by Abby Blake
Louise was gone. He had to accept that. He was torturing himself imagining the things he would never share. She was a werewolf now, and even though he’d refused Andrea’s offer of a demonstration, in his heart he knew the woman he loved was now beyond his reach. God help Aiden and Zeb if they ever hurt her, because werewolves or not, Cal would skin their hides.
He was about to get out of bed when arousal gripped him.
* * * *
Louise rolled in her sleep, her mind barely recognizing the place she now inhabited. She’d only stayed at Cal’s place a few times, mainly because hers was that much closer to the sheriff’s office if there was a problem, but she recognized Cal’s spicy scent immediately. Somehow, she understood that she was dreaming, but it felt so real her mind didn’t care.
And then Cal was there, his arms open wide as she stepped into his embrace. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered a moment before pressing her lips to his mouth. She wanted, needed, the man with a desperation she couldn’t fathom, but something held her back, some niggle, some worry that something wasn’t right.
“It’s okay, baby girl,” Zeb said as he pressed against her naked back.
“We’re all here now,” Aiden added as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
She sighed in relief, the peaceful feeling of finally being surrounded by her mates permeating every cell in her body. She lifted her eyes to Cal’s, smiling as she saw her excitement mirrored in his gaze.
“I love them,” she confessed to Cal, glancing over her shoulder at her wolf mates. “But I love you, too. Aiden and Zeb can make you a wolf as well. Can we find a way to make a relationship work?”
“I hope so,” Cal said with a grin, leaning forward to press an aggressive kiss against her mouth. “That’s assuming, of course, that they can keep up.” He lifted her then, wrapping strong arms around her middle, placing her onto his cock even as the other men helped to hold her steady. She groaned as Cal slid deep into her pussy.
“Fuck,” he growled as he gripped her tighter, lifted her up slightly, and then slammed harder, going deeper, thrusting all the way into her dripping pussy. She moaned, the incredible sensation stealing her sanity, her breath.
Over and over, he fucked her, Aiden and Zeb holding her steady, pressing kisses to her throat, her shoulders, caressing her spine, her ass, her thighs, even as Cal increased the pace. A hand found her clit, rubbing the swollen nub, the rhythm driving her need higher, so much higher.
“Come for us, baby girl.” A hard slap on her ass took her by the surprise, the orgasm that followed shaking her to her very core. Everything shook, inside and out. Mind, body, and soul, she came apart in their arms, screaming as Cal fucked her harder and deeper and faster.
He grunted, pouring his seed deep into her body, his cock pulsing, throbbing in the same beat as her heart. She gasped for air, damn near screaming when strong hands lifted her, easing Cal’s cock from her body only to replace it with something hard and thick.
Zeb smiled, stepping backward, holding her hard against him as he lowered to the bed and lay down. She was draped across his chest and stomach, her ass in the air, her thighs spread wide, exposing her secrets. She felt too relaxed to be embarrassed.
But the slippery touch against her dark hole had her squirming away, the fear overriding her postcoital bliss.
“Shhh, baby girl, we’ll take care of you. We’ll always keep you safe.”
She relaxed minutely, the fear slowly subsiding as all three men soothed her with comforting strokes. Cal lay down beside them, smiling when she lifted her head, and pressed his lips against her own. He touched her face gently with his warm hand.
“Trust them, babe,” he whispered reverently. “They love you.”
“What about you?” she asked, fear gripping her again as she imagined him fading away. Somehow she still understood she was dreaming, but when Cal remained where he was, his presence more solid, more real, than a dream should allow, she sighed and relaxed.
A lubed finger pressed into her ass, the feeling strange, different, but not painful. She gasped as a second joined it, stretching her open, the sting a tad uncomfortable. But slowly, gradually, the tense muscle loosened, and she began pushing back against Aiden’s fingers. When he added a third, she growled her need, the unusual sensation inflaming nerve endings she hadn’t known existed.
