Kindred of Arkadia 2

Fated to Be Family

Kate Edwards and Bran McGregor have been mated almost two years and things are going great. So

Kate is shocked at her body’s reaction to Caleb Donovan, one of the newest members of their Pack and
father to twin boys Landon and Lucas. When she realizes that he is her second mate she must figure out a
way for them to come together as a family.

When the hyenas return, this time to kidnap their sons, Kate, Caleb, and Bran find themselves

questioning the loyalty of the Pack around them and relying on those outside the Pack to keep their sons
safe.

Unable to discover how the hyenas are able to enter Arkadia, tragedy strikes and Pack, Pride, and Sloth

come together to defend their town against the hyenas, but will it be enough for everyone to make it out
alive?

Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 45,626 words

FATED TO BE FAMILY

Kindred of Arkadia 2

Alanea Alder

MENAGE AMOUR

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Amour
FATED TO BE FAMILY
Copyright © 2013 by Alanea Alder
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-026-8
First E-book Publication: June 2013
Cover design by Harris Channing
All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or

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Letter to Readers

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DEDICATION

To my parents who let me babble incessantly to them about my characters as if they were real

people. After all these years they still look interested.

To my fellow Siren sisters, especially Heather Rainer, who helped me to plod forward, big hugs to

you.

Finally to my beta reader, my sounding board and the person who carries my sanity around in her

bat-shaped purse, letting me play with it now and then. This one is for you Pegster and our Militia!
Don’t let the iridium hammers get you down.

FATED TO BE FAMILY

Kindred of Arkadia 2

ALANEA ALDER

Copyright © 2013

Prologue

“Ahh so good to see you, old boy. I take it you have good news for me, otherwise you would not

be in my study.” The gentleman looked up from his desk and gave a light smile. Payne had
remembered to put plastic down. He would have to think of a way to reward him.

“Y-yes, sir, we have found a way into Arkadia. You should have them by the end of the week.” The

hyena stared at the floor, refusing to look up, as if by ignoring the bad thing, it would go away.

“Excellent, now I won’t have to torture and kill you after all. It’s turning out to be a good day for

you, isn’t it?”

“Sir… if I can ask a question, what are you gonna do with them?” The hyena looked up and was

caught by the gentleman’s eyes.

“Have you never had veal?” the gentleman asked, his fangs extending fully and the hyena started to

shake.

“Payne, see him out,” the gentleman said, looking back down to his work.
Payne stepped forward and hauled the hyena away.
The gentleman looked up as the door closed. Yes, Payne had been doing well lately. Maybe a fruit

basket.

Chapter 1

Kate flopped down on their king-sized bed and sighed. It had been two months since Rebecca had

been rescued from her kidnappers and tonight she and Bran celebrated with the entire town as
Rebecca and Aleks got married. Kate had been unsure at first how the tiny human would acclimate to
living in a shifter-only town, but Rebecca had proven to everyone she would do whatever it took to
keep her family and her town safe, which was why Kate hadn’t hesitated in bonding with her and
making Rebecca her Alpha Mother.

“Still on cloud nine, love?” Bran asked, smiling from the foot of the bed as he removed his tie.
“It was so beautiful! Rian and Damian are miracle workers to have put it together on such short

notice.” She giggled when she remembered why. Rebecca had given an entire dissertation how she
was not going to waddle down the aisle showing that she was pregnant. Rian, the lion pride’s
fashionista, probably hadn’t slept since. She sighed softly again remembering the vows the couple had
exchanged.

Bran watched his mate smile to herself and cleared his throat.
“We, uh, we could do that, too, if you want,” he said. Her eyes snapped open and when she looked

at him, she couldn’t help but smile.

“We’ve already been together and mated for nearly a year and a half. Wouldn’t it be silly to do it

now?” she asked. His clumsy offer made her fall that much more in love with him.

“I don’t think there are any rules. If you want a wedding, I will give you the best wedding the Pack

has ever seen,” he said and she snorted.

“They would have only Rebecca’s to compare it to. We don’t have many weddings.” She laughed.
“We could re-create the night we met and mated,” Bran said, his voice deepening.
She shivered. That night had been pure magic and one she would never forget.
“I was running from my Alpha, who’d decided to make me more lady-like and less headstrong by

forcing a mating. He planned to rape and beat me every day until I submitted,” Kate said, sitting on
the bed, frowning at the memory.

“I’d kill that bastard all over again if I could.” Bran growled and looked at her.
“You had been in the woods for days. I remember the snarl in your tail that took me forever to bite

out.” He grinned and she blushed.

“I was out for a run and caught a strange scent on the trail and followed it. You were resting under

that tree. I had never seen anything more beautiful than you in wolf form. Well, that is until you shifted
to human,” Bran said, removing his jacket and shirt.

She eased off the bed and stood before him, reaching around to the back of her dress, sliding the

zipper down to let the dress hit the floor. She stood before him in her white lace bustier and thong.
Her legs were encased in white stockings and a delicate white garter belt completed the ensemble.

Bran nearly choked. Her blonde hair framed her face and her button nose crinkled as she smiled at

him.

“When did you get that?” he said, taking a deep breath as he stepped forward. She spun with her

arms out.

“Do you like it? Rian said that I needed the proper support garments to make the dress work. Plus I

think he was kind of shocked I didn’t have any lingerie. I tried to explain that you would just destroy
it.” She smiled and blushed.

She and Bran, since mating, had made love and had hard fucks all over the house. Sometimes in

front of pack members. But there was something about the way he was staring tonight that made her
feel beautiful and special.

“I must send something nice to Rian. I feel like the bride groom tonight. You look like an angel.”
He unhooked his pants and tossed them on the chair. She shivered. He had gone commando and his

heavy cock was tapping his stomach. When she began to kneel before him, he shook his head.

“Tonight, I’m going to worship you,” he said, going to his knees pulling her close.
Where the bustier ended, he could see the faint pink line of the fading scar from the attack at the

club. His hands started to shake as he traced the line.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered softly, watching the expressions fly across his face,

assuming that he was reliving her injuries.

“If you had died, I would have followed,” he said, sliding the thong down her legs. He reached up

behind her and tore the bustier in half. Kate sighed. He looked up at her with a wolfish grin.

“I’ll replace it,” he said, throwing the garment across the room. He looked at her standing before

him. She was naked except for the garter belt, stockings, and heels. He had never been harder in his
life.

“Well, are you going to sit there all night staring?” she asked smiling.
He laughed and shook his head. He leaned forward and starting with the soft skin behind her knee,

he ran his tongue up her leg. She sighed softly. He ran his hands up and down her calves and repeated
with the other leg. Her aroused scent hit him like a two-by-four between the eyes. He swirled his
tongue over her closely trimmed mound, catching every drop of dew that clung to the tiny hairs.

“Bran!” she cried out and threw her head back.
He smiled to himself. He stood and scooped her up in his arms before gently laying her on the bed.
“That night I took you for hours,” he said, laving his tongue over her scar, making love to it.
“It was the best night of my life,” she said, exhaling a deep breath.
“Tonight I will take you for hours, but I want to see your face, that night you were on all fours

which left me craving your lips,” he said. Tears appeared in her eyes.

“I love you, Bran McGregor,” she said simply.
“And I love you, Kate Edwards,” he said, parting her legs.
He leaned forward, brushing his hard cock across her stomach leaving a trail of pre-cum. He liked

his scent on her. He took one nipple in his mouth and sucked on it gently before giving it a quick bite.
She gasped in pleasure and looked down at him in surprise.

“I said I would worship you. That doesn’t mean it will all be gentle,” he said, going to the other

nipple.

“Thank God! I wasn’t going to complain but…” Kate smirked.
“I will always give you what you need, Kate.” He leaned back, took a nipple in each hand, and

twisted. She thrashed below him. When he released them, they were cherry red and she was breathing
hard.

“Bran, please!” she said, tears in her eyes. “I need you so badly.” She wrapped her legs around his

waist and pulled him as close to her as she could.

“As you wish.” He plunged deep into her tight pussy. They both cried out. He set a relentless pace.

Her hot cunt felt like home. He never wanted to leave.

“Only you, Kate. Only you,” he whispered into her neck.

“Let go,” she said and his wolf broke free.
He slammed into her over and over. He reached between their bodies and roughly pinched, then

twisted, her clit. Her eyes went wide and she screamed as she came. He kept pushing forward and
buried his canines in her neck. He felt his cock knot enter her and she screamed her release again as
her body clamped down on his. He roared his release before collapsing on her. She wrapped her
arms and legs around him. They both knew it would be a few minutes before the knot softened and he
could leave her body.

She lay back on the bed, his face in her neck, trying to catch her breath. She’d thought after a year

that the mating heat would cool down, but it seemed to be getting hotter. She smiled up at the ceiling.

“You liked the lingerie.” She felt his smile on her neck.
“I fucking loved it and the heels. We need more of both,” he said, nibbling on her neck. She sighed

happily.

“Ready for round two?” he asked, He looked down at her with canine-yellow eyes, which were

still shifted from round one.

“Bring it on,” she said, bucking against him. He growled and he did.

Chapter 2

The next morning Kate felt like pounding her head against the heavy mahogany dining room table.

She and Bran lived in the Alpha’s home, an extremely large estate that housed approximately thirty
pack members, which included several families. On the outside, the large mansion looked like a
castle. It was an enormous, elegantly styled estate that boasted high stone walls and gorgeous
climbing red ivy, giving the Alpha’s house a royal feel. It had been designed to house single warriors
as well as family units. In the west wing, the warriors had their own rooms and bathrooms but shared
communal spaces like the dens and dinettes. The east wing had been set up so that several families
could make their homes there. They had bedrooms, bathrooms and had private living rooms and
dinettes. Other members of the pack lived on the estate in homes of their own.

Normally this group-home scenario didn’t bother Kate. However, there was a small faction in the

pack that did not like her. Mostly one couple that had planned on getting their daughter mated to the
Alpha. Kate had effectively destroyed their plans for upward mobility in the pack. Today’s headache:
a rehashing of why Kate should not be tied to Rebecca, thus putting Rebecca in a dominant position in
the pack as Alpha Mother.

“She isn’t even a shifter, not that being a bear would be better. A human should not have such a

high rank in the pack,” the loud voice complained.

She didn’t even have to look up from her coffee. It was Arthur Raymond, the father of Cecelia

Raymond. Cecelia was actually very sweet and quiet. Kate had a feeling that she was going along
with her parents to appease them, rather than having any desire to be Alpha Mate or be with Bran.
Arthur and his wife, Beverly, were nothing but pains in her ass. They were constantly criticizing
every small thing she did. She was tired of it.

“Kate,” Bran said, sounding amused.
Damn. She must have been growling again without realizing it. She looked up and smiled at him

before turning to Arthur.

“The pack has always taken direction and advice from the Alpha Mother. My bond with Rebecca

will only strengthen the ties between the Pack and the Arkadions. This is a good thing for us,” Kate
explained.

“I don’t remember talking to you.” Arthur sniffed and turned his head back toward Bran.
She began to growl loudly. “Do you wish to challenge me?” she demanded. He turned pale and

looked at Bran, who now looked equally pissed off.

“Don’t look at me! Your Alpha is addressing you,” Bran said.
“But you’re my Alpha,” Arthur complained.
“So is my mate!” Bran said. “It’s time for your family to realize that and give her the respect due to

her. My patience on this matter is gone. You have had time to adjust. Tell your family to start acting
accordingly or get the fuck out of my Pack.”

“This is our home, too!” Arthur argued.
“Then you better start acting like this is your home and respect your Alphas,” Bran growled.
“I will leave this for now. Maybe we can talk later.” Arthur stood and walked out.
Kate’s mouth dropped. “Doesn’t he know that’s the same as saying, ‘I’ll talk to you when she isn’t

around’?”

Bran sighed and rubbed his temples. He had a feeling this problem would not be going away

easily.

“I wish I could just eat that fucker,” Riley Conrad said from the corner of the room where he was

standing guard.

Kate smiled. “I bet he would taste nasty.” She laughed and made faces.
“Bran, when you and Kate head to the diner, could you check on Caleb Donovan? It would save

me a trip into town. Mojo said Caleb didn’t go into the bar last night and he hasn’t missed a day since
he started there.” Riley rolled his eyes when Kate giggled at Mojo’s name. She laughed every time
she heard it.

“Really? Is it still funny?” he asked her.
“Come on! I can’t be the only one who thinks it’s cute. Moe Jones. Mojo. And he shifts into a

spider monkey? Hello? Ya’ll never watched the Powerpuff Girls, did you?” she asked. Bran and
Riley both shuddered.

“Come on, Puff girl, let’s get some food,” Bran said, taking her hand.
“Mojo,” she said, laughing again.
Bran rolled his eyes and headed for the door.

* * * *

“Sooo, Rian, do you know where I can get more of that lingerie you ordered for me for the

wedding?” Kate asked as she plowed through her second stack of pancakes.

Damn, Connor Arkadion could cook. She looked up to where Bran was talking to Liam and

Connor at the counter. She always loved the fifties-style diner. It always made her feel as though she
had stepped back in time, though all of the chrome must be a bitch to keep clean. She looked back to
her best friend, Rian Stafford, as he leered at her.

“You got fucked to within an inch of your life last night, didn’t you?” Rian asked, raising an

eyebrow. He was flipping through the pages of a fashion magazine and as usual lamenting the lack of
decent shopping in the area.

“Yup and it so needs to happen again,” she said, winking. She pulled down the collar of her shirt

to reveal new bite marks.

“I’ll help you with that on one condition,” Rian said slyly.
Kate narrowed her eyes. “What?” she asked suspiciously.
“You let me give you a full makeover, mani, pedi, hair, makeup and wardrobe. The works!” he

said, bouncing.

She eyed him cautiously. “You can’t cut my hair and nothing but a French manicure for my hands. I

hate colored nail polish for my fingers. You keep pink to a minimum, no frills or sequins. I retain the
right to veto anything if I really hate it. If you can do all that, deal.” She braced for impact. Sure
enough, Rian gave an undignified squeal and launched himself into her arms.

Bran growled from across the room and eyed Kate. She smiled wickedly and yelled across the

diner for everyone to hear.

“He’s ordering me more of that lingerie you tore off me last night. I need your credit card.”
Bran immediately went for his wallet and walked over. He kissed her and looked at Rian, who sat

back down beside Kate looking like the cat that ate the canary.

“Don’t be afraid to spice it up a little,” he said, winking before walking back to the counter.
“Kate, you are going to hell,” Rian said.
“I know, but at least I’ll look good going.” She laughed and tucked Bran’s credit card into her top

pocket.

The door swung open and Aleks Arkadion walked in, alone and looking panicked. Uh oh, this

couldn’t be good. Kate and Rian stood and hurried over to where Aleks was talking to his ma.

“This can’t be normal! Rebecca’s thrown up twice since this morning. She’s lost weight too. Ma,

please come back to the ranch and check on her,” Aleks pleaded. “She’s miserable.”

“Let me grab my purse and we can leave. Connor, you have the diner. You could have called,

Aleks,” she said, untying her apron.

“I left Pa with her. It was a good idea for me to get out of the house for a while,” Aleks said,

looking down at his shoes. Ma’s eyes widened and she hurried to the back.

“If she needs anything, let me know,” Connor said and Aleks nodded.
Kate looked at Rian and he nodded.
“Tell her we’ll be swinging by later to keep her company,” Kate said. Aleks looked relieved.
“Thank you! I’m going crazy worrying about her. I think I may have said a thing or two to upset

her,” he mumbled.

Kate and Rian winced. Aleks was apparently driving Rebecca out of her hormone-driven mind.
“Yup, we’ll definitely be by later,” Rian confirmed, nodding his head.
“Come on, baby boy,” Ma said, heading toward the door.
“Bye, guys,” Aleks said, ushering his ma out the door.
Kate looked at Bran. “Rebecca will kill him before they get to number seven,” she said

thoughtfully.

“You’re probably right.” Bran walked over chuckling and wrapped an arm around her waist.
“You ready to go?” he asked.
“Yup. Rian, I’ll meet you at Rebecca’s later. She can help us order.” She winked.
“Roger, mon capitaine!” he said, giving a horrible salute. Kate laughed as Bran led her out the

door and to their car.

“I hope that the twins are ok.” Bran opened the door and Kate got in. She was buckling her seatbelt

when he got in.

“I followed your advice and I recommended he hire Gina. You were right about her being capable

since she has been helping to raise her brothers and sisters since her mother’s death. I hate the fact
that her father checked out mentally and emotionally when his mate died. Everyone in the pack has
been watching out for her. I’m not sure it’s enough help for Caleb, it has to be hard being a single
parent to twins,” Bran said, pulling away from the diner and heading toward Caleb’s.

“Why didn’t he want to live with the pack?” she asked.
“I think it has something to do with the boys,” Bran said.
Kate just shrugged as Bran drove to the outskirts of town to an old plantation home. Kate could see

that the structure of this architectural relic was as sound as the day it had been built. Dating to before
the Civil War, it was a monument to southern gentility. The colossal, sprawling mansion was nestled
in the middle of the mountains, built for a homesick southern belle from Charleston, South Carolina.
The original owner wanted a home within the boundaries of Arkadia’s protective perimeter for his
beautiful young wife.

The house had stood empty for the last fifty years before Caleb bought it for his small family.

Though the house had been closed, it still retained an aristocratic air that lured a visitor in and made
them imagine the smell of fresh flowers and hear the faint music of cotillions from long ago. It was

easy to look past the aging paint and overgrown flowerbeds and see that this gentle giant was only
sleeping, waiting for the right owner to awaken it from its long slumber and return it to its former
glory.

She eyed the expansive estate and looked to Bran.
“It’s only him and the two boys here?” she asked and Bran eyed the place, frowning.
“Just the three of them. Since it’s been empty for so long, he got a great deal.”
Kate got out of the car. She and Bran made their way to the front porch and climbed the stairs

before knocking on the door. They waited. They were about to knock again when the door swung
open. Kate’s breath caught in her chest. His scent hit her in the solar plexus. She had only felt drawn
to a scent like this once before and that was the night she met Bran. She took a deep breath. Caleb’s
scent drew her in like Bran but where Bran smelled like pine and spice, Caleb’s scent tantalized her
with cedar and musk. She shook her head at the impossible. She already had a mate. Everything about
Caleb was different than Bran. He was the opposite of her mate in every way.

Caleb was taller than Bran’s six feet four by two inches. Bran had reddish-brown hair and warm

amber eyes. This man had black hair and his eyes were so dark brown they were almost black. Bran
was muscular but lean. This man had thick ropes of muscles that were clearly defined, giving him an
extremely cut look. She was able to look her fill because the man wasn’t wearing a shirt, just a pair of
worn jeans and a dishtowel sporting spit-up draped over one bare shoulder. His hair was sticking up
in every direction and his eyes were bloodshot. In his arms he held one crying infant, who looked to
be about eight months old.

“Alphas, I’m sorry, but did I miss an appointment?” Caleb asked.
Kate was shocked at her body’s reaction to his deep voice. She felt ashamed for feeling these

things for another man when her mate was standing right beside her. Before Bran could catch the scent
of her arousal, she stepped forward and motioned for Caleb to hand her the baby.

Caleb eyed her cautiously before slowly handing over his son. Kate walked into the house, acting

as though she knew what she was doing. Both men followed her. She rocked the little guy and to her
own amazement, he quieted right down. Caleb slumped against the doorway.

“How did you do that? I’ve been up with them all night.” He ran his hands over his face. Just then

a thin wail was heard behind them, coming from down the hall. Caleb looked up exhausted. Kate
stepped forward.

“Bran, check in with Caleb. I’ll go check on the other one.”
She rocked the baby in her arms. Bran nodded, giving her a funny look. She walked to the back

room, humming and running her hand up and down the baby’s back. He could have sworn she was
aroused. He shook his head.

“Why are you looking at her that way?” Caleb asked.
“I’ve never seen her with a baby before,” Bran said. He felt his wolf straining to come to the

surface. It wanted to create pups with his mate.

Caleb smiled. “One of the most beautiful sights in this world is a mother and child.” He motioned

for Bran to come in and sit down.

“I agree.” Bran shook his head then turned to the larger man, who had collapsed into the leather

recliner. It was the only piece of modern furniture in the room. Everything else looked as though it had
come with the house.

“Caleb, are you doing okay out here? Mojo called last night to say you didn’t make it in. He was

worried about you. You know that if you need help the pack will assist, especially since you have
pups.”

Caleb winced. “That’s just it, Alpha. They aren’t pups.”
“Well, shit,” Bran stared back at the man. “Okay, lay it on me,” Bran said, sitting back.
“I didn’t lie when I petitioned to become a pack member. They are my sons. I just think they may

be taking more after their mother than me,” Caleb said quietly.

“Caleb, where is your children’s mother?” Bran asked.
“She and her entire leap were murdered. They were hung by their ankles and purposefully drained

of blood the way that hunters drain their kills. Thank God I had the boys with me at the time. I had
taken them with me to get pictures taken for Renee. It was going to be a surprise.” Caleb rubbed his
hands over his eyes.

“I’m sorry about your mate,” Bran said and Caleb looked up a surprised expression on his face.
“Renee Langford wasn’t my mate. She was my best friend. Renee was a snow leopard. They are as

rare as shifters as they are in the wild. When it came time for her to reproduce for her leap, she
wasn’t in any kind of relationship. So she asked me to donate the sperm. In every instance that a snow
leopard has mated with someone outside their species, they produce snow leopard cubs. Renee
believed it was because they are so rare, that it was nature’s way of keeping the balance. When
Landon and Lucas were born, I moved in with Renee and her leap to help out with the boys until they
were older and then I would become cool Uncle Caleb. That was the plan anyway.” He looked at
Bran with pain in his eyes.

“Did they ever catch the ones who killed them?” Bran asked.
Caleb shook his head.
“We have heard of kills like that going on all over the country. Hyenas are working with vampires

to provide them with shifter blood. A couple months ago, Rebecca was kidnapped. What a lot of
people don’t know is that she was kidnapped to be used as a bargaining chip to get more blood from
Arkadia for the hyenas,” Bran explained.

“I didn’t have any family or pack to turn to, so I came here to Arkadia, where, at the very least, I

thought the boys would be safe. Now you’re telling me about hyenas and vampires. If the next Alpha
Mother isn’t safe, what about my boys?” Caleb stood and went to the window.

“Move in with the pack, Caleb. You’ll be surrounded by thirty or so bodyguards,” Bran said.
“Let me think about it,” Caleb replied. Bran nodded.
“It’s awful quiet in there,” Caleb said after a moment. Both men looked at each other then got up to

go check on Kate.

* * * *

Kate walked to the back bedroom with one baby in her arms and found the other one crying in front

of her. When she walked into the nursery, she stopped short. The entire house looked as though it
needed to be cleaned and given a fresh coat of paint. The baseboards were old and in some places,
the wallpaper was peeling off the walls. Every room still had the antique furniture that had come with
the house covered with dusty sheets. Every room. Every room except the nursery.

The dark wood floor had been sanded and stained and had a fresh coat of poly on it that made it

gleam like glass. The baseboards and trim had been replaced and painted crisp white. The windows
had also been replaced, allowing plenty of daylight into the room, making it the most cheerful place in
the house. But what caught her eye and made her want to cry were the walls. Someone had

painstakingly painted a mural of what looked to be snow leopards and people’s faces on every wall.
She knew that Caleb had poured every ounce of his love for these two boys into this room. She
looked at the crying baby, who was standing up and looking at her from his crib. Above the crib, the
teal block letters spelled out the name Lucas. The empty crib beside it had letters that read Landon.
The color of the letters seemed to match their eyes perfectly.

“Okay, Landon, go sit with your brother,” she said, placing Landon down in the same crib as his

brother.

Immediately Lucas stooped crying. The boys turned to each other and did the cutest version of

baby gabble. Kate watched in fascination. When they finished, both looked up at her and beamed
revealing toothless little smiles. Her heart turned over and she knew, without a doubt, she would
never be the same again. They both had Caleb’s eye shape, nose, lips, and a head full of thick black
hair. Everything about them looked like Caleb except their eye color. Caleb’s eyes were a dark
brown, but the boys had bright-teal eyes, like the waters of the Caribbean. She realized that she loved
them because they looked like their father. And she realized that their father was her other mate.

“Well, isn’t this a pickle?” she said out loud after staring at them for quite a bit and Landon

giggled. Kate smiled.

“Do you like the word pickle?” she asked and both Landon and Lucas were chortling.
“I see that the three of you are getting along,” Caleb said.
Kate whirled around to face her mates.
“Yup, they are little angels.” She ran her hand over their soft little heads. She looked up and

realized that Caleb was so tired he was about to pass out as he sagged against the doorframe.

“Caleb, why don’t you put some stuff together for the boys and come with me to the Arkadion

ranch? You can catch up on some sleep and Rian, Rebecca, and I will watch the boys,” she said
logically.

“I can’t ruin your day like that. You don’t realize what a handful they can be.”
Kate nodded. “That’s exactly why three adults will be perfectly fine watching over them. Plus Ma

is there now,” Kate added.

“The wonderful woman who runs the diner?” Caleb asked and Kate and Bran nodded.
After Kate pointed out that he was no good to the boys exhausted, Caleb finally agreed. After

getting dressed, he brought out four very full diaper bags for the boys. Bran’s eyes popped out.

“This is all for those two?” he asked, looking at the bulging bags.
“You obviously haven’t been around many children.” Caleb laughed and Bran shook his head

smiling.

“Bran, you drive Caleb’s car with the boys in their car seats. Caleb is too tired to drive. I’ll

follow in our car. Once we get to Rebecca’s you can take the car and head home. Rian can drive me
back later if needed,” Kate said, cooing at Landon.

Bran nodded before he walked to the back of the car and began to load the trunk.
“Why are you doing this?” Caleb asked, catching Kate by the arm and looking down into her face.
She licked her lips and his eyes widened. She broke the spell by pulling away. She turned, giving

Lucas a kiss on the head. When she looked back up at Caleb, the moment had passed.

“Because you need the help.” She swiftly walked to the other car.
“Ready to go?” Bran asked, shutting the trunk.

Chapter 3

“Oh. My. God! They are so freaking cute!” Rian said, leaning down and smiling at Landon.
Damian was making ridiculous faces at Lucas. Kate waved goodbye to Bran as he drove off then

closed the door. She turned around to see Rian and Damian monopolizing the twins. Ashby and
Nicholas sat next to Rebecca on the sofa and Ma was sitting in a rocking chair.

“Rebecca, this is Caleb Donovan and his sons Landon and Lucas. He has had a rough couple days

and I volunteered us to babysit so he could catch up on some sleep. I’m sorry I didn’t ask you first,”
Kate said apologetically. Rebecca waved away her concern and continued to pet Sebastian who was
lying on her lap, purring and rubbing his head against her tummy. “When did he start that?” Kate
asked, pausing in her introductions.

“Right after Doc confirmed I was pregnant,” Rebecca said. “His purring helps me to sleep at night

and the other morning he brought me the wet washcloth that I had on the counter when I was throwing
up in the bathroom. I swear he has got to be the most intelligent cat ever. Ashby thinks he’s grateful
for being saved from the alley.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Alpha Mother,” Caleb said, nodding his head. Rebecca smiled and

inclined her head in return.

“The two goofballs hogging the twins are Rian Stafford and Damian Prescott. They are part of the

local lion pride,” Kate said, pointing out the two men.

Rian looked over and winked at Caleb, blowing him air kisses, and Damian waved. Good-

naturedly Caleb winked back.

