I pushed away from the wall and followed Pete up the center of the room to the front, ignoring the raised whispers from a group of girls to my right.
Pete and I stood with the other candidates, facing the room. I knew only the local guys and two from Bangor. Most of them were in their mid to late twenties, but there were three just a few years older than Pete and I.
“They don’t look old enough to patrol, let alone be Betas,” scoffed a guy behind me.
“Guess that doesn’t matter when you’re the Alpha’s son and nephew,” someone else replied in a voice just loud enough to carry to my ears.
It was no worse than some of the cracks I’d heard from Francis and the others, but it still annoyed me. I gritted my teeth, wanting to get through the meeting and the festivities afterward.
Brendan lowered the paper he was reading from, and Maxwell stepped forward.
“We have a good turnout this year for the gathering, and I’m pleased to see so many stepping up to be Beta candidates. Brendan and I will make time to talk to each of you over the next few weeks.” Maxwell’s gaze swept over us, and I felt it linger on me for a few seconds. Maybe now that he saw the other candidates, he’d change his mind about me being one of them.
He moved on and addressed the whole room. “Tomorrow, we’ll start meetings to discuss pack business. I want you all to have an enjoyable visit, but with so many of us here, we have to be extra careful not to draw attention. We’ve already had one close call, and we were fortunate the situation could be contained. I will not tolerate that happening again.”
He had to be referring to the incident with Lex and Julie. I’d assumed Brendan wasn’t going to tell Maxwell about it after he’d walked away without saying anything to me. I should have known better. A Beta wouldn’t hold back something like that from his Alpha. What I didn’t understand was why neither of them had called me out for not reporting the breaking of a pack law. Was this another one of their tests?
Maxwell ended the meeting, and people began moving toward the door. A dark-haired man behind me bumped me hard with his shoulder as he moved around me, and his smirk told me it hadn’t been an accident.
I scowled at him but didn’t shove back. Training under Maxwell had done more than build up my muscles and hone my fighting skills. It had also taught me not to be provoked easily because that was the surest way to let your guard down.
Kyle stopped beside me. “That’s Trevor Gosse from Bethel. He’s been spoiling for a fight since he got here on Saturday. No way he’ll make Beta.”
“Why?” Pete asked as we watched Trevor join up with two other guys. The three of them laughed as they left the building.
“Maxwell doesn’t like hotheads,” Kyle said.
I almost snorted because if that was the case, Francis was out of luck.
“Steer clear of Trevor unless you want trouble.” Kyle started toward the exit. “You guys coming?”
“In a minute,” I called, in no hurry to join the festivities.
I looked at Pete. “You think we could get away with staying in here until this thing is over?”
He chuckled. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s going to be a long night.” I exhaled slowly as we followed Kyle.
As soon as I walked outside, I wished I hadn’t. Standing a few feet from the door was a group of eight females who surrounded us immediately. Lex pushed her way to my side and wrapped her arm possessively around one of mine.
“Roland, where have you been hiding? I haven’t seen you since Saturday.”
I forced a smile. “Been busy. Work doesn’t stop because of the gathering.”
“You have to work weekends, too?” asked Julie, who had already latched on to Pete’s arm, earning dark looks from some of the other girls. I might have Alpha blood, but Pete was Maxwell’s son, which ranked him slightly higher on the most eligible bachelor list. I was perfectly fine with that.
I shrugged. “I work two jobs, and I have my pack duties. Not much free time left over.”
It wasn’t a lie. Between the garage, the lumberyard, training, and patrols, I was keeping busy these days. I did have some down time, but I could think of more pleasant ways to spend it that didn’t include being chased by a bunch of females who only wanted me because of my Alpha blood.
Lex smiled. “But you’re not working tonight, right?”
“No.”
“Good.” She tugged on my arm. “I’m famished. Why don’t we go eat and you can tell me what you normally do for fun around here?”
Seeing no way to escape from her hold without being rude, I let her lead me over to the long tables covered in bowls and platters of food. Pete followed with Julie and the rest of the girls, and we all ate together. The girls were pleasant enough, and I would have enjoyed their company more if not for the whole mating thing hanging over my head.
I looked around as I finished my meal, and what I saw was not encouraging. At last count, there were fourteen unmated males here and twenty-one unmated females. And at least half those females were openly interested in Pete and me. The odds of both of us coming out of this unmated were shrinking every day.
A hand lightly squeezed my upper thigh under the picnic table, jerking my attention back to my companions. Lex leaned into me, wearing a suggestive smile and holding a piece of steak on a fork.
“Try some of this steak. It’s amazing, and I can’t possibly eat it all.”
I politely pushed away the hand holding the fork. “I’m full, thanks, and I think I see my mom waving at me. I’d better go see what she wants.”
Ignoring Lex’s pout, I stood and walked over to where my mother sat eating with my grandmother, who had arrived that afternoon. At seventy-three, Grandma was an older version of my mother, and she could be as formidable as Maxwell when she wanted to be.
“Roland!” Grandma held out her arms, and I leaned down dutifully for a hug. She held me away to look at me. “I think you’ve grown at least a foot since I last saw you.”
“Maybe half a foot.” I grinned at her. “How was the drive?”
She tugged me down to sit beside her. “Good. You’d know that if you came to visit me more often.”
“Sorry, Grandma, but Maxwell’s been working me hard since I came home in January.”
Her brows drew together sternly. “Uncle Maxwell.”
I laughed. “I’m almost nineteen, and adults don’t call their Alpha uncle.”
“Well, you’ll always be my little Roland no matter how big you get.” She patted my arm. “Your mother tells me you are terrified of imprinting on one of these pretty young ladies.”
“Mom!” I glowered at my mother, and she smiled.
“What? It’s true. I was hoping Grandma could help me make you see that mating is not the end of the world.”
I rubbed the back of my neck as my ears grew warm. “I don’t think it’s the end of the world. I just don’t want to be bound to someone I barely know. And I have things I want to do first.”
“What things?” Grandma asked.
“College for one. I’m working part-time in Paul’s garage, restoring a classic car, and I want to take automotive classes so I can do that kind of work full-time.”
My mother’s eyes widened. “You didn’t tell me you wanted to become a mechanic.”
“We’ve barely seen each other lately with everyone getting ready for the gathering,” I said. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about since I did the Mustang.”
Her smile grew. “That’s wonderful, honey.”
Grandma nodded. “It sounds like a very sensible plan, Roland. But you can still do all of that with a mate.”
I groaned silently. I should have known she wouldn’t let that topic go.
“I know, but I just finished high school. I’m not ready for a mate and kids. I don’t understand why everyone is in such a hurry to get tied down.”
She patted my arm affectionately. “It’s nature, my boy. I was seventeen when your grandpa imprinted on me, and we were together for forty-three years. When your wolf finds your mate, she will be exactly who you were meant to be with, and you’ll be as happy as your grandpa and I were.”