Chapter 34: Hunter

The last couple of days have flown by in a haze. A wonderful haze filled with Lottie. We remained hidden in my house the entire time. No one bothered us that we didn't invite over. I never brought up the mate bond again. Just in case it would force her to withdraw from me when we've grown so close. When everything is going so perfectly between us.

Aside from Vincent and the paparazzi, everything is perfect. Once we bond, if we bond, that problem will cease as well. Then, we can properly start building our life together.

Tonight is the blood moon. Shifters have already begun showing up at my house, bringing food and drinks to share. It's become a bit of an unofficial potluck. Shifting and fucking takes a lot of energy, and all tend to get hungry after.

Some are not shifters, though, and just come for the community or to run with their shifter mates or spouses. There are also a few outsiders we've come to accept as friends who come for every lunar eclipse, especially the ones who don't live too far away. Most of them are already in town, staying with friends or at the motel.

Ginger showed up with a large bag in hand and pulled Lottie into our room, locking me out, claiming girl time or whatever. Lottie could use a little girl time. And I like that she's become so close with Ginger. I just hope my sister doesn't force her into anything too fancy. One, because I would hate ruining it in the chase, and two, because I know that's not what Lottie wants. Her old life may have been all glitter and sparkle, but after getting to know her it's obvious she likes the simple pleasures in life. High quality, yes, but simple. She's had her fill of rhinestones and sequins, and I don't want her to feel pressured to wear something she hates.

Puttering around the house I straighten things and set up tables for the evening, knowing they'll be overflowing with food and drinks in no time.

My parents are some of the first to arrive, with handfuls of Tupperware containers and bottles of wine. I didn't tell them about possibly bonding with Lottie tonight, but they appear to have done a little extra tonight. Maybe just knowing she'd be here, they wanted to show her what a life with me could be. Welcome her into the pack and our family even without knowing by tomorrow that may be all too true.

Parents can be like that sometimes. Knowing things without ever being told. It was obvious to anyone looking how much we're drawn to each other. Concluding we are mates isn't too far of a jump to make.

Dottie and her family appear soon after, bringing an entire buffet with them. They always bring more than others, but again it's like they knew tonight was special without being told.

I greet them with warm smiles and open arms. My pack, my family. The people I care about most and would do anything to protect. They would do the same for me and anyone else in the pack. We're shifters, we can't help it. Because of that, we form close bonds with each other.

Not to mention seeing each other butt naked every eclipse means we know more about each other than we want to sometimes.

It isn't until the yard is half full with shifters, a few other non-humans like Evelyn and Becca, and even one or two humans, that Lottie and my sister appear.

Even across the yard, through dozens of horny shifters and mingling scents of food, I still catch her gardenia and clove scent. Maddeningly strong and alluring. Drawing my eye directly to her cutting off the conversation I was having with Luca. I expect he walks away when he realizes I'm no longer paying attention to him because I don't hear him anymore as my body moves toward Lottie.

She's wearing a white dress that sways in the light breeze. Its short hem brushes against her thighs, and I hope she's not too cold.

I know a way I could warm her. My extremely horny inner beast purrs.

The closer I get to her, the pinker her cheeks and neck become, but her eyes never break contact with mine, and I ignore anyone who tries to speak to me or gets in my way. I think I even push one chatty nymph out of my way. I think it was Kai, so I'm not too concerned.

Lottie stands perfectly still, patiently waiting for me to make my way across the yard to her. My sister wisely scurries away, leaving Lottie and me alone.

There's a pink glistening on her lips, and her hair has soft waves that I want to run my fingers through. When I'm within touching distance, and her mate scent hits me, along with a heaping helping of desire, a deep primal growl rumbles in my chest and throat.

If anyone questioned my intentions with Lottie upon hearing my possessive and claiming growl, they no longer do.

She stands just above me on the deck, only a few short steps away, and my feet stop just at the bottom.

"You look . . ." My words fail me trying to pick the perfect word to describe how my mate looks at this moment. "Divine. Flawless. Exquisite. Mouthwateringly luscious."

Each of my words is soft but certain, leaving no room for argument. I know she's heard many of these things before, but I want her to know I mean every single one. That my words aren't empty and hollow.

I slowly make my way up the few steps as I speak, ending when I reach her. Taking the opportunity our position offers, I run the back of a finger up her exposed knee and thigh, brushing just under the hem of her dress before retracting my hand. Her breath catches, and her scent spikes, making my cock throb and my knot swell painfully, knowing soon I may be sliding it into her heat and locking us together. Both experiencing it together for the first time. The sensations amplified when I bite her and send us both into the greatest pleasure we've ever experienced and tie our life forces together as one.

My anticipation has me quickly closing the remaining distance between us. Wrapping an arm around her waist, the other cupping the back of her neck, my thumb circling to press down on her pulse point ever so slightly in a way I discovered I like as much as she does.

"Thank you," she whispers breathily once I have her secure in my arms. "Ginger picked the dress out."

"Remind me to thank her later."

