by Alanea Alder
"You have to work!" Duncan said.
"You do too, asshole!" Connor replied.
"Boys!"
On and on it went. Finally at Ma's insistence the boys made their way outside to brawl it out. Rebecca looked worried that they were fighting, but Aleks looked amused.
"You were worried they wouldn't like you," he said.
"They just really like the cake," she said, wincing as Emmett's head connected to the ground.
"And here I thought I had a smart mate, a genius even," he said, cupping her cheek.
"They are fighting for the chance to watch over you."
She turned and quickly ran outside, tackling Connor. "I've never had brothers before and y'all are the best ever! I promise to be a good sister and make you as much cake as you want!" She started trying to hug them all at the same time, practically tackling the group, shocking the brothers.
*****
Aleks was beginning to see a pattern here. Rebecca never felt something just a little bit. What she felt she felt with her entire being. When she loved, she loved completely. He looked on as his younger brothers scrambled to surround Rebecca and pat her on the head trying to get her to calm down. It was funny to watch, since he knew that she was overwhelmed at the love she felt for them.
"You going to save them?" Pa asked from the doorway where they stood.
"Nah, it's good for them," he said magnanimously, hooking his thumbs into his belt loops, rocking back on his heels. Pa chuckled.
"It's not good for her to get worked up like that, especially if she's pregnant," Ma said calmly from behind them.
Aleks's face drained of any color and he lurched forward to scoop Rebecca up and cuddle her. All six brothers stayed around her smiling and joking on Aleks. Aleks looked back and saw Pa grinning.
"You are evil woman. But you do sure know what these boys need. They are lucky to have a Ma like you," Pa said as he wrapped his arm around her waist.
"They are good boys," she said simply.
"That they are," he said and watched his boys and his baby girl.
* * * *
"Thanks for taking me, Gavin," Rebecca said as they climbed out of his SUV. Rebecca smiled at Rian and Damian as they got out of the back seat. Rebecca wanted to go to the used book store in the neighboring town to search for gently used books for the library. She could get new, but she figured she could afford a lot more getting used. When Aleks realized he couldn't escort her shopping because of a public works meeting, he enlisted Gavin, Rian, and Damian to act as escorts.
"I needed to see if the anatomy charts I ordered were in anyway," he said shrugging. Rian rolled his eyes. Gavin was blunt, but sweet in his own way.
"Damian and I are going to see if they have the new man-love books we ordered. Don't leave the store. If a hyena comes in we'll be able to smell them a mile away," Rian said as Rebecca started to go through the shelves.
Damian nodded. "Lord knows they smell enough." Damian shuddered.
"Come on, Damian, the man-love books are calling for me," Rian said, heading towards the counter. Damian laughed and caught up with him.
Rebecca had just started on the second shelf when she felt someone standing close behind her. She turned around and stepped back into the shelf of books. A man was grinning down at her.
"You know when you bend over like that I can see your pretty blue lace underwear," he said. His eyes were bloodshot and filled with lust. Rebecca felt her stomach roll at the idea of this man seeing anything so intimate of hers.
"Enjoy the peep show, because that's all you will ever see," she said, looking over his shoulder desperately hoping to see Rian or Damian.
"Come on, baby, I can take real good care of you," he said, rubbing his crotch. Rebecca shuddered.
"I'm sorry, I have a ma... a husband," she said.
The man looked at her empty left hand and his eyes narrowed.
"You're a lying bitch. You're not even wearing a ring. What, you think you're too good for me?" He grabbed her arm and yanked her close.
"Get your hands off me!" she exclaimed, trying to pull away.
"I think you like my hands on you and you like it rough," he said, leaning his face close to hers. Just when she was about to scream, the man's face went pale and his hand released her. He looked past her and started to shake. She felt someone beside her gently pull her backwards. She turned to her left and gasped. The man who held her gently was exquisite. His black hair held a slight curl and lightly brushed his shoulders. He was tall, but his frame was lean and firm, not bulky. His eyes glowed red. The man stumbled backward and ran out of the store. If she weren't so concerned about the man beside her, she would have laughed at the comical way he tripped out of the door.
