Chapter 15
VANCE
As much as I wanted to climb into that shower cubicle with Dawn, kiss her until she was breathless, and she believed she was safe and wanted here in my home, I didn’t.
Shutting the door to the bathroom had been a physical challenge.
It helped that I had to take my turn patrolling, but before that, I had to find a couple of bears.
Besides, I couldn’t overwhelm her. She wasn’t like female bears, or even other shifters. It wasn’t even because she was an Omega or had a shitty history that made my bear want to tear people limb from limb.
No, she was my fated mate, and that meant I had to do things the right way…
the slow way. Besides, I had some ass kissing to do, if I could ever find Franklin and Talbot.
I knew they’d forgive me eventually. At least, they would once they heard what I had to say.
They weren’t in their rooms, and they weren’t in the dining hall, so that really only left one place.
I nodded at my sleuth as I walked past them, inquiring after mates and children, checking in on problems and jobs.
By the time I reached the place, it had taken me fifteen minutes to get there.
It was a spot they’d had as kids, and I often found them hiding there after their dad whooped their asses for…
so many things. Once they made homemade fireworks and set them off inside the den.
Another time, when he was eleven, Franklin had snuck into town, and Talbot spent the whole day running back and forth, pretending to be both himself and his twin.
They were a handful, so it made sense that their secret spot was a goddamn climb up an almost sheer cliff face. I didn’t know how Franklin had done it, with his fear of heights, but it probably had something to do with Talbot giving him shit.
The natural external cave was barely twelve feet in the air and pretty easy for us to scale as adults. I climbed it and pulled myself over the ledge. I half expected a sign that said, “No Alphas Allowed.”
We hadn’t been up here in years. Franklin and Talbot glared at me from the back of the small cavern, and no one said anything as I sat down on the rough stone in front of them.
“The place hasn’t changed. Thought you’d at least have to kick out some birds.
” They remained silent, and I sighed. “I’m sorry.
I was going to tell you, and then she never came, so it didn’t matter. ”
“Of course it fucking mattered, asshole. Your fated mate married another man. That had to hurt, and you bore that shit alone,” Talbot growled.
I shrugged. It had hurt, but less so because I’d barely met her and never spoken to her directly. “You were hurting too.”
“You should have told us when she got here then,” Franklin added. “We would have behaved differently, guarded ourselves better so we didn’t…”
“Fall for her? Yeah, that wasn’t going to work,” I scoffed. “It doesn’t matter now.”
Talbot sat up straighter. “Like fuck it doesn’t matter. I’m not—”
I put my hand up to silence the rant I knew was coming. “No, I’m not saying your feelings don’t matter. I’m saying she wants all of us.”
It was like the whole forest fell silent. Franklin blinked at me a few times. “I’m sorry. What?”
I shifted in the cave until I was leaning against the wall beside them, and they scooted over to make room for me.
Even though they were mad at me, it was always the three of us against the world.
“I spoke with Dawn this morning about the mate thing and you guys. She wants me, and I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.
” They both stiffened beside me. “But on top of that, she wants to see where things go with you guys too, and that makes me fucking ecstatic.”
Talbot narrowed his eyes on me but didn’t say anything.
Franklin was still shaking his head. “You’re trying to tell me you’d be okay with us making love with your fated mate? Having crazy dirty sex? There’d probably be spit roasting happening. We might even high five, and you’d be okay with that?”
I raised my eyebrows. “It’s you. If it were any other man, I’d tear his head from his shoulders, but you are my best friends, by betas.
You are my brothers, and there is no one I’d rather have help me take care of my mate than you two.
” I screwed up my nose. “You guys don’t actually high five, right? ”
Talbot laughed. “Fuck no.”
Just like that, the animosity was gone. That was the truly amazing thing about the twins. They forgave so easily. They didn’t hold grudges or bad blood. They’d been pissed, but now there was a solution, so it was time to forgive and forget.
We came up with a plan to make Dawn so goddamn happy that she’d never leave or feel any emotion but love and safety ever again.
First step: Destroy the fucker who haunted her thoughts and soak the Nevada desert with his blood.
Second step: Make love to her until she was basically Jello.
Third step: Well, this one was up for debate, but Talbot wanted to find those pups for her, so that was what we’d do. I just wanted to repeat step two over and over again.
“I hate to bring up hard subjects, but what about heirs?” Talbot’s face was more morose than I’d ever seen it. “She can’t have cubs. Not for any of us.”
I wasn’t going to lie, the thought of not having cubs with Dawn broke my heart.
Not having precious little blond babies to spoil rotten was like a knife to the chest, but…
“I don’t want cubs with anyone but Dawn.
That tells me all I need to know. The sleuth will go on, as will the bears.
I’d rather be happy than worried about my lineage. ”
Franklin shrugged. “We have a whole sleuth of cubs to help raise. I’m okay if none of them look like me.”
Talbot smiled. “Me either. Wouldn’t want to inflict your face on any unsuspecting young anyway.”
“My face is your face, asshole,” Franklin growled, punching his twin in the arm.
I laughed at them. I was being honest before. There really were no other men I’d consider doing this with. These guys already had an uncomfortable grip on my heart, and they would wrap around Dawn like a protective wall so nothing would hurt her ever again.
I stood, but not all the way up. The cave wasn’t big enough for an adult. “I have to go on patrol, but perhaps one of you could go reassure our mate that I wasn’t talking out of my ass when I said I was okay with her pursuing something with you two.”
Talbot shook his head. “I’m not sure I’m convinced either,” he said, following me out and dropping down onto the snow-covered ground beneath the cave.
Franklin, as always, took a little longer to convince himself to make the leap, but he landed as lithely as a cat beside us.
“Yep, I’m still not convinced that your bear won’t smell us on her the first time and give us a second hole to shit out of,” he added, swiping snow off his pants.
I rolled my eyes, grabbed his face, held his cheeks between my hands, and kissed him hard. His eyes flew comically wide, and I resisted the urge to laugh.
When I let him go, he stumbled back a few steps. They both looked at me like I’d lost my damn mind.
“Uh, Vance… Didn’t know you swung that way.”
I just laughed. “I don’t, but I couldn’t think of a better way to prove that the bear considers you closer than betas.
He’s considered you his since forever, despite the fact that you’re several years younger than me.
He is over the moon that Dawn will bring us all closer together and make us a proper family.
” I walked away, still chuckling at their gaping, shocked faces.
“Come on, assholes. No more pouting. There’s paperwork to do, I have to go on patrol, and I want to find those pups for our mate. ”
I held my breath as I got farther and farther away from our old clubhouse, and there were no footsteps following me. Finally, there was the crunch of snow beneath rough-soled shoes, and I let out a relieved breath.
My betas were by my side forever. Now all we had to do was convince Dawn that we could be beside her forever too.