Page 11 of Knot Quite Ready

She strokes us softly between the ears hugging our giant head close to her heart. “You still have another couple of days until you are supposed to go into a full-blown heat. What’s going on Aggie? I know you know that I can’t speak she-wolf, so let’s make a deal. I will get you some prime raw treats, and you give back the reigns to your human side so we can talk a bit. I’ll even order some chocolate!” Storm gently cajoles my wolf, who huffs but wearily gives back control, and I lay naked on the floor, completely wiped out, my head on Storm’s arms.

I sit up slowly, trying to ease the churning in my stomach as I fight the wave of dizziness trying to knock me back on my ass. A combination of the violent change, Agatha’s needs, and my warring emotions.

“Let me grab you a robe.”

I sigh as she walks over to the closet behind my desk, grabs one of the various robes off a hanger, and strides over to drop it over my shoulders.“Let’s cover those lupi-titties, and you can tell Storm all about your hairy hurdles of life.”

“But first…” She doubles back to grab an uncracked bottle of whiskey off my desk before she settles herself on the floor next to me, legs crossed.

I tug the robe closer, pulling it around myself, then grab the now-open whiskey out of her hand, hands trembling as I take a drink, trying to rid myself of the sour taste of dread in my mouth before I start.

“I smelled my mate out there. I barely made it back into the office before I shifted.”

She hums and grabs the bottle from my hand to take a drink.

After a few moments, she sighs and shifts her body to face me directly, her hazel eyes almost piercing through my very soul. “Okay. So now we have a mate to contend with. That’s not all bad in the grand scheme of things. You’re going into your heat, and you have found the one person in this world, other than me, of course, that you are supposed to be with. You won’t have to hide out in your lonely self-pleasure nest this time around. Also, isn’t this a better alternative than a forced arrangement? All of the running, hiding, and bullshit has brought you right to the place where you can give your grandfather a clawed middle finger because you technically won.”

Her face splits into a mischievous smile, “Now… did you see who it was? Was he gorgeous? Or was he so ugly that that’s why you ran away? I’ll have, you know, ugly guys have something to prove in the sack.”

I can’t help the laugh that bursts from my lips, and with a grin, she grabs hold of my hands and yanks me to my feet before she wrinkles her nose. “Ew, paw hands. Go shower. You smell like sweat, fur, and sexual ungratification. It’s a very unappealing combination. I didn’t sign up for the gross best friend package, so I’m going to have to ask for a refund. By water.” She drags me towards the bathroom and walk-in-shower on the opposite side of my office. Quickly turning on the water, she shoves me in and closes the shower door behind me, humming contentedly.

After a few moments of hot water beating down on my sore body, I groan, “I don’t want a mate. You know that. I’m over shifter politics and the bullshit that comes with it, I just want to be free from it all,” I say for the thousandth time, although this time, my mantra sounds weak as fuck even to my own ears.

“You don’t even sound convincing. We are going to have to work on your shitty acting. Also, look at the bigger picture Aneira. You see what you’ve created here. Times are changing, shifters are changing, and the younger generation is bringing about change. Whose to say your wolf-in-shining fur isn’t the exact opposite of the stuffy fuckers from your old pack?” She had a point. “Also, didn’t you say,” she continues, “that finding a true mate was every shifter’s dream? You used to be worried about being set up by your old pack and being tied down to some asshole but also because that forced bond would stop you from forming a true bond. But you beat that entire fucked up system. This is a huge deal.”

She opens the shower door to look at me closely while I lather myself in soap, “I will help find you the booty of all booty calls to help ease your loneliness. I will shove chocolate and meat down your throat. But I won’t help you lie to yourself. I am not qualified to be a shitty friend.”

She moves in closer, inches away from my loofah, “Also did your boobs get bigger?”

I roll my eyes, used to the lack of privacy.

“No, they didn’t. What if he is NOT up to date on the times and then I fall in love with a wolf who wants to make sure our future kids won’t have a voice in the pack and they have to run away too? I just can’t.” A thought occurs to me, “Also, when the fuck did a wolf pack come into town?”

“Don’t change the subject, furball,” Storm scowls at me and reaches over to turn off the water, leaving me naked and soapy. The bitch.

She points a finger at me and comes closer, “Listen up, Aneira. If your mate is an asshole, we will shove his furry ass in a kennel and feed him only Cassandra’s vegan meals. But you won’t know that until you stop being a fucking punk and take the chance. You also cannot deny Agatha the chance at her mate, or you’ll both go crazy and then fuck up the nice couches in the apartment. Also, your wolf is about to be supercharged with your heat. In the meantime, take advantage of a shifter’s stamina and care of your vaginal insertion needs. After all of that, You can hide all you want, I will help your ass hide if that’s what you want. But right now? Woman, the fuck up.”

She turns the shower back on and glares at me while closing the door, “ The club is cleared out. I’m going to help our witch bitches clean it up. Then we will review the fucking cameras, ask Dale the Guard Rabbit— which still sounds hilarious to me, by the way— and find out who this fated furry fucker is. Now finish up in the shower and get back out there. You have a club to help me clean. You Love-averse Lupine,” she adds the last and growls menacingly, turning around to march out of the bathroom and office, her hips swaying with every step.

I stare after her for a moment, genuinely and suitably chastised and not in all surprised by my wolf’s lack of reaction since I felt her nodding her furry head in agreement with everything Storm said.Two against one… bitches.

I turn re-lather myself as the hot water beats against my muscles, but instead, I sit on the shower bench.

“Fuck, me.” I may not have wanted a mate, but it looks like after all these years, just when I started feeling safe, fate wasn’t quite finished with their rousing game of “How to Fuck Aneira’s Life.”

ChapterEight

Aneira

Ilock the door of the bookstore with a sigh of relief as the last customer pays for their purchase. Striding over to the till, I start to count down the register, trying to stop myself from checking the clock on the wall for what seems like the thousandth time that day.

Four days. Four days have passed since I scented my mate, and all we know, after having Dave review the security tapes with us and then reaching out to the established Leopard Pack, is that my mate's name is Casimir, his Second in Command is named Tristan, and that Casimir fought Pierce, the Leopard Alpha, in the ring. He was absolutely lethal and downright fucking gorgeous.

Unfortunately, Pierce didn't know much more than their names, either that or he wouldn't share much, seeing as how our reception kept cutting in and out when I was finally able to reach him on the phone. The video showed Casimir being carried out by his second, which is the last time he showed up on any security cameras nearby. And since there was no established pack in the area, we couldn't risk asking too many questions. The witches had already scrubbed the floors clean by the time I made my way back into the club, and any clear trace of his scent on the floors was gone.

We did, however, happen to find a cup that he used before the barkeep was able to wash it out. I snuck it into my nest—not that I would admit it. Unfortunately, since it was a cup used in a club with so many different shifters and magical wards, there were too many scents for me to really discern his specific scent.

However, just the slightest whiff was enough for Agatha to demand that we keep it. She was having a tough time accepting that we couldn't actually track him down. But we weren't bonded, so there wasn't a way for me to figure out his location. Which, I suppose, is a good thing? It is what I wanted...want.

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