Wolves’ Triad

  “Wha—what do you mean?”

  Nina rolled her eyes. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll just tell Lex and then it’ll be all dramatic. I’ve been watching you, Trace. You’re the attention-to-details queen and for the last two hours you’ve been mooning—and yes, I said mooning—over Nick Lawrence and he’s been just as bad.”

  Tracy put her head in her hands, unable to deny it. “Oh god, Nina. I think he’s my mate!”

  “What? Are you kidding me?”

  “Do you think I’d kid about something like this? I’ve never been affected by a male like this before. I want to rub my face all over him. I want to give him my neck. I want him!”

  “Nina! Where the hell are you?” Lex yelled from the doors around the corner.

  “I’m back here. Go get me some fruit and a bagel or something, please.”

  He came around the corner, emanating menace. “What is going on, Nina? Are you all right?”

  Nina sighed and patted his arm. “I’m fine. Thank you, baby. Now, please, I need to talk to Tracy alone. Can you please get me something to eat?”

  “Are you pregnant?”

  She stared at him, mouth agape and then burst out laughing. “No, studly. I’m not. I promise. This is female-type stuff, though, so I’d appreciate the privacy.”

  Thinking that he may be sent off to retrieve tampons or something equally horrifying, he set Megan on watch and headed to get some food.

  Nina giggled and turned back to Tracy as Megan hustled over to them. “He thought I was going to send him for feminine hygiene products or something. I’m going to have to keep that reaction in mind for the future. Now, back to you.”

  “What am I going to do?”

  “What do you mean? If he’s your mate, there’s only one thing you can do!”

  “Mate? What the hell did I miss?” Megan hissed.

  “Tracy is pretty sure that Nick is her mate,” Nina explained in low tones.

  Megan’s eyebrow went up. “Well, nice one! He’s a hot number.”

  Tracy’s misery was chased away when she had to laugh at her sister. “He’s from another Pack.”

  “And?”

  “I’d always imagined my mate to be from Cascadia.”

  “Yes well, I’d always imagined my mate to be a human man with a normal job who didn’t turn into a wolf at will and carry a gun. We don’t always get what we think we want.” Nina’s face softened. “But a lot of the time we get what we need.”

  “Just get a good sniff and let him get one too. Nature will take over from there, Trace.” Megan’s matter-of-factness was a comfort and Tracy snorted.

  “I need some time alone,” Tracy said with a sigh. “I need some fresh air and time to think. We’ve got fifteen minutes left. I’ll be back.”

  “Are you sure?” Nina looked concerned. “Yeah. Thanks.”

  Nina hugged her and Megan followed. “I’m happy for you, Tracy. This is a good thing, you know,” Megan murmured into her ear.

  “I hope so.”

  They walked back into the building and Tracy headed down the path and ended up at the hedge maze. She wandered down the first wide lane and headed left, toward a bench near a fountain.

  Sitting down, she put her head back and looked up at the sky.

  That’s how Nick found her. When she’d left with the others, he’d tried to talk himself into staying in the room. Tried to pretend that what he was feeling was just raw lust but had failed. His wolf had chafed at that and pushed him into getting up and out of the room and he’d followed her scent on the wind.

  “Hi,” he said as he approached the bench.

  She sat up slowly, her eyes meeting his, and everything else simply ceased to exist. “Hi.”

  Dropping onto the bench beside her, he couldn’t resist any longer. “I need to know.” He leaned in, put his face into her neck and breathed in deeply.

  It hit him then—her pheromones slamming into his system, twining with his senses, luring him, seducing him. Her scent called to him, her chemicals tangoed with his and he groaned, his entire body hardening with want for her. Not just physical desire but the need to possess her in every way.

  He clenched his fists to keep from ripping her clothes off.

  “Oh,” she said faintly when he moved his head back, keeping his face close to her own. His eyes locked on her lips, red and shiny, and his breath caught when she licked them nervously.

