by Bec Adams
“Your alpha?” she asked, feeling confused even more now than when Gideon was here. Somehow things had been much easier to understand with the big man right beside her.
“Your alpha now, too.”
“My what?”
“Sorry, sweetheart,” Brigden said as he indicated for her to lie down on the pile of blankets she’d woken up on not long ago. “When Gideon changed you into a werewolf, you automatically became part of the Shy River pack. Ordinarily we would have sought permission first, but under the circumstances there wasn’t really any time.”
She got the impression that not getting permission was going to be a sore point with the alpha.
“So he’s like the boss of the pack? The CEO?”
“Something like that,” Brigden said quietly. He lifted her two-way radio and handed it to her. “You need to tell your old boss something to stop them from coming to look for you.”
She took the walkie-talkie and wondered what the hell to say.
* * * *
Gideon hurried. He didn’t want to leave either of his mates alone for too long, but it was necessary to inform their alpha as quickly as possible. He had in his head what he wanted to say. Now he just had to hope he got a chance to say it. At least being this far away from Suzanne meant he could think clearly and no longer hear her thoughts.
It had been an unexpected side effect of turning her into a wolf. He wasn’t even sure if it went both ways, but it had made Suzanne’s annoyance even harder to understand. He’d very clearly heard her wish to kiss him, but when he’d given her what she wanted, she’d fought her way out of his embrace.
Very confusing.
He loped back into the main area of the pack headquarters and turned back into his humanoid shape. He was a little disconcerted to realize some of the searchers weren’t back yet. Hopefully he and Brigden would be able to help this pack move into the twenty-first century with human technology. They may want to stay isolated, but that was no excuse for ignorance.
Fortunately the alpha was one of the people crowded around a picnic-style outdoor table, enjoying a cold beer.
“Gideon,” he said with a wide smile. “Thanks for your help today.”
“Anytime, sir,” he said, trying to convey his respect for the leader of this pack.
“What happened with the human woman who was injured?”
“I bit her,” he said, hoping like hell the alpha wouldn’t react badly. Technically, Gideon only needed to answer to his own alpha on this subject, but since he’d been on Dry Creek pack lands at the time, he probably should have asked this alpha’s permission as well.
“I’m assuming you had a good reason,” the alpha said in a statement that sounded more like a warning.
“Yes, sir. She’s my mate.”
“Well then,” the alpha said with a relieved-sounding exhale and a big smile, “congratulations are in order. True-mates are a rare find. I know you’ll be happy together.”
Gideon nodded automatically, but wasn’t so sure. The woman was perplexing, and being able to hear her thoughts was just making things more confusing.
“Thank you, sir. I was just on my way to speak to my alpha.”
“Of course,” the Dry Creek alpha said with a relaxed smile before turning back to the lively conversation at the table.
Several minutes later, Gideon sat staring at the computer screen, hoping like hell that the annoyance on his own alpha’s face would fade quickly. Apparently biting one’s injured mate still required getting formal permission from his alpha first. Thankfully, from the man’s next words, Gideon suspected that the permission would have been forthcoming.
“I’m glad you found your mate, Gideon. You’ve been alone for far too long.” The alpha glanced over his shoulder at someone who’d just entered the room. He nodded, a clear indication that the conversation was over. “Bring her home to meet the pack as soon as you can.” He leaned forward to turn off their connection. “I’m just glad I no longer have to worry about you.”
“Yes, sir,” Gideon said, hating the man more now than ever before. It seemed pretty clear that the alpha had worried about Gideon’s sexuality when he’d failed to settle down with one of the eligible females in their pack. He’d managed to tolerate and mostly overlook the alpha wolf’s prejudices in an attempt to keep Brigden safe, but the man’s obvious preference of a human woman over any sort of homosexual mating with a packmate was almost more than Gideon could take.
Suddenly the idea of spending the next six months growing his relationship with both Brigden and Suzanne here at the Dry Creek pack seemed far preferable to exposing them both to the scrutiny of a bigoted leader caught deeply in the past.
Chapter Four
Brigden was grateful that Suzanne was staying calm. He knew enough about humans to know that it wasn’t always the case. Some of the things he’d seen and read on the Internet were truly disturbing.
She’d given her boss a plausible reason for not returning to base until much later and had thankfully bought them some time to deal with a few things.
“How old are you?” Brigden asked, suddenly remembering the age difference between humans and werewolves.
Suzanne laughed softly and got more comfortable on the pile of blankets. For a moment, he wasn’t sure she was going to answer.
“Twenty-six. You?”
“About the same,” he said, wondering how much information he should bombard the poor woman with. Her life had changed irrevocably while she’d been unconscious. Did she really need to know everything all at once?
“How old is that exactly?” she asked suspiciously. This time he was the one to laugh softly.
“In equivalent human terms, I’m about twenty-five.” She raised her eyebrow and waited. “In actual years I’m sixty-two.”
“So you’re saying what? Your life expectancy is longer than that of a human?”