“The two sitting next to Rebecca are Ashby Fairfax and Nicholas Redding,” Kate continued.
“We’ve met, they watch the boys for me when Gina isn’t available. Hey, guys,” Caleb said.
“Hey, Caleb,” both Ashby and Nic chimed from the sofa in unison.
“The gorgeous lady in the rocking chair is Rebecca’s mother-in-law, Margaret Arkadion, but

everyone calls her Ma,” Kate explained.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you ma’am,” Caleb said.
Kate looked over the full room.
“We didn’t mean to invade.” Kate felt bad. She hadn’t known Rebecca already had people over.
“Don’t be ridiculous. The more the merrier, especially when I have been dying for company today.

Ma, I love your son with my entire being, but I swear I almost shot him today,” Rebecca said,
sounding exasperated.

“Did he finally break down and get you a gun?” Ma asked, raising an eyebrow.
Rebecca shrugged. “I simply pointed out how tiny and weak and helpless I was and he eventually

saw things my way.” Rebecca smiled.

“Try not to shoot my son anywhere vital,” Ma said, eyes sparkling.
Rebecca thought about it for a long moment, her head tilted in the way she did when she was

thinking hard, and then she nodded.

“I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises.” She leaned her head back again and closed her eyes.
“This morning sickness won’t stop! I thought you were supposed to puke and then be done for the

day,” Rebecca whimpered from the sofa.

“I think I can help with that,” Caleb said and all eyes swung to where he stood in the front room’s

doorway, still mostly in the foyer.

“Anything you can do to help Rebecca with this morning sickness would be welcomed. Along

with intense emotions, her morning sickness also seems to be leaking through the bond with my Alpha
Mother,” Ashby said, looking pale and shooting Rebecca an apologetic look.

“How come I’m not feeling sick?” Kate asked.
“Don’t feel bad, Kate. It’s not hitting me very hard at all. I think it varies based on the type of

bond. Ashby and Rebecca bonded first, so they have been bonded longer. I don’t think there is a
science to it,” Nic explained, bouncing Lucas.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m sorry, but the extremely gorgeous man said he could help my morning

sickness,” Rebecca said, pointing to Caleb, who chuckled.

“Let me go check out your kitchen. Be right back.” He disappeared down the hallway.
Rian looked over at Kate and hissed in a whisper, “You have some s’plaining to do, missy!”
Kate’s head snapped around to where Caleb was working in the kitchen, nearly spraining her neck.

She put her finger to her lips and shook her head. Ashby, Nicholas, and Damian were also giving her
concerned looks. Rebecca had her head back on the sofa and looked as though she were going to die.
She was human, so she probably hadn’t picked up on Kate’s arousal.

Caleb walked back in a few minutes later with a cup of steaming hot tea. He handed it carefully to

Rebecca.

“Sip it slowly. It’s a ginger mint tea. Luckily, you keep a well-stocked kitchen. I made a batch and

left it in the saucepan on the stove. Renee swore this is the only thing that got her through her
pregnancy.”

Rebecca sipped it and after a few moments, her face began to relax. She looked up at Caleb.
“I love you. I would offer to have your babies, but I’m already pregnant, you already have two,

and my mate would kill you.” She sipped her tea.

Caleb laughed.
“Okay, Caleb, up to bed with you. Uh… I–I… I mean time to go upstairs. I m-m-mean, you’re

obviously exhausted. I’ll show you the guest room,” Kate said, rambling. She turned scarlet then
practically bolted up the stairs.

Confused, he looked at the group, who were all staring at him.
“Thank you again for giving me this breather,” Caleb said.
Rebecca waved her hand. “If you keep making me tea, you can sleep in the master bedroom for all

I care.” She sipped her tea again and rubbed her tummy. He smiled.

“Can you wake me up in a few hours?” He asked Ashby and Nicholas. They nodded. He then

followed Kate up the stairs, determined to find out why she smelled like she was in heat around him.

He found her pulling down the bedding in the guest room. He walked in and shut the door. He

noticed that, maybe subconsciously, she had pulled down both sides of the bed.

“We need to talk.” He leaned against the door, crossing his arms.
“No we don’t,” she replied as she finished up with the bedding and moved to stand in front of him

in an effort to get to the door.

“Yes, we do. Why are you so aroused by me? Are you unhappy with your mate? Is he cruel to

you?” he asked softly, unfolding his arms to trail his fingers down her cheek. Her eyes widened at his
touch. He couldn’t stop touching her. He brought his other hand up until both hands cupped her face.

He couldn’t bear the thought of this beautiful woman hurt or unhappy. Her blonde hair and warm

smile reminded him of sunshine and she deserved to always be smiling. He couldn’t understand

where these feelings were coming from. When he stepped closer, he realized why her scent affected
him so much. She was his mate. Her scent filled his nostrils and he felt his cock spring to life. A low
growl began in his chest and moved up his throat. He moved his hands to her hips, pulling her body
close and trying to get his throbbing prick as close to her as possible. The need to bury himself deep
inside of her was overwhelming his senses.

“I am very happy with my mate. He treats me like a goddess and we’re extremely happy together,”

she whispered.

“We’re mates,” Caleb said, rocking his hips forward and pressing his hard length against her. Her

head fell back and a soft moan escaped. When she looked back up at him her pupils had dilated. Her
expressive blue eyes were clouded with worry. She had a slender build, but it curved in all the right
places. His hands ached to touch her bare, creamy skin.

“You are my Alpha’s mate. How can you belong to us both? Give me one good reason why I

shouldn’t kiss you senseless. Tell me not to!” he begged. His hands shook as he kept his wolf at bay.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “I can’t because I want it, too. Please let me talk to

Bran first.” She looked up at him.

“Bran has offered to let me move into the Pack house to keep the boys safe. I can’t do that if this

will cause issues. Bran is a good man and deserves better than that.”

She nodded. “Give me tonight. Let me talk to him. We’ll be over tomorrow morning.”
He stepped back and allowed her to walk past him. She opened the door, walked out.
Kate fled down the stairs, her emotions rioting inside of her. When she got to the front living room

Ma opened her arms, she couldn’t help it. She ran to her, dropped to her knees, and put her head in
her lap, crying. Rian immediately jumped up and turned on the stereo to a classical music station to
act as a noise barrier.

“Shuush, it will be okay, Katie Belle,” Ma said, stroking her hair.
“Kate, what on earth is happening?” Rebecca asked, sitting up.
“I’m attracted to Caleb,” Kate said.
Rebecca nodded. “He’s fucking hot, that’s why. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Kate shook her head. “I want to rip my clothes off and stick my ass in the air in front of him.”
“Kate! Earmuffs! Earmuffs!” Ashby said as he and Nicholas covered Landon’s and Lucas’s ears.
Kate winced, looking over at the twins before her mind went to her two mates. “I can’t believe

they are both mine,” she said, shaking her head.

“Uh, Kate, unless it was an act of God, Landon and Lucas aren’t yours,” Nicholas said.
“I didn’t mean them, but they are mine, too I guess. I mean, Caleb is mine, my other mate. But how

can that be?”

“It’s not common, hun, but it happens,” Ma said.
“Fate has decided that the three of you need each other. Usually a ménage mating is recognized by

the heart of the relationship, which in this case is you. Once Caleb completes his mating bond with
you, he and Bran will feel each other, but it will always be you who bridges them together and
completes them. Don’t fight against it. Just accept it for the gift it is.”

“Wow. You get two,” Rebecca murmured. “Rebecca!” Kate said, sounding exasperated.
“Now we really need to order you new lingerie,” Damian said.
“And mountain climbing equipment. Did you see the size of that man?” Rian sighed.
Kate smiled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “Ya’ll don’t think it’s weird?” she asked, unsure

about how people would react to her having a ménage relationship.

“Besides hating your lucky bitch ass? No, I think it’s great,” Damian said, smiling.
“Ditto! I hope Fate gives me two men like that! God! Can you imagine them naked? Together.

Together and naked. Naked and together.” Rian fell backward, fanning himself.

Damian sighed.
“Hey! No thinking about my men naked. Only I can do that,” Kate said, throwing a pillow at Rian.
“I so want to be there when they are naked. Kate, you have to take pictures!” Rian exclaimed.
“No way! Those goodies belong to me,” she shot back and they both looked at each other before

they started giggling, which set off the twins.

Kate looked up and she paled.
“Oh my God! I’m a momma.” She looked from Landon to Lucas and back again.
“You’ll be just fine. You have all the correct instincts for it,” Ma said, getting up from the rocking

chair. “I’m going to check on supper then head home. Pa and the boys will want their dinner as well.”

“You shouldn’t have to do two meals. They should just come here,” Rebecca said and Ma started

shaking her head.

“You have enough going on here. You don’t need my boys acting like landmines and wildcards.”

She kissed Rebecca on the forehead and went into the kitchen.

“Since we don’t have to worry about dinner, let’s break out the laptop and order some fun stuff for

Katie Belle,” Rian said, standing up and walking across the room to pick up Rebecca’s laptop and
returning to the sofa between Rebecca and Kate.

“Good idea. She will definitely need it with those two studs,” Rebecca teased.
Kate stuck her tongue out at Rebecca. “What about you?” Kate asked.
Rebecca rolled her eyes. “The way I’m going, I’ll need sex toys before lingerie. Aleks is afraid

that sex might hurt the baby. He’s about two seconds away from getting shot,” Rebecca said, looking
disgruntled.

“We can order that, too!” Rian said and winked at Rebecca. “The internet is a beautiful thing.

Press a few buttons then presto change-o, packages are delivered to the P.O. box I have established.
Then I can send someone from the Pride to go pick them up. Now, ladies, what did you have in
mind?”

“I think Kate should go with a black-and-red leather bustier. Bran will swallow his tongue,”

Damian said.

“She needs a pair of black stilettos or boots to pull that off,” Ashby offered, rocking Landon from

the loveseat.

Rebecca nodded in agreement. “Maybe a pair of black leather boy shorts that unzip down the

middle.”

“Rebecca, we definitely have the same fashion sense,” Rian said, frantically hitting keys on the

keyboard.

“Don’t I get a say in this?” Kate asked. Everyone said “no” in reply.
“I went with knee-high black leather boots,” Rian said. Everyone cheered and Kate buried her face

in a pillow.

“Don’t forget she needs new clothes. She only wears jeans and sweaters,” Rebecca said.
“I like jeans and sweaters. They are warm and comfortable,” Kate countered.
“And every once in a while I love them, too, but, Kate, it’s like every day for you. How about a

blouse and a blazer or a graphic tee and jeans? Or a nice dress,” Rebecca said.

“I guess, but it seems silly,” Kate said.
“Clothes and makeup are a woman’s suit of armor,” Rebecca said, sipping her tea.
“When you are dressed up and your hair and makeup are kicking ass, you can take on the world. It

gives you an ego boost like no other. I think once you see how much fun it is to plan your outfits,
you’ll be addicted.”

“She is absolutely right. Great clothes are essential. No more sweats and jeans unless it’s a rainy

Saturday afternoon and you aren’t planning on leaving the house,” Rian said.

“Okay, okay, ya’ll have convinced me. Load up the cart, Rian. But remember—”
“I remember, no frills or sequins and keep pink to a minimum. On it!” Rian said, practically

bouncing. Pretty soon he declared her wardrobe complete. He then turned to Rebecca with a sly look.

“So, how about we order your stuff,” he said.
She blinked. “I was kidding, Rian. I’d die if Aleks found out I had sex toys.” Rebecca blushed.
“Orrrrr… He’d think you are so neglected that you are taking your needs into your own hands,

striving to be faithful, but since he isn’t servicing you right, he might be driving you into the arms of
another man, leaving him to wither and die alone. Ohh, the horror!” Rian said, dramatically.

Rebecca laughed.
“Okay, okay, what does your magic website have that will blow his mind?” Rebecca asked,

curious.

“How about this?” He twisted the laptop to show her.
“Where is that supposed to go?” she asked.
“Too big?” He looked at the screen again.
“Rian!” Rebecca exclaimed.
“Here, give me that,” Damian said, standing up taking the laptop and returning to the rocking chair.

After a few clicks, he showed Rebecca the screen.

“Does that rotate?” she asked, tilting her head.
“Yup and that is to prep you for back-door fun. He can’t say that will hurt the baby,” Damian said,

pretending to spank the laptop. Rebecca’s eyes widened.

“I also threw in some menthol lube, heating massage oils, and some videos. You should be set,” he

said.

“Damian, grab my purse. It’s behind you on the desk,” Rebecca said.
“I can’t wait to see his reaction to this stuff!” Rebecca said, giggling.
“It should be interesting to say the least,” Kate said, chuckling.

Chapter 4

“Did Caleb get his sleep?” Bran asked as they were getting ready for bed that night.
“Yup, he slept all afternoon and through dinner. We ended up waking him up around seven-thirty.

We made sure he ate and sent him on his way,” she said nervously.

“Good, he looked like he needed the sleep. Did you order your lingerie?” Bran asked, climbing

into bed.

“Yes, though I’m not sure about one of them. Rian said it would be hot though.” She picked up her

hairbrush as she continued to fidget in the bathroom.

“Kate?” Bran said.
“Yeah?” she said, walking out of the bathroom.
“You brushed your teeth three times, put lotion on twice, flossed, tweezed your eyebrows, washed

your face, and filed your nails. You want to tell me what’s wrong?” He patted the bed beside him. She
took a deep breath and set the brush down before walking over to sit on the bed.

“I think I may know what this is about,” he started and she looked up surprised.
“You do?”
“Yes, I think being with those babies today maybe made you want one of your own. It’s why you

were so aroused, wasn’t it?” Bran asked, his amber eyes kind.

Kate jumped up and started pacing. “Not exactly.” She twisted and turned her fingers nervously.

She saw Bran eyeing her hands, frowning.

“Love, tell me,” he said, reaching from the bed to still her hands.
She looked down at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. She brought her forearm up across

her eyes as she started to cry. Bran jumped out of bed and pulled her into his arms.

“God, sweetie, what is it! What happened? You’re starting to scare me,” he said, frantic.
“Caleb is my mate, too!” she wailed and cried into his chest. He froze, hands on her upper arms.

She continued to shake. He stepped back, released her and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Did you…did the two of you…” he asked, his voice breaking.
“No! No!” she yelled and knelt in front of him by the bed. She looked up at him.
“I would never do anything like that without telling you first.”
“Thank God!” he replied, pulling her to her feet and then up into his lap. She instinctively wrapped

her legs around his waist. Breathing hard, he buried his face in her breasts.

“What do we do?” she asked quietly.
Bran held her for the longest time. He cursed Fate for making him share his mate. He wanted to

hate Caleb but found he couldn’t. After a few more minutes, he had to acknowledge to himself that
Fate didn’t make mistakes. He couldn’t deny Caleb without hurting Kate and he would cut off his arm
before he hurt her. The more he thought about it, the less it bothered him. They were in turbulent times
and things weren’t safe. The pack would get another strong leader and he would get someone to help
him keep Kate protected. Caleb would get a home, a pack, and security for his sons.

Suddenly his mind came to a screeching halt. When Caleb and Kate mated, he would become a

father through their bond. He liked that idea. He liked it a lot. He loved children. But could he share
her in bed? He thought about that and found he wasn’t angry or jealous when he imagined Caleb with
Kate. In fact, he was getting aroused. The things they could do together. He smiled and looked up into
Kate’s worried and tear-streaked face.

“It’s going to be okay, my love. Caleb was brought to us for a reason. We’ll make this work,” he

said, wiping her eyes.

His poor Kate. She must have been stressed all day. She began to cry softly in relief. He wrapped

his arms around her, stood up, and turned around to tuck her into bed before climbing in beside her.
Slowly, she started to calm down. When her tears stopped, he smiled.

“We’re going to be parents,” he said.
She turned her head so he could see her face and her smile.
“I know. Are you excited?” she asked.
“You know, I think I am. They are special boys and I think we’re just the ones to keep them safe.”

He recounted his conversation with Caleb about the boys being rare snow leopards.

“Does he know that you’re his mate?” Bran asked.
“Yes, he felt the pull, but he was exhausted and fighting it because you’re his Alpha. His mind is

having a hard time acknowledging me as his mate, but his soul and body know.”

They were quiet for a long while.
“Do you think he snores?” Bran asked, breaking the silence.
Kate gasped and turned around in his arms. “All day I have been a nervous wreck and you ask if I

think he may snore.” Kate’s eyes narrowed and she held her fingers up like pincers.

“No, Kate. Don’t, I’ll be good,” Bran said, scooting back.
Kate attacked and tickled him relentlessly. When they were both breathing hard from their laughter

and exhausted, Bran gently kissed her nose.

“We’ll be okay, Katie Belle.”
She wrapped her arms around him and nodded. “I love you, Bran.”
“I love you, too. Now get some sleep. We get to officially meet the boys tomorrow as our sons.”

He felt her smile and he closed his eyes.

Chapter 5

Caleb was pacing in the front parlor when he heard a car pull up. He knew it would be Kate and

Bran. He peeked over to where Lucas and Landon slept in their Pack ‘N Play and took a few deep
breaths. He then walked over to the front door and opened it to find Kate and Bran heading up the
front steps.

“Morning.” He opened the door wider for them to come in. He met Bran’s eye as the man walked

into the house and was surprised to find no censure. He knew he was still up in the air as to how he
felt about sharing his mate, so he knew as Alpha it would be harder for Bran. But Bran just gave him
a friendly smile and stepped into the foyer. Caleb showed them into the parlor and motioned for them
to sit. Kate’s eyes strayed to where his sons lay asleep. He saw her eyes soften and suddenly he
realized he would not only be sharing his mate but also his boys. Agitated, he began to walk the room.

“Caleb?” Kate asked softly, watching him move back and forth.
“I’m sorry, Kate, this is hard for me. This isn’t my dream mating. I never thought I’d have to share

the most perfect woman I have ever met with another man, much less my Alpha.” Caleb ran a hand
through his hair.

Bran watched him thoughtfully for a moment before standing. Caleb stopped and tensed.
“Let’s move this conversation to the living room. Leave the door open so we can hear the boys.”
Bran took Kate’s hand and led her to the adjoining room. Caleb paused for a moment to look down

at his sleeping sons before following.

When he walked into the living room, he stopped suddenly in his tracks. Bran was removing

Kate’s shirt and bra. He turned her around to face Caleb and traced his fingers along the contours of
her breasts.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Bran asked, cupping his hands under her breasts and pushing them up and

together.

Caleb nodded, unable to look away. He took one step forward then another. Before he realized it,

he was standing in front of Kate, staring down at where Bran’s hands were molded to her body.

“Does it bother you that I am touching your mate?” Bran asked, twisting her nipples, which caused

her to gasp and squeeze her legs together.

Caleb felt his eyes shift from black to the bright yellow as his wolf came to the surface.
“No,” he said, his voice sounding low and rough.
“Do you like watching what I am doing to her?” Bran asked.
He trailed his hands to the buttons of her jeans before popping them open and dipping his hand

down the front of her body. Kate’s breathing became shallow pants as Bran moved his hand up and
down. Caleb started to growl in his throat then dropped to his knees before Kate. He roughly pulled
her jeans and panties down in one jerk and watched as Bran’s fingers, glistening with her dew, slid
back and forth between her folds. He carefully had her step out of her jeans and panties, pushing them
aside without looking, his eyes locked on Bran’s hand.

Bran removed his hand and brought it to his own mouth to taste her. Kate looked down at Caleb.
“Please! This feels so right,” she said, pleading with tears in her eyes.
Unable to resist her a second more, he looked at Bran then nodded before reaching his arms

around her body and cupping her ass. He lifted her up as Bran shifted his body so that her upper back
lay supported on his chest. Bran put one hand in the center of her back to hold her up and worked on

her breasts with the other, twisting and pulling. Caleb spread her legs, stiffened his tongue and began
to fuck her with it.

“God yes!” she exclaimed. She wrapped her arms up behind her and around Bran’s neck.
“She likes to be dominated and have a little pain with her pleasure,” Bran said, his voice also low

and rough.

Caleb looked up and saw that Bran’s eyes had shifted. He grinned.
“Keep her quiet.”
Caleb motioned with his head to the open door that led to the parlor. Bran grinned back and

nodded. He unwrapped Kate’s arms and moved so that the back of her neck rested on his shoulder. He
captured her mouth and began to bite and nibble at her lips. She whimpered and gave herself over to
her two mates.

Seeing that Bran had her mouth occupied, Caleb gave her wet pussy one more swipe before

leaning forward and taking her clit between his front teeth. He bit down lightly and then sucked hard.
She began to thrash above him, her sounds muffled by Bran’s mouth. Determined to make her scream,
Caleb placed one hand at the base of her spine and brought the other one around to plunge two fingers
deep into her cunt. She started to buck and go wild. Taking Bran at his word that she liked a little pain
with her pleasure, he withdrew his fingers before roughly plunging them in again and again.

He felt her inner walls clench around his fingers. He pushed in deep and searched for that one spot

that would make her explode. When he found it, he thrust his fingers over it harshly then, leaning
forward and using his teeth and lips, bit and twisted her clit. She screamed into Bran’s mouth and
shook in their arms. They both held her as her breathing slowed and then lowered her to her feet, her
legs shaking slightly. Caleb looked at Bran, who was watching his movements. Bran gently pushed
Kate forward and she wrapped her arms around Caleb’s waist.

“I’m not saying it’s going to be easy or that at some point something won’t be a hard stop or deal

breaker for me. But what I am saying is that we don’t fight against this for the sake of fighting. I
fucking loved watching you make her come. We can make this work, Caleb. The three of us and the
boys, we can be a family.” Bran took a step closer to rub his hands up and down Kate’s back.

“You have a hell of a way of persuading me,” Caleb said wryly.
Kate smiled and looked up. “We ave our vays,” she said in a poor Transylvanian accent.
Caleb laughed. Just then one of the twins started to cry. Caleb winced when he shifted his weight,

needing a release of his own. He adjusted his jeans, stepped back, and looked over his shoulder to the
parlor.

“The boys come first.” He smiled brightly and gave Kate a quick kiss.
Bran went into the hall bathroom and came back with a wet washcloth and a towel to help Kate

clean up and she pulled her panties and jeans back on. They were on their way to the parlor when
they heard the second twin join the first crying. Kate went over and picked up Lucas and handed him
to Bran, who held the boy at arm’s length as if he might explode.

“What the fuck do I do?” Bran asked, panicked.
Caleb chuckled and walked over.
“Bring him close to your body and support him under his bottom,” Caleb said, showing him how

he was holding Landon.

Bran adjusted the boy in his arms and smiled down at him. Lucas cooed up at him and Bran

instantly fell in love. He would rip apart anyone who threatened these boys with his bare hands. He

didn’t realize he was tearing up until he heard Caleb clear his throat. He looked up and the other
man’s eyes were moist and he was swallowing hard.

“They know how to hit you, don’t they?” Caleb said, tickling Landon.
Bran took a deep breath and smiled. “They don’t play fair.” Bran smiled back at Lucas, who was

now trying to gnaw on his finger.

Kate watched both men and realized that, somewhere between walking in the front door and now,

she had fallen in love with Caleb and had fallen in deeper love with Bran.

“Caleb, have you thought about moving to the Pack house?” Kate asked.
Caleb looked at her and put Landon in his swing. He took Lucas from Bran and put him in the

swing that faced Landon. He turned on the swings as both boys began to babble at each other.

“It will take me a few days to pack, but yes, we’ll move into the Pack house,” he said, turning

around to face them a wide smile on his face.

She went over to where he stood, wrapped her arms around his neck before jumping and wrapping

her legs around his waist. He easily supported her weight, cupping her ass.

“There are definite advantages to living in the Pack house,” she said conversationally. In the

background, she heard Bran on his cell phone calling in the Pack to help Caleb move.

“One, you always have people on hand to help you move. Plus, there will always be someone

there to watch over the boys. You’ll be able to sleep at night without worrying about someone coming
to get them.”

Caleb started to move around the room as if swaying to unheard music. “Is that right? Maybe we

should take advantage of one of these babysitters tonight,” he said, nuzzling her neck.

“I second that,” Bran yelled from the sofa as he watched the two of them dance while still on the

cell phone.

Kate giggled. “I know the perfect babysitter, though he isn’t pack,” she said, smiling.
“Who?” Caleb asked, curious.
“Rian. He is dying to babysit. He absolutely fell in love with the boys.”
“Do you trust him?” Caleb asked.
She nodded with a serious expression on her face. “More than I trust certain pack members. I

swear the Raymonds hates me.” She rested her head on his broad and solid chest. At five feet ten, it
was rare to find someone who made her feel delicate and feminine. With his height and strength,
Caleb made her feel protected and precious. She felt a low rumble in his chest and looked up.

“They better not give you any issues in front of me,” he said, growling. A second growl was heard

as Bran stood and joined him, his cell phone conversation finished.

“It’s an ongoing issue since Kate wasn’t born in the pack. There is a couple, the Raymonds, who

are vocal against Kate. I gave them the ultimatum yesterday to adapt or get out.” Bran walked up
behind Kate and wrapped his arms around her waist, effectively sandwiching her between them.

“I can’t promise not to hurt someone if they disrespect my mate,” Caleb said.
Bran gave an evil grin. “You don’t have to worry about politics and maintaining the peace between

pack members. All I’m going to say is get some good punches in for me and don’t do any permanent
damage.” He winked at Caleb, who laughed.

“The pack should be here in an hour or so,” Bran said happily.
Kate jumped down. “Come on, Caleb. We should start packing anything personal you don’t want

anyone else handling. We can put all that in the SUV before they get here.” She looked around at the

dingy parlor. “Not to be funny, Caleb, but what is actually yours here?”

Caleb rubbed the back of his neck.
“Not much actually. Besides being the only property for sale in the area, I liked it because it came

fully furnished.” He gestured to the living room, where most of the furniture was still covered in
sheets.

“I was only able to tackle the parlor, the master bedroom and the boys’ room.” He paused.
Kate guessed the reason for the look of sadness that crossed his face. “We can get the murals done

again. Who did you get to do them? We can call them tomorrow.” She took his face in her hands. She
was surprised when he started to blush clear to his hairline.

“I did them,” he mumbled.
Bran looked up from where he was squatted down, dangling a toy elephant in front of the boys.
“You painted those amazing murals? Why the hell are you working in a bar slinging bottles?” Bran

demanded.

“When I moved to town there wasn’t a high demand for art, but there seemed to be a high demand

for alcohol. So I did what I had to for the boys.” He shrugged.

“If you could quit working at the bar and concentrate on painting, would you?” Bran asked.
“I won’t let you support me,” Caleb said, shaking his head.
“I’m not saying for you stay at home and eat bon bons, Caleb. But you could raise our sons and

dedicate time to your art. You could end up selling pieces and get placed into an art gallery. It’s a
waste of your talent to be handing out beers when you could be painting masterpieces like I saw in the
nursery,” Bran said passionately.

Caleb blinked and then a slow smile spread on his face.
“Masterpieces, huh?” He seemed to think about it for a long moment. “I won’t leave Mojo high and

dry, but if you’re serious about letting me paint, I’d like to give it a try. I was going to resume painting
when I was living with the leopards. This isn’t too different. But, Bran, if things get tight, let me
know. I’m not afraid of hard work,” Caleb said, seriously.

Bran smiled and clapped a hand on his back. “I don’t think that will ever be an issue.”
“I saw the Pack house. I’m assuming money isn’t too big of a concern,” Caleb said, heading

toward the nursery.

Bran exploded into laughter and then two sets of giggles joined him. Caleb shook his head and he

joined Kate as she headed to the nursery to start packing.

* * * *

Kate was folding tiny shirts and pants when Caleb returned with some empty boxes.
“They were still in one of the unused bedrooms. I hadn’t gotten around to throwing them away,” he

said sheepishly, handing her a cardboard box.

“I can’t imagine having much time to do anything. Between work and the boys, well, in this case, it

worked out for the best.”

