Three Fur All

by Three Fur All [Amira] (mobi)

  “Because you’re Mika’s. I can smell you all over him. You made your choice.”

  “No.”

  “We can’t have this.”

  She placed a hand on his cheek and felt the warmth of his skin seep into her palm. He turned his head into her hand and sighed. “Yes, we can. I never said I was going to pick one of you.”

  “It doesn’t work that way among wolves. We choose one mate for life, and that’s it.”

  “Hey, October if you’re hungry—”

  Elliot and she glanced over. Mika was dressed in jeans and no shirt. Flour was smeared across his chest and his left cheek. It appeared he had made the waffles from scratch. His jaw clenched when he noticed the two of them together. The veins in his neck were bulging. He opened his mouth to respond, when October unwound from Elliot and went to Mika. She slid her arm around his waist and kissed the line of his collarbone. Underneath her hand, his muscles were still rock-hard and wound tight. She flicked her tongue across him, tasting the remnants of the flour on his skin. She stood up on tiptoe and licked the tip of his ear. He quivered and looked between her and Elliot.

  She followed his gaze and saw the hair was standing up on Elliot’s arms. His eyes were glowing yellow. He was breathing heavy, and his lips were pulled back in a snarl. His fists were clenched at his side. The testosterone between the two of them was so heavy she could smell it. The fur was about to fly, and she was in the middle of it.

  “Whoa! Both of you just need to back off.”

  “He had his hands on you,” Mika growled.

  She put her hands on her hips. “Now is not the time to get into a fight over me. I might have spent the night with you, but that does not mean that you have the right to claim ownership over me.”

  “You said last night—”

  “I said no such thing. Both of you stop this. I’m attracted to you and Elliot. Mika, you need to calm that wolf of yours. Both of you, chill.”

  Mika took a deep breath, and so did Elliot, but they were still facing off. October shook her head and went into the bathroom, trying to understand what had just happened. She hadn’t realized they were so territorial. It was scary to think they were going to fight over her. She’d never experienced that before. When she came out, Mika was waiting for her. He had an apologetic look on his face, and her clothes in his hands.

  “I’m sorry about that. After last night, I thought that you wanted to be with me.”

  “Well, I don’t know what I want. So keep your claws sheathed, you two. You can’t get expect me to choose either one of you. Remember, once I’m healed, I have a life that I have to go back to. I sleep with who I prefer. Whether it’s you or Elliot . . . Hell, it could be both of you. If I make that decision, then you can’t go all crazy.”

  Mika was about to say something, but she put her hand on his mouth. He groaned, and she limped back into his room and got changed. When she emerged, October went downstairs and saw Elliot scooping waffles onto his plate. He glanced at her while he ate. The longing that he wanted to say something to her was apparent in his eyes. The tension between them was making it nearly impossible for her to maintain her appetite. October’s stomach turned over, and she shoved her plate away in disgust. Her tablemate glanced at her.

  “You okay?”

  “No. I’m not used to this. I’ve never been in this situation before, wedged between two men who I like. You get all grr when I’m in between you. What if I don’t choose between you?”

  He put his fork down. “If I were Mika, I wouldn’t want you going with anyone else either. Wolves are territorial by nature. Mika and I have been friends since we were pups, nearly littermates, and I count him as a brother, but I’m not going to fight him for you.”

  “So if someone came up to me and claimed me for their own, then you wouldn’t fight him for me.”

  “What you’re saying . . . of course I would, but you slept with him last night and not me.”

