Thoreau - Chapter 58: Chapter 58

Bridger Donahue
We couldn't link in the white room, but Mr. Halder had forgotten to take our phones and didn't send anyone to supervise us, most likely because he was too busy dealing with Reau's dads.
Better him than us! Max snorted.
Eli will still catch some of it, no doubt, I told him.
But at least Mr. Halder can calm them down a little first.
Ha! Calm them down. I rolled my eyes at him. You're funny, wolf.
Everyone knew Beta Emerson and Angelo had zero tolerance for anything bad happening to their special boy, and I imagined they were raising holy hell right about now.
Still, that was a worry for later, and Eli and I would face it together when it happened. Even though I'd had no part in Reau getting hurt, I wouldn't let my best friend stand alone.
Since we could talk freely and had nothing but time on our hands, Eli and I spent our whole detention brainstorming a plan for him to show Reau how sorry he was for what happened. We all, including Reau, had to work after school, so that limited some of what we could do, but we came up with something we thought was pretty good.
While Eli texted our friends for a little help, I called my boss to tell him what happened and see if he could put dinner together for us.
Roger, being the cool old guy he was, agreed and said he'd have our regular orders plus some 'Reau Specials' ready for me to take along after my shift.
Before a certain someone moved to Five Fangs, the diner didn't even keep peanut butter in the kitchen, and the only jelly came in small, single-serve containers for people who wanted it for their toast in the morning. Once Reau became a part of the pack, though, Roger added a new item to the menu - PB and Js with a glass of chocolate milk and a side of strawberries.
At first, he'd only added it because Reau asked for it nearly every time he came to the diner, but it became more popular than he thought it would, so Reau Specials were now on the permanent menu.
I liked working for Roger. He didn't hold my past against me the way some of the pack did, and he taught me a lot about running the diner. I'd been working for him since I was fourteen years old. That was when I finally realized that my great-grandma Sadie wasn't exactly in her right mind anymore. I was tired of forgotten or burnt meals, and I figured I could score a free dinner every now and then if I worked at the diner.
It wasn't like I was broke; my parents had left a nice nest egg plus the house for me when they died in the sickness, but I knew shit about cooking and eating takeout every night got old real quick.
I never knew if Roger understood what was happening with Grandma Sadie or not, but he let me take home all the leftovers on the nights I worked the last shift. Getting home at 10:30 p.m. on a school night was hard for a middle-schooler, but the free food more than made up for it.
Surprising myself, I picked up a bunch of cooking tips from watching everything happening in the kitchen. I eventually braved the grocery store and started making simple meals for us and slowly ventured into more complex recipes. I couldn't lie and say they all turned out every time, but I was proud of the recipes I perfected.
I liked variety in my meals, but Grandma Sadi would have eaten potatoes every day if I had let her. Boiled, mashed, fried, roasted - she didn't care. It must have been her comfort food. In fact, a baked potato was the last thing she asked me to make for her before she went to live at the care facility and I moved in with the Prices.
Speaking of the Prices, the door to the white room opened, and Eli and I both looked up to see Royal Price gesturing for us to come on. Once we were standing in the hallway, we saw he wasn't alone. Alpha Cole stood right behind him with a sleeping Rosalie cradled against his broad chest, one huge hand completely covering the back of her head as he held her as carefully as if he were carrying an armful of glass shards.
I could absolutely relate. I held Isabelle the same way, as if she could shatter with the slightest jostle.
Why's Alpha Cole carrying Rosie? Eli linked me.
She's not even one yet, dude. I rolled my eyes. She hasn't learned to walk yet!
I know that, dummy! I've been over to play with her and Isabelle how many times now? I meant, why alpha and not her father?
To keep himself calm. You know Alpha Cole has the worst temper of the five.
As if to prove my point, alpha kissed the top of her head, then lowered his face to breathe in her sweet baby goodness, something else I could relate to.
I didn't know it before Isabelle came into my life, but little she-wolves had a special smell that could calm anyone outside of a feral or insane wolf. It wasn't the same as the bonding scent that all newborns had until they were about six weeks old, and I'd eventually asked Mrs. Price if I was imagining what I called sweet baby goodness or if there really was a fragrance that made me want to protect Isabelle - and later Rosalie - with my life.
