Chapter 31

The two couples walking into the hotel's formal dining room commanded attention. Both men drew the eye of every female present. They were the envy of most of the men present. They were what a lot of women wanted. They were large, muscular, and carried an air of authority and danger. The two women were watched just as much. One of the women was taller than the other and dressed in a royal blue dress with a fitted bodice, fitting snuggly around her slightly larger than average chest. Her long red hair fell in waves to the middle of her back and her freckles didn't detract in the least from her beauty. If anything, it enhanced it and gave her an air of quiet confidence and beauty.

The other woman was small in stature and barely reached the middle of her companion's chest. Her dark hair was coiffed into an elaborate braided twist at the back of her head and had two small tendrils framing her face, drawing attention to her cheekbones and full lips. Her complexion was flawless, her deep blue eyes framed with thick natural lashes. She was dressed in a black full length dress with a slit up to the top of her thigh. Both women had a thick gold chain around their necks and on them hung a large diamond.

As they were shown to their table, whispers followed them as people were trying to figure out who these two couples were. Surely, they had been in the society pages. Someone had to know who they were. Their very height alone drew attention. Making them memorable. As the people watching the two couples walked up to a secluded table in the back of the dining room. Eyes widened and speculative comments were made as Graeham Dylan Frazier stood and greeted the two men with a warm handshake and hugs. The women were also hugged. But they were also greeted with a kiss on their cheeks. Both smiled and returned his affection.

So people took photos, some recorded. But, they would never forget the two couples. People also noticed the five large men that followed the two couples, which were undoubtedly their security. Anyone who saw the couple knew that the security was for the women. The two men were too dangerous to need security. It rolled off of them, and no one in the dining room wanted to disturb them.

"Well, you four caused quite the stir." Anders said, smiling

Miney reached out and patted the hands of her sons. "I am so proud of you both. You are both wonderful men and your father and I are very proud of you." Both men smiled as only men who are being bragged on by their mom can.

"Wow," Amber said, grinning. "Rio, if your head got any bigger then you wouldn't fit through the door of our suite."

Charlotte smirked, "So true. Jaxson my love, don't let it go to your head."

Graeham watched the interactions of his granddaughter and her new family. Thinking back to earlier in the afternoon when the two loud roars had sounded throughout their floor. It had shaken him to his core. They had sounded triumphant and vaguely possessive. He had watched his new friends, Anders and Jasmine, or Miney as she liked to be called, had looked at each other and smiled a very satisfied smile at each other.

"What was that?"

Anders poured himself and Graeham a measure of the fine quality scotch whisky that was in the room and handed it to the other man. "That my friend, is the mating roar. Bears are usually louder than others. The wolves are almost just as loud. Foxes sound like a little girl laughing and the cheetahs scream. They say that lions are just as loud as we are. But, I've never heard one." Raising his glass in the other man's direction, Anders drank his.

Graeham was looking somewhat flustered and Miney felt a bit sorry for him. "I don't imagine that you encounter situations that you are not sure how to deal with or handle. Thankfully, this should be the last time that you will experience it." She said gently.

"So, they ....they .." He really didn't want to think about his granddaughter doing things like that.

"Yes, that is exactly what they did, Graeham. Your granddaughter is now officially our daughter." Anders smiled gently. "I always wanted a daughter. But after Jaxson was born, we just never seemed to be able to conceive. Miney and I both were devasted."

Coming back to the present, he was aware of the sommelier discussing the wine list and waiting on him to make his selections. A server came over to their table and brought them some fresh and still warm from the oven bread. The butter was so creamy and to Jaxson and Rio tasted like the freshly made butter that they grew up with. Graeham noticed that their server was efficient and competent but not overly friendly. He imagined that the two younger men probably had problems with female attention. Both exuded confidence and in their black suits and classic white shirts with a solid color tie in the color of their mates' dresses, their air of power seemed completely natural. Which he was sure that it was.

"Jaxson, I am starving. I don't ever remember being this hungry." Charlotte said, slipping her hand into his.

"I feel you on that one, Charlotte. I feel like I haven't eaten in a week." Amber said. The men looked incredibly proud of themselves, knowing that they had caused this feeling.

"Now now. You two are lucky that your mates could even come out of the suites. Poor things. I bet you never gave them any food all afternoon, did you?" Their mom admonished them.

Both men looked incredulous. "Mom!" They both said at the same time.

"Hush. You boys have to realize that some appetites will not wait."

