Lyric & The Cats (The Wolf's Mate Generations Book 1) Page 5

  “Sounds like what we call a breeding queen,” Evan mused. Scarlett, one of the pride mates, was a breeding queen, who could become pregnant over and over quickly. All the children born were either breeding queens or alphas.

  Lyric nodded. “Sounds like it. But Angels come into their mating power at age twenty-one, and if they don’t find their truemate in the pack they’re in, then they leave and go searching, moving from pack to pack to find their one right person. And an Apex is a healing wolf. They can heal in their wolf forms with a venom excreted from their gums. They can bite or lick to heal a wound, even a really old one.”

  “Sounds like Allen’s pretty diverse when it comes to supernatural creatures,” Evan said.

  “Not as much as Ashland it seems,” she said. She hooked an arm over the back of the chair and looked at them. “We’ve spent the last hour talking about everything but what’s going on between us. I’ll keep playing Q&A, but I think you both have other things to talk about with me besides my favorite flower and dessert.”

  They both opened their mouths and she laughed. “My favorite flower is sunflowers, and my favorite dessert is blackberry crisp.”

  And just like that, the conversation took a decidedly interesting, and sexy, turn.

  Chapter Eight

  Lyric enjoyed catching the males off guard. She’d have to have been senseless not to smell how turned on they were whenever they looked at her, or see the lust and early bloom of affection in their gazes. It would have been better if they hadn’t needed to be with their family and could’ve spent the last hour alone together, but she did enjoy getting to know Callie and her mates better.

  “We don’t want to rush you,” Evan said. “We just met. We wouldn’t expect things to go any particular way.”

  She let that roll around in her head for a moment. When she’d dreamed about what meeting her truemate might be like when she was a young girl, usually fantasizing that he was royalty and she’d become a princess, she’d never pictured how awkward the initial conversation was. She’d wanted romance back then, when she hadn’t really even known what that meant, and she wanted it now, too.

  “I’d like to get to know you both better,” she said finally. “We have a lot to discuss.”

  “Would you like to come back to our house?” Elliott asked.

  She hesitated for a moment and then she said, “Yes. But I want to be back at your parents’ house to sleep. I’ve got the interview in the morning and I want to be fresh for that.”

  “Of course,” Evan said. “We promise not to keep you up too late.”

  Elliott took the empty dessert plates into the house, and then they walked with her back to their house.

  “What made you decide to build here and not somewhere else in town?” she asked as Evan grabbed the door and held it open for her.

  “Our family likes to be close,” Evan said. “A lot of pride members stay at the boarding house, but it can get crowded and it’s awfully noisy. Sometimes we work the night shift and need to sleep during the day and a noisy house is not conducive to that.”

  “We could’ve built on the property behind the boarding house,” Elliott said, “but we like being on the farm. You haven’t lived until you’ve chased a rabbit through cornfields.”

  She laughed. “I’ll bet.”

  Elliott offered her a drink and she declined. They sat on the couch, her between the two of them. No one said anything for a long moment, and then she decided to take the plunge. Taking both of their hands in hers, she rested their joined hands on her thighs and let out a slow breath. “I feel like coming to Ashland was fate. Do you...feel like that too?”

  Evan tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, and she shivered. “We definitely feel like it was fate that brought you here. We knew the moment you got out of your car—hell probably the second you came into town—that we were in the presence of our truemate.”

  Her heart fluttered at the admission. She’d been feeling antsy too. Her wolf had been pacing in her mind and now that she was touching both of them, was with them, her wolf was in heaven.

  Elliott gave her hand a squeeze. “We’ve known since we were young that we were destined to share a mate. It’s kind of wired into our DNA as mountain lions. But we know it’s not like that for wolves. The question is, how do you feel about having two mates?”

