Shelly's Forbidden Mates [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More)

by Lynette Bernard

  “Go on, Shelly. It’s getting late. I don’t want you walking alone again,” he told her firmly.

  “I’m on my way to the old alpha home now,” Shelly said quickly.

  “Have a good night,” Jace said finally. “Vera, I expect you to be in the main house first thing in the morning to go over the arrangements for the Renaissance dance with Martha. She’ll be needing your help to get all the food that is needed for the party.”

  “I’ll be there, Alpha,” Vera promised.

  Jace looked at the older woman and hesitated. He didn’t like leaving Shelly with her. He waited a moment, looking one more time at Shelly.

  “Do you need my help with the party, Jace?” Shelly asked, wanting to help in any way that she could.

  “No. You’ll be busy readying the house for the new occupants,” Jace stopped her.

  He didn’t want Shelly anywhere near her mother. He was going to do all that he could to shield her from any more pain or sorrow. She would be turning twenty-one the day of the dance. From that day on, Shelly would no longer be living under Vera’s control. She would be free to do what she wanted. If she wanted to go to live with Synthia and go to college, he was going to be certain to help her achieve that dream. If Shelly decided to stay with her mates, he would support that, as well. So many things would be determined within the next few days. He hoped that Shelly would make whatever decision she needed to make in order to have a happy life. She deserved it. So did Max and Eli.

  “Goodnight,” he said quietly, smiling at Shelly before turning and walking toward the main house.

  Shelly watched him go, feeling the power and the goodness of the big man, but she also felt the deep sadness within him. She watched him until he disappeared inside the home through the sliding glass doors at the back of the house, waiting until she saw the back light go out before turning to head toward the home that she loved. She sighed with sadness. She wished her omega abilities gave her alpha more peace than she had. Sometimes she felt helpless in her powers, but she knew that an omega couldn’t heal heartbreak. Only the finding of Jace and Jackson’s triad mate would do that.

  The punch to the left side of her face took her by surprise. She staggered slightly, raising her left hand to deflect the next blow that she knew would be coming. She was successful in preventing a full punch, but the glancing blow was enough to cause pain to burst through her head as Vera’s ring cut open the skin at her temple.

  The impact of it made Shelly stumble and fall to the ground. Vera stood over her with clenched fists, her anger rolling off of her in waves of fury. Shelly saw the vicious hatred in Vera’s eyes and did her best to roll away from her, but she couldn’t escape the kick that was directed at her stomach. She couldn’t help but cry out in pain at the impact.

  “Look what you’ve done!” Vera nearly growled, her chest heaving with anger as she fought to catch her breath. “You’ve made Jace Beckett think I’m a bad mother.”

  “You are a bad mother,” Shelly said calmly through gritted teeth.

  Vera kicked her once again, this time catching her in her side. Shelly couldn’t prevent the moan of agony that escaped her. She tried to contract herself into a ball to protect herself from further injury, placing her hands over her head to keep herself from getting a concussion. She was no stranger to injuries. Vera had seen to that over the years.

  She and Synthia had perfected the ability to shift and heal themselves behind the safety of their locked bedroom door every time Vera had injured them from the time they had entered their teenage years. Both of them knew that if anyone was aware of the abuse, Vera would have been banished from Jace’s pack. That would have meant that she and Synthia would have been taken from the people and the place that they loved. Instead, both of them had hidden their abuse to the best of their abilities, taking solace in the fact that it would only be a matter of time when they would be able to make their own way in the world.

  “I’ll be glad when you turn twenty-one and I can arrange to have you mated to a man from one of the neighboring packs,” Vera said angrily. “As much as the thought of a triad mating disgusts me, it’s a means to an end. Jace and Jackson need a mate. Having one of my daughters mated to them would put me in the position of power that I deserve. You’re not good enough to be mated to Jace Beckett and Jackson Scott. Only your sister is. But you’ll fetch a good price from one of the men of Randall’s or Hayward’s packs. Hayward has said he wants you for himself, although I can’t imagine why he would.”

