by Macy Blake
He climbed down from the bar and hurried over to Shaq and the pack. He bowed and rejoined the crowd of other supernatural creatures who had come to celebrate. So many of them had longed to find mates of their own, and Shaq hoped they would. He hoped that whatever had kept them from finding this happiness for so long had finally ended. If that meant he had to fight off a bunch more idiots… well, it would be worth it. His pack could handle it.
“We should make the rounds,” Drew said quietly once everyone scattered and the faun magic began to dissipate.
“What?”
“You know, circle the room. Make sure we say hi to everyone. They’re here to see us, right?”
“Yeah,” Shaq said.
“So let’s honor them with your presence, oh alpha, my alpha.”
Shaq snorted. “Cut it out.”
“What? You’re hot stuff and you know it.”
Shaq scoffed and tugged Drew close. “They’re here to see you, not me.”
Drew smiled up at him and laid his hand on Shaq’s cheek. “No. They’re here because you found me, Shaq. But they’re here for you. Never doubt that.”
Drew
Thursday afternoons weren’t exactly prime time for a bar, so when the door to Hair of the Dog burst open, it startled Drew into dropping the bottle of beer he was trying to open for a customer. Luckily it didn’t break when it hit the ground. A beautiful red-headed woman came running inside. She looked around frantically before spying Shaq standing near the back with Solomon. She ran toward him, and at the last possible second, leapt.
Shaq caught her against him with a smile, and Drew’s stomach flipped. She wrapped herself around Shaq with a laugh and he held her close. Drew fumed. Then the door burst open again, and a young guy came running in. He was covered in… glitter. And he looked furious.
“Don’t you think he’ll protect you!”
The guy was so pissed. Drew could practically see the waves of anger rolling off of him.
“I will get you,” Glitter guy swore.
Drew moved back nervously, moving toward the kitchen window where Walt was busy getting ready for the evening’s customers. He looked around, but no one seemed concerned by the newcomers. No one seemed worried or anxious or… Drew rubbed his hand over his chest nervously. Apparently, he was the only one affected by their presence.
“Ollie, don’t threaten your sister,” Shaq said.
“But Uncle Meshaq, she glitter-bombed me!”
Uncle Meshaq?
Shaq put the woman down, and Drew realized she was younger than he’d first thought. Maybe nineteen or twenty.
“Natasha,” Shaq scolded. “Why do you antagonize him?”
“It’s what we do, Uncle Meshaq.”
Again with the uncle thing. Drew was so confused. Even though they’d been officially mated for almost a week, Drew still had so much to learn about Shaq. It didn’t stop the eerie feeling he was having, though. He crept back again, still incredibly nervous for some reason he couldn’t quite understand. He slipped through the door into the kitchen and looked out the pass-through window.
“Drew?” Walt poked his head out from behind the big metal racks he’d set up to block customer’s views into his kitchen.
“Sorry, Walt. I just…”
Walt scowled and limped over. He looked out of the pass-through and made a weird noise. Drew glanced at him. “What?”
“The brats are here. Wonder where the rest of ‘em are.”
“The brats?”
“More of his menagerie,” Walt explained. “Don’t know what they are, but a while back, he started getting visits from these two guys with all these kids. I feed ‘em on Saturdays sometimes. Good kids. Eat a lot.”
“They call him uncle,” Drew said.
“Yep. They’re a pack of something. Don’t know what. Never asked. They’re family, though, so you have nothing to worry about.”
Drew wasn’t so sure. He peeked out the window again. Shaq was engrossed by the younger boy, his lips twisted into a smirk as the boy waved his arms around wildly, repeating some story or another, probably explaining how he ended up covered in glitter. Drew couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he could see that the girl— who must be his sister— wasn’t impressed with the way he was telling the story.
Even though they were young and obviously connected to Shaq, some instinct in Drew was telling him to stay away. To hide. He’d not reacted that way since the wolves before he met Shaq. Drew chewed his lip nervously and continued to hide in the shadows of the kitchen window. Shaq glanced around a moment later and noticed he was gone. Drew could tell because of the way he scowled. He always scowled when he couldn’t find Drew.