Ignoring the dozens of people surrounding us, I take my time with Lottie. Leaning in to kiss her, tasting the flavored lip gloss staining her lips. Watermelon. The kiss is slow and unhurried as we both take what we want. Our tongues languidly tangling with one another. Lottie's hands come up to wrap around my shoulders, digging into the short hair at the back of my head, and pulling at the loose collar of my shirt.

I didn't want to wear something I wouldn't want to ruin, so I chose a plain black T-shirt that's been well-worn. I won't care if I tear it to shreds in my lustful hurry to shift and chase my mate. My Nightingale.

We pull away, breathing heavily once we've both taken our fill. Lottie's eyes are glazed and half-lidded, and I'm sure mine are a mirror of hers.

Her smile spreads slowly across her face as she inspects me, her eyes shifting from my lips to my nose and eyes, following the line of my jaw. I don't know why she's inspecting me so closely, but I stand motionless, letting her.

"Ginger told me there would be food," she says coyly nibbling on her bottom lip. "I'm starved. Help a girl out?"

My chuckle is low, and I feel the budding joy growing in my chest.

"For you, my mate, anything."

It's the first time I've directly called Lottie mate, the word slipping out of its own accord, but I don't stop it. She is my mate. Whether we form the bond tonight or not, she is. That won't change.

She doesn't flinch or pull away; she only smiles wider, letting me lead her to one of the overflowing tables of food.

Her appetite is big, and she tries to taste everything but grows too full. Claiming she'll come back later for more. Hopefully, I can help her burn off her first helping. If she runs and we mate, she will definitely be hungry again later.

Normally, I would run with the rest of the pack or a female I had planned to work out my sexual needs with, without knotting, of course. Occasionally, though, a member of our family likes to run alone or privately, a section of our land is reserved for us. None of the others ever run there, even if no one decides to use it. Ryder uses it occasionally but more often than not, he goes far out on the edges of our property line and even beyond. Liking to be on his own.

But tonight, I've made sure it's known I'll be using that area, just in case Lottie said yes. If she doesn't, I'll use it to hunt and burn off the strongest of the moon's afflictions.

I think I've spoken to everyone present tonight, but the one person I can't seem to find is my brother. He's a bit of a loner, but he always makes an appearance, if not for anything other than the food. Looking around, I try to spot him. I catch sight of him near the edge of the clearing where the tree line meets the neatly manicured lawn. He doesn't look happy, though he never does.

Leaning down, I press my mouth close to Lottie's ear.

"I'm going to go talk to Ryder. Will you be okay by yourself?"

She turns and smiles up at me. "I'll be fine. Besides, I'm not alone."

She gestures with her head towards the gaggle of females chatting animatedly nearby. Apparently, I was so enrapt with my mate that I completely missed them there.

I incline my head with a short nod and press a kiss to her cheek before stepping away to speak with my brother and find out what the hell crawled up his butt lately.

As I get closer, I can see his rigid posture and unhappy frown.

"Your face is looking more morose than usual."

"Good evening to you too, brother," he grunts back at me.

"What is it with you lately? I've barely seen you, and you always seem to be in a foul mood. Is it because of Lottie and the mate bond?"

Ryder rears his head back and looks at me with disbelief. Offended I would suggest such a thing. But I had to check to know if me finding my mate upset him for some reason. It's already bad enough that I'm his younger brother and became alpha when he didn't. Even if he's told me that he never wanted to be alpha, it's always bothered me.

I always felt insignificant and unworthy when he was such a great leader. Historically, an alpha has always been the eldest. I felt like I was stepping on his tail when I accepted my role as alpha. I never want him to feel that he isn't adequate just because something beyond our understanding decided I should be alpha and not him.

"Of course not. I'm happy for you and Lottie. She's a great girl, and Mom and Ginger already love her. Pretty sure everyone in town already does, too."

My shoulders relax a fraction, satisfied he isn't upset because of us, but I'm still worried about his demeanor lately.

"Then what is it? I know it's something."

He grinds his back teeth and clenches his jaw, letting out a long-controlled breath. It's not like my brother to keep things from me. If anything, in the past, he's been honest to a fault. Telling it to me straight and blunt. Lately, he's been quiet; running off the moment he is no longer needed, and I worry why.

"You remember that blogger I told you about? Tess."

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well, she's . . . been more to deal with than I expected."

I narrow my eyes at him, trying to read between the lines, which is nearly impossible to do with him. But I try. His shoulders are tight, and he keeps flexing his hands. His eyes keep shifting rapidly all over the place but always seem to stray back to one area, expecting something or perhaps someone to appear.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

"What?"

His shifting eyes lock on to me and finally hold still for two seconds. In them, I read surprise and guilt? My brother has never felt guilty for anything in his life, including breaking my arm when he pushed me off the roof. Or so I believed, due to his indifferent and detached nature. Perhaps there's more to his emotions hidden under the surface that he doesn't share with anyone.

"You seem like you're waiting for someone. Expecting someone special?" I ask carefully.

