Grayson wanted to pace and growl as he waited for the queen to return with his mate.
My mate.
The thought caused warmth to flood him. After all this time, he’d finally found the man destined to be his. Although he wasn’t sure how he felt about having the Fae queen as an in-law. Adam and Russell were standing next to him while the guards hovered closer to the bedroom door with their arms crossed. They were frowning, almost glaring at the three of them, but Grayson wasn’t sure why. In fact, they had seemed different ever since Ethan showed up.
His wolf growled inside him, wanting to be let out to rip the two apart so they wouldn’t have the chance to be a threat to his mate. While he partially agreed with his wolf, he knew that giving into his wolf’s urges would only cause problems in the long run so he got control of his wolf and waited for his mate.
“Is it just me, or are the guards even more uptight compared to when we first arrived?” Adam whispered as he looked around the room, pitching his voice low enough that only Grayson and Russell could hear him.
Before he could respond, Russell spoke. “For once, it’s not just you.” His voice was equally as quiet.
Movement behind the guards snagged Grayson’s attention and his jaw dropped open at the sight of his mate. The shaggy hair was gone, including the beard. Gone, too, were the casual clothes Ethan had worn earlier. While his mate had been beautiful before, the man that followed the queen out of the bedroom was stunning. His hair was now a lot shorter, but still long enough for him to be able to run his hands through it. With the beard gone, Grayson was able to clearly appreciate the man’s jaw and neck. Dragging his gaze down, Grayson admired the white T-shirt that clung to Ethan, and the jeans that would undoubtedly hug his mate’s ass perfectly.
“Are you sure he’s your mate? Cause damn,” Adam whispered next to him.
Grayson saw red. He turned to his beta and growled low and angry. Watching Adam pale then offer his neck gave him some satisfaction. It was only the knowledge that his mate might not react well if he attacked his beta that stopped his wolf from forcing the challenge. Hell, Grayson didn’t even know if Ethan realized they were mates. Reaching out, he touched Adam’s neck, accepting his submission. He could tell Adam was relieved when he removed his hand, and honestly, so was he. He didn’t want to attack one of his two best friends, and if he had, he wasn’t sure he could have stopped his wolf from ripping his throat out. His beast wasn’t in the mood to tolerate another man trying to lure his mate away from him.
“Now, why don’t we all sit down and discuss things?” Queen Arabella suggested, before turning to her guards. “Silas, Jett, why don’t you two pop down to the kitchens and bring us back some tea and cake?”
“But, Your Highness—” one of them started saying, but cut himself off when the queen raised her hand.
“No buts, Jett, I will be safe here and you can ensure my continued safety by going and getting the tea and cake.”
While they obviously didn’t want to leave, the guards couldn’t ignore a direct order from their queen. They bowed and quickly left the room.
“Um, is there a reason why your safety would be in jeopardy through tea and cake?” Ethan asked.
The queen sighed, sounding tired all of a sudden. “Things have been…different here in the last two weeks. Something is happening, but I’m not sure what exactly.”
“Two weeks? So things started around the same time Ethan had a surprise visitor?” Russell asked from Grayson’s right.
Grayson’s wolf surged to the surface, wanting to protect his mate. The suddenness didn’t give Grayson enough time to get control, and in seconds, he was on all fours in his wolf form, growling. A gasp in front of him had him looking straight up into his mate’s wide eyes.
Shit, we’re going to scare our mate away!
Trying to wrestle control back from his wolf, Grayson was stunned when Ethan moved closer, then dropped to his knees in front of him. At least the action caused his wolf to stop growling.
“It’s you,” he whispered, his awe obvious in his tone.
Huh?
Suddenly the black house cat was perched on his mate’s left shoulder, and he could have sworn the creature was smirking at him.
****
Ethan was in complete shock. In front of him was a massive gray wolf with bright amber eyes. His coat was a mixture of grays, blacks, and some brown, but that wasn’t what shocked him. It was the fact that he knew who this wolf was.
“You’re my mate,” he whispered, still not believing what he was seeing. At his whispered words, the wolf’s eyes widened slightly.
“Wait, I didn’t think Fae recognized mates the same way shifters do,” one of the men said, but Ethan wasn’t taking his eyes off his mate.
The wolf stepped forward and licked his cheek.
“Ew, gross! Wolfy germs,” he teased, using his right hand to push the wolf’s head away before slowly stroking his fur.
With his hand still stroking the surprisingly soft fur, Ethan glanced up at the men and assumed it was the spiky-haired one that had spoken since he appeared to be confused while the other man just seemed to be observing.
“I’m not Fae.”
The man’s brows furrowed even more. “But the queen said you’re her nephew. If you’re her nephew and she’s the Fae Queen, then that makes you Fae, or at least partly…right?”
“Aunt Bella was best friends with my mother. I grew up calling her aunty, but it wasn’t until I was older that I knew who she really was. Technically she adopted my mother as her sister, so she’s my aunt, sort of. I just have no Fae blood in me.” Ethan sighed and focused back on his mate. “However, I’ve always known the shifted form of my mate, just not your human form. Maybe you should shift back so we can talk? I imagine there’s a lot that needs to be discussed.”
Leaning back, Ethan watched as his mate shifted into his human form still wearing the blue T-shirt and jeans he’d had on minutes ago. Before he’d had time to truly admire the man in front of him, he was jerked closer and lips slammed down on top of his. Moaning, Ethan let himself get swept away in the kiss, only lifting his arms so that he could grip the broad shoulders for support. Time seemed to still and the world faded away as he was consumed by his mate.
As hot as this is, you do realize that you’re making out in front of your aunt? Not to mention the pheromones the two of you are giving off is enough to make his betas very uncomfortable.
Hearing Beema’s words was like a splash of cold water. Ethan broke the kiss, completely out of breath. He wasn’t the only one. Staring into the gray eyes of his mate, he saw lust and confusion. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Beema invaded his mind again.
Now, wolfy, let’s not reveal our little secret. Yes, I can mentally talk to Ethan, and until you bond, I can only talk to you if you two are touching. I am Ethan’s familiar, however unlike most other familiars, I carry a tiny portion of Ethan’s soul within me. It was not his doing, but now is not the time for the story. So break it up and let’s see what we can do to fix what’s going on with Ethan and Arabella.
Ethan’s eyes widened at Beema’s words, and he could tell by the surprise in his mate’s eyes that he’d also heard Beema. Relief flooded him when his mate merely leaned down and gave him a chaste kiss before standing and helping Ethan to his feet. Looking around at the others, Ethan’s face burned with his blush.
Shit, I forgot everyone was here!
Which is exactly why I said something before the two of you started ripping each other’s clothes off, Beema said as he walked over to one of the couches and leapt on the armrest.
“Beema’s right.” Ethan’s gaze snapped over to his aunt, freezing at the thought that even she could hear him. Her next words had him releasing a sigh of utter relief. “Let’s all sit down on the couches and talk.”
Only you and your wolf can hear me, my witch.
Ethan dragged his mate behind him as he walked over to where Beema sat. Taking a seat on the cushions, he was happy when his mate sat next to him, and even happier when Beema jumped down into his lap and snuggled in.
This was where he wanted to be.