The boy paused and looked around the room, as if seeking out some hidden danger. The girl reacted immediately as well, going on guard in the same way Drew had seen the hellhounds do the few times they’d sensed some kind of danger. Shaq sniffed the air and immediately turned to pinpoint Drew with his stare. Drew backed away, hiding himself in the shadows.
“Drew?” Walt asked.
Drew ducked behind the man and hurried back to the hidden corner behind the racks.
Walt followed him, his face creased with concern. Drew couldn’t explain it. Something was wrong. He had to hide. He looked around frantically, trying to find a place. Walt seemed to get it, though.
“Follow me.”
Walt ducked behind another rack and led Drew to a small door. Behind it was the bar’s storage room. Drew hadn’t been inside it yet, because Walt didn’t like anyone messing around with his stuff. Drew looked at him nervously, running his hand over his chest again. It was fluttering and he was really worried.
“Go,” Walt demanded. “You’ll be fine.”
“But—”
“Don’t make me say it again, boy.”
Drew meeped and hurried into the room. He hated when Walt used that tone on him. Once the door shut behind him, he found a place in the back and ducked down behind a stack of boxes. He curled his arms around his legs and huddled there nervously. When the door opened again, Drew fought the urge to snarl.
“Drew, baby?”
Shaq.
Drew’s breath came more quickly, his heart pounding in his ears. The door shut again and Shaq knelt in front of him. “I’m here. You’re safe.”
“What’s happening?”
Shaq settled in beside him and tugged Drew close. “I don’t know. But I’m here. Can you tell me what scared you?”
“No.” Drew leaned into Shaq and absorbed some of his warmth. “I mean, I don’t know, exactly.”
“Okay. Tell me what happened.”
Drew wanted to be closer. He pressed himself against Shaq’s side but it still wasn’t enough. Shaq responded by tugging Drew across his lap and wrapping his thick arms around him. Drew let out another sigh, finally feeling more comfortable. “What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing’s wrong with you,” Shaq whispered against his hair. He gripped Drew’s neck and marked him with his scent, then brushed their cheeks together. His whiskers were prickly but Drew arched his neck anyway, allowing Shaq to press his face closer.
“I think… I think I was scared of your family. W-Walt said they were your family and they called you Uncle Meshaq but… I didn’t like it when the girl touched you.”
Shaq froze for a second before raising his head. “You couldn’t get to me, could you? They were between me and you.”
Drew considered it before nodding. “Yeah. You were against the wall and they were standing in front of you.”
“Huh,” Shaq said.
But it was more the sound of figuring something out than questioning.
“What?”
“They aren’t pack,” Shaq said quietly. “They’re family, but they’re not my pack. They have their own.”
“But they’re just kids,” Drew said. “They—”
“They’re strange shifters in your territory. They’re not our pack and you were unguarded. I think… I
think your instincts were warning you. I think I need to introduce you.”
Drew wasn’t sure that was a good idea. His stomach fluttered nervously at the thought. “Why?”
“I think you need to have me show you that you’re safe around them. I know it sounds weird, but I think that’s what happened. Your pack needs to make sure you’re safe.”
Drew chewed his lip and looked up into Shaq’s glowing eyes. “I wish I understood all this.”
Shaq hugged him tighter and smiled. “You will. It takes time. But if you’re not comfortable, you can come right back in here with Walt and I’ll have them leave.”
“But they’re your family,” Drew said as he scowled. “I’m not going to run them off.”
“You’re not. I think you’ll be fine once I introduce you.”
Drew sighed and tucked his head beneath Shaq’s chin. He didn’t know what the hell was wrong with him or why he’d turned into such a clingy scaredy cat. “Okay.”
“This is new to me,” Shaq explained quietly. “I… I don’t know all the rules either. But a mate is special. Treasured. And must be shown the highest respect.”
“You do treat me that way. My alpha. My mate.”
Shaq nuzzled his face into Drew’s neck. “I need to ask the goddess of the old ways. There must have been rules. Guidelines. Something.”
