by M. L. Briers
“We’ve got it covered, thanks.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Julia shot out of the side of her mouth when they were safely inside the car and heading away from the alpha.
“Tell you…?”Sofia couldn’t look at Julia; it felt like a betrayal to her brother, stupid really, she had no control over being a mate, finding her mate, having her mate find her. It wasn’t as if she’d just rolled over and played nice with the Alpha, even if she did want too…
“Don’t you dare act the innocent with me. I could practically smell the arousal coming off the two of you. To say the sex vibe was in the air back there would be a joke, you were both devouring each other with your damn eyes.”Julia snorted.
It was both a relief and a sense of shame that swept through Sofia. Her best friend knew, yea. Her sister in law knew, boo.
“What was I supposed to say?”Sofia dropped her eyes down to her lap and found her hands clenched tightly together. Funny, but she hadn’t noticed.
“How about, guess what? The head mutt from the local pack of fang’s-for-nothing is my mate… surprise!”
“How about stop being so asinine and help me figure out a way to not get claimed by the big tamale…”Sofia shot back and Julia raised her brows in surprise.
“You don’t want to be claimed?”Julia knew Sofia, knew every little thing about her. The very fact that she would deny her fate didn’t sit right, something was definitely up with that.
“I’m married…”Sofia shot back, a hot denial that had Julia’s hands tightening on the steering wheel. “To your brother.”She added dripping sarcasm and venom all in one go.
“Yeah, but…”Julia started and Sofia put up a hand to stop her.
“I’m married, Julia, end of.” Sofia was adamant.
“But he’s your mate, Sofia…”Julia’s tone had taken a definite edge of sympathy, which didn’t feel right. Julia didn’t even like Lycans, and yet here she was trying to throw her to the wolves, well one wolf in particular. How could that be right? And she was her sister in law, which made it even more wrong.
“I know he’s my mate, Julia, but what part of I’m married to your brother do I need to draw you a picture of?”Sofia saw her house and sighed inwardly. Damn, but she loved this house. It was everything she had always wanted and more. Now she was going to have to leave it, and she hadn’t even bloody well unpacked yet… Oh wait, that was probably the only good thing about all of this.
“But…”
“Drop it.”Sofia snapped back. Her seat belt was off before the wheels stopped turning and she was out of the car door before Julia had put the gearbox into park.
The sound of the front door almost being torn off its hinges left Zara and Shaun in no doubt that Alex was home. The thunderous sound of the front door being slammed shut left them in no doubt that his mood had soured, and as the echo of that boom still reverberated around the walls of the kitchen, Alex stalked in looking as if he was on a murderous, bloodlust fuelled rampage that left them with the unmistakable need to exit by the back door.
“Oregano, and next time get your own damn herb.”Alex tossed the small jar through the air and Zara’s hand shot out and snatched it before it was embedded in the tile behind her.
“I’m sensing a little tension in those shoulders.”Zara couldn’t help herself, but she almost swallowed her tongue when his black glare came up to meet hers.
“Don’t even go there, sister.”Alex growled out into the silence of the room. Shaun sat perched on the edge of the stool, he could make a run for it, but he thought Alex might just shift right there in the damn kitchen and take him down with glee.
“Now, Alex, calm down…”Zara wanted to fold her words up into a little pill and swallow them down when he growled her a warning, but he was her brother and even thought the mating pull amused her, somewhat, Alex’s attitude needed to be soothed. “She’s your mate, it’s inevitable that the two of you…”
“She’s married, in case that slipped your attention span…”Alex turned on his heels and stalked over to the large table that ran the length down the far side of the room, and Zara was surprised that the chair withstood the way he dropped down onto it.
“No, I pretty much got that from your sunny disposition…”He practically snarled at her, and Shaun turned to keep an eye on his alpha. He knew that deep down Alex would never hurt Zara, but just the sound of that snarl made his wolf weary.
