The pack would hold a huge party where all unmated females from the pack were invited. It would be Brandon’s turn to find his mate soon, and all the women were buzzing with excitement. The party would be held in a month’s time, and preparations were already underway.
I’d been dreading this day for a while now, not knowing how it would affect me. Brandon and I...we weren’t mates. The Gods hadn’t chosen us for each other, and we both knew it.
But then we also didn’t know what would happen when his mate finally claimed him.
My hand tightened around his, squeezing his palm with slight fear. I hadn’t spoken to anyone about this, and it was always there in the back of my mind. Always a burning ache.
We walked in the house, passing a group of women who were arranging the decorations. One of them turned around, and I felt Brandon’s hand tighten around mine.
I knew who she was. Everyone knew her. She was one of the most beautiful women of the pack, with her golden hair cascading down her back and her bright green eyes that shone like diamonds. Her name was Isabella, and she was the daughter of one of our strongest warriors.
She looked at me with her piercing eyes, and I could see the challenge in them. I had been out with Brandon too much recently, and everyone knew we were fucking each other.
And I was scared. Scared that his new mate might not like it.
Isabella took a step forward, coming closer to us. “Brandon,” she smiled softly, “it’s so good to see you again.”
Brandon nodded at her, pulling me against his body so I wouldn’t fall when he released my hand. “Isabella, you’re looking lovely as always,” he murmured, giving her a tight smile.
“I think we should talk later, Brandon,” she said, “alone.”
And I could sense a challenge in her tone.
It was not only her. All the women seemed to give me that look. Like I was going to steal their mate away.
Brandon and I had known this would happen. We’d both known this would happen, but I couldn’t help the ache in my chest as he stepped back from me, nodding at her.
“Of course,” he replied, “we’ll talk later.”
Isabella gave me a pointed look before walking away from us. I shuddered under her stare, my chest feeling heavy.
Brandon turned around, his hand coming to hold my cheek. He pulled me in closer, our foreheads touching as he sighed. “We’re going to talk about this, baby girl. But it can’t be now. We both know why we can’t. It will have to wait till we get back to your apartment.”
He pulled back, and I nodded, my hands going to his hips as we both stood there for a moment, just looking at each other.
I had been wanting to talk to him about this for weeks now, but neither of us had said anything yet. There was only so long we could avoid it before it ate us both alive.
He knew my concerns, and I knew his, but that didn’t mean we weren’t going to do something about it.
The clock was ticking, and both of us knew it.
He leaned forward to kiss my nose, his hands coming up to hold my face. “I love you, Ivy. We’ll figure this out.”
“We better,” I said, nodding as I wrapped my arms around his waist.
His hands slipped behind my back, and he squeezed me tight. “Come on now. We’ve got a few more stops left. You’ve been in heat for days. We can’t spend the whole day doing intimacy. No matter how much you’re trying to tempt me into doing just that.”
He smiled against me before letting me go, his hand snaking around mine and tugging me after him.
We both knew that the minute we stepped out of the house, there were going to be whispers. I could see Brandon’s inner circle hanging about outside, not even bothering to hide that they were watching us.
He grinned, pulling me against his side as we made our way to them. I didn’t fight it, choosing instead to just lean against him and not care what they thought about it.
My pack didn’t know about me and Brandon, but they would soon enough. Especially when he walked me straight into the pack house with his arm around my shoulders.
“Ivy,” Lucas greeted me with a grin as we walked in.
“Lucas.”
He winked at me, his hands coming around me in a hug.
I wasn’t surprised when Brandon stepped in, growling softly as he glared down at his best friend. “She’s mine, Lucas. Don’t touch her.”
Lucas snorted, his head coming up to meet Brandon’s glare. “What? I’m just saying hello.”
“You know better than to touch her.”
I rolled my eyes at both of them, stepping away as they stood there, glaring at each other. I was used to the way they both acted around each other, but still... “Can you both be less childish for the next few hours? I don’t need any more attention than I’m getting as it is.”
Brandon pulled his gaze from Lucas’s face to meet mine, and he gave me a sheepish look. “Sorry, baby girl.”
Lucas just shrugged, smirking at me. “He’s just jealous because I got to hug you and he didn’t get to touch you this morning.”
“Shut it,” Brandon growled at him, throwing a punch at his arm.
I just laughed, my feet carrying me over to the hallway.
I was actually looking forward to seeing my family, even if I didn’t want to. I had stayed away as much as possible for years, but it would be nice to have some of my brothers back around.
I could feel Brandon behind me, and then Lucas was joining the two of us in the hallway. I heard a few comments from some of the others, and they both went to answer.
I didn’t wait on them though, choosing instead to keep moving. They could catch up when they could catch up.
I made my way down to my family’s living quarters, my feet taking me there without thinking about it. I had never had a room of my own in the pack house, but that was because I had never spent more than a few days here.
I had always stayed with my brother at his cabin when I was younger, but that had all stopped once I went to college.
The door was open as I approached it, and I smiled as I peeked in. There were bags of clothes, some of them still in the boxes. I snorted at that, shaking my head as I walked inside and made my way deeper into the quarters.
My father came out of a bedroom, his arms full of clothes that he was adding to the boxes. He looked up as I neared him, his lips pulling back in a smile. “Ivy!”
I couldn’t help but smile at his greeting, my heart warming just a little bit at seeing him.
I knew he wasn’t my biological father, but my older brother’s father, and yet, he had always treated me like his own child. He had raised me and taken care of me, and I was always going to be thankful for that.
“Dad,” I said with a nod as he stepped up to pull me into a hug.
He wrapped me in his arms, holding me against him for a few seconds before he leaned back to look at me.
He smiled, his eyes roaming over me. “I see you’re looking good. You’re eating well?”
“Yes,” I answered with a laugh. “I’m eating enough to keep you satisfied.”
He chuckled, reaching out to squeeze my shoulders. “I know you are. I’ve seen the pictures.”
“Yeah, I bet you have,” I muttered, rolling my eyes at him.
It was one thing that I hated about being a part of Moonlight. The pack kept a file on all of their members, which included photos and updates on their life. It was a way that they could keep track on everyone and make sure there were no problems. I had never gotten used to it.
“Come on now,” my father said, holding out his arm. “Your brother wants to see you.”