Apparently, all she-wolves had a special scent that lasted until they got their wolves at age twelve. No one knew why it sent a shifter's protective instincts into overdrive, but Mrs. Price had a theory that it was the Goddess' way of ensuring as many she-wolves as possible made it to adulthood.
That theory made sense to me. Males outnumbered females by two to one in most shifter communities, which was why brothers often shared a mate while sisters never did. It was probably also why shifters had a higher rate of gay males than humans.
"Bridger, I'll have your car keys." Royal raised his eyebrows and held out one hand.
Blinking in confusion, I reached into the pocket of my joggers and brought them out, then dropped them in his open palm.
"It would do no good to ground you since you only go to work and school before you come home and spend all evening with Isabelle." Royal took my keys and squirreled them away in his coat pocket. "For the next week, walk wherever you need to go or shift and let Max run."
"All right," I told him, struggling to keep the surprise from my voice.
I'd been prepared to talk my way out of being grounded so I could help Eli tonight, but I sure as hell wasn't going to complain about only losing my car for a week when he could have made it so much worse.
"As for you, Elijah," Alpha Cole spoke very quietly so as not to wake Rosalie, "your parents are too upset right now to deal with you, so your punishment is on hold until they can."
Eli gave him a curt nod to acknowledge that, but stayed silent, which was his default state around most people, anyway.
"Is Isabelle still at the daycare?" I asked, wondering why they had one girl and not the other. Isabel and Rosalie were usually inseparable, unless Walker Barlow was around.
"Yes," Mr Price said. "William and Winston had just arrived from school when we got there, and she didn't want to leave."
"Of course she didn't," I muttered, earning a chuckle from Mr. Price and Alpha Cole.
I never wanted my baby girl anywhere near boys, but Rosalie had developed a mutual fascination with Walker, and Isabelle was left behind whenever he was around. For some inexplicable reason, the first time it happened, William and Winston took one look at her teary eyes and decided to invite her to play with them.
I didn't like it. In fact, I hated it. Not only were they bad boys, they were too old for her. William was almost eight, for the love of the moon, and Winston was going to be six! She wasn't even three yet! She should be playing with pups her own age! Preferably girls!
But they'd shoved their way into her life, and now I couldn't get them back out of it. She yelled at me - actually yelled at her dada! - the one time I tried to tell her that she needed to stay away from them because they were bad.
"No, Dada!" she'd shrieked. "They not bad! They mine! Mine fends!"
And that was that.
My daughter was attached to the worst heathens in the pack, and I could already see myself with gray hair before I hit twenty-five.
Good thing I dye it blond, I guess...
"Surprised Rosie let you pry her away from Walker," Eli deadpanned, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"We cheated and grabbed her while she was still napping," alpha said with a smirk. "I can't afford to go off on anyone right now and Posy's busy. Since I can't take her with me everywhere I need to go, Rosie is the next best thing."
"Should have grabbed Isabelle for Alpha Jay," I told them.
"We never would have done that without checking with you first, but we did think about it," Mr. Price replied. "Quartz is in a filthy temper over all of this."
"And that's what's keeping Posy busy," alpha added. "Goddess only knows what kind of rampage he'd be on if she wasn't cuddling him and rubbing his ears."
"Speaking of going on a rampage..." I jammed my elbow in Eli's side and gave him a look when he cut his eyes over at me.
"So, I need to apologize to Reau," he said, "and I want to do something nice for him this evening after work to show him how sorry I am."
After we outlined our plan, both alpha and Mr. Price nodded.
"After Eli picks me up at the diner, we'll swing by the old folks' home and get Reau," I finished. "That is, if Arch and Wayne aren't going to hog him like they usually do."
"Arch already went home," Mr. Price said. "I'm sure Nathan's going to have him on lockdown from now until Wayne's party tomorrow."
"And Wayne's coming home with me," alpha murmured. "Posy's orders, although I don't know why she wants to deal with him when she's already dealing with Quartz."
"Wait. Where's Wayne's mom?" I asked with a frown.
