51. Eva

The female wrapped her lithe body like a python around Tanner. I wondered if maybe she was a snake shifter, not a wolf, then instantly dismissed the idea. Snakes hated the cold, whereas this woman was clearly more than comfortable with the ‘less is more' approach.

"Merry," Tanner replied, his expression blank. I noted he failed to reciprocate her advances and tried to push her away, but she only slunk in closer, like a stray cat hoping for a free meal.

"I've been looking forward to catching up," Merry purred, dragging scarlet-tipped nails down Tanner's chest.

My stomach curdled. Was this one of his girlfriends? She was gorgeous. A low growl crept up my throat and all four of them turned to look at me: the guys with amusement, and Merry in surprise.

Her ice-cold gaze found mine and her lip curled with distaste before she sneered at me.

"Who's the human?" she spat. From the way she said ‘human', I could tell she really meant ‘scum', only was too polite to say so.

"Eva's with us, Merry," Tanner snapped, extricating himself from her clutches. "She's our mate." He wrapped a muscular arm around my shoulders in a clear sign of possession.

Merry's mouth fell open. "Are you fucking serious? How is that your mate?"

The dismissive way she looked me up and down reminded me I was pathetic, not fit to be in the presence of three powerful shifters. She was right, of course, but I refused to let her get the better of me. In the last few weeks, I'd discovered my backbone, and this bitch was getting on my last fucking nerve.

"Fate, Merry. Get over it." Tanner rolled his eyes and nuzzled my neck. Silas, not to be outdone, glued himself to my exposed back and rested a hand on my stomach. Cole stood close to us, watching the encounter unfold. I had a feeling he'd step in if Merry mouthed off for much longer.

"But she's…"

"Guys! So glad you could make it!" A tall, blond woman hustled over and grinned at them. She took in the way Tanner had wrapped his arm around me and smiled, but unlike Merry, she seemed a lot friendlier. Merry stepped back and pouted.

"Ah, you must be Eva," the blond woman said. "We're so happy you could come!"

"Hey, Cilla. How are you?" Cole leaned forward and gave her a quick hug, followed by Silas. Cilla grinned.

"Oh, not too bad. Almost everyone is here, which is great." Then her smile faded, and she frowned. "Rufus wants to talk to you in the morning, Tanner. He's hoping maybe you can help. Tom said he told you some of what's been going on?"

"Sure, I'll do what I can, and yeah, he did."

I wondered what they were talking about, but didn't ask. No doubt they'd tell me at some point.

Cilla squeezed his arm and smiled. "I know you will, honey." She turned to me and her eyes sparkled. "Are you warm enough, Eva? If not, I recommend you move real close to the fire and get some BBQ and rum down your neck. Rufus does a mean steak, as these boys can attest."

"That sounds great," I replied, shifting nervously on my feet. She chuckled. "Don't worry, you're not the only human here for the party. One of the guys from the Pine Ridge pack brought a girl along, and Rufus invited Olaf."

"Gods, I've not seen Olaf for a couple of years," Cole commented. "I thought that old fucker was living in Florida by now."

"Ha, he wishes," Cilla snorted. "He talks about it often enough, but truth be told, he enjoys life on the mountain way too much to leave. Can you imagine his miserable ass in some retirement community?"

The guys all burst out laughing. I had no clue who this Olaf was, but he sounded like a grumpy bastard.

"Anyway, I'll let you guys get settled. Merry, I need you to come and help me in the kitchen." Merry looked mutinous, but Cilla stood her ground.

"I was hoping to spend some time with Tanner," Merry muttered, flicking her hair back.

"Tanner is clearly busy with his mate, so you can come and help me instead."

I watched as Cilla led a furious Merry away.

"Is she your ex?" I asked, unable to keep my mouth shut.

Silas scoffed with amusement. "No, she's not his ex. Just someone he fucked a few times."

Tanner grimaced. "It was once, and I made it clear I wasn't offering anything serious."

"Yeah, well, looks like Merry didn't get the message, eh?" I couldn't help the bitter bite in my words, and Tanner grinned, amused at my blatant jealousy. "She seems put out about me," I observed. Despite my best efforts, I was still struggling with my many insecurities. I doubted I'd ever feel confident.

"Ignore her," Cole said, trying to reassure me. "You're with us and everyone will soon know it. I'm afraid there will be quite a few females here tonight who think they have some kind of claim on one of us, but none of them matter. They are all in the past. The only female we want is you."

My eyes narrowed and Cole shifted uncomfortably. "How many are we talking about here?" Jesus, if I had to fend off scores of aggrieved women, this party was going to go downhill fast.

"Maybe three or four, not including Merry," Cole hedged. Silas looked away, trying not to laugh, while Tanner's fingers stroked the curve of my ass beneath my padded coat.

"Good to know. Please warn me if one of them comes our way so I can put my resting bitch face on." I turned my back on him and moved toward the bonfire. The thought of BBQ and copious amounts of rum sounded more appealing by the minute. If a bunch of hot women were about to come crawling out of the proverbial woodwork, I was going to need a confidence booster.