Both wolves began backing up from her. Timothy's gaze went from her to Xavier. He shook his head, as though finally coming to his senses. Amelia held her breath, waiting. What would she do if they started fighting again?
"Please," she whispered. "Timothy…"
***
Xavier could only hope that Timothy would listen for once in his life. He didn't like how Amelia was between them, but if there was one thing he knew, it was that Timothy wouldn't harm her. His attack on Xavier was because of Alpha rage. He assumed there was a threat to his position and mate, and thus reacted to it. His instincts to protect his mate would be even stronger than his need to establish dominance, though.
Slowly, Xavier shifted back to his human form. Timothy growled when he stepped up beside Amelia, but the Lakeland Alpha didn't move.
"Tim, come on. We have been best friends our whole lives. You said that I betrayed you. How? What did I do? I didn't sleep with Amelia. All I did was hold her while she cried. I would never betray you. You know that."
The growl lessened and Timothy cocked his head to one side. Regret flashed in his green eyes and Xavier let out a deep breath. Good. The Alpha was retreating from him, returning as his friend and partner. Cautiously, he stepped away from Amelia, towards the other werewolf.
"Let's talk."
Timothy's form shifted from Wolf to human and he dropped to his knees, bowing his head. His chest heaved, fingers clawing into the dirt. After letting him recover his senses for a long moment, Xavier knelt beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Let's go inside."
Timothy nodded. "Do you really want me?"
"Yes. Yes, I want you."
"Let's get inside and patch up these scrapes," Xavier said, helping his partner to his feet. He winced as his ribs ached. "Then, we need to talk. You need to tell us what happened."
Timothy grunted, and his head swung round, focusing on Lucinda. She paled and backed up a step.
"You will wait for us inside," Timothy ordered.
The female dropped her head and nodded, following the triad in.
Chapter Nine
Amelia forced herself to not interrupt while Lucinda confessed to what she did and why she did it. The Alphas both looked grim and told the werewolf female they would decide what to do with her at another time and sent her on her way. After she was gone, Timothy hung his head, staring at the floor as he stumbled over an apology.
"I don't know if I can forget it that easily," Amelia said slowly. "I'm also not so sure that I can really forgive you right now."
"I understand," Timothy said. He glanced up at her. "If the tables were turned, I'm not sure I'd ever want anything to do with me again."
"But that doesn't mean I'm going to leave again."
"It doesn't?"
Amelia shook her head. She leaned against him. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't angry over the whole situation – it was still very raw and new. Of course, she was still angry. "In the future, though, you have to promise to hear me out, no matter what you think. No more leaping to conclusions and then attacking somebody. I'm sorry for jumping to my own conclusions. I think we can try to start this over. "
A light knock on the door interrupted them. Xavier sighed, but left Timothy's side and went to see who it was. Amelia leaned to one side, trying to look through the kitchen to the front step, but she couldn't see who it was. Timothy stayed where he was, holding Amelia's hand.
"I'm sorry for everything I thought about you," he said. "It was stupid of me."
Amelia nodded her agreement but shifted closer to him. "Not any stupider than what I thought."
Xavier returned to the room then, tension radiating from him. Behind was a dozen or so old werewolves who looked just as ill at ease as he did. Timothy tensed when he saw them and got to his feet. The two Alphas stood together. Amelia didn't hesitate before she took her place beside them, her shoulders back and her head up.
One of them stepped forward. "The council has discussed the situation."
"Have you decided to abide by our leadership or challenge us?" Xavier asked calmly.
The old man scowled. "Even if we are not pleased with our Alphas mating a human, we have to remember what is most important, and that is the solidarity between the packs. We are aware that my granddaughter's efforts to separate you from the human could have had disastrous consequences."
So this was Amelia's grandfather? The man who told her she deserved to be the Alpha female? Amelia narrowed her eyes.
"We will accept the human, if only because a human female Alpha is better than tearing our two packs apart when we need one another."
