“No,” Reece whispered. “We don’t have faith in ourselves.”
“What?” Meeka was shocked by his honest words.
All fight and anger left her as she looked at the two men she absolutely adored. They were kindest, gentlest men she had ever known, and she couldn’t imagine her life without them. Now that they had come to get her and she knew their fears and their hopes, she was never going to allow them to ever be apart from her again.
Opening her heart to them, she allowed her feelings to wash over them. She saw the moment they felt her love and smiled at them tenderly. Leaning into their strong bodies, she sighed contentedly as they surrounded her within their embrace. She couldn’t help but laugh softly as they rubbed their faces across the top of her head, making sure that their scents covered her.
“Feel better now?” she whispered.
“Yes,” Reece answered first, kissing her temple before rubbing against her cheek once again.
“Baby, you’re all ours,” Wade whispered as he covered her in his scent, kissing the top of Eric’s head and claiming him as theirs with his scent as well.
Meeka laughed as both men rubbed their cheeks against hers. “This wolf thing you guys have of making me smell like you is pretty cute,” she told them.
“It isn’t cute,” Reece said, growling softly.
“Yes, it is,” Meeka insisted.
“It is needed,” Wade told her, his voice deep.
“Why?”
“Because our scents tell everyone that you’re our woman,” Wade said, unable to keep his possessive growl from filling their corner of the restaurant.
“Yes. I am,” Meeka agreed, hugging her mates tightly and pressing their son solidly between them. “I love my family.”
Ethan Webber stood outside Crystal Springs Bar & Grille in stunned silence. His attention was transfixed on the sight that faced him through the front window of the popular restaurant.
“Holy shit,” he whispered in amazement. “How is this possible?”
The work that had taken him to Crystal Springs over the past two weeks had been a trip that was supposed to have been taken by his assistant. When he realized that the job was much too important for his assistant to deal with, Ethan had ordered him to stay behind. He couldn’t trust the man to do what had to be done in order to close the deal. Now that the deal was complete, he was preparing to leave the small town. The quick dinner in the more exclusive restaurant across the street had been pleasant, and he was just leaving to go back to his hotel when he happened to look up at the front window of Crystal Springs Bar & Grille and saw the woman he had thought his brother had taken care of long ago. She should be dead.
Looking at the two men who surrounded his bitch, he growled softly. Looking at the young cub in the arms of one of the men, he knew that somehow, Mikayla Martin had survived and had given birth to his son. How dare she not die? How dare she bring that atrocity into the world?
Stepping toward the restaurant, he had to control the murderous anger that consumed him. His immediate reaction was to storm into the restaurant and snap Mikayla’s neck then do the same to the abomination that she had birthed. It took every shred of his control to remain where he was. Looking at the two men who surrounded both Mikayla and the pup she had dared to have, he recognized the men.
A snide laugh escaped him. It was perfect. Two flawed men were involved with his flawed human. To kill them all would be no loss to anyone.
He remembered how those men had been punished by Alpha Randall so many years before. He also remembered how the men and their families had gone to Jace Beckett’s pack for asylum. Randall had hated Beckett with a passion. Ethan did as well. His brother Boyd’s death at the hands of Beckett’s enforcers had just added to the hatred he had for the alpha.
A form planned quickly in his mind. The anger that filled him and the need for revenge festered within him. He would figure out a way to exact justice for his brother’s death, and kill Mikayla and the boy in the process. Jace Beckett would suffer for what his pack had done. He would suffer and die.
Ethan had too many things to do at the moment. His business was faltering, and his monetary losses were too great. Once he settled things at work, he would make the trip to Colorado to gain help from Alpha Hayward who hated Jace Beckett and his pack almost as much as Randall had. Ethan knew that Hayward would jump at the chance to cause damage to Beckett’s pack and would be a willing participant in his quest to teach Jace Beckett, Mikayla Martin, and the creature she had birthed a lesson.
Stepping back into the shadows of the dark night, he waited and watched. When the time was right, he would get rid of them all.
