He smiled and throttled back, anxious to see her and tell her the good news.
She was fucking loyal to a fault, even going against the Kings, who have a reputation of answering betrayal with blood. But his brave ass Pixie swayed into that bar anyway, and for what … to protect family.
“She’s going to make one hell of an ol’ lady,” he hollered into the wind, before slamming down his visor and twisting the throttle back once more.
“Hello handsome, how can I help you?” He ignored the flirty tone and hungry gaze of the lady at the reception desk.
“Linda Donaldson?” He said in a gruff tone to shut her down. He’d done this dance before. If he didn’t stop it at the outset, next she’d be twirling her hair like a teenager. Gross, what adult man would be attracted to minor behavior, but it was like on the universal flirting cheat sheet or some shit.
And there it was. The hair twirl and the slightly higher-pitched tone. “What’s your name, big guy? I’m Tammy.”
“Look, Tammy. I’m married and I’m here to see my mother-in-law. Can you just give me her room number?” He growled the last, letting Ulf’s displeasure bleed through his tone. The other wolves swore by the natural prey instinct of humans to respond to the tone. This was his first experience with it, and they were not wrong. Tammy immediately dropped the eye contact and gave him the room number.
Without a word of thanks or a backward glance, he strode down the hall.
When he got to Linda’s room, Zach, soon to be Cypher, stood outside the slightly ajar door. Where Carys and another voice filtered through, and no sounds of danger. The kid was going to be a great addition to the club.
“How’s it going?” Monster indicated inside.
“Good. A lot of tears. Your woman is going to be devastated when she loses her. But then a lot of laughter and a lot of talk about you.”
“You don’t say.”
“Yeah. She’s gone for you, Monster. Her mom plans on putting you through the paces though, so gird your fucking loins, man. That lady is ruthless. Threw her arms around me when Carys told her I pulled the trigger. After that she did a fucking happy dance until she got too tired to continue.”
That made Monster chuckle. Carys came off sweet with him, but he was sure that apple didn’t fall too far from the tree.
He clapped Zach on the back. “Thanks, brother. You can head back now.” He didn’t miss the pride in Zach’s eyes when he called him brother. Yeah, the kid was humble enough not to mention it, but cocky enough to know he’d earned it.
“Knock, knock,” Monster said as he opened the door. He was not prepared for the sight before him. Carys and her mother looked at him with fucking identical gazes. The woman sitting up on the bed could’ve passed for Carys’s sister if it wasn’t for the frailty about her. One that would soon be gone.
Linda stood and walked right up into his personal space and crossed her arms. Looking him up and down before turning to her daughter. “This him?”
“Yes, mother,” Carys answered, amusement clear in her tone.
“Hmph.” She walked around him, assessing him like livestock. While he’d expected the paces, he had not girded for how it would feel. He didn’t like it at all. Especially since it was coming from a five-foot nothing woman who looked disturbingly like the woman he loved.
However, he held still and let her circle him like a shark, and when she was standing in front of him once more, he tried to take control of the situation.
“Ms. Donaldson, it’s nice to meet?—”
“Where are they?”
“Excuse me?”
“My flowers. Where are they?” The woman demanded with a haughty tone, but her eyes sparked the way Carys’s did when she was amused.
“I didn’t bring flowers.”
She threw her hands up in mock exasperation. At least he hoped it was mock.
“He comes to see the mother of his mate, and he doesn’t bring her flowers.” Turning to her daughter, she asked. “Are you sure he’s the one? I know this nice young man who is the manager of the formal dress shop on Decatur. He’s single and I guarantee you he would’ve brought flowers.”
“Carys is mine,” Monster growled at the same time Carys declared, “Mom, he’s gay.”
Monster almost missed the look of amusement on Linda’s face when he turned to Carys.
“That was your first response to her trying to set you up with another man?”
