[Carmen]By the time everyone started arriving, the bite Rock gave me didn’t hurt as much, but it was still there. I wondered if it was because wounds made by other supernaturals took longer to heal. He nearly broke my skin with the bite, but it felt so good. When I picked out my clothes, I chose a dress that showed off my shoulder. I didn’t mind if people saw it. It was healing, but just not as fast as I thought it should. That was fine with me. My mate was so impassioned that he had to bite me. It was a very werewolf thing. Everyone started arriving around five in the afternoon. No one commented about the mark until Pyla got there. She gasped when she saw me. “Are you alright?” she asked. “Yes, I’m fine. Are you?” “That bite looks painful.” I chuckled and ran my hand over it. I knew Rock was paying attention. He didn’t want to really hurt me and I knew he was scared I might be upset with him. “A little of our mate’s soul resides inside our own. Rock was just reacting like a werewolf. We’re biters. Most shapeshifters are. This is completely fine. Come in. My friend Gemma wants to meet you,” I told her. Taking her hand, I guided her out to the backyard. Gemma was enjoying the sun with everyone else. It was such a nice day, I didn’t think any of our shapeshifter guests would want to stay inside. “Gemma, come meet Pyla,” I called out. My friend was there in moments and I could tell she brought people with her. I could smell Harmony and Echo. They all started introducing themselves to Pyla and complimenting her dress and other things about her. I could tell Pyla wasn’t used to being treated like this. We went over to where all the chairs were set up and I sat with everyone. Gemma and Echo were explaining more about werewolves and dhampyrs to Pyla. She was telling them about lizard people. When Gemma arrived earlier, she had given a letter to Rock from Alpha Trent. She told him the Alpha said to read it after everyone was gone. I worried about what it could be and it stayed on my mind. Forrest was arriving later. He had to do something for his mother, but Gemma and I were curious about Pyla’s take on their relationship, since none of the other trolls had arrived, we were eager to talk to her. “Okay, guys, you all need to leave. It’s girl talk time. Go bother Rock,” Gemma announced. “That’s not fair, what if I want to be part of girl talk,” Cam said with a pout in his voice. We laughed at him. Cam didn’t want to be part of girl talk, he just didn’t want to leave his mate’s side. He’d had Harmony for longer than I’d been with Rock, but he loved being around his mate. Some werewolf guys were clingier than others. “Come on, Cam. Let the girls talk. You know they’re going to be comparing us and ѕhit like that. The last thing you need is to be emasculated when Echo starts singing my praises,” Gray laughed. “I think that Carmen’s giant troll would make you both feel like little boys. He’s almost a foot taller than you both. And we’re going to be talking about measurements of another sort. I think you should probably both scamper away.” Gemma snorted. “Now I think we really shouldn’t be here for this conversation,” Gray muttered. We all laughed as they left. I heard them retreat to the house, where Rock was. Once we knew they were far enough away, I turned to Pyla. “Okay, Pyla. You and Forrest, I want to know everything,” I said. “Me, too,” Gemma added. “Oh, I… um… I don’t know. He’s very sweet to me and he’s trying to teach me more about how trolls interact with each other. I didn’t realize so many males were flirting with me. I thought they didn’t like me because I’m half lizard. Forrest never treated me like that, though,” Pyla told us. “Who’s Forrest?” Harmony asked. “Forrest is one of Rock’s best friends, you’ll meet him later. He’s the huge mountain troll,” Gemma told her. “He’s eight feet tall,” I said. “Damn. A real mountain. And are you planning on climbing that mountain, Pyla?” Harmony asked. Pyla squealed and I could hear her hands muffling her voice. “Her tail is sticking straight up! I think that means she likes the idea,” Gemma teased. “We went on a picnic last weekend and he pulled me on top of him. