Chapter Eleven
Zephyr
Being mated to a shifter meant that at some point, you got shifter friends. Especially if you were human. We girls needed each other, especially in times like this where life got bumpy.
“So there it is,” I said, leaning back on the couch after telling my bear shifter friend Amy everything. She hadn’t spoken during my spiel and honestly, I didn’t know if that meant she was judging me or had nothing to say.
I needed a voice of reason. This was one of the biggest decisions of my life.
“Are you wanting me to just listen and support, or do you want my advice?”
This was why I called her. “I need advice and support. I’m happily mated, and now I’m about to get on a dating site and find another man? It feels like cheating, no matter how I look at it.”
“And yet, you’re hung up on the idea.”
“Yes.” There was no denying it anymore. Cypress telling me about his expectation of a reverse harem had planted a seed I’d watered with my thoughts.
“I think the best way to handle all of this is to be transparent through the whole thing. You don’t do anything on the app without him having access to it or even right next to you.
You both get to choose the other man, no judgment from me.
But him being honest is what brought you here, so that’s the trajectory you need to stay on. How did he react when you told him?”
“He was surprised, I think. He expected me to say no and throw a fit. But now that we talked, well, there’s the other thing. He only ever wanted his best friend to be in a reverse harem with him, but it’s been years. Hell, we don’t even know if Birch is alive or already mated.”
“Well, it’s a good thing he doesn’t have a name like John Smith. If Birch is on the app, you should be able to find him. But don’t limit yourself just because that’s Cypress’ idea of who he would share with. He was eleven. Things change. People change. Emotions and feelings and matings change.”
“We are going to sit down tonight and join the app together.”
“Can I say something?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“You sound excited. You get excited about things you love, Cypress. The coffeehouse. Doing things for others. Cake.”
We both laughed at that one.
“I think I am, but I’m juggling the guilt and maybe a bit of shame. In the human world, this isn’t mainstream yet.”
“When you mated a shifter, the human relationship standard flew out the window, Zephyr. Be bold. It will work out. Cypress is your fated, so you two are stuck together.”
We ended the call and I felt better.
Later that night, I got home to find Cypress already there. We had dinner and I waited for him to bring it up again. I didn’t want to sound overly eager to find another person to fuck.
Goddess, that was what it was. I was about to look for a second husband. Life was weird sometimes.
“Are we doing this?” he asked with his head on my shoulder and his arms wrapped around me. “Joining the app?”
“If you’re still okay with it. Together. Transparent.”
He nodded.
“Will your wolf tell you if who we pick is right for us?”
“He will. It will be instant. Like the moment I found you.”
We shared some kisses with me pressed against the kitchen counter and then he rested his head on my forehead. “Let’s do this, baby.”
“Okay.”
We sat next to each other and got on the app. There was extensive questioning and information to fill out and by the time we were done and made our profile, we already had one match.
“Damn. That was fast,” he said, chuckling.
We looked at the man and there was something about him that struck me as off. I clicked not interested. Cypress agreed. We swiped around the app and looked at others interested in poly relationships. No one caught our eye. We had more matches, but I clicked off all of them almost instantly.
They simply didn’t attract me.
Then a name came up. Another match.
“Oh my god,” I said, and Cypress leaned over farther.
He shook with nervousness. “Is it him?”
“How many people are named Birch…that are the same age as you?”
“Swipe the pictures, please. That one isn’t exactly clear.”
I did. Cypress was getting more anxious by the moment. He ended up taking the phone from me, clicking on each picture, and then zooming in. Looked at more. Zoomed in more. Checked the profile.
This Birch was from the same place Cypress was.
“It’s him, isn’t it?” I asked, touching my mate’s arm, knowing it would help to calm him. It was one of the best things about mates. Their touch could instantly soothe anything.
“It is. I never thought. We just got on here. I thought if we found him, it would take months.”
I let out a breath. “Thought or hoped.”
Cypress nailed me with a stare. “Both. I wanted to find him, but I knew what would come after if I did.”
“But you said you wanted this. This was what you expected.”
“It’s happening so fast,” my mate whispered. “But it feels right. My wolf is excited and happy and when I think about him and you and being here with us…it doesn’t feel wrong.”