He nodded, watching her closely, and was relieved to realize she wasn’t freaking out just yet. “The average werewolf has a life expectancy of about three hundred years.”
“Does the change affect how I age?”
“Yes. There is a wolf in our pack who was changed from a human about ten years before I was born. He doesn’t seem to have aged a day since then.”
“Well that’s something I suppose,” she said with a crooked half smile. “Although considering how boring my life has been up until now, extending it by a couple hundred years or more seems kind of silly.”
“You don’t like your job?” he asked, completely forgetting that she would never be able to return to her job again.
“I might like it more if I was doing what I actually imagined doing. Checking the roads are passable day after day is not my idea of fun.”
“What did you imagine?”
“I studied conservation. You know, how the plants and animals interact, the damage humans are doing, and the type of things we can do to preserve what’s left of the wildlife. I had big plans and high ideals.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “None of which have come in handy in the only job I managed to get. I didn’t expect to walk straight into an amazing career, but I wasn’t counting on the stepping stones leading nowhere I wanted to go.”
“What about family? Will you be leaving anyone behind?”
“No,” she said quietly. He waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t say anything more.
That single syllable left him feeling both relieved that she wasn’t going to leave behind someone who loved and depended on her, and sad to think she’d been all alone in her world. Ever since learning that Gideon was his mate, and the danger that could bring, Brigden had feared being alone more than anything else.
But now he had two mates. His connection to this woman had been strong when she’d been a human. Now that she was gradually changing into a werewolf, his attraction to her was nearly overwhelming. Considering that only an hour ago he’d shared a few stolen moments with Gideon for the first time in his life, it almost seemed
unfaithful to feel so strongly for someone else as well.
“Do you mind if I hold you?” Brigden asked as he knelt beside the pile of blankets. She looked surprised by the request but shuffled across the makeshift bed and gave him some space. Very slowly he lay down on his back and encouraged her to rest her head on his chest. He played with her hair as he contemplated the radical changes they’d both been through today.
She was fast asleep by the time Gideon came back into the cave.
* * * *
Gideon watched his new mate sleep in the arms of the man he’d loved for a very long time. He could still feel the incredible emotions that had traveled through him when he and Brigden had finally given in to temptation and done what they’d wanted to do for too many years.
“The alpha?” Brigden asked in a whisper as Gideon changed back into his humanoid form and sat on the floor beside the makeshift bed.
“He wasn’t happy that I didn’t ask before biting her, but he says he’ll welcome Suzanne into the pack.”
“That’s a relief,” Brigden said with a genuine smile. “Does he know she’s your mate?”
Gideon nodded. He’d considered explaining that she was Brigden’s mate as well, but it had seemed safer to have the fallout directed solely at him in case the alpha had been angry. By the time the alpha had indicated that Suzanne would be welcomed with, surprisingly, open arms, the conversation had ended and he hadn’t had a chance to explain where Brigden fit into the story.
“The alpha of Dry Creek has given me permission to move her into the quarters allocated to our team for the next six months.”
“What’s the bad news?” Brigden asked softly. It seemed strange that Brigden would know him well enough to sense his disquiet. For the past three decades they’d kept their distance from each other, but things had changed in the blink of an eye and Gideon was having trouble keeping up. He knew he loved the man. He just didn’t know him very well.
“It’s not really bad news,” he hedged, wondering how to explain something that he probably should have taken more control over. “Neither alpha knows that you’re her mate, too.”
“You don’t want them to know?” Brigden asked in a voice carefully devoid of emotion. Yet, despite the control Brigden seemed to be exerting, Gideon could see how hurt he was by the thought that Gideon might try to push him out of the relationship with Suzanne.
He couldn’t let his mate think that, not even for a moment.
“No, Brigden,” he said as he knelt beside the makeshift bed. “It’s not like that. I wanted—”
But Brigden cut him off.
“You were protecting me,” he said in a tone of wonder. He carefully moved away from Suzanne, and then practically crawled onto Gideon’s lap and curled into his embrace.
“Is that very surprising?” Gideon asked, feeling maybe just a little bit hurt himself. He’d always protected Brigden in one way or another. Even if he couldn’t claim him openly, they were still mates.
“Not surprising,” Brigden said, reaching up to press a kiss to his jaw. “I’ve always known you were a good man, ever since that first conversation so long ago. It’s just…” He hesitated as if he couldn’t quite find the words to explain. After a moment he smiled shyly, pressed a kiss to Gideon’s lips and whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you, too, baby.”
* * * *
Suzanne couldn’t explain the pain that lanced through her upon hearing those declarations of love. She should have known that they were involved with each other. The instant attraction she’d felt for them both was obviously one-sided.
It was high school all over again.
Tears pooled behind her eyelids as she struggled to comprehend the feelings of loss. She’d only just met these men. She shouldn’t be so invested in what they thought of her.
“Come here, baby girl,” Gideon said in a tone of voice that proved he knew she was awake. Hell, he probably said those words to Brigden just so she’d know to drop her silly instant crush on two very different men.
