The Mating Rules

Jamie-Lee’s POV

We’ve been at the Starlight club for an hour, it’s mostly wolves, but there are also a few witches and vampires that have peace treaties with our kind hanging around the edge of the dance floor.

We are already a few drinks in and are currently dancing in a group, our arms in the air as the music drums out every other sound in the place.

Bailee has a cocktail clasped in her hand, the liquid sloshing over the side of the plastic cup as she screams the words to the song excitedly.

Ashleigh is swaying her h**s to the beat, her hands rubbing down her body seductively, lost in her own moment.

I’m moving to the music, immersing myself in the tune, my problems pushed to one side for just a moment, letting me take a breath.

‘I need a drink’ Ashleigh yells in my ear, drawing my attention to her as I nod, it’s so freaking hot in here. I reach out and grab my sister’s wrist, lifting my free hand to my lips to mime drinking.

She gives me a thumbs up, following us both as we weave our way off the dance floor and head to the bar at the back of the room.

‘This is wild!’ Bailee squeals as we reach the bar, leaning against the sticky surface, the result of many spilled drinks already tonight.

I nod as Ashleigh leans over the dark mahogany structure separating us from the staff and yells in the bartender’s ear for two shots.

The girl behind the bar nods, grabbing two glasses and pouring some blue liquid into them before shoving them toward my best friend, who picks them up, handing one to me whilst throwing back the other.

Following her lead, I did the same, the liquor burning its way down my throat as I choke.

‘Yeah! My sister is finally letting her hair down’ Bailee cheered, chugging the remainder of her cocktail and signaling to the bartender for three more shots.

‘Do not get drunk Bails’ I yell over the music sternly, ‘if you puke, I am not holding your hair out of the way.’

The teenager flips me off grinning, before picking up a shot glass and pushing it into my hand, ‘lighten up woman, you aren’t mated yet, you can still have fun’ she replies loudly before giggling.

Shaking my head at her, I grin as I throw back the drink, a warmth filling me, this one not burning as much as the first did.

‘Ladies’ came a voice behind me, making me jump slightly as I spun around, taking a step away as I find a tall werewolf crowding me, leering in my direction.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Behind him, two more warriors walk up behind him, one with light brown hair, licking his lips as he stares at my sister, the other, a black haired guy, eyeing Ashleigh with interest.

I step to the side, blocking my sister from their view, ‘I’m sorry’ I say firmly, ‘were you trying to get to the bar, we’ll move out of your way.’

I quickly usher toward the two girls behind me, silently encouraging them to move away, as a rough hand lands on my wrist, tightening around my skin and making me cringe.

It seems now I have a mate, or two, as the case may be, any other werewolf touching me with familiarity makes my stomach churn. Inside my head, Skarla is growling warningly, her hackles up at the audacity of a man that is not her mate touching us.

‘Please remove your hand’ I growl, glaring up at him.

The man in front of me grins, showing sharp canines, ‘now that’s not very friendly’ he chides. ‘We’re just here having a good time, and you speak to us like dirt.’ He glances back at his friends, frowning, his grip tightening on me. ‘I feel offended guys’ he says, ‘how about you? They don’t even know us and they think we aren’t good enough to have a conversation with.’

‘She spoke down to you Owen’ the black haired guy grunted back, his gaze still on Ashleigh over my shoulder.

I yank at my wrist, trying to throw him off, ‘I am not offending you,’ I snap, ‘I don’t know you and I do not wish to talk to you, my mate would be unhappy with me talking to another wolf.’

I realise my mistake, the minute I close my mouth, as all eyes turn to my unmarked neck. A cruel smile crawls over the man’s face as he pulls on my wrist, dragging me toward him and wrapping an arm around me, pinning my back to his chest.

‘Well well well’ he purrs in my ear, ‘you mention a mate but yet I see no mark.’ He tuts as if disappointed. ‘So if you are old enough to have called to your mate, the question is, did he not respond, and you lied to me or did he reject you meaning you are free to be claimed by another?’

