by Rachel Real
Tallulah fixed her gaze on Lilly and just snorted. She didn't care about the judgments of some human.
"You think I give a damn if some dumpy red head has a bone to pick with me? Hunny, get in line..." Tallulah purposefully flipped her blonde hair.
Lilly grabbed Tallulah's arm and led her by force near the hall with the bathroom stalls.
"I don't care, hate me all you like, Tallulah...but I need to know. Are you carrying any 'extra cargo' down there?" Lilly asked with raised brows.
Lilly stifled a laugh. "You must've been talkin' to Sage. And no, I'm not carrying any litter of cubs. I just wanted to make him feel like shit after how he's been so cold to me lately. He never complains when he's looking to hook-up... but now he says he wants something 'serious'...whatever the hell that means,” Tallulah huffed.
Does that mean me? Was Sage trying to get serious with me?
Now, Lilith really looked forward to Sage showing up at the diner to play his set. She thought all he cared about was just using Lilith as another notch on his "scratching post," but he wanted more.
The bells at the top of the entrance jingled when Sage swerved inside the diner. He seemed a much different figure than last night. His dark hair was slicked back and he wore ironed jeans and a nice linen shirt. As soon as he came drifting in, Sage and Lilly met eyes.
Lilith quickly glanced over to Bodhi to see if he would notice. Bodhi was much too busy handing out dishes for Tallulah to serve.
Sage sat in his usual corner, propping his guitar in his hands.
Sage adjusted the mic to his lips.
"I want to dedicate this song to a special lady tonight. And she knows exactly who she is..."
His golden eyes stared at Lilith again.
Tallulah swooned, thinking Sage meant her. Lilly rolled her eyes. She just listened to the melody of Sage's husky voice and got lost in the ecstasy of his words. Tallulah then glanced over to Lilith's dreamy eyes and back at Sage. She noticed that something was amiss. Something was up!
"Well, I'll be damned..." Tallulah hissed.
Lilly eyed her as Tallulah snatched up a milkshake and headed right towards Sage.
Oh...no...
Lilith panicked already seeing exactly what was about to happen.
SPLOOSH!
Within seconds, Tallulah splashed the milk shake all over Sage's face, and everyone watching gasped.
"You alphas are all the same. You get bored of one mate and you go finding another one to plow."
Bodhi ran out of the kitchen, clueless. He'd had enough of Tallulah's antics and wasn't going to stand it for one second longer.
"That's it Tallulah. YOU'RE FIRED!" Bodhi roared.
Tallulah tilted her head without an ounce of care in the world. "Fine. Let me go, but the jackass you really need to keep an eye on is your brother..."
Tallulah stormed out of the restaurant, letting the doors swing wildly behind her. Bodhi dashed towards Lilly with a genuinely confused expression on his face.
"This is crazy," Bodhi scratched the back of his head. "What she’s saying about Sage is crazy, right? You don't have any feelings for him?"
Lilly didn't want to tell a short tempered tiger that she liked his brother. But if she lied, she knew telling the truth would only get much worse. Lilith cleared her throat and found the confidence to speak.
"I...I...I'm in love with you—" Lilly whispered.
Bodhi sighed with great relief.
"And I'm in love with your brother." Lilly finished.
No one in the restaurant breathed a sound. Bodhi glowered at Sage with an outraged snarl.
Chapter Eight
"I want you to think real hard before you start up a fight, Bo. I'm your brother," Sage warned throwing up his hands.
"Damn right you’re my brother, and you go around my back!"
Lilith moved in between them both. "You don't have tear each other apart over a girl, alright?"
Many of the guests got up from their tables and left without even paying. They knew a huge fight was going to start.
Bodhi only half-listened to Lilith as he rolled up his sleeves.
"I promise. I didn't do anything. Believe me I tried, but Lilly didn't want anything to do with me. She wants you. I'm telling the damn truth!" Sage insisted Instantly, Bodhi shifted and roared so loud Lilly heard ringing in her ears.
"I'm not gonna fight you, Bo." Sage muttered.
Lilly could see the sadness in sage's bright golden yellow eyes and felt terrible that she was the one person Sage just couldn't get over. Bodhi swatted his brother from his stool and knocked him on the ground.
"Do something, Sage!" Lilly screamed. "You two need to stop This!"
