Chapter 19: Meadow


    Chapter 19: Meadow


    You okay?


    Coltones through loud and clear, checking on me, and for a second it warms me that he does, that


    maybe he felt my nervousness. His voice is that sound of home that I never knew I needed, and I find


    myself exhaling, like I''ve been holding my breath, as I lean back into the chair less stiffly.


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    Just waiting on the others and sitting by the fire.


    I reply, setting his mind at ease and hoping I sound asfortable here as I am pretending to be.


    I won''t be long, my father kept all the leaders back to talk ns, schedules, you know what I mean. If


    you need me, I''ll leave our link open. Don''t let any of them give you any shit or else they''ll have to deal


    with me. His deep husky voice has me pining for his presence, and I sigh wearily.


    Matteo is being a gentleman and taking care of me; I''m sure he''ll intervene. I''m trying to make him


    rx, but the overwhelming surge I get back from his emotions that he didn''t like what I said, surprises


    me. It''s a hint of jealousy and I blink at Matteo as though I''m missing the point. He has his back to me,


    pouring his drink, and nowhere near me.


    Right. Like I said I won''t be long.


    His tone is clipped, and he closes link before I can respond, despite saying he wouldn''t, sounding off,


    and moody, and I swear it actually makes me want tough at how ridiculous he''s being. He sent me


    here with Matteo, and now he''s what? Jealous, because I said he was being nice. I knew males were


    territorial and possessive by nature, worse so when they mate up, but I''m not even his and he has


    nothing to worry about. We imprinted, and the fates made sure I have no desire to look at anyone else,


    even if he did reject me.


    I inhale sharply, shake it off, and go back to staring at the fire, trying not to let him get to me as the door


    swings open and two boys stomp in arguing with one another


    "You''re a liar, I didn''t say anything of the sort." The first male snaps, turning and spotting me and


    instantly frowning like he''s just been faced with a terrible or vile sight. He stops dead as the other


    collides into the back of him with an exaggerated ''whooomph'' noise. He''s unsurprisingly dark haired,


    tanned and has your typical Colombian look to him. All the Santos originated from there, beforeing


    here a few generations ago. They tend to mate up with others like them, so the bloodline stays purest,


    and most of the males are sent back in early childhood to spend time in their homnds, so most have


    mixed ents, like Colton does.


    "Hey, watch it" the voice snarls angrily and shoves him forward, exposing an identical face and equal


    build, and I realize these two boys are twins. If memory serves right, I can pull out of Colton''s mind that


    this is Domi, and Remi. They''re younger than Colton by a year, making them eighteen, like me. Both


    lanky, tall, athletic boys, with brown hair and soft hazel eyes. More Santos and I know for sure they''re


    Colton''s distant cousins on his mom''s side.


    "And she is here why?" The first one turns to Matteo with a growl and is met with a snarl in response.


    Matteo seemingly growing an inch taller and faces them down.


    "Because Colton said so, and I doubt he wants to hear you were questioning it!" It''s not a friendly tone


    and it has the effect of dampening down the attitude on one of the twins at least.


    "He''s not questioning, he''s just a little shocked that our pack room has someone … not of our pack" the


    other chirps in, throwing me a devious side eye and I shrivel back into my chair, aware the waves of


    prickling heating my way are hostility, even while he is smiling on like it''s not.


    "Who''s not in our pack?" That female voice I''ve been dreading the arrival of,es waving in as she


    walks in the door. Thick like honey, and sultry, preceding her entry. She sashays in like the Queen of


    the manor and stops dead in her tracks when she spots me. Grey eyes instantly storming over, pouty


    mouth forming a thin tight light, and porcin skin paling as rage ignites under the surface. Her eyes


    start glowing intense amber as she growls her dislike at me and lowers her chin to move into an attack


    stance. Wolves are aggressive by nature and we literally jump to fight for every little thing. Bite, nip,


    attack. It''s just how we are.


    "Why in the fuck, has he let her in here?" Carmen loses her cool, steps at me fast but Matteo zaps


    forward using his hyper speed, blocking her in a nanosecond, and standing between us. He stands


    firm, lifts his chin, and makes a good show of exerting his dominance.


    "Colton wanted her here and will be along soon, so pipe down, go sit over there and behave!" Matteo


    has a tone not too dissimr to Colton''s alpha tone, only less effective, and she draws her eyes from


    me to him, not as affected as she would be had their alpha said it.


    "Don''t tell me what to do…. You''re not my alpha, hell, you''re not even his beta." The undercurrent of a


    snarl between them sizzles and I tense, waiting for it to get crazy in here. Surprised that Matteo is not


    his second inmand and I rake my memories to find out who is. I swear to god it better not be


    Carmen, or I''m in trouble.


    "Ahora, ahora, que tenemos aqui?" Another female voice floats in, soft, light, and strangely alluring,


    with a deep raspy undercurrent as three more wolves stroll in unannounced, and I recognize her as


    Meadow, one of the older femmes in herte twenties, mated to the one behind her, Cesar. Her brother


    is in tow, Jesus, and they stop to gaze over the little scene in hand.


    "Ahora Ninas, go sit down before I break a w reminding you who is beta in this room when Colton is


    not here. Sit!" Her ent is heavy, and thick, clear she''s an ier to Radstone and English is not her


    firstnguage. It''s not umon for wolves with links elsewhere to sometimes bring in family pack


    from further away, to live with them, or find a mate, and I know Meadow''s been with us for a few years,


    maybe even as far back as the war. Her ent has never faded though.


