Abbey's Protectors [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More)

by Lynnette Bernard

  Abbey reached up and ran her fingers through their hair, petting them gently as they rested against her. She knew it made them feel good when she did that, but she’d bet they didn’t realize how it soothed her as well.

  “If you keep touching me, none of us are going to get any work done today,” she warned them.

  Both men leaned away from her and kissed her cheeks lightly before resting back against the large desk. Abbey reached out and tugged at their uniforms, running her fingers across their badges.

  “You look so handsome in your uniforms,” she told them honestly.

  “You look beautiful in your T-shirt,” Hunter told her without hesitation.

  “Hunter and I talked about it, and we’ve decided we need something of yours to carry with us while we’re at work,” Clay told her very seriously. “It’s like the knights of old who carried their woman’s favor with them into battle.”

  Abbey leaned forward in the big leather chair, reaching out to touch both men. Her hands shook as she reached up to run her thumbs across the strong lines of their jaws.

  “You’re scaring me,” she whispered.

  “Way to go, Clay,” Hunter told him, disgusted. “Baby, it’s just a symbol of taking you with us. We are not going into battle.”

  “But you could be hurt,” Abbey whispered, her eyes softening with the love she had for both of them as she realized that they could actually be injured as they performed their job. Every police officer goes to their job every day knowing that they would be putting their life on the line. The very thought of either man getting hurt sent chills through her body. Cold fear settled within her heart.

  “That’s always a possibility, honey,” Clay agreed, feeling contrite that he had upset her. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. Hunter and I are good at our jobs. We’ll always come home to you safe.”

  Abbey looked at him then turned toward Hunter. “You’d better,” she told them finally. “I just found you. I’m not giving you up.”

  The immediate grins that came to both men’s faces made her smile. She leaned toward them and kissed each man’s lips chastely before settling back against the high back of the leather chair.

  “We feel the exact same way about you, baby,” Hunter told her.

  He reached out and took hold of the neck of her light purple T-shirt, morphing his hand into a claw and rending the material in one clean slice. Abbey gasped as Clay did the same to the opposite side of her shirt.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she gasped, grabbing for the front of her shirt to keep it from exposing her breasts.

  “Taking our favor,” Hunter told her, bringing the piece of material to his nose and breathing her scent in deeply before tucking it into his shirt so that it was close to his heart.

  “Thank you, baby,” Clay told her, winking as he did the same with the scrap of material that used to be her shirt.

  “You guys are bad!” she told them, laughing despite her attempts at remaining angry.

  “Yeah, but you love us,” Hunter told her, smiling broadly.

  “Maybe!” she muttered. “Now get to work. I have a ton to do.”

  “Don’t work too much, baby,” Clay warned her.

  “You know I have to make sure that Tyler Industries is running efficiently, right?”

  “Yes, honey,” Clay answered, leaning forward and kissing her lips lightly before standing and walking toward the open door of the study.

  Hunter took a kiss before standing and joining Clay. “Do what you need to do to protect your company and the people who work for you. Just make sure you take a break if you’re tired.”

  “We’ll be home after our shift,” Clay told her. He turned to face her, suddenly becoming very serious. “It will be nice to be coming home to you, honey.”

  Abbey’s heart filled with love at his words. She had no doubt that they were sincere. She could feel his love through their mating bond. She could also feel the deep loneliness and sadness that had been so much a part of both men melting away.

  “Told you, Abbey,” Hunter said, clearing his throat, trying to control his emotions. “Clay has the gift of words. I’m not good at saying it, but I feel the same way.”

  Abbey stood and walked around the desk to go to her men. She stood before them completely humbled and overwhelmed by the feelings the men had for her.

  “Boy, are you guys going to get lucky tonight,” she told them, winking.

  * * * *

  “Geez, Abbey! Where have you been?” Synthia’s voice admonished her through their Internet connection.

  Abbey smiled, leaned forward, and rested her chin in her hand as she propped her arm on the edge of the desk. Her two friends looked more than worried. Their images stared back at her through the video connection, and she could see that their faces were tight with concern.