“Suzanne,” Brigden said nervously as he moved away from Gideon, and then reached over to pull her in between them. “Please don’t be mad, but it’s very important that you don’t say anything to anyone else.”
“Why?” she asked, still trying to explain away her hurt feelings. She’d only just met these men. None of her emotions were making any sense.
“Because werewolf society doesn’t accept same-sex relationships.” Gideon looked very tense as he said those words. “Please understand that if anyone was to learn that Brigden and I are mates it could be a death sentence for all of us.”
“They’d kill you…us?”
“No,” Gideon said quickly, confusing her even more. “They’d banish us from the pack.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” she asked. She’d never bothered joining a sorority in college, so she really didn’t understand the whole group mentality. She’d lived on her own for a long time, and couldn’t imagine it being a problem for either of these men if it came to that.
“Baby girl,” Gideon said as he pulled her onto his lap and into his embrace, “that’s a very bad thing. Look at your skin. You and Brigden would never be able to safely blend into human society. Without our pack we’d have to spend most of our time in wolf form and that brings a whole new set of dangers.”
“Who would I tell anyway?” she asked, trying to sound casual. She’d kept her best friend’s secret for years. Of course, she hadn’t expected him to fall in love with her high-school sweetheart and for them to run off together and live happily ever after without her. It was strange how much this felt like the same scenario.
“Thank you,” Brigden said, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck. “We promise to do everything we can to keep you safe.”
“Um…sure,” she said as the bleakness of her future threatened to overwhelm her. When she’d woken this morning she’d despaired that her career was taking her nowhere. Less than eight hours later, her life had changed dramatically.
So how could it be that she was still in the same lonely place?
* * * *
Gideon heard the muddled thoughts going through Suzanne’s head. He caught glimpses of memory as well. He could feel her fear that she’d be used as the camouflage to hide his and Brigden’s relationship with each other, but wasn’t certain how to reassure her. In some ways that was the vague plan in his head.
But when he realized she thought it would leave her alone and lonely and unable to seek a relationship of her own for fear of exposing theirs, he couldn’t hold back any longer.
He probably should have talked it through. Perhaps even explained what a mate was and how it created a connection between them, but he’d always preferred action over words.
He threaded his fingers through her hair, cupping her head with his hand and lifting her closer. The first touch of his lips to hers sent shivers through both of them, the incredible sensation exhilarating and a little frightening for her. Him, too, if he was truly honest.
Gideon felt Brigden try to move away, apparently giving him a chance to make love to their woman first. He reached for his other mate, determined to have them both in his arms, his need to keep them both safe and happy very solid in his mind. He broke the kiss with Suzanne and smiled at the arousal glazing her eyes.
“Brig, Suzanne needs you to kiss her.”
Suzanne’s thoughts were very clear on that matter, so Gideon didn’t give her a chance to refuse. He tilted her face toward Brigden, caressing the back of her head as he watched his mates kiss for the first time. Electricity almost crackled between them. Again he could hear Suzanne’s thoughts, but even though she questioned her current behavior, she made a very definite decision to follow this through.
Her reasons were confusing, and her determination for it to be only once was something he’d deal with later, but for now he’d take this stolen time and make certain both of his mates knew how determined he was to make this work for all of
them.
Gideon lowered one hand to Suzanne’s stomach, gliding his callused fingers over her smooth skin as he lifted Brigden’s borrowed shirt out of the way. Her nipples were hard peaks, the tiny pebbles pulling tighter as he ran a palm over her skin. She moaned, her knees weakening as Gideon held her tight against his body and lowered his other hand to the waistband of her pants. He fumbled with the fastening for a moment before pushing his hand inside the material and running his fingers gently over her warm flesh.
“Please,” she whispered as Brigden eased away and stared into her eyes. He glanced up at Gideon as if asking permission. Gideon nodded eagerly, almost unable to comprehend the sudden changes in his life. Only this morning he’d looked forward to a few days away from his mate’s sweet scent, but now he’d not only had a chance to make love to the man he’d been forced to ignore but they were about to make love to their newly discovered female mate as well.
“Suzanne,” Brigden said, reaching out a hand to caress her face lovingly, “are you sure? There’s no need to rush. We can wait.”
“No!” she said in a voice more vehement than Gideon thought she intended. “I mean…no, I don’t want to wait. I…” She swallowed and glanced at Gideon with a slightly wild look in her eyes. “This feels right. Please, don’t leave me out.”
“What?” Brigden exclaimed, obviously quite upset by her assumption that they’d continue without her if she refused.
“Baby girl,” Gideon said, pushing his hand further into her pants, his fingers finding her wet pussy and thrusting inside, “we have no intentions of leaving you out. You’re our mate, and we plan to claim you as soon as you agree.” He pressed his thumb harder against her clit, moving in slow, soothing circles, pleased to feel her agitation recede in her mind. “Right now Brigden is going to make slow, sweet love to you while I watch.”
She nodded and he could feel her deliberately pushing her worries aside. He did the same. Right now was about the three of them. No one and nothing else was going to overshadow such a happy moment.