by Lauren Dane
Tracy laughed into a gasp as Gabe pulled out slowly and pressed in again. On his next stroke into her, Nick lifted her and rolled his hips away, pulling out.
The only thing holding her back from screaming at the intensity of feeling were her fingernails digging into her thighs. The way their cocks bumped each other as one pushed in and the other pulled out was maddeningly good. So good it made her delirious.
“Oh yeah, that’s it. You’re so damned tight.” Gabe’s words were little more than a grunt.
A mewl broke from her lips as Nick’s fingertips intensified their pressure on her clit. “I don’t know if I can do this,” she gasped. The feelings were so deep, so intense and compelling that they frightened her. Self-control slipped through her fingers as she went spinning into a rush of pleasure greater than she’d ever experienced before.
“Baby, let go. We’re here to catch you,” Nick said softly.
And she did. And climax broke over her almost violently as her entire body shook with the impact of the intense pleasure. Her head shot back onto Gabe’s shoulder and she made a sound close to a wail as the waves of feeling rode her, buffeted her, pulled her under and left her in a place where she could only receive.
Receive the cocks that were pressing into her. Receive the emotions both her mates were broadcasting. Receive the love in the room and the sweat and come and caresses of mouths and hands. Receive the sounds of Nick’s and Gabe’s climaxes coming, the spasms of cocks and thrusting of muscles until there was nothing left to do but fall in a tangle of arms and legs onto the bed, utterly boneless.
She mumbled something into the pillow and Milton barked and jumped on the bed when Gabe got up.
A sloppy, wet kiss from Milton revived her into a laugh. Rolling a bit back into Nick’s body, she scratched right under Milton’s chin in the way he liked best. “Well, wow,” she said to no one in particular.
Nick laughed behind her and reached around to pet the top of Milton’s head. “Yeah, that’ll do.”
“You like Milty! I knew it.” Craning her neck, she looked back at him and he gave her a rueful smile.
“For a three-legged dog, he’s not half bad. But he can’t sleep in our bed. I draw the line there.”
Gabe snorted as he came into the room. “The dog has a bed nearly as nice as ours and a doggie door just his size leading into the backyard. He doesn’t need our bed.”
“He needs a good foundation to sleep on!” Tracy said, sitting up to kiss Milton’s head. He gave a doggie groan of happiness and then, knowing the direction of the conversation, hopped down and went over to his bed and got in it, grinning up at the three of them before closing his eyes.
“So what time do we need to get out of here tomorrow?” Tracy snuggled down between them, breathing in that intoxicating combination of sex and male and wolf.
“National is sending a plane for us at ten. And yes, I made arrangements for Milton to come along too.”
Tracy grinned at him from beneath her lashes. “I love that about you. You have this air of untouchable old school about you but beneath that, you’re a big old softie.” She smirked. “Okay, well, where I’m concerned anyway. Where others are concerned, you’re a hardass and that’s so sexy. Like I’m the only one who gets to see the sweet, furry underbelly.”
“I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not.”
Tracy snorted a laugh. “Of course you should. The both of you are all scary big bad wolf business, but with me you’re sweet and considerate. I like that very, very much. Makes me feel deliciously girly. But if you tell anyone that I’ll deny it.”
Nick barked out a surprised laugh and kissed the top of her head. “It’s nice to have one area of my life where I can let my guard down, you know? A soft, beautiful woman to bury my cock in, to share my troubles with, who has my back.”
“Oh yeah. Babe, that bit tonight when you took Sarah out? Wow,” Gabe growled and rolled his cock into her side.
She grinned at him. “You liked that? I wanted to rip her fucking head off her neck for talking to Nick that way. I’m sorry, sweetie, I know this has to be hard for you.” She turned to Nick.
“Oh, no. Gabe’s right. I wanted to turn and rip your jeans off and fuck you right there, even in the midst of all that turmoil. When you’re all Alpha like that? Seriously sexy. And when you get jealous?” He shivered and she fluttered her lashes.
