《The Triplet Warriors and Their Pup Mate》


 1 - The Escape

    1 - The Escape


    ~Ellie''s Point of View~


    I had been running for so long my lungs felt like they were on fire. My throat burned and my legs stung


    with an intense aching. I had been running now for two and a half days, stopping only at a couple


    streams to drink water and look for berries.


    I was on high alert, running from those who would be tracking me down. I did everything possible to run


    in weird patterns that made no sense, running in all directions. I had no clue where I was going, and I


    didn¡¯t care, as long as it was away from them.


    I didn¡¯t want my scent to be in any one spot, I tried to spread it out. The Alpha had skilled trackers, and


    I was probably a fool to think I could trick them, but I had to try.


    It was getting really cold at night and I wasn¡¯t sure how much further I could go. But I had no choice,


    there was no going back.


    I was promised to the Alpha¡¯s son ... a blood pact I was forced to make at only eight years old. My


    supposed ¡°mate,¡± Tyson, was obsessed with me, he rarely let me out of his sight. I had plotted my


    escape for years, but I never believed I stood a chance.


    I had a bag packed and ready to go, ready for me to run¡­ but it sat waiting, waiting for the day I might


    catch a break.


    This was my only chance, I had to try. I had to try and get as far away from the Blood w pack as I


    possibly could.


    My name is Ellie, and that¡¯s all I have ever known. I was never told myst name, and I was never told


    my birthday. Thest time I remembered celebrating my birthday, I was eight. But it wasn¡¯t like I had


    ess to a calendar, or even knew what month it was currently. Back then I was too young to know


    really what months and years even were. There was no real way to know how old I was now. With


    everything that happened right after my birthday, it was like time stood still in some ways, but passed


    by in a sh in others.


    Young werewolves are called pups and they be full adult wolves when they shift for the first time


    on their 17th birthday. Since I wasn¡¯t exactly sure how old I was, I had no clue when that might happen.


    I felt as if it would be any day now. I knew so little about myself really, since my parents were killed in


    an attack when I was just a few weeks past my eighth birthday.


    Once orphaned, I was taken in by Alpha Gunner from a neighboring pack, Blood w. The Alpha had


    a son, who was around a year younger than me. In exchange for taking me in, I was forced to agree to


    mate Tyson when he came of age.


    I have always questioned how an eight year old could be forced to decide their fate in that way, but it


    was a blood oath I made nheless. If either of us had a mate, the oath would force us to reject them


    immediately.


    There are two absolute sacred rules that werewolves abide by. A blood oath must be honored and if


    you are killed before it can be fulfilled, the immediate next of kin is required to honor if it is something


    they are capable of doing.


    Secondly, you absolutely can NOT ever mark or mate a pup. A pup must be imed by their wolf first,


    before they can be imed by a mate.


    The punishment for marking or mating with a pup is having your canines ripped out and your manhood


    removed. So needless to say, that was one rule that all werewolves abided by.


    The only way to be released from a blood oath is to have the person who ordered it release you of it.


    So basically, I had to get Alpha Gunner to release me of this oath, or find a way to never shift and get


    my wolf ¡­ and neither option seemed likely.


    Alpha Gunner had made it clear that if I ever ran away, he would find me, track me to the ends of the


    earth, so that I would mate Tyson and be his Luna. I didn''t want to be Luna, I didn''t know how to help


    run a pack. I also refused to bear his children, that was only for my fated mate. I¡¯d rather die than let


    him touch me, mate me and basically make me his ve.


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    I believed, as most wolves did, that only the Moon Goddess alone can choose our mate, and that bond


    is absolute and unbreakable. I knew if my mate was out there, he would save me, help me. I had to


    believe that, it was all I had to hold onto.


    Unfortunately, being a pup still, I wouldn¡¯t know my mate if he was standing in front of me, and it was


    likely he might not know me either.


    Alpha Gunner did everything possible to keep me from being educated, and ensured that I only learned


    how to cook, clean and properly be a mate. I was taught all of Tyson''s favorite meals and how to


    prepare them exactly to his liking. Only I was permitted to do hisundry and clean his room. Any other


    servants were not allowed to. Tyson wanted my scent to be all over everything he touched, often


    insisting that I wear his shirts underneath my own clothes before he wore them.


    I hated to leave the two friends I had at the only pack I really knew, but since I didn¡¯t know when I would


    shift for the first time, I couldn¡¯t wait around.


    I didn¡¯t have ess to maps, but I did watch a lot of training. I learned a lot while I was trying to y


    dumb and act like I wasn¡¯t interested or didn¡¯t understand. Before my parents died, I was enrolled in the


    pack¡¯s school and I did very well. I loved reading and writing, and tried to do it as much as possible


    when I was alone. The Alpha did not allow me to do it though, and one time Tyson found a book in my


    room and burned it right on the spot.


    I bided my time and waited for the right opportunity, and one summer day, it finally came. There was a


    great battle brewing and close to erupting.


    Blood w was going to war with two neighboring packs over territory and hunting grounds. I had one


    chance, a small window where nobody would be paying attention to me, and I took it.


    I packed enough food for two to three days, not being sure how soon I might be able to find somewhere


    safe. I could also supplement my food with anything I could find in the wild, to make itst. I learned


    from school how to spot poisonous foods.


    I had just enough practical things to make it, but I had a lot of hope. Either I would wander off and


    starve to death, or stay in Blood w and be forced to mate someone I hated. I would take my


    chances on my own.

 2 - Glimmer of Hope

    2 - Glimmer of Hope


    ~Ellie''s Point of View~


    I came to a clearing and sighed, desperate to rest. Just when I almost keeled over from exhaustion, I


    heard the sound of pupsughing. A second wind of energy washed through me and I followed the


    beautiful sound. I came to a family ying in ake and washing clothes.


    As I began to approach the woman and her two pups, I copsed in the grass.


    ¡°Oh my goddess, pup are you okay,¡± she asked.


    My eyes were heavy, I was keen to sleep for a few days but I was also starving. I gathered what


    strength I had, and made a desperate pitch to her.


    ¡°My family was killed in an attack, I¡¯ve been running for a long time, will you take me in,¡± I asked in a


    small whisper.


    I wasn¡¯t above stretching the truth at this point, I was desperate as could be. A pup came with a small


    bowl of water from theke, and I took it, chugging it down and panting.


    The woman nodded and the second pup brought more water as she started to clean my legs. I leaned


    down to see a horrible fright ¡­ they were scratched and bleeding, and covered with dirt and mud. My


    clothes were tattered and filthy.


    I knew my blonde hair was likely full of dirt and mud, it was stuck to my neck and it was damp. I was


    sure I looked like a crazy person.


    ¡°My name is Valerie, and you are wee to stay with my pack for as long as you need, what is your


    name pup,¡± she asked.


    I smiled, ¡°Ellie, I¡¯m Ellie.¡±


    She smiled back at me, as did her pups, introducing themselves as Molly and Greg. I guessed them to


    be twins, and about ten. Multiples were verymon among shapeshifters.


    Iid in the grass with my new friends until they were done with theirundry, and then followed them to


    their pack.


    I decided I couldn¡¯t juste right out and tell my new pack the real story, I would have to blend in,


    gain their trust first. I felt awful being dishonest but I didn¡¯t think I had a choice.


    After some time, I woulde clean and hopefully by then I would have proven my worth and they


    would let me stay.


    My new pack, Whisper Crescent, was very small and full of kind hearted people. Blood w was so


    focused on fighting, war and power but this pack was happy and content in a way I had never


    experienced. Everyone was just so nice, and actually genuine, it was like a fairy tale.


    Whisper Crescent tried to live in harmony with nature, and therefore they had no electricity and no


    running water anywhere.


    I was at first blown away by this, but after a few weeks I didn¡¯t even miss it anymore. I learned how to


    cook with a wood stove and I learned how to make a fire from just what I could find in the woods. I


    treasured every day with my new friends, and as the weeks and months blew away,


    I knew I would have toe clean with my secret soon.


    Rumors soon passed through the pack that Blood w was sessful in their wars which had waged


    on for months. In the end, they had gained two new packs and took on a massive amount of new


    territory, making it one of thergest packs in all of Canada.


    We were entering winter, and I was starting to learn more about our geography. I discovered I had


    made it all the way above Moon Comet¡¯s packnds, to my current destination.


    Unfortunately, Moon Comet was no more, and was now controlled by Alpha Gunner. Which meant,


    Blood w was now our neighbor. When I heard this news, my heart sank, feeling that they could


    literally be here any day now.


    I prayed to the Goddess every single night to help me, to help me find my mate. I was beginning to feel


    incredibly depressed, and hopeless. One night at dinner, I confessed to Valerie and her mate Thomas


    about my blood oath and how Alpha Gunner had vowed to find me if I ran away.


    Thomas sat in shock, confused and angry but not at me, thankfully.


    ¡°Your oath is void, an eight year old cannot be forced to agree to that, you were ¡­ heck you are still a


    pup since you are without your wolf. The council would never enforce that, it¡¯s absolutely ridiculous!¡±


    Valerie nodded in agreement, ¡°we will keep you safe here, this is a peaceful pack and no one bothers


    us, plus it gets way too cold here for anyone to want this territory. You¡¯ll see, in another two months


    we¡¯ll all be huddled up together half the time, trying to stay warm!¡±


    The pupsughed and nodded.


    ¡°Ohh, I hate the cold,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°I would say you get used to it, but I¡¯ve been here all my life and I still need to sit as close to the fire as I


    can, even a male wolf gets cold this far north,¡± Thomas said.


    That gave me some relief that maybe the Alpha would stay away, but I was still incredibly unsettled.


    After a few minutes of silence I said, ¡°what¡¯s the council?¡±


    I had never heard of such a thing, as Alpha Gunner did little to educate me about life outside the pack.


