At Sixes and Sevens

by M. A. Church

  “Well, hello.” I scratched behind his ear.

  Carter let out a happy little whine.

  “What’s up?”

  Carter tugged on the bottom of my shirt until he managed to pull me out of the chair and onto the floor.

  “Hey!” Sprawled as I was, I didn’t have a chance to protect any vulnerable body parts before Carter stuck his long muzzle underneath my shirt and urged it up. He grabbed hold and yanked it over my head. “Dammit, Carter, I was wearing that.”

  By the time he managed to pull off one of my tennis shoes, I finally clued in to what was going on.

  “You want me to shift, don’t you?”

  “Woof!” Carter danced around my office.

  “Jeez, settle down before you break something, or I’m investing in a shock collar.”

  “Whoooof!” Carter plunked his ass down and stared me right in the eye as if to say he dared me to try.

  Now that I had the three-hundred-plus-pound werewolf off me, I gained my feet and stood. As of yet we hadn’t been together in shifted form. I knew we needed to, but I was still a little nervous. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Carter. I did.

  No, the problem came from the other werewolves I might run into. Those I didn’t trust. I also knew I couldn’t live out the rest of my life in the pack without ever shifting either, so I kicked off my other shoe and unbuckled my jeans. Admittedly, having a full-grown werewolf watch me undress was an experience.

  I left my clothes lying on the floor, closed my eyes, and called forth my cat. My body went through the normal disagreeable pain as it shrank, bones broke, and parts of my anatomy grew into things I didn’t have in human form.

  When I opened my eyes, the world looked much different as my human mind retreated. Everything was brighter, clearer. I stood on my paws and stretched one leg, then the other, working out the kinks. The first thing that caught my attention was the woody scent of oak and sandalwood.

  Mate!

  Overjoyed, my cat bounded across the floor, purring like a well-oiled engine. Mate, mate, mate! I circled Carter, making sure to rub against every part of him I could reach. He lowered his head, and I arched.

  Carter petted me… then dropped his head down on me, knocking me to the floor. Oh, it was on! I rolled onto my back, wrapped my arms around his head, and with my back feet, started kicking at his muzzle. Of course I made sure my claws weren’t out. Carter barked and tried to shake me off.

  For his troubles, I nipped his ear.

  He jumped to his feet, but I stayed on my side, watching to see what he would do next. He dropped his chest to the ground and barked at me. I swatted him in the face with my tail. Carter backed off, snorted, and shook his head.

  “Meer.” Bark at me, would he?

  “Woof!”

  Carter edged closer and sniffed my back paw. Immediately I kicked out. I couldn’t help it… it tickled. Carter barked, bounced up and down on his front paws, and went right back to sniffing. Obviously he thought this was some sort of game, so I batted him with my front paw. He nipped at the same paw, and I lightly swatted him across the nose. He launched into a bunch of yelping barks… then sat on me.

  “Meow!”

  Holy crap, he seriously just sat on me. I nipped his back leg in retaliation. Something was dangling near my head, and I thought about nipping that, but figured that would be more trouble than I wanted to deal with. I crawled my way out from beneath Carter and sat down, tail flapping behind me. I yowled at him, and he placed one of his huge paws on my face. On. My. Face.

  Oh, he did not. We rolled around the floor, nipping, barking, and meowing at one another. I latched on to his tail, and he dragged me around the room. Dammit, I couldn’t get any traction on the slick floors, but my cat thought it was the greatest thing ever. Oh, funny!

  Kitty! Pretty kitty.

  Stunned, I let go of his tail and spun to a stop. That was not my cat I’d just heard. Carter?

  Oh shit, Aidric? Carter dropped down on his belly and scooted closer to me. Can you hear me?

  Yes. I couldn’t believe it. No werecat I knew of could speak telepathically to another. Carter looked as freaked as I felt. I knew he had a bond of some sort with each werewolf in his pack, but I hadn’t expected this. I wasn’t a werewolf. Say something again to me.

  My wolf thinks you’re a gorgeous cat.

  Yep, I heard that loud and clear. My cat preened. My wolf. My big, bad wolf.

