by M. L. Briers
Aggie went to speak but was momentarily interrupted when Jake and Daniel rushed in after their brother.
“I did ask if you were going to make me chase you,” Daniel scowled at the alpha.
“Someone steal your clothes there, alpha?” Aggie asked.
“Oh, that’s quite a…” Debbie chuckled as she took a moment to eye the Alpha's large bits and pieces, but the sound of warning growl from her mate made her snap off her words, and she flicked her eyes away.
“Do not finish that sentence,” Jake grumbled.
“Well, it’s not Lewis’s fault that your manhood is less than impressive,” Daniel chuckled.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Lewis growled as he stalked towards his mate.
Mia tipped her head back on her neck and brought her eyes up his naked body — but she found that she got no further than his hard length.
“You are seriously going to wiggle that thing in my face!” Mia scowled, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t make her eyes go any further up his body toward his face.
It was somewhat mesmerizing. It had the same kind of magnetism as when somebody told you not to look, and you just couldn’t help yourself. Ergo, it wasn’t her fault.
“Don’t change the subject,” Lewis growled.
“It’s a hard subject to get her mind around,” Aggie chuckled. “Give her a moment to get past the obvious point of the problem.”
“Put that damn thing away before I make sure it doesn’t rise to the occasion ever again,” Mia hissed out.
She had to mentally slap herself on the back of the head to look anywhere but at him, at it. She wasn’t a prude — but it was like the damn thing was twitching and waving at her.
How could she not look? Especially, when it seemed to be playing charades. Only she didn’t need more than one guess to figure out what it was trying to tell her.
“Don’t you know never to run from your mate?” Lewis demanded as he crouched down in front of her.
“You ran from your mate? What are you stupid? And — Damn!” Aggie grumbled. “I missed that bit. Was it good?” She turned and asked Jules.
“You didn’t miss that bit — this is that bit,” Jules shrugged.
“So, technically, she didn’t run from her mate.” Aggie folded her arms as the alpha shot her a look over his shoulder, and he frowned hard.
“That’s not the point!” Lewis growled back.
“That’s exactly the point,” Aggie said. “Unless, you expect all witches to be mind readers, and boy, if that were the case — I could make a fortune out of that one.”
“Well, I…” Lewis thought long and hard for a moment.
“Because, you know — zillionaire.” Aggie snorted her contempt for him. “Squillion-aire.” She pointed to the ground in front of her. “And if I had that kind of money, do you seriously think I’d be here right now with the three of you?”
“Still not the point,” Lewis growled.
“Oh, I’d say that’s the point,” Jules offered back. She mirrored Aggie and folded her arms across her chest.
“Yep, definitely the point,” Debbie folded her arms and nodded her head in agreement with the others.
“They have a point,” Daniel shrugged, but the smirk on his lips faded as soon as Lewis turned to look at him.
The alpha had a sudden desire to plant his fist in his brother’s face, repeatedly, and without mercy.
“Fine, it’s the damn point!” Lewis growled.
“We win — you lose — now apologize to Mia,” Debbie said.
The alpha looked like a man chewing an imaginary wasp.
“Apologise!” Lewis growled.
“For chasing Mia like a dog with a bone,” Jules added.
“That’s…” Mia started. She felt kind of guilty, and somewhat sorry for the alpha’s predicament, but the others weren’t about to let him off the hook so easily.
“Woof,” Aggie said, and got a long hard growled back from the alpha for her trouble.
“I’m not apologizing,” Lewis grumbled.
He pushed back up to his full height, and Mia’s eyes widened at coming face to face with the sight of his hard length once more. She groaned inwardly and gawked outwardly.
It’s damn well waving at me again!
“Fine, don’t apologize,” Mia grumbled. “But could you put some damn clothes on?”
“Sweetheart, you better get used to the sight of it,” Lewis growled.
“Don’t count your chickens…” Mia left it there.
