by Abby Blake
“No fair,” she said in a high-pitched, whiny voice. “You brought a gun. It won’t be a fair fight.”
“And you tried to use your wolf form against someone you know hasn’t yet got the ability,” Xavier added as he realized stepping into the fray now wouldn’t hurt Andrea’s standing. She already had the pack’s approval, even if many of the people standing around didn’t fully realize it yet.
“But feel free to challenge me again, Sheila,” Andrea added with a smirk. “I’m sure I’ll have fun smacking you down in wolf form, too.”
The woman shot Xavier a baleful look, but left without another word. Dave caught his eye, and Xavier nodded in approval as his beta turned and followed his sister. In werewolf terms Sheila was still quite young, and no matter how poor her choices had been, Xavier wasn’t willing to banish her for behavior that had been most likely encouraged by his mother.
His mother on the other hand…
The woman was trying to blend into the crowd, but he spotted her easily and headed straight for her. “Mom, I’d like you to meet our mate.” The woman blanched but let him lead her over to where Isaac and Daegan held Andrea in their embrace.
“It’s very nice to finally meet you,” Andrea said in a friendly tone as she took her mother-in-law’s hand. “I trust that today’s events aren’t going to affect our relationship.”
Xavier’s mom nodded, but it was clear that she heard the demand in Andrea’s voice. Andrea was giving her mother-in-law a second chance to make a first impression. Hopefully, this time his mother would take the time to get to know his mate instead of making snap judgments based on superstitious nonsense.
“I love you,” Xavier said as he pulled Andrea from his brothers’ arms. They echoed his words, kissing her quickly before letting her go. “Welcome home.”
Epilogue
Andrea pressed a hand against her belly, trying to still the fluttery feeling inside. She hadn’t been this nervous since her first shift into wolf form. She knew it was good news she was about to share, but still, it had taken far longer than any of them had been expecting, and in some ways they’d given up trying.
The past eight months hadn’t all been a bed of roses. Her first shift had been a complete disaster. All the planning, all the explanations, all the confidence in the world hadn’t prepared her for the overwhelming primitive instinct to hunt. Andrea hadn’t felt any pain as she’d instinctively changed from human to wolf when the full moon rose in the night sky. She’d taken off outside the house even before the shift had been complete.
Thankfully her men had been more than able to cope with her transformation from rational female to rabid huntress, and the only animal to die that night had been a field mouse in the wrong place at the wrong time. Andrea still felt a little queasy over swallowing the poor thing whole, but apparently that’s what field mice were for—at least according to her wolf half.
The most amazing part had been her reluctance to change back. Everything in her had fought the need to return to her human form. She’d wanted to keep the less complicated thoughts of a wolf, but her men had gently coaxed her back to reality and then spent the rest of the day showing her how much fun they could have together in human form.
Her second shift hadn’t been much better, but since then she’d learned to retain more of her human control in wolf form and had even managed to change a couple of times without the influence of the full moon. Last month Andrea had finally mastered enough control over her wolf to complete their mating properly by claiming her men. All three very proudly wore her mating mark.
Of course, as with any relationship, they’d worked through their issues together and fortunately come out stronger for it. She’d been accepted quite quickly after her confrontation with Sheila, and Andrea suspected that it had made her adjustment to pack life far simpler than it could have been. In a twisted way, Sheila’s behavior had made it easier for Andrea to show her strength to the pack.
Dave had made certain that his younger sister understood her error. Sheila had stayed within the compound for a couple more months but hadn’t been able to get over the embarrassment of humiliating herself in front of most of the pack. Dave had contacted a friend from a different werewolf pack clear across the country, and Sheila had jumped at the chance of a new start. Andrea had no doubt the younger woman still harbored her ambitions of being an alpha’s mate. Hopefully, Sheila had learned from her mistakes and would handle things differently in the future.
“Knock, knock,” a clear, high voice said before high heels click-clacked on the wooden floor of the front foyer.
“I’m in the kitchen, Olivia,” she called to her mother-in-law as she slid the roast back into the oven. The woman headed straight to her, pressed a sort of air kiss to her left cheek and immediately began talking. In some ways it was probably good that it had taken time for things to happen. Andrea and Olivia were almost exact opposites, but over the last eight months they had managed to find some kind of common ground. They weren’t exactly friends, but they weren’t trying to kill each other either. In Andrea’s book that seemed a workable compromise.