Evie Black-Barlow was not one to let others discipline her children. If they needed an ass whooping, she wanted to be the one to deliver it, for her own satisfaction if nothing else.
"She's working on a surprise for his birthday." Mr. Price explained. "Mama, Peri, Wade, and Wesley are helping her, which is why William and Winston went to the daycare right after school."
"If Mrs. Price is too busy to watch Isabelle tonight, I can take her with us. She'd enjoy it, too, but Reau would probably play more with her than anything else," I chuckled. Reau sure did love pups! "Or I don't even have to go. Eli can handle this on his own."
Eli whacked me on the chest with the back of his hand, and I glanced over to see panic in his black eyes.
"Or not," I corrected myself.
"We're going to pick up my little brothers later and take them home with us until Mom and Mama are finished," alpha said. "We can just add Isabelle to the zoo, if that's okay with you. Posy would love to see her, not to mention Ash is going to want to cuddle his little rosebud."
I smiled at that.
Alpha Ash Mitchell met my daughter when she was just four days old. She didn't even have a name yet, so he called her Rosebud and taught her to call him Tamā, a Samoan word for father or uncle. Ever since, they had a special bond, and she was proud to tell everyone that Tamā was her bonus dada.
"All right," I agreed. "Eli, you'll have to drop me off at the alpha house after we finish with Reau."
"You can drop Reau off there, too," alpha said. "Emerson and Gelo and Kon will be there, anyway. The three of them are going to go over our defense plans with us and look for any holes we might have missed."
"Sounds great. Eli, let's apologize before we end up late for work." I looked over at alpha and Mr. Price. "Is Reau still at the nurse's?"
"No. Leo's office." Alpha's smile was not a nice one, and my stomach dropped at his next words. "Along with his dad and papa."
Well, shit, I grimaced. This is going to suck balls.
Elijah Ford
Facing down Beta Beast and the Angel of Death was never going to be on my to-do list, but my temper had put it there today.
Dad had told me a hundred times that I needed to control my anger before it caused a tragedy, but he didn't understand. No one did.
It wasn't anger that burned through me; it was grief set on fire.
That may be, Darius rumbled, but it's not okay to let it scorch those you love or care about.
Acknowledging the truth in his words, I put my shoulders back and my chin up as I stood before Reau's two dads, who stared back at me with stony faces and hard eyes.
"Reau, I am so sorry," I told him. "Can't tell you how sorry I am. Was too lost in my thoughts to realize it was you. By the time I did, you were on the floor bleeding."
"You don't need to apologize, Elijah. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. It was an accident. Can I have a hug?"
When he held out his arms, my eyes went right to his blood-soaked sleeve.
"Take your hoodie off first," I told him as I tugged mine over my head. "Wear this one."
"Won't you get cold?"
"Got a long-sleeved t-shirt on, plus my jacket's in my locker."
By the time I had my hoodie off, he did, too, and I reached over and dropped mine over his head. He giggled as he wormed around until he had it on, then giggled again as he held up his arms to show me how long the sleeves were on him.
"Look, Elijah!" He flapped his hands.
Smiling a little, I reached over and rolled up the cuffs until I could see his fingertips.
"Better?" I asked him.
"Yep! And it's so warm!" He wrapped his arms around himself with a happy grin.
"Still want a hug?"
"I always want a hug!" he half-shouted, and my smile got a little bigger as he launched himself at me.
I caught him and hugged him hard, but not so hard as to hurt him. Arch had told all of us that part of Reau's sensory issues included needing firmness when it came to touch, almost like he couldn't feel it if you didn't squeeze him tightly enough. I didn't have a lot of confidence that I could give him what he needed, but then he snuggled in under my chin with a happy hum, and I figured I'd gotten it right.
I should have known he wouldn't be mad at me, even though I deserved it. He couldn't estimate time or read anyone's body language to save his life, but he was the kindest, most loving person I'd ever met.
"Reau, to show you how sorry I am, Bridge and I have a surprise for you after work."
"A surprise!" His head popped up and his wide eyes fixed on my left ear. "What kind of surprise?"
