LiamMy mate’s embrace surrounded me as the warm water poured over us, cleansing away the sweat of the day’s labors, but nothing could wash away the fact I could not give him his heart’s desire. Dan was born to be a father. I often came upon him playing soccer with some of the young ones, a sport he’d enjoyed growing up and had made popular among local packs. Visitors who had the opportunity to see our children in action were excited to introduce the game at home. We might be the only wolf shifters who had a youth soccer league.Dan had been in love with a female years ago, when quite young, but she’d chosen someone else, a fact he said now was fated or he’d never have found me, but she would have given him many children, unlike me. It ripped at my heart not to be able to fill every one of his desires, especially this one, even though he insisted we should be happy with our lives, grateful for what the Goddess gave us, and not tempt fate by wishing for more.Pack was family, true, and
Dan“What a beautiful night.” Liam paced at my side as we strolled under the full moon, enjoying the evening and making sure all was well with our pack. “Maybe the storm will die out before it gets to this side of the Sierra.”I considered the possibility. “It would be nice. Especially if it leaves us a nice half inch of rain along the way. It’s already adding to the snowpack.” Studying the clouds, I noted something odd. “Does that storm appear oddly…narrow?”“What?” Liam followed my gaze. “Have you ever seen one that focused that way? There’s hardly any snow on the peaks on either side, but the pass looks almost winter full. Like when it shuts down to any travel in late December or early January.”“That’s what I mean. Strange.” We’d walked longer than I planned, but the cattle and that fence were seriously on my mind. “I thought we had time before the storm, but if it does pick up and roll in tonight, I’m going to regret not being better prepared. I’d like to go to the western pastur
Dan“Where is she?” I came in to find the place lit up like a Yule tree and Liam in the kitchen stirring a pot that smelled like his “famous” chicken soup. It started out in a can, but he added so many ingredients it was hard to tell. You didn’t lose the female along the way, did you?”“If I had, would I be cooking her dinner? There was some steak left, too, so I thought soup and sandwich? And maybe we’d have a mug of soup to keep her company.”“And the trespasser we took into our custody is doing what right now?”“I was showering.” The bathroom door opened, letting out a blast of steam and the scent of our shampoo and soap. “For which I’m grateful.” Her blonde hair was wrapped in a towel on her head, her body enveloped in a set of my mate’s sweats, leaving only her face and hands and feet visible. But in the well-lit room, I was able to see what I hadn’t before. Those luminous eyes were green with flecks of gold and a gold ring around the iris. Her cheeks were flushed, her stance det
MiaTheir voices reached into my exhausted slumber. I’d never intended to go to sleep at all, but sitting there in the warm comfortable room, wearing cozy sweats, with a tummy full of delicious food had put me out. The alphas in the kitchen spoke in low tones, words I couldn’t quite make out that blurred into a soothing murmur. My brain couldn’t keep hold of consciousness, no matter how hard I tried. My last coherent thought was that if I got an hour or so’s rest, I’d be better able to escape after they went to bed.I likely wouldn’t have managed that catnap if not for the alphas pausing by where I slept on their sofa to talk dirty to each other. My assumptions they were bachelors waiting for a mate fled when one of them used the term for the other. I lay still, hoping they still believed me asleep, but they were so busy teasing one another about some plan they had for sex later that my presence had interrupted, I probably could have opened my eyes and watched.Then, as if they hadn’t
Liam“Are you out of your mind?” Dan’s eyes were so wide, I was afraid he might strain them. “What would make you offer something like that?”We’d fallen asleep at some point in the night, both of us, and I really expected to find our guest had left when we got up this morning. If it hadn’t been so dangerous, with the biggest storm in decades settled in for a while, I’d have been relieved if she left. I didn’t consider her a threat, at least not to anyone but herself. At least the cattle were in the pastures that offered some shelter, with fencing that would keep them close enough to take advantage of it.“Mia, I’m afraid you may have been injured more than you thought, yesterday,” I said, concerned for her welfare. “As soon as the snow lets up, we’ll send for the healer. Did you fall and hit your head at any point?”We were eating breakfast, oatmeal with brown sugar and, and drinking coffee at this point, and Mia had made the strangest offer I could imagine.“No, I did not hit my hea