Chapter 32
“Baby, we’re home,” Wade whispered against the side of Meeka’s face as she slept so soundly in the back seat of the SUV they had rented.
“I’m tired,” Meeka mumbled.
“I know, baby,” Wade said, smiling as he reached in and unbuckled her seatbelt before pulling their mate into his arms and carrying her into the main family lodge.
Reece smiled at them as he removed Eric from his car seat and pushed the door closed with his hip. It had been a long trip back to the Circle Three Ranch.
Meeka looked up and saw that they weren’t at the home that Reece and Wade shared. “We’re not going to our home?” she questioned.
Wade smiled down at her, a small thrill racing through him at her words. He looked over at Reece and saw him smile as he stepped up the three stairs of the porch to the front door of the family lodge. It was obvious that his triad partner had heard their woman’s question and liked it just as much as he did. Reece waited for them at the front door, leaning down to kiss Meeka’s forehead before turning and opening the door for all of them.
“We called Jace to let him know when we were close to the ranch,” Wade explained. “He said everyone would be waiting for us in the family room.”
“All of them?” Meeka asked, surprised.
“They were all worried about you, Meeka,” Wade said quietly. “They need to see that you and Eric are okay.”
“Daddy?”
“Yes, cub?” Reece whispered as he carried their son inside the lodge.
“Are we home?”
Eric rubbed at his eyes tiredly as he lifted his head and looked around. When he recognized the family lodge, he leaned back and smiled at his mother.
“Mommy, we’re home,” Eric said happily.
“Yes, baby. We are,” Meeka said, laughing as she tried to remove herself from Wade’s arms. “Put me down, Wade.”
“No.”
Meeka crossed her arms across her chest and looked up at Wade, sighing in frustration. “I am more than capable of walking into the lodge, Wade,” she told him, fighting the smile that threatened to burst free.
“I know you are, baby,” Wade agreed, walking toward the family room. “I just miss holding you. Once we get inside the family room, everyone is going to surround you and Eric and take your attention away from me and Reece.” He looked at Reece and saw him nodding in agreement. “We need to hold you both since we’re going to have you out of our arms for a while.”
“Put me down, you idiot!” Kaley’s voice growled behind them.
Meeka turned and saw that Brett was carrying her sister into the family lodge. Nathaniel was right next to them, hanging on to Kaley’s hand despite her attempts to pull it free.
“Kaley, be still,” Brett demanded, tightening his hold on her.
“Oh, you did not just give me an order,” Kaley said, pushing at Brett’s chest until he released his hold on her and she was able to stand. When Nathaniel reached out to steady her, she quickly stepped aside and raised her hands to stop him. “Don’t even think about it, wolf boy.”
Nathaniel laughed as he stepped toward Kaley and quickly stole a kiss from her lips before backing up and avoiding her hand as she tried to slap him away from her. “You’re too slow, sweet cheeks,” he teased her.
“You guys are really ann
oying, you know that, right?” Kaley said, exasperated. She turned away from them and walked toward her sister. “Do they have to carry you, too, Meeks?”
“No, they don’t,” Meeka said, laughing. “But I like it.”
“Thank you, baby,” Wade said quietly as he kissed her temple lightly. “I like it, too.”
Meeka looked toward her sister and was about to give her a hard time when she saw Cammy, Ryker, and Garrett entering the lodge. Cammy’s eyes were wide with worry as she looked around.
“Put me down, Wade,” she whispered, glad when Wade immediately lowered her so she could stand and walk toward Cammy. She reached out and took the shy woman’s hand in hers and tugged her gently to have her walk beside her.
Leading them over to the large peg board by the main door, she shrugged off her coat and hung it up, pulling off her boots and waiting for the other women to do the same. Walking over to Reece, she took Eric from him and settled her son to stand before her to help him take off his coat. When she hung it up and turned to pick him up once again, Reece scooped him up into his arms and kissed his cheek quickly.