Kate moved stacks of clothes to a box. Her eyes went to the murals around the room. Each leopard

had its own distinctive markings, setting it apart from the other leopards painted. The attention to
detail was amazing. Her gaze kept wandering back to the smiling face of the woman holding younger
versions of Landon and Lucas. Was this Renee, the woman who her mate had loved enough to give her
children? She peeked sideways at Caleb, who was filling his cardboard box with toys. She bit her
lip. She wanted to ask but didn’t want to dredge up bad memories. She cleared her throat and he

looked up.

“Umm, is this Renee?” she asked pointing to the picture.
His eyes softened and he nodded.
“That’s how I remember her best. Smiling and holding the boys. Painting them has helped with the

grief. In a way it’s like they are still around us,” Caleb said.

“What was she like?” Kate asked, turning her attention back to the clothes. She was afraid to look

at his face and see the love he had for another woman there.

“Renee was a pain in my ass,” Caleb said then laughed.
Her head shot up. “What?” She couldn’t believe he’d said that.
“Renee and I loved each other, but not to make it sound too weird, it was more like a brother and

sister love than if we were lovers. She knew how to get under my skin and she loved to do it. She
would pull some prank and then sit back and laugh, just like that.” He pointed to the wall.

“What kind of pranks?” Kate asked, setting her full box aside. She was curious as to what would

drive Caleb crazy.

“She absolutely loved pranks where she put things in motion and then sat back and watched them

unfold. One time she hid one sock of each set we had for the boys then asked me to get them ready to
go out for a walk. So I got them dressed and went to put socks on and couldn’t find any matches. Not a
single damn one. It didn’t help that as I was putting a sock on Landon he would pull it off and throw it
when I was trying to find its match. Finally I turned to her, exasperated, only to find her laughing with
her hands over her mouth and tears streaming down her face. After that I would get the boys ready, but
she had to put on the socks and shoes.” Caleb placed his box on the floor.

“I think I would have liked her,” Kate said, looking at the other faces.
“You sound surprised.” Caleb started on packing up the blankets and towels.
“She was absolutely beautiful and she was the mother of your children.” Kate left the sentence to

hang between them.

Caleb looked up and saw Kate biting her lower lip. He put the box down and was quickly at her

side.

“Yes, she was beautiful and, yes, she was the mother of my children, but she wasn’t my mate. I

knew that. I have kept my heart set aside for one woman, my mate. I’m an all-or-nothing kind of guy,
Kate. I’ve dated, but I kept things light and simple. I let the women know up front that the relationship
wasn’t long-term and I never fell in love. You are everything to me. You’re gorgeous, sweet, and kind.
I bet that even if I hadn’t been your mate you still would have offered to help with no thought about
repayment.” He tilted her head back and looked her in the eyes.

“I’ve waited my whole life for you, Kate, I may not be completely in love with you now, but I

know I’m falling fast.”

He leaned down and grazed her lips with his. She sighed and stood on tiptoe in an attempt to

capture his lips. He stood up straighter and smirked down at her.

“Patience, Kate, I’ll be in charge of your pleasure.”
He felt his jeans shrink when her eyes became unfocused and she gave a breathy little sigh. He

knew then and there that Fate had paired them correctly. She responded to him beautifully. He also
knew that having Bran there would just add an entirely new dimension to the lovemaking. He cleared
his throat and stepped back. She took a deep breath smiling up at him. She pointed to another face on
the wall.

“Who is the older man?” she asked, starting a second box for the clothes.
Caleb gave a bark of laughter. “That old bastard was Renee’s father, James Langford and he hated

me. I mean hoped-I-would-die kind of hated me.” Caleb picked up a blanket and folded it.

“What! Why?” Kate asked.
“Well, he had it in his mind that she would mate within the leap and stay home and raise lots of

grand-babies for him to dote on, being the good little wife,” Caleb said.

“Let me guess, she hated staying still.”
Caleb nodded. “The only reason we were able to meet in Nepal is because her mother, before she

died, made her father promise to send Renee to school. She was in graduate school when we met. She
lived every day to its fullest, knowing that someday she would have to return to the leap and give
birth, staying until her children were grown. She was wild and crazy, always wanting to try something
different. She could have had another ten years to herself before being asked to reproduce for the
leap, but her father made sure she was one of the first asked. So she asked me to be the father,
knowing it would drive him crazy.” He smiled.

“The look on the old man’s face when we showed up and she announced that I would be the father

of her children was priceless. But he couldn’t dictate who she reproduced with, so we made
arrangements with a local fertility clinic and then the boys came along.” He placed another blanket in
the box and picked up a washcloth. He gripped it tightly in his hands.

“I knew he hated me but never really paid attention. Most of the leap accepted me and I made quite

a few friends there, but I could never seem to get on his good side. One day I was in the kitchen with
the boys when I offered Landon some orange juice. I was the only one in the house that drank it, so it
was like my own personal stash. The old man was just coming into the kitchen and knocked the glass
away from my hand, spilling a little on Landon. I remember just staring at him in shock when an odd
smell started to come from the spilled orange juice. He just stood there, clutching his chest and
breathing hard. He had poisoned the juice and I had almost given it to my son. It would have made me
violently ill. It wouldn’t have been deadly given my age, weight, and height. But Landon was so
young and tiny.” Caleb stopped and threw the washcloth into the box, taking deep breaths as his old
anger returned.

“It took Renee and four other leopards to get my hands from around his throat. When Renee

learned what had happened, she threatened to pack up the boys and leave. The old man just broke
down right there in the kitchen. I think it shocked her and a lot of the leap members. He was one of the
Elders in charge of the leopards and to see him come so completely undone…” Caleb shook his head
and took a deep breath.

“After that we settled into an easy truce. He loved the boys with every cell in his body. He would

stay up with them and feed them. He spared no expense when they set up their nursery. I think seeing
what his hate could have done really turned things around for him. When I got home the day of the
attack I found his body in the hallway in front of the boys’ room. I still don’t know if he knew the
room was empty when he died since I had snuck the boys out for the photos.”

Caleb looked over at Kate to see tears spilling over her cheeks. She opened her arms and he

eagerly wrapped his arms around her, needing to feel the warmth of another person after reliving the
worst day of his life.

“It’s awful what he was going to do to you, but you could see how much he loved them. It’s in the

way you painted his eyes.” Kate turned in his arms so that they both faced the mural.

“It’s why I don’t want the boys to forget him. He loved them both so much.” Caleb rested his chin

on the top of her head. He loved the fact that she was tall for a woman. He didn’t have to reach down
to kiss her. He didn’t know how Aleks Arkadion did it. His mate was tiny.

“Who are they?” she said and giggled. He looked to where she was pointing and smiled.
“That is Rafe and Rashin. Personality wise they were like your Rian and Damian. Fun-loving and

goofy, but loyal. They were Renee’s littermates. They used to tease Renee about all the things they
were going to teach the boys to do. They were my best friends besides Renee. I never found their
bodies, only a lot of blood and fur in their rooms. I knew they put up one hell of a fight.” Caleb
continued to hold Kate, letting go of the feelings of grief he had been holding in. He didn’t realize
how much he had needed to talk about his leopard family until now.

“You should do a picture book. Draw all the people and leopards and tell stories about when the

boys were babies so they can see the kind home they were born into and the family that loved them.”

Kate turned to face him. She was worried at the blank expression on his face. Maybe she shouldn’t

have said anything about painting. Some artists were picky about suggestions. Suddenly his face broke
out into a huge smile. He picked her up and swung her around.

“That’s an amazing idea! I never thought about doing book illustrations before. I like how it would

have stories to go along with the pictures. But… I’m not a writer.” Caleb stopped, not realizing that
Kate was dangling about a foot above the ground. She loved his strength.

“We’ll find someone then. Maybe you could do different volumes as they grow up. We could give

it to them every year at Christmas. It could be our first family tradition.” She looked up at him
excitedly. He smiled and set her down before crushing her to him.

“Thank you, Kate. Thank you for being my mate and being so damn perfect,” he said, holding her.
She shook her head and looked up at him.
“I don’t know about being perfect, but I’m grateful as hell to have you and Bran as my mates.”
“Are you two almost done in there?” Bran yelled from the parlor. “One of the boys smells like shit

and I think the other one is hungry. He keeps trying to eat my fingers.”

Kate’s and Caleb’s eyes widened as they stared at each other. Then both began to laugh

uncontrollably.

“It’s not funny, seriously. What in the hell do you feed these guys? Oh God! Guys! I think the other

one just shit too! Get your asses in here!” Bran yelled.

“That’s your mate and Alpha in there demanding assistance,” Kate said between bouts of laughter.
“You mean the man who is freaking out over dirty diapers?” Caleb said, catching his breath.

“Come on, giggles, let’s go save our Alpha.”

Caleb wrapped an arm around her waist. She smiled and they both headed back into the parlor to

teach their Alpha about poopy diapers.

Chapter 6

“Rian, get off your lazy cat ass and help.” Riley grunted as he carried some of the last boxes into

the room that had quickly been emptied to serve as the boys’ nursery. He put the boxes down in the
adjoining sitting room and walked in rubbing his back. Rian looked up and gave a bright smile.

“Thank goodness! These boys were just about to get their diapers changed. Good thing, too,

because I think it’s going to be messy. I’ll unpack those boxes and you can show the boys how
awesome you are as Uncle Riley.” Rian got up from where he had been sitting cross-legged in front of
the Pack ‘N play. Riley paled and backed away slowly.

“That’s okay. I mean the boys come first. I’ll leave that to you, Rian, since you have already kinda

bonded with them.”

Riley did an about-face and practically ran down the stairs. Caleb, who was standing off to one

side putting clothes away in a small dresser, chuckled under his breath. Rian looked over at him and
winked.

“What is it about the male wolves here and fears of dirty diapers?” Caleb asked.
“I should go tell him they were changed not fifteen minutes ago. How did you know to come over?

I thought Bran only called Riley,” Caleb said, finishing up and closing the dresser drawer.

“He did, but Riley was in the diner grabbing something to eat when he called. I overheard the

conversation and invited myself. I figured you would need someone to keep the boys out of the way.
And don’t you dare breathe a word about the diapers. If you do, I’ll cancel the order for the red-and-
black leather bustier I ordered for Kate with Bran’s credit card.” Rian held up Lucas’s toy elephant.
Caleb’s eyes widened.

“You are a master and I bow down to your wisdom,” Caleb said, giving a mock half bow.
Rian snorted and rolled his eyes. “Darlin’, I’ve been trying to get a man like you to bow down to

me for years,” he said, making the elephant dance.

“Fate just hasn’t found anyone good enough for you yet.” Caleb picked up Landon. He carried him

over to the changing tables to get him into his pajamas. Rian scooped up Lucas, walked over to join
Caleb and Landon, and began to get Lucas in his pajamas, too. Both boys yawned, rubbing their eyes
with small fists.

“Kate said you’re willing to babysit,” Caleb said kissing, Landon’s tummy.
Rian nodded. “I would love to. I used to watch the cubs in my old pride. I miss helping out with

children.” Rian picked up the pajama-clad Lucas and nuzzled his neck. The little boy snuggled into
Rian’s arms.

“You’re a natural around kids. The twins have obviously taken to you. Do you think you could

watch them tomorrow afternoon? I need to go see Mojo to let him know I’ll be quitting as soon as he
can find a replacement and I need to order some art supplies.” Caleb picked, picking up a yawning
Landon.

“Sure thing! I’ll be here with bells on,” Rian said, carrying Lucas over and putting him in his crib.

Caleb settled Landon down next to his twin. Normally he had them sleep apart, but when he had
moved into the plantation house, the boys had wanted to be together until their surroundings became
more familiar. He figured it would be best to keep them together for a while.

“Thanks, I really appreciate it,” Caleb said quietly as they walked out of the nursery.
Kate and Bran walked up.

“Did we miss saying goodnight?” Bran asked.
Caleb nodded. “We just put them down. They usually sleep through the night, so they shouldn’t be

up again until about seven.

“Well, boys and girls, this lion is tuckered out. I’ll see ya’ll tomorrow. Try not to break her, boys.”

Rian laughed as Kate began to blush furiously.

Caleb and Bran gave masculine chuckles and waved to Rian. Kate had been thinking about tonight

since Caleb had announced he would move in. In a single afternoon, the pack had moved all of his
furniture and belongings into the Pack house. It helped immensely that he hadn’t really unpacked from
the first move.

All three stood in the hallway, staring at each other. Finally unable to take the tension, Kate ran her

fingernails down each man’s chest, each one of them drawing in a sharp breath. She faked a yawn.

“Well, I’m heading to bed.” She walked toward the master bedroom. She wasn’t disappointed

when two seconds later Caleb had swung her up and over his shoulder. She laughed and looked up to
see Bran following, his eyes filled with lust. She had a feeling she was in a world of trouble.

Caleb carried her into the bedroom and set her on her feet in the middle of the room. He looked at

Bran.

“Have you played with restraints?” he asked. Bran shook his head and Caleb smiled.
“Go lie down. You will be her restraints,” Caleb said, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.
Kate’s eyes zeroed in on his massive chest. She wanted to run her hands over every ridge and

muscle. Bran finished undressing and lay down on the bed, his back propped up on the headboard.

Caleb stopped undressing, leaving his pants on.
“Undress,” he said, his voice deeper than usual.
Kate hesitated, then lifted her shirt up over her head. She unbuttoned her jeans and stepped out of

them then kicked them into the corner. She looked up and smiled before reaching behind her and
unhooking her bra. She let that fall to the floor in front of her and his nostrils flared. She stuck her
thumbs in the front of her panties and shimmied them down to reveal her closely trimmed mound.

Caleb started walking around her, looking her up and down. He ran a finger down her spine and

she let out a breath. When he stood in front of her again, he reached forward and lightly pinched her
nipple. She arched her back, pressing more of her breast against his hand. He smiled and shook his
head.

“Be good, baby, I’m in charge of your pleasure tonight,” Caleb said, removing his hand

completely.

“Go lie against Bran with your back against him. Bran, secure her arms and spread her legs wide.”
Caleb walked to the end of the bed. Kate did what he asked and easily slid into Bran’s arms. He

held each wrist in a firm grip and held her arms on either side of her. He brought his legs up and
hooked them on the inside of her thighs at her knees, spreading her legs open for Caleb.

Caleb could see Kate’s breaths becoming shallow. Bran pressed his hard cock into her lower back

and she moaned.

Caleb slipped off his jeans and walked over to the nightstand. He opened and closed the drawer,

grabbing a small tube before going to stand at the end of the bed, watching her reactions. He started
stroking his engorged cock. Kate’s tongue darted out to lick her lips. He could see her eyes staring at
his leaking prick.

“You want this, baby?” he asked.

She nodded. He ran his hand over the crown and used his thumb to smear pre-cum down his length.

He knew the second his scent hit her because her pretty blue eyes shifted to yellow and he smelled
her wolf close to the surface. He climbed on to the bed, leaned his face close to her mound and blew
lightly across the curls.

“Dammit, Caleb!” Kate exclaimed, squirming in Bran’s grasp.
“Do something!” He watched Kate squirm and moan as if in pain. He smiled wickedly and he held

up a tube.

“Have you ever had anyone in your ass, lovely baby?” he asked, pouring the gel on his fingers.
Kate’s eyes widened. “No. Bran and I have played a bit, but he has never taken me there.” She

watched as his hand disappeared from sight a second before the cool gel touched her tight rosette.

“Since you like a bit of pain with your pleasure, I think you will be okay with just a little prep

work.” Caleb eased one finger in and then pulled it out. He could see Bran flex his thighs as Kate
tried to move her legs.

“Be a good girl and I’ll make you fly.” Caleb slicked up a second finger.
Gently he eased in both fingers and pulled them out before plunging them back in. He repeated this

and noticed she was breathing hard. He eased the two fingers in again then opened them up inside her,
stretching her more. She might be into pain, but neither he nor Bran were small men. There was pain
and then there was damage. And he would never do that to his beautiful mate.

“Do you like that, lovely baby? Do you want a cock in your ass?” Caleb asked as he delved

deeper.

“Yes! Please fuck my ass!” Kate begged.
When he got to three fingers, she was trying to scoot her body down to thrust down on his fingers.

He looked up at Bran, who had a fine sheen of sweat over his brow.

“How you doing, man?” Caleb asked and Bran looked up and nodded.
“I’m okay, but much more and I might go. Every time she moves, she’s rubbing against my dick and

it’s driving me crazy.”

Caleb nodded. He thrust three fingers inside her dark channel and used his other hand to press

down on her pelvis so she couldn’t move.

“Caleb, Caleb, Caleb!” she chanted.
When she stopped her movements under his hand, he lightly tapped her clit and felt her tight hole

clench around his fingers.

“Bran, pass me one of her wrists and fill her sweet ass.”
Caleb took Kate’s right wrist in his hand. Bran let go of Kate and reached down between them to

take his hard cock and guide it into her. Caleb used his right hand to shift her body up so that Bran
could impale her. With a single snap of his hips, Bran was fully seated in her tight ass. Bran moaned
low in his throat and Kate gasped. Bran took back control of her right wrist and Caleb took his place
between her legs.

Bran held still and waited for Caleb’s direction.
Caleb twisted first the left then the right nipple. Tears started to stream down Kate’s cheeks. In any

other instance, Caleb would be concerned he was hurting his lover, but he knew that these tears
represented pure pleasure.

He brought his hand down, grabbed his cock, and guided it into her slick folds. She was so wet she

had juices dripping between her ass cheeks and onto Bran. He smiled. His lovely baby was definitely

feeling nothing but pleasure. Without any warning, he shoved his cock as deep as he could inside of
her. She screamed beneath him and started to buck her hips. With Bran inside of her, she was
extremely tight. He set a rhythm, which Bran instinctively started to match. When Caleb withdrew,
Bran plunged deep and when Bran withdrew, Caleb slammed his body against her with such force it
moved all three of them. It wasn’t long before Kate started crying and tossing her head from side to
side, chanting.

“Please, oh God, oh please don’t stop, Oh God!”
Caleb looked down and he felt sweat drip down his back. With her so tight around him, he wasn’t

going to last long. He met Bran’s eyes and he nodded. Both of them thrust into her at the same time.
Caleb harshly pinched her clit. She screamed loud and started to shake. Caleb felt her body clench
around him and through the thin membrane in her body, he felt Bran’s knot extend. This triggered his
own orgasm. He leaned down and as Bran bit down on her left shoulder, Caleb bit down on her right.

He felt his soul lift up and merge with Kate and then Bran. He felt the piece of Bran with Kate’s

soul and Kate’s soul with Bran’s and soon all three intertwined and settled back down into their
bodies. He felt his knot enter her and she screamed again and gave one last shudder before her body
went limp and her eyes closed a blissful expression on her face. Very carefully, he and Bran rolled
over to one side with Kate still between them.

Breathing heavily, he wrapped his arm around Kate’s waist and Bran wrapped an arm around her

shoulder.

“I knew I would have a bond with Kate as her mate, but I never thought ours would be this close.

Do you think Landon and Lucas will feel a bond like this as twins?” Caleb asked Bran.

“I hope so. This is an amazing feeling. It’s like I know you’ll always be there to have my back,”

Bran said as his breathing slowed down.

Caleb nodded. Just then the door to the master bedroom flew open and Riley stood there, eyes

wide. Caleb quickly grabbed a blanket and tossed it over their waists where they were still joined.

“Can we help you, Riley?” Bran asked calmly.
Riley brought a cell phone up to his ear. “Uh… they… they are fine, Alpha Mother,” Riley

stuttered, turning bright red. One second of silence then another went by before a high-pitched giggle
was heard floating from Riley’s phone.

“Goodnight,” he said before pressing the End button.
“Sorry, sir, goodnight.” He raced out the door and slammed it behind him.
Caleb met Bran’s eyes over Kate’s head and they both began to laugh.

Chapter 7

The next morning Kate walked into the diner with Bran and Caleb. Rebecca, Nicholas and Ashby

stopped talking and looked over at her before bursting into giggles. Rian was already there with the
boys, feeding Lucas pieces of pancakes. Next to him Damian was doing the same with Landon. They
had arrived early that morning to pick up the boys for the day. Kate rolled her eyes. She was willing
to bet Rian couldn’t wait to call Damian this morning to gossip about last night.

“Oh God, please tell me you didn’t feel everything!” Kate pleaded.
She had been mortified when Bran had explained what had happened when she passed out.
Rebecca shook her head.
“No, but we felt it when you lost consciousness. I was freaking out thinking you were hurt, so I

called Riley. When he told me what happened, I had to call Ashby and Nicholas back because they
were blowing up my phone.” Rebecca was still giggling. Kate turned to Rian.

“Thank you for watching the boys so we could run errands. Caleb is giving notice at the bar and

then we’re running over to Brighton for art supplies.” Kate grabbed a piece of bacon from Rebecca’s
plate.

Rian nodded then smiled as he wiped the syrup off Landon’s chin.
“Wish I could go, but Aleks has me on probation. The only reason I was able to come out today is

because I had a doctor’s appointment,” Rebecca said, frowning.

“And how is my itty bitty baby boy? Did you miss your Dada?” Liam said in baby talk. Rubbing

her tummy, he leaned down, making kissy noises at her belly.

Rebecca laughed. “You keep saying stuff like that and I won’t feel bad when Aleks kills you.”
Liam shrugged nonchalantly.
“Get your hands off her stomach, cat!” Aleks growled from the doorway as he walked in.
Dr. Claybourne walked in behind Aleks. Rebecca jumped up and hurried over to give Aleks a kiss.

Aleks leaned down and gave her a dry peck on the cheek. Her eyes narrowed.

“Kate got pounded into the mattress so hard she passed out last night. How about we try for that?”

Rebecca said, playing with his shirt buttons.

Aleks frowned. “Kate isn’t pregnant. You are.”
Rebecca stomped her foot before whirling around to face Dr. Claybourne, who sat at the counter

waiting for his to-go order.

“Dr. Claybourne, can we have sex?” she asked.
Immediately Aleks began to growl as he pushed Rebecca behind him and bared his canines at the

doctor. Dr. Claybourne paled and rolled his eyes heavenward. Rebecca began pounding on Aleks’
back with her tiny fists.

“Stop that! He is the only doctor in town. If you piss him off, you’ll be delivering this baby.”
Aleks immediately calmed down. Dr. Claybourne let out a breath before turning to Rebecca.
“Are you trying to get me killed? Last week, in front of him, you said ‘You didn’t hurt me as much

this week when you were inside me.’ His claws shifted then. I swear if you hadn’t explained it was
the pelvic exam, he would have murdered me,” Dr. Claybourne said, taking a seat at the counter.

Behind them muffled laughter was heard from multiple tables.
“Maddox, I’m so sorry about my son. I’m afraid he will be like this through all seven pregnancies

if he is anything like his Pa. Here, breakfast is on the house.” Ma handed him two boxes.

He waved his hands, as if to dismiss her worries.
“It’s all part and parcel of what comes with being a shifter doctor.” He got up to leave.
“Wait! What about my sexcapades!” Rebecca demanded.
The doctor turned to Aleks. “It is safe to have sex with your mate, mattress pounding and all.” He

winked at Rebecca. With that, he turned and left.

“See! He said it was okay,” Rebecca said.
Kate watched the entire scene in fascination. Aleks turned red then white then a deep scarlet.
“I have to go back to work!” he said before he, too, turned and left the diner.
“Oh, dear, he forgot his lunch,” Ma said, chuckling.
“I’ll run it to him. The last thing anyone needs is Aleks grumpy and stressed-ass hungry,” Connor

said, sauntering around the counter.

“Connor, language. And thank you for looking out for your grumpy brother,” Ma said, smiling.
“Humph! I’ll get him. Ashby, Nicholas, unfortunately our other coconspirators are babysitting.

We’ll catch you up later, guys.” She waved at Damian and Rian.

“Let’s head to the library. I need to wrap up some paperwork, get some books shelved and then it’s

time for another cake attack,” she said, hopping up and down.

“I want details! Until I find my own mate, I need to live vicariously through you and Kate,” Rian

said, laughing.

“I’ll see what I can do because, right now, I’m not doing anything worthy of vicarious living,”

Rebecca said.

“Can we get some of the cake this time? That coconut cake last time smelled divine,” Ashby said,

sighing.

For the last cake attack, they had made nearly a half dozen cakes to help Rebecca seduce Aleks.

Rebecca nodded.

“Come on, onward to the library and then you can drive me home since Mr. Prickly Bear is at

work. He can come find me later. Bye, Ma!” she yelled, grabbing her purse. She, Ashby, and Nicholas
stood.

“Come over tomorrow, Kate, and hopefully we’ll be able to swap stories,” Rebecca said,

winking.

Kate laughed and smiled at Bran and Caleb, who were giving her worried looks.
“Deal! Save me some of that coconut cake. It sounds good,” Kate said.
“Sure thing!” and the three turned and left. Kate stood and walked over to the counter to stand

between Bran and Caleb. She stuck her hands in the back pockets of their jeans, grabbed each of their
asses, and squeezed. They both let out a low growl and turned to her before looking at each other,
surprised expressions on their faces.

“Well, that’s new,” Bran said, shaking his head smiling.
“What?” Kate asked.
“I can feel the effect you have on Caleb. I’m assuming from the look on his face he can feel your

effect on me, too,” Bran said.

Kate gave a wicked smile. “Double your pleasure, double your fun,” she quipped.
“Indeed.” Caleb leaned forward and captured her lips. She returned his kiss before stepping back.
“Come on, we have a lot to do today, including shopping! I want to get a ton of toys for the boys! I

still have the credit card, Bran.” She patted her back pocket. She walked over to where the boys sat,

waving their tiny blue plastic forks.

“Come here, boys. Give Mama a kiss, too,” she said, reaching for Landon.
“You’re not their mother,” Caleb said, frowning.
Kate froze and she turned to face Caleb, she felt her chest tighten painfully and her stomach begin

to knot as she tried not to let the tears she felt forming in her eyes fall. Her body ran cold at his
sudden rejection.

“I know I’m not their real mother, but I’m their mama now,” she said quietly, unsure of how to read

Caleb’s abrupt, stony expression.

“It’s just that we had to move once to get away from the ones who killed their leap and mother.

Now we had to move again because it wasn’t safe for us to be alone. They have had so much taken
away from them already,” Caleb said sounding frustrated.

Kate stepped away from the table. “I understand. I’ll help Rebecca at the library and meet you at

home later,” she said, and walked out of the diner.

Rian looked up at Caleb and gave a low, long hiss. Damian echoed with a low growl.
“Caleb, the only reason I haven’t put you on your ass is because I understand that you and the boys

have been through a lot in a short amount of time. But that was not her fault. None of this is our fault.
Don’t take your frustrations and insecurities out on the woman I love. Fate gave her to both of us for a
mate, but that doesn’t mean instant love, trust, or understanding and it doesn’t make us mind readers.
If you don’t tell us something is bothering you, we won’t know.” Bran stepped past Caleb toward the
door.

“I’m heading back to the house to take care of pack business. Maybe you should take the afternoon

and straighten your shit out because if you ever hurt her like that again, mate or not, I will punch you.”
Bran stormed out of the diner.

Caleb looked up to see the entire diner giving him unfriendly looks. Rian and Damian especially

were giving him the evil eye.

“Here’s a to-go box for Mojo. You were heading there anyway, weren’t you, Caleb?” Ma said,

pushing forward a plastic bag holding four Styrofoam boxes. Caleb nodded. He picked up the bag and
turned to Rian and Damian.

“Are you two still willing to watch the boys this afternoon?” he asked.
Rian turned his nose up and huffed. “Of course we are. Kate is our good friend and she asked us to

do her a favor, so we will. Because, to set you straight, as much as we love the munchkins, we don’t
know you from Adam and we’re not doing this for you.” Rian gestured to the boys. Damian nodded.