  Carter basked at the compliment just as much as my cat. I eased over to Carter, who was still on his belly, and plopped down next to him. He curled around me, and I rested my chin on top of his head.

  Time for a catnap.

  I can go for that. Carter snorted. I’m taking a catnap.

  Oh, hush.

  I swear I heard Carter laugh in my mind. Purring, I dozed off.

  “AW, AREN’T you two cute?”

  I lifted my head, and so did Carter. From where I was sitting, I could see Carter flash a fang at Shea.

  Shea held up his hands, palms out. “Okay, okay, ferociously cute, how’s that?”

  Carter barked, growled, then huffed.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Alpha, you got a phone call. Should I tell them you’re taking a catnap?”

  Carter calmly moved me out of the way, stood, then lunged across the floor, barking furiously at Shea. Laughing, Shea scrambled out of the doorway, and I heard the thuds of his boots hitting the stairs as he went down to the middle level.

  Carter started his transformation, and by the time I was done with mine, he was getting dressed. Damn, but he was fast.

  “Were you expecting a phone call?”

  “Nope, but I did put some feelers out about the three unknown wolves in my territory. Maybe they’re just a bunch of rogues, but I’m still checking around to see if anybody else had any problems.”

  I started to say something and yawned instead.

  “Why don’t you go to bed? It’s late, and I’m sure this won’t take but a few minutes,” Carter said.

  “Yes, I am sleepy. Don’t be long, okay?”

  “I don’t plan to be.”

  I returned to our bedroom, stripped, and got into bed. Just as I was drifting off, Carter joined me. He spooned me, and I snuggled in.

  Gods, he put off a lot of heat. “Find out anything?”

  “Unfortunately no. It seems I’m the only one who is having trouble with rogue wolves.”

  “Damn.”

  Carter yawned. “Yeah. My thoughts exactly. Good night, mate.”

  “Night.”

  ABOUT TWO weeks passed without incident. I talked to Dolf a couple of times to update him on how things were going here. Carter and I were in the bathroom, getting ready to go down to breakfast. I finished brushing my teeth.

  As I passed him, I popped him on his towel-covered ass. Carter grunted, turned, and, grinning from ear to ear, yanked off the towel around my waist. I playfully hissed at him, and he laughed. No way could I let that go, so I grabbed his wrists and backed him up against the wall.

  Pulling his wrists up, I imprisoned them above his head. Eyes wide, he looked at me as I grinned back at him, and then I dropped to my knees.

  I undid his towel and let it drop. “Keep those hands exactly where I put them, or I’ll stop.”

  Carter growled as he watched me.

  I looked at him through my lashes and let my fangs drop. “You sure you want to get snarky with me?”

  Carter gulped. “No. No snark here. Not at all.”

  “Thought so.” I made my fangs retract and rested my hands upon Carter’s massive thighs.

  Carter’s cock stood proud, nearly reaching to his belly button, eager for my attention. His cock smeared precome where it touched. I kissed the inside of his thigh and worked my way closer to where he wanted my attention. Carter tensed as I ran my thumb around the top of his dick.

  Stickiness greeted me. I wrapped my hand around my cock and jerked myself off too. It was just as wet as Carter’s. Carter moaned as I
tongued the tiny opening at the top of his shaft, and he bucked his hips. As I sucked and licked, Carter panted. Determined to drive him mad, I took his cock all the way into my throat.

  “Fuck. Your throat muscles… gods. Can feel them… ah damn. Feel them constricting around my shaft. B-best thing I’ve ever felt.”

  I worked him quickly until we both came.

  “Gods, that was incredible.” Carter threaded one hand through my hair and tugged gently. “You shred my control like no other.”

  Carter helped me up, and I wiped my mouth. “And no one ever will because I’ll sharpen my claws on the both of you. Just saying.”

  Carter hugged me. “Only you.”

  “That’s right. Only me.” I cleaned up the mess on the floor as Carter dressed.

  What was it about Carter? I had no need to dominate him, but I certainly didn’t have a problem bossing him around while we were in bed. Testing his control thrilled me. Hell, everything about him thrilled me.

