Her Brother, Her Mate

Hadley POV

“Tootles!” Simone calls from the open window of her husband’s Jaguar I-Pace, “Let’s do this again soon! We can invite Carli over to talk more about her diamond-studded nethers,” she giggles. Vincent’s arm snakes around her waist, pulling her back in as she is leaning too far out.

“Let’s not!” I yelled, thoroughly exhausted from my informative sleepover with the monsters. I feel like I had just left the Adam’s family. It took Simone morphing into some wolf in the middle of their living room for me to finally fully believe what they were telling me.

Freaks. She’s a fun freak, but still insane. After seeing her as a giant dog in her living room, that is how I’m picturing her now with her head stuck out Vincent’s window. Like a yappy dog with its head out the window.

After the initial shock and freakout from learning all this craziness, Simone and I really did have fun. She painted our faces with this sticky black face mask, then we both laughed hysterically trying to pull it off. It dried on like a second skin. The stuff should come with a warning label and a last will and testament package from a local lawyer.

Vincent went to bed after he knew I was done with my freak out, and Simone and I crashed on her stylish but very uncomfortable couch. I think she was too drunk to notice and I was too exhausted to go back to the guest room she showed me earlier.

They had to go pick up their daughter, who I learned is a vampire and werewolf hybrid. Vincent was talking about taking his princess out for brunch while Simone worked. Very sweet, but still freaky as hell thinking about their daughter as a hybrid monster.

I have work today, and Simone loaded me an outfit for the day. A fitted work dress in ivory with gold accents and stitching. She tried to trade me shoes, but I like mine and I know if she borrowed them I would never see them again. She was fawning over them too much.

Coming into the resort, I was early, so I decided to stop at the cafe and get a latte. Walking in, I was startled when I saw Mark nursing a cup by the open plane window. I thought about turning around, too scared to confront him yet knowing what he and his brother are and what they were to me, but the look on his face twisted my heart.

He looks so worn out and depressed, like the weight of the entire world is on his shoulders.

I walked a deep, steadying breath, then walked towards his table. When I’m about halfway there, his head turns and his eyes meet mine. My heart involuntarily skips a beat and my breath hitches. He stills, like he can’t believe I’m there before him.

“Hadley,” he breathed out, bringing me back to my senses.

I offered him a small smile, walking right up to him. “Mind if I have a seat?”

He freezes for a split second, then stumbles out of his chair, making it fall backward with a loud clang, cursing under his breath, and walking around me and the small table to pull the other chair out for me.

“You didn’t have to do that. I was just wanting to know if I could join you. I didn’t mean to fluster you or make you get up,” I told him softly, averting my gaze to hide my heated cheeks.

“No, no. I mean, I don’t mind,” he stammers, holding the chair, waiting for me to sit.

I nodded and smiled at him, sitting down. He pushes the chair in for me slightly, and I can see that his hands are slightly shaking.

“I, uh, didn’t expect to see you here,” he tells me nervously, righting his chair and sitting back down.

“I work here,” I looked up at him through my lashes, a teasing smirk spreading on my face.

“Right,” he rubs his jaw and laughs awkwardly.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” I told him cheekily, making him smile.

“I do live here,” he smirks.

“Right,” I nodded dramatically, then giggled.

His smile stretches as I laugh, pulling at something inside me. I guess it’s the bond, the thing Simone and Vincent spent 30 minutes explaining to me last night. The mate bond. That’s right; I’m his and Mitchel’s mate.

“Can I, uh, get you anything?” he asks, pointing to the barista.

I gnaw on my l*p, “I was coming in to get a latte.”

“A latte,” he jumps back up, making his chair fall again. “s**t,” he mutters under his breath, picking it up.

I nod, trying to repress my giggles and doing a bad job of it. I like him much more like this, all flustered and nervous than I did when I first saw him. He’s adorable.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“A latte. Right. What kind?”

“I like the cinnamon dolce latte with almond milk and a touch of honey,” I asked shamelessly, excited about seeing him flustered over remembering all of my order. He mouths it over and over again, walking up to the counter and saying the order, starting with “almond milk and a touch of honey, cinnamon dolce latte,” him speaking up in the middle of chanting it.

The barista gives him a goofy look, then looks over at me and waves, knowing the order is for me. I order the same thing every time I come in here.

“Want to add her almond biscotti with it? She gets it with her latte every time,” Sean asks him.

Mark nodded, giving him a grateful smile before paying.

While Mark is waiting at the counter for Sean to make my drink, I study him. He looked tired, his eyes red-rimmed and shadows beneath them. His hair isn’t in it’s usual neat style and he is wearing the same clothes that he wore last night. Did he not go home last night? When I left with Simone, did he really fight with his brother?

Did he go home with a girl?

Vincent and Simone both said that he wouldn’t be able to. Mitch and Mark wouldn’t be able to sleep with someone else without me feeling it. I would feel an intense pain in my chest, the bond tearing up inside of me from the infidelity.

Doubt still fills me, though. Why else would he be so tired and wearing the same clothes he was wearing yesterday?

When he got my drink and biscotti, he walked back to the table, his steps faltering and his face dropping when he saw the look on my face.

“What….what’s wrong?”

He sets the latte and food in front of me, then takes his seat.

“You’re wearing the same clothes you were wearing last night,” I told him in a leveled voice.

He looks down at his outfit, brows drawn down as he thinks about what I said, then worry and anxiety replace his confusion.

“No, no. I didn’t…. I mean….I was at my parents’ all night. I walked down with my brothers and wanted coffee before going back up and getting some sleep. You can ask mom. I was with my family all night. You have to believe me, Hadley. I wouldn’t….”

My face softens and guilt fills me to see him freak out. I reached across the table, gripping his hand in mine to help rein back in his wayward emotions. Those weird electric currents I feel with Mitchel I feel with Mark too. He looks down at where my hand is touching his, then turns his hand over to hold mine.

He takes a deep, calming breath, my touch soothing him, just like Simone said it would.

“Simone wasn’t kidding. This mate bond stuff is so freaky,” I said under my breath.

Mark startled, looking up with surprise shooting across his face.

“You know?”