Did he really think that it was going to be that easy? Amelia put her hands on her hips, glaring at the old man. "Excuse me, but that's not good enough."
The council all looked at her with raised brows, clearly caught off guard that she would speak to them. Or maybe it was her tone that they were surprised about. In any case, if they thought that she was just going to be the wallflower in this triad and let them talk about her as if she wasn't in the room, they were sorely mistaken.
"First off, Lucinda didn't get those ideas in her head by herself. This falls just as much upon you and how you have been telling her that she was going to be the Alpha female from the time she was a little girl. Second, I am not just some human that your Alphas are going to mate instead of another werewolf. I am the completion of their Alpha triad, and I will not be spoken of like I'm a Band-Aid slapped on a problem, understood?"
Lucinda's grandfather stared at her with a slack jaw.
"Third," Amelia continued, taking his silence as understanding. She realized too late that she didn't have a third point. "Uh… I want an apology. And from this day forward, you will not talk about me as though I'm not present."
The council stared at her. The old man mumbled an apology, but a smile tugged at his lips.
"Are you sure she isn't the Alpha female of another pack?"
Amelia put her hands on her hips. "What did I just say?"
"I'm sorry. Are you really human?"
"Yes," she replied. "And don't you forget that. It doesn't make me any less worthy of being mated to your Alphas."
"I see that now." The old man nodded. "Welcome to the pack, Amelia."
Amelia nodded graciously back. Well, that was over easier than she thought it would be. She supposed the Alphas fighting was enough to get anybody to come to their senses.
Now it was just a matter of introducing her two mates to her brother…
***
A couple weeks later, Amelia had Adrian over to her house so she could introduce her brother to her two Alphas. He arrived, scowling, and her heart sunk instantly. Fortunately, he didn't bring Mr. Abs with him, which was something he had threatened to do for a while. The Alphas wore dress shirts with jeans, looking very neat and presentable. As nervous as she was, Amelia had high hopes that this would go well.
Adrian, however, didn't seem to be interested in having pleasant conversation. "So which one of you was it that had my sister calling me in tears because she thought you were just after her to be a breeding mare?"
Amelia winced. "Adrian, it wasn't either of them. I told you that. There was a woman who lied to me about it."
"Lucinda," Xavier added. "She has apologized for her actions, and we believe she is sincere."
"That's it? You're not going to punish her?"
"We're Alphas, not dictators," Timothy said. "As personally upsetting as it is, she didn't break any laws. If we used our position to settle personal grievances, it would be an abuse of power, wouldn't it?"
Adrian relaxed a little, drinking his cup of wine. "I'm glad that you two seem reasonable, because if either one of you ever makes my little sister cry again, I'll have to come after you with a twelve-gauge shotgun."
"Adrian!" Amelia stared in shock at her brother. "Why couldn't you have been this protective when I said I didn't want anything to do with Mr. Abs? You pushed and pushed me to
be with scumbags. When I finally find two guys who I actually like and who don't say 'Babe, make me a sandwich,' all the time, you threaten them with a shotgun? What is that?"
"I'm just looking out for you."
Amelia rolled her eyes and threw her napkin in her plate. He was an idiot. "I'm going for a walk. I can't handle this right now."
***
"I'll talk with her," Xavier said, getting up from the table.
“Great,” Timothy mumbled, not looking forward to be alone with Amelia's brother, who clearly didn't like them.
"So, Adrian," he said, trying to mimic Xavier's calm way of talking. "Why do you object to Xavier and I? Is it because we're werewolves?"
"I don’t have anything against werewolves."
That wasn't what it sounded like, but Timothy elected to go a different route. "Then is it because of the triad dynamic?"
Adrian made a face but shook his head. "I can't pretend to understand that, but if it's what Amelia wants…"
"Then why? Amelia has told us about your friend Mr. Thompson. Why are you so insistent that they be together?"