“Maybe when you’re out there pulling your head out of your ass, think on this. What would your

mating be like if Kate didn’t want to be their mama or didn’t want to turn her entire life upside down
for cubs that weren’t her own?” Damian said quietly.

Caleb walked over and kissed each boy on the head. He nodded to Rian and Damian and headed

out of the diner.

* * * *

As Caleb walked to the bar he thought about Damian’s words. Damian was right. It would have

been a disaster if Kate had rejected the boys. He let out a sigh. Man, he had screwed up. Soon he
stopped and looked up at the bar where he worked. It was a country bar, complete with saloon style
swinging doors. The wood planks surrounding the building made you feel as if you were in an old
mining town. One of the things his artistic side loved the most about Arkadia was the diversity of its

architectural styles that made this small town quaint and even more unique.

He pushed past the swinging doors before opening one of the glass double doors and heading

straight to the bar. Since it was a weekday the place was deserted and the stage where the local bands
played was as empty as the wooden dance floor.

Most of the tables had chairs stacked on top of them waiting to be taken down for Friday evening.

That’s when this place made most of its money. During the week, it was the odd patron here and there,
but mostly it was cleaning and stocking and getting ready for the weekend.

He spotted Mojo behind the bar cleaning glassware. The man stood at six feet eight inches. His

head was shaved bald and he sported a well-trimmed beard that made him look as though he had a
perpetual five o’clock shadow. They may have been the same height, but the man outweighed him by
nearly fifty pounds and all of it was muscle. He was huge and intimidating, especially with the
number of piercings and the visible tats exposed by his short-sleeved, V-necked T- shirt.

But he knew Mojo had a soft spot for those less fortunate. He had hired him on the spot without a

background check when he found out he had two baby boys to support. He knew that he slipped
money into the tip jar for the waitstaff when they weren’t looking and he would volunteer down at the
school for field days and class activities. He was one of the best men Caleb had ever had the
privilege to meet.

Caleb slid onto the worn leather and wooden barstool, putting the plastic bag on the bar.
“Where in the hell have you been? I was worried about you and those boys. You’re never here

during the day, so it must be important.”

Mojo liked Caleb. The man was honest and dependable. The way he put the cubs of his first had

won him a lot of admiration in his eyes. Not a lot of men could have done what Caleb had.

“I came to give notice since I mated, but now I don’t know if that is working out.”
Caleb reached behind the bar and picked up a bottle. He popped the cap and took a long drink.

Mojo watched him closely. Though Caleb and been working there for six months, this was the first
time he had seen him drink alcohol.

“Congratulations on your mating. Who is the lucky woman?” Mojo asked, taking a drink of his own

beer.

“Kate Edwards,” Caleb said.
Mojo sprayed out the beer he had been drinking.
“What the hell? Isn’t she mated to the Arkadian Wolf pack Alpha Bran McGregor?” Mojo asked.
He could see why his friend was drinking now.
“Yes, evidently we are a ménage mating.” Caleb stared up at the ceiling.
“How is that working out for ya?” Mojo asked.
“It’s actually easier than I thought it would be. I was scared that I would feel like a third wheel

since they had been mated for so long, but it’s not like that. They have both made me feel like I
belong.” Caleb scraped the beer label with his thumb.

“So why are you here instead of with your mates?” Mojo asked.
“Because I spoke before thinking. I fucked up big time and I don’t think I can fix this.”
“Well, how about you tell me what you did and I can tell you how to fix it. Fixing problems is a

gift of mine.” Mojo winked.

Caleb smiled. It was that glass-is-half-full philosophy that drew Caleb to Mojo. He felt like the

man could do anything, including giving an unknown wolf shifter with two leopard cubs a job.

“Kate went to pick up one of the boys and referred to herself as their mama and I said she wasn’t

their mother,” Caleb admitted quietly.

“Dude, you’re fucked,” Mojo said, shaking his head.
“Whatever happened to the man who could fix anything?” Caleb asked, shocked.
“Let me get this straight. This beautiful, sweet woman opened up her heart, home, and bed to a

complete stranger based solely on the fact that he was her predestined mate. She put your needs and
the needs of two boys not birthed from her womb, who are not even of the same species as either
herself or her mates, above her own. She had to face the fact that some unknown woman, who you
admitted you weren’t even in love with, gave you something so precious, sacred, and intimate in the
form of two perfect sons and was okay with it? Then you turned around and say something that
basically negated every feeling she had and, for all intents and purposes, led her to believe that she
wasn’t good enough to be your children’s mother.

“Yep, you are most definitely fucked,” Mojo said.
Caleb slammed his forehead down on to the wooden bar, groaning. Mojo hid a smile and rubbed

his stubbled chin with a rough hand. Sometimes a man had to be broken down to be rebuilt.

“You are absolutely right. I fucked up big time. If I were her, I would never forgive me. I don’t

deserve it,” Caleb said, his voice muffled by the bar.

Mojo looked up when another man walked into the bar from the doorway where he had been

standing and listening. He nodded as Bran took the seat next to Caleb. Caleb looked over, surprised.

“I realized I had the car halfway home and that meant you wouldn’t have a ride. Mojo is right

though. You really hurt Kate. But you are also hurting,” Bran said and took the beer that Mojo offered.

Mojo went to the sink to finish cleaning the glassware, giving them the illusion of privacy.
“I haven’t been part of a pack in so long it’s almost like I have forgotten how to be around people.

Renee was the only one who stayed around and personally, I think she just liked being contrary,”
Caleb said.

Caleb liked being more dominant in the bedroom, but Bran was still their Alpha and he found

himself depending more and more on the man’s inner strength.

“Why did you leave your birth pack?” Bran asked.
“I didn’t agree with the way my dad ran things. My mom always agreed with him, even if she felt

otherwise, probably to avoid arguments. It was his way or get out. He was very close-minded and
power hungry. Unlike the Arkadian pack, packs outside of Arkadia are constantly flexing pack muscle
for even two more feet of pack territory. By the time I graduated, I had had enough. I took an academic
scholarship to the School of Art at Australian National University and never looked back. I met Renee
when I was doing sketches in Nepal. The rest you know.” Caleb took a drink.

“You never went back?” Bran asked.
“No. I probably never will. That man was hard and cruel. I never want him around the boys.”

Caleb shook his head.

“My father was very similar to yours. My mother died when I was young, so all I had was him.

When I turned thirteen and hit my growth spurt, it became evident I would be Alpha one day. My wolf
was twice the size of my friends’ wolves. That was when my father started to change toward me and
the pack. He became more defensive and aggressive. When I was sixteen, Riley approached me and
told me that my father had beaten and attempted to rape his sister.” Bran stared down at the bottle.

“I went to Ma and Pa, who agreed to go with me to approach my father. He flew into a rage,

accusing me of trying to take over the pack. He challenged me then and there. Riley stepped forward
to act as my second. I held back until I realized he was really trying to kill me. In the end, I had to kill
him to survive.” Bran looked at Caleb.

“How did you manage to run the pack when you were only sixteen?” Caleb asked quietly.
“A lot of the pack members stepped forward and helped, including the Raymonds. Ma and Pa

helped as well. But I was just going through the motions. I don’t feel like I really started living until I
met Kate.” Bran smiled.

“How did the two of you meet?” Caleb asked.
“Well, I was minding my own business taking a run out on the territory when I scented a strange

wolf. I tracked her down to the large oak tree on the property. She was lying down, exhausted. When
she saw me, she stood up and growled. I caught her scent and knew she was my mate. We both shifted
and mated the entire night. In the morning I found out that her old Alpha had beaten her and tried to
force a mating on her. He had convinced her that she wasn’t womanly and no one else in their pack
would want her. He told her she was too tall, too outspoken, and not very feminine. Your comment
may have cut deeper than you realize. She has always doubted she was woman enough for me. I’ve
been working this past year to make her see exactly how beautiful she is, despite not being a girly
girl,” Bran explained.

“And I probably undid any progress you have made with her.” Caleb rubbed his hands over his

face. “Bran, what in the hell am I going to do? Being with you and Kate is the first real sense of home
I’ve ever had. Even with the leopards, I felt like an outsider,” he said dejectedly.

“You are going to beg. Yup, lots of begging and you’re going to give her her favorite chocolate,

which old man Gilberton happens to keep in stock since he knows Kate is addicted. The damn stuff is
imported from Belgium. Then we’re going to put our heads together to think of the perfect apology
gift.”

Caleb looked at his Alpha.
“Will that work?” he asked.
Bran nodded. “I’m pretty sure it will work. Kate has the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. If

you are truly sorry and prove to her that you are really okay with her being the boys’ mother, then she
will forgive you. I’ve fucked up more than once. Trust me, that chocolate can work miracles.”

Caleb stood up and finished his beer.
“Mojo, as soon as you find someone to replace me, I’ll need to quit. I’m going to be focusing on

my painting and my mates,” Caleb said, smiling at Bran.

“No worries. I have someone who came in here yesterday looking for a job. Paint me something

for the bar and there won’t be any hard feelings. Maybe one of those fifties-style pin-up girls you
have been doodling on bar napkins.” Mojo winked.

Bran’s eyebrows went up and Caleb blushed.
“I didn’t think you saw those,” he admitted and Mojo gave a great booming laugh.
“They were all over the place, pretty blonde women. Ironic, thinking back, they looked a lot like

Kate,” Mojo said.

Caleb’s eyes widened. “They did, didn’t they?” he said, smiling.
“Fate knows what she’s doing, kiddo. Don’t fuck up again,” Mojo said.
Bran and Caleb turned to leave the bar. Bran grabbed Caleb’s arm.
“You have got to paint Kate as a fifties pin-up girl for my office,” he said, a dreamy look on his

face.

“Sure, if you spot me the money to get that imported chocolate and my apology gift.” Caleb

laughed.

“Deal! I can’t wait to get my painting,” Bran said, rubbing his hands together.

* * * *

“Okay, Uncle Rian is going to introduce you to the best things in life, boys. Candy and coffee. Can

you say coffee?” Rian said, bouncing Landon.

“Rian, should they have sugar and caffeine?” Damian asked, worried.
“If it’s tiny amounts, yes, they’ll be fine. Besides it’s fun to watch them get excited and it makes me

the best uncle ever,” Rian said as they walked into Bobbles and Things, the local candy and toy store.

“What do you think, Damian, a little cotton candy? It should dissolve so they won’t choke and they

can have just a little bit.” Rian eyed the blue, fluffy candy.

“That should be okay, as long as it’s a tiny bit,” Damian said, bouncing Lucas.
“They probably had more sugar eating some of the cereals they have nowadays, relax Damian.”

Rian smiled down at Landon.

“So the fags are back,” a cranky voice said from behind the counter.
Rian rolled his eyes. “Hello and a good afternoon to you too, Mr. Gilberton. It’s a fine day today,

isn’t it?” Rian said sweetly. The old man harrumphed and went back to his books.

“Can we get these for them?” Damian asked, holding up a pair of stuffed toy lions. Rian hurried

over and gushed over the small toys. The boys squealed and tried to take the toys from them.

“I think they want them,” Damian said, smiling.
“Then they get them,” Rian said simply.
They were on the way to the counter when they saw Caleb and Bran walk in, holding the distinct

burgundy bag from their local jewelry store. He dragged Damian into the back of the store. He prayed
that the overwhelming smells of the different candies masked their scents. He overheard Bran ask
about the Belgium chocolate that Kate loved. Damian nudged his side and pointed excitedly to Caleb.
He had heard it too. Poor Caleb looked as though he had been kicked in the nuts and anxious. Bran
paid for the chocolates and turned to Caleb, saying that Kate should still be at the library.

“Here take him real quick, he said, handing Landon off to Damian, who juggled both boys.
He took out his cell phone and quickly sent a text to Kate. He was so glad that the three newly

mated ménage members seemed to heading in the right direction. He zipped off one last text as Bran
and Caleb left the shop before he put the phone away and took Landon back from Damian.

“Let’s get out of here and head to The Grind. I am dying for one of Nic’s frappes,” Rian said.
They went to the counter and paid for their candy and the toy lions. Mr. Gilberton was rude as

usual. They walked down to The Grind and stepped in. Both men stopped and breathed in deeply.

“Heaven must smell like this,” Rian said. Damian nodded. They heard a laugh and saw Nicholas

behind the counter looking at them. Rian and Damian carried the boys over and sat at the bar.

“Who do we have here?” Nic asked, smiling at the twins, who beamed back.
“I need caffeine, Nic, or I’m going to die,” Rian whined.
“He needs caffeine, Nic, or I’m going to kill him,” Damian said, rolling his eyes.
“Your usual extra-large, quad-shot, raspberry white chocolate mocha with whip?” Nic asked.
“Stop talking dirty to me in front of the babies,” Rian said, making a shooing motion at Nic with

his hand.

“Coming right up. Damian, anything for you?” Nic asked, laughing.
“Can I get a medium caramel frappe with extra coffee and drizzle?” Damian asked.
“Of course. Be right back.” Nic turned and starting pouring espresso shots into cups.
Rian and Damian settled the boys into two of the shop’s highchairs and scooted them between the

two barstools. Rian’s phone buzzed. He checked his text and smiled before sending one back. He then
hit a contact on his phone and hit send.

“Hey, Zane I need a favor. If I place an order, can you pick it up tomorrow? You can take on any

hyena, Zane. It’s why I called you… Yup. I’ll text you with the details later. Thanks, bello! Ciao.”
Rian then squealed when Nic placed his drink in front of him.

“What was that about?” Damian asked.
“Kate needs me to order some stuff for her,” he said, sighing happily as he sipped his mocha. He

then turned to Landon. “Now we’re going to learn about coffee.”

Damian groaned.

* * * *

“Was I wrong? I mean I know it’s soon in the mating and all. But, I thought that, you know, they

would be mine. I didn’t mean to cross any lines or anything.” Kate knew she was rambling but
couldn’t seem to stop herself.

“Kate, honey, sit down,” Rebecca said from behind the circulation desk at the library.
“Everything will be fine. You’ll see. Caleb is a great guy. I think what you said just surprised him.

I mean he moved himself and the boys into the Pack house and completed the claiming, so you know
he’s on board with this mating.”

“What if I screwed everything up being presumptuous? I mean he never said I could use the “M”

word.” Kate straightened all the books on the counter until they lined up perfectly.

“Hun, your OCD is coming out. Maybe some ice cream would help,” Ashby offered.
“The Xanax-flavored one maybe,” Nic said and Ashby slapped his arm.
“Kate, please sit down. I can feel your anxiety through our bond and it’s making my tummy feel

weird.” Rebecca looked a little pale.

“Oh God! Anything but that!” Ashby said, frantically digging through his pockets. His hand came

out with a tiny green rock that he handed Rebecca, who immediately popped in her mouth.

“What did you just give her?” Kate asked as Rebecca leaned back and began to chew slowly.
“Well, she had such great results with the ginger mint tea, we kinda made mint-wrapped pieces of

ginger with a sugar glaze on it. That way we can carry them around.” Ashby pulled out a bag filled
with what looked like small rocks.

“What if he doesn’t want me to be their mama?” Kate asked quietly.
Rebecca opened her eyes and looked at Kate. “Kate, he’d be an idiot not to want you to be their

mother and he doesn’t seem like an idiot.”

Kate smiled. “You always think the best of everyone.” Kate took a seat at the counter. For some

reason just being around Ashby, Nicholas, and Rebecca made her feel more calm and together.

“Not true! I don’t like the hyenas!” Rebecca argued.
Kate smiled. “Hun, no one likes them right now, considering they are responsible for mass

genocide,” Kate said wryly.“While we’re here, we need to have a group meeting to discuss Ashby
wanting to go back to Purgatory.” Nicholas frowned at his best friend.

“Gabriel wants me to come back for a visit. He feels really bad about what happened the last time

I was there,” Ashby said, blushing.

“I didn’t get an invitation back,” Rebecca said, looking at Ashby closely.
“That’s because he doesn’t want to sleep with you and chomp on your neck,” Nic said,

exasperated.

“We don’t know that for sure, Nic! That man is like a God. He could have any guy he wanted. I’m

sure he’s just being nice. That’s all.” Ashby flipped through one of the books on the desk to be
checked back in.

Kate saw Rebecca and Nic’s eyes meet with identical looks of concern of their faces before they

turned and looked at her. Kate could feel the attraction that Ashby had for the handsome vampire. She
could also feel the growing sense of unease from Rebecca and Nic about this budding attraction.

“Just don’t go off on your own,” Nic said, looking worried.
“Okay, okay,” Ashby said, still looking down at the book. Nic’s eyes narrowed and he was about

to say something when Emmett, Aleks’s younger brother, started heading toward them.

“Dammit, Rebecca, I’m not going out there anymore while they are still here!” Emmett strode up to

the counter, one hand rubbing his backside.

“Emmett, what in the world is the matter!” Rebecca exclaimed.
Emmett looked at Ashby, Nic, and Kate standing there and a slow blush worked its way up his

neck.

“Emmett?” Rebecca asked again.
“They won’t leave me alone,” he said quietly.
“Who?” She lowered her voice to a whisper.
“The Blue-Haired Lady Brigade,” he said, wincing.
Ashby and Nic hid smiles and Kate turned around. Sure enough there were no less than six little

old ladies sitting at the table near the shelves where Emmett had been working. One was high-fiving
another.

Oh dear, Kate thought.
“What is the Blue-Haired Lady Brigade?” Rebecca asked.
“Them,” Emmett said, pointing to the small group of senior citizens.
“That is Ms. Tully and her book club. They are harmless,” Rebecca said.
“They are evil old shifter females who haven’t died since Satan doesn’t want them!” Emmett

protested.

Rebecca’s eyes widened. She had never heard any of the Arkadion men speak about a woman that

way. She glanced over to the old women with curiosity.

“Rebecca, have you ever heard of the term ‘cougar’?” Kate asked, trying to clear this up.
Rebecca nodded and Kate continued. “Cougar usually refers to women in their forties, women in

their fifties are considered ‘jaguars’ and these ladies… I guess they would be like pumas,” Kate said
and then pointed to Emmett. “Emmett is perfect prey for them.”

Rebecca’s mouth became an O.
“Oh, Emmett, I’m sorry. Ummm, can you work on the shelves in the archives instead?” Rebecca

asked, patting his arm.

He gave a quick nod turned to scowl at the “book club” then hurried down the stairs. Kate noticed

the death grip Rebecca had on Ashby’s hand. Once they heard the basement door shut, Rebecca
erupted into helpless giggles.

“You are absolutely wrong,” Nicholas said.
“How come you two aren’t prime prey?” Rebecca asked wiping her eyes.
“I think it’s because they know we’re gay,” Ashby said and Nicholas nodded.
“They heave great big ol’ sighs around us and say ‘damn shame’ a lot,” Nic added.
Kate smiled and jumped when her phone buzzed.
Hey gurl - ur men are at B&T getting ur fav choco, C looks like his dog died, go easy on him -

lurves R

Kate jumped up and waved her phone in front of Rebecca.
“Look! Look! He’s not mad! He’s actually sorry and is buying my favorite chocolate!” Kate

exclaimed.

“See! I told you he was a good guy,” Rebecca said. They all jumped when the phone buzzed again.
Headin ur way now!
Kate stared down at her phone as a rush of excitement flooded her body. She had the best friends

in the whole world.

“Kate, they’re here,” Rebecca said, pointing to the door a couple minutes later.
Kate turned and watched as her two men walked toward her. One dark, reminding her of cool, long

nights and the other auburn with red-tinted hues reminding her of the sun’s warmth. She never felt
more thankful in her life. She watched as they walked right up to her and then surprisingly, both men
dropped to their knees.

“Kate, I am so sorry for what I said to you at the diner,” Caleb said, his voice shaking in spots
“I never meant to hurt you or insinuate that I didn’t want you to be the boys’ mother. I was just

afraid that the boys would forget Renee and I didn’t want that to happen. You are the most beautiful
and amazingly caring woman I have ever met. I couldn’t beg God for a better mate and mother for my
children. Will you please accept this as our way of asking you to be ours?” His hand trembled as he
held up a small white box.

Kate reached forward and felt tears drip off her cheeks and run down her neck. She took the box

and opened it. She closed her eyes as her chest shook in silent sobs. Caleb and Bran stood. Caleb
took the box out of her hands.

“See, it’s an adjustable chain. It can be smaller when you’re human and if you have to shift in a

hurry, the chain will slide and become larger to accommodate your wolf’s neck. I got three charms.
They’re birthstones, mine and the boys’, so we’ll always be with you.” Caleb took the chain out of the
box, sliding on the three charms and handing it to Kate.

“I got you something too, Katie Belle. I took for granted how we came together and I never took

the time to show you how much I thank Fate every night for sending you to me, even though I know I’m
not good enough. You make me remember how to smile and laugh. Without you, I’m empty.” Bran
reached into his pocket and pulled out another charm. It matched the white-gold charms holding
birthstones that Caleb had given her. He took the chain from her shaking hands.

“It’s my birthstone. And later, when we have more children, we can add theirs to the chain as

well.” He added his charm onto the chain and passed it back to her. “Where’s my birthstone?” she
asked, looking at Caleb then Bran, tears in her eyes.

“Katie, don’t you know?” Bran asked gently. Caleb stepped forward and placed a hand on her

cheek.

“You’re the chain, baby. You’re the one who holds us all together,” Caleb said.

Kate threw her arms around Caleb’s and Bran’s necks. She sobbed so hard she didn’t think she

would ever be able to breathe again.

“IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou!” She wept as she held on as tight as she could. Caleb pulled away to

kiss her gently on the lips before turning her to Bran so he could kiss her as well. She smiled up at
them, her tears slowing. Behind them, she heard sniffles. Every single one of the old ladies was
crying. She heard more sniffles from behind the counter. Ashby, Nicholas and Rebecca had their arms
wrapped around each other and were boo-hooing.

“That’s so be-bea-beautiful!” Rebecca finally managed.
Ashby and Nicholas nodded.
The library door swung open and Aleks, in his sheriff’s uniform, strode in. He saw Rebecca crying

and raced behind the counter.

“Becca, baby, what’s the matter? I could feel you crying across town.” He looked around and saw

nearly everyone except Caleb and Bran in tears, though their eyes were very bright.

“What in the hell is going on!” he demanded.
Rebecca continued to cry. “It was so beautiful! I want you to be like Bran and Caleb, but you’re

only one man and I love you and don’t want anyone else, but it was so perfect. I love you!” she
wailed.

Aleks’ eyes widened and he simply scooped Rebecca up and sat in her chair. From the looks of

things, he was getting used to her outbursts. He no longer got that panicked look on his face. Kate
knew that Rebecca’s meltdown was part hormones and part of the feelings she had gotten through
their bond. She would have to apologize later. Kate smiled and brought the necklace up and fastened
it around her neck. She wiped her eyes and took both of her men’s hands.

“I want to go shopping! I have two sons now and I want to get some home furnishings that all three

of us pick out so Caleb feels more at home at the Pack house.” Kate smiled up at them.

“As long as we don’t spend too much money,” Caleb said, kissing her nose.
She rolled her eyes. She looked over to where Rebecca was down to tiny sniffles and wiping her

nose on her sleeve.

“Meet you at the diner later for dinner?” she asked the three. Ashby and Nicholas smiled and

nodded.

“See you at dinner,” Rebecca said, rubbing her eyes.
“Later, hun,” Kate said, winking. Rebecca smiled.
Walking away she let go of the men’s hands and reached for her phone. Her fingers flew over the

keys in a text message to Rian.

Ri ~ I need nighties in the following birthstone colors. They need to be amazing – my men just

hit a grand slam with their apologies ~ lurves K

She typed what colors she needed and it wasn’t long before she got the reply.
Pulling out all the stop s- ur getting premium sexy package - don’t worry I have your cc # ~

lurves R

She smiled. She really did have the best friends ever!

* * * *

Later that afternoon, Kate, Caleb, and Bran found themselves back in the diner. Bran and Caleb

collapsed into chairs across from one another. Kate was showing Ma her purchases. She’d been
waiting until Rebecca got there, but Ma told her that, after the princely display that Bran and Caleb

had done at the library, Aleks felt the need to show Rebecca that even though he was one man, he was
more than enough for her. Evidently he had carried her out of the library caveman-style to the cheers
of Ms. Tully and her book club. Ashby and Nic said they had plans to go over to Alek and Rebecca’s
later in the evening to make cake since everyone was craving it after talking about it all day.

“I told you,” Bran said, placing his head down on the table.
Caleb leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. “I didn’t believe you, but you’re right. She was

like a demon possessed.” Caleb shuddered.

“I’m so glad I don’t have to do this alone anymore,” Bran said, pretending to sniffle.
“I have your back, brother.” Caleb patted Bran on the head. They comforted each other like old

war buddies. Kate rolled her eyes.

“Seriously you two are big babies. Damian and Rian could shop circles around you. We only went

to the mall and Babies ‘R’ Us,” she said as she showed Ma the tiny jumpers she had bought for
Landon and Lucas.

Bran lifted his head. “We went into every store in the mall, some of them twice. My feet hurt! I

will never give you chocolate before shopping again!” Bran exclaimed.

“Do you need a burger? Your blood sugar must be low. You’re getting cranky.” Kate turned her

back on him to hold up two small leather jackets. Bran’s mouth dropped and his eyes narrowed. He
was about to lean forward to speak when Caleb patted him on the arm and shook his head.

Just then Bran’s phone started ringing. A second later, Kate’s, Caleb’s and Ma’s phones also rang.

Everyone looked at each other and then frantically started pulling out their cell phones.

“What! We’ll be right there,” Kate said, hanging up and grabbing the keys. Everyone in the diner

was silent and staring at Kate as she made her way to the door.

“Everyone stay back. We’re on our way,” Bran said into his cell phone, following Kate.
“Are the boys safe? I don’t care about what he did to the pack member. Are our boys safe?” Caleb

demanded, moving past Bran to get to the car.

“Connor, pack up the toys and clothes and follow in my car,” Ma said, racing after the three.

* * * *

Kate watched as Caleb continuously bounced his leg in the passenger seat of the SUV.
“If he has hurt the boys—” Caleb started.
“Rian would never hurt the boys, not in a million years,” Kate said adamantly. She maneuvered the

car at break-neck speed toward the Pack house.

“What did you get from Riley, Bran?” Ma asked from the back seat.
“He said that everyone was relaxing after a late lunch when they heard a commotion upstairs,”

Bran said.

“Rian had shifted and wouldn’t let anyone approach the nursery or the boys. He evidently took a

swipe at Robert when he got too close. That is when everyone started reaching out to us.”

“Kate is right, Caleb. Rian would never hurt the boys. Something must have triggered his lion,” Ma

said.

Caleb just gave a sharp nod and kept his eyes on the road.
Kate pulled directly up to the front door before slamming the car into park. She and Caleb raced to

the front door, Bran and Ma close behind them. Immediately they were bombarded by pack members.

“Sir, he’s gone crazy!” one yelled.
“That God damn cat!” another said.

“We can’t get near the boys!” another one said.
Everyone crowded the four, making it impossible for them to enter the foyer. They had only been

able to take a few steps before bodies started pressing in on them. Caleb, frustrated, growled loudly
and started knocking people to one side.

Taking advantage of the opening, Caleb, Bran, and Kate ran for the stairs to head toward the

nursery. That is where they found Riley standing in the hallway by the nursery door. He stepped
forward to meet them. Kate grabbed Caleb’s arm.

“Let me go first. He knows me best,” Kate said. She could see his jaw clenching before he

nodded.

“Hurry. I need to see the boys.”
She gave a nod and then took a step into the nursery.
“Ri?” she said, looking at the extremely large male lion standing in front of the crib.
Fully shifted, he looked nothing like the flamboyant fashionista she had come to consider her best

friend. He looked deadly. He was huge with a full mane and amber-colored eyes. His paws were
soaked in blood. The lion stared at her for a second before it shimmered and morphed into the smaller
man she was familiar with.