"Are you well?" The man turned his gaze to her and his eyes went from red to a pale teal to a brilliant blue. His voice soothed her, calming her nerves.
"Yes, thank you so much! That guy was just creepy," she said. He smiled and nodded in agreement. She eyed him carefully. She knew he wasn't a shifter since Gavin and the others didn't smell him.
"What exactly are you?" she asked, looking up at him. He smiled and two white but sharp-looking fangs peeked out from his sensual lips.
"Oh my goodness, you're a vampire, aren't you. That is amazing, I've always wanted to meet one," she said, grinning up at him.
"You want to let me feed, don't you, to thank me," he said, taking both her hands in his, his eyes never leaving hers.
The feeling of calmness spread. She looked down at their hands and saw he wore a heavy and ornate ring.
"That is so cool! That ring has to be an antique. Where did you get it?" she asked, tilting her head at him. A surprised look crossed his face.
"You're mated, aren't you?" he asked, stepping back as he dropped her hands.
"Yes, he's a bear. Why?" she asked.
"My gaze didn't work on you. It doesn't work on strong paranormals or their mates," he explained.
"Oh. Did you still need...you know." She tilted her neck. His eyes widened and he took another step backwards.
"No, that's okay, I'll be fine. Here is a flyer for my club. We're new in town. It's paranormal only. You and your mate are welcome to come." He handed her a printed post-card-sized flyer.
"Let them know Gabriel invited you, and they will take good care of you," he said.
"Thank you, Gabriel, I'm Rebecca," she said, taking the flyer and tucking it in her bag.
He took her hand and raised it to her lips.
"It was a distinct pleasure to meet you, Rebecca," he said. The sound of a stack of books tumbling had Rebecca turning away for a second. When she turned back, he was gone. Shaking her head, she made her way to the counter. Gavin had three laminated posters rolled up under his arm as Rian and Damian excitedly discussed their new purchases.
"I absolutely love your world. Shifters and vampires are freaking awesome!" Rebecca said when she got to their group.
"Glad you feel that way, because you're stuck with us," Rian said, laughing.
She struck up a conversation with the store owner about placing a bulk order. She arranged for it to be packaged and delivered to the store and for her to be called when it was ready to be picked up. She couldn't wait to get home to tell Aleks about her day.
* * * *
"Rebecca, Gavin, boys, dinner's ready, go wash up," Ma said, pointing to the bathroom. Gavin, Rian, and Damian headed to the bathroom to wash their hands, and Rebecca, not wanting to wait, went to the kitchen sink. Hands washed, she looked around the family room, trying to find Aleks. She was spun around and a warm pair of lips crushed hers. Sighing, she wrapped her arms around Aleks and held on while he kissed the life out of her.
"I missed you, baby," he whispered before teasing her neck. She melted in his arms.
"I missed you too!" she said as he led her to the table to sit down. Everyone was spooning out food onto their plates.
"Liam dropped Sebastian off at the house today while you were out. That cat d
oesn't like me," he said, sitting down.
"Liam likes you," she said, sitting next to him. He laughed.
"Not that cat, the other one, Sebastian. That thing growled at me," Aleks explained. Rebecca looked at him, shocked.
"Sebastian is the sweetest cat I've ever seen." Her eyes narrowed. "What did you do to him?" she asked.
"Nothing, I swear," Aleks said, his eyes wide. His brothers and Rian were laughing at the end of the table. He growled at them.
"Maybe he is scared by your growling. You are very growly," Rebecca said, scooping out some potatoes.
"Is growly a word?" Aleks asked no one in particular. "So besides an extremely boring public works meeting and getting hissed at by Liam's Mini-Me, my day was peachy. How about you, baby?" he asked.
"My day was crazy," she said, digging into her corn.
"Craziness at a bookstore. I can't wait to hear," Aleks said, his eyes dancing with laughter.
