Chapter 5
Chapter five
Colt
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate with our plans. When we got up the next morning, it was pouring rain.
“Angus and I have got to have some private time with Ben,” I told Maddox after breakfast, which had been quiet and a little awkward.
Maddox and David kept casting questioning looks at me, Angus, and Ben, but the baby was irritable and would hardly let David get a bite of food in his mouth, much less question us.
Maddox finally took Ollie into the nursery to rock him, which is where I’d followed him.
“Just take him into Gramps’ wing of the house,” Maddox suggested after I told him about the picnic ruined by the weather. “David and I won’t interrupt.” He looked down at the baby, whose eyes were drooping. “As soon as I get Ollie to sleep, we’ll have some alone time, too.” He winked at me.
“That’s not what we’re going to be doing,” I protested. Maddox laughed. He was teasing me.
Shooting him the bird, I went to get Angus and found him standing outside David’s sewing room.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Waiting for you,” Angus said. “Ben’s in there with David.”
“Maddox suggested we take him to your part of the house. He said Ollie’s going to sleep and nobody will interrupt us.”
Approaching the open doorway, I saw Ben inside watching David sort through his thread.
“Ben, could you come talk to me and Colt?” Angus asked.
Ben hesitated, then nodded and followed us into Angus’s part of the house.
The sitting room was decorated in blues and grays and had a large, comfortable couch with recliners at each end and a painting of a pine forest hanging on the wall behind it.
Angus sat on one side of Ben, and I sat on Angus’s other side so Ben could look at us both easily.
“First, we want to say that we’re sorry we sprung that on you yesterday. It must have been a shock,” Angus said.
Ben bit his lip and nodded. “It was.”
“Did we upset you?” I asked, hating to see him so subdued.
“That wasn’t our intention. Angus and I talked about it last night, and we realized that you may not want to have either one of us for a mate.
Or maybe you don’t like the idea of having two alpha mates.
We want you to be honest with us. We won’t be upset with you; we want you to be happy. ”
Ben seemed to be struggling with what he wanted to say, so I ventured, “Maybe you have a question for us?”
Meeting my gaze, Ben pressed his lips together, as though gathering his thoughts.
“You can ask us anything, Ben,” Angus assured him, and I was proud of him for how levelheaded he sounded when I knew his emotions were roiling just beneath the surface.
Ben looked from Angus to me. “You said last night that you two are a couple.”
“Yes,” Angus said.
It was just a word, but it was also a claim on me, and I didn’t expect the thrill that shot through me when he said it.
“Then, why do you want me?” Ben asked.
Angus and I shared a look. I got the feeling Angus wanted me to answer this one, so, clearing my throat, I did my best to explain.
“We want you for a lot of reasons, Ben. For one, both Angus and I care about you very much. We want you to be safe, taken care of, and happy. And Angus and I want to be the ones who do all that for you.”
Twisting his fingers in his lap, Ben didn’t look me in the eyes when he said, “I think maybe it’s more like you feel sorry for me.”
“No,” Angus said loudly, eyes fixed on Ben. “That is simply not so. If anything, we expect you to turn us down because you could have any alpha you want.”
“And, if that’s the case, just say the word, and we’ll make it happen for you,” I said, although the words tasted like dust in my mouth.
Ben shook his head, which I hoped meant he didn’t want anyone else, but I wasn’t sure.
“Is it that you only like one of us?” I asked him.
Ben’s cheeks reddened. Had I hit the mark?
“If you want Angus and not me, that’s okay,” I rushed to say. “It would be understandable. You started a bond with him. And if you want another alpha entirely, we’re good with that, too.”
A low growl issued from Angus’s throat, startling both me and Ben, who jumped.
“Angus?” I asked. His fists were clenched at his sides, and the expression on his face was not a happy one.
Shaking his head, he said, “I thought that was true, but…I…damn it to hell! I think I really have bonded with the boy.” He stood up and began to pace.
“I can’t stand the thought of another alpha around him.
Any alpha except for you, Colt, but I’ve got to be there, too!
” He pointed his finger at me. “No way am I letting him go off and choose someone else, and no way are the two of you leaving me out in the cold, either. It’s got to be all three of us. ”
I turned to Ben to see how he was taking Angus’s outburst and was surprised to see him smiling. When he looked at me, his grin widened.
“I’ve been so confused. I thought I just wanted Angus, but lately I’ve felt things for you, too.
Not just arousal. I found myself liking you a lot.
And I didn’t understand how I could do that when I was pretty sure I’d bonded with Angus.
It made me feel disloyal to him, even though I didn’t think he wanted me.
And if I was his, how could I want you, too?
Last night, when Angus said you both wanted to mate me, I thought that Angus felt it was his duty to take care of me since he’d started the bond and that you just had to go along with it because you love him.
But now I see that Angus really does want us both. ”
“I feel like I’m back in junior high,” Angus mumbled, shaking his head.
Relief flooded me, and I laughed. “I really want you both, too,” I assured Ben.
Leaning forward, Angus said, “Ben. I don’t see you as a duty. Colt and I are not perfect. Although Colt and I technically have been together for a while, it hasn’t been a romantic relationship for long. We’re learning. We think you’ll be good for us.”
“What do you mean?” Ben asked.
Angus paused, then looked at me for help.
Shaking my head, I said, “Why do you always leave the hard parts for me?” I turned to Ben. “Angus and I are both alphas. And alphas don’t normally get together because they’re both very, well, dominant. So, Angus’s and my relationship is unusual and difficult.”
Ben frowned in confusion, but it didn’t take long before understanding lit his eyes. “O-o-h. I see.”
