by Shelby Lynn
“I knew it! Fuck—now we need to find him,” he screamed.
“Oh, no worries, there are ways of finding him. Do you have something of his? I’ll use a tracking spell. It shouldn’t be too hard to find him. I need some of your blood as well to work on the spell to break this curse,” she told him. Never once letting on it was for her to use. Before she was done with this wolf, he would be her slave.
Magnesia Tigress would be the most powerful witch the world had ever seen. Now all she had to do was find the Dream Weaver.
Chapter Seven
Wolfe opened the front door of the Inn. He immediately saw Stan behind the counter keeping watch. Over the last few years, he had gotten to know the panther shifter and his wife. To date they were the only ones of their kind Wolfe had ever met. They were known to be nomads, and rarely lived in Packs as the wolves did. He had never met a more trustworthy couple outside the Pack, and they protected each other no matter their differences.
“Has he arrived, Stan?” Wolfe asked.
“Yes, not even ten minutes ago. He was beat-up pretty badly, but he seems to be healing nicely. It must have been a few days ago. He is very jumpy, with every right to be from the looks of it. He is expecting you, Wolfe, but only you. I didn’t know you were bringing someone with you, so he may be wary you’re not alone,” Stan informed him. "The man had looked ready to bolt at any moment."
Wolfe took a deep breath—there was something on the air, but he couldn’t quite figure it out with his mate beside him. The wonderful smell of his mate was messing with his brain and his libido, for that matter. Not unusual though for an unmated couple. The mating desire was already running rapidly through his body.
“Stan, this is my mate, Theodore Ramsey, or Teddy, for short. We just met a few hours ago, so I wasn’t ready to let him out of my sight anytime soon,” Wolfe told him proudly.
“Well I can sure understand that. I couldn’t live without my own beautiful Jenny. Just let him know you are not alone. I think he is running scared. I wouldn’t put it past him to take off if he was given the slightest reason for mistrust.”
“Thanks, Stan. I’ll introduce Teddy right away. We just want to get him safely back to the Sanctuary tonight,” he told him. Then he wanted to show his mate just how much he was wanted.
“He is in room thirty-six,” Stan said with a smile to the sexually charged couple. It may have been years ago, but he still remembered the almost blinding need to possess his lovely mate. In all these years, the desire had only strengthened with their love.
“Thanks, did you already deal with the vehicle?” Knowing it hadn’t been anywhere in sight when they pulled up to the Inn. Damn, he needed to get his mind fully on the job. Someone could get hurt if he didn’t and that was not acceptable to him. He wouldn’t put his mate and friends at risk. Just because he was distracted! he thought, before turning back to his friend.
Stan was keeping a close eye on the Inn just in case of trouble. His wife was the best stealth tracker he had ever seen. After he hid away the vehicle, she insisted on checking out the property for any danger. There was no stopping her when she was in that mindset. He had learned that right away after they mated. He turned to answer his friend’s question. “Yes, it’s tucked away in the garage under a tarp,” he said with a smile to include his friend’s mate as well.
Teddy listened to the conversation going on around him. He was experiencing the weirdest thing, occasionally he would pick up this delicious scent in the air. Then his mate’s glorious scent would hit him. He was still trying to figure out where the other scent was coming from as his mate was talking. When his mate was finished talking to the owner of the Inn, Wolfe motioned for him to follow down the hallway. In no time, they were standing before room thirty-six.
Wolfe couldn’t figure out where that mouthwatering smell was coming from. He knocked on the door of room thirty-six, and said. “Ethan, I’m Wolfe Masterson, and I’m here with my mate to take you back to the Sanctuary.” He could hear someone on the other side of the door moving around.
“What is the password?” Ethan asked. For all he knew this could be a trap. Hell, the way his life was going so far it wouldn’t surprise him in the least.