MiaTheir scent nearly overwhelmed me; it permeated their bedding and had me ready to tear my clothes off and offer myself to them. In fact, I had offered myself to them. In a way, but they wanted more than I was prepared to give. They wanted everything. And I had run away from that. Rod might not be alpha in his pack now, but he would be one day, making me alpha female there, too.But how could I compare that situation to this? I felt nothing but disgust for Rod and fear of his father. Liam and Dan were kind. “Would it be all right if I thought about this for a while?” I needed to breathe. “I know you’re offering me a great honor, but it’s such a surprise, I just…I don’t know what to do.”“Sure.” Liam stood and drew me to my feet. “Why don’t you relax, have more coffee, think about it all day if you want. Nobody is going to make it here from the other side of the mountains in the storm, so you’re safe for the time being.”“And if you want to stay here but you don’t want to mate with
DanI never knew, never even considered what it would be like to watch my mate kiss someone else. If anyone had asked how I’d feel under such circumstances, my reply would have been entirely negative, but watching Sawyer kiss Mia made my heart swell in my chest. I wanted them to love one another, to give each other pleasure. My wolf rumbled in contentment, chasing away any doubts I might have harbored about whether this little wolf was ours. Her prayers to the Goddess had indeed led her to us, where she belonged.Liam’s wolf was making the same sounds as mine, as his kisses deepened. For the moment, I lay back and allowed my two mates to connect. I would have my turn, many turns over our years together, provided she didn’t leave. She wanted it to be her decision, something her own father had tried to steal from her, and when I considered how close she’d come to being forced into that mating, my vision darkened in rage.We were together in our bed, a place that just a day or so ago had
LiamA storm always creates situations that need tending to as soon as possible. Dan had gone out to check on the stock and on his fencing repairs, while I dealt with pack members’ who had damage. Most could be handled after the storm finished its work and blew out to the east, but a few had broken windows and other immediate needs. It was after six and dark when we made our way home, having met up at the community building when we finished for the day.“I wanted to roast a chicken tonight, but it’s too late to start.” It was another of the dishes I could manage. Anyone could really. “I should have slow-cooked it.”“You thought we’d be back. We can fry some eggs or something.” He rested his hands on my hips as we walked single file on the narrow path we’d dug out this morning. If it had snowed any harder during the day, we’d have been doing it again tonight. “Dinner isn’t our biggest problem tonight anyway.”The cabin came in sight, the living room windows glowing in the darkness. Eno
Mom is still pissed off?” I asked him, and he sighed before nodding.“I think you really pushed her too far this time, Mia. Mom has banned me from seeing you and says she doesn’t want me to become corrupt like you.” His words stung, but I knew it wasn’t his intention.“Maybe go stay with Mia’s father and Dan till things calm down,” he said.“No, the river won’t be so bad. She will forgive me eventually. That’s what mothers do,” I said, though my mother wasn’t like normal mothers. “Besides, Dan has Melana there all the time. I can’t stand her.”“What are you going to do about blood? You can have some of mine, but I know it won’t taste too good.”I shook my head. “It’s fine. I will just catch something,” I told him though that didn’t sound all that appealing.He nodded before digging through his bag again. “Here,” he said, handing me some money. I shook my head, trying to pass it back to him.“No, keep it. I will be fine. I don’t want your pocket money, Liam. I just wanted to see you.”
“Liam, calm down! You think we asked for this to happen?” I heard Mia’s Dad yell at her as Liam and I rushed out, peering over the balcony to the floor below. Mia’s Dad ducked as she threw something at him, and it hit the wall behind him, leaving a dent.“Love, enough,” I heard Liam, my stepfather, tell her.“What? Are you fucking okay with this? It is fucking wrong!” she screamed, and curiosity got the better of Liam and me. I crept down the steps. Liam, also curious, followed me. One of the steps creaked under his weight, and he smiled, his teeth clenched and his eyes squinting. My mother looked up at me, her face twisting in anger at the sight of me.“And you! You wait till I get my hands on you!” she growled, about to storm up the steps.Thanks, Liam. Now we don’t know what they were arguing over, I thought to myself when I saw my mother’s thong flying toward me. I ducked before snorting that she just threw her shoe at me. I watched Liam dart off, escaping her fury.“Get here now!
