“Yeah.” It was so low, I had to strain to hear him. “But I don’t… what’s happening?”“I think—I think maybe he’s our third.” I hadn’t fully formed the thought until the words came out, and as I did, everything fell into place. He was our third. This entire time, Dante was mine and he sensed it based on what he said.“What do we do about it?” Dante asked as he skimmed his hand against my thigh under the table. Just a light touch. But it was everything.“We get our asses to his cabin and figure this out before he leaves,” I said, wishing I had a better answer than that. Clarissa just arrived, so we at least had tonight.“Grilled cheese galore.” Grant and Aspen set down a pile of sandwiches.All I—we wanted to do was return to the den and find our mate. And sure, we could’ve asked Aspen to eat faster, but he’d have asked why, and then we’d have to tell him because at the end of the day he was our Alpha. This felt like something better figured out by the three of us before adding in our b
Clarissa It seemed like an eternity that I hid in the cabin, hoping that Beta was long gone. The second Beta, the one who scented as my mate. Scented, not that I accepted him. Nope, that was my beast, not me.And Beta Two was a different Beta to the one I’d met earlier, Beta One. He was also my mate, according to the beast inside me.“What the ever-loving fucked-up shit is this?” I bellowed and then hit the floor, hoping Beta Two wouldn’t kick the door down, thinking he was rescuing me.Names, my leopard insisted.Not now. Sure, they’d told me their names, but to use them, to personalize the two alphas, made this situation much more real. And I didn’t want that.My beast harrumphed, saying I was using my heart and not instinct.It was ironic that he’d been the one who couldn’t settle these past years, had me packing up more times than I could count, and sleeping in my car when it was too wet to camp and I couldn’t find anywhere to stay. I’d been forced to leave friends and communitie
Oh no, give me a break. I’d been planning a pleasant and restful afternoon and my snow leopard had to spoil it. Ignoring him and hoping the sight of the river with mountains in the distance would soothe him, I set off. There were other tourists, both humans and shifters, in the cabins; some waved and said hello, while others were filming themselves doing silly antics, presumably to upload to social media. That reminded me I had to work either later this afternoon or tonight. Gotta pay the bills.I passed one cabin in particular where the scent of both those damned Betas was overpowering, and my beast expected me to march in. He pressured me to get closer and after glancing around and seeing no one, I climbed the stairs onto the porch and peered through the window.There was a faint whiff of fresh paint, and the pristine interior suggested the cabin was brand new. But it was empty.Nobody’s here, I told him. But what my beast didn’t say and what he’d picked up was they had been there.
DanteThings hadn’t made sense in what felt like forever. Not since I first realized I loved Alicia and that we were both alphas—a love that could go nowhere. But right here, with Clarissa in our arms, their two scents surrounding me, suddenly everything did.“Whoa,” the omega in our embrace whispered against my chest. “I thought—I’m not sure what I thought. I couldn’t piece it together, but now, with the three of us here—it’s true, my snow leopard was right—you’re both my mates.”I held them both a little closer. “Yeah. It feels different now that we’re all in one place.”“Like we are exactly where we are supposed to be.” Alicia leaned his head against mine. “I want to sit by the river. I feel like there’s a lot to say.”There was more than a lot to be said. We had to figure out so many things.But also, we needed to learn about each other. Sure, Alicia and I had known each other forever. But we didn’t know each other together and that would be new and different. And Clarissa just m
