Chapter Fourteen

Sloan

He was driving back to the house with mixed emotions. His day had gone as expected. He met with the Panthers pack to pay his respects to their fallen members. The Pack, in turn, congratulated him on his upcoming Claiming ceremony. They even extended their well-wishes and hospitality towards his female and invited them to visit sometime soon.

Afterward, he made his way to his second appointment at the tailor. His suit fitted perfectly, so he collected it and had it stored laid out in his trunk.

Tristan had a stroke of genius while waiting for him during his appointment; he arranged for the Elders to congregate in one location. Strangely it was only the male members of the council in attendance, and they all had several words of wisdom to give him about his mate.

He chuckled to himself as he remembered some of the advice, but two of them stood out.

~Memory~

*“The most important piece of advice we can pass onto you, Sloan… is that… your female is ALWAYS right! Even if she’s wrong, she’s right.” One council member said, and the other members all agreed to his comment by nodding and voicing their agreements.*

*Even his father had some words of wisdom for him. “Son, you should also always trust her judgement… women have a way of reading individuals that is far more superior than men.”*

~End of memory.~

“I love it when my brain babies prove to be fruitful,” Tristan proudly stated as he dusted imaginary dirt off his shoulder.

“It may be the only babies you ever have.” Sloan smartmouthed, slowing down to a red light.

Unexpectedly, his laughter was interrupted when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He had felt this pain before when Myra almost rejected him as her mate. He pressed a button on the steering wheel, stopping the music. He then waited for a beep to echo through the car.

“Call Angel.” He commanded, and an automatic voice repeated *Calling Angel* followed by the sound of a phone dialling through the speakers. Sloan flicked on the indicator and pulled to a stop at the side of the road.

“What’s happening?” Tristan quizzed.

“Something’s wrong.” He snapped, and the call connected.

However, it wasn’t the voice he was expecting; instead, Megan’s voice rang out nervously. “Sloan?”

“Megan?? Is Myra there?”

“Ah yeah, she’s here.”

“Could you put her on the phone, please?” There was a brief pause, but it spoke volumes. Sloan made an illegal U-turn and started towards the Gallagher’s house.

“Ummm…”

Sloan’s temper quickly got the better of him, “Megan, I am not in the fucking mood for games! Put Myra on the phone.”

“Hey, there’s no need for that.” She barked at him, causing his anger to vanish.

“Shit, that was uncalled for; it has been a long day but, I know Myra is in distress… and it’s making me just as anxious.”

“You too, huh?” Megan unknowingly confirming his suspicions that something was wrong.

He took the high road and swiftly apologized. “Please forgive my rudeness.”

“Yes, yes… you are forgiven. Please hold on.”

She must have moved the phone away from her mouth because her voice sounded muffled as she spoke to Myra. The seconds that ticked by as he waited for her to take the phone felt like hours. However, when her sweet voice finally filled the car, he instantly calmed down.

“Hello?”

“What’s wrong?” He could hear the apprehension in her voice as well as his mother’s voice in the background.

“Hahaha… wha-whatever gave y-you that impression?”

“*It’s cute that she thinks she can lie to me… even over the phone.*” He thought then verbally warned her. “Myra…” He waited again, and she sighed heavily.

“Ju-Jus… ummm… it was just a mini pre-ceremony panic attack. Nothing to worry about.”

“Angel?” He started. “Are you having second thoughts?” He felt Tristan’s shocked eyes on him; like before, the pregnant pause spoke volumes.

“Ummm…”

“Myra, I am on my way to your house… we are 5 minutes away.” He said, disconnecting the call and putting his foot down to make the car go faster.

As Sloan pulled up to Myra’s house, his racing thoughts started to calm. He was thankful that Tristan sensed his mood and stayed uncharacteristically quiet because Sloan was sure he would have lashed out at Tristan if he said anything. At the moment, he preferred to be left with his thoughts to brood about the situation. The one question that kept popping into his head was, “*what the hell happened? We had such a carefree morning, and now she’s second-guessing our pairing?*”

Before the car came to a complete stop, the front door opened and there stood his Angel.

“Stay here.” He instructed Tristan as Sloan put the car in park and climbed out. He leaned against the closed driver side door, watching Myra slowly make her way towards him.

