His hold on his emotions snapped. With a feral growl, he turned and punched his fist through the wall outside their suite, not even flinching at the crunch of bone or the tearing of his flesh. Nothing mattered to him except the need to claim their mate.
Chapter 4
Nikki looked at Laurie, rubbing at her face angrily, laughing in embarrassment at losing control. “I’m a hot mess,” she told her quickly.
Laurie smiled and rested back against the pillow to patiently wait for Nikki to gain some semblance of control. “You’re not a hot mess, Nikki,” Laurie told her quietly. “A lot has happened to you, and you’re confused.”
“You think?” Nikki’s bark of laughter ended on a groan as the pulled muscles in her back protested the sudden movement. “Boy is that an understatement,” she added quietly, her voice heavy with defeat.
“I’m so sorry you were hurt,” Laurie choked out, trying to stay strong for her friend. “You’ve always tried to put yourself between me and Patrick. It’s my fault you were hurt.”
“We’re not going through this again, Laurie,” Nikki stopped her. “You can’t blame yourself for what someone else has done. Patrick has been a jerk from the time you met him. I don’t want to hear you take responsibility for his actions anymore.”
Laurie was quiet as she reached out and touched Nikki’s hand gently. Nikki could tell she didn’t accept what she had told her.
“Let it go, Laurie. I’m fine,” she told her firmly.
“Nikki, you need to listen to me,” Laurie told her quietly after a moment of silence. She reached out to touch her friend’s shoulder comfortingly. “I want you to listen with an open mind. I’ll try to explain everything as best as I can, but I’m just learning this, too, and I don’t have all the answers.”
Nikki looked at her friend and saw the dark circles under her friend’s eyes and the strain and tension on her face. She nodded silently and waited.
“This lodge and this land belong to the people of Jace and Jackson’s pack.”
“Pack?” Nikki interrupted, realizing she needed Laurie to clarify what Butler had been trying to tell her earlier.
“Shush!” Laurie admonished her.
“Sorry. Go on,” Nikki apologized.
“The people in this pack are made up of triads. Each male has a triad partner, and they both have a single mate who completes their triad. A mate is recognized at first by their scent. Once the three meet, amazing things begin to happen. They share a bond that allows them to share visions, and feel each other’s emotions. The Fates have put this in place as a way of ensuring that all members of the triad know that the others are safe and happy.”
Nikki nodded. “Butler explained the same thing to me just before you got here.”
“Good,” Laurie told her, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. “I’m glad they’re being honest with you.”
“What else?” Nikki encouraged her best friend when she stopped talking, obviously lost in thought.
“You need to know that the bond you form with your men will grow quickly,” Laurie explained softly. “It will feel as if everything is happening too fast, and you’ll start to question yourself. But don’t. When it’s a true triad bonding, feelings and emotions grow quickly. You’ll feel right about being with your men. And your feelings for them will grow with each moment you spend with them. Don’t doubt it, Nikki. Alexander and Butler are your triad mates. You make up the third in their triad. You’ll love them deeply within a few days. And it will be a deep and lasting love. The Fates have chosen the three of you to bond, and the feelings you have for each other will be true. Don’t be afraid that you care about them so quickly. It’s the way of true triad mates.”
Laurie hesitated and looked at her friend silently. Nikki could see the sadness in her friend’s eyes, and she reached out to hold her hand gently.
“Jace and Jackson have claimed me as their third,” she told Nikki softly.
“What do you mean they claimed you?”
“In a claiming, the two men take their woman as the third in their mating. They commit their lives to one another. It’s like a marriage, only stronger because the mating is for life. There are no others for any of the members of the triad for the rest of their lives.” Laurie hesitated briefly, looking at Nikki with a seriousness that grabbed hold of Nikki’s attention. “During the claiming, the men make love to the woman together.”
“Together, as in they are all in the same bed participating?” Nikki asked cautiously.
“Well, not exactly.”
