Chapter Seven
Ty
Penn. I loved that name. And he was adorable. It pained me badly when he ran from us.
When Freid and I had followed him into the parking lot, my tiger kept internally growling in frustration.
New mate doesn’t like us but I love him. Tell him. No hurt. Only love.
Freid and I had both probably come on strong as we pleaded with him in the kitchen, desperate to alleviate his fears. We knew nothing about him except he was our mate. Maybe he’d been through bad times. Maybe he didn’t trust alphas? That would be a terrible tragedy. We’d waited so long for him.
If anyone had paid attention to us out in the parking lot, it might’ve gone even more wrong. Two alphas chasing an omega didn’t look great at first glance.
But somehow, our voices and words were winning Penn over. One word, mates, was getting his attention. He eyes got wide and big. His mouth dropped open.
Before I could comprehend what was happening, pieces of torn clothing flew through the air and a beautiful dingo stood before us, head up, tongue lolling as he scampered toward us.
My instincts took over. I hit the pavement hard with my knees and opened my arms. Penn’s beast nearly bowled me over as his paws landed on my shoulders. He began to cover me with tongue kisses as I drew his quivering, furry body to mine.
I laughed as his kisses grew more frantic, tipping back until I couldn’t hold myself up. Now, I was covered by a wild dog who had decided I was quite lickable.
My laughter rang through the air. I couldn’t catch my breath.
When I tried to push myself up, the dingo was gone, and I heard a commotion.
Now, he was greeting Freid, who had also knelt on the asphalt.
Freid started to giggle then make loud almost-honking sounds as Penn stood over him and licked whatever part of him he could reach.
Penn might have been anxious and afraid, but his beast wasn’t.
Still following instinct, I shouted, “We need to shift. It’ll be easier on Penn and satisfy our beasts. Mine is barely contained.”
Between breaths and kisses, Freid agreed. “Yes, let’s shift.”
I couldn’t wait one second longer. I jumped up and pulled off my wonderful new birthday present shirt. I set it on the hood of Penn’s car and kicked my shoes off. Off came my pants. When I turned, Freid was up. Both he and the dingo had calmed a little. They were staring. At me.
Let them, I thought. I wanted them to see me, both human and beast. I pushed my pants down and faced them, holding my arms out from my sides and letting my tiger free. As my beast took his fur, Freid started to undress.
The dingo came up to me and jumped back then forward again, sniffing all around my tiger body. My tiger stood still to let him have his scent. He purred. His paws pressed hard into the ground. He wanted to run but remained patient, whiskers flicking.
A large wolf came up alongside me, rubbing his side against mine. Then he circled and sniffed as well. I had two gorgeous canines as mates now. This was their way. My tiger understood.
Suddenly, the wolf and the dingo jumped up and ran.
My tiger followed, loping gracefully to keep up.
He could easily have outrun them, but this wasn’t about competition or a hunt.
It was about the three of us learning to move as one.
To sense each other as fated mates. To begin the bond that would take us into a future hopefully all three of us wanted.
We ran around the far side of the building where Freid and I knew the forest began. Neither of us had ever shifted together before. It had been like some unspoken agreement between us. But we knew where to go.
It was a beautiful late-summer night. Before heading into the trees, I saw a crescent moon rising in the east. The air smelled of pine and leaves—the coming of fall. Though some didn’t believe it, San Diego definitely had seasons. My tiger insisted each and every one smelled unique.
Penn kicked up a lot of dirt as he bolted ahead. His dingo had an energy not to be ignored.
I stopped to scratch at the trunk of a big tree then ran easily toward my mates. It felt great to stretch my muscles. My beast never stopped purring.
I lost track of time as we prowled the forest together, investigating bushes and rocks, occasionally spotting other shifters in the distance.
Something was happening between the three of us.
A sort of rapport that allowed our beasts to communicate in a nonverbal way.
I knew when Freid wanted to roll on a bed of clover.
I knew when Penn got thirsty and scented out a little stream.
Together, we understood when we were all ready to back to the parking lot and retake our human forms. There was no discussion, no hesitation.
We simply turned as a unit and headed back the way we’d come.
My tiger reached Penn’s car first. In human form now, I stood at the hood and reached for my pants.
Penn and Freid came up seconds later and stood naked before me.
We all tried to be polite, but of course we were checking each other out.
I couldn’t deny it. My mates were handsome.
Even if pheromones hadn’t been a part of our powerful three-way attraction, I would have looked twice at either of them.
Penn had a lovely body, lean and pretty, mostly hairless as many omegas were, with a lovely ass.
Freid had a golden skin tone with rippling muscles, a flat stomach, and I couldn’t help but notice how well-endowed he was.
As I pulled on my pants, Penn let out a little squawk.
Freid and I both turned toward him. “What?”
He stood with his shoulders hunched, his hands clasped in front of his crotch. “My clothes. They’re in pieces.”
We glanced at the ground and saw it was true. His pants were split in two, his shirt reduced to strips of cotton. His shoes and a broken silver necklace chain were the only things he’d been wearing that remained at the spot where he’d abruptly shifted.
“I’ve got a pair of sweats in my car. They’re going to slide right off you, but it’s better than nothing.”
“Thanks.” Penn looked like he was starting to shiver.
Freid ran down the aisles to find his car.
“I left my shirt at the booth inside. It’ll be big, but it’s a button-up so it will work. I’ll go grab it.” I ran for the front door of the club, showing my handstamp to the doorman.
Surprisingly, the booth had not yet been cleared. My shirt and the wrapping paper from my gift were still there. I grabbed the shirt and jogged back outside. The cool air washed over me. The run had left me hot but not overly tired. I wasn’t panting even a little as I ran up to Penn and Freid.
Penn now stood in Freid’s black sweatpants, clutching them to his waist to keep them up. It was so cute, I wanted to take him into my arms and hold him tight.
I helped him into my shirt so he could hold onto his pants one hand at a time.
Freid retrieved the silver necklace from the ground. “This can be fixed, I think.”
“Thank you both.” Penn took the necklace into one fist. He stared at us, mouth drawn down. “I loved shifting and running with you both. It was amazing. I know you’re fated for me. But I need time. I hate to tell you both that. But I’m done for tonight. Is that okay?”
He smelled so good, I’d become immediately aroused. He must have smelled it on me. Freid, too, had a scent that was spicy and enticing.
“It’s fine,” Freid and I spoke at the same time.
My beast gave an inner mewl. Back up, tiger, I silently told him. That will have to wait.
“We’ve waited three years. We live and breathe patience,” Freid said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. “You can find us through the number on here.”
Shyly, Penn took the card.
“We’re here for you. Now that we all know, that’s what matters,” I added.
Our omega wasn’t ready for marking or mating yet. No problem. I’d waited this long. I could dial it back for a bit longer. Plus, I wasn’t alone. Freid and I were already on this journey together. We could wait it out together.
My biggest question was, what had frightened our omega? My alpha wanted to fix it. And of course, Freid and I would do whatever it took.
The moon rose like a boat in the sky. The stars twinkled. It was everything. It had to be. For now.