Wolf Mated

by Tamsin Baker

  He nodded. “Yeah. I wonder how he managed it. I mean... feeling that way, but still showing up every day. Fighting. Hunting. He was your only parent too... yeah?”

  I smiled at the sentiment, the thought he was putting into what I’d said. “Yeah, Mom died when I was three.”

  In mysterious circumstances that had never been fully explained. Not to me anyway.

  Fridge shook his head and whistled through his teeth. “Woah... then that would have been doubly hard.”

  I wasn’t sure how exactly, but Fridge seemed convinced.

  “Yeah. I mean... I never really thought about it.” And I hadn’t. I’d taken the compliment of how much my dad loved me and moved on.

  But thinking about it now, I supposed for a man... a naturally protective man, which a dragon would be, what my dad had done must seem like an insurmountable task.

  I shrugged. “Sorry, I can’t really help you with that one. I never asked Dad how he overcame it. To be honest, I always assumed he didn’t. That was why he ran the workshop. Got other guys to go out and hunt instead of him.”

  Fridge laughed. “God, no. Is that what he told you? Your dad always took on the big cases. People trusted him the most. So, if you thought he was sitting pretty and safe in an office all day...” Fridge chuckled again. “You really didn’t know your dad that well.”

  My gaze dropped to the carpet at Fridge’s feet, the words hitting home much harder than he probably intended.

  “I guess so.”

  It made me feel sick to my stomach, and perhaps sad too, that I hadn’t known my father the way I thought I had.

  Or perhaps Fridge had only known that one side of him? The hard ass wolf shifter that was feared by so many.

  I’d known the sweet, generous, mushy side of my father that no-one else had seen. And maybe that was the way it was meant to stay.

  Fridge cleared his throat, coughing roughly. “I didn’t mean...”

  I looked up and waved my hand at the panic across his face. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I think I’m just getting tired.”

  And I was. May as well use it as an excuse to be emotional.

  “Oh, right,” he said. “Let me grab a few things, and I’ll walk you home.”

  “That’s not necessary,” I said. Surely he knew that by now? “I can deal with most normal guys. Trust me. Especially if I can use a knife.”

  And speaking of which, I need to find that nice little knife that strapped to my calf so easily. Dad put it away somewhere...

  I grinned at him and he frowned.

  “Rogan and I aren’t leaving you alone until we’ve found the vamp responsible for your dad’s murder. Found out why he did it and made sure you’re safe. If you can’t cope with that...”

  I waited, wondering how he was going to finish that sentence.

  Finally, he lifted his chin and stared down at me, “Then we’re going to have problems.”

  Now he wanted to be all protective?

  I threw up my hands, annoyed that the dragon who had made it perfectly clear he didn’t want me in any permanent sense, still wanted to do the right thing and stick by me. Quite literally. Well, I wasn’t sure I could handle that. Not the way things stood between us.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Fine. If you want to play bodyguard, I’m not going to stop you, but can’t you take turns? It’s not like I need both of you.”

  I threw the words at him, hoping they’d stick, make an impression, and screw up his head a little.

  He flinched as though I’d struck him. The way his eyes practically crossed at the idea. “You... want me to leave you and Rogan alone over night?”

  I stared at him with my eyes wide and as innocent as possible. “Why? Would that be a problem?

  It shouldn’t be. Rogan was his best friend. And he’d told me he didn’t believe in fated mates, so he didn’t want me for himself? Obviously. Right?

  But as I watched Fridge’s eyes flash from green, to yellow, and back again, I wondered how much of a fight his shifter was putting up.

  He obviously didn’t want to leave me alone with another man, but could he admit it?

  I put a hand on my hip and tossed my head back so I could look straight at him. “Fridge? Is that a problem? Is Rogan... untrustworthy? Is there something I should know about him?”

  I verbally opened the door for him to slam his friend and waited.

  Surely, he’d come up with something?

  Fridge opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again.