“How exactly?”
“Both men are inside you at the same time.”
Nikki smiled. “Kinky!”
Laurie couldn’t help but blush. “No, Nikki,” she told her quietly. “You don’t understand. They both have to be inside of you at the same time. In the same place, inside of you.”
Nikki looked at her friend, confused, before dawning realization hit. “What? Ow! Are you kidding me? Ow! How do they even fit? They have to be huge by themselves! Ow! Laurie, please tell me you’re kidding.”
Laurie closed her eyes in embarrassment but was determined to tell Nikki everything she would need to know so she wouldn’t be afraid or unaware of what exactly happened during a triad mating. Even though she knew Alexander and Butler would be gentle with her, it was always good to have a woman’s perspective to help soften the facts. Opening her eyes she saw Nikki’s own eyes wide with shock.
“No, Nikki. I’m not kidding. But your men will make sure you’re well prepared so you won’t be hurt. It has to be that way so their sperm enters your body at the same time to bond your DNA with theirs. Any children you have will belong to both men. I don’t really understand the science of it. You can probably talk to Doc Barrett to get the specifics, but the way Julia has explained it to me is that the woman contributes half of the DNA of their baby, and together the men contribute the other half of the DNA. So any children you have will belong to all three of you.”
“I’m not having any children,” Nikki protested immediately. “And I’m not going to get suckered into supporting any other man again.”
“Nikki, don’t be so quick to dismiss the possibility of a future with Alex and Butler.” Laurie’s voice was soft but firm as she looked at her best friend.
“This is too much,” Nikki whispered.
“There’s more.”
“What more could there possibly be?” Nikki nearly screeched. “Wait. Let me guess. We have to do the deed in front of everyone.”
Laurie smiled and couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped her. “No. It’s completed in private. But the men need to bite you when they reach orgasm.”
“Oh, hell no!” Nikki blurted out, pulling away from Laurie, trying desperately to remove herself from the bed. She groaned in pain as she pushed herself into a standing position next to the bed. “Why the hell do they have to bite you?”
“Because that’s what wolves do,” Laurie explained calmly, moving to stand next to Nikki. “Jace and Jackson and all the people who live here on this land are wolf shifters. They are all wolves who belong to Jace and Jackson’s pack.”
“Laurie, have you lost your mind?” Nikki whispered, pushing away her friend’s hands as she tried to steady her.
“No, honey, listen to me,” Laurie told her calmly, pulling her gently to sit down beside her on the bed. “Alexander and Butler are the enforcers of the pack. They are the lieutenants in charge of all the men who work for pack security. They’re strong protectors who have put their lives on the line many times to take care of these people. They’re kind and honorable men who are destined to be yours. You deserve this, Nikki. They will love and protect you. Don’t push them away. Let them claim you. Once they do, your body will begin to change to accept them. Wolf shifters can heal themselves when they shift. When they finally claim you, you’ll be able to heal more quickly, too. Martha will give you healing salves and bath salts to help with the strain the claiming will put on your body.”
Nikki looked at Laurie in horror. Her friend did not just tell her that the mother of one of the men who would be deep inside of her, along with the other man who would be deep inside of her, would not only be privy to the intimacy of the act but would be the one who would help her feel better afterward. She didn’t know if that horrified her more than the fact that Laurie thought these people were wolves.
Holy crap! I need to get out of here. And now.
“Okay,” Nikki appeased her friend. “Whatever you say, honey. Now I need to get home. I need a few days of rest before I have to work this weekend. I’m working third shift at the hospital on Saturday and Sunday.”
Laurie smiled sadly, knowing full well that Nikki didn’t believe her. She stood and walked over to the door slowly. Turning back to face her friend, she saw Nikki holding onto the headboard as she stood on shaky legs beside the huge triad bed.