  She chewed on her bottom lip. “My mom—well, both my parents—think what your mom has with your dads, the way that your people are—is weird. I think they think it’s dirty? Like overly sexual and deviant. They’ve never come right out and said that, but it’s a feeling I get. My mom loves your mom, but it’s always been clear to me that she doesn’t approve of this lifestyle. That for them, it was an insult to the pack for your mom to choose the lions over the wolves, particularly with two mates, and they’ve never gotten over that.”

  “You’re worried about what your parents will think,” Evan said.

  “Yeah.” Ever since she was little, she’d hated disappointing her parents, especially her father who had such high hopes for her finding a mate in the pack. With her mother’s suggestion that a powerful wolf mate would see her take over as alpha female, it was clear that her parents had plans for her future and the two lions sitting with Lyric were going to throw a big old wrench into them.

  But wasn’t it her life to live? Her heart to give away? Her choices, her freedom, to do with what she would?

  It was far easier to be brave without her parents in front of her, though. She was being brave in abstract. How would it feel to call them? To tell her alpha father and mother that not only was she not going to mate a wolf, but she’d found two mountain lions to claim.

  Her stomach clenched at the thought, and she shoved the sexy images away.

  Elliott let out a soft purr and leaned into her, putting his nose against her throat and inhaling slowly. She felt the intake of his breath slip over her skin and she closed her eyes as everything within her both rioted and quieted. Evan did the same thing. She let go of their hands and cupped the back of their heads. Evan kissed her throat and then licked a very slow line up to her ear. Her skin erupted into goosebumps and her nipples beaded, brushing against the soft cups of her bra. Elliott sucked her skin into his mouth and bit gently.

  Her body flooded with heat, and she sank back into the couch and turned her head to catch Evan’s lips with her own.

  He licked the seam of her lips and she opened them. Their tongues touched, sliding together, her body responding even further as heat filled her.

  She moaned softly as he deepened the kiss. Elliott kissed down her neck and pulled the collar of her shirt aside to kiss her exposed skin.

  Evan left her lips and she moaned at the loss, then groaned as Elliott took his place, kissing her like his life depended on it. Evan kissed the inside of her wrist and up her arm, sending a riot of sensations through her. He laid his hand on her thigh, curling his fingers into her jeans and then he slid his hand slowly up toward the apex of her thighs.

  He stopped and she groaned.

  Elliott chuckled and nipped her bottom lip. “Didn’t you say you wanted to spend the night at the barn?”

  “What?”

  “We’re getting carried away,” he said. He brushed her hair away from her face and smiled at her.

  “I liked getting carried away.”

  “Us too,” Evan said. “But he’s right. When we do make love with you, we want to have the whole night to spend together, we don’t want to be watching the clock because you need to leave.”

  “It would be fun to get carried away, though,” she mused.

  “Indeed,” Elliott said. “But it’s our job as your mates to want the best for you, and that means helping you make your dreams come true.”

  “Hold on,” Evan said. “We haven’t even asked yet. We’ve been dancing around the main topic since we met a few hours ago.”

  “So ask me,” Lyric whispered.

  Elliott and Evan shared a look that seemed like they were talking to each other psychically.

  “First,” Elliott said, “when are you leaving?”

  “For the interview?”

  Evan shook his head. “For Allen.”

  “Oh. I...was supposed to head back after the interview. But now, I’d like to stick around.”

  “Good,” Elliott said, nodding. “Then we’ll ask you properly to be our mates tomorrow. Let us take you out to dinner, somewhere nice. We’ll give you a glimpse of what your life with us will be like.”

  She was a little disappointed they weren’t going to ask her to be their mates right then, but she also knew she was in a well-kissed stupor and not exactly thinking clearly. Her dad would be upset if she mated them without talking to him. Even if he didn’t approve of her having two mates, he wouldn’t like being told after the fact.

  They talked a little longer, but she was honestly exhausted from the long drive and the stress of the pending job interview, meeting her truemates, and dealing with her family. Before they left for Callie’s, they all exchanged phone numbers.

  Elliott and Evan walked her to Callie’s and kissed her goodnight.

