Page 28 of Baseball and Shifters

Between the issues with the guys and the incident on the field when we get back to the locker rooms after practice, the mood is tense as ever. Bas is generally just being a dick to Lucas and Liam is outright ignoring his existence. The happy-go-lucky Lucas that came home Sunday night is all but gone and in his place is a sad guy who can’t understand why his brothers aren’t happy for him. Needless to say, I’ve had enough of this and it’s time for the four of us to have a conversation.

When we make it back to the dorm after practice, I call for an emergency meeting and order up some food from the café. Once we’re all sitting around the table with full stomachs, I decide it’s now or never.

“Listen guys, we need to talk,” Lucas says before I get the chance to say anything.

“I know,” I say, raising an eyebrow at him. “That’s whyIcalled this emergency meeting.”

“Oh, right. Sorry D, go ahead, floor is yours.”

“You two have been irritating the fuck out of me for days and I’m over it. I don’t know what your deal is, but ever since Lucas found his mate, you’ve both been bigger dicks than usual. It’s starting to affect the team, and that’s where I draw the line.”Bringing the team into this may be playing dirty, but they need to take this seriously. “So whatever it is, get it off your chest now so we can move the fuck on.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Liam says, crossing his arms and flicking his eyes at his twin before quickly looking away.

“Right. So I must have imagined your outburst when we got home after the game Saturday.” I roll my eyes.

“Think whatever you want.” He shrugs.

Bas takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. “I thought Rachel was my mate. When Lucas mated her, I may have lost my cool a little.”

“Oh great. You too,” Liam snarks.

“I thought so. But now I’m not so sure.”

“Why? Because she’s my mate? I already told you that doesn’t mean she’s not yours,” Lucas sighs, shaking his head. “Besides, she’s a kitsune with four tails. I’ve made peace with sharing her. You’ll have to too.”

“A kitsune? What the fuck is that?” Liam snaps.

I roll my eyesagain.

Have neither of them talked to Lucas since Sunday?

“A kitsune is a multi-tailed fox. They have tails that represent their mates. Unlike wolf and tiger shifters who can smell their mates, kitsunes have no way of sensing their mates until the first time they make skin to skin contact. And they always have multiple mates. The most I’ve ever heard of a kitsune having is nine mates,” I explain to my idiot friends. “Didn’t your parents teach you about other shifter species?”

“Wait. So you mean sheismy mate?” Bas perks up.

“I didn’t say that. But if she’s a kitsune and she hasfourtails, that means she has fourmates. Lucas is one, you could be another.” I shrug.

“Hell yeah! I don’t give a fuck if she has multiple mates as long as she’s mine. I’m gonna touch her tomorrow, so I know for sure.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Lucas warns.

“Why not? Trying to keep her all to yourself?” Bas glares at him.

“It’s not that and you know it. I don’t think she’s happy about having four mates. She seems skittish. You know she ran when I accidentally mated her. Then today when I finally caught up to her dad, he had already found her and what I saw was… weird,” Lucas says, concern lacing his tone.

“Wait, her dad was here? Why? Who is he?” Bas peppers Lucas with questions and even Liam seems to tune in a bit more at this piece of information.

I fill the guys in on the beginning of the story. Meeting my father and his cohorts. Realizing Ranger St. James is her dad and his cold demeanor when we met him. The time it takes me to explain this is what Lucas needs to gather his thoughts, he picks up where I leave off.

“So after I caught up to Mr. St. James and Rachel, I stayed back so he wouldn’t know I followed him. He was basically pinning Rachel to the wall. I couldn’t see her face, but her posture said everything I needed to know. She’s scared of him, guys, she’s so scared I could feel it in the bond even though it’s still new,” Lucas lets out a bone deep sigh.

“They were in a public area so he was speaking quietly, but I did catch him asking her if she’d been dressing and acting ‘appropriately’. My wolf was chomping at the bit to come out and take him out just for scaring our sweet Moonbeam. It took everything I had to convince him that tearing apart an elected politician out in the open was probablynota good idea.” Lucas shudders, his wolf brought close to the surface by the memory.

“Shit,” Bas and I say in unison.

My dragon hearing even picks up a soft ‘Shit’ from Liam.

“So, I just don’t want you to force her into something. Mates are a lifelong commitment and there’s obviously something going on with her dad. If she’s not ready, she could resent you. I don’t want either of you to get hurt,” Lucas implores Bas to understand.

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