He grunts and shifts on his heels, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. That girl, Tess. Well, she sort of figured out what we are, and to keep her from exposing us, I promised she could come tonight. To see the shift and maybe prove to her we aren't as horrible as she thinks we are."

I've rarely been angry with my brother, but right now, I'm fucking furious. He was supposed to get her out of town and out of our hair. I don't need this shit tonight, not when it could turn into the best night of my life.

"What the fuck, Ryder? You were supposed to get her to leave town, not share all our secrets with her. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I don't know, okay!" he barks back at me, growing angry right alongside me. The only emotion he rarely shows. "She's under my skin. She drives me fucking insane, but I also can't tell her no. I've tried; trust me, I've fucking tried. But I always end up giving in. I couldn't just dust her. Her obsession with shifters goes back too far, and it wouldn't work. I thought . . ."

He huffs out a reluctant breath, trying to gain control of his emotions. Something I've never seen happen before. He's always calm and controlled. To be frazzled and disoriented is uncharacteristic of him. I think about what he's said about this girl; maybe there's something special about her. Special like Lottie.

"I thought if I could show her shifters aren't the horrid beasts she thinks we are, that we're just normal people, she might give up her quest to expose us."

I watch my brother with quizzical and wary eyes. Depending on the circumstances, this could either end really well or very badly.

"So, you just thought you would bring her to a blood moon lunar eclipse with dozens of shifters and non-humans, and she wouldn't expose us after running a paranormal conspiracy theory website for years? Yeah, that makes sense." My tone drips with derision. I thought my brother was smarter than this.

"Look, I know it sounds crazy; I'm pretty sure I've lost all my marbles at this point. Just trust me, okay. I won't let anything happen to anyone or the town."

Gripping his shoulder and squeezing, I see the determination and need in his expression.

"I do trust you."

"How did you . . . how did you know Lottie was your mate?" Ryder asks sheepishly.

The question's surprising. Ryder never believed in love and all the sentimentality that comes along with it. Accepting a mate would be a big step for him. It's based on equal trust and exposing all your insides to the other. Something he's not very good at.

"I just did. I trusted my instinct to show me the right path, and it did. Once I learned it was possible for her to be my mate as a human, I stopped fighting it. Stopped fighting myself and gave in. That's all you can do. Allow it to consume you, and you never know, you might like it."

From his grim, sour look, he doesn't seem to like my answer, but it's the only one I have.

He huffs out a breath, and the tension in his shoulders slackens with . . . defeat? It instantly returns when his eyes catch on something and stick. I don't immediately turn to see what, instead inspecting my brother.

His flaring nostrils and dilating pupils, the tensing of his muscles, and the grinding of his jaw all indicate something more. His scent, although minimal compared to Lottie's, still lingers in my nostrils, it's sharp and musky. Desire, anticipation, anxiety, excitement, and anger linger together in a maelstrom of emotions. More than I've ever scented on my brother before.

Only after studying Ryder for a long moment do I turn to seek out what's drawn his attention. A tall, lean redhead is skirting around the yard's edges, avoiding contact with anyone, but watching curiously at everyone enjoying the food and drink. The moon hasn't fully risen in the night sky, and no one has shifted yet, except for one or two pups who are in wolf form, playing and running between legs.

She's dressed in all black, and I'm pretty sure I see the hilt of a knife in her boot. A rumble rolls in my chest, a small warning she can't hear, but Ryder can.

Turning back to my brother, I pin him with a sharp look. It takes everything in me to hold back the alpha command in my voice. I don't want to use it on him; I shouldn't have to.

"Keep her away from the others, especially the pups, and if she dares to try to use that knife in her boot, I will personally take care of her. Understood ?"

A deep, agitated, and protective growl curls Ryder's lips. He dares to disrespect me and challenge my command?

I elongate my claws and prick them into the muscle of his shoulder before infusing my responding snarl with alpha power. It doesn't always have to be put into words. Just having intent and meaning infused into a growl or howl can be just as powerful.

His snarl quiets, his eyes flash, and his nostrils flare, but I can see him gaining control again, submitting to me as he drops his eyes to the ground.

"Yes, Alpha. I understand," he grits out.

It may not sound like he is submitting, but I know how hard it is to fight against your own instinct. He's trying. He doesn't yet realize what he's already involved in with this girl, but I think I'm starting to understand now.

"Good. Keep her away from the west woods. It's off-limits tonight. I'll be running there—with Lottie," I add, putting meaning behind my unspoken words.

Ryder's scowl softens, and his eyebrows lift a little in shock. His dark steely eyes look almost black in the dimming light, and understanding washes away his previous anger.

"Really? Tonight?"

"Maybe."

He nods, settling once again back into his normal stoic self—focused and diligent. His scent recedes back to the neutral, nondescript scent of bland coldness, lacking any sharp emotion of any kind.

"I will. And congratulations, brother. She will make a great mate."

"Thank you."

I scent the redhead Tess nearing us, and I decide it's probably best to leave Ryder to his own female while I get back to mine. Giving him one last reassuring squeeze, I release his shoulder and turn on my heel, heading for Lottie and her bright laughter.