"Well I was looking at the quality of books that the store had to offer when this creepazoid came up behind me saying he could see my underwear. Then he was grabbing his crotch and saying he could show me a good time. I told him I had a husband, but he got mad and said I was lying because I wasn't wearing a ring. Then he grabbed my arm, and I think he was about to kiss me when this absolutely gorgeous man showed up. His eyes were all glowy red, and I swear he made creepazoid piss his pants. Come to find out he was a vampire. He tried to get me to feed him until he realized I was a mate and couldn't do his mind-control thing on me. I offered to feed him anyway since he saved me and all, but he said that was okay. He said his name was Gabriel and gave me a flyer to his club. He said it was for paranormals only. I want to go. Do you think we can go tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.
Everyone stared at her.
"Aleks, calm down, she didn't know," Pa said in the most serious voice Rebecca had ever heard from him. She looked around and everyone's face was frowning. Rian, Damian, and Gavin looked especially pale.
"What? What's wrong?" she asked.
"What's wrong is you offered to feed that damn bloodsucker," Aleks yelled. Rebecca flinched. Aleks had never yelled at her before.
"So? He saved me, Aleks, I was trying to be nice," she said. Aleks's eyes had shifted, and she noticed his hands had shifted into claws. He stood, knocking his chair to the floor, his clawed hands flat on the table's surface.
"Only you would find a way to be saved in a damn bookstore," he said, growling.
"What in the hell is that supposed to mean? It's not like I go looking for trouble you know," Rebecca said indignantly, her eyes filling with tears.
"She shouldn't have needed a bloodsucker to come to her rescue. Where in the hell were the three of you!" he demanded, his gaze swinging to where Rian, Damian, and Gavin sat.
"Don't get mad at them! If I had a wedding ring he probably wouldn't have even approached me," she said, her arms crossed over her chest.
He turned to face her.
"Human marriage is nothing compared to the bond created when mates are claimed. Humans can fall in and out of love and divorce. The bond of human marriage is a façade. It's a stupid human custom!" His canines dropped and it looked like his body was expanding.
"Son, go! Out back now!" Pa yelled, pushing him out the back door. Aleks ran for the back door as a human anguished yell turned into a loud roar. Connor and Duncan started pulling off their clothes and shifted before running out the back.
Rebecca looked around the room. Everyone showed a mixture of concern and sadness. She was about to speak when the doorbell rang. Benedict went to answer the door. Rebecca couldn't get Aleks' tortured yell out of her mind. She didn't even realize she was shaking until a warm pair of arms wrapped around her. She looked up, tears streaming down her face to see Ashby sitting there with a kind smile. Unable to hold back, she threw her arms around his neck and began to sob. Nicholas stood behind them running a hand over her hair.
"Come on, sweetie, you can stay with me. Aleks won't be coming back tonight. He'll probably sleep in bear form with his brothers outside," Ashby said, wiping away her tears.
"She belongs here, Ashby," Ma said.
"Ma, I don't doubt for one second that you love Rebecca and think of her as a daughter. But I also don't doubt that between the two, Aleks will always come first. She is still new to this family and feels outnumbered. I'll take her to my home and calm her down," he said, standing and pulling Rebecca to his side. Rian and Damian stood behind them with Nicholas.
"You're acting unusually brave, fox," Ma said, looking at him closely. "How did you know to come here tonight?" she asked.
"I was on my way here to speak with Rebecca about volunteering at the library. I don't have her cell phone number, and Aleks's house phone kept going to voicemail. I felt panic and fear from my Alpha Mother, so Nic and I headed here. She gives me strength and courage to be who I am," Ashby said, stepping forward with Rebecca, facing down Ma, who now had Benedict and Emmett standing behind her.
"You have never received any strength from me," she said carefully.
"I never said I did," Ashby walked Rebecca toward the door.
"We'll stay with them tonight," Damian said, motioning to Rian, and all five left the house.
CHAPTER TWELVE
"He hates me!" Rebecca cried from between Ashby and Nic. Rian had offered to drive, and Damian rode shotgun.
"He doesn't hate you. His bear is riding him hard. The first couple years after mating, our animals are extremely protective and possessive. When he heard that you were threatened and then in the company of vampires, I think his bear broke free," Ashby said, rubbing her arms.