“No. Not as a rule. Maybe it happens sometimes.”It wasn’t a bear thing and it wasn’t a snow leopard thing. But still it was an us thing. There was no denying that the three of us were mates—fated mates, put on this earth for each other.“I don’t think there’s ever been a triad in the den. Our den’s history isn’t good, and there were some alphas in the past who decided to claim multiple omegas as their own. But those days are long gone. Aspen has brought us into this century.”“I’ve heard and I appreciate it. It’s the reason why I decided to stay here in the first place instead of finding a B&B or motel by the week like I often did.” He scented the air, his nostrils flaring, his body telling me he loved the scent of us. “You had internet so I could do my work.”“What do you do?” Alicia asked, and Clarissa explained about the business he started and how he could do it from anywhere.It was a huge relief to me. It meant that he could stay, if he wanted to. That was the best of all possi
AliciaOur beasts dumped Clarissa’s clothes on my porch and his snow leopard hesitated, glancing at Dante’s bear before looking into my beast’s eyes. Dante was the more outgoing of us two. He was a natural leader who made quick decisions, whereas I tended to make up the rear, dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. But us admitting to being true mates and having wasted time stifling that love gave me the courage to take the lead.Instead of taking our skin, I loped off in the direction of the orchards, glancing behind once, which was a signal for my mates to follow me. While snow leopards were carnivores, I had no clue if they were tempted by fruit. Brian had let on that his mate, our Healer, loved watermelon.But even if Clarissa’s beast was repulsed by apples and cherries, they were part of our bears’ diet in the den, though our head gardener yelled at us if we didn’t eat from the Bears Only trees or worse, if we broke branches. We had to do the den version of community service if we
the floor. Clarissa lifted his legs and his puckered hole glistened with slick. Gods, I wanted a taste. Dante leaned back on the cushions and parted his knees, giving me the perfect view of his entrance.“Can’t see,” Clarissa whined as he pumped his cock.Dante shifted his butt and Clarissa panted and tugged his dick faster.“I wanna see your slick,” Dante instructed the leopard shifter as his cheeks flushed, and I longed for the moment when my alpha mate was thrusting into me.“Like this.” Clarissa shoved two fingers in his hole, and I almost came. Instead, I slowed my hand, wanting the exquisite pleasure that was pumping through my veins to never stop. Our omega lifted his hand and the sunlight pouring through the window had his fingers glistening.“Suck your fingers.” That was me being brave and telling him what to do. As a Beta, I gave orders and instructions frequently, but a threesome was new to me, especially as we were now mates.Dante bit his lower lip and his chest heaved. M
CLARISSAMy beast had often been a pain in my butt, but never, not once, had I lost complete control of my body the way I had just done. My snow leopard needed to claim Alicia. It wasn’t a want—not even close. It was a compulsion that couldn’t be denied.And if I were being honest with myself, I let him take over, knowing what he was going to do. Alicia was my alpha. Not just mine, Dante's as well. The three of us were a triad and all the rest of the noise over how and when faded away as I sunk my teeth into him, marking him as my own.Dante marked him, too, the sensual activities we partook in ending just as they were meant to—mostly.Alicia was looking back and forth between us as if trying to piece it all together. Dante came to my side, making it easier for Alicia to see us both at once, but also letting me hold Dante’s hand. We’d just shared this magical and intense moment and not touching them wasn’t an option.“I know I should apologize,” Dante spoke first. “But I can’t bring m
