She pushed both men away and pointed at the door, fire flashing in her eyes as she looked at them. She could hear her wolf growling at her, but she told her to shush. It was going to be all three of them or nothing.
Both men looked at her in complete astonishment. Their beautiful, sexy, caring, and loving mate had a strength within her that they already respected and admired. If there was any doubt in either man’s mind that Shelly would not be a perfect match for them, she had just blown those thoughts to hell.
“I’m not ashamed of being triad partners with Eli,” Max explained as he reached out, took firm hold of Shelly’s hand, and drew it toward his chest to hold it tightly. “We’ve had to hide it for so long, it makes me angry that we’ve had to deny something that we’re proud of.”
“Our parents were in triad relationships until ten years ago,” Eli explained as he reached out and took gentle hold of Shelly’s free hand and pulled her toward him so that he could kiss her open palm before pressing her hand over his heart. “My father and Max’s father were killed in a logging accident. Our parents decided to move away from the logging camp. It just held too many bad memories for them. When our families came to Colorado, the pack they approached didn’t have triad matings. Alpha Randall made it clear that those that wanted to live that life of depravity had to leave or be killed. We’ve had to hide who we were ever since. It was just too dangerous for all of us.”
“Why didn’t your parents leave Randall’s pack?” Shelly asked, confused. “They could have come here.”
“Our fathers were able to find work near Randall’s pack land,” Max explained. “Since they didn’t have a triad anymore, they felt it best that they stay where they could earn a living.”
“As we got older, our parents knew that we had to move in order to allow the two of us to find our destined mate,” Eli explained. “It’s been a really hard life for us. We came here to talk to Jace Beckett about allowing us to become part of his pack.”
“What did he say?” Shelly whispered.
“He said he would welcome all of us,” Max said, relief evident in his voice. “He told us to come here and spend time in this house for as long as we needed to in order to make our final decision to bring our families here.”
“I hope you’ll stay,” Shelly said, pulling her hand free and reaching up to touch Max’s cheek. “I would like to get to know you and Eli better. I think we could have a really nice life together.”
“I think so, too,” Max said gently. “We don’t have much to offer you, Shelly, but Eli and I will be good mates to you. We will show you only kindness and love.”
“We want the same love and happiness that our families had before our fathers were killed in the accident,” Eli said softly.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Shelly whispered, closing her eyes and sending soothing and loving thoughts to the two men. She searched for and found the pain and loneliness hidden deep within their hearts and surrounded it with a bright white light of healing.
“I can feel you inside of me,” Max whispered.
“I can, too,” Eli said softly. “It feels warm and pure. Thank you, sweetheart.”
“No more hiding,” Shelly said with determination, opening her eyes and looking at the two men, her eyes flashing golden as her wolf came forward to support their men. “Jace is an honorable alpha. All of the relationships within our pack are triad matings. You don’t have to hide anything anymore. You don’t want to hide the fact that you belong to me, do you?” Her voice was soft as she bared her heart to them.
“Never,” Max said adamantly.
“We’re proud to have you as ours, Shelly Brooks-Lancaster,” Eli said formally. “We hope we’ll give you reason to be just as proud to call us your mates.”
Shelly smiled shyly, realizing suddenly exactly what that meant. Looking at these two powerful men, she worried for a minute that she wouldn’t be the mate that they needed. Years of being told she wasn’t good enough by her mother had certainly taken its toll on her self-esteem.
“I don’t know if I’ll be a good mate, but I promise to be caring and loving,” she said quietly, her eyes returning to blue as the determination of her wolf faltered. Shelly ignored the growling within her.
Max laughed softly as he looked at the adorable woman before them. “Baby, you’ve already given us so much with your kindness and understanding. I already feel peaceful and calm because of you. I can also feel the goodness in your heart and hope that you’ll give us the gift of your love. I have no doubt at all that you’ll be a perfect mate.”