  “I’m fine,” she told them softly. “Actually, I’m better than fine.”

  “Where are you?” Synthia demanded.

  “Synthia, you don’t have to worry.”

  “The hell we don’t,” Shelly snapped, ignoring the shocked expressions of both Abbey and her sister. “Tell us where you are right now. Synthia and I are coming to get you.”

  “Shelly, since when are you so feisty?” Abbey teased her.

  “Not funny at all, Abbey!” Shelly told her immediately. “Do you know how scared Synthia and I were? When you didn’t call us back, we thought something had happened to you.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry either of you,” Abbey apologized, her voice soft as she looked at her two friends and realized how tired both of them looked. She knew it was because of her. “Everything happened so quickly, I didn’t think about calling you back.”

  “What is it exactly that happened so quickly, Abbey?” Synthia asked, her voice wary.

  “The beautiful woman came to me in my dream again. She told me that there was another wolf pack who were ready to ambush Hunter and Clay, and they were going to die if I didn’t get to them and warn them,” she told her friends softly. “I was so scared. I saw them both lying on the ground, bleeding. They died.”

  “Oh, Abbey,” Shelly whispered, reaching out to touch the computer screen. “What happened?”

  “I saw that they were at the diner down the street from the motel I was staying in, so I ran there to get them.”

  “Were they there?” Synthia asked, leaning closer to the monitor.

  “Yes.”

  “Was the other pack there, too?” Shelly asked.

  “I think so,” Abbey answered. “We heard a commotion in the alley, and the men were going to go and investigate, but I stopped them.”

  “How did you manage to do that?” Synthia asked, surprised. “You’ve got some hardcore police officers as mates.”

  “I made them chase me,” Abbey told them, blushing slightly.

  Both Synthia and Shelly looked at her in stunned silence for all of one second before both of them burst into laughter. Abbey couldn’t help but laugh with them, a little embarrassed at having been reduced to a giggling girl.

  “Oh, stop! It’s not that funny,” she told them finally.

  Synthia wiped at her eyes before calming and facing Abbey’s image on the computer monitor. “Oh, honey, it is, too. You got two wolves to chase you. That was pretty smart.”

  “And what happened when they caught you?” Shelly asked, still laughing as she reached for a tissue and wiped at the tears of laughter that were rolling down her cheeks.

  “Well,” Abbey hesitated.

  Both women became quiet immediately. “What happened, Abbey,” Synthia prodded.

  “Well, first we had a talk,” Abbey answered softly.

  “I’ll just bet you did,” Shelly spoke up, grinning.

  “Shelly!” Abbey sputtered.

  “What?”

  “Since when are you so full of mischief?”

  “Since our best friend has found herself two hot mates,” Shelly answered quickly.

  Abbe
y smiled and leaned back in the large office chair. “Yeah. I have.”

  “So you’ve finally accepted them as your mates, honey?” Synthia asked her gently.

  Abbey nodded and pulled her hair aside to expose her neck to her friends. The thin straps of the tank top that she wore did little to cover the mating marks she proudly wore on both of her shoulders.

  “Abbey?” Synthia called to her, worried when she saw the two bite marks. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m better than okay,” she admitted, grinning shyly as she faced her friends. “Hunter and Clay claimed me as their mate yesterday.”

  “Wow.” Shelly’s voice was a mere whisper as she looked at her friend’s shoulders.

  “Yeah. Wow. It was pretty amazing,” Abbey admitted. “They took me to their pack home. It’s in a place called the Circle Three Ranch. I’m at their home now. It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s just what I’ve always wished I had for a home. It has a large kitchen and an open living room. There are six bedrooms and a study they said they made for me. And you should see the backyard! It’s gorgeous. It has a beautiful flower garden and a pool that has a waterfall.”

  “You’re safe there,” Synthia said, not questioning.

