Page 307 of Warlords, Witches & Wolves

Chapter 6

Noah

Ivy settled on a stool, eyes tracking Liam as he rounded the bar to stand in front of her. “Soda?”

Ivy nodded. “Can you put a piece of lime in it?”

“Anything for my two favorite girls.”

I stilled, dishtowel in my hand, gaze darting between Ivy and my brother. “Wait? You know what you’re having?”

Ivy rolled her eyes. “No. But your brother is convinced it’s a girl.”

Liam shrugged. “I know it.”

I flipped the towel over my shoulder and zoned out as the two of them bantered back and forth at the odds of having a girl. As far as I knew, the odds for shifters were the same as humans. Fifty-fifty. Given Ivy was human, until the little one hit adolescence, no one knew if they would shift. I suspected Ivy hoped for a shifter, but I doubted Liam gave a shit. He just wanted to have a family with his mate.

Liam moved to stand beside me as I filled the coffee filter. “Have you found out if she knows yet?”

“I’m working on it.”

Over the last week, Mia dropped into the bar every day for a chat or coffee, other times for meals. I loved how our relationship effortlessly bloomed into friendship. Easy, relaxed, no pressure. So far, the plan to earn her forgiveness had worked. But she never spoke of her family and I’d seen no sign she knew about the shifter world. I think a big part of me avoided the topic because I didn’t want to know the answer. What if she knew?

But I couldn’t avoid it forever. Which was why yesterday, I finally grew the balls to suggest I take her to one of the town’s hidden gems.

Liam nodded, but the hard set of his jaw told me all this waiting and not knowing stressed him out. He not only worried for Ivy, but also for his unborn child. We all did.

“You better get going or you’ll be late.”

I checked the time on my cell. “Shit. You’re still good to stay?”

“We’re fine.” Ivy cooed. “Go and woo your mate.”

“She’s not officially my mate.”

Yet.Hold up. When did I start making forever plans with Mia?Fifteen years ago, dumbass.

Ivy waved her hand, dismissing my words. “She will be. Now go.”

I turned to Liam. “She has more bite than you.”

“I heard that!” Ivy growled.

The corner of Liam’s mouth twitched, his eyes darkened, a sign he and his wolf were in sync. Not just about Ivy having more bite than him, but that Ivy was his perfect mate. The other half to his soul, the one person in the universe destined only for him.

I’d given up hope of ever having that. Instead, over the past few months I’d come to terms with being the cool uncle. I stopped allowing myself to wish for something more.

But now, everything had changed. Mia came back into my life causing all that hope to drift to the surface. I just needed to get through these obstacles, pay my penance, figure out what she knew, and then we could have our forever.

I snatched my keys off the counter and walked out from behind the bar. Halfway to the door, my phone rang. I dug it from my pocket and Ash’s face flashed on the screen.

I lifted the cell to my ear. “Yeah?”

“Baker just came to see me.”

Not a second later, the door to the bar opened and Baker strode in, removing his baseball cap as he walked toward me. The bulky shifter was from the wolf pack in Timber Falls. They made shifters the size of trucks over there—wide, strong and impossible to move.

“He just walked in. What the hell’s going on?”

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