by Anya Nowlan
Her throat went dry as the plethora of thoughts bounced around freely in her head, vying for her attention. Argo’s and Cooper’s hands were so warm and the energy they exuded made her feel feather-light. She hadn’t expected to have a conversation quite as deep with them so early, but she wasn’t going to complain.
They’d put her in charge of how things were going to play out. Now, she just needed to figure out how she wanted things to go. That was a far stretch from her usual situation, where she was just the one observing from the sidelines instead of living. Claire felt up to the challenge. Especially if the prize on the other side was two dreamy men who seemed to already know they couldn’t live without her.
“Okay. I think I can figure that out.”
“You better,” Cooper growled playfully as they let go of her hands.
Cooper winked at her and she giggled, finally feeling the apprehension and nervousness lift from her. Argo just gave her a look, and dammit if those blue eyes of his weren’t just enough to drown in.
It’s your game now, Claire. So how are you going to play it?
CHAPTER SIX
Claire
She could still taste the syrup on her lips as she licked across them with her tongue, easing into the passenger seat of Argo’s and Cooper’s big pickup. Cooper revved the engine and Claire waved to Argo as they peeled out of the driveway, the pickup making a tight, even turn that Claire would have never expected the big lumbering car to manage.
“Whoa!” she yelped, her nails digging into the seat as Cooper made the truck roar down the narrow path that could barely be called a road.
“Don’t worry! I’ve got this!” Cooper said with a wicked grin, showing a side of him that she hadn’t seen yet.
Compared to Argo, he seemed too subdued and pleasant that it was a surprise to see him tearing up the dirt road now. He shifted gears easily as they rounded a corner, making Claire’s stomach twist and turn with more than just the excitement of being alone with him. He gunned it again and Claire was pushed back into her seat, a grin plastered on her lips.
This was fun.
“You’re a maniac!” she laughed, leaning her body forward a bit and staring at him with wide eyes.
Where’d this demon come from and how could she get some more?
“Naw, I’m just a mild-mannered race car driver, set loose upon the unsuspecting roads of the Idaho countryside,” Cooper bellowed triumphantly, the wind blowing in through the rolled-down window, which made his short dark hair bounce around wildly.
He took one death-defying corner after the next, manhandling the big truck and making it maneuver in a way Claire doubted it was ever meant to. She kept scrunching her nails down into the upholstery as the trees whizzed by, half-expecting a deer to scamper onto the road and send them veering into one of the thick tree trunks. But a part of her was completely sure that if something were to happen, Cooper would get them both through it safe and sound.
Suddenly, she could see a wider streak of light in the distance, and when the truck tore onto the gravel road that led to Shifter Grove, Cooper slowed down immediately. Like nothing had happened at all.
“What was that about?!” Claire called, not even trying to fake irritation.
That had been just about the most exhilarating thing she’d ever done. Well, aside from meeting the wolves, that was. Her pulse was sky high and her heart beat in her throat. Cooper chuckled, putting one hand on her thigh and giving it a squeeze like he had in the diner.
“That was us having a blast. Argo keeps trying to tell me to behave myself, but I get the feeling you need a little bit of wild in your life, my dear.”
He flashed her a grin and Claire fell back against the backrest, putting her hand on top of his. He was right. She did need it. And she was damn well going to be brazen when the situation called for it. Even if just putting her hand on his wasn’t exactly the wildest thing she could think of. It was a start, anyway.
“So you’re really a race car driver?” Claire asked, peeking at the suave, grinning wolf next to her.
She’d been in touch with them for a while, but most of their conversations had been about their shared motivation to meet and see where things could go, rather than their individual backgrounds. Claire knew that Argo was originally from Montana, but had lived in Idaho as well, and he and Cooper had decided to return to Idaho for various reasons. But she had to admit that now that she was spending time with the two men, she was discovering that she didn’t know half as much as she perhaps should have before running off to the woods with them.
“I am. Former race car driver, anyway. I now own a team, but I’ve taken a backseat role, if you will,” he said, chuckling at his own joke.
“Why did you stop?”
“I’d like to say that I was getting old,” Cooper mused, his gray eyes twinkling with mischief. “But it was mostly because of Argo. After we met, I didn’t feel like being away from him for long stretches of time, and racing takes you all over the world if you’re of a certain caliber. He isn’t the traveling type and the distance was getting too much for both of us. So I did what I had to do.”
“Do you miss it?”
Cooper paused, shrugging. “I’d miss him more.”
That made Claire smile. She’d seen the two of them looking at each other with the kind of emotion she’d rarely seen between two people. It wasn’t just love or affection for one another, but a deeper bond that couldn’t be put into words. And she’d noticed them playing it low key with their public displays of affection when she was around, but she wouldn’t have minded if they’d cut that out. Nothing hotter than two sinfully sexy men having a hard time keeping their hands off of each other, after all.
“So what made you two decide to start looking for a mate?” Claire asked, easing into the conversation.