  “Yes. Their alpha welcomed me into their pack. He seems like a pretty decent guy. He’s massive, Synthia. No one would ever mess with him. His beta is nearly as big as he is. Come to think of it, all of the men here are huge. Do you think it might be a wolf thing?”

  Synthia laughed and leaned back in her chair, finally relaxing. “I don’t know, honey, but I bet it probably is.” She couldn’t contain the happiness she felt for her best friend. “I have to say, Abbey, you look absolutely adorable.”

  “Adorable?” Abbey asked, not sure if she should be happy or insulted.

  “Yes, adorable,” Synthia repeated. “Your happiness is radiating from you. Being a mated woman is definitely good for you.”

  “Oh, stop,” Abbey told her, nearly snorting. “I don’t look any different than I did one week ago.”

  “You’re wrong, Abbey,” Shelly insisted. “You look relaxed and happy. You look like you’re finally home.”

  “You and Shelly should come here,” Abbey said after a moment, thinking out loud as she realized that her friends would love Beckett’s Circle Three Ranch. They deserved to be somewhere safe and welcoming, too. “Maybe both of you will find your mates here.”

  Synthia and Shelly exchanged glances quickly then returned their attention to Abbey. Abbey watched them as their faces took on a sadness that hurt her heart.

  “I don’t think so, Abbey,” Synthia finally spoke for both of them. “We need to stay right here and keep an eye on your company.”

  “It’s time for you to have the happiness you deserve,” Shelly told her gently. “Don’t you worry about us.”

  “But, I would really like it if both of you were here with me,” Abbey protested. “We can run the company from here, and we could all live in this beautiful country and be happy.”

  “We can talk about that next time, Abbey,” Synthia told her gently. “Now, get some rest. Call us in two days.”

  “Okay,” Abbey conceded. “I’ll e-mail you the time.”

  “Take care of yourself and your mates,” Shelly told her, smiling.

  “I will. Love you both.”

  “Love you, Abbey,” Synthia told her before the connection was severed.

  Abbey looked at the blank computer screen for a moment. She felt such sadness that her friends weren’t with her. She thought about talking to Hunter and Clay to see if they could help her make a place for Shelly and Synthia on Beckett’s pack land.

  Shutting down the laptop and closing the cover, she stood and stretched with her hands above her head. It had been a pretty productive morning. She had been in contact with the company lawyer, happy that the divorce was proceeding as planned and all company accounts were protected. She answered all e-mails from each of the sister companies and was glad that the people her father had hired knew their jobs and did them well. Finally, she was able to talk to Synthia and Shelly and knew that, although Peter was furious that he didn’t know where she was, he didn’t know that he had injured her, or that she had escaped to a world where she was better protected than she could have ever imagined. She was with her men. Her mates. What an amazing thing.

  She heard the front doorbell and walked out of the study to open the front door. A young woman stood there smiling. She couldn’t have been more than eighteen years old. She was absolutely adorable. She had long, dark brown hair that fell to the middle of her back and large, brown eyes that held such seriousness Abbey immediately wanted to take her in her arms and hug her.

  “Hi,” Abbey greeted her, pushing the door open wide to welcome her.

  “Hi, Abbey,” the girl answered, smiling. “I’m Mia Young. My mother Laurie is mated to Jace and Jackson.”

  “Well, hello, Mia Young,” Abbey teased her, smiling.

  The seriousness of the young woman melted instantly and her face was transformed with the sweetest smile Abbey had ever seen. She just knew she was going to like this young woman.

  “My mom asked me to check on you and see if you would like to come up to the lodge and spend some time with the family,” Mia told her, her smile never leaving her face. “We have a pretty big family, and we can be overwhelming at times, but there’s not one of us who would ever make you feel unwelcome.”

  Abbey’s smile grew at the sincerity of this young girl. She reached out and tugged on a strand of her long hair as it hung over her shoulder. “I believe you,” she told her honestly. “I’ve never felt so welcome in my life. Hunter and Clay told me I would be safe here.”