“Sweetheart, I don’t need to count my chickens — you’re my mate.” Lewis offered back with something of a smirk on his lips.
“Butthead, you call me Sweetheart again — and I swear — you won’t be equipped to mate.” Mia glared up at him.
“I wouldn’t bet against her,” Daniel chuckled.
“Butthead,” Jake chuckled into the palm of his hand.
“I’m not sure what you two are laughing at,” Aggie snorted her contempt for them. “Neither of you looks like you could mate. Certainly ain’t gonna do well in the wooing department — butt ugly and brawn over brains don’t do well at the mating game — that’s all I’m saying.”
Lewis held out his hand for his mate to take and Mia eyed it with equal amounts of suspicion and disdain.
“Get away from me with your naked self,” she hissed up at him.
“My naked self?” Lewis stared down at her for a long moment.
The amusement shone in his eyes. Then there was a slow to boil, sexy as hell smile that spread across his face and kept her spellbound.
She couldn’t have looked away if she tried, and boy, did she try.
Mia’s nose twitched in annoyance. She was annoyed at herself for not being able to look away, but mostly, she was annoyed with him for being so damned appealing.
“Forget I said a word,” she grumbled.
“Kind of hard,” he grinned back.
“Yes, it is!” Aggie chuckled as she eyed his manhood. “Hey, I don’t have a problem with your naked self — you can come over here and parade it anytime you want.”
“Hit on by the elder witch,” Daniel sniggered.
“Hey, I did not hit on him,” Aggie grumbled on a scowl. “Firstly, I’m more woman than he could handle — secondly, he has a mate.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” Mia grumbled.
“Oh, you’re entirely welcome,” Aggie brightened as she teased the witch. “But if you needed reminding then he’s doing something wrong.”
“I haven’t done anything!” Lewis growled.
“Exactly my point!” Aggie grinned.
“Witches,” Lewis grumbled with a small shake of his head, but he noted the way that all four of the witches gawked at him before each of them offered him stink eye. “Are going to be a wonderful addition to our pack.” He muttered, just loud enough for them to hear.
“Always good to backpedal,” Daniel lifted his hand to his lips and coughed into it at the same time as he spoke. “Loser.”
“Keep it up, and we’ll see who comes out the loser between you and me,” the alpha growled back.
“Alphas, no sense of humor,” Aggie piped up.
“Aren’t you here to do a job?” The alpha grumbled back.
“Don’t take out your lack of wooing skills on me. You can’t even get your mate to take your damn hand,” Aggie snorted a chuckle of disbelief and berated him at the same time.
“Sure I can,” Lewis scowled back at the elder.
“No, you can’t,” Mia said.
“Just take my damn hand,” Lewis grumbled a growl.
It felt like Aggie had thrown a challenge his way and the alpha was determined to win it.
“Sure, cut it off first, put it in a bag, and I’ll consider it,” Mia sniped back at him.
“I don’t have cooties,” Lewis grumbled on a scowl that brought his dark brows down over his eyes.
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Ag
gie muttered. Stirring the pot as she looked anywhere else but at the alpha. She had the low rumble of a growl that came from his direction and shot him a glance. “I said nothing.” She gave a small, innocent shrug that was anything but innocent.
“If only that were the case,” Lewis growled back at her.
“Oh, now I get it — you want women to be seen but not heard,” Aggie was stirring the pot for all it was worth.
“How like an alpha,” Debbie sniped.
“How like a man,” Jules offered her two pennies.
“Shame on you, alpha,” Daniel teased, but when Lewis started towards him on fast feet with his large hands fisted at his sides, Daniel tossed up his hands in front of his chest and gave a chuckle of disbelief. “Don’t prove them right about alphas and a sense of humor.” He rushed out.
CHAPTER TWELVE
~
“I’m telling you, Daniel, I will knock your nose onto the back of your head,” Lewis growled.
