by Lauren Dane
An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication
www.ellorascave.com
Tri Mates
ISBN # 1-4199-0703-4
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Tri Mates Copyright© 2006 Lauren Dane
Edited by Ann Leveille.
Cover art by Syneca.
Electronic book Publication: November 2006
This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.
Content Advisory:
S – ENSUOUS
E – ROTIC
X - TREME
Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-rotic), and X (X-treme).
The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. This story has been rated E–rotic.
S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.
E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. E-rated titles might contain material that some readers find objectionable—in other words, almost anything goes, sexually. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry in terms of both sexual language and descriptiveness in these works of literature.
X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Stories designated with the letter X tend to contain difficult or controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.
Cascadia Wolves:
Tri Mates
Lauren Dane
Dedication
Yep—Ray, you’re it. Now and always. Thank you for giving me a great model for these sexy and wonderful heroes.
My beta readers, Julia and Tracy, this one is better because of you guys. Thank you!
No dedication is complete without thanking Ann Leveille, who makes me mind my grammar manners and whips me into shape and my books too. Thank you, Ann.
Trademarks Acknowledgment
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Architectural Digest: Advance Magazine Publishers Inc.
BMW: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
Cadillac: General Motors Corporation
Craigslist: CRAIGSLIST, INC. CORPORATION
Doc Martens: Dr. Martens International Trading GmbH
Godiva: Godiva Brands, Inc.
Hot Topic: Hot Topic, Inc.
Jones New York: Jones Investment Co. Inc.
Mercedes–Benz: DaimlerChrysler AG CORPORATION
NASCAR: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc.
Porsche: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft CORPORATION
Portland Trail Blazers: Trail Blazers, Inc.
Red Sox: Boston Red Sox Baseball Club Limited Partnership
Sub-Zero: SUB-ZERO FREEZER COMPANY, INC.
Subaru Outback: FUJI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA TA Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.
Chapter One
Tracy Warden grabbed a cup of coffee in the spacious kitchen belonging to her brothers and sister-in-law. It was a room that felt like home. A room she’d cooked numerous meals in, had shared coffee and drinks in with her sister-in-law and best friend, Nina. Before Nina came, the room—the house—had been nice enough, but somehow the love she brought, the laughter and joy, made it a home.
Tracy often wondered if it was about Nina or the connection she had with Lex. Wondered if she’d ever have that sense of belonging in a place—to someone—that Nina and Lex obviously did.
“Have some breakfast, Trace. There’s plenty. You know how Cade is when he cooks. He’ll pout like a four-year-old if you don’t eat anything.”
She looked back over her shoulder at Nina and laughed at the irreverence with which her sister-in-law treated their Alpha and the oldest brother in the Warden family. Cade may have scared the bejesus out of everyone else but Nina was fearless. Of course, considering the last year and a half of Nina’s life, what did she have to fear that she hadn’t overcome?
“You’re going to get me into trouble, old woman,” Tracy snickered as she joined Nina at the table.
“If you think I didn’t hear that comment, Nina, you’re mistaken,” Cade said in a growl as he came into the room and put a platter of bacon and another of eggs and toast down.
“Oh I’m all aquiver. I beg your pardon, Oh Supreme Tool, er, Alpha. Please don’t discipline me with your scary frown and spatula.”
Lex came in, kissed the top of Nina’s head and sat down, trying to stifle his smile.
“He needs to take you in hand,” Cade groused as he sat and began to heap food on his plate.
“Oh he has. Can’t you recognize the satisfied look on his face?” Nina said, one eyebrow up as she put a napkin on her lap.
“TMI! Let’s talk about something else, please, while I still have an appetite,” Tracy joked as she buttered her toast.
“TMI?” Lex looked puzzled.
“Too much information.” Nina winked at her sister-in-law.
“Yes, like how Mom keeps coming over here looking for you, Tracy. She says you’re never home. Are you ducking her?” Cade had his big-brother-Alpha face on.
“I keep telling you to rekey the gate code so she can’t sneak in here,” Nina murmured to Lex, who nearly choked on his coffee.
“She’d just climb it, she’s ruthless when there’s prey in her sights.” Lex grinned behind his cup.
Cade looked at Lex and tried not to smile, but lost the battle. “Okay, so she’s…”
“Pushy? Come on, Cade! She keeps dropping in at my house with werewolves in tow who she just ran into at the grocery store or somesuch. It’s blatant and annoying. Megan and Tegan just hide from her when she comes over here, Lex married Nina and you, you’re the Alpha and she has to be nicer to you so I’m vulnerable to her attacks.”
“Don’t you want to have someone?” Lex asked quietly, his fingers playing with the ends of Nina’s hair.
Tracy softened. “Yes. Yes, I do, Lex. But I don’t want to date some suck-up that wants an in with the Alpha’s family. I want my mate. I want the kind of connection that you and Nina have.”
“Fair enough, doll.” Nina reached out and squeezed her hand. “You’ll find him. When you least expect it.” She grinned then. “And boy is he in for it!”