"We're going to pick you up after work and have dinner together, then go somewhere I know you'll love."
Stepping back and out of my hug, Reau tilted his head in a wolfish way and didn't say anything, and Bridge stepped in to help, although I was certain Reau just needed some processing time.
"How does that sound, little man?"
"Sounds okay," Reau muttered as his fingers started to slap into his palms.
I wasn't as good with him as Wayne and Arch - or even Atticus and Grey - were, but I knew what signs to look for, and that hand thing was one of them.
"Unless you're nervous to hang out with us," I said. "We can invite someone else along. Your bubble maybe. Or we can even wait and do this when Arch and Wayne can come."
Maybe he's afraid to trust us? I asked my wolf.
After all, this would be the first time we ever hung out with just him and not Arch and Wayne or any of our other friends. I wanted him to have fun with us, not be filled with anxiety, but he knew some of the things we'd done when we were younger, dumber, and meaner.
He's not scared of you, Darius muttered. Spring says he's just thinking.
"No, I want to go," Reau said finally, flapping his fingers one last time. "But I don't want to cheat on my boyfriends."
Bridge and I looked at each other, then at Beta Beast and Gelo, hoping they would help us out here.
"Why would it be cheating on them, honey?" beta asked.
"It's a date, Dad! I can't go on a date with anyone other than my boyfriends!"
"Cucciolo," Gelo intervened as the rest of us stood there, dumbfounded and silent, "it's not a date. It's just hanging out with your friends. It's only a date when you ask your boyfriends or they ask you."
"Oh." He blinked three times, and I could almost see the gears turning behind those stony blue-green eyes. Finally, he nodded and grinned again. "We will hang out together!"
"Yep." I reached over and patted the top of his curly head.
"And we'll have fun!"
"We sure will," Bridge chimed in.
"Just have him home no later than ten, boys," Gelo ordered. "I need to have a serious talk with him before he goes to bed."
"Does it relate to Wayne's birthday tomorrow?" Bridge asked, and I couldn't help but smirk a little. "If so, you don't need to explain anything about mating. He read one of Briar's books."
"We know," Beta Beast grunted. "He told us all about it."
"And I need to make sure he understands how reality differs from a romance book whose author is probably a straight woman," Gelo added as his upper lip curled in disgust.
Ha! Bet Briar got quite a tongue-lashing over that! Darius chuckled. I would have given my canines to have overheard it!
Ask Koel to show you the memory, I teased him. Briar's wolf would tell you anything.
Can't help she thinks I'm a sexy beast.
You do know that koels are in the cuckoo family, right? I rolled my eyes at him.
If she thinks I'm sexy, he retorted with a shrug, what does it matter if she's crazy?
"Reau," Beta Beast interrupted my bickering with my wolf, "Grey put all your stuff in your locker. Go grab it so we can all leave, okay, honey?"
"Okay, Mama Bubba Dad!" Reau hollered and bolted out of the room.
Gelo and Bridge snorted and beta rolled his eyes, but I was worried.
"He must be really nervous if he slipped back into calling you that," I muttered. "Maybe we should do this another time."
"He's not nervous. He's wildly excited," beta corrected. "And there's no changing the plan now. He's set on it. Just one thing, boys."
Beta Beast was a mountain of a man, one of the biggest shifters in the pack after alphas Cole and Mason. No one was as tall as Alpha Ash, of course, but he was lean and sleek like a panther. Alphas Cole and Mason were fucking polar bears, and beta was a kodiak. Not only was he physically intimidating, he had a way of blanking his face and eyes that convinced you the saying, "If looks could kill," had been based on him.
And then there was Gelo. Angelo del Vecchio. Angelo della Morte. The freaking Angel of Death, who had a shit-load of weapons and no hesitation to use them. I was almost more afraid of him than beta because the absolute worst thing beta could do was snap my neck. Gelo would keep me alive for years and make me regret every breath I took.
So, yeah, it was a challenge to stand there without quaking in my boots, but I was in the wrong and I knew it. I deserved whatever they were going to say or do.
"Grey showed us everything that happened, so we know it really was an accident." Beta crossed his heavy arms over his tree-trunk chest as Gelo fingered the pistol butts sticking out of his hip holsters.
