For Whom He Fights Read online

  “So technically they are the leaders of the pack just without the official title,” Andronaisa chuckled.

  Kurt parked the car and nodded. “Yes. So no, I promise you that no one here will hurt you.”

  Andronaisa nodded, climbing out of the car. “I’m still a little bit confused about this whole ritual thing.”

  “What has you confused? It's the same thing humans do. We go on dates, I give you gifts and show you I can provide for you as your mate and then in all senses of the word, we get married. But nothing is rushed. I don’t want you to think it has to be rushed.”

  Andronaisa was silent as she followed Kurt. After a minute she spoke again, “So how long can this courtship/mating thing last?”

  “As long as you need it to. I think the longest I’ve seen was two years, but I’ve heard it can go longer. The only thing that gets rushed is the battle.”

  “So when you say you prove to me you can provide for me, what does that mean?”

  “Technically, it's something that’s done in the claiming ceremony. The male goes out and hunts for his potential mate.”

  “Wait, there’s a whole claiming ceremony?! I thought...” Andronaisa trailed off as a wolf approached. “Um... Kurt...”

  “Relax. He won’t hurt you.” He shifted his eyes and stared at the wolf.

  The wolf, after a second, backed away and let them through. This caused Andronaisa to wonder, “Are there ways you can tell who is an alpha or...you know?”

  Kurt nodded, “Yes. I’ll explain it later.”

  “Kurt! It's about time you showed. Had Francine in a tizzy!”

  “You shut your trap! He did not send me in a tizzy. You don’t even know what a tizzy is!” A couple argued as they approached Kurt and Andronaisa.

  Kurt laughed, “Andronaisa this is the Alpha pair, Jonah and his wife Francine.”

  Andronaisa gave a little wave. “Hi.”

  “She’s human,” Jonah blinked in astonishment.

  “So what? It happens. And we know it happens. I’m very happy for you. Come, everyone is waiting.”

  Andronaisa glanced at Kurt as they followed the Alpha pair. It shocked Andronaisa to see some familiar faces. Okay, so they weren’t entirely familiar, but she recognized their faces from around town. She looked around at everyone staring at her. Was she supposed to do something? Say something? This was all so very new to her. Just when she was about to ask Kurt, he spoke up.

  “There is a reason I called you all here. This is to make a declaration. This woman next to me is Andronaisa Davis. She is my mate and I intend to court her to the fullest extent of the law.”

  Andronaisa’s eyes widened. Full extent of the law? What did that mean? Francine placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “Calm child. He just means he’s doing this by the ways of our people. Not the way of the humans.”

  Oh, phew! Andronaisa sighed in relief. She turned her attention back to Kurt.

  “Another announcement I would like to make is that soon I will be issuing a challenge to a mating battle.”

  “How come?” someone asked.

  “Her ex, who we recently found is also a werewolf, is in town and he will stop at nothing to get her back.”

  “Why don’t you just let her choose who she wants to be with?” another person asked.

  Kurt looked at Andronaisa. “Andronaisa?”

  Andronaisa’s eyes widened slightly. She didn’t think she would have to speak. She swallowed. “Michael is an abusive and domineering person. I have the marks and the hospital visits to prove it. If I have the chance, I would never go back to him. Plus, there was no... pull with him that I felt with Kurt. That could only mean that Kurt is my mate and Michael isn’t, right?”

  Some of the wolves nodded. This was true. There was a certain pull, a certain feeling you got when you were around your mate that differed from when you were around someone else who wasn’t your mate.

  Jonah looked at Kurt. “Let us know when you issue the challenge. Remember, it must be done soon. In the meantime we will help to keep your mate safe.”

  Kurt nodded, “Thank you.”

  Francine smiled. “Anything you need, Kurt, and you, Andronaisa, we are here for you. How is your mother by the way Kurt?”

  “She’s doing well. Slowly getting her mojo back.”

  “That is wonderful to hear. It was nice seeing her for the run. Even if she could only participate for a little bit.”

