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

by Lynette Bernard

  “Did you get this material from my dress?” she asked them, looking from one man to the other and smiling as she saw the guilt that was displayed on their faces. “I’m not upset about it. I think it’s nice that you wanted something of mine to remember me by.”

  “It’s more than that, Shelly,” Max said gruffly.

  “Is it?” Shelly questioned.

  “Yes,” Eli told her, looking around the kitchen and seeing that all the others were involved in their own conversations.

  “Okay. You can tell me about it when we get home,” Shelly said calmly.

  “We’re going home with you?” Max asked, confused.

  “I hope that you will. I need to talk to you both about something very important,” Shelly said quietly. “Will you please come home with me so we can figure things out?”

  Eli embraced her carefully, giving her every opportunity to pull away. He was glad when she didn’t. Hope flared within him.

  Max, he whispered within Max’s mind, unsure what to say.

  I know. I feel the same way.

  “We can wait until after you’ve had some hot chocolate,” Shelly offered.

  “I’d rather go now,” Max said firmly. “I don’t think I’ll be able to control my wolf for much longer.”

  Shelly looked at both men and saw that their eyes had shifted to golden. She knew that she was the reason for their wolves pushing at them. She was going to make sure that they didn’t have to keep their wolves under wraps any longer.

  If everything worked out, by the end of the day, they would be completing the mating ritual and reclaiming their triad. She wanted to share her life with her sweet wolves again.

  Chapter 33

  Shelly took off her boots and hung up her coat in the front closet of the home she had every intention of sharing with Max and Eli from this night on. She turned and waited until both men stepped inside and removed their own boots and coats before closing the door behind them and locking it securely.

  Shutting off the outside light, she walked around the living room and pulled all the shades and curtains closed to give them privacy and ward off the chill of the early winter evening. She knew that her men were watching her and took a calming breath as she walked over to them and smiled.

  “I have some stew on the stove,” she said quietly. “I left it on to simmer while we were at the main lodge. Would you like some?”

  Both men nodded, unsure what to say or do. Shelly thought it was sweet. Her strong wolves were shy. At the same time, she felt guilt. They wouldn’t be feeling worried or uncomfortable if she hadn’t pushed them away.

  The living room and kitchen were toasty warm from the small fire that was burning in the fireplace. Shelly was usually very careful about leaving the home with the fireplace burning, but she had felt an urgent need to get to her men and bring them back home so she could apologize. She trusted that Mother Fate would watch over things while Shelly went to make things right.

  She watched as both Eli and Max removed their heavy, blue flannel shirts and placed them carefully on one of the overstuffed chairs beside the couch. Seeing them both in their tight, black Tshirts and jeans, she had to take a calming breath as need filled her. She couldn’t possibly be this close to her mates without wanting them. She wanted to wrap her arms around them and never let go. She actually ached to be held by them. She wanted to feel their arms around her and be able to breathe in their sweet scents.

  Walking over to the sink, she opened the cabinet to the right of it and took out three soup bowls. Turning, she smiled as Max took them from her and set them on the table. Eli had already opened the drawer with the cutlery and had taken out the spoons. Both he and Max folded napkins and set them beside each of the plates before placing the spoons on them and turning to face Shelly.

  She looked at the set table and felt a small thrill go through her at the sight of the three place settings. It was going to be nice to sit between them as they each sat at one end of the table. She waited while Eli grabbed a trivet from the counter and placed it on the center of the table then stepped back so Max could lift the heavy pot that contained the stew from the stove and place it upon the trivet.

  “It smells delicious,” Max said softly. “Thank you for inviting us to share this meal with you, Shelly.”

  Shelly turned and grabbed three glasses from the cabinet, handing them to Eli and turning away to open the refrigerator and taking out the pitcher of sweet tea that both of her wolves liked so much. She placed the pitcher on the table and took her seat, smiling when both men immediately sat on either side of her, Eli to her right, and Max to her left. It was something that she had always noticed. They always sat or stood the same way. She wondered if it had something to do with the location of their claiming marks on her body. Eli’s mark was on her right shoulder. Max’s mark was on her left.

  “Do you think you could change places?” she asked them, determined to see if her theory was correct.

  “No,” Max said at once.

  “Absolutely not,” Eli added.

  Shelly couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, just checking,” she said softly as she took Max’s bowl and used the blue ladle that was sticking out of the pot to scoop a healthy amount of the stew into his empty bowl. She repeated the process two more times, until the stew was up to the rim of the bowl. Taking Eli’s bowl, she did the same for him before filling her own bowl only about halfway.

  “You need to eat more than that, Shelly,” Max told her, eyeing the small amount in her bowl and worrying that she wasn’t eating enough.

  “I think I’m a little too nervous to eat much,” Shelly admitted.

  “We make you nervous, sweetheart?” Eli asked softly.

  “Sorry, baby,” Max offered.

  “No,” Shelly said at once, stopping them. She sighed heavily and rubbed her eyes, frustrated with herself. “This is not going well.”

  “What’s not going well, Shelly?” Max asked. “Eli and I don’t really know what we’re doing here.”

