by Belle Harper
I ran my hands through my hair and looked up. Most of the guys had gone in to grab meat and stuff for the grill, while the other half waited out here. I wasn’t as close to them as Ranger was. Saint was my best friend, and I preferred to keep my friends’ group small.
I watched the way the pack was avoiding Galen. I could see he was trying so hard to just fit in, that he wanted to fit in now more than ever. When he sat beside Lexi, I thought this was huge. She accepted him as he was, and even though I could hear some of the pack muttering shit under their breath, Galen didn’t let on, didn’t flinch or frown. He just smiled and spoke to her, like this was a normal day here in Kiba and we were all one big happy family. It was the opposite. Everyone here was fucked up in one way or another.
But Galen, he just kept making her smile. He acted like he was always a part of this, being out here watching the guys play football. It just showed he was better for her than half of these assholes who still wanted to compete for her. I knew of two who had spoken to my father earlier, telling him that she was their mates. It juts made me angry because I knew they wouldn’t accept Galen and that was wrong. So, so wrong.
They would never have her, she wouldn’t want them, especially if they thought it was funny to put him down. They were jealous, and the more Galen ignored them, the more they whispered shit. I was so fucking angry that I tackled Asher harder than I normally would.
When he picked himself up, he spat on the ground at my feet and growled, “Vamp lover.”
I guess not everyone was so accepting of our family pack with Lexi being a mixed one. I had heard of shifters from other packs joining new ones to be with their mate. It didn’t happen often, but it was good to have fresh blood in the mix.
This was definitely a first for us here. My father was pretending to be okay with it all, but I knew better. He didn’t want Lexi to pick Galen, at all. I wasn’t sure if it was the mixed thing and being two of his sons were part of it, or a safety thing. Like he was scared Galen might attack us. That would never happen. But my father had sent him away last week, trying to force space between them both. It didn’t work though.
To make matters worse, my feelings for Galen were out in the open—at least to everyone that had witnessed me and Galen while he was dying. My father hadn’t spoken to me, but I didn’t care. He was an asshole alpha first, and a shitty father second.
Fuck. Everything was fucked up.
I walked over to Noah, since he was better than any of the others here to talk to, plus he was really accepting of Galen and I liked that about him. The reason I was seeking out Noah was I just couldn’t bring myself to sit down beside Galen now that he was alone. I didn’t know what to say to him, and I didn’t want anyone knowing our business.
“Hey,” I called over to Noah. He was stretching, getting ready for another game.
I did enjoy playing football. We couldn’t actually play for any human teams after our first shift, but basketball was okay as long as it was mix of humans and shifters, since wasn’t a contact sport. Well…not in the same sense. So this was the next best thing—all the teens in the pack getting together and playing.
The younger guys played over at Luca Brooks’ place. Luca, I thought, was Noah’s best friend, maybe his packmate? They were the same age and I’d seen them hang out together, but Noah was too big to play with the younger guys. He was bigger than me. Fuck, he was bigger than most of us here, including his older brothers.
The part I liked the best on these days was we always went for a run after. It was like a spring break tradition around here, always has been. We did this every day for spring break, and on the last day, we had a huge party and invited the girls around so the guys could find their ideal mates. The dating pool was very limited around here, which was why so many of us were single. Well not me anymore.
“Ready for me to kick your ass again, Mav?” Noah teased as he shoved my shoulder playfully, making me stumble back a little, but I smiled. The guy was built like a house. He was tall and good looking, so I could see why the girls at school looked at him the way they did. He was like a Viking god, blond with striking blue eyes, but with the attitude of a playful panda—big, soft, and cuddly.
“You might be bigger, but I can out run you!” I punched his shoulder back, but he didn’t move, and I smiled to myself at that. He grinned as I heard a car approaching, which must have been Ada. I could hear my brother and Raff taking care of Lexi—real good care. I rolled my eyes and tried to block them out, but I was sure everyone here was listening, saving this up for spank bank material later. That didn’t sit right with me… They shouldn’t be listening to something between mates.
