Her Brother, Her Mate

Carli POV

I woke up crammed between the back of the couch and Parker’s bulking frame, sweating like a w***e in church. The heat from his body, and the tingles from his touch are stronger than ever, and even though it’s stifling, and I’m all sweaty, I lean into him, smelling his intoxicating scent.

I fight the urge to lick his neck, the delicious scent driving me wild, and try to wiggle out of his hold to attend to my own needs. Bathroom.

“Need some help?” Elena asked me softly. I lean up and see her amused face smirking over a cup of coffee.

“I need to pee,” I hissed at her, making her chuckle.

She offers me a hand and helps pull me over the side of the couch. Parker mutters in his sleep, but just rolls into the space I just was and goes back to snoring softly.

After a bathroom run, and a quick shower to wash the sweat off me, I dressed in a loose shirt and shorts, then joined Elena out in the kitchen.

“Heard you escaped last night,” Elena smirked at me as I got an energy drink from the fridge. I grimace, grab a banana, and join her at the table so she can scold me while I’m eating my breakfast.

“I may have gone out,” I said quietly, taking a bite of the banana.

“Trouble. That should be your middle name. I may just go to the courthouse today while you’re still underage and have it changed to that.”

“Parker made me mad, and I wanted to help the investigation,” I told her.

“I know, sweetie. I’d get stir crazy too. So, did you find anything out?”

“Maybe,” I said hesitantly, looking over to Parker. I shouldn’t keep the information Vincent gave me a secret, but the drive to prove myself by dealing with it alone is still there. I think about the conversation I had with Parker last night, and a small smile graces my lips without realizing it. He’s right. They’re not trying to hold me back, just protect me as best they can. Elena isn’t even mad at me for leaving. Dad was worried, but he wasn’t mad at me either. I’m so used to my mom’s reaction that I hold that same expectation of everyone else. I should open up more, and let them help.

Elena took another long sip of her coffee, giving me time to decide if I wanted to confide in her or not instead of forcing me to tell her. That speaks volumes to me, and I decide to let her in.

“There’s this guy I hooked up with a while ago and-” I tell Elena everything Vincent revealed to us last night. She is shocked to hear about this Satrina being high school lovers with Uncle Nathan, but listens quietly, letting me tell the story fully before commenting.

“Wow,” she says after I finished, “Maybe I should have tried dragging your dad to that club. Though, I doubt this Vincent would have been so forthcoming with me,” she chuckles.

I twirl my energy drink in my hands on the table, “What do you think we should do?”

“Hmm,” she sits back in her chair, “It sounds like we have the upper hand, knowing their plan, considering this Vincent is trustworthy. We could set a trap ourselves?”

“Do you think dad would go for that?”

She laughs softly, “He won’t like it, but if he thinks you will put yourself in danger again by not letting you get involved, he will. The bigger issue will be Alpha Jared. He wants you uninvolved so you don’t show up his son again.”

“Is that why he’s being an a*s to me?” I asked.

“Probably. Who knows, who cares. If your mate is siding with you, and all the rest of the ranked wolves, he will cave,” Elena waved her hand dismissively.

Parker groggily comes into the kitchen just then, “Morning,” he mumbles, bending down and kissing my cheek before going to make himself coffee.

“How’d you sleep?” Elena asked him with a glint in her eye.

He smiles at her, “Great. I heard you guys talking. What kind of trap are we setting?”

~~~

Elena agrees to talk to my dad when he wakes up, getting him on board. I have to be at rehearsal soon, so Parker runs upstairs and gets ready. Casey is riding with us to be safe and Courtney will hang out with Elena until we get back.

Casey and Courtney both strut in with fresh marks on their necks. Casey looks smug and they’re being totally cringy and lovey dovey to one another. Realization sets in for me at the sight of them. Tonight at midnight, I’ll feel the full mate bond. I’m actually excited and not scared for once. After our talk last night, I’m more sure than ever that I want to be with Parker.

~~~

After rehearsal, Parker had to head to training. He told Mitch and Mark to be there, and I knew he was going to give them hell. I almost feel bad, then I remember the disrespect they showed him last night and know they can’t escape his wrath. You can’t be that upfront with your flippancy and not expect an alpha to retaliate. Maybe they think it’s okay because of how big of a p***y Alpha Jared is.

Speaking of Alpha Jared, I got a mindlink from him halfway through rehearsal. A very clipped and formal “Please come speak to me in my office when you get a chance today.”

He cut the link before I could ask why, but now that Parker’s gone to training, and I’m stuck at home waiting for him, now’s as good a time as any to see him.

I knocked on his downstairs office door, hoping he meant here and not upstairs. I don’t want to see my mom and have her yell at me or slap me for last night. I’m sure that’s why Alpha Jared asked to see me, but I could be wrong.

Thank the goddess, he’s down here. He yelled for me to come in.

“You asked for me?”

He offers me a fake polite smile, “Yes, come have a seat, Claris-, Carli,” he quickly corrects himself. I rolled my eyes and sat in one of the chairs across from him.

“I want to ask you again to move back into the Alpha quarters with us. I know why you’re hesitant, but I think it’s for the best.”

I scoffed in disbelief. “This is what you wanted to talk to me about?”

He sits back unnerved, “I think you could learn how to be a proper Luna from Mary, and I know Parker would like you to be with him. You will be turning 18 tomorrow. It’s time to be with your mate.”

I almost laughed. This is the first time he has ever acknowledged my birthday. I was surprised he knew what day it was. “No thank you,” I simply said.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

“Carli, it’s for the best. Your mother wants-”

“My mother is Elena. Mary has never acted like a mom to me, and I’m not sure why she is trying to get me to move back in now when she was so adamant about me moving out.”

“You need to learn to be a proper Luna. You need to stop trying to be a warrior when your place-”

“I am a warrior. I bet I could even kick your a*s. I’m not moving in with you or that woman, so stop trying to make me.”

“I’m telling you, if you want to be Luna of this pack you should tone down the butch image you’re going for and start acting like a lady. You should be like your mother, staying at the packhouse and taking care of the she-wolf stuff, like cleaning schedules, dinner menus, organizing parties. You have no business as a future Luna going out and doing the men’s work,” Alpha Jared berates me.

“Protecting my pack when I’m the most qualified to do it is not how a Luna should act? Are you hearing yourself? You’re putting your male pride over your pack right now. Maybe you should act more like an alpha.” I sneered.

His nostrils flared, and for the first time ever I think I actually got to him. “I command you to stand down, Clarissa.”

That f*****g name again. I could feel the weight of his command, but the second he called me Clarissa, that weight was lifted. I bear my teeth at him, boring my hatred for this man into my intense glare. “I, CARLI Childes, renounce Crystal Moon Pack, and you, Jared Snider-”

“STOP!” he yells at me, his nostrils flaring and he’s panting in his panic. He stopped me right before my allegiance was torn. “You will not hurt my son or my mate by renouncing your pack!”

I sneered at him, “I will if you try to command me like that again. Next time, use my real name and it might be more effective.”

I got up, and stormed out of his office, slamming the door behind me.