Hidden Alpha [Alpha Mates] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (19 page)

“What kind of ice cream do you like?”

Gavin looked struck stupid for a second before he moved to sit on the stool across from Chase and answered, “Anything you have is fine. Unless you happen to have Ben & Jerry’s Everything But The...”

Gavin flinched and looked confused when Dmytri snapped, “
No.
”

Chase patted Dmytri on the head and said, “Don’t worry. I bought extra. Gavin can have some if he wants. I can go get you more later if we run out.”

Devlin shook his head and said, “Don’t worry about Dmytri. That it is his favorite, too, and he is the only one that
ever
eats it, so he’s not used to sharing. He will get used to it.”

Dmytri interrupted, “No I won’t. I don’t want to share. It’s mine. Who is this guy, anyway? Is he going to take our Miss McKinnon away from us?”

“No, he’s not going to take her anywhere, Dmytri. This is Gavin, and he’s going to be living with us from now on,” Devlin answered as he watched for Gavin’s response. He hoped he was telling the truth and that Gavin would be staying with them. Now that the three of them had found each other, he didn’t want him to be anywhere but with them. Plus, he knew Amalya wouldn’t be happy if Gavin didn’t stay. She had been through so much that he wanted to do anything to make her happy. He was also worried that Gavin wouldn’t want to give up his pack. They were all going to have to sit down and talk about the future soon and make some decisions. He wouldn’t blame the other wolf if he didn’t want to give up his pack. It was hard to give up being alpha.

Gavin must have been able to read his thoughts because he nodded. “Yes, I will be staying here with you. I have some business to take care of up north, but Garrett has been leading my pack for a while now and is doing a fine job. He will be a good alpha to the pack. I have been gone a long time now, and he has done a superb job leading in my absence. The pack will be fine with him. I’m not sure where I fit in here, but I’m sure we can work something out. Please don’t worry. I have no desire to come between you and your pack. I gave up my pack to Garrett a long time ago. I just didn’t know it at the time.”

Devlin wanted to wrap the other wolf in his arms and hold him, but he wasn’t sure if his gesture would be welcome or not. Instead, he sat the bowl of ice cream in front of him placed his hand on Gavin’s shoulder. Gavin leaned into him, and Devlin could have leapt with joy. Gavin seemed to be warming up to the idea that they were all mates and becoming comfortable with Devlin touching him. Devlin leaned down closer and said, “This is your pack, too, now. Yes, I am the alpha, but you are my mate. In our home, we are all equal. We will always talk over things and compromise when possible. There will be very few times that I will need you to defer to me. The whole pack will be informed of your presence and your title here. You are still an alpha. You just aren’t
the
alpha. If that bothers you, we can work something out. As long as the four of us are together I will be happy wherever we are.”

Devlin almost passed out when Gavin turned his head and kissed him on the cheek.

“What was that for?” he asked in shock.

Gavin blushed. “I’m not sure. I wanted to say thank you for understanding me and for treating me as an equal. I’m sorry if I went too far.”

When Gavin started sliding off the stool, putting distance between them, Devlin grabbed him around the waist, preventing him from standing. He turned the other male around and wedged himself between his knees. Once Gavin stopped resisting, they were nose to nose. Devlin watched as Gavin’s eyes flicked over to look in Chase’s direction. Devlin knew he was taking a chance with his forwardness, but he couldn’t resist any longer. He knew Chase wouldn’t mind, just as he wouldn’t mind if Chase was the one holding Gavin. They were mates. Nothing came between mates. There would also be no jealousy between them.

“Look at me,” he said softly. He didn’t want Gavin to think he was being ordered to comply and balk at him. He watched as Gavin focused on his eyes and licked his lips. Cautiously, he leaned in a little closer. He wanted to give the other wolf time to say no if he really wanted to. Devlin paused millimeters from Gavin’s lips. He wanted to kiss him, but he wanted it to be Gavin’s decision. He wanted him to meet him halfway.

