The Mating Rules

‘Where are you going tonight?’ my sister Bailee asks as I dab my lips with a tissue, ‘and why are you getting ready here, not at the pack house in your room.’

I glance at her through her mirror, ‘I thought you’d like to see me’ I pouted, ‘what, now I’m twenty one I’m not cool anymore? My sister can’t be seen with me?’

Bailee rolls her eyes at my dramatics, ‘you know what I mean’ she grumbles from where she’s sitting on her bed, cross legged. ‘You haven’t been over since the whole . .’ she drops her voice dramatically, ‘claiming fiasco.’

I laugh at her theatrics, ‘it’s OK, you can say it out loud’ I mock whisper playfully, ‘it’s not like you will summon a demon if you say their names.’

My sister sticks her tongue out at me which I return. ‘Ugh’ she g****s, ‘I can’t believe my sister has got two mates, two really HOT mates! Like the hottest mates in the pack, hot!’

I turn around in her chair, raising an eyebrow at her, ‘you better not be lusting after my mates’ little sister’ I rumble, standing up and prowling toward her. ‘I’d hate to have to inflict pain on my own flesh and b***d.’

Bailee gives me a mischievous grin, ‘why Lee, what if I am?’ she asks smoothly. ‘I thought you didn’t want a mate, you wanted to fall in love naturally, without a mate bond.’ She clasps her hands in front of her chest, fluttering her eyes at me before falling back and laughing. ‘If you want me to take one of them off your hands, just say, I can help soothe their broken hearts’ she adds, cackling.

‘Oh you asked for it’ I growl, jumping on her and pinching at any flesh I can reach as my sister screams underneath me, writhing and laughing, trying to dislodge me.

‘Get off! Get off! I’m sorry! I don’t want your mates!’ she gasps as I tickle her mercilessly.

‘Say I’m prettier than you’ I order, twisting the knife as I know how much my sister loves her looks.

‘No! Never!’ Bailee squeals, slapping at my hands desperately.

‘Say it!’ I yell, getting under her ribs, her most ticklish spot, ‘say it or I’ll keep going until you pee.’

‘Oh Goddess, OK! You’re prettier than me!’ Bailee gasps out, tears running down her face as I push off her, holding my hands above my head in a celebration of victory.

‘That’s right! I am the prettiest and the coolest’ I crow.

‘I hate you so much’ Bailee huffs, pushing me, so I fall with a shriek, tumbling over the side of the bed onto the floor as my sister peeks over the edge of the bed laughing.

‘What the hell is going on in here!’ our mother’s voice snarls, snapping both our faces toward the door where she’s standing, arms folded, glaring at us both.

‘uhhh, I fell off the bed’ I mumble, rolling onto all fours so I can push myself onto my feet.

‘Yes, because you falling off the bed, makes your sister scream like a banshee’ my mother huffs pointedly.

‘Just a sisterly disagreement mum’ I reply, beaming widely at her, ‘it’s all sorted now, we are besties again.’

‘Rightttt’ my mother drawls out, ‘well next time you have a disagreement, take it outside so the neighbours don’t think Bailee is being murdered in her bed.’

Turning around, she walks off, leaving me and my sister in the room alone, peeking over at Bailee, I see her staring at me, the pair of us bursting out laughing as I sink down to the bed next to her.

‘So who are you going out with tonight?’ my sister asks as we sober up.

I smile automatically, ‘neither’ I admit, ‘I’m going out with Ashleigh.’

Bailee gapes, ‘what? How did you manage that? I thought those tow men were glued to your a*s.’

I shrug, ok, maybe I didn’t exactly tell either of them that I was going on a girls night, but after what had happened with Caden in the forest the other day, I really needed my best friend to help me figure out my head.

‘Wait!’ Bailee gasped beside me, ‘is this why you are getting ready here? You are sneaking out?’

I blush as I avoid her gaze, ‘I’m not sneaking out’ I reply reproachfully, ‘I can go out with my friends still, I just . . . felt it would be better if they didn’t see me leave.’

My sister smirks at me as I give her an innocent look, ‘what?’ I demand, ‘you know that if Caden see’s me going out and realises that Hadley isn’t with me that he’ll want to come too. I need girl time! Ashleigh’s mate is on guard duty so we are going to the local club for a few drinks and some dancing.’

My sister shakes her head, ‘you are playing with fire big sis’ she sing songs, ‘those boys are going to freak when they find out.’

