by R. E. Butler
Exhausted to the core himself, he took her back this time because he loved burying his face in her neck and inhaling her sweet scent all night. As he drifted off to sleep, he figured that he’d never been happier in all his life. He couldn’t have ordered a better wife for himself if he’d sat down with a catalog and made a checklist. The thought that in her mind they were already married gave hope to chase away the dark thoughts that Ethan’s musings had triggered earlier in the evening. She’d know everything eventually, but it was surely better she be completely invested in them so that when they told her all that had passed in their youth with the females, she didn’t look at them with disgust and walk away. He didn’t think he would survive if she left. In fact, it was the one thing he was certain of. He needed her like his next breath. Whatever he had to do to keep her, he would do it.
Chapter 14
**Callie**
Callie had been to a handful of weddings in her life. Maybe more than that. Not only was she Cadence’s maid of honor, but she was a bridesmaid for one of the pack females, and at a clothing donation store in Kentucky was an ugly-as-sin peach colored taffeta and tulle dress that no one in their right mind would be caught dead or alive in. She wondered about Jane and what sort of wedding she was having as she fixed her hair. She’d been under strict orders from the boys that she had to wear panties under the dress. Apparently her commando play had made them a little nuts. Hmm, she hadn’t noticed the incredibly hot sex they’d had the night before or the fact that she’d woken up in Eryx’s bed because Ethan’s had apparently been too wet for them to sleep on.
They’d slept the morning and part of the afternoon away, drugged into a deep sleep with great sex and warm bodies pressed together. When they woke up and her muscles were tight and aching, Ethan had given her a backrub and Eryx had fussed over her, worrying that they’d been too rough or they’d gone too many times. She promised she was fine, but they seemed happier doting on her, so she let them both pamper her and enjoyed the thorough rub down and good meal that made up for missing breakfast and lunch.
Now, as she twisted her hair up into a chignon and began to secure it with pins, her stomach fluttered at the thought of the things they’d discussed last night between rounds. Marriage. Babies. Their new home. A week ago, she’d been happy to be a nomad and hadn’t wanted to be tied down, but now, bathed in the love of her two mates, she couldn’t picture her life without them in it.
She slipped on her only pair of dressy kitten heels and her very last pair of thigh high stockings. The ones from last night hadn’t made it out of the front room. She didn't have much in the way of jewelry, but the up-do and the low cut of the dress called for a necklace. She dug through her things and found a small diamond heart pendant that had belonged to her mother. Feeling more feminine than any other time in her life, she gave herself one last glance in the bathroom mirror and went out to find her boys.
They turned as she walked into the front room, identically gorgeous in solid black suits and black dress shirts. What surprised her was their ties. Ethan wore an olive patterned tie and Eryx wore an amber patterned tie. She gave them an amused look. They both smoothed the ties and gave her what they probably thought were fairly innocent looks, but she wasn’t fooled. They were far too gorgeous to pull off innocent.
She kissed them and tugged on the ties. “Is there something significant about these tie colors, boys?”
Ethan wiggled his brows at her and said, “I wanted a hazel tie, but this was as close as our dad could find.”
She laughed. “You sent your dad out on a tie hunt?”
They shrugged and then spent several minutes telling her how gorgeous she was and how proud they were to have her as their mate. She blushed so hard she thought she would pass out.
Eryx held her coat out for her and she slipped into it and then he paused at the door out to the garage. “Do we need to check that you’re wearing panties?”
The heat in his eyes was enough to make moisture pool between her legs in a heartbeat. “What are you gonna do to me if I’m not wearing them?” She challenged.
She bit her lower lip because she knew it drove him nuts. Ethan slid his arms around her and secured her wrists with both hands. He nuzzled under her ear and pulled her hands around behind her back. “I think we’ll have to teach you a lesson, love, if you’re going to be so disobedient to your husbands.” She closed her eyes as he tugged on her ear lobe with his teeth.
