Mated to the Alpha and His Beta (Lanie Stanton) novel Chapter 168

Chapter 168
Lanie
When his lips touched mine, I tried not to think.
Not about Xander or Zane or Mason, or the danger Stella and I were in. There had been something about Braden that had made me want to kiss him the first time..maybe now I’d remember why.
But when I finally did, I planted my hands on his chest and gently pushed myself away.
His eyes blinked open, and his face settled into an unreadable expression.
I’d kissed him before because I was sad and confused. My wolf and I were looking for answers and comfort wherever we could get it. Kind of like I was doing right now.
But the real reason why I trusted Braden, why Lily always ran to him, too, was because he was a good
friend.
“Nothing, huh?” Braden asked, a small smirk curling up
his lips.
I smiled back and shook my head. “Nothing romantic, maybe. I think we’re better as friends.”
He clenched his fist and brought it to his heart in a stabbing motion. “Better as friends. The kiss of death!” he cried dramatically. “But I get it. Four men is one too many to juggle
ut away
G ods, the nerve of him. I reached out and shoved him playfully. Only he could with being that
cheeky.
I
“Thanks for understanding,” I said, co cking my eyebrow at him.
“Godspeed to all of you in that tiny cabin. That scent of yours is going to drive them all crazy. It really is delectable, if I may say so, Braden said. “In a friendly way, of course.”
I barked out a laugh. “Of course.”
“And besides, I do have quite the little rotation going,” Braden said mischievously. “You and I have that in
common.”
mate
My smile grew wider. Da mn, he really was a great guy. Hot, clever, pushed my buttons. But he wasn’t my
He patted my knee quickly. “I have to go check on your family and head back into the fray today,” he said.
“Til report back at some point tomorrow.”
“Could you be a little more vague?” I teased.
“I know, I know,” Braden said. “But you have enough to deal with here. Let me deal with the Orion sh it.”
I watched as he walked away, grateful for his willingness to keep me and my family safe, even if it meant I
couldn’t give him what he wanted in return.
1/2
was gone.
I was debating whether or not to head back inside when the voices beyond the door grew louder, and one of the babies started crying.
S hit. What now?
I stood quickly and raced inside.
Xander and Zane stood face-to-face with Mason, their expressions all twisted up with anger. It almost looked comical…their huge, muscular bodies taking up so much space in the tiny living room
But then I noticed Xander holding Stella. She was the one crying. It wasn’t funny anymore.
“Hand. Her. Over,” Mason said through gritted teeth. “She’s obviously upset”
“Because you’re f ucking yelling!” Zane cried. “What’s the big deal? She was crying, and Xander picked her up. You were in the bedroom f ucking sulking or whatever
“What the hell is going on here?!” I yelled.
They all spun around to look at me.
“We’re handling it, Lanie,” Xander said, before turning back to Mason.
Mason barked out a mirthless laugh. “You both just want to do it all, don’t you? You can’t let me have a
single f ucking thing!”
“Stella is my baby,” Xander snapped. “Did you already forget that?”
“Oh, hell no,” I said, I rushed toward Xander to take Stella from him. She calmed down immediately. She
couldn’t take the drama, either.
Mason jammed his finger toward me. 1 helped Lanie raise her from the beginning,” he said, his voice rising again. “She’s mine, too, even if it’s not by blood.”
Xander and Zane rolled their eyes.
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed,” Mason said, his eyes flashing with his wolf. He needed to calm down. Now.
“Noticed what?” Xander growled.
“That you two can do whatever the f uck you want with Stella, but you’ve never once let me touch the
twins.”