"It was! I swear on the moon that I never meant to hurt him!" I gulped.
"We believe you." Beta leaned down until we were almost nose to nose. I sucked in a sharp breath, but held his dark gaze. "But no more accidents, pup, or you'll have one yourself. And I don't think you'd survive it."
"Pfft!" Gelo snorted. "I'll make sure you won't."
"I'm back!" Reau screeched as he ran into the office again. "I'm so excited!"
Thank the Goddess for that, I thought and blew out a sigh of relief. Whew! Let's not do this ever again.
Yes, Darius said dryly. Let's not.
It was warm enough to have a picnic in the park for our dinner, and Elijah and Bridger fed me peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! My favorite! They even brought along chocolate milk and surprised me with strawberries for dessert!
But a picnic wasn't all they had planned! They made me close my eyes as we drove for a while, and I had to keep them closed when we got there. Elijah took one of my hands and Bridger the other to help me out of Elijah's big truck and lead me along. I smelled and heard something I recognized and confirmed I was right when they said I could open my eyes.
We were inside one of the Bel Aire barns and pygmy goats were everywhere!
Not just any goats, either: Baby pygmy goats!
On Monday, Atty had told me that several of his mom's goats were starting to have their spring babies, but I hadn't had a chance to see any yet since I only came to their farm for horse therapy with Henry on Saturdays.
"Awww! Look at them!" My hands flapped everywhere as I bit my bottom lip to hold in a squeal. If I got too loud, they'd be afraid of me, and I wanted to pet and cuddle them, not scare them! "Look at their tiny tails wagging! They're so small!"
"Want to hold one?" Elijah asked. "Atticus said they're friendly as hell because his little sisters have been out here petting and playing with them since the moment they were born."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Chortling, he reached down and scooped up a pure white one that he held out to me, but I was still trying to get my hands under control and stop hopping up and down. Afraid Elijah would get impatient with me, I whined a little, frustrated with myself, but he only laid his free hand on top of my head and petted my curls.
"Take your time," he said quietly.
"Yeah, Reau," Bridger added. "The goats aren't going anywhere."
Breathe in and out, little one, Spring chimed in. Calm your mind and your body will follow.
After six slow, deep breaths, I was in better shape and eagerly took the baby goat from Elijah. It was soft and furry and warm, and the little 'baa' noises it made were so cute!
"Maybe I should get a goat instead of a cat," I whispered in the little goat's ear, which made it flick and tickle my nose. "Wayne seems to hate cats, and I don't want him to be upset all the time. But everyone loves a baby goat, right?"
I think you should stick to a cat, little one, Spring said in a solemn tone. Wayne doesn't hate cats. He's just afraid you'll get one that's Squidge's twin or worse.
"I will pick a nice cat," I promised. "A baby one so we can raise it properly. Maybe that is why Squidge is so sensitive and takes everything the wrong way. He was not loved enough as a kitten."
For some reason, that made Bridger giggle, Elijah roll his eyes, and Spring groan.
All in all, I enjoyed every minute of my evening with Elijah and Bridger, but I did not enjoy my conversation with Papa before bed that night.
He sat me down and explained specific details of boys mating with boys. It sounded much more complicated than it did in Briar's book, and Papa said that was why he knew we had to have a little talk before Wayne, Arch, and I took each other as chosen mates.
Which was happening today!
When I woke up this morning, Spring was already awake and just as excited as I was. He was leaping around and yipping so much that I didn't know what to do at first. I offered to shift to let him get the wiggles out, but he said that wouldn't be a good idea right now and to wait until after Wayne's party, so I agreed and went downstairs for breakfast.
Once we were all showered and dressed, Dad and Papa bustled Bubble and me into Papa's big gray SUV and took off only to stop at the end of the driveway because I realized I'd forgotten Wayne's present. Papa turned around and drove back to the house, I ran in and grabbed it from my room, and we left again. Thanks to Papa's 'lead foot' as Dad called it - although I'd seen both of his feet many times and they were normal with no kind of metal at all - we arrived at the Barlow house right on time.