“Không, nhưng tôi nghĩ tối nay anh ấy sẽ cầu hôn,” Liam nói. “Nó chỉ hợp lý thôi. Hôm qua, tôi tình cờ nghe được cuộc trò chuyện qua điện thoại của anh ấy với ai đó - tôi nghĩ là một nhân viên PR nào đó. Westcliff nói rằng nhà vua sẽ đưa ra thông báo sau vài ngày nữa - ý tôi là về Hoàng tử Haydn. Westcliff cũng muốn thông báo về việc đính hôn của chúng tôi vào khoảng thời gian đó. Nó có ý nghĩa. ”Jules đã nghiên cứu kỹ lưỡng về anh trai mình.Khuôn mặt đáng yêu của Liam rất khó đọc, nhưng đôi mắt của anh ấy không hẳn là ánh lên hạnh phúc.“You don’t have to say yes,” Jules said, feeling painfully uncomfortable. He was so damn torn about the subject he didn’t know what advice to give. He didn’t want Liam to marry an alpha he didn’t love for the sake of their family, but… He was scared that if he told Liam not to marry Westcliff, it would be selfish advice.To make things more confusing, there was a small, horrible part of him that did want Westcliff as the alpha of their family. That
Except even that fantasy wasn’t enough. Thinking about the Xeus just made his broken bond ache. Ache and hurt like an old wound that was starting to bleed again. The pain somehow amplified the desire, and soon Jules was half-sobbing into his pillow, his hips pushing greedily onto the dildo. Need him, need him, can’t need him, need him. Gone, need him, gone. I need—I need—I need. It was fucking horrible. Jules had never felt worse in his life, his muscles trembling, his cock sore, his body oversensitive and needy, and his bond aching.So he tried not to think about his Xeus. He made himself think of other alphas, trying to tell himself that any alpha would do. Any alpha with a thick, hard cock would do. He was desperate enough to almost believe it.He imagined going to a ball, his cock stiff and his slick dribbling down his leg. He imagined alphas turning toward him, their nostrils flaring and their cocks straining their pants. He would be attractive to alphas for once. They would want
Julian flushed. “It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, after…”After sex.Devlin gave a clipped nod, clasping his hands behind his back. His fingers and his jawline itched, as they did when he was on the verge of transforming. Through sheer willpower, he managed to keep his claws in.It was a normal enough reaction, to feel protective of a young omega he cared about.It was.“But the bond took?” he said, his voice very neutral.Julian nodded, not looking at him. “We were naturally compatible.”Devlin’s claws dug into his palm. He turned away and walked to the window.He took a deep breath, staring at Dainiri’s nearly full disk, and then another, until he had his claws under control.“I see,” he heard himself say. “The risk still exists, then. Medical intervention might be needed.”“What do you mean?” Julian said. “More suppressants?”“Increasing the dose again might do more harm than good,” Devlin said stiffly. “I’m hardly a doctor, but even I know that you can’t keep changing yo
Ignoring the question, Devlin studied him carefully. “Do you feel better?”“What?” Julian said, his brows knitting together.Devlin looked at him sharply. “Your brother said you didn’t feel well.”Julian averted his gaze. “Right! Of course. I feel better now. Much better—”“You didn’t want to go with us.”The omega winced, but he didn’t even try to deny it. So it was true.It shouldn’t have bothered him. It really was none of his business.“Why?” Devlin said.Julian shrugged. “It’s not exactly fun being a third wheel.” He still wouldn’t meet Devlin’s eyes.“You’re not telling the truth,” Devlin said, becoming more certain of it the longer Julian avoided looking at him. Stepping into the room, he closed the door behind him.It shut with a click.“What are you doing?” Julian said. “And I’m not lying. You think it’s fun—”“Julian,” Devlin said quietly. “Look at me.”After a moment, the omega finally did as he was told. There was a half-scowl on his face but some other emotion in his eyes
“All ri—” Liam started saying, but Devlin cut him off.“Your brother can’t leave the ball with me,” he said, looking at Julian. “You don’t want any nasty rumors to start flying around, do you?”He could actually hear Julian grind his teeth.“Fine,” he said, still sounding a mix of annoyed and bewildered.The helicopter ride to the Blake house was a strange one. Liam was the only one talking, chattering non-stop about the perfection that was Viscount Nasr while Julian determinedly didn’t look at Devlin.Devlin bored his eyes into him, his fingertips tingling, his claws itching to come out. He curled his hands into fists and breathed shallowly, trying to ignore the way Julian smelled. It was impossible. Julian fucking reeked. He reeked of another alpha. Devlin wanted to fix it, run his hands all over the brat, until he smelled right.It was probably a good thing that Julian was the first to jump out of the helicopter when they arrived, because Devlin didn’t trust himself.Tearing his ga