Her eyes took in the beautiful nature that they drove past, the winding roads sometimes giving her majestic views of deep gorges and hidden valleys within the countless mountain peaks. She squeezed his hand sometimes when they took a faster curve and the pleasant warmth that had spread through her from the site of his touch still lingered and pulsed within her. Claire hoped he couldn’t smell her excitement, though considering the little looks he sneaked at her, she was guessing she wasn’t quite so lucky.
But aren’t you supposed to feel desire for your potential mate? He can’t blame me for getting hot and bothered for him, right?
She grinned at the thought.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you two seem perfectly happy with just the two of you…” she said, stuttering a little as a deep red blush crept over her cheeks.
Cooper chuckled, shaking his head and patting her thigh playfully.
“Argo and I aren’t gay. We’re not even bi, I guess, but that’s the best way to describe it in human terms. I’d never so much as looked at a man as more than a potentially impressive creation of nature before I met Argo, and I think the same goes for him. It’s just when we met, we very quickly understood what we were dealing with. We were meant to be together as an Alpha pair. If you are born as an Alpha twin, then the connection between you and your twin is different. You are two sides of the same whole, parted right down the middle. Your body and your mind are the same.”
He licked his lips, hesitating before continuing on with his explanation. Claire forgot all about the view and focused her attention on Cooper, her heart thrumming loudly in her chest.
“But when you lose your other half, your twin, you don’t often get the chance to find someone to fill that void. To complete you like that. But we did. When it’s someone else, when the Alpha pair is built from two people who are not brothers, the process is different. There’s an emotional connection, and a physical one. Think of it like two soulmates meeting in the human world. Usually, it’s a man and a woman. But if your soulmate is not the most typical of choices, do you turn them away? We don’t. Shifters recognize that connection and it doesn’t matter what gender the other
is. Love, in that sense, is pure for us. I think it’s even stronger for Alpha pairs like me and Argo, though our combination is of course very rare. At least in wolves.”
Cooper smirked, glancing at Claire. She nodded softly, chewing on her bottom lip a little. She could understand what they meant. Or at least try to. Though she had seen a lot of bigotry, and a lot of hate and disdain for different couples in her life, she had always been raised to accept love as something that transcended race, color, or gender. It was amazing to hear that it was so ingrained in shifter culture.
“And where does the third fit in?” she asked, legitimately curious now.
“Above it all,” Cooper said. “The third fits around the Alpha pair, binding them together even stronger. We like to say that the Alpha pairs are two sides of the same whole, right? But it’s a bit more complicated. There’s always cracks, always differences and edges that need to be smoothed over. The third does that. She, or he, takes all the rough edges and all the pieces that don’t fit together quite right, and fills them, binding the Alpha triad into something that’s far stronger than the sum of its parts.”
Suddenly, Cooper broke out laughing and shook his head. They passed under the Shifter Grove town sign just at that moment as well.
“Listen to me. A real racer poet. What I’m trying to say is that I might be good with Argo, but we’d be hell of a lot better with you, my dear.”
Claire grinned. She could deal with that.
They stopped in front of Pearl’s store and picked up a bunch of groceries and some necessities. While the house was gorgeous, the wolves had moved in there in a rush and it showed. For a homemaker like Claire, there were plenty of things that were glaringly absent from a good home. Like a decent waffle iron, for one.
After piling the truck high with food and shopping bags, Cooper convinced her to take a little stroll around town. She tingled all over from the feeling of Cooper’s strong hand gripping her palm and leading her casually down the streets, greeting locals and making small talk along the way. It had been years since she’d been on a date and even longer since she’d really felt comfortable around someone. The fact that Cooper and Argo just sort of pulled her in and made her feel at ease in a matter of days and hours was completely blowing her mind.
Cooper made a sudden right and walked through a gap between the still-new buildings, inspecting them quietly. As smoothly as Shifter Grove had begun, it seemed to end right behind Main Street, with countless little footpaths leading into the forests and the surrounding areas. Claire couldn’t help but notice how none of the areas around town seemed to have any landscaping other than neatly-trimmed lawns. Her mind immediately went to work, imagining beautiful gardens and little ponds and neatly piled rocks that would create nature within nature.
She was so consumed by her thoughts that she didn’t notice they’d reached a wide river before Cooper stopped on the bridge leading across it. The bridge still smelled of wood lacquer and it looked completely new. The Warfang brothers must have just put it up.
“Why are we stopping?” she asked, leaning on the railing and looking at the water trailing past and underneath them.
Shifter Grove was buzzing somewhere behind them, but they were now completely alone, out of view of any curious, peering eyes. Claire had quickly discovered the inhabitants of Shifter Grove were equally as welcoming as they were understanding of the need of privacy at times. It was unlike her neighbors at Greenville, who seemed to have a compulsion to know everything that was going on with everyone else.
“I thought we could enjoy the view for a moment,” Cooper said, a hint of deepness grumbling through his words like the low growl of a predator.
But Cooper wasn’t looking at the water or the beautiful summer scenery around them. He was looking right at Claire and when she realized that, it took everything to keep from collapsing against the railing. Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes went wide as he slid one hand around her thick waist and pulled her closer to him. She was so close to him that his musky scent invaded all her senses, capturing her in a little bubble that only seemed to allow for the existence of her and Cooper at that moment.