“And a bully to boot,” Aggie offered, sniggering inwardly at the alpha’s predicament.
“Will you just stop?” Lewis said rounding on the witch and tossing his large fists up into the air in frustration.
“Sure,” Aggie said with a shrug of just one shoulder. “When hell freezes over.”
“Oh, the spirits!” Nestor grumbled as he stalked into the clearing and eyed the witches. “Now there’s another one!” He paid special attention to Aggie as he eyed her from head to toe and back again.
“Oh, goody,” Aggie shot back. “Now there’s an older, grumblier, misogynistic, male chauvinist, butthole of a Wolf man to put in his place. How am I doing so far?”
“Woman, you’ve got to work harder than that to put an old fart like me in his place,” Nestor grumbled.
“Noted, I’ll work on it,” Aggie said as she lifted just one eyebrow back at him and snorted the contempt that she wasn’t really feeling toward him at that moment, but she was sure it would be right along sometime soon.
“Oh look, Aggie got someone her own age to torment — isn’t that just so darn sweet?” Jules offered and got a frosty stare back from Aggie for her troubles.
“I will hurt you,” Aggie bit back with an equally icy tone.
“I like a woman with gumption,” Nestor gave a small growl of appreciation for the elder witch.
“It’s just a shame that at your age you can’t do anything with one,” Aggie tossed back.
“Don’t speak too soon — I feel something rising,” Nestor gave her a teasing smile.
“At your age, it’s probably acid reflux,” Aggie shot back.
“It’s lower than that,” Nestor growled, and he wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. Aggie snorted.
“Kidney stone. Bran muffin working?” Aggie said. “Maybe it’s some form of Parkinson’s as you seem to have twitchy eyebrows.”
“They’re not the only thing that’s twitching,” Nestor shot back as he gazed down his body, knowing her eyes would follow.
“Well, I guess you’re just falling apart at the seams,” Aggie said dismissing him.
“I’m man enough for you,” Nestor teased.
“Not even if you were twins,” Aggie shot back.
“That’s a little harsh,” Nestor grumbled.
“Well, if you’re looking for someone to be gentle with you then you’re looking in entirely the wrong place,” Aggie shot back.
“Oh, wow,” Jake grumbled with a small shake of his head. “I really should not be listening to this.”
“I know right? Think I’m going to be having nightmares,” Daniel chuckled back.
“I think I’ve gone a bit green,” Jake bit back.
“No — no, you always look like that,” Daniel said.
“Aren’t you to a little old to be squeamish?” Jules asked.
“Not about this,” Jake grumbled with another shake of his head.
“Oh look, Jules,” Debbie offered. “Our mates have a problem with wooing.”
“I don’t have a problem with wooing you,” Jake growled back. Even his Wolf protested her words.
“There’s no difference,” she said.
“It’s called ageism,” Aggie said as she fixed a hard stare onto Jake and the man scowled back at her. “Fortunately, you have a long way ahead of you before you experience it.”
“I’m not an ageist,” Jake growled back.
“Sexiest — ageist — do you have any good points?” Aggie stirred the pot once more.
“I’m not sexist either,” Jake growled.
“So then you have no problem throwing your mate in front of you when there’s a charging crazy Bear?” Aggie already knew the answer to that. It wouldn’t be impossible for Jake to answer in any other way.
“Hell yes, I have a damn problem with that,” Jake growled long and hard at the thought of it.
“See — sexist,” Aggie teased.
The three other witches grinned at the beta’s predicament. Aggie had backed him into a corner.
“Well that’s a damn stupid analogy,” Jake growled.
“But it worked though, right?” Aggie chuckled.
“I like your style,” Nestor said.
“You would,” Jake grumbled.
“Can we get back to the wooing?” Daniel asked.
“That sounds like a damn fine idea to me,” Nestor shot another look at Aggie, and the elder scowled back at him.
“Uncle Fester’s getting his groove on,” Jules grinned.
