by Alanea Alder
“Does he know that you’re his mate?” Bran asked.
“Yes, he felt the pull, but he was exhausted and fighting it because you’re his Alpha. His mind is having a hard time acknowledging me as his mate, but his soul and body know.”
They were quiet for a long while.
“Do you think he snores?” Bran asked, breaking the silence.
Kate gasped and turned around in his arms. “All day I have been a nervous wreck and you ask if I think he may snore.” Kate’s eyes narrowed and she held her fingers up like pincers.
“No, Kate. Don’t, I’ll be good,” Bran said, scooting back.
Kate attacked and tickled him relentlessly. When they were both breathing hard from their laughter and exhausted, Bran gently kissed her nose.
“We’ll be okay, Katie Belle.”
She wrapped her arms around him and nodded. “I love you, Bran.”
“I love you, too. Now get some sleep. We get to officially meet the boys tomorrow as our sons.” He felt her smile and he closed his eyes.
Chapter 5
Caleb was pacing in the front parlor when he heard a car pull up. He knew it would be Kate and Bran. He peeked over to where Lucas and Landon slept in their Pack ‘N Play and took a few deep breaths. He then walked over to the front door and opened it to find Kate and Bran heading up the front steps.
“Morning.” He opened the door wider for them to come in. He met Bran’s eye as the man walked into the house and was surprised to find no censure. He knew he was still up in the air as to how he felt about sharing his mate, so he knew as Alpha it would be harder for Bran. But Bran just gave him a friendly smile and stepped into the foyer. Caleb showed them into the parlor and motioned for them to sit. Kate’s eyes strayed to where his sons lay asleep. He saw her eyes soften and suddenly he realized he would not only be sharing his mate but also his boys. Agitated, he began to walk the room.
“Caleb?” Kate asked softly, watching him move back and forth.
“I’m sorry, Kate, this is hard for me. This isn’t my dream mating. I never thought I’d have to share the most perfect woman I have ever met with another man, much less my Alpha.” Caleb ran a hand through his hair.
Bran watched him thoughtfully for a moment before standing. Caleb stopped and tensed.
“Let’s move this conversation to the living room. Leave the door open so we can hear the boys.”
Bran took Kate’s hand and led her to the adjoining room. Caleb paused for a moment to look down at his sleeping sons before following.
When he walked into the living room, he stopped suddenly in his tracks. Bran was removing Kate’s shirt and bra. He turned her around to face Caleb and traced his fingers along the contours of her breasts.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Bran asked, cupping his hands under her breasts and pushing them up and together.
Caleb nodded, unable to look away. He took one step forward then another. Before he realized it, he was standing in front of Kate, staring down at where Bran’s hands were molded to her body.
“Does it bother you that I am touching your mate?” Bran asked, twisting her nipples, which caused her to gasp and squeeze her legs together.
Caleb felt his eyes shift from black to the bright yellow as his wolf came to the surface.
“No,” he said, his voice sounding low and rough.
“Do you like watching what I am doing to her?” Bran asked.
He trailed his hands to the buttons of her jeans before popping them open and dipping his hand down the front of her body. Kate’s breathing became shallow pants as Bran moved his hand up and down. Caleb started to growl in his throat then dropped to his knees before Kate. He roughly pulled her jeans and panties down in one jerk and watched as Bran’s fingers, glistening with her dew, slid back and forth between her folds. He carefully had her step out of her jeans and panties, pushing them aside without looking, his eyes locked on Bran’s hand.
Bran removed his hand and brought it to his own mouth to taste her. Kate looked down at Caleb.
“Please! This feels so right,” she said, pleading with tears in her eyes.
Unable to resist her a second more, he looked at Bran then nodded before reaching his arms around her body and cupping her ass. He lifted her up as Bran shifted his body so that her upper back lay supported on his chest. Bran put one hand in the center of her back to hold her up and worked on her breasts with the other, twisting and pulling. Caleb spread her legs, stiffened his tongue and began to fuck her with it.