“Drop it.”Alex ordered, and Zara raised just one brow at him and gave him her best, -you-must-be-kidding- look.
“Human ties can’t withstand the mating pull.”Zara announced. She was getting it out whether he liked it or not.
Alex let her words sink into his mind. The woman was married, but she didn’t have any pups. Would it be so wrong to try to woo her away from her husband and into his arms? Not that it would take much wooing on his part. He’d seen the way that she reacted to him in the shop. His mate was practically salivating at the sight of him, like she’d not had a man’s touch in a very long time, as if her whole body yearned to be stroked, petted, touched and teased to climax…
Alex swallowed past the lump in his throat and shifted in his chair to ease the ache at his groin. Perhaps her stuffed shirt of a husband wasn’t good at bringing out her wild side in bed… Alex growled long and hard at the thought of the man who touched his mate, who held her in his arms in bed, who stroked…
Alex shot up and dragged his hands through his hair. Damn, but he wanted to rip the human limb from limb for even looking at his mate, let alone touching her intimately…
“Oh, I know that look and you need to pull it the hell back.”Shaun saw the way his friend was itching to set his claws and fangs free and partake in the pleasure of the kill. It was what he wanted to kill that left a sour taste in Shaun’s mouth. “That man can’t help being married to your mate…”
Alex’s lips curled in a silent snarl at the thought. He hadn’t seen the husband yet, and right now he thought that was a good thing, because he didn’t know if he wanted to bury his fist in the guy’s face or rip his throat out.
“I have a need to kill something…”Alex growled out at Shaun and the Beta swallowed hard. He wasn’t offering himself to the slaughter and he hoped Alex wasn’t thinking it…
“Let’s go hunting before you devour a poor innocent male, like me.”Shaun didn’t move a muscle he waited for Alex to make the first move.
“Good idea.”Alex growled heading straight for the backdoor, much to Shaun’s relief and Zara’s chuckles.
“I could practically see your backside pooping in your jeans.”She teased and Shaun wanted to deny it, but why bother.
“Do you blame me?”He spat out as he dropped from the stool and headed towards the back door.
“Hope you find something for him to sink his teeth into that isn’t your backside.”She called, relishing the moment.
Julia was throwing ingredients into the pans on the stove and mulling over the day’s events when Sofia came down from her shower looking a little pique and slightly more relaxed. She didn’t want to know what Sofia had been doing up there, but she had a good idea.
Sofia eyed the pans with disinterest and slipped up onto the stool on the other side of the counter. Resting her elbows on the marble and her chin in the palms of her hands, she watched absently as Julia cooked.
“Ok…”The sound of Julia’s voice was like a slap to the face for Sofia, yanking her out of her haze filled mind and bringing her back to the reality of the situation. Her friend was going to want to dissect what she knew. “So, the alpha is your mate…”
“Can we not and pretend that we did, and now all is right with the world because we solved everyone’s problems?”Sofia half whined and half begged, and caught the look in Julia’s eyes that said not-a-chance-in-hell.
“Hmm, denial…”Julia announced and Sofia rolled her eyes in her head.”Then anger… then…”
“It’s not facing death, it’s a bloody mate…”Sofia declared re
aching for the bottle of scotch and Julia took two steps, closing the distance between them, and snatched it away.
“As much as I like to get poo-faced, you need a clear head.”Julia informed her with an air of authority.
“As much as I like your company, I’d much rather wallow in my misery with the great Scottish tradition of getting poo-faced.”Sofia snatched it back, but Julia grabbed it with two hands, one at the top and one at the bottom and wrenched it from her friend’s fingers.
“Poo-faced is not going to help you…”Julia scolded and Sofia snorted.
“Only a miracle can help me, got any of those lying around?”
“Oh ye of little faith.”Julia snorted back and Sofia gave her the evil eye. “When you tell Jonathon…”
Sofia’s back snapped to attention and her eyes went wild within her head as she looked back at her friend like she’d just announced they were witches to the local woman’s knitting circle.