“I’ve got him,” Reece said quickly, winking down at her. “Help me take off my coat, little one.”
Meeka laughed as she pulled on the sleeve of his heavy coat to tug it from his body and hung it up on one of the pegs. Turning to face Wade, she smiled and reached out to help him take off his coat.
“You can help me take off the rest of my clothes, too, baby,” he whispered to her.
“Later,” Meeka whispered back without hesitation, smiling at the immediate burst of laughter that escaped him.
She turned to look at the rest of the men and saw that they had all removed their coats and had hung them up. Everyone’s boots were also lined up on the long rubber mat that ran along the wall that already held so many other pairs. Meeka reached out and took hold of her sister’s hand and Cammy’s hand and pulled them along with her as she headed toward the family room.
“Come on. Don’t worry. I’m going to introduce you to the family. They’re great people.”
Kaley and Cammy remained silent as she drew them toward the room where all of the people she loved and considered her family were waiting for them. As they stepped into the family room, she was instantly surrounded by the love that they had for her. Suzie was the first one to reach her, grabbing her and hugging her tightly.
“Meeka! I’m so glad you’re home,” she said happily, kissing her cheek lightly.
“Me, too,” Meeka answered, laughing as she was immediately passed around and hugged by all the women. She noticed that the men were careful not to touch her and realized that they refrained from any contact with her in order to respect Reece and Wade. She knew that although their bond had been renewed between them, both men’s wolves were still very protective of her.
“We’re all very glad that you’re home, Meeka,” Jace said, his deep voice causing all chatter to stop. “We’re glad you are home as well, young man.” He reached out and pulled Eric into his arms to hug him tightly. He turned to look at Laurie and Jackson and smiled, glad that their daughter’s future mate was finally home.
“Is Owen okay?” Eric asked worriedly. “I missed him.”
Laurie laughed softly as she stepped forward and touched Eric’s black curls gently. “He missed you, too, Eric,” she told him honestly. “He looked around for you every day. Julia was worried that he was going to be very sad without you.”
“He was sad?” Eric asked, worried.
“Don’t worry, cub,” Jackson told him as he leaned forward and kissed Eric’s cheek lightly. “He’ll be happy when you see him tomorrow.”
“Can I see him now?”
“He’s home sleeping right now,” Laurie told him, smiling. “You’ll have to wait until tomorrow. You can see him when Julia brings him to the children’s cabin in the morning. Okay, honey?”
“Okay, Laurie,” Eric agreed. “Owen needs me to be with him. Cassy needs us to be with her, too.”
“I know, sweetheart,” Laurie whispered, kissing his forehead lightly before turning to look at her men and smile at the instant grin on Jackson’s face and the immediate tightening of Jace’s mouth. “Cassy needs them, too.”
Jackson leaned forward and hugged Eric again. “Yes. Cassy needs you,” he agreed. He looked at Jace and saw the way his alpha and triad partner struggled to accept that their little girl was already destined to be mated to Eric and Owen. It wasn’t something that was unusual in the wolf community, but it was something that was very new to the protective nature of their alpha.
Jace sighed in resignation. “Yes, Eric,” he finally agreed. “Cassy needs you, too.”
Laurie leaned against Jace and kissed his chest lightly. When Jace covered her belly and tenderly caressed it, she sighed happily, glad that their family was complete. “Are you going to be this protective of all of our children?” she asked him softly.
“Yes.”
That one word came out on a growl, making Laurie laugh. Jackson surrounded her in his arms and hugged her gently. She leaned back against him and cuddled into his warmth.
“We’re going to have to give Cassy another sibling to grow up with,” he whispered against her ear. “Mia and Dean are going to want at least one baby brother or sister each to spoil.”
“I think you may be right,” Laurie said thoughtfully, thinking about their older children.
“Let’s deal with one birth at a time,” Jace said softly, his worry coming through in his voice.
“But you do want more cubs, right big guy?” Jackson asked, looking at him and smiling despite the seriousness of the question.
