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Isabel turned to Blake. “Alpha Blake, married life looks good on you. Frankly, I was starting to get a little bit worried there.”
He grinned. “So I’ve heard. Eleanor makes it a wonderful affair.”
“I bet she does. She seems like a charming young woman,” Isabel replied.
“You have no idea.” Blake moved his hand in a circular motion on Eleanor’s back and she turned to smile at him lovingly.
In the last month since their wedding, they’d learned how to play the part of a love struck couple, learning and studying all the mannerisms and tiny body movements that indicated two people just couldn’t get enough of each other.
Occasionally, Blake didn’t know where fiction ended and reality began. He loved being around Eleanor, that much he was sure about. She was capable, witty, and challenged him on a daily basis. This was new for Blake, and he found it very entertaining.
They had settled into a few newlywed routines easily, and it was unbelievable the type of team they were forming. They ran together in the mornings, five times a week. Every other morning, they hit the gym or did laps together in the pool. They also had many of their meals together, except on nights when Blake had urgent business to attend to.
He'd gotten used to having her around and enjoyed her company. What he hadn’t gotten used to was her beauty. For some reason, it always seemed to catch him by surprise every time he saw her.
Trying not to stare was a daily hurdle for him, and she caught him often when his eyes lingered. Fortunately, she was a good sport about it, and let him off with a little ribbing when she was feeling humorous.
“Blake?”
He blinked and looked up. “Huh?”
“I was asking if it would be possible for us to have a quiet time together, us three,” Isabel said. “Perhaps you and Eleanor could visit me for lunch on Sunday?”
Blake glanced at Eleanor, and when she nodded, he said, “Of course, we would love to. There’s…something we would like to discuss with you, but that can wait till later.”
“Oh, I’m sure there is,” Isabel replied, smiling. She had an intelligent glint in her eyes. “And I can’t wait to hear it. For now, though, we feast. Eleanor, it was a delight to meet you. I look forward to seeing you again. Blake.”
“Delightful woman,” Eleanor whispered after Isabel moved on to speak to another couple.
“She is,” Blake admitted. “Well, what do you think? Wanna hang around and continue being in love with your husband? Or would you like to call it a night?”
“Looks like we have what we came for,” she replied, looking around the massive room. “I think we’ve done enough tonight. No one seems to be taking an interest in us anymore.”
She was right. She had a keen eye for detail, something that Blake both admired and respected about her. At the start of their introduction into society, there was always someone watching them with overzealous curiosity.
They’d learned early on to play the crowd, acting like they didn’t notice the curious party, and then showing just enough love and affection to each other that whoever it was eventually lost interest. That attention had been on a steady decline lately, and it looked like it was about to come to an end.
Regardless, Blake and Eleanor were always cautious and conscious. They seemed to share a mind about taking chances or being complacent. It was more automated now, but the first few outings had been more difficult.
“How did I not know about all of these?” Eleanor had asked, when he’d given her a rundown of the various pack events they were to attend together. “And you’re sure they do these in Deepwood too?”
Blake had laughed at that. “I’m pretty sure they have these events in all the wolf communities. I think it’s more a question of when last you cared about what was happening among your own.”
“Oh, bite me,” she’d said, rolling her eyes for emphasis.
Blake shook his head. “Only if you were to challenge me for my place as alpha. You don’t plan to do that, do you?”
“I’m not sure yet. Still trying to make up my mind on whether I would be a better leader than you. I’ll let you know when I decide?”
“That sucks. I was really starting to like you.”
Moments like that one made the arrangement flow seamlessly between them. Talking to Eleanor came naturally to him. She was like a fusion of Blake and Xander both but with a touch of roguish wildness underneath. Maybe more than a touch, if he was being honest.
In the last month, they had gone to three small pack meetings, three rites of passage, two feasts, and one sporting event. Each event always left them drained afterward, but their act was always flawless at every event.
“How many more?” Eleanor asked Blake as they drove back home.
“Huh?” Blake glanced at her but kept his eyes on the road.
