by T. S. Ryder
"So, one of my conditions is that we don't have sex until we've known each other for at least three months."
Amelia felt like she had just been slapped in the face. Her jaw dropped and the words came out in a rush, carried by her pent-up breath. "No sex?"
Her voice carried throughout the restaurant. All around, other customers and servers turned to stare at their table. Amelia covered her face, wishing the ground would swallow her up. Ugh, could she have shouted that any louder? The two Alphas were probably horrified by her behavior and ready to run.
To her surprise, they chuckled, their voices low.
"I take it sex is important to you as well?" Xavier asked, his voice low and husky.
Amelia gulped. "Orgasms are," she whispered. "If I don't get one, you don't get me."
He nodded seriously. "Noted."
"And any conditions on mine?" Timothy asked, waggling his brows.
"Uh… I guess just don't do things for me, unless it's, like, holding a door or whatever. Common courtesy is great. But if there's a light bulb burnt out in my house, tell me, don't just change it. I can take care of my own problems, and if I can't, I'll ask for help."
"So, you'll be having us to your house, then?" Timothy asked.
More heat, this time, a good deal lower than her face. Amelia let out a choppy breath. "Yeah. I would really like that. I wasn't so sure about the whole ménage à trois thing, but I don't know. It's easy to talk with you guys. I'd like to see if we can make this work."
Her heart was fluttering again. She was going to have to get an EKG if it kept this up, but she couldn't help but grin. She had a nasty habit of falling in love like lightning and then being terribly disappointed when her knights in shining armor turned out to be pigs in tin foil.
Regardless, she had never wanted her fantasies to be true more than she did at this moment.
***
"No sex for three months?"
Timothy grinned at the despair in Xavier's voice as he pulled the car into the driveway of the house they shared. He was expecting his partner to have a reaction like this, but he was going to stand firm on the issue. He had grown up in a house where all his parents did was fight and have sex, and they weren't particularly discreet about either. He wanted–needed–a family that got along, that could talk through their problems and not need sex and kids to glue them together.
Honesty was also really important, but going into the details of why on a first date would have been a sure-fire way to frighten Amelia off. She didn't need to know the details of how his mother constantly cheated on his father.
"I trust that you'll respect my wishes," Timothy said. "I'm going to need your backup if I'm going to resist her. Did you notice the way she smelled?"
Xavier closed his eyes and groaned in agony. "Don't remind me! She was the most sensual—"
Timothy cursed under his breath. Xavier looked at him with a startled expression, and the Lakeland Alpha nodded out the window. "The council."
The council was made up of elderly werewolves, and they were emerging from the darkness, all in their Wolf forms. Timothy and Xavier glanced at each other, frowning, before they got out of the car. Timothy ripped off his clothes and shifted, striding forward to meet the council. As Wolves, they dwarfed the council, but even as Alphas, they had to remain respectful. The council had years of experience on their side.
Lucinda's grandfather, a powerful werewolf in his prime, now half-crippled with arthritis, growled. You are courting a human female.
Timothy's tail cricked in annoyance. We believe she is our mate.
Humans cannot be an Alpha's mate. She would never bear strong Alpha children. Mating a human is as good as slapping our females in the face.
Timothy growled, his quick temper surging upwards, but, as always, Xavier's calm presence stopped things from getting out of hand. The other Alpha stepped forward, casually placing himself in front of Timothy.
We have not yet mated the female. But if we do, it will be because we are already mated to her in soul. If that happens, you will respect her as your Alpha female.
The old werewolf snarled, hackles rising, but Xavier raised his head, letting out one warning growl. Timothy stepped beside him, echoing the posture.
We are one in the decision, he told the other werewolves.
The council glanced at each other before they nodded and turned back into the darkness. Timothy watched them go, a well of dread rising in him. The decision was made, but what would he and Xavier do if the council decided not to accept it? Any fighting between them had the potential of destroying the packs, and that was something they couldn't risk. He and Xavier were young – they hadn't had time to establish their dominance as their fathers had.
