That was one of his favorite things about going to see Declan. He always had time to reassure Frankie's wolf.
Frankie knew he wasn't like most shifters. Reb had explained it to him. When Frankie was two, he'd been in a car accident. His parents had died in that accident, but some shifters had been running by and heard it. They'd rescued Frankie. Reb told him he'd been in a coma for a few days, and being asleep for so long had injured his brain. Frankie could still understand everything, but sometimes it took some explanations first.
"Frankie! Come on, buddy," Reb called, holding out his arm.
Frankie grinned and bounded forward. He must have been too lost in thought because he hadn't even noticed Reb and Daithi reach the porch. Trotting up the steps, he followed the others into the house. A smell caught his attention and Frankie paused just inside the door. Inhaling deeply several times, he actually felt his cock twitch. Huh. That's never happened before.
"Evening, Frankie," Declan greeted, pulling him out of his thoughts.
Frankie turned to his alpha and bowed his head. "Hi, Alpha," he replied. For once, when Declan pulled him into a hug and nuzzled his neck, his wolf didn't settle.
Evidently, Declan felt it, too. Pulling away, his alpha leveled an appraising look at him. Frankie couldn't help it. He turned his head and sniffed again. That same scent tickled his senses, making him equal parts uneasy, intrigued, and horny. He really wanted to know what caused it.
"Smell somethin' ye like, Frankie?" Declan asked quietly.
He looked at his alpha and shrugged. "Not sure. It's-" He paused and nibbled his lip, uncertain if he was supposed to admit this kind of thing, but his alpha did ask. "It's making me horny," he whispered.
"Aye, I see," Declan said, slowly.
If Frankie had to guess, his alpha sounded...concerned. Worry filled Frankie and he twisted his hands together nervously. Darting a look around, he noted Reb and Daithi in the dining room talking with Lark. "Is that bad?" he asked nervously.
"Nay, nay," Declan denied. Resting a hand on Frankie's shoulder, he gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It means we may have some very important things to discuss with ye, Frankie."
"Important things?" Frankie asked dubiously. The last important thing anyone wanted to discuss with him had been about him and his brother escorting Declan and his mate through Scotland and Ireland. It had been fun. From his alpha's tone, Frankie didn't think Declan wanted to talk to him about another vacation, though.
"Come with me," Declan ordered gently.
His alpha wrapped an arm around his shoulders and guided him toward the hall leading to his study. Frankie glanced over his shoulder at his brother, but Reb didn't look his way. Instead, he was staring at Lark with a look of astonishment.
Before he could ask Declan what was going on, his alpha pulled him through a doorway and into a room he'd never been in before. Glancing around, he realized it was a library. It wasn't real big, maybe sixteen by twenty-four feet, but there was a picture window, a wood-burning fireplace, and two large comfortable chairs in front of it.
All in all, it was a very cozy room.
"Frankie, please have a seat," Declan said, pointing to one of the chairs.
His brows furrowed as he did what he'd been told, lowering his bulk into a chair. He'd never heard his alpha this serious before. "Alpha?" He could almost feel his wolf cower in the back of his mind with his tail between his legs.
"Hey, easy now," Declan assured. "It's nothing that dire."
"What's going on? Did I do something wrong?" Frankie racked his brain, trying to figure out what he might have done to have his alpha pull him aside like this.
"Nay, absolutely not," Declan declared. He rubbed a hand over his bald scalp and muttered, "I'm probably going about this all wrong." Turning back, he settled in the second chair, his butt on the edge, and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Have ye heard that I've been having a number of guests lately?"
Frankie nodded, remembering Reb and Daithi mentioning it on the ride there. "Does it have something to do with the scientists?"
"Nay, it does not. They've been surprisingly quiet of late," Declan replied. "It has to do with Caspian's friend Dobs."
"Caspian the vampire," Frankie said slowly, remembering he'd seen the man in passing once or twice. His mate was a bunny shifter his pack had rescued from the scientists and was friends with their enforcer, Carson, and his mate, Jared.
"Aye," Declan said. "One of Caspian's friends, a vampire named Dobs, thinks he scented his beloved, that's their term for mate," he clarified. "Dobs thinks his beloved is a wolf shifter in me pack."
"Oh." Frankie nodded slowly. "Everyone wants to find their mate. I hope he finds him." Frankie hoped someday he'd even find a mate. He enjoyed sex very much and had heard it was even better between mates. He also hoped his mate wouldn't mind that he was a little slower understanding sometimes.
"Frankie."
Declan calling his name pulled Frankie from his musings. "Hmm?"
"Frankie, I think maybe ye like the smell of our vampire guests because ye might be the man Dobs is lookin' for," Declan said.
Cocking his head, Frankie wondered if that could be true. "Really?"
"Are ye open to bein' mated to a vampire, Frankie?" Declan asked gently.
He thought about it for a second, then shrugged. "I guess. I've never given it much thought," he admitted. A vampire mate? He'd heard they ate real food, so they'd still be able to eat meals together like wolf shifter couples did. Frankie knew they didn't go to sleep during the day, like the silly myths about them. They could go out in the sun, so that meant they'd be able to take walks in the woods. He wondered if they were allergic to garlic or got hurt by crosses. Was there really such a thing as holy water? Could someone turn a human into a vampire? Would Frankie have to drink blood, too? His excitement grew. He had so many questions!
The door slammed open, grabbing Frankie's attention. He leaped to his feet, ready to defend his alpha, but he saw it was just his brother. Except, Reb seemed really angry.
Reb glared at their alpha. "No. Absolutely not. Frankie will not be given to some vampire who'll take him away from here. It's not going to happen."
Take him away? Frankie didn't want to leave. Still, he wanted a mate. Didn't he only have one mate?
"Frederick, this is not yer call," Declan snapped.
The use of Reb's full name concerned Frankie. "Reb? Alpha?" Frankie called tentatively.
Reb spared Frankie a forced smile, then returned his focus to Declan. He ducked his head in a show of respect, but said in a strained voice, "Alpha, I understand this vampire works as an enforcer for the Vampire Council. That means he often travels into hostile territory. I don't believe that to be a safe environment for Frankie."
His vampire went into dangerous places? Then Frankie needed to be there to protect him, didn't he?
"If Fate has chosen Dobs as Frankie's mate, then don't ye think she's taken that into consideration?" Declan replied, a low growl in his tone.
Frankie figured since they were talking like he wasn't there, he didn't need to be there. He wanted to meet this vampire who might or might not be his mate. Big man Frankie might be, but he was still a wolf. He knew how to creep from a room without being noticed, especially when the others weren't paying attention to him anyway.
He slipped from the room and padded down the hall, following the interesting aroma to the closed office door. Inhaling deeply, Frankie's dick thickened. Yeah, I definitely like the way someone smells in here.
Only hesitating a second longer, Frankie's curiosity getting the better of him, he turned the knob and pushed the door open. He found himself the focus of five sets of eyes. Caspian and Casey he recognized. The other three he wasn't sure he'd ever seen before.
A low hiss drew Frankie's attention to the man seated on one of the love seats. He had short, light brown hair. He appeared lean, maybe too lean, but corded muscle bulged in his neck and his eyes flashed a deep red for an instant before returning to a deep blue color. Frankie thought that was incredibly sexy.