Chapter Eight
The plane ride was relatively painless. Milton got to ride in the cabin with them because it was a private plane and he immediately charmed the flight attendant, who kept sneaking him treats.
A car met them at the airport and drove them to Gabe’s home in the Back Bay.
“But where do you all run? I can’t imagine you all changing and galloping through the Boston Commons under the moon.”
“Believe it or not, there’s quite a bit of wilderness within a half an hour from here. We can’t be as spontaneous as you all can back in the Northwest, but we urban wolves get by.” He winked.
Tracy took in the sights as they drove past them. She loved Boston already. It was so beautiful. So much history juxtaposed with modern glass buildings, wide-open parks and close-built neighborhoods. It was so many things at once.
Like Gabe’s home, which was actually a condo in a building overlooking the water. “Don’t worry, honey, the Pack owns the building and dogs are welcome. If we can’t walk Milton, my assistant will be happy to.”
Tracy sighed at how wonderful he was.
Yep, impressive all right. When she walked into the giant open front foyer it fairly screamed out old-world elegance. Tall vases flanked the large double doors and she tried not to stare at it all openmouthed like a bumpkin.
A tall woman glided into view and smiled at Gabe. “You’re here. Welcome home.” She approached and kissed his cheek. But before Tracy could get annoyed, the woman turned to her and grinned. “You must be Tracy. I’m so pleased to meet you! I’m Julie, Gabe’s assistant. Please come in. I’ve prepared the master suite for you.”
With that, Julie swept her into a hug filled with genuine warmth.
Milton barked and Julie looked down at him and put her hands on her hips. “And you must be Milton. I’m pleased to meet you as well. Gabe told me all about you and I can’t wait to get to know you better. I’ve even got a bed for you all made. But for now, do you want to go on a walk?”
“Oh that’s all right. I can take him. It’s not necessary for you to do that.”
“Really, it’s my pleasure. I love dogs but my mate is allergic. I know, makes me laugh too, considering. But he is. So I’d love to spoil Milton a little when I can.”
“Okay, well, thank you. I appreciate that very much.”
Julie winked, grabbed Milton’s leash and headed outside.
“She’s something else.”
“She’s a wonderful assistant. Pretty much did everything for me. I used to think she was the perfect wife. Took care of my dry cleaning, ordered in the food and no strings other than a paycheck. Now, of course, I see all the other, very fine benefits,” he added quickly.
“Let’s get settled in. We’re to meet with the inner circle this evening. I’m betting there’s food in the kitchen.”
Gabe led them through the large, two-story apartment, and as the tour continued, Tracy continued to be impressed. The entire place looked out over the sparkling water and across the river lay Cambridge. The place was furnished with beautiful antiques.
“Gabe, this is all really lovely. I feel sort of guilty for bringing you to Portland now.”
He stopped and pulled her to him. “This is a nice place, yes. Beautiful view, expensive furniture. All very lovely. But what I have with you in Portland is a home. Stuff can never compare to what I feel here,” he put his hand over his heart. “What I have here is a nice place to sleep between working and traveling.”
“You travel a lot?” Nick rummaged through the giant Sub-Zero fridge and began to pull out food for a me
al. He put a bottle of juice into Tracy’s hand and gave her a look that dared her to refuse to drink it. She actually considered it just to see what sort of delicious response it might garner but the discussion was still very serious.
Gabe sighed and pulled out plates. “Yes. I travel out of state at least twice a month for a few days each time.”
Tracy barely held back a gasp. The thought of only being with him a week out of the month actually caused her physical pain. In between his travel and his responsibilities to the National Pack, realistically, he’d only be in Portland a week or so at a time, maybe once a month or six weeks with that schedule. The reality of his dual roles hit her hard. It sucked.
Gabe looked at her with narrowed eyes.
Nick turned to her, put a slice of lasagna on her plate and popped it into the microwave. “You’re going to eat. You didn’t eat any breakfast and you haven’t been eating right the last week. When I was checking out your ass this morning I noticed your pants were really loose.”
