by Shae Shannon
* * * *
Aiden stepped into his jeans, his teeth still clattering from the ice shower from hell. It was an almost pointless method of torture, considering his dick was still flying at half-mast. It did leave him with an awesome case of the shivers and probably permanent goose bumps. Great way to start a fucking evening. I am sure Giselle will find the loud chattering of my teeth both manly and attractive. Ugh! It took an extra couple of tries to tie his shoes, due to numb fingers, and by the time he completed the simple task his temper had spiked and was gradually warming up his body. He stepped into the closet to choose a shirt for the evening’s festivities. He finally decided on a green long-sleeved button-up, hoping that the color of the shirt choice would bring attention to his emerald eyes. Normally there wasn’t much thought put into wardrobe choice, but a certain gorgeous witch had him pulling out all of the stops. As he reached to remove it from the hanger, he heard noises coming from Giselle’s room. His ears perked up, as did those of his wolf. Toning in on just that sound, his jaw dropped in disbelief at the discovery that it was moaning he was hearing. With a deep inhaled breath, he could smell her delicious scent mixed with the same addicting, musky sweet smell of her arousal. A slow, cocky smile spread across his face, reaching his eyes. Maybe this morning had more of an effect on my reluctant mate after all…I wonder what she looks like while she is drunk on pleasure. It would not be right to spy. Nope, definitely not a chivalrous act at all. But fucking hell, I have to see her pleasing herself, fucking her sweet cunt while she thinks of me.
His wolf howled with approval. The animal was pacing rapidly, its hackles raised and ears flat. Aiden could feel the brute shoving against him in an attempt to get the upper hand and shift. You damn mutt! You seemed to have forgotten that not only can we not mate in animal form, but if we go in as a huge-ass dog chances are she will freak the fuck out. Maybe I am imagining things because I want her so bad. Maybe she is hurt! We couldn’t help her if she was. It wouldn’t be wrong if I just peeked in really fast to make sure she wasn’t injured. So, back down, we will get our mate soon. One quick look and no harm done. His wolf sat back on its haunches and panted. The mutt may have bought that crap, but he rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. “Shit! Okay, one look. I am not a weird perverted Peeping Tom, I just am checking to see if she is all right. She is my mate anyway!”
At the end of his self-convincing speech, he quietly pulled the wooden lion head that was on the shelf of the closet to open the hidden door adjoining their rooms. He quietly stepped into her closet, staying low and in the shadows.
Before he could peek out of the door crack, his nose picked up a foreign scent. He immediately went on high alert, looking around and sniffing the air. Male. Shifter. It’s a damn panther! His temper blazed like an inferno. The intruder was staring back at him with anger flashing through his glowing purple eyes. The alpha stare-down continued viciously. The moaning and gasping had become louder, and a single grunt followed by panting and aahs broke the stare-off and drew their attention to the bed. She was glorious. Both beasts were rendered frozen. The erotic goddess was arching off of the bed, her head lulled back as she continued riding out her orgasm. She drew her legs up and spread them as wide as she could, continuing the enchanting assault on her hungry cunt. They could see the moisture dripping down the dildo and smeared down the inside of her thighs. Her breasts were thrust upwards, put on display and begging to be devoured. She rode the fake cock hard, taking it deep and fast. They could sense the next wave of orgasm approaching and looked on in anticipation. Her body convulsed fitfully as every muscle in her body became taut and strained. A loud, sexual, throaty whimper escaped her ripe lips as she continued to milk her sex.