He waited until she stood in front of him before speaking to her. “I will ask again… are you having second thoughts?” He could sense and see the internal struggle she was having. She then bowed her head in defeat. Sloan gently touched her chin with his knuckle so she can look him in the eye. Her eyes were shiny with unshed tears. “You can tell me.”

“It’s not so much as second thoughts… but an overwhelming sense of fear and panic for what is to happen afterwards… I do want to be claimed by you; however, everything just seemed so sudden…” She started to explain, but her voice cracked near the end as fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

He smiled softly and brushed her tears away with his thumbs. She cleared her throat and continued. “I mean, the past three days have been wonderful, especially yesterday. But being separated from you even for just a day, I don’t know, all my insecurities came rushing back. It didn’t help with your mother and my sister already making plans for our children, and I just panicked.”

“Wow… my day sounds boring compare to yours... however, I have no plans to breed you just yet; the ceremony is only happening so suddenly because one: we happen to meet five days before the next full moon, two: you are not a wolf and three: I want to protect you.”

“You don’t want pups?!” Myra quizzed.

“I want at least five little Myras and Sloans running around the Pack house.” He laughed at the shocked look on her face, and he pulled her into his arms. “I do want pups… just not now. I was thinking that after the formality of us claiming each other. We should get to know one another – the likes, dislikes, the whole enchilada; that way, we will have a solid foundation for which we can start the rest of our lives together.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“So, anxiety and panic attacks are now in my Myra’s arsenal,” Sloan smiled.

“And overprotective and pushy are already in my Sloan’s itinerary,” Myra replied.

“Don’t forget the WCD.” Tristan teased from inside the car. Unknown to both of them, Tristan had lowered the glass of the car window to listen to their discussion.

“Take the car to go home… Declan will bring me back when the females kick me out at ten tonight,” Sloan rolled his eyes and ordered to his brother without looking at Tristan.

“Good thing my brainchild from earlier cleared up your evening.”

“Go away, you menace.” Myra looked around Sloan and stuck her tongue out at Tristan. He mimicked her by also sticking his tongue out at her.

“And a handsome menace too.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“I am not to be disturbed until something needs my immediate attention… also, please put my suit in my closet.”

“Yes master…” Tristan teased in a creepy low tone voice as he eased himself over the centre console of the car and fixed himself in the driver’s seat.

Sloan wrapped his arm around Myra’s shoulder, and together, they walked around the house to the backyard.

Sloan was deeply impressed by the craftsmanship and design of the backyard. His soon-to-be father was very handy with wood, his attention to detail was evident in the layout of the wooden back deck, which lead to a Gazebo. The artistic structure provided an ingenious 360-view of the back area, overlooking and complementing the well-manicured lawn and stone and gravel walkway into the forest.

“Slo…” His mother voiced started to bark from the opened kitchen French doors. Sloan, however, glared at her. “Don’t you take that tone with me, young man.”

“And who was it that caused her to go into full panic mode?”

His mother stood for a moment, dumbfounded, looking like a fish gasping in the open air. It was one of those rare occasions that he had ever made his mother speechless.

“Besides, there is still time… ten pm is hours away, and I wish to spend some time with my mate,” Sloan announced as he sunk into the cushions of one of the loveseats under the Gazebo and pulled Myra onto his lap.

“I don’t want to get in the way of you and your mother… this isn’t how I wish to build a relationship with your family.”

“Oh sweetheart, you can never… it’s nice seeing Sloan all obsessive with you; it reminds me of his father when we first paired.” She smiled and offhandedly waved her hand at them. “I’ll send out some food and drinks for you too… Bryn, pay up!!!”

“That’s not fair!” His sister’s voice whined from somewhere inside the house.

“So, we have a couple of uninterrupted time to ourselves… let’s talk.”

“You do remember my twin and Megan are just inside… I’m amazed they’re not out here harassing us.”

“Bothersome sisters-in-law… check… you have met Bryn? Is she still playing a sweet angel?” He smiled and nestled his head into the crook of her neck, inhaling as he moved.

“HEY!!!” Bryn’s voice rang out from inside the house.

“It’s nice to have a little sister.”

“Just wait till her form of Megan shows up… and that sweet little sister will become a devil.”

“We heard that!” Bryn and another voice called out.

“Pearl’s here?? Oh boy…”

“She must be the girl who showed up just before you called… so you want to talk?”

