by Dizzy Hooper
She waves me off and takes us back to the strange kitchen that's been plopped down in my family home.
In the end, there are more than enough leftovers in the fridge to feed me and my mates. I grit my teeth as Nikki makes jokes about the extravagant meals Katarina expects to be prepared for her. Grady pets my hand when I let a growl slip out when it turns out my father's mate is too good to even eat the excesses. Claire makes it out like it's a good thing, because at least she and Nikki don't have to cook a second meal for themselves and Tommy, but I'm basically seeing red.
We sit down around the island and dig into reheated lasagna and fresh garlic bread. There's even a salad, and I'm so angry that I have to be angry.
Here I am, with my family and my mates, eating good food. This should be perfect.
But my father's absence is a hole in my heart. Knowing how his mate is using and abusing my cousins tears at the edges of that hole. The exhaustion on their faces makes it worse, and my suspicions about what's going on with Claire…
It's almost too much.
Forget that I was starving. I pick at my food, my stomach rebelling. Colt keeps giving me worried looks, but I reassure him the best I can.
While we eat, Tommy tells us more about what he's doing, though more stories about how he's been all but pressed into service as one of Katarina's guard dogs sours the tale.
Slowly, my mates start to loosen up. They share a little about themselves. I know they don't want to overstep. This time with my kin is precious, but I'm glad to see them getting to know my family and allowing my family to know them.
When our meal is done, Landen wordlessly begins to clear the area. Claire tries to stop him, but he gently insists. In the end, with a little bit of instruction, he and Colt do all of the clean-up. Maria catches my eye, approval written on her face, and I smile more genuinely.
But I'm flagging, a day of travel and the emotional effort I've expended taking their toll. As if carrying around and nourishing three growing pups isn't draining enough.
Claire notices. "You must be exhausted."
I want to deny it, but who am I kidding? "I'm a little tired…"
Nikki glances upstairs. "You said you wanted to look through your mother's things?"
Desperately. But the idea of an undertaking like that right now depletes what little energy I had left.
"You could always stay and do it tomorrow," Claire says, tentative.
But there's hope on her face.
I look to my mates instinctively. Staying the night wasn't the plan.
Then again, what so far has been?
We were expecting a confrontation at the gate—not a warm welcome and an extended reunion.
We hardly expected to make it inside.
But we did, and all my hopes for what this trip could involve have changed.
Arriving while my father and Katarina were away was a gift. I should be taking advantage of it. I've seen my cousins. Now I should be pushing on and finding those few keepsakes and heirlooms from my mother's things and leaving with them before anyone shows up to stop me.
Only I don't want to rush. I don't want this to be a raid where all I do is take.
I want to see my father.
I want one last chance to make him see reason. For his sake and for mine.
For my cousins'.
For my pups.
Grady sees the fire light inside me. He squeezes my hand and looks to Claire and Nikki. "Is there room for us to stay?"
Claire's eyes go glassy. Locking eyes with me, she clasps her hands together over her heart. "Your old room will always be yours."
Chapter 8
To say that it's surreal to step into my teenage bedroom is a massive understatement.
I put one hand on my belly and press the knuckles of the other to my lips. Even standing on the landing of the stairs, I can tell that nothing has changed.
This old converted attic was my refuge as a child. My family was close, but my father respected my space. Living with an extended pack on a single property like this made it difficult to find privacy sometimes, but this space was always mine. I could lock myself away here as much as I needed to.
After I left to pursue work in the city, this room remained a refuge. Yes, I had my own apartment, but living in close quarters is hard on a shifter. I could smell my neighbors and everything they ate. In that crowded apartment building, there were always children running around and babies calling out in the middle of the night, and I never begrudged any of my neighbors for the riot they imposed on my senses.
But my trips back here to my father's lands were what kept me sane. I could shift and run and stretch my legs, and after, I could come up these steps and lay my head down among pillows that smelled only of me. I could bask in the quiet and the solitude.