“I’m glad you decided to come here, Claire. I think you’ll enjoy being in Idaho more than I would have liked being in Georgia,” he said, winking.
She bit her lower lip. For a ludicrous moment, she imagined the shocked and appalled looks she would have gotten from her neighbors if she suddenly shacked up with Argo and Cooper in her Greenville home. It was almost funny enough to wish it had actually happened.
“I’m glad I came here too,” she said breathlessly.
He must have felt the way she was shuddering, because when Cooper leaned in to kiss her, he gave her one last maddening smirk before his lips met hers. To say that the kiss was making her world spin was an understatement. Claire’s hands gripped the front of his shirt and she hung on for dear life, raising up on her tippy toes as Cooper slid one hand behind her head and made the kiss deeper. His tongue invaded her mouth and the luscious, longing moan she let out carried so much desire that it surprised even Claire herself.
It was like she was being allowed to really breathe again after keeping her breath for years and years. She’d never been the kind of woman to get swept away in the moment or think that she was more than she really was. However, right then and there, she felt like the most beautiful and desirable woman in the world.
And she was damn glad she’d gotten out of Georgia to find that out.
When Cooper broke the kiss, she whimpered a little in protest. She still clung to his T-shirt, feeling his heart pound in his chest and his breathing quicken. His lips grazed over his lower lip in the most seductive way and Claire cursed her diminutive height for not being able to just kiss him again as he stood upright. He reluctantly let her go and his hands travel to her shoulders, letting his natural warmth spread through her again and calm her frazzled, lustful nerves.
He took a step back, and that was when Claire realized that the thickness she had felt against her before had been his hard cock.
Don’t think about it! she warned herself, forcefully keeping her eyes up and away from his crotch.
“If we keep going, I’ll fuck you right here, baby. And you have to know I want to, but I think I have to give you some time with Argo as well before we take things that far. For all our sakes.”
The fog cleared in her head a little and she nodded. With a sigh, she took Cooper’s hand and spun around, yanking him along back on the trail they had taken to get to the river.
“Where are we going?” Cooper asked with a laugh.
“We’re going back home so I can have a moment with Argo,” Claire said through gritted teeth.
As far as she was concerned, she was well on her way to settling down with two wolves in Idaho. As long as the second one made her feel even half as wanted as Cooper did, she was game for anything.
But she knew she wanted another kiss, and damn sure she was going to get it.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Argo
Argo hadn’t been quite aware of how much he had grown attached to having Cooper and Claire around until they left for the day. He’d found himself pacing back and forth, glaring out into the yard , waiting for Cooper to drive back home in that insane manner he had. Claire’s little car was still parked in front of the house, and he made a mental note to go and get that thing exchanged for something that could actually scale a mountain as soon as he could.
He paused for a moment, smirking. That was how it was, wasn’t it? He’d been around Claire for a day and a half and he already knew that she was going to be his and Cooper’s. Forever. It was just a matter of time, now.
Argo snorted with annoyance, pivoting around and slogging another irritated track through the house. It was beautifully built and had all that he and Cooper and Claire needed. It felt so damn empty without them. A small voice at the back of his head nagged at him, as it had for a while now.
You’re putting them
both in danger.
He sighed, stopping on the porch and looking out into the forest. In a few nights, he would disappear into those thick woods and go find the Longbrook lands. Then he could really learn what was going on with the pack and begin figuring out how to fix things. But for now, he would have to focus on the situation at hand. His mates.
As usual, he was torn between the two things he wanted most: his pack and his love. For years, Argo had ignored the call of his pack. He’d put them out of his mind, secure in the knowledge that alone he would not be able to lead them. But with Cooper and now Claire, he could form the Alpha triad as he was always meant to… and with the triad came the uncontrollable urge to control and conquer what had once been his.
It wasn’t even so much the ancient desire to lead that drove him to it, but the knowledge that there was no one else to do it. Achilles was mad. That much had become clear when they’d fought those months ago at Battle’s home.
You’ll fix that when the time comes, he told himself glumly.
The last thing he wanted to do was hurt his brother further. But fate came with many twists and turns. Perhaps it was just how it was meant to be for his kin. Death and bloodshed had to come first so happiness and peace could follow. Without noticing he was doing it, he cracked his knuckles on both hands and slammed his fist into the doorframe in frustration. He hated what this situation was making him into, but he couldn’t turn his back on what he felt as his calling.
To lead his wolves.
Argo let out a deep sigh as he heard the truck pull up in front of the house. He swung by the kitchen and grabbed the small picnic basket he had prepared and rushed outside. Cooper was looking like a fool in love, and for once Argo wasn’t sure whether it was because of him or Claire. He smiled a little and strode over to Claire, slipping his big hand around her little palm.
“Hey,” she said, a bit startled.
“Hey. I thought we could have a bit of time to ourselves. Unless you object,” Argo said, lifting the picnic basket a little.