by Lauren Dane
“What is going on?” Nina murmured to Lex.
“I’ll explain later.”
“You need to control your mate!” Sarah said around Ben.
“And you need to shut the fuck up! Get over it already, Sarah. You can’t have them both. Nick is my mate. I’m not giving him up.” Tracy wanted to smack the other woman. Nothing worse than a phony.
“You think he’d choose you over me?”
Fury roared through her. The very idea that anyone would challenge her for Nick filled her with murderous rage. “I think he has already, Sarah. But let me give him another chance.” Tracy turned to Nick. “I know this night has been chaotic and upsetting so I’m giving you a chance here to walk away. If this tri-mate bond stuff is true, we’re in for a bumpy ride. I love you enough to set you free. Supposedly there’s some kind of spell that can sever the bond. We can investigate if that’s what you want. But I can’t have this up in the air. You need to choose and be clear about it.” Tracy loved him so much she ached with it. But she loved him so much that she never wanted him to be with her with another woman in his heart either.
“There’s no choice, Tracy. I made my choice in that maze. You’re my mate. Period. I’m deeply ashamed of my brother, his mate and this Pack right now.” He turned to Sarah. “I don’t know what to say to you, Sarah. I’ve considered you my best friend all these years and now it feels like a lie. You’ve changed and I can’t believe I haven’t noticed. And Ben, this whole mess tonight was you. Your lack of leadership when it counted. And now it’s yours to clean up. If you ever touch my mate again in anger, I’ll kill you.”
Ben stepped forward and the males in the room all started growling. Tracy sent a look to Nina, who appeared ready to tear Sarah’s head off herself.
“I’m your Alpha, Nick. And your brother. Be careful how far you push my largesse.”
“No, Ben. You should be careful. Because we both know that I could take you if I chose.”
“Nick!” Sarah cried out and tried to get to him but Tracy stood forward and narrowed her eyes.
“What did I tell you about trying to get around me to him?”
Sarah halted, her eyes unsure.
“Enough! Ben, stand down! You’ll not tear this Pack apart like this!” Nick’s father shook his head before looking at Nick. “And you! Nick, don’t say something you can’t take back. I know this night has been upsetting and you have reason to be angry. But go home. Take Tracy and Gabe and deal with the tri-mate bond issue. Then we’ll all deal with this mess.”
“Good idea.” Cade unclenched his hands and rolled his head on his neck to loosen up.
Tracy took Nick’s hand. “Come on, babe. Let’s go before this gets any worse. Please.” She didn’t want to beg but she would. She was seriously concerned about what would happen if they stayed any longer.
“This isn’t over, Ben. There’s an accounting to be had.” Nick turned, put an arm around Tracy, looked at Gabe and gestured toward the door with a jerk of his head.
The Cascadia wolves in attendance caught up with them in the driveway.
“Tracy, I don’t want to leave you here in the midst of this mess,” Lex said, looking very agitated. Nina was stroking her hands down his back, trying to calm him down.
“I appreciate that you care about your sister’s well-being, Lex, but she’s my mate. I’ll see to her safety. You should all probably go, though. Your status is going to be a point of contention and I don’t want any of you to be insulted or threatened.”
“Oh god, can we just go home? Seriously, I am going to fall over in about five minutes. Nina, will you keep Milton for a while? I’m sorry to do this and I miss him but I don’t have a place to put him and…” Tracy’s voice broke and Nina hugged her tight, assuring her she’d take care of the dog and ease back on the tofu corn dogs too.
Tracy’s adrenaline was going to crash, she felt emotionally exhausted. She knew her grandmother was right. Knew why she’d been so intensely affected by Gabe when they bonded earlier. He wasn’t her anchor, he was her mate. And that comforted her and filled her with joy at the same time as it scared the hell out of her. The ramifications of dealing with two very alpha werewolves and different Pack ranks and whatever the hell was going on in Pacific were mind-boggling.
Gabe had been trying very hard not to step into Nick’s place but damn it all, could they not see how Tracy needed to get out of there? “Tracy, get in the car. Nick, I’ll meet you at your apartment. Cade, Lex, everyone, Nick is right and I’m in an odd position here but still, there is an Alpha overload and it’s bound to complicate things further.”