“I know you’re having a hard time accepting this, Nikki,” she told her friend softly. “But just think about what I said. Give Butler and Alexander the chance to know you and love you.” She opened the door and turned to face her best friend. “I’m going to get the police officers to come up and talk to you if you think you can handle it right now.”
Nikki nodded and groaned as the muscles pulled in her neck. “Tell them to make it fast.”
“Hunter and Clay are good police officers,” Laurie told her sincerely. “Jace and Jackson told me they’ve been looking out for the people of this community for a long time.” She smiled and laughed lightly. “They’re supposed to be the heartthrobs of the pack.”
“Well, I’m not interested in any romantic entanglements with them or with Alex and Butler, Laurie,” Nikki stopped her. “Just have them come in and take my statement before I pass out from the pain.”
Laurie nodded and stepped out into the hallway. She looked back at her, barely able to contain the concern she had for her best friend. “I love you, Nikki,” she whispered as she pulled open the door and stepped out, closing the door quietly behind her.
Nikki took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. “Laurie, I love you dearly, but you are certifiably insane!” she whispered to the empty room.
Chapter 5
Butler looked at Alexander with concern. His triad partner was in bad shape. Emotionally, he was at the end of his ability to hold it together. Physically, his hand was definitely broken, and the skin across the knuckles was torn open. He placed his hand on his partner’s forearm and squeezed gently.
“Alex, we need to tell Jace we can’t hold our positions anymore,” Butler told him seriously. “I’m right behind you in losing control. We’re a danger to the pack now.”
Alex looked up and faced Butler, his eyes wild. “Take me out of here, Butler,” he growled. “I need to shift.”
Butler nodded and turned them both to head down the hallway to leave the family lodge when he saw Laurie leaving their suite. They both stopped when they saw how upset she was as she rushed by them. All concern for themselves fled as fear gripped them. They could think of nothing except Nikki. They needed to see if she was all right. Nothing else mattered.
As one, they moved to the doorway of their suite, opening the door quickly and stepping inside to make their way through the living area to the bedroom. What they saw made them freeze in terror. Nikki was on her knees beside the bed, her face was buried in the sheets, and her hands were clenched into fists as she clutched at the comforter. They made their way to her immediately, kneeling on either side of her and wrapping their arms around her.
“Nikki,” Alex whispered against the side of her face. “Please.”
Nikki’s moan was muffled against the bed, but instead of pulling away she leaned into their embrace. She felt better feeling their bodies pressed tightly against hers, and she knew that even though what Laurie had told her scared the living daylights out of her, it didn’t stop her from feeling the pure contentment that rushed through her the moment the men surrounded her.
“We need to get you onto the bed,” Butler whispered, kissing her temple gently as his arms surrounded her waist.
Alex reached for her with his left hand, his broken and torn hand useless. He was careful not to use the injured hand since he didn’t want to get his blood all over their mate. He would deal with his injury later. Her comfort was what was important right then.
They helped her to slowly stand then carefully turned her and eased her onto the bed until she was sitting. They knelt before her and waited until her breathing evened out. The pain she was in was obvious. Her face was strained with tension, and she held her body stiffly.
“We need to massage you with the oils Martha brought us,” Butler told her quietly, searching her face for acceptance.
“Please,” Nikki whispered. “Help me. It hurts.”
“Oh, darlin’, we’ll do all that we can,” Alex promised, reaching up to touch her face, but pulling back suddenly when he realized he had almost touched her with his injured hand.
Nikki saw his torn and broken hand at that moment and reached out to grab his wrist immediately. “What happened?” she demanded, looking down at the injury, touching it gently to assess the damage.
“He had an argument with the wall outside our room,” Butler told her dryly.
Nikki’s attention snapped up to Alex’s face. She saw the flush of embarrassment that quickly filled his face, and he looked away from her, ashamed.
“I’m sorry,” he told her, his deep voice sincere. “I’ll be leaving shortly so I can’t do any more damage to this home or our pack. Before I go, Butler and I need to see to it that you’re taken care of.”
