Chapter 9
STONE brOTHERS
C aleb couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off his face as he drove home, the memory of Kai’s scent still clinging to his leather jacket. His wolf was practically preening, satisfied with how the evening had gone yet still whining for more. The taste of Kai’s skin from that brief cheek kiss lingered on his lips, sweet and addictive.
“Down, boy,” he muttered to his wolf, though his own heart wasn’t really in the reprimand. Not when he could still picture how Kai’s eyes had widened at the first bite of moussaka, that little moan of pleasure that had tested every ounce of Caleb’s control. His wolf had nearly lost it right there in Athena’s restaurant, wanting nothing more than to drag their mate into his lap and—
“Focus on the road,” he growled to himself, though the wolf part of him was far more interested in replaying every detail of their dinner. Like how Kai’s sarcastic “compensating for something?” comment about his car had made both man and wolf want to prove exactly how unnecessary any compensation would be. Or the way Kai had unconsciously leaned into his touch whenever Caleb got close, his body recognizing its mate even if his mind didn’t understand yet.
The best part had been catching Kai watching him when he thought Caleb wouldn’t notice. Those quick, furtive glances that sent Kai’s heart racing—a sound that had his wolf howling with satisfaction. Their little mate was attracted to them, even if he was fighting it.
His phone buzzed with Kai’s response to his text, and Caleb had to force himself not to pull over right there to read it. His brothers would never let him live it down if he crashed his precious car because he was too eager to read a “thanks, you too” message.
Speaking of his brothers… Caleb’s grin turned wicked as he thought about how jealous they’d be. Sure, Marcus had gotten lunch with Kai, but Caleb had gotten dinner. And that almost-kiss by the fountain? The way Kai’s pulse had jumped when Caleb leaned in? The delicious scent of arousal mixed with confusion? That was going in his personal memory vault forever.
His wolf growled in satisfaction at the thought. They’d marked their territory tonight, made it clear to their mate that they were interested. Now they just had to be patient, let Kai come to terms with the attraction before they revealed the bigger truths.
But patience had never been Caleb’s strong suit, and his wolf was already plotting their next “accidental” encounter.
The Stone mansion was lit up like a Christmas tree when Caleb pulled in. Of course his brothers were waiting up. Even their wolf-dogs had given up the wait, presumably retired to their masters’ wings for the night—all except Scout, who was probably still sulking about being left behind.
So much for sneaking in.
He found them in the living room, exactly where he’d left them hours ago. Marcus stood by the window, radiating disapproval, while Derek sprawled in an armchair, trying and failing to look casual.
“You’re late,” Marcus stated flatly.
“What happened to ‘home by eight’?” Derek added, nostrils flaring as he caught Kai’s scent on Caleb’s jacket.
“Nine,” Marcus corrected.
“Eight thirty,” Derek countered.
“Pretty sure it was ten by the time you two were done arguing.” Caleb dropped onto the couch, unable to contain his grin.
Jorge appeared with a fresh pot of coffee and what looked like his fifth batch of stress-baked cookies. “I heard the car. Thought you might need refreshments for the interrogation.”
“Thanks, Jorge.” Caleb grabbed a cookie. “These are amazing, but you should try branching into Greek pastries. You should have seen Kai’s face when he tried Athena’s moussaka. And then he practically melted when he tasted her baklava. The sounds he made—”
A warning growl from each brother cut him off.
“What?” Caleb’s innocent expression fooled no one. “I’m just saying, our mate has excellent taste. You should have seen him with the moussaka. The way his eyes closed when he took that first bite, how he—”
“Caleb.” Marcus’ voice could have frozen hell.
“I’ll research Greek recipes,” Jorge muttered, beating a hasty retreat. “Less stressful than alpha drama.”
Derek leaned forward, eyes flashing amber. “You smell like him. All over.”
“Do I?” Caleb made a show of sniffing his jacket. “Must be from when he was pressed against me by the fountain. Or maybe from the almost-kiss on his porch. Or—”
The coffee table cracked under Derek’s grip.
