Page 17 of Axes & Nos
The finality in her voice causes my heart to stutter in my chest. I rub my hand against my sternum in hopes of relieving the pain, it doesn’t help. In fact, the pain intensifies as she backs out of her parking space and drives away. As her bumper fades into the distance a growl of frustration works its way up my throat.
“Easy brother.” Chase says, clapping his hand on my shoulder. I jerk out of his hold and turn to tell him to fuck right off, but the look of concern on his face stops me.
“How did you do this? How did you navigate finding your mate?” My voice wavers as I practically beg him for advice.
“I got lucky, my mate is a shifter. We both knew we were each other's mates. It made it less complicated. Myra is a human; they don’t move as fast as we do. You’ll have to go slow with her and have patience.” He explains sympathetically.
“Oh please, don’t make it sound like we fell into each other's arms as soon as we knew we were mates.” Alia laughs, shaking her head at Chase before she continues. “Your brother is right though; humans need more time to develop their feelings. With Myra you’ll have an even bigger uphill battle.”
“What do you mean a bigger uphill battle? I’ll grant you she’s as prickly as a cactus but she’s still a woman. I know Chase doesn’t have any game, but I know how to woo a woman.” I say with confidence, Alia and Chase start laughing in response.
“Myra’s story is not mine to tell, I’m sure you can get it out of her though with your masterful wooing skills. Don’t forget to tell her about your skills when you do. She’ll love that.” Alia buries her head against Chase’s chest, her whole body shaking with laughter.
“Oh yeah, definitely tell her about how much game you have. That will make her fall at your feet.” Chase says, shaking his head, his eyes dancing with mirth. They think they’re so fucking funny. I can’t wait to prove to them that my skills with the fairer sex will win Myra over and make them eat their words. Turning and walking away I don’t give them the satisfaction of a response and I make my way to my truck.
Getting in my truck I slam my door shut in frustration. I know I will have to approach this situation with Myra differently than with the other women I have wooed. She’s my mate, not some random chick I want to pick up at a bar. My brother acts like because he’s mated, he knows everything about getting a mate. Okay, I did ask him for advice, but it was shit advice. He acts like telling me to have patience with her is some grand advice. Like I hadn’t figured that part out already, like I’m a fucking idiot.
Can we fight him now?No, we cannot fight him. He’s our brother, we can’t fight out brother.
He’s your brother, not mine. He’s not even my alpha. What the hell are you talking about? Of course, he’s our brother and our alpha.
No, he’s your brother, our tigers are not related. We are our own alpha; you just haven’t figured that part out yet. You’re full of shit, we don’t have it in us to be an alpha. I hate being in charge. His growl is the only response I get from him before he goes silent on me.
He knows he’s full of shit, we can’t be an alpha. Alphas are born leaders, something I most definitely am not. I have zero leadership skills; that’s all a Chase thing. He’s the one who has led our family to where we are now. He’s the reason we have had a roof over our heads and food in our bellies for years. That’s what being an alpha is all about, taking care of your ambush.That is not me. My tiger trying to convince me that I’m an alpha is just bullshit.
Keep telling yourself that. He whispers in my head.
I ignore him white knuckling my steering wheel as I make a decision on how to start wooing my mate. Watching Chase with Alia I’ve learnt that women like when you make them food. Every time Chase cooks for Alia she acts like he’s performed some kind miraculous feat. Well, my cooking skills may not be as good as Chase’s but I’m willing to do anything if it wins Myra over.
Driving to the grocery store I make a list in my head of the ingredients I’ll need for my mom’s chocolate chip cookies. Women can’t say no to cookies, it’s a proven fact, sweets are their weakness. Chase thinks he knows everything about being a mate, but I’ve got this mate thing in the bag. I’ll show him how much better I am at being a mate than he is.
Walking through the grocery store I smile to myself thinking about how perfect my plan is. Humming I grab the ingredients of the recipe I have memorized from helping my mother bake them every weekend.
Well until I became a massive teenage asshole. Thinking back, I regret the day I told her I was too old to help her bake them anymore. She told me it was fine, but I remember the hurt I saw in her eyes. All those years I lost with her because I thought I was too cool to bake with my mom. When Myra and I have kids, I will make sure they understand what a gift she is.
Just thinking about Myra, her belly round with child makes my cock throb. Calm down boy, we have to woo her first, then we can work on getting her pregnant. Until then you’ll have to get used to Rosie Thumb and her four sisters. There are steps we have to take before we get to the fun stuff.
At the checkout the lady in front of me glances back at my shopping cart and gives me a welcoming smile. Had I met herlast week I probably would have returned her smile with one of my own. She’s pretty with dark red hair and a pleasant smile but doesn’t hold a candle to Myra. I give her a small smile in greeting, not wanting to be rude. She takes it as an invitation to speak to me.
“Looks like you’re getting ready to make something tasty. Need any help mixing the batter?” She asks suggestively. My small smile turns to a frown. Did I really use to hit on women like her not that long ago? Was I really that easy to attract? Thinking back on several occasions I cringe at how easily I gave into other women. Maybe I wasn’t the one with the game, maybe it was the women who had the game? Which leaves me second guessing my plans for Myra. The lady in front of me looks at me expectantly, waiting for my reply.
“No, thank you. I’m making cookies for my girlfriend.” It’s not the entire truth but telling this lady that I’m making cookies for my mate wouldn’t work either. I’m just hoping my answer nips her flirting in the bud. Thankfully it does.
“Oh, well that’s sweet of you.” She lies, her voice taking on a sharp edge. The smell ofanger emanates off her like bad body odor, her cheeks reddening. Clearly, she’s not used to being told no. When she turns around to put her things on the conveyor belt, I blow out a breath in relief. I avoid making eye contact with anyone else as I pay for my items and rush back to my truck.
The drive home is filled with self-reflection into my bachelor ways. For some reason I feel guilty for how I have behaved with women over the years. Like I was cheating on Myra all those years. I know it sounds ridiculous; we didn’t know each other, I shouldn’t feel guilty. But yet, it’s still there, churning in my gut. It makes me want to win Myra over even more, to somehow prove that I am worthy of her.
As I’m unloading the groceries from my truck Evren pops her head out of her room. She stands in the entrance to the kitchen,a knowing smile on her lips. I tilt my head at her and raise my eyebrow, waiting for her to say something.
“A little birdie told me someone found their mate.” She taunts as she slips by me to grab a soda from the fridge. Popping the top she takes a drink, waiting for my answer.
“Oh, did you finally admit that wolf boy is your mate?” I taunt back and she growls in return. Months ago, the local pack kidnapped her thinking they could use her to get us to leave the territory. Not only did she kill one of them for their stupidity, but the new alpha was her mate. She’s been refusing to believe it for months though. His guilt for his brother kidnapping her keeps him from pressing his claim on her.
“He’s not my mate.” She grits out between her teeth.
“Keep telling yourself that, maybe someday it might actually be true.” We both know that’s impossible, but I’ll let her live her lie a little longer.
“I wasn’t talking about my non-existent mate; I was talking about you. Alia texted earlier saying you found your mate and that it’s her assistant Myra.” Evren crows like she’s won some great victory with her knowledge. She can tease me all she wants; it doesn’t bother me one bit. I couldn’t be happier that I’ve found Myra.