“Think of it for a second. It solves so many problems at once.” Gwayne began pacing with enthusiasm, and she got worried.
“You are not pimping me out.”
“Yet you’re the one who suggested it.” His voice lowered dangerously. “It would make a perfect solution, given your concerns about inbreeding. Think of it. We form an alliance with a smaller pack while, at the same time, introducing new bloodlines into our gene pool to meet your picky demands.”
“It’s not picky.” She just didn’t want to date guys who felt like brothers. Gross.
“Says the girl who left me no choice.”
She could have been a cunt and yelled a choice at him. Told him to stop putting his ex-wife on a pedestal. She’d been far from perfect. But she couldn’t malign a dead woman. “Arranged marriages are archaic.”
“I know you’ll do what’s right for the pack.”
“Don’t you dare say this is for the pack!”
“As your alpha, I command you to—” Before Gwayne spilled his misogynistic bright idea, she slugged him.
10
Stefan’s phone rang at an ungodly hour. He knew this because he was still asleep in bed. He would have ignored it but for the fact the ringtone belonged to the most important person in the world.
“This better be important, Mom,” he said.
“The wolves are demanding an alliance,” she said.
He blinked at the clock. “Now? It’s six a.m.”
“And well past time you got up.”
“I didn’t get home until after two.” Because that was how long it took to calm Ray down. Apparently, seeing his brothers turn into cats hadn’t prepared the guy for his own transformation. It didn’t help it was in public and Ray had the humiliating video from his new hacker friends to prove it.
Although Stefan did chuckle at the meme that showed a mash-up of an image of Ray intent over his laptop with that of the cat guarding the chocolate fountain with the caption, Don’t mess with my machine, or I will eat your face.
“You could have spent the night at home,” his mother chided.
Because a grown man wanted to sleep in a bunkbed with his brothers. No thanks.
Not to mention, he couldn’t go home because then he’d be tempted by the fucking plant in his brother’s basement lair. He knew there was catnip down there. He’d seen it. Smelled it. How Ray had held out, he didn’t know, because Stefan wanted it with a hunger that had him pulling out a cigarette even now. Only he didn’t light it.
Nimway really hated smoking. Even kissed him to prove it.
What would have happened if they’d not been interrupted?
“Stefan? Are you there? Did you go back to sleep?”
He wished. He lit the smoke and exhaled an acrid puff. “I’m awake, and you need to start over. From the beginning this time.”
“Gwayne called me last night.”
“Gwayne is it now?” he drawled, taking another puff. Dry smoke first thing in the morning without a coffee? Not the tastiest thing.
“He’s a good man. You should give him a chance.”
He swung his legs over the edge of his bed. “I did, by going to that fucking barbecue, and you know what happened? My brother got drugged.”
“It wasn’t Gwayne’s fault.”
Stefan snorted. “His party. His people. They had to know it was spiked.” Done on purpose hoping one of them would take the bait and shift. To what end he didn’t know.
“Gwayne told me only he and a trusted few knew about the catnip. They found a package with the herb, much like the one Dominick received, in the perpetrator’s house.”
“They know who did it?”
“Yes. And they are looking for him.”
“You seem well informed.”
“I had a long talk with Gwayne. He’s a nice boy. Lost his parents when he was eighteen. Car crash. Both at once.”
Meaning Nimway was an orphan.
“Did you know he and his siblings are all named after King Arthur characters?”
“Why?”
“Why not?” Mom sassed.
“Is there any reason I should care other than the fact you’re now Gwayne’s best friend?”
“I thought it was nice he called to apologize. He wants to ensure it never happens again.”
He lit another cigarette after the one in his hand burned down. Suck. Blow. “And exactly how are they going to stop their people from exposing us?” Because too many of them knew their weakness. Their kryptonite.
“We join the pack.”
Laughter burst out of him. He couldn’t help it. “Please. As if they’d even let us.”
“They will and I don’t see any other choice.”
He sucked a few drags before croaking, “Why, Mom? How does that help us? We’ve been doing fine until now.”
“That was before. With what we know now about you and your brothers, possibly all of you…” Mom’s voice softened. “I know you don’t like it. But as things change, we must change too.”
“Don’t you spout that Zen crap before my first cup of coffee,” he grumbled, finally managing to shuffle from bed to kitchen.
“It’s common sense. Only someone who wants to fail doesn’t know how to adapt and swing with the punches.”
“Can we stop with the metaphors?” Cigarette in one hand, phone sitting on the counter, speaker enabled, he put in a k-cup and waited for his coffee to brew. The longest thirty seconds ever.
“Fine, you want to change the subject, then let’s talk about Gwayne’s sister.”
He stiffened as he pulled his mug free and headed for the honey. “What about her?”
“You spent an awful lot of time with her.”
In retrospect, he had spent the entire fucking time with her, which was unusual for Stefan. “She’s interesting.” True, and it admitted too much.
His mother went quiet. “I hear her mouth was very interesting last night.”
“Mom!”
“Do you know how embarrassing it is to have someone mention her son couldn’t keep it in his pants for one day!” she yelled right back.
“It didn’t go that far.”
“But you did seduce her. Which explains why Gwayne was asking about your intentions.”
Saying “get laid” would probably get him in trouble. “My intentions? Jeezus, Mom. It was a kiss. Nothing more.”
“That’s kind of callous. I’m surprised by you.”
“Since when? We all know I’m the whore in the family.” The moment he said it he closed his eyes.
It got quiet.
Then his mother said, “That’s a filthy word. Nothing wrong with sex between consenting adults.” A complete about-turn given her harangue about the kiss.
“We are not discussing this, Mom.”
“I love you no matter what, Stefan.”
“I love you, too.” Had from the day she’d given him a shiny red apple and a chance to decide who he’d become. Not her fault he’d failed along the way.
“Why is she interesting, this girl?”
“I don’t know. Because she is.” And it was also impossible. Wolf. Tiger. Totally wrong for each other, and yet their lips fit perfectly.