* * * * *
After breakfast, Tracy went into the office to start the accounting paperwork she did part-time for the Pack business and Nina moved about the house dealing with the plants before she went in to her gardening business for the day. Her florist shop had been burned down a year and a half before and instead of opening another florist’s she’d gone and opened up a full-scale nursery on the Eastside that had further nurtured her love for all things green—and had done extremely well in the bargain.
Lex Warden tried not to notice how good his wife looked as she reached up to water the plants on the shelves above the kitchen counter. The morning sun streamed through the window and over her body. Normally she was hard to ignore but this morning it was even worse as her skirt inched up ever higher as she moved.
Seeing the creamy café au lait skin of her thighs reminded him of the particularly fabulous way she’d said good morning and he had to shift in his seat as his cock hardened against the buttons of his fly.
“Hello? You still with us, Lex, or you planning to ravish your wife?” Cade snapped his finger
s in front of Lex’s face as he followed the direction of Lex’s glance. Nina Reyes–Warden was quite a specimen and Cade harbored more than one of his own fantasies about his sister-in-law. He certainly couldn’t blame his brother for the goofy, dreamy smile he wore. His brother had been totally head over heels for his mate since the first moment he’d taken a deep whiff of her, and Cade envied that.
Lex snorted as Nina turned and rolled her eyes at both of them. “Jeez! Can’t a girl water plants around here without being objectified?” She squirted water at both of them and sashayed out, smiling to herself.
The phone rang and a few moments later Nina walked back into the room and handed the receiver to Lex. “It’s the Enforcer from the Pacific Clan.”
His fingers brushed hers and he watched, satisfied, as her pupils widened and her breathing sped up. He sent her a cocky grin and she mumbled “fucking furry tease” on her way back out of the room.
Cade motioned that he was going into his office to work and Lex nodded shortly before taking his call.
Lex came into the office half an hour later and threw his long frame into a chair. “That was Nick Lawrence calling about more border bullshit. I’ve sent Dave down to pick up three of our wolves who’re in jail for fighting with Pacific wolves. This dispute has gone on long enough. Someone is going to end up really hurt or dead.”
“Call the Mediator. You know it’s unavoidable.” Cade took a sip of his coffee, chuckling. The National Pack had a mediator, a man who came in to solve inter-Pack disputes. It was a pain to deal with bureaucracy like that, but Alpha wolves made for ridiculously complicated negotiations. It was better to call in an expert before wolves died.
“I know. Better we deal with this now.”
Cade nodded. “And anyway, the wolf who’s been in the shadow seat was made Mediator three years ago. I hear he’s good. Young. Forward-thinking. When you get together, take Nick aside and ask their opinion about the issue of Pellini Group’s influence on the National Governance Council.”
Lex sighed and finished his coffee. “I can’t imagine they like it any more than we do. Most of the Packs don’t like it. I say we deal with it now, before they get any more power.”
“That’s treason and I forbid you to talk like that outside of this house.” Cade’s voice was sharp. Warren Pellini and his connected wolves had found an in into the National Pack governance structure. Right now Pellini had the ear of a few powerful wolves, and they were all uneasy.
“Hey, I can do my fucking job, Cade. You don’t need to forbid me like I’m some unranked wolf.” Lex pushed his chair back and stood up, eyes flashing.
“Whoa!” Nina rushed into the room and put herself between them. “Knock it off, both of you! You don’t see me and Tracy doing this sort of thing, do you?” Nina tossed an annoyed look over her shoulder at her sister-in-law, who was watching the exchange with similar annoyance and concern. “Boys, boys, put your cocks away please. If you don’t, I’m just going to break out the ruler and measure them once and for all. But let’s do this instead—shut the fuck up and stop the swaggery Who’s the Biggest Baddest Wolf crap. At least before lunch.”
She placed a hand on each of their chests and felt their pounding hearts beneath her palms. Their hearts in her hand, it meant something. The three of them were tied to each other in a really elemental way and sometimes she was the bridge between two very strong males.
The anger and challenge drained from them and she allowed herself a little sigh of relief.
“God, you’re full of shit for someone so hot.” Cade leaned in, kissed her forehead and looked around her at his brother. “I didn’t mean offense by it. I do trust you to do your job. I trust you with my life every day. This is worrying me more than I realized, I suppose.”
Lex relaxed a bit and pulled Nina to him with one hand, her back to his chest, and grabbed his brother with the other and cupped his neck. “Of course. I’m sorry I overreacted.”
Tracy snorted. Turning around, she picked up the pile of paper she’d been working on, and put it in front of Cade. “I have to go to work.” She shook her head at her sister-in-law. “Better you to have to deal with this crap than me.”
“You’re going to work dressed like that?” Cade frowned at Tracy in her very short denim skirt, her legs encased in fishnet stockings. She was wearing a tight red sweater and her golden-brown hair hung in loose curls around her face and shoulders.
“No, I forgot my boots.” She reached into the hall closet and pulled out a pair of high-heeled boots that laced up the front and came to her knees.