But then Zeb thrust upward, fucking her pussy slowly as Aiden pressed his fingers deeper and then retreated in counterpoint to Zeb’s rhythm.
“Please,” she whimpered, pushing back against Aiden, the movement changing the way everything fit, her ass gripping Aiden’s fingers, her pussy pulsing against Zeb’s cock.
“That’s what we were waiting for, sweetheart,” Aiden said as he removed his fingers and replaced them with his cock. The mushroom-shaped head pushed into her slowly, Aiden filling her ass as Zeb lifted her slightly and pulled his cock from her pussy.
She gasped, her hand reaching for Cal, unconsciously seeking his reassurance. “I’m here, babe. I’m not going anywhere.”
And then Aiden and Zeb started to fuck her, really fuck her, their movements hard, jolting, forceful. “Let go, baby girl,” Zeb ordered. “You’re a werewolf now. You’re much stronger than you think you are. We aren’t going to hurt you.”
She breathed out, trusting them, believing them, loving them. She relaxed into their care, and both men groaned as she practically melted against them. Harder and faster they plowed into her, taking her, possessing her, owning her. She screamed as orgasm slammed her, every muscle vibrating as heat burst outward and engulfed her whole. She shook uncontrollably, her men both pushing to the hilt as they each reached their peak and joined her in bliss.
She sighed, feeling exhausted, feeling loved and, for the first time since Aiden and Zeb had entered her life, feeling complete.
* * * *
Cal woke covered in his own semen. He rolled angrily from his bed. He wasn’t even sure if he’d gone to sleep again or had only dreamed of waking up the first time, but whatever had happened, it had to stop. Letting his imagination run riot with sex dreams was only going to make losing Louise harder. He had to let her go. Hell, for the sake of his own sanity, he had to forget she’d ever existed.
It was time to get on with his life. He’d made the decision several days ago to get the hell out of this small town. His farm was in good hands, his finances were healthy, and his future was calling him. The only thing that had changed between making the decision two days ago and now was that Louise wouldn’t be going with him.
Longing gripped him anew as he packed several bags and loaded up his truck. He’d had high hopes for such a short time but, fair or not, it was time for him to go. When he reached the highway, he sat there for a moment, the car running as he fought his conscience. Louise would be heading back to town today. She still needed to finish up her time filling in for the sheriff and, judging by all the phone calls he’d managed to ignore, wanted to speak to him one last time.
But then acid burned his stomach, the grief cutting deep, and he realized that he couldn’t see her one more time without breaking down and begging her to keep him. Hell, judging by the dreams, he was even ready to share her with Aiden and Zeb Leckie. But all the wishing things had happened differently wouldn’t change the fact that she was now a werewolf and he wasn’t.
Grinding his back teeth, Cal pointed the truck south and headed away from the woman he loved.
* * * *
Zeb smiled down at the sleeping woman in his arms. She was probably going to be very embarrassed when she woke and realized she was lying naked on a bed of grass at the edge of the forest, but for now he simply enjoyed holding her.
The sweet smell of her arousal filled the air around them. His cock was still harder than steel, pulsing with his heartbeat, but he was strangely satisfied just to hold her close. He was a little surprised that the mating dream they’d shared seemed more than enough to appease him for the moment, but was very grateful for the sense
of peace.
Aiden had already gone back home to collect clothes and shoes for their mate. Ordinarily they’d stay in wolf form until they got back to their house, but it would take months, maybe even years, before Louise would learn to control her wolf well enough to stay shifted without the full moon.
She wriggled in his arms, and he again smelled her arousal.
“Zeb?”
“Yes, baby girl.”
“Was it a dream?”
“Yes.” He felt both her relief and her disappointment, their mating link seeming to have grown stronger overnight. “We’ll head home when the sun rises, and then we’ll explain everything to Cal, lay it all out for him to consider, and hopefully convince him that he belongs with us.”
