Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
EMMA
Sebastian has me sit at the dining table and makes me a huge plate of scrambled eggs with bacon, avocado toast, and a protein smoothie with frozen strawberries. I stare at the heap of food and glance up at him.
“You know humans don’t eat as much as werewolves, right?” I scoop up the first forkful of egg. “This is delicious, by the way, but I can’t eat six eggs in one sitting.”
He frowns at me from under his floppy, still-damp hair, his freckles standing out in the kitchen light. “You need the energy.”
I shake my head but don’t protest anymore. I am hungry, and this is a delicious meal that I didn’t have to cook. I just hope I won’t hurt his feelings if I don’t finish all of it.
The window beside the kitchen stove is dark, and I realize night has fallen.
A glance at the clock hanging on the wall behind Sebastian tells me it’s only eight in the evening, but I’m tired enough that I could fall asleep right here at the table.
Having multiple rounds of hot sex is about as tiring as one would expect.
Troy and Carter join us soon. Both have put on sweatpants and t-shirts and are human-shaped again.
I grin at Carter when I notice the fresh bite marks on his neck and his flushed cheeks—and he narrows his eyes at me as if to say it’s all my fault.
I thought I heard some growling from the bathroom earlier.
My belly warms with the thought of them pouncing on each other the moment Sebastian and I left, but it’s also oddly touching—they needed more than I could give them in that moment, but they didn’t bother me with it.
As much as we’ve all been worried about how I’ll fit in with their pack, I have a feeling that we’ll figure it out.
Now that Sebastian has told me how he feels about me, my impostor syndrome has lessened a little.
I still don’t know how the full moon will impact them tomorrow, but we’ll take it one step at a time, I suppose.
There’s nothing more I can do to prepare either.
I’ve managed to take Carter’s knot, so hopefully, I’ll have fewer issues with Sebastian and Troy.
Troy looms over me and sets his hands on the back of my chair, leaning close for a kiss. His scratchy beard scrapes over my cheek. He nuzzles into my damp hair and inhales deeply. “What are you thinking about, Emma?”
Sebastian chooses that moment to set two more plates of food on the table. “Whatever it is, keep it contained. No one is fucking again until you’ve had dinner, or I will tie you to your chairs and feed you myself.”
Troy grins but straightens, nodding at Sebastian. He takes his place next to me, though, and moves his chair close enough to mine so he can put an arm around my shoulders.
Carter stares down at the piles of food on the table, then faces Sebastian and cups his cheeks with both hands. “Did I tell you how amazing you are?” he murmurs. He presses a kiss to Sebastian’s mouth and adds, “Thank you for cooking for us.”
The younger werewolf melts at his alpha’s touch. He winds his arms around Carter’s neck and kisses him back, arching to mold his body against Carter’s. It’s a hot image, of course, but mostly, it’s tender and loving and so damn beautiful.
This is what I’ve always wanted, even though I had no idea my family would look like this when I tried to imagine it. The love and respect these three men show each other is humbling. And they’re offering to accept me into their fold, to shower me with the same affection they feel for each other.
“Hey, didn’t you just say we have to eat first?” Troy teases them. “Come on, Carter, the food’s getting cold.”
Carter growls, but he releases Sebastian. Seb unpeels himself from him, his cheeks pink, his eyes glossy with lust. I grin at him as he flops on the chair opposite me, and he rolls his eyes at me, but a moment later, he nudges my foot with his under the table.
I love how they can’t seem to stop touching me—and each other. I widen my legs so my knee brushes Troy’s thigh, and he hums appreciatively. When I glance up at Carter, I find him smirking at me, as if he knows exactly what I’m doing. I shrug—I’d be touching him, too, but I only have so many limbs.
“I thought it would be smart to make some sandwiches for tomorrow,” Sebastian says between mouthfuls of avocado toast. “I know we don’t necessarily need them, but Emma will, and no one will be in a state to prep food.”
“Good idea,” Carter agrees. “Emma, you’ll have to be the one to stop us when you’ve had enough. I know I’ll want to be inside your pussy all the time, and so will these two. You’ll have to communicate with us when you need a break.”
I raise my eyebrows. “All the time?”
He winces. “Well, judging by how our first full moons went when we were mated, I’m going to go ahead and assume that we’ll be ravenous for each other from moonrise to moonset.”
