Dire Wolf Mates - Chapter 36: Chapter 36

“Yeah?” Sheila cleared her throat. “Must have taken years,” she teased. “Seriously, though. It’s a sweet ride. No wonder you take such good care of it and don’t use it for work.”
“My work car is different. Needs to blend in. This is special,” he confided with an edge to his voice that went straight to her core. “When something is made specially for me, little Wolf, I treat it with the utmost respect and care.”
“Yeah?”
“Yessss,” he hissed.
His eyes glittered like yellow diamonds and Sheila felt an echoing tremble rack her soul. Beautiful, dangerous man. He was doing things to her heart she hadn’t counted on. Scary things.
“I cherish the things I’m lucky to have in my life.”
“You still talking about your car?”
“You tell me, little Wolf. And when you’re ready, I’ll prove it to you.”
He backed up a step and she immediately missed his heat. His Lion blinked back at her from behind thick lashes. He could mesmerize her with that slow, unblinking stare. The realization stung.
Golden boy. Dangerous beast. Sexy, handsome man.
“Come on, let’s go inside.”
Sheila tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and stepped carefully beside him. She wasn’t sure what just happened, but it felt like his Lion had announced his claim on her, and her Wolf really fucking liked it. She tried to shake the feeling that something big was about to happen. Something that was going to change her life irrevocably.
Fuck it.
Sheila narrowed her eyes. She was no coward and she sure as shit wasn’t going to back away from a challenge. She focused instead on the man next to her, and the heat emanating from his powerful body. It warmed her, chasing away the chill she didn’t even realize she’d felt.
Spring was strange like that. The winds blew hot and cold with no rhyme or reason. Kind of like her emotions, she frowned. That wasn’t entirely true. Sheila knew how she felt about Leo. She just didn’t know if she would ever be ready to share it with him.
He’s our mate, her she-Wolf, insisted. But Sheila still had her reservations.
She wasn’t mate material. Anyone could see that. He was calm and steady where she was riotous and loud. They couldn’t possibly mesh together. It would not work.
Yes. It will.
“You ready?”
Leo cocked his head to the side, his steady gaze unwavering as he waited for her response. It touched her somewhere deep that he seemed to understand her trepidations. Sheila played it off like it was no big deal, rolling her eyes and sashaying past the big pussy.
He’s the pussy?
Her Wolf seemed to have it out for her today, so Sheila just kept on as if the animal wasn’t having a dig at her. There was no point in fighting all the time. Leo opened the front door—apparently, he did have a key.
Inside, the sprawling mansion was even more stunning than the exterior. Every inch of it seemed to sparkle and shine brighter than a new penny. Fucking Lions loved their gold. Sheila’s eyes widened as she took in the gleaming marble floors in the hallways that gave way to an enormous round living room with not one, but two huge fireplaces and thick, plush carpeting covering every inch.
There were two large sectional couches that faced each other in that same circular pattern, with a large round marble coffee table in the center. Everything was beautiful, but it all seemed so clinical to her. Maybe Cats were different from Wolves in that respect.
All the Pack and Clan houses she’d ever been in were filled with several members of that Shifter group. There was always noise, mess, and signs of life. But not here. This was super classy, and yet, where was the heart?
This was not the typical middle or even upper class home she’d expected of Leo Crowley. Perhaps she should have done some more homework on the good detective. Still, it surprised her to find not one single Lion on the premises.
“It’s, uh, nice.”
She raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t respond. The immaculate entryway and living room area were just one section of the imposing structure. It reeked of money and class, but she could sense from his grim expression that all was not right in this house.
Hell, she was running through the entire myriad of emotions herself, just standing there and taking it all in. Paintings hung on the walls, huge carved bookshelves with what had to be first editions covered one enormous section of space, there were glass curios with what looked like ancient relics, dozens of awards, and some historical photographs on display. She’d never been one for pomp and circumstance, but she couldn’t help but wonder if she should remove her leather boots. Maybe she should take off her socks, too.
“This place is like a museum,” she said, and he grunted his reply.
Money had never been a big deal to her, but this place reeked of it. What the hell did Leo say his family did for a living, anyway? That’s right, he didn’t. She’d assumed he had something to do with that export company. Maybe his dad was the CEO or something.
“What?” Leo asked and turned around when he realized she wasn’t following him down the hall.
“Is this really where you grew up?”
“Sheila, there are some things we haven’t discussed,” he began, but the sound of footfalls speeding closer had Leo’s attention.
Sheila turned when she saw a man in a three-piece suit come rushing up to him, head bowed, neck bared. What the hell was going on?
“You’re here early,” the older man gasped and dropped to his knees.
“Montgomery, please, stand up. You know, you don’t have to do that,” Leo replied, and offered the man a hand to help him stand up.
The Lion refused. He shook his head, insisting on staying in that strange, bowed position for a full three beats before slowly rising. Still, he would not meet Leo’s gaze.
“I knew you would be back. I told the King, you would not leave us,” Montgomery took Leo’s hand and pressed it to his forehead, bowing in subjugation.
“How is he?” asked Leo.
“As good as can be expected, sir.”
