A threesome wasn't something I had ever considered having. After tonight, I would never be satisfied with anything less, and with these three so eager to pleasure every single inch of my body, I wouldn't have to look anywhere else to receive such attention. One night was all it took for them to learn the most intimate details about my body, and they had plucked every string. I surrendered, allowed my will to mesh with theirs, and gave in to feel appreciated. Admired. Desirable.
I finally collapsed on Henry's chest, my arms wrapped around his neck. I felt his face pressed into my hair, felt the kiss he placed on top of my head, and I smiled. Jack was atop me, his head resting on the crook of my back, and breathing just as hard as I was. And Zack... well, his head was against my butt cheek, and I heard a light snore from him. I was in desperate need of a shower... but our piled bodies created a warmth that made it quite easy to doze off.
No terrible dreams. No worries. Just absolute bliss and slumber.
9
I was surrounded by nothing in my state of slumber. My limbs were not my own, and my mind dwelled within the fog of unconsciousness and saw no reason to climb free. I existed in the nowhere and I was completely content with that.
Then the nothing became something as it slowly dawned on me that I had no idea how much time had passed. I shook the cobwebs away from my mind. It was hard to get my eyes open, as heavy as they were. I was worried I had missed everything. That they had left without me, abandoned me to the cabin so they could take care of matters without me. I turned to find myself completely alone on the couch, wrapped in several blankets that had once been on the back of the couch. My heart dropped. I was going to have to pick up the pace to catch up with them, which would be a challenge when I didn't know which way they would have gone.
My thoughts were arrested when I heard footsteps, and I whirled around to see them rounding the corner. Each of them had big smiles on their faces and looking more well-rested than I actually felt. But if they were still here...
The momentary relief they hadn't left me was replaced with worry and fear, and I threw the blankets off myself in a panic. They responded in kind, though they were more confused than fearful.
"The pups. We're supposed to be getting them," I reminded them, and their eyes grew wide with panic. We were still relishing in last night's events that we had almost forgotten.
It was a rush to get out of there, clothes being pulled on and supplies packed. Breakfast was the last thing on our minds and we were already deep in the woods by the time my stomach reminded me I hadn't eaten. I didn't have the option to complain; there were more important things than the state of my stomach and I was sure their pack would have something to offer once we got there.
With the rising sun on my left, we were heading North, farther North than I had been before. That explained why I never met or heard of this pack before. I was eager to see what kind of setup they had.
I managed to stay in the middle as we traveled, with Jack in the lead and Henry at the rear. Zack stayed inline with me, covering the right flank in case we were in danger. I covered the left, but it became obvious to me that there we were nowhere near bear territory anymore.
I felt a touch on the back of my wrist.
"Thank you again. For helping us with this," Zack said, with a soft smile. The dawn's orange-pink glow made his cheeks look rosier than usual.
"There was no way I was going to stay behind while I let the three of you take care of my business."
"It's all our business now if they're taking cubs from all the packs. It's a shame we're so spread apart, though."
"You saying you're gonna miss me once I head back home?" I nudged him lightly with my elbow. His expression turned morose, which he tried to hide behind another smile.
"I know it sounds silly since you've only been here a couple of days... but yes, I would miss you. You're like no one we've ever met before."
"You mean other than being gorgeous?"
"Of course, you are!" he exclaimed, louder than he intended, and his brothers turned to glare at him. He turned even redder at his outburst. "I mean, that's not what I meant. You're more than just a pretty face and... you are pretty. Beautiful, even. And... I'm making myself look like a fool, aren't I?"
After Henry and Jack looked away, I patted his arm to provide a small bit of comfort.
"A fool? No. More adorable than anything else. You don't have to get so worked up, you know, talking to women. There's nothing magical about us."
"I'm just... not good with words sometimes. Doesn't help that it's just the three of us alone so I don't really get the chance to... improve?" He hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Surely, with that cute face of yours, you must've had a girlfriend before you left the pack?"
He beamed and averted his eyes.
"I did. Once, when I was sixteen. Sweet girl named Amelie, amazing long blonde hair. A few of the others in my age group were hot for her too... but it just never worked out. Being assertive had just never been my thing."
I remembered being that young and having all those hormones coursing through me, the changes my body was going through. It was an emotionally difficult time, and it wasn't made any better with people wanting to pair off and "experiment" with each other. I remembered the heartache when I ended up being a third, fourth, or fifth wheel to the couples who pretended I wasn't even there. I remembered going home alone and wondering if something was wrong with me, why I wasn't considered attractive and what I could do to change that. But instead of looking for a mate, I threw myself into bettering my skills, finding a purpose that would make me happy, and that was how I rose through the ranks to my current position. With time, I was sure Zack could achieve the same level of confidence, once he found what he really wanted to do with his life.
"Well, bully for her. She missed out." I kissed my fingers and pressed them to his cheek. He recoiled in surprise but touched his face gingerly where I'd placed my mark. Hopefully that was enough to boost his ego a little, though I honestly didn't think he needed it. Zack just had to find the right person in his life, who'd accept him and his fumbling shyness.