Julian glared at him, his cheekbones a little pink. “That was a dick move,” he said, glancing back at Nasr, who was left standing in the middle of the dance floor.“He’s much too old for you,” Devlin said, stroking his thumb against Julian’s wrist.“Stop scent-marking me,” Julian gritted out, his color heightening. “And he isn’t too old. He’s half Korf’s age.”“That shouldn’t be your measuring stick,” Devlin said. “I told you I wouldn’t allow your uncle to give you to Korf. You deserve better.”Julian chuckled. “Better? Who?”Devlin’s lips thinned. “Someone better than Nasr.”“There’s nothing wrong with Viscount Nasr. He’s perfectly nice and pleasant, and he actually sees me for being me. I’ve known him forever—he has a neighboring estate. He was always nice to me when I was a child.”“That hardly says good things about him, does it? What a creep.”Julian stomped on his right foot. “You’re being an ass,” he said, his voice a mix of annoyed and bewildered. He blinked a few times. “I do
Their date that day was unexpectedly tedious.Devlin found it difficult to keep his attention on his date, his mood sour and distracted. He was aware that he was acting like a dick, his attitude probably too cold and unapproachable. Liam seemed to have given up on trying to strike up a conversation with him after a few hesitant attempts and focused his attention entirely on the aircar race. When Liam spoke, he spoke only to the beta chaperone who had accompanied them to the race.By the time the race was over, Devlin had a headache once again, his body brimming with tension and anxiety, the source of which he couldn’t pinpoint. He barely had the patience to smile for the paparazzi as they left the track, and his smile was probably very strained. Hopefully he didn’t actually look like he wanted to punch someone.He dropped Liam off, and then he hesitated, looking at the Blake house. It would be only polite to inquire how Julian was feeling.Devlin pulled his phone out of his pocket and
Several weeks passed like that. Westcliff called on Liam and took him out on dates, putting on that disgustingly charming mask he wore in public. More often than not, Jules accompanied them, serving as a chaperone, for appearances’ sake—officially. Unofficially, he kind of… he went because he wanted to be around the duke. It freaked him out that he felt addicted to the way Westcliff made him feel, but he couldn’t help himself. It felt so good, especially when Westcliff allowed him to rub his face against his scent gland—the euphoria was beyond his ability to express properly. Afterward, Jules felt so embarrassed, but thankfully, Westcliff didn’t make fun of him and always acted as if there was nothing weird about his behavior. “Better?” he would say in a quiet murmur, and Jules would flush and nod and look anywhere but at him. Every time he told himself it was the last time, but his resolve melted into a mass of goo the next time he saw the duke. It was horrible. Horribly addictive.
Jules ôm lại anh trai mình, nhưng cảm giác lo lắng, bất an dưới da anh không thể biến mất. Ngược lại với ý muốn của mình, anh thấy mình đang nghĩ đến cảm giác an toàn như thế nào trong vòng tay của Westcliff ngày hôm qua, như thể không gì có thể chạm vào anh hay làm anh bị thương. Có lẽ có Westcliff làm alpha của họ sẽ không phải là một điều tồi tệ. Có lẽ anh nên cho anh ta một cơ hội. *** Quyết tâm của Jules để cho Westcliff một cơ hội kéo dài chính xác cho đến khi Westcliff gọi điện cho họ - trên Liam - vào buổi chiều. Anh không biết điều gì ở người đàn ông này đã khiến anh nổi gai ốc, tự ý thức và chỉ trích thái quá. Đó là một sự kết hợp kỳ lạ giữa các cảm xúc, nhưng anh không thể không nhìn Westcliff bằng ánh mắt dò xét, hoài nghi khi công tước đang nói chuyện nhỏ với Liam và chú Wayne. Thằng khốn thậm chí còn chưa liếc nhìn anh một lần kể từ khi bước vào phòng. Jules khoanh tay trước ngực, sau đó không bắt chéo chúng. Nhặt chiếc máy tính bảng trên chiếc bàn trong góc, anh n