~

 

“Ooo, a real-life mystery.” Amy folded her arms and chuckled as she stood beside her sister and waited for Drake to point out the guilty party.

“Is it wrong that I just want to go and eat a bucket of chocolate ice cream?” Drake grumbled.

“You should go do that.” Nancy nodded in agreement. “While we go and drink that wine.” She was hesitant to put a foot towards the cabin because between her and sanctuary; stood the beta.

“I bet it’s the sarcastic one,” Amy said to her sister.

“I bet it’s a quiet one,” Jackie offered back.

“Which one’s the quiet one?” Amy frowned as she stared at the three witches in turn.

“Or it could be the peacemaker.” Jackie just couldn’t seem to make up her mind.

“I need a drink,” Drake growled.

“You and me both,” Nancy grumbled.

“Well, they have something in common,” Amy said on a snigger, and Nancy took a long step back from the group.

“I’m sure we don’t!” Nancy rushed out in denial. “I’m a vegetarian.”

“You’re not!” Eliza turned up her nose at the idea of Nancy ever refraining from eating meat.

“If you’re a vegetarian then I’m the tooth fairy,” Ashley snorted a chuckle at the very idea.

She’d seen Nancy elbow deep in a nice juicy steak. It was a case of keeping your hands out of the way while the woman devoured it.

“Okay, maybe not a vegetarian — but I loved the movie Bambi — cried when Bambi’s mother died,” Nancy rushed out. She folded her arms across her chest and offered Drake a damning look.

“Well, don’t look at me, I didn’t eat her,” Drake growled.

“Nobody eat her, stupid,” Amy sighed. “It’s a cartoon.”

“So, why did I get the evil eye?” Drake growled.

“So, you never hunted a deer?” Nancy narrowed her eyes at the man, and Drake felt immediately felt guilty without truly knowing why.

“Well…” he started as he searched for something to say.

“Ah-ha!” Nancy shrieked. Drake and his sisters grimaced at the sound that hit their ears. “You see!” She pointed an accusing finger at him.

“I have a wolf!” he growled.

“Exactly.” Nancy tossed her hands up in the air and let them fall to her sides, as she rolled her eyes, and followed through with her head so that she could turn her attention toward Ashley.

“You’re not helping,” Ashley’s singsong tone annoyed her.

“I don’t want to help,” she offered the singsong voice right back to her friend.

“One of us is still a mate,” Eliza’s tone-deaf voice sung out and the shifters grimaced once more.

“Fingernails down a chalkboard,” Amy muttered to Jackie.

“Tell me about it. If she is the mate then I’m out of the house when she has a shower,” Jackie chuckled back.

“Can we all just take a minute?” Ashley begged.

There was only one person in the group who could confirm who the mate was, and that was Drake. She gave him an expectant look.

“It’s not you,” Drake informed her.

“Oh, thank the Goddess,” Ashley almost deflated on the spot and collapsed to the ground with relief. “No offense.”

Drake grunted in reply.

“One witch down – two to go,” Amy sniggered.

“Which witch will it be,” Jackie sniggered back.

“Spill your guts, brother, or we’re putting a call out to the pack and announcing…” Amy got no further.

“No!” Drake growled at the thought.

Not his brothers!

Anything, even death was preferable to his brothers finding out.

Drake stared at his sisters. Both of them had their arms folded, their heads tipped to one side, and gleeful looks in their eyes.

They meant it.

“Payback.” Jackie grinned from ear to ear.

“Of the very best kind.” Amy joined her with a smug grin.

They had him there, and they knew it. He knew that there wasn’t anything that he could do to change their minds.

They were enjoying it. And he suddenly regretted every mean, horrible, taunting and teasing thing that he’d ever done to them when they were growing up.

“Fine!” Drake growled long and hard at his devious little siblings blackmailing him.

“Come on then. Let’s have it, which one?” Amy demanded.

“Spit it out, brother,” Jackie was practically frothing at the mouth in anticipation.

Drake bit down on a growl, and then he bit the bullet. He slowly raised his arm and snapped out his index finger that would point to his mate.

He swallowed down hard. The moment that he identified his mate then his beast was going to go ballistic.

Mine…

“That one,” Drake growled as he pointed to his mate.

Nancy sucked in a hard breath as she glared at Drake.

“Oh — crap!” Eliza bit out as her legs gave way beneath her and she dropped to her backside on the snow.

“Well,” Nancy blew out the breath that she’d been holding. “Congratulations. And all I can say is… thank God it wasn’t me.”

Drake forced his legs to move. He stalked three long steps forward and looked down at his mate.

“Get up. You’re sitting in the snow — you’re going to catch a cold,” Drake growled out.

“Where? In my ass?” Eliza grumbled.

‘Drake found his mate!’ Amy announced to the whole pack.

“You didn’t!” Drake spun around and glared at his sister. That smile of glee had not left her face.

“I didn’t say that I wouldn’t announce it after you told us who it was.” She grinned from ear to ear.

“That’s…” he growled in anger. “What did I ever do to you?” he demanded.

“He’s kidding, right?” Amy asked as she leaned in toward her sister.

“I think they call it convenient amnesia,” Jackie offered back.

“That’s how most men go through life,” Nancy said on a nod of agreement.

“Can I get some if that?” Eliza asked.

“What?” Nancy looked confused.

“Bloody amnesia,” Eliza grumbled.