  He forced himself to stay still when she leaned in and breathed deeply of him, but it was too much when he watched her physical reaction, saw the gooseflesh work up the back of her neck. When he could smell her body blooming for him, scent her desire creamy between her thighs. He groaned again and put a hand to her chin, moving her face back so he could see into her eyes.

  “Tracy?”

  She nodded, wordless and he moved so that their lips touched and the flames jumped and consumed them both. One of his arms banded around her waist and pulled her to him tightly as his mouth devoured hers.

  His tongue was hot and wet as it slid against her teeth and into her mouth. The dance of movement between them was all-encompassing. There was nothing but strained breathing and soft sighs.

  “God, I have to have you,” Nick said as his mouth moved to her jaw.

  “Yes, oh yes.” She scrambled into his lap, straddling him, and he pulled her jacket off and then her shirt and stilled for a moment when he saw her breasts. They were small and perky and she had the loveliest pink nipples. Even the rings piercing each one worked on him. She arched her back, grinding herself into him, and they both moaned at the contact with his cock.

  “Off, off, off!” she murmured as her hands worked at his belt and the button and zipper of his fly. Suddenly his cock was free and in her hands and the pleasure of that contact was so good as it rushed through him that it made him slightly faint. He’d had a lot of sex with a lot of sexy women but even while buried deep in the hottest of them he’d never felt as totally electrified by pleasure as he did with his cock in Tracy’s hand.

  He groaned and pulled at her jeans, opening them and standing her up long enough to work them down her thighs. It took a moment more of frustrated work to get her boot off and one leg of the jeans free and she was back on his lap, naked against his clothed body, and he was so turned on that when she brushed herself over his cock he shuddered with it and had to clench his teeth to keep from coming then and there.

  “If you don’t put yourself inside me right now I’m going to fall over dead,” she said.

  He snarled a laugh as he slid a hand between her thighs. His fingers brushed over her labia and then into the folds of her pussy. Swollen, hot and juicy. So ready his cock jumped.

  Her head fell back and he slowly drew circles around her clit with slick fingertips and took a nipple between his teeth. She arched into him with a pleading cry and rolled her hips into his hand.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he said, lips brushing against her nipple. His fingers slid into her and his thumb came up and across her clit. She whimpered and her hands went into his hair.

  The weak winter sun shone down on her skin. She should have been cold but the heat of her desire for him warmed her. There weren’t even words for how much she wanted him, for how she felt at that moment. Drowning in him, needing him so much she ached with it, each touch of his mouth, of his hands on her, drove her into a frenzy. Her wolf paced inside her, recognizing his, and she’d never felt so out of control and yet so very right all at once.

  He bit down gently on her nipple and pressed hard on her clit with his thumb and her climax hurtled through her with blinding intensity. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from screaming but a moan that came from deep inside her escaped anyway, and he echoed it.

  “I have to fuck you, baby. Are you ready?”

  “Ye
syesyesyes,” she whispered, body still tingling from orgasm.

  She moved up on her knees and their fingers brushed against each other as she reached back to help guide him into her.

  Eyes locked, she sank down on him, pulling his cock deep inside her body. “Oh yes. You’re so fucking perfect, Tracy. Your pussy is so tight and hot.”

  She hummed her satisfaction with the thick girth of his cock and the words that flowed from him as she rocked against him slowly, enjoying the way he felt buried inside her.

  “I can’t be slow. I need this. I can’t...” His words strangled as he stood and took over. She wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her ankles at the small of his back. In a few steps she was against the wall of the small enclosure the fountain resided in. The concrete was cold and rough against her back and the buckle of her belt dangling from the jeans still hanging around one ankle jingled with each thrust he made into her body. These small sensory bursts kept her from slipping away into the maelstrom of feeling this man evoked.

  She tightened herself around him and held on to his shoulders as he bowed his head and fucked into her body deep and hard. What a feeling it was to incite such a depth of desire in a man like this!