Aiden couldn’t move his eyes from the sight before him. She was magnificent. It took all of his willpower to not go over and take the job from her. He knew he could show her so much more and bring her to unconceivable heights of pleasure. His dick danced in his pants and ground against his zipper, begging for freedom. His wolf howled in appreciation. His eyes glowed. Mine! He turned and left through the secret door with only one motive. Here, kitty kitty…
* * * *
Brandon shook with desire. Giselle was mesmerizing. He longed to touch and caress her silky skin. His mouth watered at the sight of cum weeping out of her swollen sex. Both man and panther wanted to say “fuck it” and mate her now. Explanations and apologies could be made later. He knew that after he took her, there was no way she could stay mad. He would keep her orgasming until she forgave him. His plan may have not been the most profound, but he wasn’t given time to contemplate further on the topic due to a mangy dog invading in on his territory. How dare he invade her privacy! I will rip his damn head off and shove it up his ass! Mine! No one will ever lay eyes on her again! Mine! Mine! Mine! He quietly snuck out of the door reluctantly, turning one last time to feast upon his mate as she obliviously self-indulged. When he exited the room, he unshackled the rage that was quaking through him. Come here, Fido!
* * * *
Brandon had exited Giselle’s quarters at the same time Aiden stormed out of his own room. Two strong, muscular, dominating alphas squared off. Not a word was spoken as they stood, chest to chest, glaring at each other. Neither one budged or broke eye contact. They radiated their dominance, exerting it out in waves around them. It was Aiden who spoke first, in an attempt to give command, with his eyes glowing, piercing into Brandon’s. “Before this goes anywhere, we need to find a more discreet location. Follow me.”
Brandon’s nostrils flared, his eyes narrowing. “You do not command me, dog. I damn sure ain’t following you anywhere. We can, however, take this outside, as I am sure you will agree that the seclusion of the forest will be in both of our interest.” Aiden didn’t flinch a single muscle. With a simple nod, he turned and proceeded down the hall. As they made their way out the back door of the mansion, a simple pointing finger was the only communication between the two. As soon as they faded into the lush confinements of the trees, both puffed up, ready for battle.
Aiden’s body vibrated from head to toe as he was teetering between man and beast. His teeth were now vicious fangs, elongating to sharp points that would rip and tear flesh. The alpha in him brought forth a stronger urgency to protect what was his. Through gritted teeth, he began to growl. “Why were you spying on my mate? I should rip you piece by piece and leave you for the buzzards! You have invaded her privacy in the most intimate ways! You call yourself an alpha? You are a disgrace to your kind!” He rolled his shoulders, accentuating every rippling muscle. He took the offensive position, ready to attack at any moment. His wolf fought for control, wanting to fight and talk later. The temptation was almost too great.
Brandon was fighting the transformation. Silver hair was sprouting out on his arms and claws began shooting out of his fingertips. It wasn’t until Aiden spoke that he was ready to fight ’til the death. “Motherfucker, if I remember correctly you came out of her damn closet! You were obviously there uninvited as well! At least I went through the damn door! How dare you watch my mate! You can roll your fucking shoulders all you want, you mangy mutt, if you feel like you can handle it, jump! As for disgracing my species, look in the damn mirror, you piece of shit! Back off and stay away from Giselle or I will rip your heart out, entendes?”
Aiden had moved and was chest bumping against him. “Speak fucking English, you pussy! When I get done with you, you won’t be able to lick yourself clean! She is not your mate! She is mine, and I will have her! It is you who will back the fuck up off of her!” As soon as the words had left his mouth, he reared back and slammed his fist into Brandon’s face.
Brandon didn’t falter but reciprocated with brute force. He returned the punch, hitting Aiden square in the nose, and followed it with a right hook that wiped the smirk off of his face. They began scrapping, both barely hanging on to their human form, knowing that if it turned to a battle of the beasts it would be an all-out war. They fought, shot for shot. One would ge
t the upper hand only long enough to hand it back to the other. It was a true battle of equality.
