Nadia giggled until it turned into a full-blown laugh. She laid her head on my chest and patted it lightly.
“Anaki, you’re hilarious. I’m guessing you are close with Bear?”
“Close? I’m his bestie!” He stuck out his chest.
I knew nothing about being hisbestie. We were close; we shared our woes, and sure we got along. I was the grumpier one, while he was the one that did funny shit that would make me laugh… sometimes. I think most of all it was that we weren’t wolves. We needed time in the forest. He had a cave around here near a lake he would often go hide in, and he would come here for dinner or watch television with me.
Anaki was a strange one, bright and happy on the outside but dark within. I knew he had his own demons he fought that no one else knew about. He was weak, just like the rest of us, and he craved a mate more than anyone at the club.
Anaki cleared his throat. “Anyway, I have some things I need to speak to the both of you about if you guys could be serious for once.”
I growled, and Nadia started laughing again.
“First off, Bones is really pissed at you, Bear. He wanted me to let you know you are an asshole and that the next time you try to take his last ball off, he would put laxatives in your beer.”
Nadia snorted and covered her hands with her mouth until she gasped.
“Wait… only one—”
“Yes, he only has one nut,” Anaki droned. “Those communal showers you get to see everyone’s scars and junk. Poor guy. That’s probably why his mate rejected him. Less potency maybe? I don’t know. I’m not into all that anatomy stuff.”
“That’s so sad. And that can’t be the reason. He could still impregnate someone.” Nadia’s voice was so tender as she spoke of Bones with such sympathy.
It pissed me off.
I didn’t want her to give anyone else any sympathy.
Especially to that one balled doctor who tries to talk to my mate alone and can’t follow orders.
I’m her mate. No one else.
I counted in my head, trying to remain calm.
I shook my head. “Shifter world differs from the human one. They see it as a deformity, a weakness. I don’t know if that is the reason. Our rejections are private stories. We don’t share them. We just know he only has one. He jokes about it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was part of his rejection.”
My mate’s demeanor turned sad, and I shifted her face to mine with my finger. “Don’t worry, he will find his mate. Journey, who has a direct line to the Goddess, promised. Now that I have you, I really believe that.”
Nadia smiled, and I leaned down and gave her a kiss.
“Anyway!” Anaki raised his voice. “He also said he left his bag here. It’s got birth control pills in it. Wink, wink, wink.”
Nadia turned her head into my chest. I could feel her heated cheeks against me.
“That’s enough. Don’t embarrass her,” I growled.
“What sex is normal? Don’t you want to do the down-and-dirty, little miss? I bet he will fill you up real good, especially with that anaconda between his legs. Let me tell you the horror stories in the communal showers with that thing—” He laughed and slapped his knee.
I placed my mate on the couch and stood up over Anaki, gripped his neck, and pulled him from the chair. I tightened my grip around him, my claws extending. My vision went red, and I could feel my grizzly in my head chanting to kill him.
“Disrespect,”he snarled. “No one disrespects our mate.”
I tried to push him back, but his strength was strong. The rush of adrenaline, feeling the fur extend down our arms, our legs, I could even feel the shirt ripping as our muscles expanded.
“Bear, please no!” Nadia’s voice grew louder, her arms wrapping around the one holding Anaki by the neck.
Anaki choked, holding on to my wrists to hold himself up.
“Please, Teddy, don’t hurt him. He was only joking. I like him as a friend, please don’t. Let him go, please!” my mate begged.