I try to thrash against him, my gaze moving to my sister who is also caged by one of the werewolves, his tongue licking up her neck as she shivers in disgust. Ashleigh is also being held, but her captor isn’t trying anything and I realise that her mark is on full display. If anyone tries to hurt her, Dexter will be immediately notified through the bond, so the wolf holding her is being careful.

‘Let me go, I do have a mate!’ I growl, ‘and he’s an Alpha so you really don’t want to get on his wrong side.’

Behind me, Owen laughs, ‘oh an Alpha’ he repeats, his friends laughing coarsely with him. ‘It’s funny that, they always say they have an Alpha mate, every single one, yet no Alpha has ever appeared while we have our fun.’

My stomach lurched at his words, they’d done this before, other innocent she wolves had been grabbed by these assholes.

‘What about you gorgeous’ my captor croons toward my sister, ‘do you have an Alpha mate?’

Bailee’s eyes widen as she shakes her head quickly. ‘She’s underage, let her go’ I snarl, my claws extending of their own accord as Skarla tries to take over. It’s only the alcohol that we’ve drank that’s numbing her abilities to shift, our drink is lightly spiked with wolfsbane. Not enough to hurt us but sufficient to stop us from shifting into our wolves, as no establishment wants three hundred drunk wolves shifting and fighting on their premises.

‘Underage?’ the man murmurs curiously, his own claws out as he traces one down the side of my face, ‘but this is an over twenty one club, so I know you have to be lying. Plus, she’s been throwing back those drinks like water. That’s not the stamina of an innocent she wolf on her first night out.’

‘She is! She’s eighteen’ I yell, panic smothering me as I watch my sister’s fear amplify, the werewolf holding her now running his nose up her neck, smelling her.

No werewolf can mark an underage she wolf unless she is his mate. Any wolf that tries to do so, will cause the she wolf unimaginable pain as their mark is forcefully rejected and fades from the she wolf’s skin. The pain can actually kill the woman as her wolf isn’t fully mature it’s why the laws about claiming exist. You must be twenty one to recognise your mate so you cannot be marked before then as there were cases of wolves that were positive their girlfriend would be their mate, marked them before their birthday, and turned out to be wrong. I desperately need to get this guy to release my sister, if he marks her, especially against her will, she could die.

‘What do you think Mitch?’ my space invader calls out, the guy holding my sister grunting in response as a hand snakes up her stomach and squeezes her breast.

‘I think she’d make a pretty addition to my bed’ he growled back, squeezing harder as Bailee whimpers in terror.

‘See, Mitch likes her and, as I trust my brother’s judgment more than even my own, I’m thinking she’s just the right age for him’ Owen rumbles dangerously. ‘I have to admit, I like your feistiness too, maybe I’m ready to settle down as well.’

I reach up and scratch the werewolf’s face just as a piercing scream leaves my sister’s lips. Owen releases me as he grabs his cheek with a howl of pain and I drag my gaze to my sister who has sunk to the floor, her hand on her neck as she screams and screams in agony. Above her, Mitch is looking down at her, grinning widely, b***d dripping from his mouth as he licks his lips clean.

A growl of fury leaves me, the bastard marked her, he marked my sister! I launch at the werewolf, my claws slicing through the air as his eyes snap to me, widening just as I swipe through his throat.

‘You f*****g b***h’ Owen roars behind me, arms wrapping around me as my hair is grabbed, forcing my head to the side. ‘I’ll teach you to keep your claws to yourself.’

I can feel his filthy breath on my neck, in my peripheral vision I can just make out Ashleigh fighting with the third werewolf. I’m struggling with everything I have, shaking my head, ignoring the pain, trying everything to keep his teeth away from my neck. I know the mark won’t hold, but it will hurt me just as much as Bailee’s is, rendering me unable to protect myself. I need to get away from this man, not just to protect myself, but I need to get to Bailee, to help her.

I felt teeth graze my neck just as a thundering growl shook the entire club around us. My knees started to give way, I knew that growl, he was here, even though i’d snuck out, Caden had found me.

The arms around me loosened just a fraction as I felt the wolf behind me freeze, recognising the sound of a very pissed off Alpha wolf.