She rolled to face Zeb, glancing down at her naked breasts before seeming to dismiss the observation and asking her question instead. “What about you and Aiden? I doubt you were expecting to share a mate with a complete stranger.”
“I admit to it being unexpected.” He touched a hand to her face, tracing his finger over her lips as he tried to put into words what was in his heart. “But he belongs with us. Everything in the mating dreams seems right, complete. He just might take a little convincing, but I’m sure the four of us can be happy together.”
Louise nodded, ducking her head against his chest as her eyes filled with tears. He nearly laughed when he realized how annoyed she was at her own weepiness, but he hugged her to him harder and loved her all the more for her strength.
“Ready to head home?” Aiden asked as he stepped into the meadow. He was fully dressed and carrying a duffel bag full of clothes.
Louise smiled, pressed a kiss to Zeb’s lips, nipped at his jaw with her teeth, and then rolled away. He grabbed her ankle, and she kicked out playfully as she tried to escape him. He swatted her backside as she shrieked with laugher. And somehow, despite the loud noise breaking the stillness of early morning, he’d never heard a sound that seemed sweeter.
* * * *
Impatience rode her hard as they traveled slowly down the switchback roads. She wanted to be on the highway, speeding back to the man who was the missing piece of her life. She wanted to be close enough to sense him. Hell, she wanted to be home already.
“Ouch,” Aiden said with a quiet laugh. “Thoughts like that can really damage a man’s ego. We’re quite fragile, you know.”
She could sense his humor, realizing through the mating link that he wasn’t really upset by her thoughts, and in some way he even shared them.
“I just need to see him. To know he’s okay.”
“We know, baby girl,” Zeb said, not taking his eyes off the winding, dangerous roads. “We’ll sort it out.”
“I know,” she said, truly believing it. Even as she worried at Cal’s possible reactions, she knew that these two men would stand by her no matter what the outcome. Deep love and affection wound through her senses as she remembered all the ways these men had already kept her safe. Her wolf yipped in her mind, the strange feeling of two very different sides of her personality taking her by surprise.
But somehow it also felt natural. Her wolf half approved of her mates, knew they’d protect her and their children when they had them. Aiden pulled her closer, his warm hand caressing her belly as he sensed the direction of her thoughts.
“We’ve waited a long time,” Aiden said, pressing a quick kiss to her throat. “But you’re still quite young, so we can wait until you’re ready.”
Young? She was thirty-two. That wasn’t exactly old, but it did mean they should try for kids sooner rather than later—when they were all in agreement that the timing was right. But then it finally dawned on her that she didn’t even know how old Aiden and Zeb were. They looked midthirties.
Zeb laughed suddenly. “Do you want to tell her, or should I?”
“Tell me what?”
“That werewolves live longer lives than the average human.”
Okay. That was maybe good news, if that extended to made werewolves, not just those born as one. The idea of growing old while they stayed young looking was not a comfortable one.
“So how old are you?”
“Exactly?” Aiden asked with a silly grin on his face.
“Yes. Exactly, how old are you two?”
“We’re both fifty-two.”
“Twice my age?” she blurted out, the revelation tickling a funny bone she didn’t realize she had. She giggled at their affronted expressions.
“Not twice. What sort of math did you learn at school?”
“Okay, okay, settle down, old guy. Don’t want to give yourself a heart attack.”
“Old? You’re going to find out exactly what these old guys can do—after I spank your ass for being a brat.” It was obvious that Zeb was joking, but she squirmed in her seat, surprised to discover the idea appealing. Kinky? Huh, who would have guessed?
She tried to stifle a yawn, but the few hours of sleep she’d gotten in wolf form didn’t quite cover the exertions of the night before.
“Get some rest,” Zeb ordered in his most bossy voice, but even though she wanted to argue, she really was too tired to form the words. She stuck her tongue out at him and then settled against Aiden and closed her eyes. Zeb chuckled quietly, the words, “You’ll pay for that later,” reaching her ears a moment before sleep claimed her.
