Mated to the Pride: A Military Shifter Reverse Harem Romance

by Jade Alters

  “We’re all so lucky to have you here,” I told her. Even though I knew the others would never listen in I still kept my voice low, saving what I said just for her. “I’m lucky to have you here, even if I’m not too good at showing it.”

  Jess smiled. For a second, I thought I’d said too much too soon. She kept her silence, just holding my eye contact for a few beats. Then she gave my hand a gentle squeeze and shifted closer beside me, her side pressing into mine.

  My arm shifted over her shoulder, natural and fond. The longer we spent curled up together, voices too quiet to disturb the night, the more that contact felt something more than fond. I could feel my whole body pulling towards her, both human and lion. I was a 30-year-old man, and this wasn’t the first time I had been close to a woman like this. Far from it — but there was something different about her. Something in her scent that drew me to her. Something that promised there was more than a physical connection building between us, even in our comfortable silence.

  “You’ve been so kind to me,” she said, after a while. The empty glass lay forgotten on the table, light reflecting off the rim — and her eyes. It took me a beat to notice that I was staring, falling forward into the blue.

  “You deserve a lot more than kindness.”

  It wasn’t supposed to be a euphemism, but I saw her smile widen, slow with shy restraint, and matched it. If she wanted to take it that way, I wouldn’t stop her.

  “I’d like a lot more,” she admitted.

  I leaned back, feeling her follow me into the space. When she climbed across my lap, I felt the weight of her body press into my lap — felt my cock stir to attention underneath her, unrestrained in the loose fit of my sweatpants.

  She gasped, rocking her hips against me. The strap of her night dress fell down over one shoulder, and I leaned to kiss the bare skin it left, tasting the night air on her body.

  “Blake…”

  “I don’t want to rush you,” I said, even as my heart pounded against hers. Even as I could feel my lion stirring. Eager. Desperate. “If you want to go slow. If this isn’t what you want…”

  “I want it. I do.”

  Without a second more to waste, I pressed our foreheads together, drinking in the moment. I wanted to savor the sensation of being close to her for the first time, but I couldn’t wait for long before nudging her nose with mine, and meeting her lips for a deep, long kiss.

  I could feel her melting against me — the light pressure of her chest against mine, her nipples forming soft peaks below the thin fabric of her night dress. I could feel her breath picking up as we kissed, and her hands raking through the short sides of my hair.

  “God,” she said, pulling back a little and cupping my face. “What are you doing to me?”

  “I haven’t even started,” I said. I slid my hands up her thighs, fingertips creeping beneath the soft cotton of her night dress. Jessica shivered closer, knees tightening around me. My hands traveled further up, and I let her shuddering breath guide me to continue, feeling her lean closer and the hot air of her breath against my neck as my fingertips ghosted the front of her panties.

  “Blake…”

  I groaned, catching her lips again as I rode the sensation of her friction against my cock. She ground down into me, keening and moaning. When she let her dress fall away from her top half, pooling at her waist and exposing the soft, smooth mounds of her breasts, I leaned forward to kiss them. “You’re beautiful.”

  Her hands trailed down, leaving a line of fire across the sharp-cut lines of my abs. I could tell what she wanted even before she began tugging at my waistband. Taking her weight, I lifted both her and my hips so that she could tug my sweatpants down, and relished in the eager gasp I heard as she found nothing but skin underneath.

  “God! You’re so big. I want you so bad.”

  Without my sweatpants between us, I could feel her panties damp against my cock. She was desperate now, arching her back and rocking down into me.

  “Fuck, Jessica. You’re so wet.”

  She moaned, lifting one of my hands down to guide it to the crotch of her panties. I rubbed a small circle over the front of her sex, enjoying the rippling sounds of her pleasure, and then pulled the fabric gently aside.

  “Please, Blake. I can’t wait any more.”

  I kissed her again, humming my agreement, and only broke away to guide my cock to her entrance. I lifted her slightly, ears tuned to the soft staccato of her enjoyment, and let her come down on me. Felt the sweet heat of her — the perfection of sliding together.

