Made for the Alpha Shifter (Shifter World - Book Nine) (Series of 13 Short Stories)
Chapter Seven: Nice To See You Again

Daryl watched the patrons of their pub from behind the bar as he dried one of the glasses with a towel. It has been a month since he and his brother returned home with Sharissa and his new nephew, Easton.

Tamara is due soon, and they’ll have a baker’s dozen of Fated Mate offspring. Fourteen, counting Shar and Dustin’s son, who isn’t a part of the little army that follows Joy—but he’s still destined for good things.

“Daryl!”

Daryl shook his head and looked at his brother.

Dustin chuckled. “You’re going to dry that glass to dust.”

Daryl looked down at the glass he was still drying and sighed.

“Something on your mind, Brother?” Drezden asked as he pulled up a stool and sat down across the bar from his oldest brother.

Daryl looked at his youngest brother. “Just thinking about the kids and the fact that yours and Tamara’s cub will give us a baker’s dozen.”

Dustin laughed. “You’ve been working here too long.”

Daryl snorted. He liked working at the bar. It was less stressful than chasing after people who were better off not being found.

“Who’s working at the Security Company?” Drezden asked as he leaned over the counter, grabbed a glass, and helped himself to some bourbon.

“Dylan and Pearl. I think Pearl is sick of this place, and they can have Ruby with them there,” Daryl said as he placed the overly-dried glass with the others.

“How are you doing?” Dustin asked, watching his older brother.

Daryl shrugged. “Okay, I guess.”

“Still think you don’t have a Fated Mate?” Drezden asked as he took a sip of his drink.

Daryl sighed. “She’s gone….”

“Wouldn’t the Goddesses have brought her back to life if Ivy was your Fated Mate?” Dustin asked as he leaned against the bar.

“Yeah. That’s what I keep saying.” Drezden agreed.

“That’s what you all keep saying,” Daryl grumbled.

“And we’re right,” Dominic said as he joined his brothers.

“Who asked you?” Daryl picked up a glass and filled an order one of their new waitresses asked for.

“He’s just as stubborn as Mom.” Drezden grinned.

“Where’s your mate?” Daryl asked as he turned to his youngest brother.

Drezden pointed behind him at the stairs. “Carried her upstairs when I got here. Mom won’t allow her to sit down here with all these strangers….”

“Good idea.” Dustin nodded.

“How much longer?” Dominic asked as he reached past his brothers for the basket of peanuts on the bar.

“Couple more weeks.” Drezden grinned.

“Did you guys replace out what you’re having?” Dominic asked.

Drezden nodded. “Yeah. We both wanted to know so we could decorate one of the rooms.”

“And?” his three brothers asked at the same time.

Drezden grinned. “It’s a boy.”

“All right!” Dustin said with a grin as he slapped his brother on the back.

“Thought of any names?” Daryl asked.

Drezden nodded. “She wants to name him Gabel.”

The Kraftman brothers chuckled.

“Gabel Kraftman—has a nice ring to it.” Dustin grinned.

Drezden grinned. “I know. I like it. But don’t tell Tamara I said that.”

“Are you lying to your mate already?” Daryl asked, looking at his brother.

Drezden chuckled. “Nah. I just like the sex we have after we argue over the name for an hour. She thinks I’m serious, and the sex is amazing….”

“TMI!” Dustin exclaimed.

Drezden laughed as he slapped his older brother on the shoulder. “Just making up a bit for the times we caught you and Shar in one position or another.”

Dustin grinned. His family has caught him and his mate in many positions, and secretly, he and Shar like it.

“And look who’s just come in.” Dustin grinned as he watched his mate and the other Fated Mates Club—walk into the bar.

Fuck, he couldn’t resist watching his mate as she moved toward them, her hips wider than usual from having their son. And her tits—fuck—don’t get him started on those.

“Dustin, you’re drooling.” Dominic chuckled.

Dustin wiped his chin and moved away from his brothers. He lifted his mate off her feet and against his chest. She grinned at him, and his heart skipped a beat.

“Hello to you, too,” she said with a chuckle.