"Why did you offer to feed a bloodsucker, Rebecca? I thought you were happy with Aleks," Damian asked.
"He was hungry and he saved me. It seemed like the polite thing to do," she said, sniffling.
Damian, Rian, Nic, and Ashby groaned.
Ashby turned to her. "Rebecca, offering to feed a vampire is equivalent to offering them sex. Even a quick feeding like you offered would at least be considered a blow job. Vampires are highly sexual. Most of them are bisexual so that they can have multiple types of partners and no restrictions on their feeding sources."
"Oh my God, I thought it was like offering him a sandwich!" The men groaned again.
"You're new to our world. There are things you don't know. Why didn't you tell me or Rian about the vampire? We could have at least coached you on what and how to tell Aleks," Damian asked.
"Y'all are shifters. He was a vampire. I guess I didn't think it was a big deal and I did say that I thought your world was awesome and did mention vampires," she said, shrugging.
"We really need to work on re-establishing your new sense of normal. Shifters and hyena attacks...normal. Bloodsucking vampires wanting to chomp on your neck, not normal! Not normal!" Rian ranted. Damian smacked him upside the head.
"Ow!" Rian said, putting the car in park. Rebecca smiled.
The car sat in front of Ashby's ice cream parlor in town. She looked up.
"You live here?" she asked.
He nodded. "There's an apartment upstairs. Come on, little mother, let's get you settled," he said taking her hand.
"Ashby, Damian and I will take the guest room, if that's okay?" Rian asked as they entered the small but impeccably well kept apartment.
"That's fine. Rebecca, Nic, and I will be in the master," he answered.
Rian and Damian looked at each other.
"Do you think it's a good idea for y'all to share a bed? I mean Aleks' bear is freaking out enough as it is," Rian said.
Ashby snorted. "If he feels threatened by me, then he has bigger problems than his bear," Ashby replied smiling ruefully.
"Why wouldn't he feel threatened by you? You're absolutely gorgeous," Rebecca said, yawning.
Rian and Damian shook their heads. Nicholas smiled sadly.
"Because he is a bear and an Arkadion, and I'm just a fox with no long familial lines," Ashby explained.
&n
bsp; "People are more than their animals and family names. You are an amazing person, Ashby. Don't let anyone make you feel any different," Rebecca said.
Ashby's eyes teared up. "I'm glad you're my Alpha Mother." He rubbed his cheek against hers as she giggled.
"You mentioned that back at the ranch. What do you mean, Ashby?" Damian asked, making himself at home on the loveseat with Rian.
"When we met, I offered Rebecca my allegiance and she accepted. Just because Ma is the town's Alpha Mother doesn't mean she has the fealty of all the townspeople. I never felt like Ma would look after me, so I never swore my allegiance to her. But I knew from the moment I met Rebecca she would defend and protect me. Leona is the town's historian. She will have a record of previous Alpha Mothers and who pledged themselves to them," Ashby said, cuddling up to Rebecca on the couch.
"Leona? Really?" Rebecca asked.
"Leona may not act it, but she is more reliable than she looks. She has seen many Alpha Mothers run this town. She may have seen previous examples of this happening," Ashby said.
"I'd like to pledge my allegiance to you, Alpha Mother," a quiet voice said from Rebecca's other side. She turned to face Nicholas. He was an embarrassed shade of pink and looking down at his lap.
"I..I.. don't know what it means to be an Alpha Mother. What if I screw you guys up?" she said feeling terrified. This was different than the fun of discovering new things that shifters could do. They were depending on her for protection and leadership. It scared her to death that she would fail them.
"You are already doing a great job, Rebecca. You see us as people. Not as lions or wolves or foxes. Just as people. You care about us and want us safe and happy. There's not much more we can expect from you than that. A lot of Alpha Mothers concentrate on the town, it being financially secure, or the politics of fitting in with the other prides, packs, and the council. They harbor a preference for bears even if it's subconscious. But you're human. You don't have any preconceived ideas about what is good or bad. It's why for the first time in my life I tied myself to a leader. You are the first and only one I trust," Ashby said, taking her hand.