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Chapter Sixteen

CHOMP

I see customers’ eyes widen when each of my brothers grabs a buggy and heads toward a different aisle. We’re on a mission, and since none of us enjoys lingering in stores, we complete it as efficiently and quickly as possible. Spike handed out lists to all of us, so Kodiak and I, along with our mates, head toward the meat department. Both Ariel and Callie have a buggy as well because we’ll need all four of them for the order we’re picking up.

Most people just select from the display cases, but Spike always calls an order in for us since we go through so much meat. Seeing the expression on Callie’s and Ariel’s faces as one of the workers brings out a mini pallet full of wrapped meats is absolutely priceless.

Leaning in, I whisper, “We’ve got more, but they’ll deliver it to the clubhouse later.”

“That’s a lot of meat, Chomp,” Ariel states.

“We eat a lot, remember?” I tease. When Spike walks over, pushing two buggies, her eyes widen further.

He murmurs low so Ariel doesn’t hear him, “He’s in the store. Fang and Peanut are slowly boxing him in, brother. Keep the girls safe.”

I fucking smell him, my gator bellows. He stinks. Not quite as bad as Perry did, but that rancid essence is still there.

“Always,” I hiss out loud to Spike, my gator dancing in my eyes. We both agree on the stench. I hear Kodiak’s rumble and realize that this Perry look-alike must be nearby. “How about Kodiak and Spike finish here, and we’ll go get another two buggies so we can grab the chips and stuff?” I ask, looking at Ariel, and hoping I don’t betray the anger I’m feeling. This Jerry is too close.

“Um, sure, but how are we getting all of this back to the clubhouse? Most of y’all rode your bikes,” she reminds me.

Spike smirks and says, “Not to worry, Sly is coming with a club truck. This isn’t our first rodeo, Ariel. It’ll all make it back to the clubhouse with no problem.”

“Don’t forget our order at Beanie’s,” Kodiak adds. “She put together stuff that all we have to do is pop it in the oven!”

Uh-huh. That’s half his weight gain issue. He’s eating up carbs like he’s heading into hibernation. I bet his bear will want to keep his mate and new baby confined to their home for a long time. It’s his natural instinct to protect, but also hide them away in his den.

I barely hold my snicker in when Spike gives him a pointed glance where it’s obvious he’s putting on weight. “Seems you might wanna lay off those danishes, Kodiak. Otherwise, we’ll have to roll your ass around.”

I duck my head to hide my snicker and scan the store, keeping my senses alert. It’s not hard to locate where everyone is inside the store. I know exactly where my club brothers are at every moment, and thanks to Jerry’s scent, I know where he is, too. He’s trying to move closer to Ariel, but it won’t happen.

Fang and Peanut have nearly cornered Jerry. I sense his panic as he realizes we finally know who he is, and we aren’t letting him get anywhere near Ariel. Peanut bumps him over the head with his fist, dazing Jerry before saying his friend isn’t feeling well. I can hear the noise, and since I work out with Peanut, I know what it sounds like when he swings those meaty fists. Jerry leans against Peanut, and I see them as they exit the store. My lips twitch because Peanut is three times wider than Jerry, and it’s comical seeing the size difference. Even if Jerry puts up a fight, he won’t move an inch without Peanut knocking him unconscious.

Ariel doesn’t notice. She’s busy picking out chips and dip, engaged in a discussion with Callie about which types of chip flavors go best with each dip. Fucking adorable. I don’t tell her that none of the guys care. When we’re hungry, we eat. I doubt it registers much to our animals if we’ve got a specific flavor mixed with another or if there are ridges or not.

I sense when Peanut, Fang, and Jerry leave the lot. It’s all a little too anticlimactic as Spike rounds the corner and gives me a chin lift. Jerry is secure. Peanut and Fang will take him to the clubhouse and into the basement, where he’ll be thrown into a room and locked in until we arrive.

“We probably should get some vegetables,” Ariel muses, which causes Callie to burst out laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“Most of the guys don’t really care about produce, Ariel. So, we can get stuff, but maybe portions that are more for what you and I would eat, not them. Otherwise, we’ll have a lot of wasted food.”

