by Shae Shannon
With a big sigh, he gave up trying to figure out what was going on. He leaned his head back on the couch, saying a silent prayer that his pack was okay. As he lifted his beer to take a drink, the door rattled. Someone’s coming! He bolted up and raced to the door, positioning himself in a fighting stance just in case there was some kind of trouble. As it swung open, he caught a glimpse of his dad’s face before Aiden was shoved in the room with him and the door slammed back shut.
“What the hell is going on, Dad? Why are you locking me in here! Open the damn door! I am the alpha! I demand subordination now!” His voice rumbled a deep, loud, booming echo that bounced through the tight space. Power rolled off of him as his alpha cat stepped from the shadows and threatened to take over.
His dad’s muffled voice came through the iron door. “We have been in a meeting with Hunter, the beta of the wolves, all morning. We have come to a better solution to this problem. You two will stay in there until you figure this out. If she is meant to mate you both, then work it out. Do not make her choose, for it will only break her heart.” And with that, he walked away.
“This is your fucking fault! I should rip your throat out right now!” Aiden inflated like a pissed-off puffer fish.
“My fault? If you recall, you’re the stupid fuck that declared war because your momma never taught you to share. We are here because our betas saw the immature destruction you were willing to sacrifice. Stop acting like a damn caveman.” Irritation sharpened the words as he spoke.
Aiden moved to the other end of the room and plopped down in a recliner. “This is bullshit. I am alpha. I cannot believe that they went over me. So much for authority!” Anger rippled through him, causing hair to sprout on his arms. His face began to morph before he was able to rein in his wolf.
“Oh, that ain’t shit. I was locked in my parents’ safe room by my beta and father! The elders of the tribe were coconspirators even! And now, I am stuck in here with a mangy fleabag. Fuck!” He chugged the rest of his beer and made his way to the refrigerator. After chucking his bottle in the trash that was beside it, he yanked out two more and walked over to Aiden. “Here. You probably need this as much as I do.”
He tossed the beer in Aiden’s direction, and he caught it in midair. “Thanks.” He opened the top and swigged the bubbly liquid. A deep sigh escaped his lips. He ran his hand through his tousled hair, causing it to stick up in odd directions. He lifted the bottle to his mouth again, this time draining half of the bottle. After he drank, he laid his head against the headrest. “Fuck. How did two alphas, leaders of shifter tribes, end up in this predicament? I have acted like an asshat. It is not in my character to behave in the manner that I have. She has made even my thoughts irrational. My wolf is trying to take over, and I haven’t slept a full night’s sleep in I don’t know how long.”
“I guess they are right. When destiny and fate bring mates together, it brings out the Neanderthal in us. But damn that woman, it is all I can do to not throw her down and take her, while I mark and mate her. My cat is going insane and has stayed in a state of pissed with me for days. If things don’t happen soon, I don’t know what he will do. I wanted to take him out for a run, but shit at this point I don’t know if I trust myself enough to stay away from her. I am assuming she wouldn’t take kindly to an overgrown cat rubbing up on her and trying to climb on top of her.”
Aiden laughed. “Oh, man. I understand. My wolf is the same way. Can you imagine if we both showed up in animal form? I think she might turn us into toads or something! She is a handful, that’s for sure. Count your blessings, cat. It was all I could do to keep my wolf at bay when I smelled your scent all over her. That was the hardest time I have ever had trying to prevent shifting.”
Brandon nodded in understanding and kicked his feet up on the couch. He took a long pull off of his beer. “Well, at least you didn’t try to pee on her to mark your territory.” His mouth tilted into a smirk. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Brandon broke the silence. “Do you watch UFC?”
Aiden perked up and stared as if he were lost in thought and was trying to comprehend what he had been asked. “Hell yeah, of course I do. Why, is there a fight on today?”
“They should be doing a replay of last night’s fights.” He reached toward the coffee table and grabbed the remote. The seventy-two-inch television clicked to life, and he began flipping through the channels.
