by T. Cobbin
Brock gulped as he also suddenly realized one small problem with the bite mark…telling Melanie. Oh, dear goddess, how am I going to explain this to her! That mark would never fade, never go away. It was as permanent as their mating.
Brock’s bear stood up on his back paws in his mind and roared. His bear was happy that he finally had his mates, his own small clan.
Cubs next, his bear told him.
Stunned, Brock went over everything. He didn’t mind cubs, quite the opposite, he wanted a big family. He also didn’t mind that he was permanent mated to both Cole and Melanie now. The thing that bothered him was telling their little mate.
Cole lifted his head, his eyes meeting Brock’s, and frowned in silent question. Brock kissed along Melanie’s jaw to the mark he’d left, his eyes never leaving Cole’s. He saw the moment of realization on Cole’s face.
What Cole did next shocked the hell out of Brock. His lips lifted in a huge megawatt smile. Brock had fully expected a look of disappointment and a lecture about not telling her about them first, but a smile? His surprise must have showed on his face, because Cole just shrugged, winked, and laid back down next to a sleeping Melanie.
“You’re not angry?” Brock whispered.
“Not in the slightest.”
“But…”
“Get some sleep or go make breakfast, our little female is going to need her energy. I intend to put my mark on her neck too.”
“But what about telling her?”
Cole shrugged. “Tomorrow’s battle. Don’t spoil something you started.”
“Spoil?” Brock said, annoyed. How could Cole be so nonchalant about this? What if, when they told Melanie they were bear shifters and she was their mate, she didn’t want them and left?
As if reading his thoughts, Cole raised his head and looked straight into Brock’s eyes. “You really intend to let her go?” Cole asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“No.” Brock frowned. Now that she had his mark on her neck, he would fight to be with her every single day. “But what if she hates us? What if—”
“Shut up,” Cole whispered fiercely. “She is ours, and I’ll fight tooth and nail for her, and I know you will too.” He paused to take a deep breath. “The bond will help her understand our feelings for her. Even if she does hate us and walk away, we will forever remain in the background, watching and protecting her. No matter how hard it is to do, we will love her from afar.”
Brock nodded and sighed. “You’re right.” He shook his head slightly. “Talk about role reversal,” he muttered a second later.
Brock was normally so sure about everything. He was the one who’d always taken the lead in their relationship, but looking over at Cole as he once again lay down and curled into the side of Melanie, Brock knew he couldn’t ask for anyone better as a mate.
* * * *
Melanie woke feeling comfortable and happy and delightfully sore in all the right places. She didn’t want to move, but her full bladder was making her feel really uncomfortable. She tried stretching out but found herself encased between two hot bodies. Lifting the edge of the sleeping bag, she looked inside, and all she could see was an entanglement of arms, legs, and torsos. Brock’s head was laying on her left boob, whereas Cole had his laying on her right shoulder with her arm around his neck.
Cole’s bright eyes opened in a flash, catching hers. “Evening, sweetpea. How you feeling?”
Good Lord, is it evening all ready? She hadn’t had a whole day in bed since…never. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she remembered everything they had done during the day...well, everything besides eating. Although, even that had turned into a lovefest—who knew you could do that with strawberries? She clenched her pelvic muscles and felt the delicious sensation of knowing she’d been truly fucked.
“I feel…good.”
“You sound surprised.” Cole chuckled.
“You would be too if you’d had a couple of…” Melanie stopped before going any further, her cheeks heating.
“Mmm, what a lovely shade of red,” Brock said, his voice full of mirth.
“I know another place that has that shade of red when she’s turned on.” Cole moved down her body toward her heating core.
“Oh, no you don’t.” Melanie giggled, struggling to get out from between the two men. “I need to go to the ladies’ room then get something to eat.” Just as she managed to get to her feet, Cole tugged her back down to the bedding.
“Oh, sweetpea, we bears need much honey to keep us going,” Cole drawled.
Melanie struggled again to escape the men’s grabbing hands. Even if they were heating her body up, nature called. They finally let her go after she warned them she’d have an accident if they continued. She unzipped the sleeping bag then, stooping low, she opened the door. During the day, they had placed their rucksacks in the other compartment of the tent, giving them more room. The door to the outside wasn’t even open and yet cold air rushed over her as she walked into the middle compartment, causing her to shiver.
“You bears make some tea and hot chocolate, and maybe...” She glanced between the two men who had lust-filled eyes looking at her body, making her very aware she was indeed naked. “Just maybe I will allow you to dip into my honey pot.”
She quickly dived for her backpack in the other section and began dressing in some flannel pajamas. Damn, it’s cold. She could hear the men talking low as she left the tent and walked toward the utility building. Brock sounded angry about something.
Chapter 15
Melanie used the bathroom as quickly as she could, but it wasn’t as fast as she wanted. It was bloody freezing. If she stayed outside much longer she imagined her toes falling off. Rushing outside after washing her hands, she ran straight into a large but soft wall of muscled body. Huge, warm hands gripped her biceps, steadying her. Looking up, she met the friendly eyes of the bloke she’d met in the other campsite. Wow, he didn’t look as strong as he felt.