That it's still here… Even after Katarina renovated the entire house… Even after I was exiled…
"Baby," Landen says, wrapping his arms around me from behind.
"I'm fine. I'm fine." But my voice is choked with emotion.
I assumed the room would have been emptied out, even before I saw what Katarina had done with the rest of the house. Once I saw her 'improvements' to the first floor, a knot of dread formed in the pit of my stomach. Surely she would have turned the attic into a media room or her own personal spa or something.
But no. My things are all still here. My sanctuary—it's intact.
Hope replaces the dread, light and rising.
My father may have bowed to his new mate's pernicious whims. But he protected this space. He must have.
He still cares.
"I'll bring you some fresh sheets and towels," Claire says from the foot of the stairs.
I nod wordlessly.
With a hand in the center of my back, Landen nudges me forward. I walk, slowly spinning as I take in everything.
My old clothes are hanging in that closet. Nice clothes, too, as well as unfortunate teenage trends. My books fill the shelves.
Scarcely able to breathe, I cross the room to the old chest in the corner. I lift the lid.
And bright, stinging tears fill my eyes.
"Well, hello there."
Trembling, I pull out my most precious of my old toys. A stuffed rabbit. A worn puppy and a bear. Dolls and a box of costume jewelry and the blanket that my mother made.
Squeezing my eyes against the tide of joy and sorrow ready to burst forth, I bring that fabric to my face. If I concentrate, I swear I can still smell her…
Things are happening behind me, but I tune them out, focusing on the sheer gratitude welling up inside me. I'd thought these precious memories lost forever, but they're still here. They're mine—ours.
Grady's voice comes from behind me, gentle but strong. "Do you want us to put the whole trunk in the car?"
I nod fiercely.
"That, too?" He kneels beside me and points to the blanket I'm holding onto.
I want to tell him no, that I'm never going to let this worn bit of fabric out of my hands for as long as I live, but some sense remains in my brain. If I forgot it, I'd beat myself up about it for years.
"Yes."
Reluctantly, I let it go. He takes it, and with the utmost delicacy, folds it back into a square and packs it away.
Fresh dampness collects at the corners of my eyes. This gruff, domineering alpha is capable of such tenderness.
He's going to be such an amazing father.
They all are.
As Grady repacks the trunk, Colt extends his hand to me. I accept it, leaning on him to pull myself to my feet. My head swims a little.
"You okay?" Landen appears in my field of vision, his brows knit together.
"Yeah." I blink. "Just stood up too fast."
That's true, but it's only part of the equation, and we all know it.
Being fat with their pups takes a lot out of me on a good day. This one has been good, but it's also been an emotional roller coaster that's sent me plummeting and rising over and ove
r again. Add to that the fact that my stomach is still just off, and I'm dead on my feet.
Letting Colt and Landen take most of my weight, I turn. All I need is a good night's sleep.
My heart pangs. I'm so happy to be here, but what I wouldn't give to be home, where I could drag them all to my big, king sized bed. While the three of them love to share my body, sharing a single sleeping surface isn't their favorite way to rest. But when I'm really needy or just in a bad mood, they bend over backward to accommodate me. Tonight is one of those nights I would do anything to feel all three of them wrapped around me, surrounding me with their scents and their strength and their love.
But my childhood bedroom is what it is. There are twin bunk beds, and that's it. I'll have to pick one of them, and between my mates' bulk and my huge belly, even then, we might not fit. Someone is going to have to sleep on the floor, and maybe this was a terrible idea. Maybe we should go find a hotel or…
"Oh."
My spinning brain slows to a stop as I actually take in what they've done with the place while I've been distracted.
Both bunk beds are bare. The mattresses have been dragged to the floor, and my cousins must have scrounged up another mattress from somewhere. All three are arranged together on the floor like one enormous palette. The furniture has been pushed to the walls, and there's barely enough room, and I don't care. It's perfect.
