Three
Cole
My bear has been clawing at my insides, roaring to get out since the moment Ruby told me she sent her friend to Remy’s. At first, I thought it was because he’s the alpha of our clan and is somewhat protective of those he considers his. Why would he believe Ruby’s friend was his though? The closer I got, the more restless and agitated he became. Once I opened the door to Remy’s and stepped in, her scent hit me like a ton of bricks, and I knew instantly my mate was here. My mate. The only thing that mattered was finding her. My bear calmed the instant we laid eyes on her, and wouldn’t you know it, she’s got long dark hair and is wearing a bear pendant. It’s my lucky day.
I don’t know how Ruby knew, probably the same way she just knows when the weather is going to be bad or not to take on a certain job. Whatever the hell it is I’m thankful. I want to pull this dark-haired beauty to my side and never let her go, but she’s human, and she wouldn’t understand my need to mark her and make her mine. The first thing I need to do is get her out of this fucking cesspool of horny men before my bear reacts and shows himself. That is the last thing we need. As calmly as I can, I ask her to leave so we can go somewhere else. Guess I wasn’t as gentle as she needed because she gets up and leaves in a huff. Catching her before she drives off, I turn her around and back her up against the vehicle she is about to get into.
“Aubree, wait.”
Shifters rarely mate with a human, but it does happen. I don’t know how we are going to work or if she’ll even accept my bear, but I know she is meant for us, that she’s meant to be mine.
“I had to get you out of there Honey. All those men around you were driving me crazy.”
Her eyes go wide, and she presses herself as flat against the Jeep as she can get. “Look, I’m just going to go home okay? It was nice to meet you. I’ll tell Ruby it just wasn’t a match and that will be the end of it.” She’s about to turn to leave, but I step into her space pressing my body as close to hers without touching.
“Let’s have dinner. I know a place we can eat and get to know one another.”
“That’s not a good idea Cole. This isn’t going to work.”
I know she wants this as bad as I do, I can feel it down deep in my bones. Her scent is also very telling, letting me know she is as equally affected by me as I am by her. I can’t help but lean in close and inhale her sweet scent that is driving my bear and me crazy. Like a magnet, her body is attuned with mine, and she leans into me pressing her full tits against me. I groan out loud, unable to control my response to her. “You smell so fucking sweet Aubree. Give me another chance, just have dinner with me.”
“Okay,” she says sweetly, barely above a whisper.
I assume the mating pull is the only reason she agrees right now, but I’ll take what I can get. I pull back and grab her hand quickly leading her in the direction of my truck before she can change her mind and back out of this. I help her into the passenger seat and shut the door once she is buckled up. Once we’re on the road, I take a left and head out of town. The silence between us stretches while the tension in the cab doubles with every mile.
Aubree twists in her seat, so she’s facing me. “Where are we going? Town and all the restaurants are in the other direction.”
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re a bit of a hard ass?” Her lips purse and I can tell she’s about to give me another tongue lashing. “I’m kind of working on instinct here. I’ve never been on a date before, let alone a blind one. It’s probably unorthodox, but what if I cooked us a few steaks and we hung out at my place?”
“I find it hard to believe that a guy that looks like you has a hard time finding a date.”
“I wouldn’t know, and I’ve never had any interest in finding out. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t looking forward to tonight until I walked in the door and spotted you.”
She’s about to say something when I pull up my drive, and she sees my cabin.
“This is yours?” She asks in awe.
God, is it really this easy? Does mating instinct kick in immediately, even in non-shifters and life just works out? Nah, life doesn’t always work out, just look at my Mom and Dad. He found his mate but all his joy, his reason for living died only a few years later.
My bear chuffs inside reminding me to be in the moment. He likes that our mate is pleased and so do I. My bear must have known our mate was near because I’ve made a lot of upgrades to the cabin over the past few months. I love the look of excitement that is dancing over her features, and she hasn’t even seen the inside yet. As I said, I’ve had a lot of time on my hands lately.
“It was my Mom and Dads. They built it with the help of their friends and family when they were ma-, when they were married. I moved out when I turned eighteen, but when my father passed away earlier this year, I moved back in.”
Aubree grabs my hand and squeezes it lightly. “I’m sorry for your loss Cole. I can’t imagine how hard that was. Ruby told me about your Mom and how your Dad raised you and your brothers and sister on his own. You all must have been close.”
Bringing her hand up to my lips I place a soft kiss on the top of her hand. Damn, her skin is soft and smells so sweet. “Thank you. Come on, I’m starving.” She goes to grab for the handle, but I stop her. “Just wait there, I’ll get the door for you.”
“I can open my door, Cole.”
“I know you can, and if I’m not with you, go for it. When I’m around I get your doors, okay?”
She rolls her eyes but sits back in her seat waiting for me. I hop out of my truck and quickly make my way around to open her door. I might not have ever dated before, but I know how my Dad treated my Mom when she was still alive, the same way he treated Ruby her whole life. He instilled in us to always treat women with the utmost respect and treasure them. “They are our life force, and they should be treated like queens.” He would tell my brothers and me. Finally having my mate, I fully appreciate his words.
When I open the door, she’s ready to jump down, but I hold out my hand for her. Shyly she takes my hand, and I help her down. I don’t let her hand go as we walk up the stairs and to the back door. No one ever uses the front unless they are strangers. Family and friends always use the back. I open the unlocked door and walk in to find Gabe and Slate watching the game on the flat screen. My mind was so wrapped up with Aubree, I wasn’t thinking about anyone else being here.
I tense immediately and let out a growl. My bear is on edge and doesn’t want anyone around his mate until she has been claimed. “What are you two doing here?”
Slate looks pissed. “I think the question is brother, what the hell are you doing?” He questions looking at my mate.
Aubree moves to stand behind me and it the scent of her fear hits me full on. I need to get them out of here before they fuck this up for me. She’s human and doesn’t understand everything that’s going on between us. If she leaves it will be even worse.
“Aubree, these are my brothers.” I pull her from behind me and wrap my arm around her, pulling her into my side. “This goofy looking one is Gabe and is Ruby’s twin.” Gabe stands to shake her hand but growl low in my throat and pull us back, so he doesn’t touch her. His eyes go wide, and suddenly a wide smile spreads across his face. Dropping his hand, he waves. “It’s nice to meet you, Aubree. Ruby has told me a lot about you.”
“You too Gabe,” Aubree says with a nervous smile. She turns to Slate. “You must be Slate then. Ruby has told me all about you three.”
He eyes her skeptically. “She has, she’s told you everything?”
Aubree blushes and looks down. “Well, n-n-not everything. I just meant, I just meant that she talks about her brothers a lot. I can tell you all mean a great deal to one another.”
“Interesting. She hasn’t told me anything about you. What about you Cole, when did you two meet?”
“That’s enough, Slate. Go home. I’ll call you later Slate. And the next time you speak to my mate, you better fucking talk to her with respect.” I say, inflecting my alpha dominance directly at Slate, making what I said an order that he can't help but obey.
Slate looks at me like I’ve lost my mind when he’s about to say something Gabe grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him out of the house. When the door closes behind them, I face my mate with a confused expression. “Did you just call me your mate?”