  He aggravated me, made me smile, and the feeling in the pit of my stomach when he looked at me heated my blood. The hard exterior he portrayed to the world fascinated me, but it was the gentleness beneath that shell that drew me in. I was growing to trust him… and maybe more.

  Once I was clothed, we went to breakfast. Keegan, Shea, and Temple were waiting on us, along with several others. The five of us laughed and joked throughout the meal. For once I wasn’t only an observer. They made me feel like a part of their tight-knit group.

  After we ate Shea and I walked Keegan to school. We chitchatted on the way back, and several pack members either waved or stopped to speak. More and more members acknowledged me, and after what I did for a living became known, they had questions about graphics or other sorts of things.

  I’d even become friendly with some pack members. Each day after dinner, Carter also made a point of having several pack members shift around me so I could become familiar with their wolves. I shifted around them too so they could get a sense of me in my werecat form.

  Evan, I noticed, still gave me a wide berth. Meme was another one keeping a distance. I caught a couple of glimpses of Sabrina, but she didn’t make any trouble outside of a few heated looks. Whereas no problems coming from Evan and Meme didn’t bother me, Sabrina’s lack of aggression did. She didn’t strike me as the type who would give up easily. Delaney was also avoiding me, which I also didn’t have a problem with.

  Keegan hadn’t had any more problems in school, and the three of us often spent the afternoons together while Carter worked on Keegan’s shifting. I was getting attached to Keegan. Things were going well.

  I should’ve known it couldn’t last.

  “We’re what?” I demanded, trying my best not to let my voice spike. We’d eaten lunch about an hour ago, and Carter stopped by my office for a few minutes with the sole intent of dropping this bomb in my lap.

  “Having dinner with my sister Missy. And yes, her husband is going to be there. So are Jack and Baylor.”

  “Yeah, nothing like easing me into it, huh?” I saved what I was working on and shut my computer with a snap.

  Carter walked over to my desk and pulled me out of my chair. I fussed but let him. He sat down and tugged me into his lap. Resting his head on my shoulder, he kissed my neck right above where my mating scar was. I shivered.

  “It’s only family.”

  Okay, I did feel bad about that. I purposely avoided Missy simply because of who her pup was. Maybe that was wrong of me, but Jack caused a lot of problems with Dolf and the rest of the clowder. Honestly I was surprised Carter had let this slide for as long as it had.

  I snuggled closer, listening to the steady thump of his heart. “I know.”

  “You made a comment to me not long ago about giving you a chance to breathe before I threw you into the next ordeal, and I have tried, but this needs to be done.”

  I leaned back so I could see Carter. “I know, I know, and I’m sorry for that.”

  Carter contemplated me. “It’s not really about Missy, is it? It’s Jack and Baylor.”

  “Yeah, but I’m going to have to get over that. They’re part of your pack and—”

  “Stop that,” Carter growled. “It’s not my pack. It’s our pack. And yes, they are part of it. Babe, I really need you to start thinking of them as yours.”

  I sort of, kind of, was, but there were still a few members who were quite obvious in their dislike of me. But then there had also been clowder members I didn’t exactly get along with great either.

  I bit my lip as it dawned on me what I was doing. I knew perfectly good and damn well not everybody was going to like me, and I was using that as an excuse. I’d reverted to my usual standoffish self and hadn’t fully accepted my place here.

  “You’re right, and that’s going to change starting now. I’m going to stop worrying about those who might not like me because I’m a werecat. If that’s the best reason they can come up with to shun me, then they can get the fuck over themselves.”

  “Now that’s what I’m talking about.” Carter hugged me. “Not everybody has to like you, and that’s fine. They are entitled to their own personal thoughts on the subject, but they will respect you. That’s where I draw the line.”

  “It was stupid of me to let a few who wanted to act like asses get under my skin. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “I know what you were thinking. You wanted to be accepted. Who doesn’t? But you know as well as I do that not everyone is going to get along.”

  “You’re right.” I kissed Carter on the tip of his nose. “What time is dinner tonight?”

  “Seven.”