“I want as many as Laurie is willing to give us,” Jace answered honestly. “But I want you safe, Laurie.”
“I will be,” Laurie whispered, leaning forward and kissing the underside of his chin.
“It’s so good to have you home, Meeka,” Martha spoke up, hugging her lightly. “We were all very worried about you and Eric.” She stepped back to stand with her mates Grant and Silas, laughing softly as they immediately wrapped their arms around her and hugged her gently.
“Thank you. We’re glad to be home,” Meeka admitted, looking at the group of people who had quickly become her new family. “This is my sister Kaley and our friend Cammy. Thank you for welcoming them into your pack family, Alpha.”
Jace stepped forward and reached out to touch both women’s shoulders lightly, slowly slipping his hands behind their necks and formally showing them that they had been accepted into his pack. Both women remained still, not understanding the significance of what he was doing, but knowing that it was important.
“You’re both under my protection now,” he told them firmly. “Every one of our pack members will protect and defend you. Come to me with any concerns or fears you may have. As your Alpha, your worries are my worries. You are pack. You are family.”
Kaley looked at Cammy with her eyebrows raised in surprise. Cammy’s blue eyes were huge with worry. She reached out and took Cammy’s hands in hers, trying to offer her friend some little bit of comfort.
“You’re safe now, Cammy,” she whispered.
Cammy nodded, unable to speak. She looked around the room and couldn’t help but smile as she realized that almost every woman there was pregnant. She had a sudden flash of the vision she had experienced where she had been lying on the grass by a stream and Ryker and Garrett had been touching her pregnant belly. She looked at the two men and couldn’t help but blush as she saw their gentle smiles. She somehow knew that they were having the same thought. It was almost too much to deal with.
“You’re welcome to stay in the family lodge,” Laurie offered, smiling at the two women as she heard the rumbling growls emanating from Nathaniel and Brett, and Ryker and Garrett. She turned to face them, raising her eyebrow in question. “Is there a problem, gentlemen?”
“No, Laurie,” Nathaniel answered for him and Brett. “We were hoping Kaley would stay with us.”
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“In your dreams, buddy,” Kaley said immediately.
“Actually, if it’s okay with my sister and Cammy, Reece, Wade and I have talked this over already, and we’d like it if Cammy and Kaley stayed with us,” Meeka spoke up, her voice strong as her men stepped up behind her and rested their hands on her waist to show their support. “You can stay here in the lodge if you want to, but we thought it would be nice if you stayed with us. We would like it if our family was together.”
“Yes,” Cammy answered softly. “I’d like that, Meeka.”
“Yup, me, too,” Kaley said, turning and glaring at the two men who had taken entirely too much for granted.
“Kaley,” Brett spoke up.
“What?” She looked at him with an expression on her face that dared him to mess with her.
“We want you with us,” Brett finished.
“Yeah, and I want a million dollars,” she snapped. “We all get disappointed.”
Nathaniel looked at Brett and smiled. Kaley might be obstinate, and she may be unwilling to accept what was fated for them, but she didn’t realize how determined they were going to be. She was going to be their woman. As far as they were concerned, she was going to be a mated woman by the end of the month.
Nathaniel stepped toward their destined mate, glad when Brett was right beside him. He leaned in and kissed Kaley’s temple lightly, smiling against her cheek when she gasped as Brett did the same.
“Okay, baby. We’ll give you space,” he promised. “Just give us a chance to show you that we’ll be a good triad.”
“We already care for you, Kaley,” Brett whispered so that only she could hear them. “Maybe you’ll find that you care for us a little bit, beautiful.”
Kaley pushed out from between them, unable to speak. When they surrounded her like that and leaned in to talk to her, she lost all ability to think straight. That wasn’t good. She had to keep her wits about her.
“Cammy, we would feel better if you were with Meeka,” Ryker admitted quietly as he and Garrett stood before her. “We want you to be comfortable and feel safe.”
Meeka's Reluctant Mates [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 30
