“I’m your mate, too. There’s nothing adulterous about it. We are meant to be together”—he ran his hand down her back and over her full buttocks—“in every way. He has no higher claim to you than I do, even if he did find you first.”
“I know it sounds crazy, but this has been an emotional day for me. Luke and I have mated, but he still hasn’t actually claimed me because he’s, well, I know he’s your brother, but he can be hard to take sometimes. He left me to spend my first joined night alone. Then I find out I have another mate bond, and it’s to, of all people, his brother. I just want something to go right—to go the way it should.”
Nikki’s voice had an underlying tremble to it, as if she might cry, and Mason didn’t like it. Already, the sound of her upset made him want to break something, like maybe his brother. “It’s okay. Just tell me what you need.”
“I want a proper joining night, just like every other female wolf does. And I don’t want to have my first night with you sullied by feeling as if I’m being somehow disloyal. Since I’m already joined to Luke, I should be joined to you as well…first.” Nikki looked up at him expectantly. “Can you understand that? I don’t want to feel as if you are any less my mate than he is.”
Mason couldn’t say he understood her. Joining didn’t provide any more of a bond than claiming one’s mate did. And his inner wolf raged at him to argue his way between her legs, but he didn’t want the first time he took his mate to be marked by doubts, or even worse, tears. He wanted her coming in his arms with a smile on her face and a readiness for more. “Joining won’t make you any more mine than you already are. It’s the claiming that makes the difference, but if it’s that important to you, I’ll wait.”
He’d curse himself later for being such a gentleman, especially since he was sure if he tried hard enough, he could convince her there was no reason to put off what fate had already assured would happen. The problem was he already felt protective of her, and he didn’t want her unhappy.
Mason caressed her cheek with the back of his right hand and then tilted her chin upward so he could look into her eyes. He kissed her until she was panting in his arms again. “Don’t make me wait too long.”
Chapter 3
Luke sat in the suite he was supposed to share with Nikki, wondering for the umpteenth time if he should strip and go after her. Try as he had, he’d been unable to sleep and ended up banging on her door, planning to give in and apologize and hopefully spend the rest of the God-forsaken night with her under him. There were far worse ways to spend the night. When she hadn’t answered the door, he’d let himself in. After all, they were joined. Why should he have to wait for her to invite him in? He’d been sorely disappointed, though, to find her gone and her bed cold, with only her scent clinging to it.
He figured she’d probably gone for a run. It was something many did before going to bed at night or when they needed to work off frustration, and Luke knew he’d left her with plenty of that. He’d argued with himself over and over again about whether he should go after her. On the one hand, he could track her down and get back inside her faster. On the other hand, he had no idea which direction she’d gone in. He was an okay tracker, but she could literally be anywhere, and finding her could take much of the night. No, he’d decided. He would just wait for her to come back. Of course, coming to that decision didn’t stop him from rethinking that choice again and again, especially when she took so long to return.
Luke was going through the cycle again in his mind, this time coming to the conclusion that it might just be better to go out and track her down, when he heard shuffling out in the hall. He made a spontaneous decision to strip and lie on the bed, making what he thought was a sexy display of himself. He’d just leaned back against the headboard, hands clasped behind his head and legs spread to give her the best view, when he picked up another scent. Nikki was there, but she wasn’t alone.
* * * *
It was late, and Nikki figured she’d just let Mason sleep on the floor. Otherwise, she’d have to find a room for him to stay in or wake someone up so he could share. He could go room with Luke, but he didn’t seem too keen on that idea. And why bother with all of that?
She saw no reason they couldn’t share a room. She just hoped she was truly strong enough to keep her hands off him all night. It didn’t help that he was naked. Of course, wolf shifters were used to seeing each other naked. It was impossible to carry clothing around when you shifted, and clan members typically handled the nudity with great nonchalance. The fact that he was her mate, however, made her desire for him powerful, and there was nothing easy about ignoring his body. She’d definitely have to find some clothes for him to wear, or at least wrap him up in a sheet. There were weather-proof receptacles around the property that held blankets and other cover-ups, but Nikki had been in something of a fog since learning he was Luke’s brother. She hadn’t thought to look for one as they walked back.
