Every Sunset Forever

by R. E. Butler

  “I…don’t know what to say to that,” Whisper said, shocked.

  “There’s nothing to say, Mouse. We’ve shared females before. Whether we find our own mates or share one is just the way our lives go. But we don’t want to hear about you and three guys and any holes being filled, just FYI,” Kayne said, making a face.

  Bliss giggled. “Holes.”

  Kayne took a menacing step towards her, and she shrieked, ducking behind Whisper. “Oh, thanks a lot,” Whisper groused.

  “He won’t hurt you, but he might toss me out. I torture him with country music, and I may or may not have hacked his Facebook account a few times and posted photoshopped pictures of him and country music stars.”

  “I knew that was you!” Kayne lunged towards them, and Bliss squealed and raced out of the cabin with Kayne hot on her heels.

  “You aren’t worried he’s going to kill her?” Kross raised a brow.

  “Nah. If he does, he has to hide the body.”

  Kross hummed in his throat and looked into the two small bedrooms. One had a king bed, and one had a full sized bed; there was a couch in the small open area.

  “You and Bliss take the king, Kayne and I will flip for the bed, loser takes the couch. My only request is that if you do find your mates, you consummate your relationship in their cabin. There are a lot of things I wouldn’t mind seeing on this vacation, but you and three guys ain’t one of them.”

  She rolled her suitcase into the room with the king bed, and Kross carried Bliss’s suitcase and put it on a small dresser. “You and Kayne have really shared?”

  He leaned against the open door and folded his arms. “A few times. We never touch each other — I mean, we’re brothers, and that would be sick. Male wolves tend to fight over females if there’s a shared interest, but he and I never wanted to let a woman come between us, unless it was a mutual thing. So I’m surprised to hear that there’s a shifter group where multiple matings are normal, but it’s not as big a deal as you’re making it out to be. Wouldn’t you like knowing that three males loved you more than anything?”

  She smiled at her big brother. “Yeah. Whoever you end up mated to is going to be really lucky, whether it’s you alone or you and Kayne. Except for the way you leave the bathroom.”

  He rolled his eyes with a laugh and then sobered. “You’re worried you’re going to lose everything if you find your mate?”

  The statement made her eyes sting with tears. “Yeah.” She found herself twisting a shirt in her hands and forced herself to put it down.

  “Well, one of two things will happen when you find your mate or mates, here or wherever they might be. One, they’ll want you to come home with them, and you’ll be so happy that you won’t mind leaving Beyton for wherever the hell they live. Or two, they’ll be so crazy about you that they’ll come to Beyton and join the pack. When I find my mate, there isn’t anything that I won’t be willing to do to make her happy. And that includes leaving Beyton. So don’t think that you have to give up everything like you’re cursed or something. You might find yourself willing to go. There’s no good worrying, anyway. You know what Grandma used to say: ‘Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair; it gives you something to do, but doesn’t get you anywhere.’”

  “Thanks, Kross. You’re the best.”

  “I know. You’re not too bad yourself.”

  Bliss and Kayne came back into the cabin a few minutes later, laughing, and she showed her the bedroom.

  “I don’t mind sharing as long as you don’t hog the covers,” Bliss said.

  “And you don’t kick me,” Whisper added.

  They unpacked, and Kross came into the room, sitting down on the bed. “The meet-and-greet is at seven. If you want to go, we should get a move on.”

  Whisper considered not going, but decided that she was going to make the most out of the situation. Kross’s advice about what her future might bring had actually eased the knot of worry in her stomach a little. And their grandma’s advice was still sound. She was worrying over something that wasn’t an issue right now. She hadn’t found her mate — or mates — yet, and when she did, then she’d see how things went.

  She sent a text to her dad.

  “Thank you for sending me to the gathering. I love you.”

  He replied quickly, “You’re welcome, Sweetling. I love you, too.”

