by Jenika Snow
“I know you’re upset about me and your mom separating.”
“No, I’m not.”
Her father seemed surprised, turned and stared at her mom, and then faced Willow again.
“You’re not?” he asked with confusion.
“If you don’t love each other, then I would never expect you two to stay together.” She glanced between her parents. “What upsets me, Dad, is that you decided that you weren’t unhappy, and instead of waiting for things to be final, you went off with someone else.” Her voice was raising, and she knew that she needed to stop acting like this, to start rationalizing everything, and to not think about her father with another woman.
“Willow, it isn’t like I planned on falling in love again.”
Willow stared at her father as he spoke, and although she was angry when she looked at her mother, she didn’t see hurt or even rage, as could have been expected. Instead she saw her mother seeming like she wanted out of this conversation as well, like she wasn’t happy, and because of that and everything else, she’d disconnected herself.
“Can you just tell me what the next step is?” Willow said, defeat in her voice.
“Willow, I want you to know that Meghan isn’t here to replace your mother.”
“Dad, please.” She held her hands up, closed her eyes, and didn’t even want to talk about the new woman in her father’s life. This was surreal on its own.
“Okay, I know me and your mother separating is a big thing all on its own, and I don’t want to push what I have outside of this…” Her dad breathed roughly and scrubbed a hand over his salt and pepper-colored hair.
He watched her with the same brown eyes as Willow’s, and she remembered the man who had helped her ride her bike, tucked her in bed, and did all the things a good father does for his child. Her dad was a good man, a great man in fact. He was successful at the law firm he worked at, helped out in the community, but right now, hearing him admit that he loved another woman while still married to her mom made him appear like a totally different person.
“We still love you, Willow. It’s just something that happens between people, even after being married for as long as we have.” Her dad looked at her mom.
“And you don’t care that he was having an affair, Mom?” Willow asked her mother with shock in her voice.
“I didn’t do anything with Meghan romantically until I spoke with your mother, and she told me she wasn’t in love with me anymore either—”
“Too much information.” She closed her eyes again, felt like she needed to bleach out her ears and even the images that had suddenly popped into her mind. “Listen, I’m trying to keep an open mind, and not think too hard on the fact my dad is having an affair, and that my parents are splitting up.” She tightened her hold on her napkin that sat in her lap, breathed through her emotions, and knew that she just needed to get this over with because she needed air desperately.
“I know we sprang this on you, and that you won’t be able to accept this easily.” Her mom reached across the table and took her hand. “It’ll take time, but that’s why we decided to go this route and tell you this before you left.”
“That way you can have the time before school starts to get used to the idea of me moving out, maybe one day meeting Meghan—”
“I can’t talk about your girlfriend right now, Dad. I can’t even think about that, and I don’t think it’s right that you’re casually just talking about that woman like she’ll be a permanent fixture in our lives now when you’re still married to Mom.” She looked at her mom now. “And I can’t believe you can accept that he loves someone else when you’re still married and living together.” Willow stood, and before her parents could stop her, she moved toward the front door.
“Willow, honey, please.”
She turned and faced her parents who were now standing. “You want me to accept this as easily as you just blurted it all out, but I need time and space.” She gripped the doorknob. “Just please, give me time to process this all.” She grabbed her phone out of her pocket and showed them. “I have my cell if you need me, and I’ll be home in a little while. I just need some air.” And then she headed out of the house, not sure where she was going to go, but just needing to leave.
****
“I still think we should just go to her house.” Devon said through his teeth, pissed that Willow had just left before they’d even woken up, and even more pissed that she wasn’t answering their calls or texts. It had been all day that they’d been trying to get hold of her, to talk to her about what happened. She hadn’t even given them one courtesy text that she was okay, even though he knew in his heart she was.
“Just give her some time and let her come back to us,” Case said. The basketball they were bouncing around in the driveway was just something that they needed to keep their minds off Willow.
“Don’t you want to talk to her, see her?” Devon asked. Case threw the ball at him. The way the sweat glistened off his mate’s chest, reflecting off the garage lights, should have made Devon harder than fuck. But right now all he could think about was Willow, and if she was okay.
“Yeah, man, I do want to see her. But hell, what we did last night probably scared the shit out of her, not to mention the revelation that we’re mates,” Case said all of that softly only Devon could hear.
“I want to just tell everyone about us, tell Willow that we love her, Case,” Devon said. He moved closer to his mate, not caring that they were standing in the middle of his driveway, his parents right inside and able to see out the window at what they were doing. Hell, he didn’t even care that any of the neighbors could see them.
He loved his mate, loved Willow, and he was tired of hiding what nature didn’t give them a choice to accept or deny. But he would never have denied or rejected Case, because although their community might not accept mating with the same sex, it didn’t mean he would embrace this with his whole fucking heart, body, and soul.