Dustin grunted and took her mouth in a breathtaking kiss.

“Hey, you two, get a room,” Tate said as he walked up to them. “No making out allowed….”

“Fuck off, Vampire,” Dustin grumbled.

Daryl smiled at his brother and his mate. If he had his own mate, he’d be doing the same thing right now—rules be damned. They own the bar anyway…

“Put me down, Dustin.” Shar smiled as she looked into her mate’s silver eyes.

Dustin grunted as he set her on her feet. He didn’t leave her side as they walked to their usual table.

“Not working tonight?” Daryl called out to Sharissa.

She turned to him and stuck out her tongue, then turned back and sat at the table the Kraftman brothers had been sitting at for over thirty years.

Daryl chuckled as he picked up a couple of beers, popped the tops, and then set them on a tray for the server to deliver to a table.

“Is Sebastian playing tonight?” Raj asked as he walked up to the bar.

Daryl looked up at one of their oldest friends and smiled. “You’ll have to ask the manager about that. I only work here.”

Raj laughed as he gave Daryl his order, then carried the bottles to the table to sit with his mate and the others of their clan.

“Daryl, you work too hard,” Rolando said as he slapped his hand down on the bar.

Daryl snorted. “What do you want, Florance?”

Rolando smiled, then gave him his order of drinks for him, his mate, and his best friend and his mate.

Daryl set the drinks on a tray and handed it to him.

Rolando nodded his thanks, then moved to the table with the others.

“You look good back there,” a woman said as she walked up to the bar.

Daryl looked at her and smiled. “Thanks,” he said as he set a basket full of pretzels in front of her. “What will you have?” he asked sweetly.

Maybe too sweetly. Because she gave him a sultry look that said—Fuck Me Hard.

She was pretty enough and—if his senses were working correctly—a tiger shifter. But he’s not looking for a one-time fling. He’s looking for a forever. With his Fated Mate. If his brothers are correct and she does exist.

“I’ll have a pink flamingo,” she said with a sultry voice.

Daryl smiled as he nodded, then turned and started to make the drink.

What is it with blonds and fruity drinks? One of the only blonds he met who didn’t drink the shit was Sharissa.

“Thanks,” she said with a wink when he handed her the mixed drink.

Daryl nodded, then turned from her to help another customer. He could tell that the night was already going to be long and tiring. But he needed long and tiring—to make up for long and tedious.

~🐾~

“When is Sebastian coming back?” Raj asked as he joined his clan at their table.

“Next week.” Shar leaned against her mate. “Tonight is open mic night.”

“Ah, fuck,” Drezden groaned.

“What’s wrong?” Shar asked, looking at her brother.

Drezden looked at her with a disgusted look on his face. “The last time you had one of those, I had to break up a fight between two bimbos, who couldn’t carry a tune if someone glued it to their back and said, giddy up bitch….”

“Drezden!” Sharissa admonished.

Drezden shrugged his shoulders. “They sucked, and everyone knew it. But they fought over who sang the stupid ass song better. I thought we agreed, no more open mic nights.”

Shar smiled. “Tonight is comedy night. If they’re not funny, just don’t laugh.”

The others at their table chuckled.

“Drezden!”

“Uh oh. Mom wants you,” Dominic said with a grin.

“What did you do now?” Shar asked her brother.

Drezden sighed. “Tamara is up there….”

“Enough said.” Lyvia gave Drezden a shove. “Get your ass up there and take care of your very pregnant mate.”

Drezden chuckled as she shoved him off the bench.

They watched him walk over to the stairs and disappear up the hall.

“Who’s first?” Josiah asked, looking at Shar.

She smiled at him. “Don’t know. I didn’t plan tonight.”

“Who did?” Lyvia asked.

“I did.”

Everyone looked at Dominic.

Dominic smiled at their shocked faces. “Don’t be so shocked. I can set up a little comedy act….”

“Are they funny?” Josie asked.

Dominic chuckled. “It’s open mic night. What do you think?”

Josie snorted. “Probably not.”

~🐾~

The little comedy show wasn’t as entertaining as Dominic had hoped.

