On the outside, I remain completely calm and collected. On the inside, I'm squealing like a fan girl at the concert of the latest boy and craze. Although the goofy grin on my face might give away what I'm thinking.

I love you, I love you, I love you. I keep replaying it my mind, my smile growing a little more each time. Who knew one phrase could make someone so euphoric?

He just told me he loved me! This amazing guy actually loves me.

And this amazing guy is waiting for my response.

Say something back you idiot! My mind screams.

"I love you too," I say without a second thought, because I know that it's 100% true. That adorable boyish smile lights up his face as well and we end up smiling at each other like lovesick idiots, our hands still intertwined. "I think this is the part where you're supposed to kiss me."

And so he does. Well, almost. Our lips barely brush each other's before Cater comes out the door and opens his mouth.

"Really, that was touching. Complete mush-fest," he says. I hear Cayton curse Carter under his breath and I back away just enough to glare at Carter. He gives me an innocent look. "What?"

"What do you want?" Cayton says, annoyance as prominent in his tone as it is on his face.

"Just checking in on my two favorite Alphas," he shrugs, walking over and throwing an arm around both of our shoulders and leaning down. "Is that ok?"

"Do you realize that you just ruined a pivotal step in our relationship?" I ask, shrugging his arm off of me.

"That was a "pivotal" moment?" he questions.

"Uh, yea! Do you know nothing about romance?"

"I know plenty!" he defends, causing Cayton to snort.

"Please. His idea of romance is one-night stands."

"You hoe," I say.

"So why are you really here?" Cayton asks.

"Because your mother has tried calling you ten times and you haven't answered, so she called me."

"Oh god, she isn't here is she?!" My hands immediately start smoothing down my hair nervously. Now would not be the best time to meet his mother. And I'm not supposed to yet! I still have two weeks! I need that time to prepare. How, I don't know. Maybe run through some possible questions and rehearse my answers.

"Calm down. She isn't here, but she wants to meet Cayton to talk about some plans for the party," Carter explains. I let out a breath of relief, letting my hands flop down.

"Oh, that's good." Cayton groans.

"Can't I have just one day," he mutters, getting up from his chair.

"Whoa whoa whoa wait. How long are you going to be?" I ask, standing up with him.

"I don't know, a couple hours probably," he says, not sounding too happy about it. "You can come if you want."

"As much as I would love too, I think I'll just stay here, I'm not too big on planning. I guess I'll call Tami," I sigh. Geez, you would think that we could at least have some time together after such a confession. Nevertheless, I'm really not ready to meet his mom. Just thinking about it makes me feel queasy in a nervous way.

"Think again. Tami isn't feeling well," Carter informs me.

"But she was here like two hours ago!" He just shrugs. "What about Hunter? Can't he come?"

"Nope, he has training."

"Does that mean I have to stay here alone?" I ask Cayton. Before, the idea seemed pleasing. However, after this morning, I realized that I don't like it too much. Especially knowing that some deranged werewolf Alpha is out there, though I don't think he will be a problem.

"I'm free," Carter says, smirking.

"Don't you have some whoring around to do?"

"You know, you're hurting my feelings," he says, placing a hand over his heart. I roll my eyes and turn to Cayton, who's watching this little exchange with some amusement.

"So I'm stuck with Count Dickula?"

He doesn't seem to like the idea too much, but I guess he realizes he's low on options.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of her," Carter says, slinging his arm back around my shoulder. I scrunch my nose up in distaste and Cayton gives him a stern look, which seems to have little effect on him.

"Just keep your hands to yourself," Cayton says, his tone implying a threat to Carter if he doesn't obey. Carter chuckles and raises his hands as if to say 'I surrender'.

"Hey, tell that to her. She's going to be the one who has trouble keeping her hands to herself with me around," he says, motioning up and down his body as if it was God's gift to the world.

Yep, Carter's an asshole, who is testing how far he can push Cayton. So before Cayton says anything and starts some unnecessary yelling and/or fighting, I elbow Carter in the stomach, not too gently.

"You're right. I'll have a hard time keeping my fists away from his nose," I assure Cayton, at the same time trying to bring down Carter's seemingly inflated ego.

