WANTED BY THE WOLVES

A FATED DATES NOVELLA

LE ELDRIDGE

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons,
living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2024 by L.E. Eldridge
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means,
including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author,
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book may not be used in the training of A.I.

Cover Art: Sophie Zuckerman

Cover formatting: Lizzie Strong
Copy editing and proofreading: Alexa Thomas at the Fiction Fix

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 CONTENT WARNINGS

Though this is a fairly cozy read, this book includes:

Breeding kink
On page sex
Sex without a condom
Breeding with pregnancy at the end
Poor relationship with Childs biological father
Toxic biological father - is not abusive or around often

If you ever have any questions about the triggers, please email me at
lexie@[Link].

Enjoy ;)

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To all the mom’s out there doing their best.
You are a great mom.

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 CONTENTS

1. Harper
2. Jasper
3. Harper
4. Hawthorne
5. Harper
6. Leo
7. Harper
8. Jasper
9. Hawthorne
10. Harper
11. Jasper
12. Hawthorne
13. Harper
14. Leo
15. Harper
16. Hawthorne
17. Harper
18. Harper
Harper
Binge the whole series!
Looking to join the monster loving crew?
Also by LE Eldridge
Acknowledgments
About the Author

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 CHAPTER ONE

HARPER

“C ome on, Ari, we’re going to be late,” I called to my daughter.

She came running down the hall in a princess dress my mother
had bought her over the weekend. “You know you can’t wear that to
daycare.” The dress was very nice, and I didn’t want her getting it dirty. I
would also never hear the end of it from my mother if she did.
She stomped her feet, her blonde curls bouncing as she did. “But I
wanna.”
“I know, hun, but if you get it dirty, I’m sure you’ll be really sad. Why
don’t you put on some play clothes today, and maybe this weekend Nonna
will take you out to tea and you can wear it?”
“Why can’t you take me?” she asked.
Wasn’t that the question? “I have to work,” I told her honestly. I wish I
didn’t need to, but I worked in real estate, which meant working through
weekends and sometimes even on holidays. It was difficult with a young
kid, but I knew it was better to be well provided for.
She shrugged, happy with that answer, and moved to get changed. I
finished packing her lunch and threw my coffee in a tumbler. Though Aria
was a bit of a wild child, she was very intelligent and very understanding,
though I wished she didn’t have to be.
At the same time, I did like my job. Though my boss was a bit much on
the best of days, I still loved it. I loved seeing people’s faces change when
they found the home for them and talking about interiors for hours on end.
Even the property bidding gave me a rush sometimes. Still, I couldn’t help
but feel the constant mother guilt for enjoying my job instead of always
wishing to be with my kid.
As I waited I looked around the apartment. It wasn’t anything fancy,
two bedrooms on the third floor with an open concept living room and
kitchen. I had always loved minimal, beige décor. Some people said that
made me boring or basic, but I didn’t mind those things. Something about
the clean, light look was calming to me. However, amongst my neutral
couch pillows and light wood furniture were colorful crayon drawings and
stuffed animals strewn about. Though this wasn’t the life I saw for myself,
Aria gave me color, and it changed everything.
Ari came back and pulled me from my thoughts. She was in a sparkly
pair of blue leggings and an orange jack-o’lantern shirt. It didn’t match at
all, but it would have to do. She insisted on putting on her own shoes,
meaning we were definitely going to be late. Fighting with her would just
make the whole thing take longer, so I decided to cut my losses. I checked
my phone and messaged my boss, letting her know. She was annoyed but
understanding, though I had to meet with a buyer that morning and I didn’t
want to push off any more than I needed to.
Ari finally got her shoes on, and we ran out the door. I got her strapped
in the car and started it up.
“Mom,” Ari called from the back.
“Yes love?”
“Can I watch rabbits?”
I sighed. I tried my hardest not to let her have too much screen time, but
just for the quick trip should be fine. I passed her my phone, and in seconds,
I heard that song from the video about the creepy rabbits. They were half-
baked internet cartoons with scarily large eyes and an annoying jingle that
haunted my nightmares. But she loved it, so there were a lot of rabbits in
our house.
We made it to daycare quickly, and I walked her inside. She was almost
five, and I knew we wouldn’t be here for much longer. I’d already started
looking into elementary schools for kindergarten.
The woman at the desk greeted us, as always, and I helped Aria get her
bag and coat off. “I need my phone back,” I said to her as we got to her
classroom.
“Morning ladies,” her teacher said as we neared the door.
“Good morning,” I replied. “Sorry we’re late.”
 “No problem,” she said. “We’re just having breakfast. Aria, why don’t
you put your stuff away and I’ll get you some yogurt, hmm?”
Aria normally ran right in and hung her coat in her cubby, but she was
still fixated on my phone, even though the video wasn’t playing.
“What are you looking at, Ari?” I asked.
She turned the phone towards me and the teacher. “What’s this?”
My face turned red when she turned the screen towards me and her
teacher. Across the top, it said Kis-Meet - Find your perfect match, a ‘k’
inside a heart along the top swoop.
“Oh,” I squeaked, snatching it from her hand. “It’s one of Mom’s apps.”
“Can I see it later?” she asked.
“Maybe. We can talk about it after school,” I told her. I hoped she would
forget all about it. It worked…most of the time. Less often than I’d like.
“Kay,” she said before going towards the table with the rest of her
friends.
I turned, red-faced to the teacher. “I am so sorry.”
She smiled. “It’s okay. Things like that happen all the time. You should
hear what some of these kids with older siblings repeat.”
I laughed. “Great, well, I need to head out. Her grandmother will be
picking her up today. She had a pretty good morning and slept well last
night.”
She dotted down some notes. “No problem. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
I went out the door and watched through the window for a moment
before I left. Ari sat with one of her friends at the small table, digging into
her yogurt and berries. Though she has been going to this daycare since she
was young, leaving her was always hard.
When I got to my car, I took a deep breath, trying to turn my focus to
work. Instead, it turned towards the app Aria found. How did it even end up
on my phone? I tried to think back, but I couldn't recall ever downloading
something like that. The only thing I could think of was girls' night with
Kristen. We met in college, and she stuck by me through everything. She
always insisted I should get out there and meet someone, and while it
sounded nice, I didn’t know if I was ready. For a hookup, maybe, but a real
relationship meant bringing someone into our life. I didn’t know how I felt
about that.
Unable to help myself, I opened the app. The ‘K’ logo popped up before
disappearing to reveal a profile. It was like other apps I’d seen, with a few
photos and a short bio. His name was Jasper Leo Hawthorne. It was a bit
strange for him to have his entire name on his profile like that. I scrolled
through, interested that all the photos were group photos.
One of the men was blond, with blue eyes and tanned skin, like he spent
a lot of time outside. Another appeared a bit shorter, with golden eyes and
black hair left fairly long. He styled it half back in a lot of the photos and
always wore a large smile. The last man was large and gruff, with brown
hair and a beard to match. He was much larger than the other two, in height
and width. His dark eyes shone bright, but he looked a bit more stoic in the
photos.
I scoffed. Why did men always do this? They always posted themselves
in group photos as if to hide themselves, though in this case, I didn't know
why. They were each so attractive, I would swipe right on any of them.
There was one of them all sitting around a table in some tropical place, and
another that looked like they were somewhere in Europe. The photos made
me a bit nervous. I had never been farther than the next state over, let alone
another country. Would we even have anything to talk about?
It also said ‘Enski Mountain Pack.’ That gave me pause. Though wolf
shifters and humans had been coexisting for a long time, they tended to
stick to their packs and didn’t interact with humans.
We lived in Springwall. It was up in the mountains, which made it the
perfect place to sell real estate to rich retirees looking for a beautiful home,
but it was also the perfect place for wolf shifter packs. I’d lived here my
whole life, right next to Enski Mountain, and I’d only seen a handful of
them. They were larger than humans, and of course, I’d heard the stories
people told meaning to scare, but I didn’t believe them. Still…
In what felt like a momentary lapse in judgment, I decided to tap the
little heart confirming the match. It was a simple act, but one that still made
my heart thrum.
I was shocked when the profile whooshed away and nothing else came
up. Normally, these apps had more than one swipe, but it seemed once you
picked a match with this one, that’s all you got. Maybe it only let you have
one match at a time or something.
Oh well. With that out of the way, I tucked my phone into my purse and
got to work.

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 CHAPTER TWO

JASPER

I leaned back, stretching out over my desk chair. I had been sitting here for
hours, finishing up charts.
As I looked back, I noticed Hawthorne was standing there, his arms
crossed over his chest, making his large, sexy arms bulge even more.
I smirked at him. “Hey, handsome,” I said playfully. “What are you
doing here?”
He walked over, laying an upside-down chaste kiss on my lips. His long
beard tickled my nose, making me huff a laugh.
“I wrapped up all my meetings early,” he said, moving to lean against
my desk. “Leo promised short ribs tonight, and I wasn’t going to miss that.
I figured you wouldn’t want to either.”
Looking out the window, I noticed dark clouds hovering in the sky,
looking ready to open any minute. I hadn’t left this room once today, which
was made clear with how my stomach rumbled loudly.
“Jas,” Hawthorne scolded. Apparently, he heard my stomach too. “You
can’t coop yourself up in here all day.”
I sighed, shutting my laptop and gathering my papers. This was a
conversation we had often, but I knew he was right. “I know. We’re just a
bit short-staffed. And⁠—”
Hawthorne gathered me into his arms, his warm, hot body surrounding
me, making me feel relaxed. I wasn’t sure how our pack alpha, who was
wound up with everyone’s problems all the time, could exude such a
relaxed aura, but he always did.
 “You’ll figure it out,” he promised. “But not on an empty stomach. I’m
sure dinner’s almost done.”
“I hope so,” I said as we made our way out of the clinic back to our
home. Many people waved in our direction and paid respect to our alpha.
Since I entered a relationship with the pack alpha, people have been a bit
weird. And it wasn’t just me, but to Leo too. It was always some mix of fear
to cross us, worry about what we would tell Hawthorne, and irritation that
we were chosen.
When we got home, I could smell the braised meat and something
buttery I hoped were rolls. We stepped into the kitchen just as Leo was
pulling the bread out of the oven. He had his blue apron on, the one that
drove me absolutely wild. His hair was up in a bun, oven mitts over his
hands that were made to look like paws.
He smiled when he saw us, setting the rolls aside before jumping into
Hawthorne’s waiting arms. Their kiss was drawn out and passionate,
making my cock twitch in my pants. “Glad you didn’t get caught in the
rain,” he said as he slid back to his feet.
“Yeah, I got us home early,” Hawthorne said.
I didn’t even know it was supposed to rain. I smiled at how considerate
he was. He probably knew I’d be so deep in my work I would forget, and I
didn’t bring my car that morning, so walking home would have been a
nightmare.
Though he’d always been so considerate. The three of us had been close
for a long time. My parents moved to the Enski Pack when I was in primary
school in the middle of the year no less. I felt like I was an outsider, but Leo
quickly made an introduction, insisting we’d be fast friends.
At the time, Hawthorne scared the crap out of me. He was larger than
everyone else due to being an alpha, and almost loomed over Leo, like his
protector. I thought he didn’t want me near either of them, but after a while,
I realized he was just quiet and a bit stoic.
The first day I realized was when I left my lunch at home. Leo was
home sick so I planned to just sit in the classroom during lunch to wait it
out, when Hawthorne appeared next to me. He didn’t say anything, just sat
at the desk next to mine and gave me half of his lunch. We ate in silence
that day, but from then on I understood.
After that the three of us became best friends. It wasn’t until high school
I realized I developed feelings, and not for one of them, but both of them. I
didn’t know what I was going to do. We were friends, and I couldn’t ruin
our friendship.
“I noticed you didn’t take the lunch I left you in the fridge,” Leo
accused, pulling me from my memories. “I’m gonna have to stop by your
office if you keep doing that.”
I sighed, pulling him into my arms. “I know, I’m sorry. I’ll be better at
remembering.” I knew I needed to be better for them, and I would.
He caressed my cheek, and I leaned into him, his warmth seeping into
my skin. “You better,” he chided playfully.
“Oh!” we heard from the other side of the kitchen.
Leo turned as we both watched Hawthorne blow on his fingers, the hot
roll tumbling to the floor.
I laughed while Leo gasped. “I just took those out!” Leo scolded. “Let
them cool down.” He hovered around Hawthorne like a worried mother
hen.
“But I’m hungry,” Hawthorne whined. “And your rolls are the best.”
Leo melted, easily letting go of his anger. “I tried a new kneading
method that is supposed to make them fluffier.”
“I can’t wait to try them.”
Leo took his apron off and grabbed the salad he’d made while I got out
the plates and silverware. Hawthorne grabbed a carving knife and started
slicing the ribs. The juicy meat made my mouth water.
Soon, we were all at the table together scarfing the meal down. “This is
amazing,” I told Leo earnestly.
He flushed and thanked me. I was sure to note the hard work he did.
Leo went to college for accounting and then realized he hated it. It took
some convincing, but we got him to agree not to take the first job he could
find and wait until he found a passion.
When he first started staying home, he would insist that not having a job
was unacceptable, that he wasn’t contributing enough, but we were finally
able to get him to see how much effort he put in and how much the work he
was doing meant to us. Relationships weren’t only about the money anyone
was bringing in, there was more work than that, and Leo contributed
heavily at home.
That also gave him a chance to work on his other things. He’d always
loved to bake, and when he finally had the time and space, he started
making small batch things for events around the pack. I loved when he had
orders, because he always made us a little extra or tested his new recipes on
us.
I looked to Hawthorne, who was pulling apart a flaky roll and spreading
butter over it. “How was your day?” I asked.
“Fine,” he said easily. “Lots of meetings with other pack leaders. The
usual. What about you?”
“Good,” I said. “Busy, as always. I fought with Mira about getting some
new equipment we need, but she guards every penny.” Mira was the clinic’s
financial manager. I understood that was her job, but it didn’t make it any
less frustrating.
We finished dinner, and Hawthorne and I cleaned up the dishes while
Leo scooped cookie dough onto a baking sheet. He’d made cookie dough
earlier but wanted to wait until we got home to make them, so they’d be
hot.
“I’m going to grab some wood from outside,” Hawthorne said as he slid
his Timbs on. The air was beginning to get crisp as fall quickly approached,
and Leo loved the fire crackling when the weather was cool.
I was in the middle of dishes when I heard a gasp, then a phone clatter
to the floor.
“What?” I said, rushing over, flinging my wet, soapy hands.
He looked at his phone as if it’d bit him. “What?” I repeated.
Leo picked the device up gently and turned it back to me. I was glad to
see that the screen wasn’t shattered, but my eyes also went wide at the
image.
The little K logo had a notification ping titled Match. It was as if I
stopped breathing.
The whole thing felt a bit silly. Hawthorne had been dealing with the
elders trying to find his mate for a long time. Every shifter had a mate, and
having an alpha with their mate made the pack even stronger in the eyes of
others. One of them called a mage that told us about some phone app that
was meant to show your fated mate. She insisted it was some kind of magic
and would work guaranteed. We all told her it was impossible. I had heard
of two people sharing a mate at times, but three? It didn’t seem possible.
Still, she insisted that if we put all our names and all our photos, the app
would only show us a match made for all three of us.
I was skeptical to say the least, as was Hawthorne, but Leo was hopeful,
so we tried it. We downloaded it, and after completing a profile, it sat idle,
saying, ‘waiting for match’ for months.
But it had apparently found one. I still felt skeptical. I’d never heard of
technology infused with magic outside of very few medicines. It felt like a
scam. But when Leo opened the notification and the profile popped up, I
almost swallowed my tongue.
There was a photo of the hottest woman I’d ever seen. She had long,
dark, strawberry-blonde hair and deep almost golden eyes. Her body was
curvy, and she wore a white blazer with tanned pants that hugged her in just
the right way. She didn’t have any other photos, but the one was enough. I
wouldn’t be able to know she was my mate until we met, but I sure hoped
she was.
I pressed against Leo’s back, my now-hard cock digging into him. He
leaned back, rubbing against me.
“You think she’s hot?” I asked him, trailing my nose up the side of his
neck.
He growled low, the sound going straight to my cock. “Do you think
she’s really ours?” he asked.
I looked at her. “I don’t know, but I hope so.”
“Hope what?” Hawthorne's deep baritone asked from the mudroom.
We exchanged a glance, unsure of what to tell him. Though he hadn’t
been against the app, he had been the most uninterested, insisting we were
fine how we were.
“We, uh,” Leo started.
Hawthorne brought the wood to the stove before joining us back in the
kitchen. His hair was wind-blown, and he smelled of fresh-cut wood.
“You what?” he asked, brows drawn in confusion.
Leo didn’t say anything, he just turned the phone.
Hawthorne took it, confused at first until understanding seemed to dawn
on him. His face didn’t change, no signs of interest or disgust.
“Do you think it’s true?” he asked, handing the phone back.
“I’m not sure,” I said. “Maybe we can talk to her a bit and see where it
goes.”
“I like that idea,” Leo said in a sultry tone.
Hawthorne landed a hard smack on his ass, making him yelp. “I’m sure
you would,” he said. “Fine. I’ll agree to that.”
I smiled. “So, what do we say first?”
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 CHAPTER THREE

HARPER

I raced from my last showing to my parent’s house. I knew I would be a bit

late picking Ari up, but it was almost nine, and I’d never hear the end of it
from my mother. She was constantly on me for not being there for Aria
enough. That children needed their mothers.
I understood where she was coming from, but things were different. I
was raised in a perfect family. The full three kids and a white picket fence.
They got married, got careers, bought a house, and had kids. Though I
would always be grateful for the upbringing I had, houses were cheaper
then, and my mom didn’t have to do everything on her own. While I knew
quality time was important, I couldn’t give as much as I wanted to, and my
mother always reminded me of that.
I whipped out of my car and ran up the porch steps, hearing them creak
under my weight. These stairs had creaked since I was a child, and I
worried that one day, they would break under my feet. I walked in quietly,
and like always, it felt like stepping back in time. My parents hadn't updated
the house since I lived here. The same blue floral wallpaper covered the
living space with the same worn old tan couch and recliner. Photos lined the
walls of me and all my siblings through the years. My oldest sister had a
husband and was pregnant, and my older brother was working some tech
job in the city. I was the only fuck up who did everything out of order,
though it did make me smile to see Aria’s photos line the walls. As much as
my parents didn’t understand my choices, they did love their granddaughter.
“There you are,” my mom said as she came from the kitchen. “I called
you an hour ago.”
 “I know, I’m sorry,” I said, leaning against the wall. “I had to finish up a
last-minute showing.” I’d been trying to sell this house for months and
these were the first interested buyers.
“You need to make more time for her,” she said. “Or someone does.”
I sighed. I didn’t need to have this argument, one we’d had many times
before. “I’ll work on it,” I said, trying to please her.
“I’m serious,” she continued. “Children need their mothers.”
“They need other things too,” I snapped, “like food and a house.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s why you need help. Have you considered
tracking down her father? He probably does well for himself.”
I cringed at the mention of him. He was a nobody I hooked up with in
my senior year of college. I was on spring break and vacationing in a
different city. We’d used protection and I was on birth control, but
apparently, that wasn’t enough. I didn’t have any way to contact him and I
couldn’t even remember his name. So, I finished my business degree and
got my real estate license all before she was born. I landed an internship
that turned into a job, and I've been working there ever since.
I loved my job. While I wished I could spend more time with my Aria,
even if presented with the option, I wouldn’t stay home. And while a lot of
people thought that was wrong of me, it was true.
“He’s not her father,” I said sharply. “And I hope you won’t mention
anything about it to her.” The last thing I wanted was for her to feel othered
by not having a dad.
“I won’t, but think about it. It’s obvious you need help, and we won’t be
around forever.”
“I know, and I appreciate your help. Let me know if you want any
cash.”
She scoffed. “I don’t need money for taking care of my grandbaby.”
I turned to go to my old room, where I knew she’d be, when my mother
stopped me. “Oh, and have you noticed Aria acting…weird?”
I stopped. “Weird?”
“Yes. Today, she napped here when she’s normally very awake after
daycare. And she was a bit hyper afterward, and now, she’s asleep again. I
think she may have a cold.”
“Thanks for letting me know,” I said. I had noticed some of the same
things. I'd chalked it up to her being a kid, but it seemed to be more than
that. Maybe she did have a cold.
 Even my room was the same, with peeling band posters and a pink and
zebra print comforter. I had no idea why everyone at the time was so
obsessed with that combo, but I got a fun reminder of it every time I
stepped in here.
Aria was curled up in bed, sleeping peacefully. She’d been changed into
pajamas and looked like she had a bath. At least I didn’t need to worry
about waking her to do that. I picked her up carefully, trying not to wake
her, and whisked her out of the room.
I whispered a thanks to my parents and put her in the car. Once the door
was shut, I got in, turned the car on, and just sat in silence for a moment.
Today had been hectic, and my mother bringing up my inability to be
everywhere at once really rubbed me the wrong way. I knew I wasn’t
perfect, but I was managing on my own. At least I thought. Maybe more
was slipping through my fingers than I thought.
I looked down at my phone and saw the icon for that dating app. When I
clicked it, I had a new message.
Jasper - Hey beautiful :)

A small smile touched my lips. A giddy feeling I hadn’t felt in a long

time snaked its way through me, but I quickly tamped it down. I didn’t need
to be acting like a schoolgirl over a single message from a guy on a dating
app.
Harper - That’s a cheesy opener

The three dots in the corner danced quickly.