“Maybe on two legs, but on four, I smash you.” I looked up at Noah and shook my head of my dark thoughts. I needed to stop where my mind was going and focus on this. I let out a deep breath and I smiled at Noah because it was true, he was fast in huge wolf form.
The thought had my wolf stirring to run now. He was all out of sorts and hadn’t been the same since the attack. I didn’t know how long he was going to be like this, so restless. I couldn’t control him. It was like that night opened up more of the animal within me, the one that I’d held back for so long.
I looked back to see Galen had left, and I guessed he was letting Ada in.
“I think my girl is here, wish me luck.” Noah’s huge grin made me realize I was destroying everything with Lexi and Galen by getting lost in dark thoughts. And here Noah was, not caring that Ada had told him there wasn’t a chance they would be more than friends. That grin and the way he bounced away into a jog showed that he would do anything to convince her they could be more.
I’d had that… Days ago, I’d had all that, and now I was all messed up and fucking up the one good thing I did have, because fear overrode it all.
Fear was a powerful feeling.
Chapter Twenty
Lexi
When I got back to my chair, everyone was looking at us and smiling knowingly, which pissed me off. Like come on, at least pretend you weren’t listening.
“Hey, ignore them. They’re just jealous because I have the hottest mate and all they have is their hands,” Ranger said, that last bit a little louder than the rest. Yeah, like they would miss that. They could hear us from space if they wanted to, and they obviously wanted to hear. I admit, we weren’t somewhere super private, but still, regular people with normal hearing wouldn’t have heard us. They could pretend they didn’t listen, instead of smiling and nodding at us. I let out a deep breath, since there was no point being upset over a bunch of dicks.
“I hope you filled your spank banks, because it’ll be a long time before anyone wants to touch your—” Ranger’s hand covered my mouth and stopped me from finishing the rest. He laughed, and I couldn’t help the smile that spread under his hand. He let go, taking my arm, he swung me around to face him. I let a small gasp leave my lips. He grinned as I let him pull me down with him into the sun-chair I was in earlier. I kicked my feet off to one side as he held me in an almost cradle, and he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my temple. I let out a giggle when I saw the guys now looking everywhere but us. I guessed I made them feel awkward, but it was nice to turn the tables. I snuggled against his body. He was so warm, and even though it was nice out, there was a slight chill in the air when the wind blew.
“You’re fucking hot and a badass,” Ranger said, and I just smiled into his chest and took a deep breath of his scent.
That had me thinking… If they could smell that I was their mate, was that why they smelled so good to me? The whole scent thing was still something I was going to take a while to really be okay with, but it had me thinking about how they all smelled like something different to me. Even if they wore aftershave, I could tell who it was by their scent. Was this a new thing? No, it wasn’t like me warming up Galen’s arm, or having his thoughts in my head. The guys all had scents that attracted me to them from the start.
Wildflowers. Which suited Ranger… He was
a little wild but totally pretty. And he knew it. Same went for Raff, Mav, and Galen. They all had the most wonderful scents. But then, I had picked up the scents of some of the others in the pack, and some weren’t that bad. Like Jett and Lyell. I still wasn’t happy with Lyell, so his scent wasn’t as good now. I guess that made them who they were. They were all different.
But if I could smell others…did that mean they were my mates? Oh fuck, I hoped not. I felt Ranger rub my arm tenderly, and I gazed up at him, his brow pinched in the middle and a brow raised in question. I just gave him a smile and shook my head. No, I had no time for anyone else, so they better not have been my mates. Fuck, I barely have time for the ones I have.
“Where is Mav? I haven’t really seen him at all.” I looked around and still couldn’t see him. He’d been out here playing football earlier, so maybe he was at the grill. Ranger just shrugged and held me closer to his chest.
