Meeka's Reluctant Mates [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More)

by Lynnette Bernard

  “Why do you think that, Drew?” Wade asked, wishing what Drew was saying was true but afraid to hope that it might be.

  “Reece, your voice doesn’t sound as damaged.”

  Reece’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He hadn’t even realized it. Drew was correct. His voice was clearer. The raspy quality of it was nearly gone.

  “Wade,” he whispered.

  “Holy shit, Reece,” Wade said almost in awe. “Your voice is better.”

  “Do you have better control over your wolf?” Drew asked, already suspecting what Reece’s answer was going to be.

  “No,” Reece said, his voice angry.

  “Wait, Reece,” Wade said calmly, reaching out to touch his partner’s shoulder lightly. “You do have more control over your wolf.”

  Reece looked at Wade and shook his head. “No. I don’t.”

  “Think about it, Reece,” Wade insisted. “You were able to hold onto your human side when we were in bed with Meeka.”

  “My hands morphed into claws,” Reece said, disgusted with himself. “I could have hurt her.”

  Wade laughed softly. “You and I both know that’s not true,” he said gently. “Even when you were in your wolf form, you were protective of Meeka and Eric.” He looked at his triad partner and smiled. “And when you were fighting your shift, Meeka held you gently. She kissed your claws. She caressed your shoulders. She brought you back to yourself.” He crossed his arms across his chest and nodded at his best friend and partner. “She’s given you back yourself. She’s done that for both of us.”

  Reece closed his eyes and took a calming breath. When he opened them and looked at Wade, his blue eyes were filled with sadness. “All we’ve done for her is given her heartache.”

  “We have,” Wade agreed. “We need to fix that.”

  They both looked at Drew and waited in silence as the doctor once again turned his back to them and worked his medical magic. It wasn’t long before he turned around and faced them with a huge smile on his face.

  “What is it?” Wade asked, almost afraid to know the results.

  “The level of silver in your blood is at only five percent, Wade,” Drew said calmly. “Reece, your silver level is at seventeen percent.”

  “What does that mean exactly?” Reece asked, worrying that his level was still so much higher than Wade’s.

  “The last blood sample I took from you showed your level at thirty six percent, Wade. Reece, yours was at fifty-seven percent.”

  Seeing the shock on both men’s faces, Drew walked over to them and reached out to touch their shoulders firmly. Even his touch didn’t pull them out of their surprise.

  “When we first brought Suzie home, her levels were worse than yours, Reece,” Drew told them softly. “It took her only two days of us claiming her and her claiming us for her levels to drop. Her sight came back pretty quickly after that.”

  “What about her pregnancy, Drew?” Reece asked worriedly. “Is the baby okay?”

  “Yes, our cub is just fine,” Drew said proudly. “And your cub will be, too.”

  “You’re sure?” Wade asked.

  “Without a doubt,” Drew answered without hesitation. “Meeka’s blood has triggered the healing inside of both of you. If she’s already pregnant, her blood will heal the parts of you inside of your baby that need healing. You don’t need to worry that your DNA has negatively affected either Meeka or your daughter.”

  He looked at both men calmly and realized that he had one more thing to point out that would prove to the men that everything would be fine. Maybe his question would finally dispel any fears that they had.

  “When you shared your vision, did you see your baby?” Drew asked them.

  “Yes. Meeka was nursing her,” Wade answered for them.

  “And she was healthy?”

  “Yes. She was adorable,” Reece said cautiously.

  “Then that answers your question, doesn’t it?”

  Reece and Wade faced each other, unable to keep the smiles from their faces as they pictured the vision and the happiness that Meeka showed in that brief glimpse of their future. It was obvious that Maizy was healthy and happy, and Meeka was home with them—completely content and obviously there to stay.

  “It does,” Reece said, nodding.

  Walking over to the phone on his desk, Drew picked it up and quickly dialed Jace’s cell phone. It only rang twice when Jace picked up.

  “What’re the results, Drew?” Jace asked, his tone clipped.