Jasper - I know, but it’s true. How was your day?

I could feel my face heat. Goddess, I was blushing over such a simple
compliment. Maybe I did need to get out more.
Harper - Busy. I had a lot of client meetings today

Jasper – Oh, what do you do?

Harper – I’m a real estate agent

Jasper- that sounds fun!

 It was fun. Strangely, having someone acknowledge that my job could
be fun made me smile. It made me realize I had barley glanced at his
profile. I went to check and read the bio. It said he enjoyed woodworking,
gardening, hiking, skiing, and traveling. That was a lot of hobbies.
A hand knocked on my window, startling me, making me drop my
phone to the floor. When I glanced over, my mother stood there, wrapping
her robe tightly around her. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
I rolled down my window. “No, sorry. Just sending a work text.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you get her home so she’s not sleeping
in the car seat for too long?”
I again bit my tongue. I didn’t want to sit here and argue, especially
about a lie I’d just told.
I put my window back up and began the trip home.

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 CHAPTER FOUR

HAWTHORNE

T
he phone beeped again, and Leo jumped for it, groaning when it
wasn’t a notification from Harper. They’d been chatting for a week,
sending flirty messages and getting to know her better. They’d even
exchanged numbers so Leo could send a photo of the apple crumble he
made a few days ago. Jasper was still at the clinic, and I planned to grab
him soon, but he’d been checking in, seeing what Harper had said. They
didn’t want to overwhelm her and give her all our numbers, so they’d just
been sharing Leo’s phone.
“You know she’s at work,” I reminded him. Harper had told us she was
a real estate agent and that she worked long hours. I rolled my eyes at the
thought of wrangling another workaholic, but I also smiled. I liked taking
care of people, and maybe another wouldn’t be the end of the world.
“I know,” he said, trying not to sound disappointed. “But she hasn’t
texted all day.”
“Reminds me of a certain someone, doesn’t she?”
I hadn’t talked to her at all. Though I should be trying to get to know
her, I had to admit, I was nervous. If it wasn’t for Leo, I probably wouldn’t
have him or Jasper, either. I had never been one to take risks when it came
to relationships. As a pack alpha, I was confident, but that didn’t bleed into
my love life. Leo made the first move when we were in high school. Not
just on me, but on Jasper too.
We’d all been close for a long time, but once we got to high school I
realized my feelings for them. Though I knew I would never do anything
about it. Leo was a personality. He lived loudly and exactly how he wanted.
And Jasper was a genius, always focused, determined to become a doctor. I
was going to be stuck here as the next pack alpha, and we hadn’t really
talked about what would happen after high school. If they both ended up
leaving after high school I didn’t want to hold them back, or get my heart
broken.
But then one day we were sitting together working on homework at his
house after school. He was sprawled out over his bed while I sat at his desk.
It was calculus, and neither of us were very good at it. Jasper was the one
who was good at math, and we were waiting for him for help. Though Leo
was complaining a bit more than I was.
I walked over to help him after the fifth time he said he was just going
to drop out and join the circus.
“Let me see,” I had said.
When I leaned in to check his work I felt his eyes on me.
I looked towards him and realized our faces were so close I could feel
his breath on my face. His dark eyes met mine, making my face heat.
“W-which one did you need help with?” I asked, my gaze going back to
the page.
His hand came under my chin and pulled me back. My eyes were wide,
I wasn’t sure what was happening.
We held each other’s gaze for another moment before he pulled me into
him and pressed his soft lips to mine. My small teen heart exploded in that
moment. I wrapped my arms around him, pressing our bodies tighter.
A gasp came from the door and we both froze. I turned and Jasper was
there, eyes wide.
“I-I…sorry. So sorry.” He rushed from the room down the stairs. Leo
followed after him and I was so stunned I just sat there.
When they came back we were all able to talk everything out and share
our feelings, and we’d been together ever since.
While it wasn’t always perfect, we made it work for each other, and
now, at the idea of another, I wasn't sure what to say. I was too worried I
would mess it all up, so I left the wooing to Leo and Jasper, comfortable to
bide my time.
The phone beeped again, and when he checked this time, he lit up.
“What did she say?” I asked.
“She’s talking about the house she’s selling,” he said. “Apparently, it’s
like a huge mansion. Her biggest job ever.”
 A smile touched my lips at the thought of my potential mate being so
successful. “Look, she sent photos.”
He passed me the phone, and I gripped it at the top. Wow, the photos did
make this place look nice. It was at least five bedrooms, with hardwood
floors, recently renovated.
“Hello?” a small voice called out. I wasn’t sure where it came from. I
looked around, confused, until I realized Leo’s eyes were looking wildly at
the phone.
“Hello,” I heard again, and that’s when understanding dawned on me.
I'd clicked the wrong button and accidentally called her.
I held the phone to my ear. “Hello,” I said, nerves making my voice
crack.
“Hey,” she said. “What’s up?” Her voice was pretty and light, even if
her tone was a bit confused.
I looked to Leo who just shrugged. I’d never seen him speechless
before. “I, uh, fumbled my phone and accidentally called,” I said honestly.
“Oh,” she said, sounding almost disappointed, the tone nestled deep in
my core.
“But I-I’m glad I did,” I managed to stumble out. “It’s great to hear your
voice.”
She was silent for a moment, and I thought that was the wrong thing to
say until she said, “It’s great to hear yours too. Your call came at a good
time. I just finished up with a potential buyer.”
“Yes, I saw your photos. It looks like a great place.”
It was as if I could hear her blush through the phone. “Oh, yes. It’s the
nicest house I’ve listed. My manager gave it to me for doing so well last
month.”
I smiled. “That’s amazing. I’m sure you’ll have no problem selling that
house. Who could resist you?”
She went silent again for a moment. “Hoping flattery will get you a
date?” she asked.
“Maybe,” I said easily. “I would love to take you out this week.”
Leo was all but standing on the couch, his knuckles white with how
hard he gripped the edge. “I would love to,” she said. “But I have to see
if…” She trailed off. I waited until she finally spoke again. “I have to make
sure, but I think I could do Friday.”
 I glanced at Leo, who nodded vigorously. “Friday would be great. Can
we pick you up at eight?”
“No,” she said quickly. “I mean, I can meet you there.”
Her response struck me as odd, but I wanted her to be comfortable.
“That’s perfect. I’ll send you the address. We’ll see you then, Harper.”
“See you then.”
The line went dead, but I still held it to my ear. It was pushed away
when Leo jumped into my lap, kissing me hard. “We have a date with our
mate!” he squealed.
I smiled against his lips. “That we do." I wasn’t sure if I would admit
she was our mate just yet, but I could say I was excited.
“You were smooth,” he said, pulling back.
Heat warmed my cheeks, but my beard covered most of it. “I called her
on accident.”
“You know what Bob Ross says about happy accidents,” he said.
“No, I don’t.”
He laughed, though I had no idea what he was talking about. “You were
real smooth,” he said again.
I cleared my throat. “I don’t know about that. I think it went okay.”
“Okay?” Leo lowered his brow, which he did when he was pretending
to be me. “It’s great to hear your voice,” he said, his voice lowered
dramatically. “Who could resist you? Where was this wooing when I was
practically biting at your tail?”
Guilt flooded me for a moment. I knew I didn’t do much in the way of
showing I wanted to mate with Leo, or with Jasper. I was a bumbling mess
of an adolescent when we met, my limbs outgrowing the rest of me. I was
awkward and had no idea what to think of this bundle of joy and
confidence. And even though Jasper was also quieter, he seemed to open up
a lot back then when it was just us.
But I tried to make up for it by being a good mate now, and just because
Harper may potentially be fated, I didn’t want Leo or Jasper to think I
would push them to the side.
“I apologize, love,” I said. “If I was able back then, I would have chased
you very hard.”
He snorted, running his hands through my hair. “You don’t need to
apologize to me,” he said. “That was hot.”
 Leo ground against me, his back to my front, and my hands moved
easily to his hips. His thighs were so muscular and firm. Though it was fall,
he still wore gym shorts around the warm house. My hands rode up the
sides until I felt the edge of his briefs.
“You liked that?” I asked.
He hummed his agreement. “Her voice is very pretty.”
“I agree. Almost as pretty as you.”
He blushed deeply, I loved making him do that.
His lips touched mine, as they had hundreds of times before, but every
time felt different and special. I couldn’t get enough of him.
My hands snaked up to his groin, rubbing against his already hard cock.
He writhed against me, trying to get more friction. As he did, his round ass
rubbed down on my cock.
I growled. He always felt so good in my arms.
“Do you want to play, pet?” I asked.
“Please,” he begged.
“Please what?” I asked.
“Please, Master. I need to be fucked. Jasper…” He gasped, unable to
finish talking. I squeezed his ass, knowing exactly what he was going to
say.
“Tell me what Jasper did,” I ordered.
“He fucked me in the shower before work,” Leo breathed. “And I l-left
a plug in.” He stuttered the last part as I brushed against it through his
clothes.
“Naked. On all fours,” I said, slapping his ass.
As he followed orders, I grabbed my phone. When I turned back, he was
leaning on the back of the couch, his ass in the air and the purple plug
presented to me.
I snapped a photo and sent it to our special group chat for sexy
messages, one that was locked behind a passcode so no one would be able
to look on accident.
“I see you left me a present,” I said in the text, knowing Jasper would
see it.
I pressed the plug in and out a bit, fucking Leo gently with it. I was sure
he was nice and loose for me, slick inside, but I still wanted to play with
him.
 I pulled the plug out with a pop and tossed it aside. I lubed my hand and
thrust three fingers inside of him at the same time, knowing he liked the
slight bit of pain.
“Fuck yes,” he cried, fucking himself back against me. I let him, loving
the way he clenched around my fingers.
With my other hand, I took my cock out, stroking it in time with his
thrusts.
“Do you want my cock, pet?” I asked him.
“Yes, I need it. Give it to me,” he cried.
I removed my hand and lubed my cock up before thrusting into him to
my knot. He cried out, gripping the back of our couch hard as I pounded
into him without reprieve.
I grabbed my phone again and took a short video I also sent to the
group. Not only would Jasper enjoy it later, but I’m sure I would too.
“Are you taking a photo?” Leo managed out.
I hummed. “I thought Jasper would want to see what he’s missing.”
“Ohhhh, yes.”
I ended the video and threw my phone to the side, focusing all my
attention on Leo.
I could feel the base of my spine tingle as I got closer to the edge. “I’m
going to knot this tight ass,” growled.
“Do it. Knot me, come inside me.”
I reached around and jerked his cock off, needing him to come before I
did.
I pushed my knot in, and it only took a few strokes before he was
coming all over my hand. He tightened around me in a way that had me
seeing stars, and I came deep inside him. He continued bearing down on
me, milking every last drop from my cock until I was entirely spent.
Leo fell against the couch, his body boneless. I gathered him up and laid
us down easily.
“Are you excited for our date?” I asked him.
He hummed. “Very. Now I just need to figure out what to wear.”
I laughed. Though I was nervous to finally meet her and find out if she
was our mate, I was excited and hopeful.

[Link]
 CHAPTER FIVE

HARPER

“A nd you’re sure you don’t mind?” I asked Kristen for the thousandth
time.
“Very,” she said. “I love spending time with my niece.”
Said niece was in her room, grabbing her own dresses. She saw mommy
getting dressed up and decided she wanted to join. “And you’re sure this
outfit is cute?” I'd decided on a floor-length dress with a gray knit sweater
on top to keep me warm in the chilly fall air.
“It’s great,” Kristen promised. “He’s going to eat you up,” she added
with a small laugh.
I laughed. “Wolf joke? Really?” I had told her everything when I asked
her.
She shrugged. “Maybe you can set me up with of his friends in the
photos. They’re all so tall and attractive.”
She turned, looking at my jewelry, but her comment rubbed me the
wrong way. Not that she’d said anything wrong, but thinking of any of the
men in the photo with her—or anyone else—made my blood boil. I shook
that feeling off; it was ridiculous. I probably just felt that way because all
this time we'd been talking, I couldn’t picture just one of them. Since I
didn’t know who was who, it was easy to think of them all while chatting.
My mind kept trailing back to that call. When he said he’d called by
accident, I thought he didn’t want to talk at all, but when he told me he was
glad he did, I couldn’t help but blush. His voice was deep and grumbly,
making me think he was the one with the beard, but who really knew? I
could have asked earlier, but if I was honest with myself, the mystery of it
all excited me. Thinking about all three of them excited me.
Something else held my thoughts. When I was hanging up the phone, I
could have sworn I heard him say “we’ll see you there.” The we stuck with
me. Did it mean…
No. I must have misheard, or he must have misspoken. “These!” Kristen
cried, pulling me from my thoughts. She held out a pair of small silver
hoops. “They match the dress perfectly.”
I had to agree. I took the earrings and popped them in. My hair was half
up so it showed them off nicely. Kristen had put on my makeup when she
got here while Aria was napping, and it still looked great.
“Mom!” I heard Aria call as she ran towards my room, followed by
heavy clicking on the floor. She ran in wearing the princess dress my
mother bought her for Christmas last year. She had on the small plastic
heels that went with them and carried her tiara.
“You look amazing!” I said, walking towards her to wrap her in a hug.
“Do you need help with your tiara?” I asked.
“Yes, please,” she said.
“Come here, munchkin,” Kristen said, gesturing to Aria. She clacked
over and turned around. I took that moment to gaze at myself. Though I
liked to dress nice for work, this was different. Right now I looked hot. I’d
always been a larger person, and getting pregnant only made my figure
fuller. Though I had some new stretchmarks and a fuller belly, my body was
still beautiful.
Once she was done, she ran to the mirror. “I look pretty like Mom,” Aria
said, and my heart melted.
“Thanks, Ari,” I said, squatting to her level. “I’ll be gone tonight, but I'll
see you in the morning, okay? Be good for Aunt Kristen.”
“I will,” she said. “Auntie Kristen promised pizza and movies!”
“That sounds like the best time,” I told her.
I kissed her forehead before grabbing my purse and checking myself in
the mirror once more before leaving. When I went to my car I pulled up my
GPS for directions to the restaurant he'd sent. It was uptown and very nice;
one I’d never been to.
With a deep breath, I got going.
 I pulled up to the restaurant and switched my car off. It was an upscale
Indian place and looked way fancier than I expected. I worried I wasn’t
wearing something nice enough, but it was too late to turn around. I shot
out a text to let him know I was here, and he said he would meet me outside
in the front.
I looked in the sun visor mirror one last time, cringing as I clocked the
cheerios on my back seat. I really needed to clean my car. I grabbed my
purse and got out, looking around. As I did, I saw a man with cropped blond
hair in a black button-up and tan slacks. So, this was him. When our eyes
met, he perked up, waving my way. I gave him a small smile and waved
back.
“Jasper?” I said.
He nodded. “The one and only. It’s great to meet you.”
“You too,” I gestured behind him. “This was a great pick. I’ve never
been.”
“Thanks. It’s Leo’s favorite. Let’s head in, we have a table inside.”
His words made me pause for a moment, but I followed him in.
The host straightened when he saw Jasper. “Hello, Mr. Keaton,” he said.
“Your table is ready if you’ll follow me.”
Keaton? Did he use a fake name on his profile? I tried to shake the
thought as we walked through the restaurant. I was sure he had his reasons.
Wanting privacy on a dating app wasn’t that unusual. The restaurant was a
mix of light wood furniture and white-topped tables. The entire bar was
underlit in gold, bathing the space in a warm light. It was a comfortable
atmosphere, and I could tell why it was his favorite.
As we approached the table, I stopped dead in my tracks. Sitting at the
there was the man with longer black hair and the gruff-looking man with
the beard. I was stunned. I thought I’d just deluded myself into believing it
was three of them, but here they all were.
“Are you okay?” Jasper asked me.
“T-there’s three of you,” I managed.
They looked between each other, confused. “I wasn’t expecting there to
be three of you.” I clarified. I didn’t mean to be so blunt about it, but I was
shocked.
Their eyes widened. “I’m sorry,” Jasper said. “We never meant to
deceive you. We didn’t really know how the app worked, and we assumed
you knew there was more than one of us.”
I looked between them. If I was honest, this was the outcome I’d
secretly hoped for. “It’s fine," I said finally.
“Are you sure?” the bearded man asked. “We don’t want to make you
uncomfortable."
I shook my head. “I’ve been talking to you all, right?” I asked as they
collectively nodded. “I’ve enjoyed that and wanted to get to know the
people I talked to.”
Jasper smiled. “We want to get to know you too.” He pulled out my
chair, and I sat down.
“I guess we should do introductions, then,” the man with black hair
said, putting out his hand. “I’m Leo.”
I took it, noticing how soft his hands were. “And I’m Hawthorne,” the
man with the beard said, also taking my hand. His were rougher but warm.
“It’s nice to finally meet you. All of you,” I said with a laugh. I opened
the menu to take a look. “Is there anything you recommend?”
When I looked up, all three had their eyes glued to me, and I felt myself
flush under their attention.
Leo seemed to blink himself out of something before answering. “I love
the tandoori chicken, but their rogan josh is also amazing.”
“I personally like the biryani,” Jasper chimed in. “And this one
normally eats half of it.” He gestured to Leo.
He laughed. “It’s just so good.”
That made me laugh. I looked to Hawthorne, who was looking at the
others with admiration in his eyes. “What about you, Hawthorne?” I asked.
His eyes cut to me. Something about him was intense, but it didn’t make
me uneasy. “I order something different every time,” he said. “I think this
time, I’ll have the samosas. I haven’t had them before.”
“Those all sound so good,” I commented. “It’ll be impossible to pick.”
“Why don’t you pick something, and we can all share so you can try
everything?”
“Oh, I don’t want to be difficult.”
“Don’t worry,” Jasper cut in. “This way, we can all have a bit of
everything.”
 I smiled. “Then I guess I’ll get the chicken tikka masala.” The waiter
came soon after to take our orders, and Leo added an aloo tiki appetizer and
a lot of naan bread.
“I will never understand how you fit all that food in that small body,”
Jasper said to Leo adoration lining his tone.
He shrugged. “My wolf is always hungry.”
I looked around at them. “So, you’re all wolves?” I asked.
For a moment, they all looked at each other with uncertainty. “I don’t
mind,” I said quickly. “I know some humans…feel differently, but I don’t.”
“We are,” Jasper finally answered. “We’re from the Enski Mountain
pack.”
“I’ve never been out that way,” I said, tearing off a piece of naan and
dipping it into the thogayal the server had left. “I’ve heard it’s beautiful.”
“There’s some nice spots,” Leo jumped in. “And some amazing
waterfalls. You have to hike, though,” he added with contempt.
Jasper scoffed. “There’s nothing wrong with hiking.”
“So you’re the hiker,” I noted.
He smiled. “I love it.”
“Well, I don’t,” Leo said. “It’s boring. You stare at a bunch of trees until
you get to something pretty, have a snack, and turn around.”
I giggled. “Not to mention it’s always too hot,” I added.
“Exactly!”
Jasper huffed, but an amused smile touched his lips. I looked to
Hawthorne, who’d stayed very quiet, watching with an amused expression.
“What about you?” I asked him. “Do you hike?”
His eyes shifted to me, and once again the breath left my lungs. It was
odd, he was so quiet, but he could make you feel so much with just a gaze.
“I go with Jasper so this one doesn’t complain,” Hawthorne said,
gesturing to Leo, who sputtered in disbelief.
The waiter arrived with our appetizers, and we continued eating and
chatting. I found out Leo was a home baker who made small batches for
events, and Hawthorne was the leader of the pack.
I blinked when he said that. “What does that mean?”
Hawthorne looked a bit sheepish, but no one else stepped in to answer
for him. “Every pack normally has a line of alphas,” He explained. “Mine
has ran the Enski Mountain pack for about four generations, and it was
passed to me about five years ago.”
 “So you’re like a king?” I asked.
Jasper laughed. “He wishes.”
Hawthorne bumped him lightly. “Smartass,” he chided. There was such
care in his voice it almost made me long for that.
“I do technically lead the pack,” Hawthorne clarified. “But I more keep
things running smooth and manage communication with other packs.”
“Sounds like a king to me,” I joked. They all laughed. I was relieved it
seemed to be going well, but I was still curious. “If it’s appropriate, can I
ask, are you guys all…dating?”
Jasper fielded the question easily. “We are,” he confirmed. “We’ve been
together since high school.”
I wanted to ask more questions. I had about a million swirling in my
head, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask any of them. Why did they decide
to date when they seemed very content? And how would I fit into their
relationship that’s gone on for so long?
I forced myself to shut those feelings down. This was a first date. It
wasn’t anything serious, so I didn’t need to worry about all of that right
now.
The rest of the date went smoothly. They were all kind and fun to be
around. It didn’t feel like I was fourth wheeling in any way. Any time they
brought up someone I may not have known, they looped me into the
conversation easily.
As the check came and I was full with curry, they insisted on paying.
“Would you like to come out with us?” Leo asked. “We were thinking
of going to the bar down the street.”
I looked down at my phone. It was already ten thirty, and though I
trusted Kristen, I didn’t want to leave her there all night. “I’m sorry,” I said.
“I would love to, but I have an early morning tomorrow. But I would love to
go out again.”
“Of course,” Hawthorne said, pulling out my chair. “Can we take you to
your car?”
I smiled. “Absolutely.” I was glad they didn’t seem upset. I didn’t want
to push them away, but I wasn’t ready to tell them I had a kid just yet. I had
gone on one date after having Aria; I told the guy during it, and he all but
ran away. Since then, I decided I should give it some time before I said
anything.
 We walked out together. As we got to the parking lot, Leo grabbed my
hand easily, giving it a light squeeze.
“I had a really great time tonight,” I said as we arrived at my car. “I
hope we can meet up again.”
“We do as well,” Jasper said. “Maybe we can plan coffee for some time
next week?”
“I think I could make that work.” I could take a bit of a long lunch
maybe, and then I wouldn’t have to worry about Aria.
Leo pulled me a bit, my hand still in his, until we were face to face.
“Can I kiss you goodbye?” he asked.
I gulped, then nodded. He pulled me in close and planted a sweet kiss
on my lips. They were soft and plush, and he tasted strangely sweet.
He pulled away, but I felt myself chase him a bit, wanting more. He
hummed. “I’m going to need more of that for sure,” he said.
I laughed. “Get out of here,” Jasper said playfully. “It’s my turn.”
Leo stepped to the side, and Jasper was there, in front of me. He was a
bit taller than Leo and his blond hair was pushed back perfectly. He had a
stronger cologne scent. “See you later?” he asked.
“Definitely.” He leaned in and kissed me. His lips were smaller than
Leo’s but more dominant. He had a more clean, minty taste that was
different, but just as pleasant.
When he pulled away, he dropped a light kiss to my forehead. He
stepped around, leaving Hawthorne gazing at me.
He took a more tentative step forward, running a hand through his dark
hair. He seemed a bit more standoffish than the other two, which made me
somewhat nervous about how he really felt.
“Sorry I’m not as talkative as the other guys,” Hawthorne said once he
was close, “but I did have a great time tonight and would love to see you
again.”
It felt like a bit of a weight was lifted from my shoulders. “That’s good
to hear.”
He reached a hand up and over my cheek, caressing me gently in a way
I didn’t expect. “Get home safe, and text when you get there, okay?”
I snorted. “Okay, mom,” I snarked.
He laughed but seemed serious. Having someone care like that was new
for me. Then, he leaned in and kissed me. It sounded strange even to me,
but he tasted like the woods—having an almost musky flavor. His beard
slightly scratched my chin as he pressed his body into me, warm and
inviting.
After what felt like too long and not long enough, he pulled away.
“Have a good night, Harper,” he said. “We’ll text to plan something soon.”
Jasper opened my door and helped me in. They all watched as I drove
away, and I realized after just one date, I liked these guys way more than I
should.