“You know, I’m not sure vaginas are meant to be used that often,” I mutter, munching on another strip of crispy bacon. “But we’ll figure it out. Practice makes perfect, right?”
Sebastian wiggles his eyebrows. “I volunteer to help you practice.”
I snort. “Sure you do.” Then another thought occurs to me. “How will we decide whose turn it is? What if one of you, ah, hogs me and doesn’t want to give me up? Do we need a schedule?”
The guys exchange glances, and silence falls over the table.
Then Carter clears his throat. “I haven’t considered that. When it was just Troy and me, there wasn’t an issue, obviously.”
“And when I joined the pack, we discovered the amazing art of spit-roasting,” Sebastian supplies helpfully.
A giggle escapes me. “Spit-roasting? Is that what it’s called?”
“What Seb is trying to say,” Carter goes on in a slightly louder voice, “is that we didn’t really have to stop. We just took turns and switched out positions, and everyone was happy all the time.”
I shrug. “Well, if you’re fine with that arrangement for tomorrow, we can try and see what happens. No matter how moon-crazy you are, I know you’ll listen to me—and each other. If I ask you to stop, you’ll stop, and if I need rest, you’ll let me.”
Troy’s eyes widen. “You trust us that much?”
“I trusted you enough to stay here, didn’t I?” I can’t help but scowl at his incredulous question. “To sleep in the same bed as three strange men who told me in no uncertain terms they wanted to fuck me?”
Carter snorts. “Yeah, you did that.” He runs his fingers through his hair and lets out a long breath. “Okay. No schedules needed, then?”
I settle back on my chair and cross my arms over my chest. “Nope. And also, no more sex for me tonight. My pussy needs to recover before tomorrow.”
The guys laugh, but not one of them complains.
Sebastian urges me to eat some more, and I end up clearing most of my plate, more ravenous than I realized.
Then I help Sebastian make ham and cheese sandwiches for tomorrow while Carter and Troy clean up from dinner.
We end up snuggled in the big bed with a movie playing, projected onto the white-painted wall by the door.
It’s cozy and comfortable, and I want to stay awake and enjoy my time with my mates, but it’s suddenly so hard to keep my eyelids open.
I lean my head on Carter’s chest and close my eyes for just a moment. Then maybe they can tell me what I missed in the movie, and…
I wake up slowly, pale winter light streaming into the room from behind the curtains. I’m warm and rested, and my mind feels sluggish but clear, as if I’ve had a really good night’s sleep. I move my legs—and realize the soft, heavy blanket covering me is breathing.
My heart skips happily. I’m in my pack’s house, and one of my men is holding me close, his warm breaths ruffling the hair on top of my head.
Carefully, I peel back the sheet covering my front and find a claw-tipped hand splayed over my belly, right under my breasts.
From the sandy-colored fur covering the arm attached to it, I know it’s Troy wrapped so tight around me.
I listen to the sounds in the room and determine we’re probably alone. Troy snores softly, his body relaxed next to mine, so I roll over and raise myself on my elbows so I can watch him from up close.
All the other times when he shifted, we’d both been in a hurry to get off, so I take this opportunity to study him.
His scars are more visible in this form than when he’s human, and I wonder if that means he fought his former alpha like this.
Probably—he’d be stronger this way, and compared to his full wolf form, he’d have better control.
I hate that he had to live through that, though I’m happy he did it and got free.
I lift a hand and brush my fingers through the shaggy fur on top of his head, thinking just to stroke him, but I accidentally nudge one pointed, furred ear, and it twitches to attention. Troy’s next inhale is faster, and when I look up at his eyes again, they’re open and fixed on me.
“Good morning,” he rumbles, his voice sleep-roughened and deep. “What time is it?”
I lean in to kiss his cheek. “No clue. I’m sorry for waking you. I only just woke up and found you wrapped around me.”
He huffs out a breath. “Does that bother you?”
“No,” I answer truthfully. “I don’t usually like being held during the night, but I haven’t slept that well in ages.”
Troy lets out a satisfied hum. “That’s because this is your pack. And your den.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “Everything just fits. It’s amazing.”
He arches one furry eyebrow and leers at me. “There’s something more that will fit you very soon.”
I laugh but let my gaze travel down his body. The blanket covers him from the chest down, but the outline of his erect cock is visible nevertheless, the fabric tented over it. Biting my lip, I tug on the blanket until I expose him completely, and heat rushes through my body at the sight.