Spring was still acting strangely, bouncing around far more than he ever had before, but he assured me he was fine and to enjoy myself.
Everything is going to change after today, little one, he yipped with bright eyes and a wagging tail.
I know! I yipped back as I grabbed Wayne's present from the seat beside me. We will claim our mates today!
Yes! he agreed with a wolfy grin. Finally!
Feeding off his excitement, I opened my door, hopped out of the SUV, and ran around to the backyard where the party was set up.
Wayne
My older brother Wyatt parked his precious Jaguar next to Gelo's SUV, and I grinned in anticipation of seeing Curls and Arch again.
Even though we'd called each other last night and linked on and off all morning, it wasn't enough. Wanting to hug and kiss, or at least hold hands with, both of them had become an ache in my soul.
In a hurry now, I reached for the door handle only to be stopped by the distinct click of the child lock button.
"Are you fucking serious right now, bro?" I rolled my eyes.
"Language, pup," he laughed.
"Pfft! That's the kettle calling the pot black. Now let me out, twat-waffle!"
"Listen, you little douche canoe, I just want to reiterate that, whatever happens today, we're all here for you."
"Yeah, yeah." I rolled my shoulders, embarrassed by all the love he was shoving at me through the pack bond. "Thanks, bitch-ass bitch."
"You're welcome, slap-dick."
He clicked the child lock off and I quickly opened my door before he pulled another trick like that.
"Finally!" I growled.
Diving out of his precious car, I threw the door closed, then halted mid-step as a heady smell hit my nose and flooded my brain.
"Don't slam the fucking door, cocksocket!" Wyatt howled, but I ignored him as I inhaled as deeply as I could.
Sandalwood and bergamot?
The twin scents were amazing and exhilarating and I was suddenly desperate to find their source.
Not going to lie, the only reason I even recognized what I was smelling was because Peri went through a phase of soap-making and experimented one entire summer with different fragrances. I liked this particular combination so much, I'd stolen it from her the second she popped it out of the mold. Unfortunately, she outgrew the soap-making obsession, and I never came across that smell again.
Until now.
Mate! Ocean skipped around like a demented rabbit as he howled in my head.
It took me a moment to understand what was happening. When I finally did, I thought my heart would explode with anxiety. Panicking about who it might be, I told myself I had to fight the mate bond.
Fight to keep Arch and Reau.
But the mate pull joined the scents now and they were so damn strong, I couldn't stop myself. Without any permission from my brain, my stupid feet carried me to the backyard where Mom and Dad were fussing over the last few decorations for my party.
Then my eyes found the source of the smells, and I fucking lost it. Dropping to my knees, I buried my face in my hands and sobbed.
Archer
Cedarwood and oakmoss?
I felt like I was back at my childhood home, standing on the back porch and surrounded by the damp woods after a heavy dew. It was one of my favorite smells in the world, and I had to admit I'd really missed it, more than I realized until this very moment.
But where was it coming from? The house Dad and Mom built together after they became chosen mates was surrounded by pines and hickories, not oaks and cedars.
Mate! Firth yipped happily, excited as he'd ever been, and my breath caught in my throat.
Panicking about who it might be, I told myself I had to fight the mate bond.
Fight to keep Wayne and Reau.
But the mate pull was working with the scents now and together they were so compelling that I couldn't stop myself and I raced out of my bedroom, down the stairs, and out to the backyard.
Mom and Dad were blowing up the last of the balloons, but my eyes skipped over them until they found the source of the scents. When I did, my eyes rolled back in my head and I fell over backwards in a dead faint.
Chamomile and lavender?
Dad mixed those two essential oils in my diffuser at night if I was having a Very Bad Day, and they were great at helping me calm down.
Why had Dad brought them along for Mom Evie to diffuse here, though? I was extra happy, not heading for a meltdown!
Spring, is he diffusing it for you? I asked him with wide eyes. You have been a little crazy today.
It's the mate scent, little one, Spring said in a gentle voice. Can you feel the bond forming? I can.
Oh! Is that what's happening? I brushed my fingers against my chest, right where a warm spot was growing, and took another deep inhale of that lovely fragrance.
