by Maggie Walsh
“Me too.”
“So, are you two done or do we need to come back in an hour, or what?” Jude’s voice came from outside the door to his office.
Fane chuckled as Marlo grumbled, “Fucking butthead and his interrupting. I swear, when the day comes for him to have a mate, I’m putting itching powder in his bed every night for a month. Let him get his groove on with that.”
Fane threw his head back and laughed, the hearty sound filled the room and made Marlo smile.
“Little love, my ass. Little shit is more like it. Can you two come up for air for a bit so we can get some work done?” Jude bitched, but Marlo could hear the laughter in the hall coming from Jude and Dell.
“Fine. Give me a minute,” Marlo called back. He was so going to slap those two.
CHAPTER 2
Fane
Fane was in complete awe of his mate. Marlo had spent the week, minus the three day’s Dell had allowed them for their claiming, making a thousand phone calls and working out people’s schedules, as well as finding all their visitors somewhere to stay while they were spending time with the pack.
Fane had found out that the York pack was actually huge with a lot of members and land, but there wasn’t anywhere for outsiders to stay. Usually when they had guests, Dell would put them up in his house or the few rooms they kept available above the Community Center and the pub, but even with those options it wouldn’t be enough for the people who were coming.
Once he and Marlo cleaned up and got dressed, Marlo had called for Dell and Jude to come in. The two had made a few jokes and jabs at them about opening a damn window and how Dell should now have Marlo’s desk bolted to the floor, but then when they heard that Fane and Marlo were planning on going to the pub for dinner, Dell asked if they could join them, his treat for all the hard work Marlo had put in this week, and they could discuss what had been taken care of and what still needed to be done.
As much as Fane wanted to object and tell his new alpha that he wanted to take his mate out on a date for just the two of them, he couldn’t do it. Dell had taken him and Oberon in when they needed somewhere to go, gave them a place to stay, accepted them into his pack, and gave them protection and security. Then there was the fact that Dell was a big brother to Marlo and had always been good to his mate and was probably the biggest influence on who Marlo was today, as well as being mostly responsible for the confidence that his mate had. All week Fane witnessed the love and respect Dell showed Marlo and the encouragement he gave the omega, and it put Dell in a high place of respect in Fane’s eyes. The man was truly a wonderful alpha, and Fane was honored to be a part of his pack.
The four of them left Marlo’s office, which was located in the Alpha House, and got into Dell’s CAT so he could drive them to the pub. With the temperature being minus five with a windchill of minus twenty, now that the sun had gone down, Fane was grateful for not having to walk.
He loved his motorcycle, but it wasn’t practical here in the tundra in the winter and only being here for just over a week, Fane didn’t have any other vehicles yet. He also found out that Marlo didn’t technically own anything except a snowmobile himself and would borrow one of Dell’s CATs if he needed it. Fane would have to talk to Raiden over at the garage and ask him if he knew of any vehicles for sale, or maybe could point him in the right direction of the dealer the pack used for their equipment. Fane was sure Marlo would most likely know seeing as his mate was the pulse of the pack, but Fane wanted to buy them their own CAT, or something like it, and surprise Marlo.
Stepping into the pub, Fane smiled as his stomach growled. They had trained through lunch after all so he hadn’t had anything since breakfast, not to mention all the calories he burned through in training, and he was starving. The bar was filled with delicious smells of meat, potatoes, and an assortment of other treats and Fane couldn’t wait to taste everything. Marlo had told him that the steaks were amazing, but one of his mate’s favorite things was the Bison burger. Fane had never had a Bison burger in his life, but he was willing to give it a try.
Tug, the pub manager, waved at them as they made their way to a table in the back. Fane let Marlo slide into the booth first, then went in next to him and Dell and Jude took the opposite bench. A cute little blond guy with light-green eyes bounced over to their table, smiling brightly, and handed them each a menu.
“Good evening, Alpha, Beta. Hello, Marlo. Can I start you all with a drink before I take your orders or do you know what you want?”