Seconds ticked by slowly, but Gavin didn’t disappoint him. The kiss was hesitant at first, and Devlin wanted to take control, but he needed to prove his earlier words were true. Gavin was his equal. He felt Gavin’s tongue lick at his lips, silently asking for entrance. Devlin didn’t hesitate to grant that access. He had to tighten his grip around Gavin’s waist to keep his knees from buckling under him. Gavin tasted amazing. He was sure nothing could taste as good as Chase and Amalya, but now he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t a better flavor than his other mates, just different. Definitely something he thought he would soon become addicted to. He had heard once that most males don’t like to kiss, but he loved it. The intimacy that came with kissing one’s mate was intoxicating. He distantly heard Chase ask the boys to go in the toy room and play for a little while before he felt something brush against his hands where they lay on Gavin’s back. Gavin flinched, and his whole body tensed as he pulled away from the kiss. He wasn’t going too far because Chase was now standing behind him pressed against his back.

He watched as Chase kissed the side of Gavin’s neck and whispered in his ear, “No worries, mate. It’s just me. We won’t hurt you, and we won’t do anything that you don’t want. I just can’t resist touching you any longer. Please tell me you feel it, too.” The last was said like a prayer as he laid his head on Gavin’s shoulder, his lips touching his neck.

Gavin tilted his head toward Chase and took a deep breath. “Yes, I feel it. I know it’s a mating bond, but it feels like more than that. I just don’t know what to do about it.”

Devlin cupped his cheek. “Just go with your feelings. I know this is probably all new to you, and we will go as slow as you want. But please know that we both want you as our mate. And I mean in every way possible. We will give you as much time as you need, but I want to be up front with you from the beginning. I don’t want any secrets between us. If you don’t like something, you need to tell us. We won’t pressure you. If you never want us the way we want you, we will understand. It will be hard for us to resist you, but we will if that is what you truly want. Your happiness is the most important thing. So just be honest with us, and everything will be fine.”

Gavin seemed to think about it for a minute before he replied, “I’m not saying I don’t want more, but I just need some time.” Gavin leaned in, kissed him gently on the lips. “I like this, though. I wouldn’t mind kissing you both, but can we just go slow with the rest of it? You're right. I have never done anything with another male. Until I met the two of you, I had never had any feelings like this for a male. I always thought I was straight and would just have to share Amalya with someone else. It never crossed my mind that I, too, would be mated to him. It makes sense now that you explained it to me. I want her to be happy. And I want to make you both happy, too.”

Gavin seemed to sober and then blushed. “Oops, I was supposed to send one of you into the shower. She said she needed to talk to one of you.”

Chase chuckled and gave Gavin another kiss on his neck before stepping away. Devlin watched as he adjusted the bulge in his jeans before saying, “I’ll go talk to her. Tell her we’re all good.”

Devlin was entranced by the look of desire on Gavin’s face as he watched Chase disappear out of the kitchen. It wouldn’t be long before Gavin was ready to be claimed by them and to claim them back. The other wolf had come a long way in the last few hours. Going from straight and having one mate to bi with three mates, he had to have set some record there.

Devlin nuzzled Gavin’s neck, bringing his attention back to him. When he had his full attention again, he kissed him softly on the lips. If it made Gavin happy to be kissed, he was going to make the other male happy whenever he could.

Gavin took the kiss deeper again, and Devlin thought he was dreaming when he heard thunder outside, until he opened his eyes and looked around. The whole side of the house was windows, and they watched as black clouds rolled in. He heard more than saw the lightning and thought for sure it had struck the house. He was about to call out to Chase to make sure everyone was okay when he heard a unfamiliar howl he knew was coming from somewhere inside the house. He ran full speed down the hall with Gavin right behind him. They caught up to Chase just as he opened the bathroom door and skidded to a halt. He was about to ask Chase what the hell he was doing when he noticed the dripping-wet, chocolate-colored wolf standing on the bath mat.
What the hell?

