“But—”
“Just hear me out. Roni doesn’t bristle when you invade her personal space. She doesn’t seem to welcome touch, but she allows it from you. Whether she realizes it or not, she’s much more comfortable with you than she is with most people. And fuck, when you two are together, sexual energy practically pours off both of you.”
There was no denying that Trick was right about all of that. And yes, she and Marcus being mates would explain a lot—particularly his reaction to her, and her reaction to him. “It’s not her. The Seer I told you about described someone totally different.”
Trick snorted. “So?”
“What do you mean, ‘so’?”
“Seers can be wrong.”
“Yeah, well, her vision was very specific.”
Trick pursed his lips. “Okay, let’s say the Seer’s right. Let’s say Roni’s not your mate. Let’s say this other female the Seer described is the one for you, and she’s out there somewhere. That would mean Roni has a mate out there somewhere too, waiting to claim her.”
A growl of objection rumbled out of Marcus before he could stop it—it was a growl that came from both him and his wolf.
Trick grinned. “That’s what I thought.”
“Just because I don’t want to give her up yet doesn’t make her my mate.”
“All I’m asking is that you keep an open mind about it. Look at Dante and Trey—it took them both months to figure out they had their own mate right under their noses, and that’s just plain pathetic. They should have listened to their wolves, but they didn’t, because they were too wrapped up in their human issues.”
“Sometimes our animals have strong reactions to certain females and it doesn’t mean anything.”
“Yeah, but sometimes it does. You can at least admit it’s a possibility that she’s your mate.”
Marcus opened his mouth, but no words came out. Was it a possibility? He did feel incredibly possessive of Roni, so much so that he would happily slash the throat of any male who tried to take her from him. And he did like her, like her. She made him laugh, and she fascinated him with her complex character. She was also so damn tough it was admirable. Any dominant male would be proud to have a mate as strong as Roni. But to admit that it was a possibility would be to hope that just maybe he wasn’t destined to have the miserable fate he’d been warned of, and hope could massively backfire on him.
Trick sighed. “If you don’t want to admit it, fine, but don’t shove what I’m saying to the back of your mind so that you don’t have to process it. Don’t rule it out as a possibility simply because some Seer described a totally different female to you. Okay?”
“Okay,” replied Marcus, but he said it more to placate Trick than anything else. And his friend’s agitated expression said he knew it.
“Don’t be an ass, Marcus. Look outside the box, and you’ll see that you’ve been subconsciously building something with her.”
“What are you talking about?”
Trick rolled his eyes. “You’re not the type of guy who feels the need to run to ground any female who doesn’t respond to him. It’s never bothered you before, but it bothered you this time. You didn’t come on strong, though. You stood back, observed her closely, looked for weaknesses in her defenses—circled her like a predator circles prey. You took it slow, got to know her better, did what you could to make her feel comfortable around you, and tried to seduce her on every level. You don’t do that with someone unless you’re trying to lay a foundation for something more.
“You’ve never in your life pursued a female before, Marcus; you see women as threats.” When he went to speak, Trick quickly continued. “Don’t try and bullshit me; I know you. Women eventually want more than sex from you, and that scares you. For you, love is all mingled up with pain and rejection and anger, thanks to your upbringing. But you pursued Roni because she doesn’t make you feel threatened.”
“Threatened? I don’t even understand what that means.”
“You knew she wouldn’t get attached to you, wouldn’t demand anything from you that you couldn’t give, and wouldn’t push herself on you or make you feel pressured. It left you in control of where this is going and allowed you to move at a pace you felt comfortable with. And look what you did with that power—you subconsciously laid the foundation for something more.”
Was Trick right? Was that what he’d done? Sure, Marcus had circled her and searched for weaknesses in her shields in an effort to seduce her mentally. But that was only so that he might have a shot at seducing her sexually. Wasn’t it? And, yes, he had felt comfortable pursuing Roni. The more he’d pursued her, the more he’d come to like her and the more possessive he’d become.
