Her Mates by Tamara White
Fourteen
After three hours at the party, I’m finally excited. I’ve been exchanging small talk with all the wolves. Most of them have asked how I could survive in the human world, which has become tiring. You’d think it wouldn’t be fascinating to a bunch of wolves, but apparently they can’t get enough of hearing how we hunted without being caught by rogues or human hunters.
Nate and Pete are sticking close by because I’ve almost screwed up a few times now. First, there was an older lady who asked me what I was going to do to better the community. Since I had no idea what was going on in the community, I had to think about it, which was the wrong choice. According to her, I should have answered immediately. Thankfully, Cam was nearby and explained I only found out about all of this yesterday, which seemed to gain her forgiveness, but then there was another incident with a visiting enforcer’s daughter. She didn’t submit to me, expecting me to submit to her, but my wolf wouldn’t have it. My wolf knew she was weak and when I said so, she was outraged, demanding to speak to the alpha. Laura smoothed that over, explaining that as future Alpha Queen, even if I’m not ruling yet, I hold more sway than any other wolves, including alphas, therefore she disrespected me and the pack housing me, so the enforcer’s daughter apologized.
After she stomped off, Laura told Nate and Pete they were to stay with me the whole time—no exceptions. Since then, they’ve been attached to my hip.
Jonnie comes running over to me, all excited.
“Guess what? Guess what? Guess what?” he chants, jumping up and down in excitement, grabbing my hands and getting me to join in.
I laugh at the pure anticipation emanating from him. “What?” I ask.
“We, and by we, I mean Pete, Nate, Cam, Jason, Mitch, and I, are taking you for a run and maybe, if we get lucky, a hunt!” he answers with a grin that melts my heart. He’s so gorgeous when he’s smiling like this.
“Okay, when?” I question, getting just as excited.
It took us two weeks to move to this town, then we ended up here. Dad thought it was too dangerous for me to run with him, so I stayed in hotels while he ran. Now, I might actually get to let my wolf free—well, in a sense. I can’t wait until I can shift.
“Right now, if you’re ready?” he queries, waiting for my response.
“Hell yes, I’m ready! Let’s go!”
He laughs at my enthusiasm, causing Pete and Nate to join in. They start steering me toward the back of the house. I gasp when I see the forest.
From my room, I can see the tops of the trees and how vast the forest is, but standing here, I can appreciate the full impact of its beauty. I love nature and how alluring it can be. The trees grow, and when they’re cut down, the whole forest mourns their loss. Just like a pack, when one is lost, the whole pack grieves.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmur, watching the soft waves of the branches in the night.
“Cam, Jason, and Mitch will meet us here in about five minutes. They’re just creating a slight distraction for us,” Pete informs me, grinning.
“What kind of distraction?” I inquire cautiously. Anything that has Pete grinning that wickedly can’t be good.
“Let’s just say it’s best if you don’t know. That way, you have plausible deniability,” Nate replies just as deviously.
Okay then, I’m just going to leave it. If they say plausible deniability, then I’m not going to ask. I turn to look for the others and just about faint when I see them.
Pete, Nate, and Jonnie are stripping!
“Sorry!” I gasp, turning back around, clenching my eyes shut. I should have known they would need to undress to shift, but it just didn’t enter my mind. They should have warned me!
Any time I went out with Dad’s wolf, he shifted behind trees far away from me. I guess these guys don’t really have anything to be embarrassed about. From what I saw, not that I saw much, they are one-hundred-percent gorgeous with their smooth, toned bodies. Jonnie and Pete have tattoos, which makes me want to take another peek to see what they are. I’ve always been fascinated with tattoos, but Dad said I can’t get one until I’m eighteen.
“Oh, come on, Dani, I don’t mind if you watch,” Pete teases, chuckling, which is followed by the sound of a slap. “Dude! Stop fucking slapping me upside my head!”
“Stop being rude to our mate. She doesn’t need to hear that shit!” Nate responds angrily.
While they’re arguing, I’m blushing, thoroughly embarrassed. Mitch, Jason, and Cam walk around the back of the house, catching me trying not to peek at the others.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had sex, but for some reason, being around all these boys makes me flustered and embarrassed. That’s never happened before.