"If you two are done prattling like a pair of gossip hens..." Henry cleared his throat and nodded ahead of us. In the distance, I could see a large sprawling settlement with hundreds of smoke plumes drifting west in the early morning breeze. It was much larger than I had imagined, and I must have stopped in my tracks in awe because Henry collided into my back.
"Come on, princess. If you think it looks this amazing when we've still got five hours to go, then you haven't seen anything yet." He winked and hook his arm through mine, dragging me back into motion.
To pass the time, I asked the brothers a lot of questions about the pack they had left behind: what their leadership was like, their numbers, if there were any customs I should keep in mind so as not to offend them. They answered earnestly to the best of their knowledge since they had left such a long time ago. Still, this pack sounded very welcoming, and I was eager to get there and meet them for myself.
With only two hours to spare, we stopped and took a break, sitting in the snow as we dug into our backpacks. What we had managed to carry with us in terms of a meal was scarce—just a few slices of the cooked musk ox that hadn't ended up in the stew—and I savored my piece for as long as possible. It was hardly jerky, too soft and without any salt, but there was still a flavor to it that satisfied my craving for a meal. The other three weren't so keen on savoring and wolfed down their pieces.
It was then it dawned on me that I should have told my pack the news. They could have added a few more numbers to better our chances at success... yet, they had been the furthest thing from my mind when I woke up this morning. I blamed it on not being quite ready to face them, to feel their scrutinizing stares that three of their own had been lost under my command. I still had a lot to answer for, but for now, I felt better pretending as if none of it had happened. I would face the music later.
"Yo
u okay?" Jack asked, looking concerned.
"Just thinking." I didn't need him worrying about me and questioning whether I was ready for this fight or not. Any hint that I wasn't in the game, and I was sure he'd put me on the sideline. I had already lost so much and needed to make it up to them, to get justice for their losses, so they weren’t in vain.
"You'll have plenty of time to think once this is all over. Time to move out." He wiped his hand off on his pants, shouldered his pack, and resumed the journey towards the camp. Henry got up with a groan and popped his back and followed Jack. Zack helped me to my feet, and we continued the rest of the way at each other's side. The air buzzed between us, and I could tell he wanted to ask if I was really okay but didn't want to bother me. Eventually, the air settled down and silence remained.
We traveled the rest of the way, silent and exhausted, until I caught sight of other people milling around. One person noticed us, stopped in their tracks, and dropped their task to the ground. They were off like a shot, and those nearest watched them go in confusion. I heard the whispers start, as they discussed between them what was going on, and they soon turned to discover our approach. Many of them followed the first, whatever they carried was discarded to the ground, and there was a sea of surprised looks, so much so that I started to wonder whether the brothers' story was actually true.
An uproar began as the first person who spotted us dragged another behind them by the hand, and behind them as a crowd followed, all eager to see if the story was true. I stopped and allowed the other three to go ahead of me; this was their reunion, not mine. I was just a witness to these proceedings.
There were smiles and cheers as the brothers were grabbed up in hugs, their hair ruffled, and a flurry of pats on the back. They beamed at their pack mates, save for Jack, who seemed to be shaking people's hands and returning hugs out of a sense of politeness. A chorus of "Welcome back!" and "It's them!" filled the air and echoed off the trees and buildings. It was a thunder of noise that made even the nearby birds flutter away in fright, and I stayed my ground until they were finished with their celebration.
Jack was the first to remember me and drew me by the hand towards the crowd. He recounted the tale of how they had found me and how our pack had lost a cub of our own. I flushed hot, nervous he would confess what had happened the night before but should have known better when he didn't say a word. What happened in their cabin was no one's business, since they were no longer part of the pack.
"Welcome, welcome," a tall, older woman greeted me, taking my hand in both of her own. Her features were fine, pinched, but she had an air about her that reeked of grace and poise. Her greying hair was pulled back into a neat, braided ponytail and she smelled slightly of cinnamon.
"Thank you, I'm glad to be here. I just wish it could be under better circumstances."
Looking around, I could see people busying themselves with various tasks: erecting new homes, taking care of cubs, general maintenance of the camp. What I did notice was that there seemed to be an even number of men and women amongst them, unlike the imbalance of fewer females I was used to seeing in my pack. But I wouldn't be meeting any of them, not in the direction I was being led in. We went to the very center of the camp where the largest building was, and there were already a number of people inside, speaking sternly over a large map that covered the entire table.
"And how do you propose we do that??!" A man slammed his fist down on the table. He looked only a decade older than me. His hair was jet black and slicked back into a nub of a ponytail at the base of his neck. There was something about his face, however...
"That's Nikolai," Henry whispered over my shoulder as he closed the door behind us. "Didn't think he'd ever be in charge of... well, anything."
"Shh!" Jack turned with a finger to his lips. Henry made a face behind his back.
"Nick's only a few years older than us, used to be one of my best friends growing up, too. Don't know how he got roped into responsibility. Something must have changed."
