“I’m fine.” Mia tried to reassure both Seth and her mom. “It was only a little cold, and now it’s gone.” Except it wasn’t. Her throat was scratchy, and she kept sneezing. Even so, she told them both the lie.
Gena smiled happily, while Seth’s frown deepened. At least one of them believed her.
“Mom, you should probably get some sleep. There’s another storm coming.” Mia tried not to sneeze again, needing to take more cold medicine but not wanting to worry anybody.
Gena looked up at the dark and rolling underbellies of the heavy clouds. “Yeah, you’re right. There’s a heck of one coming.” She patted Erik again and then stood. “All right, handsome wolf. I’ll see you next time.” She shuffled into the house, still too thin but finally filling out after her ordeal. It was good to see her doing so much better.
Seth dropped into her vacated seat, wrapped one arm around Mia’s waist, and tugged her onto his lap. Then he not-so-gently nudged the wolf with his boot. “What the hell are you doing here, brother?” he muttered.
Erik’s ears twitched. He looked toward the house and then stretched to all fours before padding to the end of the deck. There, smooth as silk, he transformed from wolf to man, standing upright and rolling his shoulders. Muscles rippled down his back and butt, all animal and tough. Just like his brother.
“Erik, come on.” Mia looked away from his naked form.
Erik walked toward a basket beneath the eaves and grabbed a knitted blanket to wrap around his slim hips. “You might as well get used to it, sister. Wolves are naked half the time.” Then he snorted. “I mean…all the time, really, if you think about it.”
Seth pulled Mia closer, warming her with his heated body. “Not that I don’t like seeing you, but aren’t you supposed to be making plans to take over the Slate Pack?”
Erik yanked another chair over and sat facing them, his feet huge and bare on the wooden planks. His torso had filled out even more recently. He was as big as Seth, with cut muscle and raw power. The chilly air didn’t seem to bother him, considering his torso was also bare. “Philip Nightsom is perfectly healthy, and Emily and I are just friends. So, while plans are slowly being laid and put in place, there’s no big hurry.” He ruffled his hair, which was a dark blond, almost brown, as winter hinted on the breeze, and it had gotten shaggy to his ears.
Seth just studied him, his body relaxed, but his muscles harder than stone. “You don’t want to mate Emily, do you?”
Erik lifted a shoulder. “Sure, I do. We’re pals, and she’s pretty awesome. But like I said, there’s no hurry. I thought I’d visit.” Truth be told, he sounded lonely.
Mia looked at him. “I know I’m just learning how wolf packs work, but you don’t really have to leave home right now, do you? I mean, not yet. Not until you and Emily take over the pack or whatever’s in your grand plan.” It’d be nice to have him around supporting Seth as he moved into the role of Alpha.
Erik’s gaze warmed. “Yeah, I could stay here for a while.” He looked out at the darkened lake, and his shoulders settled. “I like it here with our pack, but Em has some good friends and relatives who’ve welcomed me. Right now, I’m not needed there.”
Mia bit her lip. “So now that Seth is Alpha, nobody expects you to fight each other anymore, right?”
“Not now that Erik has a plan,” Seth murmured. His breath heated her forehead. She shivered as fire slid through her and landed low in her abdomen. The tug of desire was normal around him, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever get accustomed to it. Her body responded to him easily, as if knowing they should be together. Sometimes, she agreed. Other times, she wanted to punch him in the nose.
Erik looked at his brother. “You do need an Enforcer, you know.”
Seth jerked, yet he held Mia safely in place. “What? I don’t need an Enforcer. I am an Enforcer.”
“Not anymore, you’re not,” Erik said reasonably. “You’re now the Alpha, which means you’ll have more danger coming at you from more areas than ever before.” He winced. “Well, maybe not ever before, but you need somebody to cover your back, and you know it.”
Seth was quiet for several moments. “I hadn’t really thought of that.”
That was because he was a little bit arrogant, but Mia didn’t think this was the time to mention that. It’d be nice to have Erik around. For a while anyway. He really did care about his brother and would do a good job covering Seth’s back. She liked the idea, especially since she was headed back to work and couldn’t watch him all the time. Everyone needed support. “I vote yes.”
Erik’s eyes were a lighter blue than his brother’s, and they warmed as he focused on her. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
She smiled. While she’d never had a brother, she was liking this one. They were on the same page when it came to Seth’s safety, and she trusted Erik. They’d had a rocky beginning, but he’d proven himself and seemed tougher and more like his brother with each passing day.
“Huh,” Seth said. “Is it all right with your new pack if you stay here for the time being?”
“Actually, I think they’d prefer it,” Erik admitted. “They’re still trying to figure out how to fit me in right now. Plus, Em’s cousin Vic is making noises about wanting to take over instead of having Emily or me do it, and I’m trying really hard not to kill him.” He shrugged. “But I could go that route, too.”
“No.” Mia held up a hand. She had to bring these guys into the current century. “You two have got to stop talking about killing people.”
Erik shrugged again. “I guess I could avoid that by being your Enforcer for a short time. At least until we train somebody else to do it.”
Seth pressed his lips against Mia’s temple, and she shivered—this time, not from the cold. “I’ll think about it, Erik. I have a lot of bullets coming for me, and I’d hate for one to hit you.”
Mia frowned. How could he speak so casually about people wanting him dead? She needed to make sure she had silver bullets with her at all times.
Erik leaned back in the chair, and it groaned in response. “That’s the whole point of being an Enforcer, isn’t it?”
