“You’re wearing that?” Wesley poked his head around Marius’s door. “Don’t you know we’ve got company tonight?”
Marius looked down at his jeans and t-shirt. “My clothes are clean, what more do you want?” He eyed Wesley’s pressed pants and button-up shirt. “The elf isn’t here as a potential date. Shit, the guy’s probably straight. He’s just here to pass on a message that’s all.”
“He’s going to be living with us for a while at least, and Vassago said he didn’t mention bringing anyone else along.” Wesley sounded defensive. “You never know. He could be a mate for one of us.”
Shaking his head, Marius grabbed his keys and then dropped them. He was only walking over to the pack house. It wasn’t as though anyone locked their doors or anything. “Well, if he’s your mate, he’ll be thrilled you’ve made the effort to look nice.” Marius swept his braids off his neck so they hung down his back. “As for me, I’m on patrol later so there’s no point in dressing up.”
“What do you think he’ll be like?” Wesley asked as they walked down the hall together. “Thomas heard Luke telling Ryan something about him having legs like trees. Ollie climbed him.”
“That’s something he’ll have to get used to,” Marius said, heading down the stairs. He could see Adair, Vassago, Thomas and Ryan waiting for them. “Wait until Killer decides he likes the smell of his boots.”
“Oh my god, yes,” Wesley laughed. “Kane is talking about getting a boot tree or something so he’s got somewhere to put his out of that dog’s reach. Hopefully, Raff and his mates left the little rug rats at home this evening.”
“Don’t let my brother hear you call them that,” Marius warned. “You know how protective Teilo is of Raff and Raff adores those little ankle biters.” He was sure Cloverleah was the only shifter pack in history that had five natural dogs as part of the pack. Raff already had four of them when he met Nereus in San Antonio. When they moved to Cloverleah and mated with Teilo, Nereus’s brother, Lasse, brought Cutie Pie as a mating gift. All the dogs were small but came with an alpha attitude, especially the one called Killer. Marius had taken to wearing lace up boots with padded ankle supports because the little guy would attack out of nowhere.
“Come on, guys,” Thomas said impatiently. “We’ll miss dinner if we don’t get a move on.”
“Decided to dress down for the occasion?” Vassago teased him as they headed for the pack house. He was looking particularly delicious in tight leather pants and a short top. Exactly the type of man Marius typically went for; except in this case he liked his balls right where they were.
“I decided I had a job to do tonight and dressed for comfort rather than to impress a man I don’t know and probably won’t have a lot to do with.” Marius wasn’t overly resentful of the amount of time Vassago and therefore Adair spent with the inner circle. He just knew he wasn’t a part of it. He wondered why Kane wanted them all there at all.
Vassago looked at him sideways, but wisely didn’t say anything. Marius adored his brother-in-law and was thrilled Adair had found happiness, but that didn’t mean…Stop it. You are who you are and you have a place just like anyone else here. Although it was hard for Marius to keep his insecurities at bay. With one of his brothers mated to Nereus, son of Poseidon, and Raff, the only red wolf left in existence, and the other one now consort to the king of the djinn, yeah, he was feeling out of depth and hellishly alone.
Man up. Pack house in sight. Be the regular guy no one notices just like always. A walk in the park for a weak-knees like you.
It didn’t help that his subconscious sounded a lot like his dead father. That guy was a bastard.
/~/~/~/~/
Cathair felt a twinge of excitement as he made his way down the stairs. Fully rested, he had chosen his outfit with care. He’d even taken the time to straighten a few errant waves from his hair, magically, of course. The love and positive vibes tickling his skin, increased with every new pack member who entered the house. From memory, there were twenty-five pack members, not including the cub. All but four of them were mated. Might have to disappear to my own realm once in a while, or my poor dick is going to feel neglected. Cathair nudged the offending item more comfortably in his pants. He’d opted for black flowing pants, worn by elven soldiers because they allowed for ease of movement.
His shoulders felt bare without his twin swords across his back, but this was a dinner invitation. No need to scare the natives Cathair thought with a grin. Taking a cue from his hosts, he’d decided on a tight muscle shirt instead of remaining shirtless; his preferred mode of dress. Over the top he’d worn his flowing white robes used for more ceremonial occasions. As a representative of the Elders he wanted to be taken seriously.
Hovering on the third step from the bottom, Cathair took in the crowd. Most of the men present were tall, well-built and damn good looking in a variety of ways. He picked out Nereus instantly. The man was a walking god and easy to pick from the brightness of his aura. Cathair had crossed paths with him on a few occasions. Fortunately, they’d never been intimate especially now the man had two mates.
And there’s another familiar face. Cathair hadn’t seen the vampire Vadim for at least a century. He’d been tempted to put the moves on the icy man from day one, but a quick discussion determined they were both tops. Cathair caught the glint of a mating scar on the blond vampire’s neck. Maybe not so toppy now, he thought checking out the friendly faced wolf beside the formidable vampire.