“I’m fine. I just lose my appetite when I’m stressed.”
Gabe scowled at her and slathered a huge amount of butter on the bread in his hand. “Eat this.”
She took it from him, ate it and tried not to moan at the taste. “Ohmigod! What is this?”
“Julie and her husband live in Little Italy. She brings fresh bread three days a week.” The microwave dinged, he turned to pull out her plate, piled salad on it and shoved it in front of her with a look that dared her to argue.
Shrugging, she poured the dressing on and dug in.
“How do you feel about Gabe being gone so much, baby?” Nick asked as he got his own plate and sat down beside her. He knew the answer of course, he could feel it through their bond.
“It’s his job.”
“That’s not an answer to the question, Tracy,” Gabe said with narrowed eyes.
“What do you want from me? I can’t say anything supportive. I’m sorry. I don’t like the idea at all! In fact, I hate it. It makes my stomach hurt to think of only seeing you once a month or a few days here and there each month. I want you all the time, every day. I want you to come home every night to our house. In our state. But it’s your job and you love it and I don’t want to make you feel bad.”
“I’m going to tender my resignation.”
Tracy goggled at him but before she could argue he shook his head and went on.
“I’ve been thinking about it since we sealed the bond. About how agonizing it would be to leave you so often. It’s hard enough with no one really. But impossible for me to leave you and Nick for so many days a month. I don’t want to. And I’m an Alpha of Pacific now, that’s important. And right now, in the shadow of all this crazy shit with Sarah and Ben, it’s more important than ever that we stick together and run Pacific right. I do love being the Mediator. It’s a great job. But I can be a mediator in the legal world too. There are law firms in Portland and I can take the occasional mediation job for National when and if they need me. But my place is with you and Nick. That’s where I want to be. Where I belong.”
“But who’ll be the Mediator now?” Tracy didn’t want to let herself fully accept it until she’d worked it all through with him.
“I’m not the only Mediator. As you know, werewolves are constantly fighting and having issues with each other. I can’t do it all. There are wolves on my staff who will do a fine job. And in fact, I think that my intention to resign and go to Pacific will help the Enforcer know that I’m not trying to challenge him but to get him to see just how dangerous Warren Pellini is.” He looked at her carefully. “Does that work for you? You’re the one who has to live with two Alpha wolves and two bodyguards.”
“I just don’t want you to give up something you love for me. I don’t want to be the reason you walk away from something you’ve worked nearly twenty years for.”
“You’re what I love. The rest can be worked out. And I love the house we’re renting but we need something bigger now that we’ll have Trey and Derek there, and each of us will need some office space for Pack business.”
“If we bought the house, we could enlarge the pool house, make it into a residence for Derek and Trey.”
“Yes. But what about our children?” Nick said seriously and Tracy realized that she wasn’t freaked out by the idea.
“We’ll talk about some ideas once this is over.”
Gabe grinned and moved toward her but the front door opened and Julie returned with Milton and Derek.
* * * * *
They decided to tackle the issue head-on. Nina had faxed over what she found but it wasn’t as bad as they’d thought. The National Enforcer wasn’t in deep to Pellini the way that Ben and Sarah were, thank goodness. They could catch the situation early and push Pellini out before he gained any more influence. Or so they hoped.
The National Pack house was in a freaking mansion on Beacon Hill. Tracy was blown away by the place as they entered through the front door. Templeton Mancini, the National Alpha, strode into the hall and swept Tracy into an embrace before she could say a word.
He kissed both cheeks, grinned at her eyebrow ring and looked her up and down before nodding and finally looking at Gabe with approval and then back to her with a wink.
“Hello, sweetheart! Congratulations to you. A tri-mate bond with one of my wolves, I’m very impressed and proud. You’ve got all the archivists atwitter, you know. Told me yesterday that yours is the first tri-mate bond in forty years. Welcome!”
Templeton was six-feet eight-inches tall and at nearly seventy, he was as spry as a man forty years his junior. He quite literally was the strongest wolf in the country and it radiated off him in a way that Tracy could feel physically. No one would be challenging this man and winning for a good decade or so.
