Chapter 45
Chapter Forty-five
Cross
She’s going to run. I can feel it. My wolf is pacing inside me with our winding anticipation. The second she’s able to pull away from Parker, she’s going to shift and run. And I’m going to chase her.
I finally get to do it. After years of running towards her, I get to hunt her.
I'm going to give her a few moments to get ahead, only as long as it takes me to shift.
I can already feel the shift pushing against the beds of my nails and the tingling in my gums. Goddess, I can't wait for it.
I'm not sure who needs this chase more, me, my wolf, or our mate.
My wolf circles urgently. Are you ready?
Are you?
He snorts instead of answering and circles again.
Genie's breath leaves her in a sigh as she stretches, arching her back.
Parker sucks in his breath, his eyes shooting from her to me and back to her. “Genie.”
Her lips curl in a smile.
Parker's hand grips her hip. “Genie.”
Almost. My wolf drags a paw, digging furrows into metaphysical soil of our shared consciousness.
“Genie.” Parker's voice chokes out in a broken sound somewhere between a gasp and a growl as fur ripples up her flexing forearms. “Fuck. Oh, Goddess. Fuck.”
It only takes moments, between one breath and the next Genie trades her skin for a thick coat of rich fur and Parker makes another sputtering, gasping sound as she leaps away from him and rushes past me.
My wolf's claws scrap against the thin barrier between us. The door is closed.
“What...” Parker breathes. “What are you doing?”
My lips twist into a smile. “Letting her run.”
“Go.” Parker rolls onto his back, his hand cupping his dick. “I'll catch up.”
I turn from him and towards the front door. Genie is raking her nails down the wood from window to floor when I cross into the main part of the cabin. She hops and skids away from me when I approach the door.
“Easy, baby. Just using my opposable thumbs.” I twist the knob and push open the door. “There you go. Better run. I'm only giving you a few seconds.”
She huffs and bounds out the door, her tail swishing against my calves when she rushes past.
My wolf starts the countdown.
Five.
I kick off my shorts.
Four.
I roll my neck, my shoulders, and stretch my arms up and from side to side.
Three.
The shift begins rolling through me as Parker barks at me to fucking go from the nest.
Two.
I drop to the floor as my wolf leaps forward, taking full control.
One. I finish the countdown as I sprint out the door on four paws.
If Genie's scent was delicious with my human nose, it's absolutely mouthwatering now. My skull tingles with the delectable notes as I follow the path she set.
Her trail winds through the trees and brush.
There doesn't seem to be any reason to the path.
It's more like a rushed meander but that's okay.
This isn't about the end destination. It's about the chase and that's exactly what she's leading me down.
A soft breeze brings the scents of several pack members, none of them close and I know none of them are a threat, but my mate is in heat.
Everyone registers as the possibility of a threat to her regardless of what I know.
A quick flicker of movement to my left has me snarling, but it's only a squirrel too busy with his own problems to realize he's part of mine.
Let go.
I don't want to let go.
Let go, human. You are too easily distracted. This is my chase.
I stubbornly dig my heels into the space between me and my wolf. I want to chase her, too.
Give me this. You will have her for days at the den you made for her. The other is coming to guard.
The other?
Your other.
Parker. We are out in the open. You can't just take her here in the woods.
I am her alpha. I can do what I need to do. Let go.
In a moment of perfect timing, Parker comes bounding up from behind me and I look in Genie's direction once more before I do what my wolf is asking for. I let go.
***
When I pull myself back into the forefront of consciousness the first thing that registers is the feel of Genie's body tight against my side.
A mixture of her scent and Parker's fills my senses as I look over at them.
She's wedged between us as we walk through the trees towards the cabin.
We are dark sentries escorting her back to her nest where she belongs.
The sated adoration and happiness pouring from my wolf is enough to shatter me.
He needed this, needed her so much. My connection to him is no longer flickering.
It isn't as strong as it needs to be, but it's there.
It's enough. The same sense of rightness and care is flowing from Parker.
We really did almost destroy ourselves. All we needed to make everything okay was her.
Genie doesn't shift when we get back to the cabin.
Parker doesn't either. They both stand in front of the door blinking at me until I shake off my fur.
I open the door and they both slink inside and make their way to the bedroom where they curl around each other in the middle of the blankets and pillows.
It's one of the most wonderful and beautiful things I've ever seen, and I'm struck with another sudden thought that it almost didn't happen.
Selfish. My wolf stirs just long enough to remind me. Better now. Then he urges me to join them.
Their fur is different textures. Genie's is soft and fine, almost silky.
It brushes against my skin in a feathery light whisper as we settle against each other.
Parker's is more like mine. I never realized how coarse and warm his fur is until just now.
The difference between the feel of them is a perfection I didn't know I needed until it was surrounding me.