  “Both men have lower levels of silver in their blood,” Drew said quickly. “Meeka’s blood has started to heal them.”

  “Good. Have them meet me at Clay, Abbey, and Hunter’s home tonight at five o’clock,” Jace said quickly.

  “Yes, Alpha,” Drew answered, hanging up the phone and turning to face the two men who waited silently before him.

  “Jace wants us to meet him at Clay, Abbey, and Hunter’s home at five o’clock,” he told them.

  “Why?” Wade asked, confused.

  “I didn’t ask him,” Drew said, shrugging. “You have to have faith that our alpha is going to help you find your mate.”

  Reece looked at Wade and nodded. “We need to find our woman and bring her home.”

  “I have an idea, Reece,” Wade said suddenly. He looked down at his left wrist to check the time. “We have three hours before we have to meet Jace.” He started walking toward the exit of Drew’s office. “Come on, partner.”

  “Where’re we going?” Reece asked as he followed Wade out the door.

  “We’re going shopping.”

  “Shopping?” Reece asked, confused.

  “Yeah, shopping,” Wade said, heading toward their home with powerful strides.

  It was only a matter of minutes before they arrived at the home they had happily shared with Meeka the night before. Walking over to his truck, pulling the keys from his pocket, and unlocking the doors with the key fob, he pulled open the driver’s side door and climbed inside, settling himself behind the wheel.

  “Get in.”

  Reece didn’t hesitate. He climbed into the passenger side and slammed the door behind him.

  “Want to tell me what we’re shopping for?” he asked, buckling his seatbelt as Wade started the truck, pulled away from their home, and headed down the path that led to the long driveway of the Circle Three Ranch.

  “We’re shopping for everything we’re going to need for our family,” Wade answered, smiling.

  “We are?”

  “Yup.”

  “What kind of things are we going to need, Wade?” he asked, facing his partner and watching him as he drove with determination toward the local mall.

  “I’m sure we’ll get someone to help us figure out what kids need. Whatever it is, we’ll get it,” Wade said with determination. He looked at Reece and nodded before turning back to focus on the road ahead of them. “Both kids are going to need clothes. The baby’s going to need diapers and a whole ton of other things. We need to have everything settled and in place for when we bring our family home.”

  Reece turned to look out the front windshield, unable to keep the smile of happiness from his face. Just thinking about Meeka, Eric, and Maizy sharing their home and their lives with them made everything in their world finally feel right.

  Chapter 18

  “I don’t know where Meeka went,” Abbey said honestly as everyone looked at her. She reached out and took her men’s hands and brought them to her mouth to tenderly kiss them quickly.

  “Sweetheart, try to stay calm,” Hunter told her gently, leaning in and kissing her temple lightly. “It’s not good for you or our baby for you to get upset.”

  “I know. I just feel like there’s something I’m forgetting,” Abbey said, leaning back and looking up at her mates.

  “Like what, honey?” Clay asked her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her securely between him and Hunter.

  “I’m not sure. I just have a weird feeling,” Abbe
y said slowly.

  “I know that Meeka’s sister lives in Connecticut, but I’m not sure where,” Suzie offered. “After my mother and I found Meeka at Boyd’s cabin, Meeka was adamant that she contact Kaley. She said she had to get Kaley to move out of her apartment so she would be safe. I never really understood why. I doubted that Boyd would go and hurt her. He had no idea that Meeka was with me.”

  “Meeka’s boss knew where Meeka lived with her sister,” Wade said, drawing all of their attention to him.

  “Meeka’s boss?” Suzie asked, confused.

  Wade nodded. “He’s the one who ordered that Meeka and her baby be killed,” he told them, his gray eyes flashing golden as his wolf stirred within him.

  “Why would he do that?” Laurie asked, horrified.

  “Because he didn’t want a child that would be a half-breed,” Reece said, anger filling him as he thought about how their woman had suffered at the hands of that uncaring and brutal man.

  “Eric is wolf,” Jace said, knowing all along that Eric’s scent made Jace know that the little boy was part of the shifter community. “His father is wolf.”