He turned his attention to Nick and shook his hand. “Congratulations to you as well. On both your mating and becoming Alpha of Pacific. It’s a heady thing, isn’t it? You can feel all your wolves needing you, needing your guidance and strength. Some days it feels like a millstone, others like a true gift.”
He strode over to Gabe and patted his back and hugged him. “I can feel it in you too. I think that this doesn’t bode well for me and my Mediator.” Templeton eyed Gabe carefully.
Gabe laughed. “I should have known. I plan to resign my position in National to take on membership in Pacific full-time. I can help out from time to time but I need to be near my mates. Need to run my Pack. But I want to talk to you about something before I resign officially.”
“Okay. I’m anxious to hear what the story is with you all becoming Alpha. Come on through, the others are in the living room.”
Gabe followed and Nick and Tracy walked in behind him. There were three other wolves sitting in the room and one female standing near the couch, who beamed when they entered.
“Gabriel! You’ve brought your sweet little mate.” She rushed over and kissed Gabe and then turned to Tracy. “Honey, I’m Carla Mancini and we’ve been waiting for you for a long time. I can see the difference in Gabe already.”
Tracy smiled. “Thank you. I’m the lucky one here really.”
“Piffle!” Carla said with a snort. She eyed Nick and kissed him on the cheek as well and ushered them all to a couch. “You’re a blue-blooded wolf from a fine, strong bloodline. Nick is as well and Gabe is incredibly strong and intelligent. You’re going to make some amazing babies.”
Tracy laughed then and took the drink Templeton handed her.
“Oh, where are my manners?” Carla turned to the two wolves sitting across from where Tracy and Nick were. “This is Jack Meyers, the Enforcer and Tina Elder, the Fourth.”
Tracy gave them both the inclination of her head they deserved to be accorded by their rank and noted the warm smile Tina wore and the look of apprehension Jack had. She wished for a moment that she’d brought Shelley with her to flutter her lashes at him to catch him off guard.
“Please give Lex my regards. He’s something else, your b
rother,” Jack said and Tracy felt a bit more hope that perhaps he wasn’t as far gone as they thought he might be.
“I will. He said you two met at some kind of training given by the FBI a few years back. He was impressed.”
Jack’s left eyebrow rose slightly. “It was a good training. Lex, of course, outdid everyone on the course. Damned excellent tracker, probably the best in the country.” Belatedly his eyes moved to Nick and he colored slightly, making Nick laugh.
“It’s okay. I know. Be glad he lives across the country from you and he’s not your brother-in-law. It’s a good thing I’m Alpha now, Lex casts a pretty big shadow.” Nick was good-natured but still strong. Tracy liked that. He wasn’t as serious as Lex had been before Nina.
“Man could get a damned complex from Lex Warden,” Jack rumbled. All of the males laughed and the females looked at each other with amused smiles.
After they’d made small talk for half an hour or so, Gabe leaned forward in the way Tracy had come to recognize as his mediation stance. His body seemed relaxed, hands either loosely clasped between his knees or one holding a pen. But his eyes missed not one detail and she sensed the coiled-up energy in his muscles. He’d be able to spring in to action at any moment.
“What is it, Gabe? Speak freely.” Templeton leaned back and crossed his legs.
“There’s trouble in the Pack ranks, Alpha. I’ve been approached by several Alphas in many Packs nationwide, either in person or via phone, about their concern with Warren Pellini and his growing influence in National.”
Jack’s eyes narrowed and Templeton’s body tightened. “Warren is a friend of Jack’s, Gabe. Careful where you tread.”
“Yes, sir, I know. And that’s why I was silent for so long about it. But the numbers continued to mount and just recently, an issue came up that led me into a position where I can no longer remain quiet.”
Templeton made a rolling motion with his hand to urge Gabe to get on with it.
“You’re aware that Nick has ascended at Pacific, I know. But Pellini is the reason for it.”