Opening the suite door, she stepped inside with Mason in tow, another scent smacking her in the face. How had she missed it? Luke. He was back. She couldn’t quite believe her eyes, but he was lying naked on the bed, legs spread as if offering her a grand buffet of cock and balls.
Nikki’s mouth hung open. She didn’t quite know what to say, but her body knew how to react. Her nipples hardened and her pussy tightened at the sight of his body, hard and strong in all the right places, spread-eagled on the bed. That, and the heat coming from Mason, who was just as masterfully built, had her flushed and ready to bend over and take it any way they wanted to give it.
Of course, Luke couldn’t be happy unless he was fucking up her night. He was off the bed and in a fighting stance before she could really even blink. “Mason? What the fuck are you doing here?” He turned to her, having the nerve to look angry and maybe even betrayed. “You couldn’t make it one night before you cheated on me?”
“Cheated on you?” She was incredulous. Maybe it looked like that, but he didn’t want her, not really, so why should he care?
“Yes, did you forget we were just joined this afternoon? Has it slipped your mind that you’re my mate?”
She almost laughed at the way he put the emphasis on “my,” making it clear she was his property. “No, I haven’t forgotten. How could I possibly forget when you made our first night together so memorable?”
“Calm down, Luke.” Mason stepped forward, looking tall and confident despite his lack of clothing. Even in the stress of the moment, Nikki’s eyes were drawn between his legs. Mason was hung like a bull. They both were. “I just met Ni—”
Luke rounded on Mason, eyes narrowed. Mason didn’t even get her name out before Luke reared back and punched him in the mouth.
Nikki shrieked in surprise, but they ignored her. Mason threw a punch that landed on Luke’s jaw, sending him staggering backward. He growled and surged forward, shifting as he went. The next thing she knew, Mason had shifted, too, and she had two fully-grown wolves trying to tear each other apart.
“Stop! Stop fighting, you idiots.” It had to be three or four a.m., and they would wake everyone in the lodge. “What the hell are you doing? Do you want everyone to come running to see you both acting like dicks?”
They seemed oblivious to her pleas or even the fact that she was in the room. She had to dodge them to keep from being bowled over by their huge bodies. Finally, she decided she’d had enough. It had been an incredibly long, emotional day. Nikki dodged her way to the closet and put on another T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants. Then, she dodged her way back to the door and walked out. She’d figure out which one of her friends didn’t have a warm body in bed for the night and go bunk in her room. After the day she’d had, she was in no mood to witness World War III, wolf-style.
And here comes the cavalry. Her father, her mates’ father, Adam, Levi, her aunt Shae, and several others hurried toward her as she made her way to the stairs that would lead her to her friends’ guestrooms.
“What the hell is going on down he
re?” her father asked as he thundered past, barely slowing long enough to hear her answer.
Nikki didn’t even pause. She just shook her head in annoyance and kept walking. “The savior of the clans has started a fight.”
Okay, maybe that wasn’t entirely fair. Finding her with another man in the middle of the night was probably a shock, even for Luke. But he’d managed to ruin her night for the second time, and just then, fairness wasn’t high on her list of priorities.
* * * *
Mason and Luke sat at the long conference table, waiting for a dressing down from not only their father, but also Nikki’s. Both men had come rushing into the room to break the fight up last night, and only then had he realized Nikki was gone. Mason was still angry with Luke because of that. They’d come to blows before. Most brothers did from time to time, but they were older now and expected to set an example for the rest of the clan. Most of all, though, Mason was upset over having to spend the night without Nikki. He’d planned to hold her in his arms as she slept. Even if she wasn’t ready to mate with him, he’d wanted—no, needed—to hold her close. But their fight had ruined any chance of that, and he had a feeling she was pissed not just at Luke, but at him, as well.
