Chapter Five

"Pizzas are in the kitchen," Kalen announced as Jaytee and Raidh made their way downstairs.

"What happened to dinner?" Jaytee asked. The scent of pizza and breadsticks filled the air, making his stomach growl and mouth water, but not as much as his mate's cock had. He could still taste Raidh on his tongue.

"You can only reheat leftovers so many times before everything dries out." His dad shrugged. "But we have pizzas, breadsticks, and soda waiting in the kitchen."

"I feel terrible for ruining dinner," Raidh said, slightly squeezing Jaytee's hand as if he'd needed the courage to speak to Kalen.

If Jaytee had spent a thousand years with someone like Galamir, he wouldn't be too keen on father figures either. Jeez. It still amazed him how old Raidh actually was. It made Jaytee feel young in comparison.

"Don't you dare feel bad." Kalen playfully pointed a finger at Raidh. "Been meaning to try Papa's Pizza Nest since it opened."

Raidh blinked up at Kalen, his lips slightly parted. "What were the leftovers?"

"Meatloaf."

"I'm glad things took longer than expected then." Raidh grinned widely, his lavender-gray eyes sparkling mischievously. He may have been intimidated by Jaytee's dad, but Kalen had a way of making people feel comfortable around him. It was hard to get on his bad side, but when he did lose his temper… man, it was a scary sight.

"Not a fan of meatloaf?" Kalen returned Raidh's grin, tucking his hands into his front pockets.

"You've got to try my dad's meatloaf." Jaytee gave his mate's hand a gentle squeeze. "It's like an orgasm in your mouth."

Raidh's eyes widened as a dusting of pink blossomed over his cheeks, causing Jaytee to chuckle.

"Boy." Kalen shook his head in exasperation just as Damon and Jax came stampeding down the stairs, headed straight for the kitchen.

"Don't you dare scarf everything down!" Kalen's voice boomed through the house as he glanced back at Raidh. "I suggest you hurry up before all that's left are crusts."

Jaytee pulled his mate along as he headed toward the kitchen. "You better save an entire pizza for Moonbeam, or I'll kick both your asses," he snarled.

His brothers were eating machines. Well, so was Jaytee, but now that he had a mate, he would make damn sure Raidh ate first.

As soon as they stepped into the kitchen, Jaytee saw they had one large pizza each in their hands—lids open—and were going for the breadsticks, dropping handfuls into the box right on top of their pizza.

"Stop right now," Jaytee growled. "Don't touch another fucking breadstick until Raidh gets his food."

The two backed away.

"I can't eat an entire large pizza," Raidh protested. "Besides, this is their house. I don't want to—"

"You. Eat. First." Jaytee glared at his brothers because they should know better. Mates were precious, and if they intended to act like animals around Moonbeam, he would teach them some manners.

Damon wore a shit-eating grin and gestured toward the counter. "Get whatever you want, because, once you do, Jax and I will demolish the rest."

"The hell you will," Kalen said as he strode into the kitchen. "Since you two want to be so greedy, you can split one box of breadsticks and share a two-liter of soda."

Damon and Jax looked heartbroken but knew better than to argue with their dad. It had been at least a decade since any of them had gotten their asses kicked by Kalen, and no one wanted a reminder of how strong their father was.

Kalen wasn't abusive. Far from it. But when you raised three rowdy wolves all on your own, you not only need love and patience but you also needed a firm hand when dealing with wolves. And Kalen Frost had the firmest hand Jaytee had ever known.

When Raidh placed a slice of pizza and four breadsticks on the plate Jax had handed him, Jaytee frowned. "There aren't going to be leftovers, Moonbeam. You better get more while you have the chance."

"I'm not a testosterone-filled wolf." Raidh took a bite of his pizza and moaned. "I don't require a million calories a day."

With a roll of his eyes, Jaytee plopped three more slices onto his mate's plate and grabbed an entire box of cheesy breadsticks. Then he grabbed an entire pizza for himself.

They all settled at the large country-style table that seated eight.

Jaytee took a large bite of his slice then groaned. The pizza was hot and cheesy, with a tangy tomato sauce and chewy crust.

As he chewed, he noticed the way his dad kept looking Raidh's way and knew why. Moonbeam had yet to tell the others what was going on.

He turned sideways in his chair to face his mate and whispered in Raidh's ear, though everyone in the room could hear him, "Do you mind if I tell them what's going on with you?"