Cayton grabs me and pulls me in for a hug, and puts his mouth right next to my ear.

"If he gives you any trouble, call me and let me know. I'll come kick his ass," he whispers, his warm breath causing me to shiver.

"Will do," I say back, before cupping his cheek and stealing the kiss Carter so rudely interrupted. It ends too quickly though, courtesy of Carter's gagging noises in the background.

And that's the moment I realize Hunter is definitely the more likable of the two brothers.

*

"Give me the damn remote," I order Carter. He stubbornly shakes his head, keeping the remote in his hand. "But I don't want to watch this!" I fear for my life right now actually. Carter is really sadistic if he is willing to sit through '1,000 Ways to Die', and all the while laughing and force me to watch it.

"Ouch," he cringes at the image on the screen, which I cover my eyes from.

"Carter!"

"Oh quit whining! You get the remote to yourself all day, let me have a turn." He then turns up the volume.

"I never get the remote! Tami is just as bad as you are!"

"Sucks to suck, doesn't it?"

"This is why everyone likes your brother better," I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back against the couch.

"Mhmm."

"And don't I have like some authority over you? I mean, I'm the Alpha's mate! So in that case, I command you to give me the remote!" I order.

He pauses, before sighing dramatically, as if he just lost some big battle. He holds out the remote to me and I smile broadly. Aha! So I do have authority over him. Sucker. I reach for the remote, but he quickly yanks it back, laughing.

"You can't boss me around yet shrimp," he laughs.

"I'm not a shrimp, dog-boy!" I cry indignantly, while he glares at me. "And what do you mean yet?"

"You aren't officially the Luna until the mating is completed," he says casually, teasingly tossing the remote back and forth between his hands.

"How do you know it's not?"

"For one, you aren't marked yet."

"By my choice!"

"And that's because...?"

"Because I'm punishing him for kidnapping me. Duh." He chuckles, and flips the show from that sadistic one to something else.

"Good luck with that. You'll give in before you've gotten your point across."

"Me? Give in? Oh Carter, you're so funny. You're underestimating the power of my stubbornness."

"Trust me. You won't be able to resist it."

"How would you know? As far as I know, the most you know about mating is the sex part."

"It's common knowledge. Just wait; I give you three days tops." I scoff, thinking that he is underestimating my amazing will power. If I can resist one of my loves, which would be food, I can resist my one true love.

"That's too easy," I say, brushing it off. He rolls his eyes, and switches the channel yet again to a movie playing. My eyes widen as I register what is playing. "Carter. Turn. It. Off," I say slowly. He gives me a weird look, before looking at the screen and smirking.

"I say we get some popcorn."

"And I was thinking that the food table could be set up on the patio, and the tables and chairs around the perimeter of the yard..." I listen to my mother continue on about how to set up the backyard for the upcoming party.

Silently letting out an impatient huff, I continue probing my food with my fork, too preoccupied with my thoughts to pay too much attention to what my mother is saying.

Leaving Macy alone with Carter wasn't one of my best decisions, and it's making me a little apprehensive. It was the best I could do on short-notice though. It's not that I don't trust either of them; it's that my wolf doesn't like the idea of anyone alone with our mate. And, well, Carter does enjoy pushing me.

"And if you boys plan on playing those silly football games, then we will have to set everything up around that," my mother says, pausing when I guess she notices I'm not paying too much attention.

"Sounds good to me," I say, putting my fork down and taking a sip of my water.

"Son, are you even listening? You know that this is important," she reprimands.

"Yes mother..."

"And would it kill you to dress up? I mean honestly son, you're Alpha. You should look presentable."

I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. "I was too in a hurry to get here to care about what I was wearing."

"Well, no matter, we are in the back," she shrugs, daintily wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "So, how is she?" I didn't have to ask to know the 'she' that she was referring to is Macy.

"She's doing well," I reply.

"And why didn't you bring her? This is a party in her honor. I'm sure she would love to have a say in the planning."

"And I'm sure she wouldn't."