  “Oh, God, Blake…”

  She was already moving on me, rolling her hips forward to ride her pleasure out of me. I would have given her anything she wanted, and wouldn’t stop her for the world — so I kept my hands on her hips, carefully guiding and lifting her as she loved herself on my cock.

  Even now, it felt like more than sex. When I saw the bounce of her breasts, or the red flush across her collarbones, or caught a glimpse of her beautiful sex, it took my breath away. It was so much more than the physical pleasure we felt — and it was we. I could feel her excitement magnifying mine. Knew that I couldn’t feel good unless she did.

  Her eyes fluttered shut, head tossed back as she rode herself closer to her peak.

  “Mmm.”

  “Yeah, Jessica,” I said, massaging at her hips with tight hands. “God. Just like that. You’re so fucking perfect.”

  I could have lost myself just watching her. I almost did, but only when she came did it finally push me over — only when her eyes screwed up tight, mouth falling open as her back arched hard, body clenching around me and shuddering with the intensity of her pleasure. I came too, thrusting up inside her with a quiet groan of pleasure, and holding her there close against me. We were close enough to kiss, but for a few long moments we just caught our breath, noses pressed together and with her arms wrapped tight around me.

  “Oh my god,” she said. The tension in her body loosened and she shifted forward against me, suddenly loose and soft against my bare chest. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close as I felt her heartbeat finally begin to slow.

  “Uh-huh,” I agreed. After all these years of searching, I’d never felt such an intense connection before, not least the first time I’d been with a woman. I didn’t want to let her go. Didn’t feel like she wanted me to. I kissed the cool dampness of her forehead, and let my mind focus on the rise and fall of her chest — the squash of her breasts against me. “You are… absolutely perfect.”

  “No,” she insisted, nuzzling into my shoulder — but I could feel her smiling, and I smoothed my hands over the small of her back.

  “Yes,” I insisted. “Perfect. Just… incredible.”

  Sometime in the night, I’d have to take her back to her room. We couldn’t wake up in the morning, still surrounded by the scent of sex, as the other North men made their way through the room — but for now, at least, we could just stay like this, wrapped up in each other. Wrapped up in the moment. At peace.

  Hale

  The more time passed by, the more all of our lives began to revolve around Jess. Though we hadn’t had time for the group meeting Blake wanted until today, it was growing increasingly obvious that we all felt the same way about her — and that none of us were jealous about that. When she smiled at Preston, or touched Stone’s shoulder as she reached for something beside him, it felt just as natural as it did when she blushed at me.

  It also felt particularly obvious that we were all beginning to worry about her. Those smiles and blushes didn’t seem so frequent any more. It could still be the attack frightening her, I figured. It had been less than a week. Still, there was a palpable concern in the air.

  I didn’t know whether she could be our One Mate, or if this was just a wild coincidence. It wasn’t my call to make. But judging by Blake’s decision to have us meet outside today, where Jess couldn’t hear us, I could begin to guess.

  We stopped in the woods. At intervals of ten
meters or so, there were scattered remains to remind our one-time attackers that they were not welcome here. It was unlikely that they’d return, but we all had our guard up in any case — noses filled with the rusted metal scent of old blood, and the occasional cloying hint of decay.

  Our eyes all fell on Blake, waiting for him to speak. Normally I’d be making a joke, but now didn’t seem like the time to fool around.

  “Alright,” he said, looking between all of us. “We should talk about Jessica.”

  “She seems… low,” said Stone, not missing a beat. It didn’t surprise me that he was first to speak up. As much as we all adored her, she and Stone had been totally comfortable around each other right from the very beginning. “That’s my main concern.”

  “I agree,” said Blake, holding up a hand. “But I also want to make sure we’re all on the same page here. We’re all feeling something for her.”

  Stone nodded, eyes focused and intense. Preston nodded too — but slower, and more deliberate. He cleared his throat.

