The Mating Rules

‘Yeah, I get what you mean, my relationship with my dad was the same’ I confide. ‘When we trained, he was the strictest of all the trainers with me and my siblings. He always seemed to work us harder and longer than anyone else. At the time, I hated it, and felt like it wasn’t fair, but now I’m older, I realise he was showing us all how much he loved us. He would be gutted to lose a warrior in a war, but to lose one of us because he hadn’t trained us to the best of our abilities? That would have devastated him.’

The warrior nods, holding my gaze for a second before picking up the wine and filling both glasses. Handing one to me, he held his own up in a toast, ‘to fathers who taught us everything we needed to know’ he said.

I clinked my glass to his, ‘to fathers who taught us how to take care of ourselves and others’ I replied before taking a sip, my gaze holding his as he moved his glass to his own lips, swallowing. I watch the bob of his Adam’s apple as the liquid slides down his throat, sighing, unable to get over just how much I like this guy.

We talk as we eat, Hadley telling me more about his parents, making me laugh loudly. ‘She was the worst cook’ he g****s, ‘but dad would sit there and eat whatever she put in front of him, didn’t even grimace. I was only two or three, I tried so hard to follow his lead, but when she put green potatoes in front of me one time, I had to admit defeat. I thought she’d be so upset that I didn’t like it, but she just stared at us both before shouting at us for not telling her we hated her cooking.’

‘Did she continue to cook?’ I ask, slipping a forkful of chocolate fudge cake between my lips.

Hadley g*****d as he nodded, ‘Yeah. Dad thought he could teach her. They spent so many nights with him trying to find something she could make, but after her brownies gave me food poisoning, he finally admitted defeat and took over all the cooking.’

‘How did you get food poisoning?’ I choke out, trying not to giggle, ‘we’re werewolves, our wolves can eat pretty much anything without getting sick!’

The warrior threw up his hands, ‘I have no idea but I was so damn sick for days, my dad actually took me to the pack doctor thinking I was dying. When he got told I had food poisoning, he went white whilst my mum had this embarrassed look. It didn’t help that the doctor had never had to treat food poisoning before, he only knew what it was because he’d done some study at a human medical school.’

I wipe my mouth with my napkin, pushing back my chair, and picking up my plates to carry them to the sink.

‘Leave those there, I’ll do it’ Hadley says, clambering to his feet and reaching out for the items in my hands.

‘Nope’ I reply firmly, nodding my head back toward his chair, ‘you cooked, I shall clean up.’

‘You are my guest’ the warrior argued, trying to take them again as I turned my back so he couldn’t reach them.

‘I am your mate’ I reply equally as stubbornly, ‘and in my parents’ house, if you didn’t cook, you cleared up afterward. Everyone pitches in to keep the house running.’

Dropping his hands, Hadley grumbles under his breath before grabbing his own plate and glass, ‘fine, I’ll rinse and you stack them in the dishwasher’ he compromised.

Beaming, I nod, ‘deal’ I reply, heading to the sink and stacking the dirty dishes on the side, my mate joining me. Turning on the water, he rinsed each item before handing them to me so I could place them in the dishwasher, the two of us working side by side until everything was inside and ready to go on.

Drying his hands, he takes mine and leads me back into the living room, pulling me down next to him on the couch as I kick off my shoes and curl up beside him.

‘That was fun’ he murmured, ‘having someone to tidy up with me, normally I eat alone.’

I frown, looking up at him, ‘why don’t you eat in the pack with the rest of us?’ I ask.

Hadley shrugs, ‘I just prefer to eat here’ he replies evasively, ‘I can eat what I like, when I like, I don’t have to keep to a schedule.’

I snuggle closer, curling my arms around his waist as he throws his arm over my shoulder, placing an idle k**s to the top of my head. ‘It must be lonely’ I offer sadly, ‘I like the social aspect of pack eating, being part of a group.’

The warrior chuckles, ‘you always were a social butterfly’ he replies fondly, ‘always got people around you.’

I snort, ‘please, most of those people are around me because of my dad, being the Beta’s oldest daughter made me fair game for those that wanted his favour. A direct link to the ear of the Alpha? Some wolves sure wanted to exploit that.’