“Yes, about anything… I am an opened book.”

“Umm…”

Sloan observed Myra breaking eye contact with him and nervously playing with her hands as if she wanted to ask a burning question but was not sure how to. He placed his hand over hers and brought their joined hands up to his lips to gently kissed her hand. He smiled, sensing her concerns. “Let me guess… you want to know about Elizabeth.”

She bit her lower lip and nodded. Sloan smirked and tugged at her chin so she can release her lip. “Don’t do that… it’s stirring up emotions within me,” He whispered into her ear before nipping at her earlobe, causing Myra to gasp. “So, I promised to tell you about Elizabeth and I. Umm… Elizabeth was my on-again, off-again lover for the past year and a half.”

“Almost two years together? When did it end?”

“Yeah, but it ended on the morning of your attack… so about a week ago… and before you ask, I ended it because I started feeling the beginnings of our pairing.”

“I am guessing she didn’t take it well if she’s willing to challenge your mate… did you… did, oh boy! Did you love her?”

“Love is a strong verb… more like I had a brief tolerance… Declan, Tristan, Bryn - hell, everyone for the matter - didn’t like her. But, now that I am with you, I can see what they saw, and fuck, was I ever blind.” Sloan chuckled.

“He was the three blind mice, all rolled into one wearing a horse’s blinders… but alas, you came along, he can see so clearly.” Bryn interrupted, placing a tray laden with food next to them, and the other girl – Pearl – walking out with two drinks.

“Myra… this is Pearl.” Bryn introduced.

“Hi… sorry I couldn’t introduce myself before… shit kind of hit the fan seconds after I arrived.” Pearl pleasantly smiled while placing the drinks before Sloan and Myra.

“Nice to meet you.”

“And you girls will get to know each other later… for now, Myra and I are chatting.”

“You have a lifetime to get to know her… and just an FYI… the only person who cannot hear your conversation is Megan, and she’s fuming.” Bryn smiled, linking her arm with Pearl’s, and together they skipped back into the house.

“I’ll just tell her that you have a WCD, and she will be happy.”

“I prefer if you didn’t.” Sloan groaned. Myra laid a finger on his lips and listened. Suddenly, Bryn screamed from inside the house.

“MYRA!! THAT’S FUCKING DISGUSTING!!” Bryn shouted. “Ow… mom that hurt!”

Myra giggled. It was the sweetest sound Sloan has ever heard.

“Then stop listening in… and, I would never betray our intimate, private life.”

“The fuck you will,” Megan said, marching out of the kitchen and made her way over to them. Before Sloan could say anything, she sat down opposite them. “I rather listen to the story from the wolf’s mouth than get it second hand… so please continue.”

Megan took a handful of grapes and leaned back in the chair, challenging him with her eyes. If she were another Shifter, he would have commanded that she left them alone and punished her for insubordination. But the need to treat her like other Shifters wasn’t there. Megan was almost like a twin version of Bryn. Tolerable yet insufferable and a complete pain in his ass.

“She’s quite stubborn… it’s best you continue.” Myra encouraged. “So, what do you plan to do with Elizabeth now?”

Megan scuffed and commented, “Damn bitch… I wanted to strangle her when she barged in yesterday.”

“You have some big balls for a human.” Sloan laughed.

“I would have said they’re bigger than yours… but since I now know you possess a WCD… never mind.” Megan smiled.

Before Sloan could comment, Myra growled a warning at her. The look of absolute shock flashed over her face while Megan looked worried that she crossed the line and Sloan strangely felt protected by her actions. “What the hell! I would never…”

“I should have known better… I am sorry, it was a badly placed comment. I should know better than to jump headfirst over that pairing line.” Megan apologized.

“I am so sorry too.”

“You girls are about to embark on a new normal.”

Myra sighed, “So, we can’t talk about or joke about anything sex-related?”

“Oh boo… where’s the fun in that?? Ninety-five per cent of all our conversations are sex-related. I guess we can actually talk about our day.” Megan grumbled, looking quite distressed by this new perspective.

“*It will get worse whenever you and Declan decided to pair.*” Sloan thought. Myra glanced at him, letting him know she heard him. “You can… once it’s not relevant to mates.”

“Okay… but we are straying from the main topic… Elizabitch."