But there was more at stake than just their own futures. The future of the packs was also at risk. If they weren’t strong enough to handle this together… then it might just spell the end of their packs.
Chapter Three
The Alphas, Amelia found out, had a weakness for old cars. Really old cars. She laughed when they showed up at her house in a refurbished Model-T Ford. The top was down, making it look slightly less bulky, but it was so ridiculous to be riding in one of those ancient things that Amelia offered to drive her own car out to the packlands. Xavier and Timothy wouldn't hear of it.
"This is our baby," Xavier said, stroking the hood with tenderness. "She's served us well for years."
"It's the first car we rebuilt," Timothy added. "And what better way to bring you to meet the packs than in our most iconic vehicle?"
Xavier helped her into the backseat and slid in next to her. The engine was smooth and quiet, probably from the modernization that the Alphas had put into it. Amelia's heart thumped, producing butterflies in her stomach as they made their way down the highway, the wind blowing through her hair. She was so nervous that she thought she might throw up.
She and the Alphas had only had that one date thus far, although they had been texting and calling each other every night for the past couple weeks. Life was so busy for all three of them that this was the first time they had been able to get together again, and now she was going to meet the packs.
Shifters, it seemed, had no concept of going slow. But, then, she supposed that they weren't looking for a dating experience. They wanted a mate, and they wanted her to be their mate. Jumping off the deep end directly into the werewolf waters was probably the best way to do this… It was better to find out as soon as possible whether she was going to go through with this.
What made her really nervous was the fact that the Alphas had warned her that not everyone was happy with their decision to mate with a human. She had no idea what that meant. Was she going to have to engage in a fight to the death to prove her worthiness?
Her fears ended up being unfounded. The moment they arrived at the packlands, dozens upon dozens of werewolves were hugging her and kissing her cheeks and asking when the mating would occur. They also seemed to think it was appropriate to pluck at her hair and sniff it. When she demanded to know what they were doing, she was told they wanted to know if she was pregnant yet. Xavier and Timothy plastered themselves to her sides, fending off the worst of the attention, though they couldn't protect her from it all.
Having two guys is really nice sometimes, she thought, smiling, as both loaded plates of cookies for her from the potluck table. Not long after this, and an older man with a cane walked over to the trio. Xavier and Timothy both tensed. Amelia could feel their mood go instantly from proud to protective, and she swallowed as they pressed in on her.
"You're crushing me," she complained, using her elbows to push them apart. She looked at the old man and stuck out her hand. "Hi. I'm Amelia. It's nice to meet you."
The old man stared at her with slightly narrowed eyes. This must be someone unhappy that the Alphas had decided to look for a mate among humans. A shiver ran down her spine, but she refused to back down. Instead, she smiled and did what the werewolves had been doing with her thi
s whole time–she stepped forward, throwing her arms around the old man and kissing his cheek. She drew the line at sniffing hair, though, especially with a man who smelled like licorice. Amelia hated licorice.
"It really is so good to meet you," she repeated and turned back to the Alphas to kiss their cheeks. "I'm going to go get cake, darlings."
She left before any of them could stop her, and let out a pent-up breath as she approached the dessert table. She needed a cream-filled donut after that! Amelia wasn't usually one to initiate physical contact with strangers – at least not hugs and kisses. Yet, she did like catching people off guard, and it appeared that she had definitely caught the old man.
A pretty woman stepped up beside her as soon as she got to the dessert table. Amelia smiled vaguely at her.
Please don't sniff my hair.
"Hi, my name is Lucinda," the woman said holding out her hand.
"We might as well hug. Everybody else has," Amelia pulled her into her embrace.
Lucinda laughed. "Well, that was unexpected. I can see this is a little overwhelming for you. Why don't we step into the house?"
Amelia sighed in gratitude. "I think I love you."