    Thomas smiled, ¡°the council is a ruling body, and they house the Shadow Warriors which are like the


    peace keepers of the supernatural world, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they step in and do something about


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Gunner. He¡¯s a ruthless beast who has been out of control for far too long. He¡¯s a lunatic who has to be


    stopped.¡±


    I hummed over that, and immediately loved the idea that someone could potentially take him down. I


    didn¡¯t think anyone could possibly ruin the Alpha, he was so strong. However, if he was killed, the debt


    of my oath fell to Tyson. If he still wanted it fulfilled, I would have to agree. However if Tyson was also


    killed before an heir could be produced, I would be free.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know there was such a thing,¡± I said, inly.


    I hoped they might tell me more. I really did try to take in all the knowledge I could. Shadow Warriors ¡­


    that sounded scary but interesting all at the same time.


    ¡°Oh yes, there are leaders from all of the major groups of supernatural creatures. There are vampires,


    shapeshifters, witches, fae and even demons ¡­ they all tolerate each other enough to help keep the


    peace. Honestly, it is quite shocking that Gunner was able to get away with a war thatsted for


    months,¡± Thomas said.


    Vampires, demons?! How could they possibly be trusted, and friendly? Surely Gunner couldn¡¯t win


    against that kind of power. I was anxious and on the edge of my seat wanting to know more.


    ¡°Where are they? Maybe I can go to them and ask for help,¡± I asked.


    ¡°They are kind of everywhere and nowhere, they travel. I don¡¯t know as though they have a central


    location, if they did they could be attacked. They just kind of show up where they are needed, or if an


    Alpha or leader calls on them for help. No one I know has ever met or seen one, that¡¯s kind of why they


    are called shadows,¡± Valerie exined.


    So maybe one of them could sneak into Blood w and kill Gunner and Tyson in their sleep! I smiled


    at the visual. Just another prayer to add to my list of things I begged the Goddess for every night.


    I went to bed that night with a sense of security, which was unfounded since I didn¡¯t know anything


    about these Shadows or if they could even help. But just knowing that there were people out there, well


    ¡­ creatures, that could potentially stand up to Gunner gave me a new level of hope, of possibility.


    As the next couple of weeks went by everyone went crazy prepping for the winter. It was the same in


    Blood w, so I was used to this ¡­ however I understood this ce to get much colder.


    There was a heavily insted underground bunker where the pack could go for weeks on end if the


    weather got too bad. It was a major undertaking to ensure there was enough food and water stocked


    for everyone in case that happened. I heard stories about blizzardssting for a week, and I seriously


    hoped that didn¡¯t ur.


    ¡°Did you hear that both of Bruce¡¯s boys are missing? They were out running guard patrols two nights


    ago and no one has seen them since,¡± I heard Thomas telling Valerie in a hushed voice.


    ¡°Oh goddess no! They are two of our best guards, oh their mother must be so worried,¡± Valerie said, in


    a whisper.


    The pack was very small, and we only had about a dozen guards. Since we were such a peaceful


    pack, the guards never really ran into any issues so we didn¡¯t have a need for more than that.


    My heart sank at the news, and something told me Alpha Gunner was responsible. Why would he


    attack this pack, and why now, right before winter? Then it hit me, he likely wanted the food stockpile


    he knew we would surely have! If he had been at war for this long, it was likely his resources were low.


    He was also having to now take on likely hundreds more from his raids.


    I had afortable enough rtionship with our Alpha that I ran right to his cabin as fast as my feet


    would take me. I didn¡¯t know if he would believe me, listen to me at all. But I had to try.


    ¡°Alpha Nelson, may I please speak to you,¡± I said, out of breath.


    ¡°Not now Ellie dear, I¡¯m a bit busy,¡± he said, dismissing me.


    ¡°Alpha please, I used to be in the Blood w pack, and I believe that Alpha Gunner may try to strike


    before winter to steal our food!¡±


    He looked at me in shock and called for his Beta, who was just outside.


    ¡°Tell me everything, and start at the beginning, pup,¡± he said, giving me a serious stare.


    By the end of my story, Alpha Nelson was sending two messengers to ask the Shadow Warriors for


    assistance, and begged them toe as soon as possible.

 3 - Tyson

    3 - Tyson


    ~Ellie''s Point of View~


    I desperately wanted to ask where he was sending them, but I didn¡¯t think he would tell me anyhow. He


    said it could be anywhere from a few hours to three days before they could send a response. I


    shuddered at that, hoping that I was wrong, hoping that I was just being dramatic.


    However, the look on Beta Hank¡¯s face told me he not only believed me, but he believed it was likely.


    I was also curious what exactly a ¡°response¡± was, who it was. Would we have vampires here, witches?


    What would they do exactly? The obvious answer was that they would kill everyone, but that only made


    me terrified that innocents could be ughtered.


    The Alpha and Beta immediately began barking orders to every single pack member, directing them


    where to hide the rations and how to board up their homes. One of the biggest fears with any invasion


    ¡­ is fire. It is the easiest thing for the enemy to do ¡­ burn down everyone¡¯s homes. And well, Gunner


    was known for leaving nothing in his wake. Taking what he wanted and to hell with the rest.


    We frantically gathered arge cache of water and put it outside every home, hoping it didn¡¯t freeze. All


    valuables, keepsakes, women and pups were to go into the shelter by dusk.


    The bunker had two ways to get out, just in case one exit somehow became blocked. I was extremely


    impressed with the way it was built and the thought that went into it. I really hoped we were just being


    overly careful, taking more precautions than necessary, but I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something


    awful was about to happen.


    The entire night went by, and nothing happened, much to everyone¡¯s surprise and delight. When


    morning came, the Alpha let certain peoplee out, but he still wanted the majority to stay sheltered


    for now. There was still no sign of the missing guards, and every hour that went by it became less likely


    we would find them alive.


    A few people were gathered by arge fire, near my home on the outskirts of the main area of the


    pack. They were cooking up a huge dinner for everyone that would also have to be enough for


    breakfast. I had left the shelter to help gather more water to keep outside the houses.


    I heard it before I saw it, a horse ¡­ hooves beating and crunching into the bit of snow that fell the other


    day. Some of it had melted, but a bit remained. I could swear I felt my heartbeat in my ears and it


    began to race. I felt sweaty, nervous and my body moved on its own, just trying to keep working.


    I heard amotion and then a howl. I ran to the source, not far from therge fire and saw a white


    horse covered in blood, with the body of one of the missing guards strapped to its back. Howling to the


    horse¡¯s side was arge ck wolf, which was the boy¡¯s father, Bruce.


    My knees gave out, and I fell to the ground. I immediately knew what this meant. My worst nightmare


    came true, Gunner and Tyson wereing.


    I felt someone elbowing me on my arm, and it was Valerie. She had her arms full of some food to take


    back in the bunker. Her eyes were huge and she was panicked.


    ¡°Come on Ellie, there¡¯s not a second to waste, we have to hide!!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t move, I was stuck, staring at the lifeless body before me. Any sadness I had left me, and it


    was reced with rage. I couldn¡¯t leave, I wouldn¡¯t leave. This might be it ¡­ it might be myst night on


    this earth, but I wouldn¡¯t just hide. This was my fight to have.


    ¡°You go down, I¡¯m fighting,¡± I said, jumping to my feet.


    She moved in front of me, not able to touch me without dropping something, but trying to get my full


    attention. Her eyes pleaded with me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, you haven¡¯t shifted yet! You¡¯re basically a human, you can¡¯t fight!!¡±


    ¡°I have to Valerie, I have to! This is my pack and I will defend it, you took me in when I had absolutely


    nothing, no one. I would rather die than be forced to mate, forced to be a breeder for the rest of my life,


    you have no idea what they are, I would be their ve!¡±


    She looked at me with pity, and I hated it. But she knew she wasn¡¯t changing my mind.


    Just then we heard it, the humming of engines, likely snow mobiles and trucks. They were probably


    only a minute away. I gave Valerie a desperate look, begging her to go, and as the Alpha began


    barkingmands, she fled.


    It would be fully dark in just an hour, and now there was a feast almost cooked, just in time for the


    Blood w warriors to eat. Perfect ¡­ timing. Several men immediately put out the fire as best they


    could and ran to take their positions.


    The freshly cooked food was thest thing on everyone¡¯s mind, but it pissed me off to think they would


    get it. I ran into a shed and found some gasoline, and immediately poured it over all the food.


    The guards hadid spikes around all of the doors and windows to the cabins and they were covered


    from the fresh snow we got this morning so I made sure to be careful while running around.


    Everyone was positioned as best they could be, and I hid in the shed a little ways away from the tables


    of food, but I had a good view. I was grateful I decided to wear twoyers of clothes and a heavy jacket


    as it was starting to snow again. I also had on a heavy hat Valerie had made me. I had several knives


    and I had no clue what I was going to do with them, but I would put up whatever fight I possibly could.


    Within a minute there were numerous vehicles and snowmobiles converging onto the pack grounds.


    My heart was racing, somewhat regretting my choice not to shelter. What did I know about fighting,


    especially trained wolves!? I began to panic.


    I prayed to the goddess for help, I begged her to intervene and spare this pack, spare my new family.


    Spare me, if even possible.


    A few secondster they were everywhere. There were so many of them!


    I watched several men regard the food, and one of them took a piece of chicken off the table and


    immediately noticed the smell on it, throwing it in disgust.


    ¡°They were JUST here, fan out!¡±


    Our pack as a whole had less than ten guns to its name, and every one of them was in the hands of


    someone either perched on a roof or in a tree.


    Werewolves typically didn¡¯t use guns, but most kept some as an evil necessity. Before I could hold


    another thought in my head, gunshots rang out from every corner, and several Blood w returned


    fire. Oh no! They came ready to fight dirty!


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    After a couple minutes, the firing ceased, with several down on both sides. I peeked through a hole in


    the shed, fearful they would hear my heartbeat racing.


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s no way to greet your neighbor! We¡¯re just here to share in your bountiful harvest, awful


    shame you had to ruin dinner,¡± I heard a man yell out.


    I recognized him as Alpha Gunner¡¯s Beta, the second inmand. I didn¡¯t know him very well, but I


    knew he was the head warrior and his son led all training operations. He was every bit as terrifying as


    Gunner.


