My Mate's Wife

Kinsey Pickford sat in Magic Beans sipping a cold strawberry frappe wishing she was anywhere else but there, not the coffee shop, but rather the entire town. As much as she loved Draven Falls, being there now only caused her pain. She stared down at her cup; the condensation dripping down the sides; the straw pointing up like an accusing finger, blaming her for the misery she now felt. None of it was her fault, however. To make matters worse, she had thought she could handle it, thought she could keep the deprivation under control, keep the mating call from consuming her, the mating call that could never be fulfilled.

She was wrong, of course. Very wrong.

Kinsey glanced down at her drink, no longer wanting it. Her stomach was in knots, and her hands almost always trembled slightly. Her panther yearned for its mate, driving Kinsey crazy with the animal’s hunger for one that was no longer within her reach. As cruel as it sounded in her mind, she wished death’s coldness was the reason for her loss. Then, she would at least have a reason for her denial she could understand. But death wasn’t the reason.

She glanced around the coffee shop, every face even chancing to look her way a possible whisper about how Kinsey was rejected by her mate for another. A year had passed, and the symptoms of a mate deprived grew worse with each passing day. She heard the rumors, the stories of how mates lost to each other soon died, or how sometimes, they just went crazy with unfulfilled connection. Nothing they did to fill the void ever worked, no other relationship mattered to them, no matter how deep the love went. They craved their destined mate and remained unsettled without them.

Kinsey lifted her plastic cup, taking a small sip, but the frappe tasted bitter on her tongue with the anxiety that twisted her stomach. Putting the cup back on the table, she pushed it away and stared out the front window at the bright North Carolina morning. A year. She wasted an entire year waiting for Fitzgerald Everest to make things right as he said he would, and there was no indication he was any closer to fulfilling that promise. Kinsey grew tired of waiting, wasting time on a promise Fitz would never keep because of the Everest family patriarchy. Dimitri and Lainie Everest were smart to skip town and get out from under their father’s thumb. Kinsey only wished Fitz had the same courage.

Kinsey stood, sliding her chair back as she did, and left Magic Beans, but not her troubles. Those would nag at her wherever she went. Perhaps some fresh air would help clear her mind.

However, when she stepped outside into the warm June air, all she saw were happy couples holding hands as they walked the roundabout of downtown Draven Falls. Their smiles expressed their contentment with their lives; their laughter mocked Kinsey, it seemed, and made her want to run even more. Perhaps distance would ease the denied mating call that kept her so wound up.

“Kinsey, hello,” a woman’s voice called to her. Turning, Kinsey saw the gray-haired Agatha Rochester approaching her from the south. “I haven’t seen you in some time. How are you doing?” Agatha gave Kinsey a smile as she drew near, one hand reaching out to touch Kinsey’s upper arm.

Kinsey glanced around, taking in the downtown area she had known all her life. “I’m actually thinking of a change,” she admitted. She turned her gaze back to Agatha. “I find I’m not doing as well as I thought I would staying here.” She knew the older woman understood. Agatha was once the leader of the nine covens in Draven Falls and still held the witches’ spot on the Paranormal Council, much to Stella Fletcher’s chagrin. Agatha knew all about mating calls and the shifters who felt them. If Kinsey heard correctly, Agatha had been instrumental in getting Dimitri and Lainie out of Draven Falls as well as another witch, Adira Brennan. The woman had connections in several paranormal hubs around the world, it seemed.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Agatha said. “Let’s go sit in the gazebo and talk.” Agatha kept her hand on Kinsey’s arm, not giving her a choice, as she turned her to face the town center, a grassy park with a giant white gazebo in the middle. Every fair or carnival or festival Draven Falls held happened right here in this park. Weddings were held here and some late-night rendezvous between lovers. The place was the hub of the town. “Now, I assume your animal is struggling with the mating call denied. What has Fitz said?”

They crossed the street, stepping into the park and making their way to the gazebo, Agatha’s arm now wrapped around hers as they crossed the grassy field. “Same thing he always says,” Kinsey replied. “He’s doing the best he can and is just as frustrated as I am.” They sat on the white bench circling the interior of the gazebo. “But, Agatha, even with the mating call, what right do I have to expect anything from him? He made his decision when he agreed to marry Mandy to help his father’s connections. They’re husband and wife now, and from everything I’ve witnessed, Mandy Taylor truly loves him. What right do I have to expect anything from him?” The knot in her stomach twisted even more as she spoke, the feeling of being a homewrecker filling her. She dropped her face into her palms. “Oh, god, how evil am I to expect Fitz to leave his wife for me?”