“I know you’re scared of finding the mate the Seer told you about; you don’t want history to repeat itself, and no one who knows about your upbringing could blame you for that. But considering you don’t want that female, is there really any harm in seeing where this could go with Roni, of being open to imprinting? For the record, I honestly believe she could be your true mate.”
“The Seer’s visions are usually accurate.”
“Yeah, usually,” scoffed Trick. “Not always. Think about that before you walk away from something that could be really yours to keep.”
Then he strolled off, leaving Marcus alone with his thoughts. Although many of the things his friend had said made sense, Marcus wasn’t sure about the theory that Roni was his mate—not given how specific the Seer’s vision had been. But he knew that he wanted a place in Roni’s life; he wanted to see where this thing between them could go.
It probably made him a cruel bastard to even consider it. Sure, lots of shifters got into deep relationships with people who weren’t their true mates, since they were fully aware that there was a possibility they would never find them anyway. Gabe and Hope were an example of that. But Marcus knew from the Seer that he would in fact find his mate, and that made this situation very different.
If he were honest, though, he didn’t believe he could make his mate happy. He wouldn’t have children with her, because he refused to let them see the same things he had, day after day, growing up. Considering how miserable they were bound to make each other, he doubted the mating bond would ever fully click into place. That would have eaten at what they’d had and caused resentment to build. No, neither one of them could truly make the other happy.
Roni, on the other hand . . . she made him happy—quirks, lollipops, and all. Everything in him, everything he was, told him not to walk away from her; that if he did, it would be a mistake he would forever regret. His wolf didn’t object to Marcus’s decision, which was pretty shocking, given that this would take him closer to Roni and further away from his true mate. His wolf, with his elemental nature, wouldn’t have Marcus’s human concerns about the mate the Seer had described. Yet, he had his wolf’s support to remain with Roni, because she made his wolf happy too.
Returning his gaze to Roni, he saw that Grace’s relation was still chatting away to her. He couldn’t help but smile—his pretty little wolf had the look of a trapped wild animal and appeared to be grinding her teeth around her lollipop. Apparently she’d had enough. He knew what she’d do, knew it was coming any minute now . . .
Finally, she removed the lollipop from her mouth and cocked her head. “Did you know that if your stomach doesn’t produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks, it’ll digest itself?”
And there it was.
Taken aback, the female opened and closed her mouth repeatedly. “Um . . . no, I didn’t know that. How . . . interesting.”
“I know, right?”
“I, um, I should probably go and check on my mate.”
When she was alone once again, Roni’s body seemed to sag with relief. Marcus quietly sidled up to her. “Now that wasn’t very nice.”
Twisting to face him, Roni blinked innocently. “What? What did I say?” Of course she’d sensed Marcus there, watching her. She always sensed when his gaze
was on her, and it always made her body feel restless.
He pulled Roni flush against him and pressed a somewhat possessive kiss to her throat, taking a moment to swim in her scent. “You made her feel uncomfortable so that she’d walk away.” He snatched her lollipop and tossed it into the trash can, earning himself a huff.
Roni wasn’t surprised that he’d guessed her game; he was too observant. “She was talking about fashion, Marcus. Fashion.” Roni gestured to her own outfit: combat pants, Converse trainers, and a T-shirt that read, “I’m not a people person—you’ve been warned.” “Do I look like someone who reads Vogue?” She could take down an Alpha, whether in human or wolf form, whether they were male or female. But have a conversation about stilettos? That was out of her comfort zone.
He raked his gaze over every edible inch of her. “I like your look. It works for you.”
That slow, languid smile worked for her. And when that sensual mouth came down on hers, delivered the most devastating kiss, and then followed it up with a bite to her bottom lip—oh, yeah, that worked for her too.
Roni cleared her throat as she snapped out of her daze and took a moment to examine him. There were faint impressions of bruises and scratches here and there, but they were fading fast. Still, neither she nor her wolf liked seeing him hurt. If he hadn’t been on his way to being fully healed, she would have clawed her brothers. “It’s good to know you’re alive. And that you have all your teeth. Any broken bones?”
