A/N: I hope you all enjoy it!

Auden's pov:

The last few days of work involved travel and testing several security systems with paid break-ins. I only did it because the pay was great and I'll use it to spoil my mates a bit.

The only drawback is that I'd be away from my mates, from Gannon my only source of relief from the primal need to claim my mates already. So I was in a rush to get back to them but I needed to look presentable.

I took a quick shower, did some grooming, and was about to throw on anything comfortable when my phone pinged. Walking over to my currently charging phone, I unlocked it to see a notification from the group chat I am in with my mates.

An address to a frat party. I scrolled up the chat to see what I missed and purred in delight. Nia wanted to introduce us to her friends, another sign that she accepted us whether it was consciously or not.

So I put more effort than usual into getting ready wanting to impress my mates when they saw me. Looking myself over one more time in the mirror I nodded in approval before double checking I had everything I needed and left my apartment.

Walking out of the building I was greeted with a wolf whistle that made my head snap up from my phone. It was Gannon grinning at me as he stood in front of his car.

Looking over his outfit I grinned at him as I said, "Right back at you, gorgeous. You going my way"

He rolled his eyes as he opened the passenger side door, "I think so since I'm here to pick you up"

"Great", I laughed as I jumped into the car, sliding on my seatbelt.

On the drive there we talked about little things that meant everything. As He drove his free hand gripped my thigh in a way that soothed my need to mark and claim.

"When are we going to claim our mates?", Max growled the words in my head as he paced impatiently

"At the right time. You can hold out a bit longer, can't you? We don't want to scare anyone away", I reminded him why we were waiting this long.

He grumbled and curled into a ball and I placed my hand over Gannon's embracing the waves of warmth that came with his touch. I needed to soothe my wolf as much as possible so that I wouldn't snap upon seeing my other mates again after so long.

Arriving at the party I could see that the crowd of bodies was mostly humans. My nostrils flared as I tried to sniff out Nia from the crowd only to come up empty.

I did pick up on Roger and Cody in the kitchen and I led the way to them with a grin. Luckily I didn't have to wait long at all to see her because five minutes later I caught her scent.

"Guys", Nia's voice came from the left of us and we all turned to stare at her and the guy next to her, who she gestured to, "This is Alan. Alan these are my guys, Auden, Gannon, Roger, and Cody"

She pointed each of us out with a smile on her face and my chest puffed out a bit in pride at the way she said, my guys. I couldn't wait for that word to change to boyfriends or mates.

Alan looked at all of us before looking back at Nia, wrapping an arm around her waist as he said, "Let's dance. They are playing our song"

Nia tilted her head before her eyes widened, "Oh shit. You remember the moves?"

He laughed and let her onto the makeshift dance floor, and they danced. Moving together like the push and pull of waves, one hand in hers and the other low on her waist.

I growled lowly in my chest, in sync with Max as his hackles rose in my mind, wanting to rip Alan apart. Gannon's hand rested on my neck, his thumb stroking the length of it.

"They are friends. They're allowed to dance", Roger said and I flicked my eyes over to him in time to see his hand clenching and unclenching.

"Yeah. just like we're friends with her", I nearly spat the word friend out.

"Alan wants to fuck her", Gannon spoke the words out of clenched teeth, "I can see it in his eyes. For years, they've teased each other. He always held back because she was always in a relationship, but now she's single and he'll make his move."

My stomach dropped and I was off walking as fast as I could to get them apart. Behind me, I heard the sound of a phone ringing and Gannon excusing himself.

I focused on what was ahead of me, not liking one bit about what Gannon said Alan felt towards our woman. I watched in horror and rage as Alan dipped Nia then he kissed her, slipping his tongue into her mouth.

His hand grabbed her ass, and his other pulled her closer as she tried to pull away. Another growl rose from my chest and Nia pulled an arm free and punched Alan in the face.

He dropped her to the ground and stumbled back groaning. Nia sat up wiping her mouth as I came up behind her offering her my hand to take.

She looked up at me with wide eyes before she took my hand, allowing me to help her to her feet. Alan got his barrings and glared at us, "What the fuck, Ma?"

"You wouldn't let me go. Is your nose ok?", She asked as she let go of me and stepped closer to him, concern dripping from her voice.

He dropped his hand showing off a nasty bruise blossoming on the bridge of his nose, "you could have just tapped me, or pushed against my shoulder. Why did you punch me so hard?"

"I-I don't know", She stuttered as she stepped closer to him, "I'm sorry my body moved before I knew what was happening"

"Why don't you get some ice for your nose Alan", I spoke up as I stepped closer to Nia, not wanting her too far from me.

Alan's eyes snapped over to me, giving me a once over before he rolled his eyes, "Why don't you fuck off Dog. This has nothing to do with you"

"Whoa. Don't talk to him like that. I know you're in pain but that's my fault, not Auden's", Nia snapped at him, her jaw clenching.

"Yeah it is", He said as his hand went into his pocket, "And you'll make it up to me as well"

I moved in front of Nia, shielding her the same second he tossed a powder in the air right into my face. The smell of herbs invaded my sense of smell.

"What did you do to him, Alan?", Nia questioned him as I swiped the powder off my face and took a step back as my body felt a bit heavier.

"It was for you. To make you stop being a fucking tease. You deviant insatiable slut", He spat the words out at her as he grabbed her wrist, "Now stop hanging around those monsters and be mine, Nia"

Max took the helm, shifting slightly until my teeth were longer and sharper as I snarled at him, "Let go of her. She doesn't want you and never will"

Alan froze as he stared at me in fear and I snapped my jaw at him releasing another deep growl that made him piss himself. My nostrils flared at the scent of his fear, urine, and something else in the air that made my cock harden in an instant.

I turned my head toward the source of the smell, licking my teeth as if I could already taste her in the air. Nia looked at me with wide eyes, her teeth gnawing at her lower lip and her thighs pressed firmly together.

The sound of Alan running away spewing profanities and grumbling promises of this not being over with was background noise. Since everything sounded so quiet as I stepped closer to Nia inhaling her scent of a sweetened lilac in bloom.

"Auden", She spoke my name after a hard swallow as she reached up to cup my face in her hands.

A violent shiver went through my body and I realized then what that powder is meant to do. My skin felt cold and itchy in a way that was too early and once Nia's hands touched my face I felt my usual warmth return accompanied by a soothing balm-like sensation and butterflies in my veins.

"Are you ok?", She asked as her eyes scanned my face and I had to look away.

"No", I answered her honestly as I saw Cody with his hand extended stopping time, probably to prevent anyone from seeing my less-than-human traits.

Painfully, I separated from Nia's warm touch and ran up the stairs to a free bedroom in an attempt to get away from her. I didn't want to hurt her and that powder just pushed me into what I am hoping is a temporary rut.

I stripped out of my clothes and allowed my body to shift a little more. Letting my mouth, and ears appear more like Max's.

I curled on the stranger's bed surrounded by unfamiliar scents. My body aching painfully with the need to fuck and breed and claim at least one of my mates.

I could pick up the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer and hoped that it was Gannon coming to my rescue. 

A/N: Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment. This story is completely done over on my Patreon if you want to read ahead!