[Link]
 CHAPTER SIX

LEO

I packed up some of the cookies I’d made and checked the bag once again,
ensuring everything was ready. I took an order from one of the women in
the pack who was having a baby shower for a ton of sugar cookies with leaf
themes on them. I didn’t take a ton of orders, but I did love doing baby
showers.
Though I was very happy how we were, I always imagined us having
kids. I could picture little ones running around this big house, learning to
turn into wolves, their ears popping out occasionally. I imagined Hawthorne
coming home and lifting them all in his big arms, Jasper playing with them
outside, probably forcing them to hike. I could imagine Harper’s round
belly carrying them while she read to them at night.
Woah…
I shook my head. Though I saw Harper as endgame for all of us, I
needed to back up. I didn’t want to scare her away. After our first date, we’d
seen her a few more times, once for coffee and another dinner. She seemed
to be busy, so it was hard to catch her, but we tried to spend as much time
with her as possible.
Though it was obvious her job was demanding, it seemed like there was
something going on at home, but she never mentioned it. I’d wanted to ask,
but Hawthorne said we should give her time to tell us. He was probably
right, but I didn’t want to listen.
My phone pinged. It was Harper, telling us her car had broken down.
Jasper quickly responded, seeing if she needed a ride, but she assured us
one of her co-workers could grab her. I typed out a quick message.
 Leo - Do you have anything for lunch?

Harper - Ugh, no. I’m just gonna scrounge my purse for coins
and raid the vending machine.

Leo - Why don’t I bring you something? I have to drop off a

cookie order anyway.

Harper - I don’t want to impose

Leo - Never. There’s nothing I’d like more than to see your face
today.

The dots danced for a moment before going away. I worried I’d been
too much when she finally responded.
Harper - Okay. I want to see you too. My break is at 1.

My heart pounded out of my chest. I checked the clock—11:30. I ran

around the kitchen, trying to figure out what to make. I settled for a few
chicken caprese sandwiches, some Greek salads, and a few extra cookies I
had left.
I ran out the door and rushed to deliver the baked goods. Angie was
grateful for them, and her mother insisted on chatting for longer than I’d
have liked. I was just out the door when I heard my name behind me.
I turned to find my sister Charlotte, her own pregnant bump sticking out
even further than it had the last time I saw her. She had long black hair up
in a bun, and she was carrying a large vegetable tray.
“Hey! I didn’t know you’d be here this early.” Though I loved her, I
didn’t want to run into her right now. I didn’t have time, I needed to get to
Harper.
She gave me a hug, wrapping around me, somehow avoiding her bump
and the tray. “I told Ang I would help set up. The first shower is always a
big deal.”
“Nice. Well, I need to run. I hope you have a great baby shower.” I tried
to sidestep her, but even pregnant, she was quick.
“Where are you off to?” It was an innocent question, but that glint in her
eye told me otherwise.
“Nowhere,” I snapped too quickly.
 She locked onto that tone like a piranha. Damn my sister for knowing
me so well. “You have a date.”
“I do not,” I scoffed.
“You totally do. You always got like that when you were ‘just hanging
out’ at Hawthorne’s house with Jasper.” She gasped. “Are you cheating on
them? I swear, Leo Finn Caldron, you were not raised to…”
I put my hand over her mouth, stopping her from shouting in the middle
of the parking lot. She acted like my mother sometimes, but I guess that
was what older sisters were for.
“It’s not like that,” I yell-whispered.
She swatted my hand away. “Tell me what it’s like then, because I will
walk over to that clinic and tell Jasper myself.”
“It’s someone we’re seeing,” I said, hoping she’d get the hint.
Her eyes widened. “Oh, I see. When did you guys start dating?”
“Can we not get into this right now?” I asked. “I promise to tell you
everything, but I promised to bring her lunch.”
“And it’s a her? I’ll definitely need to hear this, but fine, I’ll let you off
the hook. For now.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Char,” I gave her a small side hug and took off to my
car.
I gave a small chuckle to myself as I thought about Charlotte’s reaction
to my possible cheating. She wasn’t wrong though. I had been obsessed
with them both as long as I could remember.
When we were in school we were tied at the hip. I had other friends, but
Hawthorne and Jasper took up most of my time. I’d spend after school
sitting with Jasper in the library, bothering him while he tried to study, or
watching Hawthorne at football practice.
It wasn’t until we were in high school that Charlotte pointed out my
feelings. At first, I denied it. We were just friends, close friends. But the
longer I considered it, the more I realized she was right. My other friends
didn’t make my heart skip a beat when I caught their eye, and I definitely
didn’t feel attracted to any of them.
Once I accepted it, I knew I had to do something about it. I was always
the type to go after what I wanted, and as soon as I was sure, I formulated a
plan. I planned a day for both of them to meet at Hawthorne’s for
homework. Then I would tell them how I felt and hope they felt the same.
 It sort of fell apart, however when I didn’t have the patience. Hawthorne
had hopped up on his bed with me, and got so close. That same woodsy
scent he’d always had infiltrated my senses. At the time I wasn’t sure if it
was just in my head, but I swore his cheeks pinked slightly, giving me the
confidence to lean in and kiss him.
He was still at first, and I worried I’d made a mistake until he wrapped
himself around me, kissing me back. It was everything I had wanted it to
be. Like the world around us faded away, and it was just us.
That was until a gasp by the door startled us. Jasper was there, eyes
wide and mouth slack. He apologized and ran away. I jumped up and
followed him, chasing him down the stairs, towards the door, and outside.
He ran all the way to the tree line outside of Hawthorn’s house until we
were a little way in.
“Stop,” I called, my breath ragged. Even for a shifter, I wasn’t much for
running.
He did, keeping his back to me. “It’s fine.”
“W-what’s fine?” I asked, my breath still coming in large gulps.
“You two can continue, I’ll leave you alone.”
“No,” I said quickly. “You don’t understand.”
“Understand what?” he asked, his voice clipped and frustrated.
“You guys…like each other. I don’t want to get in the way.”
“You aren’t in the way.”
“Of course I am,” he continued. “You guys want to be a couple, or
whatever, and when I’m there you can’t do what you want. I can just⁠—”
I couldn’t listen to it anymore. I pressed my lips to his, effectively
quieting him. Just like Hawthorne earlier, he was frozen in place. But unlike
Hawthorne, he never returned my kiss.
I pulled away, slightly embarrassed and worried I’d just ruined
everything. Jasper looked shocked, his eyes wide as he stared at me.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I just thought⁠—”
I landed against the tree behind me with an oof. Jasper was hovered
over me, his blue eyes shimmering. “What did you think?” he asked.
“I-I thought you liked me too. Liked us too.”
He moved closer to me at what felt like a glacial pace, until our lips
were a breath apart and our noses touched.
“I do.” He leaned in and sealed our lips in a kiss. One he reciprocated,
one he dominated. It wasn’t the same as kissing Hawthorne. He had a more
minty clean taste that tickled my tongue and made me shiver. But it was just
as good.
When he pulled away it was too soon. “We should go back and talk,” I
said.
He agreed. When we got back, Hawthorne was freaked out, but I was
managed to calm them each down and we decided to date. Though it was a
bit weird and new at first, we found a rhythm for us and had been together
ever since.
Luckily, I wasn’t lying about their delivery being near her office and
pulled into the parking lot right at one. Leaving those memories behind, I
pulled down the sun visor mirror to check how I looked. My hair was a
mess, so I grabbed the hair tie around my wrist and threw half of it up so at
least it was out of my eyes.
With that sorted, I grabbed the bag I brought and headed inside. It was a
simple, clean office, with a few scattered fake plants and the smell of
printer paper in the air.
“Can I help you?” the woman at the front desk said.
“Yes,” I said, approaching. “I’m looking for Harper Maloy.”
“Oh, she’s the third office on the right,” she said, gesturing to the hall.
“Thanks.” I headed in that direction. There were photos of each of the
agents on a plaque on the outside their doors, and I stopped to look at
Harper’s. She was smiling, with her rounded cheeks and slightly flushed
skin. Her hair was down in the photo, styled to perfection, as it normally
was.
The door was cracked open, and I knocked lightly before pushing it
open. She turned my way, phone held to her ear.
She smiled at me, putting her hand over the bottom. “Sorry, I’ll be done
in a sec if you want to sit down.”
I nodded and sat on the other side of her desk, looking around. She had
some photo frames facing her that I couldn’t see from here. I yearned to
turn them, but I didn’t want to intrude. Jasper said I had a habit of doing
that and I shouldn’t scare her away.
The rest of the office was fairly bare. Her certificate was on the back
wall, along with two pieces of paper that looked to be kids' drawings. I
wondered what they were about.
I was snapped out of my thoughts when she slammed the phone down
on the hook. “Sorry about that,” she said. “I’m ready for lunch.”
 She was wearing a long black pencil skirt with a blue buttoned dress
shirt. Seeing her in such professional clothes made me burn up inside. I held
the bag up. “Great. I brought a little something. I thought we could eat in
the park nearby.”
“That’s so thoughtful. Let me grab my sweater and we can go.” She
grabbed her black blazer and I followed her out of the office. Once we were
outside we could walk comfortably next to each other. I stepped a bit closer
and grabbed her hand, hoping I wasn’t being too forward.
She looked down at them before looking up at me and squeezing my
hand. We soon reached a swinging bench in front of the lake. The view was
almost as beautiful as she was.
We sat down, and I took out the bento boxes I’d packed everything in. I
hoped we’d get to go to the park and these were perfect for travel eating.
She opened hers and gasped. “This looks amazing! I appreciate you
coming.”
“Of course. I hope you like it.”
She picked up the cookie first, examining it closely. “Are these the ones
you make?”
“Yeah. I had some leftovers from the baby shower today.”
“They’re gorgeous,” she said.
“I can show you the whole set.” I pulled out my phone and clicked on
the photos. Along with the leaves, there were onesies, binkies, and a plaque
that said “oh, baby.” They all had little green plants on them to tie them
together. I loved how they came out.
“You do really great work,” she said, handing the phone back.
“Thanks.”
She set the cookie down, as if it was too pretty to eat, and dove into the
sandwich. She took a few bites and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was
just so beautiful.
“Something on my face?” she asked when she realized I was staring at
her.
“N-no,” I stuttered, turning my attention to my own meal. I needed to
get it together.
She giggled but went back to her food. We ate in a comfortable silence,
looking out at the water.
“Thank you for lunch,” she said as we finished up. “It’s much nicer than
the bag of Doritos and Honey Bun I had planned.”
 “Any excuse to see you.”
Her blush deepened, only highlighting her rounded cheeks.
I set my box aside and slid into her, wrapping my arm around her
shoulders. “So whose baby shower are these for?” she asked.
“My sister’s best friend,” I said. “I’m going to have to start another set
for my sister too. She’s having her sprinkle as she calls it, in a few months,
and between you and me, she’s a menace about decor, so I know they have
to be perfect.”
“Do you only have one sister?”
“Yes. I have an older sister, Hawthorne has a younger brother, and
Jasper is an only child, in case you didn’t get that vibe.”
She laughed harder than I think she meant to and covered it with her
hand. “I might have.”
“What about you?” I asked. “Any siblings?”
“I’m the youngest child with a an older sister and brother. They’re both
much cooler than me.”
I frowned. “Why do you think that?”
She shrugged. “They both have high-profile jobs and are married.”
I lifted my eyebrow. “And?”
“I think I’ve just done things out of order,” she admitted.
I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but I didn’t like her being down
on herself. “Everyone lives life differently. I mean, three guys in a
relationship isn’t what most consider typical, but it works for us, and that’s
what matters.”
She smiled lightly. “That’s true.”
I reached up and traced my finger under her jaw until she faced me. It
was strange, I’d never been attracted to women before. To be fair, I’d never
been attracted to anyone who wasn’t Jasper or Hawthorne, but something
about her plump lips and pretty eyes made my cock threaten to stand at any
moment.
I leaned in and planted my lips on hers, loving her warm, almost spicy
taste. She kissed me back with equal want, licking my lips to let her in.
I did easily, wanting more of her, of the way she dominated our kisses,
like she knew exactly what I wanted. I fought the urge to straddle her on
this bench and grind down on her, but we were in public and way too close
to her work.
 All too soon she pulled away, our breath lingering between us. I rested
my forehead against hers, just breathing her in. “You are something else,
Harper Maloy.”
“So are you. All of you.”
My heart squeezed when she said that. I didn’t think we’d ever find a
mate for all of us, but here she was.
“I should get back to work,” she sighed.
I groaned. “I suppose.” I gave her one more quick kiss before standing,
collecting our things, and putting out my hand to help her up. We walked
together like that back to my car, and it all just felt so right.

[Link]
 CHAPTER SEVEN

HARPER

I finished my work and went to pick Ari up from daycare. I managed to get
out on time today and had Kristen drive us.
She waited in the car as I went in. There were still a few kids milling
around when I got there, and I was glad I wasn’t the last to pick up.
“Hello,” one of the teachers said. “Aria, your mom is here.”
She lit up when she saw me. “Mom!” said, jumping from the rug and
running over to me. “I thought Nanna was coming.”
“I got off a bit early. Come on, let's get your bag.”
As I walked to get her bag with her, her teacher stopped me. “Actually,
would you mind stopping by the office quickly? The director wanted to
have a word.”
My brows pinched in confusion, but I didn’t want to alarm Ari. “I’ll be
right back,” I told her as I walked back to the main office.
When I knocked on the door, I was greeted with a, “come in.”
I stepped through the door, and the manager, Mrs. Adams, looked at me
kindly. She was an older woman with a kind face. She gave us our tour on
the first day here, and I picked this place because she seemed so passionate
about it.
“Ms. Maloy,” she said. “Have a seat.”
I took the one across from her. “Is everything alright?” I asked.
“Everything is fine,” she assured me. “Aria is doing great,” she
affirmed. “She’s great with her classmates and excels in her academics.”
I waited. “So why am I here?”
 Mrs. Adams took a breath. “I don’t mean to intrude, but do you know
anything about Ari’s father?”
Her question struck me as odd. “Uh, not a lot. We didn’t know each
other for long.” A single night was a better way to put it, but same
difference.
“Well, Aria has been acting a bit odd. Nothing alarming, but sudden
bursts of exhaustion before moments of being hyper. It’s not odd for a
young child, but today, we noticed…other symptoms.”
“What other symptoms?” Was Ari sick?
“Today she grew…ears.”
I blinked. “Ears?”
“Wolf ears, to be exact,” she clarified. “It only happened for a few
minutes, but I saw it for myself when her teacher called me. Have you
considered her father could have been a shifter?”
I was stunned into silence. “I-I don’t think so.” I didn’t know any
shifters in college, but it wasn't something people always talked about.
“Unless there’s some wolf in your family, I would consider it. Are you
in contact with him or his pack?”
I shook my head. How could this be happening? I didn’t know the first
thing about raising a shifter.
“Here.” She scribbled some words on a sticky note. “This is a clinic up
in Enski Mountain. They should be able to help you, and they take walk-ins
on Saturdays.”
I took the card with shaky hands. I guess I would need to pay them a
visit. I wasn’t sure what this would mean going forward, but I needed to
make sure Aria had all the care she needed.
“Thank you for letting me know,” I said.
“Of course. I’m not sure how much you know about shifters, but their
first few months of shifting can be a bit…unpredictable. We would still love
to welcome Ari here, but she needs to be in control of her shifting first. I
hope you understand. Our teachers here aren’t equipped to help her shift
back, and we don’t want anything to happen in the process.”
“I understand,” I said, and I did. I didn’t know how I was going to
handle it either. “Thank you,” I said before going back to pick up Ari. She
was already in her coat as her teacher smiled at me earnestly, which made
me feel a bit better. I was sure it was a fright to see a child change like that.
“Have a great night” he said as we left.
 When we got to the car I sat there for a moment, just staring at the
wheel. What was I going to do?
“Are you okay?” Ari asked.
I shook my head and smiled when I looked at her. “I’m okay. I’m just
tired.”
“Me too,” she said with a dramatic sigh.
I turned the car on and started our journey home. “Yeah? Long day?”
“Yes,” she said. “We had to cut shapes and write our name a bunch.”
“That does sound tiring,” I told her, though to me, it sounded like a
walk in the park. I was sure when I was that age, I would find that
exhausting as well.
“Oh, and I felt weird.”
I paused. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes, my body feels weird, like it wants to explode
or something but doesn’t know how. But that’s silly.”
“Yeah, very silly.”
Fuck.