    I desperately wished I could mindlink Alpha Nelson but since I hadn¡¯t yet shifted I couldn¡¯t. I was so


    anxious for all the new gifts and abilities I would soon have once I got my wolf.


    Then a stark realization hit me, what if I didn¡¯t live long enough to ever meet her? I felt tears pricking


    my eyes at the thought.


    The Blood w Beta growled that no one came forward and swiftly leapt into the air, shifting into a


    massive brown wolf and shredding his clothes in the snow. Several of his pack followed and within


    seconds there were well over two dozen wolves!


    Okay, now was the time to panic! I was sure they would be able to hear my heart racing, be able to


    smell my fear.


    A man came forward and threw a pile of clothes in the air, and all the wolves quickly sniffed them and


    howled out, leaving puffs of their breath in the air. My heart stopped as I recognized one of my old


    coats, and it hit me ¡­ they were my clothes!!


    As I tried to calm my panic attack, I focused on the man and he turned so I could see the side of his


    face ¡­ it was Tyson!!


    No, no, no!! Were they looking for me?! Yes, you idiot, of course they were! They probably just used


    taking the food as an excuse. Or as a bonus. I bit the inside of my lip but quickly let it go, afraid I¡¯d draw


    blood and even more expose myself.


    ¡°If you¡¯re here my darling Ellie, we¡¯ll find you, I miss you terribly, my sweet mate. You belong with me,


    you belong to me, and you wille home with me. We''ll be mating very soon baby,¡± he said, in a low


    voice that I could barely register.


    Goddess help me.

 4 - Maple Syrup

    4 - Maple Syrup


    ~Ellie''s Point of View~


    I silently cursed myself for a second and now I was afraid I would pee my pants. The wolves started


    spreading out but thankfully none wereing anywhere near me ¡­ for now.


    I worked on steadying my heartbeat, but I didn¡¯t know if that was even possible given the insane


    situation I would myself in. I cursed Tyson, I cursed all of them. But really, I knew this was my fault.


    I led them here, surely I did. Now this peaceful pack would suffer, all because they were kind enough to


    take me in. I had to fight, if I even took one of them out, at least I tried. Hopefully no one would expect


    me to have a knife, and maybe I could slit their throat.


    A couple wolves shrieked and howled as they stepped on the silver spikes trying to go into houses, and


    I suppressed a snicker. None of our pack made a move, and I was dying to know why, or what their


    strategy was supposed to be.


    Then I suddenly heard a couple wolves cry out, and I saw arrows being shot out of trees, surely with


    silver tips. In the blink of an eye more vehicles came, and suddenly there were easily another two


    dozen men shifting into their wolves.


    My heart sank and I felt a massive sense of doom. Of hopelessness. This was it. I immediately


    changed my strategy and knew I was likely going to have to take the cowards way out. They would not


    take me alive. I¡¯d rather slit my own throat than be Tyson¡¯s mate.


    It was after a few minutes of the wolves stirring that he appeared ... Alpha Gunner. He jumped on top of


    a pic table, still in his human form, but the aura emanating from him was enough to make anyone in


    front of him submit. He was very tall and fit, he had dark brown hair that went just to his shoulders. He


    was unbelievably good looking, there was no she-wolf that didn¡¯t gawk at him. It was very hard not to


    take in his perfect body, and I had seen all of it in its glory.


    He used to force me to watch them all train. But I knew what he was capable of ... his Beta too. They


    wereplete monsters. I had to always remember that.


    ¡°Surrender now and you can join my pack. Kneel before me and pledge your allegiance to me, and


    your family will live. Fight me, and die,¡± he yelled out, leaving a puff of air.


    He was wearing arge knee length jacket that was open, exposing his bare chest. He had on loose


    pants andbat boots. I couldn¡¯t tell if he had any intention of shifting himself or not.


    He rarely wore anything but shorts, no matter the weather. Like he wanted everyone to see his body, I


    hated it because it was hard not to look at him and I didn¡¯t want to. He just had that type of


    There was a silence so thick in the air, you could cut it with a knife. Now what?


    Just as I had that thought, I felt a sharp twitch in the weather and a sharp cold breeze struck the whole


    vige at once, making me shiver to my bones.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    The wolves took notice and before I knew it, there were shes all around, popping and cracking. The


    sounds of bones cracking and breaking. I fell to my butt and cowered in a ball in the corner, hearing


    unspeakable sounds.


    There were moans, groans, howls, screams and the sounds of throats being ripped out. The sheer


    magnitude of it made the ground shake and before I could register anything else, the roof of the shed


    was falling on me, and something hit my head, then darkness enveloped me.


    I came to, in absolute darkness, barely able to move. I was unsure how long I had been out. My legs


    were stuck under debris, and I immediately felt a sharp pain in my head. I winced and tried to focus my


    senses.


    What could I hear? Fire crackling, the wind howling.


    What could I smell? Fire burning, cold, and blood.


    The sharp and unmistakable smell of blood flooded my nostrils. I was able to lift my hand to my head,


    and my hair was damp, matted and frozen, I likely had a bad cut. My hat was missing and I could feel


    the cold wind on my forehead. It suddenly hit me that I was freezing, despite myyered clothes.


    I did everything possible to wiggle my legs loose but it was no use.


    How long had I been out!?


    Was the fighting still going on?


    Who was out there?


    I thought I heard some movement, but I dared not call any attention to myself. Surely if it was a wolf out


    there, they could smell me and hear my heartbeat.


    Then I heard it, the sound of footsteps crunching nearby in the snow. No no no! Then it hit me like a


    warm hug ... I smelled it. It smelled like ¡­ like maple, like syrup. I found myself breathing heavier,


    trying to enjoy the sweet weing scent.


    It calmed me, and for a moment I was rxed, lost in myself andpletely forgot the severity of my


    current situation. I found my eyes getting heavy, and the darkness enveloped me again.


    A scraping sound, warmth emanating from above me. I forced my eyes open and felt the earth moving


    beneath me. I blinked and saw I was still stuck under the rubble of the shed, I felt just about frozen and


    couldn¡¯t move. I whimpered, it was the only thing I could do. Suddenly the scraping sound got closer,


    and some warmth hit my face, slightly warming it. The maple scent, it was there again, and really close!


    I prayed to the Goddess that this person save me, that this person help me. I prayed to the Goddess


    that my family was okay, that my pack was okay. Please show me this person, please show me that


    heavenly scent, I can¡¯t stand it anymore!


    ¡°There¡¯s a pup! I found a pup in here!¡± I heard a man yell. My eyes were trying to close again, and I


    was fighting them with everything I had.


    That voice! Hmmm, I loved it. It swirled around in my head and made my belly flutter. I needed to see


    his face, please let me see him, I can¡¯t fight my eyes anymore.


    I heard more scraping, felt more movement around me, things nging as if being thrown. I felt my arm


    move and my eyes darted to it, there was a hand trying to pick it up. My eyes finally trailed along my


    arm and there he was, my maple syrup savior!


    There was barely any light, but I could make out his sky blue eyes, his brown hair and his perfect teeth.


    I would surely dream of him in a few seconds when I fell asleep.


    He was my hero, surely the Goddess heard my prayers! He was the most beautiful thing I¡¯d ever seen.


    His perfect clear blue eyes were staring at me in awe as if studying me, and just then the darkness


    captured me.

 5 - Lilacs

    5 - Lcs


    ~Hunter¡¯s Point of View~


    I was enjoying my nice, quiet day off soaking in my huge tub. It had been a long week and my brothers


    and I rotated being on active duty and on call. I was aching for my week off. They were few and far


    between anymore since it seemed like everyday someone else was being a menace, being difficult. My


    brothers and I were Shadow Warriors, a coalition of various supernatural beings that keep the peace


    between each other and between our own kind. It¡¯s a damn hard job, but someone has to do it.


    I had the little apartment at headquarters to myself since Skyler was out on patrol and it was River¡¯s


    week to be on assignment. We all traveled constantly, but since our work took us to all corners of the


    world, usually a vampire would either fly us there, or a witch would teleport us.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Getting along and having all these crazy egos around was a constant battle, but we were all dedicated


    to the big picture and had to remember that.


    I finished off a nice cold beer, crawled out of the tub and threw on some shorts. I found something


    stupid on TV to watch and waited for sleep to wee me.


    RING RING, RING RING, RING RING!


    Fuck!


    I woke up with a start and fumbled around for my phone, seeing that it was only six pm, and I¡¯d just


    been asleep for five hours ¡­ when you work crazy hours like I do, you sleep whenever you can get it,


    day or night.


    ¡°Yeah, what?¡± I grumbled into the phone.


    ¡°It¡¯s Godfrey. We had a messenger contact our outpost from Whisper Crescent, they are in imminent


    danger of an attack. Likely tonight, but could be any day now. They are asking for help, can I have


    Angel teleport you?¡±


    Shit!


    ¡°Is it Gunner,¡± I asked, now awake and fully alert. I had been on site for hisst attack, but unfortunately


    we got there toote.


    ¡°Yes we believe so, two of their best warriors went missing recently, young wolves that were likely


    ambushed and kidnapped as a warning,¡± Godfrey exined.


    ¡°Shit. Give me seven minutes and then have Angel do her thing,¡± I sighed, hanging up.


    I quickly dressed in my uniform: ckbat boots, thick ck pants, ck t-shirt, heavy ck jacket,


    ck gloves, ck beanie hat. Once dressed I stood and waited for the teleport from Angel, a witch


    who was kind of like our dispatch person.


    Alpha Gunner led the Blood w pack and they often cut off the bloody stumps of their enemies and


    kept them as trophies. Seriously nasty business. The Shadows had been after him for quite some time


    but he covered his tracks well, often burning viges or finding other ways to make it seem like it wasn¡¯t


    him.


