Ayla giggles. “I think the ladies will be bummed if you do that. I’ve heard them talking about you. I know of five already who are determined to get in your bed tonight.”
“Only five?” I joke. “I need to step up my game.”
She slaps my arm playfully. Ayla knows I’m not serious. Having women fall at my feet is gratifying, and it leaves me satiated after several rounds of fucking, but there are times when it’s not enough. I want more.
“Who do you think it’ll be tonight?” Ayla asks.
Chuckling, I bump her with my shoulder and wink. “I’ll figure that out when the time comes.”
Her smile slowly fades, and she sighs. “It’s a shame things didn’t work out with you and Sierra.”
My thoughts drift to Sierra, and regret settles in my chest. We grew up together and were lovers for a while, but the mating signs never appeared. Everyone in the pack thought it would happen, but after a year, there was nothing. Did I love her while we were together? Yes, but it wasn’t enough for the Great Luna to match us up. Sierra has the biggest heart of anyone I know, and she’s strong as hell. She’d make a great mate for an alpha.
“I hate it didn’t either,” I say in all honesty.
Ayla shrugs. “I think she still has feelings for you. Not that it matters, but I thought you should know.”
I’ve known for a while. Sierra works at the winery and restaurant when she’s not at her nursing job. When she’s around, I can sense her desire. She never acts upon those feelings, and I don’t take advantage of her; I respect her.
Cameron waves me over, and I put on a smile. Ayla claps my back as I walk away. “Have fun.”
I join Cameron behind the bar, and the lust is so thick in the room I can barely breathe it in without my dick twitching. It’s a good thing I’m behind the bar. For an unmated male wolf, having someone want you that bad is a turn-on like no other. So far, I haven’t experienced the Rage yet, but it’ll happen one day if I don’t find my mate. Having sex is what quells the Rage, but it only satisfies you for a short time. Finding your true mate is the only cure. Sometimes the Rage turns wolves into deadly killing machines, and they have to be put down when that happens. I haven’t had to do that to any of my wolves, but I know of other alphas who have. I hope like hell it never happens to any in my pack.
“All right, ladies, it looks like my partner has decided to join us,” Cameron calls out. He elbows me in the side. “I think we should start them out with the Riesling. What do you think?”
I hand him the bottle of Riesling, which happens to be the favorite of my white wines. “Sounds like a good idea.”
He pours all eight women a swig of the wine, and some of them savor the taste while others toss it back, clearly only wanting to get drunk and have a good time. Cameron stands next to me and talks low so the women can’t hear him. “This is insane. I can’t fucking concentrate. They all want us.”
“Yes, I know,” I whisper under my breath.
Cameron turns his back to look at the wines behind us. “You better watch out. The bride clearly wants you. Guess the groom ain’t handling business the way he should.”
My eyes instantly find the bride, and she smiles, biting her bottom lip seductively. She slides her caramel-colored hair off her shoulder, giving me the perfect view of her breasts. Out of all the women here, she’s the sexiest with curves in all the right places. She made sure to show off those magnificent curves in that skintight, black dress of hers. The bride leans over and whispers something in her maid of honor’s ear, and they both giggle. Little do they know, I heard exactly what was said.
Clearing my throat, I move closer to Cameron, who pops the cork to the bottle of Pinot. “The maid of honor called dibs on you.”
Cameron glances over at her, and she winks at him. “Sweet. I’ll take it.”
Once the wine tasting is over, we have a room full of drunk women. I had Ayla all set to call in Ubers for them, but the ladies already had that covered. A couple of my younger pack members who work as busboys at the restaurant, Ethan and Isaac, clear away the glasses and wipe up all the tables. The ladies congregate outside, clearly waiting on us to join them. I watch a few of them leave with their Uber drivers, but the bride and maid of honor are still here.
Cameron slaps me on the shoulder. “I’m going out there.”
I laugh. “Go. I’ll be right there.”
Once he’s outside, the door that connects the winery and the bistro opens, and my mother walks through looking not a day over thirty-five. In human years, she’s one hundred and fifty-six with dark brown hair and not a gray strand in sight. I inherited my bright blue eyes from her.
“You’re here late,” I say, glancing down at my phone to look at the time. It’s ten o’clock.
She waves me off. “I was in the neighborhood dropping off some of my homemade jam to Mikael and Lianna. She had a craving for strawberry and blackberry preserves, so I finished a batch and took it straight over.”
Mikael and Lianna are two of my wolves who completed their bond a few months ago. They had always been friends, but one day the mating signs appeared out of nowhere. Now they’re expecting their first-born child in the spring.
“I’m sure they appreciated that,” I add.
Stopping in front of me, she nods. “I think Lianna had the jar of strawberry preserves halfway eaten before I even left.”
We both laugh, and I shake my head. “I’m happy for them.”
My mother’s smile grows sad. “I know you are. I keep hoping it’ll happen for you.”
Leaning against the table, I cross my arms over my chest. “It will. Until then, I’m going to live my life.”
She turns her head toward the window and sighs as she looks out at the two women with Cameron. “Yeah, I see that. Not that I blame you.” Her focus lands on me again. “All I want is for you to be happy.”
I uncross my arms and rest my hands on her shoulders. “I am happy. The winery is all I need right now.”
She hugs me tight. “Your father and I are so proud of what you’ve done here. The best decision we ever made was handing it over to you.”
“Thanks,” I say, squeezing her back. “That means a lot.”
After letting me go, she pats my cheek. “All right, I’m headed home.” Her eyes cut over to the window again. “Don’t get into any trouble tonight.”
“I don’t plan on it.”
She walks back through the winery into the bistro, and I can hear her truck rev up as she drives away. Cameron has his arm around the maid of honor’s waist by the time I get outside, and I know they’re ready to leave.
Cameron throws his free hand in the air. “I’m out, brother. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The maid of honor winks at the bride, and then she and Cameron get in his car and speed out of the parking lot. The bride, whose name is Willa, sashays over and slides a dark burgundy fingernail down the front of my shirt.
“We’re finally alone,” she murmurs, pressing her body against mine. “I may be getting married tomorrow, but all I could think about tonight was you.” She lifts her chin, bringing her lips close to mine. “This is my last chance to be free and do whatever I want. I’m sure you can figure out what that is.”