Fear filled Raidh's eyes, his chest rising and falling a little faster. "What if your dad decides I'm not worth the trouble?"

Placing his hand on the back of Moonbeam's neck, Jaytee rested their foreheads together, staring into those lavender-gray eyes he was falling in love with. "We're mates, Raidh. That makes you family, and we throw down for family. But even if you weren't my mate, we'd still help, cause that shit isn't right."

Jaytee felt all eyes on them.

Raidh gazed into Jaytee's eyes, blew out a breath, and nodded. He rewarded his mate with a quick peck on the lips. That did not count as their first kiss either.

Then he turned to face the others in the room. "Raidh's dad is a complete dickhead. They've been at odds for a millennium because my mate refuses to embrace dark magic. When he cast that spell, they caught a glimpse of each other, and Galamir threatened to find Raidh and eliminate his own son, wipe him from history."

It was clear his mate was in grave danger, and Jaytee's anger burned fiercely.

"For not using magic?" Jax furrowed his brow. "That's insane."

"A thousand years?" Damon's jaw dropped. "Just how old are you? Damn, I was flirting with someone old enough to be…" He frowned like he was straining his brain cells trying to do the math, to calculate the age gap. "Well, if we were human, you'd be like a forty-times great-grandpa."

Raidh's gaze flickered toward him, and Jaytee could feel the weight of Moonbeam's stare as if it were a physical touch.

"So glad you're focusing on my mate's safety," Jaytee growled.

"No, I didn't mean—" Damon raised his hands in surrender before sighing. "I should just stop talking since I keep putting my foot in my mouth around Raidh."

Kalen studied Raidh for a long moment before asking, "Do you think he meant it, or was he just angry with you?"

"Galamir Shadowlace doesn't make empty threats," Raidh replied, shooting a glare at Damon. "And as a forty times great-grandpa, I guarantee he's dead serious."

Jaytee smirked when Damon lowered his head and focused on his food. He really was a good guy, but sometimes he let his wolf instincts take over, acting impulsively instead of thinking things through.

Regardless, he was inching closer and closer to an ass-kicking.

"Now, tell me exactly what we're dealing with here, son," Kalen said to Raidh, leaning forward with his elbows on the table and his hands clasped together.

Jaytee's dad was in full serious mode now. Kalen wasn't the only one curious about Galamir's powers. If Raidh was over a thousand years old, then his father was even older and had plenty of time to perfect his dark skills.

A pained expression crossed Raidh's face before he answered. "Arrogance," he said bitterly. "A complete disregard for anyone who isn't Unseelie." He lowered his gaze to his plate. "And a deep-seated hatred for me."

"Like I said, a complete dickhead," Jaytee grumbled.

Kalen nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry he's treated you that way, hon. But can you tell me about his powers?"

Raidh lifted his head to meet Kalen's gaze. "My father was not the great teacher he pretended to be," he confessed, and his voice was tinged with a hint of bitterness. "As I grew older, I realized he relied more on teaching than actually showing me how to cast a spell." He gave a humorless laugh. "My best friend, Elvine, has a penchant for snooping, and she told me that my father practices in secret because he struggles with herbalism and proper inflections while casting spells."

"And yet, he still expected perfection from you, holding you to impossible standards?" Jaytee clenched his jaw in disgust. He despised charlatans like Raidh's father.

Yet, Raidh endured endless lessons and harsh criticism while being called a disappointment and useless by the very man who lacked true talent. Jaytee couldn't even begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for his mate.

If he was in Raidh's shoes, he would have exposed his father's incompetence without hesitation after being treated so cruelly by the one person who should have loved and supported him unconditionally.

He looked over at his own dad sitting at the head of the table, thinking of the decades of sacrifice and devotion and feeling grateful for the warmth radiating from him.

Jaytee cherished having such a loving and caring father figure in his life.

"That sums up my father perfectly. For him, appearances are everything." Raidh took a bite of his pizza, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing and continuing. "I still need to get to the café so I can contact Elvine. Since Galamir knows we're close, she could be in danger."

"All four of us will ride together after we finish eating," Kalen declared, his voice firm and protective. "Until the threat has passed, you're stuck with us, Raidh."