“Depends whose bones you’re referring to.”
She opened her mouth to ask, but then shook her head. “You know what, I don’t want to know.”
Marcus nuzzled her neck, inhaling deeply. “Your scent drives me insane.” Drawn to the mark on her neck, he swiped his tongue across it, enjoying the way she shuddered.
When he lowered his tone like that, it did all sorts of interesting things to Roni’s body. “Good insane or bad insane?”
Marcus knew his smile was wicked. “Oh, very, very good insane.” He nipped her earlobe, just because. Of course, he almost jumped out of his skin when her arm slid around him and her fingers drummed down his spine. One, because it felt amazingly good. Two, because Roni wasn’t a touchy-feely person, particularly in public. To touch him like that, and in front of others—it meant something. It was an acceptance and a claim. “I wasn’t sure if you’d return the claim.”
“Well, I thought hard on it. I figured you could serve some purposes.”
He smiled. “Serve some purposes?”
“You can deal with small talk. I don’t like small talk. You can change tires. When there are lines, you can stand in them. I hate them. You can also bring me chocolate fudge cake.”
“Anything else?”
“Yes. Never neglect the G-spot. That would turn out badly for you.”
He laughed. “Duly noted.”
“Ro!”
Roni peered down to find Kye grinning at her, a cookie in either hand. “Hey, little man. What you got there?”
Pulling a face, he held both cookies against his chest. “Mine.”
“Well, of course.”
“Mar!”
Marcus smiled. “Hey, kid, have you showed Roni your Alpha snarl?” Kye’s expression instantly turned fierce as he bared his little teeth.
“Wow, scary.” Roni frowned as Kye suddenly started spinning in a circle. “What’s he doing?”
Marcus sighed. “He farts and then looks for it.”
Tao, Dominic, and Ryan made their way over. Dominic was grimacing and rubbing his knee. “Do you have a Band-Aid?” he asked Roni.
Her brow puckered. “No, why?”
“I just scraped my knee falling for you.” Laughing, he barely dodged Marcus’s fist.
Tao shook his head at Dominic, handing both Marcus and Roni a beer. “I honestly fear for your life sometimes, Dom.” Ryan grunted, as if to second that.
“Ry! Ry! Ry!” Kye tugged hard on the enforcer’s jeans. The toddler had a soft spot for Ryan, which was odd, considering the guy barely spoke and wasn’t the least bit playful.
Looking somewhat pained and uncomfortable, Ryan reached down and grabbed Kye by the back of his shirt. He then lifted him high, letting him dangle in the air. Kye laughed in delight, striving to pinch Ryan’s nose.
Taryn came to the enforcer’s rescue, taking her son into her arms. “Are you tormenting Uncle Ryan again?” The kid kissed her smack on the mouth in response.
Standing beside his mate, Trey studied Marcus. “Either Roni’s brothers took it easy on you, or you didn’t hold back. I’m hoping it was the latter.”
“What do you mean?” asked Dominic.
“Marcus did some male bonding with the Mercury Pack,” explained Grace as she made her way to Roni, giving her a huge hug that took Roni by surprise. “I was told you helped get the party organized, so thank you.”
Roni nodded. “No problem. Happy birthday.”
“Thanks. I did tell Taryn to cancel the party, what with everything that’s been going on and—”
“No, we planned it months ago,” interrupted Taryn. “No way were we going to let anything mess it up for you, Grace. You do a lot for the pack, always take care of everyone. Now it’s our turn to take care of you, because if anyone deserves some pampering and attention, it’s you.” Marcus had to agree with that.
As Dominic cupped Roni’s elbow and tried to move her arm, she slapped at his hand. Dominic held his hands up. “I’m just trying to see what your T-shirt says. No need to get testy. It’s hard to tell, though. Can I read it in braille?” If Dante and Jaime hadn’t appeared at that moment and pulled Dominic back, Marcus would have knocked him clean out.
