Chapter 8

Seline held her stance in defiance of Jonathan’s strength. At least she glared up at him for a full minute, before sitting back and smiling at the terrified girls quickly in reassurance.

She turned back to him. “Oh, do sit down Jon, there is no threat here, and there is no one here to be bowed down by your overbearing attitude!”

Matt laughed out loud, and the charged atmosphere dissolved as quickly as it had materialised. Jonathon scowled at his brother irritably, even as he relaxed and sat down wearily, as the brief surge of strength inside him fled.

“I am sorry Seline ... ladies, it ... you just took me by surprise.”

“Forgiven ... for your attempt at bullying – but you are still on dangerous ground for whatever else you have up your sleeve.”

Jonathon winced, but then smiled ruefully.

“Ok perhaps I started things off badly. I do not mean to be taking your girls and forcing them into any packs or marriages or anything else like that.”

“That is good because you would not get very far with anything even remotely like that!”

“Understood,” he nodded.

“So, what are you thinking?”

“Well, I kind of thought ... I was wondering if...” he sighed and then ran his fingers through his hair and all the while his brother looked on in open amusement. “Ok this is what I thought ... would you accept some of these young men on your property? You can work them hard on those hundred and one jobs that need a strong hand to do them, and then I want you to clean them up and teach them some basic manners, and then I want your young ladies to teach them some social manners.”

“Your hot-headed, testosterone fuelled adolescent – dogs?” She demanded incredulously. “You think they would listen to me – or any of the girls? You know as well as I do that when they get that deep into it then the last thing that they will listen to is a ‘weak female’.”

Jonathon sighed, “I plan to take over as pack leader to these young whelps, and I promise you that for the beginning at least, either myself or Matt will be here to keep them in line, one of us will stay here until you are confident that they can be left in your care.”

Seline sat back with her own sigh. “I am far too busy for this!”

The girls glanced at each other and then Clara sat forward. “We could help ... we would be willing to help.”

“Will you help me too Seline?” Jonathon asked as he latched on to this unexpected ally.

“I don’t want people to think that my home is some sort of a ‘tame your men or seek a mate’, place. My girls are important to me, and I must protect them first and foremost.”

“I will ensure that your home is kept exactly as you would have it ... will you help me, Seline?”

“The council – they have sent formal letters to me, demanding that I place my girls on some sort of eligibility register. They say that I must start to prepare the girls for bonding and a life in a strange pack.”

“The old fools!” Jonathon snapped vehemently, and some of the frostiness from Seline began to thaw as she saw his disagreement with the council’s demands. She smiled a little at him for the first time in what seemed like ages. “I will talk to the council; I will intercede on your behalf – I will place your home and you and all your girls under my personal protection if necessary ... but will you help me now?”

Seline turned to the two young women.

“You would be okay with these men coming here?” she asked them.

They both blushed a little and then Clara looked Seline in the eyes. “Yes, we should like to help them.”

“And if any of the girls and the men strike up a friendship, will you Seline, give them a chance to explore that and see if it can grow into something more?”

“Damn it, Jon, this is not ‘find a bride farm’!” Seline insisted hotly, but it was Clara again who touched her arm and smiled gently.

“You gave me a shelter when I needed one, you gave me a home and love and people to care for. I love this place – I love everyone in this place ... but I want more, Seline ... I want the chance of a mate and family of my own – and if I am lucky enough to find it at some time, then it will be all because of you – and I will never forget that – I will never truly leave here, even if I go somewhere else – but I cannot stay here for ever.”

Jonathon smiled warmly at Clara. “Know that any match you make with any of these young men – you will have my full blessing, protection and support ... but if you do find that you prefer one over the others, then do not let the man in question know what your end goal is. Make him work to get you – make him win you.”

She nodded and smiled a little smile. “Thank you for that advice, I shall do exactly as you suggest, and I will make sure that all of my sisters do the same thing. These boys – young pups will come here, and we will work them hard to start with – get some of that aggressive energy out of their systems and then hopefully we can begin to dig down into their souls and find the young men hidden beneath.”

Jonathon smiled warmly at her and nodded in approval at her apparent understanding of what was needed. Then he turned to Seline again. “So, Seline ... will you help?”

“Oh well ... it looks like I have been outvoted anyhow!” she snapped irritably.

“Will you help?”

She looked at the intentness of his eyes and then she sighed again. “Yes, I will help you – Jon!”

He stood up and drew her to her feet and simply held her hands as he looked deep into her eyes. “Thank you, my dearest.”

The girls shuffled awkwardly on the sofa and even Matt began to feel a little like an intruder, as the two of them stood there gazing into each other’s eyes.

Finally, Matt decided that he’d had enough and discretely nodded to the girls, and the three of them drifted silently out of the room.

Matt decided to go outside for some fresh air and to stretch his legs before starting the drive back. He was confident that as soon as Jonathon and Seline had concluded their discussion, then his brother would wish to start back.

Whistling softly to himself, he strolled across the grass towards the lodge that he had stayed in last time, he was here.

There were several of them all lined up in a neat row, and he thought that they would be more than adequate for the Frawnings boys. Each unit had a small living room with a kitchenette, and up the narrow stairways was a bedroom with an en-suite bathroom.

The girl’s rooms were all in the main house, and he was confident that Seline would make sure that the males and any of the older girls would not meet unless it was in the light of day – with others present.