  I waited still. But nope. His lips were sealed shut.

  Ha! So, you don’t care, huh? We’ll see about that.

  “So, I’ll ask Rogan to come back to my place tonight, and we’ll, what? Swap over tomorrow night?”

  Fridge nodded, and a strange growl rolled through the room that made me bite my lip, hard. Just so I didn’t laugh.

  He turned and stormed out of the office. I had to put a hand over my mouth to stop the giggle that bubbled up.

  Damn... he was so jealous he could barely see straight. But was it because he didn’t like the idea of me being with anyone else? Or was it because it was Rogan?

  I suppose I’d have to wait and find out.

  I glanced around the room, tidied up a little, then grabbed the keys to leave.

  I didn’t know what I was going to do tonight, but I was sure I could distract myself enough.

  Hopefully.

  I closed my dad’s office door and headed down the stairs.

  Most of the men had cleared out and there was a strange eeriness to the building now, without the hum drum of talking and action everywhere.

  A wave of gratefulness for my over-protective shifter men washed over me.

  I would hate to go home to an empty apartment tonight. To have to deal with my father’s... things. The memories and pain of his loss ghosting me.

  I knew I’d have to deal with it properly, sooner or later, but for the moment I was doing okay.

  Mostly thanks to Rogan and Fridge. They hadn’t left me alone since I’d found his body. Not truly alone. I’d been in bed by myself, but they’d been so close by, I could feel them.

  Luckily, there hadn’t been a chance for the depression to creep up on me. My grief was shared, understood, empathized.

  And thanks to the same men, I wouldn’t be alone tonight. Not in my apartment, and perhaps not in my bed, if Rogan had his way.

  I would see...

  There wasn’t quite the same attraction with the wolf as there was the dragon. I wasn’t sure why I wanted Fridge a little more than Rogan. At the moment anyway.

  My wolf shifter genes thought Rogan was attractive, and a very suitable mate. I was supremely comfortable with him and aware of him when he was in a room.

  But there was something about Fridge. His strength, his wildness, that made my most basic instincts sit up and take notice.

  Footsteps approached from my right, and the two men stepped into the foyer.

  “Ready to go?” I asked, though neither of them looked happy about it.

  Fridge’s arms were crossed over his chest and Rogan’s frown could sink battle ships.

  “What’s wrong with you two?”

  Rogan’s gaze flicked to Fridge and back again to me. “We’ve... had a disagreement about the sleeping arrangements.”

  I pressed my lips together in an attempt not to smile. From the scowl the dragon gave me, I didn’t think I succeeded in hiding the humor I felt in the situation. “Um... what do you mean? Isn’t Rogan going to come back and sleep in the spare bed again?”

  I’d kind of assumed that was the plan. Well, what would be openly admitted to, anyway.

  Fridge and Rogan exchanged glances, but neither spoke.

  I gestured for them to step outside. “Well, I’ve gotta lock up. So, you guys sort it out while I check the doors, and I’ll see you out the front in a moment.”

  Without a word, they stepped out onto the sidewalk.

  I giggled to myself as I walked
around the building, turning off lights and locking the doors.

  I’d barely had a proper boyfriend since high school. A few nights here and there, a few men who’d wanted to date, only to find that I had my own mind, could take care of myself, and that my father was... well, my father.

  He’d scared off anyone I’d thought had potential so fast it had been disappointing to see how little spine they had.

  A wave of sadness passed over me, at what Dad was now missing.

  I’d found my fated mates. The ones I’d been told about since I was young. But if I were honest, I’d never really thought I would find them... and my dad wasn’t here.

  Would he have tried to scare them off? Knowing them as he did. Would he have approved of me dating another bounty hunter? Or two.

  I giggled again. Two men. Me!

  Who would have thought it?

  When I finally made it to the front door, I checked I had everything I needed and locked up.

  The guys were waiting outside. Both of them.

  So much for sorting it out.

  I turned to Fridge. “So... should I say goodnight? Or are you coming back to the apartment as well?”

