Tucker checked himself out for about the twentieth time in the large standing mirror. Everyone kept assuringhim he looked great, but he wasn’t at all positive. He was wearing a long white robe that looked like something a girl might wear in his opinion, though everyone said it was the standard white robes males wore for the mating ceremony—everyone being the other alphas’ mates lounging around the room as he stood glaring at himself in the mirror. He was naked underneath the robe, and when he protested and asked for underwear, he got the same answer as he always got. “It’s traditional. ”
Tucker twisted and turned, trying to see if the robe was too see-through. “I just don’t understand why we have to wear these things. Gavin’s wearing a dark suit. ”
Rory shrugged. “It’s traditional,” he said quietly.
Tucker turned and gave him a dangerous look.
Nicky spoke up from across the room. “It has the added attraction to the wolves of being humiliating, uncomfortable, demeaning and oh yeah, a quick way to get you naked. ”
Nicky, Gabe, and Rory were waiting with him for the ceremony to begin, wearing similar robes to his. Gabe, the alpha’s pet from the North Georgia clan had joked earlier that they were his bridesmaids, earning himself outraged, disgusted looks from Nicky and Rory. Nicky and Rory were both actually hosting the event, since the commitment ceremony was taking place next to their lodge in North Carolina. They had planned a huge reception for later that night. The ancestral ring, Nicky had told him, was close by, just inside the forest.
Tucker had taken a strong liking to all of them right away, particularly Nicky, who was the most talkative of the group. All the mates were strikingly handsome, but Nicky was downright gorgeous, with his shaggy blond hair that kept falling over his forehead and a pair of the brightest blue eyes he’d ever seen. He was the smallest, not much more than five-nine or ten, slim, but well-built. Gabe was an almost equally gorgeous, negative image of Nicky, black hair where Nicky’s was so blond and deeply tanned skin, apparently from being outdoors a lot, because his eyes were almost the same striking shade of blue. Rory was the quiet one of the group, and Tucker was surprised when Nicky whispered to him that Rory was a wolf.
He was much smaller than the other wolves Tucker had met, only a little taller than Nicky and Gabe, and more adorably cute than drop-dead gorgeous like Nicky and Gabe were. He had a bit of a baby face, and brown, curly hair and pretty milk-chocolate colored eyes. Those big eyes were fringed with thick, long lashes. His mate was an alpha wolf named Casey, who held some important position in the clan, but wasn’t the lead alpha. Rory was a little more reserved than the other two young men, and seemed to be the unhappiest of all of them at having to wear his robe.
Nicky and Gabe seemed to be trying to make their robes almost sexy, by leaving the zippers only half zipped up, showing off their bodies.
Gabe, who’d been watching Tucker try to lock his zipper, got up lazily and came over to help him. “Hmm, we may have to pin this. Don’t want to expose all your assets to the crowd, do we?”
Smiling he retrieved a safety pin from the dresser by the mirror and began attaching it. With Gabe’s robe only closed to his waist, Tucker could see gold rings in both his nipples. When Gabe saw Tucker staring at them, he grinned and dropped his fingers to his chest to play with them. “Nice, huh? Matches my collar. ” He gestured toward what Tucker had thought was a chokerstyle necklace around his throat, but could see now that it was a yellow gold collar, with a lock. He must have looked a little shocked, because Gabe laughed and ran his finger lightly around his neck. “Want one? The wolves love them, though Nicky and Rory and their other friends stubbornly refuse to wear one. ”
“Not a dog, so I don’t need a collar,” Nicky replied, not even looking over at them. He was lying on his back on the only sofa in the room, his fingers twirling absently through his hair. “And of course, the Neanderthals love them. Fits rights in with their cavemen mentality. Though it looks perfect on you, Gabey. Kinky, but perfect. ”
Gabe blew him a campy kiss and sat down with him on the sofa, moving Nicky’s feet to rest on his lap. “Don’t mind, Nicky, Tucker. He’s still making Marco pay for the little tiff they had a few months ago. Is he back in your bed yet, Nicky, or are you still making him sleep on the couch?”
“Oh, he’s been back in our bed for a long time. No sense in punishing myself. But I wouldn’t exactly call it a tiff. We dissolved our mating for over three months, and I moved out. ”
“Well, you didn’t so much as move out as you ran away. Again. Really, Marco should install a revolving front door for you. It would make things so much easier. ”
Nicky kicked him, and a playful scuffle ensued. Entwined as they were, it was hard to tell if they were wrestling or hugging. They fought each other to the floor and Gabe climbed on top of Nicky. Bendingover him and holding his hands down by his head, he taunted him, “I thought your friend Logan taught you some moves, boy. ”
Nicky leaned up, catchingone of Gabe’s nipple rings with his teeth, and pulled it sharply down.
“Oww!” Gabe yelped, dropping his hands to clutch his chest. “No fair!” Faster than Nicky could react, Gabe slid to the side, threw an arm around Nicky’s neck and shoulders, hauling him over to his lie face down across his lap. “You’re not too old for a spanking, boy!”
Laughing, Nicky held out a hand to Rory. “Don’t just stand there! Help me, Rory!”
Rory rolled his eyes. “Why? You’ve been needing a good spanking ever since you came back,and Marco’s been too whipped to give it to you. Go ahead, Gabe, let him have it. ”
Both men were breathing hard and making a lot of noise as they struggled, so no one noticed when the door opened. Before Gabe could land the first blow, two big hands plucked him from the floor, tossing Nicky down on his backside. A tall, dark-haired wolf stood holding Gabe against his chest, smiling down at him. “Don’t wear out your welcome, baby. Or your host. ”
Another big, handsome wolf entered right behind them and looked down at Nicky on the floor. “Taking a nap, sweetheart? Don’t you think you’d be more comfortable on the sofa?”
“Very funny,” Nicky said, getting up and dusting himself off. “I could have taken him easily, except the poor thing has gained so much weight lately. Don’t worry, Gabe,” he said, leaning around his mate to tease his friend. “I think a little beer belly is very becoming, no matter what everyone else says. ”
“Hey!” Gabe yelled back, his hand d
ropping to his washboard abs. He looked up at his mate, trailing a finger down his cheek. “I’m not getting fat, am I, Zack?”
“No, sweetheart,” Zack assured him, bending down to take his lips in a sultry kiss.
Meanwhile Marco, Nicky’s mate, pulled him in his arms and reached down to rub his ass. “Do I need to kiss it and make it better?”
“No,” Nicky said sternly, though a little smile was playing around his lips. “You two aren’t even supposed to be in here. No wolves are supposed to see Tucker before the ceremony. Except Rory, of course, and he doesn’t count. ”
“Hey!” Rory said. “I’m standing right here. ”
“Gavin sent us,” Marco said, before the fight got started. “He wanted to make sure you’re okay,” he said, looking over at Tucker, who was still standing by the mirror, fascinated and distracted by the other mates.