knowing Finn, he will make Gunnar and me do the grunt work of repairing the wall. I can’t exactly argue with that logic. I can, however, say that I shouldn’t have to help Gunnar. I wasn’t the one that dipped my dick in crazy and stupid.  

“What did that garland ever do to you?” Holly taunted as she walked up, her little boy Samuel holding her hand. 

I like kids, I don’t want any of my own, but I like other people’s kids.  

‘You keep telling yourself that, dumbass. Once we find our mate, you’ll change your mind.’ Pollux scoffed. 

My wolf’s opinion aside, I like that I can hand pups back when they get fussy. I wouldn’t be able to do that with my pups. Samuel, however, was different. He’s a seriously well-behaved pup. He certainly didn’t inherit that calm disposition from Holly. I grew up with her, and she was not a calm kid. I guess it’s his dad’s genetics.  

I only met Nigel once when they met. He was a good guy. My brothers, Clarence, and I all approved. We trusted he wouldn’t hurt or do wrong by her. It’s a damn shame he died. As happy as we were to have her back in the pack, she’s not been the same Holly we once knew.  She’s gotten better, but better is a relative term.  

I don’t think she’ll ever be the same. And no one could blame her. I don’t want to imagine what it would be like to survive the death of my mate. I can barely imagine having a mate. I’m thirty, and any dreams of having a mate were given up about five years ago. I spent enough time looking for her. After nearly a decade of looking, I figured I wouldn’t find her.  

My mom, sisters, and Lorna expressed that I gave up too easily and it was stupid not to travel to Europe. I DO NOT fly—end of story. If the Goddess couldn’t bring my mate to me or have her be somewhere in North or South America where I could travel by car or boat easily, then it wasn’t truly meant to be.  

Clarence and Katherine have suggested that if I’m going to give up on finding my mate, I should take a chosen one. Clarence’s fated mate died when the mate ball they met at was attacked by asshole rogues that called themselves the Syndicate. It was while hunting down the rogues that Clarence found Katherine. Being chosen mates works for them, and that’s great, but it’s not for me. I’ll stick to fucking around. 

“The garland didn’t do anything. I’m just annoyed that instead of patrol or something, Finn has Gunnar and me doing she-wolf work.” I grumbled as I tossed the flower-filled garland over the hook. 

“She-wolf work?” Holly arched an eyebrow. 

“Uh oh. Uncle Henrik, you’re in trouble.” Samuel shook his head.  

Did I say he was more like his dad? I take it back. That look in those brown eyes is all Holly. The kid has a secret evil streak.  

“You know what I mean.” I groaned as I grabbed the box of decorations Lorna told me to hang up in here. 

“I think you better elaborate. Because Samuel is right. You’re on your way to being in trouble.” Holly folded her arms. 

“Setting up decorations for this ball. I don’t have the eye for this shit. I don’t care what the banquet hall looks like.” I shrugged and walked further down the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows to hang more of this flowery shit. 

“Language!” Samuel pointed at me when I said ‘shit.’ 

“Don’t use that kind of language around my pup. I’m trying to raise Samuel to be a respectful person.” Holly scolded. 

“Say the person that was cursing at me this morning.” I scoffed. 

“Exactly. I want Samuel to be a better person than even I am.” Holly sighed.  

“I want him to be a good person like his dad.” Her whole demeanor softened as she mentioned her mate.  

“Holly…” I sighed and rubbed my hand over my face.  

“He is a good person. Just a tiny, good person. After Isaiah, he’s my favorite pup in the pack.” I tried to reassure her as I ruffled Samuel’s dark brown locks. 

“Thanks?” Samuel said as he tried to swat my hand away. 

“Anyways.” Holly shook her head as if that would shake away her melancholy at the thought of Nigel. 

“You don’t have to care what the hall looks like. Luna Lorna has a vision in mind, so you will dutifully make it happen. She wants to make this place a magical spring oasis for couples to find each other.” Holly said. 

“It’s going to be like every other ball. I’ll have to wear a stupid suit when I’d rather be comfortable in jeans and a tee. I’ll eat, drink, and maybe dance. I’ll end the night with some random female because, like every ball before this, I won’t find a mate.” I rolled my eyes.  

“You don’t know that. And maybe you’d already have found your mate if you’d put your stupid butt on a plane. Finn, Diana, and Edith wouldn’t have found their mates if they were even half as stubborn as you and Gunnar.” Holly sighed. 