Devlin’s jaw dropped when he heard Gavin whisper, “Amalya?”

* * * *

Amalya was enjoying her shower. It had been a few days since she was strong enough to shower by herself without having to depend on either Chase or Devlin to help her. Some of her muscles started to relax, but others seemed to tighten. She wasn’t sure what was wrong, but every muscle in her body started throbbing at the same time. When all her joints started popping, she knew something serious was going on. She tried to step out of the shower and fell to the floor, landing on the bath mat.

On hands and knees, she panted and tried to call for someone to come help her, but all that would come out was a whimper. She heard thunder from outside, and she briefly thought that there hadn’t been a storm in the forecast. As lightning cracked just outside the window close to the house, she closed her eyes against the bright light. When she opened her eyes again, the pain and throbbing were gone, and so was the storm. She looked toward the window and could see the sun shining in.

She spun her head around toward the door when it flew open. Chase skidded to a halt just inside the doorway, and Devlin and Gavin plowed into the back of him, almost knocking all of them to the floor.

She laughed at the sight, but it sounded more like a bark then a laugh. As they all regained their balance, she heard Gavin say her name like he wasn’t sure it was her or not. Of course it was her.
What the hell is wrong with him?
Chase knelt in front of her and slowly raised his hand to her cheek. Quietly he said, “Amalya, baby girl, are you okay?”

She tried to tell him she was fine,
now,
but she couldn’t find her voice. With a whine, she looked down at the floor and realized there were now paws where her hands had been seconds earlier.

Holy shit. I’m a wolf. How the hell am I a wolf?

She wasn’t sure what was going on at first, but then Gavin’s story came rushing back to her. She was a half-breed, and now that all of her mates had claimed her, she would be able to shift into a wolf. Well, she shifted into a wolf alright, but shouldn’t it have been her decision? Why wasn’t she in control? Was this how it was always going to be? Would she shift whenever her body felt like it? If so, how was she ever going to go out in public again or teach? She knew moving in with Chase and Devlin meant she was going to give up her job, but they had told her there was a school in their town that could use a good teacher and, if she wanted to, she could teach there. Now with all this, she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to. The more she thought of not being able to teach again, the more upset she became. She wasn’t sure wolves could cry, but she sure could. She lay down on the floor with a
thunk
and just cried.

She wasn’t sure how long she cried, but when she finally stopped enough to think again, she was lying across Devlin’s lap with her head on Chase’s. Gavin was sitting cross-legged in front of them, softly stroking her fur.
Yeah, this was going to take some getting used to.

Chase placed his hand under her chin and lifted until she was looking into his emerald-green eyes. He was blinking back tears when he told her, “You’re fine, baby girl. This is normal. The first shift is never voluntary. Everything is fine. Now, how about you shift back?”

She wanted to. She just didn’t know how. She looked into his eyes hoping he would somehow understand what she was trying to tell him. Chase nodded and said, “It’s easy, baby girl. Just think of what it feels like to be human. Think of what your arms and legs feel like. Think of your hands and feet. Just picture yourself as a human, and you will shift back.”

She closed her eyes and thought of what she looked like as a human. She felt her muscles contract and relax and felt her joints popping. It didn’t hurt this time like it did when she had first shifted into a wolf, and the next thing she knew, she was lying on their laps, facedown, as a naked woman.

She jumped when Devlin swatted her on the ass and scolded, “Don’t ever scare us like that again. I thought you had been struck by lightning.” He looked out the window. “What the hell was that, anyway?”

It was her turn to be confused when Gavin answered, “I think we know what Amalya’s power is. I think she can control weather.”

She had to clear her throat a few times before she could speak. When she felt her voice return, she asked, “What do you mean I can control the weather? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Some half-breeds, especially alphas, have special powers. They don’t show themselves until after they are claimed by their mates.”

“What do you mean, special powers? Are you telling me I’m a super hero now or something?”