“Oh, Kate! It was terrible! They came after the boys. I had to kill them!” he said, bursting into

tears.

Caleb quickly stepped into the nursery, moved past Rian and picked up Landon and Lucas, who

had been sitting calmly in their crib staring up at the now hysterical Rian.

“Oh thank God!” he said, holding them close. He took a deep breath, inhaling their scent before

nuzzling their heads.

Bran handed Rian a blanket to cover up.
“Who did you have to kill, Ri?” Kate asked.
He looked up and pointed to the sitting room attached to the nursery.
“You can’t smell them?” he asked.
Kate took a deep breath and a growl escaped her lips.
“Hyena!” she said before stalking into the sitting room where two bodies lay in tatters on the floor.

Dark-red puddles had pooled under each body and expanded outward into the carpet. Thick chunks of
flesh lay around the room. She turned, walked back, and gave Rian a hug.

“Why wouldn’t you let the pack in? They could have started to clean up.”
She tucked his blanket around him, using a corner to wipe his face. His lips pulled back in a snarl.
“I didn’t know who I could trust. Kate, they had to have been invited by a townsperson to get past

the perimeter and onto pack grounds.”

She gasped. Her mind hadn’t processed it that far yet.
Bran’s hands shifted into claws and he growled around his descended canines. “Bring me Arthur

Raymond! Now!” He roared out the last word. She saw him breathing hard in an effort to keep his
wolf under control.

“Rian, take them!” Caleb said, shoving the boys into Rian’s arms who stood closest to him. He

turned and threw back his head as his wolf reacted to the intense feelings of anger coming through the
bond he shared with Bran. His howl echoed off the walls of the tiny nursery. His wolf was not only
clawing to the surface at the threat to their young but also reacting to Bran’s rage.

Rian held both boys close as their little lips began to quiver at the sight of their father’s fury.

Riley entered the nursery, dragging a struggling Arthur Raymond. Bran spun and took two steps,

crowding the older man.

“I will only ask you once. Did you invite hyenas into Arkadia and onto pack territory?” Bran

demanded, getting in the other man’s face.

The other man shook his head. “No, Alpha I would never endanger our pack. How could you think

such a thing?” he asked.

“How could I?” Bran bit off each word and backed Arthur into the wall.
“Because you have done everything in your power to undermine Kate’s position here. Because, if

you were truly loyal to me, you would never disrespect my mate.”

Caleb came around from Bran’s left and lifted Arthur up by the throat with one arm.
“You dare disrespect my mate,” Caleb said, his voice nearly unintelligible as his wolf strained to

break free.

“Alpha, who is this cretin that you are allowing to abuse my mate, who is one of your most loyal

followers,” a shrill voice demanded from the hallway.

Kate’s swung around to the well-dressed woman who took one look at Kate’s shifted eyes and

backed up a step.

“That cretin is my other mate, bitch! And, if I find out that your mate is in any way responsible for

the attempt on our sons, I will personally gut him myself!” Kate said, stepping forward.

“Bran, some advice,” Ma said calmly from where she stood next to Rian soothing the boys.
Bran’s looked to Ma and gave a sharp nod.
“I would, for their safety, of course, sequester the Raymonds to their quarters. Take tonight to calm

down and look at this fresh tomorrow,” Ma said.

“Since when does our Alpha take orders from a bear?” Beverly Raymond asked.
Ma raised an eyebrow. “If I find out that you or your mate has invited the hyenas into town and

negated the protective perimeter when my daughter is pregnant with my first grandchild, you will beg
for what Kate has planned,” Ma said, almost sweetly.

“Riley, take Arthur and Beverly and lock them in their rooms. No one in, no one out. That includes

Cecelia. Then organize a crew to clean the nursery.” Bran took a deep breath.

“As you command, my Alpha,” Riley said, placing a fisted hand over his heart. It was an ancient

acknowledgement rarely used, but Riley’s way of showing he was loyal. Bran placed a fisted hand
over his heart and nodded in return.

“Thank you, my friend,” he said.
Caleb threw the older man onto the floor with some force.
Riley helped Arthur to his feet then led him and Beverly out of the room. Bran placed a hand on

Caleb’s shoulder as both of them tried to get their breathing under control. The sound of a tiny hiss
had both of them turning to Rian, who was looking down at Landon in surprise. In response to his
brother, Lucas threw his tiny head back and howled. Landon, not to be outdone by his brother, joined
him in his howl.

Kate felt a burble of laughter start in her chest and move upward. She couldn’t help it. She started

laughing and couldn’t seem to stop. Ma joined her laughing. Rian was shaking his head.

“Ya’ll are cats, boys, cats. Don’t worry, Uncle Rian will teach you how to hiss and roar,” he said

as both boys continued to howl and growl at each other.

Caleb and Bran were laughing so hard tears were coming down their cheeks. There was a look of

pride clearly written on both of the men’s faces. Rian smiled and bounced both of the noisy boys on
each hip, his blanket tied around his waist.

It was as if the laughter was a release for the incredible amount of stress they had found

themselves under. Bran pulled Kate into his arms and Caleb wrapped one arm around Bran’s shoulder
and one around Kate’s. Bran gave each of his mates a squeeze before stepping over to Rian and taking
Landon. Caleb stepped up beside him and took Lucas.

“Rian, we have no right to ask. You’ve done so much already. But, with the exception of Riley, I

trust you over everyone else in my pack with the boys. Could you stay the night and watch them again
tomorrow?” Bran asked.

“Try and keep me away! Is it okay if I call Damian over?” Rian asked.
Kate nodded, she felt better with someone outside the pack to act as his backup. Rian raced into

the sitting room and came back with his tattered pants and began to reach into pockets and pant legs
trying to find his cell phone and wallet.

“Ma, Riley told me we have a perimeter breach,” Connor said, stepping into the nursery
“I sent a text to Aleks and Liam. Aleks called our sloth to his house to guard Rebecca and Liam is

setting up patrols in town.” He paused, took a deep breath and then growled low.

“Hyena!” he rumbled. Ma nodded.
“Let’s head home, son. With the added stress, Aleks will be losing his mind and Rebecca will

probably be up and close to killing him by now.” Ma walked over and looped her arm with Connor’s.
“Bran, you need to find out who the breach is and kill them. It’s the only way to reseal that perimeter.
It will be a breach as long as the person who invited the hyenas in with the intent to harm is still
alive. We won’t be safe until they are dead.”

Bran nodded.
“I will take care of it personally,” he promised.
“Damian is on his way over and bringing stuff for us to stay a couple days. I’ll let Riley know that

he’s expected. I’m going to go take a shower before he gets here. I swear it’ll take me weeks to get
the hyena stench off me!” Rian said shuddering.

“There are no words to thank you for what you did. If you ever need anything, anything at all, call

me,” Caleb said, stepping forward to crush Rian in a hug.

Rian, who wasn’t used to gratitude outside of the pride, looked up at Caleb and turned bright red.
“I-it’s o-o-kay,” Rian said sounding flustered.
“I don’t care what anyone says. You’re family to us, Rian,” Kate said, smiling.
Rian looked up, his eyes bright. “I can’t wait to play with my nephews tomorrow. I will get an

entire lesson plan started and go through their new clothes.” Rian walked out of the room.

“Lesson plans?” Bran looked at Kate.
“Don’t ask. It’s better not to know. Grab a crib. They’re sleeping with us tonight,” Kate said,

taking Lucas and Landon from the men.

Both men nodded and carried the wooden crib down the hall to the master bedroom.
Once everyone was showered and changed, no one felt like eating, so they tucked the boys in and

went to bed. Kate snuggled between her two mates and fell asleep to the sounds of two men and two
tiny boys snoring.

Chapter 8

The next morning Bran and Kate were eating from the breakfast trays that Ma had sent over. Caleb

had both boys in highchairs and was attempting to feed them their breakfast of pureed bananas. Rian
and Damian were yawning over their coffee. The normally nocturnal lions were having problems
staying awake this early. Rian reached for the coffee pot and poured himself another cup.

“You people really wake up this early normally?” Damian asked, yawning.
Kate smiled. “Usually, we like to get a jump on the day.” Kate handed Damian a chocolate

chocolate chip muffin, his favorite. His eyes lit up and he smiled. He and Kate shared a chocolate
addiction and commiserated with each other often.

“We usually like to get a jump on the night and the men it has to offer,” Rian replied, winking at

Kate.

She smiled. “Thank you for doing this. Bran will have interviews for most of the day. He has been

Alpha long enough that he should be able to sniff out anyone who is lying.” Kate began working on
her second chocolate muffin.

“Caleb, you should sit in on the interviews, too. You don’t have any preconceived ideas about

anyone, so you may pick up on things that Bran may miss or discount,” Rian said offhandedly, going
through the muffin basket, not caring that he was manhandling the entire basket in his search for a
lemon muffin. He grabbed one triumphantly and looked up and saw everyone staring at him.

“What? Just because I don’t participate in Pride politics doesn’t mean I don’t know how it works,”

Rian said, pouting.

“You surprise me with how awesome you are almost daily, RiRi,” Kate said, blowing him air

kisses.

“You are forgiven then. Especially if you give me details from the other night. I heard it was so

good you passed out. I swear if you weren’t one of my best friends I would totally hate you,” he said
getting comfortable in the dining room seat before staring at Kate for his story. He reminded her of a
child waiting for a bedtime story.

“Well…” Kate began.
“Kate!” Bran and Caleb said, both turning red.
Rapidly, Rian began firing off questions.
“Did you…” Rian started. Kate nodded. “Did they…” he asked and she nodded again. “No issues

with…” he asked. She shook her head. “Bigger than…” He giggled. She nodded and giggled. “Any
supplies required?” he asked. She nodded. “Did you like…” he asked, his eyes wide. She
emphatically nodded. He acted as though he was dabbing a tear from his eye with the napkin.
“Welcome to the club, my sister,” he said, patting her hand. He looked up, serious, before they both
dissolved into giggles.

Damian was smiling as he ate his muffin.
Caleb and Bran had been looking back and forth between the two of them.
Caleb turned to Damian. “Did you understand any of that?” he asked. Damian turned bright red.
“Looks like he did,” Bran said, groaning.
“Hey, if you three go at it again, I get to videotape it,” Rian said.
“Like hell!” Bran said.
Rian just pouted. Caleb, catching on, winked at Rian.

“I don’t know, Bran, we do owe him for protecting the boys,” he said seriously.
Kate bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Bran’s mouth dropped.
“Seriously?” Bran whispered, his eyes wide.
Caleb couldn’t take it anymore. He threw his head back and laughed, which triggered the twins.

They started giggling, sounding like little old men. Kate couldn’t take it anymore and began to laugh
so hard she couldn’t get a breath in. Her chest just moved up and down as tears streamed from her
eyes.

Kate started to see spots when Rian leapt from his chair and whacked her on the back. This caused

her to inhale deeply and then loud, deep laughter burst forth. She fought to draw in breath and ended
up sliding out of her chair under the table, laughing. Rian ended up beside her as they rolled around,
giggling and laughing.

“It’s not funny,” Bran said, seriously, his mouth twitching.
Caleb slapped him on the back. New howls of laughter were heard from under the table.
“I am the Alpha, you know,” Bran said, peeking under the table.
“Stop, it hurts!” Kate said, holding her stomach.
“No more, Alpha,” Rian said and they both started laughing again.
“Well, I guess they’re done with breakfast,” Caleb said, elbowing Bran in the ribs, winking.

Immediately the laughter stopped and two heads popped up from under the table.

“Hey, we’re still hungry!” Kate said. On her knees, she extended both hands over her muffin,

guarding it.

Rian swiped his then sat back down, out of sight, to scarf it down.
“Aren’t you glad we only have the twins to raise?” Bran said, smiling.
Caleb chuckled and then resumed feeding the boys.
“For now. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kate ends up pregnant with a litter,” Rian said from the floor.
Kate, who had just taken a huge bit of the chocolate muffin, began to choke. Damian jumped up and

handed her a cup of coffee. She cleared her airway, looked up, and saw Bran and Caleb were pale
and looking at each other. Kate cleared her throat.

“Ri I’m afraid that’s impossible. I don’t think I can have children,” she said quietly, fingering her

new necklace.

“Kate, what are you talking about?” Bran asked.
“We’ve been having unprotected sex for over a year and nothing. Fate mates us to a man with two

sons. Do the math. I think it’s her way of compensating for me.” She picked at her muffin.

“You’re wrong,” Bran said.
“You just don’t want me to be right,” Kate said.
Caleb cleared his throat. “Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, let’s focus on this

perimeter problem. What did Ma mean last night about killing the one responsible? I was so angry I
think I was only hearing every other word.” Caleb desperately wanted to change the subject.

“The person who invited the hyenas into town would have had to physically walk them over the

border, knowing that they would cause harm.” Bran explained.

“It wouldn’t work if a townsperson were kidnapped or forced to walk alongside someone. The

townsperson would be able to cross and the perimeter would block the aggressor. But, if a
townsperson willingly agreed to let someone in, knowing they would cause harm, the perimeter
would be breached. As long as that person lives, the perimeter would be down for not only the small

group that had walked through but also their entire clan. We have to be absolutely sure because once
this person is found it’s a death sentence to secure our borders again.”

The joy and laughter of the morning seemed to evaporate.
“Rian is right. I’ll sit in on the interviews with you,” Caleb said, removing the boys’ bibs.
Bran nodded.
“I’ve lost my appetite. We might as well get started.” Bran stood.
Rian and Damian walked around the table to pick up the boys. Bran and Caleb left the dining

room, heading to the office leaving Kate with Damian, Rian, and the boys.

“We have a big day planned, boys. First, a bath to get breakfast cleaned off you. Then a nap. Then

we will work on our letters and then I have a wonderful educational video for you,” Rian said,
rubbing noses with Lucas.

“Educational videos? Letters? Rian, they are barely eight months old,” Kate said.
“You can never start too early,” Rian said.
Kate walked over and kissed each boy on the head. “Don’t tell Bran, but I’m shifting and sniffing

around the border to see if I can find where they crossed. My wolf needs to get out. She wants to
eliminate any threat to our young.”

“Katie, I don’t know,” Damian hedged.
“I’ll be back before lunch, promise,” she said. “Guard them with your lives.” She nuzzled Landon.
“We will,” Rian said, firmly.
“Be back.” She walked out of the dining room.

* * * *

Kate waited until she was out of sight of the house before stripping down. She folded her clothes

and left them hidden in a bundle near her favorite tree before shifting. It was the tree Bran had
claimed her under. In her wolf form, her fears for the boys came roaring to the surface. Her wolf was
not happy. Her young were being threatened. That threat needed to die. The wolf in her needed to rend
flesh with her teeth and watch the threat breathe its last breath.

She took off running to the southeast, staying close to where the town’s magical perimeter

extended. She had been running for about an hour and heading toward the southlands when the scent of
hyena burned her nostrils. She had located their entry point. She wanted to follow the trail, but she
knew that it would lead to the road where the scent would disappear, indicating that the hyenas had
probably gotten into a car. She walked around, nose down and under the smell of snow and cold was
the scent of pack. This was the scent of the betrayer. Try as she might, she could not identify a scent
that would single any one pack member out. It only served to confirm her worst fear—that someone in
the pack had indeed betrayed them.

She turned, made her way back to her tree, and shifted. She loved the way her body felt right after

a shift. In the summer the warmth of shifting was almost uncomfortable, but in the fall, winter, and
early spring, standing naked in the snow as heat radiated from her body felt exhilarating. Smiling, she
unburied her clothes and slowly got dressed. By the time she had her socks and boots on, she was
starting to get cool. Carrying her coat she headed back toward the house.

Kate eased into the back door and looked around. She stepped into the kitchen and made her way

down the hallway toward the office. She saw Riley standing guard outside.

“How are they doing?” she asked.
Riley sighed. “We started with the Raymonds, but unless they are pathological liars, they weren’t

involved. So far no one we have interviewed has been.” Riley leaned back against the wall.

“Are they with anyone now?” Kate asked. Riley shook his head. She patted his arm and walked

past him to open the office door and walk in. She shut the door behind her.

“Where have you been?” Caleb asked from the leather high-back chair that was normally on the

other side of Bran’s polished cherry desk. It now sat beside Bran behind the desk. She could tell they
had done everything they could to appear as a united front.

“She’s been outside,” Bran said, narrowing his eyes.
She nodded. “My wolf wanted out. I found the entry point on pack lands, south of here.” She

walked over to where they sat. Caleb opened his arms and she took her place in his lap and Bran
swung her legs up and on to his thighs.

“That was a foolish thing to do, Kate. There was no way for you to know if they were still out

there.” Bran removed her boots and rubbed the arches of her feet. He knew they would be sore after
she had been running for a while. Caleb rubbed her shoulders.

“I wish I had found hyenas out there,” Kate growled. The very thought agitated her wolf again.
“I want to bury my teeth in their flesh and snap their necks. I want to destroy them all for

threatening my young.” She growled low and both men froze.

Bran’s eyes widened. “Kate, your eyes.” He leaned forward.
“What about her eyes?” Caleb asked from behind Kate.
“They are shifted.” Bran growled and pulled her legs apart and dragged her off Caleb’s lap to

straddle his waist, pulling her flush against his body and nuzzling her neck.

“She needs to be punished for putting herself in danger,” Caleb said, standing. He walked over to

the door and flagged Riley.

“We’re taking a break. Can you let the others know we’ll resume interviews in about an hour?

”Caleb said.

Riley smirked. “Open a window if you’re going to fuck because I doubt you’ll get accurate

readings off the pack if they are amped up on your Alpha sex pheromones.” Riley headed toward the
kitchen.

Caleb nodded, shut the door, and locked it. When he turned around, Bran and Kate had stripped

and she was lying down on the couch between his legs and her head was bobbing up and down on his
cock. Caleb went to the window and opened it.

“Good idea,” Bran said and then moaned as Kate took him all the way down her throat.
Caleb started pulling at his clothes, desperate to get some relief. He walked up behind Kate and

pulled her hips up so that she was on her knees, ass in the air between Bran’s legs.

“Please tell me you have some lube in here,” Caleb said, practically begging. He was getting

waves of pleasure from both Kate and Bran.

“Drawer…on the…left,” Bran said between pants.
Caleb raced around the desk, found the small tube, and picked up the metal ruler before returning

to the prize Kate presented to him.

“Kate, stop for a moment.”
She raised her face and Bran’s engorged head popped out from between her lips. She looked over

her shoulder and smiled.

“You need to be punished, sweet baby. Continue what you were doing and don’t hurt Bran.” He

looked at her heatedly and she winked at him and lowered her head back over Bran. Her hair fell

forward and the only way Caleb knew she had resumed was the low growl that Bran gave.

He drew his hand back and brought the cold metal ruler down over her ass. The sharp smack and

her inhale were the only sounds that filled the room. Bran groaned.

“Fuck, man, whatever you did, do it again. She is going wild!” Bran exclaimed.
In quick succession, he rapped out two more strikes, leaving pink bands on her creamy skin. Her

head came up and she cried out.

“Head back down!” Caleb ordered.
She looked back at him, her eyes glazed with pleasure. She lowered her head and took Bran back

into her mouth. By the fifth spanking, Bran pulled her off him, panting loudly. He pulled her body up
his until she straddled his waist. She eagerly lowered her dripping pussy onto his massive dick.
Caleb traced his fingers up her spine before wrapping his hands in her hair and pulling her head
backward. Her head tilted back as she moved her body over Bran’s. She closed her eyes and lifted
her lips. Caleb leaned down and struck hard. His lips were relentless as they tugged and pulled hers
into submission. When they broke apart, he was breathing hard. He took the tube and poured the clear
gel over his fingertips. He pulled her ass cheeks apart and gently rubbed the gel over her dark hole.
He poured more on his fingers and eased two fingers into her tight channel. Her body stilled.

“Too much?” he asked.
She shook her head. “It’s perfect, but I would prefer your cock.” She rocked her hips. He smiled.
“Soon, lovely baby.”
When two fingers became three and she still hadn’t protested, he knew she was ready. Placing one

knee on one side of Bran’s and Kate’s legs and the other between them, he eased his body forward
until the head of his cock popped past the inner muscles of her ass.

“Please!” she begged.
“Please what?” he asked as he held his body still.
“Please fuck me,” she said.
He put his hand flat on her back and pushed her forward. She lay her head down on Bran’s chest.

He pulled out and hammered into her. He grabbed her hips with both hands and simply let his wolf
loose. He rode her hard, moving her body so that she rode Bran hard as well.

“Caleb!” Bran breathed out, letting the man know he was about to go.
Caleb reached forward with his right hand and bowed Kate’s body backward by pulling her hair.

Bran leaned forward and took her left nipple in his mouth and sucked the hard flesh in between his
teeth. Kate screamed as her body exploded and both men gave low groans as both of her needy holes
milked their cocks. Bran released her breast with a loud pop of his lips and collapsed back against
the couch. Carefully, Caleb eased his softening prick from her body. When he slipped out, she gave a
sigh and relaxed on top of Bran. Caleb sat back on the couch, his legs shaky.

“I can’t believe that. It’s getting better,” Kate said.
Caleb smiled and headed to the tiny half bath attached to the office. He quickly cleaned up before

returning with a washcloth and gently began to clean Kate. He leaned down and kissed her at the base
of her spine. Bran sat up and moved Kate to one side so he could stand. He headed to the bathroom
and nodded to Caleb for him to take his place with Kate on the couch. Caleb smiled his thank you and
sat down on the couch and pulled Kate on top of him like a blanket. He kissed the top of her head.

“Bran, please close the window. I’m freezing,” Kate grumbled into Caleb’s chest.
“I suppose you’re hungry, too,” he said, walking out of the bathroom. He closed the window. Her

head snapped up and she gave him a sad-eyed, boo-boo face. He sighed.

“I guess we could head to town for lunch. I know that Rian and Damian planned on taking the twins

to the diner for ‘socialization.’” He made air quotes and then pulled his clothes back on. Kate
snuggled down against Caleb.

“Just a few more minutes,” she said kissing his chest. She hadn’t had much time alone with Caleb.

It felt really good to just be with him. Bran grabbed their clothes and laid them over the arm of the
couch before heading to the desk to pick up a file folder.

“We didn’t get anywhere with the interviews,” Bran said, taking his seat behind the desk.
“I could smell pack at the entry point, Bran. It was one of us, not anyone from town,” she said

quietly.

Bran slammed his fist down onto the desktop.
“Goddammit!” He stood and walked to the window.
Caleb looked at Kate and nodded. She slid off his body and walked up behind Bran to wrap her

arms around him. Even after the through pounding they had given her, she felt deliciously wicked
standing behind him naked, pressing her breasts against his clothed back. He let out a breath and laid
his arms over hers and intertwined their fingers.

Caleb came up behind them. He, too, was now fully dressed and pressed himself against her body.

Kate shivered.

“Baby, are you horny again?” Bran asked.
“I can’t help it! You two are so hot I should just stop wearing panties altogether. I’m always

soaked around you two.”

They both whimpered. She dipped her hand and grazed Bran’s bulge as she wiggled her ass

against Caleb. She then stepped away from them to pull on her clothes. Both men were swallowing
hard and adjusting their jeans.

“That wasn’t nice,” Caleb said.
“Neither was squeezing me between the two of you. Now let’s go get lunch! I’m freaking starving.”

She turned and unlocked the door. She opened it before turning around with an impish smile. She
cocked her arm back and threw a tiny ball of lace at Bran, which hit him in the face before falling
open on the desk.

“Can’t cream my panties if I’m not wearing any!” She stuck her tongue out at them and ran giggling

to the front door.

Caleb looked at Bran as they both stood stock-still.
“Toys?” Caleb asked casually.
“Under the bed and most untried,” Bran said, picking up the panties and inhaling her scent.
Caleb took the lace from Bran and tucked it into his pocket.
“You know she’s doing this so she will get punished,” Bran said as they made their way to the car.
“Yes, but what we have to do is come up with a punishment she wasn’t planning on, something that

pushes her limits and arouses her at the same time.”

“I can’t wait to get even,” Bran said.
“Me either,” Caleb said and they headed outside.

Chapter 9

“Let’s just say that the man has a new appreciation for cake.” Rebecca waggled her eyebrows.

Kate and Ashby laughed.

“Are you kidding? I have a new appreciation for cake. That coconut dream cake was divine. I

want to incorporate something like that into my ice cream,” Ashby said, wiggling around in
excitement.

“I have some saved for you at the house. I wasn’t sure if ya’ll would make it to town today. It

really worked in getting more sexcapades. That man cannot resist my cake.” Rebecca sipped from a
travel mug.

Kate pointed to it. “What’s that?”
“It’s that amazing ginger-mint tea that Caleb made me. It is working wonders at keeping the nausea

at bay. He needs to show Aleks how to make it. I can never get the quantities right.” Rebecca took
another sip.

Kate dug into her bacon barbecue burger and sighed happily. Her men had been keeping her so

busy that she felt as though she was losing weight from all the exertion.

“Where’s Nic?” Kate asked, looking around.
“He had to do some stuff at The Grind, but he said he would be over later,” Rebecca said.
Kate nodded and took another huge bite.
“Whoa there, Cujo, what did that burger do to you?” Rian asked as he and Damian brought the

boys over.

“Those men of mine are using up all my energy. How are the boys doing today?” Kate asked,

picking at her fries.

“Lucas and Landon absolutely scandalized Mr. Gilberton at Bobbles and Things. I swear that

cranky old bastard has no right running a toy and candy store,” Rian said, taking a sip of soda.

“What did they do?” Kate asked, looking at the boys, who were enraptured with what looked like

their new stuffed toy lions.

“Gilberton was giving us shit, per usual, about being ‘fags’ and ‘does that child’s mother know

you’re queer?’ When all of a sudden Lucas looked him right in the eye and released one of the most
impressive growls I have heard. Gilberton jumped back, surprised, then disappeared into the back.
The girl at the counter was trying her hardest not to laugh. Damian and I didn’t try. Just when
Gilberton was coming back out of his office, Landon threw his head back and howled. Back into the
office, the old bastard went. I swear I hurt something laughing so hard.” Rian looked like a proud
parent.

Kate scooped Lucas up and kissed him all over his face. Landon started whimpering so she

reached down and picked him up with her right arm and balanced the boys on either hip. They
snuggled down against her neck and cooed nonsensical babblings. She smiled and hugged them close.
She sat down and kept them in her lap.

“What were you doing back at Bobbles and Things? Weren’t you there yesterday?” Kate asked.
Rian nodded. “I went there yesterday to see if my order for Cadbury chocolate had come in. He

sometimes ‘conveniently’ forgets to call and let me know it’s waiting for me. He called today to let
me know it was in, the delivery evidently came earlier this week, just ‘misplaced’ my order yesterday
and couldn’t find it. The only reason he called me back was probably to avoid me stopping in with

the boys again. You know how much he hates children. He can only complain so much about us being
gay. Heaven knows the Pride probably buys more than half his stock. He can’t afford to lose us as
customers.”

“It’s a good look on you, Katie,” Damian said, grinning at the way Kate kept kissing the tops of the

boys’ little heads.

“I could get used to this, especially in the winter. These guys are like personal space heaters.” She

nuzzled their hair. Kate looked down at her burger and frowned, realizing she couldn’t eat with both
arms full.

“Give ‘em here so you can eat,” Rian said laughing. She smiled gratefully and then eased each boy

into his babysitter’s arms.

“You guys are so amazing for helping us with them. It’s hard enough being newly mated, much less

trying to find the hyenas and the traitor in the pack. I couldn’t imagine having to take care of these
guys on top of that. They are a full-time job all by themselves.” She picked up her burger.