“Hello Goldie,” Dell replied with a smile, making the little cutie blush. “I’ll have an iced tea to drink and I saw there was pot roast today.”
“Yes. Jensen is on today and it is divine,” Goldie replied.
“Oh, if Jensen did the cooking than I think I want the pot roast too,” Marlo said, then looked to him. “Both Brooks and Jensen know how to cook, but Jensen is a genius with food and his pot roast is the best you’ll ever have.”
Fane placed a hand on Marlo’s thigh and gave it a little squeeze as he smiled. “Thank you, little love. I guess I’ll have the pot roast too seeing as my mate highly recommends it.”
Goldie’s eyes widened as his jaw dropped. “Your mate? Marlo, an alpha came and claimed you?”
Marlo giggled and replied, “Yes, but don’t look so worried, Goldie. Fane is my true mate, not just an alpha that came along to stamp his name on my ass.”
Now Goldie’s eyes really popped out of his head as he stared between the two of them. “A real mate? Like your true, true mate? Wow. Congratulations, Marlo.”
“Thanks, Goldie. This is Fane Heart. He’s cousin to Caleb’s mate, Alpha Ridge,” Marlo said happily, then grabbed Fane’s hand. “Fane, this is Goldie.”
Fane held out his hand as he said, “Hello, Goldie, it’s nice to meet you.”
Goldie’s blush deepened and he suddenly became shy. He slowly reached out his hand and took Fane’s and the two shook, then Goldie pulled his hand back quickly.
“Goldie,” Dell said, then cleared his throat to grab the cutie’s attention. Once Goldie looked at Dell, the alpha added, “We’ll all take the pot roast special and I’d like a sampler plate brought over to start while we’re waiting for our meals.”
“Y-yes, alpha,” Goldie said, then turned and ran from the table.
Jude shook his head, and chuckled. “I guess we won’t be getting any drinks. Who wants what?” He asked as he stood.
“I’ll have an iced tea like Dell please,” Marlo replied.
“A beer would be great, thanks, Jude,” Fane replied, and Jude nodded then went off to the bar.
Dell turned his attention to them, and asked, “So have you two decided on where you’re going to live yet?”
They looked at one another and Fane nodded. Marlo turned back to Dell, and replied, “Well, Fane and I were talking and we really like it at Bo’s. It kind of holds a special meaning for us now.”
Dell smiled. “I can imagine. It’s the place you did your claiming. I can talk to Bo and see if he’ll rent it out to you. Seeing as I already got his permission for Oberon and Fane to use it for a while until they get more settled, I don’t think he’ll have a problem with you staying there too,” Dell offered.
“I was thinking about calling him and asking that, or if he would be willing to sell it to us,” Marlo explained.
Dell’s smile widened. “Wow, that’s a big step, Marlo, buying your own place. It also relieves a bit of stress I was having, wondering if you were going to leave us. At least now I know you want to buy a house and lay down roots, I guess I can relax. I think it’s a great idea.”
“What’s a great idea?” Jude asked as he returned and laid a tray on the table and started handing out their drinks, then placed a bowl of pretzels and nuts in the center and sat down.
“Marlo wants to ask Bo if he would be interested in selling his place to them,” Dell answered, and gave Jude a pointed look.
Jude’s brows rose as he said, “Oh. Well, that would be
great.”
Fane felt something off about the whole conversation and he looked to his mate to find Marlo’s eyes narrowed, and he was glaring at the pair. “Spill it. What did you do?”
“Who, us? Nothing,” Dell replied, trying to play innocent, but Fane could see right through it.
He shifted his gaze to Jude and found the man biting his lip before he looked down.
“Who, us? Acting so innocent. So full of crap if you ask me,” Marlo grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Fane found the relationship between his mate, the alpha, and the beta very amusing. It was strange to him to hear a pack member talk to their alpha and beta the way Marlo did, but he could see that it only made both men smile, and neither of them ever took offense. As far as Fane could tell, both men enjoyed teasing Marlo as much as they enjoyed him giving it back to them.