  The pain in Shelly’s heart far outweighed the pain in her face, in her stomach, or in her side. She couldn’t allow what Vera had just threatened her with to happen to her. She wouldn’t give herself to anyone who didn’t love her. She wanted to be loved by two wolves who were as good and as kind as her fathers had been.

  Vera turned and walked away, mumbling to herself about her plans to sell Shelly to the highest bidder. She didn’t want to be mated to Hayward. She had heard stories of his cruelty. She knew she wouldn’t survive if she belonged to him.

  Shelly could hear the determination in Vera’s voice. She was equally determined not be sold as some man’s slave. She wanted love. She wanted kindness. She wanted to feel like she mattered.

  She would talk to Jace about it in the morning. For now, she had to get to the old alpha home and get inside. She would bolt the door behind her and be safe.

  She remembered suddenly that the bolt on the door had been broken years before. She would have to figure something out. All she knew was, she was going to protect herself from Vera Moore even if it meant hurting her. After all, Vera had done her fair share of hurting both Shelly and Synthia over the years. Surely the Fates wouldn’t condemn her for protecting herself from the cruelty of the woman who had never given them one moment of kindness or love.

  Chapter 8

  Shelly sat at the left corner of the overstuffed couch that was situated in front of the blazing fire. Her stocking feet were tucked beneath her, and she was covered in the golden crocheted afghan that had been draped across the back of the couch. It didn’t matter that it was a warm, summer night. Shelly felt coldness deep within her bones. She had built the fire the moment she had walked into the cozy home.

  She had been surprised to find that the bolt on the front door had been repaired and remembered that Synthia had told her that the two men who would also be living at the home were supposed to fix what needed to be fixed.

  Jace had also just told her that the two men would be staying at the log cabin that she loved. Because of that, Shelly hadn’t bolted the door behind her so that the men would be able to come inside whenever they returned. She knew that Jace trusted them. Because of that, she did, as well. But she wasn’t completely relaxed and didn’t really feel safe. She had a long piece of firewood balanced against the end of the couch for protection. She knew that she wouldn’t need it to protect her from the two men that Jace trusted, but she was cautious enough to accept that she might need it to protect herself from Vera. She was never going to allow Vera to hit her again.

  She sat with an icepack on her left cheek and groaned softly as she tried to get more comfortable. She knew she should just shift and heal, but something about feeling the pain she was suffering from kept her more focused and more determined to remain strong. She would go to the room that had been given to her by Queen Clarice so many years before and shift once she had met the men who would be living in the old alpha home. She wanted to welcome them to Jace’s pack.

  She knew that they needed her, she just didn’t know why. As she slid the golden omega charm along the long leather tie that she wore around her neck, she thought about the two men and wondered about them. Jace had said that she was to help them. She had a feeling that she would be using more than her omega powers to help them. She had the cautious hope that she would be using her love as well.

  She usually kept the leather tie and the omega charm carefully hidden beneath her T-shirt and tucked into the lace of her bra, but when
she was here at the alpha’s old home, she felt free to allow her omega identification to be revealed. She felt protected by this home somehow.

  “Mother Fate, are the men who will be staying here meant to be my mates?” she whispered. “I would like it very much if they were my mates. I want to love my men and make a life with them. I want to have a home that’s filled with love and happiness. I want to welcome children into our triad mating and show them how a mother should love her babies.”

  Shelly felt a gentle touch of warmth against her right cheek and closed her eyes to accept the love and support that she knew Mother Fate was giving her. She felt the goodness of the woman radiating through her and sighed with contentment.

  You will be blessed, Shelly, Mother Fate’s soft, gentle voice spoke within her mind. Your men need you to help them heal. They have suffered great pain and sadness.

  “I promise to help them,” Shelly said without hesitation.

  I know you will, daughter, Mother Fate said softly. Do not be discouraged by the trials in your life. Both you and your men have much to overcome, but all will be well. The three of you will have a happy life.