    Matteo and Carmen give onest snarl and separate, walking to the couches, chastised, and


    surprisingly not defying her. They''re followed by the twins, who avert eyes from their new member and


    instantly go into sulk mode, slumping together on one sofa and stare at me with lowered eyelids. No


    hint of warmth, which adds to my growing uneasiness as I sit stiffly where I was. Meadow strolls into


    the room fully, confidently, eyeing me up, unashamedly, and I get the sensation I''m being weighed up


    as prey.


    She''s a sight to behold, at five feet eight, strong, graceful, and very Latino. ck hair, the most


    amazing pale blue eyes under sculpted ck brows, and deeply tanned skin. She has full lips, catlike


    eyes with perfect make up, and an outfit of clingy denim with a blouse that shows off her ample


    cleavage.


    She''s beautiful but has an aura of terrifying. She doesn''t stray out of the Santo side of thends much,


    but it''s obvious that Matteo is not Colton''s second inmand. Meadow is. I wouldn''t argue with her,


    her natural nails are long, sharp, and pointed, with a nice shec of blood red, so I can''t imagine what


    her wolf ws would be like. She puts the fear in me with just her presence.


    "Hi. I''m Cesar, this is Jesus…. and the infamous Meadow here." Cesar nods at me, no hint of either


    dislike, or friendliness in his nk statement. He''s another tall stocky type and I''m starting to see a


    pattern with this pack. Best of the breed and all rmingly alike, except Carmen, the only blonde


    among them. They''re all big, strong, and haveshings of both aggression and attitude,mon


    among our strongest. I''m sure as a pack they have many a battle of wills and lots of spats.


    "She knows who we are, don''t you, Amiga? She has Cole''s memories and I''m sure she knows how to


    ess them." Meadow strolls in front of me, heels clicking on the hardwood floor, her eyes wandering


    over me as she takes me all in without caring how ufortable it''s making me. Devouring my


    appearance with a critical eye.


    "I do" I answer sheepishly, aware another has entered the open door and praying that has to be all of


    them. This is getting crowded and I''m starting to feel like raw meat being lowered into a hungry lion''s


    den. I don''t even nce their way, as Meadow has amanding quality that demands you give her


    our full attention.


    "How, oh how, did the fates get this so wrong?" Jesus sneers at me, appearing beside her, not too


    dissimr in looks to his sister, only masculine where she is feminine, and instantly shuts up when


    Meadow throws him a pointed re with a subtle growl.


    "The fates are never wrong! Don''t you know that?" She snaps, before taking a calming breath, lifting


    her hands, making motions in the air as though to apany deep breaths. She smirks when she


    catches my eye and bends towards me, almost dropping her massive boobs from her low-cut top in my


    face. "I don''t know. I sense something in this one. You think, Papi, she has a little summin, summin?"


    Cesar doesn''t seem impressed, or not impressed, totally nk, and I can only assume he is who she


    calls Papi. I know it''s a name for your lover or mate. She reaches out picking up a strand of my wild


    unbrushed hair and runs her fingers through it slowly, tingling my scalp as it tugs gently. Putting me on


    edge and making me so ufortable I feel like calling on Colton, but I don''t. I have to expect his pack


    are going to be like this at a first meet. I mean, he just threw me in with them amid all that happened


    today, and they''re sizing me up to see how much grit I have. I can''t show them weakness, or they''ll


    shred me.


    "Is it true she came from the home for the rejects? The ones the Vamps all ughtered." One of the


    twins can''t conceal his disgust, and Carmen sneers, a look of anger crossing her face and darts him a


    side eye re.


    "Yes. And our formidable alpha lowered his standards and tried to mark this mutt. He needs his head


    read." Carmen is quick to chirp in with her dislike of me, seething hatred my way. The room feels like


    it''s closing in as anxiety builds and my panic grows, and I wonder how long before I get cornered and


    chewed on.


    "Ai…" It''s a sharp sound given out to shut her up, Meadow standing to roll her own hair between two


    fingers and facing them with an air of ''I''m getting so pissed''. "Don''t disrespect our alpha''spanera, I


    won''t tolerate it, and neither will he. Don''t make me mad, Chica, I don''t like when I get mad."


    Meadow is by far the scariest femme I have evere across and I don''t know why she''s unnerving


    me so much, because she seems pretty sane on the surface. It''s just, she has an aura that screams


    ''certified psycho'' and every single time she moves, I flinch internally, getting antsier by the second as


    she stands so close to me.


    Carmen recoils, obviously knowing only too well that Meadow doesn''t make empty threats and Matteo


    clears his throat to distract her. He too seems like he knows he should diffuse things and it only


    heightens my wariness. Some of the femmes in our packdom are worse than the mates in terms of


    vtile aggression and ability to maim and I''m starting to think Meadow is one.


    "Drinks anyone? While we wait on him." Matteo nces around for takers and gets a couple of quiet


    nods.


    "No, nosotras have other ns for our littlepanera. She needs a little help over here." Meadow


    clicks her tongue at me to catch my attention and when I look up at her she extends her finger and


    motions me toe. It''s creepy and yet an order, and without question I slide up in my chair, heartbeat


    elevating and wondering what the hell she ns on doing to me.


    "You look like a bagdy who dresses out of the trash, Novia. If that''s what Colton has you looking like,


    you ain''t gonnast long here. It''s not a good look. Come, we have to fix this before I can sit and look at


    you for any length of time. You''re offending my eyes… What he do to you? You look like you been


    working out on our man, huh? Maybe practicing getting marked, huh? Saying goodbye to your poppies


    and letting his seeds blow up your wind tunnel, heh?" It''s a dirty raspyugh, following a dirty remark,


    and I flush with embarrassment at her brazen statement as I catch her meaning. Knowing I probably do


    look a little disheveled and I can almost taste Carmen''s seething rage winding my way.