“No idea. It just means I get you to myself a little longer.” I closed my eyes and listened to his heartbeat. It was solid and steady. I felt relaxed and safe in his big arms.
“Hey, sexy lovers,” a happy and cheerful female voice sang out, and I smiled.
I opened my eyes, and the sun was a little bright at first, but I laughed. I watched Noah gesturing to the chair beside me, which Galen had used earlier. Ada was here, and I was so happy to see her. I needed someone who didn’t have a dick to hang out with.
“Girls talk. Go do your football things now,” Ada said to Noah as she actively avoided him, shooing him with her hand, but he didn’t care. He just smiled with his hand on the back of the chair. She rolled her eyes at me, but the hint of a smirk was there. I tried to hide my smile, but she saw it.
“Stop it.” She smacked my arm teasingly.
“Hey, don’t be hitting my woman… Noah, your girl here is feisty.” Ranger was in a shit stirring mood. I could feel the rumble of his laugh under my body as Ada shot the deadliest glare at him.
“I like them feisty,” Noah replied and chuckled. It was making Ada bright red, and I didn’t know if that was from blushing or if she was mad.
“Alright, time for you guys to go. Girl talk time.” I tried to pull away from Ranger, and he reluctantly let me go. He made a sad sound when I made him get up, and he pouted at me. I reached up and grabbed his chin, pulling him down to eye level. When he was close enough, I put both my hands on his cheeks and squished his face until his lips looked like a fish.
“Be a good boy, and I’ll give you a kiss and maybe something a little later.” I could see one of his brows rise. I quickly kissed him and let go, giving him a little shove to get him moving, but his smile was huge.
“I hope it’s a little of what we did before, and not this morning.” He winked, and I laughed. I forgot I teased him earlier. Noah still didn’t get the memo, and I watched as Ranger smiled and shook his head. He wrapped his arm around Noah’s back and moved him away from us. Noah was very reluctant to go, but Ranger said something to him and it was enough to make him jog away.
Ada looked at me, her eyes huge and saying to me “Oh my god, what the hell?” very clearly. So I rolled my eyes and smiled, which meant “I know right? Boys.”
I didn’t realize girls had so many ways to talk without saying a word. Well, not until I got myself a best friend in Ada, because that was what she was—a best friend. My very first.
“It kinda sucks we can’t actually chat chat, if you know what I mean.” I slumped back into the chair and held my hand out to her. She took it and squeezed.
“I know. I was worried about coming back here today. And then you weren’t at the gate and…” I could tell she was biting her tongue from saying Noah. I laughed, but she didn’t.
“I’m sorry, I was a little busy…” Her mouth popped open, and I nodded. She leaned in, and I held up two fingers. Her mouth dropped more, but I didn’t say anything else. We had more eyes on us now, and they weren’t for me. They seemed to be directed at Ada.
She looked out where I was at them all. They were setting up another game…but now, no one was wearing a shirt. I wondered if it was for Ada, since I was told they normally didn’t have girls here while they played, at all. I guessed it would be hard to explain how they were playing full contact without any gear on, when they all got up and walked away with barely a scratch. Plus, she knew what they were, which would make dating someone a little easier on them. So I guessed they were maybe a little more interested in getting to know Ada.
My almost dying gave Ada the best buffet of men—the very sexy but some totally asshole shifters. Well, she did say she would like to have a boyfriend or two, right? I was sure she said two. Her dream guys could be out there. I was sure there was many packmates looking for someone special, and here she was.
“Would you like a drink, Ada?” She gasped at the voice that came from behind us, and I turned to see it was Saint. Now her face really did look a shade of crimson, and I held my hand to my mouth to stop myself from laughing. She so had a crush, bad!
“No, thanks,” she squeaked out as he just stood there, staring at the back of her head before glancing over to me. Saint cocked his head and grinned as he stepped in front of us. He stopped right in front of Ada and pulled his T-shirt off, throwing it onto Ada’s lap. She caught it, and he winked. Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open, obviously lost for words. That even surprised Saint.