Dan came out fully dressed a few minutes later after showering.“Come on. You need to face her sooner or later. Better with us with you,” Dan said, gripping my elbow and pulling me toward the door.Ididnotwantto go home. My mother would still spank me even though I was nearly eighteen. That woman was crazy and damn, did she have a good hand. I could still remember the last ass-kicking she gave me, never thinking I would walk the same again. She branded my ass real good that day.Only this time, I really messed up. I burned the entire science lab down. I still believe it wasn’t completely my fault. Yes, I burned the classroom down, but I only intended to destroy the table, not blow the entire place up. Not my fault someone left the gas on, the teacher was supposed to turn it off before locking it up.Dan opened the back door of the car, pushing me toward it.“How about you both go, and I wait here?” I suggested. Mia’s father looked over at me from the other side of the car.“Get in the
“Doesn’t look like it!” he snapped at us. I dropped my arm on Mia’s father shoulder, jerking him toward me before slapping his chest.“We are good. Right, bro?”He slapped mine harder. “Never better,” he said.“Good! I need one of you to help me get the lights up there,” Mia said, pointing to the railing along the awning.Mia’s father walked over to her, grabbing her and placing her on his shoulders. I growled at him, and Liam looked at me, giving me a look ofwhat-the-fuck-is-going-on. I shook my head, walked over, and passed the lights up to Mia as she clipped them onto the awning.“What’s wrong with you two morons?” she asked.MiaAs I was getting out of the car, I knew my mother was going to kill me. After nearly five years and only coming home on holiday breaks, I had finally pushed too many buttons, and they kicked me out of school.My father had sent Jacob to get me from Avalon City. A lot of us mutations had trouble fitting in with pack wolves. So Avery and Aamon, who was alrig
Mia’s dad These bloody meetings were boring, but Liam insisted we sit through the Alpha meet every year. We still had a year before we took over Black Moon Pack, so I thought it rather pointless when we didn’t actually get a say in anything yet.They weren’t so bad, though. My entire family was here, seeing as we all came from Alpha bloodlines. My aunty Mia was here with her husband Mike, from the Crescent Pack. My older sister Nikki and her two mates, Tate and Drake, from the Forest Pack were also here. And of course, my other older sister Jessica and her mate Chase, from the Red River Pack were here sitting next to my mother. Black Creek Packs Alpha, Dan, and his Luna were also here with two other packs, whom I couldn’t remember for the life of me. Kind of pointless when my family ran the majority of the packs. Not like the other three packs could argue; no one wanted to piss off hybrid wolf packs. And they sure as hell didn’t want to piss off my brother Liam, the Alpha King, a tit
“No. No, I’m not. But I told you. I’m a wolf. A wolf shifter. And the PDA is an agency that sets up shifters on dates. So while nobody told me what your guys turn into, it stands to reason it’s something. And since polar bears in the wild in California are kinda not a thing, those bears are your guys.”Her friend had lost her mind. “Nikki, have you hit your head on something?”“Honey, if I was there, I’d shift and show you.”“But the full moon was yesterday.”She snorted. “Fairy tales. We shift whenever we want to. Look, I feel fairly confident of this, but have you looked around where you saw the bears.”“Yeah.”“Any blood? Body parts? Brains spattered across the snow.”Jenni winced. “Eww. No.” She refilled her cup and sat again, warming her hands on the ceramic.“Then describe to me exactly what you saw.”And Mia did just that. By the time her phone went dead, she was convinced her friend at least believed she was a wolf. She’d never said anything like that before. In the modeling w
Mia Mia barely understood what Dan was whispering to her so urgently. Something about a rescue. had to go. She should stay here, keep the fire burning and not go outside until they returned. It was still storming, and they hated to leave her alone.He’d said something about working on the mountain, must be search and rescue. They had rushed out so quickly she hadn’t had a chance to ask for details, but when someone was in danger, chatting wasn’t a first priority.Stretching, she stood and found one of their shirts. She had her luggage around here somewhere, but the white tee fit her like a nightshirt and smelled amazing, like deep-green forest meets sexy male. Their voices faded, and the door slammed behind them as she arrived in the great room. How long would they be gone? These things took days in the movies. She hoped whoever was in trouble could hang on until they got there.She moved toward the kitchen, planning on the world’s hugest cup of coffee, but something outside the wind
MiaPlaying for these two men could have so many meanings, but Mia was pretty sure she’d like all of them. At least if the night before was any indication. For the first time since before she stated modeling, she didn’t even care if she had coffee before starting her day. They lay on either side of her and mirrored one another, starting with nuzzling her ears, nibbling the lobes, grazing her neck with their teeth then doing the same to her shoulders. She shivered, already soaked between her legs and with her nipples on full alert.She hadn’t lied. They had ruined her for anyone else. And while Liam’s invitation to “stay forever” was just pillow talk, she could pretend. Pretend they wanted her for all of their lives, to make love to and ride snowmobiles to gorgeous settings for her photography. Maybe they’d be willing to pose. Usually she preferred nature scenes, but adding these two could only improve on the backdrops. Mother Nature was responsible for them, too, after all. But even
Her smooth countenance told him nothing, but finally a little grin quirked one side of her mouth and her cheeks flushed. “Kiss him again?”He let out his breath in a whoosh, bubbles of joy spinning through his veins. So relieved, he didn’t move, but Liam reached across their mate and cupped the back of his head in his big palm. “Partner, the lady made a request.”This kiss was nothing short or fast, and by the time they drew apart and glanced down, Mia’s eyes sparkled with crystal tears. “That was so beautiful. I could tell you were super close, last night and, let’s face it, comfortable naked together, but since you didn’t umm interact with each other, I didn’t know if you were just good friends in the habit of sharing women or…” She swallowed hard and the tears spilled over, pouring down her cheeks. “Why do you even need me? I-I…you love each other so much. I’m just in the way.”They both stared then Liam as usual voiced what they both thought. “Mia, of course we love each other. We