Trio of Mates
Chapter 25

Zak:

We end up walking to the great hall just as the ceremony was set to start. My mother has been mindlinking me like crazy, demanding to know where we were, why we weren’t there to help her, were we trying to make her look bad.

She finally let up when I told her that we had attempted to make her a grandmother. I just got a meek “Ok, well… Don’t take too long.” Then she stopped the link.

It was odd that we hadn’t conceived yet. Normally, newly mated wolves get pregnant within the first two months. It was almost guaranteed that a Luna and an Alpha would within that time frame. I wonder if it had something to do with not having our third mate yet. Maybe Charlie was pregnant now? The idea made my heart light and a smile plaster itself on my face.

I mean, we hadn’t used any protection with Brandon. Once a female wolf was mated, only her mate would be able to make her pregnant. Her body rejected anything else. Condoms would be redundant and, honestly, it wouldn’t feel as good. But, since Brandon was also her mate, he could make her pregnant, too. My mood was light and I was excited at the prospect of having a pup. Lucille was right, Charlie would be an amazing mother and Brandon and I would be proud and doting fathers and mates.

“What’s got you so excited?” Charlie asks, linking her arm with mine as we walk into the great hall. My mother has done a wonderful job, decorating the great hall in the colors of Artemis, our pack’s namesake, and our Lady Selene. Beautiful silver, white, and turquoise cloth drapes the walls. The banquet tables and chairs are adorned with silver. Beautiful wide and turquoise flower arrangements are on the tables. It looks like a wintery, moonlit night. Beautiful and stark, yet comfortable.

On the dias at the back of the hall is a large table for the pack leadership, both past and present. Just in front of the table is a large round, white pedestal, a silver-painted chalice, and a gilded knife on top of it.

Behind the dias is a beautiful and ancient floor-to-ceiling painting of our goddesses, Artemis and Selene. The two are standing in a glen in a forest, moonlight filtering through their hair. Though Artemis’s myth has long faded from human memory, she lives on as a helper, a friend, to our Lady Selene. In the painting, her youthful beauty shines, her face caressed by her long auburn hair, her creamy complexion glowing. She wears a short green toga, leaving her legs bare. Artemis carries her silver bow and quiver filled with arrows. Selene, our silver lady, stands tall and proud, her wings floating out at her sides. Her face is pale, having never been exposed to the sun. Her eyes are black, the irises shining like moons. Her glowing white hair flows down her body, brushing the ground. A crescent crown adorns her forehead, glowing silver and turquoise in the moonlight. She wears a blue floor-length flowing toga. The painting never fails to take my breath away. Mother has done a beautiful job tying in the colors of the painting and still keeping our goddesses as the focal point.

Turning to Charlie, I mindlink her my thoughts. She stops in her tracks, her eyes lost in thought as her breathing increases. Charlie looks at me, a smile breaking out on her face.

“A pup? Truly?” She mindlinks me. Her face is glowing and I see hope spark in her eyes.

“I mean, it makes sense, right? We’ll have to ask Lucille…after all the craziness is over,” I link back.

“I’ll make an appointment with her after the Beta ceremony.” She k****s me on the lips, then practically skips to the high table to help my mother.

“Hey, Buttercup,” I hear close behind me. Turning, I see the smiling face of my other mate. He looks amazing in a cornflower blue button-down and tan suit.

I roll my eyes, but smile at him. “Sweetcheeks, you have really got to step up your nickname game.”

He gives me a shit eating grin, coming to stand close to me. He leans in, grabbing hold of my hand as he hides it with his body. Whispering, he says, “I missed you. You have no idea how badly I want to bend you over the high table and f**k you until you pass out.”

My reaction is strong and instant. My irises flood my eyes, filling them with the potency of my desire. I inhale sharply and lean into him further, my arm pressing into his che.st.

“We can make that happen after the ceremony,” I whisper back. “I’m sure our Luna would love to watch.”

Brandon’s hand grips my h*p, his breath caressing my ear. “Don’t tempt me, Alpha. I will drag you into the broom closet and f**k you senseless.”

I’m about to reply when my father walks up to us. I have to turn away to get my emotions under control. The last thing I need right now is for my father to see that my Beta has turned me on so much that my eyes have completely shifted.

“Zak. Brandon. Are you ready to get the ceremony started?” my father asks.

“Just a sec, Dad. I have to grab a tissue,” I call over my shoulder, hurrying to the bathroom.

I hear Brandon chuckle as I round the corner.

Devin:

This is t0rture. Pure, agonizing, prolonged, and exquisite t0rture. Xander and I are seated next to each other at the high table, in the place of honor on the left of the Alpha. The meal before us is sumptuous and unending. We are offered the choicest selections, after the alpha and luna, by gracious omegas. Both men and women shoot us seductive and flirtatious glances and smiles as they place plate upon plate in front of us. They know that Xander and I are unmated and they are hoping that they will fit the bill or at least be able to warm our beds for a time.

Meanwhile, my mate is right beside me. He speaks amicably with Charlie’s father, whose position he will be taking tonight. Though Xander was not trained to become a Delta, he is a fierce and skilled warrior. He will make an excellent Delta. Charlie’s father will help to train him on the finer points of being a Delta for a few months, but it won’t be arduous. This will undoubtedly help ease Charlie and my burdens, as we won’t be doing a job and a half each.

Meanwhile, my mate is right beside me. He speaks amicably with Charlie’s father, whose position he will be taking tonight. Though Xander was not trained to become a Delta, he is a fierce and skilled warrior. He will make an excellent Delta. Charlie’s father will help to train him on the finer points of being a Delta for a few months, but it won’t be arduous. This will undoubtedly help ease Charlie and my burdens, as we won’t be doing a job and a half each.

Xander appears not to notice the appraising glances of the she-wolves or the outright lascivious leers of the males directed towards him. But I notice every single one. I am holding my wolf at bay by a fraying thread. He wants to claim Xander in front of all of them so that those who would try to turn Xander’s head will BACK THE F**K OFF!

A growl rumbles through my che.st as one persistent male omega “accidentally” drops a few biscuits into Xander’s lap. He picks them up, running his hand too high on Xander’s th!gh for my liking.

At the sound, the omega looks up at my face. Whatever he sees makes his face pale significantly. He mutters an apology and rushes away from the table.

Zak tries to cover a laugh with a cough from my right side. I look at him sharply, about to make a smart-a*s comment when I feel Xander’s hand grab my th!gh. Immediately, my hand goes to his under the table. The rush of sparks is euphoric and I feel myself instantly calm.

Xander leans over and whispers in my ear, “I like that you are so possessive of me, but you can’t go around threatening every member of the pack.”

“He touched you,” I whisper back through gritted teeth. “You are MINE!”

“And you are mine, but you don’t see me freaking out because an omega gave you extra roast or brushed up against you as she walked by, do you?” he says sweetly.

“If it happened, you would have every right,” I say, looking into his eyes.

“Then I’ll go take care of the omegas that served the second course,” he says, acting as if to get up.

“Wait, what?” I’m so confused. What the hell is he talking about?

“Both of those things happened during this meal. Not to mention the times that they have happened since I got here a few days ago.”

My face is filled with utter shock.

Xander leans in again, cupping my face, though acting as if he is wiping something from under my eye. “You see, my love. Just as you don’t notice, neither do I. I only have eyes for you.”

Not caring who sees, I quickly turn my head and k**s his palm before he pulls away. His face flushes in happiness, but he says, “Now, now. None of that…yet.” Xander smiles at me before turning back to his meal.