Wen answered the door when the knock came. He jerked it open, not surprised to see who stood there. “Morning, you devious asshole.”
Trayis loudly inhaled and then had the nerve to grin. “I knew you’d mate Gerri. Are you able to step aside to let me in or are you going to be an overprotective ass about letting even safe males around your new mate?”
Wen backed up. “She’s still getting ready and should be out soon. Come in.”
“Have you shared the news with anyone yet?”
“No. We woke up, I made breakfast with her, and then we showered, since you told her you were coming at this hour. All that long hair of hers takes forever to towel dry enough so she doesn’t have a soaked shirt on her back. At least that’s what she said when I asked why it was taking her so long in the bathroom.” Wen closed the door and faced the man standing just inside the house. “I figure I can announce it when you let everyone know Gerri is back with the clan. Or they’ll smell it if we get close to them.”
Trayis sniffed again and grinned. “Your scent is mixed with hers pretty strongly. Is she okay?”
“I’d never hurt her.”
“She’s not a large woman and you took a lot of her blood.”
“I gave her a lot of mine back.”
“No side effects? Weakness this morning?”
“She’s fine. Are you looking for a reason to delay this meeting?”
“No. It’s new for me to play an actual father role. I verbally adopted her.” He winked. “I imagine that would be a question I’d ask someone who’d just claimed my daughter.”
Wen frowned, not liking that. “Why would you do that?”
“Because Mandro can be an asshole and a problem as an elder. Some may side with him. It’s an extra layer of protection for her against your father. Gerri is no longer just a human with clan standing that you took as a mate. Let him try to claim now that my daughter would make weak offspring with his precious only son.”
Understanding hit, and Wen had to keep his jaw from falling open.
Trayis smiled wider.
“Insulting a clan leader is punishable.”
The humor left Trayis’s face. “Damn straight it is. I want you both happy, Wen. You and Gerri belong together. You always have. I’m tired of parents getting in the way. Hers. Yours. My priority is a happy clan.”
“She didn’t tell me you’d adopted her.”
“Did you two really talk all that much last night?”
Wen shook his head. “No.”
“I didn’t think so. She probably doesn’t realize the full extent of being put under my protection. At least you look as if you might have gotten a few hours of sleep.”
“She’s human. I didn’t want to wear her out by keeping her up all night.”
Trayis reached out and gripped his shoulder. “She’ll get stronger the more you exchange blood.”
“She’s no weakling.”
“I’m aware.” Trayis released him and his head turned.
Wen sensed Gerri coming and smiled at the sight of her. “There’s my beautiful mate.”
She hesitated upon seeing Trayis, then bowed. “Trayis.”
“Enough with that shit, Gerri.”
Wen didn’t like Trayis’s tone and growled.
Trayis snarled back.
Gerri was between them faster than he thought she could move. “Is it time to go? No fighting in the living room. I’d forgotten how much testosterone you VampLycans ooze. I’m not even sure what you both are upset about.”
“Wen doesn’t like me giving his mate an order.”
“I don’t,” Wen agreed. “She was being respectful.”
“Her status in the clan has changed regardless of you mating her. She no longer bows to me because she’s family.” Trayis lowered his gaze to Gerri and his tone softened. “Okay?”
“Yes. I’m just used to doing it.”
“No longer,” Trayis repeated. “Let’s go. I told the clan we’d meet outside my office. Everyone has been ordered to be there.”
Wen kept close to Gerri as they walked through the woods. A few other VampLycans joined up with them. He caught their surprised looks at seeing Gerri—then outright shock when their sense of smell kicked in as they got close enough to them. He held their gazes, daring anyone to give him any shit. None did. Instead, they all smiled at him and he saw genuine happiness in their expressions.
Though relieved, it also saddened him when he realized why he’d automatically expected opposition. His parents had darkened his outlook on mating humans so deeply, he’d projected those negative feelings on the rest of the clan. The truth was there every time another VampLycan joined them on their walk and their reactions continued to be so positive. No one spoke though, because Trayis remained silent.
They finally reached the office. It was a large barn-like structure. Nearly eighty VampLycans waited outside. Wen noticed that Gerri’s grip on his hand tightened when heads turned and it seemed everyone was staring at them. He pulled her even closer, their bodies bumping together with each step. He searched for his parents and found them near the office door.