The other woman laughed again as she led her inside. The din lessened, and Amelia gratefully bit into her donut. Mmmmm. Heaven! She closed her eyes in rapture. There was no way this was store-bought. Whoever made this ought to have a shop, if they didn't already.
"I'm glad to see you're so comfortable with me. I didn't expect it," Lucinda said. "I have heard that humans can be skittish with multiple partners."
Amelia's brow furrowed. "Well, we're taking it slow but… What do you mean you're glad I'm comfortable with you?"
Lucinda's eyes widened. She pressed a hand to her mouth. "Didn't they tell you?"
A ball of dread slipped into Amelia's stomach. "Tell me what?"
***
As soon as she got home, Amelia phoned her brother. She knew that he'd give her a lecture about dating men he hadn't vetted first, but she was too heartbroken to keep what had happened to herself. Her fantasies of having found not one, but two perfect men to spend the rest of her life with was shattered. She had been so upset that she hadn't even waited for them to drive her home, instead asking Lucinda to do so after the female werewolf told her the truth.
They weren't looking for a female for their alpha triad. They had already found her in Lucinda. They wanted Amelia not to be their mate, but a broodmare and nanny. Apparently, it was an Alpha's duty to have as many children as possible, but Lucinda would have too many duties herself to spend time popping out babies and then raising them.
It was no wonder they lied to me, Amelia thought bitterly. Who would agree to that?
Yet, what upset her the most was that she actually believed that she had finally met men that didn't put themselves first in everything. She had believed that before and she always ended up heartbroken. Why should this time be different? Because they were shifters? Men were men.
"Why did you get involved with werewolves in the first place?" Adrian's voice was pitched in anger when she finished telling him what had happened.
Amelia choked back a sob. "The whole true love thing sounded good. I'm tired of the losers I keep dating… I guess I just don't know how to pick them."
"No, you find one tiny flaw and decide it's a deal breaker. I'm going to call Daniel and you two are going to start dating again."
Mr. Abs? She wasn't that heartbroken. Amelia protested, but Adrian wouldn't hear it.
"You never gave him a proper chance. If nothing else, at least he won't ask you to have group sex!"
Amelia pressed her lips together. That wasn't something she could argue with. There was hardly enough room in Daniel's bed for anybody other than himself, let alone her. Unlike some others, he never cheated on her or tried to pressure her into sex while they were dating. She wanted nothing to do with Mr. Abs or his self-worship, but she had to admit that she could do worse.
Besides, she would just sit around sobbing her heart out over her shattered fairytale if something didn't happen. Maybe a date or two, even with a loser, would help her come back to the real world. It might lower her expectations for next time. Sighing, she agreed to call Daniel the next day.
She had just hung up on Adrian when her phone rang. Timothy. What could he say to make this better? Amelia turned off the phone and went to the freezer. A tub of ice-cream sounded good right now.
Make that two tubs of ice-cream. One for each broken heart.
***
The phone went right to voicemail. Timothy hung up, shaking his head. It hadn't taken the Alphas long to realize that Amelia had left early. When they called her, she had sent a text back telling them that she was tired and had gotten a ride home since they were busy. All attempts to contact her since then had failed. Timothy was kicking himself as he paced, phone in hand.
"It was too soon," he said. "We should have waited until we had sex before introducing her to the pack. I'm surprised she didn't run away screaming at the first moment she was sniffed! One or two others at first, not all of them at once – didn't I tell you?"
Xavier ground his teeth. "Something happened, Tim. Amelia isn't the kind of woman who lets herself get overwhelmed like that. A woman as assertive as she is getting overwhelmed that easily? I don’t think so. Somebody must have said something that offended her."
Timothy wanted to believe that, but he was a realist. They had always known it was a long shot that a human would accept them and their lifestyle. He knew they should have eased Amelia into it. Now they'd frightened her away, and it was doubtful she was ever coming back. This was the exact reason the council didn't want them looking for a mate among humans, and he hated that they had been proven right.