“Well, sweetie, from what you’ve told me before, Fitz has led you to believe that he intends on doing just that,” Agatha said. “He feels the mating call toward you, as well. He’s struggling just as much as you are. We both know when it comes to shifters, things, especially relationships, are never what the traditional mindset would have them be.”

Kinsey just nodded. “I know, but it doesn’t help me feel better about myself.” She took a deep breath. “No, I’m tired of sitting around like a vulture waiting on a carcass that isn’t even dead yet. I need to move on and do something with my life.” She turned to Agatha. “I need to leave Draven Falls and start over, but I don’t want Fitz to know where I am. This has to be a clean break. He’s tucked firmly into his daddy’s business, and I don’t ever see him leaving this town. With me out of the picture, he can stop trying to balance something that never should have been balanced in the first place.”

“Where will you go?” Agatha asked, reaching out and taking Kinsey's hand. “Do you even have a plan in mind?”

Kinsey just smiled at the witch. “I’ll go where everyone else goes when they’re wanting to hide from the world. Bull Creek. At least, that’s where I’ll start until I figure out the rest.” She squeezed Agatha’s hand, a sense of purpose filling her for the first time in a year. “I’ll think of something, I’m sure.” She nodded once, her lips pressed into a thin line of determination. “Yes. This feels right. It’s what I should have done a year ago. Thank you for talking to me.”

Agatha chuckled. “Sweetie, I didn’t do anything but sit here and listen.” She returned Kinsey’s hand squeeze. “But I’m glad you’ve found your answer. Just make sure it’s the right one. The mating call is strong, wherever you are. Distance won’t silence it once it’s been triggered.”

Kinsey nodded. “I know, but hopefully, not seeing him every day will at least weaken that yearning. I have to at least try.”

“Well, if I can do anything to help, just let me know.” Agatha leaned over and hugged Kinsey, patting her back as she did.

The two stood and walked off in different directions. Now that Kinsey had made up her mind, the only remaining decision was whether or not she should tell Fitz about her decision. She gripped her purse strap tighter as she walked away from the gazebo toward the Enchanted Spoon. Her anxiety ruined her morning coffee, and now her stomach begged for nourishment. The delay would also give her time to decide if she wanted to tell Fitz about her decision to move to Bull Creek. Part of her wanted to tell him, to see his reaction, and let him know she was making a move to continue her life. Then there was another part of her that didn’t want to tell him, because she didn’t want him to attempt to talk her out of it, keeping her around with his empty promises. She sighed as she stepped up onto the sidewalk in front of the small cafe. That wasn’t fair, and she knew it. Fitz didn’t mean to give her empty promises. He meant everything he ever told her, but he just couldn’t follow through. Not with Daniel Everest holding Fitz’s reins. If only Fitz had the guts to stand up to his father.

She was about to step inside the Enchanted Spoon when she decided it was too nice of a day to eat inside with the air-conditioning. Instead, she took one of the outside tables, settling in with her thoughts and a warm breeze. One of the servers came out and took her drink order, quickly leaving Kinsey alone with her thoughts once more. She settled back, facing out at the park across the street as people strolled along the edges of the roundabout. She would miss this place. She was born and raised in Draven Falls, her family moving here three generations ago. Leaving would be tougher than she thought, but she needed to get out of Draven Falls, just so she could keep her sanity.

The door to the Enchanted Spoon opened beside her, but her focus remained on those in the park, thinking back to all the festivals and picnics she attended there while growing up. When she attended a fair during her junior year of high school, she had her first kiss while riding the Ferris wheel. Her panther felt the stirrings of the mating call even then as Fitz held her, one arm draped over her shoulders. She could still close her eyes and feel the weight of his arm along her back, the warmth of his kiss on her lips. Those memories would have to do.

“Kinsey,” a female voice said, a strained tint to the tone, drawing Kinsey’s gaze away from the park and to the entrance of the restaurant.