Sleep takes me within minutes and I dream of running along a river I've only ever seen when I was floating on unconscious waves.
The wolf beside me has always been Parker.
I've always known that. But the wolf we've been following for so long has always alluded me.
It has always been just out of sight or masked by a cloud of unknowing.
It's Genie. It's always been Genie. We've been following her for so long and we didn't realize it.
We know now, though, and we will follow her forever.
I wake to the feel of skin pressed against me.
Genie's smaller body is tucked against my chest and Parker's long frame is warm against my back.
Our feet are tangled together in a perfect jumble and I'm reluctant to stir, but Genie's bond is twisting between us.
It feels like we've slept for hours but the sun is still shining through the curtains.
As if on cue, her hips shift against me and she groans softly.
Parker's hand stretches across me to slide up her side. “Shh, baby. We're here.”
“Hurts,” she mumbles.
“I know,” I say softly against her neck. “We'll make it better.”
Parker crawls over us until he's face to face with Genie. He pushes her hair back, tucking it behind her ear. “Hi.” Then he leans forward to kiss her.
This is what I wanted that first night. I wanted to watch him kiss her while I fucked her.
I can have that now, and they both want it.
It doesn't even feel strange that he's suddenly putting off alpha pheromones as heavily as I am.
It doesn't matter. It's all for her and I don't have to worry about it.
I don't know what the rest of our pack, both new and old, are going to think of having two alphas in the ruling pair.
..tri...something. Whatever we are. I've never heard of it happening before but there's a first time for everything.
And it isn't important right now anyway.
“Drew.” Genie half whines, half hisses my name and Parker opens his eyes to glance at me.
He reaches down to grab her thigh, lifting her knee over his hip.
The position presents her to me in the most beautiful way.
It's not how I want to finish this, but it's a perfect way to start it.
I have to take her this time. The need to take and claim is crawling its way through my veins and pulling my bond with her tight and hot.
She sighs into Parker's kiss as I line myself up and thrust gently inside her.
My hips rock us into a sweet rhythm, all three of us.
Parker's cock slides between her thighs and over her swollen clit, slipping even farther to nudge my balls as I sink inside her over and over again.
He grips her thigh once more before moving his hand to grab onto my hip to urge me to move inside her deeper, quicker, making both Genie and me groan.
The sound of her needy groan and his rough chuckle slams into me and whatever sound I was making turns to a snarl.
A wildfire of demand and dominance burns through me and I pull away from her.
I don't give her time to react or reposition herself.
I shove her onto her knees, both of us ending up straddling one of Parker's thighs, and slam back inside her until my hips thud against her ass, then deeper until I feel her knees lift up off of the blankets underneath us.
“Drew!” She gasps my name in a ragged breath and all I can do is pull back and fuck into her again. She drops onto her elbows, resting against Parker's chest and forcing his body to move and shudder with the violence of my thrusts.
They aren't kissing anymore. I want them kissing. I want to hear the wet sounds of their mouths as loud as the sounds I'm making as I fuck her. I want to feel the effect Parker has on Genie through my bond with her. My hand finds its way into her hair and I jerk her head back. “Kiss her.”
Parker's hooded eyes blink but he isn't moving fast enough for me.
“Parker.” I bark his name and his eyes snap to mine. “Kiss her. Now. I need it.”
He nods slowly and shifts so that he's able to reach her mouth. Then he kisses her. Sweetly. A direct contrast to my own punishing rhythm.
“More,” I growl, squeezing her hips.
His blue eyes flash at me before he takes her mouth, matching my intensity.
She responds immediately, turning to fire underneath my touch.
I can feel her winding tighter and hotter with every breathless gasp.
The combination of sensations sends me soaring higher, so high and so fast that my ears ring.
This is what I wanted. This is what I need right now.
But then something shifts. A line of possession races through Genie and it takes me with it.
Suddenly, she becomes the dominant force driving their kiss.
Her hand moves to grip his wrist but she doesn't try to move it or pin it to the floor, she just hold it as she takes over.
Her gasping breaths and mumbled pleas become his and the air around us becomes charged with more feelings and pheromones than I've every experienced.
Within moments I'm racing toward an orgasm I didn't expect so soon.
I was going to draw this round out, but what I wanted and what they need are two different things.
Their needs will always supersede my own.
If I had given into this sooner, if all three of us had, where would we be now?
I would have mated Genie sooner. We might have already taken over the packs by now. We might have already had pups.
That's the thought that sends me tumbling over myself into my release.
We, the three of us, would be at our home right now surrounded by the family we created.
We'd be happy. We'd be whole. There would be so much love.
That's all I've ever wanted. I wanted love with Parker, a family, and now I'll get it.
I want everything with Genie, every drop of our future.
We get our happy ending despite all the things we went through.