  Mia’s relief was visible as she stepped back and waited for Abbey to step out onto the front porch. “You are, Abbey,” she agreed. “Everyone here looks out for everyone else. My brother Dean and I have only been here a short time, but we already feel like we’re part of the family.”

  “You’ve only been here a little while?” Abbey asked as she stepped forward and made her way down the front steps of the porch with Mia by her side.

  “My mom met Jace and Jackson in June. They’ve been mated since then. Jace and Jackson are really good to her. They really love her a lot.” Mia turned to face Abbey, stopping and reaching for her hand. “My mom has had a pretty rough life. Since she’s come here and has mated with Jace and Jackson, she’s been the happiest I’ve ever seen her. That’s the way it is with mated triads. Do you know about that?”

  Abbey smiled and nodded, squeezing Mia’s hand lightly. “I know,” she whispered. “I’m mated to Hunter and Clay now. I’m pretty happy about that, too. And they’re so good to me. I’ve never been happier either.”

  Mia smiled and nodded. “I’m glad.” She released her gentle grip on Abbey’s hand and started walking toward the family lodge, glad when Abbey’s gait equaled hers.

  “What about you, Mia?” Abbey asked her. “Do you have mates?”

  Mia looked at her briefly, unable to keep the blush from her face. “Well,” she began hesitantly. “There are two guys who won’t leave me alone.”

  “Are they harassing you?” Abbey asked, immediately on guard.

  Mia laughed. “No, not exactly. Lucian and Cole are good guys, they really are, but I’m not ready for a commitment yet. I’m leaving for college soon. I want to get my nursing degree and be on my own for a while. I’m not ready to have any man control my life. I don’t really think I ever will be. I’ve seen what happened to my mom because of my father. He was not a good guy and he treated her like crap. He was brutal to me and Dean, too. I refuse to have any man like that rule me.”

  Abbey was quiet for a while as she processed what Mia had told her. It was obvious that there was a world of hurt inside this young woman. She could completely relate to her.

  “My husband is the same, Mia,” Abbey told her quietly. “He’s an unbelievably cruel person. But my dad was awesome. He was kind and loving, an
d he truly cared about me and my two friends when no one else did. Hunter and Clay are two of the best men I have ever met. Did you know that I was visited by a beautiful woman with silver hair that told me I was destined to be mated to them and they would be my perfect mates?”

  “Martha told me,” Mia answered honestly. “She was pretty excited that Mother Fate had visited you in your dreams. What was She like?”

  “Well, She was incredibly beautiful. But more than that, when She touched me I felt complete peace and warmth, and I was filled with such goodness and love it was amazing. I trusted Her completely. And look at me now—happily mated to two sexy beasts.”

  Mia stopped at the back deck of the family lodge and turned to face Abbey as she stepped up onto the bottom step. She burst out laughing, wiping at her eyes and holding her stomach as the joy escaped her.

  “Oh, Abbey, you just made my day,” Mia told her, still laughing.

  Abbey smiled widely. It was so nice to see the worry leave Mia’s face. She was glad she could give her that happiness.

  The sliding glass door that led from the deck to the inside of the family lodge slid open and two massive men walked out to stand on the deck and look down at the two of them. They were tall men, muscular in build, and strikingly handsome. Abbey guessed them to be in their mid to late twenties. Both men smiled down at her with open friendliness, but when they turned their attention toward Mia, their expressions changed to something Abbey could only describe as gentle longing. These men had to be Mia’s men Lucian and Cole.

  “Abbey, the tall blond with the brown eyes is Lucian,” Mia introduced them. “And the equally tall man with the black hair and blue eyes is Cole.” She looked at both men and sighed dramatically. “They’re my shadows, I’m afraid.”

  The men waited for Abbey to stand beside them on the deck before offering their hands to shake in greeting. Abbey could feel the power in them as they took her hand in theirs, but she could also sense their gentleness. Whatever it was that made the men of this pack so tall, muscular, and powerful must also have a hand in making them gentle, protective, and respectful. Each moment she spent here made her more comfortable and made her feel safer.