She sighs, shaking her head with a smile playing on her lips. "You're just like your father, you know that right?"

"I've been told a time or two." Or maybe a thousand times. I'm close to my mother, but I would say that I'm closer to my father. It's no secret that he's practically been my role model since I was a child. So, of course, we happen to be almost exactly alike, though I would say he is much stricter than I am.

"Well honey, I think you should call your mate and have her come down. I'm just dying to meet her already! And I'm sure she isn't enjoying being home alone," she says, giving me a look that says she disapproves with me leaving Macy alone.

"She isn't alone. I left her with Carter."

"You left her with Carter?" she questions, giving me a flat, 'are you serious' look. With Carter and I being best friends since birth, she's almost as much a mother to him as his own. So she knows how he is.

"Yea... Like I said, it was short notice."

"In that case, I would recommend getting back before Carter starts being... Carter."

"Good point," I say, already digging through my pockets to pay. I throw a random amount onto the table and kiss my mother on the cheek. After we say our goodbyes, I hop into my car and head home.

*

I'm just about to open the door, when I hear screaming. More importantly, Macy screaming. My mind runs through about fifty different scenarios in the two seconds it takes me to rush into the house.

The first thing I see is Macy, on the couch, shielding her face with a pillow, screaming into it. Then I see Carter on the loveseat, laughing so hard his face is red.

"Cayton!" Macy suddenly screams, flinging the pillow away and running up to me. She jumps up and wraps her petite arms around my neck and her legs around my waist.

"Whoa Princess. Are you ok?"

"No! Carter made me watch this really, really scary movie," she says in a childlike tone.

"I-I didn't f-force her to," Carter chokes out between his fits of hysterical laughter. "You should have seen her face!"

"You're such an asshole!" Macy yells, which only makes Carter laugh harder. Rolling my eyes, I grab the remote off the ground and turn off the TV.

"Wait, let me see that," she says, motioning for me to hand her the remote. I give it to her and within three seconds, she takes it and flings it at Carter's stomach. He sobers up and smirks, picking up the remote and tossing it up.

"Doesn't hurt, shrimp."

"I hate you so much right now," Macy mumbles to Carter.

"No you don't," he says casually, turning the TV back on.

"So I see I missed all the fun?" I ask, looking down at my beautiful mate. She looks up at me and shakes her head.

"No, you missed all the torture. You really know how to pick your friends by the way."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," I chuckle, taking a seat on the couch.

"Of course it wasn't, we had tons of fun!" Carter exclaims with sarcasm. Macy simply rolls her eyes and slides off my lap, settling for curling up next to me.

"So how did it go with your mother?" she asks.

"Great, I think..."

"You think? What, did you not go?"

"I was a little distracted," I shrug.

"Aww, where you thinking of me?" she coos.

"Yes, actually, I was."

"Good. Then maybe you thought about how you shouldn't have left me alone with that jerk," she says, hooking her thumb towards Carter's direction.

"You know, one day you're going to regret insulting me so much," Carter chimes in. Ignoring him, I wrap an arm around Macy's waist and pull her closer, planting a kiss on her temple.

"That's not an acceptable form of an apology," she says, pushing me away slightly.

"Sure it is," I mumble, trailing kisses across her cheek and down her neck. When I reach the spot where my mark will soon be, she gasps and pushes me away.

"Resisting! I am resisting!" she shouts, forming an x with her fingers and jumping up from the couch. Carter starts laughing again, while my eyebrows pull together in confusion.

"Resisting? Resisting what?" I ask cluelessly.

"I made her a bet that she wouldn't be able to resist letting you mark her," Carter laughs. Macy scowls at him, and then turns to me, with her hand on her hip.

"Yea, and I have five bucks riding on this. So if you could not do that," she motions to me and then her neck, "for the next three days, then I'll be five bucks richer."

I turn to Carter, and we both share a similar look.

"You know what; I think I'll take that bet." Macy scowls at me and I stand up, smirking, and put my hands on her waist, pulling her against me. Leaning down, I put my lips right next to her ear. "Besides, we still need to get even for last time."

Something tells me I'm about to owe Carter some cash.