Shawn shook his head. “This is really complicated.”
Marc chuckled. “It’s not really. It’s all just politics. If Ryan doesn’t piss on enough trees, people get concerned. It’s like the barrier’s down to our land.”
“TMI, bro,” Shawn mocked as he shot him a grin.
“Get used to it,” Marc retorted, then with a sigh, murmured, “Do you want to be thrown in at the deep end? You’re going to have to pick up Ryan’s slack too, unfortunately for you.”
Ryan shrugged. “I don’t mind. I’m used to being a ghost at these kinds of events so it’s all good. A change is as good as a rest.”
“You’ll regret saying that,” was Marc’s prediction as he led them both deeper into the crowd.
With a quickly suppressed yawn, El sank back into the chaise on the dais and tried not to look as bored and as tired as she felt.
Ryan, at her side, must have noticed because he murmured, “Did I tire you out, baby?”
She grinned at his satisfied tone. “Maybe.”
“Way to stroke my ego,” he retorted, a very masculine and very definite pout on his lips.
Patting his knee, she mocked, “There, there.”
He chuckled, shook his head. She watched as he cast a gaze over the proceedings and wondered what it was he saw.
In a way, Ryan reminded her of her granddaddy. He’d always been watching from a distance. Never really integrating. Always staying out of things so he could look at the bigger picture and stay fresh.
She’d learned chess from her grandfather. He’d played at what she’d always believed to be Grandmaster level, but he’d always shrugged that off. Said the level didn’t matter, only the way in which he checkmated her.
She could still remember their last chess game. It had happened three days before he died. He’d had a stroke, and suddenly, the center of her world had fallen out from under her.
Those had been some of the toughest days of her young life. Of course, with every passing year, something happened that came in competition with the misery of that time. The year she’d been kidnapped and held for ransom. A few days ago, watching Jamie killed before her eyes.
She often wondered why she couldn’t have a quiet life. Why things had to be so complicated, but the truth was, even as she could grumble at her own heritage, she could sense Ryan fought with his own too.
“You don’t want to be leader, do you?”
He stilled at the question, which she guessed was kind of out there. By no way had he displayed anything that would indicate he wasn’t happy being a leader, but she got the feeling that the Pride was supposed to be a little more… sociable. Yet here he was, and she his new mate, on a dais, separated from the rest.
Plus, he’d barely integrated with anyone from the Pride as far as she could tell since her arrival here. Not that she could judge. She’d spent most of her time in the lodge. But Ryan was the leader. He only seemed to speak with Marc and Trip, and then his PA, Adam, who called a lot.
“Why do you ask that?” he questioned, turning to her with an inquisitive look on his face.
“Because you’re very aloof with your power. It’s like you don’t mind watching but don’t want to get involved.”
He tapped her gently on the nose with his pointer finger. “You’ve got that exactly right.”
“Why?”
He shrugged.
“Do you want to be leader, just prefer to be unsociable?”
“Not particularly. But I don’t have a choice.”
“Everyone has a choice,” she argued.
“No. I don’t. You know the gold links? Very few, if any can do that per generation. It’s so rare that some states don’t even have a governor, as you call me. They have to share with another state’s.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“How did you get to be leader if it wasn’t something you wanted?”
“When I was younger, everyone knew I was strong. It was in my heritage too. My mom is crazy strong, and she’s from a Shifter female family too, so that makes our lineage potent. I wasn’t a threat until I met Trip and Marc. When I became part of a Triad, I was—we can’t rule without a Triad in place.”
“Why?”
“They pick up the slack where the leader lacks.”
“Wow, that’s unfair.”
He snorted. “Not more than anything else is unfair.”
“True, I guess.”
“Anyway. When I had my Triad, the old leader challenged me. I think he wanted me gone. Out of the picture. But he underestimated me. I was young when he challenged me. I think he believed that experience would see him through.”
“But it didn’t.”
“No.”
“So what happened to his Triad brothers?”
Ryan shrugged. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“They mourned his passing and moved on.”
“Will they meet another guy to fulfil their Triad?”
“No, that’s not how it works.”
“Did they have a mate?”
“Yeah. But they’re not here anymore, so you don’t have to worry about bumping into them.” He shrugged. “It’s not common for the family of challengers to stay in the same Pride after a loss.”
“No, that makes sense. Viewing your leader as a murderer isn’t the best way to gather respect, is it?”
He snorted. “Say it how it is, El.”
“Don’t worry, babe. I won’t.” She winked at him, then deciding it was prudent to change the subject, asked, “When do the festivities start?”
He peered up at the sky. “Soon.”
“What are you looking at?”
“The moon.”
“You’re kidding me. This ceremony relies on the moon?”
A chuckle escaped him. “This surprises you, why?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I thought. This is all new to me, isn’t it?”
Patting her hand, he murmured, “You’ll come to learn all the intricacies. You’ve got a long time to worry about this inconsequential shit.”
Amused at his take on an important ceremony being ‘inconsequential shit’, she just reached for the hand that had patted hers and bridged their fingers. “How did you, Marc, and Trip meet?”
