Page 26 of Shifter Mates for the Single Mom

“Oh, that? They nearly got caught. They made the mistake of trying their shit in Moscow. Next thing they know, the shifter wing of the FSB was after them. File says they were nearly captured in a fight at a train station on the border.” Bela sounded gleeful. “They got away, but they paid for it in silver wounds.

“They go dark for several months, then pop up in New York as wealthy foreign arts supporters.” I heard the slosh and gulp of Bela taking a swig of beer. “Guess they wanted to go somewhere where the cops were underfunded and undertrained.”

“That’s everywhere in the US these days.” Jamie didn’t sound too pleased about it.

“Well, anyway, those are the basics. Boils down to this: if we actually manage to drive them away instead of killing them outright, chances are they’ll stay in the States.”

I had heard enough. I was starting to doze off, and I still had to check on my son. I stood and walked back down the hall, stifling a yawn before opening Aidan's door and slipping inside.

He was curled into a ball in the far corner of his bed, against the wall, the blanket over his head and his little hands gripping it tightly. He shifted now and then, the odd little kicks and gestures he always made in sleep. I smiled; it was adorable, but I was still worried that he might be having bad dreams. That would explain why he was hiding under the blanket even when fast asleep.

I slipped into bed next to him and threw an arm over the bundle of blanket and child. He stopped wiggling and nestled closer to me. I dozed off, and I didn’t remember my dreams.

I woke up past dawn and found the blanket had been fixed and laid over the both of us. I lay there blinking sleep from my eyes and wondered which of the men had tucked me in.

ELEVEN

ULF

My Alpha was a fool, but he had good taste in women.

I had spent the last several days watching him make pup eyes at Madelyne while the rest of us waited for him to make a move. There wasn't one of us who didn't want her, who didn't like her, who didn't like her brave little son, who wanted so badly to grow up fast so he could defend his mother. But instead of taking her as a mate right away, or better yet, years ago, Nathan, our ridiculous leader, had spent time distracting himself mooning over her while resisting his instincts.

He wasn't a fool because he was a bad leader. I hadn't appreciated watching him get voted in when the old ways required that he prove himself in a fight against us. That he best us as an Alpha should and then take his place. When I had joined this Pack, when he had been acknowledged as leader, I had expected him to do much worse than he actually had.

He had proven me wrong. He had courage, strength, a good mind for tactics, and loyalty to us. Reluctantly, I had given my respect and watched him earn it afresh again and again.

And then he had come to this place and turned into an idiot all over again.

It was a relief that he had finally taken her as a mate. It meant I could confront him with certain realities that he had been too distracted and conflicted to accept before. And so, after that midnight briefing, I had started making my plans.

As the sun rose on another day, I joined him on patrol, knowing that the duty now fell to me to bring an end to this charade.

"Nathan," I said as we walked the perimeter, "we must talk about your new mate."

Nathan looked back at me and lifted an eyebrow. He knew I had seen him, heard him with Madelyne. Everyone had. Of course, he wasn't embarrassed. We were Wolves, not mortal teens.

"What is it?"

"We all want her, Nathan. You must have some idea of that."

He blinked, eyes searching my face as I gazed back at him calmly. "All of you?"

"We have done nothing and said little, Nathan. We have waited on you. This woman is important to you. We understand that. But yes. We wish to share in her. In a life with her and her son."

He considered me a moment longer, then chuckled and shook his head. "Did you get the duty to tell me, old wolf?"

"I am taking it," I stated. "I speak plainly. I get to the point. Who better?"

"Mm." He licked his lips. "Madelyne's poly. She already spent an entire relationship denying that for the comfort of her husband. And I am not the jealous type."

I squashed a surge of excitement. I had much business to attend to, and this was only part of it. "Then you are not offended?"

"If she is not offended, then I am not offended. I have her, finally. She will not neglect me in anyone's favor. That's not who she is."

"No. She has more nobility than most humans. More Wolf." She was not one of us by birth, but if ever I had met a woman who would make an ideal mate for us, it was her. "I would not touch her without knowing it was all right with you. None would."

"You're a good man, Ulf," he said, without a bit of grudge. One thing he was not short on was security in himself and in us. "I will not argue against it. But if she's with all four of us, she's going to be very tired." He flashed a wolfish grin.

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