* * * *
Cal sat in his car and stared at the sign. He’d dreamed of doing this for years, of following the ambition that he’d held since childhood, but now that he was here it just seemed silly.
Did he really see himself as a zoo worker?
He laughed quietly in the confined space of the car. As a kid he’d dreamed of working with exotic animals, of studying their behavioral and mating quirks, and perhaps learning more about their needs as a species and the dangers humans represented.
But now, sitting in his car out front of the zoo where he had a job interview in less than ten minutes, he suddenly found himself wondering if it was truly what he wanted.
It wasn’t even the fact that he would need to start in an entry level job. Technically he was already qualified to shovel poo. He’d been doing the exact same thing on the farm for years, but would it help him protect the future of the planet the way he’d dreamed as a kid?
He fingered the bullet Andrea had given him. He hadn’t really wanted it—he preferred not to kill things—but she’d assured him that a hollow-tipped bullet with a drop of mercury inside was the only way to stop a werewolf. He’d been surprised to learn that, despite the legends, it was quicksilver, not actual silver, that killed werewolves. He could only guess that the people who’d written down and passed the legends through generations hadn’t known that mercury was not liquid silver.
But that raised another question in his mind. How much more didn’t he know about the world around him? Andrea had described the community where she now lived, and he’d been pleased to learn of its environmentally sensitive design. He’d spent most of his adult life trying to preserve as much natural habitat for wild creatures as he could. It felt good to know that there were other people—well, other species was probably more accurate—fighting for the same things.
He glanced back at the front gate of the zoo. The chance to learn about animals from other countries paled in comparison to the things he’d already achieved with the wild animals and environment in his own home state. He was well informed and quite vocal on occasions when it came to protecting the habitat and breeding grounds of local species. In some ways he’d already achieved far more doing what he’d done at home than he could ever accomplish by tending animals in the artificial environment of a zoo—even if he worked his way to the top of the zoo career ladder.
Finding a balance between human needs and saving the animals was something he truly enjoyed. He wasn’t a fanatic screeching on the six o’clock news in protest. He was one of the people doing something practical and trying to find workable solutions.
He closed his eyes and breathed o
ut a deep sigh. In all the years he’d resented staying on the farm, he’d never really seriously considered following his own dreams. Not because he couldn’t, but because he really didn’t want to.
He ran a hand down his face, laughing at his own stupidity. Yes, he wanted to travel and spend time in other places, but as his mother had always told him, “Home is where the heart is.”
Except his heart was with Louise.
And Louise was with Aiden and Zeb.
Cal tried to rub away the ache in his chest, but the stubborn pain wouldn’t budge. Frustration boiled over, and he slammed a hand on the steering wheel. Damn it all. He’d take the vacation he’d told his manager he was taking, find a new focus, and then head home. By the time he got back, Louise would be living with Zeb and Aiden somewhere halfway across the country.
At least then he might be able to sleep in his own bed without dreaming of the woman who had once been his.
Chapter Seven
Louise glanced around the sheriff’s office for probably the last time. Her two weeks were done, the sheriff was officially back on duty at midnight, and she had no reason to linger in town any longer.
“I still can’t sense Cal,” Louise whispered to Aiden for the hundredth time since they’d come back into town. The plan had been so simple. Find Cal, convince him they all belonged together, and then have Aiden and Zeb make him a werewolf.
Simple.
Well, not so simple if they couldn’t find the stubborn man.
Her plan to finish up her two weeks filling in for the sheriff and move herself and her men to the house Xavier had offered them in the mountain community no longer seemed workable. She hadn’t even had a mating dream since the morning after the full moon. Then she’d been at least one hundred and twenty miles away, so that meant that now Cal was even farther away than that. The only thing Cal’s farm manager had been able to tell them was that he’d gone on a vacation. Not even his family knew where he was.