  “Sounds good. I should be done here by five.”

  “It’s a date, then.” Carter mimicked my action and kissed my nose.

  After he left I resumed my seat and reopened what I was working on. I was going to do my best to forgive Jack and Baylor for the things that happened in the past.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Carter

  THAT WENT better than I’d hoped. Aidric wasn’t comfortable meeting Jack and Baylor, and I understood that. If the roles were reversed, I wouldn’t have been easy either. Aidric had a right to his feelings.

  I wasn’t trying to take that away from him, but I did want him to stop avoiding the two. If after dinner tonight, Aidric decided he simply couldn’t deal with either one of them, I’d abide by his wishes. Although how that was going to work, since Jack was my nephew, I had no idea.

  At seven o’clock Aidric and I arrived, and I knocked. Darius opened the door. “Hey! Glad you guys could make it.” He shook my hand and turned to Aidric.

  “Aidric, this is Delta Darius Gordon, Missy’s husband,” I said. “Darius? This is my mate, Aidric LeClair.”

  “I’m so glad to finally meet you. Please come in.” Darius moved out of the way so Aidric and I could enter. “Missy?” Darius yelled down the hallway. “Carter and Aidric are here.”

  “Coming!” Missy came from the kitchen, hurrying toward us, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Oh good! I’m glad you guys are here. Come in, come in. Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes. Aidric? Welcome.” Missy threw the dish towel over her shoulder and held her hands out to Aidric.

  “Thank you.”

  Aidric didn’t know quite what to do with the warm greeting he received from Missy, so she grasped his hands and pulled him to her for a hug. He shot me a startled look. Did he think she held a grudge because I’d punished Jack?

  After Missy hugged Aidric, she stepped back. “Come on to the kitchen. That’s where we’re at.”

  I placed my hand at the small of Aidric’s back, and we followed her through the house. The kitchen fit Missy perfectly, clean and streamlined. There were white cabinets, white marble countertops, and an island with several stools on one side.

  Jack and Baylor sat at the island with drinks in front of them. Aidric stiffened beneath my hand, then forcibly relaxed his shoulders. My relief was enormous. At least he wa
s trying.

  “Aidric, this is my nephew Jack and his mate Baylor. Guys? This is Aidric LeClair, my mate.”

  A brief moment of silence blanketed the kitchen. Shit. Had I been expecting too much? Then Jack stood and held his hand out to Aidric. “I’m so sorry. Please, please don’t hold what I did against me. Please?”

  I should’ve known Jack would get to the heart of the matter. He was young and hotheaded, but Missy had raised him right.

  “I, ah… okay, yeah. Straight to the point. You do have that in common with your uncle. Apology accepted. I’m willing to let bygones be bygones. So let’s start over. New slate and everything.” Aidric slowly lifted his hand, clasped Jack’s, and shook it. “I’m Aidric, and it’s nice to meet you, Jack.”

  I could’ve hugged Aidric right there in the middle of the damn kitchen.

  “Thank you,” Jack whispered, then swallowed. “It’s nice to meet you too. This is my mate Baylor.”

  If Aidric could forgive Jack, could he also forgive Baylor? Jack had caused a lot of problems in Aidric’s clowder, but Baylor…. Baylor tried to murder a member.

  Baylor slowly slid off the barstool and faced Aidric. “An apology isn’t sufficient to cover what I did to Marshell, but… but I do sincerely apologize. I was wrong, and I am truly sorry.”

  “I appreciate that, but wouldn’t that apology be better suited to Marshell?” Aidric asked.

  And Aidric said I got straight to the point.

  “You’re right, and I’m sure I’m the last person he wishes to speak to.” Baylor shrugged helplessly. “But I absolutely would if I thought it would do any good.”

  Aidric nodded. “And if I called him and told him what you wanted?”

  Baylor gulped. “It’d probably be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I owe him that much. I can’t change what I did, but I would like to at least explain it to him, and you, if you’re interested.”

  Missy, Darius, and I didn’t say a word as we waited for Aidric to speak. The tension was so thick in the kitchen you could cut it with a knife.