The council exchanges glances then shoot Sam a look, clearly not satisfied with my answer.
Sam, whose mind is concentrated on getting back to his mate, waves his hand as if it’s the least of his worries. “We will proceed without her. Make sure she is present at the next meeting. We wouldn’t want to offend your soon-to-be-mate with the absence of her future mother-in-law and predecessor.”
“I will see to it that she’s here.”
“Now,” Sam eyes the council, anticipating their rejection since they often disagree with everything. “Might I continue?”
The council shifts uncomfortably under his glare, but ultimately, Sam succeeds. There are no objections.
Sam clears his throat, reading off the page. “We received your request to mate Medein Rosa the Fourth. While I do believe this is a fine match, I do have some concerns...”
Tyler and I exchange a puzzled glance.
I put on my best poker face but one look at the back of my shirt, and they’d know I was bluffing.
“Concerns?”
“On paper, this pairing makes sense, but I worry this match might not satisfy our kind’s... naturalbeastwithin.”
Surely, he can’t be talking about sexually. Can he?
Well, it is Sam.
My wolf is right. What was it Alaina called him? Oh, right. Mr. Playboy.
On the chance I might be mistaken and Mr. Playboyisn’ttalking about sex, I play a curious hand. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I mean the mating process.”
Of course he does.
“You wouldn’t get to mate her in the... traditional sense,” a councilman says.
“I’m not sure I understand.”
Another councilman tries sugar coating it. “You may show affection but notaffection.”
I could’ve gone my whole life without seeing this old guy’s demonstration of what he looks like railing someone.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?” The hip thrusts he gyrated into the table were disturbing to say the least but clear as day.
What generation are they from that sex became a dirty word? And in what world does it make sense that showing me would be better than saying it?
The devious thought runs across my bored and curious mind...If I say no, will he do it again?
“Affection? I’m confused... Do you mean PDA?” I instigate.
The councilman face palms. He takes a deep breath and sighs. “You know, when a male and female...” He dry humps the table again with frustrated force, and it screeches across the floor.
I bite back my laughter and disguise it as surprise. I refuse to glance at Tyler because I’ll burst out laughing the second I do.
Do I lookthatinnocent or does he really believe I’m that uneducated? I can only imagine how he must mansplain things to females.
Of course, Tyler comes back with, “Yeah, I still don’t get it.”
I cover my mouth with my hand. Ican’twith him. Tyler was always the class clown as pups. Although juvenile then, I welcome it now. Sometimes my job is just too serious.
Sam doesn’t find our reaction amusing. When the councilman rises and grips the table for leverage to dramatize his point, Sam saves Tyler and me from bursting into laughter. He explodes, “It means you can fuck her, but you can’t mark her!”