They could have easily stayed at Case’s place and not had to worry about what anyone said because his parents were gone for the weekend, but he didn’t want to be cooped up with his mate like what they did was wrong, or a dirty little secret.
Devon reached out, snagged Case around the back of the neck, and pulled him forward. Their sweaty hard chests slammed into each other, the air left them, and he found himself staring into his mate’s eyes, wanting to get lost in them. Yeah, they were young, but when a shifter found their mate everything changed … they changed.
“I want to go to the council, Case.” His mate watched him with wide, sincere eyes.
He breathed out, and a smile covered Case’s face. “I want that too but was afraid to mention it in case you weren’t into going that route right now.”
Devon smoothed his free hand over Case’s cheek. He leaned in and kissed his mate on the mouth, not carrying about anything. “And I think we should tell Willow about how we feel after that, and see if she is willing to give us a chance.”
Case rested his forehead against Devon’s, and he saw the smile on his mate’s face grow. “I want that too, Dev.”
They didn’t know how the shifter council would react to them professing their mating and love for each other, but even if the governing sector of their kind refused to accept and acknowledge what they had, Devon and Case would leave and find their own way in the world. Their fathers were on that council, and Devon feared that would be the hardest part of this. He just hoped they could see that a shifter couldn’t help whom they mated with, or fell in love with, and accepted that.
Chapter Seven
Devon and Case stood before the council. Case felt his heart pounding fiercely, felt his lion rise up, wanting to protect his human side. He sensed Devon’s heart beating just as fiercely.
“You called a meeting, and so you males have the floor.”
Case stared at his father, Harold, who spoke deeply, with authority.
Case swallowed, licked his lips, and glanced at Devon fo
r a second. His mate was already watching him, and there was strength in the other male’s gaze. When Case turned back to the council members, he stared at all of them.
Marcus, head of security for the shifters, stood on the left, standing beside the council members. Granger, the other security, was on the opposite side. There were security all round, because each council member present was high in the pride’s social and power status. Their deaths could rock the fragile balance of strength and power between their kind in this town.
“You have our attention,” Devon’s father, Joaquin said.
Case took a deep breath and then reached out and took Devon’s hand in his. His mate gave his hand a squeeze. The council noticed the action right away. Their backs stiffened, and their animals came forward with concern and curiosity.
“What’s going on?” Case and Devon’s fathers seemed to say in unison.
“I’ve found my mate, father,” Devon said.
“And I’ve found my mate in Devon,” Case said.
The silence stretched out between them.
“I won’t argue this, and I won’t defend my actions,” Case stated directly to his father. “You know we can’t control who we mate, and I wouldn’t want to anyway. Devon’s my mate, I love him, and we’ve come here to either have your acceptance, or…”
“Or?” Joaquin asked, and slowly stood as well.
“We just want the chance to tell you that we care for each other. We have since we were little. It started out as friends, but as we grew older, we realized what was happening and saw that we were each others mates, that friendly love changed into something different.” Devon addressed his father.
Case pulled Devon closer to the side of his body. “I am not seeking anyone’s acceptance, neither of us are. But this is our town, our pride, and we want to let it be known. We don’t want to be a secret any longer, and just want our kind to accept what has happened.”
The council didn’t respond.
“It is what it is, and if anyone wants to challenge me on the fact, I am game,” Devon stated, his voice going hard, guttural as his lion rose.
“If you think we can accept this, then you know nothing of our culture,” one of the council members said.
“This is the twenty-first century. We don’t live in the Dark Ages where homosexuals, or anyone else, should have to feel ashamed in loving someone, no matter the sex, race, or species,” Devon said.
“Devon, this is just a confusing time for you,” Devon’s father said.
Case sensed Devon’s lion rise higher and felt his own animal claw and scratch to get out. “This is our decision, and no one else’s. You’ll either accept and acknowledge that we’re mates, or we leave.”
“Lions do not mate the same sex,” Case’s father said, and Case felt his rage grow.
“Clearly not the case.” He held up his entwined hand with Devon’s. He gave everyone a predatory glare, hoping for a challenge because he wasn’t going to back down. Neither of them were on this. “Fuck anyone who wants to go against our chosen lifestyle, and who fate has chosen for us to mate with.”
“So, you’ve both found your mates, and in males no less,” Devon’s father said, stoic, hard, unrelenting.
“This is not something the council can just accept, and the town won’t be as accepting either, not most anyway,” one of the council members said.
“Father, are you really so closed-minded on this?” Case said. “I’ve found my mate, am happy, and it shouldn’t matter the sex of my mate as long as we are happy.”
“The council doesn’t approve same-sex relationship. You both know that,” Kevlin, one of the council members, said.
“Why is that?” Devon asked, challenging them.
“The council never has. Female are to be with males. Going against that means going against everything we believe in. We need to reproduce to strengthen and grow our pride.”