It grew even stronger as Arch ran out of the back door at the same time Wayne zoomed around the corner of the house. Both of them froze as we all looked at each other, then Wayne dropped to his knees and sobbed into his hands while Arch fell flat on his back on the patio floor and lay there like he was dead.
Yes, that's what's happening, Spring chuckled. Are you happy?
I am, but what about Arch and Wayne? I frowned in confusion. Are they not happy?
They are very happy, my wolf assured me. They are just idiots.
Yes, they are idiots. They should be kissing me and each other, I pouted. They are ruining the moment!
At least they are your idiots.
That made me brighten up, and I smiled as I decided I would save this precious moment before my idiots could make it any worse.
"WayWay! Bear-Bear! I want to kissy-kissy to celebrate!"
Tackling Wayne onto Arch, I tried to hug them both at the same time, but my arms weren't long enough to go all the way around Wayne's broad shoulders, let alone his and Arch's, so I just sprawled on top of Wayne as he sprawled on top of Arch.
"Is this real?" Wayne whispered in a raw voice as his hands clamped on my hips. "Are we really mates?"
"Yes, it's real!" Sitting up, I straddled Wayne and reached around him to lightly smack Arch's cheek. The mate sparks burst under my fingers, and I shivered at how good it felt. "Wake up, ChiChi! You're being ridiculous!"
His eyelids fluttered a few times before they stayed up, then his fern-green eyes locked on mine.
"You two are silly gooses!" I sat up with a grin and bounced up and down on Wayne, who groaned and tightened his hands on my hips. "We're mates! Goddess-given mates! No one can come between us, and we don't have to hurt anyone by rejecting them! It really is the three of us together forever!"
"Together forever," Wayne croaked as more tears trickled down his cheeks. "I'm so fucking happy!"
"Me, too, WayWay! Oh, and you know what this means we can do now? It means we can see—"
"Don't say it, baby boy," Arch growled.
Shuffling Wayne - and me - off of him, he sat up and reached for me, but I dodged him with a huge grin and jumped to my feet.
"I mean it, Reau." Arch stood, too, and tried to grab me, but I dodged him again. "Don't you dare say it!"
"Why, Arch? What's so wrong with saying we can see about getting a cat now?" I tilted my head in confusion. "Wayne said I could have a cat when we became mates, and we just became mates!"
"Fucking hell, Reau," Wayne groaned.
Arch thought you were going to say that you could finally see each other's dickies, Spring told me with a smirk, and Wayne was hoping you'd forget about the cat.
"What?" I blinked three times as I continued to dodge Arch's attempts to grab me. "Yes, I want to see your dickies, but I want a cat, too, please!"
"All right, Curls. All right." Arch finally caught me and scooped me up. "You can have a cat soon."
He nuzzled his face in my throat, and both of us shuddered as the mate sparks tickled us. Wayne pressed against my back and wrapped his arms around me to hold Arch's hips in his hands, then buried his nose into the other side of my throat.
The mate sparks fizzed and jumped twice as much, and a little moan slipped out of my mouth as I reveled in being squished between their big, hard bodies, the mate bond blooming rapidly among us.
"Mmm," Wayne hummed. "I can't wait until tonight."
"What's happening tonight? Am I getting a cat tonight?!"
"You'll find out tonight, baby boy, but it doesn't involve a cat."
"A gray one," I whispered.
"We haven't even moved in together yet. Once we do, we'll get you a cat."
"With blue eyes."
"Arch, I can only think of one way to derail this train of thought."
"Same, Wayne," Arch chuckled.
The second I raised my head to see where the train was, Arch's lips landed on one side of mine and Wayne's on the other, and all thoughts of a cat slipped from my mind as we shared our first kiss as mates.
As mates!
We were MATES!
Goddess-given mates!
Spring! Guess what?! I screamed at him.
I don't need to guess, Reau. I'm right here as a part of it.
He was too calm, and I suddenly realized something.
You knew! I gasped and pointed an accusing finger at him.
Of course I knew! I remember every word of our conversation with the Goddess.
Show me, I demanded. Show me what I can't remember!
I'll show everyone.