“I thought we bought a bar, not comedy central,” Dustin grumbled as the last comedian ran off the stage after someone threw a rotten tomato at him.

“Who the fuck supplied the rotten tomatoes?” Shar demanded as she looked at the mess on the stage.

The comedians were so horrible that not one of them was able to finish their act. And now the stage was covered in rotten tomatoes.

“Shit, I hadn’t expected them to actually throw them at every single comedian.” Dominic laughed.

Shar glared at her brother. “And now you get to clean it up.”

“Fuck,” Dominic grumbled.

Josie laughed at the look on her mate’s face. “I told you it was a bad idea.”

Dominic looked at his mate. “Guess I’ll listen to you more often.”

She smacked his arm, then leaned over and kissed him. “Come on, I’ll help you.”

Dominic and Josie got to their feet and headed onto the small stage to clean up the rotten tomatoes.

“No more open mic nights.” Dustin pulled his mate closer to his side.

Shar nodded. “Agreed.”

“Oh. My. God.” Lyvia said, her eyes wide as she stared at the entry to the bar.

The group at the table turned simultaneously, and Sharissa grinned as the Kraftman brothers chuckled.

“Well, look what the Devil dragged in!” Dustin hollered across the bar with a wide grin.

“You’re still as ugly as ever, Dustin Kraftman!”

The group laughed as they got to their feet to welcome their old friend.

Shar squealed as she hugged the woman tight.

“Been too long, Sharissa.”

“I know.” Shar wiped her eyes.

“What have you been up to?” Dustin asked as he pulled the woman into a tight hug.

“Marry-Beth!” Dominic shouted as he jumped off the stage and captured the woman in a bear hug.

Marry-Beth laughed as she hugged the large shifter.

“So good to see you.” Drezden pulled the woman from his brother and hugged her.

Marry-Beth nodded. “I was surprised to see the bar was still standing,” she said as she backed away and looked around the table at all the Fated Mates. “Wow. The club has grown.”

Sharissa laughed as she introduced Marry-Beth to the others.

“We’ve heard so much about you,” Maddy said as she shook Marry-Beth’s hand.

Marry-Beth nodded. “You must be Josie’s long-lost sister.”

Maddy snickered. “What gave it away?”

Marry-Beth laughed.

The woman who had walked into the bar with Marry-Beth cleared her throat, and everyone turned to her.

“Right.” Marry-Beth grinned as she moved over to the blond. “Everyone. I’d like for you to meet my mate, Allora.”

“Mate?” Dustin asked, looking between Marry-Beth and Allora.

Marry-Beth nodded. “I may not be a Fated Mate like the rest of you. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to replace that perfect someone to spend the rest of my life with.”

Everyone grinned and started introducing themselves to Allora.

Allora chuckled as she shook hands and received hugs.

“Is that you, you old bat?”

Marry-Beth turned to Daryl and scoffed. “You look good back there, Kraftman.”

Daryl chuckled. “Not as good as you did.”

Marry-Beth grinned.

“Come join us,” Shar said as she grabbed a couple of chairs from another table and pulled them to their table.

“So, I hear you had another cub.” Marry-Beth grinned as she sat down in the chair.

Shar nodded. “Yep. A boy.”

Dustin grinned as he wrapped his arm around his mate.

“How is Joy?” Marry-Beth asked as she sat down next to Shar.

“Big and smart,” Shar said with a wide smile. “The others already follow her everywhere she goes.”

Marry-Beth nodded. “Figured that would happen.” She looked at the others. “So, I guess that means that there’s what, eight, nine cubs?”

Everyone at the table laughed.

“Twelve,” Shar informed her old friend. She couldn’t believe she was back.

They’d figured after they’d bought the bar from her, she’d disappear and never return. Yet here she is, and with a beautiful mate at her side. She may not be a Fated Mate, as she’d pointed out. But she looked just as happy as one.

“Twelve?!” Marry-Beth shrieked. “There are eight Fated Mate couples. Right?”

“Yes.” Shar nodded.

“I’m an Omega—remember,” Lyvia said, raising her hand.