Hadley chuckled, ‘I’m sure you didn’t let anyone get away with that’ he comments.

I shook my head, ‘not a chance’ I growl, ‘nor would I allow anyone to use me as a way to get close to Caden and my brother. Do you have any idea how many she wolves in this pack think that they can ignore the mate bond? That being the Luna or the Beta female means more than having a Goddess gifted mate? It took me a little while but I soon learned to pick out the girls who were around me in the hopes they could get closer to the future leaders of this pack.’ I bit my l*p, the corners of my mouth turning down, ‘it’s why I only really let Ashleigh close, she was the only one really that liked me for me.’

I feel the warrior’s arm tighten around me and I sink deeper into his embrace, absorbing the silent support that the man beside me is giving me.

‘I had the opposite problem’ he admits, ‘I was a foundling so the other kids avoided me. I had to train harder and longer than everyone else because growing up somewhere you don’t belong? It’s not that great.’

I turn my head, studying my mate as he stares at the fireplace in front of us, ‘why do you say that?’ I asked softly.

Hadley smiles sadly, ‘not everyone thought I belonged here’ he confides, ‘I got into quite a few fights as a child with other kids who felt that my past made me a lesser pack member. I had two choices, bow down to their bullying or make myself stronger than them. I chose option two. While the kids were out playing in the woods or hanging out at the pack house, I was in the gym training.’

I shuffle around so I’m facing him and clamber onto his lap, one of my legs on each side of his. ‘Did Caden bully you?’ I ask harshly, suddenly worried that the other man I’m in love with, treated my second love badly as a child.

Hadley shook his head, placing his hands on my face, ‘no sweetheart’ he replies firmly. ‘Caden was not then, nor is he now a bully. I hate to admit it, because he’s still a d**k, but he’s going to make a damn fine Alpha. He always treated everyone the same, whether they were Omegas or other Alphas. He led by example and he trained as much as I did, I’d often see him out on the training field in the darkness, practicing his moves.’

I give the man a bemused look, ‘so why do you hate each other?’ I ask desperately, ‘what made you enemies?’

Hadley smiled sadly, caressing my cheek with his thumb, ‘his father did’ he replies quietly.

I go to open my mouth to question him further but the warrior places his thumb to my lips, halting me. ‘It’s not my story to tell sweetheart, you need to ask Caden and let him decide if he wants you to know.’

I nod, letting it go for the time being, instead moving my thoughts back to last night as I shift around on his lap, trying to figure out how to start the conversation.

‘What is it sweetheart?’ Hadley asks immediately, his eyes watching me intently.

‘Who says there is something wrong’ I counter quickly making him laugh.

‘Oh there is something on your mind Jamie-Lee’ the warrior replies, ‘I can feel it through our bond. You are bothered, so tell me.’

I sigh dramatically, ‘Caden and I . . we um . . ‘

‘Did you sleep with him?’ Hadley asks softly and I quickly shake my head.

‘No! We never had s*x I swear!’ I stumble out, my hands moving to his face to hold him still, keep him with me, ‘I promise, we didn’t have s*x’

Hadley gives me a small smile, ‘but you did stuff’ he adds, and I’m surprised to see no jealousy at all.

‘He umm . . . we kinda . . . ‘ I blush deeply, not knowing how to explain it.

‘Did he make you c*m sweetheart?’ Hadley asks roughly, ‘did he get to see you fall apart?’

I nod silently, averting my gaze, ‘I wondered why I could feel your excitement’ he purred into my ear, ‘I thought maybe you were pleasuring yourself, wondered if you were thinking about me as your fingers slid between your folds.’

A wanton whimper leaves me at the rough throaty voice caressing my ear, ‘you don’t mind?’ I gasp out.

‘No’ Hadley replies simply, his tongue running up my neck, making me shiver, ‘but I do remember that anything Star gets, I also get as per the terms of this agreement.’

I nod quickly, my arms wrapping around his neck, fingers burying themselves in the short strands of his hair.

‘Did you . . like feeling my excitement?’ I ask breathlessly.

‘Baby, I was so turned on I had to f*ck my hand and pretend it was your lips wrapped around me’ the warrior growled huskily.

‘I want to do that’ I whisper, ‘I want to taste you.’