“They are actually easy to watch despite there being two of them. They aren’t fussy at all,” Rian

said as Lucas yawned.

“Okay, boys, nap time,” he said, standing up.
“We’re taking the boys back to the house for their afternoon nap,” Rian said.
Kate stood and kissed each boy. “Thanks again, Ri.” She kissed Rian on the cheek, too, and he

smiled. She walked over and kissed Damian on the cheek.

Damian and Rian then walked over to where Bran and Caleb were talking to Ma, Connor, and

Aleks, letting them say their goodbyes as well.

Kate had just taken another bite out of her burger when the diner door opened. She was surprised

to see Cecelia Raymond walk in. She, as usual, looked elegant and well put together. She radiated a
natural beauty and grace. Kate wanted to hate her, considering who her parents were, but found she
couldn’t. Cecelia was sweet, kind, and soft-spoken. Everything her own mother had wanted her to be.

When Cecelia scanned the diner, Kate half expected her to head toward Bran, but instead, she

started heading her way. Rebecca and Ashby scooted closer to Kate and Kate smiled. They were
definitely getting great Christmas gifts this year.

“Ms. Edwards, could I speak to you for a moment?” she asked. Kate, her mouth full of her burger,

pointed to the chair across the table from her.

“I know that you must not be feeling very friendly toward me at the moment, but I would like to

state, for the record, I never wanted to mate with Bran. That was my parents’ dream for me, not my
own. I view Bran as a brotherly figure only,” Cecelia explained, her hands folded primly in her lap.

“Thank you for that. It means a lot. But something tells me you didn’t track me down here in town

to tell me that.” Kate pushed her empty plate aside.

“No, ma’am,” she started.
“Please call me Kate.” Kate smiled at the girl and was rewarded with a shy smile in return.
“Thank you, Kate. I came here because I am worried about Gina. I haven’t heard from her since

yesterday. I’m worried something may have happened to her.”

“Do you have any reason to believe that?” Kate asked.
“Besides my intuition? No. It’s why I’m reluctant to go right to Bran. I don’t have any evidence that

something is wrong except she missed class today and considering how hard she has to work for
money, she would never skip a class. Never. Please believe me, Kate. I know my best friend better

than anyone. This isn’t like her.”

Kate wiped her hands and stood, motioning for Cecelia to follow her and they both made their way

over to Bran, Ashby, and Rebecca in tow.

“Bran, Cecelia believes something has happened to Gina,” Kate said.
“Do we have any reason to think that?” Bran asked.
“Besides the fact that she didn’t show up for class and the perimeter is down allowing homicidal

hyenas into town? No,” Kate said.

“We’ll wait until morning. If she still hasn’t turned up, we’ll send out a search party. At her age,

she may be at her boyfriend’s house or out studying,” Bran said.

“People usually turn up in the first twenty-four hours, Kate,” Aleks added sounding more like the

town’s Sheriff than a friend.

Feeling extremely agitated, Kate spun on her heel and went back to their table. All four sat down

dejected.

“The FBI has also reported that eighty-nine percent of all children die within the first twenty-four

hours they are missing,” Rebecca said, her violet eyes serious.

Cecelia gasped. Rebecca looked at Kate and they both had a moment of absolute understanding.

This was about being a woman, a mother, a friend and following what your heart was telling you.

“Kate...” Rebecca lowered her voice to the barest of whispers. “As Alpha Mother, I am asking that

you go and look for Gina,” Rebecca said firmly and unequivocally, taking full responsibility for
whatever happened.

Kate nodded and stood. “Bran, I’m running Cecelia back to the Pack house. She caught a ride with

some friends who are at the movies.” Kate yelled and Bran and Caleb smiled and waved.

“Hurry up, hun, before they smell the lie,” Kate said, ushering Cecelia out the door and into her

truck.

“They’ll know something’s wrong if they come out here and see my parents’ car,” Cecelia said,

pointing to the ostentatious red Beemer.

Kate thought for a moment.
“Grab your keys and follow me. We’re heading to Gina’s house.”
Cecelia got into her car and Kate jumped into her truck.
Kate drove east toward the pack lands. She found herself getting anxious and her wolf was getting

restless. Unsure of the reason, she lowered the window to get some cool air into the cab and a
familiar scent hit her nose. She slammed on her brakes and saw the red car nearly crash into the back
of her truck. She threw the truck into park and turned off the ignition. She jumped out and walked back
to where Cecelia looked spooked.

“What happened?” Cecelia asked, looking up at Kate.
“I smell blood. How far is it to Gina’s house?” Kate asked.
“About three miles from here, then there is a long driveway,” Cecelia said.
“Let’s move the cars off the road and shift here,” Kate said. Cecelia nodded.
They moved the vehicles to the shoulder and Kate met Cecelia at the back of the truck. Cecelia

handed her a small bag that, at first glance, looked as though it was made out of a net, but when she
looked closer, she realized it was crocheted. Kate looked at the pink bag in her hand then back to
Cecelia who blushed.

“I’m still not very comfortable when I shift back and I’m naked, so I made these for me and Gina.

They can hold your clothes but don’t add bulk or weight. That loop is thin enough that you can easily
carry it in your mouth. You can have that one if you want. I crochet when I get stressed. I have a ton of
them.” Cecelia opened the drawstring to her bag.

“These are awesome, thank you. To tell you the truth, I’m still not that comfortable either,” Kate

said smiling gently.

Both women stripped their clothes and folded them into tiny squares before stuffing them in the

surprisingly durable bags. Both shifted and, using their muzzle, carried their clothes with them.

After they shifted, the smell of blood became magnified. Both wolves headed toward it. As the

scent became stronger, their pace increased. They came upon a small clearing and skidded to a halt.
Hanging upside down from the tree, a small, white figure swayed with the wind. Cecelia shifted back
and, with an anguished cry, ran toward Gina. Kate shifted and ran over to help pull the girl down.
Neither one of them carried a knife so Kate simply reached up and snapped the branch off. Kate felt
sick as she saw various cuts on Gina’s arms and inner thighs. Whoever had hurt the girl had intended
for her to die slowly.

Cecelia sat on the ground, holding Gina in her arms, crying.
“Cecelia! Cecelia, focus!” Kate said, sharply.
“She’s still breathing. Get up and get dressed. We need to get her to town and the clinic. Hurry!”

Kate said, pulling on her clothes. Cecelia gently placed Gina on the ground and pulled on her clothes
as well. Kate easily lifted the small girl in her arms and they ran as quickly as they could back to the
vehicles.

“Cecelia, I know you want to go with Gina, but I need you to do me a huge favor.” Cecelia nodded

rapidly, eyes blinking.

“Cecelia Raymond, are you with me?” Kate asked.
Cecelia shook her head as if to clear it and then met Kate’s eyes. “I’m okay. What do you need me

to do, Alpha?”

“I need you to go to the Pack house and tell Rian to take the boys to the Pride House, that I am

personally asking the Pride Alpha to guard my sons. Tell Riley what happened and have him bring
only his most trusted men to the clinic.” She strapped Gina into the passenger seat of her truck.

“Can I tell my mom? Gina will want her there. My mom is like a second mom to her,” Cecelia

said.

Kate hesitated for only a moment. She knew that a woman who doted on her daughter as much as

Beverly Raymond did would never do this to Gina.

“Yes, now hurry. Do not stop the car for anything. Literally drive up to the front door. Do you

understand me?” She grabbed the girl and looked her in the eye.

“Yes, Alpha!” Cecelia said.
“Good girl, now go and be safe!” She said.
She watched the red car speed away from her as she turned the truck west toward town. Driving

with one hand, she dialed Liam’s cell.

“Chelllo, Katie Belle, to what do I owe this honor?” Liam said cheerfully.
“I just found Gina Wade strung up in a tree in the woods on pack lands nearly drained of blood. I

sent Cecelia Raymond to the Pack house to tell Rian to bring the boys to you. I am asking for you to
guard my sons, Liam Lewenhart,” she said formally.

“I will personally watch over them and guard them with my life, Alpha Kate Edwards of the

Arkadian wolf pack,” he said, finishing the formal response.

“Fuck, Kate! Is there anything else I can do?” he asked. She could hear him barking orders in the

background to start locking down the Pride house.

“You have the most important job already in my opinion. I am trusting you with my children,” she

said.

“I won’t let you down, Katie. I am sending you Beau and Kaden. Be careful,” Liam said.
“You, too.” She hung up and then called Bran.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Bran said. She could picture his relaxed smile.
“Bran,” she started and her voice broke. Just hearing his voice made her want him next to her.
“Kate! Kate, where are you? What’s going on?” he yelled into the phone.
“I’m on the east road heading into town. I have Gina. They got to her, Bran. I’m heading straight to

the clinic.” She looked up. She could see the lights from the town.

“I can see the town. Meet me at the clinic.” She threw her phone in the console next to her.
She drove straight down Congress Avenue and skidded to a stop in front of the clinic. She nearly

stripped the gears as she put the truck in park, the back tires still coming to a stop. She jumped out and
was met by Dr. Claybourne. She opened the passenger side of the truck, very gently lifted Gina out,
and passed her to the doc. He immediately ran inside the clinic and disappeared behind the sliding
double doors. Kate followed and found herself standing alone in the waiting room.

“Kate! Oh thank God!” Bran strode into the waiting room. He spun her around and pulled her into

his arms. She immediately felt Caleb behind her, pressing his body into hers. Both held her as if
afraid to let go.

“Kate! What happened?” Rebecca said as she and Aleks came through the doors, followed by

Ashby and Ma.

“Cecelia was right. We found Gina hanging from a tree on pack lands a few miles from her home.

She had been stripped and it looked like she had been beaten then drained.” Kate pulled her head
from Bran’s chest.

“I hate to think how long they had her or how long she had been hanging in that fucking tree,” Kate

said, her voice breaking.

“Thank God you didn’t listen to me,” Aleks said, looking pale.
“Kate, I’m so sorry for not listening to you,” Bran said, closing his eyes.
“I was so concerned with keeping the pack safe I let this happen to Gina.” Bran kept his eyes

closed as if he couldn’t face her or the others in the room.

“You didn’t let this happen. If you’d known it was happening, you would have stopped it. The

hyenas and the hyenas alone are responsible for this.” Kate rubbed her hands up and down his upper
arms.

“She’s right, Bran. You’re not God. What we have to concentrate on right now is making sure we

do everything we can for Gina and find these bastards,” Caleb said, his voice filled with emotion.

“Where is she!” a penetrating voice said from the clinic doorway minutes later.
Kate looked up to see Beverly Raymond breathing hard, her husband and daughter close behind

her. Cecelia had been able to get her parents released given the severity of the situation. Beverly’s
hair was undone and sticking out in every direction and her normally well-pressed blouse and pants
were creased. Kate moved away from Bran.

“Ms. Raymond, Dr. Claybourne is with her now. I’m sure he’ll come tell us something as soon as

he can,” Kate said, stepping toward the older woman.

“My Beverly told me what you did, what both you and the Alpha Mother did to go look for Gina.

Thank you, Alpha. Thank you for what you have done for Gina. Her mother was my best friend. I
failed her and I have failed to look after her children, but that stops now. You have my full support.”
She placed her fisted hand over her heart. Kate stared in shock. With a shaking hand, she returned the
gesture. That final gesture seemed to take the last of Ms. Raymond’s strength. She crumpled in front of
Kate, who caught her as she fell forward.

“Please, God, let her be okay.” Kate could hear the steady repetition of words coming from the

older woman.

“It’ll be ok, Mama,” Cecelia said and took her mother from Kate’s arms.
“Shush, Mama, Kate will take care of everything. She and our Alpha Mother will keep us safe.”

Cecelia moved her mother to one of the chairs.

“Bran, we have ten pack members that I trust out here. Just say the word. We’re ready to hunt,”

Riley said from the doorway.

“If you’re here, then who is guarding the boys?” Caleb demanded, turning to Riley.
“Kate sent Rian and Damian to Liam. They have the Pride House on lock down. Liam has given his

word of honor to protect the boys,” Riley said, his eyes showing his disbelief. It wasn’t often that
another shifter group would take in another’s young and swear to defend it to the last dying man of
that group.

“Thank God!” Caleb said, running his hand over his face.
Bran looked at Kate. “Liam agreed to this?”
“For me, he did,” she said simply.
Rebecca had somehow closely woven their small town together. Before her arrival everyone

stayed close to their pride or pack. It was as if her arrival helped others see beyond their animal and
helped them become friends. Kate smiled when she realized that she hadn’t even hesitated in calling
Liam.

Dr. Claybourne came through the double doors. He looked up and went to Kate.
“She’s not doing well. If and it’s a big if, she survives the night, she’ll still have a rough next

couple days. She’s been beaten and then drained of blood. Our normal rapid healing has been slowed
to a crawl. She had bruising on her inner thighs. I administered a rape kit, but results are
inconclusive. She will need a lot of support in the next couple weeks and months it will take her to
recover,” he said slowly and carefully.

Kate looked over to Beverly Raymond.
“She’ll be coming home with us, Dr. Claybourne. God only knows her father is useless and would

not be of any help to her,” Beverly said with disdain. She turned to Kate.

“They die,” she said.
Kate nodded. “Every last motherfucking one of them,” Kate said, blinking hard.
“Alpha Kate, Alpha Liam sent us,” a familiar voice said from the clinic door. Kate looked up to

see Beau Thompson and Kaden Barnett waiting on her.

She went to take a step forward toward them when a wave of dizziness swept through her. She

wrapped her arms around her body as her teeth began to chatter. She was cold, so cold. She felt her
knees give out and suddenly, she was blinking up into Bran’s frantic face. She saw his lips moving but
couldn’t hear him. So cold. She knew she was shaking and couldn’t stop. Then, from the distance, she

heard a faint voice.

Alpha Mother, help me.
All at once, sound and motion returned. She sat up.
“Nicholas!” Her screams echoed with Ashby’s and Rebecca’s. She turned her head and saw that

they, too, lay on the floor. Kaden was holding Ashby and Aleks hovered franticly over Rebecca.

“Bran, Caleb, Kaden, Beau, Riley, take the men and go! The Grind, save Nic! Hurry!” she yelled.

Her voice acted as a release and the men sprang into action. Bran gave her one last look before
standing and running out the door.

Kate tried to crawl to Ashby and Rebecca, but her arms gave out. Gently, Arthur Raymond picked

her up and carried her to where Ashby now lay cuddled next to Rebecca on the floor. Arthur set her
down on the other side and they waited. In the background, she heard Dr. Claybourne barking out
orders to get a second trauma unit prepped to receive Nicholas.

They didn’t have to wait long. Less than twenty minutes later, Caleb barreled into the clinic

carrying Nic’s unconscious form. Ashby cried out in anguish. Caleb carried Nic back to where the
doctor waited behind the double doors open. A few minutes later, Dr. Claybourne came rushing back
out.

He pointed to Ashby and Rebecca. “You and you come with me. Hurry!” They scrambled to get up

and ran into the room. Kate followed without being asked. She walked in as Dr. Claybourne was
explaining his treatment.

“Rebecca, he will benefit from your bond so lie as close to him as possible. He also needs a

blood transfusion. Ashby, surprisingly, you are also O negative. He’s lucky. O negative is a universal
donor but can receive only O negative. It’s extremely rare among shifters. Lie down and I’ll get the
transfusion started. ” He pointed to the bear-sized bed where Nicholas lay. Ashby and Rebecca
jumped into bed with Nic. Nic moaned and buried his face into Rebecca’s neck. Ashby snuggled up
behind him.

“It’s okay, Nic, you’re going to be okay,” Rebecca said.
“Knew you’d come,” he whispered. “Knew you would keep me safe.” He closed his eyes and

snuggled closer.

Rebecca looked up with tears in her eyes. Aleks lay a hand on Rebecca’s back, letting her know

that he was there.

“Kate, find them. Find them and kill the bastard who let them in. Seal the perimeter,” Rebecca

said, pushing Nicholas’s bangs out of his face. Kate nodded and walked back out into the waiting
room.

Bran stood and walked over.
“How is he?” he asked
“He needs a transfusion. Luckily Ashby is a match. But he and Rebecca will probably need to stay

the night with him. The bond we share is helping.” She looked around for Caleb.

“He’s outside with the men.” He pointed to the door. Kate hesitated and then looked back to the

room where Gina and Nic lay unconscious.

“Go, my brothers and I will stand guard,” Connor said, stepping forward.
“Thank you.” She and Bran walked to the door heading outside. Waiting for her were Beau and

Kaden.

“What are you two up to?” she asked, stopping in front of the clinic’s doors as Bran made his way

over to Caleb and the men.

“Sticking with you,” Kaden said. Beau nodded.
“I’d prefer it if you helped Aleks watch over Rebecca,” she said.
Kaden snorted. “And I’d prefer to keep breathing. Liam said if anything happened to you he’d rip

our intestines out through our cocks. It takes a lot to rile a Lewenhart male, but once they are riled,
you stay on their good side. His orders were to protect you. So we’re gonna be all over you, darlin’.”

“Okay, boys, try to keep up,” Kate said and then started walking over to where Bran was

coordinating with Riley and Caleb in the open grassy area at the end of the road that the clinic was
on. Just beyond the grass the woods that surrounded the town began.

“Saucy wench,” Kaden muttered.
“All day long,” Kate said without turning around.
“We’ll start east and…” Bran was saying. Kate stepped right into the circle next to him.
“I think I know where they are,” Kate said and everyone turned to face her.
“When were you going to share?” Bran asked.
“Don’t be mad. I kinda just put it together. I think the hyenas are at the Wades’ house. It’s the only

thing that explains why Gina was hurt and where she was. I bet she saw something she wasn’t
supposed to and was on her way to the Pack house when they caught up with her. She was too damn
close to home for that deadbeat father not to notice the scent of his daughter’s blood. I think he’s the
perimeter breach.” She looked into Bran’s face.

“Okay, men, we know where we’re heading,” he said.
“Wait! Just like that?” Kate asked.
“I doubted you once, Katie Belle. I should have taken Gina’s disappearance more seriously, I

won’t doubt you again. Besides, it’s the best theory anyone’s come up with yet.” Bran took her hand.

Caleb walked up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Bran, if that’s the case, we have a huge problem,” Caleb said. Bran frowned then his face paled.
“What’s the problem?” Kate asked.
“Gina has two younger sisters and two younger brothers. If what you say is true, they are either

already dead or in the most dangerous place in a twenty-five mile radius,” Caleb explained.

Kate felt a tightening in her chest. She had never felt so much rage. Her wolf literally burst from

her skin. The men, as one, took a step back.

“Sweetheart?” Bran asked.
Kate snarled and snapped at the men, edging them toward the woods.
“She’s right. It’s time to hunt,” Caleb said, his voice sounding deeper.
Kate threw her head back and howled. Caleb then Bran shifted and joined her. Their voices rose in

a harmony so perfect that only nature could have designed it. It was as if the other wolves were
waiting for that unspoken order and they shifted, one right after the other.

“Kate, we’re right behind you. We’re bringing the truck in case we need to get the munchkins out in

a hurry,” Kaden said before he and Beau took off at a dead run to the truck.

Kate swung her head around, bunched up her body, and then her feet took flight and they were

hunting.

Chapter 10

They surrounded the small cabin and started to creep forward. On the side of the house, a mountain

of trash gave the entire area a pungent odor. On the porch they could see ripped screens and broken
boards. Empty beer cans and liquor bottles filled one half of the porch. It was clear that Elias Wade
had been trying to drown himself in alcohol to ease the pain of his mate’s passing.

The yard wasn’t in any better shape than the small home. Weeds were everywhere and the grass

was high. Kate could see a pile of toys in the back that looked as if they had been thrown out the back
door. These children had so little. How could Elias throw away what little they did have?

What was probably the saddest sight was a single rose bush that looked as though it had been well

tended. It had been tied back with shoestrings and hair ribbons and sat in a pink pot which read
“Happy Mother’s Day.” The Wade children had done everything they could to protect this one rose
bush, the only thing of beauty in an otherwise bleak home.

Kate shifted to human and eased her way to the window where the curtains were pulled back on

one side. She looked inside and had to cover her mouth so that her gasp wouldn’t be heard.

The Wade children were huddled together in the corner of the front room. The oldest boy, who

looked to be about twelve, sat in front of his younger brother and sisters. He was staring at the
disheveled man sitting by the fireplace holding a shotgun with flat hatred in his eyes. The two small
girls were crying. The old man swayed in his chair, a macabre grin on his face. Kate stepped back
and motioned to Bran and Caleb. The men shifted and met her on the edge of the property.

“The children are in the front family room. Wade is in there with a shotgun and he looks the way

humans do when they’re on drugs. His eyes are glassy and he’s just sitting there giggling to himself,”
Kate said.

“The children are the priority,” Caleb said.
“Get them out to us and we’ll take them to the clinic,” Kaden said and Beau nodded.
“Getting them out is going to be the problem. I think he’s so far gone he’ll shoot the kids,” Kate

said.

“I’ll head to the porch and draw him outside away from the children and then we’ll rush him,”

Bran said.

Kate’s heart was in her throat. Bran was strong, but Wade was holding a shotgun and that could do

some real damage, even to a shifter.

Without waiting, Bran walked up to the porch and navigated the three broken stairs and walked

past the screen door hanging from one hinge to knock on the front door. Kate made her way to the
window, watching as Wade struggled to stand and lurched forward toward the door. When the door
flew open, Bran sprang forward and grabbed the gun. Kate ran forward as a shot went off. She
jumped up on the porch in time to see Bran throw the gun into the yard. Kaden and Beau moved
forward into the house, scooped up the kids, and carried them outside to the porch. Kate walked over
to stand beside them.

“Are you going to kill my father?” the boy asked in a lifeless voice. Kaden looked over his

shoulder to where Bran and Caleb were standing over the man.

“Yes, Ethan, we’re going to kill him. He has hurt a lot of people,” Caleb said.
“Good! He killed my sister, Mr. Caleb,” the boy said, tears making two white streaks down his

dirty cheeks.

Kate leaned over and wiped his tears away.
“Cecelia came to me when Gina didn’t show up to class. We got to her in time, Ethan. She’s going

to be okay,” Kate said, her hand cupping his cheek.

Those words seemed to crack the brave façade that the boy had been holding in place for his

sisters. He buried his face in Beau’s chest, his tiny body shaking with sobs. Beau looked over to
where Mr. Wade sat between Caleb and Bran and he let out a long hiss. Ethan’s head snapped up.

“You’re a lion?” he asked, his eyes wide with wonder. Beau simply nodded.
“Cool,” he said, sniffling. Beau smiled. Kaden loaded the other small boy and the two little girls

into the truck.

“We’re going to the clinic. Even Liam would agree that children’s safety take priority. We’ll meet

you there. We still have hyenas to kill,” Kaden said.

“The hyena man said they were going after the Alpha Mother then the babies,” Ethan said.
“Kaden, your cell!” Kate asked, holding out her hand. He immediately handed it over and she

quickly dialed Liam’s number.

“Kaden! What’s wrong? Is Kate, okay?” she heard Liam ask.
“Liam, are the boys okay? Ethan said the hyenas might be heading your way,” she said.
“We’re fine, Kate, completely locked down. The boys have had dinner and Rian has them watching

an educational video. Landon is yawning,” Liam said and she could hear the smile in his voice.

“Thank God! Gotta go, gotta call Rebecca.” She hit the End button and dialed Rebecca’s phone.
“Hello?” a deep male voice answered.
“Aleks, it’s Kate. Ethan, one of the Wade children, said that the hyenas said they were going after

the Alpha Mother. How are things there?”

“We’re fine. Rebecca, Ashby, and Nic just went to sleep. I’m here with Connor, Gavin, Benedict,

and Finn. So far all is quiet. Did you seal the perimeter?” he asked.

“We’re about to. Stay alert. We should be back soon,” Kate said.
“Will do,” Aleks replied.
She hung up the phone and tossed it back to Kaden. She was getting better at being naked in front

of men, though, she wished she had the little pink bag that Cecelia had given her.

“Get them to the clinic so Doc can look them over and then hole up with Aleks until we get there,”

Kate said.

“Meet you there,” Kaden said and both he and Beau climbed into the truck and left.
Kate turned around to face Elias Wade. The man looked at them and started giggling.
“You think you’ve won, but you haven’t. They will kill you, all of you and then the hyenas will take

Arkadia.” He giggled and pointed at each of the Alphas.

“They’ll kill you and you and you,” he said.
“Like they did Gina?” Kate said harshly.
Elias’s face twisted and Kate saw a glimpse of the monster this man had kept hidden.
“She was a whore like her mother. They both deserved to die,” he said, spittle flying out of his

mouth.

Bran’s jaw clenched. “You killed your mate, the mother of your children, and a member of my

pack?” he demanded.

Elias nodded absently, slipping back into his giggling self.
“She had to die, you see. She wanted to leave and she couldn’t leave,” he said in a singsong

manner.

Kate turned her head. This was worse than if he had been fighting. Caleb stepped forward.
“You gave your daughter to those animals,” Caleb choked out. To a wolf, betraying your children

and mate was the worst possible sin.

“She was going to ruin everything. She was going to tell. She had to die,” Elias said.
Bran straightened, pulling his body to its full height. “Elias Wade, for crimes against your family,

your pack, and Arkadia, I sentence you to death. Do you have any last words?”

“I hope they fuck your mate in front of you before they drain her dry,” he shrieked blood vessels

bursting in his eyes.

Caleb simply reached forward and snapped his neck.
“Fuck!” Bran yelled, frustrated, turning away from the body of the man who had caused so much

pain.

“Alpha, this is not your fault. You cannot be held responsible for every member of your pack,”

Riley said.

Caleb looked at Bran and simply placed a hand on his shoulder.
“As Alpha, you are responsible for every member of your pack, Bran,” Caleb began.
Kate gasped. “Caleb!” she started and he held up his hand.
“And, as Alpha, you have taken measures to ensure that this monster won’t hurt another innocent

soul. Learn what you can from this and become stronger,” he said, removing his hand when Bran
turned to face him.

“You’re right. Thank you, Caleb.”
Bran opened his arms and Kate stepped into the warmth of his embrace. Without clothing, they

were going to have to shift soon.

“Robert, can you and a few men take care of the body?” Bran asked.
The wolf to his right nodded and two other men stepped forward with him to lift the older man’s

body and carry it to the woods.

Kate smiled up at Bran before she grabbed her stomach. Wave upon wave of desperation and fear

hit her, making it nearly impossible to stay standing.

“Rebecca! They are at the clinic!” she cried out.
Bran shifted then Caleb. Kate stood there, shaking, her emotions ricocheting all over the place. She

couldn’t focus enough to shift. Caleb stepped forward, got on his hind feet, and licked her face. She
shook her head and pushed him down. Reaching into her core, she let her wolf free. Dropping down
as her wolf, she took off west toward town.

When they got close enough, she could hear the sounds of bear roars and the cackles of the hyena

clan. Bursting out of the woods, she headed straight to the clinic. Gavin and Benedict were shifted
and doing their best to block the front entrance. From the other side of the building, Kate watched as a
hyena body was thrown into the street by a four-hundred-and-fifty-pound tiger, who followed the
body and started to bat it around like a cat toy.

That would be Dr. Claybourne defending his patients, she thought.
Two male lions roared. One was perched in the bed of the truck guarding the back window and the

other stood in front of the truck swiping deadly claws at any hyena stupid enough to get close. She
barked and four wolves ran past her to assist Beau and Kaden.