Kinsey turned, but who she saw only sealed her decision. “Mandy, hello. How are you?” Kinsey felt that churning in her stomach again as she stared up at Fitz’s wife. Amanda Everest was a small woman, slender, but fit, with shoulder-length blond hair and sharp blue eyes. She dressed for work—slacks and a cream-colored top open just enough to show her ample cleavage without being too risqué—and held a small takeout bag in her left hand. The woman looked stunning, which was another reason Kinsey couldn’t blame Fitz for wanting to stay married.

Mandy held up the white bag in her hand. “Just picking up some lunch for Fitz and his father,” she said. “Things at the office are picking up lately, it seems, and no one can get away.”

Kinsey forced a smile onto her face. “Well, at least it’s busy. That’s always a good sign. I’m glad to hear it.”

“Thanks. Never a dull moment.” Mandy fidgeted a bit where she stood, looking awkward. “Well, I need to get back to the office before their food gets cold. Nothing makes the men grumpier than cold clam chowder. Have a good day.”

“You, too,” Kinsey said as she watched Mandy walk away, her arm swinging with the bag in her hand. It galled Kinsey that the woman looked good even as she walked away, the tightness of her slacks cupping her firm ass cheeks as she moved. Her panther purred within her, agreeing with her as she felt the heat pool between her legs. Even Fitz’s scent on his wife drives me crazy. I’ve got to get out of this town.

Fitzgerald Everest sat at the mahogany bar in Shades, staring at his whiskey glass as the ice slowly melted into the amber liquid, turning his Four Roses into a watered-down waste. He shouldn’t be here. He should be at home, watching his wife finish dinner and getting ready for their evening of nonstop reruns. He should be drinking water or tea or even coffee, not whiskey. He should be doing all those things.

But he wasn’t.

Instead, he sat alone at the bar, like he had been every afternoon for the past couple of months, staring at a whiskey glass he had no real desire to empty, moping. Things continued to get worse, things he couldn’t even talk about to anyone, and he had no idea how to stem the tide that threatened to wash him away. How in the world could he rectify the madness that churned within him with the way his life had turned out? He had a great family, a well-paying job, a bright future. To anyone looking in, he had it all. But he knew differently. He lacked the one thing that every shifter longed for—his destined mate. The sad part was, he knew exactly who that was, and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it thanks to his father’s manipulations.

He twirled the glass in a small circle on the bar, watching as the whiskey made small waves inside the glass. He was stalling the inevitable, he knew, but he needed to screw up the courage to make it through another night, to face the fact that his life ceased to be his the moment he surrendered to his father’s wishes over a year ago, stopped being his the moment he got married. He sighed, giving his glass another twirl. Giving into his father set Fitz on a path away from the most important person in his world—his destined mate. The sad part was, he knew what he did when he gave in to his father’s demands, knew what—rather, who—he was giving up. His panther growled within him, sharing his own frustration. I know, boy. Trust me, I know.

He promised Kinsey he would make this right, somehow fulfill that mating call that had pulled between them since high school, and he meant it. He wanted to be with Kinsey, to grow old with her, to explore the world with her. The crux of the situation was that over the past year, he fell in love with Mandy, as well, something he hadn’t foreseen. One woman was his mate, the other his wife, and Fitzgerald Everest loved both of them. What the hell do I do with that?

“You know, I don’t mind you coming in here,” Drey Hawkins said as he leaned on the opposite side of the bar. “However, part of being a day drinker is that you actually drink.” He tilted his head to the side. “You’ve been coming in here for a couple of months looking like someone took you out back and beat the shit out of you. What’s going on?”

Fitz pressed his lips into a thin line as he gave a weak shrug of his shoulders. “Nothing I can go into,” he said, lifting the glass to his lips and making a show of taking a sip, a ridiculously small sip. The whiskey burned as it flowed down into his gut causing him to shiver slightly. He usually enjoyed a good whiskey, but his mood as of late soured even that simple pleasure.

Drey chuckled a bit as he shook his head. “Why order it if you don’t like it?”

“Why do people do anything?” Fitz asked with another shrug, not really in the mood for conversation.

“That’s a little too philosophical for this bartender,” Drey said. “You should wait until my father gets out of the back. He could talk to you for hours about that topic.”

Fitz sighed. “The whiskey’s fine; it’s me.” He then looked up at Drey, his brows pinched in earnestness. “Can I ask you a question? You’re good friends with Victor Sutherlin, right? How does he do it?”

“Do what?” Drey asked, leaning on his arms now as he watched Fitz ignore his drink. “Make furniture? Annoy the hell out of me? Get out of paying his bar tab?”

