“Take some time off from the distillery if you need to. We’re back, we can manage things without you, barring some IT emergency.” He glanced at Ben and Wade, who both nodded.
Gib spread his arms, opening himself for attack. “You still want to knock my teeth out?”
“Sort of,” I grumbled.
He grinned. “It will be better after she’s marked. I promise.”
“You’re an asshole,” I muttered, but accepted the bro-hug, slapping his back in return.
CAITLYN
“Are you freaking out?” Shelby demanded the moment we were outside.
I instantly liked her—she was that type who obviously made friends quickly, and seemed warm and perceptive.
“Kind of,” I admitted, dropping into the patio chair she directed me to. While we were about a mile down the road from Wade’s house, the view was very much the same: beautiful.
The table and chair set could seat twelve, which meant it was probably often used by large groups. A huge grill was in the corner, and there was even an outdoor fireplace.
I realized while Shelby might have been a shifter, she was new to West Springs and to this house. She’d only just arrived with her mates and her mother.
“Which is crazier, the two mates thing, or the wolf part?” she asked.
“The wolf part, definitely,” I said. “But at least that explains the two mates thing a little more. Before I knew, I just couldn’t figure out why they wanted to share me. But it’s some kind of biological compulsion, right?”
“It seems so,” Marne agreed. She had on a cute pair of black capri pants and a deep orange sleeveless blouse. “But it’s particular to this pack. Maybe a few other packs across the globe, but it’s pretty rare. Probably an evolutionary advantage in times when female shifters were in short supply.”
“Yes, that's what Wade guessed,” I said. “And for the sake of creating stability in the population, their biology has shifted to include human females as mating partners.”
Shelby’s eyes widened. “That makes sense! Because it used to be forbidden. We weren’t allowed to mix with humans, for safety and privacy reasons. But as my mom mentioned, in the Wolf Ranch pack, six of the young men recently mated humans, breaking all the pack rules. Well, one of the women turned out to be part-shifter, but the point is—they were all fated mates. Not just human love-matches, but true, biological mates. Marked mates, I mean.”
I nodded, understanding, thanks to Cord’s Shifter Biology 101 lesson.
Studying the shifter genome would be a fascinating project…
Only, where would I present that paper? Somehow, I doubted there were any shifter universities or science journals. If I abandoned my current studies in favor of shifter science, I’d be totally isolated. I’d give up the chance of getting tenure at a university, gaining recognition for my studies.
Then again, it hadn’t ever been about recognition. Tenure was something I had to pursue because it was necessary for employment, but my real love had always been pure science.
Wolf science.
“So what are these secrets you’re going to share with me?” I asked with a smile.
Shelby leaned forward in her chair, her eyes lighting up with eagerness. “Here’s what you need to know. Shifter males are over-the-top possessive. They’re definitely dominant. Even spending my whole life with them didn’t prepare me for how overwhelming it is to have two of them fixated on me. But don’t ever be scared. You hold all the power, sister.”
Marne looked a little wistful. “That’s true. A fated mate will do anything to keep his female safe and happy. You just became their number one job in life. So whatever you need, just demand it. They’ll figure out how to make it work.”
“Did you have a fated mate?” Something made me ask her.
Marne shook her head. “No. Shelby’s dad and I weren’t true mates, and he walked out on me when Shelby was a girl, like a coward. But my story is very rare. Wolves generally mate for life—fated or not.”
She didn’t seem heartbroken at being left, but it had been a long time. Perhaps he wasn’t a nice man, or perhaps… well, it wasn’t any of my business.
“I don’t mean to be intrusive, but I can tell they haven’t marked you yet.” Shelby held out her hands. “I’m not judging. Believe me—I wasn’t ready to be marked right away either, and I’m a wolf.”
“They haven’t pushed it,” I admitted. “Actually, they haven’t even asked me. God, is it something you ask? I mean, do they just say, I want to bite you and mark you as mine forever?”
Both women laughed, and I gave a small smile.
“But then, I just learned about it this morning,” I added, so they knew the time frame.
“Well, don’t make them wait too long,” Shelly advised. “Their wolves will be agitated and restless, and they will be overprotective and possessive as hell until they do.”