His eyes scanned the crowd. She wasn’t sure what he was looking for. Maybe his Triad brothers, but she doubted it. He was too vigilant. Too high alert. Like he was watching out for danger more than anything else. She wasn’t sure if he was going to answer, so when he did, she stayed quiet, let him talk about the memories because she was curious. Infinitely so where he, Marc, and Trip were concerned.
Shawn, though she wasn’t talking to him yet, was an open book to her. They’d known each other for so long, and so well, that this next phase in their relationship truly was an extension of that ease they shared between one another.
She knew his favorite food and sports. He knew how she took her coffee and the brand of tampons she used—God help her.
There were very few intimacies they hadn’t shared, even if they hadn’t had an intimate relationship.
But with Marc, Trip, and Ryan, that wasn’t the case. There was so much to learn. So much to remember.
It wasn’t overwhelming. Maybe it should have been. Learning about one partner was a rollercoaster ride. But three more?
She figured she was up to it though. The way she was slotting in with them told her that. The ease between them was beyond intense. And it was kind of disturbing how easy she found it to sleep with Ryan one day and the other night, Trip.
It was like a bedroom free for all, and considering she’d never been like that before, it was beyond unusual.
Still, this felt right. In so many ways. Beyond right.
Ryan jolted her from her thoughts by clearing his throat. “We met in Amsterdam.”
“You did?” She blinked. “Why do you sound so sheepish?”
His grin was rueful. “I was f
alling out of one of the brothels.”
“Ewww,” she squeaked. “That’s gross. You slept with a prostitute?”
“It was a bachelor’s party! What was I supposed to do? Anyway, I didn’t sleep with one. I had a couple of very nice lap dances.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “You’d probably be great at lap dances.”
She snorted. “Good to know.”
“No. Seriously. With your tits and ass…” He stuck his tongue out and panted. “I’d be putty in your hands.”
She giggled at his silly face and whacked him on the arm. “Shut up, you.”
He winked. “Anyway, most of the people I was with did fuck a stripper but I just went for the lap dances. I might have settled for a BJ, to be fair, but there was an argument out on the street and it caused a huge brawl on the cobbles on the red-light district. I could hear American voices, and it pricked my attention.
“Even back then, I never knew when to keep my nose out, so I went outside to see if there was anything I could do to help my fellow American, you know? Turns out it was Marc. He and Trip had had pot brownies and were giggling in the middle of the street. Jesus,” he grumbled, but he was grinning. “You should have seen them. They were clinging to each other to stay upright.”
“Why were they in an argument?”
“Some dicks thought they were laughing at them when it was plain as anything they were so fucking high they were floating.” He shook his head at the memory. “I went over there, sorted the bastards out who were causing problems, and then, boom. It just hit me.”
“What did?”
“The connection.”
Her eyes widened. “What kind of connection?”
He pursed his lips. “It’s weird to explain. You know when we were at the restaurant?”
“And you had me so horny I was beside myself?”
He preened a little. “Yeah. Then.”
She snorted. “I remember. I’m not sure I’ll ever forget!”
“Good. Glad to hear it.” He winked at her.
“You didn’t feel horny then, did you?” Although it would probably be hot watching them making out, she wasn’t sure if she was down with her men touching one another.
Each to their own, but that wasn’t ‘her own’.
He grimaced. “No way. It’s not like that between Triad brothers. Well, most of the time it isn’t. There are always exceptions to every rule, but that isn’t the case with us.”
“It isn’t?” She tried not to feel relieved.
“No, it damn well isn’t. Remember, I told you that first night. We’re not partners in that way. We’re just a united force… made for you.”
Her smile was smug. “I like the sound of that.”
He tapped her on the nose again. “Anyway, the connection between us is like… You know when you’ve been away from home a long time, and then you go back?”
She blinked. “Well, I don’t feel that with my parents. But I know what it’s like to feel that. Yeah. With my granddaddy, when he was alive.”
He reached for her hand and squeezed her fingers. “It’s like that. The feeling of coming home and acceptance all at once. It was a pretty intense feeling. It certainly sobered them up.”
“Wow. That was definitely kismet playing a hand in things, wasn’t it?”
“Without a doubt. It’s not like I went to Amsterdam often, and Marc and Trip were living there at the time.”
“That’s crazy!”
“I know.” He grinned. “Tell me about it.”
“We had to go to our individual Prides for this ceremony. Trip’s in Holland, Marc’s in Pennsylvania, then here. But that’s when the trouble started. When I came back, the leader knew how strong I was, and because I was in a Triad now, knew that I would only grow into my powers even more.” He sighed. “Before I knew it, I was leading the Pride.”
“That sucks.”
“I know.”
She sighed, leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Don’t be. It’s not necessary. Though things piss me off from time to time, I’m grateful for where I am. I have a lot of opportunities to do good, and that’s all that matters. When we’re around for as long as we are, that’s definitely what counts.” Before she could answer, he pointed at the sky. “The moon’s high. It will start soon.”