  October got up and grabbed his face. She was tired of hearing about what wolves would and wouldn’t do. She pulled him to her mouth and kissed him. I’m not going to be claimed by anyone. Elliot wound his fingers in her hair and ground his lips against hers. He tasted like blueberries and maple syrup. He pushed his tongue into her mouth and met hers while they tangled together. She fumbled with his shirt and pulled it from his jeans. She slid her fingertips along the divots of his muscles, trying to feel all of him. He released her hair and then dragged her down on top of him in the chair. His cock rested against her thigh. His mouth sought her pert nipple through her shirt. October moaned as the warmth he stirred in her grew into a wildfire and blazed along her nerves until she didn’t know if she could take it any longer. Elliot’s teeth sought her pert bud and bit through the fabric. A moan slipped from her throat as she forgot everything that had happened between her and Mika the night before. Elliot’s fingers scraped down her belly and tried to get at the button on her jeans. She dragged her nails down to his pants and pushed the button through the hole, but his zipper got caught. She shoved her hand under his waistband and felt his cock. He shuddered and looked up at her.

  Elliot was about to speak, when there was a knock on the kitchen door. He glanced at it, and she followed his gaze. October heard footsteps upstairs from Mika coming down to get the door. Elliot dropped his head against her chest.

  “Let them knock,” she whispered.

  “I can’t. Besides, Mika’s coming down. I don’t think it’s a good idea for him to see us together. At least not yet.”

  “So you’re not about to let him have me.”

  He shook his head. “I’ll try to talk to him about it, but you might not want to be around when we do. I don’t know how it’ll go.”

  October nodded and then kissed him quickly. She got up off of him and settled into her chair. She straightened her shirt and then focused back on her waffles. Her cheeks were still burning from the encounter. Elliot answered the door. From the table, she saw a man in a sheriff’s uniform standing in the doorway.

  “Samuel, what can I do for you?” Elliot asked.

  “Dawn was telling me about a woman you found by the roadside about the same time you got into an accident.”

  October felt the color drain from her face. Dawn had sold her out. Mika stopped short when he saw the sheriff. He motioned for her to go back onto the porch. They didn’t want the sheriff to know she was there. She went out the glass door, hoping the other man wouldn’t notice her. She limped down the stairs, gripping the railing, and then sat under the deck on an old picnic table. The trees around her were losing their leaves. The heat of her encounter with Elliot lingered. October trailed her fingers over her lips, feeling her bottom lip was a little plumper than normal from where he had been kissing her. She licked her lips and still tasted the blueberries. To imagine they were going to make her choose between them was unthinkable. It was going to take everything in her not to go to Elliot, but it would be like barring Mika from her. Seeing that cop there, she knew she would have to deal with the reality of her fairy tale and face up to the beast that had kidnapped her.

  She ran her hands over her arms and stared at the wilderness around her. A stick broke in the woods. Fear gripped her. Evil beasts lurked within the shadows of the forest. When she peered deeper into it, a wolf emerged. It was jet-black, and its eyes were yellow. It drew back its lips and showed its teeth. October shrank back. The wolf kept on coming. A scream tore from her throat.

  The animal advanced on her, but she heard the stomping footsteps of the men above. Then a silver wolf flew down the last few stairs and bounded after the wolf in the backyard.

  October felt the tears streaming down her face. Strong arms enfolded her in a protective grasp. Mika held her close, and she took comfort in his arms. There were no other footsteps.

  “It’s okay. He isn’t going to hurt you. I swear it.”

  Elliot reappeared a few moments later, out of breath. “I lost him.”

  “He knows I’m here. H
e won’t stop until he gets me back or I’m dead,” October whimpered.

  Elliot also wrapped his arms around October. At that point, him being naked didn’t matter. Being in the men’s arms, she knew this was where she was supposed to be. It didn’t matter how werewolf culture was. In the end, once she overcame the trauma of her ordeal, then she would think about making her life with them.

  Elliot kissed her forehead. “He’s not going to get you. He’ll be dead before he ever lays a paw on you. The same with his partner. Nothing will harm you.”

  “So this is the girl you found.”

  October drew back further, and Elliot protected her with his arms.

  “Samuel, I thought you’d left.”

  The sheriff laughed. “I’m not going to hurt her, Elliot. That the wolf you hit with your car?”