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and his skin was so warm. I can’t help myself when something is warm. I really like touching it. He said he likes it when cute little lizards sun themselves on him.” “Aw, you’re totally blushing. So you like Forrest as more than a friend, then?” Gemma asked. “Please don’t tell him. He’s being nice to me and I know he is hoping to find his mate at his coming-of-age. He told me he thinks I might be his mate but he’s not going to pressure me. If I’m not, though… I don’t know what I’ll do. He’s the only troll I’ve really connected with and I don’t know if I can ever make myself like other trolls, even if I understand them,” Pyla said softly. “You want to be his mate, then. I think the goddess lets us feel connections to the people we’re meant to be around. Even before I could feel that Victor was my Solus Amor or Gray was my mate, I felt a connection to them,” Echo said. “It was the same for me and Cam. I had the hugest crush on him and wanted to go out with him, but he didn’t date anyone. One day he asked me out. I didn’t realize he was a werewolf or that I was his mate, but I was so happy. If you felt a peaceful happiness when he asked you out, then I think that means you’re his mate,” Harmony told her. I reached out toward Pyla and she gave me her hand. I gave it a little squeeze and smiled at her. “I will pray to the goddess that you’re Forrest’s mate. If you like him this much, I think she’s already decided. When is your birthday? His is on February 5th,” I said. “We did the math for the human realm. I was born in the fae realm, but I think it was something like March 2nd. It was an ‘M’ month. My mother will remember,” Pyla answered. “Maybe you should go to his coming-of-age party and be the first one in. That way you can both know as early as possible. Forrest was already talking to Elbio and Rock about them hosting it together. I can talk to Rock about it.” “Thank you, Carmen. I really like Forrest. I hope he’s my mate, but I’m happy to spend this time getting to know him without any pressure.” “He took you on a picnic while he was half naked and you don’t consider that pressure?” Harmony laughed. “Trust me, Harmony, pressure with a troll is very different from pressure with a werewolf,” I replied. We moved on to talk about Echo’s situation. I knew seers had two mates, but Echo was the only person I actually knew who had two mates. Her sister was trying to be less judgmental since Echo was married to both of her mates, but it was hard for her and their brother. I understood Echo’s frustration. My older brother did that too. It was just one of the ways they showed their love. I knew Mike would always want to find ways to protect me. I always wanted to help him, too. The rest of our chat was a lot of fun. When Forrest and Elbio arrived, they came over to say hi. I introduced them to everyone. Echo was very friendly, but her sister was more reserved. Gemma and Elbio verbally prodded each other. I knew it made him more comfortable. Pyla smelled nervous. That was understandable. She met Forrest through Elbio and it seemed like Elbio hadn’t entirely lost interest. He made a few comments about how we were all so tiny and weak. Harmony took offense, but Echo just laughed. By the time dinner was finished, the boys had rejoined us, and Mica, Tana, and Jett had all arrived. Rock stood next to me as we all chatted. I asked Echo and Harmony about being triplets. They told me a lot about the bond they had with each other. I was happy that Mike’s pups would have that. The food was great and everyone was getting along well. I liked that a lot. I could easily see Echo and Harmony growing to be a couple more good friends. I wished Sean and Rosario could have come, but they had another engagement they couldn’t miss. It was part of their jobs as the future kings of the fae. When we were cleaning up, Elbio made another pass at Pyla. He got very close to where she and I were cleaning up and tried to take the things she was gathering. “A weak little thing like you shouldn’t be carrying all of this. You could break something,” he said. “Forrest has been teaching me about trolls, Elbio and if you think this is going to make me want to have a relationship with you then you’re wrong. I know exactly how strong I am and how skilled I am. I don’t need to prove myself to you and I don’t doubt myself enough that I have to prove it to me, either. I’m not interested in you and I think it’s rather weak of you to have to point out your strength all the time,” Pyla told him and took her items back before heading into the house. I bit my lips together. That was a harsh rejection. Elbio growled. “Are you okay?” I asked. “I’m fine,” he replied with a snarl in his tone. “That was a pretty solid rejection. Maybe you should give it up,” Mica said. “Maybe if you had stayed last time and walked her home, like Forrest did, she would have given you a chance,” Tana added. “Forrest,” Elbio growled. I heard Forrest coming out just moments later. I linked Gemma to get