  “Thank you, Mother Fate.”

  A sound at the front door made Shelly jump. She couldn’t prevent the soft moan of pain that escaped her because of the sudden movement. She turned slowly on the couch, her blue eyes wide as she watched the doorknob turn and the door open slowly to reveal two of the most strikingly handsome men she had ever seen.

  They closed the door and locked it securely behind them then walked toward her slowly. Shelly was mesmerized by their looks, but she was drawn by their souls. Their scents surrounded her, curtaining her in the truth of her destiny. In that instant, her omega abilities reached out and touched them, knowing without question that these were good and caring men who were in pain.

  “Are you okay?” she asked worriedly, reaching out her hands to them and waiting for them to come closer. She could feel their sadness and pain and thought about Mother Fate’s words. These men were hers to help and love.

  They came to her at once, kneeling before her, each man taking one of her hands in theirs. Their touch was warm and gentle. Shelly melted into them immediately. She looked at both men and saw the surprise in their eyes. She couldn’t help but laugh softly.

  “I guess Jace is a matchmaker,” she said, smiling at the way both men’s eyes glowed golden as their wolves pushed forward. Their scents filled her, and she found herself completely overwhelmed by what was before her. “It looks like I’ve found my two wolves.”

  She pulled her hands free from theirs, unable to keep the thrill that raced through her body from filling her with happiness when both men’s grips tightened on her hands just slightly before letting go. “My fathers told me I was going to live in this house with my mates.”

  “Mate,” the man with the dark hair whispered before turning to the man beside him. “Eli. We’ve found our mate.”

  The blond with the most incredibly kind, brown eyes she had ever seen looked at her as if she were his lifeline. Shelly felt the connection to him and pictured the ribbons of white that were weaving the three of them together. She reached up and threaded her fingers through Eli’s hair, tugging on it playfully before doing the same to the one with the dark hair. She saw Eli wince in pain at her touch and released her hold on him at once.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, touching his chin lightly and scraping her nail along the dark growth of beard there.

  “Nothing,” he answered quickly.

  “Listen, one thing we have to get clear right from the start,” she said in a tone that proved she would take no nonsense from either of them. “We will always tell each other the truth. And we will always care about each other and protect each other.”

  “I promise, baby,” Max said, smiling widely.

  “Okay. What’re your names?” Shelly asked, relieved and attracted to both men’s open smiles, caring eyes, and gentle souls.

  “Maxwell Oliver.”

  “Eli Granger.”

  “I’m Shelly Brooks-Lancaster,” she introduced herself.

  “You have a hyphenated name?” Eli asked, confused.

  “My sister Synthia and I have taken our fathers’ names,” Shelly explained. “Neither one of us would ever honor the woman who birthed us. Our fathers loved us and took care of us. She didn’t.”

  “I’m sorry, Shelly,” Eli said softly.

  “She was an idiot,” Max said angrily.

  “Max! Don’t say that!”

  Shelly laughed softly, reaching out and touching Eli’s face gently. “It’s okay. I could use some of Max’s support right now.”

  Eli and Max turned their attention back to her and saw the bruising on her left cheek and the cut at her temple. Their wolves sat up and growled. The men reacted much the same.

  “Who did this to you, Shelly?” Eli demanded, framing her face with his large hands and turning her head so he could examine her more thoroughly.

  “Vera.”

  “Who?”

  “The woman who birthed me.”

  “She’s worse than an idiot,” Eli said, growling. “Does Alpha Beckett know that your mother abuses you?”

  “Jace has his suspicions, but I’ve never told him,” Shelly admitted. “It was always easier for me and my sister to deal with it ourselves. We couldn’t take the chance that Vera would be sent away from here. We would have been forced to go with her.” She hesitated a moment, thinking about all the people that she loved within this pack. “Jace and Jackson have had a very tough life. We didn’t want to add to their burdens.”

