A Highland Werewolf Wedding - By Terry Spear Page 0,112
dragged her to the sitting room pronto to discuss wedding plans.
Calla beamed at him. His mother must have called her in to coordinate the affair. Calla looked so pleased to be here that he paused, glad she was no longer upset over the situation with Baird McKinley and the almost marriage.
Still, he scowled at his mother. “A word with you, my lady mother,” he said, sounding like a snarling wolf.
His mother’s brows shot up. “I don’t think this is the time or place…”
“Now is the time, and as to the place, we’ll discuss this elsewhere alone anywhere you choose to go, or the ladies can leave your sitting room while we speak of this matter here.”
“Or everyone can just stay where they are,” Elaine said, rising to her feet, folding her arms, and looking as though she was going to defend his mother. His mother, who didn’t need anyone defending her at any time.
“Aye,” his mother said, smiling up at Cearnach. “Did I tell you how much I like your wee lass? A true warrior she is. A real keeper. Did you know she left here because she thought Calla had been taken hostage?”
Cearnach looked at Elaine, his mouth agape, unable to contain his surprise.
“The last time I saw you look like this, like a dark thunderstorm approaching, you had run off the road and ruined two of your tires. Surely whatever it is can’t be as important as all that,” Elaine said lightly.
The last time he imagined he had looked like this was just a few hours ago when she had run off and her kin were trying to chase her down. “He lied to you about Calla?” Cearnach said to Elaine.
“He said he’d taken her hostage, and he said he’d kill you like he had my other suitors.”
He didn’t wish to discuss this matter with his mother in front of the other ladies. He didn’t want to wait to hear her speak the truth, either. He didn’t even want to say what he had to say in front of Elaine. Yet when his mate told him why she had run off, he felt his heart go out to her. She hadn’t done it just to escape Rafferty, but to save Calla and protect Cearnach.
“What difference does it make, Cearnach?” his mother said, her smile warm. “She is yours, like she should have been the first time you went after her. In St. Andrews.”
He scowled at his mother. “You knew, didn’t you?”
His mother took a deep breath and exhaled. “I knew that she needed you and that you needed her. Now run along while we decide on the flowers.”
He ground his teeth and looked from his mother to his mate, her brows raised as she waited for the storm to blow over.
“She wants purple flowers,” he said to Calla, and then swept his gaze over the other ladies assembled there as if making sure they all understood. “That’s all that needs to be said.”
Then he stalked forward and scooped Elaine up in his arms, though she let out a small squeal of surprise at his action before wrapping her arms around his neck. “There are different variations of purple colors, you know,” she said.
“Aye, and you’ve looked at the blasted flowers long enough.” Even if she hadn’t had time to look at them, purple was purple. “We need to discuss more important matters.”
“Oh?”
“She’ll see you ladies later.” He turned and stalked out of the room.
She sighed. “Cearnach…”
“Aye, lass?”
“What in heaven’s name was that all about?”
“I wished a word with my mother.”
“Did you get what you wanted out of the conversation?”
He took a deep breath, nuzzled his face in her hair, and said, “Aye. My mother is a canny woman. She was right.”
“About what?”
“That you were meant to be mine, no one else’s, no matter the circumstances. You were wounded on the battlefield, weren’t you?”
She took a deep breath. “Just a scratch. It’ll heal.”
“Vardon,” he growled.
“Don’t worry, Cearnach. Next time I see him, I’ll kill him.” She gave Cearnach a small smile.
God, how he loved his she-wolf.
He knew why his mother and even Flynn had been so insistent that he mate Elaine right away. She needed protection from the past and a family for the future. He was both for her.
***
Later that afternoon, the ladies gathered in the garden room to talk further about Elaine’s wedding, this time without Cearnach’s interference as his brothers were practicing sword-fighting with him, at their mother’s request.