“What?” Marlo insisted as he stared at Dell.
The alpha looked to Jude, then back to Marlo. “Well, we kind of hoped you would want to live at Bo’s, seeing as it’s where your relationship started. I called Bo the other day and talked to him about you guys living there and he said yes of course. Then he asked me if I thought you might want to buy it. He was going to keep it as somewhere for me to host guests but he said he would much rather the place be filled with a family and love, and because it was you, Marlo, he would be willing to sell it to you, if you want it.”
Marlo gasped in surprise and Fane couldn’t agree more. It was such a grand gesture. He had really liked Bo when he met the guy at Ridge’s, but now he liked him even more. He could see how much the offer meant to his mate.
“I don’t even know what to say. That was so sweet of Bo. I’ll call him tomorrow and thank him, then I’ll ask how much he wants for it,” Marlo said.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Dell replied.
Just then Goldie returned carrying a large platter with an assortment of food items on it and placed it on the table, then gave them each a small plate. “Your meals will be out soon, Alpha.”
“Thank you, Goldie,” Dell replied, and the cute man quickly walked away.
“Dig in, guys,” Dell offered, and they each started taking things off the platter.
Fane couldn’t believe all the choices on the sample platter and had no idea where to start, but decided he would take one of everything. Dell had made a great choice in ordering it, and from the look on the alpha’s face as he smiled at Fane, he figured he had done it on purpose so Fane could check out the different things the pub kitchen offered. There were stuffed mushrooms, chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, potato skins, onion rings, Bison sliders, Cannellini Bruschetta, stuffed cherry peppers, crab cakes, and something they called Elk roll-ups.
As they all dug in and Fane tried one sample after another, their conversation or meeting about their visitors coming, began.
“How are the accommodations going?” Dell asked between bites.
“Good,” Marlo said, after he swallowed one of the Elk roll-up things. “I have Ms. Salle staying with you, as well as her assistant. I thought that she would like to be near her son and it might be the best gesture too. As you know it’s considered an honor to be invited to the Alpha House. I also have the two men from the Council at your place. I wanted to talk to Fane about it first, but I thought with their history that I would put the vampire leader, Julius, at Bo’s with us as well as Ridge and Caleb. I figured they would understand and not be insulted by not staying with you. Then, there's the fact I miss Caleb and I thought having him and Ridge around Julius would be a good move, if you know what I mean? If that’s okay with you as well, Fane?”
Fane wiped his mouth on his napkin before he answered. “That would be fine, mate. Now that I know Julius wasn’t trying to kill us. And as much as Ridge and I have never gotten along too well in our lives, I’m hoping that it can now get better. I agree with your thinking. Allowing Ridge and Caleb to keep an eye on Julius without it looking like that is what they’re doing is a great idea.”
Marlo blew out a relieved breath. “Good. Thank you, mate.”
“Do you think Julius will be a problem?” Jude asked.
Fane shook his head. He knew Julius was a good guy and didn’t mean anyone harm. His friend truly wanted to make their world better. It was the reason he allowed his reputation to be tarnished with criminal activity as he did, but in reality, Julius was one of the good guys. Fane also knew that both Dell and Ridge would need to find that out for themselves before they entered into this alliance they spoke of.
“No, Julius can be trusted, but I know you all need to learn that for yourselves, so I think it would be a good way for him and Ridge to start talking and get to know each other. It will also allow Julius the same courtesy to learn who you both are and whether he can trust you.”
“Okay, good,” Dell said as he nodded, then looked to Marlo. “What about the others?”
“Julius said he’s bringing four men with him, so I talked to Tug and they’ll be staying upstairs in the rooms here. Then I have the Council entourage set up for the Community Center. The witch is bringing six people with her, but she informed me I didn’t have to worry about them. She said she would take care of it,” Marlo replied with a shrug.
“And how is that?” Jude asked, his voice concerned. Fane could see the beta tighten up as if on guard.
“I don’t know. She did say that she would talk to Dell about it first so as not to spook you. Whatever that means.”