  Reece nodded abruptly. “Not an honorable wolf,” he added angrily.

  “No. Not an honorable wolf,” Jackson agreed.

  “I always thought that Boyd was Eric’s father,” Suzie said, surprised.

  “No,” Wade said, doing his best to push down his anger as he thought about the man who had thrown Meeka away. He looked at Reece and realized that he and Reece had done the exact same thing to her. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t physically hurt her like Ethan and Boyd had. They had hurt her far worse by denying her love and breaking her fragile trust in them and their relationship.

  Jackson turned to face Abbey and saw how she was trying very hard to remember everything Meeka had told her when they had been working together on her resume. “Did Meeka give you her old address in Connecticut, Abbey? Maybe we can start with that and go from there.”

  “She didn’t,” Abbey said, upset that she couldn’t offer more help. “When we worked on her resume, she used the Circle Three Ranch as her home address.”

  “Meeka talked to Kaley every week through the video chatting connection,” Suzie offered.

  “She did,” Abbey agreed, thinking very hard about each time Meeka visited with Kaley. “Suzie and I sat with her a few times when she was talking with her sister. I’m trying to remember if there was anything about those times that might help us figure out where she lives.”

  “What did you see in the background when they talked?” Jace asked, hopeful that Abbey or Suzie might remember something important that would bring them to Meeka.

  “Most of the time, Kaley was sitting on her couch when they talked,” Suzie said, sighing in frustration. “There wasn’t anything behind her except the purple blanket that Meeka had crocheted for her.”

  Abbey nodded. “Sometimes Kaley sat at her kitchen table, but there wasn’t anything behind her except her refrigerator.”

  “What about if we try to contact Kaley through the computer?” Hunter suggested.

  “I’ve already tried,” Abbey said, leaning against her mate and sighing. “Kaley won’t accept any of the messages I’ve sent her.”

  “Meeka’s phone keeps going to voice mail,” Suzie added. “I think she’s tossed it.” She looked at Reece and Wade angrily. “You must have really hurt her for her to have cut herself off from me.” She took a step toward the men, shrugging off her own mates’ hands as they tried to keep her close to them. “What the hell did you do?” Her voice was soft but the anger she was feeling was evident in the way her eyes flashed golden as her wolf fought to come forward.

  “Easy, Suzie,” Carter cautioned her.

  “Talk to your brother, Carter,” Suzie snapped. “Find out what he did to my best friend. Meeka wouldn’t have left if she felt she’d had any other choice.”

  “Suzie,” Drew whispered against her shoulder as he stepped forward and rested his head against her neck. “There are things you don’t know, Mate.”

  “Then tell me,” Suzie said angrily. “All of these secrets are really starting to piss me off.” She turned toward her men and crossed her arms over her pregnant belly as she stared them down. “We need to find Meeka and Eric.”

  “Meeka had every right to leave us,” Wade said calmly. “We believe she might have overheard us talking to Drew about breaking our mating bond.”

  Suzie turned around and faced him, anger surpassing her shock and horror. She walked over to the two men that Meeka loved and grabbed their Tshirts, clutching her morphed hands in the material and not caring that her claws shredded their shirts.

  “I never thought I would ever live to see the day you would ever be so cold,” she said softly. “I always thought you were honorable and caring men. I was wrong.”

  “No, Suzie Q,” Drew said, coming up behind her and touching her morphed hands to pet them gently until she slowly released her hold on both men’s shirts. “They are honorable men. They were doing what they thought was necessary to protect Meeka and Eric. They love her very much.”

  “Then why did she run away, my Drew?” Suzie asked, trying very hard not to cry.

  Drew looked at both men with his eyebrows raised. He could not betray their secrets without their permission to do so.

  “We’ve been unable to control our wolves due to the silver poisoning we’ve lived with since Randall’s attack,” Reece told her. “We were concerned that we would hurt Meeka if we claimed her.”

  “You did claim her,” Suzie said through clenched teeth.

  “Yes. We did,” Wade said, his voice quiet. “We were trying to resolve that problem.”