“You kissed him?” Marcus’ eyes blazed crimson.
“Almost kissed him,” Caleb corrected, though his wolf’s smug satisfaction through their pack bond told a different story. “Would have been a real kiss by the fountain if that damn clock hadn’t chimed.”
“Your wolf is practically strutting,” Derek growled. “What aren’t you telling us?”
“Nothing much.” Caleb examined his nails. “Just that our little mate has the softest skin, and when I kissed his cheek good night, he made this tiny gasp that—”
He didn’t get to finish. Derek launched himself across the room, and only Caleb’s quick reflexes saved him from being tackled. Marcus’ growl shook the windows.
“Hey!” Caleb danced away from Derek’s grasp. “Not my fault I got to him first! Maybe if someone hadn’t been lurking in the woods all evening—”
“I was protecting him!” Derek snarled.
“From what? The dangerous fountain? The deadly baklava?”
“Both of you, enough.” Marcus’ alpha voice cut through their squabbling. “Caleb. Report. Now.”
“Fine.” Caleb flopped back onto the couch, his expression softening as he remembered the evening. “He’s… perfect. Smart. Funny. Has this sharp wit that keeps you on your toes. And when he lets his guard down…” He sighed dreamily. “His wolf responds to us, even if he doesn’t understand it yet. You should see how he leans in when I get close, how his scar pulses when I touch him.”
“And?” Derek growled, clearly sensing there was more through their pack bond.
“And…” Caleb’s grin turned wicked. “Our little mate is very responsive. Just that tiny kiss on his cheek had him melting. His scent went all honey-sweet, and his pulse…” He shivered dramatically. “Let’s just say if I’d actually kissed him properly, none of us would have made it home tonight.”
Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose, though his own wolf stirred at the thought. “And you’re sure you didn’t push too far? Reveal anything?”
“Give me some credit,” Caleb protested. “Though my wolf nearly lost it when I caught his scent. Pure contentment and trust, even if he doesn’t realize it yet. After everything…” He trailed off, his expression softening.
They shared a moment of silence as they all remembered that night nine years ago.
“Your wolf is still smirking,” Derek grumbled after a moment. “There’s something else.”
Caleb’s grin widened. “Well… I might have gotten his phone number. And he might have agreed to see me again. And he might have watched me walk away with those gorgeous eyes of his…”
The resulting growls made Jorge drop another batch of cookies in the kitchen.
“What?” Caleb laughed, dodging a throw pillow Derek launched at his head. “Jealous much?”
“Just wait until tomorrow,” Derek promised darkly. “My turn with the ‘maintenance inspection.’”
“Brothers.” Marcus sighed, but his lips twitched. “At least tell me you didn’t take him to Athena’s private room.”
“Please,” Caleb scoffed. “I’m saving that for the second date. You know how many couples have gotten… engaged in that room?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“More like how many couples never made it through dessert,” Derek muttered, then his eyes flashed dangerously. “And if you ever take our mate there before we’ve properly claimed him, I’ll rip your throat out.”
“You’ll have to catch me first,” Caleb taunted, already shifting. His golden-brown wolf darted around the sofa just as Derek’s massive gray form lunged after him.
Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose as his brothers chased each other around the room, knocking over an end table. The crash was followed by the distant sound of Jorge dropping another pan in the kitchen, muttering something about “alphas” and “stress ulcers.”
“Enough!” Marcus’ alpha voice froze them both. “If you’re going to act like animals, take it outside. But first…” His eyes gleamed crimson as he began his own shift. “We have a mate to watch over.”
Three wolves slipped into the night, their paws finding familiar paths worn by generations of their ancestors. Marcus’ pitch-black form led the way, his crimson eyes cutting through darkness that had sheltered Stones since they’d first claimed this territory in 1667. Back then, they’d been running from English witch hunters, following whispered promises of sanctuary in the New World. Now, centuries later, the forest recognized them as its own.