    However, he recently began to step in and try to im the conquerednds as his own ¡­ making it


    pretty obvious. The council had handed down its ruling and we had shoot to kill orders. Or rip his head


    off orders, which I fully nned to do. It wasn¡¯t that we didn¡¯t allow war between packs, but there had to


    be a justifiable reason for it. Maybe a blood oath wasn¡¯t honored, or someone took an unmated she-


    wolf against her will. There were always reasons to justify invading another pack that were allowed, but


    Gunner seemed like he did it just because he felt like it.


    We had interrogated Gunner, his Beta and his son numerous times but since there never seemed to be


    a reason for him to invade, and there was never any direct evidence, we were not able to hold a trial.


    Within seconds of tying my boots I felt a tug and rxed myself, allowing Angel to pull me through her


    teleport. I was instantly standing in a field with ten other Shadows around, vampires and wolves were


    the usual fighters. Tonight I noticed we also had Chance, a shape shifting tiger who was one of the


    most badass warriors you could ever ask for ¡­ I certainly never wanted to be on his bad side. Chance


    was over 50 years old and unmated. I didn¡¯t know his age exactly, I just knew he hadn¡¯t found his mate


    as it was very rare for his kind to be so lucky.


    My triplet brothers and I were 24, and it had now been seven years since our first shift. We should have


    found our mate by now, and with as much as we traveled it got more and more frustrating that we never


    picked up her scent.


    We kept ourselves busy with the Shadows, convinced that our travels were the best chance of finding


    our mate. In the meantime, we got to beat the shit out of people who deserved it, and do our part to


    keep the peace. My family had not belonged to a normal wolf pack in centuries, we were a part of the


    Shadows¡¯ creation and it was our duty to continue the family tradition.


    ¡°I make at least 50 pissed off wolves, maybe two dozen from the Whisper pack, all hiding and in


    position. I have no clue where the she-wolves and pups are, either fled or underground maybe,¡± Shane


    shouted.


    Shane was our head scout, and he was pulled off another active assignment toe here, which told


    me shit was about to get ugly.


    A couple of the vamps were already flying overhead, scouting what they could and we were moving


    forward to get in position. One older vampire was enough to take five wolves at once, their power was


    swift and without hesitation. They could move in the blink of an eye and if we had more of them, there


    wouldn¡¯t even be a need for other creatures.


    However it was damn hard to convince vamps to work for the Shadows, most couldn¡¯t be bothered.


    Some were doing it to work off a sentence, but the couple elders we had did it just for giggles,


    especially on wolf assignments. Since they were our natural enemy and it was in their nature to want to


    kill us. The ones who were working off a sentence were strictly fighters, and not privy to much else


    within the Shadows.


    I received a mind-link from Shane, as he began running, *Full speed ahead, kill at will all enemies, no


    she-wolves or pups in sight.*


    Since the wolves within the Shadows were technically our own pack, we were able to mind-link within


    range which was unbelievably helpful in battle. You just think at a person or persons and the thought


    moves through space and time to their brain waves. It¡¯s pretty slick.


    I quickly grabbed a couple of weapons from the ground and got myself ready to move. Suddenly there


    were loud growls and howlsing from all over and the scent of blood was in the air. I was a


    marksman and sharpshooter so I generally didn¡¯t shift in battle unless it was necessary. If I nned to


    shift I wouldn¡¯t havee in so dressed up so I was hoping it wasn¡¯t needed. A few of our wolves


    quickly shifted and we were running toward the noise.


    I ran at full speed, following the other Shadows, and the closer I got the more I heard it ... the more I


    smelt it. My adrenaline kicked in and I immediately began picking off wolves trying to break into cabins,


    getting them in the head so there was no need for a second shot. I quickly noticed a couple of wolves


    trying to climb trees, and I picked them off. A sudden woosh fell over the area as our vamps


    descended, attacking from the sky, and they never saw iting.


    Within two minutes there was a pile of fur and body parts strewn about with wounded assants who


    were attempting to shift back. The vamps were levitating in the trees, trying to get information from the


    hidden defenders.


    There were definitely some losses on their side, I quickly assessed at least ten. I beganbing the


    area, shooting any injured Blood w members if they were still alive. I was desperate to find out if


    Gunner or his son were among them.


    ¡°Not so big and bad anymore, mutt,¡± I heard a voice say.


    I turned to see Chance, who had just shifted back to his human form. I sprinted to his side and


    recognized Jasper, Gunner¡¯s beta. Chance had ripped his throat out.


    ¡°Niiiiice bro,¡± I said, smiling.


    He grinned back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s secure the perimeter, the she-wolves and pups have to be hiding somewhere,¡± I said.


    He nodded and shifted back. We went in opposite directions.


    Several homes and out lying buildings were damaged in the fight, and there was a heavy cloud of


    smoke about, lingering. I quickly tried to use all other senses, listening for heartbeats, checking for wolf


    scents.


    After about ten minutes, it hit me, almost making me lightheaded from the intoxicating aroma. Lcs,


    the heavy smell of fragrant and delightful lcs.


    MATE!

 6 - Shes A Pup

    6 - She''s A Pup


    ~Hunter¡¯s Point of View~


    My wolf immediately began howling, jumping up and down in my subconscious. He wanted to take


    over, and started demanding to shift. Our scouts said there were no she-wolves out here, did they miss


    her?


    How could you miss that scent?! It was what I had been waiting my entire life for, and I wasted no time


    following it.


    My wolf was not able tomunicate with any she-wolf nearby, confusing me even more. Even though


    I wouldn¡¯t be able to mind-link her, they would sense each other, feel the other¡¯s presence. I came to an


    old shed that was caved in, and I heard it ¡­ a faint heartbeat that almost sounded human. There¡¯s no


    way there is a human out here, that can¡¯t be right! I frantically began ripping away pieces of wood and


    metal, tossing them behind me. It took a few seconds, but I saw her hand sticking out from the rubble


    and I cleared it swiftly.


    It finally dawned on me, this was a pup, and she hadn¡¯t yet shifted. I yelled for help and in seconds


    Raul, one of our vamps appeared and helped me free her trapped legs. I nodded to Raul that I had it


    from here, and he vanished.


    Her eyes looked like they were struggling to open, but when they did I was greeted with the most


    perfect blonde beauty with green eyes. She looked like she was struggling to keep her eyes open, but


    she gave me a weak smile. My wolf howled. I started to speak but she cked out again, going limp in


    my arms.


    I held my beautiful and perfect little mate, the very reason for my existence. Without even realizing it, I


    found myself scenting and nuzzling her, spreading my smell throughout her hair and neck. It


    immediately rxed me, and I knew it would do the same for her when she woke up.


    I stood up with my sweet little mate in my arms and ran back to our base. Raul quickly joined me and


    Shane called for our teleport. My mind was racing with every possible thought.


    What was her name? Why was she in the shed? I moved my hand¡¯s position on her thigh and felt a


    sting.


    ¡°Raul, what the fuck just cut me on her leg,¡± I yelled out.


    He abruptly pulled a knife from her side and scanned her body for anything else, finding two more


    knives, one of which had cut her thigh. I grimaced at that, wondering who the hell would let a pup have


    weapons. She didn¡¯t look like she could hunt a rabbit and kill it, let alone try to take on a wolf. She was


    essentially a human since she obviously hadn¡¯t yet shifted.


    I looked up at Raul who was licking his finger, it had blood on it from her leg. Most vamps had no self-


    control around a human that was bleeding and I immediately growled at him. Suddenly Chance


    stepped in between us.


    ¡°Fly off Raul, get out of here,¡± Chance said.


    Raul continued slowly licking his finger and hissed at Chance when he was done, but disappeared


    anyhow.


    ¡°Douchebag,¡± Chance mumbled.


    He hated the vamps more than anyone since his brother was killed by one when he was a cub.


    I soon felt the pull from Angel and held my mate close to my chest, ready to get her to safety. I found


    myself in the packhouse, well that¡¯s what I called it. It was the Shadow¡¯s headquarters, with two floors


    underground for the vamps and demons to lounge in, guest rooms and offices on the second and third


    floors. The witches and fae refused to share a roof with the rest of us and they had another house on


    the property.


    The ground floor housed a kitchen, rec room and arge conference room that was also our


    ¡°courtroom¡± so to speak. Only warriors were allowed to know its actual location, anyone else was


    teleported to and from, never allowed to see it from the outside.


    ¡°What happened, how is she hurt,¡± Angel said, running toward me.


    ¡°She was hiding in a shed, I have no clue why, but she had a lot of debris on her and her legs were


    pinched under a fallen beam. There¡¯s a cut on her thigh and I think she may have internal bleeding, she


    was under some real weight,¡± I said, making a face.


    The idea that my mate was in pain made my wolf and I absolutely livid.


    Angel guided me down the hall and into a guest room, where I gentlyid my mate on the bed.


    ¡°You need to leave, I gotta get her clothes off to find her wounds,¡± Angel said, matter of fact.


    I started to growl at that, but quickly stopped myself. Pat ran in, a wolf who lives in the packhouse and


    is kind of a mom figure. I felt morefortable with her there, and agreed to leave.


    ¡°Hunter, go fetch arge pot of hot water, and get some washcloths to clean her up,¡± Pat ordered. She


    was in no position ordinarily to give me any type of order, but I nodded in agreement. Anything to help


    my little mate.


    I was back within minutes, carrying everything along with one of my t-shirts.


    ¡°Put this on her, once you get her cleaned up,¡± I said to Pat.


    She nodded and looked at me with a worried face.


    ¡°What is it, what¡¯s wrong,¡± I demanded.


    ¡°She¡¯s got some broken bones and since she¡¯s just a pup, her wolf can¡¯t heal her, Angel can try a spell


    but we all know there is something that will heal her faster, and be painless-¡±


    ¡°No! No way,¡± I growled, not letting her finish her sentence.


    ¡°What do you care,¡± Angel demanded.


    I looked at my sweet mate and ignored them both. I couldn¡¯t let out my little secret just yet.


    It was a very little known thing in the supernatural world, but vampire blood could heal humans, and


    really any creature. You didn¡¯t even need much, probably half an ounce and she would immediately


    begin to heal. Obviously, vamps didn¡¯t want this getting out, as it would put them at great risk.


