Jaded Hearts
Chapter 5

Taylor POV

“I feel so much better getting all of that off my chest. But I am sorry to unload on you like that,” I told Matt. Like he said, he was waiting for me after my shower, and we were now heading down to the kitchen.

“Don’t be. You can tell me anything. I’m happy you told me because now I know to let you set the pace.”

“I won’t make you wait too long, I prom—”

“Nope. You wait as long as you want. Don’t worry about me.”

We rounded a corner and walked into a dining room exploding with activity. Alaia and Alexi were sitting together, holding Alex and another baby I hadn’t met yet. Two other men, also incredibly handsome, were huddled together over a map talking to each other, one of which was holding a much smaller baby.

Babies, sexy men, and food. Tons of food.

“Hi, Matt. Hi, Taylor,” Alaia yelled over all the commotion. “Sit down and grab a plate; it’s going fast.”

The men who I hadn’t met yet stopped talking and looked over at us. It made me squirm a little. Matt squeezed my hand and stepped forward for introductions.

“Taylor, this is Kade. He’s the Beta of the pack, or the second in command. The little princess he’s holding is Angelica. She’s the newest addition to the family and a few weeks old now. Next to him is Xander, who’s our Alpha, and Alaia’s other husband. You already know these three here, but the baby that Alexi has is Xayden. He’s the firstborn and future Alpha.”

He pointed everyone out, and they all seemed genuinely happy to meet me. My nerves slowly began to go away, and I started to feel comfortable here. “It’s nice to finally meet all of you. Matt never stops talking about you guys,” I told them before I took a seat.

“Welcome to the family, Taylor. As Matt’s mate, you’re one of us now. We’re happy to have you,” Xander stated.

I swallowed hard and took a breath. I would never survive out here with these men and their faces, and bodies, and voices. Alaia laughed before she leaned into Xander.

“Taylor’s having a hard time adjusting to all the eye candy around here. I told her she’ll get used to it, but I guess having the four of you in one room is a shock.”

Definitely …

“Give it a day or two. Once we’ve annoyed you a few times, we won’t be so good-looking. Trust me,” Kade said while bouncing Angelica.

Across the table, Alex started smiling and laughing in my direction. He was so freaking sweet. “Can I hold him?” I asked.

“Hell yeah, you can. I’m starving, and he keeps knocking my pancake off my fork.” Alaia quickly stood up and passed Alex over to me. He had that perfect baby smell, igniting some serious baby fever.

“You are so handsome, sweet boy. Yes, you are.” I tickled his tummy, making him laugh even more. He reached his hands forward, so I pulled him close to my chest, where he laid his head down and soon fell asleep.

“That’s impressive. None of us can get him asleep that fast. I’ve really got to keep you around,” Matt joked.

“For this little guy, I think we could work something out.” Alex snuggled into my boobs and smiled in his sleep. We all laughed when we saw his happy little face.

“I said it when he was first born. That kid’s a boob man. I’m so proud,” Alexi chuckled.

I looked over the table, and a question struck me. “So Kade, where’s your mate?”

“All the lucky ladies of the world are my mate, Taylor. They just don’t know it yet.”

“Oh, I see. You’re a man whore.” Alaia choked on her juice, and the others burst out with laughter. Kade faked a look of shock and hurt before cracking a smile.

“I wouldn’t put it like that. I just lack self-control when it comes to females, so I’m enjoying myself until I finally replace the one.”

“I should introduce you to my roommate. She’s ‘enjoying herself’ too, but in a much more solitary way.”

“Maybe I’ll take you up on that. The choices are getting a little repetitive around here.”

“It’s nice to have another woman around here, Taylor. These guys are great and all, but there’s a gross imbalance in this house. Angelica isn’t quite old enough to help tip the scales.”

I wondered if they expected me to move in. I was sure that Matt and I weren’t there yet. “She’s my girlfriend, but not my live-in girlfriend yet, Bean. She needs to be more comfortable around wolves before I’d ask her to move in with me.”

“Eh, that’s just semantics. She’s your mate, so I’m assuming she’ll come around more, right?” she asked, turning to me.

“Right. I’ll absolutely be here more often.”

* * *

Matt

“You did incredible in there, tesoro. They all loved you.”

“Did they love me for me, or because I’m your mate?”

“They loved you because of your ability to put Alex to sleep. The other stuff was just meh.”

She laughed and shoved my arm. She barely made an impact, but I put on a good show.

“So, what does a Gamma do on Saturdays? Am I keeping you from something?”

“Well, sort of. It’s my parents’ twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. They’re having a party this afternoon, and if I miss it, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

She looked sad that we had to part ways, but maybe we didn’t. “Do you want to come? My mom’s been bugging me about a mate for years. She’d kill me if she knew I had found you and didn’t bring you home.”

“Meet your family?” She squeaked when she said the word ‘family,’ and I swear her gorgeous cocoa skin turned a shade of green.

“Yes, meet my family. You’ve already met my pack family; the other guys are much easier.”

“But what will I wear? And I don’t have a gift for them. I can’t show up empty-handed. And what about—”

I placed two fingers on her lips to make her stop her rant. “Breathe, baby. If you don’t want to come, they’ll understand. You can just meet them some other time. It’s alright.”

Taylor pinched her bottom l*p and rolled it between her thumb and forefinger while she thought it over. She had the most adorable quirks when she was nervous or jealous or even excited. This l*p thing was from the “nervous” category.

“Come on, let’s go out to the gardens. We’ve got a few hours until I have to leave for the party, and you look like you can use the walk.” I took her hand and led her to the back yard. We walked in silence for a while before she spoke.