“You mean to tell me, you have cable in the safe room of your house? Damn. That is something I have to install as soon as I get out of here. Awesome idea.”
Brandon smiled. “Growing up, there were five boys and three girls. My dad insisted that if he ever had to be locked in a small area with all of us he had to have a television and cable. My momma didn’t argue.” He found the sports channel playing the recaps of the previous night’s event. The ring girl had just made her way out of the octagon, signaling round one.
They sat kicked back watching television for about an hour before Aiden spoke up. “Is there any more beer in there?”
“Yeah, grab me one, too. There are some chips in the cabinet, grab those and the cheese dip. We might as well not go hungry.”
Aiden walked over to the couch and placed the snacks and beers on the table. He sat down beside him and began eating. Halfway through the fight, Brandon got up and made sandwiches. They small-talked about fighters and stats, agreeing for the most part on which fighters were better. After five hours of being locked in the room together, anyone who walked in would have thought they were best friends hanging out. Their roars and fist pumps rang through the air as an unlucky fighter got wrenched into an arm bar and endured an elbow to the head, causing excessive blood.
They were finally laughing and relaxed in each other’s company. The fights had come to an end, and Aiden had taken control of the clicker, stopping on Duck Dynasty. He turned to the man beside him, realizing their similarities. “Do you think we could make this work? Both of us with Giselle, and still lead our packs?”
Brandon released a long puff of air. “Yes. Don’t get me wrong, we will have to work together to make it happen. But I don’t see why we can’t. Hell, our territory is only one section away from yours. If we talk that elderly farmer into selling to us, our properties will touch. We could build a house there, in the middle, to oversee both. And, nothing will change. If you would have come needing help last week, the panthers would have been there. I know that if I needed the wolves, you would have been there. So, I really don’t see what the big deal would be. We could hold tribal meetings together, or separate, or both. It would just depend on the situation.”
“True. What about the sexual part? Could you handle sharing?”
Brandon sat for a moment, giving the question deep thought. “Truthfully, I didn’t think I would ever be one to share. But now, yes I could. I think it could be fun finding ways to keep our little witch satisfied. I don’t think she would be happy with just one of us. She is different…the rare type of woman who needs more. Two stiff hands to bring her to orgasmic exhaustion are better than one.” An ever so slight smile tipped up the corners of his mouth.
Aiden broke out in a grin. “We could definitely work together for the greater good. I wonder how open-minded she is.”
“I assume she is pretty open to just about anything. There isn’t much that seems to embarrass her. I have a feeling she has an inner freak that hasn’t been tapped into yet, and we are the perfect candidates to expose her deep, dark desires.”
“I grew up with three dads. That’s not a problem for me. I figure being how you grew up in the shifter community that nothing would bother you either, am I right?”
Brandon nodded. “I only had one dad, but a lot of my family has more than one male in the marriage. Everything that goes with it is okay with me. I didn’t have a problem from the beginning with you until you made it a competition and became a jackass instead of a wolf.”
Aiden scowled. He began fidgeting with a blue, flowery
throw pillow as a small bead of sweat trickled down his forehead along his temple. He glanced at Brandon. After a long moment, he spoke. “You know we are going to disagree on a regular basis. How can we keep from coming to blows about everything? We need to be able to act like the leaders we are and not ten-year-old boys. Do you fish?”
A puzzled, yet entertained look washed over Brandon. “Of course I do. Why?” He crossed his legs, propping his foot up on his knee.
“Don’t laugh. What if we agreed to go fishing whenever a problem arose? That way, we could get away and work it out like men.” An almost shy expression floated through Aiden’s normally rugged features.