“God yes!” she exclaimed. She wrapped her arms up behind her and around Bran’s neck.
“She likes to be dominated and have a little pain with her pleasure,” Bran said, his voice also low and rough.
Caleb looked up and saw that Bran’s eyes had shifted. He grinned.
“Keep her quiet.”
Caleb motioned with his head to the open door that led to the parlor. Bran grinned back and nodded. He unwrapped Kate’s arms and moved so that the back of her neck rested on his shoulder. He captured her mouth and began to bite and nibble at her lips. She whimpered and gave herself over to her two mates.
Seeing that Bran had her mouth occupied, Caleb gave her wet pussy one more swipe before leaning forward and taking her clit between his front teeth. He bit down lightly and then sucked hard. She began to thrash above him, her sounds muffled by Bran’s mouth. Determined to make her scream, Caleb placed one hand at the base of her spine and brought the other one around to plunge two fingers deep into her cunt. She started to buck and go wild. Taking Bran at his word that she liked a little pain with her pleasure, he withdrew his fingers before roughly plunging them in again and again.
He felt her inner walls clench around his fingers. He pushed in deep and searched for that one spot that would make her explode. When he found it, he thrust his fingers over it harshly then, leaning forward and using his teeth and lips, bit and twisted her clit. She screamed into Bran’s mouth and shook in their arms. They both held her as her breathing slowed and then lowered her to her feet, her legs shaking slightly. Caleb looked at Bran, who was watching his movements. Bran gently pushed Kate forward and she wrapped her arms around Caleb’s waist.
“I’m not saying it’s going to be easy or that at some point something won’t be a hard stop or deal breaker for me. But what I am saying is that we don’t fight against this for the sake of fighting. I fucking loved watching you make her come. We can make this work, Caleb. The three of us and the boys, we can be a family.” Bran took a step closer to rub his hands up and down Kate’s back.
“You have a hell of a way of persuading me,” Caleb said wryly.
Kate smiled and looked up. “We ave our vays,” she said in a poor Transylvanian accent.
Caleb laughed. Just then one of the twins started to cry. Caleb winced when he shifted his weight, needing a release of his own. He adjusted his jeans, stepped back, and looked over his shoulder to the parlor.
“The boys come first.” He smiled brightly and gave Kate a quick kiss.
Bran went into the hall bathroom and came back with a wet washcloth and a towel to help Kate clean up and she pulled her panties and jeans back on. They were on their way to the parlor when they heard the second twin join the first crying. Kate went over and picked up Lucas and handed him to Bran, who held the boy at arm’s length as if he might explode.
“What the fuck do I do?” Bran asked, panicked.
Caleb chuckled and walked over.
“Bring him close to your body and support him under his bottom,” Caleb said, showing him how he was holding Landon.
Bran adjusted the boy in his arms and smiled down at him. Lucas cooed up at him and Bran instantly fell in love. He would rip apart anyone who threatened these boys with his bare hands. He didn’t realize he was tearing up until he heard Caleb clear his throat. He looked up and the other man’s eyes were moist and he was swallowing hard.
“They know how to hit you, don’t they?” Caleb said, tickling Landon.
Kate watched both men and realized that, somewhere between walking in the front door and now, she had fallen in love with Caleb and had fallen in deeper love with Bran.
“Caleb, have you thought about moving to the Pack house?” Kate asked.
Caleb looked at her and put Landon in his swing. He took Lucas from Bran and put him in the swing that faced Landon. He turned on the swings as both boys began to babble at each other.
“It will take me a few days to pack, but yes, we’ll move into the Pack house,” he said, turning around to face them a wide smile on his face.
She went over to where he stood, wrapped her arms around his neck before jumping and wrapping her legs around his waist. He easily supported her weight, cupping her ass.
“There are definite advantages to living in the Pack house,” she said conversationally. In the background, she heard Bran on his cell phone calling in the Pack to help Caleb move.