Derek’s massive gray form loped easily through the undergrowth, every muscle singing with the joy of running these ancient trails. Their family had shaped this land since those first days, when William Stone and his mate Elizabeth built the original fortified lodge that would become Stone Manor. They’d forged alliances with local Native American tribes, establishing their territory through diplomatic agreements rather than bloodshed. His wolf felt it in his bones—this was their territory, their home, passed down through an unbroken alpha bloodline that had protected supernatural beings for centuries.
Caleb’s golden-brown shape darted between moonbeams, the fastest of the three but tonight keeping pace. His wolf was still preening from their evening with Kai, but here in their ancestral woods, that smug satisfaction mellowed into something deeper. Pride, perhaps, in knowing they could offer their mate such a legacy—a territory that had grown from William and Elizabeth’s original safe haven into a powerful supernatural domain. Security in knowing every tree, every stream, every shadow of this land that had been home to exceptionally strong Stone alphas since their escape from English witch hunters.
They moved like living shadows through their domain, passing landmarks only wolf eyes would recognize—the trading routes Jonathan Stone established in the 1700s, the territories Victoria Stone expanded during the Gold Rush, and the grounds where Richard Stone laid the foundation for Stone Industries in the 1890s. Their wolves hummed with belonging, with rightness, with the bone-deep knowledge that this was theirs—protected by Margaret Stone’s supernatural alliance system and generations of powerful mate bonds.
Until they reached the edge of the trees near Kai’s cottage, and suddenly, their wolves were humming with something else entirely.
Their mate slept bathed in moonlight, his face peaceful in ways it never was awake. The sight hit all three wolves like a physical blow. Derek whined low in his throat, taking an involuntary step forward. Their ancestors might have claimed this land, but their mate… their mate was what made it home.
The massive gray wolf tipped his head back, a haunting howl building in his chest. Marcus snapped at him—too risky, too soon—but couldn’t quite hide how his own wolf ached to claim, to mark, to make their little mate understand he belonged here. With them. In their territory, their legacy, their pack.
Caleb pressed against his brothers, sharing their need through their bond. His wolf remembered Kai’s scent from earlier, how right it had felt mixed with his own. How perfect their mate would smell marked by all three of them.
When Kai stirred in his sleep, sensing their presence, it took all of Marcus’ alpha authority to keep his brothers from pressing closer to the glass. Their wolves were going crazy with the need to protect, to possess, to claim what was theirs by ancient right and modern desire.
But when their mate’s eyes fluttered open, catching the gleam of amber, electric blue, and crimson in the darkness, they melted back into the shadows of their ancestral woods. Their little mate might not be ready for the full truth yet, but soon…
D erek hadn’t slept. Couldn’t sleep. Not with his wolf still riding high from their moonlight vigil, from seeing their mate so close. Even after they’d returned home near dawn, his body thrummed with restless energy that no amount of military discipline could contain.
Four tours in active combat zones. Multiple black ops missions that would never see official records. Enough medals locked away in his study to make a general envious. Yet here he was, reduced to pacing by a five-foot-six civilian who probably couldn’t even throw a proper punch.
His coffee went cold, forgotten as he checked his watch again. Six fifteen a.m. Early enough to start maintenance work without raising suspicion?
“Screw it,” he muttered, grabbing his tactical gear. His wolf practically bounded with excitement as they headed for the cottage.
The morning air still held traces of their scents from the night patrol. Derek circled the perimeter twice, cataloging every detail through both human and wolf senses. The ancient water main needed replacing—he’d make sure of that—but his attention kept drifting to the living room window where he could hear Kai’s steady breathing.
Just one look. To check security, of course.
His wolf surged forward as they approached the window. Their mate slept curled in a sleeping bag on the couch, dark hair spilling across a borrowed pillow, looking impossibly young and vulnerable. Derek’s hands flexed, claws threatening to emerge. Every instinct screamed to break in, to gather that small form close, to protect and possess and—
Years of military discipline slammed down hard. He forced himself to step back, to breathe through the possessive haze. He was a decorated officer, for fuck’s sake, not some hormone-driven teenager. He had a mission: maintain cover, establish contact, protect mate.