  “Make me yours, Nick. Please. Come inside me,” she murmured and he groaned in response as his entire body tightened up.

  “You are mine,” he said in a harsh whisper just as he made one final thrust up into her and came.

  With each burst of his climax, his semen filled her. He marked her and the bond began to form between them with such intensity that his knees buckled and he sank to the ground as he continued to come.

  The threads of connection were there, glimmering and strong, and she felt his heart beating as if it were her own. Felt the intensity of his feelings for her. Love. Yes, love, and she felt it too.

  Things were shaky for a bit as the release of his seed worked its magic, but after a few minutes he looked up into her face.

  “Wow.” He kissed her chin. “You’ve got to be cold.” He stood while she put her pants back on, handing over her shirt and jacket when she was ready.

  “Thanks.” Her skin missed his touch even as the slight chill wore off.

  He bent, tied her boot and straightened, putting himself back into his pants.

  She laughed, fixing his tie.

  “Well, this will be an interesting story to tell our grandchildren someday.” He frowned. “Okay well, not all of it is suitable for telling. You know what I mean.”

  “You’re okay with this? The suddenness? I mean, I can feel your hesitancy.” Which made her feel no small amount off balance and insecure.

  He turned to her and pulled her close. “You’re my mate. You’re my everything. I’m not hesitant exactly, but more caught off guard. This morning I had not expected to meet my mate today, you know? But I am happy and I plan to enjoy getting to know you. There are things we’ll have to iron out, surely, but we can do it. We have to. And wow, I just fucked you outside in a garden. Not very romantic. I’m sorry, I just couldn’t wait.”

  She laughed. “I couldn’t wait either. I’m glad you didn’t.”

  They walked hand in hand back to the conference room. Once inside, Lex stood and started to yell at her for being late but everyone froze, the room full of wolves scenting the air. The evidence of their bond hung heavy and spicy around them.

  “Tracy? Honey, is everything all right?” Lex stood, feeling, well, not quite sure what. Happy yes, but also slightly sad because she was now firmly someone else’s and his baby sister was mated.

  She smiled and nodded and he went to her, hugging her tight as they both laughed. “I’m great.”

  Nina stood back, grinning at them both, and then looked at Megan, who also looked happy but just a little sad around the edges.

  There were collective hugs and congratulations around the room and Gabe beamed at them both. “Congratulations to both of you.”

  “Let’s get back to work so we can finish this. I’d like to take my mate home to meet my brother and sister-in-law,” Nick said.

  “I’ve got to call Cade,” Lex said.

  Nina put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in, kissing his temple. “You guys get back to work, I’ll call Cade.”

  She took her cell phone out into the alcove and dialed home.

  “Hey there. Is everything okay?” Cade said as he answered the phone.

  “Better than okay. Tracy found her mate.”

  “She what? How? Who? You’ve only been down there for half a day!”

  “It’s Nick Lawrence and they’ve sealed the bond. I don’t know where nor do I wish to contemplate it. But she looks very happy and so does he.”

  Cade sighed. “Well, oh, good.”

  “What is it?” Nina heard his hesitation and the sadness just behind the words.

  “She’ll be moving to Portland now. She’ll be in another Pack. I’ll miss her.”

  “Yeah. Me too. But Portland isn’t that far, it’s only three hours away. And she looks so good with him. She’s glowing with it.” She ached, wanting to reach out and hug him, comfort him.

  “I’ll contact my parents and we’ll come down after details are worked out.”

  “He hasn’t told his brother yet. Wait a while before you contact Ben.”

  “Okay. Oh shit.”

  “What?”

  “Tri-bond. She’ll need the tri-bond and it has to be someone related to him or above him in Pack hierarchy. Ben can’t because he’s already mated.”

  “Oh! Well, maybe there’s a cousin or something.” Her stomach fluttered low when she remembered her own bond experience, remembered Cade’s cock deep inside her.

