Chapter 5
WHEN FULL MOON’S A-Coming played for the fourth time that night, Travis threatened to shoot Cassie if she ever messed with his playlist again.
“Aw, leave poor Cassie alone,” Glory told Travis. Personally she thought it was hilarious the way all the wolves leapt to their feet in unison. They were just so damn goofy.
Especially Max. Her goofy, sexy wolf.
“They’re funny when they’re howling,” Cassie said.
“No, they’re not,” Travis said, “and they keep ordering Full Moons, which is even less funny.”
Cassie burst out laughing. “Well, the song does call for them.”
“I’ve had to break open three new bottles of amaretto since we opened tonight and I’m completely out of orange curaçao. What am I supposed to serve them next? An Amaretto Sunrise?”
Glory snickered. “I’m sure you’ll figure out something.”
Travis grumbled, but went back to filling drink orders when a shout rang out through the room.
Glory whirled and stared across the room where several wolves were in their shifted forms, chasing their tails.
She made her way over to Max’s side. “What are they doing?”
“Seeing who can do the most rotations in a minute.” He glanced down at the phone he held in his hand and yelled, “Time!”
The four spinning wolves stopped so abruptly, they all tripped over their feet and went sprawling.
Glory rolled her eyes.
“Seventy-eight revolutions,” a wolf Glory didn’t know called out. He was standing by one of the fallen wolves.
“Ninety-two revolutions,” another wolf exclaimed.
“Sixty-four.”
“One hundred and nine.”
Murmurs broke out through the crowds as everyone craned their necks to see who had managed to spin one hundred and nine times in a minute.
“That’s my Petey!” Jenny crowed as she fell to her knees beside her mate. “Such a good boy, yes, you are.”
“Oh, my god,” Glory muttered and turned away because she liked Pete and Jenny and really didn’t want them to see how amused and horrified she was by all of this.
“Just so we’re clear,” Max said, “I am not a good boy and you will never have the opportunity to watch me chase my tail or to rub me down.”
“Interesting,” Glory said, eyeing his body suggestively. “So you have no interest in being rubbed down, eh?”
Max’s eyes widened and he stammered, “I, uh, well–“
Glory grinned at him and waited.
“Not like a dog,” he finally burst out.
Glory laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.” And she sauntered away, her hips swaying as she went.
* * *
That night, they went for a run again, only this time Max shared his favorite spots in wolf territory.
There were some trails too small for Glory’s bear, but Max always found alternate routes for them to follow.
This time their night ended with them stretched out on top of a cliff overlooking a waterfall. Eventually they shifted and talked long into the night, Max sharing what it was like to be beta of a wolf pack and Glory what it was like to be part-owner of a bar like Shenanigans.
“You know the witches were just the tip of the iceberg,” she told Max.
“What do you mean?”
“With a Shenanigans now in the area, the paranormals will come. It usually takes a while, a couple years at least. We’ve been here almost five and for most of that time, catered exclusively to shifters. I’ve been expecting other paranormals to be drawn to the area for a while now. I’m surprised it took so long.”
“So what you’re saying is Jamesville will be expanding.”
“Not necessarily. But paranormals in trouble or seeking something or just on a quest in the area might find their way here, for a short time or even forever. The Shenanigans bars are a beacon for paranormals who need help or are struggling or just lonely.”
“Interesting.”
“Phoenix was the first and because she was one of us, a shifter I mean, we were able to ease into what was coming.”
“Then Megan, Lara and Jessica arrived.”
“Yes.” Glory laughed remembering the sisters’ attempts to prove to the stubborn wolves and cougars that magic existed and that they were true witches. “I don’t know who else might be coming, if they’ll be shifters or witches or some other entity entirely, but I expect over the years, there will be many, some stopping for good and some just passing through.”
Max nodded. “Well, at the very least, our life will never be boring.”
Glory froze. He hadn’t said lives, but life, as if theirs would be a shared one. She glanced to the side and discovered he was staring right at her, as if he’d been waiting all this time for her gaze.
“Glory,” he rumbled. “You’re everything I never knew I wanted in a mate.”
Her breath hitched. He didn’t really mean that, did he? “But I’m so much bigger than you and–”
He grinned. “That’s just one of the many things I love about you.” He sidled closer.
“I don’t really mind being big. I mean, it’s part of being a bear and I love being a bear. It’s just–don’t you worry I’ll squash you?”
Max laughed. “Oh, my love, some of my best fantasies involve being squashed by you.”
Glory could feel blood rushing to her face. “I’m serious, Max.”
“So am I. I love everything about you, Glory, especially your size.” He leaned forward and kissed her. Long minutes later, he drew back to murmur, “I love the feel of your strong arms around me, holding me close. I love that your bear form is big enough to carry my wolf when he gets tired. I love lying at your side in wolf form, curling into your bear.”
“What about when we’re human? I’m taller than you, rounder than you.”
“Everything about you turns me on, Glory,” he said. “You’re statuesque and gorgeous in your human form and I’ve spent hours just watching you walk across the bar floor. The sway of your hips, the bounce of your beautiful bounty.”
Glory blushed. “You have not.”
“Oh, yes, love, I definitely have.”
She rolled her eyes. “You really don’t mind?”
“Glory. It’s so much the opposite of mind. I love your size.”
Glory blinked back tears. She’d meant it when she said she liked her size. She loved being a bear and being big was part of that whole package. But Max wasn’t a bear. She’d thought he’d have different expectations of his mate.
“The thing is, Glory, it wouldn’t matter if you were half the size or twice the size you are. It’s not about your physical presence, though I do love every little bit of it. More than that though, it’s your sexy attitude, how you don’t take shit from anyone. I love your cranky bear ways and how you’ll smack me upside the head when I’m annoying you. Turns me on every time.”
Glory blushed.
“I also love your sense of humor and how much you make me laugh. The truth is, Glory, you’re perfect for me. In every way.”
“Oh, Max, you make me so happy,” she whispered then flung herself into his arms.
He caught her up and kissed her for long, endless moments. Heat spread in billowing waves until she felt as if she could go up in flames at any moment.
Eventually he pulled back and murmured, “Ah, my love, you make me happy too.” He kissed her again, then said, “I’ll be a good mate for you. I know you didn’t expect a wolf, but–”
Oh, now, that wasn’t right. “I love your wolf, Max. And you’re already a good mate. You make me laugh with your goofiness, which I never would have thought possible, but somehow totally does it for me.”
He laughed.
“And even though I would have thought it’d be annoying, I love the way you’re always watching me, looking out for me. So don’t talk about not being what I expected. That may be true, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t what I needed. Besides, we’re not going to change who we are, just so that we can be together.”
Max grinned. “It’s not about changing who we are, sweet Glory. It’s about becoming the best version of ourselves we can be, and I want to be that best version for you, with you.”