“She’s my mate, too,” Mason said to Luke.
“Yeah, so you told me.” Luke was still snarky, even after sleeping for a few hours.
“Get over it. There’s nothing any of us can do to change it. Besides, you don’t really want her, anyway.”
“Is that what she told you?”
“Yes. Are you denying it?”
Luke glared at him from across the table. “She’s my mate. It doesn’t matter how I feel about her. She’s mine.”
“How’d you get to be such an idiot?”
“I’m an idiot? Because I don’t want to share my mate?”
“You always knew this was a possibility. It often happens with brothers. No, I think what really has your panties in a bunch is the idea that she likes me. There’s more than just the mate bond making her want me. She actually likes me. You, on the other hand, have acted like a dick, and though she can’t help but want you, she can’t stand you.”
“Doesn’t matter. This isn’t a popularity contest. She’ll submit to me, no matter how many sweet nothings you’ve been whispering in her ear.”
Mason looked at his brother, sizing him up, and realized what really had him so angry. “Or are you just worried that she’d rather have me fucking her than you?”
That struck a nerve. Luke stood up and knocked the table over in his haste to get to Mason and pick up the fight where they’d left off.
Mason chuckled under his breath, getting to his feet and easily stepping out of the way. “Relax, Luke. She said she wouldn’t mate with me until after I joined with her, too. No idea why, but she has some sense of loyalty to your dumb ass.”
Luke was filled with a whole lot of rage over someone he claimed he didn’t want to be tied down to. Over the past few weeks, he’d had text after text from Luke complaining about the beautiful wolf he had to join with. Now, he looked ready to throttle Mason over her.
As for Mason, he’d lost his temper and fought back last night. Despite that, he loved his idiot brother and wasn’t threatened by the idea of sharing a mate with him. He was the only man he’d ever willingly share with. What he wouldn’t do, however, was put up with Luke’s tirades over it or allow him to mistreat her any further. That would end now that Mason was there.
Luke exhaled harshly and his shoulders slowly relaxed, though the tension didn’t entirely leave his body. Mason realized he was right. Luke just didn’t want to be left out of claiming their woman, and he’d never been good at being second for anything.
“Well, boys. It looks like we have yet another problem to deal with.” Nikki’s father, Zion, entered the room, followed by Mason’s and Luke’s father, Grey.
Mason helped Luke right the table, feeling much like he had when they’d gotten caught causing a ruckus as kids. They’d always stood shoulder-to-shoulder as their father meted out punishment. Luke walked around the table to stand by his side, and Mason realized what that meant. Angry or not, they’d stand shoulder-to-shoulder for this as well.
* * * *
“I’m not going to breakfast. I can’t face the both of them with everyone staring at us.” Nikki had been on display enough yesterday and she didn’t expect Luke to behave any better today.
“Oh my God. Are you serious? You have to come down. This is the best entertainment I’ve had all week.” Leave it to Robyn to see her predicament that way. Of all her friends, she was the one who took life the least seriously. Not surprisingly, she was also the one who seemed to have the most fun.
“I don’t want to be the entertainment.” No, what Nikki really wanted to do was curl up in a little ball of covers and hide, or run away. Really, either option would do quite nicely.
Mikayla walked over and put her hand out, pulling Nikki to her feet. “I know you don’t, but from everything you’ve told us about Mason, I can’t wait to meet him. And I bet you don’t want to be away from him for too long.”
“Well, there is that. I tell you one thing, I regret telling Mason we had to wait for the mating. I could hardly sleep last night for wanting him.” Her friend had hit that spot-on. Typically, wolves mated immediately after discovering they were destined for each other. She’d only waited with Luke because he so obviously didn’t want her, and though she might have changed her mind out of the sheer need for relief, her father had seen an opportunity to make a big deal out of the pairing. And I already want Luke again. She didn’t add that part on, not wanting to admit it.