“Tiny Timmy,” answered Wolfe. Damn, why was his body reacting to the sound of the other man’s voice? Irritated with himself because his mate was standing right beside him, and all he could think was how his cock was hard as steel just from hearing the man’s voice. The door unlocked slowly, and he heard his mate’s shocked gasp as the door opened to reveal Ethan Clarke.
SHIT—was all his shocked mind could think at in that second. It seemed the Spirits had seen fit to give him not only one handsome mate. The man before him was their mate as well, and the answer to his reaction. As Wolfe took in the bruised face of the man before him, he couldn’t hold in the growl of anger.
Shit, no, make that double shit! Ethan thought. The two gorgeous men in front of him were his mates. What a way to meet his future—he looked like shit!
“Ethan, may we come in?” Wolfe asked. He knew that look well. His other mate was about to run. He had seen it many times before on rescues.
“Yes, you both can come in,” Ethan said as he searched his mind for the right thing to say.
“I know this is a shock. It is to us as well, Ethan. We want you to know you are safe now. We’ll take this as slow as you need. Teddy and I just met today as well. So we are not in any hurry—we are just getting to know each other,” Wolfe reassured his second mate. He needed to know what exactly was going on in his life. Wolfe decided it would have to wait until they made it safely back to the Sanctuary.
Wolfe glanced over at Teddy to see how he was taking in this incredible twist to their lives.
Teddy saw the look Wolfe was giving him. He knew his mate was worried not only for their second mate’s future, but for him as well. All he wanted was to reassure Wolfe that he was fine. This was a blessing—they would get to the bottom of what was happening with Ethan. “I am fine, Wolfe,” he told him. Teddy hoped to get rid of the concerned look on his mate’s face.
With a nod of understanding, he turned to Ethan.
“Ethan, we need to get you back to the Sanctuary. We’ll have lots of time to talk when you are safe.” All he wanted to do right then was to take away the pain in his second mate’s eyes. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the time or the place to do that. So he just waited for him to make the first move.
There was something trustworthy about his mates. Which, for him was a miracle to say the least, with all the abuse he had suffered over the last few months. Ethan was leery of any kind of outward gesture from anyone. The only person he had truly trusted was dead. Now it seemed the Spirits had chosen these two men to become his mates. He walked over to the bed and grabbed his bag.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be I guess,” Ethan told them sadly. He was a mess, and didn’t have a clue how to fix any of it. Perhaps only time would do that.
Wolfe took one last glance around the room. He couldn’t help glancing at the bed with wistful thoughts. He would like nothing better than to hold his mates within his arms. It was not the time or the place for such thoughts. With a shake of his head, he cleared the sexually charged thoughts, and headed to the door.
It was time to call his Alpha with an update on the situation. He pulled out the phone and hit speed-dial. He listened to the phone ring for the second time. Then he heard the telltale clicking from the Alpha’s side.
“Everything go as planned, Wolfe?” Haven asked.
“Well not quite, Alpha. The plan went perfectly, and he did arrive safely. We were all just surprised when we met, and a little shocked to find out we are mates. Have you heard of Triad Mates within the packs?” he asked curiously.
“It is very rare. You’re very blessed, Wolfe. I can’t wait to meet your second mate. How is Teddy doing with this news?” Haven asked. He didn’t know if he could share Garrett. His Dragon was screaming in protest just at the though
t of it.
“Thank you, Alpha, Teddy is fine, but we need to get Ethan safely home to the Sanctuary. Then we all can hopefully find out what we are up against,” said Wolfe.
“Alright, be safe, Wolfe. We’ll be here waiting on you. The party has wrapped up, and they have gone on their honeymoon. Call if you have any problems,” he told Wolfe. He couldn’t take his eyes off his own handsome mate standing next him as he hung up the phone.
“Is everything okay?” Garrett asked, holding their daughter who was gurgling away with happiness. She was their little angel.
“Wolfe just told me our first guest for the Sanctuary is their mate. I was just telling them how happy I am for them. They are on their way back from the Inn,” Haven told him.
