Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf [Wolf Creek Pack 6] (6 page)

standing at the stove, a frying pan in one hand, a spatula in the other.

From the smoke rising from the stove, Stefan guessed that Ben

was trying to cook something and not doing a very good job of it. As

he walked closer, he winced at the state of the eggs in the pan. Ben

was right. He couldn’t cook.

“Here, give that to me,” Stefan said as he reached for the pan and

spatula. He pushed Ben aside with his shoulder, looking down at the

mess in the pan before walking to the trashcan and dumping

everything in. “Go get ready for work. I’ll take care of this.”

Walking back to the stove, he added some butter to the pan, then

started cracking eggs into a bowl. Adding a little milk, he started

whipping them together, and then poured them into the pan. As the

eggs were cooking, Stefan went to the fridge and began searching

around for stuff to add to the meal. Ben would not survive on a few

eggs.

He found some ham, quickly slicing some up and adding it to the

pan alongside the eggs. Finding some bread, he popped it in the

toaster, putting butter and jam on the table. Once everything was

cooked, he dished the food up on a plate and set it on the table.

“Ben, breakfast is ready,” he called out as he poured two glasses

of orange juice. He just sat down in his chair when Ben came walking

in dressed in his deputy uniform.
Yum!
Stefan was pretty sure he was

going to get a quick obsession with men in uniform.

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf

39

Ben sat down at the table looking at the food before him with a

little bit of awe. “How do you do this? I was just trying to make an

egg and nearly burned the house down. This looks like a feast fit for a

king, and you had it done by the time I got back downstairs.”

Stefan shrugged his shoulders. “I like to cook.”

Looking up at Stefan, Ben smiled. “Please, feel free to cook

anything you want.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small

wad of cash, setting it on the table in front of Stefan. “Just in case you

need anything from the store.”

Stefan’s hands trembled as he reached over and picked up the

money. “I can use this?”

“Sure, buy whatever you need. If there’s anything left over, get

yourself something nice,” Ben said as he took a bite of food. He

closed his eyes as he chewed, opening them when he was done to

look over at Stefan. “This is great, baby, thank you.”

“It was nothing,” Stefan replied as he stared at the money in his

hand. He had never really had any money before. Oliver never let him

have any. And here was Ben, handing him a wad of cash without even

counting it.

“Don’t you want to know how much is here?” Stefan asked

quietly.

“I’m sure you’ll put it to good use. Why? Do you need more?”

Ben asked.

“No, I’ve just never had any money before. Oliver didn’t allow

me to have money.”

“Oliver?”

“My stepbrother. He took care of all of our finances when our

brother Desmond died.”

“He wasn’t the man trying to claim you, was he?”

Stefan shook his head. “No, that was Dane, Oliver’s best friend,

cohort, whatever you want to call him. Dane and Oliver have known

each other for years. They pretty much do everything together.”

“So, why was Dane trying to claim you then?” Ben asked.

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Stormy Glenn

“I guess they had some sort of arrangement or something. Dane

got me, Oliver got Audley.”

“Audley? Was he there that night?”

Stefan shook his head. “No, Oliver would never allow him to

come to a mate gathering. There would be too much of a chance that

someone else might claim Audley before he could. He’s been

obsessed with Audley since before I can remember.”

“Where is Audley now?”

“I’m not real sure. I haven’t been allowed to see him for a few

weeks. Dane was supposed to claim me the other night, not you.

When that didn’t happen—” Stefan shrugged.

“Do you think he’s in danger?” Ben asked.

“If Oliver claims Audley, yes. Oliver’s not very…nice. He likes to

get his own way and doesn’t let others interfere with that. I’m

surprised we haven’t seen him before now. He’s sure to be pissed

over this,” Stefan said as he gestured between the two of them.

“Not going to like having me for a brother-in-law, is he?” Ben

chuckled.

“Uh, no!”

“Too damn bad,” Ben growled, jumping to his feet and slamming

his hands down on the table. “I claimed you fair and square. You

belong to me now!”

Stefan stared at Ben in shock. No one had ever claimed him

before. Ben sounded as if he really meant it, too. Stefan jumped up

and launched himself around the table, jumping into Ben’s arms.

“Just for that, I’m bringing you lunch,” Stefan whispered in

between kisses.

“For what?” Ben asked in confusion as he picked Stefan up in his

arms.

Stefan raised his head, his hands framing Ben’s face with his

hands as he looked deep into his eyes. “For wanting me. No one’s

ever wanted me before. No one’s ever claimed me before.”

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41

Ben smiled down at Stefan. “I have, and no one’s going to take

you away from me.” He gave Stefan a quick kiss before setting him

on the floor. “Breakfast was wonderful, baby, but I need to get to

work. I’ll expect lunch around one o’clock, okay?”

Stefan quickly nodded his head as he watched Ben grab one more

bite of breakfast. A plan already started to form in his mind. He

walked Ben to the front door and watched him leave, his mind going

over what he needed to do to secure Audley’s safety.

Getting Audley away from Oliver and Dane was very important to

Stefan. Besides being Stefan’s best friend, Audley had been the only

thing that saved Stefan’s sanity over the years. Stefan felt like he had

a special connection to Audley, one that he never had with anyone

else until he met Ben.

And just maybe his big bad wolf could help him save Audley. Ben

was more caring than he thought. Stefan didn’t care that everyone

thought his mate was all big and bad. Ben wasn’t. He was probably

one of the most caring men Stefan had ever met, not that he had met a

lot of caring people in his time. His life had been somewhat

depressing until he met his mate.

But Stefan knew Ben had a lot of love to give. He also needed a

lot of love. In just the small amount of time they had been together,

Stefan could tell that Ben was soaking up the attention he received

like a sponge. Stefan had no doubt that he could give Ben more love

than he could handle. He just had to figure out how to get Ben to

accept it.