For the first time in what seemed like a long time, Fitz chuckled. “No, I’m sure he gets out of paying his bar tab because he annoys you.” He shook his head. “No, I mean go through each day when his destined mate left town years ago? It’s been what? Sixteen? Seventeen years now since Jerilynn Prescott left town? How come he hasn’t gone bonkers yet?”

Drey gave a small snort of laughter. “Who says he hasn’t?” He then shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him, but what I can tell you is that he throws his life into his work and his gorilla tribe. He keeps himself so busy, he doesn’t have time to dwell on Jerilynn.”

Fitz stared down into his glass. “He still loves her?”

“She’s his destined mate; what do you think?” Drey grabbed a bar towel from under the bar and pretended to wipe the wooden top.

“But he never fell in love with anyone else, even after almost two decades?” Fitz couldn’t imagine going that long without someone in his life. “Even knowing Jerilynn wasn’t coming back?”

“He fell in love with his work and his tribe,” Drey said. “He says that’s all he needs, no matter how many times we try to set him up on a blind date.”

Someone called for a drink, and Drey stepped away, wishing Fitz luck with his situation. Fitz didn’t know whether to thank him or feel as if he had been cursed. Glancing at his whiskey, he took a deep breath and downed the rest of it, which was actually most of it. He set the glass on the bar when he was finished, tossed a ten and a five beside it, and slid off his barstool. It was time to go home.

The drive home was uneventful, Fitz getting lost in the silence. He didn’t even turn on the radio, his thoughts making enough noise for the ride. His animal stirred restlessly within, like he paced, as it had been for the past couple of months being deprived of his mate. How would Fitz ever make this right and satisfy everyone in his life? There was no way Mandy didn’t know he struggled with something; she just didn’t know what. At least, he hoped she didn’t know. Would it matter if she did, however? Mandy loved him. She actually loved him. She knew him in high school, even knew he had a thing for Kinsey, but it didn’t matter. Mandy still possessed feelings for Fitz, and when her father approached her about the union, she was more than happy to oblige. Fitz wrapped his hand around the steering wheel as he sighed. At least, Mandy had feelings for him when they married. Fitz only did it because his father told him to do it. Pathetic. His entire life had been pathetic, and he didn’t see that changing anytime soon. Kinsey should be happy she hadn’t been stuck with him for the rest of her life.

Too much anxiety made Fitz restless with the energy that filled him. He suddenly needed to expend it, let the pent-up energy out before he got home where he couldn’t control it. As he neared Crystal Springs Park, he pulled in and drove around to the back to a dark corner far away from any late-night strollers. As soon as he parked, he slid out of the driver’s seat into the warm evening air. There was still enough daylight left as he quickly stripped out of his clothes, piling them on the driver’s seat, and shifted, his bones snapping and popping, his fingernails replaced with sharp claws as hands and feet shifted into huge paws, and the tawny fur of his panther slid out from under his skin.

As Fitz darted off into the thick woods surrounding the park, he shoved his troubled thoughts into the deep recesses of his mind. As he weaved around giant beech and pine trees, he felt the wind tugging at his fur and the crunch of the earth under his paws. The fading sunlight filtered through the branches overhead, casting dappled shadows along the ground as Fitz allowed his panther to roam. The natural scents of the Appalachian Mountains filled his senses as he heard smaller animals scurry out of his way and into their hiding spots, giving him a wide berth.

He paused on top of a small outcropping of stone, staring out at the surrounding landscape at the dips and valleys that formed the mountainside. He took another deep breath, savoring the aroma of the surrounding flora, breathing it all in until…

His eyes popped open as he swiveled his head to the east. Kinsey? She was there, in the distance underneath a shortleaf pine, staring at him. He stared back for a moment, but then his panther leaped off the flat outcropping, dropping to the dark earth and racing toward his mate.

He couldn’t believe she was here, in the same park as him, needing to get out and permit her panther to run just like him. If Fitz believed in signs, this would definitely be one.

He reached the spot where he saw her staring at him, but she wasn’t there. Her scent lingered, but she must have left the moment he darted off toward her. He felt the punch to his stomach at the realization that Kinsey didn’t want to see him. She could have waited for him but didn’t.

She left.

She just…left.