“When are my sons due home?” Technically they were already home. The entire east side of the mansion was dedicated to the software and gaming development company that the pack ran, but since it was the biggest building she’d ever lived in, she rarely ran across them when they were working.
Andrea had never heard of the online game that they’d developed, but with literally millions of subscribers around the world, she didn’t have to take their word for it that it was popular. She’d almost choked on her laughter when she’d learned that the game revolved around a mystical world populated with humans who could morph into animals.
“They should be here soon,” she answered.
“Good, their father is in the sitting room, watching some silly golf tournament or something. Honestly, I have no idea how that man can spend so much time watching the television.”
Andrea knew from her husbands that their father had worked really hard when he’d been alpha. Knowing how hard Xavier worked, Andrea had no doubt their father had earned his time in front of the TV. Her mother-in-law busied herself wiping down an already clean kitchen counter.
“I ran into Dave’s wife earlier,” she said casually, “and she was wearing the most beautiful locket. I could barely believe it when she told me you’d made it for her.”
Andrea smiled. As comments went, that was as close to a compliment as she was going to get from her mother-in-law. The locket she’d made for Jessie was one of her favorites and had spawned a heap more orders. In her first few months here she’d spent a lot of time creating jewelry for the members of her pack. Ironically, it had also caught her husbands’ attention, and she’d ended up designing jewelry, weapons, and other trinkets for their computer games. The unexpected challenge to her skills had been enormously satisfying.
“Something’s different,” Isaac said directly into her mind.
“She’s dealing with our mother, of course something’s different,” Daegan teased in a telepathic voice to both of them. “We’re on our way now. Is Xavier finished working?”
Andrea concentrated on her other husband, still surprised at how easy it was to connect to her men. “I’m just about finished. Five more minutes ought to do it.”
“He says five minutes,” she told Daegan and Isaac. “Why don’t you swing by his office and make sure he doesn’t lose track of time.”
A few moments later Daegan said, “Stepping into his office, now.”
It wasn’t exactly the way she wanted to tell them, but at least if she had them all in the one room, they’d be able to see each other’s reaction. She’d be able to hear and feel everything, and as unkind as the thought was, her mother-in-law wouldn’t be able to interrupt her announcement.
She could sense them all together, their easy camaraderie soothing her soul as she took a deep breath and told them her news.
She giggled when three grown men came running fu
ll pelt through the house, their sneakered feet squealing against the tiles as they entered the kitchen and pulled her into the middle of a tight hug. Their mother looked appalled at such rowdy behavior, but it was obvious she was dying to know what was going on.
Andrea grinned, happy to let the woman wait a little longer, but then nearly as one, the three men stepped back and stared at her.
“I can’t believe we’re going to have babies. Are you sure you’re carrying triplets?” Daegan asked.
She nodded, glanced at her mother-in-law and winked.
The woman looked as happy as her sons, and a moment later their father joined them in the kitchen. As plans were made, baby names suggested, and traditions created, Andrea glanced around the room and realized she’d never felt more at home than she did at this moment.
Being shot had sucked, but becoming a werewolf and finding her mates?
Totally worth it.
THE END
WWW.BOOKSTRAND.COM/ABBY-BLAKE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abby Blake prefers to read or write romance over just about everything else—except maybe chocolate. Most days she can be found hurrying to do what needs to be done so that she can curl up with her laptop and her latest bunch of heroes.
Also by Abby Blake
Ménage Everlasting: Vipers Dungeon 1:
Emma’s Education
Ménage Everlasting: Fire
Ménage Everlasting: Altered Destinies 1: Lost
Ménage Everlasting: Altered Destinies 2: Runner
Ménage Everlasting: Altered Destinies 3: Hidden
Ménage Everlasting: Altered Destinies 4: Stolen
Ménage Everlasting: Altered Destinies 5: Soldier
Ménage Everlasting: Altered Destinies 6: Traitor
Siren LoveXtreme Forever: A Bride for Eight Brothers 1:
Mikayla’s Men
Siren LoveXtreme Forever: A Bride for Eight Brothers 2:
Sweet Captivation
Siren LoveXtreme Forever: A Bride for Eight Brothers 3:
Wild Fascination
Siren LoveXtreme Forever: A Bride for Eight Brothers 4:
Keen Inclination
Siren LoveXtreme Forever: A Bride for Eight Brothers 5:
Hot Inspiration
Siren LoveXtreme Forever: A Bride for Eight Brothers 6:
Mikayla’s Family
Available at
BOOKSTRAND.COM
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com