[Carmen]I had never met a werehyena before, but she definitely smelled interesting. I didn’t like how she tried to intimidate Rock, but I was understanding of the fact that it was her culture. Though I didn’t know much about her culture, I did know there were species that were matriarchal. The males were weaker than the females in those species, usually. “So, is his diсk as big as the rest of him, Carmen?” Rani asked laughingly. “Bigger than yours,” I replied with a smile. Though I may not know much about werehyenas, I did know that natural hyena females had a pseudo-pеnis. It would be interesting if they were hermaphroditic in their human forms. She was quiet for a little while, then started laughing. Rani had a contagious laugh, and I found myself drawn to her despite the initial tension between us. As she calmed down, she leaned in closer to me, her warm breath tickling my neck.“You know,” she whispered in my ear, “I could show you a thing or two about hyenas.”“I think I know everything I need to know about them,” I replied just as quietly. “Your loss, wolf girl.” She backed off and I put my hand out for Rock. He took it and squeezed it reassuringly. Most people understood that if you were with your fated mate you weren’t playing the field. I was beginning to learn that things weren’t always exactly as I was told or had come to expect. “Rock told me you used to work for him, but started your own company,” I said as I took a step back to be closer to my mate. “That I did. It was a pain in the ass and the crew was full of little bіtches. My new crew is better. Did Rock tell you how he helped me out with my company? He’s a good one, for a man,” Rani laughed. “He told me he helped out with what kind of work would suit you and some things like that. I didn’t really ask for more information,” I replied. “Yeah, he helped me decide on what sort of company to start and helped me find the resources to start my company. He knew I wouldn’t want to be indebted to a man and backed off before doing too much for me.” “Fae are very stringent about debts. I was sure he didn’t want to put you through that,” I told her. “You never answered my question, Carmen. Did you leave your pack for him?” “I had no reason to. My pack accepts that I am going to be living with my mate.” “My cackle would probably kick me out if I was mated to something that didn’t shift. We don’t mind friendships with other supes, but mating with them is over the line. No offense,” Rani said. I shrugged. “I guess that’s one of the ways we differ. I believe in the goddess and I would have left if given the ultimatum of giving him up or giving them up. I’m glad I didn’t have to.” “Alright, you two, the humans are getting closer. Time to stop talking about our true nature,” Rock whispered. Rani and Rock started talking about some other stuff. I didn’t pay a lot of attention. I couldn’t get over the feeling I was being watched. Rock had told me the troll his mom hired would be watching us. This wasn’t like that it was like a predatory sort of thing. It didn’t feel like I was being hunted for food, but something that wasn’t entirely benign. It made me itchy. I didn’t like it. Rock and Rani dragged me off to visit with a few other people. She always seemed to be trying to be dominate conversations and didn’t let men talk over her. I could hear the annoyance in some of their voices. “Can someone take me to get a drink?” I asked quietly. “You need an escort?” Rani laughed. “I can’t see. It’s just easier to have someone lead me there than to use my sense of smell and my cane,” I replied. “Damn. That sucks, girl. I can take you. It’ll let your man have a chance to talk to the other men without trying to assert his dominance when they check you out.” A tension filled the area. She wasn’t quiet when she said that and a few other people were around. I had chosen a gap in the conversation, so the men weren’t talking when she replied to me. I couldn’t help but blush. I didn’t realize that other men were checking me out. Rock probably had to really control himself. Rock let me go and Rani took my arm, leading me off into the crowd. She kept me from bumping into anyone as she led me off to the bar. Something in me said I could trust her. She was brash and bold, but also honest to a fault. It was no surprise that Rock wanted to help her, she was very troll-like. Rock might have pretended to be annoyed by her, but he wasn’t. Rani put my hand on the bar. “I’ll wave down the bartender. I’ll let you know when he’s here.” “Okay.” After a while of waiting, I heard someone take a seat next to me. I turned slightly towards the person and greeted them.“Hello,” a deep voice responded. “Can I buy you a drink?”I tilted my head slightly, smelling a hint of alcohol on his breath. “No, thank you, I’m good for now.”“Come on, it’s a party! The drinks are on me,” he insisted.Just as I was about to politely decline again, Rani’s hand landed on my shoulder, “She said she doesn’t want a drink.”Her voice held a challenge in it. I didn’t need someone to protect me, but having back up was good if things got out of hand. It seemed like Rani was more dominant than I was, though, and she was aggressive about it. “I was just offering to buy a pretty lady a drink. You don’t have to act like I’m trying to take advantage of her. Maybe you should mind your business,” the man replied in a gruff voice. “No, thank you. The drinks are free and my fiancé would definitely have issue with be allowing a strange man to buy me a drink. Not because he thinks I would leave him for such a weak move, but because he knows that a lot of men believe they’re owed something if they buy something for a woman,” I told him. The man huffed and I heard him leave. I turned back to the bar and patted Rani’s hand, which was still on my shoulder. She took it off and leaned against the bar, close to me. “Alright, you can take care of yourself. I got it. People probably try to take care of you more than you need, don’t they?” I laughed. “You have no idea.” “The bartender’s here,” she told me. We ordered drinks and waited a few minutes for them. Rani led me