Chapter Six

Coral

“So, he really showed up?” Vivian asked, looking at me from across the table. Her red hair was naturally curly and she usually had it up in a ponytail. Today was no exception. I found it fascinating to have so many redheads in one place. Growing up, most of the time I was the only one with red hair, so I stood out. Here, it seemed like there was red hair flying by every time you turned around.  Talia’s hair was crazy. She joked about how hard it was to maintain and that it had a mind of its own. 

I nodded, taking a bite of homemade pizza. “He did. It was nice to finally sit down and get to talk to him.” I hadn’t seen Duncan since I had arrived at the compound house, but I knew that he was here. For as much as he could feel where I was, I could also feel where my guardian wolves were, well, at least if they were close. Harley was at the Red Moon Pack. Adam was somewhere around. Tony, another guardian wolf, was in the kitchen scarfing down more pizza than I thought was possible. The others were out and about. 

“And did he share anything good?” Vivian asked, clearly hoping to hear some new gossip. I rolled my eyes at her question.

“We just talked about family, but even if he said more, I wouldn’t tell you.” As I spoke, Vivian feigned offense, bringing her hand to her chest. I simply rolled my eyes and laughed. “Don’t sit there and act like you would spill the beans about one of your guardian wolves. You refused to tell us where Emily went the other day when she left suddenly.” 

Vivian’s demeanor seemed to change at the mention of her guardian wolf. Emily was recently mated and the rumor was that she had just found out she was pregnant. 

“Anywho,” I stated, turning towards Talia, “what is going on with you and Neil?” Although Talia was not yet 18, during a recent battle, Talia’s life was threatened and Neil’s wolf had surged forward, calling out Talia as her mate. Neil is the Beta for Anders. It seemed like everyone knew that they were mates, and even Raina confirmed that she could sense that they were mates. No one had heard of something like this happening before. 

Talia smiled, fiddling with her hair. “It has been strange. I guess that is the best way to describe it. I mean, I am not sure what to do. Although I know Neil is my mate and his wolf identified me as his mate, and my wolf believes that he is my mate, we haven’t had that moment where we both know it. When we both get the tingles. You know?” 

I placed my hand on Talia’s shoulder, hoping to provide some comfort to her. It was clear that this was a struggle for her. 

She sighed. “I feel so torn. I want to go be with him, all the time, but I still want to have that moment when I know he is my mate.”

“And have you been with him?” Vivian asked, waggling her eyebrows. Talia rolled her eyes.

“Is everything about sex with you?” Talia replied back pretending to be offended. “Anyway, my parents are a little weird about it. I mean, Neil and I weren’t dating before all of this, but everyone knew that we were mates. The red wolf part of me could feel it, but it just feels so different.” 

“What are your parents being weird about?” I asked, grabbing a chocolate chip cookie. I loved sweets. 

“I don’t know. I think that they are just worried. I mean, I don’t plan on moving or anything like that until I am 18 and everything is like it should be, so I am not sure what is going on.” Talia shrugged again before taking another bite of pizza. I could feel the confusion coming off of her. 

Vivian replied. “I get it. This hasn’t happened before. We all knew that Raina could sense that you and Neil were mates. Hell, we could all see it with the way you guys acted around each other. But that doesn’t mean that what is going to happen next is clear. You still have a few months before you are 18, so there is no rush. You guys can just date for now.” Wise words for someone like Vivian, who liked to use her abilities as a red wolf to seduce anyone she could. 

“Can we talk about something else, please? My parents always want to talk about it and I think I need a break from it.” Talia slouched back in her chair as she spoke. I nodded.

“Sure. So, tell me about this bonfire that’s taking place in a few days. I have heard that they are a regular thing around here.`` I knew that the Red Moon Pack had bonfires regularly, and that the tradition had carried over to the Red Wolf Compound. 

Vivian nodded. “They usually happen once a month. This one will be the last time for this year since winter is so close. Basically, lots of food, lots of drinks, and just a good time.” 

“Yeah, they are always a good time. Usually people come from the other packs. Duncan and Anders usually come, unless something stops them from attending.” Talia added. 

I thought about what I had told Adam yesterday, about him being able to meet up with Polly at the bonfire. “How about our guardian wolves? Are they supposed to be with us the whole time?” 

Vivian laughed. “No. Most of them will be there, but they will just be around. There are so many red wolves and the guardian wolves there that it is really safe for all of us.” 

“That’s good. Polly asked Adam to meet up at the bonfire, and I wanted to make sure it was okay.” I stated, I must have made a face, because both Talia and Vivian were looking at me. “What?” I asked.

“What happened with Polly?” Talia shifted in her seat. 

I sighed. “She wasn’t mean to me, but she definitely wasn’t happy that I was talking to Adam.” 

“How much training have you done with Raina about how to manage jealousy from she-wolves?” Talia asked, playing with her hair. 

“Not a whole lot,” I replied. Raina, Cammie, and I had talked about this as part of our training, but there was so much more to talk about, like managing my own emotions. “You guys know I am so far behind in training. We are more focused on my emotions right now more than anything else. Raina and Cammie mentioned it, but there hasn’t been discussion on managing it.” 

“What happened during the interaction?” Vivian asked, her face taking a more serious expression. Vivian was so interesting. She was a crazy red wolf who liked to use her abilities, but she was also serious about her skills. She was also really focused on me and wanted me to learn. 