  Chapter 4

  Nyte rolled over and nearly fell off the bed. Then he realized that the entire cabin was dark, as was the sky outside. They’d overslept! Reaching for his phone, he discovered it was after two in the morning. So much for the meet-and-greet. Bunching the pillow under his head, he sighed and settled back down to catch some more sleep.

  The next time he woke up, sunlight was streaming through the windows, and his brothers were waking up.

  “Damn it, I must have turned off the alarm. Sorry, guys,” Az said.

  Fade stretched and yawned. “I didn’t wake up at all, so we must have been dead to the world.”

  “Hope all the single females aren’t taken,” Az groused as he rolled out of bed.

  “If they are, then they’re not meant to be our mates,” Nyte reminded him.

  He sat up and rolled his neck, checking his phone for messages. Their cousins had sent cheerful messages of encouragement to them, wishing them luck on their ‘mating expedition.’ Alyssa and Sydney were looking forward to having another female in the baro.

  By the time Nyte got into the cramped shower, the water was ice cold, shocking him further awake and making his teeth chatter. He’d never showered so quickly in his life. As he stalked to the dresser for clean clothes, he said, “I get the first shower tomorrow.”

  The brunch was in full swing when they got there. A large clearing was set with enough picnic tables for the thirty-some clans at the gathering. Buffet tables laden with food had been set up around the perimeter, and long lines of males and some females milled around waiting for food. A male voice said, “You guys can share our table.”

  Nyte looked over his shoulder and saw a large picnic table with three males at it. They walked to it and sat down, Nyte extending his hand to the one that spoke. “I’m Nyte Stone, clan leader. These are my brothers, Fade and Azrael.”

  “I’m Memphis, clan leader,” he gestured to two large males next to him, “my brothers, Rome and Lincoln.”

  The two clans shook hands. “We’re from Maryland. You?”

  “Our family lives in Tennessee, but we joined a baro in Kentucky.” Nyte folded his hands and looked around. “Have you been to one of these before?”

  Lincoln made a face. “Every year. At least there are females at this one.”

  Fade nodded. “We normally attend ones in the south because of where our family’s baro lives, but our mother suggested we try a different one.”

  Memphis rubbed his knuckles under his chin. “I hadn’t thought about trying another gathering. That’s not a bad idea. Of course, there are so few females born that I’m not sure these things are even worth attending anymore. A hyena mate would be nice, but we just want to find our mate — whatever she does or doesn’t shift into — and settle down.”

  “We want the exact same thing,” Nyte said.

  There was a scraping sound of wood on the ground, and another picnic table was scooted close, one male pushing it by himself while two others held plates filled with food. “These are our cousins,” Memphis said as the three males sat down, and the males introduced themselves as Shiloh, Camden, and Salem, and more introductions were done.

  “The lines have shortened,” Rome said. “I’m starving.”

  The two clans stood and joined the buffet lines. It took ten minutes, but they eventually were able to sit back down with their full plates. Azrael groused, “The food smell is so heavy that I can’t smell anything but bacon, sausage, and eggs. If our mate was here, I don’t think we’d even be able to tell.”

  Nyte looked around as he ate and decided that Az was probably right. There were too ma
ny conflicting scents for them to be able to tell if their mate was here. The conversation around the tables was light as the males chatted about the weather, the gatherings, and the lack of female hyenas.

  Back in their grandparents’ day, hyenas never mated outside of their own kind, even if it meant taking a mate that was not their true mate but a chosen one. Arranged matings were commonplace, even in their parents’ generation. But slowly the idea of mating outside of the hyenas’ race became acceptable. Although he knew there were baros where only hyenas were welcome, he knew that his family’s baro wouldn’t care what their mate shifted into as long as they were happy.

  And when they found their mate, he knew that they would be happy.

  * * * * *

  Fade glanced over the itinerary posted on a large bulletin board in the communal eating area. The tall wooden board held sign-ups for various activities, everything from hiking to cooking classes in one of the larger cabins. He and his brothers had agreed to stick together for the week, so while he was interested in checking out the gym and maybe going for a hike, he knew that Az would prefer to take a cooking class.