anyone who wasn’t a troll away from Forrest. Using the table as a guide, I moved away from Elbio. The tension was thick in the air. Then, I heard Pyla come out. “Pyla, get away from Forrest,” Gemma hissed. That was all it took. I heard Elbio charge Forrest and I called for everyone to move away from them. I hoped no one got hurt, as I heard the brawl move into the yard. Rock came up beside me and picked me up. He carried me into the house and herded everyone who wasn’t full troll, or blind, in with us. He gave my hand to Gemma and told her to keep me in the house. “What happened?” Echo asked. “I want to go outside. Forrest might get hurt,” Pyla said. “I think Elbio got jealous of Forrest. He found out Forrest walked Pyla home at the last barbecue we had,” I answered. “We should go into the living room. Trolls fight. It’s what we do. Especially younger trolls, like Forrest and Elbio, when a female is involved,” Jett explained. “Come on, Pyla. There’s nothing you can do if they decide to fight. If you got hurt, Forrest would never forgive himself,” I told her. “I’m going to wait here and watch until they’re done. If they’re fighting over me, it’s the least I can do,” she replied quietly. “Do you want us to just leave, Carmen? I know this isn’t how you planned for tonight to end, but after a fight breaks out, things rarely become less dramatic,” Harmony said. “That might be for the best. I don’t know how often fights break out in troll gatherings, but I know it doesn’t happen in others as often. We can catch up more some other time,” I answered. Echo and Harmony left with their mates. Mica and Tana were still out there and they were Jett’s ride home. The four of us stayed in the kitchen waiting for the fight to be over. Gemma provided commentary, so Jett and I knew what was going on. It didn’t take too much longer before Forrest got Elbio on the ground and was punching him repeatedly. When Gemma said it looked like Elbio was giving up, Pyla threw the door open and ran out of the house. We followed out onto the patio. Rock took my hand to stop me from going into the yard. “There’s broken stone all over the yard. You don’t have shoes on,” Rock said quietly. “What’s happening?” I asked. “Apparently, Elbio decided he wanted to fight over Pyla. If he had won, Forrest would have backed off. Now, Elbio has to back off. Fights like this can be common for underage trolls. It looks like Pyla made her choice. She’s fawning over Forrest and completely ignoring Elbio.”“I feel bad for him, but I really don’t think Pyla is meant to be his mate,” I replied. “It’s not about mating. It’s about ѕex. Elbio wants her and Forrest took her. The fact that Forrest didn’t surrender at the beginning of the fight means that he’s staking his claim. Now, if males are interested in Pyla, they have to fight Forrest before they can flirt with her. The results of this fight are already being reported by our neighbors on either side.“They came out to watch as soon as the fight started. They heard the verbal argument as they fought. Everyone is going to know Elbio fought Forrest over Pyla and Forrest won. Essentially, Forrest is now considered Pyla’s steady boyfriend. It’s not going to be good when Shayle hears about it,” Rock told me. “Is she going to try to fight Pyla over it?” I asked. “No, Shayle will do other things. She doesn’t like fighting. She’ll try to get Pyla to break it off with Forrest. The two walks and one date are enough to piss her off already.” I shook my head. This wasn’t the best turn of events. I liked that it brought Pyla and Forrest closer, but putting them on Shayle’s ѕhit list was probably not going to be great for them. “That’s the end of the barbecue, everyone. You made a mess of my backyard and I’m tired of seeing your faces,” Rock announced. Everyone said goodbye to us as they left. Pyla said she was going to walk Forrest home and look after him for a bit before heading home. I wished her luck before they left. When everyone was gone, Rock went out to the backyard. I followed him. He was chanting something and I could hear rocks rumbling on the patio. After a while, I heard a broom and something being dumped in the trash. Rock came over to me and pulled me into his arms. I held onto him tightly. “I know we have that letter from the Alpha, but I’d rather lie in bed with you. Do you think whatever’s in there can wait until tomorrow?” Rock asked. “It was a letter, not a phone call. I think it can wait until tomorrow. Let’s finish cleaning up, then we can soak in the tub and cuddle in bed. Sound good?” “That sounds amazing, my little wolf. Let’s do that.”