“Procedures?” Drew suggested.
“Yes.”
Drew tucked himself in a little closer, the knot of tension easing a little. “But I was fine meeting Cosmo. He didn’t freak me out.”
“No, because I was with you when you met him. You weren’t separated from me meeting someone else. I didn’t know this would be a problem. We need to plan for this.”
“Shh,” Drew said quietly. His mate would worry and go nuts if he didn’t stop him. “Let’s go meet them and see how I feel.”
“You’ll tell me if you’re uncomfortable. Promise me.”
Drew breathed and touched his forehead to Shaq’s. “I won’t have to, my alpha. You’ll know because you always know.”
That seemed to appease his mate more than anything else.
“I’ll have you meet Ollie first.”
“Glitter boy.”
Shaq grinned. “He’s a wolf, and not as powerful as his sister. More conniving, yes, so don’t be fooled by his cuteness. We’ll see how you do with him first instead of both of them at the same time. How does that sound?”
“That sounds good. Besides, how can I be scared of a guy who sparkles?”
Shaq snickered and rose, pulling Drew along with him.
“I can’t wait to see how he gets even with her for this one. He’s got a devious mind.”
“Sounds like you really love them.”
“I do.”
He led Drew out of the storage room. Walt stood outside the door with a lead pipe in his hand. Drew stopped and gave him a quick hug. “Thanks.”
Walt huffed and turned back to the stove. “Making some nachos for the brats. You want some?”
“Yes, please.”
Walt gave him a once over before nodding. “Door’s open if you need to come back here. Only you. Don’t let that mate of yours think this is an open door policy to my kitchen.”
“I won’t.”
Shaq groaned and pulled Drew back over to the pass-through window. Natasha and Ollie were standing with a very concerned looking Solomon at the back of the bar.
“I feel stupid,” Drew said. His heart had begun pounding again, but he didn’t have the abject terror he’d felt before.
“You shouldn’t. We have to figure these things out. We’re the first, you know? It’s like my goddess said, we’re important.”
“How so?”
“When other mates are found, and these things happen, don’t you think it’d be nice for them to have a heads up? I mean, it’s been so long since anyone’s found their mate, Drew. We don’t know what to do anymore. But we’re strong and we’ll figure it out together. Have a few bumps in our road so theirs is smoother.”
“I like the way that sounds.”
Shaq tucked Drew under his arm and ran his nose over Drew’s hair. “You want to stay back here or come into the doorway? Either way will work, I think.”
Drew thought it over and turned to look up at his mate. “I think as long as you’re beside me, I’ll be okay.”
Shaq nodded and led them over to the kitchen door. “Hey, Ollie. Come here a sec.”
The young man looked a bit nervous, but he hurried across the room to them. He really was cute, maybe sixteen or seventeen. He had really pretty blue eyes, and as he got closer, Drew could see that he absolutely adored his Uncle Meshaq and was very upset about what was happening. He skidded to a stop in front of them and tentatively smiled at Drew.
“Ollie, this is Drew. He’s my mate.”
The significance Shaq placed on the word wasn’t lost on the young man. Ollie gasped and his eyes flew open. He stared at Shaq before turning to look at Drew again. “Mate, mate? Like mate? Uncle Meshaq, that’s awesome.”
Drew couldn’t help but smile at Ollie’s obvious happiness. “Nice to meet you, Ollie.”
“Goddess, can I hug you?”
The panic eased completely so Drew held open his arms and Ollie darted into them.
“This is so cool. My dads are going to be so happy.”
Shaq rubbed Drew’s back gently and he looked up to see his mate smiling at them. “This is better,” Drew said.
“Well, now we know. Want to meet Natasha?”
Drew nodded even as Ollie continued to cling to him. It was a little awkward as far as first hugs went, but the kid seemed to need it so Drew just went with it. Shaq waved Natasha over and she approached cautiously. Again, it seemed better this time.
“Ollie, for fuck’s sake. You’re getting glitter all over Uncle Meshaq’s mate.”
