The Mating Rules

It’s been three days since my dinner with Hadley and I’ve taken to staring up at the moon each night, looking at how more and more of its surface is showing and how I’m getting closer to the day I need to let one of my guys go.

I’ve just finished work and I’m heading toward my car when two arms circle my waist. I stiffened for a second, preparing to fight, when Caden’s scent envelopes me, causing me to relax again, leaning back into his embrace. I really need to pay more attention to my surroundings, or at least pay attention to my wolf who didn’t even flinch at being grabbed. Of course my wolf would know that her mate was close by. Her calmness should have immediately told me it was someone she was comfortable with.

‘Hey baby’ the Alpha purrs into my ear, nuzzling my neck as I snuggle deeper into his arms with a contented sigh.

‘Umm think maybe you could share at any point soon Star?’ comes an amused voice from my right and I turn my head to see Hadley standing a few feet away, arms crossed as he watches us.

‘You are both here?’ I squeal, unable to keep the excitement out of my voice, ‘why are you both here?’

It’s Caden who answers me, ‘We are here to take our girl out to dinner’ he says warmly, biting my ear lobe affectionately, then growling softly as my knees buckle. Thank Goddess he’s holding me up right now because I’m close to being a puddle on the ground with the way my body is reacting.

‘Can I say hello yet?’ Hadley asks, and I laugh as Caden grumbles under his breath, but reluctantly lets me go so I can walk the few steps over to the warrior and throw my arms around him, kissing him softly.

‘I didn’t get a k**s’ Caden huffs, looking put out, pouting like a child, making me giggle.

‘That’s because you grabbed her from behind like some weirdo stalker and wouldn’t let go’ Hadley retorted, ‘you only get rewarded when you are not being such an Alpha douche.’

I cut off their squabbling by heading back to Caden and pressing my lips to his. In true Alpha fashion, his arms snake around me again as he crushes me into his chest, forcing his way into my mouth and devouring me as I eagerly let him.

‘Never changes’ the warrior mutters from behind me, but I can tell there is no malice to his words, he really doesn’t seem phased by my public displays of affection with his rival.

Though this is what my dad said right at the beginning, if they had just been two warriors, we could have possibly gone to the council and asked them to allow me to keep both my mates. The two wolves would have shared by the looks of it, neither feeling jealousy of the other over me. The problem is Caden, and how his Alpha wolf will react to another near his mate when she’s marked and even worse, carrying his pup. I feel a stab to my heart. Sharing me whilst I’m unmarked is one thing, but I can already feel Caden’s possessiveness, his need to claim me. His displays of affection are becoming more frequent in front of others, I know it’s not on purpose, it’s just how Alphas are, the more time his wolf spends with me, the more he becomes attached to Skarla and wants to mark what is his.

I release Caden and start to head toward my car, ‘I’ll follow you’ I call over my shoulder seconds before I’m grabbed again and a growl rumbles in my ear.

‘I need to take my mother’s car home’ I huff, trying to turn my head so I can give the Alpha a stern look.

‘No, my car’ he retorts, refusing to release me.

‘And how will my car get back to the pack?’ I ask, matching his look with one of my own.

‘I’ll get one of the guards to drive it back for you’ Caden replies, nuzzling my neck as I feel my resolve weakening.

‘But it’s my responsibility to get it home’ I try once more, fighting the desire to give in to him.

‘Just give up sweetheart’ Hadley murmurs beside me, ‘he wouldn’t let me bring my truck either, bossy a*****e.’

I sigh deeply before nodding, earning a k**s to my cheek as my hand is grabbed in Caden’s and I’m dragged toward his truck, Hadley on my other side.

The Alpha pulls open the passenger door and helps me inside, glaring threateningly at Hadley who just rolls his eyes and climbs in the back.

‘Calm down Star, she can sit up front with you’ he taunts, shutting the door and pulling his seatbelt over him. ‘Still don’t know why we had to come in this d**k extension instead of my truck.’

Caden slides behind the wheel, clipping his seatbelt and watching me fasten mine before turning the key. ‘Because yours has no bloody seatbelts and I want to get my mate to the restaurant in one piece’ he replies.

‘I’ve travelled in Hadley’s truck many times’ I murmur softly, looking out of my window as we move away from the office building and out onto the highway.

‘yeah, and if I had known it was a death trap I’d have said you weren’t going’ the Alpha growls back.

Skarla snorts in my head, she loves her mates but she’s still a sassy Beta wolf and doesn’t like to take orders from anyone.

‘Cobalt said he heard that Skarla’ Caden suddenly grumbled, his eyes flickering to mine, a golden hue around his irises ‘and he said he’s happy to s***k that obstinate streak out of you.’ My cheeks flush as I feel my wolf sink back down quickly, her ears perked forward.

Behind me Hadley chuckles, ‘what?’ I demand, glancing back at him.

The warrior shrugs, ‘Hunter can also hear and feel Skarla’ he replied with a wink, ‘that she wolf just tucked her tail, didn’t she?’

