by Sam Crescent
“Did anyone have any idea of the lengths she’d go to?” Elijah asked.
“No one,” Casey said.
“One guy—Ben. He caught her years ago, and gave me a warning. The sheriff didn’t believe me.”
“Stupid mistake. I’ve a good mind to sue them,” Elijah said.
“There’s no need to do that, Elijah. They’ve done their job, and Poppy’s fine. Our boys are fine. Everything can go back to normal now.”
They all agreed. Parker saw the anger still on his fathers’ faces. They clearly didn’t like that their concerns had been overlooked, and that their lives had been in danger.
Parker was happy it was over. He pressed another kiss to Poppy’s neck, knowing he never wanted to risk losing her again. Seeing Shawn at the back door of the house, and his signal to hear Sarah ranting at Poppy had been the scariest moment of his life. He’d not argued with Casey. All he’d wanted to do was to protect his woman, and the only way to do that was to follow orders.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m never better. It’s you I’m worried about.”
“I’m fine. A couple of bruises that will heal but I’m all better. I didn’t want her to take me away from you.”
“It’s never going to happen,” he said.
Casey and Shawn were there, surrounding her with their love. No one was taking her. Stitch lay down at their feet. Parker wouldn’t be taking his dog out into the field again. It was the first time he’d taken him, and look what had happened. His dog would have protected her, he was sure of it.
****
Two months later
“How are you doing?” his mother asked, popping her head around the door.
Casey stood in his bedroom, and turned toward Louise. “I can’t seem to get my tie on right.”
She chuckled, entered the room, and helped him to fix his tie. “Your brothers would have helped, you know.”
“I asked them to make sure everything is perfect. Poppy’s still here, right?”
“Of course she’s still here. She loves you, Casey. You and Parker and Shawn. I couldn’t have asked for a better woman to love all three of my sons.”
“You’re not sad we’ve not had three different weddings?”
“Not at all. I see how happy she makes all three of you. Even when you were growing up, she seemed to help you have this glow. I look forward to seeing you all as a family. I know you’re going to have a wonderful life together. There, all fixed.” She patted his chest. “You’ve a right to be just as happy.”
“I am. I love her, Mom. More than anything in the world. She’s my life.” He loved his ranch and his brothers. Poppy, she was his world.
“Good. Are you ready?”
He nodded. Escorting his mother outside to the waiting guests, he nodded at both of his fathers.
Standing at the aisle near the priest, he took a breath. He’d never been so nervous before, not even when faced with Sarah, who’d pleaded insanity and was currently serving her sentence in a hospital. The stuff they had found at her place had been sickening. There was a cruel side to the other woman.
Still, he forced those thoughts out of his mind. This was his wedding day. The day Poppy became his and his brothers’. There had been so many times over the past few months when he’d wanted to just take her to Vegas to get it over with. Poppy would give him those sad eyes of hers, and he’d find the patience from somewhere so that she could experience her dream wedding.
The music sounded up, and that was the signal she was coming. His nerves kicked up another notch, and he didn’t know what the hell to do. He couldn’t screw anything up, not his vows or the kiss.
He wanted her to remember this day just like she’d remember him being her first.
She was a vision. His brothers were on either side of her, escorting their bride to him. They’d be wearing rings, but for all legal reasons, she’d be bound to him.
The smile on her face was captivating. Her blonde hair was bound up, cascading down in curls. She looked … beautiful. His beautiful bride.
He stepped down and took his hand. The moment her hand was in his, he knew everything was going to be more than okay.
“Are you nervous?” she asked.
“A little bit.”
“Don’t be, Casey. This is more than I could have ever hoped for.” She gave his hand a squeeze and the ceremony began. Staring into her blue eyes, he listened to the priest say the words, talking to the crowd. Several people from the town had come to see their wedding. The biggest surprise had been Ben.
After Poppy sent him a gift basket, they had formed a crazy truce. Casey preferred it that way. He didn’t want to fear for his woman every time she went into town.
Ben wouldn’t hurt her anymore.
He vowed to be the best husband that he could be. To love her, to father her children, but above all, to cherish her.
When the time came for him to kiss her, he was ready. Pulling her into his arms, he took her lips in a searing kiss.
He heard the applause, and when he pulled away, there were tears in her eyes.
“I’m happy,” she said. “Totally, one hundred percent happy.” She flung her arms around his neck, holding him close. “Thank you for being so patient with me. I wanted to give you the Vegas wedding, but I’m pleased you waited.”
Pulling away, he cupped her face. “I’m more than pleased I waited. Vegas couldn’t touch this.” Nor would it have given her that twinkle.
They partied at the ranch and danced throughout the night. His brothers took their turns, spinning their bride around.
Finally, after so long, they were a family. Casey relaxed, watching his woman and his brothers.
The future looked better than he could have ever imagined.
Epilogue
Ten years later
“Mom, Jesse done a poop again. It stinks real bad,” Lewis said.
