Page 40 of Matched into the Mob

Itty-bitty? What is that?

I shushed my beast.

The eggs hadn’t even begun to thaw after last night's power outage and I put them near the fireplace to thaw and took a quick shower in the downstairs bathroom. Matt was still sleeping, so I added wood to the fire and cleaned up the mud.

But as I was chopping onions for the omelette, there was a commotion outside. Shit, with gates destroyed, I’d had no warning of anyone entering the property. I grabbed an ax from the garage and wished I hadn’t left the gun upstairs.

There were shouts from outside. Not Dane but my rowdy family. I opened the roller door, and Flint, Dad, and Uncle Arnie strode in, butt naked, while in the distance, six of our pack were entering the guest house. Luckily, the guest house freezer and pantry were also stocked with food because six shifters would eat a lot.

“Hunter is with Tony and the kids,” Flint explained.

“How did you get here?”

Everyone launched into a long explanation of them shifting and leaving the city so they could get past the worst of the water. They got cars from Flint’s house and drove, finally leaving the vehicles an hour ago and shifting again before running over the hills.

“Why are you here?” The implication of them arriving was that Dane could get here too. “And why didn’t you tell me when we spoke hours ago?”

But I knew the answer. Flint was wary in case someone was listening in, even though the line was secure.

“You needed us.” Flint slapped me on the back.

They were all filthy, and Dad refused to allow anyone in the house till they’d showered in the garage bathroom built especially for this purpose. I checked on Matt who was still asleep. Putting a finger to my lips, I told them to get upstairs and get dressed before meeting my mate.

Did they listen? No. I didn’t expect them to. They were my family and made up their own rules. My brother and uncle crept over and inspected my mate, while Dad peered at the defrosting eggs.

Now I understood why my uncle came and not Hunter, because Dad couldn’t cook worth a damn and Flint had his mind on Matt and Dane.

“Go.” I pointed upstairs. “And Dad, Matt has been using your room, though not to sleep in.”

Loud guffaws broke out, and Matt turned over though didn’t open his eyes.

“Have you introduced him to your beast?”

“Yeah. Didn’t go well.” I jerked my head at my mate. “He said it was a dream.” Or a nightmare.

“It’s never easy.”

When Flint’s mate met his wolf, he thought my brother was a werewolf, which was a reasonable assumption. But Tony got over his shock. Matt’s reaction worried me, and he had the added stress of thinking about Dane finding him.

And that reminded me, I had to fill my family in about Matt’s purpose with the Obsidian guys and how he could help us. Flint would be ecstatic. Nah, my big bro didn’t react that way. He’d be relieved. And the rest of the family would be pleased.

The family traipsed upstairs but not before Flint told me we had a lot to discuss.

I got bacon and bread out of the freezer and put a coffee pot on the stove. But I didn’t get very far because I kept checking on Matt.

Uncle Arnie was the first downstairs, and he took over the making of breakfast.

“You’ve been dawdling, Ranger.”

“Sorry, Uncle.” I was caught out, knowing he’d cook breakfast. “What would our family have done without you?”

“Starved or eaten out more?”

I poured myself a coffee and sat opposite Matt. If he woke up and three strangers were in the house, he’d freak.

Dad trotted down, dressed in purple, saying Matt had left the room exactly as he found it. “I’m glad he’s tidy.”

Delicious smells wafted from the kitchen as Uncle Arnie chopped, sautéed, fried, and toasted. But my attention was on Matt who was stirring. When he opened his eyes, I sat beside him.

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