Work Her Last Nerve (Part I)

Work Her Last Nerve (Part I)
“What the hell’s the matter with you?” Essence asked, placing her hands on her hips.


“You smell lavender?” Fontaine asked Stephan as they entered.

“I was about to ask you that. Must be cleaning with some new stuff. I like it though. It makes me feel peaceful and inspired…like I can start a business.”

As they approached, and prepared to give Essence a big hug, they both stopped and tilted their heads at the small werewolf whose back was to them. They looked at one another, picking up that the scent was coming from her.

“Oh, shit!” Essence shouted, “Bren, you have two!”

“ShutthefuckupIdonthaveshit!” she growled. Eyes still closed, she whimpered. “Make them go away, pleaaasseee Lord. I promise, I’ll go to church. I’ll give tithes and offerings. I’ll stop reading nasty books!” She felt the two approach her from behind, and she shook her head. “What they look like, Eri? They smell like they’re fine as hell.”

“I wouldn’t open my eyes if I were you,” Ericka replied as Phil, and she continued to practically drool over one another.

Brenda stomped her foot. “Dammit! I hate you, Essence!” Hearing her laugh, she grumbled in panic. “It’s not funny! This was supposed to be my time!”

“Is everything alright?” Kano asked Essence as he approached and pulled her to him.

She chuckled. “Yep. Ericka and Phil are mates, and Brenda is Fontaine and Stephan’s—”

“Iainttheirnothingleavemealone,” Benda said, cutting her off.

“Well, then open your eyes and turn around.”

“Absolute-to the fuck-not.”

Fontaine let out a laugh that sent prickles up Brenda’s back. He tapped Stephan before teasing her, “Don’t be like that, Bren. Maybe we just like your perfume. Turn around and let’s find out.”

Reaching behind her, Brenda ran her hands up both of their stomachs through their shirts. “One, two, three, four, five, six”—she shook her head, pretending to cry—“seven, eight. I hate it here!” she squealed.

Stephan leaned into her and whispered, “Hate to break it to you, but nope, it’s definitely not your perfume.” He gently drew a circle against her back with his nail, and she stifled a groan. “But then again, you already knew that.” He linked to Fontaine, “Never would have thought we’d have a shared mate.”

“Me either, but she’s funny as hell, and from what I can tell, cute, if she ever turns around.” Enjoying their teasing of her, Fontaine’s eyes shot open when he felt her hand against him. “Um…” he murmured, looking at the others embarrassed as they looked away in shock.

“What? Oh, don’t be dramatic. I’m just trying to gather my bearings,” Brenda said before scoffing. “I grabbed your leg don’t—”

“That’s not my leg.”

Her mouth dropped, and in a panic, she backed into Stephan. Moving her hips against his groin, she felt his size and let out a shrill. “Nooo!” She tried to dart away, but Essence grabbed her while laughing uncontrollably.

“Oh, my God! I love this! Now look who’s about to have her kitty petted.”

“Stop!” Eyes closed, she broke free and swiftly moved to the side, ducking them both. Quickly racing from the room, Brenda left Fontaine and Stephan staring at one another.

“Did she just hit a crossover on me with her eyes closed?” Fontaine asked, and Stephan nodded.

“Yep. Right before she hit a Naruto run out of the room.”



Retiring into the den, Stephan folded his arms to his chest and twisted his lips. He looked around at the group. “Anybody care to explain why our mate is so skittish?” he asked.

Ericka chuckled. “Don’t take it personally. It has nothing to do with you two, and everything to do with her husband.” A low, deadly growl pulled from him and Fontaine, and she backtracked. “Ex-husband, sorry.”

Calming himself, Fontaine spoke. “She had a mate already?”

“No, they weren’t mates.” She sighed. “Have you guys ever heard of Alpha Colin?”

“Yeah, he died a few years back. What does he have to do with anything?”

“He was her husband, and our first alpha,” Ericka responded, watching everyone’s eyes widened. A chill went through the room. “Yeah, I know.”

Anastasia shook her head, stunned. “Wait! That’s her?! I remember seeing a brief picture of her once. She looks so different now.”

Ericka smiled. “Yeah, because she’s happy, and showing her true self. You tend to look different when you’re genuinely happy.” She smirked at Fontaine and Stephan. “You two should just take my word for it. Your mate is definitely a Betty.”

Chuckie nodded. “Yeah, she is. No disrespect, but she is fine as hell.”

Fontaine nodded back at him. “No disrespect taken. Now say it again, and imma knock your teeth down your throat.”

Chuckie cocked his head back. “Why you gotta threaten me? Why do we gotta take it there?”

“I’m sorry, I’m just mad!” He grumbled. “Now I wanna see her even more. Why would you tell us that shit?! I’m jealous as fuck!” He heard Stephan blow steam and he pointed. “See! He’s mad, too!”

Laughing, Ericka rubbed her forehead. “You two are going to work her last nerve. I can already see it. I mean, it is interesting that she has two unrelated mates, though I’m not surprised by Ms. O.F.C.”