Poppy pressed her head against Casey’s chest as Shawn giggled behind her.
“I’ve got it,” Parker said, bending down to pick up their youngest boy. “Wow, what has this kid eaten?”
They were enjoying the last rays of sunshine. “Do you want me to take care of him?” Poppy asked.
“Nope, you’re on complete bed rest,” Parker said. He leaned down to press a kiss to her brow. “Keep our little girl warm.” He rubbed her stomach.
Yes, she’d been put on bed rest, which meant her men were extra protective of her. Shawn had carried her outside so that she could enjoy the last of the summer rays before winter hit. She only had two more weeks to go before she gave birth to their fourth child.
Lewis was their eldest at nine. Bethany, who was blowing bubbles, was five. Jesse was eighteen months.
It was the closest she’d ever had kids.
“Are you okay?” Casey asked.
“Yeah, I am.” Her stomach chose that moment to grumble. “But I’m hungry.”
“Parker’s finished preparing the barbeque. Come on, Lewis, no time like the present to learn how to cook on the grill.”
Poppy watched as Lewis rubbed the dirt from his hands.
She lay back, staring up at the sky. Life had been crazy but so damn good. Ten years of wedded bliss. She couldn’t have asked for a better life. Three men who adored her. Three children with a fourth on the way. Life at the ranch had gone from strength to strength.
“What are you thinking?” Shawn asked, leaning over her.
“That I couldn’t imagine my life being any better.”
He took hold of her hand, locking their fingers together. Whenever she thought she couldn’t handle it, one of her men was there to help her through.
Their devotion at times had shocked her, but it hadn’t changed the way she felt about them. Her love for each man was absolute. There was no favorite.
She tried to sit up, and then pouted.
“What is it?” Shawn asked.
“I can’t sit up.”
He burst out laughing, which di
dn’t make her smile at all. All three of her men thought it was funny when she needed their help to sit up, or even to put her socks on. Her stomach was so big that she couldn’t even see her feet. Shawn helped her up, and he wouldn’t let her move from the comfort of his chest.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
The scent of the burgers filled the air, and she watched as Lewis and Casey worked the grill. Parker came out of the house with Jesse in his arms. “All clean with no stink.” He handed her their son, and she smiled down at Jesse, who reached for her necklace to chew on. She tucked it back into her shirt and kissed his cheek.
Casey served them all some food and they sat on the ground, eating, chatting, being a family. This was everything she’d ever wanted. Her mother would have loved this.
When she thought about her mother, she no longer felt a spiraling sadness. Her mother was there with her, wherever she went. She was her guide.
After food, the kids were playing, and she gripped Shawn’s leg tightly. Two weeks wasn’t too soon.
“Shawn,” she said.
“Yeah, baby?”
“Erm, my water just broke.”
Shawn froze, Casey turned to her, and Parker stilled.
Chaos erupted within the next second. The kids were bundled up into the car, and she was carried there as well.
It was so funny that if she’d not been having a contraction, she’d have laughed.
Three hours later, she delivered their beautiful girl. Another new member of their growing family.
The End
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Other Books by Sam Crescent:
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BONUS SAMPLE CHAPTER
FAT MATE
The Alpha Shifter Collection, 8
Sam Crescent
Copyright © 2017
Chapter One
Zadie Cox sat on her the large boulder overlooking the lake. She loved coming here on claiming day. While the rest of her unmated and mated pack mates were out screwing, she sat here and looked at the moon. Sometimes she’d turn into her wolf form and just sit back on her hindquarters, and watch the moon for hours. Other times, like now, she would sit naked, leaning back on her hands, listening to the sounds all around her.
The pleasure surrounding the pack that she’d been born into was all around her. She could allow herself to smile for their happiness, and she just stared up at the moon. For the past seven years she had been hearing the same sounds of the pack finding their pleasure in each other.
A single tear slid down her cheek, and she brushed it away, not wanting to let anymore tears fall. Every full moon she tried and failed to keep the tears at bay. The fat girl, that’s what she was. The fat wolf.
Leaning against the dirt wall at her back, she stared down at her body and bit her lip as more tears threatened to fall. In a pack of well over two hundred, she was the only fat girl. She stood out like a sore thumb, that was how it was. A lump began to form in her throat, and she pushed it down. No, no amount of crying would help her. She just had to go on living her life, which was lonely, but she had been through worse.
Releasing a breath, she stood up, and began to leave her place that offered her so much serenity. She moved several feet and found the clothes that she had removed. There was no need to rush as the full moon was still at its peak, so the pack would be more focused on themselves than on her.
Tugging on the jeans and the large shirt, she tied her hair into a ponytail, and then began to walk back toward the town. Most of the world’s packs lived near a forest, or at least the ones where her parents had always taken her had. She had never fitted in wherever they went. At least Sloane’s pack didn’t push her aside. The people there were all so kind. She had been here since she was ten years old. At first, she and her family had been outsiders. No one wanted to trust the new family as they didn’t know if their loyalty was to the pack or to themselves.