That weekend came, and I drove Aria up to Enski Mountain to check

out the clinic. The drive up was very scenic, with trees everywhere
changing to fall colors. Aria talked about a project with the leaves they were
doing at school the entire way up.
I was able to take my sick days for the rest of the week, plus I talked to
my boss and took some time off from work going forward. If she really was
shifting sporadically, there wasn’t a daycare I could send her to that I knew
of, so I had no one to watch her. While my parents could watch her for a
little while after daycare, they weren’t able to watch her all day.
I had two weeks' worth of vacation time, and when I told my boss Aria
was sick, she was more understanding than normal. Though she wasn’t
really sick, I didn’t have the full story yet, so I wasn’t ready to tell my boss.
I knew I was a talker, but that girl could yap more than I thought
possible. We pulled up to the clinic sooner than I’d have liked. It was a
small white building that looked newly renovated. There were only a few
cars in the parking lot, but I wanted to get here as early as possible to get
her seen.
I got out of the car and helped her unbuckle from her car seat before we
walked in.
“Mom, I don’t really like the doctor,” she said.
I huffed a slight laugh. I didn’t like this either, but I needed to put on a
brave face for her. “I know, but this will be just a quick check-up.” At least,
I hoped. I'd tried to do some research, but I couldn’t find much information
on how they found out kids were shifters, only how to raise one, and a lot of
the resources only helped if you also shifted. I was just a human, so how
was I supposed to teach her these things? It did, however, confirm some of
her behaviors: the strange bouts of tired and hyper, the ears.
I also tried to look up her father. Though I didn’t want anything to do
with him, I thought if I could track him down, he could give me answers.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember his name. I checked the roster of the
other colleges around there, flipping through photo after photo with no luck.
So, here we were, hoping for answers. We were greeted with a fresh,
clean lobby that looked like any other doctor's office. We went to the desk
and got checked in.
We sat down while I filled out the paperwork and Aria played with
some of the toys in the corner. When it asked the reason for the visit I
wasn’t sure what to put so I just wrote ‘child is experiencing symptoms of
shifting.’ I listed the symptoms below, along with the rest of her medical
history.
When I took it up, the nurse gave it a once over then looked back at me.
“Are you…human?”
I nodded.
“I see.” She made some notes, her face totally blank. “If you’d like to sit
down, someone will be with you shortly.”
I thanked her and went back to Aria, who was playing with one of those
wire block toys. It sounded like she was pretending they were trains that
could fly, but I was never truly sure what she was thinking.
We waited for what felt like forever before a voice I recognized called,
“Aria Maloy.”
My heart leaped to my throat as I found myself eye-to-eye with Jasper.

[Link]
 CHAPTER EIGHT

JASPER

I got to the clinic early today. I tried not to work on weekends to spend
time with Leo and Hawthorne, but another doctor called out, and I didn’t
like leaving them short-staffed. Saturday was walk-in day, and many people
waited for it instead of making a regular appointment.
I’d seen a few people already, one woman who sprained her ankle at
work the night before and a man who was having trouble shifting. It was all
pretty basic stuff, which was normal for walk-ins.
My mind drifted back to Harper. We hadn’t seen her much this week.
Leo brought her lunch on Wednesday, but she’d been a bit quiet since then,
and there seemed to be something wrong. Leo said she seemed happy when
he saw her last, but no one was sure how to check in on her since
everything was so new.
“Doctor Keaton,” Abby, one of the nurses, said as she approached me.
“Yes?”
“We have a bit of a strange case with this walk-in.”
“How so?” I asked, taking the chart from her and skimming over it.
“There’s a human woman here with her daughter. She says she’s
presenting with symptoms of shifting.”
I read over the information. Aria Maloy, age four, hyperactive then tired,
reported an ear shift at her daycare. My eyes caught on the last name.
Though it was a fairly common one, it was odd to see all the same.
“Did she come with a father? Perhaps the shifter?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “And the mom looks like she had no idea.”
 “I see. I’ll talk with her.” I couldn’t imagine being a human and finding
out my daughter could be a shifter. I wouldn’t know anything until I tested
her, but her symptoms were all correct. And if she didn’t know, I was sure
she would be frightened.
I stepped out into the lobby and called out, “Aria Maloy.”
When I looked up, I stopped dead in my tracks. Sitting there was
Harper, her round eyes staring back at me. And when I looked beside her, a
small child had walked up to join her. Her hair was blonder, but she had the
same hazel eyes and slightly upturned nose.
Harper had a daughter.
We both sat there in stunned silence. I was sure people were looking by
now, but I couldn’t move. It was like I was frozen in place. I had so many
questions, but I brought my mind to the issue at hand. Harper was probably
scared for her daughter, and she needed help.
I cleared my throat. “Why don’t you both follow me back?”
That seemed to snap her out of it. She stood with Aria and brought her
towards me. Her pumpkin spice scent hit my nostrils, and I wanted to pull
her to me, but I resisted as we walked toward the exam room.
When we got there, I had her help Aria up onto the exam table. “Could
you explain to me what’s going on?” I asked Harper.
She looked shy for a moment but nodded. She explained the symptoms
Aria had been experiencing and what they told her at the daycare.
I took notes and listened the way I always would, trying to go into
professional mode.
“Aria also said something to me the other day,” she continued. “Aria,”
she spoke to her daughter, “will you tell Dr. Keaton what you told me the
other day? About your body?”
She nodded. “It feels like my body wants to explode, but then doesn’t,”
she said. Her voice was so small and cute. My protective instincts kicked in
threefold, needing to fix whatever was going on, though that feeling she
described in her own words was a common way young children described
shifting.
“I need to run a few tests, but I’m pretty sure you’re correct. Aria is a
shifter.”
Harper’s stress was written all over her face. I peeked my head out and
called for Abby, who came quickly. “Can you take Aria’s vitals while I ask a
few more questions?”
 “Of course.”
“Harper, if you don’t mind, I need to ask a few things.”
She nodded as she turned to Aria. “I’m gonna step out and talk to the
doctor for one minute, okay? Stay with the nurse and I’ll be right back.”
“Kay,” she said, turning her attention to Abby. It seemed she was
excited to have someone new to talk to as I led Harper out and down the
hall to another room I was sure we wouldn’t be heard in.
I clicked the door shut and turned to her. All my professionalism went
out the door, and I hugged her. She wrapped around me as she started
sobbing. I rubbed her back, trying to comfort her.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” I said, and she didn’t. Though I
would have liked to know she had a kid, things were still new, and I
understood her reluctance to bring it up.
She pulled back a bit and took a few deep breaths as I wiped her tears
away. “You’re being too nice,” she said.
“I’m not just being nice,” I said earnestly. “I care about you and want to
help.”
She smiled lightly, another tear falling. “I don’t know what I’m going to
do. I’m not a shifter. I don’t know how to teach her anything. And don’t
shifters need a pack? I don’t have one.”
“Breathe,” I said. She started getting worked up, and I didn’t want her to
have a panic attack. “It’s okay, we’ll help you figure it out.”
“I can’t put that all on you,” she said. “We just started going out.”
“Don’t worry about that right now. Let's just focus on Aria.”
She nodded.
“I hate to ask you this, but can you tell me about her father?” If she
didn’t have any wolf shifter in her, someone had to.
She groaned. “I didn’t know him well. He was some guy who knocked
me up during spring break. I barely spoke to him, much less got his number.
But I didn’t know he was a shifter.”
“Don’t worry, Harper,” I said. “I promise we’ll help. You won’t have to
do this alone.”
“You don’t mind that I have a kid?” she asked. “You still want to…
date? Or is it over and this is just an offer from one shifter to another?”
“I speak for all of us when I say we still want to date. This isn’t a
deterrent for any of us.”
 She let out a deep breath, as if she was genuinely worried. “Okay.”
“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to tell Hawthorne and Leo. I think they’ll
know how to help. I can do that while you take a moment, and when we’re
done, I need a couple of blood samples from Aria so I can find out for
sure.”
“That sounds good. Thank you.”
I dropped a kiss to her lips without even thinking, and when I pulled
away, she smiled.
I went to another room and called Leo first.
“Hey!” he said. “Are you getting out early? I could use some help
moving the couch.”
I paused. “Why are you moving the couch?”
“I’m trying to clean under it. Duh.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I’m not getting out early, but I do have
something to tell you.”
He paused for a moment. “What?”
I told him everything that had happened over the past half an hour. The
only thing I left out was what Harper had told me about Aria’s father. I
asked her that in a professional capacity, and when she wanted to share with
the others, she would.
When I was finished, he was silent on the other end. “Harper has a
daughter who’s also a shifter?”
“It seems so.”
“So, what now?” he asked.
“Aria is four. Ideally, she’s around other shifters who can teach her to
control the changes. This is a pretty pivotal time, and she needs the
support.”
“I agree,” he said.
“I think we need to discuss that all together.” I was inclined to say she
should stay with us, but I didn’t want to push her into it or assume the other
two would want that.
He sighed on the other end. “You’re right, but I’m sure she’ll come stay
with us.”
I huffed. “How are you so sure?”
“Cause who could say no to me?”
I barked out a laugh. “Do you mind telling Hawthorne? I don’t want to
leave Harper alone for too long.”
“Of course. We’ll meet you there.”
“Perfect. I’ll see you soon. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I hung up and went back to Harper, who was now calm.
“Ready?” I asked her.
She took a steadying breath. “I guess so.”

[Link]
 CHAPTER NINE

HAWTHORNE

I tapped my pen against the table as I listened to the alpha from the Mislulu
pack drone on and on about who knew what. This meeting was supposed
to discuss a trade between packs, but somehow, the conversation had taken
a turn to discussing their lack of alphas. They lacked alphas because many
had left their pack over the years. They were a fairly old-school pack, and a
lot of people didn’t like that. That didn’t seem like our problem, but here we
were, discussing it anyway.
At least we were on a four-way call, and no one could see my near-
constant eye roll. And even though I was stuck here, my mind kept drifting
back to my mates.
Since Harper came along, it felt like everything was falling into place.
The four of us just fit together, even though it was early. I was trying to
keep my cool. I knew humans didn’t feel mating bonds the way wolves did,
or at least not as strong, and I didn’t want to scare her away.
I checked the group again, but it was quiet. I did have a message from
Leo, though. “You should come to the clinic. Now,” was all it said.
My heart dropped to my stomach. Was he okay? Was Jasper? I clicked
myself off mute and interrupted the call. “I apologize, but there’s been an
emergency. I will touch base with you later.”
I hung up and swung my coat off the back of my chair, darting out the
door. I knew the quickest way there would be shifting. I got naked,
throwing my clothes in my bag, and shifted. I felt my bones crack as skin
turned to fur and my face elongated to a snout. I picked up my bag with my
teeth and flew through the forest. The clinic sat at the base of the mountain,
right at the edge of town. I knew I could get there in ten minutes easily, but
I pushed myself hard to get there in six.
When I reached the building I shifted back, threw my clothes on, and
rushed inside, though I could still feel my wolf sitting at the forefront. My
vision was still as sharp as it was when I was shifted, my senses heightened.
Even though I knew I needed to have more control, I couldn’t.
Leo was sitting there in the lobby, his face in his phone and his leg
bouncing. “What happened?” I asked him.
He looked up at me, his face surprised. “It’s all okay,” he said, standing
to hug me.
I hugged him back, but my unease wasn’t settled. “It’s Harper,” he
started. “She’s fine, but…”
I didn’t hear the rest of his words. It was like my wolf acted before I
could, rushing towards the back. If Harper was hurt, I didn’t know what I
would do. I followed my nose towards her spicy, warm scent scent. She was
in one of the exam rooms. I threw the door open and froze.
Harper was standing there with her eyes wide and her body turned, as if
protecting someone—a someone who poked her head around Harper’s
body. She had a blonde hair and cute, rounded cheeks. Her hazel eyes
looked at me with interest. She was a carbon copy of Harper.
My mind tried to piece together everything I was seeing, but it was like
I was left only with base instinct.
The door opened again, and I was so set on protecting the two of them, I
blocked the door. Jasper looked at me in surprise. “What are you doing back
here?” he asked.
I couldn’t speak, my wolf was too close to the surface. Jasper peered
around me to Harper without moving any closer. “I’m just going to talk to
Hawthorne real quick, and then we’ll all talk.”
I followed him as he dragged me into another exam room. My instinct
told me to go back, to protect them from whatever scared Harper, but I tried
to reason with myself. It was muddy, but even my wolf knew they were safe
here.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked. “You’re a second from
shifting and scaring the shit out of them both.”
I closed my eyes and took a few calming breaths, pushing my wolf back
down. He was right. I was the reason Harper was afraid. We’re scaring our
mate, I told my wolf. I could feel it cower back.
 That was the strangest feeling. I’d never talked directly to my wolf, nor
had I ever felt it as a separate entity, but it was almost as if there were two
halves of me fighting for control.
When I opened my eyes, my vision wasn’t as sharp and everything felt
less intense. Jasper rubbed my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, leaning into his touch. “Yes. Thank you.”
He dropped a small kiss on my lips. “I was going to let her tell you, but
I feel like I probably should so you don’t freak out again. Harper has a
daughter, Aria.”
My head spun. It made sense. I saw it with my own eyes, but thinking
about it made me shake. “Why didn’t she tell us?” I asked.
“I think she was worried. I’m assuming something happened before.”
I released a growl. Anyone who would leave her because of her child
was unworthy of her. I took a deep breath, set on getting myself under
control.
“Okay,” Jasper breathed. “I’m going to go in there to make sure they’re
okay. Apparently, Aria has been presenting signs of shifting.”
I blinked. “But Harper is human.”
“I know.” I let the words sink in. Her daughter was a shifter, but how? I
didn’t bother asking. Even if she told Jasper, I was sure it would be in
medical confidence, and I wouldn't intrude on that.
“Just take a minute, and I’ll see you out there.” He kissed me gently
then left as I sat in the dark exam room, letting myself calm down. Though
my wolf was taking a back seat, I was freaking out. I had so many
questions, but Jas was right. I knew I needed to put my head on straight and
be there for Harper. She’s a human and would have no clue how to deal
with this.
I walked back out to where Leo was pacing. I probably made him
nervous too. He paused when he saw me. “What happened?” he asked.
I shook myself off, trying to get back into the right mindset. “Nothing.
It’s okay. Your text just kinda set me off.”
He pulled me into his arms, and I inhaled him. He always smelled sweet
and warm like a vanilla candle. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.
I tried to call your office phone, but it was busy. And I just shot off a quick
text.”
I squeezed him harder. I needed to keep my head together. I was the
alpha, and I needed to exude that. “I’m glad you did. I want to be here.”
 We stood there hugging for way too long, but no one paid us any mind.
Leo had that sugary scent to him, telling me he was baking today. “Did you
get that order to Amber?”
“Yeah, dropped it off right before I went to Harper.”
I nodded and pulled away. “Show me the photos.”
He lit up. We sat together in some nearby chairs, and he pulled up the
photos. He really did do beautiful work, and knowing he was doing
something he was passionate about made me happy. The doors to the back
swung open and Jasper and Harper appeared. My eyes drifted to the little
girl between them with a lollipop in her hand.
I resisted the urge to throw myself in their direction and stood,
approaching them slowly. “Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Aria is okay,” Jasper assured me. “We did some tests, but I’m fairly
sure she’s getting ready to shift.”
Harper looked shaken but not distressed, which was good. I nodded to
Jasper and squatted down until I was at her height.
She looked at me without fear, which made me feel better. “It’s nice to
meet you, Aria. I’m Hawthorne.”
She looked to her mother for guidance. I looked to Harper too, and she
gave a reassuring smile that made me release a deep breath. “Hi,
Hawthorne,” she said, stumbling a bit over the syllables.
The overwhelming need to protect them both washed over me like a
tsunami.
Her eyes widened. “Your eyes changed color,” she said.
She was right. My wolf was at the forefront. Though being with Harper
made me feel more connected to my wolf, it seemed to mean he was more
eager to come forward.
I looked up to find Harper was watching me cautiously, but made no
move to pull her away. That level of trust was something I knew I needed to
keep.
I stood up and faced Harper, who looked unsure. “I know you probably
want to take her home, but I think we should discuss options.”
“Options?” she asked.
“Yes,” Jasper jumped in. “Learning to shift is very important for young
ones. She should be around other shifters to teach her how to do it
responsibly. If not, it can become uncontrollable as she grows older. Ideally,
she would stay with them.”
 Harper took a shaky breath out. “I-I don’t know any shifters I could stay
with. I don’t know the first thing about any of this.”
“You know at least three,” I said easily. “I know we haven’t been seeing
each other for long, but maybe you can stay with us until this is all sorted
out.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Positive.”
“Okay. We’ll go home tonight and get our stuff, and we’ll be over
tomorrow after work.” I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to insist they come
over right now, but I didn’t want to push too hard. After this sudden
disconnect I was feeling with my wolf, I needed time to straighten it out.
We all went outside and she helped Aria into her car. When she pulled
away and shut the door I was there.
“Are you okay?” I asked, rubbing her cheek with my palm. She leaned
into the touch.
“I’m good,” she breathed. “I’m glad she’s okay, even though I’m not
sure what we’re going to do about this.”
“I am too.” I shifted on my feet. “I think we should talk about…
everything.”
She nodded. “Probably.”
I leaned in and kissed her, unable to stop it. She was so sweet and soft,
she made me want to protect her from anything that could hurt her.
I pulled away too soon. I could feel my wolf back at the forefront.
“What’s that about?” she asked, gesturing to my eyes.
I kissed her forehead. “A wolf thing,” I said. “We can talk about it
tomorrow.”
She seemed like she wanted to argue, but nodded, satisfied with the
promise.
Leo was there next, giving her a hug and kiss goodbye with a promise
of ready breakfast tomorrow. Then came Jasper, promising everything
would be okay.
I opened the car door and helped her in.
“See you tomorrow,” I said as I knocked the top of the car and retreated.
As I went, Jasper met me, and we watched them drive away. “She’s
really okay, right?” I asked.
Jasper nodded. “It’s early enough that we’ll be able to teach her shifting
easily. And it shouldn’t have any effect on her development.”
 I let out a sigh, pleased we probably wouldn’t face any complications.
“I’m more interested in what happened back there,” he continued. “I
thought you were going to shift in my office.”
“I know,” I said. “I think I was just shocked.” I wasn’t ready to admit
how out of control I genuinely felt, not even to myself.
He didn’t look convinced, but he seemed to let it go. “I’m going to head
back to the office for a bit. Are you going home?” I asked Leo.
“Yeah. Don’t be too long, okay?”
“I won’t.”
“I have some things to finish up here,” Jasper said, “but I shouldn’t be
too much longer. See you at home?”
I turned to him. “Of course. I think Leo has some leftover cookies.”
“That I do,” he said with a sly grin.
Jasper leaned into me, wrapping his arms around my middle. “As long
as you don’t eat them all before I get there.”
I scoffed. “I would never.”
He hummed, and I silenced him with a kiss. Though this kiss was just as
sweet as our previous ones, something about having our mate so close made
everything feel much more intense. He always tasted clean and minty and
something all his own that I was addicted to.
Then, I pulled Leo to me, kissing him just as hard. His taste was so
much different, more sweet and warm, but just as good.
We pulled away, and I nudged his nose with mine. “See you at home. I
love you.”
He sighed. “I love you too.”
With that, I reluctantly pulled away. He and Jasper were saying their
goodbyes as I headed back towards the tree line.
I shifted there, running back to my office. I was sure the meeting was
over, but I needed to make sure everything was settled before I left.
Luckily, I was right about the meeting, and my second, Amir, had taken
over for me and took diligent notes, though it seemed most of the
conversation stayed on the Mislulu pack.
As I was finishing up and heading out, Amir stopped me. “Hey,
everything okay from earlier?”
“Yes, thank you. Everything is fine. I just had something urgent to deal
with.” I didn’t say anything more. Though I trusted Amir, there were plenty
of nosey ears in the pack house listening in, and I didn’t want any prying
eyes on Harper or Aria when they came. My mind was racing thinking
about them, preparing for them to come. I needed to get out of here as soon
as possible to do that.
“That’s good. I wanted to let you know that I got a call from the Mislulu
pack not too long after the meeting. It was one of the leaders wanting me to
let you know⁠—”
“Could you just leave me a note on my desk?” I said, cutting him off. I
didn’t mean to be rude, but I was sure whatever it was could be dealt with
on Monday, and I needed to go.
He nodded. “Of course. Have a good night.”
I planned to go right home to help. I was sure Leo had already gone out
and bought some things to entertain Aria with, but I wanted to help set up.
However, instead of driving back to the house, I found myself heading
down the mountain and towards her apartment. It again was as if I wasn’t in
control. It was as if my wolf took over and directed me back to her,
demanding we check in and make sure she was safe.
I parked my car across the street, where I could see into her window.
Her curtains were open, and she came into view quickly, looking to be
packing some clothes for Aria, who I assumed was helping, but seemed to
be making more of a mess.
Her apartment looked cozy but minimal, with lots of nude and beige
colors, save for the colorful toys spread throughout the space.
I watched as she grabbed her phone and looked down at it. She smiled. I
checked mine and saw that Leo was talking about how excited we were to
have them come tomorrow.
I stayed for a few hours, watching as she got Aria ready for bed and
packed some things of her own. Once she was fast asleep, I left, heading
back up the mountain for tomorrow.