  “I want to be upfront,” Preston said. “We slept together. About a week ago, once I wasn’t so sick. It just kind of… happened. It felt right.”

  My heart flipped. I felt no jealousy whatsoever — just a prickle of excitement that she felt comfortable enough to be with Preston like that. To think that sometime soon, she might want to be with me too.

  Preston’s eyes darted between all of us, checking for signs of anger or displeasure. He didn’t find any. Instead, Blake nodded.

  “Me too.”

  “You have?” Stone blinked. If I didn’t know him so well, I might think there was a little envy in his tone, but I heard that uptick in his voice for what it was: surprise. “When?”

  “The night of the attack,” said Blake. “She was awake, standing at the window. Of course, I had to make sure she was okay, and… one thing led to another.”

  “I think I understand, then,” said Preston. “I assumed she was scared of another attack, but… maybe she just feels guilty. Hasn’t really been looking at me so much recently.”

  “Of course,” I piped up. “She wouldn’t know what the hell a One Mate is even if she did know we were shifters. She’d just feel like she was… I don’t know, going behind our backs. She probably has no idea what the hell’s going on with her.”

  Stone’s lips pressed into a firm line. “We’ve got to tell her.”

  “Right now?” I scrubbed at my jaw, unconvinced. “I don’t know. If she’s already down, what’s a shock like that going to do to her? I think we should wait. Maybe she’ll get an instinct for it. Not the shifter stuff, but… with the four of us, at least.”

  “Somehow,” said Preston, “I don’t think it’s as easy as that. For all we know, she thinks that being with multiple guys is immoral whether it’s with permission or not.”

  “Some humans do it,” Stone pointed out.

  “But not all of them.” Blake folded his arms. His voice had that tell-tale firmness; he’d made his decision, and as pride alpha, we were instinctively ready to follow. “Preston is right. Monogamy is pretty much the default setting for humans. She may already feel like she’s doing something wrong; I don’t want to overwhelm her with expectations. Let’s just take it easy and give her some time to come to terms with everything so far. Give her some space. Yes?”

  Preston and I nodded. Stone did too, but his eyes were cast down at the ground, and his lips set in a worried line.

  “Hey,” said Blake, voice strong but kind. “She’ll be okay. She’s tough, and we’re still going to be there for her. I just think it’s too much to put it all on her in the first couple of weeks she’s here. That’s all.”

  “It’s not that I’m impatient,” Stone insisted. He opened his mouth to continue, but closed it again as Blake held up a hand.

  “I understand,” said Blake. “I know you. I know you’re looking out for her. I just think this is best for now. We’ll see how things develop from here. We’re not going to leave her to wallow in guilt. Okay?”

  Stone nodded again, a little firmer this time. “Okay.” But as we headed back to the cabin, he evidently wasn’t thrilled — and honestly, I wasn’t either. Blake’s decision was probably best. I could see the logic of it, and I knew he was right not to overwhelm her. Still, the image of Jess chewing on her lip and staring off into space, consumed with confusion and guilt, didn’t rest easy on any of our shoulders — human or lion.

  Jessica

  The North boys seemed to have noticed that something was wrong with me, and they were all being characteristically kind — but frankly, their sweetness only made me feel worse. Not only had I slept with Preston while harboring a crush on all four of them, but now I had also slept with Blake. It was probably only a matter of time before they found out, and it would hurt them.

  And it would all be my fault.

  This wasn’t something I had ever done before. Ordinarily I felt bad about dating several guys at once; I had certainly never slept with two close best friends like this. The fact that it was only a matter of days apart didn’t make me feel any better. Even at the time, however, I felt I couldn’t control myself. In the moment, it felt like the most right and natural thing in the world to fall into Blake — just like it had been with Preston. Now that I was in my own mind and away from the heat of the moment, it seemed insane, but at the time I recalled a feeling of purpose. A depth of emotion that I shouldn’t be experiencing so soon after I had met these men.

  Physically, I could have pulled myself away, but I didn’t wanted to. Not in the least. Not in either case.