“It’s your fault,” Ollie said, even though he did pull out of the hug and give Drew an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, Drew.”
“Hey, for a hug that good, I’ll take the glitter.”
Ollie grinned and bounced over to the kitchen window. “Walt?”
“What, brat?”
“You busy?”
Walt poked his head around the corner and glared at the teen. “What do you want?”
Ollie tilted his head to the side and Drew knew exactly where he got the move. He turned wide eyes onto his mate. “You taught him that!”
Natasha snorted.
“I was hoping you had some chicken wings,” Ollie said. “But if you don’t, it’s okay.”
“I always have wings, boy. Don’t play dumb. And put your eyes away. When have I ever not fed you? Nachos are almost ready.”
Ollie grinned over his shoulder at Shaq, who grinned down at him. “You really are a brat.”
“But a loveable one. Nana says so.”
“And trust us,” Natasha added, “Nana’s never wrong.”
“Don’t I know it,” Shaq added. “Drew, you want anything?”
“No. Are you guys hanging out for a while? We could go to dinner, if you wanted, right Shaq? It’s still early.”
“We could, except that my guess is that Ollie’s here to eat a metric ton of Walt’s wings. Which means that there must be some sort of vegetable on the menu at home. What’d you have to bribe Natasha with to get her to drive you, Ollie?”
“I’m doing her chores next week.”
“A whole week? What on earth was Nana making that was so bad?”
Natasha rolled her eyes. “Ollie’s in a funk because Henry’s not around, and Papa said we can’t go visit him yet. It’s too dangerous.”
Shaq tugged the pair of them closer and Ollie ducked his head against Shaq’s chest. “I’ve checked on him, pups. He’s fine.”
“I don’t know why we can’t go, Uncle Meshaq. If he’s not safe, he should be with us.”
“Shaq? What’s going on?” Drew asked.
“It’s a long story, love. Their big
brother is a seer. It’s a dangerous gig, but he knows what he’s doing. And these two knew that this day would come.”
“Stupid prophecy,” Ollie grumbled. “It’s not fair.”
“But his mates are totally hot, aren’t they Uncle Meshaq?” Natasha asked.
Shaq groaned and looked at Drew for help.
“Mates? Plural?”
“You aren’t helping.”
Natasha snickered. “Can I pick some music?”
“Go ahead. But don’t change the numbers or whatever. It annoys Solomon and I don’t want to hear it.”
“It’s a playlist, Uncle Meshaq. You really need to learn technology.”
Natasha hurried into the back room where Drew remembered seeing a computer and some other equipment. They must have it wired into the speakers that hung in the rafters of the bar.
Shaq kept his arm around Ollie, who truly looked upset. Music began to play a minute later and Drew grinned. “I like her style.”
Ollie looked up at Shaq with a puzzled frown. “Uncle Meshaq, if Drew is your mate, are we supposed to call him Uncle Drew?”
Shaq looked unsure so Drew reached over and patted the boy’s arm. “Titles like that have to be earned. Maybe one day, I will. Until then, you can call me Drew.”
“You smell like cookies,” Ollie said.
“I do?” Drew asked. “That’s so weird. Someone else said that to me yesterday.”
“It’s nice,” Ollie added. “Will you eat with us? I’ll share my wings.”
Shaq looked stunned by the offer, looking down at the top of Ollie’s head and then back to Drew.
“I’d like that,” Drew said. “I’ll see if Walt will whip us up something.”
“I’ll do it,” Shaq said. “Ollie, tell Drew about the time you decided to get Ben a hive of bees for Christmas.”
Ollie groaned but moved over to Drew’s side. Shaq went into the kitchen, tossing a wink over his shoulder to Drew when he went.
“Bees?” Drew asked.
“Okay, see. First, you gotta understand, I was little, and everyone kept saying that bears like honey. And my big brother Ben, he’s a bear shifter. I don’t know if you knew that or not.”
“I didn’t.”
“Yeah, Ben’s a bear, and I’m a wolf like my dads. Natasha is a fox. It’s a long story. But anyway, you’ve gotta understand that I was little.”