[Link]
 CHAPTER TEN

HARPER

T
he next morning, Aria and I woke bright and early to head up to Enski
Mountain once again. Aria seemed excited. I talked to her about what
Jasper said about the potential of shifting into a wolf, but I still
worried how she would actually feel when it was happening. Would she be
herself while she was a wolf? I again tried to do some research, but a lot of
what I found felt like scare tactics as opposed to real information.
The drive up to the mountain was beautiful. There were pretty strict
rules about selling in the mountains. Apparently, a deal had been brokered a
long time ago about pack territory, so humans mostly stayed away. Meaning
my company would never sell up here, but it was nice.
I rode up the long, winding, drive and my jaw dropped when I saw the
house. The place had to be at least three stories. It was a modern lodge
style, with an A-frame roof and tons of windows, as well as a perfectly
manicured lawn. There was a large, wrap-around porch that extended
around the back of the house. I was itching to ask the price, but I thought
that should wait for another time.
My palms were sweating against the cracking steering wheel. This
house felt like a reminder of how different we were, and though we’d only
been on a few dates, they never made me feel any different. I tried to hold
onto that thought as I got out of the car and stepped up to the front door.
Before I could even press the bell, the door flew open, startling me. I
gasped, and Leo looked sheepish. “Sorry,” he said. “I heard you coming.”
“How?” I asked. My car wasn’t that loud.
 “Wolves have very good hearing,” he said, moving the door open so we
could come in.
“Hi, Aria. How are you?” he asked.
“Good. I’m excited to be a wolf!” she said.
Leo laughed. “I bet you are.”
When we got inside, my mouth fell open once more. There were huge
vaulted ceilings with exposed wooden beams. For a house so grand,
everything was very open and understated. The furniture was all warm
browns and light neutrals. The main sitting area was in front of us, with an
industrial-sized kitchen to the side. A large brick fireplace sat on the far
wall. The whole place looked like it was ripped from a Pinterest page that
one of my clients would bring me. I had the urge to explore every nook and
cranny, not just for my job, but to get to know them. If I had to guess, a lot
of the design in here came from Leo, but I was sure I would find touches of
the others if I looked hard enough.
“Your house is amazing,” I said.
“Thank you. I did a lot of the decorating.”
“I could tell,” I noted.
“Are those blocks?” Aria asked, running towards the living room. Sure
enough, there were blocks, dolls, and a rug that looked like a city laid out in
the living room.
“What’s all this?” I asked Leo.
He looked a bit shy. “We thought we should get you guys some things
to make you comfortable.”
“Can I play?” Aria asked.
“Of course,” I said. She ran to the toys and started building quickly.
Leo slid up next to me. “Do you mind if I hug you?” he asked.
“Of course,” I said, confused.
He wrapped his arm around my waist, and I easily leaned into him. “I
just wasn’t sure what you told her about us.”
Ah. In all honesty, we didn’t talk about it, but I wasn't sure what I would
tell her. I wouldn’t want her to think they were permanent. We hadn’t been
dating that long, and who knew what could happen? Plus, we weren’t going
to stay here forever. Once Aria figured out her shifting, we would be going
home.
Leo kissed me on the temple, removing me from my thoughts.
“Where’s everyone else?” I asked.
 “Hawthorne was showering last I checked, and Jasper went to the clinic
this morning to check on Aria’s results. He should be back soon. Do you
guys want breakfast?”
“I would love some.” I hadn’t had anything to eat since last night. “Ari,
you hungry?” I asked. She’d had some fruit in the morning, but the girl
could eat.
“Yes, please,” she said.
“I've got bagels with cream cheese and apples.”
“Sounds delicious.” I brought Aria to the kitchen to help wash her
hands. When we went out to the table, Leo had set up the booster seat I
brought for her and was cutting up her bagel, an already cut-up apple next
to it.
My food was set out too, a toasted bagel and cut apple next to it.
“Thank you,” I said. I helped Aria up before sitting down and eating
with her, Leo on the other side.
“Good morning,” Hawthorne said from behind us.
I almost choked when I saw him. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a
simple henley that clung to his body in the most delicious way. His hair was
still damp, water dripping from it.
“Hi, Hawthorne,” Aria said, snapping me out of my dangerously smutty
thoughts.
“Hi Aria.” He joined us at the table. “Are you excited to learn how to
shift?”
“I’m gonna be a wolf and go grrr,” she said.
He laughed. “You’re gonna be the coolest wolf out there.”
She started yapping about wolves, which led her to talking about dogs,
which somehow turned into talking about space.
But Leo and Hawthorne took it all in stride, chiming in on all the
nonsense easily. This all felt so easy and domestic, but the doubt that it
could last came creeping in.
“So, about the shifting,” Hawthorne started, pulling me from my
thoughts. “We can coach her a bit, but it's something that happens naturally.
When the small things start, they pick up quickly, and it probably won’t be
long until she starts shifting fully. What we need to teach her to do is switch
back.”
“And you can do that?” I asked.
 “Yes. Though some people describe their wolves as something separate,
like a conscience, it’s really just another part of you. Like any other
emotion, kids need to learn how to regulate them.”
Explained like that, it sounded less difficult and scary, which made me
feel better. I was so worried it would be something I couldn’t ever
understand or help her with, but laid out like that it seemed manageable.
When we were done, I tried to help clean up but was shooed away. So,
Hawthorne and I played with Aria for most of the morning. We built block
towers and knocked them over, just to do it all again.
A little while later, we went outside where Hawthorne raked up a bunch
of leaves and let Aria jump into the piles.
She leap into one, and I gasped when she popped back up and had ears
and a snout.
“Mom!” she squealed. “I feel like I’m going to explode again.”
I looked to Hawthorne, who had a light smile on his face. “Aria, come
here.”
She bound over, her speed seeming a bit increased. He squatted down to
her level, looking her in the eyes. “Can you feel anything else?” he asked.
“Like something else wants to take over?”
She looked to think about it. “Maybe. It feels weird.” There were nerves
in her voice, and I wished to ease her.
“That’s okay,” he assured. “I want you to take a big deep breath for me
and try to relax. Let the feeling happen. Can you do that?”
She nodded. She inhaled in an exaggerated way before exhaling. A few
more breaths later, and more of her started to change. Her body crouched,
and she seemed a bit uncomfortable.
Hawthorne didn’t show any signs of concern, so I continued to watch.
Soon, her entire body was small and furry, and she looked like a baby wolf.
Her hair was a reddish blonde, her eyes a bit gold.
“Oh my Gods,” I said, eyes wide. I couldn’t believe my daughter just
turned into a wolf in front of my eyes.
“How do you feel, Aria?” he asked.
“I feel much better!” she said. Her voice sounded a bit different like
this, but she was herself, which made me relieved.
“That’s good.” She bumbled her walking a bit, but I had to imagine
having paws was different than feet.
“Mom, look how cool I am!”
 “You’re very cool,” I told her. “And very pretty.”
“Thank you.”
She turned back towards the pile of leaves and bounded into it, running
much faster on four legs.
“What now?” I asked Hawthorne.
“For now, we let her enjoy this, and then I’ll help her shift back.”
Aria ran around the yard, leaping and bounding over things as she got
used to being on all fours.
“Did she shift?” Leo asked, joining us.
“Yeah. She’s a natural,” Hawthorne said, a bit of pride in his voice.
“She’s so cute! I’m sad I missed the first time.” Leo said. He said it like
he missed her first steps.
Aria came back around the house and jumped at Leo, who caught her
easily. As she did, she scratched his arm slightly.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” I asked, running over to examine the
red marks on his arms.
“I’m fine,” he assured. “Shifters have advanced healing, so these will be
gone quickly.” He faced Aria. “But your mom doesn’t have that, so you
need to be careful not to hurt her, okay?”
“Okay!” she said. She leapt from his arms and went about her running
once more.
“For as young as she is, she’s very large in wolf form,” Leo noted.
“I was going to say the same,” Hawthorne agreed.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Nothing in particular,” Hawthorne assured. “It’s just an observation.”
She ran around for about an hour more before finally looking tired. “I
didn’t know she could have more energy than she already did,” I said as she
laid on my leg in the grass. I pet her head gently, the same way I would run
my fingers through her hair.
“Yeah, young pups seem to never stop,” Leo said. “My sister’s son is a
menace.”
I laughed. “How old is he?”
“Six,” Leo said. “Maybe I could invite them over sometime. It would be
good for Aria to play with other shifters.”
“That sounds great,” I said. It would be good for her to find friends who
knew what it was like to shift. To my knowledge, all the children at her
daycare were human.
 “Alright little one, how about we shift back?” Hawthorne said.
“I don’t know how,” she told him.
“I want you to close your eyes and feel your wolf. Can you feel it?”
She scrunched her face hard. “I think so.”
“Good. Now I want you to pretend you have a nice house in your mind.
Can you see it?”
“Yea. It’s a purple house with stripes.”
I laughed at that.
“That sounds like an excellent house,” Hawthorne said. “Now, I want
you to lead your wolf back into the house. And don’t worry, the house has
plenty of fun things for her to do.”
Aria didn't say anything at first, which made me nervous, until I saw her
body start to change and warp back to the little girl I was used to having.
She opened her eyes and looked at her hands. “I did it!”
“You did! You’re a natural. It took me two days to shift back after the
first time.”
My eyes widened. “Two days?”
“Yes. It can be hard to switch back when you’ve never done it. I
remember my mother using that analogy to finally help me shift back.”
“Well, I’m glad she didn’t take two days.” I would have had a heart
attack.
“Let’s get her inside,” Leo said, standing from our spot in the grass and
holding his hand out to me. “She’s probably going to need a nap after that.”
I agreed and let them lead us inside.

[Link]
 CHAPTER ELEVEN

JASPER

I looked over the paperwork again, sure I was mistaken.

Aria Maloy - Shifter - Alpha Gene

It was so improbable. Not only were Alphas so few and far between, but
I had never heard of an alpha being born from a human and shifter pairing.
It did seem to be correct, though.
And it meant we'd need to be a bit more vigilant about her. An alpha
without a pack would draw unwanted attention from other packs who want
to claim her. I needed to let them know, but I didn’t want to scare Harper
any more than I needed to.
I left the clinic soon after and headed home. When I pulled up, Harper's
car was in the drive. I was glad they were already there so I could deliver
the news to everyone at once.
It was oddly quiet inside for having a four-year-old in the house. I found
them in the living room, Harper lying on Hawthorne, Leo on her.
“Hey, Hun,” Leo said, looking away from the TV. “Wanna come watch
HGTV with us?”
“HGTV?” I asked skeptically. Sure enough, there were a bunch of
people knocking down walls on the screen. “Why?”
“Harper likes it,” he said. “And it’s fun when she points out what's
fake.”
 “There’s no way that last house would have sold for $400,000,” she
said. “Especially in that area. I would say $250,000 max.”
I laughed. “Where’s the munchkin?”
“She’s taking a nap,” Harper said. “She shifted today and was very tired
afterward.”
I paused. “She shifted. How did it go?”
“Well,” Hawthorne said, “she’s a natural. She shifted back easily too,
better than I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s good. I got the results back today, and it was as we suspected,
she is a shifter.”
“No denying it after today,” Leo said.
“No,” I agreed. “But there was something else.”
Harper's smile dropped as she sat up. “What is it?”
“Aria also carries what we call the alpha gene. It’s nothing bad,” I
quickly clarified. “It means that she’s like Hawthorne. She’s more in touch
with her wolf side than others, and she’ll be more dominant.”
They all look confused. “So she’s meant to lead?” Harper asked.
“Not necessarily, but packs see having many alphas as a positive, since
they’re considered stronger.”
Hawthorne looked thoughtful. “And without a pack, there will be many
vying to have her in theirs.”
“How would they know?” Harper asked.
“I tested her blood, meaning she’s in the database for shifters now. I hid
her results for now, but they came in early, so there's a possibility someone
could have already seen.”
The room went silent. “So what do we do?”
I looked to Hawthorne. We hadn’t told Harper about the mating yet, but
this may be the time.
“What else do you know about shifters?” I asked Harper.
“Uh, a bit,” she said. “I did some research when I started dating you
guys and after everything happened with Aria.”
“Did you read anything about mates?” Leo asked.
She thought for a moment. “Wolves have mates, right? The person
they’re meant to be with or something…” She trailed off as she noticed us
all staring at her. “You all think I’m your…”
“Mate?” I asked. “We don’t think, we know. You are our mate. A mage
who passed through told us about some mystical app that could match you
to your mate, even with three of us. We didn’t believe her either, but it
brought us to you, and when we met you, we all knew.”
“How did you know?” Harper asked.
“Our wolves could sense it,” Hawthorne explained.
“I thought your wolves weren’t separate?”
“They aren’t, and they’re different for everyone,” I said. “Mine is more
like another sense, like taste or smell. It knows you’re mine.”
“Me too,” Leo jumped in. “I always think of my wolf like my
conscience, and it knows you’re the one.”
She looked to Hawthorne, who had remained silent. “I have to be
honest. My wolf and I always felt like one, but since I’ve met you, it’s been
different. It does feel like there are two of us. I don’t know how to explain
it, but what I do know is we both crave you in a way that can only be
explained by a mating bond.”
Her eyes were watering. “I like you all too. A lot. I just worry about
moving too fast.”
“And we don’t have to,” I clarified. “If we decide to move forward and
mate, you guys would be a part of our pack. But there’s no rush on that.”
She took a deep breath. “Good. I do still want to stay, if that’s okay.”
Leo crawled up her body and planted a kiss on her lips. “Of course it’s
okay. You can stay forever if you want to.”
I laughed. Leo has always taken things too far too fast, but we expected
nothing else.
Leo kissed her again, and again, his touch becoming more feverish as
his hands moved up her body, to her breasts. As he squeezed them, she
gasped. My dick started hardening just watching the two of them, and I
could tell Hawthorne wasn’t unaffected either.
I walked over until I was right above them and ran my hand up over
Leo’s plump ass down to his muscular, toned thighs. I gave it a slight smack
that made him take in a sharp breath of air.
Leo began kissing down her neck and pushing up her shirt, almost
frantic to get to her tits.
When he finally managed to free them, we all growled around her. Her
large, round tits hung down heavily, her creamy skin looking good enough
to eat.
Leo took the right one in his mouth, and I reached around him to play
with the left, rubbing the bud between my fingers.
 Harper was so responsive, moaning and wriggling beneath us.
When Leo pulled away, Hawthorne tilted his chin up and kissed him
above Harper’s head. She watched them, her panting breaths coming out
heavy.
Suddenly, I heard the thud of small footsteps coming from upstairs. I
froze, as did the other two.
They fell apart, and Harper looked confused as we quickly put her
clothes in place and helped her sit up.
A moment later, she seemed to understand when the footsteps became
louder and Aria came bounding down the hall.
She came around the corner, rubbing her eyes sleepily. “Mom, I’m
hungry.”
Harper laughed. “I’m sure you are. How about we have a snack?”