Angus held up his hand.
“Before you go getting some dumb idea that that’s the only reason we want you, you listen here.
I’m attracted to you. The moment I held you in your room that night, I knew it.
But I pushed those thoughts away the same way I do when thoughts about a pretty woman surface and I remember my Lucy.
I thought I was too old for you. And I had my feelings for Colt to think about.
But when I found out that he’s attracted to you, too, it only seemed to make sense for all three of us to be together.
Do you think three people can’t form a loving relationship? ”
“I’ve never really thought about it,” Ben said quietly. “Um, I have another question.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’m not just going to be your mate, like, in name only, right? I mean, you want to sleep with me. Right?”
If Angus’s bond—or partial bond—with Ben wasn’t in place along with any bond I might have formed with him myself, I’m pretty sure those words would have thrown me into full rut. How could he possibly think I wouldn’t want him in my bed? In our bed?
“You’ll be our mate in every sense of the word,” I said hoarsely.
Angus stood and muttered “Excuse me,” before disappearing into his bedroom.
“Is he angry? Did I upset him?” Ben asked me.
“No, I think he’s trying to control his, uh, instincts.”
“Oh,” Ben said in a small voice. “Um, what about…your instincts?”
Running my hand down my face, I said, “You’re killing me, Ben.”
“What if you and Angus don’t go into rut when we mate?” Ben asked. He wasn’t being coy; he was really worried about it.
“I don’t think that will be a problem.”
“I’m not experienced at all,” Ben said uncertainly.
“From what I’ve heard and read, instinct takes over.”
“You’ve looked into it?”
“Of course. I’ve been reading everything I can find on alpha/omega relationships, which could fill a thimble, by the way. But I don’t think we have to worry about not knowing what to do.”
Ben looked toward the bedroom. “Do you think Angus is okay?”
“Yeah. He’ll be fine.”
A very loud knocking on the front door had me getting up and crossing to the window.
Two black SUVs were parked out front.
“Shit.”
“What is it?” Ben asked
“Angus!” I called out, then said to Ben, “It’s the government. I need to do something to protect you.” God, this was awkward. “Did David tell you how Maddox put his claim on him so the government men knew he belonged to Maddox?”
Face going red, Ben nodded.
“I need your permission to do that to you.”
Angus hurried into the room. “What is it?”
“They’re here. The government.”
The pounding sounded again, and then Maddox appeared in the doorway to Angus’s wing.
“We saw. Hold them off as best you can,” I told him before turning back to Ben. “Okay, Ben?”
Ben looked like he was going to cry. Fuck. I couldn’t do this.
“I…” I looked to Angus, who took a deep breath and let it out.
“I don’t know of another way to put a claim on you that’s not even more invasive,” he told Ben.
Loud voices sounded from another part of the house and then a loud knock sounded on the door to Angus’ wing. Without waiting to be admitted, three beta men walked in, Maddox following behind them, arguing with them.
“You have no right to just bust your way into our home!”
“We have every right,” one of the men said, flashing his credentials and sneering as he looked at Ben. "I should have known he was here."
Stepping forward, I pushed Ben behind me.
Laura and David appeared behind him in the doorway.
“You have an unregistered, unmated omega here,” the bearded beta said.
“He’s ours,” Angus’s voice boomed out. “You can’t have him. Get out before I throw you out!”
The three men backed up a step, almost running into Maddox, then moved to the right. It was clear they were uncomfortable confronting three alphas.
“You’ll have to go through all of us to get to him,” Maddox said, stepping around the men to stand with me and Angus, completely blocking their eyes from Ben, who’d plastered himself to my back. I could feel him shaking.
“It’s the law! You people have been conspiring behind the government’s backs!” Another beta, who had a nose like a potato, accused.
“We’re not conspiring against anything,” Angus said. “The government wants omegas to have good alphas. We’re providing them that.”
“They’re unregistered! You’re supposed to turn them in!” the large-nosed beta said.
“What’s the point of doing that when we want to mate them? Seems to me we’re doing you a favor,” Angus said.
“Hand him over,” the third beta demanded, his round face red with ire.
“That’s not happening.”
The red-faced beta stepped forward but stopped when he got within a couple of feet of Angus, unsure what to do.
“Hand him over. It’s the law. We can have you arrested.”
“Don’t!” Ben said from behind me, and before I could do anything, he walked around me and stood in front of the men. “Don’t arrest anyone. I’ll go with you.”
With a smug look, the red-faced beta reached for Ben’s arm, but Angus’ low, feral growl stopped him.
“Don’t. Touch. My. Omega.”
I glanced at Angus. His eyes were furious and he looked ready to lunge for the beta. If he did, he really would be arrested.
“Step away from him if you know what’s good for you,” I told the beta.
The bearded beta stepped forward, sniffing the air. “Wait.” Getting closer to Ben, he sniffed again. “Dammit to hell! It’s too late!”
“What? They’ve mated?” Potato Nose asked.
“I don’t know, but they’ve bonded.”
“Their mating ceremony is tonight,” Laura spoke up.
“Of course it is,” the bearded beta said sarcastically. He turned to us.
“Well, go on.” He waved his hand. “Mate. We’re not leaving until you do.” He took a seat on the couch and jerked his head for his two companions to sit down as well.
“What the fuck?” I asked.
“You heard me. I smell the bond, but that’s not enough. We’re not leaving until we can document that he’s mated to an alpha.”
“They are not going to mate in front of you, you perverts,” Laura said coldly.
The bearded beta sighed. “I’m not asking them to.” He looked at Angus. “Go in the bedroom and do it. Once I know it’s done, we’ll leave. Not a moment before.”