  Kurt nodded, “Yes. Well, we need to get going. It's getting late.”

  Francine nodded, “Of course. Like I said, anything at all, you know how to reach us.”

  Kurt nodded again as he led Andronaisa back to the car. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  “I had to speak in front of a bunch of wolves!”

  Kurt laughed, “Andronaisa, you think talking in front of them is bad, imagine what it's like being in the claiming ceremony.”

  Andronaisa just looked at him in question. “I thought you said we don’t do that in front of everyone.”

  “What have sex?” Kurt chuckled. “No. You don’t. But... there’s a lot to the ceremony, and it's going to get hard knowing that’s what we’ll be doing later.”

  Andronaisa flushed, “Oh.”

  Kurt smiled as he opened the car door for her. Andronaisa had a lot to think about during the drive. The rest of the evening had Andronaisa being spoiled by Kurt. He took her out to dinner at a fancy restaurant. They went for a moonlight walk in the park, and on the way home he brought her the biggest, purple, stuffed teddy bear.

  As Andronaisa lay in her bed hours later, she smiled. She knew in her heart she was meant to be with Kurt. The question was, would Michael accept that?

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Rise and shine sleeping beauty!” George flopped on top of Andronaisa.

  “George! What the hell!” Andronaisa groaned. George laughed and rolled off of her and sat up on the bed. Andronaisa rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?”

  “Eight o’clock!”

  “Ugh! Why are you so chipper? It's too early.”

  George frowned. “Dude, you’re usually up with the sun. What’s your deal? You went to bed late last night?” It was also then that she noticed the bear that Andronaisa was clutching. “Where’d that bear come from?”

  “The bear came from Kurt. After we left his pack, we went out, and he bought me the teddy bear. As I got in a little late, I fell asleep kinda late. Later than I wanted. So is there a reason you’re waking me at eight o’clock?”

  “Awww! He bought you a gift? That’s so sweet!” George gushed. “Anyway, I thought we could go out for breakfast.”

  “At eight in the morning? Don’t you have to work?”

  “We have the morning off. Kind of our reward for solving the case last night.”

  “They just give you the morning off?” Andronaisa asked. “That kinda sucks.”

  “Yeah, we really should get a few days off, but if it's not in our schedule, then the boss man won’t give us the extra days.” George shrugged. “I mean it does make sense. Criminals don’t take days off. Well, not technically. I mean, there’s always some type of crime happening. Not as much as there is in Boston, but we do have our fair share. So breakfast?”

  Andronaisa chuckled, “Sure. Give me five minutes.”

  George jumped up. “Great!” she exclaimed, and then headed out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

  Andronaisa ended up taking longer than five minutes because she had to shower, then she couldn’t decide what to wear and then she had to do her hair. By the time she made it out to the living room, George was tapping her foot expectantly.

  “It's about damn time. What did you do? Drown?”

  “Oh shut up,” Andronaisa laughed, playfully shoving her.

  George grinned and dangled her keys. “Come on, let’s go.”

  “Where are we going to eat?” Andronaisa asked, following her out the door and locking the door behind her.

 
“We’re going into Boston. I want to go to IHOP. It's a pancake house.”

  Andronaisa nodded. She knew what that was. They had them in San Diego. It was her favorite breakfast place. “Sounds great. I love IHOP. But you really wanna drive two hours just for some pancakes?”

  George looked at Andronaisa like she was crazy. “Hell yes I do.”

  Andronaisa held her hands up. “Okay, okay.”

  As she climbed into the car, she realized this was the first time going into Boston since she’s been here. She couldn’t believe she’s been here a month already. It felt longer. She’s been here a month and already got her own business set up and a boyfriend. Was Kurt actually her boyfriend? Sure, they kissed. He bought her a gift, protected her from Michael and even proclaimed to his pack that they were mates. But did that mean they were officially a couple?

  “What are you thinking about over there?” George asked, pulling into the street.

  “I was just trying to determine if Kurt is my boyfriend. I mean... I don’t know. How do you determine these things?”