[Link]
 CHAPTER TWELVE

HAWTHORNE

I stood at the door while Harper read to Aria. I smiled every time her voice
changed with the story to reflect the character. During the first book, Aria
was excited and laughing, pointing to all the different illustrations and
asking questions.
Now by the third book her eyes drooped and she was almost asleep. It
was nice seeing this other side to Harper. Though I had no doubts she was
an excellent mother, seeing her in action warmed my heart. I knew in this
moment I would do anything to make her mine, to bring them into the pack
and protect them always.
Once the book was done, Harper kissed Aria’s forehead and gently
pulled herself off of the bed. She clicked the light off and the night light
Leo bought came on. It illuminated stars onto the ceiling. We didn’t go
overboard, wanting Aria to design her own room when they hopefully
moved in, but we added some pink and purple bedding, some books, and of
course, the night light.
“That’s very pretty,” Harper said as she approached me. I followed her
out and let her click the door shut quietly.
“I agree.”
She leaned against the wall, looking drained. I curled up around her,
letting her lush, soft body meld to mine.
She pulled back and landed a kiss on my lips. I was obsessed with this
woman. My tongue swiped at her lips until she opened for me, letting me
taste her fully.
“Want to take this upstairs?” I asked.
 She nodded. A moan slipped from her, and I couldn’t control it. I lifted
her easily and she wrapped her legs around me on instinct.
“You can’t pick me up,” she gasped as I began walking up the stairs.
“Says who?” he asked.
“I’m too heavy.”
“I promise you kitten, I’m fine.”
A gasp slipped from her lips at the feel of me. My mouth worked up her
neck, nipping and kissing her soft skin. My teeth burned with the need to
bite her, to mark her as mine, but we weren’t there yet.
I tossed her onto the bed upstairs, crawling up her body.
“I crave you,” I growled, my wolf showing himself once again.
She looked at me, but it was as if she was really looking past me,
straight at my wolf. He warmed at her gaze, wanting to get closer, so I let
him, allowing myself to partially shift. My ears popped from the top of my
head, and my tail swooshed out behind me. My entire body got a bit larger,
and I felt her shift on top of me to accommodate me.
Her eyes widened, but more with interest than anything. Her hands ran
over my hair to my now pointed ears.
They twitched under her warm touch, loving the feel. I buried my face
in her tits, allowing my now larger tongue to lash over them. Her sharp
intake of air broke me.
I yanked her top down, revealing her full breasts. They fell heavily, her
nipples larger and round. I cupped one of them in my hand, bringing her
nipple to my mouth and sucking on it hard. I groaned at the taste, wanting
even more.
My tongue flicked her bud hard, and she arched her back under me,
pushing herself even further into me. I felt the bed shift as Jasper joined us
on the bed. I knew he was in the shower when we came in and he must have
finished.
He ran his fingers through her hair and tilted her head to the side to kiss
her hard. His hand came around her throat and I could see him squeeze just
a bit. Not enough to cut off her air, but enough to hold her in place.
“Did you start without me?” Leo asked as he walked in the door. I
turned to look at him, but he seemed more interested in what was going on
underneath me.
Leo snaked up on the other side, taking her other nipple in his mouth
and sucking. With all of us here, I felt whole, like everything was how it
should be.
When Jasper pulled away Leo turned her head to him and kissed her
deeply. I watched as she dominated their kiss. Leo was the most submissive
of our dynamic, and I wondered how that would manifest with Harper, but
it seemed even with her, he was comfortable taking the backseat, and she
seemed to enjoy being in charge with him.
When they pulled away, I cut in. “Though I know we all want to get
started, I think we should discuss some things.”
I could see the nerves start to creep back onto Harper’s face.
“Nothing like that,” I assured her. I pulled her up so she could rest her
back against the bedframe.
“It’s just, we need to be clear on everyone’s boundaries. We use the
traffic light system for safewording. Green for good, yellow if you need to
slow down, and red for things to stop so everyone can talk about it. You can
safeword at any time, and no one will be upset. It’s really important you
understand that.”
Harper seemed to be attentive to what I was saying. “I understand that.”
“So how are you feeling right now?” Jasper asked, running his hand up
her thigh.
“Green all the way,” she said with a smirk.
He growled, and I watched as he allowed himself to half-shift as well,
his white-blonde ears peeking out and his tail taking form behind him.
Harper’s pupils dilated, watching him change. She liked it, I realized.
His hands removed her dress and bra all in one swoop, leaving her in a
pair of white lace panties. Her pussy looked divine. I could smell how
turned on she was.
Though I wanted to dive head first into her, I let Jasper continue, kissing
down her neck, over her tits, and down her soft, round belly, being sure to
plant a few extra over her stretch marks before working down to her core.
“Let’s see if you taste as good as you smell,” Jasper said as he pulled
her panties away, revealing her lush pussy. She was mostly shaved, save for
a small patch of red curls at the top. Her clit peeked out a bit, engorged and
turned on.
Jasper wasted no time, dipping his tongue down to taste our mate. She
cried out, her hands weaving their way into his hair, messing up his perfect
coif. Leo was transfixed at the sight.
“Come here, pet,” I said, the name rolling off my tongue.
 Leo obeyed quickly, crawling his way to me. “Strip,” I commanded.
He easily listened, stripping down to his deep blue jock strap. “I knew
you were wearing something naughty,” I said as I snapped the band.
He yelped. “I thought you would like it.”
“You thought right.” He knew what his skimpy underwear did to me.
“Sit in my lap.”
Leo twisted until he was planted in my lap, his ass pushed against my
cock. He ground down a bit, rubbing against me.
I slapped his thigh, making a satisfying thwap. “Be a good boy,” I
chided. “Enjoy the show.”
We both brought our attention back to Jasper playing with Harper. It
seemed he hadn’t let her come, continuing to apply pressure before taking it
away soon after, not quite letting her get there. She writhed beneath him, a
light sheen of sweat coating her skin. She was glowing.
I absentmindedly began to play with Leo’s cock, stroking my hand over
the bulge in his underwear. He squirmed until he remembered he wasn’t
supposed to move and forced himself still.
“Fuck, Jasper,” Harper said. “It feels so good!”
His chuckle was low and throaty. “I love when you scream my name.”
“Please let me come,” she cried.
“Call my name some more, and maybe I will.”
I licked up Leo’s neck, almost to his ear. “Do you think we should give
her a hand?”
He groaned. “Yes, please.”

[Link]
 CHAPTER THIRTEEN

HARPER

I was a panting, writhing mess beneath Jasper. Something about his tongue
was less than human, feeling slightly coarser and larger, reaching places I
didn’t even know possible. He’d just swirled back up to my clit only a
moment before dipping his tongue back inside me, fucking me with it. His
reach went deep, just barely hitting my G-spot.
“Jasper, please,” I begged, hoping he would finally let me come. I could
feel it coming, and just as I was about to find release, he pulled away from
me. Tears ran down my cheeks in frustration, but I also didn’t want it to
end.
Hawthorne found his way up next to me, his soothing hand running
through my hair. “Color, darling?” he asked.
It took a moment for me to understand his meaning. “Fuck, green.”
I squealed when Jasper nipped the side of my thigh. “That’s our girl.”
A flush ran through me. Our girl. I was their girl. I wanted to be their
girl.
“Come here, pet,” Hawthorne said.
Leo joined us, his dark strands back in a bun that was falling apart, his
skin bare saved for the skimpy jock strap he had on. Hawthorne lined us up
so Leo was kneeling beside me.
“Why don’t you suck his cock?” Hawthorne said to me. “But don’t let
him come until I say so.”
Leo whined, and I smacked his bare ass. “Complain, and you get
nothing.”
“Thank you, Master,” he said, still partially grumpy.
 “Is that what you like?” I asked. “Master?”
Hawthorne looked almost shocked as I said it. “If you do.”
“I do,” I said.
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the movement.
“Suck it,” he commanded.
I leaned and mouthed over Leo’s underwear, tasting him. He was
slightly musky yet clean. I licked up his length, lapping at his tip.
“F-fuck,” he stuttered.
When I reached the top, I grabbed the edge of his underwear with my
teeth and pulled them down until his cock sprang free. It was long, with a
thick shaft and a bulbous tip. As I allowed my gaze to travel down, I paused
at what I saw.
At the bottom sat a thick bulb. “What’s that?” I asked.
Hawthorne gripped Leo’s cock, making him hiss. “That’s his knot,” he
explained. “It’s meant to lock you and a partner together for breeding.”
“A-and I can touch it?” I asked. I’d never heard of a knot, much less
seen one.
“I’m sure he’d like that very much,” Hawthorne said darkly. “Knots are
very sensitive.”
Jasper had slowed a bit, just lightly teasing and tasting, letting me focus
a bit on what was going on up here.
I reached up and wrapped my hand around the knot. It was sort of hard
like his cock, but large enough that I couldn’t touch my hand together
around it. I had no idea how that was supposed to fit inside me, I didn’t
think it was possible.
As I did, Leo groaned, shaking under my touch. That same powerful
feeling I got when I led our kiss came back with full force. My grip moved
down his length, slowly jacking him. Leaning in once again, I brought my
lips to his tip and slowly licked around it.
“Gods,” Leo breathed. “You’re just as bad as them.”
I laughed, taking a bit more of his length. As I did, Jasper continued his
plans to keep me on edge forever. I moaned around Leo’s cock, the
vibrations making him shiver.
Suddenly, Hawthorne straddled my belly, his large body sitting over
mine. When I looked at him, I was so surprised, I almost choked on Leo. He
was now fully naked, all that tanned skin and chest hair on display. Though
he was strong, he had a bit of a belly himself. I wanted to reach my hands
up and touch him, but what really caught me off guard was his cock.
Though Leo’s was large, Hawthorne’s was massive. I wasn’t even sure how
it would fit inside me, and his knot was somehow even wider.
“Hold these for me,” he said, rubbing up the sides of my tits. I did, and
he spit into his hand, rubbing his saliva over his cock before pushing
himself between my breasts.
It felt like I was on overload. I could see Hawthorne’s tip disappear and
reappear between my tits as Leo slid his cock in and out of my throat,
Jasper eating me out as if he was a man starved. This wasn’t ever something
I thought would happen, but now that I was here, it was pure bliss.
But I really needed to come. I tried to beg, but my mouth was full.
“Should we take mercy on our new toy?” Hawthorne asked Jasper as he
continued fucking into me.
“I think she deserves it,” Jasper said, sounding like he was coming up
for air.
“Give it to her.”
As Hawthorne spoke, Jasper stopped messing around and rubbed my
clit with hard, fast strokes that sent me careening towards the edge. He
dipped one finger inside just as Hawthorne flicked my nipple, and that was
all it took. It was almost like an out-of-body experience. It felt like I was
sent towards the stars and would never come down. My eyes rolled to the
back of my head as I let go, letting wave after wave of pleasure roll over
me.
As I came down, I felt Jasper’s cock notch at my entrance. “I need this
pussy. Now.”
Take me, please, I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t.
I luckily didn’t need to as I felt him sink into me, his large cock
stretching me more than I’d ever thought possible.
He sank into me slowly, letting me feel every inch. When he was fully
seated, I could feel his knot pushing against my entrance. Would he use it? I
couldn’t decide if I wanted him to or not.
Hawthorne moved into my tits one more time before he pulled out
completely, and Leo shuffled back so I could see Jasper. He was looking
down to where we were connected in reverence.
When his eyes flicked up and met mine, it was if all the air was sucked
from the room. Being under his gaze like this was so powerful, I almost had
to look away.
 “Stay right here with me, darling,” he said, cupping my chin with his
hand.
I gave him a slight nod, unable to speak. He withdrew to the tip before
he slid back in slowly. I held his ocean gaze, feeling him fill me.
“Your cunt is so tight,” he said, pounding into me again.
“Jasper, please.”
He began fucking me in earnest, holding my thigh up to get a better
angle and drilling into me, hurtling me closer to the edge once again.
I heard another moan and looked over to see Leo bent over, on his hands
and knees, Hawthorne behind him, a container of lube resting beside them.
Hawthorne grabbed the lube and dribbled a bit more on his fingers before
slicking himself up behind Leo.
“They’re so hot together, aren’t they?” Jasper whispered in my ear.
“Yes,” I moaned. I’d never seen anything like this, and it sent me
spiraling towards release.
“They’re really turning you on,” Jasper commented. His fingers found
my clit. “You’re tightening around me so hard.”
I couldn’t stand it. It only took a few strokes before I was drowned in
my desire. A flood of cum gushed from me as pleasure struck my every
nerve ending.
“That’s a good girl,” Jasper whispered.

[Link]
 CHAPTER FOURTEEN

LEO

M ybreach
eyes rolled to the back of my head as I felt Hawthorne's length
me. He stretched me a little but still left me a bit tight so I could
enjoy the slight twinge of pain. Though I’d been taking him for years, his
large cock always felt intense.
He sank into me in one swift motion, right to his knot. “Fuck!” I called
out, unable to help it.
His deep chuckle sounded behind me. “I always love how tight you are,
how much you squeeze me.”
I bared down as he fucked into me, not allowing me to adjust. He
allowed me to face Jasper and Harper so I could watch them. The passion
between them sizzled through the air, and it was a beautiful thing to see.
This was probably the hottest thing we’d ever done, and having Harper here
made everything feel complete.
She had just come when she met my eyes, her lusted gaze making me
crave her. Jasper thrust into her a few more times before he froze, coming
deep inside her. He didn’t knot her, releasing her when he was done.
She laid there, stretched out and sated as Jasper rolled over next to her
and rubbed his hand over her stomach. She faced him for a kiss, their
tongues tangling lazily. It was hard to focus on everything at once. I let my
head drop, allowing myself to really feel. I heard shuffling around me, but I
didn’t lift my head to look.
Hawthorne ran his hand through my hair and lifted my head, pulling my
strands hard.
“No resting, pet,” he said.
 When I was brought back up, Harper was now in front of me, her long
copper hair falling messily around her face, her dark eyes shining. Her
thighs rested on either side of me. I ran my hand up one of them, feeling her
soft skin and her thick goodness.
She tipped my chin and kissed me softly. I melted beneath her.
I had never been with a woman. Her touch was softer, her body curvier,
but she still liked to control me, liked to guide me in the same way the other
two did, and I craved it, the different kind of dominance she showed.
She pulled away too soon, and I found myself leaning into her, trying to
taste her a bit more. She let out a throaty chuckle, just like Hawthorne. She
was learning quickly.
“You really want to taste me?” she asked.
I nodded hard.
Harper spread her legs further and leaned back, presenting her pussy to
me. She was still very wet, and I could see Jasper’s cum leaking from her.
I went to lean in, but her hand on my forehead stopped me. “Don’t you
have to ask permission first?”
This woman. I kissed her thigh and watched her shiver. “Please, baby,” I
begged. “Please let me taste this delicious pussy.”
Her warm blush was so addictive. “Good boy.” She ran her hand
through my hair, the soft touch lingering on my soul. “Here’s your reward.”
She spread her legs further, and I dove in, licking her from her leaking
opening up to her clit. She tasted like her and Jasper and sex, and it was
glorious.
I lapped it all up, using my half-shifted tongue to fuck deep inside her. I
swallowed all their cum greedily until I had her back on the edge.
I was getting there myself. Hawthorne never stopped, continuing to
pound into me roughly.
“I need to come,” I said, muffled by Harper's cunt.
“What do you think, kitten?” Hawthorne said. “Do you think he
deserves it?”
Having them talk about me as if I was just a toy between them had me
shivering with pleasure.
I couldn’t see her over her tits, but she hummed in consideration. “I
don’t know. Maybe if he gets me off again. Can you be a good pet and
make me come?”
“Yes, please,” I begged.
 I picked up the pace, letting her tight grip on my hair guide me where
she wanted. I ate her as if it was my last meal. My tongue swirled right
where she wanted me. I felt as her thigh muscles tightened and her body
tensed.
“Fuck, I’m coming,” she yelled.
I didn’t stop. Hawthorne fucked me even harder, wrapping his lubed-up
hand around my shaft, going right for my knot. I felt Harper convulse
around me as a rush of liquid hit my tongue.
The taste sent me barreling through my own orgasm. My balls pulled
up, and I was leaking rope after rope of cum onto the bed. As I did, I felt
Hawthorne push his knot all the way into me, sealing us together with a
pop.
His cum filled me up, warming me from the inside. I dropped against
Harper's thigh as she ran her hand through my hair, soothing the hard pull
from earlier. Hawthorne fell onto the bed behind me, also resting his head
on Harper. I loved the feeling of being locked together like this. It was so
soothing, especially when one of them rubbed my back.
Something cold and plastic was being pushed into my face. I opened my
eyes and Jasper was there, pushing a water bottle into my hands. I took it
thankfully and downed half in one go.
He took his spot, curled up around Harper, and that was the last thing I
remembered before drifting off to sleep.

The next morning I was woken by a rustling in the bed. My eyes

cracked open and Aria was there, climbing up the bed and towards us. I was
sleeping on the edge, with Hawthorne next to me, Harper in the middle, and
Jasper on the other side.
It felt as if someone had cleaned me up and dressed me before they
went to bed and I smiled to myself at the care they always took with me.
“Hey kiddo,” I said.
Noticing I was awake she crawled over in my direction. “Hi Leo,” she
said, matching my whisper.
“Do you want to get up and have some breakfast?” I asked.
 She nodded. “Mom’s asleep.”
“I know,” I said. “Why don’t we go downstairs and have pancakes?”
She smiled excitedly. “Okay.”
I stood and lifted her from the bed, carrying her out of the room and
letting the door click quietly behind me.
I carried her downstairs and set her down at the bottom. “Can I put on
some cartoons for you while I make breakfast.”
“Rabbits!” She cried excitedly.
I tilted my head. “Rabbits?” I asked.
“Yes!”
I had no clue what rabbits were. I clicked the TV on and the app options
popped up. “Do you know where rabbits are?” I asked.
“The red one,” she said, pointing.
I clicked on it, went to the kids channel, and typed in rabbits. I didn’t
expect it to come up so easily, but when she saw the first result she said,
“that one!”
I clicked it and picked an episode, and stood there for a moment while
the overly catchy theme song played. As the rabbits all appeared on the TV
I noted how creepy they were. Their eyes were too wide and far apart, and
they were weirdly 3D. But they started to sing about counting and she
seemed distracted, so I went to the kitchen to cook.
I was glad for the placement of our kitchen so I was able to see her
easily. I got her a cup with water and brought it to her so while she watched.
Then I went about making my pancake mix and getting out the bacon.
When I glanced at Aria I couldn’t help but imagine the future. Watching
her grow up, go from watching cartoons and coloring, to school, and even
further. It felt all laid out for us, and I wanted it all. I knew Hawthorne was
right trying to take things slow, but I didn’t know if I could. I wanted to
give them everything and more, and right now that started with pancakes.

