TABITHA POV I give Stan a tiny smile as he looks at me in the passenger seat for the hundredth time. I know I worried him. I worried myself. But over the past week, I have been eating, and I have gained some weight back. He really doesn't have to check up on me as much as he is, but I get it. "So the furniture is all set up," I ask to end the silence between us, and he nods. He turns onto a freshly poured driveway, and the automatic gate opens as he presses the button. "Yes. Just wait until you see. This house is a record holder. It's just over 90,000 sqft and it takes up almost 8 acres of land. There are five wings, and each wing has two separate areas that are the size of a four-bedroom home. So, for example, we are on the same wing as Dan and Sam. They have a four-bedroom area with a living room space and a small personal kitchenette. We have the same thing. Fin and Lewis are in the wing next to us with the same setup. Their areas will be rather lonely until they meet
BOYD POV "My stomach is in knots," I mumble, and Mike nods as he hits the blinker. "When Fin came back, he joked about how slutty they acted. Don't you think we should remain cautious," I ask, and Mike's hand tightens on the wheel. "I am cautious. My mate has clearly been around the block a time or two," Mike finally murmurs, and I nod as I think about my mate's redheaded sister. "The pack can't survive another betrayal. Both our mates sound as if they wanted someone from an Alpha bloodline," I reply, and I hear his teeth grind. "So what are you saying? We already agreed to give them a chance," Mike says, and I nod. "We both said three months. If they do anything within that time, we have to cut them out of our lives. We still have each other," I whisper, and he growls. Mike and I have wanted mates since we were nine years old. We dreamed about them and talked about what they might look like for years. But when we met our mates, we weren't instantly in love. In fact,
MIKE POV If Sarah or Sydney sighs one more time, I might shift and jump from the window that can't open. "Two Queens in a shared room...Maybe we should call dad," Sarah whispers inside the bathroom, and Boyd's entire body temples as rage consumes him. He looks at me, and I nod my head once. Three months is quickly beginning to sound like an eternity. The girls finally come out of the restroom after another agonizing ten minutes of whispering, and it takes all of two seconds for my rage to dissipate. "What are you wearing," Boyd asks since my mouth is unable to form words. "A nightie," Sarah replies as my eyes trail over the see-through black lace covering my mate's lethal body. I have no idea what Sarah looks like, but I imagine Boyd's face probably looks like mine. "Are the two of you...umm...We might be close, but we aren't, you know, that close," Boyd says, and I manage to tear my eyes off Sydney's mile-long legs. I glance slightly toward Sarah an
STANLEY POV The grease pops in the pan again, and I jerk as the scorching hot liquid lands on my wrist. Fast healing doesn't eliminate pain, and I have always hated pain, but when your mate is just coming out of a two-week grief fast, you cook things that hurt you. "That smells great," Lewis groans as he comes into the massive new kitchen. He makes a beeline for my sizzling pan of bacon, and just as his fingers come into view, I swat at him. "Make your own when I am done. These are for Tabitha," I snap, and he groans again, but this groan sounds more painful than pleasurable. "Man, come on, have a heart. I am a starving wolf who just came in from feeding the livestock. You are really going to deny me protein. Have you been outside? It snowed like five feet last night. Come on," he whines, and I roll my eyes before tossing him the smallest strip. "Now get out of my ear. I have a half-starved mate to feed, and you have two capable hands," I say, and he chuckles before
TABITHA POV I place the plate down slowly as I secretly peek toward the living room. The twins haven't come back out of their wing, and the rest of us are becoming more curious.The rest of the guys had to go check the animals, and I decided to set the table for lunch. Sam and Mariah are cooking, but I can tell from their silence they are eavesdropping. "Spill," I whisper as I return to the kitchen. "This place makes overhearing conversations hard. But we caught some as they showed them around. Now we can't hear them," Mariah whispers, and I nod before glancing at Sam. "Do you believe her innocent explanation or..." I hint, and Sam rolls her eyes before shaking her head. "That..female...was hitting on Daniel. It was clear, and then she switched to Stan. I don't know how her father's pack operates, but it's clear they like to bedhop," Sam angrily whispers before slamming the tray of grilled ham and cheese sandwiches she made. Mariah shifts Trevor from her left hip to he
BOYD POV Every few seconds, Sarah giggles and looks Finley over like he is a steak. My wolf and I both are disgusted. He wants to rip Finley apart, and I want to order her from the room because she is making my friend uncomfortable. Finley moves every time her eyes sweep over him, and when she giggles, he visibly cringes before looking at me. I have given him at least half a dozen reassuring head nods. I know he isn't trying to flirt with her. Everything he says, whether it's humorous or not, she laughs. I'm not going to tell him not to speak during a meal with our pack. This is his home. He should feel comfortable, and my "mate" is not allowing him to be.Sydney has been more discrete with her lust, but I have spotted her eyes shifting to Stanley numerous times as well. Stan hasn't noticed, but Tabitha has. "Stanley, I yield. This place is too much to clean on our own. I want two maids hired and a full-time chief. The company that will be testing the area for oil is due in two
STANLEY POV "Today was weird and uncomfortable. I thought Boyd and Mike, were going to lose it," I mumble as Daniel, and I shovel out the remaining stall. "Those females are insane," Daniel grumbles as he throws a shovel full of manure into the wheel barrel. "I don't understand how they are fighting the pull of the bond. They act as if Mike and Boyd mean nothing to them. I couldn't imagine flirting with anyone other than my mate, but to do it in front of her. Craziness. These females either have a death wish or a plan. What do you think," I ask as I lean on my shovel? Daniel growls and looks towards the tackle room before responding to me. "I have heard about situations like this...Mom was saying Emma doesn't believe in old fashion mate bonds. She wants to go off to a human college and separate from the pack. It's happening more and more all over. But these pups don't consider the threat. The shifter gene is stronger than the human gene. We are going to have shifters ev
STANLEY POV Tabitha's beautiful blue eyes look from me to Sydney twice as I stare at her and her alone. Finley's angry voice begins to filter into the room, but I can't decipher what he is saying. My mind is a foggy swirl of anger and fear.On one hand, I have a vile female who isn't mine touching me in an area that no female has ever touched, and on the other hand, I have my mate seeing another female touching me in an area that only she should ever touch. I don't know where to move or what to do. Sydney's hand twists my package as she grows angry at me for avoiding her lips, and I cringe. Tabitha sees my reaction and her body seems to grow as her bear bursts forth. Sydney doesn't turn around to investigate the sound of popping bones. She seems intent on something.Just as the sound around me reaches astronomical levels, a searing pain rips through my neck, and my wolf howls as my body convolts. Sydney has sank her fangs into my neck, marking me as hers.******** THIRD PERS