“Good point. But I know they do like potatoes,” Ariel replies. “And corn on the cob.”

“Yeah, but salads and stuff like that are more our thing,” Callie says. “Oh, and I guess I should make sure we have plenty of hot chocolate because Kodiak’s been craving it.”

I can’t help it, when she says that I lose control of myself, and as I’m laughing with tears pouring down my face, I continue to point at Kodiak while shaking my head. “You can’t eat like your mate,” I manage to stammer. “Between you and Peanut, we’re going to have to reinforce the clubhouse floors.”

“Shut it, fucker, you’re not exactly a lightweight and neither is Spike. Hell, none of us are, and the clubhouse is stable enough to hold all of us. You just wait, Chomp,” Kodiak grumbles.

I can’t wait, my gator hisses. But we will until our mate is healed.

We finish the shopping and lead the women from the store, catching the truck one of the prospects brought and is already loading. I can see the stacks of paper sacks and bags, filling the interior. I steer our cart toward the truck and unload the club’s portion of the groceries, then head toward mine to unload the rest. Ariel helps me with the lighter bags before I push the cart into the corral.

“Wait,” I order as I rush toward her side. “Don’t touch that door handle, beautiful. Wait for me.”

She looks up at me and smiles. “I’m still getting used to that.”

I pull open the door and hold out my hand, pleased when she uses it as a springboard to help her climb inside. “Hopefully soon,” I tease.

We wave to Kodiak and Callie, striking up a conversation on the way back to my cabin. The whole ride I try not to focus on Jerry at the clubhouse or how my gator wants to chomp on him until there’s not even little pieces left to throw into the lake. He’s rattling off all his aggression in my head, and I ignore it, focusing on our mate instead.

Once we’re home, I help Ariel out of my truck, then let her carry a few of the lighter bags before I grab the rest of them in one trip. “Really? I take it you being a shifter means you’ve got super strength or something,” she muses as I set all the bags on the table, then prepare to go out and get the boxes.

“When it’s bags, I can usually get them all. Boxes are a bit tougher, but only because I can’t see over them to watch where I’m going if I get them all at once. And yes, all of my brothers and myself have enhanced abilities even in our human form. We’re stronger, our vision is superior especially at night, and we’re able to identify others by their scent. It’s how we know someone is our mate.”

“That part is what confuses me,” she admits.

“How so? I’ll give you a good example, and maybe you’ll understand better. While I know you’re near when I catch the citrusy outdoorsy scent, Spike and Kodiak only know you’re a female. Now, once we’ve mated, our scents will mix, and they’ll be able to identify who you are. I don’t know how else to explain it, Ariel. It’s just part of the instincts we’re born with.”

“But I don’t smell anything different if that makes sense. I mean, you give off an earthy yet watery smell that I’m attracted to. Kind of like being at the beach and smelling the water. But it’s mixed with the leather of your cut and something that’s uniquely you. Once… when we mate, will that change?”

I sit down with a thump because this is the first time she’s actually said something that alludes to us actually completing the mate bond. “I don’t know if it’s like this with all shifters since Kodiak’s the first one who found his mate, but she’ll be able to shift and has enhanced senses now as well.”

“How does it work? I saw the mark on Callie’s shoulder at the base of her neck, but Chomp, your teeth are huge! I think you’d practically decapitate me and sorry to say, but I didn’t survive Perry’s bullshit to lose my head.”

A snicker escapes until my gator and I realize she’s serious. “Ariel, alligator shifters are different. I’ll actually use one of my claws to mark you when we’re uh… having sex, and that’ll complete our bond. You’ll have a mark that’ll form afterward, and I’ll end up with one over my heart. I don’t know if we’ll be able to speak telepathically or anything like that, because I was too young when I left my original congregation to learn that part.”

She stares at me with curiosity that burns in her pretty eyes. “Why did you leave?”

I pause, it’s not because I don’t want to answer, I do. It’s got everything to do with Jerry at the clubhouse. She needs to know. I’m torn between answering her question and confiding about my past.

“If you don’t want to share about it,” she says as she swallows loudly, “I understand.”