“No one is perfect, Max,” Shelly said, shaking her head. “I’ll make mistakes. Please don’t make me feel like I have to be perfect all the time. That’s too much to live up to.”
“Baby, what I mean is, you’re going to be perfect for us,” Max explained. “Eli and I are certainly not perfect men. We’re probably the most flawed men you’ll ever meet, but we’ll cherish you and will value every day that we’re blessed with to have you as our mate.”
Shelly looked at Max, then at Eli, doing her best to gauge their honesty. She felt nothing but truth coming through. She also felt their desire. It made her blush just a little. That was certainly something she was more than willing to experience with her men, but not yet. She wanted to spend time with them first. She wanted to know them and value them before she made that ultimate connection.
“I agree,” Eli said softly, smiling at the adorable pink hue on their woman’s cheeks.
“Agree to what?” Shelly asked, confused.
“We need to spend time together and get to know each other before we can complete the mating,” Eli explained. “I heard your worries in my head.”
“You did?” Shelly was stunned by that revelation. How had that happened?
“I heard you, too, baby,” Max said, smiling down at her. “I think it’s because you’re an omega. You’ve already connected with us. The Fates have woven the white threads of the mating bond through us. It makes sense that your abilities would be shared with your mates in order to keep you safe and understood.”
“I like it.”
Max laughed at her sweet declaration. It had been a long time since he had laughed. It felt good. Being with Shelly felt good. It felt right.
“It does feel right,” Eli added.
“You’re doing it again,” Shelly said, laughing softly.
“I guess we’re all connected,” Eli whispered.
Shelly nodded, feeling the connection deep within her soul. It was a wonderful feeling.
“I have a question,” Max said suddenly. “How old are you, Shelly?”
“I’ll be twenty-one on Saturday,” Shelly said, laughing at the immediate sigh of relief that escaped both men. She understood their reaction. It was not allowed for any matings to occur until the age of consent was passed, which was a pack member’s twenty-first year.
“I think Saturday is going to be my favorite day of the week for the rest of my life,” Max said, looking at his triad partner and seeing the same happiness on Eli’s face. “We can claim her on Saturday, Eli.”
“Maybe,” Shelly said, interrupting them.
“You don’t want us to claim you, baby?” Max asked, worried that he had pushed too hard.
“We have a lot to learn about each other first,” Shelly said cautiously. “How old are you, by the way?”
“We’re both twenty-six,” Eli answered for the both of them.
“Good.”
“Why good, baby?” Max asked, laughing softly. He realized that he hadn’t enjoyed himself this much in a really long time. He had no reason to. There had been no joy in his life—until now.
“You’re old enough to be past the stupid years,” Shelly said firmly.
Eli had to laugh at that one. “Stupid years?” he asked as soon as he calmed a little.
“Yeah, the teenage years and the early twenties when guys seem to think that driving fast, drinking a lot, and being with tons of girls makes
them men,” Shelly explained.
“Well, baby, neither Eli nor I have cars, we don’t drink, and we haven’t kissed a lot of girls,” Max said, smiling softly at their mate.
“But you’ve kissed some,” Shelly insisted.
“A few,” Eli admitted.
“Even though you knew they weren’t your mate?” Shelly asked.
“We never kissed the same girl,” Max said, reaching out and tracing the gentle blush on Shelly’s cheek with the tip of his index finger as Eli slipped his right hand into Shelly’s hair and caressed her head lightly. “None of the girls meant anything to us. We knew that we would share a kind and loving woman someday. We were waiting for you.”
“I guess there’s a lot we need to talk about,” Shelly said thoughtfully, unable to stop the shiver that raced through her at Max’s and Eli’s touches. “I haven’t even met your wolves yet.”
“We’ve been forbidden to shift,” Eli said stiffly.
“What? Why?”
“Alpha Randall said we had to suffer with our injuries for disobeying him,” Max explained.
“What did you do to disobey him?”