"Mom, please can we not have this conversation? Especially in front of our mates and Graeham?" Rio said, sounding a bit like a whiney little boy.

Everyone laughed at the tone of Rio's voice.

"Poor thing. It's terrible to talk to your mom about this kind of thing, isn't it?" Rio frowned and looked over at Amber.

"This isn't funny, Amber. Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it is to talk to our mom about us completing our mate bond." He sounded so aggrieved when he said it that the women laughed.

"Probably as bad as my granddad talking to me about getting my period and then having the 'birds and the bees' conversation with me. I was twelve for the first and fifteen for the second. I still blush and get embarrassed when I think about that." Charlotte said. Jaxson looked down at her and indeed, she was blushing.

Graeham cleared his throat and said, "Yes well, it wasn't a great picnic on my part, let me tell you, young lady. But, I wasn't going to let just anyone have that talk with you, and that ridiculous nanny that you had. Well, let's just say that I was glad when she left. She was good with you, but there was something strange about her."

Charlotte leaned into Jaxson and smiled. Looking up at him, she said, "Think we will be this pragmatic about our kids. If we're lucky enough to have any?"

"Perhaps. We'll have to see. I think we will make fantastic parents."

About that time, everyone stopped talking because their food had arrived at their table. The server never once had to ask210 what anyone had. She simply called out what it was and set it in front of the correct person. Graeham was very impressed with her. Once she had set the food and requested extras on the table, she asked Graeham, "Will that be all for your group, sir?"

After nodding, she walked away from the table.

Charlotte was observing her grandfather watching the woman walk away. She frowned at the thought. She couldn't recall her grandfather ever having a female companion after her grandmother passed away. He must get lonely. He wasn't very old. In his sixties, he was still an active man and his body still held the muscle tone of a younger man. The woman who had served them was in her mid or late thirties. Not too young for her grandfather.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the thoughts, she focused on her food. The sauce on her fish exploded in her mouth, the light crust adding texture. Closing her eyes, she moaned in delight.

Jaxson shifted uncomfortably as Charlotte moaned in enjoyment of her food. While she hadn't meant for it to, it turned him on tremendously, his body hardening. Reaching over, he placed his hand on her thigh and squeezed gently. When she moaned again, he groaned and hissed her name.

Realizing what she was doing to her mate, she was horrified and embarrassed. Turning her face down, she wished that her hair was down so that she could hide behind its heavy curtain, as she turned red.

Leaning down and whispering in her ear, he said, "You will pay for that when we go back to our room, Sweet Mate. I am aware that it was unintentional, but it's still painful. You will come to realize the amount of influence that you, your emotions and actions have over me, my bear and my body. I feel like a rubber band stretched to it breaking point and all you did was moan."

Of course, Rio and their parents could hear what Jaxson had spoken so quietly to Charlotte. Anders and Miney understood that at this time, their sons and their mates were just beginning to explore this new part of their relationship. Both were dominant men like their father and while they were not into the whole BDSM scene, because of what they had lived through individually, they demanded a certain amount of submission in their mates. Neither son wanted a submissive as a mate. But, also their personalities demanded that their mates bend to their will in certain ways and at certain times.

Charlotte focused on the meal in front of her. After Jaxson had said what he had, parts of her that were completely sated earlier, were now tingling and she knew that he and every other shifter at the table could smell it. She refused to be embarrassed about her reaction to her mate and instead, raised her head and smiled at him, while putting her fork in her mouth and slowly pulling it out with her eyes closed, just as the tip of the tines were on the tip of her tongue, she licked her fork. Slowly.

She watched Jaxson stiffen and then turn to attack his steak.

Rion had watched what Charley had done to his brother and he couldn't help but be amused. He knew that Charley was a perfect fit for his brother. Examining his memories, he remembered the times that he had thought of the two together. He could only imagine that she would lead him on a merry chase. Charley was a strong woman, opinionated and intelligent. He would never take her or Amber for granted.

Graeham sat back looking over the three couples and thought that finally his granddaughter was taken care of. Yes, she was in the middle of something. But tomorrow while the women were out shopping, the three new men in her life and he would sit and discuss the best way to bring about their protection and exposure to the world.

Just then their server came back to the table to clear some of the dishes and refill everyone's glass. As he watched her, Graeham had an idea. If he was right, for the first time in a long while, he would not be alone in his bed tonight. Wistfully, he thought, perhaps it would be a good thing and she would want to be with him for a while. He was used to women wanting to be with him because of his wealth and power. He hoped that it helped get her attention and keep it focused on him.