I scowl at her warningly, ‘the only way they will find out is if some eighteen year old tattles on me’ I growl.

Bailee holds up her hands, ‘hey, no spilling of secrets here’ she hastily promises, ‘especially as I’m coming with you’ she adds.

‘Hey!’ I frown, ‘you can’t come, we’re hitting the club, you aren’t old enough.’

My sister giggles, standing up and heading to her closet to pull out a short black dress, holding it up to me. ‘You’d be amazed what I can do with this dress and my fake ID’ she whispers.

Groaning, I fall back on the bed, throwing my arm over my eyes as my little sister strips out of her clothes, pulling on her dress and quickly applying some makeup.

‘Worst sister ever’ I grumble when she pulls me to my feet, giving me that cocky grin that says she has me over a damn barrel. ‘Fine’ I huff, ‘lets go, Ashleigh is meeting us down the road, on the bend past the Fosters house.’

Jumping excitedly, Bailee grabs her heels, carrying them in her hand as we head out of her room and down the stairs.

Dad looks up as we walk past, frowning, ‘where are you both going?’ he asked suspiciously.

‘Movies’ Bailee replies immediately, blowing our father a k**s.

Dad snorts, ‘yeah, that’s definitely an outfit that screams the movies.’

‘Daddy’ my sister pouts, giving her best little girl face.

I see our father soften, shaking his head as he glances up the stairs, ‘you better go now, your mother will be down in a few minutes. I’ll tell her you went to the movies’ he mutters, making quotation marks in the air. ‘Be careful, stay together and don’t get into trouble, I do not need your mother or the future Alpha’s wrath tomorrow.’

‘Thank you daddy!’ Bailee squeaks, rushing over to hug him before we bundle out of the door, stopping only to put on our heels.

Tottering down the side of the road, we giggle as we walk, our eyes fixed on the red rear lights of a car at the end of the road.

Reaching the passenger door, I pull it open, bending down so I can grin at Ashleigh who is behind the wheel, her hair up in an elegant knot on her head, a short silver dress clinging to her curves.

‘Are you ready b***h?’ she whisper yells, pumping her fist in the air.

‘Sure am’ Bailee replies, sliding in the back seat as my friend spin her head around to stare at my sister in shock.

‘I thought this was besties night!’ she pouts, glaring at me.

I nod, sliding into my seat, ‘it was, but this pain in my a*s blackmailed me into letting her come’ I explain grumpily.

Raising her hand, Ashleigh holds it out for a high five that my sister happily slaps with her own palm. ‘Way to go middle Sparks kid, I’m glad to see I’m rubbing off on one of you.’

Putting the car into gear, we head down the road toward the entrance to our territory. As we reach the edge of our lands, a warrior steps out, halting us, Ashleigh rolling down the window and smiling sweetly up at the young man who eyes her warily.

‘Warrior Ashleigh’ he grinds out, ‘it’s late to be heading out.’

My best friend bats her eyelashes at him, ‘oh we’re just making a quick run to town’ she replies soothingly, ‘we wont be long.’

The warrior leans down, taking in both my sister in the back and then me, a frown creasing his brow, ‘does the Alpha know . .’ he starts uncertainly.

‘Oh yes, Alpha Caden is well aware that Jamie-Lee is with me’ she cuts him off, ‘we are literally going to be an hour tops, you really don’t need to worry.’ Leaning out of the open window, she hits him with her most seductive smile, ‘would the Alpha let his mate leave the pack territory unguarded if he wasn’t sure that she would be OK?’ she asked softly before frowning slightly. ‘Are you arguing with our Alpha’s decision?’ she adds, suddenly sounding affronted, ‘do you think he made a bad call? Should I link him and get him down here to justify his decision to you?’

‘No!’ the warrior stammers, actually taking a step back from the car, ‘no it’s fine, you can go.’

‘Why thank you’ Ashleigh coos, putting the car into gear and speeding away before the warrior can change his mind.

‘You know there is a good chance he’s going to link Caden and tell him we left the pack lands’ Bailee calls out from behind us.

‘Yeah, but by the time he gets in pursuit we’ll be hidden away in a club, it will take him hours to find us’ my best friend retorts as they both laugh loudly.

I bite down on my l*p nervously. I know I’m not tied to either man at the minute, I’m still my own wolf but a tiny part of me is niggling that I should have told them both where I was going. I shake the thought from my head, as i said, I’m still my own person. I can decide if I want a night out, i don’t need my mates’ permission!