  “I wanted you to come here so I could apologize,” Shelly said softly as she lowered her hands to her lap and looked at both men.

  “You have nothing to apologize for,” Eli said at once.

  “Yeah. I do,” Shelly told them, reaching out and rubbing her thumbs over the red material on their wrists as they rested their forearms on the table. “I’ve been so wrapped up in my own sorrows that I didn’t think about how much the both of you have suffered since I left.”

  “We understand now why you left, baby,” Max said quietly. “Please don’t think about it anymore. We’re just glad to be with you again. We’re also thankful to be here. We’re relieved that Jace and Jackson have accepted us as members of their pack again. We’re happy here.”

  “But you would be happier if we were a mated triad, right?” Shelly asked softly.

  “Sweetheart, we are a mated triad,” Eli told her firmly. “We may have things that we have to work through, but don’t ever doubt that we belong to you, and you belong to us. You’re our mate. You’ve been our mate since your twenty-first birthday. Nothing will ever change that.”

  Shelly had no answer to that. Eli was technically correct. That didn’t make it completely true, though. She remained silent as the men ate, smiling as they complimented her cooking. She cut them thick slices of bread from the loaf she had baked earlier and watched as they sopped up every bit of stew from their bowls. It made her happy to see their satisfaction. She wanted them to feel satisfied, not only with the food that she made them, but also with the life that they could share together.

  It was comfortable being with them like this. She couldn’t help but relax a little and enjoy how they helped her clean up and set the kitchen to right. It happened in a natural way—one that reminded her of the time so very long ago when they had shared their life with her before Vera had caused such trouble.

  She turned to face them as she wiped her hands on the dish towel and placed it on the counter beside the sink.
She couldn’t help but smile nervously as she saw them watching her silently.

  “Thank you for helping,” she offered, sitting down at the table, glad when both Max and Eli sat down beside her once again.

  Both men nodded to acknowledge her thanks, but remained silent.

  Shelly took a deep breath, taking in her men’s scents and calming considerably. Her wolf whined within her, needing to be with her mates. Shelly completely agreed with her. She was such a smart wolf. She was also a very patient wolf, but Shelly could sense that her wolf’s patience had worn thin.

  “I’m sorry for running away,” Shelly said softly. “I should have talked to you both.”

  “Baby, you were dealing with your own pain,” Max said gently as he slid from his seat and knelt to Shelly’s left side, pressing his face against her temple and kissing it lightly. “It’s a wonder you could even think through the pain your body was experiencing.”

  He slipped his hand over her belly and caressed it lightly. “You thought you’d lost our cub.” He pressed his hand firmly against her belly and kissed her cheek once again. “When our cub is growing inside of you, you’re going to protect her and love her. When she’s born, you’re going to be a loving and caring mother. The three of us have already seen it.”

  Shelly closed her eyes, picturing the time that she would be carrying their cub. She wanted that so very much. “Our Allison,” she whispered.

  “Yes, baby. Our Allison,” Max said, smiling against her cheek.

  “She’s going to be beautiful, just like you, sweetheart,” Eli said as he slid to his knees and pressed against Shelly’s right side. “If you can find it in your heart to give us another chance to be yours, we know we’ll have a good life together. We want to share our lives with you again.”

  Shelly smiled softly as she leaned into the warmth of Max and Eli’s joint embrace. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered, loving the soft growls that her sweet wolves were emitting. “Even when I couldn’t remember your names or what you looked like, I dreamed of you holding me and making me laugh.”

  “Did you dream about us making love?” Eli asked, opening his mouth and biting down on her right shoulder where his mating mark was hidden by her heavy, navy sweater.

  Shelly couldn’t help but moan softly. Her body was hyperaware of every touch, every scent, and every emotion that her men were feeling. She couldn’t help but want them. She had never stopped loving them, even when she couldn’t remember them. It was only when she remembered the last words that they had spoken that she had questioned both her love and the love that they had for her. Now that she knew that they had been trying to protect her, those questions had faded away.

  “I remember how wonderful touching you was,” Shelly said, growling softly when Max pulled the neckline of her sweater aside so he could kiss his mating mark on her left shoulder.

  “It was,” Max agreed, opening his mouth and biting down on her shoulder possessively. “We loved touching you, baby.”

  When he reached up and slid his fingers through her hair at her temple, the red material that was wrapped around his wrist caught her attention. She ran the pad of her thumb over it slowly, easing back and looking at him, her eyes glowing golden as her wolf pressed forward.

  “Why did you and Eli take this material from my dress?” she asked, reaching out and taking Eli’s hand in hers to trace the red material that was wrapped around his wrist with the tip of her index finger.

  Eli reached up and tugged at the end of the red material that was tucked firmly beneath the layers, unwinding it slowly. He kept his hand turned so that his inner wrist faced the ceiling as he removed the satin. When it was finally completely removed, the small piece of jewelry that was pressed against his inner wrist was revealed.

  Shelly stared in shock as she saw the ring that Max and Eli had given to her on her twenty-first birthday. Eli took the ring and extended his empty hand, waiting for Shelly to give him her hand. When she did, he placed the ring on the third finger of her left hand, brought it toward his mouth and kissed the heart-shaped blue stone. He eased back and passed Shelly’s hand to Max, smiling when Max kissed the ring and drew their woman’s hand tightly against his chest to hold it securely.

