“Strangers of any kind are a risk,” I responded coolly back to him, keeping my face blank.
“I’m glad we agree on something,” he replied.
“Hey, so what’s up with you two and Miriam?” Hunter changed the subject. “Is she going to be front and center for the bouquet toss?”
“We’re not anywhere near ready for that,” I scoffed before Colt could jump in and say anything.
“Maybe you’re not,” my oldest brother bristled. “But honestly, I’ve given the whole marriage thing some thought.”
“Yeah well, it’s not all about you, bro,” I pulled at the collar of my shirt, already getting hot under it. “The three of us are a package deal. That’s what we decided.”
“You’ve got a funny way of acting like it,” Colt’s tone turned accusing. “Where the hell were you this morning? Then you blow her off and tell her you’re not in a sharing mood? What gives?”
“Can we not do this now?” I growled through my teeth. “We’re celebrating Hunter and the guys today, not bickering about our own shit.”
“You’re the only one making this difficult, Gabe.” Colt would just not let up. “I love her. She loves both of us and you’re just being a dick for no reason.”
“Guys, come on.” Hunter stood between us. “Gabe’s right. Not here and not now.”
“Hey.” Raz went to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of something before setting up six shot glasses. “It’s a new day, gentlemen. For us four, it’s the start of our new lives. Let’s wash yesterday away with a toast, ah?”
“Is that some kind of Romanian proverb?” Arjun cheeked, his blue-green eyes flashing as he picked up a shot glass filled with amber liquid.
“Fuck nah, I just made it up,” the dragon laughed.
Standing reluctantly, Colt and I were the last to grab our shot glasses. His tight frown told me he wasn’t done interrogating me with this stuff today. Hopefully we made it past the ceremony, at least. The six of us held our shot glasses as Connor cleared his throat.
“To love, patience, and kindness toward all creatures,” he began.
“Boooo,” Raz teased under his breath. “You suck.”
“Sorry, man. That was just a practice run.” Connor side-eyed him and began again. “To the best damn party on this side of the Mississippi with hopefully no assholes to ruin it, and to the amazing woman who brought us together and puts up with us for God knows why.”
“That’s more like it,” Hunter grinned.
All six of us clinked glasses and threw back our shots. The whiskey burned a delightful trail of fire from my throat to my belly and seemed to have a similar effect on the other guys. Raz even blew out a small flame as he exhaled.
“Not bad, Arj,” he mused, looking down at today’s date on the engraved glass. “You hooked us up with good stuff.”
“Only the finest for us, lads.” The tiger shifter grinned down at his glass as well.
I ran my finger over the engraving on mine, already knowing what it said. Melody, Connor, Hunter, Razvan and Arjun. Shifted into marital bliss July 25th, 2019.
“Looks like some of the first guests are here,” Colt mused, looking out the window as sharply-dressed people strolled onto the lawn.
A few couples, groups of friends, and some single people milled about. There was nothing unusual about them to any human observer, but with one sharp inhale I picked up multiple animal species. A few wolves and felines, some avian, and another I couldn’t quite place.
“Where’s a damn shaman when you need one?” Arjun chuckled. “I want to know all about these people.”
“Ours is probably getting into her dress now,” Connor glanced at his watch. “God, I can’t wait to see her.”
“The next time you do, she’ll be your wife.” Hunter slapped his back excitedly.
“And yours,” Connor grinned back.
Just then the grooms got called away for pictures, leaving Colt and I alone again.
"Shall we walk around and mingle for a moment?" Colt pulled on the sleeves of his suit jacket. "We’re not needed with the grooms until a bit later."
"Sure," I grumbled, twisting open the bottle of whiskey to pour myself a second shot. "Why not?"
Colt waited for me at the door, a scowl on his face. "Can you at least pretend to be happy today? Or a few notches above moody asshole, at least?"
"What are you talking about? I'm thrilled. Our brother is getting married to a human and a few dozen strangers now know where he lives."
"You're fucking unbelievable, you know that?" he hissed through gritted teeth before smiling tightly at a pair of guests walking by. "Sometimes I wonder why you stick around with Miriam if you think so lowly of humans."
I stayed tight-lipped but silently wondered the same thing, but for different reasons. It wasn't that I thought poorly of Miriam or Mel. They were brave, strong women who loved fiercely. Miriam and I hadn't exchanged any words of love yet, but I could feel it in the way she touched me, kissed me, and spoke to me. How deeply and genuinely she cared was just one of the many reasons why I held her at arms length.
If I allowed myself, I could love her back. I craved the easy connection she had with Colt, the sweetness and flirtation between Hunter and Mel. Miriam deserved to be surrounded by men who adored her, but was I meant to be one of them?
To give myself to her, to claim the beautiful shaman with long dark hair and make her my mate, would mean admitting I'd never be part of a wolf pack again. I'd never hunt an elk or run through the woods under the moonlight with my mate. And I'd never raise pups of my own.
Hunter got lucky. He had a mate and two pups before meeting Mel. His first mate died from gunshot wounds, then he and the pups were captured a few years later. Now he was in love with both a female human and a male dragon shifter. None of us would have seen that coming. Hunter said he loved both Mel and Raz more than his former mate, but at least he had a true pack life first. At least he had his pups.
I loved my niece and nephew dearly, but it wasn't the same as having my own. Miriam was an amazing woman and her abilities were awe-inspiring. But a human and a shifter could never produce a child.
The old school wolf pack mentality we grew up with also frowned upon species intermixing. Sure, we were all human in one way, but a wolf and a platypus usually didn't have much in common. Hunter felt this way at one point, but I guess being captured and put on display as a carnival freak changed his perspective.
Colt never cared. He never intended on settling down and always seemed happy with a bachelor lifestyle. The wild one of the three of us, he dated anyone from normal humans to bird and horse shifters, much to our alpha's chagrin. It honestly surprised me how smitten and dedicated he became to Miriam. To hear that he'd been thinking about marriage was a shock.
Me, I couldn’t decide how I felt about this whole wedding business. Mel, Hunter, and the rest of the guys seemed happy but I wasn’t sure if it was right for Miriam, Colt, and I. Just sharing a woman with my brother was enough to wrap my head around, but being legally and spiritually bound to both of them? It ran a little too close to comfort for me.