“One, you always have people on hand to help you move. Plus, there will always be someone there to watch over the boys. You’ll be able to sleep at night without worrying about someone coming to get them.”
Caleb started to move around the room as if swaying to unheard music. “Is that right? Maybe we should take advantage of one of these babysitters tonight,” he said, nuzzling her neck.
“I second that,” Bran yelled from the sofa as he watched the two of them dance while still on the cell phone.
Kate giggled. “I know the perfect babysitter, though he isn’t pack,” she said, smiling.
“Who?” Caleb asked, curious.
“Rian. He is dying to babysit. He absolutely fell in love with the boys.”
“Do you trust him?” Caleb asked.
She nodded with a serious expression on her face. “More than I trust certain pack members. I swear the Raymonds hates me.” She rested her head on his broad and solid chest. At five feet ten, it was rare to find someone who made her feel delicate and feminine. With his height and strength, Caleb made her feel protected and precious. She felt a low rumble in his chest and looked up.
“They better not give you any issues in front of me,” he said, growling. A second growl was heard as Bran stood and joined him, his cell phone conversation finished.
“It’s an ongoing issue since Kate wasn’t born in the pack. There is a couple, the Raymonds, who are vocal against Kate. I gave them the ultimatum yesterday to adapt or get out.” Bran walked up behind Kate and wrapped his arms around her waist, effectively sandwiching her between them.
“I can’t promise not to hurt someone if they disrespect my mate,” Caleb said.
Bran gave an evil grin. “You don’t have to worry about politics and maintaining the peace between pack members. All I’m going to say is get some good punches in for me and don’t do any permanent damage.” He winked at Caleb, who laughed.
“The pack should be here in an hour or so,” Bran said happily.
Kate jumped down. “Come on, Caleb. We should start packing anything personal you don’t want anyone else handling. We can put all that in the SUV before they get here.” She looked around at the dingy parlor. “Not to be funny, Caleb, but what is actually yours here?”
Caleb rubbed the back of his neck.
“Not much actually. Besides being the only property for sale in the area, I liked it because it came fully furnished.” He gestured to the living room, where most of the furniture was still covered in sheets.
“I was only able to tackle the parlor, the master bedroom and the boys’ room.” He paused.
Kate guessed the reason for the look of sadness that crossed his face. “We can get the murals done again. Who did you get to do them? We can call them tomorrow.” She took his face in her hands. She was surprised when he started to blush clear to his hairline.
“I did them,” he mumbled.
Bran looked up from where he was squatted down, dangling a toy elephant in front of the boys.
“You painted those amazing murals? Why the hell are you working in a bar slinging bottles?” Bran demanded.
“When I moved to town there wasn’t a high demand for art, but there seemed to be a high demand for alcohol. So I did what I had to for the boys.” He shrugged.
“If you could quit working at the bar and concentrate on painting, would you?” Bran asked.
“I won’t let you support me,” Caleb said, shaking his head.
“I’m not saying for you stay at home and eat bon bons, Caleb. But you could raise our sons and dedicate time to your art. You could end up selling pieces and get placed into an art gallery. It’s a waste of your talent to be handing out beers when you could be painting masterpieces like I saw in the nursery,” Bran said passionately.
Caleb blinked and then a slow smile spread on his face.
“Masterpieces, huh?” He seemed to think about it for a long moment. “I won’t leave Mojo high and dry, but if you’re serious about letting me paint, I’d like to give it a try. I was going to resume painting when I was living with the leopards. This isn’t too different. But, Bran, if things get tight, let me know. I’m not afraid of hard work,” Caleb said, seriously.
Bran smiled and clapped a hand on his back. “I don’t think that will ever be an issue.”
“I saw the Pack house. I’m assuming money isn’t too big of a concern,” Caleb said, heading toward the nursery.
Bran exploded into laughter and then two sets of giggles joined him. Caleb shook his head and he joined Kate as she headed to the nursery to start packing.