  “Here, Eli, hold our mate’s hand,” Max said gently after a moment, offering Shelly’s hand and waiting for Eli to take hold before letting go. “I have something that I’ve saved for you, too, baby.”

  Shelly remained silent as Max began to unwrap the red material from around his wrist. When the gold necklace with the omega charm was revealed, Shelly covered her mouth with her hands to stifle her cry. Her fathers’ gift to her had been saved for her—by her mates.

  Max lifted the length of chain and slipped it over her head. He pulled her hands from her face and nestled the charm against her sweater so that it hung beautifully over her breasts. He lifted her long hair so that the chain was flush against the back of her neck, releasing his hold on her hair to allow it to cascade down her back once again. Leaning forward, he kissed her lips lightly, humming against them when he felt Shelly’s breath hitch before she leaned in and participated with a passion that he remembered as being so much a part of her.

  Shelly pushed herself off of the kitchen chair and into Max’s arms. He stood quickly, lifting her into his embrace and holding her tightly against his chest. Eli stood behind them, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing the back of her neck, his deep growls filling the kitchen.

  As one, they made their way through the living room, up the stairs, and into the master bedroom. Max put Shelly down so that she stood beside their huge bed. He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving with every effort to suck in air.

  “Shelly, this has to be your choice, baby,” he said quietly.

  “Max, you are my choice,” Shelly told him softly.

  “You hear that, Eli? I’m her choice,” Max told his triad partner, laughing as Shelly lightly slapped his chest with the back of her hand.

  She turned and faced Eli, seeing the wide grin on his face and sighed with relief. She stepped toward him and nestled her face against his neck, breathing in his scent and calming.

  “You’re my choice, Eli,” she whispered, kissing his neck lightly.

  “I know, sweetheart,” Eli said quietly as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tenderly. His hands traced a soothing pattern of circles across her back. The soft growls that escaped their woman settled deep within his soul. Their mate was happy. She was contented. In a few minutes, she was going to be reclaimed.

  Max stepped closer and reached for Shelly’s navy sweater, taking the soft material in his scarred and callused hands and pulling it slowly up her body. As her body was revealed to him, he couldn’t contain the growls of desire that escaped him.

  When Shelly raised her arms to aid in his divesting her of her sweater, he smiled with satisfaction. Their woman wanted this. She wanted them.

  Max dragged his nails down Shelly’s back, loving the soft moans that he pulled from her. Unhooking her bra, he pulled the sexy lace material from her body and dropped it onto the floor. Eli kissed her lips while Max reached around and cupped her heavy breasts, teasing the hard nubs of her nipples.

  His cock was hard as steel in his jeans. He would have pulled his clothes off, but he didn’t want to release his hold on their woman. It had been ten long years without her. He didn’t think he would be able to let go of her or let her out of his sight ever again.

  Eli unzipped her jeans and pushed them down, sweeping his hands over the feminine flare of her hips and taking her lace underwear with them. He would appreciate the sexiness of the red lace panties at another time. Not now. The need to love and claim their mate was riding him too hard. As he knelt before her and pulled every stitch of clothing from her body, he could scent her arousal. He leaned into the apex of her body, nudging her dark curls with his nose and licking at her lips, growling softly at the familiar taste of her desire.

  “Clothes off!” Shell
y growled, reaching down and pulling him up so she could get him naked. She gripped the hem of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head. Throwing it onto the floor, she met his hands as she tugged at his belt. “Eli, please.”

  “I got it, sweetheart,” he said softly, unbuckling his belt and unzipping his jeans quickly.

  Before he could do more, Shelly dropped to her knees before him and reached up to tug at his jeans and pull them down the length of his thighs. When he felt the warmth of her gentle hand grip his cock, and the warm wetness of her mouth engulf the cap, he growled loud enough to make the windows of the bedroom vibrate.

  Shelly pressed forward until her nose touched the blond curls of Eli’s groin. She swallowed repeatedly, her throat muscles caressing Eli’s shaft over and over again. She eased back just enough to taste the drops of pre-cum that flowed from the slit, humming in appreciation as she tasted the flavor that rekindled so many happy memories of making love with her men.

  She felt Max kissing his way down her back and felt the heat of his body as he pressed against her, his cock sliding between her spread thighs and pressing against the swollen lips of her pussy. The familiar feel of his hardness sparked every need and desire within her. She loved her men. She wanted to mate with them again. She needed them to claim her. She wanted to reaffirm their commitment to each other.

  “Sweetheart, pull off,” Eli called down to her, his voice choked. “I can’t spill in your mouth. Max and I need to be inside of you together before we come.”

  Shelly eased off Eli’s cock with reluctance. Kissing the tip lovingly, she nuzzled her cheek against its velvet length for a moment before standing. She sighed with pleasure as she was immediately sandwiched between her two men.

  “You’re exactly where you belong, baby,” Max whispered against her neck, biting down firmly and holding her right where he wanted her.