"Tim, I can see what you're thinking and you have to stop," Xavier said firmly. He grasped Timothy's shoulders. "Amelia is tough and smart. Even if she was overwhelmed, she'll come to grips with it. She's the one. I can feel it. Can't you?"
"I thought I did, but if it starts like this, we’ll end up like my parents."
"Their union was arranged; they were never true mates."
"Does it matter? If Amelia left us once, she'll leave us again."
"Tim—"
"I'm going for a run." The Lakeland Alpha pulled away and began peeling off his clothes as he headed for the door. "Don't wait up for me."
"Tim!" Xavier called after him.
Timothy ignored him, shifting as he leapt through the front door. Right now, he didn't want to think. He just wanted the dirt beneath his paws and the wind in his face. He wanted to leave all his memories and hopes and dreams behind and focus on reality.
Chapter Four
Compromise.
Amelia ground her teeth as Mr. Abs began cursing up a storm because the idiot on TV didn't catch the stupid ball that all the other idiots were running around trying to get.
It was like no time had passed since she broke up with the idiot on her couch a year ago. 'Looking good, babe. Why don't we stay in?' meant 'Why don't you cook me dinner while I watch the game?’ She had insisted that he take her out to dinner, and after some back and forth, they had agreed on ordering in a pizza instead. That was compromise.
"Babe, get me a beer."
But was this compromise? Amelia tucked her legs under herself. What exactly had she been thinking, consenting to 'date' him again? Oh, right… the two Alphas had lied to her about their intentions, and she wanted something to distract her. Mr. Abs wasn't doing the job, though. All he was doing was make her miss them even more. Xavier and Timothy would never order her around like this.
It doesn't count that they lied about what they wanted from me.
"Hey, where's my beer?"
"I don't have any beer."
"No beer?" Mr. Abs looked shocked. "Sheesh, I thought you were gonna be ready for a date."
Her brother's voice flittered across her mind. Don't be so picky and learn how to compromise. Seriously? Was holding out for
someone who didn't treat her like a waitress being picky? What was she supposed to compromise on? Her standards, her self-worth? Was she supposed to learn to just lie down and take disrespect? Or was she supposed to be so grateful that he didn't treat her like a sex doll that she happily did everything else for him?
The funny thing was, Adrian had once gotten into a fistfight with Mr. Abs over the way he treated Amelia. But he seemed to have forgotten about it. Or maybe he decided he had overreacted.
"Maybe you can go to the store and pick some up."
"I joined AA," Amelia sarcastically replied.
Mr. Abs stared at her. "You don't have to drink it."
This had been a bad idea. A terrible idea – quite possibly the worst idea she had ever had.
No, the worst idea I ever had was leaving the packlands before I actually talked to Xavier and Timothy about what Lucinda told me. I'm an idiot.
More of an idiot than Mr. Abs.
"Babe, quick, make me a sandwich."
Okay, maybe not quite.
"You have half a pizza right there."
"I gotta have a sandwich at halftime or my team will lose! Now make me one! I got fifty bucks riding on this, do you want me to help pay for the pizza or not?"
Grinning, Amelia got to her feet. She wasn't angry at Mr. Abs. No, she was too angry at herself to bother with him. What an idiot. Well, her brother would be hearing an earful about this experience! It was a shame she hadn't thought to film the exchange… Even Adrian wouldn't be able to argue that she should keep dating Daniel with evidence like that.
He'd probably excuse it because of the game.
Amelia got the squeeze bottle of mayo out of the fridge, along with a slice of processed cheese, salami, and a handful of lettuce. She grabbed the bread on her way back to the living room. She would make a sandwich all right…
Mr. Abs didn't even notice that she had come back in – until she slapped the cheese and salami to his cheeks, squeezed half the bottle of mayo over his head and stuck the bread to it.