"I go on permanent vacation and get lucky enough to end up with a pack of wolves. That beats a lousy T-shirt." Raidh's laughter echoed through the room. The sound was ethereal, filled with magic and enchantment.

All four men grinned at the infectious sound.

* * * *

By the time they left the house, darkness had fallen. Raidh might not be a fan of motorcycles, but he was a huge fan of holding on tightly to Jaytee.

As they headed into town, he rested his head against Jaytee's back, finding solace in his wolf shifter as he soaked in his warmth and scent—a combination of fire and recklessness.

He still couldn't believe he was mated to a wolf shifter.

Galamir's reaction would be explosive, a complete fricking meltdown. Some Unseelie laws were mind-boggling and simply nonsensical. Like the one that prohibited dark fae from mating outside their own race. What moron had come up with that one?

It was downright ridiculous, considering fate brought mates together. How could anyone fight against fate?

The thought made him smirk. No one could fight against fate, so there wasn't anything his father could do about it.

Raidh had no intention of giving that up for anyone, not when the Frost men had shown him so much kindness and compassion in the short time he'd been around them.

It was a stark contrast to the cruelty and neglect Raidh had experienced from his own family for over a millennium, making him question the loyalty he had ever felt for his own family.

But Raidh worried about the potential danger facing the wolves. His father may not be as skilled with magic as Raidh, but he was still not someone to underestimate.

The roar of the motorcycles filled the quiet night as they drove down the back roads, the headlights cutting through the darkness as insects buzzed around them.

Raidh squeezed his arms around Jaytee, feeling the strength of his mate's body against his own and the deep rumble of the engine beneath him, a constant buzz in his body. The moon cast a pale glow over the road, allowing Raidh to see the silhouettes of trees and houses passing by as they rode.

Being around Jaytee unleashed so many emotions within Raidh— some buried deep inside him and others, entirely new, that churned wildly inside of him.

Was it because of their bond, or had witnessing the love and loyalty between the Frost men opened something within him that had been dormant since his father's cruelty started?

In fact, in just a short time of getting to know Jaytee and his family, Raidh felt more loyalty toward them than he ever had toward his own blood relatives.

Kalen Frost was the father figure Raidh had always longed for, everything his own father should have been.

"Ack!" Raidh sputtered and hacked, his eyes bulging in disgust.

"You okay back there?" Jaytee asked with concern.

"Bug in my mouth! Bug! Yuck, gross!" Raidh gagged and hacked. That was so freaking disgusting. He slapped Jaytee's back when his mate chuckled.

"You gotta keep your mouth closed, Moonbeam," Jaytee said with a playful smirk. "You should be thanking that bug for the extra protein."

"Not funny at all." Raidh scowled, still trying to stop the involuntary shudders running through his body. "I'm about to stick my finger down my throat so I can purge it."

"Don't you dare," Jaytee warned with a growl.

"Pull this motorcycle over, or I'll do it!" Raidh exclaimed in panic, barely holding back the urge to gag again.

Jaytee quickly maneuvered to the side of the winding country road, his brothers and father following suit in a synchronized line of motorcycles.

The sudden stop jolted Raidh's entire body, causing his stomach to lurch even more. The ground was rough and uneven under his feet as he practically launched himself off the bike, gagging and spitting like a cat coughing up a hairball.

Everyone crowded around him, exchanging concerned glances.

"What's wrong?" Kalen asked, worry creasing his brow.

"Bug. In. Mouth." Raidh managed to croak out between coughs as his mate wore an amused smirk.

"Ah, the joys of motorcycle riding." Kalen winked.

"Dude." Damon rolled his eyes. "I thought it was something serious. All that panic over a tiny bug?"

Raidh took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. "I'm fine," he managed to say through clenched teeth.

"You sure you're okay, Moonbeam?" Jaytee rubbed his back, genuine concern in his voice, unlike Damon and Jax who were laughing their butts off.

Even Kalen couldn't contain a small smile.

"That's it." Raidh swiped a hand in the air, exasperated. "I'm walking the rest of the way to the café."

"Absolutely not," Jaytee argued.

"Yeah, you're not walking anywhere alone," Jax added.

"I'll just ride slowly beside you to save any more bugs from meeting their untimely deaths." Damon bounced his brows.

Jaytee rummaged through a side compartment on his motorcycle and pulled out what appeared to be a lightweight mask, offering it to Raidh. "Here, wear this."