He said all of it as he helped Tracy into the car and strode back toward his rental.
The Wardens all agreed, with the reminder that if there was trouble to call them for help. Lia spoke quietly to Tracy before she turned and walked with the rest of the family to their cars.
The drive back to the apartment was quiet but Nick’s hand was on her thigh when he wasn’t shifting gears.
He helped her out of the car and she let him take care of her, both of them needing that. Gabe was waiting near the elevators.
* * * * *
Once inside the apartment Tracy kicked off her shoes and went to the couch, where she collapsed. Nick handed her a drink and she thanked him.
Looking up at Gabe, emotion rushed through her and she accepted it. She’d tried to pretend it was just the anchor bond but the truth was, she knew even then. Since the first moment he’d touched her she’d been falling into him and when he’d come inside her that morning she was lost. Her heart belonged to Gabe as much as it belonged to Nick.
“Let’s cut to the issue, shall we?” Her voice wasn’t as steady as she’d wanted it to be but she was in the room with two incredibly attractive males who, unless she was totally wrong, belonged to her. “My grandmother is never wrong about this stuff. And your mother, Nick, seemed to agree.”
Nodding with a sigh, Nick sat next to her and Gabe across from them on the low table.
“Gabe, you seem to be exhibiting behavior which would indicate you feel mated to Tracy.” Nick said all of this dryly.
“Well, yes. It’s been since this morning. Since the bonding. It was there before, the attraction, but this need is there now. And I have feelings of protection and kinship to you as well.” Gabe said this with a slight shrug of his shoulders.
That got her attention. Well.
“Let’s go over this from the beginning. I don’t believe I have all the facts about the tri-mate bond. Can you tell me everything you know?” Gabe had been schooled about werewolf culture and history, but something like the tri-mate bond was so rare that it wasn’t a common topic of discussion.
“Simply put, the tri-mate bond happens when the people in the tri-bond seal a mating instead of just an anchoring. As you’re aware, the tri-bond anchors the female mate to another wolf. In a sense it’s like the third leg on a stool. But aside from an emotional closeness there’s not an actual mate bond. But every great once in a while, during the tri-bond the female becomes mated to the third wolf—to the person she’s supposed to be anchored by. And the twinned mate bond becomes a mate bond of three. If I’m remembering correctly it happens in rare situations when the combination of males could be interchangeable. By that, I mean that either male could be a mate to the female. The odds are astronomical, really.” Tracy was pleased that she’d listened to her grandma more than she thought she had.
Gabe nodded and moved forward enough that his leg just barely touched Tracy’s. “I was drawn to you, which is a sign. You’re an exceptional woman. But not my usual type by a long shot.” He saw the wince and touched the back of Tracy’s hand. “And I don’t mean that in a bad way.”
“I don’t know anyone that this has ever happened to. The accounts do say it happens almost exclusively to Alpha wolves and their mates so I didn’t think about it.”
Tracy chewed on her bottom lip and decided to say it anyway. “Well, babe, I have news fo
r you, you’re far more of an Alpha than your brother is. And Gabe is a very dominant wolf too. If either of you had your own Pack, you could easily be the Alpha.”
Nick scrubbed hands over his face. “I don’t want this, you know.”
Tracy turned to him and cradled his face in her hands. “I’m sorry. For this mess tonight with your Pack. And well, how do we deal with this for you? If it is the tri-mate bond, it’s not like we can will it away. When my grandmother spoke to me just before we left, she told me the stories of spells that could terminate the bond were all untrue. A wolf can choose not to seal the bond. Walk away and not look back. Eventually, they’d find another mate out there, most likely. But once the bond is sealed, it’s sealed. I wish I could make this better for you. You must be so sorry you met me.”