Seeing the men all together was both awe inspiring and concerning. A nudging sense of unease in the back of his mind had him wondering what the fates were thinking bringing so many powers to the one place. No wonder trouble is heading this way. Between the powers they hold over other paranormals and the love they have for each other, this pack shines like a freaking beacon.
A commotion by the front door caught his attention and Cathair turned to look. He recognized Adair who was pushing a younger wolf through the door. “No need to get pushy, bro,” the young wolf pushed back. “I’m old enough to find my way through a door.”
Hmm, a young wolf with attitude, and Adair’s brother. He must be the unmated one. Cathair’s quick eyes took in the slightly slimmer frame, olive skin and full lips surrounded by well-groomed facial hair. “What amazing braids,” he said without thinking, pulling on a polite smile as the young wolf turned to look at him.
Fuck. It’s finally happened. Cathair’s wings didn’t tremble as the Elders foretold; they snapped out, shimmering down his back as a flood of energy shot through his system. “Dude, your wings are beautiful,” he heard Luke say. But it was Marius he was concerned about. The wolf’s mouth dropped open and then a flash of hope, lust and then pure terror crossed over Marius’s face. The wolf sniffed the air once and then to Cathair’s astonishment, he ran back out the door.
Cathair was dumbfounded. Marius was a wolf. He lived in a pack full of mates. There was no way the young man couldn’t know what they meant to each other. “Is he all right?” Cathair saw Adair powering towards him and moved to the foot of the stairs. He was still taller and bigger and he wasn’t going to let a wolf with anger issues unsettle him. He was more worried about Marius.
“Is my brother your mate?” Adair’s chest bumped his as the wolf got right up in his face.
Cathair bristled. “No, my wings flew out and wrecked my shirt and robes for the hell of it. What do you think, wolf?” Cathair wrenched the offending pieces of material off his arms, letting them drop on the floor, before pushing Adair back.
“You had better not hurt him, my friend, or it will be more than your shirt that’s wrecked. What?” Adair turned his glare to Vassago who was tugging on his arm.
“Elves are just as loyal as any shifter,” Vassago didn’t look happy but this time Cathair guessed the ire wasn’t directed at him. “Marius will be cared for, cherished and protected till the end of his days just as if he had a shifter for a mate.”
“But….”
“Don’t finish that sentence, mate,” Vassago warned. “It’s time you stop trying to control every aspect of your brothers’ lives and focus on what’s important here.” A slap on Adair’s arm and the bigger man fumed in silence. Vassago quirked his brow at Cathair. “Marius has led a troubled life and has a few issues with mating, especially someone as big as yourself. A gentle and patient approach would be best, if it’s something you’re capable of.”
“I know how to be nice.” Although right now, Cathair’s anger was bubbling. After all the humiliation and disgrace he’d suffered since learning Jorge cheated on him and bragged about it, finding a mate was the one dream he’d held onto. Cathair wasn’t sure what just happened. To see his mate run from him was devastating and yet now he was in a room full of people he didn’t know; with Adair glaring at him and everyone else watching the show with avid curiosity.
“Welcome to the pack, my friend.” Kane came over and slapped him on the shoulder. “It seems the Fates have worked their magic again and delivered Marius’s mate right to our doorstep. We will all understand if you’d rather forgo dinner and go after him.”
“You’ve changed your tune, haven’t you? You usually have a fit anytime one of us finds our mates.” Adair’s tone hadn’t softened, although Cathair wasn’t sure talking like that to the pack alpha was a clever idea. Most alphas took that sort of thing as a direct challenge.
But Kane surprised him by laughing. “It might have taken me a while, but my mate finally convinced me that all mates come to us for a reason and when they do, they are a good fit for the pack. Shawn hasn’t been wrong so far. Now, head off, Cathair. You have a mate to catch and for the rest of you, dinner is getting cold.”
“But I wanted to ask about his wings,” Luke complained as he was shuttled back with the others. Cathair saw a younger, neatly dressed man giving him the eye and wondered what all that was about, especially when the man winked at him. Had the man missed the part when Cathair’s wings emerged?
“Wesley, come on.” Another unknown face pulled Wesley away, but there was something in the man’s vibe and the way he kept looking back that raised the hair on the back of Cathair’s neck. He made a mental note to keep an eye on Wesley.
“Don’t you dare hurt him,” Adair whispered as Vassago gave up trying to pull him away and stalked off by himself. “I swear, I will find a way to kill you. Marius is my youngest brother, the baby of our family. My dad was a right bastard to him when he was young. I’ve spent a lifetime making sure no one has the chance to hurt him again. You cross him and you’ll deal with the wrath of me, Teilo and our formidable mates.”
“And yet, Marius is an enforcer and has spent a lifetime chasing rogues and fighting under your direction. I fail to see how that’s protecting him. But whatever the story, it will be Marius’s to tell, not you. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Ignoring the slew of questions hovering on the tip of his tongue, Cathair stepped outside the front door, using his magic to find Marius’s unique energy signature. As soon as he had it pinpointed, his body shimmered, and he disappeared.