The Bet

“Are you sure you want to train today? Your wedding is in three days.”

Elijah nodded and rubbed his hands together. “Yeah, it gives me a good distraction from my nerves.”

“You’ve been really jittery lately. Why are you so nervous? Are you having second thoughts?” Morgan asked, raising her eyebrow.

“No! I love Rachel more than anything in the world. I just…I messed up so bad last time. I’m worried I’ll mess up again and let her down.”

“I mean, you might.”

“What?”

“You heard me, but before you freak out, hear the rest. You will mess up sometimes, Elijah. Everybody does. It’s unrealistic to think otherwise, and if you do, you’ll always walk on eggshells. There will be moments you disappoint Rachel, and moments she disappoints you, but I also believe you will never break her heart again. That is the difference.”

“Thanks, Morgan,” he said, giving her a small smile.

“What are sisters for? Now let’s get to training, so I can kick your ass.”

“Actually, I was wondering if I could call in two ringers.”

She smelled them before she saw them.

“Ms. Pierce,” Jordan’s husky voice called from behind her. She turned, and her lips slightly parted. Jordan and Sterling were dressed in similar hoodies, shorts, and tennis.

“Are you checking us out, Little Red?” Sterling asked, licking his lips.

“Shut up,” she grumbled under her breath.

Unzipping their hoodies, they circled her slowly.

“Elijah, leave,” Jordan said over his shoulder.

“I’ll be in the car.”

They didn’t hear him. Their hungry eyes were trained on their mate. “You may look delicious, Morgan, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to take it easy on you. We heard you’ve been doing well in training, and we want to see,” Sterling said.

There was something about how they spoke to her that made Morgan’s body tingle all over. All three shifted, and the twins lunged at her in sync. They stopped just inches from her.

“No fair! It’s two against one!”

Jordan laughed. “And? You’ve been in enough fights to know that doesn’t matter.” They moved in harmony. Sterling head butted her on her left side, and she collided into Jordan, who head butted her on the right.

“Hmm, looks like Elijah was over exaggerating,” Sterling taunted her, and her eyes burned blue. Sitting on her bottom, she peered from one to the other. She examined every inch of them, from their eyes to their bodies, down to their paws.

*“You feel that?”* She asked her wolf.

*“Yup.”*

“I’m ready,” she said to them, and they tilted their heads. Lunging at her in sync, she jumped over both of them. They darted to the right, and she darted to the opposite. Predicting every move they made, she surprised them both. They scaled two trees, shocked, as Morgan scaled another at the same time. Jumping when they did, they all landed in a circle. Breathing deeply, they shifted back, and Morgan stumbled away from them. “I-I don’t know where that came from,” she said. Gathering her things, she ran away.

“Jordan, what the hell was that?”

Jordan shook his head. “I’m not sure how, but I think Morgan just synced with us.”

*****

“Is that even possible?” Elijah asked as the three stood in the woods.

Jordan shrugged. “I haven’t heard of it before, but then again, a lot about twin wolves and their mates isn’t really known. I mean, we have always had shared mates, but Klaus and George don’t. There’s really no formula for any of this.”

Sterling folded his arms across his chest. “Not to mention, Little Red is…let’s just say unique. If there was any Luna who could do it, it would be her.” He didn’t want to say everything that was on his mind, but the uneasiness in Jordan’s eyes told him he was thinking the same thing. The closer they grew to Morgan, the more mystery seemed to shroud her. Today was another moment that left them confused and partially afraid.

It was the weirdest thing for them. When they moved in harmony, each twin felt the other’s wolf. Yet just now, they felt hers, too. It was like theirs were telling hers all their secrets and it absorbed every word. Her wolf somehow had been welcomed into their twin bond, and the three could now move as one.

“You two need to claim her soon. If she can do something like that, she’s ready to be full Luna. I don’t understand any of this, but I know if word gets out about what happened today, she’ll become a target again.”

Jordan ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s complicated, you know that. She rejected us, and until she takes that back, our hands are tied. We will not push her, no matter how much we want to protect her. She needs us to be patient, and we’re going to do that.” Elijah nodded, but the thought still bothered him. Dark Moon needed their Luna, and Morgan would have to decide soon whether or not she wanted to be it.

Sterling studied Elijah and leaned in close. “What’s going on with your eyes?”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re all twitchy.”

He sighed. “It’s Rachel. She’s driving me insane. I’m trying my hardest to wait until after the wedding to have sex, but she’s been walking around the house in little shorts, sweatpants, and clothes. Like seriously, who the hell looks sexy in a turtleneck?”

