Brick
The Berkshire residence is lit up with stringed lights and festive glowing globes for the engagement party. Ruby and my mom went all out transforming the place.
There’s a whiff of anxiety in my mate. Madi grabs a glass of champagne from the passing trays and downs it in five gulps.
The guest list includes most of those who were invited to the Blackthroat Family Foundation Ball–the uppercrust of Manhattan society, both wolves and humans. People who are important for Moon Co and the pack. Also in attendance are a handful of Madi’s new employees and colleagues from Torrent, including Eleanor Harrington, and of course, her mom, brother, and Aubrey. Her biological father and his insipid brothers weren’t invited.
“Whoa, baby. Are you nervous?”
She lightly shakes her limbs out like a fighter about to go in the ring. “A little. But I’ve got this.”
“Hang on.” I loop an arm around her waist and pull her body up against mine. This event may resemble the charity ball, but this time I don’t have to pretend Madi’s nothing more than my assistant. This time I won’t allow anyone to slight her.
“Who are you worried about impressing? You’ve already won over my pack.” I scan the crowd, trying to guess at what might have her on edge. “Oh. Are you worried about your mom interacting with your grandmother?”
“Oh they’ve interacted,” Madi says tightly. “Eleanor said she must be very proud of me, and my mom said, get away from me, you cow.”
I let out a snort of laughter. “I love your mom. That’s where you get all your grit.”
That wrings a smile from Madi. “She is pretty bad-ass.”
“It’s just a strange mix of people.” Madi’s gaze goes to Aubrey across the room. “I want to ask Aubrey to be my Maid of Honor, but I think she’d hate it. I mean, who’s going to be your Best Man? Billy? He’ll be horrible to her.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. What’s a Best Man?” I’m only partially joking. Of course, I’ve heard the term Best Man, but since it isn’t our tradition, I only have a vague sense of what it means.
Madi laughs, and my wolf settles at the sound. “You don’t know what a Best Man is?”
“Is it like my second in command?”
Madi’s smile grows wider. “Yes. But just for the wedding. And then you ask all your inner circle to be the groomsmen.” Madi claps a hand over her mouth with exaggerated dismay. “Oh my God, I just realized my wedding is being planned by shifters who have no idea how these traditions work.”
“Well, we can play along. But does it mean anything? I mean, what do they do?”
“Everything.” Madison gives me wide, serious eyes. I think she’s playing with me, too, but I can’t be sure. Either way, I’m going to make sure my team meets all expectations.
“Go and ask Aubrey to be your Maid of Honor. I will make sure Billy is a perfect gentleman and completely at her service.”
“He will hate that.”
“He will do it because you’re his luna. Now go, sweetheart. I want this settled, so you can relax.”
Madi already looks brighter. She rises up on her toes. “Okay.” She gives me a sweet kiss. “Can’t wait for you to become Mr. Evans.”
I arch a brow. “Excuse me?”
“Blackthroat-Evans.” She winks and sails away.
Billy
I hold a glass of the finest champagne money can buy, but its crisp scent is spoiled by the eye-watering cacophony of smells that surround me–humans with their perfume, cologne, deodorant, and a hint of rosewater that has my wolf on edge.
Engagement parties are a ridiculous human construct. What happened to the mating ceremony?
A wolf claims his mate in private with one bite. They could meet and be mated in a single night. There’s no long, dragged-out courtship. For a simple mating ceremony, they might run together under the full moon, serenaded by the howls of their pack. Then they get busy making pups.
For those of pack royalty, like Brick, there’s often a mating ceremony. A chance for the royal shifter families to mix and mingle. Often members of neighboring packs are invited. It’s a political event rather than something for the new couple.
But this affair has humans at it. The fact that Madi’s not a wolf makes everything complicated. They’re already planning a lavish wedding. I don’t know why the mating ceremony had to turn into an engagement party.
Brick and Madison’s engagement party in the Berkshires is apparently just the first of many. An announcement that Brick has put a rock the size of New Hampshire on his former secretary’s finger and plans to marry her. As if she isn’t already marked for life.
I wouldn’t give a shit, except Madi isn’t the only human here on the premises. On sacred pack land. Her mother is here. A brother. Her friend, Brick’s former assistant, Indira. Her grandmother, the Torrent Cosmetics heiress, and all her entourage.
