Chapter 5
BUCKLE
I’m cozy and warm when hushed voices wake me. I don’t wanna wake up from my nap, I’m much too comfortable. Something tickles my nose. I flip to my other side, hitting a hard wall. I blink a few times, getting the sleep from my eyes.
Where the hell am I?
Light comes from a round hole and shadows dance across as two figures go back and forth somewhere outside.
I’m still in my chipmunk form. It should be easy to get away. I take a few deep breaths and ready myself to run.
There! The humans separate their big heads and I scamper from the nest and down the tree.
“Wait!” someone shouts, but I don’t.
I run as fast as my tiny legs can carry me. Which is pretty damn fast, if I’m honest.
Mate. Mate. Mate. My chipmunk chants in my head.
“You’re dreaming, buddy,” I tell him right back.
I don’t remember much, but something tried to kidnap me, then I passed out.
I jump to the first step of my porch when my chipmunk throws a hissy fit and forces me back into my human form. I trip on the next step and face plant right into my porch. Running naked should be a crime. I cup my dick and curl in on myself.
“Thanks, asshole,” I mumble to my chipmunk. He just laughs, or the chipmunk equivalence of a laugh, anyway.
“Are you okay?” Abel, the beautiful librarian, asks as he races over with someone else.
The squirrel. They look familiar, but I can’t place them. Their cheeks and the rest of them go pink.
I swallow, remembering why I passed the fuck out. “Mates.”
The three of us seem to whisper the word at the same time.
Abel twists his hands together and refuses to look at either me or the squirrel.
The squirrel leans forward with their hand. “I’m Perry. He/him.” I use his offering to pull myself up
“Buckle. He/him also.” I tip my head, taking the man in.
Thin and lanky, like a typical Omega, but he’s almost as tall as Abel and I are.
Perry has big beautiful brown eyes, curly silver gray hair that swoops into said eyes, and he’s constantly swiping the curls to the side.
His olive skin is darker in the shadow of my porch roof.
Goddess, they look beautiful together. Abel’s deep red, almost brown eyes search mine. I knew he was a shifter, but never knew what kind. I’ve never been good at figuring it out.
“Abel. He/him,” the hawk whispers. He still doesn’t look at me, his eyes on the roof of my porch rather than me or Perry.
Perry hesitates to touch my arm. “Are you okay? That had to be terrifying falling from the sky after thinking you were hawk food.”
Abel grimaces and drags both hands down his face. “I’m sorry. Really, I am. My hawk just grabbed you. I thought he wanted a snack, but he said you were our mate and that freaked me out and I dropped you. I never would have—”
I hold up a hand and can’t stop my grin. “It’s okay.”
Perry whips his head toward me. “What?!” He squawks and faces Abel. He pokes the hawk in the chest. Hard if the grimace is to be believed. “You almost ate him! He’s our mate, and you almost ate him.”
My laugh bubbles out before I can stop it.
Perry turns that glare on me. “You could have died.”
“Thanks for catching me. I couldn’t decide if I should shift or let Fate decide, and I’m glad I chose Fate. I had no idea it would be literally my Fated that saved me, though.”
Perry goes pinker again. “I couldn’t let you die. I didn’t know we were Fated until you landed in my hand.” He rubs his palm as if to remember the feeling.
Abel’s bottom lip trembles. “I’m so sorry.”
“You should be,” Perry says, but he wraps an arm around the man and pulls him close.
“We’re all alive.” I pat myself down to make a show of it. Perry gives me a knowing smile, but Abel won’t meet my gaze.
“I’ve eaten so many chipmunks,” Abel says. “What if they were shifters, too?” Finally he meets my eyes, and I kill the laugh. He’s not being dramatic to be dramatic, he’s totally torn up about snatching me.
“Everything’s okay.” I reach a hand out, but hold back from touching him when he steps back.
“Besides, I don’t think another shifter would let a critter eat them?
They’d just shift. Like had you taken me to a nest, I would have shifted.
But had I done it in the air, we probably both would have been toast. Lucky Perry was there to catch me, though. ”
Perry preens as f I gave him the best compliment in the world. I mean... I kinda did. He saved me.
I swallow and nod towards my door. “Wanna come in? I can make us some hot chocolate or hot tea or something and we can get to know each other.”
They look to each other.
Abel shakes his head and backs up again. “I shouldn’t be here. I should leave. You two can—”
“No,” Perry says as he grabs Abel’s hand. “You’re my mate too, and I won’t let you go without a fight.”
“Same,” I say. “Not to mention I’ve had a crush on you since I started going to the library.”
Abel’s cheeks go pink and he dips his head. “No one ever has a crush on me.”
Perry and I scoff at the same time, and our eyes meet. I chuckle at the same time he does.
Perry takes a step toward Abel. “Don’t you know how handsome you are? Beautiful really.” He pushes a tress of hair behind Abel’s ear. “And you’re a bit awkward which makes it fun to ask for things like erotica.”
I smirk. “You get it.”
“Making sweet Betas squirm. Oh, yeah,” Perry says softly.
Poor Abel’s mouth opens and closes like a fish. “Don’t make fun.” He blinks and a tear slides down his cheek.
Perry and I exchange another look. We’re going to have to show this Beta he’s ours.