When the others reach me, they watch me, clearly wondering what happened to cause me to blush so much.
“Don’t even ask,” I warn, stopping any of them from questioning me. “Just shift. I’ll close my eyes and one of you can nudge me when you’re done.”
When someone nudges me, the last thing I expect to see is a beautiful, cream colored wolf at my side. Maybe I should have watched them shift so I knew who is who?
A stunning shaggy wolf comes loping over to my me. His coat is exquisite, the russet color going well with the black markings on his back and tail. I squat down to see if I can figure out who it is when he licks my face then nips my hand.
“You must be Pete,” I surmise, laughing as he pounces on the cream wolf, wagging his tail like an excited puppy.
I look closer at the cream one, realizing it must be Nate as he pushes Pete off him, snapping at his tail. Yep, definitely Nate.
A black wolf approaches me, watching for signs of hesitation. He’s huge! Compared to the others, he would be considered unnatural.
All wolves resemble their natural counterparts, but not this one. He’s at least three inches higher and fully black with a small marking on his chest. It’s very intimidating.
When he finally stops in front of me, I look into his eyes, knowing this has to be Cam. The marking on his chest must be because of his tattoo, though I’d never heard of it presenting in wolf form before. One of the many things to add to my list of never-ending questions. Now, it’s got me wondering if the marks on Pete are his tattoos.
Two wolves approach, and I know immediately they’re Jonnie and Mitchell. They are pretty much a matching pair with stunning gray coats. Mitchell is the darker of the two, with shading around his face and ears, while Jonnie is lighter with a more natural color you would see on wolves in the wild. The tips of his ears, tail, and feet all have darker shading. I don’t know how I know which one is which, but my wolf seems confident that I’ve chosen the right person for the wolf.
The thing that leaves me confused, though, is I don’t see any distinguishing markings on Jonnie that could be tattoos. I was sure I saw tattoos on his arms. I take a closer look, and on the inside of his forelegs, I notice markings snaking up the underside of each limb. He has tattoos on both arms then. Cool!
That just leaves the white wolf. Jason’s wolf is absolutely striking. His coat is such a pure white that if there was snow around right now, all you would see are his amber eyes. He has no markings, and he stands taller than all those in attendance. Not in height, but he has a confidence that only radiates from an alpha, just like Cam. It’s the same kind of power I feel being around Tim and Walter. The others radiate a soft brushing of power, but not as much as Jason or Cam do.
“Okay, guys, how do you want to do this?”
We really should have communicated more before they shifted. Unlike with my father, I can’t exactly sense their wolves’ intentions. Dad’s wolf and I were always able to communicate to an extent, but looking at the six wolves in front of me, I’m stumped.
Cam walks over to my side and stands with me while the others take off. I run after them, assuming Cam’s staying back with me in case I get lost on pack land. If that happens, though, I’ll never live it down. Even as a human, my nose should be able to get me out of these woods.
Running through the forest is absolutely amazing! I’m free and nothing can stop me, until Pete bowls me over. I get up, laughing, and tackle him to the ground, holding my own much better than he probably assumed I would. I had to learn how to wrestle with wolves just in case I ever got caught, and right now, I’m glad my father had the foresight to teach me all this.
Walter and Monique may think self-defense was the worst thing he could have taught me, but if it comes down to defending my life, then I’m glad I can. Words, however, are so not my thing.
We stop at a small stream and they all circle me, rubbing against my legs, marking me with their scents. Cam stiffens and takes off at a run with the others chasing after him. I follow, glad they aren’t running full speed, otherwise I may not have been able to keep up. As we get closer, I smell the doe they’re hunting. It’s already bleeding, which is probably what Cam smelled in the first place.
They slow to a stop, staring in the direction the scent of blood is coming from. I see four deer grazing on a grassy hill, completely oblivious to the death they’re about to face. Pete howls, causing them to scatter. We all take off after them. I follow behind but hesitate, not wanting to be the one to take down a wounded deer.
