Heart's Desire

Chapter 9 - Monty

"Gracie..." I go and wrap her in a hug. "Congratulations, girl. Did you ask, or she?"

"She did," Grace answers, her voice muffled by my chest, which is as high as the top of her head. I release her and she grins up at me. "Took my by surprise and everything. Julian's been giving me hell about it all week."

"What? Why?"

She laughs. "Long time ago, we promised each other we'd never get married — that marriage was just a stupid old relic of an outdated patriarchy, and we'd stay free and wild and grow old and die together. Now look at us."

"Guess that girl's got you wrapped around her finger," I say.

Grace smirks. "She sure does. In all the ways."

I cough. Grace's favorite pastime seems to be making grown men blush.

"Well, congrats again. Kit an' I'll be at the party, for sure."

She smiles and turns to Kit, who's been watching and listening with wide, curious eyes, and reaches out to tug on one of his tightly coiled springs of golden hair. "You better be. Don't wanna miss my signature blackberry barbecue sauce. I'll even commit blasphemy and put it on some tofu for you, Monty." 

She winks, and I laugh.

"Well, don't go risking your soul on my account, but I'm looking forward to it.  Pass my congratulations on to Chloe — you gals deserve all the happiness."

"Nah, not all of it." She grins and hits my arm playfully. "You deserve some, too."

I laugh again — a bit self-consciously — and we say our goodbyes.

As we drive home, Kit speaks up on his own for the first time.

"What is Grace?" he asks.

"What do you mean?"

"She isn't a Wolf."

"Oh — no, she isn't. She's a librarian."

"A...?"

"She's human, I mean."

"Oh."

A few minutes pass in silence, and then he speaks again.

"Is everyone here like them, and...your brothers?"

"Like what?"

I glance over at him and see his cheeks tinged dark copper again.

"Mated. With someone who's...the same."

"Oh, that. Well, I guess maybe more than you'd expect. Grace is all about girls, and so is Chloe, I think. Most of my siblings are...open minded, I guess." I shrug. "Like, if we met the right person and fell in love, and knew they were our heart's mate, sex or gender wouldn't matter. Noah calls it 'pansexual,' or 'pan-romantic,' in his case. He and Dane are the only ones with same-sex mates, though."

"Are you like that?" he asks, his voice quiet but keen with curiosity.

"Uh..." I shift awkwardly and put my window down for some air. For such a timid guy, he sure is forward with the questions. "Well... I've dated girls and guys before, but I don't know if I've got a preference."

The truth is, my lack of experience is embarrassing. While it's not uncommon for Wolves to have only one or two relationships before choosing a Mate, it is unusual for a Wolf to get to my age without having done so.

Fortunately, he seems satisfied with my answer, and falls silent. We're almost home when he speaks again.

"You're lucky," he says. "When my pack found out I couldn't take a female mate, they hated me even more than they already did. Giving me to Ferrault was just the final punishment; since I wasn't good for anything else, I might as well be his toy."