The Werewolves #11
Eli snorts and walks off, to help actual customers. Braden snatches his empty cup and points the straight end of his curly straw at me. "I wasn't intentionally being mean. But I can see how it came across as mean."
"I'm not a coward."
"You are, but again, I'm not saying that to be mean. I'm just saying…"
"You're being cowardly," Keely interjects.
I let out a growl and turn away from the twins, storming off toward the employee break room. I could use a break right about now. The twins follow.
Braden continues, "Listen, Lily. When they were here the other night, I could have sworn…"
My step catches, but I keep walking, tilting my head back. "Sworn what?"
"I'm assuming by now you've figured out they were your clients in the lower deck.
And when we stopped by to say hi that night, they were acting a little weird.
They caught a scent… and even Nico was more fidgety than usual.
And he wouldn't leave the table. Almost like…
like he couldn't walk away. It's the only thing that makes sense. "
My hand slaps against the door, swinging it open. Mara's talking to one of the girls who work the floor and eyes me, almost as if she were waiting for me. She exits her conversation and comes over to join us.
The twins look from me to Mara, who nods, as though she heard every word of Braden's little speech. "A werewolf knows their mate. I don't think it's a mistake. Especially given their actions."
"Umm…" I swallow, though my throat is dry. I search my memory for what I'd read regarding werewolves and their mates. The monster pamphlet, my bible. I've practically memorized it. Though the contents were specific to the club, it still gives some insight.
Occasionally, weres will visit the club with their mate.
Do not approach either were, let them come to you.
Weres are extremely possessive of their mates.
They mate for life and find their partner through scent.
They may enjoy club atmosphere, monster nightlife, with friends, but it is unlikely they will seek sexual services from employees once mated.
I resist the urge to duck out of the breakroom, because I know they'll all just follow. And leaving the room changes nothing. Instead, I internalize the growl and scrub my hands through my hair. "How is this even possible?"
Keely's lips trill, and she waves a hand in the air. "Possible, shmossible. You're asking the wrong questions."
"Remember why you started here? To get out of your comfort zone. Say yes to the mess," Braden urges, gripping both my shoulders, shaking me gently.
"This isn't saying yes to the mess, or getting out of my comfort zone, Braden. This is way bigger than that." She is the center of my universe, Nico said.
"What are you worried about?"
I turn to Keely. Like telling off Danny, all the reasons and excuses bubble up, but they're stuck in a dam in my throat. All I need to do is release and let it all come out, but I can't. I hold on to all the reasons, flimsy or otherwise, with an iron grip.
This is insane. I'm just getting over Danny's betrayal. I don't even know these werewolves, let alone am ready to let them claim me as their mate.
But Braden's words cloud all those excuses…
say yes to the mess, stop being a coward…
I came here for change. And I took charge when I went to the lower deck.
And I just happened to service five werewolves who claim I'm their fated mate.
They didn't think I did a terrible job. At least, I don't think so.
They didn't abandon me, anyway. They're here, waiting for me outside.
And I'm going to have to leave the building, eventually.
Keely pieces together my train of thoughts and says to Mara, "Maybe, with your approval, you could let the pack in and they could just say hello, get to know each other in one of the private rooms?"
Mara's eye twitches. She really doesn't want to let them back in. But my heart soars when she looks at me and softens. "Is that what you want?"
I open my mouth. Nothing comes out.
"What's the worst that could happen?" Keely prods.
That I meet five men who act like they want to worship me. Find out I'm kind of boring. A little meticulous. Organized. I like highlighters and memorizing random facts. And then they fuck some girl named Veronica.
"What's the best thing that could happen?" Braden counters.
And that's what does it. I suck in a shaky inhale and nod to Mara.
"I'll put them in the second Earth room. I'll bring them in through the back. If you change your mind, let one of the trolls know." Then she squeezes my arm and heads outside to talk to the wolves.
My wolves?
It's just the three of us. "What now?" I ask.
"Now, you let five werewolves have their way with you."
My cheeks burn. I'm getting used to talking so freely about sex with these two. With complete strangers as well. But it's always been about their sex lives. Not mine.