“Oh, hi,” she said, relaxing. “I see you made it north.” She smiled.
“I did,” he replied, but he didn’t return her smile. He also hadn’t released her yet, making her a little wary.
He leaned forward and sniffed her, then pushed aside her top, revealing the right side of her neck. When he did the same to the left side she pulled away from him and frowned.
“Hey! That’s just plain rude.” The tiny hairs on the back of her neck rose. Before she had time to tell the bloke off more, he grabbed hold of her arms a little tighter and issued an order.
“Take me to the men you’re traveling with. The bears.”
Melanie tried to move away from the man who was now giving her full-blown willies.
“Please,” he said gently, the urgent look in his eyes softening. “Please,” he repeated. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. My name is Bradley, and I’m sure your mates have told you not only are there bear shifters but others too. I’m hyena.” He released her arm and held his hands up in a placating manner. “Don’t worry, I’m not… Mmm, how would I say this, the normal kind of hyena.”
Mates? Hyena? Bears? Shifters? What the fuck?
“Are you sick? Get away from me.” Melanie stepped back, ready to run past him when she had the chance.
“Sick? No.” He chortled. “I’m just not like the others. I don’t see the point, or even want to, harm anyone the way the others do.”
“What!” Melanie was so confused. She had no fucking idea what this man was going on about.
He stood looking at her, his stance friendly enough, he even seemed calm, albeit a tad nervous. But she guessed one thing said wrong could change that. Taking a deep breath, she took another step back into the building. Hopefully, if things turned for the worst, she could get the door between them, even though it was a thin one.
“Why do you want to see Brock and Cole?” she asked more bravely than she felt.
The man smiled. “I apologize, I didn’t mean to frighten you, but I must talk to the men you’re traveling w
ith. It’s kinda urgent.”
“You’re not going to tell me why?” she asked, but for some reason she knew his answer before he replied.
“No.”
Taking a tentative step forward and to his right, she moved around him and started walking back to the tent. He followed behind her, and she increased her pace to put a little more distance between them; she didn’t want him following too closely to her. If she could get to the tent, they could sort this all out by either ejecting the male, or understanding what the hell he was going on about. She wasn’t sure if she was doing the right thing by leading the male to her men, but something told her that she would be safe with them no matter what.
Were Brock and Cole in trouble? Why would this man want to talk to them? Had they been here before? And what the fuck was he going on about...bears, hyenas, and shifters? So many questions ran through her mind. A small growl left her before she could stop it.
The man chuckled. “Fiery one, aren’t you? I bet your mates have fun with you.”
There was that word again...mate. She bit her tongue to keep from replying, refusing to enter the man’s demented world, and continued walking, but at a quicker pace. The walk seemed to take forever, in and out of the pitched tents, carefully avoiding the attaching strings to the ground.
Finally seeing their tent, she called out, “Brock. Cole.”
* * * *
Brock heard the sweet voice of his mate, only it was tinged with...worry? Fear? Looking over at Cole, he saw that he had heard it too. Both dived for the tent door, the previous argument about Cole’s bear’s comment forgotten. Cold air blasted Brock’s still naked body when he opened the flaps leading outside. There stood his mate with the hyena shifter from the camp before, blazon as hell. Brock’s bear raced to the surface of his skin; fur rippled over his pores, showing his anger.
Melanie gasped. Brock watched his mate’s gaze dart over his naked skin. Shit, had she just seen his bear’s fur?
“You could have put some clothes on,” Melanie whispered, looking around before the hyena shifter pulled her toward him and hid her behind his back, out of Brock’s eyesight.
Although his little mate was worried about his nakedness, Brock was still concerned about her seeing his shifter side. But he didn’t have time to worry about that right now; this punk was trying to protect Melanie from him.
“I didn’t come to fight.” The young male growled low. The hand that wasn’t holding Melanie behind him, lifted palm up. “I come in peace. Please.” His voice had a hint of panic and desperation in it, and his eyes had the look of fear.
Cole stalked toward the male and pulled Melanie from behind him. He picked her up and carried her back to Brock, shoving her unceremoniously behind them both.
“Hey, you big oaf. What the fuck?” Their little mate, even though receiving a shock at what she’d seen and heard so far—and she probably still didn’t believe her eyes—tried to push between them. Guilt swamped Brock in mating her before telling her what they were. “Hey.” A bare-handed slap bounced off the small of his back. “What the hell is going on?” she asked.
“Please, let’s talk inside. Not only are you standing there butt naked, but I promise I’m not here to harm your mate. If I were, she’d be dead already, right?” Honesty rang true in the male’s voice.
Making sure he could see the man in his peripheral vision, Brock looked toward Cole who nodded.
“You better step inside, but...” Brock growled low, allowing his bear close enough to his skin for the male to see him in Brock’s eyes. “One finger laid in the wrong place…” He left the sentence unfinished and stepped aside, pulling Melanie behind him.