“Are you insane…?”Sofia’s disgust at the very thought was more than obvious by the way she was practically climbing over the counter top to wring her friends neck.
“Sometimes, but right now I’m fully sentient…”
“I don’t think you are…”Sofia tossed back and Julia just gave her a shrug off her shoulders.
“Good to know. Now as I was saying, when you tell Jonathon…”
“All hell will break lose. How many ways can you ruin your brothers very existence?”Sofia spat out in disbelief, and Julia put the bottle down on the side and tossed her friend another shrug.
“It’s not like your marriage was going to last ‘til death do you part…”Julia tossed back, and Sofia did her Lycan impression and growled back at her over the counter top.
“He’s my husband…”
“He’s my brother…”
“He’s my husband…”She snapped back indignantly for the second time and Julia slapped her palms on the counter top and leaned towards her.
“And it’s not the best marriage in the world…”Julia offered trying to make her friend see sense.
“It’s not the worst either…”
“But you could be happy…”Julia’s voice hitched in annoyance.
“I am happy…”Now Sofia was on her feet, glaring back across the counter.
“In your own little closeted world…”Julia accused.
“Don’t say it…”Sofia growled and Julia’s eyes flared.
“You could be having sex!”
Sofia growled and pushed away from the counter, spinning on her heels and throwing her hands up in frustration.
“Julia!”She ground out.
“And not with yourself either, with a big, sexy, hunky, Alpha, that just happens to be your mate.”Julia saw Sofia’s back snap rigid as she dug her heels in and turned back around towards her, eyes glaring.
“Married!” She held up her hand and flashed the rings on her finger.
“Hiding!”Julia tossed back.
“Your brother is…”
“Gay! For god sake, Sofia!”
CHAPTER THREE
Julia yelled out and brought that air of stagnation to the conversation- when you both know that something has been said that can’t be unsaid.
“He needs me.”Sofia ground out between clenched teeth.
“Correction, he needed you to get him past the stuffed shirt brigade at his firm…”Julia put her hands on her hips and eyed her with a level of scrutiny only a best friend could. “He’s been working there for five years, Sofia. A quickie divorce and he and Steve can live happily ever after…” She mellowed in her tirade. “And so can you and your slobbering mutt.”
Julia watched the fight go out of her friend. For a long moment she didn’t just look deflated, she looked as if she’d been run over by a damn steamroller.
“He’s my best friend…”Sofia offered and Julia snorted her contempt.
“No, I’m your best friend.”
“He’s my second best friend…”She started again and Julia shrugged.
“That isn’t going to change. But let’s be honest sweetheart, he’s been your beard as much as you’ve been his, and I know you don’t like that term.”Julia held up her hand to silence her friend’s tirade before it even started. “But it’s true. You’ve been hiding behind those rings so you didn’t have to get a life, well sorry to tell you, but a life just found you, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
Sofia walked to the counter and dropped down onto the stool. Slapping her palms down against the cool counter top, she dropped her forehead down onto the backs of her hands and whined her own sympathy for what she was facing.
Julia wasn’t wrong. When the chance had come about, when Jonathon had announced one night that he had the opportunity to work for one of the top firms in the city, but he didn’t think that he would pass muster without a wife, she’d taken it upon herself to offer her services. At first it had been a joke, but then she realised just what a perfect situation it would be.
Marriage was her shield against the interests of men that she neither had the time, nor the inclination for. She worked to live and lived to work, and throwing men into that equation had never worked out well for her. Married meant off limits to most men, and she’d found that she kind of liked hiding behind that shield.
Jonathon got what he wanted and she got what she needed, and that had worked damn well for the last five years. Now she had walked right into the hornet’s nest and there didn’t seem to be a way not to get stung.
“I hate Fate.”Sofia mumbled and Julia chuckled.
