Page 90 of Claimed

“What?” I ask, glancing between them nervously.

“Well,” Maddox says as my head spins to look at him. Why does he look nervous? “We’re going tomorrow. To Brookfield.”

I inhale sharply, not ready to hear that. I knew they were going to want to go soon, but… “Tomorrow?” I ask with wide eyes as I try to stop my lower lip from jutting out in a pout.

“We’ll be back by midnight,” Gage says, his hands moving up to my calves to give them a squeeze.

“We don’t want to leave you, but we think this is the safest plan,” Maddox explains. “The twins will be with you all day, you have your new panic room, and the three of us will be able to feel you through the bond. If we sense any unease, we’ll turn around right away and come back to you.”

“Once this is done, I’m never leaving your side,” Bain says as he pulls me in for a side hug.

“I love you,” I whisper. Then glancing at the other two, I add, “All of you.”

“We love you, too, sweetheart,” Maddox says as he leans down and gives me a quick kiss. “You’re sleeping between the three of us tonight,” he adds and I nod, liking that idea. I’ll have the whole day to spend with the twins tomorrow.

Sitting on the bench seat along the large front window, I watch as the SUV disappears down the road, taking part of my heart with it.

“Don’t worry, pretty girl,” Chase says as he stands behind where I’m seated, rubbing my back. “They’ll be back before you know it.”

“Come over here,” Hunter calls, and I turn to see him take a seat on the couch, patting the spot beside him. “Let’s play a board game.”

“A board game?” I ask, as I untuck my feet from under me and stand. Chase immediately takes my hand and leads me over to Hunter, as if he’s afraid I won’t make it on my own. Truth be told, I am likely to stumble at least once, but I’m much more stable than I was when I first shifted.

“Yeah, our stuff still hasn’t arrived from Nebraska yet, so I picked something up for us yesterday. There wasn't much choice, but I figured Monopoly is a classic.”

“Have you played it before?” Chase asks as we take a seat with me squished between them, despite the large couch.

“I think so, when I was a kid.”

“Oh! We should play strip Monopoly!” Chase says excitedly.

“How would that even work?” Hunter asks with a shake of his head as he starts setting up the board.

“You pay with clothing instead of money?”

“Let’s stick to the normal method of payment this time,” Hunter says as I stare at the board and try to pay attention.

After several grueling hours of Monopoly, a few episodes of True Blood, and another round of Monopoly, I feel ready to puke from anxiety.

I tried my hardest all day to be present with Hunter and Chase. Yesterday, I had been thinking how today would have been a great chance to seal our bond, but instead, I’ve been filled with a deep sense of worry. One I can feel reflected back threefold from my three missing mates.

I push through the pain and try to smile and engage with the twins, taking comfort in them. Monopoly is much longer and more boring than I remember it being, despite the twins keeping up constant banter and trying to engage me. But as day turns to night and the hours tick by, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to smile without it being fake.

I can tell the twins are trying extra hard to distract me too. They keep feeding me my favorite snacks and meals. And the two of them haven’t stopped their playful banter all day.

But the more they try, and the more amazing they show me they are, the worse I feel. What kind of mate am I? Here I am being showered in undivided attention from the only two mates I haven’t bonded with, and instead of appreciating it, I’m wallowing over the men who aren’t here.

Goddess, they must feel like I don’t care about them as much as I do the others.

I feel like absolute shit.

Hunter’s phone rings, and he pulls it out and looks at the screen. “It’s Bain.”

He presses the answer button and holds it up to his ear. “Bain? Everything okay?” His eyes dart to me and his lips press together as he nods. “Yeah, one sec.”

He pulls the phone down, presses the speaker button, and hands it to me. “She’s here,” Hunter says.

“Angel?”