I sag into Colt, and he curls his arm around me tight.
"How did you know?"
He leans in to press a kiss to the top of my head. "We mess up sometimes," he admits. I think back to this morning, when—yeah, they did get a few things wrong. "But we're usually pretty good at reading you."
I chuckle and nod.
"Most of the time, you're pretty great."
"We try." He pulls me in closer, rubbing my shoulder and my back. His touch feels so good. It's warm and soothing…and maybe a little arousing. For once, the hum of heat between my legs is a gentle one, though. I'm too tired for a real rough and dirty fuck.
But while the low thrum of desire inside me doesn't build, it doesn't go away, either.
Colt helps me to my feet, then walks me through the door and to the bathroom. Landen is waiting there, my bag of toiletries already unpacked from my overnight bag. He even goes so far as to put the toothpaste on my toothbrush for me. On a normal day, I'd roll my eyes at his excessive care-taking, but today, I accept it gratefully.
Once I'm cleaned up and have taken care of business for what feels like the three thousandth time today, I return to my room. The lights are all off except a dim one in the corner. Through the window, soft moonlight shines in. A powerful wave of memory hits me.
I spent so many nights in this room, gazing out that window and waiting for sleep to come.
I was always alone, though. Surrounded by family and happy enough. Content.
But alone.
That couldn't be further from the truth tonight.
Stumbling over my own feet beneath the weight of my fatigue, I make my way to the center of the pile of mattresses. Cool, clean sheets meet my skin as I drop to my knees and then lie down. Taking all the pressure off my aching joints feels like heaven. I roll onto my side with a low moan of approval.
Behind me, Landen chuckles. He puts a hand under my head and helps me to lift it so he can slide a pillow underneath. Smoothing my hair back from my face, he settles in, pressing his chest to my spine.
His hips to my rear.
A different kind of moan escapes me this time.
The gentle hum of wanting from before still flows through my veins. I shift my thighs against each other restlessly, testing myself. Pleasure sparks beneath my skin. My nipples go warm—probably leaking, but I can't bring myself to worry about that.
Especially not when Colt lies down in front of me. He cups my face with his broad hand, and I gaze into his dark eyes to find such tenderness there. Such caring.
"What do you want, baby?"
It's too big of a question. I shake my head and focus on the immediate. "Just—kiss me."
"Always."
Colt presses his mouth to mine, and it's the softest, slowest kiss. He drifts his hot palm to rest on my neck, caressing the point of my jaw with his thumb.
Behind me, Landen tucks a finger into the collar of my shirt. He tugs it down my shoulder, then kisses wetly at the exposed flesh.
My huge belly keeps me from feeling Colt's body the way I want to, but it's okay. As he presses forward with his tongue, he slides his hand down my side until he rests it on my hip. I sigh, shifting my top leg forward to hook my knee over his, creating space between my thighs.
Despite the clear invitation, he takes his time, scraping his teeth over my lip and teasing at the waistband of my leggings. Landen keeps sucking at my throat, then reaches around to cup my full breast. I let out a huff of a breath at that, pressing my ass into his groin and my chest into his palm.
In the dimness, I catch sight of Grady moving around. I watch through slitted eyes as he peels off his shirt and drops it onto our pile of luggage. He pads along the edge of the room and turns off the remaining light, leaving us bathed in only the pale glow of the moon.
Something about the darkness makes this space we're occupying even more intimate. How many times did I touch myself in this room? I was little more than a girl, exploring my body and learning about what it could do.
Now I'm a woman, weeks away from giving birth, surrounded by three virile lovers.
It doesn't matter that I've been feeling off all day. My flesh comes alive at their touch. Grady lowers himself to sit on the other side of Colt. His dark gaze is riveted to mine. He always does love to watch his packmates take me apart.
And that's exactly what they do.