  Could he bare to leave me alone with Rogan?

  I couldn’t wait to find out!

  Rogan stepped up next to me, his hand sliding possessively around my waist. “He’s heading home. There’s no need for both of us to guard you.”

  “Well, maybe I should take first watch,” Fridge said, lifting his chin and jutting it out in a flagrant display of alpha arrogance. “I am the stronger one, after all.”

  I chuckled and waved my hand at Fridge. “It’s all good. I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for all your help today, and the work out.”

  I grinned at him and turned to leave with Rogan. “You ready?”

  Rogan nodded and we strode away, down the street, towards my apartment and away from the dragon I could feel glowering behind us.

  “What’s his problem?” I asked Rogan, gesturing over my shoulder with my thumb.

  As though I don’t know.

  Rogan shrugged, thrusting both hands into his pockets and continuing to walk beside me. “He won’t admit to it, but he’s jealous. He wants you all to himself.”

  I frowned. I knew he was jealous, but I assumed it was because he couldn’t work out what he wanted. Not that he actually did want me.

  I snorted. “He could have fooled me.”

  Rogan glanced sideways at me and asked gently, “What happened between you two last night?”

  I sighed. “He didn’t tell you?”

  That’s disappointing.

  I’d hoped Fridge would open up to Rogan, so that I could at least get a straight answer from someone.

  “No. He won’t say a thing.”

  We crossed a street and kept walking. The night was clear and the roads were almost empty. It was amazingly peaceful for a time just after most businesses closed.

  Rogan gaze me another sideways glance. “You gonna tell me?

  “Well, simply...” How could I explain it? I reached up and rubbed the ache behind my temple. “Ah... shit. Well, his dragon wanted to kiss me, and mate with me... I think. He didn’t actually say anything, of course, but he went all shiftery. His eyes, the growl. Everything. But the moment I mentioned the fated mate bond, he totally recoiled. I don’t know what I did wrong.”

  I shrugged. I didn’t want it to appear like I was still smarting from the rejection of what Fridge had done and said. But it had hurt, more than it should have probably.

  And after today, the training and the cuddles when I needed them the most, I’d seen two more sides to the big dragon that had made me want him even more.

  But was that enough?

  Chapter 11.

  Rogan frowned at me, his lips tilting down on both sides. “So, you’re saying you wanted to mate with Fridge. But he rejected you?”

  My mouth fell open. I didn’t say that, did I?

  I shook my head. “No... I didn’t say any such thing. You’re both my fated mates. I’ve been honest and open about that from the beginning. But that isn’t a choice.”

  Rogan grimaced. “Yeah, being a fated mate isn’t a choice.” He kicked at a raised concrete slab and continued walking. “That’s Fridge’s problem. I think.”

  We stopped outside my building and I used my swipe card to get in. “What do you mean?”

  Did Fridge seriously have a problem with the lack of choice having a Fated mates gave you? Why was that a bad thing? It stopped confusion and un-necessary pain. Divorce. Heart break.

  Fate literally served up your perfect person, or two, on a silver platter.

  We walked into the foyer and Rogan indicated to the stairs. “Let’s get inside, set up some dinner, and I’ll tell you about the dragon and his history.”

  I grinned at him. I had a friend in this man, and I loved it.

  Wolf shifters were notoriously pack men, in both hunting traits and the way they formed tightknit family units. My dad had been the same. Loyal to a fault, and often, too honest for his own good.

  We walked up the stairs and for a moment there was a flutter of panic in my chest, far too close to my heart. Was this going to be like last night? When we’d come back to find my home had been ransacked.

  But this time, when I reached the foyer outside my apartment, the door was still locked. And it looked like no-one had been here since we’d left this morning.

  I put the key in the door. “Why is it oddly comforting to come home to a door that’s actually locked?”

  Rogan frowned. “Because those bastards were here last night. But thank god you weren’t.”

