“A fair enough point.”
“You don’t need a true mate to have tikes,” James said. “You just need a gal who has something lingering in her gene pool from long ago, when villages used to be situated close to Pack boundaries. There were plenty of women back then who could birth strong pups. The lads even stayed with their mums until their adolescence. Then, over time, the lines became diluted as the gene pools spread out. We’ve lost our ability to reproduce easily.” James was deep in thought for a moment. “True mates weren’t as important to us back then. Once a woman had your child, she was considered your mate and you protected her and your son as such.”
Was there a touch of sadness lingering behind that last part? To my knowledge James had never fathered a child, but I wasn’t sure. I’d only been alive for twenty-six years, not the last few hundred. “A true mate is supposed to provide you with more than just a child, though, right? Supposedly compatible to your wolf in all ways. She is able to give you children, but she can also calm a part of your wolf like no other, and from what I understand, she alone can keep you from making a change.”
“Aye. And your wolf, in its true form, is supposed to be able to spot her from a great distance. Your blood sings for her.” James walked to the sink and started to fill the basin. “ ’Tis the rarest gift to receive.”
“My mother wasn’t my father’s true mate, was she?” I’d always wondered but never had the nerve to ask my father. Since I’d never known her, she was only a figment attached to a few photographs. I’d grown up in such a male-dominated world, I’d never had a chance to dwell on it too much. If she had been there, I’d be a much different person than I was today. Maybe I’d be softer. Who knew?
“That wasn’t entirely clear to outsiders, even in the end.” James dipped his hands into the sudsy water he’d drawn and grabbed a dish off the counter. “Callum was crazy for your mum. Followed after her like a lovesick puppy. Though when Annie died in childbirth, he didn’t go through the deep, dark depression they say happens to a wolf when he’s deprived of his mate. He also didn’t end his own life, which is commonly spoken of in the lore. He was already Alpha then, though, and had a pair of twins to look after. Your father has always done things his own way.” That sounded about right. “He’s a man worthy of following. The strongest I’ve ever known.”
James washed the dishes and handed them to me to dry. He’d always been fiercely loyal to my father. He would make a wonderful mate to a female, strong and valiant. I found myself hoping he would find her someday, aching for him to find his happiness.
He caught me staring. “What is it?”
“Nothing.” I glanced at the clock. “We should get going. We don’t want to leave my father waiting.”
“No, Jessica, that wouldn’t be a good idea.”
13
James and I headed out of my apartment together. James discreetly forced my door back into its rightful opening, while I knocked on Juanita’s door. I hadn’t seen her since before my apartment had been trashed, and I was hoping she’d be home. She usually left early for work, so she was probably up.
The door whipped open before I had a chance to knock.
Juanita pulled me into a fierce hug. “Ooooh, Chica! I have been so worried! It es soooo good to see you here in the live.” She pushed me in front of her and then grabbed me back into another bear hug. For a tiny person of roughly five feet two inches—in heels—she was a lot stronger than she looked. I also noted, when she finally let me go for the last time, that her ensemble today consisted of a bright pink sleeveless blouse accentuating her ample breasts, coupled with an orange miniskirt. Her hair and makeup were flawless. Her scent, I quickly found after I separated out the myriad other smells, was equal parts eucalyptus and lime. She smelled tough, and I liked it.
“It’s good to see you too, Juanita,” I told her, stepping out of reach of any more hugs.
She pushed up on tiptoes and glanced over my shoulder. James was still wrestling with the door. “Oooooh, Chica! Muy bien!” She gave me a saucy wink. “I was beginning to worry, you know, when I don’t hear from you.” She bobbed her head toward James and then leaned toward me for a conspiratorial whisper. I obligingly met her halfway. “Es that who you were fighting weeth last night? I hear some noises again coming from jour place.” She laughed and elbowed me in the stomach.
“Um, yes, he’s the one.” What else was I going to say? Nope, it was a scary rogue werewolf trying to kill me?