  “I think it would be cool to go hiking,” Az said, surprising Fade as he looked over his shoulder.

  “Really?”

  “What? We’re camping, why not hike? Besides, the cooking class is already filled up,” Az pointed out.

  Fade signed their clan up, and they headed for the meeting area for the one p.m. hike. One female hyena showed up to the hike and stayed very close to a clan of males who were apparently part of her baro. Discreetly, Fade scented her and found that not only was his human side not interested in her, but his beast pretty much just yawned.

  Nyte clapped Fade on the shoulder. “Let’s hike.”

  The land surrounding the campground was heavily wooded. The hike leaders, a mated clan related to the owners, encouraged everyone to stay on the trail and began walking. Fade watched as other clans attempted to talk to the female, but the males with her were very possessive and kept snarling. Overprotective brothers or cousins, perhaps. It didn’t matter to him in the long run, of course, because she wasn’t meant for them. If she was theirs, nothing and no one would keep them apart, that was for damn sure.

  The fall air was cool but the sun was shining, and his beast reveled in the woods. He wanted to shift and go exploring. Dalton was pretty flat, and although they hunted in the woods of their baro’s territory, the mountains were something special. He inhaled deeply and froze.

  He smelled something…amazing. Sweet. Tempting.

  His brothers stopped next to him, and the hikers continued on around them. Fade was rooted to the spot, unable to pinpoint what the scent was. “Do you smell that?” he asked, his voice deeper than usual.

  He heard his brothers inhale and make sounds of surprise.

  “What is it?” Az asked.

  “It’s compelling, whatever it is,” Nyte said.

  Another trail bisected the trail they were on, and just as he was about to suggest they shift and hunt down the source of the scent, a small group appeared and turned down their trail. Two tall males and one short female.

  “Excuse us,” the female said as they slipped by them.

  Fade scented quickly as she passed. All three were werewolves, although the female didn’t quite smell like a true wolf. And although the sweet scent was around her, it didn’t seem to be her own scent.

  Turning so he could watch them walk away, he folded his arms and wondered what the hell was going on. His beast, which had been fairly quiet since they’d arrived at the campgrounds, was now growling at him.

  “That’s weird,” Nyte said. “I am curious about the scent but not about the she-wolf.”

  “Me, too,” Az said.

  Feeling torn, Fade turned around and said, “Let’s catch up to the group. Whatever we’re smelling isn’t her, I’m sure of it.”

  His beast howled in dismay, but he tuned it out. The wolf was not theirs, so whatever he liked about the scent was not her. Maybe it was some product that she used. He refused to chase after her like a madman and demand to know what smelled so good. Although he didn’t consider the males adversaries, if they were with the she-wolf, they would want to protect her, and he didn’t want to spend the rest of their vacation sporting any fight injuries.

  Sighing inwardly, he focused on the trail ahead of them and tried to forget the alluring scent.

  * * * * *

  Azrael stood on the tiny porch of the cabin and braced his hands on the railing. The wood felt like it would crumble under his grip, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. His beast was agitated. Had been since they went hiking and they had crossed paths with that she-wolf and the two males with her. He knew she wasn’t their mate, but there was something about her that he was drawn to. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about…well, not her so much as whatever he was sensing about her.

  “You okay?” Nyte asked, stepping from the doorway onto the porch. Fade was just behind him, and they stood next to Az. He could feel their concern.

  “I’m feeling antsy. My beast is clawing at me, but I have no idea why.”

  Fade said, “I thought it was just me, but Nyte said he was feeling strange, too.”

  “Really?” Az turned and looked at his brothers. “You didn’t say anything earlier.”

  Nyte shrugged and leaned against the house, folding his arms. “Ever since we ran into that she-wolf, my beast has been snarling at me. I know she’s not ours, so I don’t know what the problem is.”