[Link]
 CHAPTER FIFTEEN

HARPER

I stretched my body, feeling slightly sore but pleasantly sated. Last night
was wonderful. These men were so different yet so loving, each giving
me something different I craved.
When I rolled, Jasper was still there next to me, his normally perfectly
styled hair covering his face. No one else was in bed anymore, the other
side empty. I tried to wiggle from Jasper’s grasp, but as I did, it tightened.
I turned to see him looking at me, his eyes half-lidded. My cheeks
heated just taking in how hot he was. “Good morning, beautiful,” he said,
pulling me in for a kiss.
I went easily, melting into him. “Good morning. What time is it?”
“Nine,” he said. “Aria was up at seven, and Leo took her downstairs
when she crawled into bed with us.”
“She did that?” I didn’t even notice.
“Yeah, but don’t worry. He’s an early riser anyway.”
I smiled. I hadn't slept until nine since college. “Well that’s nice of
him.”
He sniffed a bit and groaned. “Do you smell that?” he asked.
I inhaled but didn’t notice anything different. “No.”
“Leo made bacon and pancakes.”
“You can smell that all the way downstairs?” I asked.
He hummed in agreement. “A wolf’s nose is very good. I can even
smell how turned on you are.”
 I paused, sure I was tomato red already. “What?”
Jasper blinked, as if realizing what he said might have been a bit much.
“I—I mean, it is true, but it’s not weird.”
I tried to wiggle away, hoping the middle of the bed would open and
swallow me whole. “How is that not weird? You know every time I’m…” I
couldn’t even finish.
He pressed into me harder, burying himself into my neck. “Don’t be
embarrassed,” he said. “It’s so sexy knowing you want us.”
“But I don't know what’s going on with you,” I said with a pout.
His lips pressed to the space between my shoulder and neck, making me
shiver. “How about I just tell you when I want you?”
I let out a small sigh. Though it was a bit odd, there was a lot different
about dating wolves, let alone three of them. “Fine. I guess that’s a good
compromise.”
“Good. Just so you know, I’m very turned on now.” His hand snaked up
and reached under my sleep shirt, caressing my breast. The growl he
released rang through my body. I could feel how wet I’d become, the air
cooling my slightly damp underwear.
His fingers tweaked my still-sensitive nipples as he kissed down my
body. When he reached the tops of my thighs, I expected him to roll me on
my back, but instead, he rolled us so I was on top, leaving his head between
my thighs. My hands flew to the headboard, and I sat up on my knees to
keep my weight off him.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
I leaned back a bit until I could see him past my boobs. “Enjoying my
breakfast,” he said, planting a kiss to my thigh.
“That sounds like a line from a romance novel.”
His brow quirked. “How would you know?”
I scoffed. “I’ve picked one up a time or two, when I have a moment.”
“Maybe we’ll have to try some of the things you learned. I think this is
a good place to start.”
He tried to force me down on him, but I resisted. “I can’t,” I insisted.
“I’ll squish you.”
“That’s the idea. If I’m not being crushed, then what’s the point? Relax
and let me taste you.”
I reluctantly let go a bit, lowering just within reach, but still hovering.
 Jasper’s hands rested on either side of my thighs as his tongue swept
through my pussy. He ate me like I was a meal, licking and sucking,
moaning into me.
Eventually, I stopped paying attention and relaxed, letting myself fall
further against him until my thighs were crushing the sides of his head.
Though I thought to get up, he was holding me down, not letting me go.
I felt his tongue shift and his nails get longer as he partially shifted the
way they did last night. His tongue got larger and dipped further inside me,
fucking me harder.
“Jasper, fuck,” I moaned, trying to stay quiet.
“Don’t worry, love. Our room is soundproof. Feel free to be as loud as
you want.”
I felt him shift a bit, and I wasn’t sure why until he cried out beneath
me. I thought he needed me to move, so I tried to get up, but a hand on my
back stopped me.
I was startled until I saw Hawthorne there, a smirk on his face and
Jasper’s cock in his hand. “Don’t worry, darling,” he said. “I just couldn’t
resist.” He looked as if he'd come from the shower, his hair dripping wet,
his body naked.
I watched as he lowered himself and took Jasper in his mouth. He
moaned beneath me, only adding to my pleasure.
I reached behind me, running my hand through Hawthorne’s hair.
Wanting to try something, I gripped his hair and pulled slightly, tightening
the strands around my fingers. He moaned a bit and didn’t fight me, which
gave me the confidence to continue. I pushed him down on Jasper’s cock
until he was choking a bit.
I could hear the sucking and licking sounds from behind me, and it
threw me closer to the edge.
“I’m so close,” I cried, grinding myself down on his face. A few more
strokes, and I felt my insides clench as my world shattered around me.
Wave after wave of pleasure washed over me as Jasper continued to lick
me.
I fell against the bed frame, trying to keep myself upright. Jasper
groaned beneath me, and I was sure he came as well.
I was going to move off when I was pushed back down, now on my
hands and knees. I felt Hawthorne’s cock rub at my entrance.
“I’m gonna fuck you kitten, and show you who you belong to.”
 I felt as he began to enter me, his large tip already stretching me more
than I thought possible.
He slowly worked himself in, easing me back onto him a bit before
pulling back, then going in for more. It was intense and all-consuming.
As Hawthorne pushed the rest of the way in, Jasper sat up a bit and ran
his tongue over my clit.
“Oh fuck, you two,” I cried. I didn’t know if I wanted to press back or
down more, but I needed it all.
“Can I fuck you, kitten?” Hawthorne asked. “Can you take my cock?”
“Yes, I can take it. Give it to me.” Though it felt as if I might split in
half, he pulled out of me, making me feel almost too empty, and thrust right
back inside.
I could feel Jasper licking down my clit all the way to Hawthorne’s
shaft before coming back up to my clit.
The double sensation of Jasper’s tongue and Hawthorne’s cock had me
barreling towards release. It racked through my body until it finally
crashing down, sending wave after wave of pleasure through my body.
“Fuck, I’m going to come,” Hawthorne groaned. He thrust once, twice
more before bottoming out and coming deep inside of me. He jerked a few
more times and came so much, I could feel it dripping from me.
When he pulled out, Jasper reached up and licked over my cunt where
Hawthorne’s cum dripped from me.
“I wish I could take a photo for the group,” Hawthorne said.
I paused. “What group?”
They were both silent for a moment until Hawthorne finally answered.
“We have a private group chat with just us. We like to share…riskier photos
in it. It’s just something we like to do, since we aren’t always together. But
don’t worry, we would never take photos of you without your consent.”
I believed him, and I knew they wouldn’t. “Why don’t you take one?” I
asked. “Show Leo what he’s missing.”
He laughed and kissed my back before going for his phone. I didn’t
move as I heard the shutter of the camera.
As I finally rolled off, I asked, “Can I see?”
Hawthorne turned the phone, and I was surprised. It was graphic. My
hips were red where Hawthorne had grabbed me, and my pussy was puffy
and pink, cum dripping from it. Jasper looked hot too. He was still licking
me in the photo, and at that angle, you could see his straining abs.
 “Can I join the group chat?” I asked.
“Of course. Here.” Jasper picked up his phone and added me, showing
me how to lock it so no one else could get in.
I started scrolling and felt my entire body heat at what I saw. There was
one of Leo playing with himself in the mirror with a plug, one of Jasper and
Hawthorne jacking off together. I clicked the latest video to see Hawthorne
fucking Leo hard. All of it made me horny all over again.
“It’s great, isn’t it?” Jasper said.
“Y-yeah.”
I squealed as Hawthorne swept me up into his arms. “Let’s get
showered again so we can go down to Leo.”
We washed off with fairly minimal frisking before getting dressed and
going downstairs. There was no one there, but the back door was open.
I gasped when we got to the porch. Not only was Aria shifted into her
wolf form, but so was Leo, and they were running around the yard together.
Seeing Leo fully shifted was jarring. He was jet black, with fluffy fur,
much larger than I expected him to be.
“They’re so cute,” I said aloud.
“I have to agree. And that’s good for her,” Jasper said. “She should learn
to run with other wolves. One day, she’ll need to run in a pack.”
Pack. Right. The conversation we had yesterday came back to me. This
seemed like a good pack for her to grow up in, and not only that, but I could
see this being our future.
Ari caught my eye and stopped, causing Leo to roll through the grass to
avoid running into him.
“Hi Mom!” she called. “Leo made breakfast, and now we're playing
wolves.”
I wouldn’t say they were playing wolves, more that they were wolves,
but she was having fun. “I see. I’m glad you’re having fun.”
“Breakfast is inside. Ari, why don’t we shift back and play inside for a
little while?”
“Kay.” She paused and seemed to be repeating the steps Hawthorne
taught her yesterday.
“You got this, Ari,” Jasper said.
She started morphing, her body changing back. Everything shifted save
for her ears and the tail I saw swishing behind her. They were still pointed
and sticking out from the sides of her head.
 “It’s not working,” she said, sounding frustrated.
“That’s okay,” Hawthorne assured her. “It takes practice. One day,
you’ll be really good at it.”
She sighed. “Okay.”
“And you look cute with the ears,” I told her.
Her frown turned up a bit. “Really?”
“Really.” And she was. “Why don’t we go inside have another
pancake?” I asked.
“Yes!”

[Link]
 CHAPTER SIXTEEN

HAWTHORNE

A spack
much as I wished to stay home Monday morning, I had to go to the
house and get a bit of work done. I dropped Jasper off at the clinic
before heading over.
Everything went as normal. I spent most of the day going through
requests of pack management, which was what I typically spent most of my
Mondays doing.
Right before I planned to leave for the day, Amir walked into my office.
“Pack Alpha Hawthorne,” he greeted, oddly formal. “We have a problem.”
“What’s going on?”
“Remember last week, I told you we got correspondence from the
Mislulu pack?”
“Yes, I recall.” I was going to read the note…eventually. I wasn’t the
best at checking them, and had forgotten until now.
“Apparently, it was one of the leaders from that pack coming to speak to
you about something they found.”
“What did they find?” Without an alpha to lead, the Mislulu pack had a
congregation of leaders, though that wasn’t ideal for them. Packs had alphas
to lead as a show of strength, and without one, they could look vulnerable
to other packs who wanted to encroach onto their territory.
“They claim there was an alpha in the database who had an exam
conducted here, and they claim it’s theirs.”
My blood ran cold. “What?”
“They’re saying the alpha is from their pack, so they want her to go
with them.”
 “No,” I growled.
Amir took a step back. “Where are they?” I asked.
“Conference room,” he said.
I turned and left, throwing the door open as I went. When I got there, I
saw an older man on one side and another who looked to be around my age
next to him.
“How can I help you?” I asked.
The older man stood. “Are you Pack Alpha Hawthorne?”
“Yes,” I grit out.
“I’m Roland Adams, and this is my son, Stephen. We’re here because a
sample was entered into the database for an alpha wolf over the weekend,
one we believe to be my son’s child.”
I started trembling. “I’m sure you’re mistaken.”
“I don’t think so,” Rolland said. “We were able to get a DNA test to
prove it. I have the results here.” He slid the document across the table, but
I didn’t need to see it. Though she looked more like Harper than this man, I
could see a similar hair color and face shape.
“And because she’s not registered with a pack,” Rolland continued, “we
would like her to come to ours.”
“That’s not happening,” I said clearly.
He furrowed his brows. “I don’t understand. Do you have some kind of
attachment to this child?”
I stood behind the chair, gripping the back. “Yes. She’s my mate's
daughter. She belongs with this pack.”
Rolland pursed his lips. “According to the database, she’s not. You
haven’t claimed her, so that means as of right now, she belongs to our pack,
and we don’t have an alpha. Training her to take over Mislulu one day
would be the first good thing my son ever contributed to this pack.”
Stephen, for his part, looked completely uninterested. How a man could
be this uninterested in meeting his own child made me want to snap the
chair I was currently gripping in my hands.
“It’s an error,” I said. “We’ve mated, and it must not have updated.” It
was a lie, but one I could use to buy more time. He was technically right.
Because she was blood-related to them, she should belong to Mislulu, but
I’d never liked that pack. They held onto archaic traditions that put them in
this situation to begin with. However, mate bonds were as good as blood,
and if I was mated to her mother, that would make her just as much my
family as theirs. But if they found out I was lying, they could challenge my
pack. Though I didn’t think they had the manpower to do so, I would like to
keep this as peaceful as possible.
“Dammit, Stephen,” Rolland said, addressing his son. “How could you
let this alpha slip through our fingers like this?”
Stephen scoffed. “I didn’t even know I knocked the girl up until months
later,” he said. “And how was I supposed to know the runt would be an
alpha? I’m not.”
I couldn’t help it. I flew at the guy, gripping his shirt and pinning him
against the wall. “Don’t speak about my mate or child like that if you’d like
to leave with all your body parts,” I growled.
He looked like he wanted to be smug, but genuine fear clouded his
expression. “Whatever.”
I reeled back and punched him, hard. I felt his nose crack under my fist,
blood pooling from his face as his hands flew to it. “What the fuck, man?”
he yelled.
Rolland cut in. “That’s enough, Stephen. Please respect our host.”
I scoffed. This man couldn’t care less about his son, about as much as
his son did about Aria. He only cared about securing an alpha for their pack.
“I understand, but we would like to see proof of this mating.”
“Proof?” I asked.
“Yes. If the mother tells us she’s your mate and would like to stay here,
even after hearing our offer, we will leave.”
He seemed pretty sure they would leave, but I knew Harper. I knew she
wouldn’t.
“Fine. Come back tomorrow, and you may speak to her if she wants to
see you. ”
“Fine.”
“Amir will see you out,” I said.
They both left, and I sat there, taking some deep breaths. I needed to
calm down before I went home.
Without thinking, I got up, went to my car, and drove a bit further down
the mountain until I reached my parent’s house. Once my father stepped
down from being the alpha, they moved closer to human territory, hoping to
live out the rest of their lives in a bit more peace.
My tires crackled on the gravel as I rode down their driveway to their
small cabin. A plume of smoke floated up from the chimney, telling me they
were home.
Though this was smaller than the house we grew up in, it had many of
the same touches. Wind chimes hung on the porch, and the rocks pressed
with mine and each of my siblings' paw prints from the first time we shifted
littered the garden.
I knocked on the door, and it opened quickly. My mother stood there,
her gray hair tucked back into a bun and her apron covered in flour.
“This is a nice surprise. How are you?”
“I’m alright. Just wanted to visit.”
She looked behind me. “Where are the boys?”
It was funny she still called them boys. “They’re at home. Is Dad
around?”
"He should be out back, chopping some more wood. It’s getting chillier
every night.”
“Thanks.” I gave her a hug and a kiss on the side of her head before
heading out back.
My old man was there, swinging an axe against a log. His hair was
mostly gray, his back permanently bent. It was a good look into my future,
and thinking about the happiness he and my mom shared even now made
me happy.
“Hey, son,” he called when he saw me. “I didn’t know you were
stopping by.”
“I didn’t either,” I told him.
He stepped away from the axe and wiped his brow with his towel. “You
need something.”
He didn’t say it as a question. He always knew. I let out a deep sigh.
“When you met Mom, did you ever feel…out of control? Like your wolf
didn’t want to be contained?”
He laughed. “Almost every day for a year.”
My eyes widened. My father was one of the most put-together men I’d
ever met, and I couldn’t imagine him losing control like that.
“Really?”
“Of course. It’s only natural to feel overprotective of your mate. And
when you’re juggling that knowing everything happening within the pack, it
can make you jumpy.”
I nodded. “How did you make it stop?”
“It just takes time to re-regulate. What’s going on?”
 I told him everything: the app, finding Harper and Aria, what happened
at the clinic and the house, how I lost control, about the Mislulu pack. He
listened intently, his face never changing expression.
When I was done he said, “I suggest you deal with Mislulu quickly.
They took a turn for the worse a long time ago and shouldn’t be trusted.
Other than that, it seems you’re in a world of trouble. You have three mates,
one with a child already. And a human, no less. You’re gonna need much
more willpower than I ever had.”
That was his grand advice? It wasn’t very helpful, but at least I didn’t
feel so alone in the situation anymore.
“Three mates and a baby?” I heard someone screech from the back
door. I turned to see my mother stomping my way.
She reached up and grabbed me by my ear. “You have another mate and
a child?” she repeated.
“Ow!” I squealed. Even though I was a grown alpha, she managed to
grab my ear perfectly to inflict maximum pain. “Stop!”
“When were you going to tell me?”
“When you let go of my ear!” She finally released me, and I held my
hand to my ear. “We met kind of recently,” I explained. “I was going to
bring her over once things were more settled and serious.”
“She’s your mate,” mother said. “It was serious as soon as you met.”
“She’s human,” I explained. “It’s different. We’re learning as we go.”
She looked mildly appeased. “And a child?”
“She has a kid from a past relationship. She’s an alpha shifter as well.”
My fist squeezed as I pressed down my anger about that. “Aria's about
four.”
My mom let out a sigh. “Fine. But I want to meet them soon. If I’m
welcoming a new grandbaby to the family, I need to prepare. What kinds of
things does she like? I’ll make a list.”
She fluttered inside, and my father and I followed her. “She likes this
odd cartoon about rabbits and coloring. And she can eat more chocolate
chip pancakes than I thought possible.”
Though it had only been a few days, I realized I knew more about her
than I thought. And I wanted to learn it all. I wanted to know everything
about that little girl and give her everything she’s ever wanted.
“That’s good,” my mother said, jotting some things down. “I’ll pick
some things up for her to play with here.”
 “Thanks, guys. I should get home to them.”
“Yes, here.” She shoved fresh baked bread into my arms. “I know Leo
keeps you well-fed, but no one beats my bread.”
Though that was true, I would never say it aloud to Leo. “Thank you.” I
hugged them both goodbye and made my way back up the mountain to my
mates.