Pushing back from the table, Adrian folded his arms. "Daniel would give her a good, stable life. He'd provide for her, she wouldn’t want for anything. He would protect her. Yeah, he's a bit immature, but he'd change once he realized what a catch Amelia was. But with you two, how does she know what to expect? You've known each other for how long? It's already been a roller coaster. At least with Daniel she knows he won't just up and leave her!"
"And neither will Xavier and I," Timothy replied calmly. "Yes, our relationship didn't get off to the best start, but we have made a commitment to communicate from now on. I'm confident that we can make it work. Xavier and I love your sister. We have a steady income; she won't want for anything. We will protect her – to the death if need be."
Adrian narrowed his eyes. He muttered something in Spanish but stuck out his hand. “I will try to be more supportive of my sister's choices. But I'm serious about the shotgun. If you ever hurt her…"
Timothy nodded seriously as he shook Adrian's hand. "I understand. We hurt her, we get our heads blown off."
Adrian cracked a smile. "Good. Now, let's go find my sister. Food's getting cold."
Chapter Ten
"We're almost there."
"Okay, I just need to rest a moment."
Amelia paused to drink water and rest her aching calves. Timothy and Xavier paused on either side of her. It was something that they were very good at, giving her time to rest without seeming impatient for her to continue.
For the past three months since the Alphas had brought this up, she had been doing extra hiking to prepare to climb this mountain with them. She wasn't especially outdoorsy, so the hike presented her with a challenge, but she wanted to do it all on her own and was proud of herself for only having to take three breaks so far. Her legs were burning, though, and she would be glad when they made it to the top.
As they started walking again, Amelia considered the last time they had dinner with her brother. He had brought along his wife and children for the first time, and Amelia was hopeful that he was coming around. At least he had stopped bringing up Mr. Abs. The man himself had showed up a couple of times, but he finally seemed to get that Amelia was telling him no, not try harder.
The packs also seemed to be handling the situation better now. Amelia had started spending nights with the Alphas on the packlands, thus there were no more midnight serenades from females howling outside their windows, hoping to entice them away from their human choice.
"You're doing really well," Xavier encouraged her as they began walking up the mountain again. "Only fifty feet left or so."
Amelia sighed and pushed on.
When they reached the top, Amelia couldn't stifle a gasp. They emerged on a wide, open clifftop. The ground beneath her feet was covered in soft grass and the surrounding view was simply breathtaking. A deep valley covered in trees looked as soft as velvet. A ribbon of a river running through the valley. The tiny anthills of cities. Amelia went as close to the edge as she dared, drinking it all in.
"Wow."
"I know, right?" Timothy grinned at her. "A hard journey to make, but so worth it in the end."
Amelia nodded. "Thank you for bringing me up here."
"It was our pleasure." Xavier moved up behind her, nuzzling into her neck. "We talked it over and thought that this would be the perfect place."
Amelia turned a puzzled look on him. "Perfect place for what?"
Her Alphas gave each other a conspirator's glance that had Amelia's mouth going dry. It had been three months since they started to seriously see each other… could it be that they wanted their first time to be out here in the open air, with nature all around them?
Xavier pulled a blanket out of his pack and laid it on the ground. Oh, boy.
"What if someone sees?" she blurted.
"Nobody will see us up here," Timothy assured her, taking her by the hand.
Amelia's face and body heated. Excitement was kicking all through her, and she struggled to think clearly – to know what the rational choice was. "How is this going to work? Is it one at a time or… double?"
Timothy reached under her shirt and tugged it off over her head. "Xavier and I have talked about it… If you want, you and I will start, and then we'll see what you want after a bit. We'd like to make you a sandwich, but it's up to you. There's no rush. We have our whole lives together."