  “I’ve got an early shift tomorrow,” Evan said, making a grumpy face. “But text me and let me know how things go at the school.”

  “I will,” she promised.

  “Sleep well, sweetheart,” Elliott said.

  “You too.”

  After Evan said goodnight, and they shared a few more kisses, she walked into the house and leaned against the closed door. Her heart was pounding, and her wolf was demanding she go back outside and stay with them, the job interview be damned.

  “Hey,” a soft, feminine voice said.

  Lyric opened her eyes and saw Fi sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of cerea
l and a tablet in front of her. “Hi.”

  “Want a snack?”

  “I’m pretty beat, so no thanks.”

  “Sure. I usually sleep in, so good luck tomorrow. Maybe we can hang out when you’re done. If my brothers don’t monopolize you.”

  Lyric smiled. “Oh, actually, do you have a nice dress I can borrow? They want to take me out to dinner, and I only have the clothes I’m wearing and the ones for the interview.”

  “You bet. We could even go shopping.”

  “That would be great.”

  “Wake me up when you want to head out. We can grab lunch too. ‘Night, Lyric.”

  “Sounds good. Good night, Fi.”

  Lyric headed up the wooden stairs to the second floor and found her room for the night. It was tempting to grab a shower, but aside from it being late, she didn’t want to wash off the smell of Evan and Elliott from her skin. Stripping, she climbed under the covers, turned off the light, and yawned twice.

  Before she knew it, she was drifting away, her last thoughts on the two intriguing males.

  Chapter Nine

  Elliott was helping his mom with breakfast when Lyric came downstairs. She looked amazing in a knee-length black skirt and a short-sleeved blouse with a muted, pastel floral pattern. She wore a necklace with a wolf charm but no other jewelry.

  “Morning,” she said, smiling broadly. “I didn’t know if I’d get to see you before I had to leave.”

  He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Morning to you too. You didn’t think I’d miss the chance to show off my cooking skills and wish you well on your interview, did you?”

  She greeted his mom, who encouraged her to grab a cup of coffee and sit at the table.

  “I wasn’t sure if you’d need to work,” she said.

  “I’m off today. It’s my catch up on errands day. Maybe after your interview we could grab lunch.”

  “I’d love that, but I already promised Fi we’d go shopping.”

  He hummed in surprise. “When did you talk to her?”

  “Last night when I got back. She’s going to help me pick out a dress for tonight.”

  Callie set a bowl of scrambled eggs on the table. “What’s tonight?”

  “Our first date,” Elliott said. He used tongs to grab the rest of the bacon from the pan and turned off the stove. While his mother sliced freshly baked bread, he put the plate on the table and grabbed orange juice from the fridge.

  “How fun,” Callie said. “Fi loves fashion, she’s a great choice to go shopping with.”

  “I’ll miss you, but I know you’ll be in good hands.”

  He joined Lyric at the table and so did his mom. Ethan appeared, wearing his EMT uniform. Eryx, he knew, was already at the station.

  “Morning,” Ethan said as he sat next to Callie and gave her a kiss. “How did you sleep, Lyric?”

  “Good, thanks.” Dishes were passed and plates were filled. “I’m nervous about the interview.”

  Elliott and Evan discussed what would happen if she didn’t get the job. She wanted to be a teacher and they wanted her to be able to pursue her dreams. They’d decided if they needed to leave Ashland for her to find a job, then they would. They could be cops anywhere.

  But hell, they hadn’t really even talked much past her going on the job interview and their date. They were going to ask her to be their mates, but then what? There were a lot of things up in the air at the moment, the least of which was how her parents would react when they found out she had two mates.

  “I’m sure you’ll do great,” Elliott said.

  “I hope so. It would be really great to get the job here, it’s perfect for me. I just hope I’m perfect for it.” She gave him a hopeful smile and he nodded.

  “I think you’re pretty perfect.”