[Link]
 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

HARPER

I stood at the edge of the counter as Leo was preparing dinner. I could see
some remnants of his earlier baking, as well as preparations for dinner.
“Do you need some help?” I asked him.
When he stood and pushed her dark hair from his eyes, I noticed he was
wearing a green apron. Something about it was hot—really hot. “I’m okay,”
he said. “I thought about maybe spaghetti and meatballs.”
“Sounds great. I love spaghetti.”
I leaned on the counter and watched as he moved around. I checked on
Aria every once in a while, but she was doing one of the writing workbooks
I brought her and very concentrated. It felt odd not to have anything else to
do. I’d normally still be at work or getting us dinner myself, but it was all
taken care of.
It made me feel like I hadn’t been giving her enough attention. Though I
did my best, I was only one person. Seeing her here, so happy to be around
so many people, made me happy.
The door opened and Jasper walked through. He was in his blue scrubs,
and his clinic jacket on. Gods, when did all the men in my life get so hot?
And when did they all become mine?
“Hey guys,” he said as he toed off his shoes.
“Jasper!” Aria cried in excitement. She grabbed her book and wiggled
off the chair, running over to him. He picked her up and swung her around,
and she giggled loudly. Seeing how easily they all fall into this caretaking
role made me feel for them even more deeply.
“Look!” Aria said, holding up her workbook. “I’m practicing my W’s.”
 “They look great! Why don’t I go get changed and we can practice some
A’s for Aria.”
“I’m great at A’s,” she confirmed.
“I’m excited to see. I’ll be back in a moment.” He set her down and
walked over to us, kissing us each in greeting before going upstairs to
change.
He came back quickly and sat with Aria exactly as he said he would.
“Are you sure you don’t need help?” I asked Leo for the third time.
“He’s sure,” Jasper cut in. “He may be nicer to you, but I’ve been
chased out of that kitchen more times than I can count.”
“That’s because you never help. You come in here to eat,” he shot back.
“It’s not my fault your cooking is so good,” Jasper said with a pout.
I laughed at their banter. I worried when I started seeing them that I
would feel like an outsider, since they’d all been together for so long, but I
never felt that way.
“Mom?” I heard from behind me.
I snapped my head in her direction almost automatically. From the day
she could say it, that call had been like a beacon for me. “Yes, Ari?”
“Can I have juice?”
I looked towards Leo, who was already at the fridge. “We have apple,”
he said.
“What do you say?” I asked as a reminder.
“Can I have juice please?”
“Of course.” I walked around to the counter, but by the time I got there,
Leo had it in a plastic cup.
“Oh, I normally⁠—”
“Cut it with water,” he interrupted. “I figured. My sister does too.”
I smiled and took it to her and sat next to her and Jasper as they worked
on writing her name. It was odd to feel like I had some support as a parent. I
knew it was only for a little while, but it wasn’t something I was used to at
all.
“Dinner’s ready,” Leo called out as we were finishing our conversation.
“Why don’t we get the books put away and wash our hands?” I told her.
“I’m not done yet,” Aria whined.
“I know, but maybe we can finish it later. And don’t you want
spaghetti?”
 “I love spaghetti,” she said, missing a few syllables on the way. We got
it all clean, and I took her to the kitchen sink to help her wash her hands.
As we did, the front door opened, revealing Hawthorne. “Sorry I’m
late,” he said, clicking the door shut behind him.
“Where were you?” Leo asked.
“I had a few things to take care of,” he said cryptically. “But I stopped
at my parents and was gifted bread.”
“Perfect. I made spaghetti.”
Hawthorne approached him and planted a kiss on his lips, then on
Jasper’s as he saw him. When Aria was done washing, I set her down and
helped her dry. Once she ran to the table Hawthorne approached me and
planted a kiss on my lips I wasn’t expecting. “Hey, beautiful. I’m sorry I’m
late.”
“It’s okay,” I said, and it was. Between the three of them, I never felt
alone. Even when we weren’t together, there were texts and calls. I had
never felt this cared for in my life, and the sudden realization made me
choke up a bit, but I pushed it down. I didn’t need to cry over nothing right
now.
We got back to the table, Leo bringing us both plates and the tray of
garlic bread. Aria dug right in, smearing sauce all over herself. I knew I
would need to give her a bath anyway, so I didn’t worry about it. Aria
chatted away about any thought she had, the guys running with every single
one.
I tried to help with dishes when we finished, but I was quickly shooed
out of the kitchen as Jasper helped Aria clean her fingers with some wet
wipes. This was the first time in years it felt like I didn’t have one thing
going after another.
Hawthorne circled me, leaning down so his chin rested on my shoulder.
“What am I supposed to do?” I asked.
He turned me to face him and looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“Dinner is taken care of, I don’t have to work, I don’t have to be the
only one taking care of my child. What do I do?”
He smiled. “You relax for a moment. You should have the ability to do
that.”
“Mom!” Aria interrupted before I could respond. “Jasper said we can go
outside and see the astros. Can we?”
I raised my brow. “Astros?”
 “Asteroids,” Jasper corrected. “There’s supposed to be a meteor shower
tonight, and I thought we could watch.”
“Yeah, that sounds nice.”
I went with Hawthorne to grab some blankets and pillows, and he, Ari,
and I created a comfortable place to sit out in the yard. Jasper and Leo
joined us with a tray with cookies and snacks on it. Normally, I wouldn’t
want Ari to have that much sugar, but after the week we had we deserved
some fun. Though shifting into a wolf was exciting for Aria, I had to
imagine it was stressful on her body, and confusing. She’s handling it so
well, and I’m so proud of her. She’s such a strong little girl.
They turned the porch lights off and watched as little specks of light
started decorating the sky. Aria got excited at each one, yelling and pointing
whenever they came.
Seeing her this happy and free made me melt, made me wish every day
could be like this.
After a while, she sat between Leo and me and snuggled up on one of
the pillows. She fell asleep quickly, tired from a full day of play.
As soon as Leo took notice, he draped one of the blankets over her.
These past few days had made it really hard not to see our entire future laid
out for us in this house.
We packed up soon after she fell asleep. Leo and I got her settled in the
room before going upstairs. The room she was in was directly downstairs,
so I wouldn’t be far from her, and she normally slept through the night.
When I got upstairs, Hawthorne was in the bed, looking at his tablet,
and I assumed Jasper was in the shower when I heard it running. Leo rushed
around me and bounded onto the bed, flopping himself down.
I joined them on the bed, sitting right on the edge.
Leo squirmed towards me until he was laying across my lap, his head
on my thighs. I ran my hand through his hair.
Jasper came out with a towel wrapped around his waist and nothing
else. Rivulets of water ran down from his hair onto his rippling hard abs.
My face heated just looking at him. What did I do to end up with these
gorgeous men?
“I know, right?” Leo whispered.
“I just want to lick it right off him,” I whispered back.
Leo let out a sexy growl that had my toes curling.
 “Not yet, you two,” Hawthorne said, putting his tablet aside. “We need
to talk.”
Leo pouted. “That’s no fun.”
Hawthorne looked very serious, which made me nervous. “What’s
going on?”
He sighed. “I didn’t want to say anything until Ari was asleep and we
could talk, but I met her father today.”
My jaw dropped. “What?”
“When?” Leo asked at the same time.
“Before I left for work,” Hawthorne continued. He told us about the
note he never opened and the Mislulu pack.
“So now that he thinks she’s special, he wants her?” I asked, my fists
balled. “What a bastard!” I yelled, getting to my feet. “After that night, I
tried to find him,” I rambled. “Not that I thought we would get together or
anything, but I thought having a co-parent would be nice. But no. That
dickhead dropped off the face of the Earth, and it seemed so intentional.
I’ve heard nothing. And now he wants us to, what? Come to his pack and
play house?” I was hyperventilating. “What if they try to take her? Does it
mean that much to them? I can’t lose her.”
Tears started streaming down my face. This was all so much, and I
didn’t know how I was going to face it.
Suddenly, Leo was right in front of me, Jasper right next to him. I didn’t
see Hawthorne, but I felt his large, warm body press against my back,
enveloping me in a hug.
I took a deep breath. “Whatever you choose,” Leo said, “you won’t
have to choose alone. We’re here for you. We care about you both so much,
would do anything for you.”
“He’s right, darling,” Hawthorne said. “Nothing will take either of you
from us. I promise that.”
I leaned into them, letting them carry some of this weight. They were
right. Since I met them, I felt like some of the weight that was always on
me was lifted.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve all of you,” I whispered.
Jasper lifted my chin until I was looking at him. “Nothing,” he said.
“We take care of you because we want to. Both of you.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay. What do we need to do?”
 Hawthorne came around so I could see him. “I told him we were
already mated,” he said, sounding a bit sorry. “Being mated is just as
binding as blood to shifters. So if we were mated, it would be easy. I don’t
want to rush you into that, though, so I was thinking⁠—”
“Let’s do it,” I said.
They all paused. “What?”
“Let’s mate,” I said. I wanted them. Forever. I knew it deep down,
whether we did this now, next week, or next year. I wanted them in our
lives. “As long as you want to,” I clarified.
Hawthorne smiled wider than I’d ever seen. “You’re one of us, sweet,”
he said. “We would love nothing more than to make you ours.”
“I’ve wanted to mark you since our first date,” Leo said, pressing into
me.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Jasper said.
“But you have to be sure,” Hawthorne said. “Matings are permanent.
Once we do this, you will truly be ours, and us yours, forever.”
“I couldn’t imagine it any other way,” I said with a smile.
Suddenly, I was being thoughtfully tackled to the bed, my clothes
pushed away until I was left bare.
“How does this work?” I asked. I briefly recalled Leo saying something
about marking.
“Yes,” Hawthorne said as he kissed down my neck. “To mate, we’ll
each mark you with a bite, to show that you’re ours. It will bind us together
by magic, connect our souls for life.”
“Please,” I begged. “I need it. I want that.”
“Don’t worry, sweet. You’ll get it.”
Leo draped himself over me, sinking his cock in quickly with no prep.
The stretch was amazing, the pain paired with the pleasure almost
consuming.
“I’ve needed you since the first day we met,” he whispered into my ear.
“You and Ari have become the center of our worlds, and I can’t wait to
spend the rest of my life cherishing you both.”
Tears fell from the corners of my eyes as he plowed into me, fucking me
right into an orgasm. As he did, I felt something bigger pressing into me.
“I’m going to knot you, baby,” he said. “I’m going to knot you and
claim you as mine.”
“Yes, do it,” I breathed.
 I felt as his knot popped into place. I squeezed down on him on instinct,
and he groaned. He pumped once more before biting down right above my
left breast.
At first, it was just a slight sting until it turned into something more. It
was if something inside me shifted to make room, and in that space was
Leo. I came again, the feeling so overwhelming it threw me over the edge
without warning.
He fell against me, and we just lay there for a moment.
“Now what?” I asked.
“We wait for my knot to go down and do it all over again.”
I’m not sure how long it took, but Leo’s knot finally went down enough
for him to pull out. He cuddled me the whole time, drawing little nothings
along my back with his fingers.
As soon as he was done Jasper was right there, pushing into me, never
leaving me empty for too long.
“My love,” he said as he fucked into me slowly and methodically, just
like him. “You are so smart, so talented, so strong-willed. I couldn’t
imagine going another day without making you mine.”
Gods, these men were so sweet. He circled my clit lazily, drawing
another orgasm from me slowly but surely. There was no rush, just the
pleasure growing between us.
I felt his knot push against me as he began to work it in. He was a bit
bigger than Leo, but I knew I could take it. Soon after, I felt it pop into
place, holding us together.
“Come for me, love,” he said. “I want to feel you squeeze my knot.” His
fingers on my clit picked up, and that was all I needed to come again. This
was slower and less frantic than the last, but still just as sweet. Jasper
leaned to my right and sank his teeth into my shoulder. The same feeling of
rightness flooded me as Jasper filled a space that had felt empty until this
moment.
I could feel him jerk as he came, locking his cum inside me.
We lay there as he kissed me all over, whispering sweet nothings into
my ear as his knot shrank and he could pull out of me.
I was exhausted but ready as Hawthorne towered over me, lining
himself up. He sank in slowly, his cock the biggest, stretching me the
furthest.
 “You know, you scared me at first,” Hawthorne said as he sank all the
way in.
“Why?”
“Because I was worried you would come in and change it all. That you
wouldn’t fit with one of us, or you would break our hearts. But you melded
into our family so seamlessly. You belong with us, belong with me, and I
can’t wait to spend the next seventy years showing you how much I care for
you.”
Tears streamed down my eyes. “I care for you too, all of you. So much.
You’ve all changed my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He kissed me as he fucked me. We were wrapped around each other,
basking in each other’s nearness.
As he began to push his knot in, I knew it was the biggest. It felt like a
fist trying to push its way into me, but I relaxed, and soon, just like the
others, he locked into place.
His face came down as he bit me on my left side, where my shoulder
and neck met. He filled that last little space inside me, making me feel
whole in a way I didn’t know I could.
Pleasure rushed through me as I felt him come, coating my insides.
When he was finished, he rolled us to the side. Water was brought to
me, and I downed the whole cup.
“Good girl,” Jasper said.
“Sleep, baby,” Hawthorne said. “My knot lasts a really long time."
I nodded as I felt myself drifting off. Everyone else climbed into bed,
surrounding us.
“I love you all,” I mumbled in my sleepy haze. It wasn’t how I wanted
to say it, but it was true regardless.
“We love you too,” one of them mumbled. Or maybe all of them—I
wasn’t sure as I drifted fast to sleep.

[Link]
 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

HARPER

T
he next morning, we took Aria to Hawthorne’s parents' house. He
assured me she would be safe there. His mother was so excited to
meet us both and already had lots of food made and what seemed like
every toy option available.
His father was also very nice. He seemed like a picture of what
Hawthorne would look like in twenty years. He was also very excited to
meet Aria. Apparently, they didn't have a granddaughter in the family and
very easily accepted her as theirs.
That morning as we got ready, I asked her if she liked it here. Her
response was, “Of course, Mom. It’s like I have three dads and a mom. It’s
awesome.”
I didn’t correct her. I knew the guys thought the world of her and would
love to be seen as her father figures. I wouldn’t tell her what to call them or
force anything, but seeing her happy and thriving made me ecstatic.
Now, we only needed to handle this, and we could get started on the rest
of our lives.
My leg bounced as we headed to the pack house. Leo held my hand the
whole way, trying to bring me comfort. While it worked a bit, I couldn’t
help the nerves.
Hawthorne held the door open for me as he led us to the conference
room.
“They’re going to be here soon,” he said. “Don’t worry, everything will
be fine.”
I nodded. It would be, I knew it would with them here.
 A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. An older man came
in first, then the man from that night behind him behind him. I barely
remembered him, but I could see some of Aria’s features in his face.
Stephen. His name came back to my memory as I looked at him.
“Hello, Ms. Maloy,” Rolland said. “You look well.”
“I am,” I said.
“Good. You recognize my son, Stephen.” He had a busted nose and a
slightly bruised cheek, like he’d been punched.
“Hardly,” I scoffed.
“Right,” he said with a saccharine smile. They sat across from us,
getting right to business. “Well, since your daughter is my son’s child as
well, we wanted to offer you a place in our pack. Aria would learn to one
day take over, and you would get a spot of great power. Our pack is very
rich, and we would make sure you’re comfortable.”
“No, thank you,” I said quickly.
“I think you should consider. A child needs a father.”
My fists balled. Was he for real? “Well good thing my child now has
three.”
I heard Leo hold back a snort as I said it.
Rolland looked shocked by my words. “That’s not fair, he didn’t know
and deserves to be in her life.”
“Are you interested?” I asked.
Stephen looked up at me. “Not particularly.” He sounded so
disinterested I knew I should be upset, but I was honestly relieved.
His father looked as if he were ready to explode. “He doesn’t know
what he means,” he insisted. “That alpha belongs to our pack!”
I pulled down my top a bit to reveal my mating bite, which was now
healed over with little white-pink marks. “I’m marked by the Pack Alpha,
and we’re not going anywhere. And from what I heard, you don’t have the
means to take on my pack. So I would suggest you go away.”
“Stephen, say something,” Roland insisted. “Don’t you want your
daughter back?”
He rolled his eyes. “No. I’m barely home as it is. Sorry it ended up this
way, but I promise you, you don’t want me around.” He stood and walked
out. I wasn’t sure if I found what he said aggravating or amusing, but it
didn’t matter now. I wanted him out of my life just as much as he wanted us
out of his.
 “Fine,” Rolland huffed. “We’ll be going.” With that, he followed his son
out of the room, and it was over.
I slumped to the desk, all my previous adrenaline gone.
“You were so kickass,” Leo said. “Is that what you look like when
you’re negotiating house deals? If it is, we might need to do a bit of
roleplaying.”
I let out a loud laugh and picked my head up. “You really were
amazing,” Jasper said. “You held your own against them. You’re so strong.”
I took a deep breath. “Thank you. I think I’m ready to go home now.”
I smiled. I liked the sound of that.
Home.

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 HARPER
ONE YEAR LATER

“A nd there are the keys to your new home!” I told the newly weds who
were smiling ear to ear.
This had always been the best part of my job. I loved seeing
people’s faces as they pictured their new lives in their new homes.
“Thank you so much Harper. You’ve been so helpful.”
“Of course.” I gave them the list of any contacts they may need, their
paperwork, and a gift card as a housewarming gift.
With that taken care of I packed up everything in my car and checked
my phone.
Hawthorne - Please tell me you’re on your way home and I
don’t need to come drag you from work

I laughed. Since I went back to work he was very strict about home-life
balance, and made sure Jasper and I weren’t overworking ourselves.
When I first got back to work, I worried all of our schedules wouldn’t
work out, or it would be too hard, but just like everything else, we fell into
it easily.
Aria started kindergarten at the beginning of the week. I cried this
morning as we dropped her off. The Enski Mountain pack had an excellent
school system, and all the teachers were shifters so they could help her
anytime she needed.
 She was nervous at first, and almost had Leo convinced to sneak her
back home. But once we got there and she got to meet the other students
and playing, so was more than happy to stay.
Harper - On my way now

While I still did fall on my bad habits of staying at work late, I was
much better now, and I did want to get home.
I drove home quickly and rushed inside.
“Mom,” Aria said excitedly, running and jumping into my arms. I
couldn’t help but laugh when I noticed she had a single shifted ear and a
tail. She was still mastering swapping back and fourth, so things like this
were pretty common. “I’m going to Aunt Charlotte’s to see the baby
tonight!”
I blinked. “You are?”
“Yup,” Leo said, greeting me with a kiss. “She’s coming to pick her up
soon.”
“That’s exciting,” I said. I couldn’t help but wonder what they had
planned.
Charlotte showed up not too long after and whisked Aria away, telling
us to “have fun.”
I laughed at that. However everyone was acting weirdly normal. We ate
dinner the way we normally did and talked about our day. There didn’t
seem to be any going out or anything planned.
Just when I was about to ask, Jasper whisked me upstairs and I gasped
at what I saw.
The bed was covered in rose petals and my favorite chocolates sat in the
middle of the bed. Candles bathed the room in a dim light that made
everything feel romantic.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Leo approached, hugging me and pressing his lips to mine. “You know
how we’ve talked about trying for more?” He asked.
I gasped. Over the past few months we’d talked a bit about trying for a
baby. I had got my birth control taken out a month ago, so I should be ready
by now.
“We thought we could start tonight,” Jasper said. “If you want to that
is.”
I smiled. “I am so ready.”
 Then they were on me. All three of them, sucking on my tits, pulling my
hair. Hawthorne dove for my pussy, licking my clit, sending my back
arching off the bed.
Hawthorne moved and Leo came around and sunk into me first, fucking
into me hard and rough as always. He fucked so hard and fast he came
quickly, which seemed to be the idea. He didn’t knot me, but planted a kiss
on my forehead as he sank in as far as he could, releasing deep inside of
me.
“There’s more where that came from love, I promise.”
He pulled out and Jasper sunk into me instantly, sure not to let me leak a
drop. He too fucked me without abandon, as if his only goal was to get me
knocked up. Something about it was so primal and rough, and coming from
him, it was a new side I found I liked.
Once he came deep inside Hawthorne handed him a plug that he put
inside of me as soon as he pulled out, keeping all of their cum locked inside
of me.
I heard the click of a bottle of lube. “I thought we could also try
something else tonight,” Hawthorne said.
He coated his fingers and circled his fingers around my back entrance. I
gasped. We’d done a bit of anal play, mostly just fingers and tongues, but it
seemed tonight he wanted to go farther.
“Color kitten?” Hawthorne asked.
“Green,” I said. As I did he sunk a finger into my hole, making me feel
strange and full all at the same time.
Leo sucked on my nipple on one side, pulling hard. “It’s going to be so
hot when these are full of milk.”
Gods he managed to make everything sound so dirty.
“And this belly round with our child,” Jasper said, running his lips over
my stomach. “All ours, inside and out.”
I cried out, their words and Hawthorne’s second finger was too much.
Too good.
“Please, I need it,” I said.
“Don’t worry, we’ll give you exactly what you need.”
Soon a third finger was added, and then a fourth. I felt thoroughly
stretched and ready, but I knew my guys were big, and I needed to be
prepped well.
 Suddenly I was spun on top of Hawthorne and he sank into my pussy
with ease. “Gods this cunt is always so tight,” he said as he fucked into me.
“Always so ready to be fucked. Ready to take our seed.”
I panted. “Who taught you how to talk like that?” I asked. Hawthorne
had never been much for dirty talk but this was down right filthy.
“That would be me,” Leo said from behind me. I felt him lining up
behind me, his cock coated in lube.
He pressed into me, the stretch much more than Hawthornes fingers.
But I liked the feeling. Hawthorne stilled underneath me as Leo worked his
way in, inch my inch until they were both fully seated.
It was if I could feel them rubbing against each other inside of me,
making me impossibly full in the exact way I craved.
Leo cried out but no one had moved. I didn’t know what was happening
until I turned and saw Jasper behind Leo, working his fingers into Leo,
stretching him out. Seeing them together was so hot, and spurred me to rock
back and forth on their cocks, making them both groan.
Hawthorne slapped my ass hard, making me cry out. “Sit still kitten,” he
said.
I tried to do as he asked but it was too much. Hawthorne began
tweaking and pulling at my nipples as Leo’s moans filled the room. It was
all so hot and lustful I could hardly take it.
Finally Leo slumped over me and I realized Jasper was inside of him
now.
“Please, please fuck me,” I cried. “Fuck me, make me yours. Give me
your cum.”
“Such a dirty mouth on such a good girl.” Hawthorne pulled out of me
from underneath to the tip then slipped back in, taking his time, setting a
comfortable pace.
I could feel Leo doing the same, but he wasn’t leading. Jasper moved
them both, controlled their motions, and in turn, mine and Leo’s pleasure.
They set a rhythm that had them both pushing inside at the same time,
fucking me so hard I was seeing stars.
“Are you going to come on our cocks kitten?” Hawthorne asked. “Come
for us, give us your pleasure.”
He began swirling my clit as he said it and it pushed me where I needed
to go. I came hard, pleasure running through my body, making me feel so
connected to them all in the best way.
 “I’m going to come,” Hawthorne said as I could feel his knot sinking
into me. It somehow felt bigger than normal and as it popped in it there me
into my next orgasm.
As I came around them, Hawthorne and Leo both came, filling me full
of them, and Jasper was still as well, I’m assuming as he knotted and filled
Leo.
We all collapsed to the bed. Hawthorne was sure to keep his knot full,
making sure I get pregnant by them. As I drifted off still full of them, I
couldn’t help but think of how lucky I was to have them all.
Forever.

[Link]
 BINGE THE WHOLE SERIES!

Find them here!

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Song for his Siren by Mary Jane Darling
Tempted by Tentacles by Elle M. Drew
Gaga for the Gargoyle by Settle Myer
Ditching the Dragon by Becca Fogg
Mesmerized by the Mothwoman by Elaine J. Daniels

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ALSO BY LE ELDRIDGE
A Yulean Sister’s Guide to Getting Married
Snowed Inn (With a Demon)
Washed Up (With a Kraken)
The Witch’s Grave

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 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I’d like to thank my husband for always encouraging my career and being
my biggest fan. I’d also like to thank my beta reader, Kass O-Shire for her
amazing feedback and my editor Alexa for always making my work shine.
And a big thanks to my PA Meg Opalescent, who’s helped me take my
marketing to the next level. And I wouldn’t be sane without my amazing
author friends who listen to my crazy plot ideas and helping me through the
times the plot isn’t plotting.
Lastly I’d like to thank you, my reader. Without you I wouldn’t be able
to do what I do, and I appreciate each and every one of you.

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 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lexie is a paranormal romance author and avid reader from Upstate New York. She runs an editing
and PA company Morally Gray Author Services and lives with her partner Adi, dog Layla, and cat
Swiper. When she's not reading (which is rarely) you can find Lexie playing video games or looking
for amazing indie bookstores and vintage shops. Lexie writes campy books full of smut with simp-y
monsters looking for love.

Lets Connect!

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