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem Hunter, what do you care about some kid,¡± Angel huffed.


    She got in my face so I couldn¡¯t ignore her. I stepped back a bit and put my hands up.


    She was right, and I couldn¡¯t give my secret away, now wasn¡¯t the time. The thought of my mate having


    some blood sucker¡¯s blood coursing through her veins made me absolutely furious, my wolf began to


    stir in my mind.


    Godfrey suddenly appeared in the doorway. He was the council head and a vampire, basically


    everyone¡¯s serious and annoying uncle, all about business. He was well over four thousand years old


    and had long stopped feeding off humans so he wasn¡¯t seen as much of a threat. He often hunted with


    us shifters, they took the animal''s meat and he drank their blood. He did everything possible to keep


    things in order, and being on the council, he was essentially one of five who determined your fate if you


    were brought to trial.


    ¡°I¡¯ll feed her, she needs to heal, and quickly, letting her do it naturally will be extremely painful,¡± he said.


    He ran his hand over her leg and I felt my canines force their way out, ready to fight this beast who


    dared touch my mate. But I quickly noticed it was purple and looked disjointed. It looked so awful I was


    nearly sick. How did I miss that?


    ¡°Her leg is broken, she will be in great pain when she wakes,¡± he said, softly.


    I yelled at my wolf to calm down, thest thing we wanted was for our mate to be in pain, she already


    must have been so terrified.


    Godfrey looked at me, since I had found myself moving back toward my mate. My fists were balled and


    I was radiating anger. Anger that my mate was hurt, that there was nothing I could do about it. My wolf


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    didn¡¯t understand or care about human issues, he didn¡¯t care that Godfrey¡¯s blood probably was the


    best thing for her. He wasn¡¯t letting a vamp near our mate.


    Godfrey regarded me with curiosity.


    ¡°What is your attachment to the child Hunter?¡±

 7 - No More She-Wolves

    7 - No More She-Wolves


    ~Hunter¡¯s Point of View~


    He raised his eyebrow and I knew that he knew. I shifted my gaze back to my mate.


    ¡°Pat and Angel, please leave us,¡± he said, calmly.


    Pat opened her mouth to protest, but no one outranked Godfrey in this house. She looked at my mate


    one more time and dropped her hands to her side, then turned and hooked arms with Angel, leaving


    the room.


    ¡°It¡¯s very hard to tell her age, she¡¯s very small, maybe 14, 15? I don¡¯t really know, it¡¯s not like I see


    human children ¡­ well really I haven¡¯t seen an actual child in centuries¡­¡±


    He said that because there were vampires and other creatures that looked like children, kind of frozen


    in time. I estimated that Godfrey was about forty in human years when he was turned.


    Godfrey looked at her, curiously. It is very hard for a vampire to control themselves in the presence of a


    child, especially a virgin with pure blood. I knew if he tried to do anything, there would be no way I


    could fight him. My wolf didn''t think rationally though. My ws were extending and my heartbeat


    picked up.


    ¡°Calm down my friend, I am no threat to her,¡± he said, almost in a whisper.


    With that he sliced the palm of his hand with his fingernail and I reached to hold her mouth open. I


    watched as his blood dripped into her mouth, infuriating my wolf. I growled without even realizing it.


    ¡°Knock it off Hunter, you know this is the best thing for her, she''ll be rtively healed within the next


    day. Once I¡¯m done I¡¯ll leave so you can finish undressing her and cleaning her up. Her hair is filthy. I


    can tell you already scented her, go ahead and do it again, it¡¯ll help her be calm when she wakes in a


    strange ce,¡± he said, in a low voice.


    ¡°I ¡­ thank you,¡± was all I could mutter.


    ¡°Hmhmm,¡± he mumbled, withdrawing his hand.


    His cut was already half healed and I could hear my mate¡¯s heartbeat getting stronger, which rxed


    me and made my wolf back down.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to decide what to do with her, she can¡¯t go back to that pack. Gunner was looking for her,


    we need to know why. One of their warriors told Raul she¡¯s an orphan they took in a few months ago.


    I¡¯m going to guess she ran away from Gunner and he¡¯s pissed about it,¡± Godfrey said, with a sigh.


    Godfrey always seemed bored, his face was always unreadable. My mind immediately began racing,


    formting a million questions that only my mate could answer.


    Just as I was lost in my thoughts, Godfrey disappeared and I began cleaning up my mate. Once I could


    get her as clean as possible without an actual bath, I scented her, leaving my smell all over her hair. I


    licked her open wounds, helping to seal them. It was the best feeling in the world, knowing she was


    here in my arms and safe. Everything just suddenly made sense to me, the bond and the pull you feel


    for this other person, your soulmate, your everything.


    My brothers are going to be so fucking excited ¡­ shit! My brothers!! I hadn¡¯t yet been able to tell them.


    River was on assignment, who knows where. Skyler was out patrolling the grounds here but he should


    be back soon. Even though we never disclosed this location to anyone outside our pack, we didn¡¯t take


    any chances. Oftentimes we had some pretty unsavory characters in the dungeon, awaiting their trial


    and there was always the possibility someone might try to bust them out.


    I tried to mind-link Skyler, *dude when are you off?*


    He answered right back, *about an hour, you got called in huh? You get Gunner, anyone?*


    I sighed, stroking my mate¡¯s hand. There was a good bit of dirt under her nails but it would have to wait.


    Some girls were okay getting a little dirty, others, not so much. My spoiled sisters sure didn¡¯t know what


    it was like to get their hands dirty.


    I had finished cleaning her up as best I could and dressed her in my t-shirt. It was the sexiest sight I¡¯d


    ever seen. She was an angel.


    *We got his Beta, so that¡¯s gonna piss him off, probably provoke him. Come find me when you get off.


    I''m on the second floor.*


    *Well as good looking as you think you are, that¡¯s a hard pass, I¡¯m seeing that little vixen from-*


    I scoffed, that was ssic Skyler.


    *Dude, listen to your wiser, elder brother when I tell you, fuckinge home.*


    ~Skyler¡¯s Point of View~


    Who did this mutt think he was, barking orders at me? Shoot, I don¡¯t care if his tail was six whole


    minutes older than me, he¡¯s not my boss. I was fuming that Hunter was cock blocking me, but then


    again he was always trying to get me to back off the she-wolves. I wasn¡¯t having it! We were 24 and


    our mate was still nowhere in sight.


    I don¡¯t know how he could be such a damn saint really. He¡¯s probably only gottenid a handful of


    times and that¡¯s not gonna cut it for me! I have ¡­ urges, needs.


    I linked him back, *just tell me whatever then, I¡¯m not passing up a hot she-wolf because you want


    someone to y video games with.*


    *Trust me, this is worth your time.*


    Iughed at that.


    *The only thing that would be more worth my time is¡­ wait, is it HER? Did you find HER? Do you have


    our MATE?!*


    I jumped down from the tree I was in and stared off toward the packhouse about a mile away.


    It was radio silent for a minute. I frantically began pacing. Since we were triplets we would be sharing a


    mate, and we had all had many chats about how we would treat her, we would all absolutely ept her


    no matter what. She would be our goddess.


    *Answer me asshole!*


    *Yes, I found our mate, and ¡­ she¡¯s absolutely perfect, the most beautiful thing I¡¯ve ever seen, and her


    scent is the most fucking intoxicating thing imaginable.*


    My legs moved on their own, not staying a second longer at my post. I quickly linked the other guard on


    duty and told him I had to check out, something personal came up.


    I ran with all I had and made it back to the packhouse in minutes. The scent hit me as soon as I passed


    through the door, lcs.


    MINE!


    My wolf howled in my mind, demanding I find her now, mark her, now! Holy shit ¡­ there has never


    been, nor could there ever be something so erotic.


    Fuck! I am going to wreck her, I¡¯m going to make her mine, cover her in my scent, mark her, mate her,


    everyone is going to know she¡¯s mine! I¡¯ve waited so damn long, I¡¯m not waiting another minute! I


    bound up the steps three at a time, moving effortlessly following that electrifying scent.


    I found myself in a small guest room with my little mate tucked in the bed. She looked positively


    angelic, absolutely divine and ¡­ wait a minute. Something was off.


    ¡°Is she ... a human,¡± I said confused, in a low whisper.


    Hunter turned to face me, still holding her hand.


    ¡°No, she¡¯s a pup, doesn¡¯t have her wolf yet,¡± he said, equally hushed.


    It was extremely rare for a supernatural creature to have a human mate, but it wasn¡¯t unheard of. I


    breathed a sigh of relief. I had always dreamed of my perfect little she-wolf ... running through the


    woods with her, ying in the river. My dream mate would give us a lot of pups, all of us wanted a big


    family.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°Tell me fucking everything you know, leave no detail out,¡± I demanded, as quietly as I could. Hunter


    began the story. I sat down on the bed, taking her other hand and sniffing it.


    She reeked of Hunter and I couldn¡¯t let that stand. I immediately began scenting her, spreading myself


    all over her arm and up to her hair. She had a ton of hair, blonde and thick but rather messy and frizzy. I


    was already visualizing her hair in pigtails, with me tugging them while I--


    ¡°Hunter I need your debrief,¡± Godfrey said, poking his head in the room.


    Hunter grumbled, but he knew he couldn¡¯t say no to Godfrey.


    ¡°I got it bro,¡± I said with an evil grin, waving him off.


    ¡°She¡¯s pup, and you know that--¡±


    I scoffed, ¡°perfect gentleman, I know, I know.¡±


    I very well knew the punishment for marking a pup and I would never allow my wolf to ruin us in that


    way. Hunter reluctantly left and I wasted no time ucing my boots and kicking them off. I climbed into


    the small bed next to her, desperate to feel her body next to mine.


    I barely fit in the bed, half of me was hanging off the edge and I¡¯m sure I looked ridiculous, but it simply


    didn¡¯t matter. I had my mate, my perfect little mate and all was right with the world.

