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The words ‘you can call me whatever you want’ almost burst from my lips as he drags his gaze back up to my face, but I swallow them back down. That would only lead to bad, bad things—well, really hot steamy, mind-blowing things I’m sure—but bad right now.
“Or do I not get to know your name yet?” he asks with a mischievous grin. Fuck, I’m only enticing his wolf even more it seems. But he doesn’t know who I am … I let that sink in and hide the shock from my face, not wanting to sound pompous by asking him what seems to be obvious. Well, I guess I could go a while longer without having to divulge who I am. I can live in the fantasy world for at least a few hours where I can forget my problems, my duties.
“Nope, do I get to know yours?” I ask with the same devious grin, my eyebrow lifting in question. I’ll play this small game with him for now.
“Not until you give me yours, fair is fair.” He inches closer again, leaving barely any space between us. One more move and his wide chest will be pressed against my arms.
“Ah, so I guess we’re both going to be nameless for a little while longer,” I say, readying for his next move closer. I debate just dropping my arms, but a niggling sensation in the back of my mind tells me not to. I know there’s something I’m supposed to remember, but my thoughts are blank as the scent of whisky washes over me, the warm woody sent cloying at my senses, as his breath lightly caresses my face. We’re so close now I need to tilt my head up just to look at him, which gives him a clear line of sight down my long neck and cleavage.
“What’s going on here,” a man’s voice sounds behind me and I jump at the sudden sound, all my other senses blocked out with my red haired mate’s presence.
The icy chill of fear fills me for a completely different reason now. Because I know who that voice belongs to. I may have only just found him, but I could recognize that dark chuckle of amusement anywhere, especially after this afternoon. Not only did my bond strengthen with my wolf, but it grew stronger between Zeke and me too. And this is definitely not how I’d want him to find out about there being a third mate.
“I see you’ve met my girl,” Zeke says, settling down on my other side on the last portion of the bench I had refused to slide over to. He wraps an arm possessively around my shoulders, pulling me back into his chest. I bristle slightly at the assumption that I’m his, but it quickly passes as his chiseled torso presses against my back. His warmth seeps in even through the leather jacket, his light cocooning around me.
“Your girl,” my fiery mate asks incredulously, his narrowed gaze flitting between the two of us. As though on cue they both inhale deeply, sensing the bond connecting me to each of them. A bond can be sensed by alphas, and thankfully there aren’t many, otherwise my connection to the Whitlock pack, and now this newcomer, would be easily discoverable if we stood too close together.
“I’m no one’s girl,” I grumble, wiggling out of Zeke’s hold, but there honestly isn’t anywhere to really go at this point. Their bodies have both closed in on me. And now I regret moving away from the comfort of Zeke’s embrace.
“I should have known,” Zeke huffs out on a breath of amusement, clapping the stranger on the shoulder.Wait, what?I know a female’s mates usually have a sense for one another long before they find their mate, their instincts making it easier to accept one another as a fellow bond mate, but this is just strange. I thought there definitely would have been at least a small reaction, rather than this air of comradery as the red haired man actually cracks a grin.
“Can you two keep it down please? There are people all around us,” I hiss incredulously, refusing to let them know that I too forgot about the presence of the crowds of patrons. I glance around the surrounding booths and to my relief no one has come back since I checked last.
“Why should we?” the stranger says, a wicked gleam in his eyes as he focuses back on me.
I glance back at Zeke hoping he might help me but he looks between the two of us, lips pursed and brow furrowed in thought. “You two don’t know who each other are, do you?”
Well there goes my night of anonymity I guess.
“I really should have guessed that you’d be mated to her, I mean it really makes sense when Everett and I are too,” Zeke says from behind me. The man’s brows raise in surprise at Zeke’s admission.
“Three alphas? How is that even possible?” I ask incredulously, turning to face him. It’s almost unheard of for two alphas to work together without being mated, but three? How have they been able to run a successful pack without it being a constant power struggle. I dart him an unimpressed glare too, because he knows we need to keep this under wraps. The bears wouldn’t hesitate to use any of them against me, or me against all of them, and I can’t let that happen. “And can you stop talking about me like I’m not here?”
“Sorry, babe,” Zeke says, giving me an excited grin, and I can’t help but soften at the look, basking in his joy. I don’t even bother to tell him not to call me babe.
“That’s a long story, but we’ve known each other for years, we grew up with each other. There’s never been any sort of jealousy or competition … other than a friendly challenge or two between us brothers.” He says it with a wink that looks effortlessly seductive, causing my heart to pound.
“She lets you call her babe? She wouldn’t even let me call her firecracker,” my red haired mate huffs out on an indignant breath, his shoulders slumping as I glance back at him. I bring my palm up to my forehead in exasperation and Zeke snorts out a choked laugh, apparently amused by my frustration and confusion.
“Okay can we get back on track here?” I ask, raising my hands to get their attention. It’s pretty obvious by now that my third mate is part of the Whitlock pack. What hasn’t been answered is who the hell he is.
“This is Arsenio, the third of the Whitlock pack,” Zeke says leaning in closer to me. I force myself to focus on the conversation despite the caress of his warm breath so close to my neck. He must be craning his neck closer. I suck in a sharp breath as I picture his lips poised just above my neck. It takes great effort on my part to push away thoughts of his lips lowering onto the sensitive flesh.
“And this is our mate, Skylar Draven, the new alpha of the Draven pack.”
The weight of responsibility settles back on me. I know that Everett and Zeke are okay with me being the alpha of their once rival pack, but would Arsenio be? His brow raises almost imperceptibly but he seems to shake off the shock quickly, hunger replacing the surprise in those amber eyes, as Zeke brushes his plump lips against the nape of my neck.
“Skylar,” Arsenio says, rolling my name on his tongue as though he’s memorizing the taste of it. He leans forward, his slow exhale brushing against my slightly parted lips, mesmerized by the sensation of two of my mates so close to me. I revel in the desire they evoke within me, wishing they would just close the distance already, consuming me with every stroke of their tongues and press of their mouths.
“We can’t.” I blink as the words leave my lips. They sound distant, as though spoken by someone else, but I know it’s true, even with the thick smell of lust permeating the air. “Someone will see.”
They both freeze and Zeke groans in frustration but eases back from my neck. I shiver at the loss of his warmth, but I know it’s for the best. There are too many reasons why this can’t happen, especially not in public. Arsenio’s brows knit together in confusion, his gaze flitting between me and Zeke as he attempts to piece together what he’s missing.
“You should go back to the pack house and brief Everett. He’ll fill you in on everything … it isn’t safe to speak here,” Zeke says reluctantly. His lack of explanation leaves Arsenio even more confused, but to my relief he doesn’t argue. We could speak in the office, but that would look just as damning as it would be if someone overheard our reasoning.
“I’ll be seeing you soon, firecracker.” The nickname comes out on almost a purr, but before I can say anything, he stands abruptly and strides towards the entrance. He pauses though, glancing back to give me one final heated look before leaving. I’m drawn in by the embers burning in those amber eyes again, my skin heating as I watch him stalk out the front entrance, his muscles bunching under his tight jacket with each step.
“So what’s his pet name going to be?” Zeke asks, breaking my trance. I pin him with a scathing look but he merely laughs, leaning back against the couch. His eyes rove appreciatively over my front, now finally able to see me fully. Prickles trail up my skin everywhere his eyes land, and I have to remind myself again that we can’t do this here.