  I opened the door, though my heart still pounded way too hard.

  I let us both inside, then locked the door again.

  Then his words hit me. What if I’d come home early? What if I’d taken the uber or a taxi rather than walking? What if...

  “I hadn’t thought about that... If I hadn’t planned to go past Dad’s work... hadn’t found him...”

  If I’d come home and been confronted by the vampire, I could be dead too.

  I swallowed hard against the rise of emotions that clogged my throat.

  “You might have been here when they came looking for... whatever they were looking for,” Rogan finished the thought for me aloud. “Oh, don’t worry—I’ve thought about it.”

  He shuddered, as though horrified by the idea.

  I went straight to the kitchen, determined not to play the ‘what if’ game. That never got anyone anything other than depressed, annoyed, or completely devastated.

  Nope. Not doing it.

  Food. We needed food.

  What did we have to eat? Dad kept the kitchen pretty stocked, but I did most of the cooking.

  I opened the fridge and did a quick appraisal. “You want steak and chips?”

  Rogan’s eyebrows flickered up. “Sure, if you’ve got everything? We can always order uber eats again.”

  I shook my head. “Nah. I think we both need a good meal. And don’t worry, the fridge has enough for ten of us.”

  I turned on the oven, threw the chips on a tray, and got the stove top going to grill the steaks.

  “So... tell me about Fridge,” I said, as I got the plates ready and hammered out the eye-fillet so they were thin and tender.

  Rogan slid onto one of the bar stools on the other side of the kitchen counter and sighed. “There’s a lot to tell.”

  I gestured to the empty room. “I’ve got all night.”

  And I did.

  Other than going through some of the files in my dad’s office, I had no other plans. And since the bad guys had left everything they didn’t think was valuable, I wasn’t sure how important anything in that room was.

  “Well, how much do you know about dragon shifters?” Rogan asked.

  I shrugged. “Not a huge amount. I mean... who does? They’re so rare.”

  Rogan nodded. “Especially pure ones.”

  De
finitely.

  I leaned forward and rested on my forearms across the kitchen counter. “How is that even possible? I didn’t think there were any pure dragons left, let alone two that would breed together.”

  As a general rule, most shifters believed in mixing up the bloodlines, taking strengths from several different shifters and throwing in a human to make everything look more normal.

  There were the occasional shifters that had the Hitler mentality of purity over strength, but they were rare nowadays.

  Rogan’s face twisted up. “I think that’s where the trouble started. From what I’ve gathered, Fridge’s parents were forced to mate and have lots of children, for the sake of their blood lines.”

  Fuck.

  I nodded, my chest tightening. “I’ve heard of such things in the past, but I didn’t realize it was still happening.”

  But it made a strange sort of sense. After all, we did the same thing with animals all the time. When there was only a few left of an endangered species, the best animal handlers in the world made sure they got together and started to reproduce.

  It was the only way to make sure a bloodline didn’t go extinct.

  Rogan huffed out a sigh. “Yeah... so anyway, Fridge grew up in a pretty fucked up environment, I think. A super strong dad, a submissive mother. Not exactly what you’d call natural parents. Neither of them wanted to be in the relationship at all, let alone producing that many offspring.”

  “Then why’d they do it?” I asked.

  Surely there could have been another way.

  He shrugged. “Fridge said something once about them being forced to stay together by the few elders that were left. That wouldn’t happen in a wolf pack of course, but dragon hierarchy can be different.”

  I nodded. I didn’t know enough to comment about dragon laws. When I had time, that was the first thing I was going to research.

  “Okay... So? What’s that got to do with me?” Although I appreciated knowing more about the man I was probably going to spend my life with, I needed to know what his childhood had to do with him rejecting me.

  Rogan ran a hand through his dark curly hair. “So, Fridge has... issues about being forced into a relationship that isn’t of his choosing. He was miserable growing up, and so were his parents... He’s always said he’d rather be alone than live with someone who was only with him because they had to be.”