  George chuckled. “Well, I think he considers you his girlfriend. I mean... I’ve heard that when they proclaim it to the pack, then it's pretty serious.”

  Andronaisa watched the trees as they drove by. “Yeah. I think the question I have is, am I ready for it?”

  George glanced at Andronaisa briefly before turning her eyes back to the road. “You like Kurt and Kurt likes you. Honestly, what does the rest matter? The fact that you two like each other and are willing to work together is what’s important.”

  Andronaisa nodded. “I guess so. I mean, he’s explained and tried to help me understand and I guess I kind of understand, but I feel like there’s something I’m missing.”

  George frowned. “Could it be that you’re worried about Michael? Or maybe it's because the two most important people in your life aren’t here to share this happiness?”

  “You mean my mom?”

  “I’m talking about your mom and Stephane.”

  Andronaisa nodded. “It could be. I mean, I’m so used to sharing everything with Stephane, and now he’s not here for me to run to. I mean, yeah I can call or text him, but it's not really the same. And my mom’s been gone so long it really doesn’t phase me.”

  George nodded, “Right, and after what happened between you and Michael, it's only fair for you to-”

  “You don’t know what happened with Michael,” Andronaisa spat. “I gave you a teensy peek into my life with him. You know nothing.”

  George said nothing. She just turned on the radio to which Blinding Lights by The Weeknd was playing. Andronaisa continued to watch the scenery.

  “You’re right,” George said when the song ended. “I don’t know what happened with you and your ex. What I do know is that he hurt you. Enough to make you run, otherwise, you wouldn’t be here. And I know that whatever he did, made you lose your faith in men. And believe me, that’s perfectly understandable. But you can’t judge other men by one man's standards.”

  Andronaisa closed her eyes. She knew George was right, but what was she supposed to do? It was all Andronaisa knew. Even though Kurt seemed to be far different from Michael. But then again, when Andronaisa first met Michael, he was so kind and sweet, but things changed as we got further into our relationship. How was she to know that that wouldn’t happen with Kurt?

  AN HOUR AND A HALF or so later, the girls finally made it into Boston. What surprised Andronaisa was all the traffic. In Cheshire, there weren't as many cars on the streets, but here there were all sorts of cars, buses, trucks, you name it. It was wild. But actually, it reminded me more of San Diego. Back where she had lived in San Diego, there was always so much traffic, it was crazy.

  “This is the one thing I hate about coming to Boston. The traffic. There is always so much traffic,” George grumbled.

  “For someone who lived around traffic, this isn’t half bad,” Andronaisa chuckled.

  George just grumbled. Which got louder as they got stuck behind a car that seemed to be moving at a turtle’s pace. “Oh, my fucking god! Move!”

  “You realize, screaming at the car isn’t going to help, right? They can’t hear you and it definitely won’t make them faster. Probably a car in front of them moving just as slow.”

  “Andy, just let me be angry, okay?”

  Andronaisa laughed, “Oookay.”

  “Thank you.” She nodded as she beeped the horn, and the car in front finally moved. “Thank god!”

  Andronaisa rolled her eyes. Every day, George reminded her more and more of Stephane. She pulled out my phone and looked at the time. It was just going on nine-thirty here, so that meant it was about six-thirty there. So Stephane would be getting up in a half an hour to go to work. Unless he had the day off. Andronaisa sighed. She really hoped he would call.

  “Waiting for someone to call?”

  “Stephane. I haven’t talked to him in a few days and I really need to talk to him.”

  “He’s probably pretty busy. I called him the other day, and I didn’t get an answer.” George shrugged.

  Another twenty minutes went by and George finally pulled into the parking lot at an IHOP. Andronaisa nodded. This felt familiar. Felt like something from home. She climbed out of the car and just stood looking at the building. Andronaisa closed her eyes and imagined she could smell the pancakes from here. It brought back memories. Her mom used to bring her to IHOP every year. It was sort of a tradition she started. Every year on Andronaisa’s birthday they’d go to IHOP. And every year, even after she passed away, Andronaisa still went. She didn’t want to stop the tradition, even though her mother was no longer around. The first few years, it hurt, but Andronaisa just couldn’t force herself to stop going.