“What am I stubborn about?” Gunnar asked as he joined us, scooping Samuel off the floor and onto his shoulders. 

“Hey, Sammy. How’s it going, little man?” Gunnar greeted the pup. 

“Ahh!!” Samuel’s cry of fear became a laugh as he realized who had picked him up. 

“Hi, Uncle Gunnar.” Samuel smiled.  

“I’m good. Mommy was scolding Uncle Henrik for being a…pess…pess… what’s the word, mommy?” Samuel frowned as he couldn’t find or pronounce the word he wanted.  

“Pessimist, sweetheart. Uncle Henrik and Gunnar are pessimists about love.” Holly said. 

“Yeah, that.” Samuel nodded. 

Gunnar arched his brow at me, and I didn’t need the link to know what he was thinking. We’re twins. I can read him like an open book. 

“I was talking about how all the decorations are pointless as the ball will go like all the others.” I shrugged as I went back to hanging decorations. 

“Ah. Yeah. The only good thing about balls is hooking up with the females that didn’t find their mate.” Gunnar waggled his eyebrows. 

“Like the one you threw in the lake?” Holly scoffed and took Samuel off Gunnar’s shoulders, having to lean on her tiptoes. 

“Come on, Samuel. We shall leave your uncles to their punishment of decorating. Perhaps by tonight, they can have some semblance of respect for the mate bond and keep their body parts to themselves unless the female is their mate.” Holly gave each of us a pointed look before she walked out, little Samuel waving over her shoulder to us. 

“Not fucking likely.” Gunnar and I scoffed in unison once she was out of the room. 

We snickered and went back to our chore of decorating. Honestly, I don’t know why we were told to do this. Lorna and Katherine returned a couple of hours later and hated everything we’d done, and we had to redo everything with them micromanaging us to make it look ‘perfect.’  But after HOURS of torture, we were finally done. Just in time to return to our rooms to shower and change for the party. 

I didn’t grumble, grunt, or make a fuss about putting on the black suit and green tie Mom had set out. I learned as a pup to pick my battles with her, and special event clothes were not the hill to die on. It’s easier to be an obedient son and get left alone. Or that was the plan. However, as the saying goes, ‘the best-laid plans of wolves and men’ - yes, I know it’s supposed to be mice, but I’m fucking wolf.  

Lorna and Mom apparently decided to divide and conquer this year. Upon arrival at the banquet hall across the lake, Gunnar and I were immediately split up. Lorna took Gunnar to one side of the hall while I was left with our mom. Mom looped her arm with mine as we slowly walked around the hall. I don’t know if they planned to be our wingwomen or cockblockers. Either way, the latter was the result.  

I mean, who would want to approach a guy for a quick fuck in the woods when he’s with the Luna or, in my case, the Dowager Luna? 

‘No one. I think it’s an excellent idea. It’s about time you and Gunnar kept it in your pants. You’re THIRTY! It’s time to get serious about finding our mate and starting a family. You cannot expect Finn and young Isaiah to be the only ones to carry on the Kilbourn name.’ Pollux snorted. 

Of course, he’d be on their side. Wolves generally don’t like when their human sleeps around. The whole mating for live thing. Sounds great until you end up like Holly. I don’t care if people say it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. I’ll take never having loved than being a shell of who I was by losing love.  

My steps faltered when a new scent hit me. Most of the people at the ball arrived a couple of days early. So, I already knew their scents and that my mate wasn’t among them. But this one was new and had Pollux sitting at attention. 

‘Mate.’ Pollux growled, urging me forward.   

I pulled away from Mom’s hold, letting Pollux lead the way. Breathing deeply, I followed the alluring scent of rich amber, soothing sandalwood, and vanilla musk. I could faintly hear Mom calling after me, but her voice sounded as if it were underwater. All my other senses had taken a backseat to the scent.  

The scent led me to the porch overlooking the lake and the mountains. And there she was. A gorgeous blonde in a flowy, soft pink dress covered in flowers. Her torso looked great. It’s hard to tell about the rest with all that dress. I’d be happy to find out her body shape for myself. I’m a hands-on kind of guy, anyway.  

“Mate,” I said as I stepped out the doors, only to hear an echo and find myself wedged in the door with someone else. 

I furrowed my brow as I glanced to my left to find Gunnar giving me the same ‘what the fuck’ look I was giving him. This isn’t the first time we’ve gotten stuck walking through a doorway simultaneously. It’s also not the first time we’ve been interested in the same female. It will be over my dead body that I’ll share my mate with my brother.