Amelia nodded, her heart pounding as Xavier sidled up behind her. He unfastened her bra and tossed it aside while Timothy undid her jeans. Xavier's big hands cupped her large breasts, his mouth sucking at her neck, sending tingles flooding her body. A hand slid between her legs. Timothy stepped back, stripping off his own clothes as he watched Xavier prepare her. He took himself in his hand, readying himself.
"What happened to me and you and then Xavier joining us?" Amelia gasped, her eyes sliding shut as her body tightened.
"Timothy may have skipped over the finer details," Xavier chuckled in her ear. His fingers were like magic, playing her as deftly as a classical piano piece. Amelia rolled her hips forward, trying to get more contact between the two of them.
Timothy was there soon enough, his hands clasping her hips as he tugged her away from Xavier. His mouth captured hers, his hands picking up where his partner had left off. Amelia groaned into his mouth, jumping so she could wrap her legs around his hips. Xavier stepped up behind them again and together the two Alphas laid her gently on the ground, where she writhed as Timothy worked her. He paused briefly to put on a condom, and then slipped easily inside of her.
Amelia gasped as the rush of pleasure hit her. She arched herself to him, planting her feet on the ground so she could match him thrust for thrust. Here, surrounded by nothing but trees, she voiced her pleasure in shrieks and groans. She caught Xavier's eye as Timothy built her higher and higher; he had undressed at some point and was grinning as he watched them.
It was enough to send her flying. Amelia's back bowed, her fingers dug into Timothy's back, and she let out a scream so loud both Alphas jumped, startled.
Timothy stopped. Amelia moaned, rolling her hips to encourage him to continue even though she had just finished, but he shook his head. "Do you want Xavier to take over or join us?"
Amelia glanced up at Xavier again. His eyes were so bright, a smile on his face. She couldn't repress another moan and held her hand out to him.
"Join us."
Timothy rolled over so that she was on top of him now. He adjusted Amelia so she was kneeling, and she couldn't stop the bursts of giggles from coming up her throat. She had been fantasizing about this moment ever since they met, and for the past three months had been using the toys that Xavier had given her so she would be more prepared for when the time came. Now that it had, her nerves and excitement were so mixed up she thought she might faint.
"Hold me," Timothy whispered, thrusting up gently as Xavier pulled a bottle of lubri
cation from his pack.
The anticipation was so tight inside her that she had to bite down on Timothy's shoulder, closing her eyes, while Xavier got her ready. She shivered in the cool mountain air. Then his heat was on top of her and he was easing himself in. The pleasure was so intense that Amelia felt blinded. She gasped dryly, both Timothy and Xavier's hands on her hips, holding her still. They both began moving in sync, as though they could read each other's minds.
Even though she had just climaxed, Amelia felt the build happening again, faster and higher this time. Xavier kissed the back of her neck, growling, while Timothy's hands moved to her breasts, holding her away slightly so he could knead them between his hands. Heat surged and Amelia couldn't stop a second scream of pure pleasure as the three of them reached the heavens together.
***
Xavier grinned to himself as the three of them laid on the grass together. The blanket had been crumpled away at some point during their lovemaking, leaving them on the naked mountaintop. Not that he minded.
"Wow," Amelia said, stirring. "That was better than I thought it would be."
"I agree," Timothy said. "You're so receptive…"
Xavier grinned, watching them kiss a little more. Eventually, though, he sighed. "As much as I'd love to do that again, it's getting late and we have to get back down the mountain before dark."
Amelia groaned. "Next time we bring a tent. I don't know how I'll walk after that."
"We'll carry you," Timothy promised. He kissed her shoulder. "But Xavier's right. We should dress and head back down… wait until you see what we can do in a bed."
Amelia was on her feet, tugging on her clothes before Xavier could blink. He laughed at her excitement, feeling a well of love for her. She was perfect for the two of them: feisty, sensuous, and passionate. Keeping up with her would be difficult for the both of them. No wonder no one man in her past could give her what she needed! He and Timothy dressed more lazily, and once they were all clothed, he glanced at his partner, cocking a brow.
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