  Elliot nodded. October studied the sheriff. He had tanned skin and was dressed in a brown uniform. His gun was at his side. Deep wrinkles marred his forehead, and crow’s-feet stretched out by the corners of his brown eyes. Samuel had a long, beaky nose and a cleft in his chin. His hat hid the color of his hair.

  “What’s your name?” the sheriff asked.

  “October.”

  “Well that’s an unusual name. Have these two men been taking care of you?”

  She nodded.

  “Good. Why don’t we go inside so I can hear what happened to you? Dawn’s told me a very interesting story, but I wanted to hear it for myself.”

  “It’s okay. Are you up for it?” asked Elliot.

  She looked at the fading bruises on her wrists. The authorities were there. Now it was time for her to reveal what had happened. October hadn’t told the other men all of the evils that had happened to her. The way her kidnappers would taunt her through the bars or how she would listen to the screams of the other women who were being tortured. How his partner had strung two of them together and made her and the other captive watch as he eviscerated both women, and other horrors. All the while he had kept his face hidden underneath a mask. The sour taste of waffles crept back up her throat. She’d pushed the images deep into the recesses of her mind. Finally she nodded and headed back upstairs to reveal more of the atrocities she had witnessed.

  Chapter Ten

  Mika stood outside Dawn’s office and contemplated whether or not to go inside. If he did, he would cause a scene. What October had told them last night played in his mind. He tried to get close to her after that, but she wanted to be left alone. During the night, he heard her crying, and it had shredded his heart because he couldn’t comfort her. Then he thought about Samuel and how he had requested Mika come to the station and give a statement. This wouldn’t have happened if Dawn hadn’t gone back on her promise. Soon the rest of the pack would hear about it, if they hadn’t already. Damn her! Why does she always have to ruin everything? Why can’t she keep her mouth shut?

  “Looking for me?”

  He turned, and Dawn was behind him, dressed in her white coat with a pair of jeans underneath it, with a cup of coffee in her hand. He forced a smile, but it took everything in him not to lunge at her and rip her throat out.

  “Yes.” Mika walked over to her and slipped his hand around her waist before she could get away from him. He steered her into an alleyway, where no one would see them.

  “Let me go, Mika, or I’ll scream.” She tried to twist away from him, but he wasn’t going to let her go.

  “Scream. I don’t give a flying fuck. You already got me booted from the pack. Now you had to spill the beans to Samuel about October.”

  “I had to be sure she was taken care of. I saw how you were looking at her. Once you can sink your fangs into her, you will. She has to go back to her own life.”

  “You don’t get to dictate her life.”

  “I’m a doctor. I do what’s best for my patients. And the best thing for her is to be away from you.”

  Dawn wrenched herself away and headed toward her office. She got halfway and then turned back around, pointing her finger at him. “Don’t come after me again, or I’ll make sure the pack drives you out of this town once and for all.”

  Mika growled, but she would be good to her word. He glanced back at the police station across the street. Samuel was waiting for him. He tried to reel in his temper before he entered, knowing he would face several members of the pack, one of them being the sheriff. He walked in.

  Once the others realized he had come in, all activity stopped. Three other cops stared at him. The friction rose in the air. The hairs stood on the back of his neck. They had been talking about him. There was a slight buzz in his head. Even though the attachment to the pack had been severed, he could still sense when the other wolves were communicating. No one got up from their desks. He knew they we all wondering what he was doing there. Ever since he had been expelled from the pack, he had been tolerated in the town only because it was neutral territory. Samuel emerged from his office and flashed him a controlled smile.

  “Mika, good of you to come down. Step into my office, please.” The sheriff moved aside and waited for him to enter before he closed the door.

