#37

Setting the bags in the corner. I heard him set the chest down next to the dresser. As I turned, I found myself engulfed by him completely. His smell invaded my senses. The hum of our bond radiating over my skin lit my nerve endings. His hands slid firmly down my sides and gripped me around my hips. He hoisted me up against the wall pulling my legs around him as he assaulted my mouth with his like I was the only glass of water in a desert drought. My body called to his, and I forgot all the things that stood between us for a moment. I pulled away taking in air, allowing my sense to push back the lust. “Whoa there, mister. I’m moving in but, we still have to figure the rest out.” My hands rested on his chest as we both panted, his dark navy eyes returning to crystal blue. I let loose my legs, which were gripped firmly around him. As he gently slid me to the floor, my body ached at the denial of what now even my mind was tempted to accept. “Soon we will know more,” I said looking up at him in promise. My slight fingers delicately ran over the hard plane of his pecks. We stared at each other for a long moment before he ushered me to the stairs.

“If I keep forgetting to feed you, I won't have a mate left,” He said. “I'll need to send the mule to the stables.” I said turning to the door. As we hit the bottom floor. “I’ll have Evan come get him.” he said. “No need,” I told him. I slipped out, Evander leaning in the doorway, watching me as I patted the mule down and sent him back to the barn in the setting sun. “so he’s just gonna go back to the barn on his own?” he asked as I walked back inside. I nodded. “I can't say he won't stop for a snack, but he will make it before dark.”

The closer I got to the table that was set near the kitchen, the more ravenous I felt. The smear of blood on Blake’s forehead ensured they had blessed the animal to rejoin The Mother. Evander spooned a huge helping into a bowl and set it in front of me. Blake mirrored his actions for Whinnie before they sat down with us.

I had to force myself to blow on my food or risk a mouthburn, but when I finally got a chance, the flavors exploded in my mouth like anything else I had eaten in life was cardboard. I let out a groan as I appreciated the taste before opening my eyes to find 3 pairs of eyes giving me knowing stares. “What?” I asked. “So we spoke to the elders, and they agreed you probably have an awakening wolf. There's more than one way to set a bond, apparently. But you won't transform until the full moon after you're bitten if that's what you choose.” The fork that was on its way to my mouth stopped. “So the soul binding?” I took a bite as I understood. “Yes, love, I didn't know.” Chewing I considered. Looked to Blake for what more he had to say. “I have Millie dedicating her time starting tomorrow to educating us as best she can so we can learn everything there is about mating Lunas and rituals for the pack.” I nodded, not able to stop eating due to the void in my stomach. But, knowing they were looking for my reaction.

Look, when we talked about it last night. I had already come to terms with the fact it was a possibility. Being a wolf doesn't bother me. It's trying to control what's happening between us my concern is for the pack. “Well,” Blake said. Before letting out a sigh. It was clear he didn't want to divulge this. “Honestly, the bond with Evander isn’t the issue. It's the Luna bond with the pack. So, as long as we get down to the bottom of that before, or if you take that role, you are free to make your own choices without worrying about the pack. Just realize the closer you get, the more entangled the soul bond will become and if you wanted to leave, you may not be able to without harm coming to both of you.” Evander sent Blake a murderous glare. “How do you know?” I said, scrapping my bowl with a piece of bread Evander had pushed towards me. “Because that's apparently why I can't hear the pack link. I split my loyalties between my sister, who I consider my Luna, and my Alpha,'' he admitted, glancing at his mate before meeting my eyes. “That makes sense,” Whinnie stated. “I always knew there had to be a reason.”

“So I assume Dominic is handling the disappearing act.” Evander broke the silence as he reached for my bowl and refilled it. He pushed it back across the table, shrewd eyes watching me. “He will,” I said trying to push back the anxiety so he couldn’t tell. “How much information did you have to give him?” he asked, eyes still boring into me as he ate. I took another bite. “He knows who I am to you, that I'm a witch, and the things he needs to know to secure our accounts. He is sending a temp ID, but will not forge the certificates that will connect to your accounts until we mate officially and I become one of you.” I could tell by the way his jaw set he wasn't buying the full story. “That's all,” he asked, fishing for more. “Well, I did give him some hell, and he invited himself to our mating, binding, Luna whatever thing we are doing ceremony. Apparently, he’s insistent it will be done by the full moon.”

He growled then, and my eyes darted to the other two. Blake was tense and ready to come between anyone who needed protecting. Whinnie mouthed. ‘Just tell him.’ She shook her head, telling me the secret wasn’t worth it. “He’s holding our foreign accounts, hostage, until the ceremony. I told him I’d have you call him.” “Fucking Dom,” Evander spat out menace leaching from his words. “So why did you even speak to him?” he asked. “Well, I’ll admit when he called me a bitch over speaker phone, I may have overreacted.”... “He… did.. what..?” “I'm pretty sure Whinnie had him about to comply but when he said that I couldn't lay silent.” I put another spoonful of food in my mouth side-eyeing my brother and Whinnie who seemed to have a similar stance on how to handle the Alpha who was about to lose his shit. I could feel a cloud of chaos churning in the bond.

“What did you say to him?” he bit out. “I told him he could either build a bridge or burn it but in the end, he'd have to deal with your wrath for not helping me, or I’d end him if he ever brought harm to the pack by revealing who I was.” Evander grinned but the chaos still churned. “Well, someone knows how to push the right buttons.” I shrugged. “Don't be proud of me yet because if we figure this out and can save those assets from him. He's going to learn more than we want him to when I have to reveal who I am to the pack before they accept me.” His face fell a bit as he descended into thinking about probably his brother’s intentions.

We finished every ounce of the stew well, Whinnie and I did. The boys were content to pass our bowls until we were at capacity. We then said goodnight and went upstairs with tea after they left. I stared at the pile of shit I now had to put away and groaned. Glancing at Evander, "Your sister is more than I can handle. But she’s awesome at the same time." "My brother?" "Oh, him he’s an entirely different species. 'If Whinnie was the birthday cake, Dominic would be the fruit cake. Everyone loves that someone thought of them, but nobody wants to deal with them.' I spoke loudly in my mind. Evander chuckled darkly. "If only you knew. Which cake would I be?" He asked, “That’s to be determined,” I replied with a wink.