“Okay, so we’ll keep our guard up until we know what she means. If it’s unagreeable, we can always call off this summit,” Dell said. “And what about the other things we discussed?”
“I made out a memo that I’ll send to the pack tomorrow to inform them that the Community Center will be closed while our visitors are here, but I did ask some of our best cooks if they would be willing to work at the Center for the duration, cooking and feeding everyone. I thought we could use the main room as a mess hall kind of thing, and have all meals there while everyone is here,” Marlo explained.
“That’s a great idea, Marlo, thank you. And we’ll have enough provisions?” Dell asked.
Marlo nodded. “Yes, I’ve already called in an order to our suppliers, which should be delivered the day before our first guest arrives. I also asked Jude if some of his men could come help unload everything when it gets here. Oh, and Raiden said he had a few snowmobiles and CATs he would tune up and repair, so if any of our guests want to use them, even just for fun, he would have some ready.”
“As always, you’ve outdone yourself and thought of a few things I hadn’t yet,” Dell said, beaming at Marlo. It filled Fane with pride seeing the respect Dell had for his mate.
“What about entertainment? Should we schedule anything?” Jude asked.
“Yes, I wanted to discuss that with you, Dell. I was thinking of speaking with some of our best artisans and seeing if they would be open to allow our guests to come and see some of their workshops if they’re interested. And I spoke with Tug and asked if we could arrange some kind of pool tournament, or a Karaoke night or something, and he said he would start working on it. I’m also going to call the movie distributor tomorrow and see if we can get a few new releases we could show the week everyone is here. Maybe a new movie every night which would give them some options,” Marlo explained.
Dell chuckled as he shook his head. “Damn, you did think of everything, didn’t you? I swear, Marlo, I wouldn’t get anything done if I didn’t have you around to help me. Thank you for all your hard work. I appreciate everything you do.”
Marlo beamed. “You’re welcome, Dell. That’s what I’m here for, as your assistant.”
Fane squeezed Marlo’s thigh under the table, then leaned over and kissed his cheek. His mate really was amazing. Fane hadn’t even thought about any of that stuff. He just figured they would come in, have a few meetings and everyone would leave. He hadn’t even thought about how everyone would eat, but his mate thought about giving them pl
enty of entertainment options while they were here as well. He couldn’t agree more with Dell about his mate being a force all his own. Marlo was truly extraordinary.
CHAPTER 3
Marlo
He couldn’t keep still, there was too much energy buzzing through him like that damn annoying bunny on those commercials. Now all he needed was the drum, so he could piss everyone else off as he strolled through town banging on the damn thing.
Marlo ran into the kitchen for the fourth time to make sure everything was ready. He had just come from adjusting everything in the guest rooms... again, for the sixth time, but he was filled with nervous energy. He was excited to see Caleb again, but also stressed as he mentally went through the list of everything that needed to be done, and hoped he didn’t forget anything.
As he wiped down the counter again, strong arms wrapped around him from behind, and a kiss was pressed to his neck.
“Everything looks immaculate, little love. You need to relax,” Fane said as he pressed his body against Marlo’s.
“I know, I just can’t seem to stop myself. I feel like I missed something and I can’t figure it out. Then, there’s the fact that we’re hosting two important leaders right here in our home. Our new home that we only just moved into ourselves. I hope the new beds in the guest rooms are comfortable enough. Oh gods, did I put out the new towels in the guest bathrooms?” Marlo worried, as he tried to pull away from Fane to go check.
Fane tightened his hold around Marlo’s waist, as he replied, “Oh, I think my little love needs something to take his mind off things and relax.” Fane slid one hand lower and cupped his mate’s cock. Instantly Marlo began to fill just from Fane’s touch. It was amazing actually. He had spent his whole life without someone touching him like this, but after two weeks as Fane’s mate, all the man had to do was look at him and he would start to get hard and turned on. And Fane seemed to love to touch him. His mate was very tactile, and Marlo loved it.