Her knees got a little wobbly and she heard a tinkling sound and opened her eyes to see Eryx swinging a pair of handcuffs from his finger. “We may need to teach you a lesson or two, anyway.”
She breathed out a laugh, “I don’t know whether to be good or bad.”
Ethan kissed her cheek and released her wrists and laughed as Eryx put the handcuffs in his pocket and gave her a narrow look. She put her hands up in surrender. “I promise I’m wearing panties. But no bra, I don’t have a strapless one.”
The wedding was being held at a small Methodist church in town. They arrived at 6 and after her heel slipped a fraction with the first step she took, Ethan swung her up into his arms and carried her carefully into the church. “If you wrenched your ankle, I’d feel terrible,” he told her, putting her down in the foyer.
Eryx hung up all their coats, and she took both of their hands. “I don’t mind, I like that you take care of me.”
Eryx squeezed her hand, “We will always take care of you, angel.”
The church was small, one aisle with wooden pews on either side. Stained glass windows ran floor to ceiling and depicted biblical events. Two young men who were apparently cousins of the groom were handing out the programs, and one of them said their father James was down and to the left so that’s where they headed.
James and Alek were sitting in the middle of a pew, with Aaron and his sons. The rest of the family was in the row behind them, including ice-cold Jilly. Callie leaned over Ethan and kissed James on the cheek and smiled at Alek, but he simply nodded at her and turned his attention back to the spot on the wall he was glaring at. She wondered at his behavior, if he was angry or if he didn’t like her. She didn’t really have time to think about it, because a steady stream of people came up to say hello, including a few human females that made her she-wolf bristle and her inner bitch come out. She didn’t appreciate anyone giving her mates the please-fuck-me-eyes, especially when she was clearly with them. Clearly.
“If you keep squeezing my hand like that I’m going to lose the ability to play with your pussy later, angel,” Eryx whispered in her ear.
She relaxed her grip and rolled her eyes. “I don’t think you’re supposed to say pussy in church.”
He chuckled and kissed her temple. He took his hand from hers and put his arm around her shoulders and leaned into her ear. “You know we don’t want anyone but you, Callie. But it’s nice to know that you can get as jealous as we do about you.”
She snorted at the compliment, because she just didn’t think that men reacted to her the way that women did to them. Really, they were all sorts of hotness and she was just – her.
He tipped her chin up with a frown. “What was that for?”
She rolled her eyes again, “You guys are gorgeous and there’s freaking two of you. I’m not, it’s not even close.”
Ethan turned slightly and put his arm on the back of the pew in front of them and although his face was neutral and pleasant, his eyes said he was pissed. “I know you didn’t just insult yourself, love. Of the three of us, you’re the gorgeous one. And you’re right – there is no comparison. You are way, way out of our league.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but Ethan put his finger on her lips and looked at Eryx. “I told you she would feel like this.”
“Yeah.” Eryx growled.
“What?” She muffled through his finger.
“You spent too long being beaten down in the pack, love, made to feel less than you are. You’re stunning. And if you don’t notice that men wat
ch you like you’re something good to eat, then you’re just not paying attention. And that’s okay with us. Because you’re ours.”
She gave him a smirk, but he’d just melted her heart. Eryx whispered, “You are good to eat.”
She giggled and blushed and nipped the tip of Ethan’s finger with her teeth, and he returned back to his place next to her and held her hand with both of his on his lap and Eryx put his arm around her shoulders again. She felt well protected and cared for, and completely on display.
She was thankful for the wedding to start, because she wanted to get out of the church. They weren’t getting any dirty looks from anyone, but people definitely picked up that she’d come with both men. It was hard to miss their possessiveness with her, and while she didn’t mind it in theory, being out in public like this was a whole different animal. She just didn’t want them to throttle someone who had a big mouth.