"Really?" Raidh raised an incredulous eyebrow. "You want me, a dark fae, to wear a black mask with a white skull on it? Don't you think that's a little too on-the-nose?"

"It would be if my mate was evil," Jaytee replied with a soft smile that melted Raidh's heart. His mate didn't have an ounce of doubt. His complete trust and unwavering belief in Raidh's Unseelie heritage was evident in his pretty blue eyes.

It was so rare to find someone who believed in him so wholeheartedly.

"Besides, anyone wearing it looks badass," Damon boasted as if that was something to be proud of.

"And it'll keep any dirt and bugs from getting in your mouth or nose," Kalen added with a grin.

"Not to mention it'll save Jaytee from you hurling on his back," Damon teased with a smirk.

"Or you could've just thrown up on his back. I would've paid to see that." Jax chuckled.

"Seriously?" Jaytee scrunched his face. "Bro, that's disgusting."

"Or I could have turned my head and puked on you instead," Raidh teased, still feeling queasy from the earlier incident. He couldn't even imagine the horror on Jaytee's face if he had actually done that.

Despite his initial reservations, Raidh chuckled at their playful antics. It amazed him that in just a few short hours, they had welcomed him with open arms and made him feel like part of their family.

The Frost men's genuine warmth and kindness touched a deep chord within Raidh. He felt a sense of belonging with them he'd never experienced before, and it nearly brought tears to his eyes.

"Quiet," Kalen said in a low voice as he glanced around.

Everyone froze at his chilling whisper, their bodies tense as they scanned the surrounding area.

Every muscle in Raidh's body went rigid when he felt a sense of foreboding. Although he couldn't see any danger, he felt a presence lurking in the shadows like it was waiting to strike.

The surrounding forest, shrouded in shadows, seemed to close in on him. The night air carried a hint of pine and earth, but he caught a whiff of something foul, making his stomach turn.

Kalen's sudden use of hand signals only heightened Raidh's sense of unease. He didn't understand what those flickering fingers meant, but Damon and Jax flanked their father. Then they moved with ease and precision, their eyes sharp and muscles taut.

The three headed into the forest.

"Stay close to me, sweetheart." Jaytee's strong arms wrapped around Raidh protectively, pulling him in close and shielding him from the danger lurking somewhere in the darkness.

"Is it okay to admit I'm scared?" Raidh asked with a slight tremble. He wasn't sure why, but he reached up and started combing his fingers through his mate's thick beard, surprised at just how soft it felt.

"It's okay to be afraid," Jaytee said in a soft tone. "You feel my arms around you, Moonbeam?"

"Of course I do." He pushed deeper against Jaytee's chest. "A warm wall of muscles."

"Stay against that wall, hon." He leaned closer to Raidh, as if he loved having his beard played with.

A tingle started through Raidh, and not the good kind. Suddenly, a blur shot past him, slicing through Raidh's arm and drawing blood. He cried out in pain and grabbed his arm as he felt warm wetness seep through his fingers.

"I could smell your sweet scent before I even touched you." A voice, dark and hungry, taunted him from somewhere nearby. "Your blood is like nectar to me, and I want it all."

Panic rose in Raidh's chest as he whipped his head around, frantically trying to locate the source of the voice. But it kept moving too quickly for him to pinpoint.

"I will fucking kill you," Jaytee shouted at the darkness. He tightened his hold and pulled Raidh even closer while he scanned their surroundings. In the distance, growls and snarls echoed through the forest, turning the once peaceful night into a battlefield.

"They must have run into trouble," Raidh said, praying the others were okay.

The blur flew by them again. This time, Jaytee and Raidh were knocked off their feet and sent crashing to the ground. Raidh's heart hammered as he struggled to catch his breath.

With swift movements, Jaytee rolled and pulled them both upright, never loosening his grip on Raidh.

The distant sounds of fighting grew more violent, the howls heightening the chaos and danger of the situation, but all of Raidh's focus went toward the unseen danger that threatened to drain him dry.

With each passing moment, his heart pounded louder in his ears and fear threatened to consume him entirely. All he could do was trust in Jaytee's capabilities and pray like heck they would make it out alive.

Raidh let out a piercing scream when the blur took him down hard to the grass. Then he sank his fangs into Raidh's neck, trying desperately to suck the life out of him through his blood.