Fitz dipped his head, sniffing the ground once more as the pain squeezed at his heart. She just left. He moped his way back to his car, his energy suddenly depleted. He forced himself back into his clothing and slid back behind the steering wheel. It was time to go home. Kinsey made the same choice he made a year ago, and it wasn’t him.

As he entered his home, Mandy stood in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on dinner. Fitz walked up behind her, shoving his sullenness to the side, and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling into her neck. “Something smells delicious,” he said just before he kissed her neck. “And I’m not talking about just the dinner.” His cock stirred as he held her, which only added to his confusion at times. The situation would be so much easier if he hadn’t fallen in love with Mandy, but he craved her touch almost as much as Kinsey’s.

Mandy giggled as she pinched her cheek to her neck, keeping him from tickling her anymore. “And you smell like whiskey.” She bumped him back away from her with her ass. “Again.” She turned to face him, her shoulders slumped, hip out as she stood there, lips downturned. “That’s becoming a regular thing lately. Do you want to talk about it?”

He shrugged as he stepped back, turning and reaching for a highball glass. “Nothing to talk about really,” he said. “I went to Shades after a stressful day at work.” He turned to her, grinning as he filled the glass with ice. “A day with my father will do that to a person.” He ignored the look she gave him as he went to the wet bar to fill his glass with whiskey. “He’s been yelling all day about a contract not getting signed yet, and I don’t ever remember him asking for it before. On top of that, Old Man Hemingway is still putting the screws to dear old Dad because Lainie ran off, instead of marrying his son, even though that was almost a year ago.” He filled his glass and took a long swallow of his drink, licking his lips when he was finished as he took a deep breath. Holding the glass back out in front of him, he shook his head. “It’s just been crazy lately.”

Mandy slid the casserole into the oven and then turned to face Fitz, her face showing him she knew his nightly visits to Shades were about more than he let on. “I know you’re still struggling, Fitz. We went to school together, remember? I know who you crushed on back then. I’m not stupid. Or blind.” She walked over to him, placing her hand on his chest. “You can talk to me about everything. Anything. Even Kinsey Pickford.”

A pang of guilt twisted his gut as he gazed down into Mandy’s eyes. He didn’t deserve her, and she deserved far better than him. Their fathers had screwed up their lives, but really, they did it to themselves by giving in to their parents’ wishes. Now, they were all stuck—him and Mandy with each other and Kinsey and him without their destined mate, something his father didn’t even believe in. Nor did Mandy by the way she ignored his struggles. She didn’t comprehend how hard the mating call truly was.

Fitz slid his hand behind Mandy’s neck and into her hair. There was no way he could talk to her about the mating call he felt for Kinsey, no way he could tell her that his panther craved another woman. It wouldn’t be fair to Mandy. He leaned in, kissing her softly, her lips warm on his. When he pulled back, he made sure he smiled down at her. “I’m fine. Promise. Now, what’s for dinner? Smells delicious.”

Mandy gazed earnestly into his eyes, not fooled at all by his denial. Still, she smiled, choosing not to press the matter. “One of your favorites, hot dog casserole with chili.”

Now, he gave her a genuine smile. “Now, that is good news.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ll go wash up and then fix us some wine.”

“Sounds good,” she said, but her voice held no joy, even though she smiled up at him.

He kissed her forehead again before turning and making his way to the master bathroom. He tried to force himself into a good mood for her sake, but his panther yearned for Kinsey, making Fitz miserable in the process. There wasn’t much he could do about it, however.

Standing in the bathroom, he gripped the edge of the sink as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. I have to change my mood for Mandy’s sake. She deserves better than what I’ve given her over the past couple of months. She deserves a husband who will dote on her, treat her like the wife she is, spoil her and take care of her. He stared even harder at his bloodshot reflection. She deserves someone far better than me. God, what have our fathers done to us?

He turned on the water, quickly scooping up fistfuls of the cold liquid and splashing it over his face. With a deep breath and water dripping from his pale face, he stared back at himself. I owe it to Mandy to make this right, to give her the family she desired when she married me. I can’t dwell on Kinsey anymore. I won’t dwell on Kinsey anymore. He sighed. She just left.

He pressed his lips into a thin line as determination filled him. He would give Mandy Everest everything she deserved and more starting tonight. He loved her, and she loved him. The time for past regrets was over. It was time now to focus on their future together.

He dried his face and hands and then went to join his wife in the kitchen and fix their wine.