What the hell? OMG. Wait—was that a blush spreading across Mr. Law and Order’s face? Sheila would have laughed if she wasn’t so confused.
“Um, Leo? What’s with him?”
“I am sorry, sir, I did not see your, uh, friend. Shall I make up a guest room?” Montgomery rose to his feet, looking anxiously at Sheila.
“No, Montgomery, that won’t be necessary. This is my mate. Sheila, meet Montgomery, he’s been the caretaker of the Blue Valley Pride house for as long as I can remember.”
“Longer, sir. My father was the caretaker before me, and his before him,” he said with an air of pride that had nothing to do with him being a Lion Shifter.
Montgomery leaned in just a fraction, and Sheila thought she saw him sniff. Weird. He looked confused, but turned before she could gauge his reaction. Surely, the Pride was not prejudiced against mixed species matings? But who knew? Maybe they were. Montgomery’s eyes flashed briefly, before he turned his attention to Leo.
“Apologies, sire. I had no idea you were mated,” the man replied.
“Is there a problem, Montgomery?” Leo’s quiet question held an air of authority that sent shivers of excitement rippling through Sheila’s body. She always did like a man with a little bit of bite to him.
Grrr.
“No, of course not, sir.”
“Good, then you will see to my mate’s needs while we are in residence.”
He stated the fact without a single doubt in his voice, and that made Sheila’s stomach clench and her sex moisten. Her body recognized her mate, and the following desire was only natural. Especially when he spoke about her like that.
So hot.
Of course, her rational brain’s reaction was something entirely of its own making. She’d agreed to play Leo’s mate through this thing, but she wasn’t prepared for the thrill that zipped through her at his proclamation or his ready defense of her.
“Sire, um, she’s a Wolf,” the man mumbled, confusion evident in his face.
“Yes, Montgomery. Sheila is a Dire Wolf, and she is also my mate,” Leo growled with authority ringing in his tone. Sheila watched as the man backed up a step, eyes locked on the floor.
“Yes, sir,” he returned.
“No worries, Montgomery. I trust you will act accordingly. Now, I will see us to my room, and after we are settled, we shall go see the King.”
“As you say, sir.”
Sheila followed Leo quietly as she tried to make sense of that little exchange. Leo had seemed stiff and unlike himself. In fact, the further he stepped into the sprawling Pride house, the less she recognized the serious detective.
She watched him maneuver down the long hallway carefully and with purpose. His back straight, head high, confidence bubbled over like water from a boiling kettle. He was just this side of conceited.
Fuck, he was cute. Sexy and with an air of authority that called to her wilder side. Would he be bossy in bed? Would he try to tell Sheila what to do? Maybe even spank her if she was naughty.
Yes, please.
She swallowed loudly. If she didn’t get her hormones under control, she was going to jump him the second they were behind closed doors. She just couldn’t help it. Lying and pretense didn’t sit well with her, she might as well just admit that she wanted him. Really wanted him.
Standing up, lying down, on his knees, on a train, on a plane—she didn’t give a fuck where. The only thing that mattered was Leo. He could have all her fucks. Every. Single. One.
Mine.
Sheila shook her head. Wolves did not always experience a heat cycle, but because of the nature of Dire Wolves, and their rarity, her kind did. Sheila had never experienced it, but there was no other explanation. It was the only thing that made sense. Too much time with her fated mate, and her primal instincts were bound to kick in.
Her eyes roamed over him from head to toe as they made their way to his room. The unfamiliar jeans and t-shirt revealed a side of him she wasn’t ready for. A human side perhaps. It was so easy to dismiss him as nothing but a big ol’ pussycat, but not when he wore soft cotton that clung to his every muscle and outlined his rock hard abs.
He stopped at a set of intricately carved wooden doors and raised his hand in the air. Leo hesitated, almost as if he was afraid to touch it. But it wasn’t fear, it was resignation on his face. She frowned. Why should he look like that?
Her Wolf whined inside of her, and Sheila was caught unawares by the need to comfort him. Again she tried to stem her instincts, to ignore them, and she focused on the beautiful doors instead. She recognized images in the wood. A full moon, a lion’s head, a crest of some sort, and other symbols that were lovely yet unfamiliar. Running her pink polished fingers over the smooth surface, she stopped and looked up. Amber eyes glittered at her in the dimly lit hall.
“What does this mean?” Sheila traced one symbol that looked like a series of circles, starting with a small center, and growing larger with each ring until it spanned two of her hands.
“That is the symbol for greatness. My mother had it carved on my door when I was born.”
“Why?”
“Because she had high hopes for me, Sheila.”
“Why? Who are you?” she repeated.
“You know who I am.”
“I don’t think I do. What are we really doing here, Leo? Who are you really?”
Leo frowned, and it was the first time she saw no humor in the big, golden man’s gaze. She wanted to erase that severe expression, replace it with something lighter, something good. And that scared the shit out of her.
“Come inside, little Wolf,” Leo replied, eyes begging for something she was not sure she could give.
“Come inside,” he repeated. “And I’ll tell you everything.”
Sheila nodded, and she walked into the room, knowing everything she had ever thought in her entire life was about to change. Leo was important. He was big. He had secrets.
And Sheila wanted them all.