~

 

“Oh, good – another one.” Angela bit out with a huff to follow. “I’m guessing that you’re the party loving animal type.”

“I’m the alpha type…” Nathan said as he dragged his eyes away from Sarah just long enough to be glared at by the elder witch.

“Oh, an alpha…” Dorothy was even more bubbly goodness to her tone as she looked him over to the sound of a low rumble that came from Lark.

She guessed that he thought the alpha was muscling in on his territory and he didn’t like it. Silly old wolf…

Nathan gave the man a double take as he walked on by him…

“Now, that’s more Sarah’s type…” Dorothy offered out of the corner of her mouth towards Angela, and added a quick jab of her elbow in the woman’s ribs to go with it.

Angela grunted in pain and annoyance.

“Well, he’s certainly not mine…” Angela bit back, annoyed that he friend couldn’t keep her thoughts or her elbows to herself.

“Can I go? Cos …” Samuel turned and motioned with his arms outstretched towards the two elderly women. “This, just … this.”

Nathan had to admit that the man looked as pained as he’d ever seen him look before. He kind of enjoyed the sight of it.

“No, suffering is all part of life’s experience, suck it up.” Lark offered.

“What he said,” Nathan growled at the beta… “Did you do the job?”

“She wouldn’t let me in…” Samuel pointed an accusing finger at Sarah, and the woman snorted her contempt for him.

“With manners like that, are you surprised?” Angela gave the beta a withering stare and the man grunted in annoyance once more.

“Ask … nicely,” Nathan berated him.

“It wasn’t me…” Samuel growled back.

“You’re just so sweet like sunshine and roses, aren’t you, young man?” Angela offered and the beta turned back towards his van and considered bouncing his head off the panelling.

“Do you still need your shower looked at?” Nathan asked Sarah, and for a long moment she was caught unawares … lost somewhere in the act of checking him out.

She blushed when she met his eyes. Nice eyes. Eyes that were full of as much seriousness as they were amusement.

Busted. How she hated that thought.

“It’s my shower, and I do…” Dorothy said … rescuing Sarah from the scrutiny of the alpha as the man reluctantly dragged his gaze away from her.

Nathan was used to seeing Chloe at the Inn. This new witch, her niece, was something else entirely.

“Ask and you shall receive, my sweetie…” Lark said; causing Angela and Samuel to groan in unison.

The man was spreading on the charm so thickly that it was somewhat sickly.

“You look like a man who knows what he’s doing with his wrench…” Dorothy said; fluttering her eyelashes at him…

“Are you having vision problems?” Angela asked as bluntly as she could, and Dorothy shot her a glare… “It’s just your blinking … a lot.”

“Please, don’t make me stay here with … them,” Samuel growled and Nathan couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I really did mean what I said about suffering…” Lark said and Nathan chuckled a little more at his brother’s sour expression.

“But, it’s just so wrong…” Samuel grumbled, kicking out at the front tyre with his booted foot like a petulant child.

“You have a problem with older people dating?” Angela demanded.

Her nose was in the air and her back straightened even more at the attitude of the young Lycan, and when the beta turned towards her, his eyebrows high on his forehead, he gave her look as if she was daft.

“Yeah! It’s just not normal.” He offered back.

“I’m sure you’re just projecting what women say about you onto others…” Angela offered back as she turned her nose up at him once more.

She wasn’t much fonder of watching her friend act like a teenager, and yet, she was grateful that the woman had been given that new spark in her life. She felt that it didn’t matter what your age – when someone flattered you and made you feel young again, you should grab it with both hands … that didn’t mean that she couldn’t find some amusement in her friend’s situation.

“Ok, and as funny as this is, and trust me, it’s funny…” Nathan said. “Can we not turn this into an all-out war between the pack and the witches?”

“What are the odds…?” Sarah mumbled.

“I heard that,” Nathan’s tone was berating.

“Nothing wrong with those big old ears then … Grandma,” Angela muttered.

“Ok, I get it,” Nathan said. “You’re the sarcastic one…” Nathan said to Angela before he pointed at Sarah… “She’s the grumpy one…” then he looked at Dorothy. “What’s this dwarf?”

“Witch enough to hand you your balls if you don’t watch it,” Dorothy bit out with a tone that he’d never heard before and would have expected to come from the other elder, and the alpha grunted in stunted amusement as Lark chuckled.

“She’s feisty!” The elder said. His eyes sparkling with amusement. “Don’t you just love a woman with spirit?”

“Not so much … anymore…” Samuel growled.

“Geez, you really need to get an attitude adjustment…” Sarah berated him.

“Did your midwife slap your face on the way out?” Angela said, and Sarah choked out a chuckle, as she raised her hand and sniggered into it.

“You have no idea…” Nathan chuckled at the comment and the somewhat shocked look on his brother face that slowly morphed into the look of a man chewing an imaginary wasp – a very lively wasp that seemed to be stinging him with every chance that it got – much like the elder witch’s tongue.

“I’m leaving!” Samuel said, tossing up his hands and yanking open the door to his van.

“Do the damn job first…” Nathan growled.

The Inn was still linked to Chloe in his mind, and the pack owed that woman a debt of thanks for the years that she’d kept their secret and helped them with some of their troubles.

Any kin of Chloe’s was worth the effort in his book.

“You know what?” Samuel tossed the keys at his brother… “Do it yourself.” He growled out, before he turned on his heels and stalked away. “Alpha…” he bit out.

Nathan considered going after his brother and giving him what for – just for the disrespect, but the elder witch piped up once more…

“It takes a village …” Angela said on the shake of her head. “To raise an idiot…” she looked at the alpha. “I take it he’s proof that you have a really big pack.”

“I hate witches!” Samuel growled back over his shoulder; continuing to stalk away from the group madness that he didn’t want to be a part of anymore.

“A really … really big pack.” Angela shrugged helplessly as she watched the man go.

People without a sense of humour annoyed her so. She considered that you had to take life with a big old pinch of sarcasm, and those that considered it the lowest form of humour, didn’t really get it, or life.

Those people she felt sorry for…

“You’re going to be a handful – how long are you staying?” Nathan asked the woman, and she grunted in amusement.

“I’ll try my best to outlive you…” she offered. Nathan opened his mouth to speak but his brother got there first…

“That won’t be hard. I’m sure you’ve driven many men to an early grave…” Samuel called back.

“Is he your only village idiot, or are there more?” Angela offered the alpha, and he knew that he should have been miffed with the witch’s attitude, but she reminded him of Chloe.

Lark was right about the witches’ being feisty, but then they all were in their own ways, and he kind of liked that too. Although, too much of a good thing…

As long as they kept aiming their barbs and insults at his brother – well, he could more than live with that. He could lap that up and ask for more.

And Chloe’s kin had a certain something about her. He liked that as well. He liked that a lot.