Mandro’s eyes turned black with rage when he spotted them. His mother clutched at his father with a look of horror etched on her face. Wen felt dread. They obviously remembered Gerri. She had changed over the years but not enough to confuse them regarding her identity. They would cause a scene.
His father didn’t even wait for Trayis and them to reach the front of the building. He pulled away from his mate and threw up his arm, pointing at Gerri. “What is the meaning of this?”
Wen halted with Gerri next to him. He pulled her flush to his side but prepared to leap forward if his father attempted to get close to her. He wouldn’t allow it.
Trayis stepped between his father and Gerri, probably blocking his dad from even seeing her.
“The meaning of what, Mandro?” Trayis’s voice boomed in the silence. “Everyone here who is an adult will remember Gerri. She’s returned to her clan. For the youths gathered, I’m certain you’ve been told about Klentz mating to the human Carol, and that she had a daughter named Gerri. This is her. Her mother left our clan to return to the human world. Gerri was a youth who was forced to leave at her mother’s demand. She’s returned to her home, now that she’s an adult, and has finally mated to Wen. They are true mates. That calls for a celebration.”
“No!” Wen’s mother screeched.
Wen tugged Gerri behind him and let her go. Two VampLycans flanked him from behind and he glanced back. Tymber and his brother Yern were there, taking protective stances inches from Gerri. The look in their eyes told him they’d keep her safe. He stepped up next to Trayis just as his mother dodged around his father.
“I won’t allow it,” his mother shrieked. Her claws flew out and hair sprouted along her skin. “She’s not mating my son!”
Mandro grabbed her around the waist and jerked her into his arms. “You can’t attack her. Calm.”
She fought him, trying to break free. “I can! Not a human, not with my son! Never! I’ll kill her first!”
“Enough!” Trayis thundered.
Wen winced, pain shooting through his ear from the volume of his clan leader’s shout so close to him. Other clansmen had the same reaction, some of them even throwing their hands up to cover their ears. Wen’s mother stilled in his father’s arms.
“Is it true?” Mandro snarled. “You mated her?” His black eyes locked on Wen.
“Gerri is my mate. She was always mine. You’ve known it since we were kids. I’m not Gerbin, nor will I ever be.”
Mandro took a step forward, must have remembered that he held his mate, and growled. He lowered Elna until her feet touched the ground but kept his arm around her waist. “I forbid it!”
“It’s done.” Wen approached his parents. “Trust your noses if you don’t want to hear the words. Gerri is my true mate. She will be the mother of my young one day.”
“You can’t forbid it.” Trayis stood next to Wen. “He’s not your child anymore. He’s my enforcer.”
“She’s human. They are weak!” Mandro hissed. “She can’t birth the next generation of our bloodline.”
“I’ve adopted her as my daughter. Think carefully before you say those words again.” Trayis glanced around. “I had hoped to announce it with a bit more tact, but there it is. Klentz was a good friend to me, and I swore I’d look out for his daughter as if she were my own if anything ever happened to him. What better way than to adopt her myself?” He glared at Mandro. “She’s always been a part of our clan, but she’s also family. Understood?”
Wen felt pain as his parents both paled and he took in their reactions. His father stumbled back, dragging his mother with him. His mouth opened, closed, then opened again…but no words left his father’s lips.
A small hand pressed against his spine and he reached back for his mate. He knew it was Gerri. She leaned against his side and he was glad she was there. He put his arm around her, hugging her.
His father spun, lifted his mate into his arms, and stormed off into the woods. Wen watched them go.
Trayis turned his head to speak directly to Wen. “They must face this head on. Adapt or not. That’s their choice, not yours.”
He knew his leader was right. He hated that the clan had witnessed the tense scene though. His parents were too proud. It hadn’t been their best moment.
Trayis strode over to the office door and smiled. “Who said clan meetings are boring?”
A few people laughed.
“Gerri is back and Wen is mated. As I was saying, that calls for a celebration. For those of you who haven’t met Gerri, introduce yourself to her today. She was raised with us, so there are no secrets. They need a few days to bond so we’ll hold a clan lunch feast on Saturday. We’ll also be inviting some of the other clans. They have reason to celebrate too. Wen took care of the last Vampire who attacked the human town and Lorn’s clan. That threat is over.”