Sterling cocked his head back. “Okay, fucking ew.”

Jordan smirked. “I’m with Sterling on this one. Did she ask you to wait and why is she wearing a turtleneck in April?”

“Because I asked her to wear one so I couldn’t see any skin, but that only made me imagine what was under it and I was back at square one!” He sat on the ground. “I’m just trying to be considerate. We haven’t slept together since we reunited, and I thought maybe she would be more comfortable if we waited.”

“Where was your thoughtfulness when I had to get my entire garage reconstructed because you two pulled part of the roof down? I still haven’t driven that car, by the way.”

“You’re never going to let that go, huh?”

Sterling waved his hands. “As much as I hate to talk about anything related to your sex life, you’re honestly fucked. The Pierce sisters are, um…well they enjoy…they make your body feel…they’re very…Little Red does this thing with her hips…” He was trying his best to find the words without coming off offensive for once.

“Shut up, Sterling,” Elijah fumed. “I’m already having a hard time.”

“Shit, maybe you need to throw the towel in. Not getting none makes you cranky.”

“And when was the last time you two got some?” Neither found the joke funny anymore.

“Fuck off,” they said in unison.

“That’s what I thought.”

Sterling’s lips curled into a smile. “How about we make this interesting? Your wedding is in three days. If you can hold off, I’ll give you five hundred dollars.” He nudged Jordan, who guffawed.

“I’m in too. A thousand dollars if you can resist your mate until after your wedding. If not, you owe us.”

The problem with guy talk is that sometimes they find themselves so wrapped up in it they fail to notice they aren’t the only ones listening. Elijah agreed to the bet, and Jordan and Sterling left, and Morgan silently approached him.

“What were you three talking about?” she asked, and he almost jumped out of his skin.

He wasn’t sure how much she’d heard, but the way she was glaring at him, he knew she’d heard enough. “Don’t get mad, okay?” He hadn’t realized that saying that was his second mistake.

Morgan’s face turned into a full out scowl that bore into him so deep, Elijah swore she could see his very existence. “You better start talking Montgomery,” she said.

He blurted out, “SterlingandJordanbetmeathousanddollarsthatIcouldn’tlastuntilaftertheweddingtohavesexwithRachel.”

“Why are you holding off?”

“I want to protect your sister’s virtue.” She tried her best to stifle her laugh. “Can you please not tell Rachel?”

“I mean, if that’s what you think is best. Your business is your business. I respect that.” He exhaled, and she shook her head. Turnemloose was completely right. Elijah was, in fact, one-third of a whole stupid.

*****

“Motherfuckers bet on you, Rachel!” Morgan screamed, racing into Elijah and Rachel’s house without knocking. Finding Alexus on the couch, she promptly stopped. “Oh my God! Oh my God! When did you get here?” She engulfed her little sister in excitement and hugs.

“Just a little while ago!” Alexus replied, just as excited.

“Are mom and dad here?”

“Nope. Elijah got them a fancy suite, and they ran off saying something about date night.”

Rachel laughed, entering the room. “Mom’s about to rock the headboard on dad.” The Pierce sisters cackled until Morgan remembered why she burst into the house.

“Rach, they bet on you!”

“Huh?

“Two-thirds of a whole stupid, bet the other one-third a thousand bucks that he wouldn’t make it until after the wedding to sleep with you.”

“Why the hell would they bet him that?”

“Because Elijah had the ingenious idea that he would wait. Something about protecting your virtue.”

Rachel looked at her, stunned, and then cut her eyes into slits. “That withholding jerk! I’ve been trying to seduce him for weeks!” It was true. Ever since he’d proposed, Elijah had made up every excuse for why they couldn’t have sex. He took cold showers so much that his skin was basically blue. He’d even fallen out of the bed a few times trying to avoid Rachel when she pretended to be asleep and grinded her behind on his groin. “This is stupid. We’ve literally done every position in the Kama Sutra book, except number six hundred eighty-seven, but that’s only because the unicycle was on backorder, and we had to wait for the flamethrower permit to come through.”

Alexus and Morgan stared at her, trying their hardest to figure out why she and Elijah would need a flamethrower and a unicycle to have sex.

Morgan shook her head. “Anyway, what are you going to do?” They sat in silence for a moment and then all smiled at once.

There is a universal language among women that doesn’t need to be verbally addressed. One where they all smile in sync as a devious plan develops. It’s a mixture of the Grinch and Cruella Deville when she envisioned her new dalmatian coat and matching spotted puppy hat. It’s one that no man wants to see because he knows whatever’s about to happen won’t be in his favor.