She, Bran, and Caleb ran between Gavin and Benedict to get inside the clinic. When they got

inside, she skidded to a halt. Connor and Finn stood on their back haunches, fighting off six hyenas
who were taking turns darting in and biting the two bears. Kate immediately jumped on the back of
one of the hyenas and bit the back of his neck. She shook her head from side to side and heard a dull
crack. She dropped that body and moved to the next. Caleb and Bran had also taken out at least one
hyena each. Darting past Finn, she looked up to see him stab the hyena in the throat with his six-inch
bear claws. He shook his great paw as if flinging water off his fingers. The hyena went flying.

Kate ran into the recovery rooms where Aleks stood in human form in front of the bed. His large

hands shifted as Rebecca looked on in fear. The Raymonds stood shifted in front of Gina’s bed, where
Cecelia, holding Gina’s hand, looked out at the room with large eyes. Kate shifted and headed toward
Ashby and Rebecca.

Aleks stood holding one shoulder, which was bleeding profusely. Rebecca sat huddled with

Ashby, who was holding Nic close.

“My brothers?” Aleks asked, breathing hard.
“Fine. They were flinging bodies left and right outside,” Kate said, walking over and taking

Ashby’s hand. Bran and Caleb ran in.

“Aleks, why aren’t you shifted?” Caleb asked.
“I wouldn’t leave Rebecca and Nic still needed to have his transfusion bag changed, so Doc

handed me the bag and ran out to try and hold them off. Only one made it past Connor and Finn. Is the
doc okay?” Aleks asked.

“I’m fine,” Dr. Claybourne said. He strode in, pulling on a pair of green scrubs. He walked over

and checked Nic’s pulse before going to check on Gina. He went to a side cabinet and gathered a
stack of spare scrubs in all sizes and then he turned and threw them into the empty chair. Kate went
over and pulled on a shirt and a pair pants. She turned back around and watched Doc go from patient
to patient. Caleb and Bran pulled on scrubs and walked over to Kate.

“Thank God they slept through this! Any more mental trauma may have been detrimental,” Doc

said.

They all turned as a thundering roar was heard outside before yips and whimpers sounded off

around the outside of the building. Aleks slumped against the wall in relief. Finn, Connor, Benedict,
and Gavin walked in and went to the pile of scrubs.

“Ma,” Aleks said simply grinning, a goofy smile on his face. The other Arkadion boys were

grinning at each other knowingly.

“Aleks! Are you okay? Doc, is he okay?” Rebecca said when she saw Aleks slide down the wall,

her voice reaching octaves that made most of the shifters wince.

Rebecca started to shake then cry. Aleks struggled to stand. Caleb walked over and pulled him to

his feet. Aleks staggered over to the chair next to the bed and took Rebecca’s hand.

“Shush, Becca, baby it’s okay.”
She shook her head, sending her curls flying.
“No, no, no, no, it’s not okay! Everyone is getting hurt. The hyenas won’t stop. Why are they doing

this?” Her words had turned into unintelligible shrieks as she began to hyperventilate.

And just like that, Kate knew Rebecca had found her breaking point. Aleks looked up at Doc and

nodded, she could see his soul shattering in his eyes. Ma and Pa walked in just as Doc started to
administer a sedative. Slowly, her breathing evened out and her sobs slowed down. Her eyes started
to droop as she snuggled into Nic’s body. Ashby, who had been sharing her emotions through the

bond, breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes. Soon all three were fast asleep.

Ma and Pa had blood and gore covering their clothes. Like Aleks, they were strong enough to do

partial shifts and attack with just their claws. Duncan and Emmett followed, the blood only visible on
their hands from where their claws had been. Their clothes were unmarred by blood.

“Thank God she went out before she saw you two. She would have gone into complete hysterics,”

Doc said, pointing to their clothes.

“Please tell me she is okay,” Ma said, rushing over to stand beside Aleks.
“They’re both fine. As soon as I finish checking on Gina, I will check on your arm, Aleks,” Doc

said and Aleks waved him off.

“Tend someone else. This will be healed by morning,” he said.
Kaden and Beau walked in, carrying the Wade children. Both Beverly and Arthur Raymond

stepped forward, having already pulled on their clothes as soon as the fighting stopped. She went
over and took the girls in her arms as Arthur wrapped his arms around the boys’ shoulders. Kaden and
Beau went to the pile of scrubs.

“You’ll be living with us now,” Beverly said.
“Is my sister okay?” Ethan asked, going to stand by his sister taking her hand.
“She will be, but I bet she’d be real happy to hear your voice, son,” Doc said.
“Gina, it’s me Ethan. You were right. Alpha Kate and Alpha Bran and Alpha Caleb came and

saved us just like you said they would. Please wake up soon!” He kissed her hand.

Kate had to look away. She’d never thought anyone in the pack liked her, but she had missed how

much trust the children put in her. She cleared her throat.

“You’re going to like living at the Pack house, Ethan. There are lots of other children to play

with.”

He looked up at her and smiled shyly.
“The boys?” Caleb asked, turning to her. Bran walked out of the room flagging Riley down.
Doc handed her his cell phone from the small table between the hospital beds, which she used to

call Liam.

“Hello?” Liam’s voice came on the line.
“Liam, it’s me,” Kate said.
“Is everyone is okay? We haven’t heard anything.” Liam said rushing his words.
“We’re a little banged up, but we’re okay. How are the boys?” she asked.
“We put them down just a while ago. They couldn’t hang on anymore. Do you want us to keep them

for the night?” he asked.

Kate heard his voice soften when talking about the boys. Looks like they had conquered another

Alpha. She smiled and looked at Caleb, who nodded.

“Yes, please. We’ll barely have enough strength to get back to the Pack house tonight,” Kate

explained.

“I can imagine. Don’t worry. Uncle Liam will watch over the boys and in the morning, we’ll have

ice cream,” Liam said and in the background she heard Rian say, “I’m the uncle, not you, Liam. And
you can’t give those boys ice cream for breakfast!”

To which she heard Liam say under his breath, “Watch me.”
Kate just smiled.
“We’ll be over first thing in the morning,” she promised and hung up with him.

Bran walked back in and went to his mates. Kate wrapped Caleb’s arm around her neck and

reached behind her to wrap Bran’s arm around her waist. She luxuriated in the moment with both her
mates close to her and safe.

“The perimeter?” Ma asked of Bran.
“Closed,” Bran said simply and she nodded.
“Landon and Lucas?” Bran asked.
“Liam is keeping them through the morning. I told him we were wiped,” Kate said, laying her

cheek on his shoulder.

“Good idea,” Bran said yawning.
“The pack is okay?” Caleb asked.
“Surprisingly everyone came through this relatively unscathed. Just some bites here and there. I

think everyone’s anger at the attack made them more ferocious than normal because their animals
sensed a threat to the pack.” Bran started to sway.

“Come on, Alphas, we’ll drop you off at the Pack house before heading home,” Kaden said.
Bran blinked. Kate had to push her men forward.
“Thank you, Kaden. Come on, guys, time to head home.” Kate pushed and pulled both men out the

door and toward the truck.

When they got to the Pack house, she saw pack members crashed on couches, in chairs and even on

the rug in front of the fireplace. People had just curled up in the closest empty spot. She eyed a patch
on the floor behind the couch longingly. Caleb shook his head and prodded her up the stairs as she
grumbled every step of the way. Bran maneuvered them into the shower and managed to clean the
blood away. After her shower, Kate left the room and came back with Landon’s and Lucas’s stuffed
lions. She cuddled them close and fell into bed. After a cursory towel-dry, Bran and Caleb collapsed
into bed and wrapped themselves around Kate, all of them too tired even to fool around.

* * * *

Kate felt as though she had just closed her eyes when she heard a cell phone ringing. She picked

hers up to see that it was dead. She fumbled around and picked up Caleb’s. It wasn’t ringing. Finally
she found Bran’s.

“Hello?” she said hoarsely.
“Kate, hyenas have attacked the Pride house. The boys are fine. They slept through the whole thing.

We were able to dispatch the hyenas with no issues. In fact, my lions may have had too much fun. In
any case, we have a problem. My scout traced their scent back and they crossed over the perimeter
just an hour ago, well after you killed Elias Wade. He wasn’t the breach,” Liam explained.

He paused and then yelled to someone in the background, “Get those dismembered body parts off

my lawn! I do not want to smell that shit in the morning!”

Kate was wide awake.
“What!” She sat straight up, accidentally rolling Caleb off the bed. He landed and woke up

cursing.

“What the hell is going on?” he asked.
“Kate?” Bran asked, sitting up.
“Hyenas have attacked the Pride house,” she said, stunned. “Elias wasn’t the breach,” she said in

almost a whisper.

“Son of a bitch!” Caleb said, going to the dresser and pulling out clothes. He threw jeans and a

shirt to Bran.

“Landon…Lucas?” he asked.
“Fine, they’re fine,” she said to Caleb before turning back to the phone.
“Liam, we’re heading over to the clinic. I bet Ma is still there with Aleks and Rebecca. I’ll call

you back when we figure something out.” She hung up, jumped up, and went to the closet. She pulled
down her jeans and zip sweater.

She met both men at the bedroom door and they made their way down the stairs.
Riley came out of the family room, rubbing his eyes. “Bran? What’s going on? It’s only three a.m.”
“Hyenas crossed the perimeter an hour ago and attached the Pride house,” Kate explained.
“That’s impossible!” Riley said, his eyes now wide open.
“If Elias wasn’t the breach, then who else has betrayed the pack?” Riley said softly.
Pack members had woken up and were gathering behind Riley.
“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out,” Bran said.
“We’ll have to take your car, Caleb. My truck is still at the clinic,” Kate said, heading to the door.
“Riley, keep the pack in the house unless you hear from us. Run a patrol only as far out as the

property line,” Bran said, following Kate out the door.

The drive to the clinic was quiet. Kate felt waves of tension coming off Bran.
“Bran, we’ll figure it out,” Kate started.
“How? How, Kate? If you know of a way, please tell me,” Bran said sharply.
Kate sucked in her breath.
“Bran, back off, man,” Caleb said, placing a hand on Bran’s shoulder.
Kate could literally see the stress and anxiety melt away as if Caleb was siphoning it off through

their bond. Bran unclenched his hands on the steering wheel.

“Kate, I’m sorry, sweetheart. I just don’t know what to do,” Bran said.
It nearly broke her heart to hear him admit it out loud. She had a feeling that, had Caleb not come

into their lives, Bran would never have been comfortable sharing his fears. He would have tried to
stay the strong one. Kate sent a silent prayer of thanks to Fate for her choice.

“We’ll find the breach. We have somewhere to start now. We can check the Wade house to see if

there are any indications he was working with anyone.” She reached from the backseat to also lay a
hand on the back of his neck. Bran met her eyes in the rearview mirror and he gave a wan smile.

“We’re going to end up owing everyone in the lion pride for protecting the boys,” Caleb said.
“You don’t owe anyone when they are your friends and family,” Kate said.
“I guess I’m still learning about that,” Caleb admitted with a rueful smile.
“We can show you,” Bran said. Caleb nodded.
They pulled in front of the clinic and Bran parked next to her truck. They got out and headed

inside. The lights were off and it was quiet. They had just stepped inside when a low growl was
heard from the right.

“Aleks?” Kate said, wishing she could turn on a light. All the bears smelled the same to her.
“No, it’s Connor. What are ya’ll doing back here?” He turned on a small office lamp. When he did,

Kate saw cots set up in the waiting room. Low growls were heard from the beds’ occupants. The
Arkadion boys were waking up. Ma stepped through the double doors.

“What on earth are you three you doing back?” she asked.
“Ma, hyenas crossed the perimeter about an hour and a half ago and went after the boys at the

Pride house,” Kate said.

Ma gasped and brought a hand to her chest. “The boys? Liam?” she asked quickly.
Kate shook her head. “They’re fine, slept through the whole attack. Evidently the lions had fun.

Liam was more concerned about getting body parts off his lawn than the actual attack.”

“Wait, you said they crossed over the perimeter an hour and a half ago?” Ma asked. Pa had come

up behind her to wrap an arm around her shoulder.

Kate nodded.
“Sweet Fate! Elias wasn’t the breach,” Ma said.
“If we don’t find that breach, they will keep coming in and someone is going to end up dead,”

Aleks said, walking into the room, Rebecca right behind him.

“We’re planning on going back to the Wade house to see if we can find any clues as to what they

were doing,” Bran said.

A boy’s voice was heard just inside the double doors.
“Let me go!”
A second later Ashby appeared, holding a struggling Ethan by his collar. Ashby brought the boy

forward and passed him to Ma. Beverly and Arthur followed close on his heels.

“What is going on? Why did you grab Ethan?” Beverly demanded, going to the boy and pulling him

into her chest.

“He was trying to sneak out the back,” Ashby said.
All eyes turned to Ethan. Caleb stood in front of the boy and turned him around in Beverly’s arms.

His eyes were kind and he smiled gently.

“Ethan, will you tell us why you were trying to leave? We promise to listen and not get mad.”

Caleb took the boy’s hands, which were dwarfed by his giant ones.

Tears streaming down his face, Ethan looked at Caleb.
“It’s my fault! I asked them to come in. The hyena man promised to kill my dad so he wouldn’t hurt

my sisters anymore.” He started to cry, hard sobs shaking his thin frame. Beverly snatched him and
held him close. Caleb stood and looked to Bran, his eyes wide. Everyone stood in shock, staring at
one another.

“Well fuck,” Rebecca said.

Chapter 11

“What in the hell are we going to do?” Kate demanded, looking around the room.
“I will not let you hurt him!” Beverly said.
“Of course we’re not going to hurt him,” Kate said.
“What do we know about the perimeter?” Bran asked.
Ma shook her head. “Not much, not even in the town records. It was established the day the town

was founded so that they could build without fear of being attacked. The Arkadion Alpha at the time
contacted a witch’s coven to lay the perimeter for the town. It is completely unknown what they did.
We have ways to invite paranormals in as exceptions, but nothing on closing a breach.”

“So the only way to seal the perimeter is to kill the person who created the breach?” Nicholas

asked from behind them, making his way into the waiting room.

“Yes,” Bran said, rubbing his forehead.
“Well, logic would dictate that if we cannot alter or negate the magic used to lay the perimeter then

the only option left to us is to kill the person who created the breach,” Nicholas said, looking at
Rebecca.

She tilted her head and stared at him as the room erupted in arguments. Kate could literally feel the

wheels turning and then when Rebecca figured it out, she could see the light go off in her eyes.

“Of course! All we have to do is kill him!” she said, looking around the room, smiling. Aleks

stared down at her in horror. She looked up, confused.

“What? Not like permanently.” She turned to Nic. “You, my friend, are brilliant.”
Nicholas blushed.
“The only reason the idea came to mind is because of the research and background work you had

me doing about vampires,” Nic said.

“Still, it’s a great idea,” Rebecca continued.
“Wait! Stop! Explain for the rest of us who are having heart attacks,” Kate said.
Rebecca turned to the room. Kate could clearly see that her dear friend was plainly confused as to

why they hadn’t been able to keep up with the conversation she was having with Nic. Rebecca took a
deep breath.

Here we go, Kate thought.
“Well, Ashby is being cyber stalked by a certain hot club owner who may or may not have a pulse,

so Nic and I got worried that if Ashby ever took him up on his offer to go to the club he would end up
a Renfield or a chew toy or both and we couldn’t let that happen because if that happened then I
would totally have to go up there and go all cra-zay on his amazingly hot ass. So I had Nic look into
vampires since our library had little information on them so we could see if we could find out any
weaknesses in case we had to, you know, annihilate him. Anyhoo, Nic found out that in turning peeps
they have to bring them to the brink of death, like let them die then restart their bodies. So you see?”
She took a breath and looked around. “Get it?” she asked.

“So we get a vampire to turn Ethan?” Arthur asked.
Ethan’s eyes widened. “Cool!” he said.
“No!” Rebecca said. “But what we can do is call the one vampire who kinda owes us since his

club security let me and Ashby get taken and see if there are any tricks he can tell us about taking
someone to the brink of death and still be able to bring them back.”

“Rebecca’s is right, Nic. You’re a genius,” Kate said, kissing Nic on the cheek. He smiled.
“I don’t know. It’s risky,” Caleb said, concern evident on his face.
“I can do it. If someone gives me the specs to follow,” a voice said from behind them. Dr.

Clayboune walked out from behind the recovery room double doors. Bran nodded.

“I’d also like to ask this vampire why Elias seemed to be higher than a damn kite. There aren’t

many drugs out there that could have that effect on shifters and he couldn’t afford the few that I know
about.” Bran added.

“So all we have to do is call him,” Rebecca said and every head swung to Ashby. He squeaked.
“Why do I have to do it?” Ashby asked.
“Because he doesn’t have a hard-on for me, Ashers, or I would do it,” Rebecca said.
“What if I wake him up?” Ashby asked, his eyes wide.
“Ashby, the man is a vampire and even if he weren’t, he owns a friggin’ nightclub. Get to calling,”

Rebecca said.

Ashby slowly walked into the recovery room and came back out with his cell, dragging his feet.
“I think I only have like one bar,” he said.
“Ashers!” Rebecca exclaimed.
“Okay, okay,” he said and then dialed the number.
The line only rang once before a beautiful voice answered. The voice was loud enough for every

shifter to hear. Rebecca leaned her head in close to Ashby’s so she could listen in as well.

“Mon ange, what a pleasant surprise. Have you decided to take me up on my offer? I could have a

car there in less than an hour,” Gabriel said, answering the phone. Even his simple greeting sounded
princely.

Every woman in the room gave a small sigh. The man sounded that damn good.
“Um, no, actually I, um, called to kinda ask a favor and uh... a question,” Ashby stammered.
“What can I do for you, mon ange?” Gabriel asked gently.
Mon ange? Bran mouthed to Kate in question.
My angel, Kate mouthed back. He smiled then nodded. It made sense since Ashby did look like an

angel.

“We just found out that the perimeter breach allowing the hyena attacks is a boy from the wolf pack

—” That was as far as Ashby got.

“Are you all right! Did they hurt you?” Gabriel demanded, the beautiful, melodious voice turning

dark and terrible.

Ashby blushed a brilliant red. “I’m fine. Aleks and Rebecca kept us safe,” he said quietly. Kate

heard Gabriel take a deep breath.

“You must call me when these things happen, mon ange. I refuse to lose you before we explore this

thing between us,” Gabriel said, his melodic voice returning. Everyone in the room let out the breath
they had been holding.

“Unless we seal the perimeter, they may get to me next and drain me like they tried to do with

Nic,” Ashby said with a sniffle.

“They will not touch you!” Gabriel roared.
“If we seal the perimeter, then we don’t have to worry about the attacks anymore,” Ashby said

softly.

“What do you need from me, angel?” Gabriel asked.

“Can you tell Dr. Claybourne what levels to take a person’s body to, to take them to the brink of

death. We’re hoping this will reseal the perimeter. Then we can bring Ethan back,” Ashby explained.

“I’m flattered you have been learning about vampires, mon ange. It is a simple thing you ask and a

request that I can easily fulfill. I’m emailing you what you need now. Was there also a question?”
Gabriel asked.

“Yes, this is Bran. When we went to dispatch one of my pack members who had been working

with the hyenas, he was acting as though he was high on drugs. As you probably know, when you’re a
shifter, that’s extremely hard to do. Any ideas?”

A steady stream of curse words was heard in multiple languages.
“Did he act euphoric, almost manic one moment and then aggressive the next? Bloodshot eyes, lack

of coordination?” Gabriel demanded.

“Yes. Exactly that,” Bran explained. Gabriel exploded.
“They have gone too far! That process was banned centuries ago. When I find these parasites, I

will destroy every last one of them!”

“What is going on, Gabriel?” Ashby asked, his voice soft.
“The group of vampires that has started harvesting shifter blood has moved on to more dangerous

diversions. What you saw was the effects of Shifted Death on a shifter.” They heard him sigh.

“Shifted Death was first created nearly a millennia ago by a group of deranged vampires. It’s the

cyclical ingestion of blood directly from the shifter. After approximately fifteen minutes, the shifter
then bites and ingests the blood of the vampire while the vampire is feeling the effects of shifter
blood. This throws the shifter into a manic high. That is one cycle. This process can be repeated many
times before eventually the shifter’s heart gives out.

“There is a danger to the vampire as well. The more cycles they perform, the more they need

shifter blood to survive. They can no longer be sustained by human blood. This is why it was
forbidden to be done upon la douleur de l’éternité. Up until tonight I believed that no one who knew
of the process survived the cleansing we performed a thousand years ago. I need to find out how this
has come to light again. This could destroy both our races.”

When Gabriel finished, even Kate could hear the exhaustion in his voice. Ashby shifted from foot

to foot, as she felt his anxiety level rising.

“What is la douleur de l’éternité?” Aleks asked in a perfect French accent. Rebecca stared up at

him, looking shocked. He winked.

“For vampires, the idea of death isn’t all that scary. The older we become, the more death seems

like a peaceful sleep, where we can finally rest. To keep our people in line, we have other ways to
ensure that our laws are followed. One of them is la douleur de l’éternité or the Pain of Eternity. It is
one of our most severe punishments. It is where we take the offending vampire, drain him to the point
of death and inject him with liquid silver. We then place him in a coffin, which is then completely
sealed with molten silver and then buried deep within the earth. They remain there trapped for all
eternity.” Gabriel sighed.

“Holy crap!” Rebecca exclaimed.
They heard a soft chuckle from the phone. “Indeed, little one. Mon ange, you have brought to my

attention a problem I didn’t know existed. You may have saved many vampires by alerting me. Has
my assistance possibly put me in a more favorable light with you?” he asked, his voice deepening.

Ashby shivered. “Yes,” was the whispered response.

“Good. Until you call again, my angel, I will be doing what I can to minimize the devastation this

drug can cause,” Gabriel said and hung up.

“Lord have mercy, I bet that man can fuck!” Rebecca said, the words exploding from her. Aleks

snarled.

“Language,” Ma said, trying to hide her smile.
Rebecca grinned at Ashby, who was still blushing. He passed his phone to Dr. Claybourne so he

could get him the specifications he needed from Ashby’s email.

“There is a risk, but with what he provided, it’s minimal. Ethan is young and a shifter. I’m

confident I can do this,” Doc said, looking at the room, especially Beverly.

“I want to do this. It’s my fault they can come in. I want to fix it,” Ethan said with determination.
“You’re very brave, son. I’m proud to have you in my pack,” Bran said, clapping Ethan on the

shoulder.

Ethan tried to stand even straighter. Kate could see that the boy idolized Bran.
“Doc, it’s in your hands,” Beverly said, kissing Ethan on the top of the head.
Ethan blushed. “Aunt Bev! The Alpha is right there,” Ethan complained.
Bran’s mouth twitched. “A good man knows when to accept the love of the women around him.”

Bran winked at Ethan.

Ethan seemed to think about it for a second then winked back.
Caleb stepped forward, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Pretty soon this pup will be out running patrols.”
Kate could tell he was trying to boost the boy’s confidence. Ethan puffed out his chest.
“Ethan, if you would head back here with me, it’s time for me to kill you.” Doc grinned and gave a

mad scientist laugh. He looked around the room. Everyone was staring at him.

“Too soon?” he asked.
Ethan started giggling, which made the adults smile. Doc took his hand and led him down the hall

to the last room on the right. He closed the door behind him.

* * * *

It seemed like it took forever when, in actuality, the entire procedure took about two and half

hours. Doc emerged from the room, wiping his forehead.

“He’s doing fine. Came through like a champ. I kept his heart stopped for three minutes before

reviving him. Anything over five minutes and there are risks for brain damage,” Doc explained.

“Can I see him?” Beverly asked.
Doc nodded. “He’s asleep now but should be waking up soon and from what I know about shifter

physiology and twelve-year-old boys, he’ll be starving when he wakes up,” Doc said smiling tiredly.

Ma smiled. “You don’t have to tell me about that. I had seven of them. For the longest time I

thought it would easier to feed them if they just stayed bears and hunted.” She grimaced and shook her
head at the memory. “I’ll head to the diner and whip something up.” She and Pa left to head to the
diner.

Aleks looked around the room. “We did hunt. Poor Ma could barely keep up with us. Pa took us

out hunting after our second dinners.”

“I’m going to call Riley and tell him to meet us at the Wade house to start patrols. We need to find

out if this worked and the perimeter is sealed.” Bran took out his cell phone and walked outside.

Kate turned and walked to Caleb, sliding her arms around his waist and laying her head on his

chest.

“I wish this was over. I wish we were snuggled in bed with the boys watching cartoons and eating

Ma’s breakfast take-out,” Kate whispered.

Caleb’s arms tightened around her. “I miss them so much. I feel like I haven’t seen them in weeks.

But I’d rather miss them and have them be safe than have them with us right now. But can I say how
scary it is that breakfast take-out figures into your fantasy?” Caleb rubbed Kate’s back.

“No one at the Pack house can cook, so we all take turns driving to town for trays.” She shrugged.
“You guys can’t even make an omelet?” Caleb asked, incredulous.
“That requires more than two ingredients and you have to do the flip thing,” Kate said, looking up

at him.

“Good grief, you’re serious,” Caleb said staring down at his mate.
“I always thought we had trays because, with all the problems we were having, no one had the

time to shop or cook. That is every day?”

Kate nodded.
“Then I’ll be taking over the kitchen. I like being able to cook for the twins,” Caleb said.
“You can cook?” Kate asked. He nodded. “You can really cook?” Caleb nodded, again confused.
“Fate really did give us everything we needed!” Kate said excitedly.
Caleb smiled and shook his head. “After this is over, we’ll go to the grocery store and stock up.”

He played with her necklace.

“That will be so neat! Though we may need to go into Brighton to get pots and pans and utensils

and spices and wow, we need everything,” Kate said.

Caleb chuckled. “We’ll take the boys and make a day of it.”
Kate eyed him suspiciously. “You like to cook, don’t you?” she asked. He blushed.
“Caalleeebbb,” she said,
“I may have taken a course or two,” he mumbled.
“Where Caleb?”
“Le Cordon Bleu.”
Kate threw her hands up. “Okay, we really need to discuss our communication. As soon as this

hyena threat is over, we are so going shopping. You owe me like…” She counted in her head. “Like at
least fifteen meals.” She put her hands on her hips.

“What do I get as payment?” He tugged her necklace to bring her closer.
“Don’t play. I will totally whore myself out for gourmet food,” she said and he burst into laughter.
“Did I hear gourmet food?” Rebecca asked and walked over.
“Seems Caleb here took classes at Le Cordon Bleu and we’ve been eating take-out at the Pack

house,” Kate explained.

“Ohhh, I want to try some.” Rebecca clapped her hands and turned to face Caleb.
“I could make us dinner after I get the kitchen stocked,” Caleb said. Rebecca and Kate high-fived

each other.

“What did they talk you into?” Bran asked, walking back in.
“Caleb can cook, like really cook, and after the hyenas are gone, he’s going to make us a dinner,”

Rebecca explained.

Bran raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you could cook.”
“I already told him we needed to work on our communication.” Kate twisted her necklace around

her finger. Bran bent down and kissed her necklace charms.

“I miss the boys. I can’t wait to get them home where they belong,” Bran said, sighing.
“Us too,” Kate said.
Bran smiled down at Kate. “Riley is on his way with whatever pack members can function on little

to no sleep. We’re meeting them at the Wade house to start perimeter patrols. Hyenas are as dumb as a
bag of hammers so I bet they use the same entry points.”

Rebecca started giggling. “Bag of hammers.” She continued to giggle.
Bran smiled and continued. “I also called Liam. He’s doing the same on pride lands. Connor and

Benedict are splitting the Arkadion boys and patrolling the southern borders. Ma and Pa are checking
the town. With any luck, this could be over today.”

“Let’s get started then,” Caleb said, yawning.
“I need to find my little bag. I hate shifting back and being naked all the time. Why can’t they make

clothes like they do my necklace?” Kate grumbled to no one in particular.

