Her Mates by Tamara White
Four
After the boys leave, I decide to wander around to check out the rest of the school. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find my way to the gym by myself. It would suck needing help after being so adamant that I don’t need it.
I’m down the hall from the gym entrance when I smell them—four wolves waiting for me. I sigh internally. Great, this day is about to get worse.
I steer clear of their hiding spot, walking as fast as possible to the gym doors. I’m happy I make it in without them bombarding me, because the last thing I want on my first official day is conflict. Knowing my history, I’m sure it will happen sooner or later.
The first thing I see when I’m crossing the gym is the glass wall that shows the field outside. It’s so beautiful, but it makes me wonder who the hell thought a glass wall was an okay addition to a gym. Balls are being thrown and kicked around, so wouldn’t they be worried about it breaking? Surely the glass would shatter on impact.
Out on the field, Pete and Nate are doing drills with their other teammates, while Jonnie and Mitchell are stretching on the side. Man, they are seriously hot!
All wolves are naturally stronger, but they don’t have the muscles to show it. We tend to metabolize too quickly for our bodies to retain the protein needed for muscles. The boys, however, definitely have no trouble keeping up with their metabolism. They’re filling out their football jerseys so completely that, I admit, I’m drooling a little. Even my wolf is at attention while I watch them.
Nate sees me staring and stops his pass to wave at me. I smile, waving in return. Pete turns to see what Nate’s waving at. When he sees me, he runs off the field toward the gym with a huge smile on his face. I can’t help but smile when he busts open the gym doors, running toward me. The instinct to fight is there, but so is the feeling of safety, so I let him lift me up and spin me around. I laugh when he puts me down. It feels strange that they’re all acting like they haven’t seen me in years versus a few minutes ago. Is this what a mate relationship is supposed to be like?
“Hi,” I chirp.
Pete looks as happy as I feel. “Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. You looked so cute in the window, staring out at us.”
“I wasn’t staring. I was just checking out the field.”
“Oh, I know what you were checking out.” He winks cheekily, making me blush. Damn it! No guy should be so playful and cute all at the same time.
“I have to get back out on the field. You’re welcome to come watch though. Otherwise, we’ll come over when training is finished. Wait for us, we’ll walk you to class.” He kisses me on the cheek before running back onto the field.
I place my hand over the skin where he kissed me while trying not to blush, especially since the class is watching. The female wolves are glaring my way with murder in their eyes.
When Pete kissed me, I felt a jolt inside me and my wolf flashed behind my eyes. That’s never happened before.
Usually, I can talk with her in extreme situations, but I get more feelings from her than words. The feeling I had then was pure possessiveness. She loved Pete touching us, and she wanted to latch on to him.
I definitely need to talk to Dad about this new development. He’ll probably be excited that my wolf is breaching the barrier of my mind, but I still don’t know if she’ll ever break free.
Our gym teacher is an old guy who’s way too plump to be teaching a gym class. Isn’t it a requirement that a gym teacher be young or at least fit enough to teach a class like this?
“Okay, class, today I’m not feeling well, so you have free rein. You can talk together, or you can watch the football players run drills on the bleachers. I’ll be in my office,” he directs before walking out of the gym.
Screw it, I’ll go watch the boys play. I’d like to say it’s because I don’t like playing sports in front of humans, but who am I kidding? I want to check out my mates. Besides, it might be good research.
The majority of the class heads out onto the bleachers to watch, and I don’t blame them. Watching my mates play football together is nothing short of amazing. They flow so well together as a team, and when they’re all on the same side I can tell they trust each other.
Nate passes the ball to Jonnie, who runs and dodges the other players until the humans catch up, leaving him no choice but to pass to Pete, who bolts forward until he’s taken down five feet from the goal. He manages to pass to Mitchell before he hits the ground. Mitchell takes off, sliding over the line with the ball clutched to his chest. He jumps up and the others surround him, slapping him on the back.
It was an amazing performance, and they showed great restraint in not using their full speed to win. I imagine a lot of wolves would use that to their advantage rather than playing fairly. It indicates the kind of character they have if they don’t abuse their power.
“Yo, nice game, guys. Try it again with me on the opposing team,” a guy calls, walking onto the field fully dressed in football gear.
I hear the girls down in the front row sigh, and I know they all have a thing for him. I can’t smell him from here, but I just know he’s a wolf. The camaraderie between him and my mates is too intimate for them to only be friends, and from the way he talks, he knows they are equally measured on the field.
All the guys on the losing side cheer and whoop while my mates grin excitedly. It’s obvious they want a challenge.