I turn back to the front, crossing my arms over my chest as both my mates laugh at me.

‘Where are we going?’ I finally ask, glancing down at my wrinkled top and creased trousers that I’m pretty sure have a ketchup stain from my lunch earlier.

‘You look perfect’ Caden replies, taking my hand and pulling it into his lap as he drives. ‘We’re not going to some fancy a*s restaurant that needs reservations this time.’ He glances at me with a wink, ‘I get the feeling it’s not your type of place.’

I shake my head, my smile returning to my face, ‘I’m pretty much a burger and fries kinda girl’ I agree.

We pull into a small outdoor shopping area and Caden circles around the building to join a queue as I glance up at the sign ahead. ‘Wendsday’s?’ I giggle, looking back at the two men, ‘your big dinner out is to a Wendsday’s?’

Hadley smirked, ‘technically, it’s a dinner date in the truck’ he replies, ‘we’re getting drive thru.’

I can’t help it. I start to laugh, my shoulders shaking, these two are crazy, but man they’ve pegged me right, I’m a total fast food girl.

We inch our way toward the menu and I scan over the options excitedly, practically salivating over the pictures of junk food that is a few feet from my grasp.

‘What are you having baby?’ Caden’s voice calls from behind me, and I turn to see him looking at me expectantly.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

I grin widely, almost bouncing in my seat, ‘I want a number three, extra cheese, no pickle, large with a soda. Spicy chicken nuggets, some of those deep fried onion rings and a chocolate chunk ice cream’ I rattle off at speed. ‘Please’ I add, blushing, as my mates smile at me.

Turning to the speaker on his side, Caden rattles off my order along with his own before Hadley leans out the back window and shouts his own choices down the length of the car.

Winding the windows back up, we follow the stream of cars until we reach the payment window, the Alpha pulling out his wallet and handing over his pack credit card, growling warningly as Hadley starts to argue.

‘Luna’ he points at me, ‘anything she wants gets paid for by the pack.’

The warrior huffs, ‘I’m not the Luna though, I can pay for my own food.’

Caden rolls his eyes, ‘yeah but Leeway wants you here so that makes you part of what she wants, thus the pack pays, so shut up.’

We reach the last window and Caden takes all the bags, handing them back to Hadley before passing me the drinks and pulling forward into the parking lot and finding a space.

Hadley immediately starts handing out food as I place my and Caden’s drinks in the centre console, handing the warrior’s back to him to place in one of the rear cup holders. In turn, I take my burger and fries, opening up the wrapper and taking the bun off the top before fishing out a fry and dunking it in the burger relish.

‘Oh my Goddess, this is sooooo good’ I m**n, putting the bun back on and taking a huge bite out of the burger, no doubt smearing relish all over my mouth.

The two men laugh, biting into their own burgers and I notice that each has three to my one! And there was me feeling self conscious that I ordered too much food!

Both Caden and Hadley finish all their burgers in the time it takes me to eat one. The Alpha hands me his fries and throws the truck into gear, backing out of the space. ‘You can feed me on the way home’ he says, grinning over at me.

Rolling my eyes, I pull out a fry and hold it out to him, waiting for him to open his mouth before running it over his bottom l*p. Just as he leans forward to bite it, I snatch it back and shove it in my own mouth, smirking at him.

He raises an eyebrow at me, a wicked smile crawling over his own face, ‘you wanna play a game do you Luna?’ he growls as I shake my head quickly.

‘No! I was just hungry’ I reply sweetly. Yeah, it’s not working, dammit, and from the chuckles coming from the back, it seems my other mate isn’t going to save me either.

‘Here you go baby’ I soothe, holding out a new fry, ‘just for you.’

Caden bites into it, pulling it from my fingers before giving me a wink. ‘Don’t think calling me baby is going to help you’ he replies, ‘your next date is with just me and I have very special plans for you now.’

I shiver at his words, glancing back at Hadley who is just leaning back in his seat, arms folded, watching us both in amusement.

‘Don’t you want to come on another double date’ I try again, twisting to give big innocent eyes to the man in the back. ‘Honey?’ I add for good measure, this one can’t say no to me, he’ll agree.

Hadley shakes his head, his grin widening, ‘not going to work sweetheart’ he replies, ‘you’ve disrespected your Alpha, that’s a big no no, even I’m not stepping in the middle of that.’

‘Hadley!’ I whine, throwing myself back in my seat as both men just laugh louder. ‘Come on Caden, I was teasing’ I pout, ‘you don’t really want to punish me?’

The Alpha turns to look at me out of the corner of his eye, his devilishly handsome face telling me that’s exactly what he wants to do. ‘Don’t fight your Alpha baby’ he rumbles, ‘you never know, you might enjoy it.’

I bite down on my lower l*p, trying not to let his words get to me, but I’m pretty sure it’s not working and I now need to change my underwear because my body seems more than happy to be punished by the dominant man beside me.