Battered, bloodied, and bruised, the fighting finally dissipated and left both lying in the dirt on their backs. It was obvious to both that the odds were even. After their ragged breathing subsided, it was Brandon who broke the silence. “We both are meant to mate with her, Aiden. Fate is cruel, but not impossible. Up until about an hour ago, I had no problem with you. Hell, we have been friends since we were kids. Giselle is special. She may not be a shifter, but she knows most of the shifter ways. She is wild, free, and unconventional. She will grow to accept us both.” He turned his head to see Aiden’s reaction. He had a small sliver of hope that the egotistical wolf would see reason. That sliver was soon smashed the moment he made eye contact with Aiden. Of course he has to be a fuckin’ douche on this. Why wouldn’t he? Obviously being an alpha doesn’t mean that you are the smartest because it looks like he only made the ranks from brawn.
Aiden gritted his teeth. Damn that fucking pussy for having a good point. I will just have to show Giselle that I am enough for her. I can satisfy all of her needs without help, damn it. I am not going to share my mate! She is meant to be the queen of my pack, the wolf pack. How the fuck could I share her with a damn cat alpha? She can’t be the queen of both. It’s unheard of. Fuckin’ game on. “That is impossible and you know it. How in the hell can she be the alpha mate to two different packs? It’s impossible. We would have to combine our families and live in a shared area. No one will go for that. It has to be one or the other.”
“You are stupid, Aiden. You know we are only given one mate in a lifetime. If either of us doesn’t mate with her they are destined to a life of misery. The heat will drive the unlucky son of a bitch mad, and loneliness will eat them to death. I don’t wish that on anyone, even you, dog. We have to come up with a solution. Don’t be stupid on this.”
“I am alpha! I will not share with a cat! There are no negotiations. I will fight for what is mine. Whoever is meant to be with her shall be.”
“Oh for shit’s sake! You are acting like a stupid child! ‘I am alpha hear me roar!’ Horse shit! I, too, will fight for what is mine, but I am not above accepting what fate has written. I do not think it needs to come to war, Aiden. Open your eyes and see things rationally and drop the egotistical pigheadedness for a second!”
“I am not listening to another word of this. Stay away from Giselle, Brandon, or you will not like the outcome.” He rose and brushed the dirt off of his clothing before heading back to the house without another word.
Brandon lay there for a few minutes, trying to process the events that had just taken place. This was not how things should be handled between two leaders. It’s strange how a woman can bring two strong, alpha men to their knees and make them act like adolescents. Unfortunately, one thing was obvious. Aiden was a dipshit, and he was going to learn the hard way not to fight fate. Brandon just hoped that innocent people wouldn’t be hurt during the lessons he was about to learn. Hopefully he could get a jump on the bullshit by talking to his beta and giving a heads up. It seemed that it might be necessary for the troops to be prepared for whatever Aiden wanted to bring. The safety of his pride was his only priority. He would not lose sight of his duties as alpha. He just hoped the damn mutt came to his senses before things turned into a major clusterfuck. He stood and brushed off his clothes, deciding it would be best to go in through the back to not draw attention. Things were about to get really interesting.
Chapter 3
Giselle was hustling around, trying to get all of the food set out on the tables. A crew of women was helping, but the crowd that had showed up to attend the baby shower for her three nieces was staggering. Brett and Chase were on Chloe detail. It took both of the strong young shifters to keep her sitting down. She was still fighting her bed-rest orders and was taking any excuse or opportunity to get involved. It was impossible for her to stay still for any length of time. Gabriel had been working overtime keeping her in a sex fog. Any time she attempted to get out of bed, he made sure she was occupied in other ways. It’s no wonder they are having triplets. Any couple who banged that much had to have more than one sperm make it to the egg.
Amy was hustling around trying to make sure all of the decorations were perfect and greeted all of the guests. She still hadn’t revealed the results of the pregnancy test to Giselle, and she made a mental note to corner her later. Thankfully, Amy didn’t look as sickly as she had earlier. In preparation, Giselle had mixed an antinausea potion for her. She eased through the crowd to deliver it unnoticed. When she finally reached her, she discreetly brushed her arm and motioned to be followed into the kitchen.