"Or maybe he just grew up. You should think about that sometime," I said as I nudged him in the side with my elbow. He took both my jabs with a huff and a scratching of his chin.
The room suddenly exploded in a flurry of yelling. Nikolai and the man he had been arguing with crossed the room and stood in front of Jack, each pointing an accusatory finger an inch from his face. Jack just stood there, accepting their verbal barrage with nothing more than a stare, waiting for it to end. No one else in the room joined the two. They were making enough noise that it was difficult to decipher what their tirades were about.
"What the hell do you think you're doing here??!" Nikolai finally asked, once they both stopped for some air. Spittle flew and landed on Jack's face, who took it in stride. Zack and Henry stood behind Jack’s shoulders, looking stern but worried. This obviously wasn't the welcome he'd been expecting.
"You abandoned us, and think you can just return whenever it is convenient for you?" The other jabbed a finger at Jack's chest several times before stepping back. Jack didn't even wince. I was worried at how quiet he was being. This kind of treatment would make anyone explode.
Yet he remained quiet. Stoic, even. I waited with bated breath to see how he would respond.
"This isn't about convenience," Jack finally said, wiping the saliva from his cheek. "This is about the pack. Your numbers. The crimes the bear shifters are committing against our kind. If you don't want our assistance..."
"The war has always been there, and you communicated as much when you left that you wanted no part of it. Now you want to return, like none of that ever happened?" Nikolai balled his fist at his side, but he looked like he wanted to punch Jack square in the jaw.
"We're not returning. We're here to help. Nothing more. Once the cubs are safe, we plan on leaving again. It's the least we can do for those who've taken care of us." Jack squared back his shoulders; he wasn't going to be pushed around so easily.
"Oh, that's rich. You pop in whenever you like. You show up for your parents' funerals and leave again. How do we even know we can trust you?"
That seemed to be Jack's breaking point. He stepped forward, grabbed Nikolai by the collar of his shirt and dragged him closer.
"You don't want us fighting by your side, fine. We'll go ahead and take them on ourselves. And when your cubs are safe in their beds, you can tell them who rescued them and how you all sat on your asses and did nothing because of a stupid grudge." Jack's eyes grew dark and I knew he meant business.
Nikolai sneered but remained silent. He gripped Jack's wrist and the latter finally relented his hold on the other's shirt. It was a grim stare-off for a few minutes before Nikolai finally backed away.
"Surely you're not going to—"
Nikolai cut him off with a raised hand.
"We'll accept your help and nothing more. You watch your own backs, you patch yourselves up with your own equipment. We're not going to lend you any assistance in any way, shape, or form."
Jack nodded to the somewhat-deal, knowing there was nothing else he could say to convince the man otherwise. He knew what he and his brothers had done and trying to negotiate any sort of deal would only make things worse.
It was then that the men leaned around Jack and took notice of my presence. Nikolai's brows practically met his hairline, and he excused himself to draw closer.
"I see... You're that lieutenant in that pack further south, aren't you?" Nikolai inquired.
The three brothers and I glanced at each other in question. None of us had said a thing about my position or where I had come from.
"Uh, yes. I am. We haven't met before...?"
"No, but you know Jacob. My brother."
Brother?? It slowly dawned on me as to why his face seemed so... familiar. With a slightly broader nose, a stronger jawline, and shorter, lighter hair, he would be a dead ringer for Jacob.
"As I understood it, he was an orphan," I replied breathlessly and perhaps a little defensively. I couldn't just take
this man's word for it. Had Jacob been aware that he'd had a brother?
"Yes and no. Our parents were killed, yes, but he had no idea how to take care of a cub. He left me here, with these people. They told me how I had come to be here and once I was old enough, I sent out feelers to see if I could find him again, afraid that he had died alone. And I found him once, saw you and him together on a hunt with a number of others. He looked... happy, and I decided that I didn't need to interfere. If he had found a life somewhere else, I didn't want to show up and weigh him down with guilt for leaving me behind."
"But..." I understood his logic, but that didn't make the pain in my chest any less. To know that Jacob had had family that still cared about him. Things could have been so different. We could have ventured here together, he could have...
"How is Jacob?"
And there it was, the question I knew was coming but couldn't prevent. It cracked through my senses like a gunshot, and I struggled to find the words. I thought I alone would be the one to mourn him in the coming years, and now I was going to have to lay that burden on his brother as well.
"Jacob died three days ago... when these fine men found me. He fought to the bitter end to keep me alive. I... don't know what I would have done without him..." I couldn't bear to look him in the eye and my gaze fell to the ground. I heard footsteps near, heard people shuffling out of the way. I looked up to find Nikolai standing right in front of me, his brows furrowed deep. I was afraid he was angry, that I had failed his brother in those last moments. But he pulled me into a tight hug that almost crushed all the air out of me.
"Thank you for being with him in his final moments..." he whispered, and my arms fell around his broad chest. We stood there for a few minutes, mourning together in silence. It felt good to have someone know what I was going through, especially someone who was sharing the same loss.
Mated to the Alpha Wolves Page 8