I hear the girls down front whispering, “He just got back this morning.”
“The alpha is debriefing him now.”
“I might have to plan an impromptu visit to the pack house later.”
I’m not sure which girl is saying what, but I know they definitely want the new guy. Then again, I’m pretty sure most of the players on the team do too.
He looks like a god with golden, sun-kissed hair, blue eyes, and a tanned body. I imagine he’s packing some serious abs under that jersey.
Damn. I wipe the corner of my mouth to make sure I’m not drooling. Thank God I’m not.
As everybody gears up for the next play, I can’t help but want to get closer, so I climb down to the front row where there are a few empty seats on the left corner of the bleachers. No one else is around me. The rest of the girls see me move and start growling under their breath.
“Oh, grow up!” I whisper harshly, knowing they’ll hear me.
They all scoff, turning their attention back to the field. I shake my head, marveling at their immaturity. When I focus back on the field, my mates are all smirking at me. I wink their way, letting a smile cross my face when Pete laughs. He knew what I said to the girls and he loved it.
The new guy tries to see what’s stolen their attention, his gaze landing on me. He cocks his head, intrigued that I’m watching them. I’m sure he has no idea why they would be interested in someone as new as me, especially when they have those other girls vying for their attention.
The play starts off with the new guy hiking the ball behind him. He rushes forward, gets the ball back after a few tosses, then starts charging down the field. My wolf is alert, watching when he barrels straight into Jonnie and Mitchell as they try to tackle him. She throws herself against the barrier in my mind with determination, a growl slipping through my lips.
Mitchell and Jonnie get up and then sprint after him, while Nate and Pete try to defend the goal line, but the new guy is determined to score a touchdown.
He feints throwing it to his right, dodging Pete, but clipping him in the shoulder and sending him to the ground. Nate, however, is determined to stop him and rushes forward for the tackle. At the last second, the new guy slides his foot up, spins past Nate, and glides across the line. Nate swears and drops a hand down to help him up, all the while shaking his head with a laugh. The other three sulk as they walk off the field to my side, while Nate and the new guy laugh it off.
I can tell their egos are hurt, but Nate seems to be more accepting of it than the others.
“So, what did you think?” Mitchell asks, dropping onto the seat beside me.
“You guys were awesome!” I gush, excited I got to see them in action.
“I’m glad you liked it. I thought you would be embarrassed having mates taken down so easily,” Jonnie admits, blushing slightly.
Aww, he’s so cute!
“Nah. Besides, I think if it came to it, I could beat each of you, so that was nothing,” I tell him, smirking, watching his smile widen.
“Oh, really? Well, why don’t we see about that?”
Pete’s staring at me with a wicked grin on his face. I know there’s no backing out now. If I do, I’ll never live it down.
“Fine, you’re on. Where should we do this?” I ask, excited to use my skills on someone other than my father for once.
“Oh, it’s definitely on. I’ll go tell Nate. How about we do this under the bleachers? No one will see us, and the others can all keep an eye out for the humans. Meet you guys there?” Jonnie says, before running over to Nate with a huge grin on his face. He embraces the other guy in what I can only describe as a bro hug. The kind where they shake hands and pull each other together before clapping a hand on each other’s back and then parting.
Pete, Mitchell, and I head under the bleachers, and I drop my bag on the ground, taking a moment to stretch out my arms before this happens. I should be worried about facing off against the guys, but if I can beat my father, I feel confident that I can beat at least Jonnie and Mitchell. Pete and Nate may be another story. They look much stronger than I am, so I’ll have to rely on my speed, which should give me an edge. I’m a lot faster than a normal wolf.
“So, who wants to go first?” I inquire, straightening out of my stretching position.
“Oh, no you don’t, sweetie. You’re taking us on two at a time. We’re ready when you are,” Pete challenges with a grin, while Mitchell gets in position behind me.
I turn so I can see them both when Mitchell kicks out, taking me down. I flip myself back up and deliver a roundhouse kick straight toward his head, completely forgetting Pete’s there until he grabs me from behind.
I’m running on instinct now. I protect myself, twisting out of his arms and punching him in the face, drawing blood. He grins, lunging at me at the same time as Mitchell. I whip behind them, grabbing them both by their heads and knocking them together, watching as they go down like rocks.
“Ha! Is that all you’ve got?” I gloat, laughing at the confusion on their faces.
Nate and Jonnie have appeared, and thankfully the other guy isn’t following them. It’s hard enough dealing with this many wolves, thank you very much.
Nate watches with a hint of amusement in his eyes, while Jonnie looks at his brother and friend splayed out on the ground with surprise.