 8 - What Are You?

    8 - What Are You?


    ~Ellie¡¯s Point of View~


    My eyes flickered open and I sat up with a shudder, and immediately regretted it. I reached instinctively


    for the pain in my head expecting a gash to be there, but I felt something soft.


    Maybe a bandage? I looked down at my arm and saw arge bandage.


    I was in a small but quaint bedroom, and it was night time. There was a smallmp in the corner that


    illuminated the room. I threw the nket off me and much to my shock I was only dressed in arge


    shirt, with literally nothing else on. Who took my clothes off?!


    There were scrapes and cuts all over my legs that looked freshly cleaned. They looked like they were


    already healing, and I gaped at that. Was my wolf helping me? There was a bit of pain from my left leg


    and it had some ugly bruising.


    I knew I likely didn¡¯t have the strength to stand, but I tried to lift myself enough to see out the window, to


    gauge where I was at least. I couldn¡¯t make out anything but darkness.


    I didn¡¯t feel like I was back at Blood w, the mood felt light, I didn¡¯t have a sense of danger. If Tyson


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    had gotten me, he¡¯d likely be right next to me.


    I tried to speak but nothing came out, my throat was dry as dirt and it hurt. I didn¡¯t see any water on the


    side table and I hoped someone was nearby. I gentlyid back down and decided to knock on the wall.


    A wolf would surely hear it from anywhere in the house.


    After my third knock I heard a shuffle and some voices arguing. I couldn¡¯t tell what they were saying but


    the man¡¯s voice sounded upset. Suddenly, a woman appeared in the door. She looked about thirty and


    she had long jet ck hair and wore ripped jeans with a tank top, despite it being winter. I wasn¡¯t


    getting the vibe that she was a wolf and it confused me. Was she a human?


    ¡°Look who is finally awake! Hey guys, the pup is awake!¡±


    Two men and another woman came into the room, all regarding me carefully. I pointed to my mouth


    and made a drinking motion and one of the men said, ¡°oh duh she¡¯s probably thirsty!¡± He promptly left


    the room.


    I noticed the faint smell of maple and it dawned on me that it wasing from my shirt. I hummed,


    looking down at it, feeling safe and loved. That was stupid, it¡¯s just a shirt. I sneaked a look at the three


    people surrounding my bed, and I couldn¡¯t tell for sure but it didn¡¯t seem like any of them were wolves,


    which puzzled me greatly.


    The ck haired woman took my hand and I let her, still being confused.


    She said, ¡°you¡¯re safe hun, there¡¯s nothing to worry about. My name is Angel, this is Godfrey, Pat and


    I cracked a smile at that and for whatever reason felt like I could in fact trust them. I probably trusted


    too easily. Max popped back in the room with a bottle of water, removing the cap and putting it to my


    lips as Angel helped to prop me up. After a few gulps I cleared my throat a couple times.


    ¡°I¡¯m Ellie,¡± I finally croaked out. I sounded awful. I cleared my throat.


    ¡°Please, please I need to know if my pack is safe, is my family okay?¡±


    I immediately noticed another scenting off of me, my arm smelled like ¡­ oranges? It smelled


    incredible, and I found myself smelling my arm. I quickly recovered, and tried to act like I was just


    scratching my nose. I would investigate thatter.


    Angel let out a deep sigh. ¡°Well I don¡¯t know who your family is but ¡­ roughly a dozen or so of the pack


    were lost, all men though, no women or kids. We are Shadow Warriors, do you know who we are?¡±


    I slumped, fearful of who the casualties might be. That meant the help dide! The warriors did show


    up! I thought it was super cool I got to meet them.


    ¡°I only just learned of you recently, but I only know you are who people help, that¡¯s what I was told.


    Please, my family, they are Thomas and Valerie, can you see if they are okay?¡±


    Godfrey sighed, ¡°I can ask around, but understand we are far from there now, and I¡¯m sorry but you


    cannot go back.¡±


    I shivered, and felt tearsing. I was wondering if he knew they weren¡¯t my real family, they were my


    family to me. But I was also getting a vibe from him, like I wanted to fight him. I looked at him, trying to


    figure him out.


    ¡°What ¡­ what are you?¡±


    I cocked my head to the side.


    ¡°I¡¯m a vampire, have you ever met one,¡± he smiled, a perfect white smile.


    I gasped and shuffled back toward the headboard all while covering my mouth and instinctively brought


    my knees to my chest, pulling the big shirt down over me like a nket. Godfrey took a step back and


    held up his hands.


    ¡°I would never hurt you child, please don¡¯t be afraid,¡± he whispered.


    ¡°A vampire probably wouldn¡¯te right out and tell me he¡¯s going to hurt me,¡± I said, shivering.


    He stepped back and sat in a chair.


    ¡°Hopefully I can earn your trust,¡± he said.


    Everyone turned back to me and I guessed I was supposed to talk.


    ¡°No, I ¡­ I know there are other ¡­ beings but I only know wolves. I¡¯ve never even met a human,¡± I said,


    bashfully.


    I could swear I heard a shuffle from the hallway, and two voices out there. I couldn¡¯t stop trying to focus


    on it. Max put the bottle of water down on the side table and smiled at me.


    ¡°Would you like something to eat, what can I get you,¡± he asked.


    I looked at him with the same wonder. I kind of didn¡¯t like him either, he seemed ¡­ sneaky somehow.


    ¡°Are you a vampire too,¡± I asked.


    ¡°No sweetie, I¡¯m a fae, do you know what that is,¡± he beamed.


    I pressed my lips together in confusion. What a big world there was out there, and I was ashamed to


    admit I knew so little about it.


    ¡°No clue.¡±


    They all smiled. I couldn¡¯t make out much from any of them, either they were all just overly polite or


    maybe other creatures weren¡¯t so bad. I probably trusted too easily though. I wanted to always believe


    people were good, even though Blood w didn¡¯t show me a whole lot of good.


    I really hoped they didn¡¯t think I was an idiot. I spent thest ten years or so trying to hide from the


    Alpha that I did know a lot more than I let on, but now that I was free, I didn¡¯t want to be seen as a


    dumb pup.


    ¡°I am very hungry, we were all about to have dinner when¡­¡± I said, defeated.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a few then,¡± Max said, turning to leave.


    The events of the night hit me suddenly and I sat up straight. My heart raced as I remembered seeing


    Gunner.


    ¡°What about Alpha Gunner, his pack, did any of them die?¡±


    Godfrey looked at me like he was trying to decide what to say. I knew that face well, since everyone


    kept things from me all the time.


    ¡°We took out his Beta, but Gunner and Tyson got away. How did you know them, he asked.

 9 - What Now?

    9 - What Now?


    ~Hunter¡¯s Point of View~


    Skyler and I sat in the hallway outside Ellie¡¯s room, listening to her story and getting increasingly


    restless, desperate to be by her side, tofort her. Godfrey insisted we wait outside while they


    gathered information, convinced we would be a distraction. He made Angel put a quick spell on us to


    temporarily block our scents, much to my chagrin.


    Ellie ¡­ my mate was Ellie. Everyone in my family mostly had some type of nature rted name, so I


    always assumed our mate would. But ¡­ that just seemed so insignificant now. Ellie ... her name was


    Ellie, and she was ours.


    We had no idea if she knew I was her mate, we did share a brief moment before she passed out, and I


    just felt she had to know. She hadn¡¯t yet had her first shift, and it was quite possible she didn¡¯t know.


    Blocking your scent was prettymon for Shadows, especially when we would be in battle. Thest


    thing you wanted was for an enemy to know your scent and remember it if they lived. I listened intently


    as Ellie spoke, I wanted to hear her voice forever.


    She had only been with Blood w a few months when she was forced to make a blood oath to mate


    Tyson!


    My wolf growled at the very idea of our mate being forced to be with another, let alone an enemy! I


    would never allow that as long as there was breath in my lungs and the look on Skyler¡¯s face told me


    he felt the same.


    He looked absolutely murderous. He was by far the most impulsive of us three, but on this I agreed.


    The Alpha¡¯s entire family had to be put down, the sooner the better.


    ¡°You just packed up and ran off, no n or sense of direction, what were you thinking,¡± Angel pressed,


    as Ellie continued her story.


    ¡°I was thinking I didn¡¯t want to be a breeder to a madman, and someone who wasn¡¯t my mate,¡± Ellie


    said, inly.


    I smiled at that, knowing that she was a fighter, willing to do whatever it took to get out of a horrible


    situation. She knew we were out in the world somewhere, and she tried to find us.


    ¡°But, you really don¡¯t know how old you are, no way to even guess,¡± Godfrey inquired.


    ¡°No, I have no clue. I remember having my eighth birthday with my parents, and I remember there was


    no snow, I was wearing a dress and no shoes when we had my party outside. I try all the time to


    remember that day, but it seems like the more I focus, the harder it is to remember,¡± she said.


    She sounded so sad, she needed me, she needed my arms around her, she needed myfort. I got


    to my feet and Skyler grabbed my arm, and shook his head. I sighed, and leaned back against the wall.


    ¡°I just ¡­ I really feel like I should have gotten my wolf by now, I try to talk to her all the time, but there¡¯s


    nothing. I¡¯m terrified the Goddess forgot me, that I¡¯ll never get my wolf and I¡¯ll never get my mate,¡± Ellie


    sobbed.


    Skyler moved forward and I grabbed him by the waist and held him back.


    *I want to go to her too, but we can¡¯t, not yet,* I mind-linked to him.


    He growled at me, but fell back against the wall.


    Max came through with her food, and I rxed, knowing my poor Ellie had to be starving and this


    would help calm her down. My mate was tired, she needed a good meal and sleep. It looked like Pat


    had made steak and baked potatoes, I hope she liked it. I¡¯d have to run downter and see if there was


    anymore, I was starving too.


    Skyler and I needed to speak to our brother River soon as possible, he would be dying to know


    everything. He was the biggest hopeless romantic out of the three of us.