“It’s not that.” I sit her down and take her hands into mine, holding them in my warmth. “I want to answer your questions. You should know all about me, but there’s something else you need to know first.”

She blinks, and I watch her pink tongue lick along her bottom lip. “Is it bad?”

I shake my head. “I don’t think so.”

“Okay. Tell me.”

“We have Jerry.”

She tilts her head to the side, studying me. “When you say you have him, does that mean he’s in some dark jail cell in your clubhouse or he’s being tortured like a mafia movie or what?”

I snort at her question. “He’s in our clubhouse,” I confirm. She nods. “Waiting on me,” I add.

“What are you going to do?”

“I want to find out why he’s been stalking you,” I admit. “After that, depending on his answer will dictate his final fate.”

“I didn’t even know Perry had a brother,” she replies. “I don’t think he’ll stop trying to get at me so he can get answers about what happened to Perry, do you?”

No, I don’t. “He’ll want answers.”

“And what will you tell him? The truth?”

We should feast on his flesh , my gator insists, leave nothing for the scavengers to find.

It’s tempting. But I suspect as foul and rancid as he is, I’d end up with indigestion and that would just piss me off. I already had that issue after Perry and Ricky. The bastards.

“I think it depends on his reaction and how the discussion goes,” I reply honestly. “Hard to tell. It’s not just me that’ll be in the room. I answer to my Pres, Ariel. It’s how our club works.”

She seems to accept it. “To tell you the truth, I don’t think I’ll ever feel comfortable knowing Jerry is out there, possibly watching and waiting for the right time to get vengeance.”

Shit. I was afraid of that. “Let’s see how this goes. You’re my priority,” I assure her. “Your safety and well-being above everything, even my club.” I never thought I’d feel that way. It almost feels like a betrayal to the family I’ve found, but my mate is first. I can’t change that. It’s rooted deep in my DNA.

“Chomp? Why did you leave your family of origin?” she asks. It seems as though she’s okay with whatever the club decides Jerry’s fate is going to be, since she’s asking this question. Of course, it’s much harder to answer, but I want my mate to know all of me; the good, the bad, the ugly.

Taking a deep breath, I say, “In most congregations, which is what a group of alligators are called, there’s one bull gator who’s what other shifters would call an alpha. He’s the only male allowed to impregnate the females. When we’re younger, we’re not a threat to him because he’s bigger and of course, not afraid to throw his weight around. For me, I didn’t like how he treated my mother, to be honest, and when I was little more than a teenager, I rebelled against his authority. I wasn’t old enough to be out on my own, but after he started taking his anger out on my mother, I chose to leave. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, Ariel, and I wandered around the country until I found Yukon Bluff.”

“What happened then?” Her hand covers mine and squeezes.

“Well, by the time I got here, I was pretty sick, to be honest. There weren’t a lot of safe places that I could shift, which every shifter needs on a regular basis. Spike found me half dead out by the lake and threw me in. I shifted, of course, and came out hissing, but stopped when he said that he and a few others were putting together a motorcycle club that was made up of others like me who had to leave their homes. We’re a bunch of misfits, to be sure, but we’ve built a found family based on love, loyalty, and integrity. But it’s been difficult for all of us because a shifter inherently wants a mate. Their other half, so to speak. We’ve been in Yukon Bluff for quite a long time now, and until Callie came along, we thought that we were going to be alone for the rest of our lives.”

“You mentioned love first. Why?”

Her questions are killing me, but again, I answer as honestly as possible. “Because all I’ve ever wanted was a family of my own. I love my brothers, don’t get me wrong, but until you came along, I’ve never really shared about my past. Spike knows, of course, because he’s our president, but outside of him, no one else. Even Kodiak, who’s pretty much my best friend, only knows bits and pieces.”

“So, you’re sharing this with me, opening yourself up, because I’m your mate?”

“And because I already care about you and I don’t want any secrets, nothing hidden from our past, not a single thing that can ruin what we’re building together.”

I don’t expect her response. I never anticipated it. But Ariel leans forward, smiles, and then presses her lips to mine.