"So, I go from having no sex to sex with five complete strangers? Werewolves, at that?"
"Yes," they both say simultaneously.
I laugh. "That's just—that just seems—"
"You're doing it again, Lil. You're hiding in your box. You already saw half their junk, right?"
Right.
These five were the ones… is that why it felt so intense in the lower deck?
Because I was their supposed, fated mate?
Flashes of that night, working them over, two of them, anyway.
It was… more than fun. It more than turned me on.
It flipped me upside down. So much so that I had to leave work when I felt like the other three rejected me.
I say this to Braden and Keely, and they wave off my concern.
"So go ask them why they left. I have a pretty good guess, but I think it would be better to hear it from them. Besides, it will give you something to talk about before they all start fucking you into oblivion."
Heat spikes inside me, a sharp spring coiled tight, twisting with need between my legs.
I try to brush it off and stay focused, but it curls tighter the harder I try to ignore it.
"But what about—" I point at the door, toward the bar out front.
I'm still clocked in. It's a pathetic excuse, though, and truly, I'm getting excited—though nervous might be more accurate.
Five werewolves who want to be with me? Get to know me?
Could it really be so bad?
I'm relieved when Braden and Keely both say they'll help Eli tonight.
The werewolves must be in the room by now. I picture them two nights ago, with their legs dangling. How strange it was. How fun. How I felt, looking at them, the rush of need between my legs, the confusion at my sudden attraction to complete strangers, wondering if it was normal to react that way.
The nosedive my emotions took the moment I returned to that empty room, left the club and headed home.
"This can't all just be about sex." I mutter, more to myself, but Keely responds.
"It's not. None of this is," she waves toward the club. Toward the monsters. "It's about belonging. Safety, support, love. If you took away all the stigma, all the expectations, and just went with your gut, with how you feel, what would you do?"
I think on it for about five whole seconds.
Keely squeals with delight when I leave the break room. My steps are measured at first. But then I'm practically running toward them. In my gut, I know exactly how I feel.
It's like something has clicked into place inside me. I rush because I can't get there fast enough.
I dodge busy tables, and nod to the troll by the hallway that leads to the private rooms. And I find the one I'm looking for, take a deep breath, then turn the knob.
Knox
The door clicks open. We knew she was on her way, we could scent her getting closer. But we also knew, even if she wasn't a were, she would come. She belongs to us. We belong to her.
I stare at the door as it cautiously opens.
In steps Lily, our beloved new mate. Her hair is long and messy, artfully so.
Her thighs are thick, showing off in her short skirt, and she's tall for a human woman.
Excitement grows deep inside me. I picture her in our home, waking in my bed.
Cooking together. Playing games. Watching movies. Going on trips.
I picture our life together. It all unfurls, rapid fire, like our future is unfolding, and it's all decided, it's all fated, because she said yes and she's standing here now.
She's still cautious. Her shoulders pull back, and she blurts, "Why did you leave?"
None of us knows how to answer that. And so we don't. But it's hard to miss the insecurity, the way her voice shakes. It's West who finally answers, taking a step toward her.
"We tried to find you, but you'd already left the club."
"But… I mean… was it okay?"
"Okay?" West asks, confused.
I recognize her hesitancy. I feel it in me, too.
I've always wondered if I could be enough for my mate. That one day I'd find her, but I'm big and brutish, and my pack mates share laughs and emotions so easily. They're easygoing and not plagued with indecision, with worry that I can't protect them. They'd be good mates for her.
I've never been sure I could be a good mate. But right now, watching her feign confidence, even though discomfort eases out of her pores—I know I can be.
I step forward. I tower over her, so she tilts her head up.
Her heart-shaped face and small, pointed chin are the loveliest thing I've ever seen.
"It looked as if their souls had been sucked out of their cocks.
It was so good you made Arlo, the most taciturn of our pack, shift and rage in effort to find you. Trust me, Lily. It was good."
She takes a deep breath, and on her exhale, it's as if I can see her worries leave her body. They are still there, I'm sure, but somehow, maybe with the magic that brought us together, it's as if she knows she can trust us to catch her.