“She asked if Adam was going to the bonfire. He responded that he wasn’t sure of his responsibility to me at an event like that. She was clearly pissed at me. I smiled at her and was nice, telling her that Adam could go with her. Duncan showed up right after that and I left, so I wasn’t sure what might have happened next.” 

Talia scrunched her nose. “She-wolves are very jealous of us. We don’t have to do anything to elicit that reaction from them. But man, if they see us as a threat to someone they like, well, it can get nasty.” She shook her head. “Has Raina told you the story about what happened with Alpha Michael?”  I shook my head no. She continued. 

“Before Raina understood all of her abilities, she was out at a club and someone she described as a ‘creep’ started dancing with her. She felt overwhelmed and went to the restroom. While there, she heard someone talking nasty about someone dancing with the Alpha. Turned out to be Raina. She went back out on the dance floor and seduced the hell out of him. That she-wolf was beyond pissed off. Probably would have fought Raina if given the chance!” Talia smiled as she spoke. 

“And we can’t control it?” I asked, trying to process how to manage this. 

“The seduction or the anger?” Vivian asked, taking another slice of pizza. 

“Both, I guess.” I replied, picking at the sleeve of my shirt. Raina had only just started going over some of this. So much of our training had focused on managing my emotions. 

“You can control the seduction. While wolves tend to be a bit more flirty with the red wolf, how far it goes depends on what we do. We can enhance it with our emotions. The key is to know what you are doing. In the case of Raina and Alpha Michael, he was most likely initially attracted to her because he is her guardian wolf. He just didn’t know it yet. Raina played off of the emotions to influence his behavior.” Talia replied. 

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, if he is anything like Duncan, he probably liked it!” I thought about the stories I had heard about both Alphas. Duncan was just like his dad. 

Vivian laughed. “He is embarrassed about it now, but I have talked with Luna Maria and she has confirmed that he did enjoy it at the time. That obviously changed quickly when he met his mate.” 

I nodded in understanding. Just another area to have to learn to control. “How about the anger?” 

“It comes on really strong but you can typically defuse it once it happens. The key is to not get blindsided by it.” Vivian rubbed her shoulder as she spoke. “I had a she-wolf get upset with me because I was talking to my cousin. Bitch didn’t know it was my cousin and attacked me from the side. My shoulder hurt for a day and a half after that. I was slammed to the ground.” 

Talia rolled her eyes at Vivian, laughing and shaking her head. “So over dramatic! But, to her point, you just have to be aware of it. Both sides of it. If you think a guy is hot, be aware that if you start putting your emotions out there, it can influence how they respond to you. That is how this one over there,” she stated, motioning towards Vivian, “has slept with so many guys.” 

“Whatever!” Vivian replied, turning towards the door as a few wolves entered. The Alphas were meeting to review recent threats. Harley had been coming to these meetings, but she had stayed back at the Red Moon Pack. She was already at the compound once today and I knew that she needed a break. 

Those entering the compound, however, were not part of the Alpha meeting. Samantha, one of the older red wolves, her mate Josiah, and her cousin, Charlie, entered. Charlie had come to live with Samantha and her mate about six months ago, apparently to help out around the compound. Charlie was learning carpentry and with the number of homes and buildings on the compound, there were plenty of opportunities to learn. 

And he was pretty damn hot. 

I had seen him around a few times and I would be lying if I wasn’t hoping that I wouldn’t need some sort of repair in my cabin. 

“Hey, Coral! How is the training going?” Samantha asked as she approached us. 

I smiled back at her. “Pretty good. So much to learn.” I had not trained much with Samantha. She was pregnant with her fifth pup, so she had her hands full. 

Talia squealed and approached Samantha, touching her belly. “Vivian and I got you a surprise! Vivian! Let’s show Samantha the surprise!” Talia took Samantha and Vivian by the hand and pulled them towards another room in the compound, Samantha’s husband following quickly behind. 

I was left with Charlie. “Hey, you're Charlie, right? I am Coral.” I asked, smiling up at him. Although I had been out of practice over the last two years, I never had a lot of trouble talking to others, especially when I felt safe. If I felt threatened, my flight mode clearly kicked in and I would seek out safety. 

“Yeah, nice to meet you. You just moved in about a month ago, right? I am pretty sure I helped to make some repairs to the cabin you moved into.” He took a small step forward and I breathed in his scent. He had a woodsy smell. It seemed to fit him. 

“Well, that would explain why I haven’t had any need for repairs!” I replied, smiling again at him. I couldn’t help but feel attracted to him. He was not just cute - he was so good looking. 

“I don’t know if I am that good at it yet, but I am trying.” He said, a broad smile spreading across his face. I could feel myself being pulled to him, my attraction increasing.  I took a step closer to him, nearly close enough to feel the heat off his body. “Um, are you going to the bonfire tomorrow?” He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. He looked so cute when he was nervous. 

“I was planning on going. I hear that they are a lot of fun.” I smiled back at him, running my hand over his arm. “Have you been to any?” I asked, catching a feeling running through me that I hadn’t felt in over two years - attraction. 

“Yeah,” he replied, his blue eyes seeming to darken in color. I swallowed as he stepped even closer to me. “I have liked going every time I have gone. The fire will be nice for snuggling.” He stated and I could feel the emotions running off of him. There was definitely a level of sexual attraction there. 

“Well, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.” I smiled again at him. He turned, heading towards Samantha and her mate as they approached, Vivian and Talia close behind. 

 I had the urge to take a step back, the feeling of someone watching me. I turned around, just as Duncan turned and walked towards the meeting room, a scowl written across his face. 

What the hell was that?