Her father, Tristan, had proven himself time and time again to the Alpha, and because of that, they had been accepted. Her brother had also found his place within the pack as well. She couldn’t fault the pack. They were all kind to her, but she knew that there would be no future for her here, yet she couldn’t leave.
She had heard of wolves leaving packs, and making a life for themselves, but she didn’t want that. Like most females, she hoped to have a large family of her own one day. She spent all of her time at the local nursery helping young children, and nurturing them.
Shoving her hands into the front pockets of her well-worn jeans, she paused when she heard the sound of a feminine moan.
Zadie closed her eyes, and pushed away the wave of need that rushed through her. She didn’t want or need a mate. If she repeated the words constantly in her head, she’d be able to finally believe them.
Her curiosity always got the better of her, and against her better judgment, she walked toward the noise.
Great hearing and great eyesight were just a few of the perks she had through her wolf side. Unlike some of the other females in the pack, she had also noticed she was incredibly strong, and even though she was the biggest girl, she was also incredibly fast. Kind of funny really.
Through the clearing she caught sight of Bianca. There was no mistaking the gold hair that cascaded down her back.
“There’s enough time for all of you,” Bianca said.
Zadie saw that not only did Bianca have one man mating with her, but three more stood around her. Their hands were fisting their cocks as they waited their turn.
“Oh yeah, just like that. Harder. You got to fuck me like you mean it,” Bianca said.
Zadie watched as Bianca threw her head back, and cried out as her orgasm crashed over her. The moment one of the men was done, another took his place. Their fucking was not unusual, but it also meant that Bianca had not found her mate either.
Being the prettiest woman in the whole of the pack, all Bianca had to do was crook her finger, and men, even women, would go running to her.
Zadie’s brother, Luke, had also been victim to Bianca’s beauty.
There was a time Zadie had wished to be as beautiful as Bianca, to have men worship her, but then she’d seen the cruelty in her eyes. Being the daughter of the Alpha gave Bianca a lot of privileges, including zero punishment for starting fights between pack males.
No longer interested in watching them fuck, Zadie turned on her heel and walked away, making her way back into town. She passed several people, and offered them a smile. The pity in their faces was not easily disguised. They would whisper about the Cox girl, and how sad it was that after all this time, she remained unmated.
Yes, the biggest shock to the entire pack was that a virgin walked with them. No man wanted her, and she refused to go anywhere just to have sex. She didn’t need a man or children to feel complete. Her job, her pack, and her family were more than enough. Everything else was just something that would never come to pass.
Tristan and her mother, Alice, stood outside of their home, kissing. They had been on a run tonight, and it was good to see them both laughing, smiling, and just as much in love as the first day they described being mated to one another.
“You’re back early,” Tristan said.
“I had a good run, and then I just felt really tired. I’m going to eat something and go to bed.” She smiled at them, trying not to show that she yearned for a mate, or a family.
No! She didn’t need any of them to be happy.
“Goodnight.”
Entering their home, she went to the kitchen, and began to make herself a sandwich.
“She’s miserable, Tristan. Every full moon I can feel our daughter’s pain. She’s hiding it.”
> “You think I don’t sense it, too? I know it hurts her.”
“Seven years of turning, and not once has any of the men chased after her. She’s an amazing woman. She’d make such a good mate, a strong mate. The women at the nursery talk. They believe she would make one hell of a mate and mother. Yet no one will even look her way.”
There was a pause, and Zadie wiped away the tears. Her parents constantly argued after a full moon. It was why she only ever ran on one day of the month, and that was when the moon was at its peak.
“Is there anything you could do?”
“I can’t force anyone to mate with Zadie. What kind of mating would that be?”
“We’ve seen it done before, and they’ve been happy,” Alice said.
Her mother was so sad for her that she was willing to force a mating on some poor guy.
“We’ve also seen it done and it go horribly wrong. A man will come. Mark my words, and he better know the treasure that he has in Zadie.”
“You will not ruin any chance she has,” Alice said.
“I won’t. She’ll always be my little girl.”
They moved away, and Zadie stopped listening to whatever it was they had to say. Taking a large bite out of her ham and pickle sandwich, she was passing to go to her room when the calendar on the wall stopped her.
Crap! She had totally forgotten about the pack visit. Dante Locker’s pack was scheduled to arrive. She knew about it as there had been requests for the nursery to be prepared for extra children.
She needed to be ready to receive them tomorrow as the nursery had voted for her to be there at the first meeting, which would be in the town square. Time for bed for her. The last thing she wanted to do was collapse in the middle of an important meeting. Every now and again, packs came together, sometimes for fun and games, other times for mating purposes. Either way, tomorrow was important, and she wasn’t going to let the pack down.