“Ms. O.F.C?” Phil asked.

Essence nodded. “Ms. ‘Of Fucking Course! It’s something she shouts when she thinks the world is being unfair, though I will admit, it has been to her. Like, how she ended up with him.”

Stephan prodded her. “Come on, E, we have a right to know. You know we wouldn’t do anything to hurt her, but we also deserve to know what we’re walking into.”

Fidgeting with her fingers, she felt Kano pull her closer. She sighed in relief when Ericka took over the conversation.

“Alpha Colin was still with his luna when he met Brenda. It was a brief encounter, but he’d grown smitten with her immediately. When she refused his advances because he was already mated to his actual mate… he killed his luna, and demanded she marry him, or he would force her out of the pack.” She shook her head. “It’s already hard enough going at being a rogue with a group, but to go at it alone—she would have died, he would have made sure of it.”

“That’s all the way fucked up,” Phil said, rubbing her shoulders.

Ericka turned and looked at him, feeling her wolf already grow comfortable around its mate. “Yeah, it is. She became the new luna, and with her good heart and ability to make people feel comfortable, she was accepted easily, which pissed him off.”

“But I don’t understand. Why would that piss him off?” Fontaine asked. “You would think if he did all of that to get her, he would be happy.”

Ericka’s eyes shifted. “Yeah, except he was possessive and controlling. A few of the male pack members were killed just for saying nice things about her. Eventually, everyone feared his wrath, so much that the only person she had left was him; the way he really wanted it.” She could see Stephan and Fontaine’s eyes burn gold in anger. “I think she just kinda accepted that would be her life, and then one day, everything changed.”

Anastasia rubbed her arm with her hand, nervous at the way Ericka looked. “What happened?” she asked, hesitantly.

“She found out what he was doing with the elder wolves. It wasn’t like it is here, or a lot of other packs. He had this irrational fear that the older wolves would slow down the pack and make it more vulnerable. So, when a pack member reached a certain age, he and his beta would take them into the woods and”—she quickly wiped her eyes — “leave them to starve or be killed by others.”

Kano felt his blood boil, and he looked to Cayden, who wore the same expression. “I hope someone fucking killed him,” he said through clenched teeth.

Ericka chuckled. “Oh yeah, someone certainly did. His killer just ran like the black Napoleon Dynamite out of the room.” Every mouth in the room dropped at the revelation, except for hers and Essence.

Stephan laughed out of nervousness. “Nah, she didn’t really kill him.” He looked at Essence, who whistled with her eyes to the sky. “I said nah, she didn’t really kill him!” he shouted in panic.

Ericka doubled over laughing and pointed at Fontaine’s and his face. “Bet your asses wish you didn’t ask what happened now.” She waved her hand for dramatic flair. “Dipped a knife in pure silver nitrate and took a page out of Mrs. Bobbitt’s book. Watched him bleed out to make sure he died. Frankly, I’m surprised he didn’t know it was coming. She’d stopped sleeping with him awhile before that. Then again, I guess good kitty makes even the most careful dog vulnerable.”

“Wait!” Fontaine screamed, mortified, as he shut his legs tightly, like the other men in the room. “She cut off his dick?!” He waved his hands. “Nope, flag on the motherfucking play! I don’t care how fine she is, I need to think about this for a second.” He tilted his head in thought and murmured under his breath, “I mean he was tripping, and she saved people. Even so, I don’t know if I can get with a chick that”—he huffed still smelling lavender in his nose — “how fine are we talking? Fine as in cute, or fine as in thank her mama for her, fine?”

Ricky nodded his head in approval. “I’d still go for it. She’s definitely thank her mama for her, fine. I say just remove every knife in the house and pat her down like TSA.”

Stephan closed his eyes. “Rick, I’m about two seconds from folding your little ass up,” he seethed.

“Oh my God! He asked!”

Stephan grumbled. “I know, sorry.”

Phil tapped Ericka on the shoulder. “Who told her, though? You said nobody would talk to her.”

She smiled sinisterly. “I did, and I gave her the silver nitrate, too. The last elder he sent away was my mother. He can burn in hell for all I care.” Phil felt a chill go up his spine at the callousness of her words. Though he’d just met her, the darkness surrounding her felt both exciting and terrifying. Stephan and Fontaine sat in thought as she continued. “She went rogue after that, and I went with her. Nobody followed us, and after a while, we started our pipeline to support good rogues like us who needed help.” She smiled at Kano. “I want you to know that it means a lot to us that we're here.” She turned to Stephan and Fontaine. “Brenda may be a little ‘skittish’, but Essence can confirm it really isn’t either of you. She just has a hard time letting people get close. She never dated after we left. I think the notion of finally having a choice scares her. You choose, and still get it wrong, that's on you.”

“So, you’re basically saying we should quit while we’re ahead,” Stephan said, unable to hide his disappointment.

Laughing, she wrapped her arm around Phil. “I mean, you could, or you do what I just said you would, and work her last nerve.”