“Hurry back,” Rebecca said as Aleks wrapped his arms around her.
Caleb, Bran, and Kate said they would and then left the clinic to head toward their pack lands.

Chapter 12

It was well into the afternoon and they had been running the perimeter line for hours when Kate

finally stopped and planted her paws, dropping her pink bag to the snow-covered ground. She was
beyond tired and starving. She lay down and rested her head on her front paws. She watched the two
giant male wolves stop and look back. The larger of the two barked and the entire pack slowed down
and cantered back to where Kate lay. Many of the other wolves collapsed to the ground as well,
breathing hard. Her mates came up beside her and began to lick her face. Bran’s wolf nudged his
muzzle under her paws until she got the idea and brought them up for him to inspect. He knew her
paws ached terribly after long runs. His warm tongue bathed her sore pads. She closed her eyes and
gave a happy yip. Caleb’s wolf rubbed his head over hers. After a few moments she stood and shifted
back. Both of her men and the pack followed suit.

“Bran, let’s watch this point just a bit longer and then get everyone back to town to warm up and

get some food. We’re all exhausted.” She picked up the knit bag that held her clothes. Cecelia was a
damn genius.

“I agree. Do you think Cecelia would make me one of those bags?” Bran asked.
Kate shrugged. “Ask her. From what she told me, they are easy to make and she has a ton of them.”
“I’d take one too,” Riley said, walking over. “I’m freezing my balls off.” He rubbed his hands up

and down his arms. “What’s the plan, boss?”

Just Kate caught the scent of hyena.
“Bran, where is the perimeter line?” Kate asked in a whisper.
“About two hundred yards in front of us,” he replied.
Suddenly the air was filled with the sounds of cackling laughter as a large group of hyenas came

barreling toward them. Everyone except Bran, Caleb, Kate and Riley shifted back to wolf. They ran
closer and closer. Four hundred yards, three hundred yards and then two hundred yards.

“Bran,” Kate said urgently, watching them pass the two hundred yard mark.
“Sir?” Riley asked, turning to Bran.
Just then the sounds of painful howls erupted as hyena after hyena slammed into an invisible

barrier.

Riley’s head swung back around. “Oh God, please do that again, I missed it the first time!” He

threw back his head, laughing.

Hyena after hyena tried running through the perimeter, only to be stopped short. They were

bouncing off the perimeter, sometimes breaking bones in the process. By the third hyena, the entire
pack had shifted back to human and were watching in fascination as the hyenas tried without success
to get any closer.

“Keep trying, you useless pieces of shit! There is no way they sealed the perimeter!” The hyena in

the back of the group yelled. He stood naked in human form looking disheveled and unwashed. Kate
shuddered.

“The definition of insanity,” Caleb said simply as he watched yet another hyena run toward the

perimeter.

This one hit hard enough that Kate heard was a loud crack. The hyena went down and didn’t get

back up. It had snapped its own neck.

“Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results,” Kate said, laughing out

loud.

The hyena leader was now screaming incoherently and pointing to the wolf pack.
“You might as well give up. The perimeter is back in place,” Caleb yelled out.
“Shut the fuck up, wolf. There’s no way you could get the perimeter back and when we get through,

I will personally drain those two brats of yours for the death of my brother!” the man screamed,
pointing to the hyena who had snapped his neck.

Caleb shook as his entire body shifted, his wolf breaking free. Kate dropped to her knees and

wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to keep him from running to the man. Caleb snapped and
snarled at the hyena who had threatened their sons.

“Why don’t you try taking my blood, you fucking cowards!” Bran yelled, his eyes and hands having

shifted.

“Because your blood isn’t as yummy as that of two baby leopards. We know someone who wants

to suck them dry,” the hyena leader said, laughing.

Kate lost her grip on Caleb as Bran shifted fully. Both ran toward the group of hyenas as the pack

followed. She shifted and ran away from the fight, circling around to the east to be able to come up
behind where the leader stood. She heard the fighting and prayed that her men were safe. Coming up
on the east road, she saw their vehicles. She shifted to human and looked inside. She smiled. Jackpot.
She grabbed the semi-automatic and ran toward the fight. They weren’t going to get any answers out
of the leader if Caleb and Bran mauled him to death.

She eased her way forward until she saw the leader, who had his hand held behind him, holding

another gun. She was about to make her move when she saw him bring the gun forward and aim, his
sights locked on Bran. Without thought, she brought her gun up and fired.

The single shot echoed off the trees. The leader fell to one knee, gripping his shoulder. He looked

back, saw Kate with her gun trained on him, and snarled. He shifted and took off into the woods. The
hyenas, seeing that the fight was over, ran after him.

“Dammit!” Kate yelled.
They needed answers more than they needed dead enemies. Bran and Caleb shifted and stormed up

to her.

“What in the hell were you thinking? You could have been killed. Why didn’t you stay with the

pack?” Bran demanded, then grabbed her upper arms and slammed his mouth down on hers. When he
released her, Caleb simply cupped the back of her head with his hand and devoured her lips before
releasing her.

“We needed answers, Bran. The leader said he knew of someone specifically who wanted the

boys. If we could find out who that is, if we kill him, maybe the attacks will stop altogether. And, I
saved your ass by the way. You’re welcome,” she yelled back.

Bran opened his mouth to answer, but Caleb shook his head.
“She’s right and she did save your life. That guy had you in his sights.” Kate watched Caleb

shuddered. They had both almost lost their Alpha. Their wolves were spooked. The feeling seemed to
be mutual as the wolf pack shifted back to human and seemed to want to stay as close to Bran as
possible.

“Well, I guess the perimeter works,” Riley said, so deadpan that Kate turned to stare at him.
“I guess so,” she said, laughing.
“All right, guys, drag the bodies over and start throwing them in the ravine. Then let’s head home,”

Bran said as everyone erupted into groans.

It was another hour before the bodies were taken care of and everyone slowly made their way

back home.

When they arrived at the Pack house, Bran immediately got on the phone to let Ma know that the

perimeter had been sealed. She said she would spread the word and let everyone know. He hung up
the phone and went to look for Kate and Caleb. He found them curled up on the den floor with the
entire pack cuddled up close to them. Smiling, he made his way through the obstacle course of
people’s arms, legs, hands and feet. When he finally made it to Kate, he lay down on the floor and
snuggled up to her back, wrapping his arm around her waist as she curled around Caleb’s body and
wrapped her arm around his waist. He sighed. For the first time in nearly a week, he went to sleep
with his heart at peace.

Chapter 13

Bran looked over the invoice for the kitchen remodel that Kate had insisted on. Duncan and his

crew had done a wonderful job and was able to fit them in almost immediately. The kitchen had been
updated with industrial stoves and refrigerators. Caleb had also insisted on two deep freezers since
he had taken on feeding those who lived in the Pack house. The other invoice was for one of three
shopping trips that he had participated in when Kate insisted on buying everything new for the new
kitchen. He had to admit he liked knowing that she picked out the amber-toned coffee mugs to match
his eyes. Or that Caleb had chosen the green accents since he knew it was Kate’s favorite color. The
kitchen really felt like their own now, not just leftover decor from his parents.

He reached over and picked up one of the raspberry scones that Caleb had made for breakfast. He

took a bite and sighed. Fate had known what she was doing when she sent Caleb to them. He looked
up and smiled at the painting that now hung on the wall of his office. It was one of the first that Caleb
had finished when he was able to set some time aside to paint.

It was of Kate, dressed in a skimpy fifties-style blue polka dot bikini. Damn, he loved that

painting. The man was a freaking genius. He briefly wondered if he could bribe him into doing more.
He was suddenly overcome with the need to see his beautiful mate. He stood and stretched his legs.
The invoices would be there when he got back.

He passed the den, where Cecelia and a recovering Gina sat with Landon and Lucas. Some of the

other pack children sat with them entertaining the boys, who seemed more like tiny princes with their
court than babies. Gina and Cecelia, who were both in the education program at the local college,
were using this as experience to finish their papers for their Child Development class. Both girls
hoped to graduate soon and teach at the local elementary school.

After coming home, Gina and Cecelia had taken over watching the boys from Rian, who pouted,

but Bran thought the lion was secretly glad to have some of his nights back. That didn’t mean that Rian
didn’t stop by at all hours to make sure his nephews were doing well. Bran waved at Gina before
making his way to the dining room. He smiled. There was his beautiful mate.

She was talking to Beverly about what formulas and foods were best for the twins. Ever since the

attack on Gina, Beverly had completely changed her attitude toward Kate. The two could be seen all
over the Pack house, listening to people and helping settle disputes. There was no dissension in the
pack now. Everyone loved and respected Kate for how she had handled the hyena threat. She looked
up and saw him watching. She winked and nodded toward the kitchen. He smiled and nodded.

He walked down the hallway from the dining room to the kitchen. Caleb was bent over a stainless

steel bowl, mixing up what looked to be ground beef.

“Dinner I hope,” Bran said and Caleb looked up.
“Yup, Kate wanted meatloaf. I’m almost done. The boys?” He added about another cup of

breadcrumbs.

“Gina and Cecelia have kidnapped them again. The twins are currently the center of attention in the

den.”

“They are going to be heartbreakers. We should warn the pack now,” Caleb said, looking proud as

he continued to mix the beef and crumb mixture. “Caleb, are you happy here?” Bran asked. He knew
how he felt about how things turned out, but he wanted to make sure his other mate was happy as
well.

Caleb looked up, surprised. “Of course I am. I’ve never had a home like this before. You, me,

Kate, and the boys… that’s home to me. Being able to stay home with them, watching them grow, and
being able to paint, I feel like all I have done is take. Like a mistress.” He put the formed meatloaf
into the pan and put it in the oven.

Bran chuckled. “Then we’re both mistresses.”
Caleb looked up, confused.
“The Pack house is mine. It’s been in my family for generations, but the money, that is all Kate. It’s

another reason that her old Alpha wanted to mate with her. To gain access to the trust fund her parents
had left for her. We will just have to find a way to live with being kept men.” Bran sighed
dramatically. He then peeked over at Caleb, was staring at him with his mouth open.

“No wonder she would roll her eyes every time I told you not to let her spend too much.” Caleb

groaned.

“She doesn’t make a big deal out of it and not a lot of people know. She likes the idea that she’s

running up my credit card. It makes her happy and I learned just to roll with it,” Bran said.

“She hardly ever buys anything for herself,” Caleb said, realizing exactly how selfless his mate

was.

“She loves to shop, but only for others. If it weren’t for Rian, she would probably still be running

around in the black sweatpants she commandeered from my closet the first day she was here. She
simply doesn’t care about herself that way.” Bran rubbed his chin.

“Then I guess it’s a good thing Fate paired her with two men who will spoil her rotten,” Caleb

said, putting the foil-wrapped potatoes in with the meatloaf.

“I have to admit, at first, I thought Fate had messed up this mating, but looking at everything that

has happened, we really did need each other,” Bran surmised quietly.

A throat cleared behind them.
“Um, sir… Kate asked me to tell your presence, both of you, has been requested in the master

bedroom,” Riley said, turning pink.

Bran looked at Caleb and both of them broke into a run, dashing past Riley, who had began to

laugh. They ran past the dining room.

“You better treat that girl right,” Bran heard Beverly say as they sprinted by.
“Go get her, Alpha!” was one of the catcalls he heard as they jockeyed their way up the stairs.

They turned the corner and headed down the hallway to see Rian walking toward them. They side-
stepped the man.

“You two so owe me,” Rian said, continuing his way downstairs.
They both hit the door at the same time and burst into the bedroom.
Both men skidded to a stop and stood staring at the scene in front of them. Kate had turned the

lights down and lit candles all over the room. There was a lingering scent of vanilla and jasmine in
the air from the candles. Kate lay in the middle of their bed, which was now covered in satin sheets,
reclining back on her elbows. Her blonde hair cascaded around her shoulders in waves and she wore
a delicate emerald-green nightie. The top was an intricate mix of green satin and ivory ribbons and
the bottom was high-cut shorts that showed off her long legs to perfection.

Bran quickly shut the door behind them and locked it, not wanting anything to interrupt this time

that Kate had set aside. Both men stepped forward, reaching for their shirt hems. She smiled at them
and wagged her finger at them and then pouted.

“Won’t you strip for me?” she asked, smiling shyly and playing the innocent role to the hilt. Both

men froze then looked at each other and smiled.

Caleb pulled his shirt over his head, stretching and exposing his perfect six-pack and broad chest.

He dropped his shirt before reaching for his jeans. He popped the button and eased the zipper down.
He looked up at her through his bangs and winked before sliding his jeans down to reveal his
straining prick reaching for his belly button. He stepped out of his jeans and stood there for her
perusal.

Bran slipped one shirt button out of the button hole then another. He flexed his shoulders as he slid

his shirt off and draped it over the chair taking his time. His long fingers went to the top of his
trousers and he unhooked the fasteners and the fabric fell away to reveal a pair of silk boxers. He
kicked off the pants and lazily folded them before setting them on the chair. He pressed the silk fabric
against his bulging cock to show an impressive outline. Kate licked her lips. He dropped the boxers
and stood beside Caleb, waiting for orders from his gorgeous mate.

Kate rose to her knees and hopped off the bed. She walked over to her mates, taking the time to run

her hands over the defined muscles of their chests before trailing her fingers downward to caress the
muscles of their abdomens. Bran inhaled quickly and Caleb widened his stance. She moved her hands
to her own chest and ran her hands down her breasts, plucking her hardened nipples and making them
strain against the thin satin. Both men began a low growl.

She gracefully went to her knees and took one hardened prick in each hand. Slowly, she squeezed

and ran her thumbs over the slits and their growls increased.

“That’s it, baby, take what you want,” Bran said, pushing his hips forward and sliding his heavy

cock between her fingers.

“I want to taste each of you. You both smell delicious to me.”
She leaned forward, taking the head of Bran’s cock into her mouth. She swirled her tongue around

the head before creating a suction with her mouth. After being with the man over a year, she knew
what he liked. She lightly grazed her lower teeth against the bunch of nerves under the head of his
cock. He went wild and started thrusting down her throat.

She stroked Caleb as she worked Bran over. She breathed through her nose and swallowed around

his length. She brought her head up and licked the tip before turning to Caleb. She ran her tongue
along the vein that ran the length of his thick cock.

“Damn, lovely baby, don’t keep me waiting,” he said, his voice labored.
She winked and took him completely down her throat, placing her lips on his groin.
“Fuck! Fuck!” Caleb yelled.
She kept swallowing, her throat convulsing around his cock. When she felt his balls raise up, she

pulled off him and she looked up at both men. They converged on her, lifting her arms above her head
and pulling the top off. Caleb latched onto her left breast and Bran on the right. Between them, they
slid her shorts down, exposing her now bare mound. Their seeking fingers stopped when the
encountered bare skin. They both looked up from her breasts and stepped back to admire the view.

Her breasts now sported bright-red nipples and her pale sex glistened with her own juices as they

slicked up her inner thighs.

“God, Kate, you are so fucking beautiful,” Caleb said, his throat constricting.
Even if they lived to be a thousand years old, he would never deserve her. Bran took a half step

backward, giving his silent nod for Caleb to take their mate first. Caleb’s hands shook. This would be

the first time he took her alone.

Seeing him hesitate, she held out her hand and led him to the bed. She climbed on, pulling him up

after her. Caleb eased himself between her legs and, with one hand around the base of his shaft, eased
forward, stretching her body around him as he entered. He pushed his way forward and didn’t stop
until he was fully seated deep inside her tight cunt. He felt the bed dip to his left and turned to see
Bran lying beside him, slowly stroking his shaft. Caleb dropped his head to Kate’s shoulder and
slowly moved in and out of her body.

Kate wanted to urge him faster but knew he needed this time to connect with her. She had to admit

that the slow pace was giving birth to new levels of desperation. She used the bottom of her feet to
caress his ass and wrapped her arms around him to dig her nails into his back. He reveled in every
touch she gave him. He kept up the steady pace, taking his time being with her and inside her. Slowly,
she felt the tiny ember inside of her flash into a bonfire. Every time he thrust, he hit a deliciously
painful spot inside of her.

“Love you, Kate. God, I love you so much. I’ll love you even after we move from this world on to

the next,” he whispered.

She felt his hot tears drop onto her shoulder and tightened her grip, never wanting to let him go. He

increased his pace and she fought to keep the tears back. She felt as though he was making love to her
soul.

“I love you, Caleb. I love you and Bran so much!” She sobbed and it was as if his body was

waiting for her words. She felt jet after jet of hot cum fill her.

Caleb withdrew and collapsed to lie on his right side. He cupped her cheek to wipe away her

tears. She looked over and saw that he had tears of his own.

She felt Bran move and then he was inside her. His eyes were shifted and streaking tears, his

emotions evident on his face. He moved with sure strokes, his body knowing exactly what she needed
having spent the past year learning how to give his mate more pleasure than she could handle.

He snapped his hips forward, driving deeper and deeper, satisfying the ache he knew was growing

inside of her.

“Bran, please, please, please,” Kate chanted.
He threw back his head and howled loudly and moved so that each hand was buried into the

pillow beside her head.

“My Kate! My sweetheart, mine and Caleb’s forever!”
He felt his orgasm slam into him unexpectedly and he cried out, releasing a soul-wrenching howl.

He heard Caleb’s strangled cry and his voice lifted with his. He could feel through his bond that
Caleb had come again. In the distance and throughout the house, he heard pack members raise their
voices to join in the pure joy that their Alphas were radiating. Kate had dissolved into quiet tears. He
withdrew gently and lay down on his left side, each man laying a hand over her heart.

“Now, Caleb,” Bran said softly.
Caleb nodded and slid off the bed.
Kate immediately felt his absence.
“Shush, love, he is coming right back,” Bran said, kissing her nose.
“You knew I was feeling anxious?” she asked.
“Our bond has grown stronger,” Bran said as Caleb walked in from the sitting room off the master

bedroom. It had been acting as Caleb’s studio. He brought forward a huge canvas draped in a sheet.

He looked at Bran, who smiled his encouragement.

“Kate, part of the reason why I hesitated in leaving the plantation house was because of the mural I

painted on the wall in the boys’ nursery. It was my small way of trying to keep their family alive for
them. But that mural is no longer accurate. The boys and I have a much bigger and richer family now
and hopefully, this captures that.” He pulled the sheet away.

Kate stared in shocked amazement. There were no words to describe the exquisiteness Caleb had

created. In the background, he had painted a forest scene with the wolf pack peeking out from behind
trees and rocks. Large brown bears anchored the painting, filling the corners and border, as if
protecting the painting’s occupants as their real-life counterparts protected the town. In the center of
the painting was their family. Bran and Caleb stood on either side of Kate, who smiled gently, a
seemingly knowing smile on her face. Landon and Lucas were in her arms, smiling up at their parents.
Two male lions stood on either side of the family like sentries. In the sky, the clouds seemed to shift
and move to create the entire snow leopard leap. Their teal eyes peeked around white fur to create the
illusion of clouds and a clear blue sky. But it was the tiny, nearly transparent, baby wolves running
from the heavens to Kate’s midsection that made her close her eyes and weep.

Kate buried her face in her hands and sobbed at the beauty and serenity the portrait created. But

she also wept for her insecurity at the possibility of not being able to give Caleb the small wolf
babies he so clearly wanted.

“Kate, please don’t cry. This was supposed to make you happy,” Caleb said, leaning the portrait

against the wall.

“I can’t help it. What if I can’t have b-b-babies?” she said, her heart breaking.
“Kate, hasn’t Fate given us everything we needed in this mating? Even the things we didn’t even

know we needed?” Bran asked gently, turning her to face him. She nodded.

“Then, do you really think that Fate would bring the three of us together, three healthy shifters who

could provide a wonderful home for children and who desperately want babies, and have you be
barren?” he asked, forcing her to meet his eyes.

She thought about it for the longest time.
“No, Fate would not be that cruel,” she said.
“Then all we have to do is practice,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.
“And practice,” Caleb said, kissing her neck.
“I guess we can do that. I still have the other color nighties to give you.” She smiled, and they both

looked at her blankly.

“Today was emerald green to match the emerald birthstone that Bran gave me for my necklace. I

still have three other birthstones and the necklace to thank you for,” she said, smiled.

“Best. Mate. Ever!” Caleb said, grabbing her around the waist and kissing her.
“Well, no time like the present,” Bran said.
Caleb and Kate looked over to him, Caleb raising an eyebrow.
“To start making babies,” Bran said, placing a hand over her belly.
“Game on,” Kate said, pulling both men to her.
“Game on,” they echoed.

Chapter 14

Bran and Caleb got out of the car, leaving Kate to carry the boys in. Bran was on a mission. They

got to the diner door and Bran was reaching for the doorknob when his hand collided with Aleks’s
hand. Bran looked up, already aggravated and gave a low growl, which Aleks returned in spades. Not
saying a word, the three large men stepped into the diner and stopped, their eyes searching out the
target they were looking to destroy.

Their eyes moved almost as one and locked in on the dark-haired male who laughed carelessly

with his auburn-haired friend. As if sensing danger, the small, dark-haired man looked up and his eyes
widened. The diner immediately got quiet.

Surprised that they were after the same man, Aleks turned to Bran.
“I know why I want to choke the life out of him. But why do you?” he asked.
“Let’s just say that the fun little ‘educational’ videos he has been showing the boys aren’t fun

anymore,” Caleb explained, his head swinging back to Rian. He snarled.

“Oh my God! Has he been showing the boys porn, too!” Aleks asked, his eyes huge.
“What! No! Wait, what?” Bran sputtered.
“You three are being absolutely unreasonable,” Kate said as she and Rebecca walked in, holding

the twins.

They pushed past the three hulking Alpha males to sit down next to Rian and Damian.
“I am not being unreasonable! You are pregnant, with my child. He doesn’t need to be showing you

kinky porn videos that explain different positions,” Aleks roared.

Bran and Caleb turned away to hide their smiles.
“Jeez, Aleks, just put our business right on out there. Besides, I didn’t hear you complaining last

night when your eyes rolled back in your head and you were calling out for the Gods or Fate or
whoever would listen.” Rebecca winced as she realized that Ma was standing at the counter. She
waved at Ma who just smiled.

“At least you’re getting to enjoy your ‘educational’ videos. The one he has been showing the boys

is driving us up the fucking walls!” Caleb complained.

“Come on, everyone loves that one,” Rian said.
“The Lion King is the ‘educational’ video you have been showing my sons non-stop!” Bran

exclaimed.

“I swear I feel like I have been brainwashed and Hakuna Matata is my damn trigger to start

killing shit,” Caleb exclaimed.

Rebecca and Kate started giggling and the men knew their righteous anger would not end with

choking the life out of the lion. They made their way over to where their mates sat and joined them at
the table.

“First of all, sex has all but alleviated Rebecca’s morning sickness. Second of all, I totally picked

out all that gorgeous lingerie you have been ripping off Kate. So I deserve praise and worship, not
death threats!” Rian said dramatically and the Alphas had to admit defeat. Caleb took Landon and
Bran took Lucas from the women.

“Since we can’t kill you, I guess we have to give you and Damian these gift cards for shopping

instead,” Bran said, sighing and handing over a large envelope.

Rian, fell silent, looking back and forth from Bran to Caleb.

“And here are gift certificates for your spa treatments,” Aleks said, throwing his envelope on to

the table.

All three men were looking smug and their mates beamed proudly. Rian and Damian looked at

each other then the table where the envelopes lay. They jumped up and gave loud screams.

“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! Ya’ll are the best!” Rian screeched.
“You deserve it, Rian. You’ve put your life on the line to protect our boys. This is a small way to

thank you,” Caleb said, as he watched the small man bounce around the diner showing off his gifts.

“You’ve been there to keep Rebecca company and keep her mind off her morning sickness. I can’t

thank you enough for that,” Aleks said, taking Rebecca’s hand.

Rian and Damian launched themselves at the women, hugging and squealing.
“You’re our family,” Rian said simply, as if that explained everything. His eyes began to water.
Damian dashed his eyes and wrapped an arm around Rian.
“Don’t cry. If you cry, I’m gonna cry!” Rebecca said, sniffing loudly.
Rian shook his head and gave a wobbly smile. “We can’t have that. Your makeup is looking divine

today.”

Everyone started to laugh.
Kate smiled at Caleb and Bran, taking their free hands as they watched Rian flit from person to

person describing what outfits he was going to get. Damian sat with Rebecca, asking what spa
procedures he should sign up for. She realized suddenly that Rian was right. Ever since Rebecca had
come to town, relationships had been forming and bonds growing. As unconventional as it might be,
Kate’s ménage mating had created the family she had always dreamed of having and hopefully, one
day, she would be adding to. She patted her tummy. Some day.

Epilogue

The gentleman looked at the men kneeling in front of his desk on the thin piece of plastic. He

sighed. He’d really had high hopes for this task. How hard could it be to take two small infants? It
wasn’t like they could fight back.

“Which one of you thought to use the boy to keep the perimeter down?” he asked, standing.
The hyenas before him flinched. Hesitantly, the hyena to the right raised his hand.
“It was my idea,” he said, cringing.
The gentleman stepped forward and ripped the head off the hyena closest to him. He stepped to

one side as the headless body fell forward. He tucked the head under his left arm.

“I am very disappointed that you did not get what I asked of you. I’m afraid I am going to have to

torture you and bleed you to make things right again.” His voice remained quite calm and neutral. He
looked down and tsked.

“See what you made me do? Such a waste of blood. You are bad boys, aren’t you?” the gentleman

asked the head under his arm. He brought his hand up and moved the jaw up and down.

“Yes, sir, we’re extremely bad and we need to be punished thoroughly to appease your anger.”
“Too right you are, old boy,” the gentleman said cheerfully to the severed head.
“You and your associates will grace my dungeons until such time as I feel you have paid your debt

for me. Then I will let you out and I will allow you to start paying on the interest. See what a splendid
fellow I am?” he asked and wrinkled his nose as the strong smell of urine filled the air.

“Payne, please take the gentleman who just urinated and his clan members and make sure they have

nice accommodations downstairs. Oh and you can take this as well.” He passed Payne the bloody
head.

He stepped on the hyena who had admitted to using the boy in his plans as he tried to crawl away.
“Not you. You have earned a reprieve. You see, your idea was positively Machiavellian. You

gambled on them not being able to murder a twelve-year-old boy. I loved it! For the most part, your
species is quite dull, so the tiny ray of intelligence you have shown is rare and I want to cultivate it. I
am not sending you to the dungeon. I am letting you go free so that you may find a way for your clan to
make up these disappointments to me. I wouldn’t try to run if I were you. It would end badly, for you I
mean.”

The hyena stared up at him in horror.
“Payne, this one is to be set free. He has a lot of thinking to do.”
The gentleman watched as the last hyena was escorted out of his office. He stripped off his jacket

and set it to one side. Payne would clean it later. He stared out the window to the wide-open
landscape.

From what the hyenas had been able to stammer out, the shifters would know about Shifted Death

by now, which meant if his sources were accurate, then Gabriel would know as well. He gave a
smile. That meant that Gabriel would soon start sniffing around the other covens trying to locate the
source of knowledge about the processes needed to make the shifters’ drug. The hidden council
controlling the drug ring would want to eliminate the threat that Gabriel would pose. The gentleman
smiled.

He had a feeling that the next couple weeks would be very entertaining, possibly more entertaining

than the hyena screams coming from his dungeon. Possibly.

THE END

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alanea has been writing since she could hold a crayon and has the paper to prove it. She loves

reading almost as much as she loves writing and can be found at any given moment either in front of
the computer or on the couch with her iPad reading some of her favorite authors. She believes that
love truly conquers all and that everyone no matter what, deserves a chance at that love and a place
they can call home. She loves to hear from her readers, please visit her website or follow her on
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