“Hold that for me. I’ll come back for it later.” She just nodded, and that sexy grin was back on his face. He turned and headed to the guys, strutting away. I could see it, everyone could and a few pushed him and let out a few growls.
“Ah, guess there are a lot more peacocks here in Kiba than I first thought.” Galen announced as he appeared beside me and squatted beside my chair. I couldn’t help but laugh at his statement. I glanced at him, my hand moving without thinking, and I couldn’t stop myself from running my fingers though his hair dark curls. His eyes darkened slightly at my touch, but he leaned into my hand as I brushed it over the stubble on his chin.
“Oh, don’t say that. It might encourage them all to start strutting around, showing their muscles.” I replied, but I didn’t really mind that too much.
Ada made a sound, so I turned to see her holding Saint’s top up close to her face, peeking over at the guys in front of us.
And yep, my big mouth. We were both looking at the group of guys, literally strutting. They looked like over exaggerated models on a catwalk, their arms flexing and giving us a “gun show.”
Even Ranger was out there, and when he saw me watching, he kissed his biceps and pointed at me with the biggest grin on his face.
“These are all for you, babe!” he called out, and I shook my head, laughing.
Yep…bunch of peacocks.
Chapter Twenty-One
Lexi
“So what did you think, Lex?” I looked up at Ranger as he approached me, but from the corner of my eye, I saw Maverick standing just off to the side. I felt like there was something going on with Maverick, since he’d really avoided me today. I wasn’t sure if he was upset with me, or if it was a Maverick thing.
I stood up and reached my hand out to Maverick, I smiled when he walked over to me and took it. As soon as his fingers were laced with mine, I felt like I could relax. There was something going on, but I didn’t know what it was yet. I was just glad he was still here with me.
“About what?” I asked. Raff laughed with Maverick, and Ranger just shook his head and kissed me.
“I told you she wasn’t watching you,” Raff said, and I turned and slapped him playfully.
“Shhh…that’s a secret. I watch all my boyfriends… Some more than others,” I teased Ranger. He moved towards me, taking my cheeks between his big hands and kissing me quickly.
“Lies, all lies, Lex, and you know it. You watch me the whole time. But because I know you’re hungry—you’re always hungry—I’m gonna get you a burger and then you’re gonna give me my ‘something later.’”
&n
bsp; He stepped back, winking at me, and I could feel the warmth in my body starting to burn hotter. Before I could answer Ranger, Raff moved in, taking his place, and kissed me, his tongue playing over my lip before he moved away. Wow.
“You girls want a drink? Water?” Raff offered us, and I smiled so big. He didn’t talk much in front of Ada, and he’d asked her if she wanted a drink. My heart wanted to burst.
“Yeah, water…some vodka would be better,” she mumbled, and I nodded.
“Yeah, both sounds good to me,” I told Raff, and he ran off. Maverick tried to let go of my hand, but I wasn’t having it. He was looking at his feet, and I just wanted to fix this.
“Did I do something?” His eyes flicked up to mine, the color swirling like he was struggling not to shift right now. He didn’t say anything, but he squeezed my hand a little tighter. I wished he would talk to me.
“You need to go for a run?” I didn’t know what was happening between us right now. I was getting such mixed signals. His eyes focused on me, the color now the beautiful dark green they were normally, then he shook his head and looked down to his feet.
Reaching up, I cupped his jaw and moved his face close to mine. I gently kissed his soft lips, and he kissed me back. He took hold of hold of my waist, and I knew he needed something from me. If it was quiet cuddles, then that’s what I would give him. I turned him and pushed him into the chair.
He let out a “humf,” and I giggled. Ada was trying not to watch us, and I could see her shift slightly when a big figure walked over and blocked out what was left of the sun.
I used that moment to straddle Maverick against the chair. His hands came straight to my ass and held on tightly, so I took that as a good sign.