Wen saw smiles break out amongst the assembled clan. Trayis walked around, taking questions. Some of his friends wanted to see Gerri again and youths came forward to meet her. He kept her at his side but his gaze continued to roam, and he hoped his parents didn’t return.
* * * * *
Gerri felt exhausted by the time Wen led her back home. It had been nice to see familiar faces. The children had wanted to touch her hair, her skin, and ask her about the human world. The most uncomfortable questions had been those about her mother.
“You did really well.”
“Except the lying.”
Wen opened the front door, sniffed, and then motioned her in. She guessed why he did it. His parents had taken off from the meeting and not come back. Neither of them had been thrilled upon learning of their mating. Not that she’d thought they’d take it well. But no blood had been spilled, so there was a plus side.
“You said your mother was living with a pack in California. How was that a lie?” He closed the door and twisted the bolts.
She frowned. “Because there’s a real possibility that she’s not still alive. Why did you bolt the door?”
“My parents. It’s a habit I’ve formed thanks to them. I don’t want them walking in here.”
“Do you think they’ll come after me?”
Wen hesitated. “It would be stupid.”
“But you think they would? Just answer.”
He shrugged. “They aren’t the same as they used to be. I never know what they’re capable of now. I won’t risk it. I checked all the windows this morning. They are secured. They’d have to kick in a door or break glass to get in.”
Damn. She hated that he was on high alert from his parents. It wasn’t necessarily her fault but it had to suck for him. She walked over and hugged his waist, closed her eyes, and rested her cheek against his chest. “I love you.”
He held her tight. “I love you too. You’re not responsible for their actions.”
“I know that. You aren’t either.”
He said nothing, so she opened her eyes and looked up at him. The tortured expression on his face made her chest ache.
“People can get broken inside when someone they love dies. They either bounce back or they allow it to eat them up. I saw that with my mother. The loss of her mate changed her.”
“I’ll just never understand why I wasn’t enough for them.”
“Please don’t think that way. I’ve gone that route and it takes you nowhere good. I talked to my mother until I was blue in the face and begged her to get her life together. I was her daughter, and she should have loved me enough to try to hang in there. That didn’t happen. She was slowly spiraling deeper into screwing up her life and mine. I couldn’t snap her out of it. I told you that she drank and I suspected she was doing drugs. The pack she got involved with was my wakeup call that she was hell-bent on destruction. That one asshole attacked me but she took their side. It’s not like I just disappeared on her without warning. I begged her to leave with me but she refused to go.”
Wen rubbed her back. “I’m sorry.”
“It was cut ties or let her drown me in that murk with her, Wen. She failed me. Not the other way around. Your parents have done the same to you. You’re an amazing son if they never figured that out. Don’t ever allow them to make you feel like less. It pisses me off.”
A faint smile curved his lips. “I’m pissed at your mother.”
“Me too but I’m not going to let that eat at me. We have shitty parents. That’s okay, because now we have each other.”
“Don’t you want to contact Carol to tell her we mated?”
“No.”
“Perhaps she left the pack and got her life in order.”
“Then I wouldn’t know how to find her anyway. Her boyfriend didn’t allow her to have her own phone. He was a controlling jerk. It’s better this way. I made my peace with losing my mom the day she chose that pack over me. Besides, I like to imagine she actually turned into a Lycan from the blood she was drinking and ran off with some hot newbie who couldn’t stand the pack he’d joined.” She smiled. “They’re mated in my fantasy and she’s happy. Maybe even had a few more pups.”
“You’re breaking my heart, G.L.”
“It’s called hope. I used to fantasize about you too.” She slid her hands up his chest and curled her fingers around the back of his neck. “And here we are.”
He grinned. “Alone in your cabin.”
“We should decide which place we’re going to live in.”
“I don’t give a shit as long as we’re in the same bed.”
She laughed. “Speaking of, how about we go test out the mattress springs again?”
“First you need to eat. It’s past lunch and your stomach is grumbling.”
“Sex, then food.”
“Food, then sex.”
“Is everything going to be an argument with you, Wen?”
He ran his hands down to her ass and cupped both cheeks with his large hands, lifting her. “I’m your mate. I want to take care of you.”
She wrapped around him. “It’s our honeymoon. I want lots of sex. We have years to make up for.”
He walked into the kitchen and shelved her butt on the counter. “Food first.” He leaned in and nipped her bottom lip. “I wouldn’t want you fainting on me. Besides, I want to impress you with my cooking skills.”
