Smiling, Ingrid strode over to Alex and caught his face with her hands. “I’m thrilled for you. I really am. Bree’s a keeper.” She released his face. “I will admit you had me worried that you’d live your life alone—I didn’t want that for my favorite grandson.”
Luke frowned at her and whined, “Hey.” Tate only rolled his eyes.
Vinnie clapped Alex on the back. “I’m happy for you. It’s good that you got your shit together.”
Alex pressed his lips together. “You’re the third person to say that.”
Vinnie shrugged. “Well, we were all thinking it.”
Assholes.
Before heading back to Alex’s apartment after work, he and Bree went to the communal yard at the rear of his complex and gave their animals freedom.
The wolverine gently butted the cat, who playfully swatted his muzzle with her paw. They chased each other through the long, wild grass. Climbed and explored the trees. Lapped at the small pond.
They tussled and rolled and played until tiredness set in. Only then, satisfied that each wore the other’s scent, did they shift back to their human forms.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Alex hadn’t expected to wake up and find himself alone. He’d gotten used to waking up to the sight of Bree right there—whether it be in her bed or his. He liked it. Liked that she was the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes each morning. Liked that he could reach out and touch her, stroke her, drive her to a fever pitch of need. So he found himself glowering as he padded through his apartment, following the trail of her delectable scent.
His beast’s ears pricked up when said scent changed and turned a little feral. Her cat had surfaced and was somewhere close.
Feeling eyes on him as he walked into the kitchen, Alex looked up. And blinked. “What are you doing all the way up there?”
Curled up on the top of the fridge with her bushy tail wrapped around her, his little pallas cat lifted her head and gave him a cranky “how dare you breathe my air” look.
Alex shrugged. “All right.”
One of her small, tufty ears twitched, and then she settled down again. It was clear he’d be having breakfast alone—something he wasn’t too happy about, since he’d also gotten used to having it with Bree.
Inwardly grumbling, he made himself coffee and cereal. It wasn’t until he’d finished his second bowl that the feline leaped down onto the table, all grace and muscle. Claws out, she did a long, regal stretch.
He pushed his bowl and empty mug aside. “Come here, kitty cat.”
Sheathing her claws, she let out an ornery growl and flicked her black-tipped tail at him. But she straightened and padded over to Alex. She didn’t even object when he gently lifted her and held her against his chest, though she did give him a put-out look.
Alex whispered nonsense to her as he stroked her rich coat, admiring the patches of white-cream fur on her chin, throat, and inner ears. His beast loved the little purrs she made; loved that she felt so comfortable and relaxed with them.
Counting the little dark spots on her forehead that made him think of snow leopards, Alex said, “You have more spots than Mila.”
The cat gave him a bored “like I care” look that made him chuckle. Maybe it made him weird, but he found her crankiness kind of endearing.
He traced the little black stripes across the cat’s cheeks with this thumb. “Such a pretty kitty.” Albeit slightly weird-looking—something he was smart enough not to say out loud. “Can I have Bree back now?”
The feline puffed out a breath and rumbled out an unhappy noise, but then bones cracked and popped. Seconds later, he had a naked woman straddling him.
Alex skimmed his hands up her bare back. “Your cat’s sweet and snuggly.”
Bree made a pfft sound. “She’s ratty and moody is what she is.”
“I didn’t like that you weren’t there when I woke up.” Frowning, he gave her lower lip a punishing nip. “Don’t leave the bed without waking me next time.”
She smiled brightly. “And good morning to you, too. Yes, I am feeling fine, thank you. How about you?”
He just grunted. “Have you eaten?”
“Yes, I scoffed down a Danish before I let my cat out. She wanted to scent-mark your territory again—probably because we’re now partially mated.”
Alex’s frown deepened. He didn’t like the “partially” part, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. “I would have let my beast out so they could play together, but they play too rough. The furniture would be in pieces, and I’m pretty sure he’d eat all my food.”
“Be honest, the latter bothers you more than anything else, doesn’t it?”
“Well it’s my food.”
She chuckled.
“Speaking of food, I woke up to a text from my mother. She told my uncles in Russia that I’ve taken a mate, and they want to officially meet you. They hopped straight onto a plane. She’s going to cook dinner tonight for us all.”
“I’ve seen your uncles a few times, but I never spoke to them. They don’t seem to have a high opinion of pallas cats.”
“Like my maternal grandmother, they don’t have a high opinion of any breed of shifter other than their own. That’s partly why they’re assholes to my dad. But it’s mostly that he refused to move to Russia when he mated my mom.”
Bree frowned. “But they’re nice to Mila, and she’s a pallas cat.”
“They claim she has the ‘soul’ of a wolverine, so her animal’s bodily form apparently doesn’t count.”
Bree’s eyebrows shot up. “Right. So the meal might not go well?”
“It definitely won’t go well. It never does when my father and uncles are eating at the same table. You’ll see what I mean.”
Just as he and Bree arrived at his parents’ apartment that evening, his mother opened the door before Alex had the chance to knock. She ushered them inside and kissed both their cheeks before herding them into the kitchen.
Alex received back pat after back pat from his uncles. Dominic had once told him that, with their solid builds and dark hair slicked back, the three male wolverines made him think of the bad guys in The Matrix movie. He wasn’t far off the mark.
All made an intimidating sight, especially when standing together. Isaak was all bluster, arrogance, and superiority, and he loved to poke at Valentina. Cloaked by an aura that pulsed with menace, Dimitri was the quietest of the three, but he had a hair-trigger temper that had gotten him into far too many bar fights over the years. Sergei, smaller and more approachable than his brothers, would smile and talk softly and put you at ease. All the while, though, he’d be watching you for weaknesses … planning the most entertaining way to watch you die.
Alex’s beast pushed close to the surface, protective of his mate. The animal trusted that the males wouldn’t physically harm her, but they were so damn rude they made Alex seem welcoming. “Bree, you remember my mom’s brothers—Isaak, Dimitri, and Sergei.” Alex splayed a hand on her back as he told the male wolverines, “This is my Bree.”
Isaak’s bushy brows lifted slightly. “Ah, short for Breasha? That is good, strong Russian name.”