  “You okay?”

  Andronaisa gave George a smile. “Yeah.” She opened the door, and they went inside. “Just remembering. My mom and I used to come here every year on my birthday.”

  “Aw, that’s sweet. Those are nice memories. I wish I had good memories of my mom.”

  The girls got to the front and after talking with the hostess; she led them to a table and set down the menus. “I’m sure you have some,” Andronaisa said, sitting down.

  George shrugged. “Well, if I do, I don’t remember. Everything kind of went to shit after my sister’s murder. My dad left us and mom just couldn’t hold it together. She went through drugs and alcohol. Several times I checked her into rehab, but as soon as she got out, she just started up again. When I was eighteen, she deemed me old enough to take care of myself and moved to Florida. I haven’t heard from her since.”

  Andronaisa shook her head. “Jeez. I’m sorry George.”

  George just shrugged like it was no big deal as a server came up. Andronaisa ordered the buttermilk pancakes, broccoli and cheese omelette and a coffee. George then ordered the blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausages and a coffee.

  “Go big or go home, is what I say,” She chuckled as the server walked away with our orders.

  “You do not say that. Someone else said that, and you just copied them,” Andronaisa snickered.

  “Pish posh. It's not that big of a deal,” George laughed.

  The server brought the girls their coffees, and they thanked her with a smile. After she left, they talked about other things. Like Andronaisa’s business.

  “When can you start accepting clients?”

  “I can start now, since I’m just waiting to receive the licenses. In fact, I will meet with my first client tomorrow.”

  “That sounds great. Look at you, doing big things.”

  Andronaisa laughed and nodded as the server came with their food and they immediately dug into it. Andronaisa smiled, biting into the eggs. The broccoli and cheese omelet brought her back to my college days. It was all she would eat when I stayed in the dorm. The other food wasn’t all that great. Well, not the breakfast food anyway. So she stuck with the broccoli and cheese omelette.

  “Man, I feel like I have
n’t been here in so long,” George said with a mouthful of pancakes.

  “Gross, chew your food,” Andronaisa laughed.

  Andronaisa looked around the restaurant. Parents with fussy children, men in business suits, looking like they were trying to get a quick bite before heading off to work, and there were men and women who looked like they were having a breakfast date, filled the restaurant. It was nice to see the different people. She didn't know what it was, but ever since she was young, Andronaisa always loved people watching. Sometimes she would go to the park just to watch the people. She wouldn’t play or anything, just sit on a bench and watch the people as they went by.

  “You know, for what it's worth, I really hope things with you and Kurt work out. I think you’d make a cute couple.”

  Andronaisa looked over at George. “Huh?”

  “I said I think you and Kurt would make a cute couple.” George smiled.

  Andronaisa smiled, “Oh. Thanks.” She kinda hoped they did, too. Kurt seemed like a great person. He was so sweet and caring. Not to mention he was hot.

  AFTER BREAKFAST, GEORGE dropped Andronaisa back off home, where she found another gift waiting for her. This one was a fancy notebook that came with an equally fancy pen.

  “Where is he getting all these ideas from?” She asked, picking up the notebook. Out dropped two tickets to an art exhibit at the MFA. “How the heck does he know I like art?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll ask him when I see him.”

  Andronaisa said goodbye to George and entered the house just as her phone rang.

  “Stephane!”

  “Hey Andy! Sorry I’ve been a little busy with work and stuff. How have you been?”

  “I’ve been better. I have missed you.”

  “I know. I miss you too, kiddo. So you said you had something you wanted to tell me?”

  Andronaisa walked into her bedroom and plopped on the bed while telling Stephane about Kurt and the gifts, and even what happened with Michael. She skipped the part about Kurt being a werewolf, though. She didn’t think Kurt would appreciate her spreading his business to others.