And, of course, her former roommate, the cafe girl–Aubrey.
All here, mixing with the pack, as if an alpha wolf mating–marrying–a human is acceptable.
I have to admit, the mansion never looked better. The ballroom sparkles, and they even left the back doors open to the winter air. The snow is cleared off the expansive back patio, and there are heaters all over the place for the humans' delicate constitutions. Fate forbid, they get blown over by a winter breeze and catch frostbite.
Catherine Adalwulf is here–she helped Ruby plan the whole thing. I’m still getting used to her being a member of the pack. All is forgiven, despite the fact that she murdered our alpha.
Or had a hand in it.
Her brother’s death is presumed to have released any magical bond they had on her.
I heard she insisted on paying for the whole party out of her personal coffers. Her way of making amends for the fracturing of her family.
I’m not the only one here who hasn’t welcomed her in with open arms. Liz and Dane still clearly resent her.
It doesn’t matter that she and Ruby co-hosted this party to show a united front on welcoming the human into our circle. She’s an Adalwulf. There’s no replacing what the Adulwulfs took from us. Nothing will be right until we wipe that evil pack from the face of the earth.
We should be planning their demise. Instead we’re standing around, drinking champagne, and eating dainty hors d'oeuvres that barely take the edge of my snarling hunger. Fucking crudités.
One of Madi’s guests is vegetarian–the cafe girl, I’m sure–so there’s a whole tray of squirrel food. I wonder how the humans would react if I let out my wolf, brought home a kill, and savaged it right on the pretty green lawn?
My wolf loves the idea. He wants to shock cafe girl.
I search the room for her. I know she’s here by that gorgeous scent. I spot her standing at Madi’s elbow talking with Ruby.
She’s wearing a silvery sheath that hugs her hourglass frame. Her slender neck rises like a swan’s, her multitude of tiny braids trail almost to her ass. There’s a silver stud in her nose this time instead of the gold hoop.
It would burn if it touched my skin.
It’d be worth it to taste those lips. The thought comes and goes in a flash, leaving me scowling.
Brick walks over to me. “Wipe that scowl off your face.”
I make my expression blank. My gaze darts back to Cafe Girl.
“Madi is having a hard enough time getting her family and friends to adjust to her new life. Don’t make it harder for her with your anti-human bullshit.”
“I haven’t thrown anyone out, have I?”
“You will make every effort to make the humans welcome here this weekend.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“I mean it.”
“I know.” I lift my chin slightly to offer my throat in a show of surrender.
“Listen, there’s more to it than that.”
I brace myself. I don’t like the sound of this. “I need you to be my Best Man.”
Oh for fuck’s sake. Stupid human traditions.
“I don’t know what that means,” I say drily.
“Well, you’re going to figure it out. It’s important that we honor the human side of my mate. Following this tradition will make her feel more comfortable, and it’s a small price to pay.”
There’s a sour taste on my tongue.
“Aubrey–Madi’s best friend–will be her Maid of Honor. That’s the counterpart to your position. I need you to play extra nice with her. The two of you will be in charge of the wedding.”
“What?”
Brick must be nuts if he thinks I can be in charge of a wedding.
“Not the planning–Ruby and my mom are doing that. But the actual event. I don’t know–you have important roles in the ceremony and event that will require you to work together. I need to know that you’re going to treat her with as much honor as you would treat my mate. Or your own mate, for that matter.”
Something about him equating Aubrey to my own mate makes the hairs on my arms stand up.
I look over and see Madi speaking to Aubrey. The two of them look my way. Aubrey catches me looking at her, and her eyes narrow. She rubs her nose with her middle finger.
Very mature. The urge to bend her over and show her what happens to rebellious human females aching to be spanked makes my dick thicken in my pants.
Brick tips his head in the direction of Madi and her maddening friend. “Start now.”
Fuck. Me.
Looks like I just became babysitter to the humans. Lucky me.
“I serve at your pleasure,” I grumble, walking away from his side–straight to my downfall.
Billy and Aubrey’s story, Big Bad Bully, will be coming soon! Thank you for reading Big Bad Boss: Mated. If you enjoyed it, we would so appreciate your review. They make a huge difference for indie authors like us.