When I catch up to them, Nate and Cam are circling the injured deer, waiting for something, but I don’t know what.
Pete comes over, nudging my side, and I still have no clue what he wants. He tilts his head as if it should be obvious before huffing.
“Pete, I don’t speak wolf. You could be saying ‘I’m wearing pink underwear,’ and I still wouldn’t understand,” I tease, holding back a laugh.
Pete makes a gagging sound, which I assume is laughter—either that, or he’s got a hairball. Once he stops, he walks behind me, and I watch as he shifts back to human form.
“You’re such a funny girl, Dani, but I guarantee I don’t have pink underwear. I prefer going commando.” He smirks, while I do everything in my power not to glance down. Instead, I take the high ground, facing the others before responding.
“Whatever you say. Now, can you tell me what the hell you were saying?”
“We were saying that the kill is yours if you want it,” he answers, pressing up behind me.
Don’t react, Dani. It’s just a penis. You’ve been around penises before. It’s natural.
“I can’t. Hunting is one thing. I love chasing my prey, but my human side is too strong to overpower the need to hunt. She isn’t strong enough to make me want to eat Bambi,” I explain with a grimace.
“Oh, shit! I’m sorry, we just assumed when you said you hunted that you joined in on the kill. You know, you really should have said something,” Pete murmurs into my ear.
Damn him for making a normal conversation give me the shivers.
“Sorry, I forget we barely know each other. The way we interact, it just feels natural between us,” I tell him, watching as Nate and Cam let the deer go.
“Alright, we won’t hunt tonight, just chase. Are your feet okay? Do you want shoes?” he inquires, concerned.
“I’m fine. Besides, I love feeling the dirt between my toes as we run.”
I wait a moment for him to shift, and when he rubs his head under my hand, I try hard not to sigh. His fur is so silky that it makes me want to wrap myself around him and go to sleep.
We run for an hour, chasing the herd of deer we find in the back of the woods. The others each go off individually to hunt, I assume, but I don’t really want to think about that right now.
It’s not until we’re within hearing distance when I realize they’ve led me back to the house. When we get there, I squeeze my eyes shut while they all shift.
“Look at her! She’s shy,” Pete teases noisily. His voice feels loud enough for the whole pack to hear.
“I am not! How would you guys feel if I just started stripping whenever I pleased?” It takes a moment for that comment to sink in. When I realize how that sounded, I flush and stomp my feet at their laughter.
“You know what I mean!” I shout, while trying not to turn around.
Jason comes into view, and thankfully he’s fully clothed. “Sorry, Dani, but you’re going to have to get used to it. We’re wolves. We shift, and we don’t like wasting our clothing, so you’re going to be seeing a lot more of it.
“There’s nothing sexual about it, it’s just a necessity so we don’t ruin our clothing when we shift. Just because the packs have money and our own clothing designers doesn’t mean we’re wasteful. Besides, it gets expensive if we keep buying the materials to make new clothes. It would also draw attention to us,” he explains, leading me toward the door of the house and making sure I don’t see the others getting dressed.
“Okay, but it won’t happen overnight. I never saw my dad shift and I intend to keep it that way. With you guys, though, it’s different. My wolf wants me to look, hell, even I want to look. If I choose you all as my mates, then I at least deserve the chance to look at what I’m getting, don’t I?” I tease, trying to sneak one last glance back at them.
“Yes, well, you’ll have plenty of time in the future, but if you’d like, I would be more than happy to give you a private viewing.”
His boldness surprises me, and I find myself awfully tempted to accept such an offer, if only to relieve some built-up tension that has been building the past few hours, but I know I need to be better than that.
“As much as I want to dive on that opportunity, we still have a few things to discuss before I start accepting any propositions.”
“Fine, but don’t say I never offered,” he teases, quickly bending to kiss me on the cheek before I can say anything. “Now, go on up to your room. We’re gonna shower to avoid being murdered by Laura for smearing mud through the house, but we’ll be up to your room soon to talk,” he tells me, nudging me gently through the door.
“Fine, but if you try to chicken out, I’ll find you. All of you.”
