Page 4 of Catching Their Mate

Shifters.

It takes me a moment to gather myself before I grab two menus and head over to the back booth where they are seated.

“Hey,” I say in an overly bright tone that makes my ears want to bleed. “Welcome to The Skillet.My name is Iris, and I will be your waitress today.”

I place the menus on the table. The one with the shorter hair stares at me intently making my skin tingle. I feel a blush creep up my neck and frown. What in the ever-loving fuck is that? I can’t remember ever blushing in my fucking life.

Clearing my throat, I continue. “Do you want to hear the specials, or do you know what you want?”

“We’ll both have some orange juice,” the one with the ridiculously sexy man bun says.

His voice is deep with a raspy quality. His words have my body reacting in ways it never has before. My nipples pebble in my padded bra—thank God for that—and I swear my pussy contracts around nothing. My voice fails me, and I nod before scurrying away.

My navy-blue waitress uniform feels too tight, scraping against my skin with every move I make. I’m oversensitive and a little overheated. These guys are doing things to me that I simply don’t understand.

Jesus.

Fucking.

Wept.

My father would be so fucking disappointed in me right now. This is my first real assignment, and I am acting like a damn bitch in heat. This would prove that I am not capable of being a hunter, just like he has always said.

I take my time getting their juice ready before taking it over to them. I can hear them arguing softly, but I can’t make out the words. They stop abruptly when they spot me approaching.

The one with the man bun smiles at me as I serve their juice and I swear my ovaries weep. Dear Lord Almighty, this is not fucking good. The other man sounds like he is sniffing the air before a loud crack is heard throughout the diner.

“Thank you, Iris,” Man Bun draws my attention back to him. “I’m Raleigh and this is my brother, Sayer.”

His voice is deep and smooth, making me want to hear him talk some more. I wonder what he would sound like if he just woke up. Would his voice be deeper? Quickly, I push the thought aside.

I nod, his smile once more stealing my breath and rendering me speechless. I look like a fucking idiot. I clear my throat again, for what feels like the millionth time in the past ten minutes.

“Have you decided what you want to eat?”

My voice has taken on a husky quality I have never heard before and a second blush infuses my features.

I swear I hear Sayer mumble, “I could eat you all day long.”

But Raleigh talks over him, ordering them both the brunch special, while glaring at his brother.

With a nod, I hightail it away from them as quickly as my legs will carry me. I need time away from them, from their drugging presence, so I can figure out how the fuck to deal with this situation. I do know that I won’t be calling my father until I have the situation under control. I am here to do recon and help my father wipe the shifter disease from the area before moving on to the next infected area.

I can’t do that if all I can think about is being bent over one of the diner tables and getting mounted like a horny bitch. I need to figure out a way to control my reaction to them and if possible, why the hell I am reacting to them this way.

Chapter Four

Sayer

The thin wood top of the table splinters in my hand the moment I smell her arousal. This is new territory to all of us but knowing our fated mate finds one or both of us attractive enough to get aroused is doing my damn head in. I am struggling to control myself and my animal, and I’m not altogether sure I will.

“Breathe, brother,” Raleigh says calmly, and I have to hold back the urge to growl at him.

“Why, yes,” I say sarcastically. “Smelling my mate’s wet cunt shouldn’t work me up.” I roll my eyes so hard at my idiot twin that I worry everyone in the diner can hear it.

He drags his hand down his face with a grimace. “I know this is hard, but we need to keep calm. There is a hunter threat in this area and if that isn’t enough to scare her, you going psycho and shifting probably will.”

His words have my wolf receding back into my mind with a huff, allowing me some semblance of control. He isn’t happy about any of this and he is making it hard to miss his displeasure. It has already been an epic battle to keep the damn beast under control for the past six months. I honestly don’t know how long I will be able to keep my grip on him.

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