But Sage continued to let his brother, Bodhi, get his anger out. Bodhi socked Sage several times in the gut.
Lilly knew if she didn't get in between them. Sage would end up looking very much like how she did when her ex-husband used to beat her within an inch of her life. Lily couldn't take violence.
Quickly, she ushered a path between the two of them just as Bodhi raised his big furry paw to strike down on Sage one more time. Bodhi halted in the middle of his intense searing anger when he looked into Lilith's eyes, flooded with tears. Bodhi shifted back into his human form, grabbing his apron to hide his nudity. Bodhi had no interest or desire in harming Lilly. Only Sage for even trying to pry both her and Bodhi apart.
"Bodhi, wait!" Sage growled, lifting Lilith in his arms.
Bodhi turned to see what happened.
"It's Lilly she's bleeding from her side!"
Bodhi blinked shocked. He must have accidently scratched her deeply when she tried to break up the fight. Lilly's head flung back as she got too tired to speak.
"She's losing a lot of blood," Bodhi flinched. "We need to get her to Bayside Medical."
Chapter Nine
Lilith awoke in a stiff hospital bed. A bright white light shined in her eyes.
"She's awake!" Bodhi roared. He posted his massive body against her. He hugged Lilly fully against his chest. Lilly smiled against Bodhi's warm skin. She knew he didn't mean any harm.
Bodhi kneeled at her bed side. "Lilly, I'm so sorr—"
Lilly held up a weak finger to Bodhi's lips, signaling him that she didn't need any kind of apology.
The doctor cleared his throat. "She lost a lot of blood, but she's going to be fine. I wouldn't be able to say that if we didn't get a blood transfusion from an anonymous donor."
Bodhi turned around and noticed his brother Sage wearing some gauze with a small speck of red taped to his arm.
"You did this?" Bodhi asked keeled over with gratitude.
Sage only admitted with a nod.
As two alphas, the Wilder brothers found a way to compete at everything, for status, for love and now for Lilly. What happened next would all be Lilly's choice. Who would she choose? Sage or Bodhi?
Lilly was still barely awake. Now was the perfect moment for Sage to confess what he wanted.
"I'm not gonna lie, Bo. I did try to sweep her of her feet. But Lilly doesn't want a dark and brooding mate like me. Lilly wants a mate that is kind, honest and can protect her. And the only shifter I can trust to do that is, is you bro," Sage assured Bodhi and pat him on his shoulder.
"You know how much I hate to say it, but this time you won," Sage finished and then took a sip of the coffee from the styrofoam cup he held in his hands.
"She feels something for you too, Sage. I've just been pretending it wasn't there," Bodhi responded. They both heard a faint coughing and glanced down at Lilly fluttering her eyes open.
"What a nice double surprise," she joked trying her hardest to smile despite the pain surging up her side. Bodhi rested his firm comforting hand on Lilith's cheek. She thought it felt satisfying to be touched by him.
"I don't want to choose between you two," she said. "I love you both. Who said the perfect love only comes in pairs of two? I know what it feels like to be in a loveless marriage to a man who makes you fe
el worthless. I say if two men love me, why can't I love them back?"
A deviant smile spread across Sage's face and Bodhi kissed Lilly on her sore lips. She didn't care if people thought the three of them looked strange, or thought they'd never make it. All that mattered is that her alphas were perfect. And finally, Lilly found her own little piece of paradise.
––––––––
Thank you, dear reader, for making it all the way through 'till the end! I hope you enjoyed the story. If you did, please consider writing a review. Without reviews, an independently published author's books are virtually invisible on the retail sites. Let other readers know what you thought!
––––––––
If you’d like to be notified of new releases, special sales, and get FREE ebooks, subscribe for my mailing list here. Get your hands on hot, steamy and new releases!
I love to hear from fans! Chat me up @ [email protected]
More Books by Rachel Real
Bayside Tigers Series
Surf n’ Turf (1)
Furry Fling (2)
Wet N’ Wild (3)
Purrfect Paradise (4)
Roaring Waves (5)
Jungle Fever (6)
California Bears Series
Heat Wave (1)
Bear Mates (2)
Bear Bound (3)
––––––––
Also, I want to thank Lord F and Nattu for the cover photo! The creative commons is so important for the creation of art.