Page 12 of His Human Mate

They were escorting the pack members back home when he and Dan suddenly disappeared. She still didn’t know why, then again, she hadn’t really had a chance to talk to him, not with everything that happened.

The sun was quickly sliding behind the horizon now and the night air was growing chillier, making her shiver a bit. Landon’s arms drew her closer against him, letting his warmth wrap around her, making her grin to herself. She was always cold during the winter months. The packhouse didn’t have nearly as much insulation as normal houses did since the shifters didn’t feel the cold the same. Their suite had pillows and throw blankets everywhere inside it that she regularly curled up in, especially in the evenings. Now, she’d get to curl up in Landon’s arms, let him warm her in even better ways.

“Cold?” Landon asked her, his dark blue eyes lighting with fire when they met hers. There was no doubt he could read the need, desire in her gaze. She couldn’t help it though; she’d never felt anything like it, and it was far too good to pretend it didn’t exist.

“Fall’s definitely settled in. I’m usually cold once the sun’s down and freezing during the winters,” she admitted, her body flaming with warmth at the smirk that settled onto his lips at her words. “You’ll keep me warm though, won’t you?” she teased, her tongue darting out to swipe along her bottom lip.

“You’ll be begging for the windows to be open or the air conditioning to be turned on, all winter long, baby,” he promised, pressing a kiss to her temple before looking back at the planes. “As for them,” he added with a nod towards the aircrafts, “there are different markings on the doors that indicate which plane it is. We have five for the guard squads in case they’re needed in different areas. That one looks like the Charlie Squad, which means it’s Mason and his team. Katya’s plane has her alpha crest and crown on it. While our parents’ plane has the regent’s crest and crowns on them.

“Arya and Maya have one that they share since their packs are next to one another. They live next door to each other, literally,” he mused with a little laugh to his tone bringing her eyes up to his curiously. “Their mates started building new packhouses as soon as they claimed the twins. When their father mated their mother, he took over as alpha of her pack as well, but they kept two separate identities, worked separately but answered to the same alpha. To stop Seth and Carter from fighting to see who would become alpha, their father stepped down, giving each of them one of the packs. Their lands butted right up against the other’s but their packhouses were more central, until Seth and Carter found the twins. They had new packhouses built in a clearing where their land met, and they had an enclosed walking bridge built so the girls could just go across it to find the other. Their suites have doors that connect to the bridge because as much as Seth and Carter were close, Arya and Maya are closer. Which is why when they both announced they were having their third babies, Katya teased them about working together to make it happen.”

“Did they?” Shelby asked, laughing at the look that slid across his face quickly. “Don’t like thinking your sister have sex with their mates, hmm?”

“No, I don’t,” he agreed. “I wouldn’t doubt they both knew they were close to being in heat or whatever and made sure their mates knew it. They told Katya she didn’t understand what it was like to be a twin, so when Katya learnt she was having twins, she joked saying she was blaming the girls. That’s when Mom told her she was positive they were girls because Katya was having morning sickness and bouts of dizziness, which Mom said she didn’t have except with the twins.”

“You really love her, don’t you?” Shelby asked. His tone was different when he talked about Katya. He didn’t use it even when he talked about the twins but with Katya, it was different.

“It’s impossible not to love Katya. You’ll understand what I mean when you get to know her. Right now, she looks a bit pissed,” Landon said, nodding towards the woman moving down the steps of the plane towards them. A man likely an inch or so shorter than Landon came out of it after her, moving quickly to reach her side when he spotted the rest of their group.

“Landon!” she shouted, her eyes flicking over to Shelby for a moment, widening a hint, before they went right back to her brother. It was easy to see the family resemblance in their eyes when she reached them. Hers were a lighter blue but the shape, the intensity of them were the same as Landon’s, and Shelby liked it.

“Katya, I know Thatcher told you I was fine. You didn’t need to come here,” he said, taking a slight step forward as he held up his hand towards her.

Shelby almost died with laughter when the woman’s face filled with anger, slugging Landon in the stomach in reply. She was definitely starting to get Katya’s appeal.

“That’s for not just telling us yourself!” Katya snapped at him, before her arms wrapped around his neck, hugging him tightly. “We were still worried, dumbass. We thought you weren’t okay despite what Thatcher said because you wouldn’t respond to us…”

Her voice broke and Landon reached out to hug her again, but the man behind her, turned her into his arms first, his hand soothing up and down her back while he shot Landon a glare. “It’s okay, blue eyes. I know, those girls in your belly are making your emotions go haywire.”

“This is what I was trying to avoid,” Landon said, glancing at Katya’s mate before his parents reached them, his mother pulling him into a tight hug as well. There was another man coming up behind the older couple, and Shelby knew by looks alone, he had to be either Heath or Jacob. Since he was alone, she went with Heath, until Landon confirmed it as they gave each other a half hug.

“Upset my mate again while she’s pregnant and you won’t come out the winner in our next match,” Brian warned Landon as Heath checked on her.

“You get one free shot, that’s it,” Landon said lifting Katya’s face back up to his. The softness in his eyes, the love for her in them made Shelby’s stomach twist, wanting him looking at their little girl the same way. “I’m sorry, Sis. I was on edge already, add on what I found and I wasn’t up for questions yet.”

“All you had to say is you found your mate, you idiot,” Katya huffed, her tears gone, a sparkle back in her eyes and it was so easy to see why Katya was his favorite. “Momma may not have let it go at that, but I would, at least until after you were home, then I’d give you shit about it, just like I did with Jacob.”

“Like I said, I was on edge and my mate,” Landon’s tone was low and growly when he said it, making her entire body light up as he pulled her back into his hold. “My mate was about to send me on a murderous rampage.”

“Is that why he’s glaring at you right now?” Heath asked, nodding behind them and Shelby didn’t have to turn to know he was talking about Ashton.

“Ashton was on edge as well being stuck in that cage for two weeks, he’s not usually this much of an ass,” Shelby promised.

“I don’t appreciate some jackass using you as a fuck…”

“Shut it, now,” Shelby warned, turning before Landon could. She settled her hand on Landon’s arm, pulling it around her so he couldn’t step between them, giving Ashton another glare. “I’m being nice, remembering that you were stuck in that cage, Ash. You keep this up and I’ll stop being nice and knock you out with the dart gun in my bag—and you know no matter how fast you run I can still nail your ass.”

A soft laugh sounded behind them, and Shelby grinned mostly to herself hearing Katya’s comment. “I like her.”

“So do I,” Landon growled before his head dropped down next to her ear adding, “but watch the mouth, little mate. I like it sweet not dirty.”

“Yeah right,” she chuckled, before her head dropped back, a moan sounding in her throat as her eyes closed when his lips came down on her neck, nipping at it.

“It can be as dirty as I make you when we’re alone together, but in public, say anything like it and your ass will be red,” he whispered into her ear before he straightened up, leaving a flush on her face.

“Well, why don’t we get you home?” his mother suggested before Ashton or Theo could say anything. She ignored the smirk on Shawn’s lips and Dan simply looked away before Landon turned her to face his parents again. “We can get to know your mate better and…I’m sorry, Landon didn’t give us your name.”

“Another reason I had Thatcher contact you when he did,” Landon said making her flush brighter at the grin Katya sent her. “I was trying to get my shit together, but my mate was covered in other men’s scents and my wolf wasn’t thinking rationally. Not until she tried to run thinking I wouldn’t want a human mate at least. Then I finally learnt my mate’s name is Shelby and the kid I knocked to his ass is her brother Ashton.”

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