Page 5 of Slade's Feisty Mate
Gretchen closed the distance between them and knelt in front of him. She was even more beautiful up close. Her eyes were green like spring grass, flecked with gold. Her hair was like melted rubies and sunshine. She smelled sweet like butterscotch, and he wanted to find out if she tasted just as sweet. He purred and she smiled, her eyes darkening.
“Wow, that’s sexy. I wish I could purr.” She stroked his ears and rubbed his nose. “Those are some wicked looking canines. I bet you’re an amazing hunter.”
His cat was so pleased that their mate was happy that his cat was trying to get Slade to roll over so she could scratch their belly. Which he was not fucking doing with other males in the lobby. Ducking his head, he bumped her knee and then gestured toward the elevators.
“Oh, right. Let’s go, sexy.”
She straightened, and he moved to walk between her and the males. “Don’t you have responsibilities, Gretchen?” one of the wolves said.
“I’m almost done with the alpha’s work, Farley. I’ll call my cousin and have her finish up.”
The male didn’t seem to like her answer, but she ignored him, walking swiftly to the elevators where Slade’s family waited. “Are you going to be in trouble?” Lia asked as the elevator doors opened and they moved inside.
“No. A pack is visiting, and we’re putting them up in the hotel. I had to move some reservations and upgrade some people to free up a whole floor, but it’s no big deal. I’m guessing I’ll be a little busy with Slade. Chloe can finish up my to-do list. I just need to give her a call.”
“I can help, too. I don’t think I’ll be busy since I’ll still be waiting for Galen to find his mate.”
“What? Why would you have to wait for your brother?”
“It’s how it works for our kind. Mates are found in age order. We’re actually supposed to have mate dreams that lead us to our mates, but I guess since Alaric found Aubrey, when Slade saw you, his cat just reacted and he didn’t get the dreams,” Aubrey said.
“That’s…weird. I suppose, though, that there are people who think there are weird things about wolves. Offhandedly, though, mating dreams and passing out when you meet your mate tops the list for me,” Gretchen said.
“To be fair, Alaric didn’t pass out when he met Aubrey. That’s all Slade,” Galen said.
Slade growled darkly, and Galen made a face at him. “As if you’d kill me in front of your new mate.”
The door opened and Gretchen said, “I guess I’ll see you Sunday morning?”
Lia held up her cell. “I’ve got your number. Welcome to the family, by the way.”
“Thanks,” Gretchen said.
When the door shut, Slade rose on his hind legs and braced his paws on either side of his mate’s head against the shiny, wood interior. He nuzzled her neck, careful not to scratch her with his canines. A purr rumbled from his chest, and she giggled and rubbed her palms over his fur.
“Me with a big cat,” she said softly, tilting her head to give him better access. “Now that’s not something I ever expected.”
He licked her throat, and she shivered, the scent of her arousal spiking in the air. There was a soft tone before the door slid open on their floor. Slade lowered himself and followed her out. She was wearing tight jeans and a long-sleeved top with some kind of swirly design on it. He watched her butt as they walked. Man he was one lucky cat. His mate was too sexy for words.
Using the thumb pad, she unlocked her door and let him in. He bumped against the doorjamb, leaving his scent. The room was small but tastefully decorated. As he walked into the family room, he bumped against the furniture. He wanted to make sure that anyone who came into her home knew she belonged to him.
“Are you really putting your scent on my stuff? That’s such an alpha-male thing to do,” she said from the kitchenette before she bent over and looked in the mini fridge. Slade padded over and bumped the back of her knee. She squealed and then laughed, pushing away his head. “I’m going to order some stuff from room service. I already ate my leftovers and I had them send up some things to your other room.”
He followed her to the couch and, after she made him swear not to claw up her furniture, they sat down and she ordered raw steaks and a chocolate milk shake. Settling back against the couch, he put his head in her lap and purred.
“We’ve got about twenty minutes until the food arrives. How about I give you the skinny on me and then when you shift back, you can tell me about yourself?”
As if he’d waste time talking once he returned to his human form. Not hardly. The cat and the man were in firm agreement—as soon as possible, he was going to mate Gretchen.
* * *
Gretchen felt like an idiot, but she kept talking about herself to the saber-tooth tiger on her couch. He was a beautiful cat. He had a white underbelly, and his thick, coarse fur was golden with dark brown marks. His tail reminded her of a lion, but he was definitely not like any lion she’d ever seen, especially with those two huge canines that curved out of his mouth.
“My parents live on pack lands, which are the wooded areas in town. My pack has the territory on the north side of Belle Terra. There’s another alpha named Sky, who has the south side territory. Alpha Johner and his mate live in the main house. When the hotel was built and Aubrey was made the manager, I was really excited to come live here. I think the wolves, at least my parents’ generation, are happy to live and work with the pack their whole lives, but I wanted something more exciting. The hotel is so much fun. I get to meet all sorts of interesting visitors, and on this floor are supes who either don’t have any living family, like Dredge, a warlock, or Serena the fairy who was exiled from her home because she wouldn’t marry who her king chose for her. I guess I have it easy considering how bad some others have it. Still…my alpha told me tonight that he wanted me to meet this visiting pack, and although he didn’t come right out and say it, I think he wanted me to find a mate whether I felt a truemate connection or not.”
Slade growled and his upper lip curled. She stroked the short, soft fur of his ears and shushed him.
“Obviously, it’s a moot point now anyway, but I think it’s strange and kind of sucky that my alpha didn’t encourage me to find my truemate. As if it would be perfectly fine for me to just pick a wolf randomly and mate him. I wanted more for my life than that.”