* * * *

“Deputy Nobles, get your ass in my office ASAP!”

Ben rolled his eyes as he got up from his chair and walked into

Sheriff Joe Nash’s office. He closed the door and walked over to

stand in front of Joe’s desk, looking down at him expectantly.

“You bellowed?”

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Stormy Glenn

“Would you sit your ass down? You know it hurts my neck to

have to look up at you,” Joe growled as he gestured to the chair in

front of his desk. “Now, tell me about the mate gathering the other

night. I hear it was a real humdinger.”

“I assume you’ve been talking to your father?” Ben asked as he

sat down in a chair across from Joe.

Joe nodded his head, a wide grin on his face.

“Then what do you need to talk to me about?” Ben asked. “You

already know what happened.”

“Because I wanted to hear it from you.”

Ben rolled his eyes as he settled back in his chair. “So, what do

you want to know?”

“Is it true? Did you find your mate?” Joe asked, almost eagerly.

“Yes. His name is Stefan.”

“When do we get to meet him?”

“He’s bringing me lunch around one.”

Joe nodded his head, sitting back in his chair and folding his

hands together in his lap. “What’s he like?”

“Stefan?” Ben shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s cute.”

“Cute? You find a mate and all you can say about him is that he’s

cute?” Joe asked in astonishment.

Ben shrugged his shoulders. “It’s only been a couple of days, Joe.

I don’t really know that much about him.”

“Haven’t you talked with him, asked him about his life, what he

likes, dislikes?”

Ben could feel his face heating up as he looked down at his hands.

“We haven’t spent that much time…uh…talking.”

He could hear Joe chuckling. “If it makes you feel any better, I

was so obsessed with Nate, I didn’t even know he could talk for

nearly twenty-four hours.”

Ben sat forward, resting his arms on his knees as he looked over at

him. Joe Nash had been his best friend for more years than he could

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf

43

remember. When everyone else had been afraid of Ben because of his

size, Joe couldn’t have cared less.

“Is it always like that? I can’t seem to stop thinking about him.

Hell, we had sex so many times after I claimed him, I thought my

balls would fall off. He walks into the room and I’m ready to rip off

his clothes.”

“Sorry to tell you this, but it’s always like that and it doesn’t go

away. Nate can still get me going with just a phone call. If the city

council knew how many times I’ve left work to run home and fuck

my mate, I’d get fired for sure.”

Ben chuckled. He couldn’t help it. He could just picture Joe’s

little mate calling him on the phone and Joe running out of his office

to go home. He had seen Joe tear out of here several times. He just

never realized it was to go home and get frisky with Nate.

“So, basically, we’re fucked?”

“Yeah,” Joe said as he nodded his head. “That about covers it, my

friend. If you think your size and demeanor means that you’re going

to be running things, think again. I’d lay bets that your new mate has

you wrapped around his little finger inside of a week.”

“I think he already does.” Ben chuckled, remembering how Stefan

had demanded that Ben claim him that first time. “You know, the first

time I claimed him physically, he demanded that I do it? Just sat right

down in my lap, pulled his clothes off, and demanded that I claim

him.”

Joe burst out laughing. “Sounds like a real fireball to me.”

Ben smirked, shaking his head. “You have no idea.”

“Well, congratulations, Ben. I hope he makes you very happy. I

know I wasn’t expecting Nate, but I couldn’t imagine being with

anyone else. He makes my life worth living. Besides that, he can cook

like no one’s business.”

Ben started laughing—a very uncommon occurrence—and Joe

looked slightly confused. “What?”

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Stormy Glenn

“Stefan loves to cook, and he’s much better than I am. I was

trying to make breakfast this morning when he rescued me. By the

time I got back downstairs after getting ready for work, he practically

had a feast on the table. I still don’t know how he did it.”

“Maybe you should introduce him to Nate. They can swap recipes

or whatever it is that they do. Although, the two of them together does

make me a little nervous. No telling what kind of trouble they could

get into.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure that’s a good idea, but I know Stefan could

use a friend. He had to leave his best friend behind when he mated

me. I know he misses him.”

“Why don’t you have him over for dinner or to visit for a few

days then? I’m sure it would make Stefan feel better,” Joe asked.

Ben shook his head. “Stefan didn’t go into a lot of detail, but

there’s some sort of issue involving his stepbrother, Oliver, and some

guy named Dane. Apparently, Audley—Stefan’s best friend—is

Dane’s little brother. Dane promised Audley to Oliver, and Dane was

supposed to get Stefan. I kind of interfered with their plans.”

“No shit? They were swapping siblings? Sounds a little fishy to

me,” Joe said, sitting forward in his chair. All of his former

amusement had gone from his features. “Isn’t he part of Prince

Zacarius’s coven?”

“You know, I don’t think it ever came up. I’ll have to ask Stefan

when he gets here,” Ben said. “Although, considering I met him at the

mate gathering, I’d assume he is.”

“You ask him and I’ll make some discreet inquiries.”

Ben nodded. “I’d appreciate it, Joe. It’s weird, but I don’t want

Stefan unhappy.”

“It’s not weird, Ben. It’s called having a mate. Weird is having a

mate who's a sempath and can always tell if you’re lying or not. Try

building a relationship on that. I can’t hide shit from that man.”

Ben chuckled. He saw Nate using his unique abilities a time or

two. It was a little eerie, but Joe seemed to dote on Nate’s every word.

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf

45

He wasn’t freaked out by Nate’s abilities, so Ben had decided early on

that he wouldn’t be either. Nate was just—Nate.

“I’m sure Stefan comes with his own baggage. I know I certainly

do,” Ben said, trying to make Joe feel a little better.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t give Nate up for anything. I