Simple. Straightforward. Just like any other op.
Right.
The lawn mower provided decent cover and kept his hands busy while his enhanced hearing tracked Kai’s movements. The shower starting sent his imagination places that definitely violated mission parameters. Steam and water sliding over pale skin, those delicate hands working shampoo through dark hair…
Derek growled, attacking a particularly stubborn patch of grass. Thirteen years of military service, countless covert operations, the highest level of special forces training, and here he was, fantasizing like a—
The water stopped.
Then came cursing. Creative cursing that actually impressed him, followed by the sound of bare feet on hardwood.
Derek positioned himself near the water main, trying to look professional and not like he’d been stalking his mate all night. Just a normal maintenance worker, doing normal maintenance things, definitely not imagining Kai naked and—
The back door burst open.
Holy. Fucking. Hell.
His mate stood there dripping wet, wearing nothing but a scrap of towel that barely qualified as fabric. Water traced paths down that slim chest that Derek’s tongue ached to follow. Shampoo bubbles slid down a neck that was absolutely made for claiming bites. And that towel… that ridiculous excuse for a towel… riding dangerously low on narrow hips…
A growl ripped from his chest before he could stop it. His wolf surged forward, claws threatening to emerge, every instinct screaming mine—take—claim—MINE.
Kai blinked shampoo from his eyes, and Derek stopped breathing entirely. Up close, their mate was even more perfect. Delicate features with just enough sharpness to hint at hidden strength. Those haunting eyes with their mysterious gold flecks. Lips that parted slightly in surprise…
The towel slipped lower.
Derek growled again, the sound completely beyond his control. Thirteen years of military discipline crumbling in the face of one half-naked mate.
His wolf howled in triumph. Finally, finally they were going to—
“Um.” Kai’s voice came out high and breathy. “You wouldn’t happen to have destroyed my water pipe with your murder-mower, would you? Because I’ve got to say, that’s some impressive timing. Like, Olympic-level inconvenient timing. Gold medal in ‘Making Kai’s Morning Weird.’”
Derek’s wolf practically purred at the sass. Marcus and Caleb had mentioned their mate’s sharp tongue, but experiencing it firsthand… The way those clever words danced even while half-naked and dripping wet, the flash of defiance in those gold-flecked eyes despite being clearly intimidated…
His brothers hadn’t done it justice.
“No.” The word came out as more growl than speech, his wolf too close to the surface to manage anything more eloquent. Their little mate, all fire and wit even while vulnerable. It was… intoxicating.
“Oh.” Kai shifted, trying to keep the towel in place and only drawing more attention to it. “So the water stopping while you’re mowing near the water main is just…”
“Coincidence.” He growled the word. His hands flexed at his sides, claws threatening to emerge as Kai’s scent—clean and sweet and spiced with that hint of defiance—wrapped around him. The military man in him appreciated the strategic thinking, the way their mate questioned the suspicious timing. The wolf just wanted to pin him against the nearest surface and—
Their mate took a step back, those clever eyes narrowing despite his obvious nervousness. Smart boy. So smart. And then he was slipping, falling—
Derek moved without thought, military training and wolf instincts working in perfect harmony for once. He caught their mate against his chest, and oh… oh, this was dangerous. Kai felt even better in his arms than he’d imagined, all soft skin and lean muscle and perfect, perfect size.
“Careful, little mate.”
The words slipped out before his iron control could catch them. The scent of Kai’s surprise spiked, mixed with something sweeter that made his wolf howl.
“I mean,” he corrected roughly, but couldn’t make himself let go. If anything, his arms tightened, one hand spanning Kai’s entire lower back while the other… was definitely not moving to find the towel. “The grass is slippery.”
Thirteen years of special forces training. Multiple combat decorations. The highest level of military discipline.
All undone by one tiny, sassy, half-naked mate who was currently pressed against him, dripping wet and smelling like heaven.
His wolf had never been more smug.