through the room again. It seemed like some of the guests were starting to get drunk. I knew most shifters wouldn’t be drunk, but everyone else had a sensitivity to alcohol. “You know you’re being watched?” Rani asked, stopping me. “I felt like I was. Do you see who it is?” I said softly. “Yeah, a couple white women with a weird look on their faces. They keep their heads together and keep you where they can see you. I don’t know how to describe them to see if you know them.” “Odds are good that they’re the women we sat with for dinner. They seemed to think I was with Rock for money.” “My cousin said there’s a town here in Oregon where humans know everything and they don’t have to keep it a secret if they’re supes. It’s safe there. Doesn’t that sound fake as fuсk?” she laughed. “It doesn’t sound real, but I heard that about the town near Lune Rouge. It really exists. You know, it would be so much easier if I could just tell them that Rock is my mate and I would want him even if he had no money at all. It seemed like they changed their minds because I’m blind, but I guess not.” “They might have decided that you were lying about being blind. I wouldn’t have known if Rock didn’t say something. You want to go set them straight? Rock’s busy talking to other people. It’ll only take a few minutes.” Without waiting for an answer, Rani took me to them. I didn’t like the idea of confronting them, but I was sure if I didn’t say something, Rani would. As far as I was concerned, the situation was done and the other women would just have to deal with me. “You ladies have a problem with my friend?” Rani asked as we came to a stop. “I don’t know what you mean,” Samantha replied. “You keep lookin’ at her and whispering. If you got something to say, say it now,” Rani told them. “We don’t have anything to say. Just because we were whispering and looking in her direction doesn’t mean we’re talking about her,” Michelle answered. “You had a problem with her being engaged to Rock. Are you jealous? You want him for yourself and hate seeing someone else with the man you want?” she prodded.“No! I’m happily married and have been for thirty years. He’s old enough to be her father. Sure, she’s blind, so she probably isn’t after his money and company, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t using him in some way. Probably isn’t an absolute,” Michelle replied. I took a deep breath, trying to hold back my anger. She lied about wanting Rock. This wasn’t the first time someone had made assumptions about me based on my blindness. It was the first time someone thought I could be up to something nefarious despite my inability to see. “You don’t know us. You haven’t seen anything except our interactions here. You don’t know anything except for what you’ve heard here. Based on so little information, you made some very big assumptions. I don’t feel the need to prove myself to you,” I told them.“Rock told me to drop it and I didn’t plan on confronting you, but you approached me, not the other way around. Rock deserves better than you. He should find some divorcee or older single woman. An age difference like yours can only mean one of two things. Either you’re using him for his money, or he is using you for your youth and beauty. If he’s using you, then he’ll leave you once you start aging. If you’re using him, then you could keep your claws in him, making him miserable until the end of his life,” she snarled. “Of course you completely overlook the other reason there could be an age difference like ours,” Rock said from nearby. She yipped and there was a sound like two people turning and taking a few steps back. My heart dropped into my stomach. I didn’t want to cause him problems, but I didn’t even try to stop Rani. I wasn’t weak. I could have stopped her. I blushed as I felt Rock grab my free arm and pull me to him. I held my drink tightly, so it wouldn’t spill. Rani let me go and I stumbled slightly but Rock caught me before I could fall. “Wh-what is that reason? True love?” Michelle scoffed. “Rock, even if she’s blind, she’s not necessarily telling the truth. Even if we take looks out of it, you’re still too old for her. What do you even have in common?” Rock chuckled. “I don’t think you’re in any position to judge what we have in common or not. And as for my age, age is just a number, Michelle. You should know that.”“Age is just a number? That’s what perverts and pedos say. What do you even talk about? Do you spend time together outside of bed? You can’t actually expect that you’re going to be able to keep up with her as you keep getting older. What will happen when you’re seventy? Will she be there to take care of you when you’re a weak old man?” Michelle pressed. I tried to calm Rock, but I could feel his anger rising in our bond. She was just making him angrier. I didn’t know how to fix it. Rock moved and I heard the women gasp. I pushed my magic out so I could see what he was doing. He had leaned forward and loosened his tie, then opened the collar of his shirt. He was showing them the mark I put on him. “I’ve seen marks like that. We have some supernaturals on our crew. That’s a mating mark,” Samantha whispered. Gemma helped me with makeup to hide my mark. It was safer to hide it when in mixed company. Things like this required hiding it. I couldn’t believe Rock was showing it off. “I’m a troll and Carmen is a werewolf. Trust me, I fully understand the vast difference in our knowledge and experience, but she is mine and I am hers. We were fated to be together and will be together until the day we die. Age is just a number, our souls are bonded,” Rock said in a quiet, steely voice. “A troll?” Michelle peeped. “Yes, a big, scary troll. A monster. The beast that kills and eats people in fairy tales. Now, do you think that anything you were thinking still applies to me? Do you still want to protect me?”I could smell her fear. She hadn’t realized that someone she knew could be supernatural. Michelle didn’t seem all that observant in general. Her little crush on Rock was probably completely shaken. At least her mate would be happy if this turned her off.