“Holy crap! Trace, you cannot possibly go out in public dressed like that!” Lex narrowed his eyes, hands on his hips as he took his baby sister in.
“Why not? She looks amazing.” Nina kissed Tracy’s cheek and turned back to look at her husband.
“That’s the point. That skirt is too short, the sweater is too tight. The boots, they’re…they’re…”At a loss for words, Lex just gestured at her wildly.
Tracy winked at both her overbearing brothers and pulled her coat on. “They’re really gorgeous, aren’t they? I love them.” Looking back at Nina, she grinned. “Just call me or have your guy call me and I’ll bring those pots back here tonight.”
Blowing them all a kiss, she sauntered out of the room, yelled her goodbyes to everyone else and left.
* * * * *
Aside from the accounting work she did for the Pack, Tracy was lucky enough to have the refuge of her record store, Spin the Black Circle. She had loved the place since the first moment she’d found the empty storefront two years before but it was an added bonus that her mother hated it and didn’t want to come near it. Tracy was spending a lot of time there lately and was strongly considering kicking out the tenants who lived upstairs so she could move in there and have a great reason to keep her mother away. She was also fortunate to have a manager who loved the store almost as much as she did and who ran the place with amazing efficiency and the help of a small but great staff.
After several hours at the store, she went home to get some paperwork for Cade. The house was one that she’d spent a lot of time in as a kid. Her grandparents had turned the Pack over to her father before Tracy was born, and as a result they had a lot of free time to spend with their grandchildren.
Milton, her chocolate Labrador retriever, was happily waiting for her in the front windows. Those big front windows looked out toward the Ballard Locks. The water could look green and murky, black and cold or bright blue and glittering beneath the sun depending on the day and the season. The small porch had a glider swing and plants that were tended to by Nina. Even in the cold of winter, she’d had colorful plants. Nina planted some stuff that looked like cabbages and they were a vibrant purple. Tracy had no freaking idea just what it was, but she couldn’t argue that it made the house look nice with a bit of color to break the monotony of the gray Seattle skies.
The house had been built in the Forties. Architecture of that type was dying in the area, where old houses were being bought and demolished and new ones replaced them. She preferred the old-style charm of the place, the curved doorways and big common areas and small bedrooms. Heck, the house still had the original hardwood floors. Tracy had stripped them down and refinished them herself a few years before.
She smiled to herself as she unlocked the front door and turned the alarm off. It was hers, this place. Filled with memories of weekends walking to nearby Woodland Park Zoo and having picnics. Time spent digging in the dirt with her grandmother, planting bulbs each November. Her father’s life had been consumed with the Pack and her grandparents had been a more tangible part of her life than her parents had been for a very long time. More than a few nights of her life it had been her grandfather who’d tucked her into bed and her grandmother who’d baked the snacks for her classroom celebrations. Her mother had been miserable without the presence of her mate and had retreated into herself and into community work for a great many years. Until her father had handed
over the leadership of Cascadia to Cade.
Shaking her head to dislodge the memories, she grinned instead at what greeted her. A big overstuffed couch sat across from the fireplace and currently held Milton, who was giving her his lopsided grin, tongue peeking through his front teeth. She rolled her eyes at him and laughed at the sight he made.
It was odd for her to have a dog. Some werewolves didn’t have animals because they felt owning animals was exploitative or they were uncomfortable that they too were close to dogs on some level. But Tracy had found Milton at the animal shelter when he was a puppy. She’d fallen in love with him immediately. Most people wouldn’t adopt a dog with three legs. But Milton sure wasn’t affected by it and she couldn’t find a reason not to bring the goofy dog home with her. She hadn’t regretted her choice once in the four years he’d been with her.
“Hey, dude.” She leaned down and smooched the top of his head. Suppressing a smile, she scratched behind his ears until he made that growly moan, nearly falling over because his one back leg thumped in response.
She laughed and opened up the back door to let him out, tossing his tennis ball for him. She knew the dog walker had been by but he did love a good run out there while she made dinner.
Tossing her coat and scarf on a chair, she put her bag on the hook and took a quick look into the mirror, running fingers through her curly hair.
Big green eyes looked back at her, and an eyebrow ring that should have overwhelmed her face but really just enhanced the pixieish nature of her features. A dusting of freckles sprinkled over her nose and cheeks, the juxtaposition of the eyebrow ring and the row of piercings up each ear and that tiny nose and freckled face worked for her. There was an air of wicked innocence about her. Of mischief.
After a quick change into jeans and wooly socks, she poured food into Milton’s bowl and made sure he had fresh water and cooked up a quick stir-fry before she went out to Nina’s. She loved these quiet evenings when she wasn’t expected at the Pack house, time that was hers alone. She did admit to herself that it would be nice to have a man around. It wasn’t like she never dated. She’d just gotten out of a six-month relationship a few weeks prior. The problem was, wolves tended to not get into long-term relationships while they were younger and looking for a mate. She pitied the poor human men she’d dated. They’d gotten the scare of their lives once they’d met her family.