I finally let my eyes slip closed as Colt follows the line of my belly down to the aching place between my thighs. He rubs at my pussy through my clothes, building heat, but it doesn't satisfy the ache.
"Come on." I run my fingers through his hair and press forward into his hand. "I need you."
And I do. After this overwhelming, impossible day, what I need most in this world is a deep connection to my mates.
Maybe he feels that necessity, too. He doesn't make me wait any longer.
With Landen's help, Colt peels my leggings and my underwear down my thighs. I sit up just enough to take my shirt off, wanting to be skin to skin with them. As I fumble with my bra, my mates strip, quickly and efficiently, until all of us are naked, nothing between us.
And Jesus, but I love being fat with their pups—to feel that proof of their claim and to sense the life growing inside me.
But I can't wait until we can make love comfortably again.
As it is, I end up on my side, sandwiched between Cole at my front and Landen at my back. As Colt kisses me deep and slow, Landen rubs his cock against my ass. I part my thighs, and he lets that hot, thick flesh slip between them. He teases me, sliding the head of his cock up and down my wet slit, nudging against my clit before gliding back again. I tilt my hips, angling to get him inside. The fat crown pushes up against my opening, giving me a taste of what it'll be like to be full of him but none of the relief.
"Please," I mumble, reaching for him.
Finally, he grasps me by the hip and presses forward.
Fuck—the penetration is shallow at this angle, but it's more than enough. His hard cock slowly spears me, and I whine at how good it feels to have him inside.
As Landen slowly, gently fucks me from behind, Colt keeps kissing my mouth. His tongue probes wetly past my lips, and he massages my aching breasts. Bright points of pleasure light my swollen nipples, zipping down my spine to my pussy and back.
In the darkness, it's silent but for the rough breathing and the soft, slippery sounds of our love-making. I surrender into it, allowing myself to give in and become nothing but sensation.
I don't have to think about the loss that drove me to this place, or the joy and grief that met me here. I can't worr
y about what'll happen when my father and his mates come home.
All I have to do is lie here and make love with my mates, and so I do.
As pleasure begins to crest inside me, I squeeze my inner muscles around Landen. His thrusts stutter, and he buries his face against my throat. Colt slides one of hands down the curve of my belly to the slick space between my legs. He touches the place where Landen's body disappears into mine, and Landen and I both let out a moan. Then he slides up to rub at my clit.
And it's just perfect—so perfect. The heat within me grows and grows until suddenly, without warning, a soft, rolling orgasm shudders its way through me.
I groan into Colt's mouth, spasming with pleasure. Landen grips my hip more tightly and rocks into me a half dozen times more before sliding in deep. He spills into me with a sigh of my name. I pulse around him, milking him for his seed, drawing it into me.
Our shared pleasure lingers on and on until finally, his cock begins to soften. He pulls back, leaving me unacceptably empty. I whine, reaching between Colt's body and mine for his cock. When I find it, it's red hot and hard, wet at the tip with desire. I try to angle him down, to get him inside, but I'm too big. I want to cry with frustrated, needy tears.
"Shh, I got you," he promises, nudging my hand away.
It's the last thing in the world I want to do, but I allow him to press my legs together. Then he guides them up and over his hip, and it feels like it shouldn't work, but it does. He slides a little lower on the mattress, the damp head of his cock skating along the back of my thigh, and then he's there.
Twisting his body, he fits his cock to my opening. Landen's seed is dripping out of me, but that only makes it better. The slide of Colt's body into mine is wet and easy. I luxuriate in it, drifting one hand over my head and squeezing my own breast with the other.
Colt grunts with the effort and the awkwardness of our position. He has to do all the work like this, but he's not complaining. Just as slowly and nearly as gently as Landen did, he makes love to me, filling me over and over again.
Pleasure ripples through me. Landen comes back to his senses and presses his chest to my spine again. He cups one of my breasts and kisses behind my ear, and for a while I drift, surrounded and loved and getting fucked exactly the way I need to be.