When he attempted to stand, Nikki stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Both men looked at her and waited. They didn’t know what she was going to say, but neither had any hope that she was going to accept them.
“Laurie told me that all of you are wolf shifters,” she said quietly. She waited for their answer but neither man spoke. They just nodded and remained silent. “She also said that you can heal quickly if you shift into your wolf form.” Again they nodded, not speaking. Nikki looked down at Alexander’s broken and bloody hand. “Then I want you to shift right now and heal yourself,” she told him firmly.
“I don’t want to frighten you,” Alex barely whispered. He looked to Butler for help, but his friend was just as stunned by Nikki’s demand as he was.
“I won’t be afraid,” Nikki told him calmly. “I just want you to be healed. Please, Alexander. I don’t want you to hurt.”
Nikki’s concern for him sent feelings of warmth racing through his chest. He knew that Butler could feel it, too, when he saw the way his triad partner touched his hand to his own chest. Standing slowly, Alex reached up to pull his black T-shirt from his body. He smiled at the way Nikki watched him, scenting her arousal immediately. He slowly unbuckled his belt with clumsy fingers as the stiffness of his broken hand made it difficult to have good dexterity. He stepped back and toed off his boots, unzipping his jeans and pushing them, along with his black boxer briefs, down his thickly muscled legs and stepping out of them.
Nikki’s mouth dropped open despite her attempt to remain aloof, but how often did a hunk of a man undress in front of you? And a gloriously tanned and muscled one at that! Taking in the size of his flaccid member she swallowed nervously. If that was the size of him now, what the hell would he be like when he was fully aroused?
Oh, man! She couldn’t imagine how he would ever fit inside of her. And then to add Butler inside of her at the same time? No way!
Alex was truly amazing. His body was sculpted with muscle. Each muscle was well defined and developed, showing her just how well-trained he was for his job as pack enforcer. She could tell that he was more than capable of protecting every single one of them. Even though Butler was fully clothed, she could tell he was in just as good a shape. They lived their lives to protect their pack, and she could tell they took their job seriously.
A swirl of blue energy surrounded A
lexander then a black wolf of massive proportions stood in his place. The wolf whined as if crying, sitting on his haunches as he watched Nikki calmly, waiting patiently for her to make the next move.
Nikki’s heart was pounding against her chest. She hadn’t really thought he would actually shift into a wolf. The sight before her was truly a miracle. She was surprised to find that she wasn’t afraid. Reaching out, she gently touched the wolf, smiling as he leaned in and nuzzled against her thigh. She buried her hands in the soft fur of his neck and drew him toward her until she was inches from his face.
“You are beautiful,” she whispered in awe.
Alex nudged her chin with the top of his head, making her smile. Rubbing her cheek against his forehead, she scratched him behind his ears. His soft growl made her smile grow wider, and she looked up and saw the soft golden glow of his eyes before they returned to the silver gray color that was uniquely Alex’s. She turned to face Butler and saw that he was watching her intently.
“I want to see your wolf, too,” she told him quietly. “Will you show me?”
Butler smiled and nodded, glad that he scented no fear from her. He stood beside the bed and pulled his own black T-shirt from his body. He flexed his shoulders nervously, watching Nikki closely as he stood before her. Seeing the desire that filled her eyes, he couldn’t help but mirror her feelings as he quickly toed off his boots, unbuckled his belt, and pushed his jeans and navy boxer briefs from his body. He breathed in the scent of Nikki’s arousal and smiled down at her. The want that rushed through her was felt by both him and Alex, and he knew a joy so deep that their mate desired them.
Nikki watched with rapt attention as Butler revealed his body to her. Just as she had imagined, he was tanned, toned, and muscled. The strength both men contained was obvious. Looking at his partially hardened cock, she swallowed nervously. He was just as long and thick as Alex, and she couldn’t imagine how they would ever fit inside her together. It didn’t stop her from desiring exactly that, though.
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