“Amy, love, I thought you might need this. It is perfectly safe for, you know. But it will help with the sickness. Take one sip at the first sign of nausea.”
“Oh, Giselle, thank you so much. This is the first time I have went longer than twenty minutes without hurling up my cookies. I didn’t know how the heck I was going to make it through a whole evening with so many people. I know I probably don’t have to tell you this, but the test was positive. I made an appointment with one of the shifter doctors for next week. It is during the day, so I was hoping that you could go with me since Blake can’t.”
“Sure, darlin’, you know I would love to go with you. I don’t know how long you can keep this a secret in this house though. I am surprised Chloe hasn’t already picked up on it in your thoughts. I know that there is no way Gabriel doesn’t know from his enhanced senses, and all of the animal ears hanging around, word will get around fast.”
“Oh, I know that. I have been working hard on putting up those mental blocks you were teaching me, Giselle. You are gonna have to see later what I can do. But I know that the cat is out of the bag. Blake went running straight to Gabriel the second he walked in and saw me peeing on the stick. He didn’t even wait for the results to pop up. He just said that he knew his little soldiers were strong, and with all of the ‘baby-making practice’ we have been doing there was no way he hadn’t perfected the art. Gabe swore to secrecy, so we will see how long it lasts.” Her head shook slightly in disbelief of her last statement as she released a small giggle. Giselle smiled and giggled in return, understanding fully the way things were kept under wraps in this house. Everyone was a very tight-knit family, and secrets were few and far between. Eventually everyone knew everything.
“Okay, love, let’s go join the party and relax. You know my motto, if you work hard, you gotta play harder!” Both women smiled brightly as they hooked arms and made their way back into the crowd. Music had begun to play as they entered, and they joined up with the others on the dance floor.
“Chloe, love! What are you doing dancing for shit’s sake!”
“I bribed my bodyguards. I knew they were starving but they wouldn’t take the bait until I added the fact that Lisa was over making a plate. I promised not to tell they left their post, and they agreed that I should be allowed at least one dance at my own baby shower, however unconventional it may be.”
“And where is your warden? I figured he would have your heart rate tuned in to his Spidey hearing and know that you are moving around.”
“Aah. See, I sent him back to our room for my pink silky slippers. He doesn’t know that I don’t own a pair of pink silky slippers, so I bought myself a few minutes.” Giselle and Amy both looked on in astonishment, before busting into laughter.
“What is so funny, ladies?” All eyes turned to see an amused Gabe, one hand on his hip and the other holding a beautiful pair of pink satin slippers with pretty crystal beading on the front. Chloe turned so fast she was caught off balance and began to teeter before Gabe caught her in a flash. His dissatisfaction was evident, but his face revealed more amusement than annoyance. Both Giselle and Amy did their best attempt to conceal the laughter that was threatening to burst out uncontrollably. Chloe didn’t miss a beat. She was fast to kiss his cheek and reach for the slippers. “Thank you, lov
e. That is exactly what I needed.”
“Next time, darling, it would be a tad helpful if you would include vital information like, ‘Oh, I don’t actually own them but would love to.’ I have no qualms in buying you anything and everything you want. When you use it as a method to avoid the doc’s orders, you end up with these. If you would have asked like a big girl, I would be giving you this.” He brought his other hand into view to reveal a custom-made pair of slippers that looked more appropriate for a ball than shuffling around in a robe and curlers. They were the prettiest of pink, garnished completely with pink diamonds that were no doubt real. They were a soft satin on the inside and held a little white box. Chloe’s mouth dropped open. She grabbed for the box and flipped it open. Inside was a lavish pair of earrings and matching bracelet. “Oh, Gabe! They are gorgeous! I am sorry I tricked you but I just can’t stand sitting or lying for another moment! I am thirty-eight weeks today for heaven’s sake, and I am so tired of being prisoner of the bed or couch. I just wanted to stretch my legs a bit and see if I could still shake my groove thang.”