  “What problem?” Suzie yelled, reaching out and grabbing Wade’s shirt once again and yanking him toward her.

  “Please, Suzie,” Wade said, reaching up to hold her hands to keep her from falling over. She might be strong, but she couldn’t pull him toward her, and he was concerned that she might injure herself. “Think about your baby.”

  “Don’t you dare tell me what to do, Wade Garner!” Suzie shouted. “You lost the right to talk to me when you claimed my best friend and then tried to throw her away!”

  “Suzie, sweetheart, come here,” Carter said as he walked up behind her and pulled her gently into his arms.

  “Carter, your brother is an ass,” Suzie said angrily as she looked up at her mate and saw the concern on his face.

  “Yeah, he is,” Carter agreed. He looked at his brother and saw that Reece had the decency to look ashamed of himself. “I don’t know why you think you had the right to deny Meeka, and, to be honest, I don’t really want to hear your excuses. There is no excuse, Reece. If you and Wade weren’t sure about hurting Meeka because of the silver in your blood then you shouldn’t have claimed her.”

  Neither Reece nor Wade had a response to his words. They just looked at him evenly and remained silent.

  “But you have claimed her,” Carter continued. “Your lives are now connected forever. You can’t choose to ignore that. You can’t decide you don’t want her. You already have her. She’s your mate. I thought you both knew exactly what that meant.”

  “There’s only one question I have,” Jace interrupted them.

  Everyone in the room turned to look at their alpha as he stood in the center of the room with his arms folded across his chest. He looked more than angry. He looked furious.

  “Do you love Meeka?” he asked.

  “Yes.” Both men answered at the same time without hesitation.

  “Then this discussion is over. Drew, you ran the blood tests?”

  “Yes, Jace. Both of them have improved. The silver levels in their blood have dropped dramatically since they’ve claimed Meeka,” Drew told him. “Ingesting Meeka’s blood during the claiming has had the same healing effect that our claiming bites did for Suzie.”

  “So their control over their wolves has improved?”

  “Yes.”

&
nbsp; “And there is no danger to Meeka?”

  “I don’t believe that there is, Jace.”

  “Good. Now, we need to find her and Eric,” Jace said firmly. “If you men don’t want them as your family, you need to tell me right now. I will not cause Meeka any more pain.”

  He looked at Reece and Wade, waiting for their answer. He felt Laurie’s hand on his forearm and covered it with his own hand, not looking away from the two men. He would not be distracted by her gentleness.

  “Well?”

  “Just say what’s in your heart,” Laurie encouraged them.

  “What’s in our hearts,” Reece echoed. He looked at Wade and reached up to grip Wade’s right shoulder. “We need to find Meeka and bring our family home.”

  Wade nodded. He completely agreed.

  Chapter 19

  Meeka shifted her son against her chest, doing her best not to disturb him. He was snuggled against her, sound asleep. She loved it when he cuddled against her. Everything about her experience as a mom made her happy. She had hoped that she might experience the miracle again, but that wasn’t meant to be.

  She pushed aside her thoughts of ever having children with Reece and Wade. The dream she still struggled to remember the night the men had claimed her had been a beautiful one. She thought she remembered holding a little girl, but she wasn’t sure.

  She really wanted that to be their reality. She wanted their baby growing inside of her. She wanted to experience feeling their baby moving inside of her. She wanted her men holding her and feeling their daughter kicking against their hands. She wanted to have her men with her when she brought their daughter into the world.

  “Stop it, Meeka,” she whispered the warning to herself. “You have to move on.”

  She shifted Eric in her arms, grabbed for the canvas bag that held everything that she and her son owned, and walked through the throng of people who were rushing through the silver tube of the underground tunnel that led to the stairs that would bring them up to the main room of the New Haven train station. She took the escalator up, glad for the reprieve, and did her best not to lose her balance. Quickly walking with the rest of the travelers, she set her bag on the long, wooden, circular platform seat that faced the board that ticked off the departing and incoming trains then turned so she could watch the station entrance.