“We wouldn’t beat up a young shifter who didn’t have the ability to shift,” Eli said angrily. “It wasn’t right. Mitchell Robinson is a good kid. We don’t really know why Alpha Randall is so obsessed with him.”
“You were right to disobey,” Shelly said angrily. “I’m proud of you both for being strong enough to defy him. Alpha Randall is a horrible man. You’ll never have to worry about that here. Jace Beckett is an honorable man and a fair alpha. He would never allow any member of our pack family to be hurt. He would never give an order to have anyone commit such a hateful crime.”
“I think Randall realizes that Mitchell is showing the isolation of a young shifter,” Max said, trying to understand it himself. “Eli and I have talked about it. We think that Mitchell is going to be a part of a triad partnership.”
“Why do you think that?” Shelly asked gently, reaching out and taking Max’s hand and holding it lightly.
“His mother was mated to two men,” Max told her, smiling at the natural tendency that Shelly had to comfort him. He was looking forward to experiencing her tenderness and caring throughout their lives together.
“His mother has lived a very sad life with him and his older sister Susannah,” Eli continued. “We’ve seen how Randall has threatened and tormented them for years. We were sure that he would do the same to our parents. That’s why we came here to find sanctuary for them with Alpha Beckett.”
“I’m glad you came here,” Shelly whispered.
“We are, too, baby,” Max said, smiling as he felt the way Shelly’s warmth and caring surrounded them both. “We’re determined to provide a good life for our parents.”
“Now that we’ve found you, we’re pretty determined to provide the same for you,” Eli said gently.
“I think that’s agreeable,” Shelly said, happy that she made them both smile. She could feel their emotional and physical pain and wanted to help them heal.
Looking at both of her men, she saw the multitude of bruises and injuries on each of their faces, arms, and necks. She already knew that Eli had a gash in his head that was hidden within his hair. She could just imagine the hidden pains that she couldn’t see but could feel as she allowed her omega powers to search them out. They not only needed her to give them the sense of belonging that would occur in a triad mating, she also needed to ease their very real physical pains. It was something that was almost an ache inside of her to accomplish.
“I want you both to shift right now,” she said firmly. “I want you to stay in your wolf forms and heal. You can sleep in front of the fireplace. I’ll put down blankets so you’ll be comfortable.”
She stood up slowly, gasping at the pain in her side. When both men reached for her hips, she moved slightly so they wouldn’t touch the painful areas just above her pelvis and in the center of her stomach where her mother had kicked her.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Max asked, his deep voice almost panicked.
“I’ve got some bruises of my own that I need to shift and take care of,” Shelly admitted, touching her side and stomach gingerly.
“Let me see,” Eli demanded, reaching up and untying her fluffy pink robe as he and Max knelt before her.
Shelly smiled at the intimacy of the moment. Her mates were kneeling before her and demanding that they see where she was injured. She was touched by their concern and thrilled by their honest caring. She allowed them to open her robe and gently push up her pajama top to reveal her waist and midriff.
“Shelly,” Max whispered, reaching up and touching the purple bruise to the right of her bellybutton. He leaned in and kissed it lightly, turning his head and resting his cheek against her stomach.
“Honey, you have to be in a lot of pain.” Eli was barely able to get out the words. He was so overwhelmed with the thought that their woman had been hurt, he could barely breathe. He kissed her belly lightly then rested his hand on her hip, gently rubbing the pad of his thumb across the bruise there, as if that action would take away her pain.
In that second, a shared vision flashed through each of their minds. They were in the same spot, in the same position, but in the vision, Shelly was pregnant. Her belly was bare to their gaze and each man was kissing and caressing it tenderly. They could feel their baby moving beneath their hands. Shelly was laughing softly and holding their heads gently as she slipped her fingers through their hair and scratched their scalps lightly.
“I love being pregnant,” Shelly whispered, looking down at her mates and smiling at them when they looked up at her.
