Page 23 of Delivered to My Mate’s Best Friend

We ran back to the house and shifted and dressed. Zephyr was sipping a glass of wine.

Her scent had deepened in our absence. It was musky and heady with ribbons of lust and need.

He was right. Our mate had already made her decision. But beneath it all was something torn and weary.

“What is it?” I asked. I had no right to. She wasn’t mine yet.

She turned and tears fell down her cheeks. “Cypress,” she whispered and he had her in his arms in seconds.

“Tell me. Talk to us, baby.”

“I want to. I want the both of you. I want this. I never was unsatisfied. I never wanted anything more than you. This wasn’t…you are the perfect husband, and I don’t want…”

“Hey, hey.” He smoothed his hand down the back of her neck. “Come here, Birch. She needs you too.”

A whimper broke from her mouth. “Cy…”

I walked over, and he spoke to her again. “Wanting him doesn’t diminish your desire for me, does it?”

She shook her head.

“Loving him doesn’t take away your love for me, does it?”

“No. Never.” Her chin quivered, and it broke my heart.

“Wanting both of us means more love, not less. More happiness, not less. You’re not cutting your heart or your love in half, you’re doubling it, mate.”

Her eyes cut to me. “If I asked you both to mate me tonight, would you? And we could all be together? You two won’t…friends…jealousy?”

I put my hand on Cypress’ shoulder. “There is no jealousy in my heart and there isn’t in his either. I would only trust you to my bond brother.”

We let the facts sit. Then she nodded and swiped away her tears. “Then mate me. Both of you. We’ll be a family. A pack. Together.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Zephyr

This time, they both followed me upstairs to our room. The bed was big, the biggest we’d been able to find, something called an Alaskan King, but looking at my two mates, I wasn’t sure we wouldn’t need something even larger. I’d heard of a family bed, used by couples who like to co-sleep with their children, presumably, but I could see the advantage for a female with two or more males who were much larger than she was.

In any case, as we entered the bedroom, the bed positively loomed. Could I do this? Was it going to be a mistake…

“Mate,” Cypress said, nuzzling the back of my neck. “At any time if you want us to stop for a minute or forever, you just say the word, okay? It’s either all of us who want this or none of us.”

“Like the Three Musketeers?” I tried to joke.

“Yes.” Birch stood in front of me. “‘All for one and one for all.’”

“We loved that book,” Cypress said. “But I never thought we’d quote it in the bedroom with our mate.” He nuzzled me again. “What do you think, Zephyr? Would you rather wait for another night? Have some time to think about it?”

“No.” I inhaled, the masculine scents, wood and leather, surrounding me. Cypress had always had that scent, but Birch’s was just a bit different and they blended. “I think if I don’t have you both or have you have me tonight, I’ll die. Is that weird?”

“That’s how mating is supposed to feel,” Birch assured me. “May we undress you?”

I nodded and stood very still while they took off my clothing, piece by piece, until I stood naked in front of them. “I…should I be doing something?”

“Anything you want.” Cypress took my hand and guided me to sit on the edge of the bed. He kissed me. “But it will probably be easier if we’re nude as well. Give a moment?”

“All right. Hurry?” The moment they weren’t touching me, I missed them. They were right there in the room only a few feet away, but I wanted to tell them to come back. I also wanted them naked so our skins would be touching without all that fabric in the way. “I need you both.”