Epilogue 1 Rob
Falling asleep wrapped around my mate on a lazy Sunday afternoon?
Oh yeah.
Best damn experience of my life.
Hands down.
No contest.
Waking up to the sound of someone breaking into my house while a woman screams like she just saw a murder scene?
Not so much.
Especially when I know two very important things:
One—my mate is currently naked.
Two—she’s on the rug with me.
Which means whoever just walked in?
Is about to have a very bad day.
The second I hear the door click followed by a high-pitched shriek, my eyes snap open.
My Tiger is up instantly.
No warm-up.
No easing into it.
Just—threat.
“Oh my Gods! Hadley! What has this beast done to you?!”
What the fuck?
Yeah. That does it.
I’m off our makeshift bed in a heartbeat, already moving, already ready to tear into whoever thought it was a good idea to come into my house uninvited.
I hit the living room with a full-throated snarl—and stop just short of lunging.
Because standing there?
Is a group of strangers.
In my fucking house.
With my naked mate.
Oh, fuck no.
Not acceptable.
Grrr.
I take them in with one glance and my hackles are more than raised—they’re ready for battle.
One man.
Three women.
All of them staring.
All of them looking like they just walked into the wrong damn house.
Behind me, I feel Hadley move.
“Mom? Irene? Stella?” she gasps. “Oh my Gods—what are you doing here?”
She scrambles up behind me, grabbing the throw blanket off the couch and wrapping it around herself, pressing close to my back.
My protective instinct?
Through the roof.
“Your employees told us where you were,” the older woman says smugly.
Me?
Yeah. I’m pissed.
Also, still very much not dressed.
Don’t care.
Let ‘em look.
They’re going to face more than my junk if they don’t leave my fucking house.
“Um, Hadley?” the guy says, eyes wide, like he doesn’t know where to look.
I take one step forward.
“I don’t think so, pal. Back the fuck up. Now, who the hell are you people?” I growl.
Hadley groans softly behind me.
“Shit—um—Rob—this is my mom,” she rushes out. “And my sisters—Irene and Stella—and that’s—uh—my ex.”
My head snaps to the guy.
The ex.
Judd the Dud.
I size him up in half a second.
And immediately, decide I don’t like him.
Like at all.
“Get out of my house,” I warn.
“Hadley!” her mother snaps, stepping forward like she owns the place. “What is the meaning of this? I told you Judd was willing to take you back and you go and sleep around with some—some—big alley cat!”
My lip curls.
Oh no, she did not.
“Mom, he’s my mate—” Hadley starts.
“A Tiger? Really?” the woman cuts in, horrified. “I cannot believe you’ve shamed this family like this—”
“Shamed you?” Hadley fires back, stepping out from behind me just enough to glare at her. “Are you serious right now? Judd, get lost. No one wants you here!”
Judd raises his hands like he’s trying to stay neutral.
“I mean—I was just—your mom said—”
“I don’t care what she said,” Hadley snaps.
“You heard her. Get out!” I snarl, but he doesn’t move fast enough.
So, I take three steps towards him grab him by the collar, and toss his furry ass right out my front door.
Then I go back to my mate, fangs bared, chest heaving.
I have never hit a woman—but I have to admit, I’m close.
The audacity of her mother doing this—of bringing that man here to my place—is unparalleled.
And downright nasty.
I growl low and deep. My irritation on display for all.
Hadley lifts her hands and places them on my chest, moving as close to me as she can get.
Good mate, my Tiger chuffs.
One of the sisters—tall, composed—touches their mother’s arm.
“Mom, we should go,” she says quietly.
The other one?
Is staring.
Right at me.
Specifically—she’s staring at my dangly bits.
My patience evaporates.
“Yeah,” she says, smirking. “Little sister looks like she is doing okay to me.”
I snarl.
Deep.
Warning.
Because that?
That’s quite enough.
Then I do what any rational, newly mated Tiger does when strangers invade his territory and upset his mate.
I roar.
Not a small one.
Not polite.
A full, bone-rattling, get-the-hell-out-of-my-house roar.
The kind that shakes the walls.
The kind that makes it very clear—you are not welcome.
They scatter.
Fast.
Mother first, outraged and sputtering.
Judd is standing right outside. He looks confused. Affronted even.
I can see him through the door, dusting himself off—fucking moron.
He is saying something to her mother. And I don’t care what it is as long as they leave.
The sisters follow—one dragging the other who’s still trying to sneak one last look.
The door slams.
Silence falls.
And just like that?
They’re gone.
I stand there for a second, breathing hard, my Tiger still humming under my skin.
Behind me—Hadley giggles.
Actually, giggles.
I glance back over my shoulder.
She’s wrapped in that blanket, pressed against me, eyes bright and amused like none of that just happened.
“Are you okay?” I ask, turning toward her.
“Mm-hmm,” she says, biting her lip to hold back another laugh. “So, is this all part of your grand plan to win my heart, Stripes?”
I arch a brow.
“Growl at people who bother you and scare them off?”
“Yeah,” she says, grinning. “Very caveman chic.”
I step closer, reaching for her, pulling her back against me.
“Is it working?” I murmur.
She tilts her head, pretending to think about it.
Then her gaze softens.
Warms.
“Come here and find out,” she says.
Yeah.
I’m not about to argue with that.
Not now.
Not ever.