“Wow, he may need someone to talk to when he gets here,” Garrett said. Their situation may have been different, but he would help in any way possible.
“They were just leaving as I was talking to them. So far, it looks like Ethan wasn’t followed, but everyone needs to keep a heads up on the situation. From this point on, we are on constant lookout for anything suspicious. The monitoring equipment and the hourly patrols will help as well. These people are putting their lives in our hands. We’ll do everything we can to keep them safe,” Haven told his mate.
Garrett was so proud of his mate, and everything he had accomplished here. With the Council’s help, they had just expanded on his already brilliant idea to form the Dream Weaver Sanctuary. The Spirits may have deemed Garrett and Shannon the leaders of the Dream Weavers, but his mate was the heart of the place. He was so blessed to have such an incredible man—well family, in his life.
“I have no doubts, Haven. You have all the extra men now from the Council to help with patrols. It is their job to protect the Sanctuary. With even more coming in next week our little Pack is really growing,” Garrett told his mate proudly.
Haven thought back to the day last week when the new wolves had come into their lives. They were all warriors from the Council guard. Their appointed Team Leader Rafael Santiago was an Alpha in his own right. His team of twelve men had volunteered for this mission, or new home, Councilor Jackson had told him the week before they arrived. They had found each other over the years much like Haven and his wolves had.
Councilor Jackson didn’t go into very much detail. It seemed the wolves on the team had all went through hell before finding Team Leader Rafael. They followed him on every mission. It wasn’t until the team heard about the Sanctuary being built that they had approached Councilor Jackson about a permanent assignment, and home base.
The day they arrived they all swore to uphold the Pack laws and officially joined Haven’s Pack. Since that day, five others had requested also to join in the Dream Weaver Sanctuary Guards. It still amazed Haven how fast their dream was coming together. It was something he had dreamed of for years—only now, it was even better.
The sound of his mate’s voice brought him back to the present.
“Do you want me to radio Rafael?” Garrett asked.
“No, you go put Jasmine to bed, and I’ll take care of that, my mate.” He gave his little girl a kiss on the check. The excitement of today had gotten to her, and her eyes were heavy with sleep. He turned to his mate and kissed him with the promise of so much more to come. He was so proud of his mate and all he had accomplished in such a short time. Haven pulled the radio off his belt to make the call.
“Team Leader, this is base. Package is on its way,” Haven reported.
“Copy that, base. All eyes are alert,” Rafael told the Alpha. This was his duty to help protect these abused people, as no one had protected him.
It was officially time to get to work.
Chapter Eight
Rafael was happy the Ceremony had gone well for the couple. When he first came to the Dream Weaver Sanctuary, he was amazed to meet a Seer. They were a “Legend” to their people. Kind of like the fairytales of the humans. Shifters knew all those tales held a grain of truth. Then again, he shouldn’t have been surprised after his first meeting with these amazing people. When he was first briefed on the Haven Pack, he thought at first the Councilor Jackson was pulling his leg as a joke. In a matter of minutes, he knew that was not the case. The look of seriousness on his face was more than enough to convince him.
After the first demon attack, the whole team was brought up to date on the situation. They were the elite team brought in to help save the Cedarhill Pack. Although they did help, the Dragons were the ones who tore the bastard to bits. Going home to everyday missions after that had been a little boring, to say the least, for his team.
Many months later, his team heard about the Dream Weaver Sanctuary. It was being built to help the amazing race of people. That very night they all sat down to have a serious conversation about their future. They had come together out of necessity at first, but now they were a family in every sense of the word. They were ready to find a permanent home base. In the wee hours of the night, after rounds of talk, they all made the decision that would forever change their lives.
The next morning, Rafael went straight to Councilor Jackson and asked to join the Dream Weaver Sanctuary and cause. He knew his team was damn good and would protect these people with their lives. It shouldn’t have surprised him when the Councilor had a knowing smile on his face afterwards.
