The wharf is coming up fast. Only when we are within range of the Clubhouse and Sea Lion MC property, does my anxiety start to abate slightly. Ronnie will be safe with the Club.
We slow as we approach the gate and Chuck runs out to greet us. He’s one of our prospects and always eager to please. He stops to sniff the air when we pull to a stop and his eyebrows shoot up into his dusky red hair. He notices too.
“Get Trevor, this little lady needs a tow. Her van is over in Quadrant Five where the breach was reported. We need it here now.” I bark. He doesn’t move. He’s too busy staring at Ronnie. I can see a little drool pooling at the corner of his mouth. I snap my fingers to get his attention and he finally responds with a start. Fuck, it’s worse than I thought. She’s just radiating that Matestone energy to everyone already.
My patience is thin. We need to activate the Club to keep Ronnie safe. Nothing else matters.
Chuck must have read the warning in my tone because he’s already on his way back, power-walking our way with Trevor and Bryan trailing behind him. I wave them towards the purple tow truck and they lift a hand in acknowledgement. It’s unclear how the Matestone energy works because they are extremely rare. If there is any chance that there might be any lingering energy around the van where Ronnie was staying, we need to get to it before it becomes a spectacle.
“Wait! My keys!” Ronnie yells out. She awkwardly dismounts my bike and staggers in the direction of my podmates before I can intervene.
Trevor is closest. I know the minute she comes into range because our podlink goes nuts. Bryan steps closer to her and holds his hand out for her keys. When her fingers brush his, they both step back suddenly. I hate that she’s in pain but it warms my heart to see her react to Bryan too. Fate in action.
“Goddamn it! What is with you people shocking me?” She exclaims, stomping back over to me and shaking out her hand in annoyance. I look behind her and make eye contact with a stunned Bryan and Trevor. They feel it too. Their eyes are wild.
Bryan is teetering on the edge and I can see his body start to change. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
“CHUCK!” I bellow. I step into Ronnie’s eyeline to draw her gaze and shield my pod from her.
Always eager to please, Chuck runs over again and I make gruff introductions.
“This is Ronnie. She’s a guest of the Club. She’s also probably hungry. Take her over to the Inn and make sure she gets something to eat.”
Chuck gulps and nods. The warning in my words is clear. Protect this woman at all costs.
I notice he makes special effort to not touch Ronnie when he motions for her to follow him. Good boy, Chuck. That’s how you earn your patch.
“Breakfast?” she perks up, “God, that sounds wonderful. Thank you.”
When she passes me she reaches out and squeezes my upper arm. The jolt I get makes me want to grab her and kiss her senseless. My hands actually itch to touch her. But I don’t. I don’t think she has any idea of the effect she has on us. Instead, I look into her beautiful hazel eyes, sparkling with sincerity, and I smile.
She smiles back, “Thank you for everything, Silver Dadd— DARREN. Uh, Darren.”
A rosy blush blooms across her cheeks and she bites her lip. She drops her eyes towards the asphalt, and hurries after Chuck without another word.
Silver Daddy?!
I’m in over my head. It’s only been an hour and she has captured my soul.
The fact that she has a nickname for me already gives me an insane amount of hope... and it makes me harder than I thought was physically possible. Fuck
Our pod had all but given up on ever being given the blessing of a mate. Most pods who get a mate get theirs when they are younger and ready to raise a family.
We never did. Back then it was ok, we were busy with the Club and chasing fame and fortune. We were a good looking crew back then, all muscles and arrogance and testosterone. Add in the bikes and we thought we were unstoppable.
We all found each other early and took the Pod Oath at 25. Earl inherited the presidency of the Club from his dad and I’ve always been there as his back up. We were born into this life and we wouldn’t have it any other way. When we found Bryan and Trevor, it rounded us out to be a full set.
But the years passed us by.
Thirty-five came and went and no mate appeared, and we began to wonder if it just wasn’t part of Fate’s plan for us. It’s not what anyone ever wants, but scarcity is real. Fate decides who is worthy and who is not.
Last year, when I turned forty-five, we were all pretty much resigned to the reality that we might spend the rest of our lives as a bachelor pod. We wouldn’t be the first, and we wouldn’t be the last.
Ronnie changes everything. The Matestone around her neck has given her immense power and choice. Until she chooses, all we can claim is a mere taste. Fated or not, the power remains with her. She could choose anyone she wants and if word gets out, she’ll have a lot of options to choose from.
I want to bash my head against a wall in frustration. Instead, I grab her pack and head into the Clubhouse. It’s time to call a fucking meeting.
We need a plan. She’s meant to be ours. We just need to win her. I can feel it in my bones.
To be given only a taste