  “Maybe. I don’t know them well enough to know for sure. Have her call me when she can but until then, please tell her that I’m happy for her and that I love her.”

  “You got it. Are you going to be all right?”

  He paused for a long moment. “Yes. Thanks for asking, beautiful.”

  “Anytime. Cade?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I love you. It’ll all be okay.”

  He sighed. “I love you too.”

  The rest of the negotiations went by rather quickly. Gabe kept an iron grip on the proceedings and hammered out a deal to enlarge the buffer between the two Packs that worked for both and capitalized on the goodwill between Pacific and Cascadia.

  While at the table, Tracy kept up her place as a member of the Cascadia Pack. She’d continue to do so until she officially joined Pacific. She didn’t feel pressured to do anything else. Her heart would always be with Cascadia, it was the Pack of her birth and her family ruled it. She’d join Pacific because that’s where Nick held position as Second and she’d give them her loyalty.

  By two the papers had been signed and agreed to.

  Lex stood and shook hands with Nick. He smiled at his sister. “I know you two are anxious to go to the Pacific Pack house. Would you like Milton to stay with us while you do that?” He turned to Nick. “Of course, with permission, we’ll stay here and Cade and Mom and Dad will join us for the joining ceremony.”

  Tracy realized then just how much her life had changed in just a few hours. Everything had changed. It wasn’t that she was unhappy. Quite the opposite. For wolves, finding a mate was the moment they looked forward to. Her connection to Nick filled her up and brought her joy and satisfaction in ways she hadn’t even known were possible. But she’d have to build a new life and a new home with Nick.

  “Joining ceremony?” Nina looked confused.

  Tracy squeezed her sister-in-law’s hand. “Now that Nick and I have bonded, I’ll become a member of Pacific. I’ll be taken into the Clan and given status as Second.” The look of sadness, brief before Nina smiled to cover it, made Tracy feel better.

 
“Of course you have permission to stay. Who is Milton?” Nick couldn’t stop himself from touching her. Needing the softness of her hair against his skin. His wolf delighted in the way she leaned into him.

  “Milton is my dog. He’s a Lab and a real sweetie. I have to tell you that he comes with me everywhere.”

  Nick winced as he thought of his expensive apartment and the furnishings. “I don’t think my building allows pets.”

  “Well, we’ll be moving, won’t we?” She said it with a raised brow and annoyance flashed through him.

  “We’ll have to figure it out. I mean, my apartment is so nice and it has a great view and—”

  “Okay, this is something we should work out in private,” Tracy cut him off, seeing Lex’s agitation from of the corner of her eye. He’d begin to feel protective of her and things would be unpleasant.

  “We’ll just stay here then, in the bungalow we’re already in. Call us when you’ve got details, Tracy.” Lex tried not to scowl.

  Nina hesitated but went ahead and brought up the issue that had been weighing on her mind. “Uh, one thing and, well, I know this probably isn’t my business but as it was sort of sprung on me I think it’s a serious issue—the tri-bond.”

  Nick stilled for a moment and Tracy blushed. “Damn. I hadn’t thought about that. I’m Ben’s Anchor but he can’t do it and I don’t have any unmated male relatives.”

  “Well, we’ll have to call someone in then.”

  “What? Like a personal ad? Do they have space for that on Craigslist?” Panic edged through Tracy. She knew they’d have to do the tri-bond but it hadn’t quite hit her until that moment. She’d have to have sex with a stranger. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they’d fly someone in? Like a pinch hitter?

  The problem was that the higher up a male was in Pack hierarchy, the fewer his choices for the anchor bond. Because Nick was Second, he could only have an Alpha, or an equivalent wolf who had higher rank, or a relative. It didn’t happen all the time, most wolves weren’t high in Pack ranks. But it happened often enough that the National Pack kept a database of willing wolves who’d be called upon in such situations.