Within two days, Alpha Haven and the Pack accepted Rafael and his team.
Over the next month and half, the team went out on several missions, which ate up the time. When they came home from the last one, the Councilor told them the Alpha’s mate had designed them a smaller version of the Alpha Pack house just for them. The Alpha had wanted it to be a surprise. They assured them as the men found their mates, if they so desired, the couple would have their dream home built on Pack land. The men were speechless—including him. His men had never had a home, per se—he couldn’t even begin to say what this meant to all of them.
The Alpha had brought in enough help to get the Sanctuary up and ready in a short time. Rafael was still in awe of the things they had managed to accomplish.
They had been here for two weeks now, and had covered every inch of the place. They helped setup the new video security system to help with protection. It was the best monitoring system out there. It would take a very skilled person to even know it was out there.
One of his team members ran it on the inside. Silas was one of the best computer hackers in the world. He knew how lucky the team was to have him as a member. Silas was just waiting to be briefed on the information from the abused man coming today. Then Silas would do his thing, and find out what they could about the people behind the man’s abuse. The more information they had, the better off the Sanctuary would be.
Now all they had to do was wait.
****
Ethan could say he thought about running. Even with his mates standing on either side of him, he was on edge. What was he getting his mates into? he thought. There wasn’t a chance in hell that Alexander and his men wouldn’t follow him. The chance of the Alpha forgetting what he had seen was never going to happen. It was only a matter of time until they were on the trail looking for him. For some insane reason, Alpha Alexander actually thought he was using magic on him.
Hell, he would never touch the man. He didn’t understand how he could even think he was sexually attracted to him. In fact, his ways disgusted him. Ethan knew his mates were really worried about him. He didn’t know what to tell them to ease the feelings that were practically oozing from them both. It was a mixture of sexual tension and worry at the same time. Not a combination he wanted coming from these two handsome men. Why did his life have to be so fucked up? He had always tried to make Grammy proud as he grew up in her care.
Just thinking about her made him sad again. She would have been thrilled to know about his mates. If she were standing here today, she would say, ‘My boy, this is destiny, even though you have suffered it was all part of the Spirits’ plans for you.’ Ethan could almost h
ear her voice clearly in his head. He couldn’t stop the grin at the familiar voice he so loved.
“Care to share what brought on that grin?” Wolfe asked. He noticed Teddy had noticed the look as well. There was a smile on his face as he looked at both of his mates.
Ethan came to a stop suddenly, and looked at the men with him. He had been so deep in thought he hadn’t realized they noticed his impression. “I was thinking of what my Grammy would say if she was here right now. She was an amazing woman,” he told them.
“Was? Did she pass away, Ethan?” Teddy asked.
“Yes, just a few days ago I lost her,” he told them sadly.
“I am sorry to hear that, Ethan. It is really hard to lose family. Was she your only family until you met us?” Wolfe asked, wanting to assure his mate he was no longer alone.
“They were the only ones I know of anyway. Her son adopted me as a young child. She told me people found me abandoned, and brought me to the nearest Pack. This just happened to be my Grammy Jess’s Pack. Her son and daughter-in-law adopted me, since they weren’t able to have children of their own. It was the happiest day of their life she often told me. Unfortunately, they were killed before I even really had a chance to know them. Grammy Jess became my only family. She raised me for all these years, and gave up her golden years to take care of me,” Ethan told them.
“It sounds like you she loved you very much, and you loved her. You both were very happy to have found one another. I know what it’s like to grow up where you are never good enough. Being a disappointment was a common everyday thing with my father. When he found out I was gay, it was just the clincher to the hell he made of my life,” Wolfe told him.
“I will cherish every memory of her. Thank you for reminding me of my happy childhood. I guess I really needed to hear it again. I am sorry to hear yours wasn’t a happy one, Wolfe,” Ethan told him.