  Even now, looking back as I finished up with my skincare routine, I couldn’t look my reflection in the eyes and honestly say I regretted it. It was bizarre, and I hated myself for it. I had always believed I was a better person than this, and now here I was risking pain for these guys that I adored so much. Now here I was, melting at the seams the second their handsome smiles landed on me.

  Speaking of the devil — in the mirror reflection, I caught sight of Stone hovering at my open door. I met his eyes and smiled as he knocked on the frame.

  “Hey,” I said, trying to iron out any sadness or frustration in my voice. Sure, they had already worked out that something was wrong with me, but I had no intention of making it any more obvious. “You’re lucky. You just missed seeing the green face mask.”

  “Sounds pretty unlucky to me,” he reasoned, stepping in. “You got a couple of minutes?”

  “For you?” I said. “Sure. You can have exactly 120 seconds.”

  His grin twitched at the corner, lopsided, and he took a seat on the edge of the bathtub. “I guess that’ll be enough. I just… kind of wanted to check in on you. Make sure you were doing okay.”

  Subtle, I thought. Still, it was a kind gesture. I wasn’t about to scare him off for daring to care about me. “I’m fine,” I said. “Just doing my skincare.”

  “Yeah, I meant in a more general sense than… the present thirty seconds.”

  I looked over my shoulder to meet him in the eyes head on, not just in the reflection. Those brown eyes were so warm and sincere that it was difficult not to spill out every welled-up feeling I had, but I knew that was a recipe for disaster. I forced myself to turn back to my own reflection, and hoped that my smile wasn’t as obviously fake to Stone as it was to me. “Well. I have a good relationship with my family. I have plenty of friends. I did just quit my job to come and work with you guys on a whim, so that might be a sign of some kind of mental break…”

  “You seem like you’re having a hard time with something,” said Stone, tone blunt but fond. “I can see you’re dodging me, so I won’t push. But if you do want to talk about whatever it is, I hope you know I’m here.”

  “You’re very sweet,” I said, and meant it. The next part, not so much. “If I seemed off today, it’s probably that I’ve had a headache.”

  “You have?” he said. I hadn’t known Stone very long, but I already recognized the playful s
arcasm. Clearly, he didn’t believe me in the slightest. “Well, that’s no good. Let me get you a Tylenol.”

  “No, I-”

  “You can’t just struggle through with a headache,” he said, standing up from the bath. He held up his hands. “You leave me with no choice but to get off my ass and walk all the way to my medicine cabinet, and then to the kitchen to get you something to wash it down with.”

  “Stone.”

  “Look at all this effort I’m going to do on your behalf.”

  “Oh, stop.” I couldn’t fight the smile off my face any longer, and swatted at his arm with my hand. “Alright, alright. But you’re right. I am dodging you, and I don’t want to talk about it.”

  His triumphant smile softened, and he nodded. “Not the kind of thing I like being right about. Look, whatever it is. If there’s anything I can do to help you, will you just promise to tell me? Doesn’t matter what it is.”

  I don’t know, Stone. Can you reach into the past and slap my hands away from your teammates?

  “If you’ve got a magic pill to wash away stress,” I said instead, “that would be nice.”

  He held up a finger. There was something light in his eyes, and right away I wondered what I’d triggered. “Hold on,” he said. “Wait here.”

  “Stone, I was joking.”

  “Wait here!” he called back, already half-jogging out of the room. It dragged another weary smile back onto my face, and I turned back to the mirror to check that all my face cream was absorbed. Finding no issues, I headed back to my bedroom, and saw Stone returning with a small bottle in his hand.

  “I really don’t need-”

  “Doctor’s orders,” said Stone, voice cheery, and tossed the little glass bottle to me. “This is lavender oil. Two drops on your pillow. Perfect for some restful sleep.”

  My heart swelled. I felt, instinctively, that Stone meant what he said. He’d do anything for me, just to make me feel even a single bit better. It made me want to tear up, but instead I felt a now-familiar tug in my stomach.