“I’m more interested in what you can do in a bedroom right now.”
He let her go and backed away. “How about a compromise?”
“I’m listening.”
“I’ll cook you something but we can eat it naked in bed.”
She grinned. “Deal. Just don’t make it too hot. I want to eat stuff off your bod.”
He growled. “Tease.”
“You’re the one insisting on lunch first.”
He yanked open the fridge. “I see lots of sandwich stuff. That will be faster than cooking a meal.”
She slid off the counter as Wen rummaged in the storage drawers of the fridge. He held a lot of things when he rose up and turned. His mouth fell open when Gerri gripped the neck of her shirt and yanked it down, flashing him her breasts.
“What are you doing?”
“One of my training instructors recently reminded me to flash my boobs if I was about to be attacked. He said a man would want to fuck me instead. Was he right?”
Wen growled, his gaze locked on her breasts.
She backed away. “Come on, boy. Good doggy. Follow me.”
Wen turned and just dumped everything back into the fridge. He growled again, slamming the fridge shut as he faced her again. “Are you really doing this, G.L.?”
She laughed. “Let’s play with a bone. Got a big one hidden somewhere in your pants?”
He lunged and she twisted away, running for the bedroom.
Wen caught her before she reached the door and buried his face in her neck as he lifted her. He inhaled deeply. One of his arms was wrapped around her waist and he snaked his other up to cup her breast, gently squeezing it. “You smell so damn good.” He carried her in front of him to the bedroom. “I’m trying to be a caring mate.”
“Am I making it hard for you? Pun intended.”
“Very hard.”
He lifted her a little higher, released her breast and turned her in his arms. “I missed you so fucking much. I was dying inside without you.”
She cupped his face and kissed him. He flopped them on the bed, twisting as they fell so she landed on top of him. She straddled his lap and sat up. “I was dying inside too. Now it’s about life and enjoying every moment of it together.” She scooted down on him and unfastened his jeans. “And I am hungry—but I want to taste you.”
“You are so damn sexy.”
“So are you, honeybun. Now lift your hips and help me shove these down. You weigh a ton.”
He arched his hips of the bed a few inches. “Mean mate.”
“Say that when I’m licking you to death.”
“My sexy, perfect mate.”
“That’s better.” She got his jeans down enough to free his cock. He hadn’t put on underwear. “Lower back down. Perfect. Never change, Wen.” She shoved her hair to one side to get it out of the way and scooted back a little more so she could reach him with her mouth.
“I always fantasized about your mouth wrapped around me,” Wen groaned.
“Dreams really do come true when we’re together.” She opened her mouth and gently gripped the thick shaft of his cock, running her tongue along the crown. She loved the low growls that erupted from him as she got to know her mate’s taste.
Gerri used her mouth on Wen but lifted her gaze to stare up at him. He threw his head back, mouth open and fangs showing as she brought him pleasure. His hands fisted the bedding but he released it fast when his claws slid out. The animalistic noises he made turned her on. Everything about him did.
“I can’t hold back,” he snarled.
She moved her mouth over him faster, taking him deeper. His entire body tensed but he suddenly bucked his hips, dislodging her. He sat up, grabbed her, and flipped her onto her back.
“Why did you do that?”
He slid off the bed, grabbed her ankle, and jerked her down the mattress. He rolled her and put her on her knees in front of him, pressing her forward so she was bent over the bed. He shoved down her pants and panties.
“I need to be inside you when I come,” he growled.
Gerri moaned his name as he slowly entered her. She clawed the bed, knowing she couldn’t shred the bedding the way Wen could. He paused when he was fully seated inside her. A heartbeat later he was moving fast and deep, fucking her as if their lives depended on it.
He fisted her hair, pulling it out of the way, and he bit her. The pain and pleasure sent her over the edge fast. She cried out his name, knowing he got off at the same time she did.
They were both panting when he eased his fangs out of her and licked her neck. She lie there, feeling boneless. “I don’t know what that was but I’m not complaining.”
“Fucking Lycan side,” he grumbled. “I thought, ‘I’m going to blow, but what if that’s the semen that could get my mate pregnant?’ That’s how you ended up in this position. Got any doggy jokes now, golden locks?”
Gerri started laughing. Being mated to a VampLycan would never be boring.