* * * *
Kate was folding tiny shirts and pants when Caleb returned with some empty boxes.
“They were still in one of the unused bedrooms. I hadn’t gotten around to throwing them away,” he said sheepishly, handing her a cardboard box.
“I can’t imagine having much time to do anything. Between work and the boys, well, in this case, it worked out for the best.”
Kate moved stacks of clothes to a box. Her eyes went to the murals around the room. Each leopard had its own distinctive markings, setting it apart from the other leopards painted. The attention to detail was amazing. Her gaze kept wandering back to the smiling face of the woman holding younger versions of Landon and Lucas. Was this Renee, the woman who her mate had loved enough to give her children? She peeked sideways at Caleb, who was filling his cardboard box with toys. She bit her lip. She wanted to ask but didn’t want to dredge up bad memories. She cleared her throat and he looked up.
“Umm, is this Renee?” she asked pointing to the picture.
His eyes softened and he nodded.
“That’s how I remember her best. Smiling and holding the boys. Painting them has helped with the grief. In a way it’s like they are still around us,” Caleb said.
“What was she like?” Kate asked, turning her attention back to the clothes. She was afraid to look at his face and see the love he had for another woman there.
“Renee was a pain in my ass,” Caleb said then laughed.
Her head shot up. “What?” She couldn’t believe he’d said that.
“Renee and I loved each other, but not to make it sound too weird, it was more like a brother and sister love than if we were lovers. She knew how to get under my skin and she loved to do it. She would pull some prank and then sit back and laugh, just like that.” He pointed to the wall.
“What kind of pranks?” Kate asked, setting her full box aside. She was curious as to what would drive Caleb crazy.
“She absolutely loved pranks where she put things in motion and then sat back and watched them unfold. One time she hid one sock of each set we had for the boys then asked me to get them ready to go out for a walk. So I got them dressed and went to put socks on and couldn’t find any matches. Not a single damn one. It didn’t help that as I was putting a sock on Landon he would pull it off and throw it when I was trying to f
ind its match. Finally I turned to her, exasperated, only to find her laughing with her hands over her mouth and tears streaming down her face. After that I would get the boys ready, but she had to put on the socks and shoes.” Caleb placed his box on the floor.
“I think I would have liked her,” Kate said, looking at the other faces.
“You sound surprised.” Caleb started on packing up the blankets and towels.
“She was absolutely beautiful and she was the mother of your children.” Kate left the sentence to hang between them.
Caleb looked up and saw Kate biting her lower lip. He put the box down and was quickly at her side.
“Yes, she was beautiful and, yes, she was the mother of my children, but she wasn’t my mate. I knew that. I have kept my heart set aside for one woman, my mate. I’m an all-or-nothing kind of guy, Kate. I’ve dated, but I kept things light and simple. I let the women know up front that the relationship wasn’t long-term and I never fell in love. You are everything to me. You’re gorgeous, sweet, and kind. I bet that even if I hadn’t been your mate you still would have offered to help with no thought about repayment.” He tilted her head back and looked her in the eyes.
“I’ve waited my whole life for you, Kate, I may not be completely in love with you now, but I know I’m falling fast.”
He leaned down and grazed her lips with his. She sighed and stood on tiptoe in an attempt to capture his lips. He stood up straighter and smirked down at her.
“Patience, Kate, I’ll be in charge of your pleasure.”
He felt his jeans shrink when her eyes became unfocused and she gave a breathy little sigh. He knew then and there that Fate had paired them correctly. She responded to him beautifully. He also knew that having Bran there would just add an entirely new dimension to the lovemaking. He cleared his throat and stepped back. She took a deep breath smiling up at him. She pointed to another face on the wall.
“Who is the older man?” she asked, starting a second box for the clothes.
Caleb gave a bark of laughter. “That old bastard was Renee’s father, James Langford and he hated me. I mean hoped-I-would-die kind of hated me.” Caleb picked up a blanket and folded it.