  “Aw, you’re both too sweet,” Callie said. “If you’re going on a date tonight, then will you go back to Allen tomorrow?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know.” Lyric put Aunt Lisa’s peach preserves on a thick slice of fresh bread and took a bite. “We’ll be talking about the future tonight.”

  Callie leaned back in the chair. “When I left Allen, I wanted to find a human to mate and start a family. I decided I’d be a pack all on my own and no one would be the boss of me anymore. And then I got into a car accident and was rescued by Ethan and Eryx. I didn’t want to be tied down with shifters, I was trying to make my life less complicated, not more, but they weren’t about to let me go. And I’m really thankful for that.”

  “Did you miss Allen? I mean do you miss it at all?”

  Callie hummed a bit, her eyes going distant as if she were pulling up memories. “I missed the camaraderie, the town I’d lived in my whole life, knowing everyone. But I didn’t miss the hierarchy nonsense, or that your dad put your mom down in front of the pack because of me.”

  Lyric blinked in surprise. “What? He did?”

  It was Callie’s turn to look surprised. “She didn’t tell you that? It’s the main reason I left. Your mom wouldn’t include me in her discipline of the females, she treated me special because we were best friends. Jason ordered her to treat us all equally and she refused. It happened to be during a full moon get together and your dad is not one to be ignored like that. I tried to intervene, but he forbade it and when your mom fought him, he put her down with his authority and made her submit.” Callie pursed her lips and then sighed. “Your mom is one of the strongest females I ever knew. To see her broken like that, by her mate? It was the end of the line for me. Plus, she was pregnant with you and I thought your dad was such an asshole. He could’ve handled it differently. I think someone must have complained to him about her treatment of me. I never asked for it, but I enjoyed it.”

  “I didn’t know that. She said that he was a jerk to her about you, but she didn’t say he put her down in front of the pack. They’ve had some blow out arguments over the years and dad will get furious to a point and then he’ll back off. Like he knows he could stop their argument if he used his authority as alpha, but he won’t cross that line. I’ve always wondered if there was a reason for it.”

  “Now you know,” Callie said. “She thought I’d come back to Allen after things cooled down, but I knew that even if they let me back into the pack, that they’d never really accept me having two mates. I think...it’s too taboo for them. I’m not positive, but I always got the feeling that she didn’t think our relationship would last and I’d come back to Allen at some point.”

  Lyric frowned. “My dad’s one of the most stubborn people I know. Mom’s a close second.”

  “Well, I’m sure being stubborn is part of what it takes to be alpha,” she said with a chuckle. “They have to be firm to keep the pack running smoothly and that can come across heavy-handed or unfair at times. I never wanted to be high ranked. The pride isn’t. Ethan and Eryx are the unofficial leaders, although their dad—James, his brother John, and their truemate, Rue, are also regarded as leaders too. But everyone just gets together to discuss issues if there are any. It was really refreshing not to have to worry about hierarchy or rank.”

  “I don’t think my parents will want us to be in Allen,” Lyric said. “I know they don’t approve of the situation you’re in and it’s not because your mates are different shifters.” She looked at Elliott and he gave her an understanding smile. “I’ll call them after the job interview.”

  “I’m sure it’s tempting to wait,” Callie said, “but it would be better for them to know now than to be blindsided after you’re mated.”

  She nodded. “That’s what I was thinking.” She glanced at her watch and said, “I should go brush my teeth and finish getting ready. I need to leave soon.”

  “I’ll walk you out when you’re ready,” Elliott said.

  She gave him a smile before she stood and picked up her plate. He took it from her and told her to go get ready, so she did.

  When he was alone with his parents, his dad said, “She’s really nervous.”

  “Yeah,” Elliott said. “And not just about the interview.”

  “I would be too, honestly,” Callie said. “I mean about facing her parents. They’re really pushing for her to stay in Allen. Jason’s very protective of his kids, and he and Cades have an idea of how they picture their lives going and they want the kids to follow that. You should be prepared for everything to explode in her personal life when she tells her parents she found her truemates here.”