“We love that you’re pregnant,” Max whispered, standing up and taking a sweet kiss from their mate.
“We loved getting you pregnant, too,” Eli whispered, causing both Shelly and Max to laugh in the midst of their kiss. He stood and smiled at the joy that Shelly and Max were feeling. When Shelly turned to face him, Eli took advantage and claimed her soft lips, taking them in a kiss that told her exactly how much he loved her.
“I love you, Eli,” Shelly whispered, holding him gently against her. She turned her head and looked at Max as he looked down at her with adoring eyes. “I love you, Max.”
“Baby,” Max whispered. “You have no idea how much joy you give us.”
“I think I do,” Shelly said softly. “Because you give me the same joy. Our baby is the most beautiful gift of all. Thank you for making her.”
“It was our pleasure, baby,” Max said, laughing softly as he gently caressed her swollen belly, feeling Eli’s hand sharing the intimate touch with him.
“It was my pleasure, too,” Shelly told them seriously. “Each time we make love, each day I’m given to be your mate, and every moment you talk to me and make me enjoy my life, makes me thank the Fates for sending you both to me.”
Eli nuzzled against her temple, wrapping his arms around her and holding her gently against his chest. “Honey, the day we found you was the best day of our lives.”
“Did you see that?” Shelly whispered, shocked.
“I did,” Max said, standing and smiling down at their woman, his eyes flashing golden as his wolf preened with happiness within him. “You’re going to look beautiful when our baby is growing inside of you, Shelly.”
“Is that something that you want?” Shelly asked, almost afraid to hear their answer.
“We’ll have a daughter first, and we’ll name her Allison,” Eli said, smiling. “We’ll call her Allie.”
“We will?”
“Yeah. She’s going to be a beauty, just like her mommy. Then we’re going to have a son. His name is going to be Matthew,” Eli continued. “You’re going to bake cookies with them and come out onto the front porch of this home that we’re going to share and sit on the couch to rest because you’ll be carrying our third child.”
“I will?” Shelly asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“Yes, baby,�
� Max told her, leaning forward to kiss her lips lightly. “We’re going to have a beautiful family together. Eli and I had a vision of it just before we came into the house earlier this morning.” He hesitated for a moment, worry suddenly filling him that he was pushing too fast. Maybe Shelly didn’t want that life with them. “We want that with you. Do you think you might want that with us, Shelly?”
Shelly closed her eyes and pictured the scene that Max and Eli had just described. She could see it vividly. Her omega abilities were touching her men’s souls and sharing the vision that they had experienced earlier. It was beautiful.
Shelly’s legs gave out on her in that moment. It was a good thing that both men were holding her or she would have fallen to the floor for sure. They carefully lowered her onto the couch and settled her so that she was lying comfortably on the pillows that she had placed at the left side of the couch. Looking up at the two men as they leaned over her, she saw their worry and knew unbelievable happiness in that moment that her mates were such kind men who truly cared about her and wanted her.
“Sweetheart, are you all right?” Eli asked, leaning down to kiss her forehead lightly.
“I’m wonderful,” Shelly said, laughing. “I’m just stunned. That was amazing.”
“What was?” Max asked, confused.
“I saw the vision that you both experienced,” Shelly explained. “I was able to touch your souls and share in the vision. I’ve never been able to do that before.”
“That’s because we’re destined triad mates,” Eli said, smiling down at her. He moved slowly and took her lips in a tender kiss, coaxing her to enjoy and participate. He wasn’t disappointed.
Shelly tasted like the sweetest fruit. Easing back slightly, he licked at her lips once more and tasted the clear lip gloss that she was wearing. The flavor may be watermelon, but Shelly’s unique taste was all her own. He was immediately addicted. He was never going to look at another woman for the rest of his life. Why should he? He and Max had Shelly. She was going to be a loving mate and mother.
Shelly's Forbidden Mates [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 9