“So, go ahead, then,” Mikayla said. “There really is no reason to wait.”
Robyn raised an eyebrow. “Shit,” she drawled. “I would have jumped him right out there in the woods when he was rough and ready like that.”
“I know. I should have. But after the way Luke just walked away from me, I just really want a do-over, and I want my first night after the joining to be something special. Like it’s meant to be. I don’t know. Maybe it’s stupid…”
Mikayla put an arm around Nikki, giving her a quick hug. “No, not stupid. Just much harder on you than it needs to be. But we understand, don’t we, Robyn?”
“Girl, speak for yourself. I say just fuck him. Got that, Nik? Fuck the man. No need to wait.” Robyn was always straight to the point.
Mikayla frowned through just a hint of a grin. “Shut up, Robyn. We all know you can’t wait to spread your legs and—”
“Hell yeah. I know where a cock goes and exactly how to ride it when it gets there. But, I support your crazy ass anyway, Nikki. That said, I’m starving. Let’s go eat, and if you won’t just go ahead and fuck the man, at least gives us something juicy to talk about.”
* * * *
“I’m ashamed of you both, rolling around on the floor like pups fighting over a bone.” Grey, aging or not, was still formidable when he got angry. His frown line looked carved in stone. He ran a hand through his jet-black hair, which only had a few streaks of gray so far. “I’ve put up with your shit because you’re my sons, but it stops, and it stops now.”
Luke was embarrassed. It was bad enough he had to stand there like a child and get scolded by his father, but Nikki’s father was there, too. Apparently both leaders were needed to ream him and Mason properly.
“I’m pleased Nikki will have two strong protectors to keep her safe, and yes, this union is good for our clan, but let me be clear. Grey and I are in full agreement. We gave you time to get your shit together, Luke, but time’s up. I won’t have you treating her like anything less than your queen.” Zion glared first at Luke before focusing his attention on Mason. “Understood?”
Luke didn’t want to, but when the alpha asked, he had to answer, and giving the wrong answer could mean serious trouble, maybe even some time in the clan stockade. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mason nodding his agreement and wanted to punch him. Irr
ational, maybe, but he still wanted to hit him over the woman he didn’t want.
“You’re both her mates,” Grey added. “You will claim her and with that, cement a bond that will never be broken, except by death. That you can’t help. Fate can’t make you love her, but as your mate, she deserves your attention, care, and respect. You will provide that—both of you.”
“That’s no problem for me…” Mason said.
“I didn’t ask you to speak.” Grey’s frown deepened, and Luke smirked. If he was in the doghouse, he wanted Mason right there with him.
“However,” Zion began, “I no longer see a reason to force my daughter to spend day and night with a man who has repeatedly said he doesn’t want her. Since we’ve learned that Mason is also her mate, they will live together, and put a happy face on the merging of our clans. You, Luke, can make your home separately, anywhere you like in the new clan territory, except for on former Raven lands. We will make some excuse for why you don’t live here with Nikki, a critical job for the new clan that requires you to stay in former Lycan territory.”
Luke felt a ray of hope at that followed immediately by a sense of defeat he didn’t understand. This was his answer. He didn’t want to be tied down or responsible for Nikki’s everyday happiness. The alphas were giving him a way out of that, so why did he feel like he was losing something? As her mate, he could still take her to bed whenever he felt the urge. There was no divorce in the clan, so this was as close as he’d get to having his freedom. And who knew? Maybe one day, he’d be ready to settle down and live with her after all.
“I agree,” Grey said. “That solution should please everyone.”
But Zion wasn’t finished. He looked hard at Luke, ignoring Mason completely this time. “One more thing. My daughter should not have to submit to a man who doesn’t cherish her. After the hydan, you will not bed her again.”
Nikki's Fated [Wolves of River's Bend 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 4