It was a look that Brandon was sure didn’t take residence on the hardened man often. It took all he had not to laugh. It wasn’t so much the subject matter of his statement, but in the manner Aiden delivered it. He was beginning to see different sides to the hard-as-steel, demanding, commanding, rough, and tough Aiden. His thoughts wandered to Giselle. Deep down, he knew that she deserved both of her bonded mates. He took a deep breath to fight down the grin that threatened to arise and withheld the urge to deride him. “That could work. So, now what? Are you game to finally trying to win our queen together?”
“Yep. I say we tag team it and bring on the heat. We need to turn her into a boiling puddle of lust and not let up. She is strong willed, but I think we might be able to persuade her.” Aiden’s mind raced with all of the naughty things they could do with her. His cock jerked against his zipper, threatening to awaken. He rerouted his train of thought to prevent sporting a chub while locked in a room with another man. “Fuck. I didn’t think it was possible, but I want to get out of here even more now. We are wasting valuable time we could be using to lure our little vixen in.”
Brandon rubbed his eyes. “You realize Chloe is going to be pissed also. We are missing the babies’ big debut. Now we will have two pissed-off females that we will have to attempt to get back in their good graces. We are going to have to do some major damage control. Hell, even Gabe will be pushed out of shape. We definitely need a plan of action to gain forgiveness from them all. With the babies, I am sure they will be in dire need of help and a few moments alone once in a while. That may be a good place to start.”
“Shit. Staying down here is looking better and better.” Aiden slouched down and rested his head against the cushion.
Aiden and Gabe began to converse like the old friends they were instead of foes for the first time since their battle over Giselle began. They were both working on another beer when the door swung open. Hunter, Draven, and Jerro stood blocking the entrance in defensive positions as if expecting a brutal attack from the two gargantuan men.
Simultaneously, they both broke out in roaring laughter. Their guests exhibited confusion and bewilderment. The group of gaping jaws and bugged eyes sent the men into hysterics. Possibly from the day’s events, or from the tight confinements of the space, or maybe from the lifted burden of their agreement, they flopped and rolled while holding their sides and gasping for air. Both brawny men had tears streaming down their well-defined cheekbones. After a few minutes of observing from a distance, the group entered the threshold and waited for the cartoonish storm to pass.
Draven was the first brave enough to speak first. “I assume that our tactical methods have proved victorious?” His crystal-blue eyes heavily drug from Aiden to Brandon.
They looked at each other once more and both smiled. “Aiden, would you care to answer my overly ambitious second-in-command for us?” Amusement plastered across Brandon’s features.
In an exaggerated enthusiastic tone, Aiden responded, “I would love to, buddy. Draven, how are you? How are things with you and that sweet bear shifter you were dating?”
Draven was caught off guard, but quickly regained composure. “I will be better when you two meatheads work out your differences. Have you?”
Aiden clucked his tongue in distaste. “Always straight to business. You should learn to relax a little. What was her name? Julie? Katie?”
Draven was clearly not amused in the least and wasn’t interested in small talk. He remained composed and purely professional. After his facial expressions and demeanor didn’t draw out the answer he was looking for, he threw his hands up in a huff. “Her name is Katie. We broke up last week.” He broadened his stance and folded his arms over his chest as a gloom spread over him in a dark cloud.
“Well, there are plenty of other bitches in heat that can comfort your aching uh, um, heart?” He winked and flashed an “if you know what I mean” smile.
Draven’s posture relaxed a miniscule amount. “So are you two jackasses done trying to cause a civil war over a woman or not? You don’t want to know what we have planned for phase two of ‘operation preschool puppy prevention.’”
Brandon and Aiden shot each other an inquisitive look, both appearing suddenly amused. “As curious as we are to hear more about this…special-ops mission you are talking about, we have worked things out. We plan on purchasing the land that separates our territories and working together for the best interest of both the wolves and the panthers. Now that you have finally decided to unlock your alphas, we need to get back and start our groveling with Giselle and Chloe. Has anyone given word on the babies?” Brandon’s concern showed in his presence.