“Matt, I would love to meet your parents. I want to be a part of your life and know everyone who’s important to you. I’ll come to the party.”

I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. She was really trying to acclimate to my world, and I loved her so much for that. “Thank you. You can’t imagine how happy my mom is going to be. You’ll be the best gift she’ll receive today, trust me.”

We found our way to the gazebo and took a seat in the swinging chair. “Is it always so peaceful here?”

I thought back over the past six months and couldn’t help but laugh. “Absolutely not. Someone always wants something or someone they can’t have. And when that something or someone belongs to this pack, we go to war.”

“How do you all live like that? Always looking over your shoulder for the next attack? It sounds terrible.”

I didn’t want her to think we lived in a continuous battlefield. That was the furthest thing from the truth. “We have highs and lows just like anyone else, tesoro. Wolves are simply territorial; we protect what’s ours. When we do have to fight, it’s never something that we take lightly. It’s the last resort, and we do it so that we can return to peaceful times like these.”

“Would I be in danger here?”

“No one in this pack would ever harm you. You are our Gamma female. Even as a human, the only woman to outrank you currently is Alaia.”

“That’s not what I’m asking. If I were to live here when your pack went into battle, would I be in danger? I can’t protect myself like you all can.”

She was thinking of a future with me, so I had to handle this delicately. “We would protect you, Taylor. You would never be left alone to fend for yourself. I give you my word that if you were to move in here, you would be safer than you’ve ever been in your entire life.”

“Good. I need to feel safe and protected. My history won’t allow me to live any other way.”

“Whatever your need.”

* * *

Four hours later, Taylor and I were pulling up to my parents’ house out in the country. I grabbed Taylor’s hand and kissed it to calm her some. “Just be yourself, baby. They will respect you so much more for it. Trust me.”

“Okay, let’s do this.”

They had hired a valet for the party, so I pulled up to the stand and handed over the keys. Walking around to Taylor, I took her hand and led her inside. I could hear my mom in the kitchen yelling at one of my brothers for who knows what reason. When we walked in, her eyes immediately zeroed in on Taylor’s hand in mine.

“Buon anniversario mamma. Hey Gio, what are you in trouble for now?”

Before he could answer, my mom rushed around the counter and stood in front of us.

“Matthew, è questo chi penso che sia?” (Matthew, is this who I think this is?)

I leaned over to Taylor and whispered in her ear, “She goes full Italian when she’s excited. Just give me a minute, and I’ll explain it all to you, okay?”

She nodded and smiled up at me. Damn, I loved that smile. “Questa è la mia compagna; si chiama Taylor.” (This is my mate. Her name is Taylor.)

“Oh, è così bella, figliolo!” (Oh, she’s beautiful, son!)

“Grazie mamma.” (Thank you, Mom.)

“Quando sposerai questa bellezza?” (When are you going to marry this beauty?)

“Mamma, è solo la mia ragazza. Non abbiamo ancora parlato del matrimonio.” (Mom, she’s just my girlfriend. We haven’t talked about marriage yet.)

“Ma voglio i nipoti!” (But I want grandchildren!)

“Mamma per favore. Lascia che prima si abitui a noi.” (Mom please, let her get used to us first.)

“Non sto diventando più giovane, Matthew.” (I’m not getting any younger, Matthew.)

“Mom, where’s Dad? I want to introduce him.”

“Who knows? I left him alone in his office hours ago.”

Mom then turned to Taylor and smiled.

“I apologize for speaking as if you weren’t here, bella. I’m Giana, and I’m so happy to meet you. Come with me; I want to know everything.”

And just like that, my mother stole my girlfriend away and forgot I even existed. Gio said from his seat at the table, “Damn, that was brutal. I’m glad I’m no longer the only one on Mom’s ‘baby’ radar, though, so thanks for that.”

Gio’s a year younger than I am and found his mate a few weeks after he turned eighteen. Mom’s been pushing for a grandchild from him ever since. “It’s good to see you too. Is Dad in his office still?”

“Yep, I’m pretty sure he’s hiding out.”

“I need to talk to him. If Mom ever returns with Taylor, just keep her company for me, please.”

When my father was the pack Gamma, he was the best tracker around—and still is. I needed to know everything I could about Andrew Witt. I walked into the office and noticed all the lights were off. He only had the blinds from a couple of windows open, leaving the majority of the room in the shadows.

“Dad, I see you in that corner. I’m not here to drag you to the party. Mom’s preoccupied at the moment anyway.”

My dad stood up and walked over once he heard the coast was clear. “So, what’s got her attention now? Was there a wrinkle on a tablecloth? She’ll start a war over that.”

“She kidnapped my mate, Taylor. I have no idea where they are, what stories she’s sharing, or if the pictures have come out yet.”

My dad pulled me into a tight hug, slapping me on the back. Hard. “I’m happy to hear that! I can’t wait to meet her. So, what’s up? I know you want something.” Dad was always one to get right down to business, which was perfect. I didn’t want to talk about this more than I needed to.

“I need you to replace someone. His name’s Andrew Witt.”

“Why?”

Of course, he’d ask why. “Because I’m going to kill him.”

“Okay, why?”

“He’s Taylor’s ex. He put his hands on her multiple times, and even tried to rape her. He doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as her.” My father had zero tolerance for men hitting women. He raised my brothers and me with the same conviction, so I knew he’d understand.

“If you do this, there’s no going back. She may never understand or accept your reasons for taking a life. You sure about this?”

“Positive. So, can you replace him for me?”

“There’s no need. I already know where he is. Andrew Witt is the youngest son of Alpha Daniel Witt of the Dark Woods pack. They’ve been our rivals for decades, and I see that rivalry won’t be ending anytime soon.”

“I guess not.”