The wedding lasted thirty minutes, and Jane and Thad made a cute couple. They were both in their early 30s, and she had the plump look of a woman who had tried vainly to diet but was just always going to be on the plump side. It didn’t detract from her loveliness and she was glowing with happiness.
While they exchanged vows, Ethan murmured in her ear, “That’ll be us in a few months, love,” and a thrill of happiness wove through her.
As they exited from the church and Eryx carried her this time, she realized that she hadn’t seen the two female lions that they’d said would come, Farrah and Melania. She was glad that they’d skipped it because she sat through the short ceremony feeling like she had a target on her back. When they walked through the doors of the veterans’ hall for the reception, she couldn’t help but see them almost immediately. Her heart sank a little; she had hoped they wouldn't show. Ethan and Eryx followed their family to the three tables that had been reserved for the Fallon family and they pulled out her chair for her and sat on either side. She had a good glimpse of the two females from her seat but couldn’t do anything about it. She was totally starving; otherwise she might have asked to leave.
Ethan said, “You know you shouldn’t go anywhere alone, love, right?”
“I know.”
Eryx ran his thumb along the side of her neck. “We’re sorry it has to be this way, but in a few weeks we’ll be away from all this bullshit. You won’t have to feel like you have to defend yourself or be on your guard anymore.”
She smiled and kissed them both. That sounded heavenly. The dinner progressed quickly, five courses that ended with them cutting the cake and doing that kiss thing with the clinking glasses and a few toasts by friends and family. The wedding made her happy and sad. Happy because it was a little preview of things coming in her life, but sad because her mom was gone and that meant she didn’t have anyone left in her family to stand up for her. She didn’t want to dwell on her darker thoughts, so she shoved them away and concentrated on stealing food from their plates when they weren’t looking and getting slightly schnockered from two glasses of white wine.
Eryx’s fork clinked on the empty plate where his last bite of cake had been. “Where the hell did my cake go woman?” He growled at her, and she tried to look innocent but it was hard with a mouthful of cake. She swallowed and laughed and then he patted his jacket and the tiniest tinkling sound could be heard. She let out a huff. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me. Cake stealer.”
“Hey, where I’m from, if the fork is not moving then it’s all fair game.” She crossed her arms in a feigned pout and Ethan wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck with a laugh.
“She’s got you there.”
She let him kiss on her for a minute and then reminded him they were in public so he should behave himself. As he released his grip, Eryx stood up, “I’m going to get some water for our tipsy kitten.” He kissed her forehead and left to go to the bar.
“I’m not tipsy.” She protested, even though she felt pleasantly numb and kind of silly. She wasn't one for drinking that much. “I do have to pee, though.”
Ethan stood up with her and she looked at him incredulously. “Really? It’s just the bathroom.”
He set his jaw and she knew immediately that he would not budge. She put her hands up to stop his lecture about her safety and held his hand as he wove them through the crowd. As far as she could tell, the lion females hadn’t left their table and had done a very good job of orienting their bodies so that they didn’t have to look at her. Which was perfectly fine with her.
Ethan waited outside the bathroom for her and they walked back into the main room and saw Eryx was standing at the bar talking to the werewolf doctor, Xavier Grace. She wasn’t particularly thrilled to see him, honestly, but he was a rogue like her and the truth was that she couldn't exactly ignore the core of what she was just because she was not with a pack anymore. She may run across wolves from time to time in her life; she should probably learn how to fake her way through being nice.
Eryx slid his hand into hers, mirroring that Ethan had her other one, and Ethan said, “Doc, you remember Callie.”
“Of course,” he said, straightening and smiling. “How are you?”
“Very well, thank you.” Geez, she sounded like a robot.
“I didn’t know that you were still in town. Are you having trouble replacing your car?”
She felt both boys stiffen slightly and was debating telling him it wasn’t any of his concern or being honest, when his eyes darted behind her and something ice cold slid down her left shoulder and dripped into her cleavage.