Roni simply smiled at the pervert. “Your body is like a wonderland, Dominic . . . can I be Alice?”
Jaime laughed. “Good one.”
Dominic, however, wasn’t so amused. “Stop that!” he whined.
Eli appeared then, his face a little marked up with lacerations and bruises. Taking in Dominic’s expression, he arched a brow at his sister. “You throwing cheesy lines at him again?”
“The dumbass thinks he can take me. Still getting advice about STDs on Twitter?”
The amusement on Eli’s face died a quick death. “I’ll get you back, sis. Trust me on that.” He turned his attention to Jaime. “Oh, and thanks for making it worse by recommending antibiotic creams and wishing me a quick recovery.”
The Beta female shrugged innocently. “I didn’t know it was just a joke. I was trying to be helpful and supportive.”
Dante wrapped an arm around his mate’s shoulders. “Baby, you’re so good, I could almost believe that.”
“Believe what?” asked Trick, coming up behind Trey. Marcus was surprised when Roni stiffened; he might not have noticed if he hadn’t been touching her. When Trick came to Marcus’s other side, she went totally rigid. There was the smallest flash of her wolf’s eyes, revealing the animal’s agitation. Well, now, that was interesting.
It hadn’t occurred to him that either Roni or her wolf might feel uncomfortable or jealous around Trick, despite that Marcus would have felt the same if the situation had been reversed. Maybe other guys might like that their female was jealous, but Marcus had never cared for jealousy. He didn’t want Roni or her wolf feeling uncomfortable or insecure.
“Roni’s playing pranks on Eli again,” Marcus told Trick, sliding his hand up to rest firmly in the crook of her neck so he could soothingly draw circles on her nape with his thumb. It was an attentive, possessive move that he knew would relax her wolf and hopefully appease Roni. She would get the message that she was his choice.
Tao gently nudged Roni. “Why is your mom glaring at you?”
Following Tao’s gaze, she found her mother stood at the other side of the room, glowering. “As far as she’s concerned, I’m living in sin. She thinks all females should wait for their mate.” Roni jerked when Marcus tightened his hold on her neck. “Did she continue making her ‘Roni’s weak’ case to you while
I was gone?”
“No, she didn’t. She hasn’t said a single word to me since I spoke up for you earlier. She did grunt at me when I said good-bye, though.”
Eli grinned. “Mom’s not used to people questioning her. She wouldn’t have expected it. Nick definitely hadn’t. Speaking of Nick, have you seen the look on his face?”
Roni almost laughed at his sulky expression. Nick was no more a fan of parties than she was, purely because people in general tended to annoy him. He even found being around his own pack a trial at times. Shaya was the only person whose company he sought out and truly enjoyed.
“He probably wouldn’t have come if Shaya wasn’t pregnant; he hates being away from her,” continued Eli. “By the looks of it, he’s trying to get her to abandon her cake and leave.”
“Ah, that would explain why she’s just whacked his nose with her spoon,” said Jaime.
Marcus arched a brow. “There’s still cake?”
“Last time I looked,” said Dante, “there was one slice left.”
Marcus knew exactly who loved cake as much as he did. He met Roni’s challenging look. “Not on your life, gorgeous.” He rushed out of the room and into the tunnels, but she dived on his back, did some fancy-ass move, and took him down. Bitch. She sprung over him, intending to make a run for it, but he grabbed her ankle. The sneaky little minx easily managed to get free of his grip, but by that point he was on his feet. Before she could move, he clamped his arms around her, wrestled her to the ground, and pinned her beneath him on her stomach. Another fancy-ass move later from Roni, and he was on his back and she was straddling him.
“What are you doing?”
They looked up to see Cam standing over them, eating . . . cake.
“Oh, you bastard,” said Roni.
Marcus shook his head. “How could you, Cam?”
The guy double-blinked, seemingly baffled. “Do what?”
“Satan’s helper—that’s all I’m saying.” Roni stood and held out a hand to Marcus, but he jumped to his feet. Snarling at Cam, they both shrugged past him.