“Do you remember what happened with your brother and our sweet little Lily?”
“They were forced together to clean up his act. They hated each other. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Then poof, they were in love. Sure, I remember.”
“I’m going to tell you the same thing I told your brother. Your time has arrived.”
“My time. To what, take over the world?”
His laugh was even more gregarious than before. “In a manner of speaking, although this is nothing to make fun of. Put plainly and simply, your body needs a mate.”
“My body?”
“Yeah, all the heavy load of testosterone you’re experiencing, the night sweats and lack of sleep. The change in eating habits. Thehunger that has nothing to do with food. Uncontrollable rage. The desire for sex constantly? Does any of that sound familiar?”
As the couple stood outside the door of the bar, I played witness to one of their uncontrollable moments. Now I wasn’t a prude by any means as I’d done some pretty damn kinky things in my life, but seeing the two of them ripping at each other’s clothes and hearing the hard thud through the metal and steel of my Trans Am as he shoved her against the side of the building just before plunging his dick deep inside her was a little much for me on a Thursday night.
I closed my eyes, but in doing so, every image popping into my mind was of Christine. “Yeah, too familiar.”
“That’s because you need a mate and until your wolf is satisfied internally, you’ll never be able to fully function as a human in the way that allows you to remain anonymous. Are you following me, son?”
“So I need to have sex more often.” Now I was joking, but my laughter died within seconds. “You’re serious.”
“I am.”
“Why now?”
“That’s the way it happens. There’s no rhyme or reason to the timing, at least not that I’ve seen over the past few generations. There simply comes a point that every male needs to find a mate.”
“How did Saint handle the interruption to his life?”
My father could make a point with nothing but his breath sounds, which he was famous for. When he didn’t like something, you knew it. “Given he’s considered the best hockeyplayers in the freaking world and has a beautiful wife with at least two pups on the way and a padded bank account, I’d say he is handling everything pretty damn well.”
“But does he love her or is their coupling about chemistry?”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Steven. I don’t know but so much about the other species, but when a wolf mates, there are several reasons why. Is most of the early connection about chemistry? You fucking bet it is. If you’d open your senses, you would be able to smell your mate from a mile away. But if you had, nothing would stop you from getting to her. But alas, I’m stuck in the old ways.”
Chuckling, I stole one too many glances at the hot and busy couple, my dick aching to the point my cock was crowded in my jeans. I moved on my seat, almost desperate to rip them off. Even my heart was pounding from watching them achieve their carnal pleasures.
If I wasn’t careful, I’d break into Christine’s house and fuck her brains out. Mmm… The thought was delicious. “Meaning?”
“Meaning starting with your generation, wolves have lost many of their primal abilities. Mating rituals are different, now centered on human courtship. Every wolf is different, but the symptoms appear the same. Now, this girl. How attracted to her are you?”
My skin itched just thinking about her, another wave of heat rolling into my system. “Very.”
“Then my guess is you found your mate.”
I had to laugh until I choked. “I doubt she’ll see it my way.”
“Then you’ll need to convince her. The human way. Flowers. Dates. Watching movies together. Buying her a puppy. Whatevershe wants you make sure she gets or within two months, you’ll be a blubbering mess of flesh and blood incapable of doing anything but panting and hunting.”
“Oh, fucking fantastic. Thank you so very much for the advice.”
“I don’t mean to cut this short, son, but we have a much bigger problem.”
“And that is?”
“Ah, rumor has it some senator is planning on introducing a bill in Congress that would allow our rights to be stripped away. I don’t mind telling you that we can’t allow that to happen. So we’re digging up everything about this man and his family since you and I both know there isn’t a creature out there who doesn’t have a dirty little secret hiding in his or her closet.”
“When will this shit end?”
