MY MURDEROUS MATE

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Devyn POV

Well, here I go again. I’m heading back home once again. The strangest things happen in the city. It’s vibrant and full of energy. I’m not even certain why I’m feeling relieved to be leaving the place I longed to be for all my existence.  It must be the stress of rejecting the proposal from Mitch.

In all honesty, once this case has been presented and won, I will accept the proposal. Being married to Mitch will only propel my career and fill the void in my heart. Some say the void is not being with your mate, but I think it is because they aren’t fulfilling their dreams and aspirations.

I pull up to the entrance to the pack territory. The guards do their normal questioning and then link with Duran to confirm that I can enter. I then drive to the house, grab my bags and head to the door. As I reach for the handle, Duran swings the door open with Jori following right behind him.

Duran, “What happened? Are you alright?”

Jori, “Devyn, please tell you what we can do to make it better. You’re like family to us.”

I honestly stand there and just stare at these two whackos. Do they always greet pack members like this?

“Guys, you knew I was coming back. I’m really fine.” I say still looking shocked at their reaction.

Jori, “You never and I do mean never arrive back at the pack early. Something happened so please let us help if we can.”

I release a drawn-out huff, “Fine but can I pee and grab a beer?”

Duran, “If this needs to be private we can meet in my office.”

“No, no, no. It’s just personal drama with humans. You’ll most likely find it entertaining.” I laugh a little as I run to my room to place my bags and go to the bathroom.

My bedroom looks the same. Opening the bathroom, I cannot say the same. It looks like a tornado has touched down. I mean how can two people be so nasty. Really? They didn’t even flush the toilet. I turn and run out of the room to the main floor and use the communal restroom.

Exiting and walking into the family room, I see Duran and Jori already snuggling on the couch. Duran has a beer in hand while Jori is drinking a water because of the pregnancy. Duran motions for me to join. I think about exploding on them about Blayde and his new mate but decide it might not be a good idea right away.

“Long story short as they say. My boyfriend proposed to me.”

Jori, “WHAT?”

Duran, “WHAT?”

They both jump to attention and unilaterally say it together. For two individuals who are the leaders of our pack, they both get rather animated.

“Yeah, it didn’t end well. He left pissed off but I’m not sure if it was because I didn’t say yes or if it was because I was in sweatpants and a sports bra with my hair wet.” I stop there and wait for their faces to go into a WTF look. You guessed, it happened right away.

“See, Mitch was at my loft making dinner when I arrived. I swear he kicks ass making manicotti. It was about 30 minutes before being finished. He suggested we stay in for the night. So, I took a shower and dressed rather casually. He wasn’t impressed. That escalated quickly. He basically threw the ring at me. I said some things, he said some things, he grabs the ring and slams the door on his way out. End of that story.” I wrap it up and look at them both. They haven’t moved or said anything and still have the same look.

Duran, “Dev, you shocked me at sweatpants and sports bra and the rest makes even less sense.”

Jori, “I have to agree with Duran. Why was he upset about your attire? We basically love eating in comfort.”

“I don’t know. Things in the city are just different. People dress up to have dinner alone. I mean, it sets the tone for a romantic evening. I guess he wanted the evening to be special and I ruined it.” I then look down feeling bad about my decision to dress comfortable.

Jori, “That’s the biggest bunch of bullshit I’ve ever heard. DON’T you EVER let a man make you feel like you need to impress him. It should be reciprocated equally and if it was that damn important, then he should have told you beforehand.” This is why I love Jori. She tells it like it is.

Duran, “Look Dev, you’re a very special pack member plus I think of you like a best friend. I don’t like what I just heard either. Don’t ever let someone belittle you into believing you are less. I agree with Jori and I’m glad that you came home to let things clear up. Maybe he’ll have time to think about his actions and miss you.”

I then really laugh out loud, “He went to an island to ‘deal’ with my rejection. In reality, it wasn’t a true rejection. I didn’t say no but I didn’t say yes. See city folk deal with things different than we do. He needs time to sulk and then he’ll be back to normal in a week or so.”

Duran who has this look of disbelief, “Humans are certainly odd. Why would you have to go to an island to sulk? Wouldn’t that be fun? Am I missing something?” I look over and see Jori with the same inquisitive look on her face.

“If I tried to explain humans, we’re going to need a lot more beer than what you brought.” I then get up and walk to the kitchen and grab a 6-pack out of the refrigerator. That still isn’t much but since Jori isn’t drinking, I should be able to explain some human psychology.

An hour goes by with me answering all sorts of questions. Most of them are innocent but some are more in-depth. I don’t have a psychology degree, so I just tell them what my experience has been with the humans. They are also fascinated by my friend Celestial. They can’t believe I would tolerate her but in honesty, she doesn’t know that I see through all of her being fake.

Duran, “Well, still don’t understand them. Us wolves would just growl at one another and if one didn’t back down then we would just fight.”

At this is burst out laughing. Duran is the typical alpha.

Jori, “Is there anything we can do to make your time here more pleasant?”

Bingo! This is my opening to getting my own bathroom. “You are so kind. I really have so little to ask for.” I sit like I’m thinking if there is anything and then like a flash I perk up. “Is there any bedroom anywhere in the packhouse that has a private bathroom? With Blayde and his mate being so newly attached, it is a bit awkward.”

Jori rolls her eyes and I barely caught it, “Oh, yes that mate. She is not very tidy, is she? I can’t believe the pack she came from would allow such filth. Duran, didn’t one of the lead warriors find his mate? I think his room became available and it was a perk for him to have his own bathroom.”

Duran, “Such a clever little mate I have. Yes! Granted. You can move there. The room has already been cleaned and sanitized. The color scheme is back to being plain so if you plan to stay for a while, you are welcome to make changes. But only if you plan to stay.”

“Thank you both so much! I can’t promise how long I’ll stay so I’ll leave the room as it is for now.” I wink at them both. I get up to leave but run over to grab them both by the neck for a group hug. I needed it more than I knew.