Alexus placed her hand on Rachel’s shoulder. “I have an idea but let me first say it’s a bad one.”

“Tell me anyway.”

“Alright but let’s take a shot and get you ready. If it’s successful, you’re going to be in for a long night.”

*****

*Later*

Elijah walked into a dimly lit house. He’d taken a shower at Jordan’s place to avoid Rachel surprising him in theirs.

*She’s probably sleeping.*

He’d purposely stayed over at Jordan’s extra late. As he made his way to the living room, his mouth dropped open. Rachel wasn’t sleeping at all. She was lying on the couch with one bare leg folded over the other, and wearing black lingerie. It was the same kind as the one that hugged her hips the night she’d dropped her coat. Her attention was on the TV screen, and she tilted her head and parted her lips slightly. Elijah wanted nothing more than to run, but her brown eyes locked with his.

“Hey Elijah, how was your day?” she asked, running her tongue over her bottom lip.

He knew he was in trouble. She’d said his name the way that always drove him mad. He could practically hear Sterling and Jordan laughing at the fact that he hadn’t even made it twenty-four hours. “Fine,” he responded hoarsely, but his eyes roamed over her entire body. She was wearing his favorite fragrance that enhanced her natural pheromones. She saw his eyes tinge yellow, and she stifled a smirk.

*I hope that wolf is beating your ass.*

He sat in a chair far away from her, thinking that would help, none the wiser that she’d purposely placed it there for what she was about to do. She pointed at the TV. “This is pissing me off! They’re totally cheating!”

“What?” He didn’t give a damn about what was on TV. He was seconds away from ripping the small amount of fabric she had on right off her body.

She furrowed her brow. “This stupid stripper competition. They gave this girl a ten, which is crazy because she didn’t do the number seventeen perfectly.” Her nails drew circles on her exposed thigh, and Elijah licked his lips. She was torturing him, and she knew it, but it was payback for the torture he’d inflicted first. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Huh? Yeah, I’m listening. Taking the iguana for a walk sounds cool to me.”

“We don’t have an iguana. What the hell are you talking about?” He honestly had no clue. He was so turned on his brain couldn’t catch up with his mouth.

She pointed at the TV again. “The number seventeen, Wolfie. She didn’t perfect it, and they gave her a perfect score, anyway.”

“What is the number seventeen?”

Rachel rose and strutted over to him. “From the Kama Sutra book, remember? The spread eagle.” Before he could process what was happening, she rolled her body onto his lap. Placing her hands on the floor, she spread her legs horizontally in front of him, giving him a full view. “Of course, when we did it, you were holding me, and I put my mouth—”

“Up! Up! Up!” he roared. Rachel stood up, and he flicked the light switch so hard he almost tore it from the wall. Eyes fully yellow, she saw his wolf on his face.

She smirked and tilted her head. “Wolfie, are you demolishing a house?”

“What?”

“Nothing. Just curious about the sledgehammer I’m staring at.”

He abruptly placed his hands in front of his shorts. “Morgan told you, didn’t she?”

“You were crazy to think she wouldn’t.”

“And all of this? You were playing me.”

“You started it.”

“I was trying to be thoughtful.”

She laughed. “And I love you for that, but maybe you should have talked to me first before you got it in your mind that I didn’t want to have sex. I mean, Elijah, hello, have you met me?” He rubbed the back of his neck, and she walked over and kissed him, ending it with a bite on his bottom lip. “You really have a terrible memory sometimes. Protect my virtue? Did you forget a couple months ago, when you were talking on the phone for work, while you caught gumdrops in your mouth that I was shooting at you from my vagina?”

“No, I didn’t forget!” he shouted as his face reddened.

“You’re adorable, you know that? Stop overthinking things. I’m really happy we’re back together and getting married. I missed you a lot.”

He wrapped his hand in her hair and clashed his mouth against hers. She groaned against his lips, pulling him closer. He linked to Jordan and Sterling, *“I’ll give you your thousand tomorrow.*” He heard laughter in return.

*“Knew you wouldn’t last,”* Sterling said.

*“At least I’m getting some.”*

*“Fuck off,”8 Jordan growled.

Elijah chuckled and turned his attention back to Rachel. “Upstairs. Now.” His eyes turned yellow again, and hers turned the same color in response.

“I’m getting some! I’m getting some!” she sang as he chased her up the steps.