    *Do you know when River is due back,* I asked.


    *No, but I can find out, should be in the next day, I think he¡¯s handling that mess with the missing fae


    guy,* he said.


    I wrinkled my nose, grateful it wasn¡¯t me. As much as I didn¡¯t trust vampires, I trusted the fae even less.


    They were selfish, tricky little jerks, and I couldn¡¯t stand them. As untrustworthy as witches were, the


    fae were ten times worse.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to your meal, little one. I know this is all a lot right now, but we wille up with the best


    solution for you. Anything you need, please let Angel or Pat know,¡± Godfrey said, appearing in the


    doorway to leave.


    ¡°Thank you Mr. Godfrey, I am so grateful, if you hear anything about Thomas and Valerie, please let me


    know,¡± Ellie said.


    What perfect manners my mate has, so sweet.


    ¡°I will ask around, good night,¡± he said, walking out of the room and turning to me.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    He waved for us to follow him and he led us into the next room.


    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re thinking, waiting for, don¡¯t ¡­ do it. I know you¡¯re just waiting for us to leave so you


    can go to her. You won¡¯t right now, that¡¯s an order. When River gets back tomorrow, we¡¯ll all discuss


    this, until then, you stay out. Pat will care for her until then," Godfrey said.


    *He can¡¯t-*


    I shot Skyler a look that said to shut up.


    ¡°Tell me that you BOTH understand,¡± Godfrey said, with his serious face.


    ¡°I understand,¡± we both mumbled.


    With that, he vanished.


    ~River¡¯s Point of View~


    I¡¯d been out for a little over a week, looking for a missing fae, following leads. Normally, we didn¡¯t go to


    such lengths for a missing creature, but he was a cousin to a council member and apparently


    ¡®important.¡¯ I had only met him a few times so I mostly only knew him by reputation.


    All signs were pointing to him being kidnapped and for that, we had to try and find him.


    I just wanted to get home, have a few beers and chill out. I was aching in my bones, dreaming about a


    vacation. Where would I even go though, who the hell would I go with?


    I had only lived with my brothers since our first shift, I¡¯d had a few short lived girlfriends but nothing


    serious. In our line of work, it was too damn hard tomit to one person. We didn¡¯t stay in one ce


    long enough and we worked crazy hours. I gave up chasing tail about a year ago, hoping that


    somehow my sacrifice would mean something to the moon goddess and she would bring us our mate.


    I desperately just wanted to be settled already, have my perfect she-wolf and some pups. Have a little


    house somewhere that we could call ours.


    Some wolves that were multiples didn¡¯t want to share their mate, but you didn¡¯t have a choice ¡­ it was


    fate. It was an all or nothing situation. Likewise, a single male wolf could have a mate that was a


    multiple. My sister was friends with twin she-wolves and I secretly had hoped they might be our mates


    just so things would be a little more even.


    If even one of the multiples rejects the mate, it can wreck everyone involved, and destroy the bond.


    None of my brothers would do that, we had long talked about it and agreed we would all absolutely


    ept our mate, no matter what. We just ¡­ had to find her, which seemed impossible.


    *RING RING RING RING*


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    It was 5:40 am, who the hell was calling me? I mean I was awake, I hardly slept, but still.


    ¡°River, this is Godfrey. I need you toe back, there have been some ¡­ developments, can I have


    Angel transport you now?¡±


    Damn. What was that important?


    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s fine, give me like five minutes to get my bag together.¡±


    Godfrey was such an old vampire he didn¡¯t even really sleep, and he could actually be in sunlight for


    short periods of time without it bothering him. If he was in a sunlit room but out of the direct light, he


    couldst all day.


    A few minutester I was standing in Godfrey¡¯s office at the packhouse. Hunter and Skyler were staring


    at me. They both looked like shit and like they hadn¡¯t slept.


    ¡°You both look like shit, must be something good,¡± I said with a snicker.


    As soon as the words left my mouth it hit me, the sweetest scent imaginable, lcs ¡­ filled my nose


    like heaven. It was her, my wolf howled!


    MATE!

 10 - The Lie

    10 - The Lie


    ~River¡¯s Point of View~


    My feet immediately moved to follow the sweetest smell imaginable and Godfrey suddenly appeared in


    front of me, blocking the door.


    ¡°Move!¡±


    I growled at him and my brothers instantly grabbed one of my arms and pulled me to a chair.


    ¡°What the fuck, where is she?!¡±


    I did everything to try and get up. They were NOT going to keep me from her!


    ¡°You can see her, but there are some things you need to know first,¡± Godfrey said.


    Hunter began to ramble on with what happened. I absolutely hated listening to Hunter tell a story, he


    was pokey and always added details that didn¡¯t matter. He was keeping me from my mate and I was


    about to throw his ass out the window. I had waited my whole life for this moment.


    ¡°So, she can¡¯t stay at headquarters, this is no ce for a pup, I¡¯m not running a daycare and of course I


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    would never trust all the unmated mutts running about,¡± Godfrey said, with a snort.


    Skyler growled at that insult, and Godfrey smiled, his devilish grin. It made Godfrey giddy to call us


    mutts or dogs, it was literally the funniest thing in the world to him and he got upset if we didn¡¯t give him


    the reaction he was looking for. I was long onto his game.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it all night, and I think she should stay with our parents and our sisters, they


    live in a good area, we could get a ce nearby,¡± Hunter said.


    ¡°Fuck that! She¡¯s living with us, we¡¯ll get a ce and set it up, whatever she needs, we are the only


    ones who should care for her,¡± Sklyer said, defiant.


    ¡°River, talk some sense into them will you, you¡¯re the smart one,¡± Godfrey said, looking bored.


    Hunter growled at that insult as well. What a bunch of crap, I don¡¯t give a shit about all this banter!


    I couldn¡¯t think about anything but seeing her, it was making my wolf insane. I was literally under the


    same roof as my mate, the only thing I have ever truly wanted, and these idiots were keeping me from


    her.


    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to Ellie if you have a rut? If there¡¯s a full moon? Your dogs won¡¯t be able to


    control themselves, they¡¯ll have to mate with her, and you all very well know this,¡± Godfrey said again,


    looking like he¡¯d rather be anywhere else.


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out, we wouldn¡¯t do anything to jeopardize ourselves ¡­ or her. There¡¯s nobody that can


    keep her safe like us. She literally has nobody in her life, but the Goddess finally brought her to us,


    there¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting her go. She risked it all to run away from Gunner, and the Goddess put


    Hunter in her path,¡± Skyler said, jumping to his feet and balling his fists.


    ¡°I can¡¯t think, listen to you idiots and smell my mate at the same time, I need to see her, NOW and


    you¡¯re not going to stop me, we¡¯ll talk about thister,¡± I said, getting to my feet.


    ¡°No, you¡¯ll all talk about it NOW,¡± Pat said, appearing in the doorway.


    Fuck this, I am not waiting! I went toward the door, and again, Godfrey blocked me.


    ¡°We ¡­ haven¡¯t told her yet, I haven¡¯t let them tell her that she¡¯s your mate. She¡¯s only seen Hunter so


    far, and from talking to her I¡¯m convinced she has no clue, she just thinks he¡¯s her savior. So yes, we


    will talk about it now, there will be no asking her what she wants, she¡¯s a child and she has only said


    she wants to go back to her pack, which isn¡¯t an option,¡± Godfrey said.


    I let out a deep breath and sat back down. Pat cleared her throat.


    ¡°You have to be very careful with Ellie, she¡¯s led an extremely sheltered life and for months she¡¯s been


    living in that hippie pack without electricity or running water! I watched her giggle and flick themp on


    and off for ten minutes before I finally took it away from her.


    She hasn¡¯t even seen an ice cube in months or used a shower! I would put her at about 17, but she¡¯s


    still very ¡­ simple. She was kept away from the world by Alpha Gunner, only allowed to see or


    socialize with a few people, and they were all women. Gunner and Tyson were practically the only


    males she really even spoke to before going to Whisper Crescent.


    Seeing all of you, being in the same room with all of you will very much overwhelm her, whether she


    knows you are mates or not. Honestly, I am surprised she doesn¡¯t have her wolf yet, she has to be very


    close,¡± Pat said.


    I mulled all that over, my poor sweet little pup ¡­ Ellie. Not a name I was expecting but I didn¡¯t care.


    She was ours. She belongs to us, with us and we were hers. I was getting dizzy from her scent.


    ¡°If mom will take her, that seems like the best option. We can patrol the property, dad¡¯s not always


    there. She¡¯d have my sisters to teach her things, help her when her shift happens,¡± I said, reluctantly.


    ¡°Traitor,¡± Skyler mumbled.


    Hunter smiled, ¡°I think it¡¯s the best option, for all of us.¡±


    ¡°Okay, great, now fucking get out of my way,¡± I said.


    Godfrey shot me a weird look, and my wolf shed his ck eyes.


    ¡°Please,¡± I said, sarcastically.


    Vampires are impossible to read, they don¡¯t breathe so there¡¯s no sigh, breathing or any exasperation.


    They have the ultimate poker face and never give anything away and Godfrey was a master at this.


    ¡°If your family agrees, I have one condition. She¡¯s to think you are just nice people helping her out,


    you¡¯re NOT telling her that you are her mates. She needs to figure that out on her own. If you tell her,


    she¡¯ll want to be affectionate with you, she will make advances, she won¡¯t be able to help herself. Angel


    will block your scents to her for the time being, everyone in agreement, hmm,¡± Godfrey asked, although


    we all knew it really wasn¡¯t a question.


    Godfrey sat down at his desk, looking like he was beyond annoyed and should be sunning on a yacht


    somewhere. Angel appeared in the doorway.


    ¡°I have to block your scent if you want to see her, she mumbled something about a maple scent on


    Hunter and we don¡¯t want her being confused if she thinks all three of you smell like hot stuff. This spell


    will dissolve when her wolfes forward. Anything you touch or have touched that carries your


    essence will be hidden from her,¡± Angel said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll agree to whatever, just let me see her, right fucking now,¡± I said, running over to Angel and putting


    my hands up like I was going to get a search. I didn¡¯t even know what I was doing anymore, I was just


    in a daze.