Clearly, they expected me to be untrained and therefore unable to fight them off. It won’t be that easy, though, if they want to be my mate. I’m going to need someone strong enough to protect me. Even my wolf agrees. She likes them, but she’s not impressed yet.
“Seems we underestimated you. Jonnie and I won’t make that mistake,” Nate states as they circle me.
I should be scared, but I’m excited to fight against someone other than my father for once. Maybe Nate and Jonnie will give me the challenge I need.
Pete and Mitchell sulk, standing by the edge of the bleachers. I doubt they want another head knock today.
Watching Nate and Jonnie, I wonder who’ll make the first move. Jonnie was wicked fast on the field, while Nate was more brute strength than speed.
Nate launches himself at me, throwing punch after punch, and I block him until Jonnie swipes across my legs, bringing me to my knees and giving me the advantage I need. I drop to the ground pretending to be hurt, smirking as they both stop. I jump into action, kicking Jonnie in the chest hard enough to make him land at Pete’s feet. Pete laughs and picks him up, while Nate and I circle each other looking for weaknesses.
I run at him, hoping to scare him when he swings his arm out. I sprint straight into it and my head gets thrown back. Before I can defend myself and strike out, Nate’s tackled to the ground.
I stare in shock at the new guy, who’s growling over Nate’s body, until he delivers the first punch, making my wolf see red.
She launches us at him, grabs him by the hair, and pulls him up and away from Nate before positioning me defensively in front of him, growling low in my throat. If he wants to hurt my mates, he’s got to get through me. My wolf is adamant he can’t get past us, and right now, I know it’s true. No way will he hurt a mate of mine.
“Cam, what the hell?” Nate asks, standing up behind me. My wolf is still in control, not letting him move forward.
“Seriously? You’re asking me ‘what the hell?’ when you guys are back here attacking my mate? What the fuck, guys?”
Mate? I’m his mate too? Oh. My wolf calms immediately, letting me straighten up.
“Look, they weren’t trying to hurt me. I was showing them I could take them on and didn’t need protecting, even if they are my mates. Same goes for you, buddy. I may be your mate, but that doesn’t mean you get to push me around,” I say, letting my dominance seep forward.
He watches me warily, about to open his mouth when I interrupt, “Before you ask, you’ll just have to come to my place with the others for an explanation tonight.”
While I may be a dominant wolf, it’s instinctual for me to want to submit to my mate, but I won’t stand down right now. I don’t want jealousy messing things up. It’s bad enough they’ll have to fight each other during the trials.
Shit, I didn’t even think about what that will do to them. They all appear to be friends, and fighting over me may ruin their friendship. What am I going to do?
“You were taking them on? A female? Against four wolves?” he questions, the derision thick in his voice, making me want to slap him.
Why can’t a female fight off four wolves?
“Yes, and I was doing just fine until you barged in here acting like a barbarian,” I counter, crossing my arms over my chest.
I don’t know what makes him think he’s so special, but I think I could take him, and I really want to see him on his ass after that douche bag performance.
“Let’s see about that! You and me then? No shifting,” he demands sternly, as if I even could.
“Cam, you can’t hurt her,” Nate pleads with him, which just makes me feel insulted. If I can face off against the other four, why not Cam?
“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t hurt her, though she’ll be taken down a peg or two. Maybe then she won’t initiate fights with any more males from our pack,” Cam states arrogantly.
“Excuse me! I’m right here. If you think you can take me down then try it, but I have to warn you, I’m not what I look like,” I caution him, confidence clear in my voice.
He hesitates a moment before ripping off his jersey, standing half naked in front of me. Is he serious?
Staring at his body, I notice a tattoo over his heart and what looks like scars marring his sides. While gawking at his perfection, I almost miss it when he swings at me. I dodge him, veering to the right, and I get a momentary flash of the others lined up with ominous expressions while they watch.
Jeez, so much faith in me.
I realize I have to prove them wrong by showing them exactly what I’m capable of.
I kick my left leg out, dislocating his knee, watching as it heals almost instantly. Great, now I’ve made him angrier. He grabs my arm as I dodge his jab to my cheek, pulling me against him.
“You know you won’t win, so why not surrender now?” he growls in my ear.
Ha! Like I’d let a wolf like him get one over on me.
I press myself against his chest, letting my wolf hum against his skin, sending shivers down our bodies, and then push him back. He doesn’t expect it and loses his balance, almost tripping over himself when I launch myself at him, sending us flying toward the ground.
I hold his hands trapped against his chest, leaning in to whisper, “I win.”