Nick’s breath froze. After all of the upheaval in her life, having to leave her city, Pack, business and home behind, the way his family treated her that night—after all of that she actually worried about him and his feelings? He leaned into her palm. “Oh baby, never that. You’re a joy to me. Finding you is something I’d never regret. As for the tri-mate bond? Tracy, it is what it is. I can’t change it. Do I want to share you? No. No, I don’t. But Gabe is every bit as much your mate as I am. Without you, he’ll never find real happiness. He won’t be able to be with any other females now that you’ve sealed the bond. How could I wish him such emptiness? And how could I even begin to ask you to live without your mate? And he is your mate as much as I am. And because of that, he’s mine too. It’s the only way I can explain why I don’t want to kill him right now.”
“How do you feel about me?” Gabe asked Tracy.
“I…” She was afraid to say it out loud. She didn’t want to hurt Nick but she could see that Gabe needed the words. “This morning was so intense. Nick and I had a terrible fight earlier and then made up and I felt complete, you know? But I could also feel the yawning depths of the lack of an anchor. I was feeling edgy and way less in control than I usually am. And then you came in.” She held on to Nick’s hand and reached out with her free hand to Gabe. His fingers—warm and strong—received and wrapped around hers.
“The bonding was so profound, so amazing and deep. I kept telling myself that I was just surprised because I hadn’t been bonded to an anchor before. I knew how Nina felt about Cade and I understood Sarah a lot more than I had earlier.” She rolled her eyes. “And that’s a topic for later, by the way. But after you left, I felt your absence so strongly. I was jealous when I saw those females around you. And then tonight when you defended me and Nick at his side it felt right. It feels like you’re mine like Nick is mine.”
Gabe’s eyes were warm and his lips hitched at one corner into a sexy smile. “Thank god I’m not alone.”
Nick held out his hand to Gabe, who took it, and a circuit was created then. Each of the tri-mate bond physically connected and electric heat careened through them, hot enough to bring a gasp from their lips. A warm wind disturbed Tracy’s hair. Her wolf rolled within her, pushing against her humanity and attempting to touch Gabe’s and Nick’s wolves as well.
“Yeah. Uh, wow.” Nick’s voice was awed as the emotion and magic of the moment rolled through the room. “I think that if there was any doubt before, it’s gone now.”
Tracy nodded mutely as waves of gooseflesh broke through her over and over. The pleasure of being there, touching both of them, was almost too much to bear.
“Not to be indelicate but I’d really like to fuck you right now, Tracy,” Gabe whispered hoarsely.
Again, all she could do was nod. But she looked to Nick. “How are we going to do this so that everyone is okay?”
“Right now let’s just get naked and we’ll work from there.” Nick stood and began to unbutton his shirt.
Tracy stood up on shaky legs and undid the side zipper on her pants while Gabe’s hands went to her sweater and pulled it up and off while Nick shoved her pants down her legs.
“Holy shit, how did I miss this tattoo on your back?” Gabe turned her around and leaned down. She looked back at him over her shoulder.
“I don’t think you got back there.”
“Hmm. Well, that needs to be remedied. Has anyone been back there, baby?” Nick murmured, his lips against that space where neck meets shoulder.
She couldn’t think straight with both of them so near! Both men were shirtless and she was naked except for her panties. The heat of their bodies blanketed her and intoxicated her, lulling her senses in an erotic stew.
“I…uh…what was the question?” Tracy swayed a bit, drunk on the heady emotions in the room created by the three of them.
Gabe laughed just before he dragged a tongue up her spine.
Tracy reached around, grabbed the waist of his pants and clumsily but effectively undid them and moved to touch Nick and do the same.
She fell to her knees and rubbed her cheek across Nick’s cock. She loved the feel of him there, soft and hard all at once. Loved it when his hands on her shoulders tightened and pulled her closer.
Looking up at him, she saw how dark his eyes had gotten. His lips were parted and her clit throbbed when his tongue came out to sweep across his bottom lip.
“That’s a fine start. Don’t let me stop you now,” Nick murmured.
Gabe standing close behind her, she took Nick into her mouth. Slowly. Her tongue circled the head and what she’d learned was his sweet spot just beneath the slit. His taste burst over her, through her, and she took him back as far as she could and pulled back again.