    Once Angel was done I didn¡¯t wait and I certainly didn¡¯t need anyone to tell me where she was, my wolf


    would find her.


    My feet moved on their own, leading me to a guest room. She finally came into my view, my little


    beauty. I first noticed a huge amount of blonde hair, and then her cute little nose. Her cheeks were a bit


    rosy, which I could still see even though the room was a bit dark. My horny wolf wanted to see her


    body, but she had the covers pulled up high, only one arm sticking out.


    I nced at my watch and it was just after 6:30 am. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I had or when she might


    wake up. I didn¡¯t care. I found myself climbing in bed with her, listening to her heartbeat.


    I immediately rxed, and took all of her in, the softness of her hand, the low sound of her breathing.


    She was absolutely wless, made for me. I would treasure her, treat her like the queen she was, my


    love, my Ellie.

 11 - Was I Crazy?

    11 - Was I Crazy?


    ~Ellie¡¯s Point of View~


    I was having the most amazing dream, it was about my maple syrup heart throb. I couldn¡¯t understand


    where he went, why didn¡¯t hee back to check up on me? It seemed like we really shared a


    moment when he found me, but maybe I was just woozy.


    I dreamed that he was with me, caressing my hair, stroking my arm. I knew I had been given his shirt, I


    just knew it was his, it had to be! Why would he do that and then just never show himself to me again?


    I definitely felt like there was something everyone was keeping from me, but they were all so nice and I


    didn¡¯t want to seem ungrateful. I was up quitete thinking about everything and worrying about what


    woulde next. What were they going to do with me? It seemed like they didn¡¯t even know. I put that


    aside.


    I felt so rxed, so at ease. My bed felt exceptionally warm and snuggly. I sighed and stretched, and


    heard a thud! I jumped at the sound and flicked my eyes open.


    There was a man sitting in the chair by the window, but he looked a bit shaken. Wait, was it ¡­ my


    dream boat?!


    ¡°Are you ¡­ did you cut your hair?¡± I was incredibly confused.


    I paused and he moved toward me, and sat on the end of the bed. He didn¡¯t have a smell and it


    puzzled me. Was I crazy? Everyone had a smell¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re not ¡­ maple syrup,¡± I asked, cocking my head to the side.


    I felt incredibly confused, but I needed to hear him, I wanted him close. Why was he here though?


    He looked like maple syrup ... maybe I hallucinated his hair being longer, but ¡­ his smell?


    Heughed with his whole body, and I loved it. I couldn¡¯t put my finger on it, but he seemed so


    weing, so rxing to me.


    ¡°No sweetie, I¡¯m ¡­ my name is River.¡±


    I smiled at him, I mean he was gorgeous. Perfect smile, dark brown hair, not too long but enough that I


    could run my fingers through it, which I found myself desperately wanting to do.


    He had sky blue eyes and the cutest dimples, just like my maple syrup. Surely they both had mates,


    they were far too hot to be single.


    ¡°Do you know the guy that saved me? You look just like him,¡± I said, hopeful. I gave him my best smile.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s my brother, Hunter,¡± he smiled.


    ¡°Wow! Twins? That¡¯s so cool,¡± I giggled and pped my hands.


    Heughed and I found myself feeling self-conscious. I really could use a bath. I could smell myself


    and it wasn¡¯t pretty.


    ¡°We¡¯re actually triplets, believe it or not. Hunter is the oldest, then me, and Skyler is the youngest,¡± he


    said, getting up to stand and taking a step toward the door.


    He looked ¡­ nervous? Did I make him nervous? I¡¯d have to think about thatter. y it cool!


    ¡°Triplets!! I¡¯ve never seen triplets before,¡± I beamed, wondering where the rest of them were hiding. I


    wanted to see them all, line them up! My mind had to see them all to believe it.


    ¡°Well Hunter is actually bringing up your breakfast, he¡¯ll be here in a minute, and I¡¯m not sure where


    Skyler is but he¡¯s around. How are you feeling,¡± he said.


    I hoped he stayed awhile, I could listen to him talk all day, his voice was smooth and calming.


    ¡°Much better, the Goddess has truly blessed me, I¡¯m very lucky. Although, they said I can¡¯t go home, so


    I have been worried about what¡¯s going to happen to me,¡± I said.


    I wondered if he knew what the heck was going on. Surely he did.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s actually why we¡¯re here. We wanted to know if maybe you wanted to go live with our family,


    I have two teenage sisters and I think you all would get along great,¡± he said, timidly.


    He was so weing, I just wanted him to hold me, his arms looked so big and strong and...


    What the heck was wrong with me?! I never felt like this about any of the guys in my old pack, but then


    again none of them looked at me like this guy. He looked like he wanted to crawl right in bed with me


    and honestly, I¡¯d probably let him!


    Calm down Ellie, jeez!


    Another thought hit me quickly, and I had the old fear about looking at males that weren¡¯t Tyson. Alpha


    Gunner beat and imprisoned several males who dared try to speak to me or look at me when I was


    growing up.


    But Godfrey said we were far from there, surely they couldn¡¯t get me here. Not in a house full of so


    many different creatures! Just then another one came in, and I grinned.


    ¡°Hunter,¡± I asked, with an urgent but excited voice and pointed at him.


    He smirked, ¡°way better than Hunter! I¡¯m Skyler.¡±


    He sat on the end of the bed where River had previously sat, and I beamed. They were identical, all


    three of them, my goodness!


    Just then the third one came in with a tray of food and my stomach flipped, but then my smile fell.


    ¡°Maple ¡­ syrup? Why don¡¯t you smell anymore? Am I crazy?¡±


    They all looked at each other and I felt like an idiot. The one with the food gave a weakugh.


    ¡°Yes, I brought some syrup for your pancakes, I hope you¡¯re hungry,¡± he said.


    Pat appeared at the door. I suddenly got angry at her presence and I didn¡¯t know why.


    ¡°Hi sweetie, did you sleep okay,¡± she said.


    She abruptly cleared her throat and all the guys quickly gathered at the door. Please don¡¯t go! My mind


    was fighting between jumping up to grab them all and staying put. I felt like I could jump out of my skin


    at any second. Get it together Ellie!


    ¡°Yes, very good actually, I woke up feeling very refreshed. I never usually sleep in sote. Could ... I


    please have a moment alone with Hunter,¡± I asked.


    I couldn¡¯t help it, I had too many burning questions that I needed to ask. Surely he would tell me, if we


    maybe didn¡¯t have a crowd in here!


    Everyone looked at Hunter and he beamed. Pat started to speak but stopped herself. She looked like


    she was torn on what to do. What did she care?


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, guys give us a minute, please,¡± Hunter said.


    Skyler looked pissed and River didn¡¯t seem too happy either. What was I missing? Everyone finally left


    and Hunter sat on the edge of the bed. I didn¡¯t like how far away he still was. I wanted him to hold me.


    He¡¯s a stranger Ellie, get a hold of yourself!


    ¡°I just ¡­ I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am, and to thank you for answering my prayers. I


    begged the Goddess to help me, to send an angel, and then suddenly you just came out of nowhere, I


    was convinced I was as good as gone,¡± I said, staring into his beautiful blue eyes.


    He grinned and it took all my restraint not to throw myself at him. Breathe, just breathe.


    ¡°Just doing my job sweetie, d I got there in time, you were pretty cold and you were-¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    He stopped himself and I raised my hand and gestured, indicating he should continue


    .


    ¡°Well I¡¯m just d you¡¯re okay, and d we could help. I think you¡¯ll do well with my family,¡± he said.


    I was absolutely giddy. I was going home with them!


    ¡°It¡¯ll be quite a full house, all of us together,¡± I said, excited and pping.


    He looked confused and I couldn¡¯t understand his reaction.


    ¡°Oh, oh no sweetie, we live here. My brothers and I are Shadow Warriors, we live and work out of here.


    My parents live a little ways away, but we could visit sometimes,¡± he said.


    My face fell at that, and I slumped back against the wall. I crossed my arms and I could tell he didn¡¯t


    like my response.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, you¡¯ll like it there, we¡¯ll see that you have whatever you need,¡± he said, reaching for my


    hand.


    I happily scooted forward and took his hand and without even realizing it, I put it to my cheek and felt


    his warmth. He didn¡¯t pull away, and I could swear I actually heard him purr. Maybe I was purring, who


    knows.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I just stay here, everyone is so nice,¡± I asked, hopeful.


    ¡°Oh no, this isn¡¯t ¡­ I mean, only warriors live here, this is kind of a workce but we just crash here


    too,¡± he replied.


    I scrunched my nose and frowned, he pulled away. I wanted to pout but I didn¡¯t want to seem like a


    brat. He brought the tray of food and sat it on myp.


    ¡°Eat up, okay? Pat will bring you some clothes and things to shower with once you¡¯re done. My mom


    and my sisters will be hereter to get you,¡± he said, with a look I couldn¡¯t quite make out.


    ¡°I¡¯m just really, so grateful to you Hunter, if there¡¯s ever anything I could do¡­ well I¡¯m a good cook!


    Maybe I could make you and your brothers dinner some night,¡± I said, hopeful.


    Food always made guys happy, surely that would guarantee I would see them again.


    ¡°We would love that, it¡¯s a date,¡± he said, moving toward the door.


    I felt warm all over at the idea I would have a date ¡­ a DATE with triplets!


    I started to ask more about his brothers when Pat appeared at the door again, with some clothes and


    other things in her hands. I wanted her to go away. She was intruding!


    ¡°Bye Ellie,¡± Hunter said, waving.


    Nooooo! Please don¡¯t leave! Please get in bed with me and ¡­ oh what¡¯s the use.


    ¡°Bye, Hunter,¡± I said, pathetically.


    I loved hearing him say my name though, he was so sweet and so handsome, my hero. I would have


    sweet dreams tonight!


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