Page 38 of The Betas: Rene
Chapter Fourteen
New Mexico
Sandoval Pack Lands
The Alpha’s Kitchen
The small jet landed on the Sandoval Pack’s airstrip, and three Navigators met them on the tarmac. Frankie’s first view of the ranch came at ten on a late April evening. The sky and the stars loomed closer at a six-thousand-foot altitude. Stars twinkled, and the mountains rose to the east as dark ghosts under the full moon.
Frankie and René found themselves in the first car. Martin sat up in in the front with the driver. The Alpha and The Alpha Mate sat in the second row of seats and René, Frankie, and Edward brought up the rear.
They exited the Navigator at the big house. Frankie stared in awe at the four wings coming out from a center hall.
René pointed toward the huge structure. “One of these wings holds The Alpha Mate’s pottery studio. The Alpha started building it the day after he met Alpha Mate. He paid to have it finished in twelve days. The second wing contains the kitchen and dining facilities. Meg and Pierre have a suite of rooms in that wing. The third wing is The Alpha’s family wing. It is double the width of the others and has their bedroom suite, a private dining area, a living area, four additional bedrooms, and The Alpha’s library and his study. Two of which are occupied by Elena and Miss Beaumont whom you will meet in the morning.”
“And the last wing?”
“The last wing houses the Pack Meeting Room and offices.”
The party broke up as they entered the courtyard. Frankie noticed Meg whisking Annie and Alphonse away to the kitchen wing.
René waited until the rest of the party gravitated toward the big house. He pulled Frankie aside. “At midnight we will make love and finally belong to each other, Ma Vie. Now I can kiss you the way I want to because, in a matter of hours, we will be together.” René drew Frankie into his arms. He traced the seam of Frankie’s lips with his tongue. Frankie’s mouth opened like a flower to his lover’s sun, and he became lost in the moment until his stomach growled. Frankie’s ears grew hot.
His wolf caressed his cheek. “Oh, Ma Vie, your stomach is telling me I must feed you. You haven’t been eating enough.”
“All I’ve been doing is stuffing my face. Is that going to stop after we mate?”
“Yes, after the mating, you will still eat more than you used to eat, but you won’t have to constantly fill your stomach. Right now, you’re gearing up your new metabolism for the mating.”
Frankie smiled. “Good, I can’t imagine trying to live being this hungry all the time.”
“I’m taking you to The Alpha’s kitchen wing so you can eat.” René walked him into the house.
“Where is our room?” Frankie looked around, absorbing the southwestern flavor of The Alpha’s villa.
“We have our own house between The Alpha and Dr. Artis. Martin’s house sits on the other side of The Alpha’s and Lillian, the Alpha Bitch, lives across the courtyard from Martin.”
As they entered the kitchen, Meg pointed to a chair and commanded, “Sit. I’m frying up the chimichanga Lillian made you. I’m feeding you because it’s already ten and you mate at midnight. Annie is opening up the house, putting fresh linens on the bed and stocking the refrigerator with canapés and some champagne from The Alpha’s own cellar, a Krug, Ambonnay cuvée. Alphonse has to unpack your overnight bag. René, you go over to the house and direct Annie and Alphonse. When they finish, send them here. The Alpha said they are to stay in our wing tonight.”
“Ma Vie, eat your meal. I will see you at midnight.” René quickly kissed Frankie on the lips and hurried off to supervise whatever it was they were doing at the house.
Meg sat Frankie down at round pine table that had to be an antique. It was bleached out on the top from constant cleaning and bore the scars of long-term use. According to René, The Alpha lived here all his life, and the previous Alpha, Alpha La Marche’s great grandfather, lived in this house with his Mate until they reached the ripe old age of four hundred and forty-five. He was one of the original Alphas who brought the packs to the new world after the Burning Times in France. Frankie made a note to himself to ask The Alpha if he could read what he was sure was the fascinating history of the loup garou. René said they had pack records back to William the Conqueror and some incomplete records going back through the Dark Ages to the time before Christ.
Meg served him, and Frankie greedily ate the two large chimichangas on his plate. “What is this? It’s wonderful.”
“A chimichanga is a rolled tortilla stuffed with shredded beef, beans, and vegetables. The tortilla is deep fried in hot oil and covered with cheddar cheese. The red sauce is medium heat salsa.”
“These are great. I have to remember to thank… Lillian, is that right?”
“Yes, Lillian holds the position of Alpha Bitch. She is a great friend of René’s and likely to bear your children.” Just as Frankie was about to ask about Lillian, Martin and Edward showed up to beg a meal and each sat down with a plate full of tacos.
“After you finish Lillian’s offering, you can try Meg’s tacos.” Martin used serving spoons and salad tongs to pile shredded beef, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, onions, avocado, salsa, sour cream, and grated cheddar on the taco shell.
Frankie thought for a moment, squirmed in his seat, but decided to bite the bullet. “Eh…I’m embarrassed to ask, but how does the mating work?”
Martin barked a laugh, and Edward smothered a giggle.
Frankie sputtered, “I know the mechanics of making love, I’m not a virgin. What I don’t know is the mating and marriage ritual for a loup garou Beta. René asked The Alpha for a traditional mating ceremony, he asked me, and I agreed. I don’t know what I agreed to do.”