She jerked and let go of both hands, gasping at the icy temperature of the liquid which was an odd clear blue. Eryx snarled as they turned to see Melania’s blonde ponytail bobbing through the crowd.
“You stay here; I’ll go grab her and our family.” Eryx said.
“What the hell is that stuff?” Ethan’s voice was a low growl as he scanned the crowd behind them and grabbed napkins from the bar for her.
“I don’t know. It smells familiar,” She said as she lifted her hand up and took a small sniff of the liquid. And then she knew exactly what it was. “Oh no.” She backed away from the doctor, but it was already too late. His eyes were amber and his fangs had elongated.
Ethan looked at her, not aware of the doctor’s movements towards her, and said, “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“It’s wolf pheromones.” She moved back another step, and Ethan pulled on her arm.
“What are you talking about? Are you hurt or in pain? Let’s go to the bathroom and wipe it off.”
She pointed to the doctor, “Ethan, it’s too late. You have to get me out here. Right now!”
At that moment, the doctor growled and it wasn’t a friendly sound. Ethan spun and shoved her behind his back, baring his fangs and snarling a warning. “Xavier, it’s not real,” she said, trying to get through to the man behind the beast, “you’re better than this, you don’t want to attack me.”
He stalked forward, the picture of every male wolf she’d ever seen react to an unmated female in heat, “Mine.”
He growled at Ethan and lunged, and it was only Ethan’s faster reflexes and clear head that kept both of them safe as he crashed past them and over the bar. Ethan and Eryx’s family was there immediately, trying to contain the damage but it was too late. Xavier shot to his feet on top of the bar and growled so loudly that it stopped the party dead.
“Ethan please, get me out of here!” She begged. Her body temperature spiked with her adrenaline and it was going to make the pheromones even stronger for him. He’d go nuts.
“Give me the female!” Xavier roared as his hands curled and claws broke free from his fingertips. A tangle of nerves knotted in her stomach.
“Dad?” Ethan backed them away from the bar, his body protectively in front of hers.
“I’ll handle it. Your uncle has Melania restrained and Eryx is waiting outside in the car. Go!”
Ethan turned swiftly and jerked her into his arms and ran outsid
e. He sat down in the passenger seat with her in his lap and Eryx slammed his foot on the gas and raced towards the house.
They were furious but also confused. They didn’t know how wolves reacted to scent, because for the female lions, there wasn’t a mating heat that called to a male, no extra scent to show she was capable of having a baby. Callie was shivering from having no coat and her adrenaline was starting to leave her so the initial fear that had gotten shoved aside was roaring to the surface.
“Callie, what the hell is that stuff?” Eryx demanded. His knuckles were white with tension on the steering wheel.
“It's female pheromones. It made me smell like an unmated female to him, one going into heat.”
“But you’re not an unmated female. We’re your mates.” Ethan protested.
“I know that, but it’s not what I smelled like to him.”
She suddenly felt like she was comforting them, which was crazy because she was the one that was almost attacked. “Look, I don’t know how she got hold of them. They have no real use except to lure a male. Some older females use them to excite males for sex, and years ago when it was legal to hunt werewolves, hunters used them to set traps.
“So, every time a wolf goes into heat if she’s unmated, then what happens?” Eryx sounded even more confused.
“All females that are unmated take birth control once they reach of-age. If they don’t want to take it all the time, then there’s an herb that we can take that masks that scent.”
“You don’t smell any different to us with that stuff on you.” Ethan said.
She shrugged. “You’re not a wolf.”
“If you would go into heat naturally, would you smell like that to another wolf?”
“We’re mated, so no. My body has already changed from the marking. My heat scent will just be for you, if you can smell it, that is.” Ethan held her tightly, the heater cranked high, but she was still cold from the inside out. If they hadn’t been there, Xavier would have overpowered her in a heartbeat. There’s nothing quite as ferocious as a male around an unmated female in heat.