  “We’re here now,” Max said angrily. “No one will ever hurt you again, baby.”

  Shelly smiled and reached out to touch Max’s face once again. “You’re a sweet man,” she whispered.

  Max laughed without mirth. “Honey, I’ve been accused of being many things in my life. Sweet is not one of them.”

  “That’s true,” Eli said, grinning at the intense glare that Max immediately turned on him.

  “Well, they don’t know you like I already do,” Shelly said softly, placing her hands on each man’s chest to feel the beating of their hearts. “I have a secret to tell you.”

  “What is it, sweetheart?” Eli asked as he covered Shelly’s hand with his own and pressed it firmly against his chest.

  “Jace and Jackson have told me to keep this a secret for my protection, but I need to tell you. I’m an omega.”

  “We know,” Max said gently.

  “You do?”

  Max nodded. “It’s something we felt the moment you touched us,” he said quietly.

  “I think it was more when the Fates joined us with the white ribbons,” Eli said thoughtfully. “Did you feel anything like that, Shelly?”

  Shelly was stunned. “You felt the white ribbons of the Fates surrounding us?”

  “They didn’t surround us,” Max clarified. “They were kind of woven around us and through us. Does that make sense?”

  “It does,” Shelly whispered. “I felt it, too.”

  “I also felt when your soul touched ours, honey,” Max continued. “I felt your power.”

  “I don’t have any power, Max,” Shelly said, laughing softly.

  “Yes, Shelly, you do,” Max disagreed. “I felt the power of your caring. You calmed us and made us feel peace and happiness. I believe you do that to every member of this pack every day of your life, even though you may not realize it.”

  “It’s the way of omegas, Shelly,” Eli explained gently. “Every pack who has an omega has been blessed by the Fates. It looks like Max and I have been doubly blessed, sweetheart, because you’re not only our omega, you’re our mate.”

  He reached out and carded his fingers through her dark hair, loving the softness of her long tresses. Her hair was such a dark shade of brown, it was almost black. He thought about their little girl Allie and smiled, loving that their baby daughter would look exactly like her mother.


  Max leaned in and breathed in Shelly’s scent, calming immediately. She was kindness and light in his very dark world. He wasn’t worthy to have her as his gift.

  “I don’t deserve you, Shelly,” he whispered, turning toward her face and kissing her cheek lightly.

  “What do you mean?” Shelly asked as she sat back and looked at him. He looked so incredibly sad. That would not do at all. Reaching out, she framed his face with her small hands and drew him toward her to kiss his forehead before she leaned her own forehead against it and sighed. “I think you’re exactly what I need. You and Eli are exactly what I need. I’ve been waiting to feel like I belong for my entire life. I always felt as if I was looking at life from the edge of some imaginary boundary that I was never allowed to cross to participate in the love and kindness that everyone else seemed to find.”

  “Shelly,” Max whispered. “Baby, you’ll never feel that way again.” His promise was from his heart. He hoped that their woman could feel the sincerity of his words.

  “I don’t really understand how this works, and I never expected it to happen for me, but I truly feel like I finally belong,” Shelly said quietly.

  “You belong with us,” Eli whispered, reaching out and squeezing his triad partner’s shoulder firmly. “Max can’t help the way he’s feeling. I guess I believe that we don’t deserve you, too. We’ve been told that there’s something wrong with us from the time we were teenagers. Our parents have been trying to tell us forever that what we are is the way we’re supposed to be. Just because Alpha Randall doesn’t agree with what we are, it doesn’t make us wrong.”

  “What do you mean? What are you?” Shelly asked, easing back and looking at Eli and Max. She had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.

  “Triad partners,” Max said angrily.

  “That makes you angry?” Shelly questioned, fear filling her that she might be wrong about accepting this mating. “If you don’t want to be part of a triad mating, you need to tell me now. You’re both my mates. I’m not going to choose one over the other. If you even think about making me miss out on the blessings that our triad mating would give us, there’s the door, fellas!”