She let out a sound of surprised pleasure when Gabe grabbed her hair and began to guide her movements.
“Yessss,” Nick hissed. His thumbs moved up and stroked over the line of her throat, leaving her skin tingling in their wake. Leaving her wanting more of him. Gabe’s hands in her hair, his control of her movements, sizzled her neural pathways leading to her nipples and pussy. She was so wet she could feel it on her thighs.
“Wait. I want to fuck you while you do this.” Gabe pulled her head back and she looked up at Nick, who blinked slowly and nodded.
She took Nick’s hand and he drew her toward the bedroom, her other hand in Gabe’s. The whole scene felt utterly unreal and she wasn’t sure she’d spoken in several minutes. She certainly knew she hadn’t formed a coherent thought since Gabe had bent to look at the tattoo on her back. And who was a lucky girl? Sandwiched between two sexy, handsome, virile and powerful males the way she was made her lightheaded and giddy. Wait ‘til she told Nina!
Nick lay on the bed and she scrambled over him.
“Hands and knees, Tracy. I want to look at that beautiful tattoo and watch you suck his cock.”
She shivered in anticipation. There’d been hints earlier that Gabe was dominant, but clearly he wasn’t holding back anymore. Positioning herself over Nick, she bent down and licked up the length of him before pulling him inside again.
Her moan of pleasure reverberated around Nick’s cock when Gabe spread her thighs wider and dragged fingertips up the inside of her thighs.
“So soft. And, oh,” he chuckled darkly when his fingers found her wet and swollen, circling around her clit and teasing slowly around her gate.
Her whimper of entreaty changed to a hum of satisfaction as he put the head of his cock where his fingers had been and began to push into her pussy. “Damn it, the way your pussy feels around me, I’m not sure that I’ve ever felt anything so good.”
“Yeah, hot and tight and wet. The way she squirms when you bump over her sweet spot…makes my balls crawl up into my gut.” Nick’s voice was low and slightly out of breath as the two men locked eyes over Tracy’s body. And in that glance, so much passed. A connection and a bit of chemistry too. They’d share this woman forever and in doing so, they’d be together as well. Gabe would be lying if he denied the thought didn’t hold some appeal to him.
Tracy made a sound of disapproval when Gabe stopped moving. She squirmed back against him, tightening around him.
“Mmmm, tag-team fucking? I like that,” Nick agreed and Tracy had to close her eyes as they both thrust into her body at the same time, filling her body and soul. Nick’s hands in her hair were firm but gentle and Gabe leaned down to lay kisses at the back of her neck while one hand played against her clit and the other slowly rolled and pulled her nipple.
Each stroke of his fingers, each whispered word pulled her deeper and deeper into the maelstrom of emotion and pleasure the three of them created. It was overwhelming and yet, she felt like she could see it all with crystal clarity. The hands on her body, the lips at her neck, the crooned words from Nick and Gabe wove a spell around her, binding her to them. How could anything in the universe compare to feeling so cherished? So sexy and desired that she felt like a goddess. Sure she’d felt sexy in her life before, but this was different. These men believed she was everything and in that belief, she was. They all were. It was magic and beautiful.
Gabe looked down at her as she pressed that sweet little ass back against him to get more of his cock. God she was amazing. So gorgeous and sexy and smart. And so damned strong! When she’d jumped back on top of that bitch who’d knocked her down, teeth bared, voice a low threatening growl, he’d nearly pushed her back and taken her against the carpet in front of that crowd of people. Nothing in the universe was as sexy as his woman in full battle mode.
Her tattoo nearly glowed in the low light as she sweated with exertion. The scent of her desire rose and wove around his senses nearly as effectively as the way she felt wrapped around his cock.
Leaning forward, he watched her take Nick’s cock into her mouth over and over and his own throbbed in anticipation. What a firecracker she was. So fucking hot and sexy that all she had to do was walk by and it made him hard. And it appeared she was amenable to submitting to him as well. He and Nick would have to work around each other, as much as Gabe was a dominant wolf, he was a sexually dominant male and there’d need to be a bit of negotiation to make it work for everyone.