“And because we are two males we can’t have children,” Case said, pissed. “There is adoption, if we even decided to go that way, or surrogacy. There are options out there.”
No one responded.
“Father, you feel this way?” Case asked his dad.
“I’m sorry, son. I can’t go against the council.”
“And you, Dad?” Devon said.
His father just shook his head.
“Then I guess this is goodbye,” Devon said. He tightened his hold in Case’s hand again, and they both looked at each other. “I want to be with you. You’re my mate, and I don’t want to ignore that because this council, this town, can’t accept what fate gave us.”
Case smiled, leaned in, and kissed Devon. “I want that too.”
There was a murmur from the council after they finished kissing, but Case didn’t give a fuck. They both turned and left the town council building, not caring about anything but being together. Now they needed to speak with Willow, tell her they loved her and they didn’t care if she wasn’t their mate. To them, she was theirs, everything to them, and they wanted her in every way.
Chapter Eight
Willow had been avoiding Devon and Case, and she felt like the biggest bitch because of it. She’d spoken with them, finally, but it had been short, clipped, and she tried to explain that right now she needed some time to think about things. Her mother and father were really going through the divorce, already speaking with a lawyer, and trying to talk to her and get her feelings out. She just didn’t know how to process all of this, didn’t know how to control her emotions for Devon and Case either.
She’d been sitting on the hood of her car, her knees brought up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them, and staring at the lake—a highlight in their town—for the last hour. It had been a bumpy road emotionally for her since she’d slept with both Devon and Case, and also found out about her parents, but she was actually coming to terms with everything. Well, with the parent side of it all. If she hadn’t slept with the guys, she would have gone straight to them and talked about all of this. But after being intimate with them, she felt weird, awkward even. She loved them immensely, cared for them more than she did herself, but things were … different now.
She grabbed her cell and texted Devon and Case at the same time. She read the group text once she was finished writing it out.
I’m sorry for putting distance between us. I’ve been going through a lot these last few days, and would really like to talk. Can you meet me at the lake?
The reply text was instant.
Devon: We’re five minutes away.
She set her phone on the hood beside her, stared up at the full moon, and knew that even if Devon and Case told her that what they’d shared was more than just sex, she still wanted them in her life. She would not, could not, give them up. They were her best friends, the loves of her life, and she’d rather be only friends with them then lose them altogether.
Time seemed to speed up, and before she knew it, she saw the flash of headlights in the distance. She closed her eyes when she heard the gravel behind her. She knew it was Devon and Case, and also knew she’d avoided them long enough. It wasn’t fair to them. It certainly was not their fault about what was happening with her parents, or how she felt about wanting to be a triad with them. It was what it was, and there was nothing that could change that. All she could do was be truthful, not lie about anything or how she felt, and let the chips fall where they may.
The sound of the car turning off, of two doors opening and closing, and then of footsteps coming closer had her opening her eyes and looking over her shoulder. She watched Devon and Case come toward her as she sat on the hood of the car. The world shifted beneath her, the air stalled, chilled, and she felt lightheaded. Her heart raced at the sight of them, and the fact that her lion rose up, and the realization that things had most definitely changed. It wasn’t just Devon and Case anymore, not when it was like fate changed course, shifted, and turned into this twisted birth.
Mates. They are your mates.
Her emo
tions went wild, rampant, and she had no way of controlling them. She inhaled, saw their lions flash to the surface as well, and knew that what was happening had to have been brought on by her turbulent emotions. She was crying now, so stunned that in her emotional turmoil she’d awakened something inside of her, that mating instinct that told her who her true mates were. And in Devon’s and Case’s emotional turmoil, they, too, had found out she was their mate.
“Baby,” Devon said, taking a step closer, his nostrils flaring, his eyes widening.
Case reached out and grabbed his hand, stopping him. “Willow?” he asked, the scent of his realization coming on strong, too.
“I … I…” God, she couldn’t even speak clearly. But she wasn’t just presented with her dreams, her desires. She was just presented to a triad.
“You’re ours,” Case said and chuckled, but it wasn’t a laugh of amusement, but one of wonder.
“I knew our love for you wasn’t just a passing emotion, Willow. It was because we knew, deep down, before fate intervened and everything showed itself, that you were ours,” Devon said, his grin wide.
“But why now? Why didn’t you realize I was your mate when you two became mated?” Why did she even care? They were hers, really hers, and that was all that mattered.
“I don’t know, baby. This mating connection works in mysterious ways.” Case moved toward her a second later, cupped her face, and stared at her. “But you’re ours, and that’s all that maters.”
Devon was on the other side of her, inhaling the scent of her hair, and all she could do was close her eyes and bask in the fact it didn’t matter how shitty things were. Everything seemed to work out the way it was supposed to in the end.
They stood like that for what seemed like forever, the love and care bouncing off of the three of them, swirling together and surrounding them. But she finally pushed them away, took a few steps back, and knew she still needed to talk to them.