  Mika sat in the chair across from him and glanced around the office. Besides the map of the area, and the official awards the sheriff had gotten, his walls were bare. His desk was neat, sporting only a coffee mug and a name plaque. His files were behind him, and a computer sat on the corner of the desk. One would expect him to have photos of his family, but Samuel was almost as much of an outcast in the pack as Mika. The only thing that separated them was that he was an accepted member of the community. The other man was considered a pariah to any woman because he couldn’t switch his shape, so no one wanted to marry him in case he spread that strangeness to his progeny. Mika used to feel sorry for Samuel.

  “Did you need me to elaborate on what I told you last night?”

  The sheriff rubbed his chin and then sat down. “Well, I wanted you to tell me again why you didn’t call me in the first place to tell me the truth.”

  Mika rolled his eyes. “I told you. I thought if I could find this fucker, bring him before Cooper, then I could be accepted back. That’s all.”

  “So it had nothing to do with keeping this woman all to yourself? Dawn had made some accusations that maybe you were thinking about bringing October into the pack. If you did, you’d immediately be banned from this place and, depending on Cooper’s mood, given a death sentence.”

  “This has nothing to do with bringing her into the pack. I hadn’t even considered it. Honestly, Dawn has it out for me. I’m already dead to the pack. So what does it matter?” Mika shook his head and groaned in disgust. What more can they do to me? I want to live in peace. The slightest chance I had of getting back into the pack is slipping away, and Dawn’s trying to sabotage me any way she can.

  “Why do you stay? You’re barely tolerated for what happened. The only reason you haven’t been run out of town is because you keep to yourself and avoid coming onto pack land. You’re a lone wolf. You could go somewhere else and start over again. Take the girl with you and turn her if you want. She’s not my type, but even I can see she’s pretty fuckable. Nice tits too. Good thing you found her when you did. Didn’t want her to get captured again.”

  “No. I wouldn’t want her to get caught again. She’s been through enough. And the reason I stay is because this place is home. I’ve never wanted to go anywhere else. Is there anything else that you needed?”

  Samuel flipped open his notebook and then clicked his pen. “One last thing. I am sure you figured out we’re keeping this internal. Have you found the lair? Tell me the truth now.”

  “No. I tried to follow him, but he’s good at masking his scent. We even took October back out there, but she can’t find it either. It was dark, and she doesn’t know the way.” Mika kept his gaze locked to the sheriff and wondered if he would take the information directly to the pack leader. If Samuel expected they had already brought October back to the place, then Samuel might not harass her or hav
e any more of the pack come looking for her. If they did, he would protect her with everything that he was worth.

  The other man nodded and shut his book. “Well that’s a shame. I’ll be happy to let Cooper know you haven’t found him. He has more hunters out searching. Thanks for coming in, Mika.” The sheriff stood up, and Mika followed a moment later, itching to get out of there.

  He made it to the door and then turned back to Samuel. “What do you mean more hunters are out in force now?”

  “I thought you’d heard. Another body was found last night. She was badly mauled, and we’re still trying to identify the remains. I’m not sure if we ever will. Poor family. Our little town and our pack hasn’t had this many deaths in a long while. If you get any more information, you’ll let us know.”

  Mika forced a smile. “Of course.” As he walked out, the pack master strolled into the police station. Not that my day could get any worse. And in walks in my doom.

  Cooper stopped and looked at him. The animosity that came off the pack leader was palpable. He should have moved out of the way, but something in him wasn’t about to let the other wolf, no matter if he was the lead alpha, show his dominance. It was just that kind of day, and Samuel had made it worse. Not to mention the tension that lingered when he thought about what October might be doing with Elliot. He was afraid she was slipping away from him.

  “Is there a problem?” Cooper asked.

  All went silent as the whole station waited to see what would transpire between them. The pack leader was a couple of years older than him, and growing up, Cooper had always flaunted the fact that he would follow in his father’s footsteps and rule the pack. He hadn’t changed. He was still a smug bastard. When Mika had been kicked out of the pack, Cooper was ecstatic because he had his sights set on Dawn. Of course, she hadn’t wanted anything to do with him.