Bro and the Beast 5 (The Wolf's Mate, #5)

by L.C. Davis

"You were making our lives hell until you disappeared. You fucking kidnapped me! And now you want me to hand over my twin because you got smacked up the side of the head with some dumbass werewolf soul boner?" Constantine blinks and glances over at Raul. "Is he always so...?" "Vulgar?" Raul offers proudly. "Yes."

I can't help but smile a little, despite our current circumstances. There's that over-the-top nobility that made it impossible not to fall in love with him. Cliché as hell, but noble.

"I'm going with you," I mutter into his chest. Raul heaves a weary sigh. "I suppose this is the point where we have a lengthy back and forth argument, where I say, 'Absolutely not,' and you say, 'Fuck you, I do what I want,' ad nauseum until you try to punch me, sprain your wrist, and I have to distract you with a kiss."

Raul breaks the kiss first, gazing down at me with nothing shy of adoration. "I love you. You know that?" "Really?" I ask in a deadpan tone, slipping my arms around his neck again. "You haven't said anything since lunch, so I wasn't sure."

"Order, please," the mediator huffs, looking to Raul. "Alpha Raul, if you wouldn't mind keeping your mate under control." "I wouldn't mind," Raul retorts in a dry tone. "If you have a means of doing so, I'm all ears."

Apparently, nothing freaks out a room full of alphas and betas like an omega going into labor.

Raul looks down at his tie, frowning. "I thought it was a nice color." "Well, it looks like a leash," I growl. The sound turns into a snorted laugh as the mental image fully forms in my mind. "Heh. Get it, cuz you turn into a dog? Leash..."

I reach out to grab his tie, yanking him toward me with force that surprises me as much as him. "You are getting a vasectomy as soon as this is over," I say through gritted teeth that feel sharper than usual. "Capeesh? And if that doesn't work, you're getting a knot-ectomy." Raul grimaces as the tie constricts around his neck. "I'm not sure that's a thing, love." "Then I'll DIY it!" I snap, howling as another contraction washes over me. "Fuck, that hurts!"

"You can do this. I'm right here with you, every step of the way. Just keep your eyes on me, okay? Focus on my voice." "Your voice is just making me want to strangle you," I warn him.

"Being a bro is a state of mind," I say. "And she's got it. I can tell just by looking at her."

"Been a while since you did that," Brad remarks without looking up. "Since I did what?" I ask, walking over to join him. "Stared at me like a complete weirdo." I chuckle, sitting next to him on the bed again. "Oh, I do that every morning. I've just gotten good at making sure I stop before you wake up." He rolls his eyes. "Creep," he says in an affectionate tone. "I can live with that," I say, leaning in to kiss him.

Now that I have fangs and claws of my own, I’ll rip that motherfucker apart if I have to.

I see Raul flipping me off out of the corner of my eye and smirk. He really is learning my love language.

Human or wolf, a man in love is as obvious as a full moon in the night sky.

I throw my head back in a howl and take off after him, chasing my mate through the forest back home. It's one hunt I'll never grow tired of.

"I'm not sure it happened because of Raul, though," Devon adds, tilting his head. "You getting your wolf, I mean." "What do you mean?" I ask. "I think it's always been a part of you," Devon answers. "All our lives, it felt like you were the one who fit in so easily wherever we went, but then I came here and saw the way you interact with Raul and the others, the way you interact with your wolf… It's like you were always meant to be here. Like you're finally more... yourself."

"Hmmm. Maybe I'll get you pregnant again," he purrs, licking that spot behind my earlobe that's the only thing keeping him alive after making that kind of suggestion.

"Brad, you're so over-the-top even I couldn't have dreamed you up."

"Take care of this idiot, okay? He's your responsibility now, like a baby bird with acid reflux and mommy issues. And don't let him drink Fireball, he'll puke all over your sofa."

Luna carefully places the book in the center of the sigil and takes a moment to assess her work. A solemn demeanor always comes over her when she's doing magic now. She's got an air of authority around her and it's impressive to watch. But I'm still gonna tease her about being budget Elphaba. I've grown as a person, but not that much.

"Constantine didn't let me do anything," Devon huffs, folding his arms. "He just thinks he does."

After a few more rounds of goodbyes and mostly naked hugs that probably make us look like some kind of weird cult, Luna and Reese manage to pull themselves away and venture back to the circle. It's a hell of a lot bigger as we all join hands, and she leads the familiar chant, but there's a calm feeling softening the rock in my stomach. Now this is a proper Stone Hollow sendoff, fit for our two honorary packmates.

The portal is shrinking faster now, but it's still just big enough that I could probably fit him back through if I turned him sideways and bent him a little.

"It's the family estate," Raul says proudly, smiling back at them over his shoulder. "And now it's your home as well. Welcome to the pack." Kevin and Nathan look at each other for a second before they high-five and simultaneously shout. "Nice!"

"Why don't we go inside and I'll remind you of some of those perks you were talking about?" he purrs. "You know what they say," I reply, taking his hand and leading him into the house. "Show, don't tell."