Jerro had grabbed a beer out of the fridge and sat on the couch. Hunter was surfing the channels on the television when he suddenly stopped to pitch in on the conversation. “The babies were born with no complications. They are healthy and busy being fawned over by everyone within a hundred-mile radius. Chloe is doing well. She is tired, and after her accidental flood while she was delivering baby number two, they have people hustling to get the room cleaned and dried. It seems that while in the process of delivering, the good ol’ shifter doc decided she wasn’t listening well enough and scolded her. Her temper exploded through the pain, and the master bathroom toilet exploded in a geyser onto the poor elder. Thankfully it wasn’t his first rodeo, and he kept his temper. It was definitely a monumental grand entrance for baby Stormy. We all felt that due to the storm her mother created during her entrance to the world that she had to be named Stormy. Gabe and Chloe seemed to like it so it stuck. The first born was Winter, and the youngest is Keelie.”
The room began to hum with conversation. Laughter and kinship expanded and flowed throughout the space in a warming breeze. They began cleaning up, and after about an hour of discussions about pack issues, babies, and the current situation involving Ms. Giselle, they loaded up and headed back to the mansion.
Chapter 7
Aiden and Brandon walked in the doors of Java Delights together. Amy greeted them at the counter, her surprise evident. “Hey, guys. What can I get you?” Her eyes darted between the two, confusion warping her features. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.
Brandon had to swallow a laugh, knowing by the look of an almost-combusting Amy that it was taking all of her self-control to refrain from her signature twenty questions. “We will both have a large coffee, black, please, Amy. So, how are you and Blake doing? You two stay hidden most of the time.”
“We are still locked in the honeymoon phase, I guess. And, he has been taking me to all of the places I have always wanted to go. It’s amazing experiencing everything with his immortal perks.”
“Well, the honeymoon phase is the best. Stay in it as long as you can. So, how far along are you now?”
Her eyes bugged out of her head. “Who told you? I didn’t want anyone knowing until after the babies were born and the congrats are all handed out. Chloe deserves the full spotlight, and I don’t want to take any away from this experience from her.”
“No one told me, hun. Shifters have very good sense of smell. My nose picked up on the bouncing baby boy as soon as we walked through the doors.”
“So you mean that everyone that has come in knows? No one has mentioned it.”
“They won’t. We all know that when a nonshifter wants it to
go public, they will announce it.” He accepted the coffees she handed him and paid.
“Congrats in advance, Amy. When you are ready to announce the news, let me know. I will put together a party for the celebration. I am surprised that you have kept your excitement under wraps this long.” His teasing grin earned him a smack to the arm. “Thank you for the liquid energy. Do you know where we can find Giselle?”
“She just went to catch a nap about four hours ago. She stayed by Chloe through the whole labor and was dang near sleeping while standing. Everyone is rotating the babies to give Chloe and Gabe time to rest. When she reluctantly handed them over to Ophelia and Kathryn, Gabe’s mom, she headed for a bath and sleep. So, I am assuming that since you two are in here together that you guys got over your egos and are finally going to court Giselle?”
A snicker dribbled out of Aiden. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist. Yes, we have seen the error of our ways. I just hope that it’s not too late.” Amy was incapable of keeping her questions and opinions to herself.
“It is never too late, Aiden. She is a bit ticked at you two though. She went on a pretty good rant after the girls were delivered and you two weren’t there to see them.”
“Shit. I knew it. Okay, well, try to stay off of your feet, and if you need help, call and we can send you a replacement.”
“Thank you, Aiden. It isn’t my feet that are the problem, it’s the frequent barfing that is killing me. Do you know how hard it is to discreetly empty the contents of your stomach? It sucks! And this baby doesn’t approve of my coffee habits. No one tells you during Sex Ed in school about those little details. It should be the first subject covered.” She inhaled sharply, causing her face to twist and distort before she took off in an Olympic run to the bathroom.