Page 63 of Mated to the Werewolves
“February twenty-fourth,” I tell him.
“September fourth, May sixth, and October thirtieth,” Sebastian rattles out, pointing at himself, then Carter and Troy. “Now will you all justfocus, please?”
I’m about to lean into Troy’s side when Carter sits next to me and draws me under his arm.
“He’s had you all morning,” he rumbles and sniffs my hair. “Now it’s my turn.”
I sigh happily and wiggle even closer to him. “I’m not complaining.”
“ButI am,” Sebastian says. “Because you’re still not looking over here.”
“Sorry,” I mouth, grinning at him.
He rolls his eyes at us, then reaches under the Christmas tree and flicks on the lights. The tree lights up, and so do the garlands strung around the rafters, lighting the room with a pretty glow.
“We were supposed to do this last night,” Sebastian tells me. “It looks even better at night, of course, but we, ah, got distracted.”
The lights on the tree change from white to pink, and something warm spreads through my chest. Thisiswhat I’d imagined. It’s a different kind of dream, but it’s even better than what I could come up with in my imagination before I met my wolfy mates.
“It’s beautiful,” I tell him. “You did a fantastic job.”
He beams happily, then snags a gift from under the tree. “I’ll go first, if you don’t mind.”
Carter huffs out a laugh. “Not fair. You always go first.”
“Oh, let him.” Troy leans forward eagerly. “Is that one for me?”
But Sebastian hands the wrapped parcel to Carter. “Here. Merry Christmas.”
Carter reaches for the gift, then motions Sebastian closer and gives him a soft, gentle kiss. “Thank you, baby.”
The youngest member of our pack glows with pleasure, then motions at Carter to open the present. Carter lets go of me for a moment and pries apart the wrapping paper, taking out a box printed with the image of a watch.
“I had the band changed so it’s elastic,” Sebastian says quickly. “You’ll be able to shift with it, both halfway and fully, and it’ll stay on. I tested it, and it works.”
Carter opens the box and puts the sports watch on, admiring it. “That’s so cool.”
“And it has a satellite tracker so if you ever wander too deep into the forest at work, we’ll be able to find you,” Sebastian adds and grins cheekily.
“As if,” Carter grumbles, but he opens the little instruction booklet immediately and starts reading up on the various features.
I give Sebastian a subtle thumbs-up. It’s the perfect gift for Carter.
Troy receives a beautiful cashmere sweater and a book on woodworking, at which his blue eyes light up happily. He opens it, then grimaces, gets up, and walks to the entryway to retrieve his jacket. From the front pocket, he pulls a pair of reading glasses and slides them on his nose before sending me a sheepish smile.
“They suit you very well,” I tell him truthfully. “You look like a hot college professor. I’d totally visit you during office hours every week.”
Sebastian sucks in a sharp breath, and when I glance over at him, he’s staring at Carter, his cheeks pink. Carter shakes his head subtly, but it’s Troy’s reaction that surprises me the most. He grabs my chin and stares down at me, his eyebrows knitting in a frown.
“No hot professors allowed,” he growls.
I giggle. “Okay, okay, I promise, no hot professors.” I lift my hand to touch his cheek. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll only ever want my mates.”
He settles next to me and hums contentedly when I interlace my fingers with his and squeeze his hand. I can’t believe a man like that could ever be jealous—and besides, where would I even find a hot professor, and how could any man ever compare? All I need is my pack.
The guys exchange the rest of their gifts. Sebastian exclaims at the gift certificate for a baking class at the local magicalbakery, and it’s the happiest I’ve seen him. I don’t even mind waiting, because their happiness only builds my anticipation higher.
Finally, only that one small box remains under the tree, my name written on the pretty cardboard tag. I don’t know what they got me, but I’m already sure I’ll love it. The mere thought of them caring enough to pick a present for me and wrap it overnight has my nose prickling with tears again, so I swallow down the lump in my throat and squeeze my hands in my lap.