  Fade leaned on a post and stared off into the darkness. “I feel like we should be doing something or going somewhere.”

  Nyte’s voice was low when he spoke, “Our mate is here somewhere.”

  Az snapped to attention, and Fade straightened, turning slowly. “How do you know?”

  “Because we’re all feeling agitated. I think the she-wolf is with our mate somewhere, so we need to find her and see who she came with,” Nyte said.

  “We can call the front desk and ask for one of the owners to tell us where the she-wolf is staying,” Az suggested.

  “Fuck that, let’s go hunting.” Fade put one hand on the railing and leapt over, landing solidly on the ground.

  Nyte said, “The owners are probably in bed by now, anyway. I believe our beasts will lead us to either the she-wolf or our mate. What do we have to lose besides a few hours of sleep?”

  “We have a lot to gain if we find her, though,” Azrael said, unable to stop his grin. His beast urged him forward, and he joined his brothers as they strode with purpose into the woods. They would find the she-wolf and demand she tell them who she was with so they could find their mate. Either way, his beast rejoiced at finding their mate and urged him to move faster through the dark woods.

  Calm down, he chided his beast.

  His only answer was a growl.

  Chapter 5

  Whisper sat at a long table with a hot plate in front of her and carefully turned over the quartered red potatoes, which were frying alongside a stuffed chicken breast, while listening to the cooking lesson from Ally and one of her husbands. Bliss had planned to come, but at the last minute had decided to go hiking with Kayne and Kross. She wasn’t sure why, but she thought that they were trying to give her some alone time with the hyenas. The large cabin had a dozen long tables turned into miniature cooking stations for each attendee. Whisper sat at the front and had been quickly joined by three males.

  She pushed the potatoes around some more and tried to listen to what Ally was saying, but she couldn’t get over the feeling that she was being watched. Every time she took a surreptitious glance over her shoulder, she was met with many eyes watching her. She was flattered on some level, but she wondered if they were interested in her solely because she was a hyena.

  Ally continued on with the cooking lesson, and Whisper followed along. She enjoyed cooking but tended to go for more simple things. In her own home, she would have just cooked the chicken plain in the pa
n and put the potatoes in the microwave until they were soft. She’d thought having Bliss with her would have made the experience better, but she didn’t mind being by herself. Not that she was really alone.

  The male next to her leaned close and said, “I’m Harry. Ally’s our mom. These are my brothers, Mark and Taylor.”

  She leaned over and looked down the line of the three males and smiled. “Nice to meet you. I’m Whisper.”

  “That’s an interesting name,” Harry said.

  “Thanks.” She frowned, not really wanting to share her life story while sitting at a folding table in a room full of people with extremely good hearing.

  Harry put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “You don’t have to say anything; just wanted you to know there’s a friendly face in the crowd. Or three.” He smiled and a dimple formed in his cheek. He was adorable, as were his brothers. But aside from their adorableness, she didn’t feel any kind of stirring inside. No fluttering butterflies. No hungry licking of lips, imagining a kiss. And her beast was very quiet. What did that mean?

  Harry and his brothers made small talk with her while they cooked, and when the chicken was done, Whisper plated her food and turned off the hot plate. The ham-and-Swiss stuffed chicken breast looked really good, and even though she’d had a big meal at brunch she couldn’t wait to dig into it.

  “Looks wonderful, hon,” Ally said as she came to stand in front of her. “You must cook at home.”

  Whisper smiled up at Ally as she chewed her first, delicious bite. “Thanks, I do. Can I ask why you have cooking classes?” There was a cooking class each day of the gathering.

  “Well, you can only go hiking and boating and sit around talking for so long before people start to get restless. We try to offer a variety of things for the clans to do.”

  Mark leaned back and flashed a wide smile at Whisper. “Besides, when there are so few females, we have to do something to keep the males busy so they don’t come to blows.”