“Fate can’t be too fond of you either if it dished you up a Lycan.”She snorted, going back to the pots on the stove.
“Just because you dated one once and didn’t like it…”Sofia snorted and Julia huffed.
“What’s not to like? Maybe the puppy dog eyes when they want their way? The smell of wet dog after a rain shower? The fact that they are always sniffing the air like they’re looking for breakfast…?”
“Oh admit it, you’re just a snob, you like the top of the food chain…”
“No, I like the buzz you get from being fed on by a vampire when you’re…”
“I don’t want to know, thank you. Keep your dirty little secrets to yourself if you want me to eat any of that food.”
“We could always toss the leftovers out for the local mutts…”Julia snapped of the heat and turned towards Sofia. Her head was still down on her hands, but her shoulders weren’t tight with tension any longer.
“Bitch.”Sofia muttered and Julia couldn’t help but laugh.
“No, that would be you, an alpha’s bitch no less. This should be fun to watch.”
Sofia’s head snapped up and she glared back at Julia across the way.
“I never said I was going to…”
“You didn’t have too, it’s the mating pull. You won’t be able to stop it.”Sofia noted the element of relish within her friend’s voice, and the glint of mischief within her eyes that just went to show how much she was enjoying this, and she snorted her contempt.
“I hate you.”
“Especially when I’m right. Now, we have a dinner to eat and a brother to call…”Julia announced and Sofia frowned long and hard at the thought of it. How was she supposed to explain this to Jonathon?
“Don’t look so down, sis. This is the start of the rest of your life. Embrace it.”
“Then why does it feel like a noose around my bloody neck?”Sofia shot back and Julia grinned.
“Baby steps, Sofia. Baby steps.”
“Baby steps, that’s easy for you to say, you’re not the one looking down the lions throat.”Sofia growled.
“Wolf sweetheart. The big, bad, sexy as hell wolf.”
Shaun backed away from the edge of the woods, and he knew he probably looked like a demented wolf, but he couldn’t stop the damn grin on his beasts face if he tried.
The sound of voices had drawn him closer to the house. He’d only meant to do a swin
g past to make sure that Alex’s mate was safe, but he’d certainly got more than he bargained for tonight.
A gay husband. Oh the irony. First that Alex’s mate’s husband wasn’t even a real husband at all, and then that the urge Alex had to rip the man limb from limb for touching his mate was a moot point… Shaun savoured the information within his mind. It was a good day, he told himself. Sure that his wolf had more of a spring in his step as he trotted through the familiar route back towards the cabin.
He wondered just how and when he should let his alpha in on the little Fae’s secret. The mating pull itself was usually something of a spectacle to watch, but this, well this just put the damn cheery on top of the damn icing, on top of a very tasty cake.
How could he not savour each and every slice from that cake? It would be almost cruel to deny himself those little tasty bites from every slice, and savour the crumbs from the platter that it had been so lovingly handed to him on.
Shaun felt the need to throw his head back and howl at the moon in a- thank you for what was to come- kind of way, and if the alpha got a little too antsy, well then he could always let him in on the secret to save his own backside.
Alex had run until his legs couldn’t run anymore. He’d chase the local wildlife, even caught a few, but he found he had no taste for their blood and let them go. He wanted his jaws wrapped around something bigger. Something man sized. Something with the word husband stamped on its forehead.
Fate wasn’t only unkind, it was downright sadistic sometimes. And this, this was one of those times. To hand him his mate and then snatch away the hope for a future with her, for pups, for happiness, it just seemed so damn cruel.
Whatever he’d done in a past life, or this one to warrant such a turn of events, he could do nothing about, especially as he didn’t have a hope in hells chance of knowing what it was to be able to rectify it.
He’d pondered the question of wooing her from her husband, knowing it wouldn’t be hard to do, and he’d dismissed it, several times, but he still kept coming back to it as a viable option.