The male tilted his neck to the side, exposing his jugular vein, and then ducked inside the tent. Cole followed him.
Another slap hitting him in the back had Brock spinning around. He grabbed hold of Melanie’s open palm and brought it to his lips. It looked red and angry where she’d used it against him. He swirled his tongue around it, then kissed it.
“Stop hitting me, female. You will injure yourself.”
“Then tell me what the fuck is going on. Y…you…hairy…you had…” She paused, looking him up and down. “Put some clothes on,” she spat quietly, before looking around to see if anyone was staring their way.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, which lifted her ample breasts up for a second, and he couldn’t help but look down at them appreciatively. He remembered how they tasted, how long he’d spent suckling them. He spotted her gaze dart down to his growing shaft before quickly returning to his face, a blush coloring her cheeks. She pursed her lips and frowned, which just made him smile. Before he had time to come out with a lust-filled comment, a dressed Cole stepped out of the tent.
“You deal with that.” He thumbed behind him. “And I’ll deal with our mate.”
Brock peeked again toward a bewildered Melanie. Her mouth opened and closed like she wanted to say something but couldn’t get it out. Was this the last time he would get to be with her? Once she found out what they were would she walk away? Could he spend years watching after her, never to be with her again? His heart hurt; he felt like it was breaking. Fuck! Why had the damn hyena turned up now? With a long, heartbreaking sigh, he pulled Melanie against his naked body, one hand cupping the back of her neck and the other gently stroking her face.
“Believe me when I tell you this, little mate. Cole is about to introduce you to a world that you would probably never know about. This world is one where I and Cole will love you ’til our dying days. A world where you will forever be protected, wanted, and loved.” Even if she didn’t want them, they would always be near her. “Please believe me when I tell you I want to spend the rest of my days buried inside you, with heart, soul, and body.”
Gripping her neck a little more, he bent down and kissed her, pouring every ounce of love her felt for her into it. His tongue swiped past her lips and delved into her mouth. If this was the last time he could kiss her, he was going to make sure she never forgot it. At first, Melanie stayed rigid, refusing to follow his lead, but gradually she relaxed, her curves melding against his.
Eventually they parted, both breathing heavy. Melanie’s eyes were glazed over, a tiny smile lifting her lips before realization drifted back into her mushy mind. With one more peck on her lips for a last taste, Brock released Melanie, his own eyes misted with unshed tears.
Turning to Cole, he pecked his male on the cheek, pausing with a hand on his shoulder. An unspoken take-care-of-our-mate passed between them, and then he turned and walked into the tent with a heavy heart. If the hyena didn’t have a fucking good reason for being there, he’d be dead by morning.
After putting on some shorts, Brock sat in one of the lounge chairs they had rented for their time at the site, inside the main compartment of the tent, and stared at the young hyena shifter.
“So, what brings you here, and where’s your pack?”
“I have no pack. I travel alone,” he replied, lifting his chin. “My name is Bradley. I haven’t had a pack in three years.”
Brock frowned. A hyena shifter that traveled alone and had no pack was indeed something of a fairy tale. Hyenas were the type of shifters that others avoided like the plague, because they made life a living hell. But scenting the area, Brock detected no lie. Even the look on the young man’s face was earnest.
“Why?” Brock asked simply.
With a heavy sigh, Bradley told his tale. “I felt different from the time I was a young pup. I didn’t enjoy the horrible things my kin did. My mother was human, and I watched the way my pack treated her for the short time she was alive.”
The male looked down at his feet. Brock could see sorrow written over his features, and he knew the young man wasn’t faking it.
“I feigned so much emotion to be like them, but when I hit my sixteenth year, three years ago, I’d had enough and I ran. I hated being a hyena. I despised being part of that pack, of any hyena pack. But the trouble is,
my father is the alpha of the pack and has been trying to track me. Thankfully, every time he found me, I managed to get away.”
Bradley sat forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands rubbing over his face in despair. Brock could feel tired waves emanate from the male.
“I’m tired, sir. I’m fed up of running. I’m tired of living off the land. When I saw you at the Kingsdown campsite, I knew the goddess had shown me a sign. Please, I come to you and ask for help. I have nowhere else to go, and no one to turn to.” He sighed and looked up into Brock’s eyes. “You are to be my final and only plea for help.”
Brock was torn. His heart and bear said he should help the young lad, but his mind disagreed, thinking it was a plot of some kind. “You seem to have a problem, boy. What are you now, nineteen?”
The young lad nodded.
“I have never once heard of a hyena shifter leaving his or her pack. You’re young, perhaps it’s just a phase you’re going through?” Brock shook his head. “I don’t know. My heart says yes to helping you, and yet my head says no, not bloody likely.”
Bradley looked down at his feet, his shoulders sagging in defeat. What was Brock supposed to do?
“I guess if you’re asking for help, then your pack is near?”
“They were on the outskirts of Kingsdown when I left. I get the feeling they are near again. My father won’t back down. I have disgraced him. I must either keep running or I go back to die. I want to live, sir. I also wish to meet a mate and love her.”