“Don’t you set things off?”
He shook his head. “No.”
She watched, a little in awe, as the Pride as a whole looked up at the sky as Ryan had done, and still was.
The moon was heavy in the night sky, and even though they weren’t exactly away from the night pollution, there were still some stars evident. They twinkled and sparkled, but they were over shone by the bright globe of the moon.
It was white and luminescent, and so damn beautiful she wondered why she’d never noticed that before. Not really.
With a frown of amazement, she cast her gaze to the crowd and watched in more bewilderment as they parted ways. Some stepping to the left, others to the right. It astonished her, actually. Because they all seemed to know where to go.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, three paths emerged from the mass of people.
Three separate entities formed by members of the Pride.
Members she’d yet to meet.
Before she could worry over why Ryan wasn’t introducing her to his people, she saw three men walking down the pathways forged by Pride members.
They were naked save for a swathe of fabric around their hips. It was like the male version of a toga, but theirs displayed the entirety of their torso. They seemed to be walking to a beat of their own. Like there was an internal song playing that nobody could hear but them.
It reminded her of when a bride stepped to the beat of the wedding march, but these guys were the only ones who could hear it. Though they couldn’t see one another, not through the thickness of the crowd parting the pathways, they were all in line. Utterly in tune with one another.
The movements were somnolent, and she found herself swaying in time to their steps, like they were all in on the internal humming now.
Though she frowned at the realization, it didn’t stop her from swaying to the beat. With a sigh, she sank into the motion and watched as the men finally came to a halt before the dais. The people who had parted them, dispersed, retreated. Circling the dais loosely so that everyone could see the clearing they’d made and the men standing there.
There was something about their eyes that made her think they were high, and she made a mental note to ask Ryan or one of the others why that was. But Ryan surprised her by pulling gently away from her and getting to his feet. He held out his hands, palm face down, and she watched as the three placed their pointer fingers on the backs of his knuckles.
It was a weird moment. It felt holy. Sacred. Which was bizarre enough. But it was just surreal to be a part of the whole procedure.
Blinking, she watched as he closed his eyes and when he reopened them, all of a sudden, the gold lines were there again. It was actually kind of strange seeing them attached to other people. It was then that she realized he could focus and concentrate those lines on specific people because in less time than it took to blink, he was linked only to the three men in front of him.
Sure, there was something very 1960s Star Trek about this whole thing, but it was still cool as fuck. With a sigh that spoke of how impressed she was at that moment with her mate’s capabilities, she watched in awe as the gold bands, still separate entities, slowly began to coalesce together into a single unit.
Was this how it was between her men?
She determined at that moment to have Ryan show her the link between her, Trip, Shawn, Marc, and the man himself.
Before her very eyes, these three men became one. It was an astonishing sight to behold. One that filled her with pride because she was a part of it. This was her world. Her mates had introduced her into this batshit society, and slowly but surely, all the insanity wou
ld become very, very normal.
She smiled at the thought because her life, her sphere, which to many was insane suddenly wasn’t.
Truth was, she knew she’d never been safer than she was at this moment. That was a fact she would be endlessly grateful for, and one that would help her adjust to this strange, new world.
As the bonds coalesced, Ryan closed his eyes and that magical glimpse into a power that transcended everything she’d ever thought possible in this reality, disappeared.
“Angel, Dean, Robert, you are here today to prove the truth of your Triad bond. As Angel’s leader, I can see that you are no longer a single entity but a Triad unit. We are proud to welcome you, Dean and Robert, into this Pride, and we extend upon you all the rights of your maternal Pride in this one.”
A raucous cheer swelled among the crowd, and El smiled at the truth of the joy every single member of her new people felt at this Triad joining. It was almost like a marriage ceremony, but she knew how much that would piss off the guys. They did, after all, have a thing about being classed as gay.
Angel, Dean, and Robert shot Ryan respectful smiles, and almost as one, took a step back before being absorbed into the crowd. Ryan turned back to El, and said, “There, that’s all done.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah,” he said with a laugh. “It’s not the ceremony, not really, that counts. It’s just the guys being accepted into their Pride. Mostly, it’s about the party.”
She chuckled at his sheepish grin. “It’s always about the party.” Her chuckle deepened. “Where are the others? It feels really strange knowing they’re here and not having them around me.”
He shot her a surprised look. “Really? Already?”
“That surprises you… Why?”
He shrugged, and she had expected him, from his tone, to seem uneasy or disappointed by that. But that wasn’t the case. If anything, he looked relieved. Though the guys kept on astonishing her with the depth of their bond, and how little it concerned them having to share her, it was only at times like these she really could understand the peace they felt as a Triad.
Maybe, because she was human, she’d never truly be able to comprehend the depth of their link. Even having seen the Triad ceremony, it was still hard to get her head around, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t relieved too. It meant she could have her cake and she could eat it, after all.
Finding Luna: A Lion Shifter Reverse Harem Romance (PRIDE Book 1) Page 21