“Uncle Fester?” Aggie shot a questioning look at Nestor. “Did your parents not like you?”
“It’s, Nestor, as you well know,” Nestor grumbled a growl at the younger witch.
“Well, it’s not that much better, but at least it doesn’t make you sound stupid,” Aggie reason.
“Well thank you…”
“But we can’t do anything about the way you look,” Aggie grinned.
“I’ll take the high road on that one,” Nestor offered back lifting his chin in the air and eyeing her down his nose.
“Hell, you can take any road you like as long as it’s not the one I’m on,” Aggie said folding her arms and offering him a withering glare.
She kind of liked fencing with the elder — it was always good to find someone in her own age, even if not in her own league.
“Oh, I can assure you that I’m right there with you every step of the way,” Nestor grinned.
“Well, I’m sure it won’t be too long before you fall over your own feet,” Aggie muttered.
“But I’m gentlemen enough not to take you down with me.”
“Says you,” Aggie tossed back.
“Says your mate,” Nestor offered back.
You could have heard bird poop hit the ground as silence descended upon the group.
“I’m sorry, what’s that you say? I think one of us went temporarily stupid.” Aggie scowled back at the elder.
She considered herself to be too set in her ways to accommodate the needs of anyone else. Especially a man. Definitely him.
“Oh trust me…”
“I don’t.” She gave a small shake of her head and a frosty eyed stare toward her alleged mate.
“But you will…”
“Don’t hold your breath.” Aggie’s whole expression changed the instant a light bulb clicked on above her head. “On second thoughts — do hold your breath and I’ll get back to you in about ten minutes.”
“I’d be hurt if I thought you actually meant that,” Nestor teased.
“Then you should say ouch,” Aggie was back to scowling at him again.
“Four witches — four mates,” the alpha grumbled to himself.
“Ain’t fate a bitch!” Aggie bit out as she eyed Nestor with disbelief and a sour taste on her tongue.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
~
“No, please. I love it when someone follows me around like a stray puppy,” Jules offered Daniel a scathing look back over her shoulder.
Since Mia had done her r
unaway act everybody’s mate was following them around for dear life.
“Well, I aim to please,” Daniel offered the witch a smug smile. He wasn’t taking any chances with his mate.
“Why do I get the feeling that I’m going to be disappointed?”
“Don’t lay your shortcomings on me,” he teased back. But when she offered him the kind of death glare that could drop a man in his tracks he reconsidered his answer. “I’m teasing.”
“I’m laughing on the inside.”
“Really?” He looked hopeful.
“No,” Jules shot back.
She might not be laughing on the inside, but that didn’t stop her from being amused with Daniel’s antics.
Right then, she had some thinking to do. A mate. That was a biggie in anyone’s book, but when that mate was a testosterone fuelled, sexy as hell, Wolf shifter — well that idea took a little more getting used to.
It wasn’t as if she wanted a vampire, or a bear shifter for a mate, she didn’t. It was more along the lines of trying to figure out if she wanted a mate at all.
The problem was — when your mate was a Wolf shifter you only really got one shot at it. If she walked away then the odds were not at all good in his favor that he wouldn’t go crazy Wolf, Rogue, lose his humanity, and have to be put down by his own pack.
When she looked at Daniel, she felt that connection between them.
Looks wise, she considered the man was out of her league. She’d always thought of herself as bookish, and there he was — all rippling muscles, good looks, and she hated to admit it — but a winning personality.
So why wasn’t she jumping for joy? That was what she needed to figure out.
“Too soon?” Daniel asked, and that question pinged around her mind.
Maybe that was it — maybe it was the suddenness with which she’d found herself a mate. A life mate. A — no turning back once you dip your toe in that pond — mate.
“By about five years,” she muttered absently.
She’d had a five-year plan, and she knew that life didn’t always see things in the same way, but she’d figured she had at least another five years before she had to consider the idea of settling down and having babies.