Alpha's Mate

Chapter 6

Quin returned to the office building next door and went straight to his office.  When he entered, he was very surprised to see he had someone waiting for him.  Quin walked and stood in front of the man who was sleeping on his couch and grinned.  It was Jaden, his best friend when he was a child.  Jaden had been asked to come to the States with him but instead, he had gone into training with the Council of Europe, to be an Alpha.

His parents were the Betas of the Gevaudan Pack.  Jaden had proven that he could be an Alpha when he was a young wolf.  His parents never wanted to challenge Quin's claim as Alpha, and had tried to teach their son to be a Beta, but the power that he wielded couldn’t be contained.  The Council recognized it, and asked him to come to them for training, and then when ready he would receive his own pack.  Quin had missed his friend.  They had been closer than brothers.  Whenever he needed to talk or work things through, he often called his friend and talked to him.

This was a very pleasant surprise lying in front of him.  His best friend would be here to meet his mate, and be a witness for the Council in Europe of the claiming.  It was perfect.

“Dude,” Quin said, and nudged his friend’s leg to wake him.

Jaden slowly opened his eyes and stretched before saying to his friend, “Hey, bro.  What’s up?”

“What’s up is you are in my office in the United States.  When the hell did you get in, and why are you here?” Quin said, laughing at his friend when he shook his head to clear out the cobwebs.

“Seriously, bro, I know where the hell I am.  The Council sent me to help your sorry ass with the Rogues.  They thought I could lend a hand.  Besides, I was getting bored waiting for them to find me a pack.  I was thinking about coming here and making a pack near here.  This place is gorgeous, and the women aren’t bad either,” he said, wiggling his eyes.

“You could not have come at a better time; we had an attack last night.  I was going to have to call the Council anyway for help.  I need to figure out who in hell the leader is, and why he has targeted my pack.  For a month, we have waited and watched, we thought they had left and then this.  Whoever it is, they had patience; he waited and watched, until he found a weakness in our security,” Quin said and ran a hand over his face.

Jaden stood and instantly became serious, that was what he loved about the man.  One second, he could be laughing and joking, and the next, he could start issuing orders.  He was the same height as Quin, but where he had dark hair, Jared’s hair was pale blond, almost white.  He left it shoulder length, like when they were younger.  He had bulked up a lot since the last time Quin had seen him.  He looked like a professional football player, instead of a businessman.

“Who was attacked?” Jaden said quietly.

“Ruby, she is Margie and Rodger’s oldest daughter.  She thought she was accepting a delivery for the restaurant, and they jumped her in the alley,” Quin explained what happened. 

Jaden’s hands were clenched when he finished the story, and Quin let him calm down before he spoke, “I need help.  I have found my mate.”

Jaden looked at him in surprise and then grinned.  “Dude, doing the wife and kid's thing, that’s awesome.”

“Well, definitely the wife, we have not even had a chance to talk about anything else.  I just met her a few days ago.  Right now, it feels like a lifetime from where we are.  I want to introduce her to the pack tonight.  I’m glad you will be there so you can meet her.  She should be back here soon,” Quin said and went to his desk.  Even with all the bad things happening, he had a hard time not thinking about Cami and smiling.

Jaden and Quin caught up as they sat and talked about what the pack was planning.  Jaden asked for permission to stay with the pack until he decided what he was going to do and where he was going to establish a pack.  Jaden had never thought beyond coming to the States and reuniting with his friend.  For the last few months, he had been plagued with an almost desperate need to come to his friend.  He felt that things were going to change and get a little rocky before they got better for his friend.

Two hours later, they had a plan, and Quin called for a pack meeting.  He brought his friend up to his apartment to get settled before the meeting.  They entered the living area and Quin smiled.  Cami had just gotten home, he felt her in the bedroom moving around.  Their bond was already forming and he couldn’t be happier.

Quin noticed his friend had stopped in the entryway and was sniffing.  “Dude, don’t do that around her, she’ll be pissed.”  He chuckled and then frowned when his friend didn’t respond but only continued to sniff.

“Jaden?” he said.

His friend opened his eyes and Quin stepped forward.  “What?” he asked, thinking there was something wrong.  He couldn’t smell anything but Cami.

“Sh^t,” Jaden said, as he expelled a breath.

“WHAT?” Quin said impatiently.

“NO F^KIN’ WAY!” Jaden yelled.

Cami came out of the master bedroom to see what the heck all the noise was about.  She hoped nothing else had happened, she was worn out from staying with Ruby.  The girl had cried and wanted Cami to come home with her.  She had made sure the girl was settled in her parents’ apartment, before returning to Quin’s apartment.  She was going to go and see Quin, but she needed a few minutes to gather herself before she saw the man who was consuming her thoughts.

There were two men standing in the entrance when she came out into the room.  She stopped when she saw Quin; he looked tired, she thought, before she looked at the other man.  He stood the same height as Quin, and was just as handsome.  They were like two sides of the same coin—one dark haired and the other one light.  Both strong and muscular, had similar facial features—long chiseled nose and cheeks.  Quin had blue eyes and the stranger had deep green.  They were both drop dead gorgeous, she felt the heat between her legs, what the hell was wrong with her?  One man was more than enough.

“Quin, everything okay?” she asked and walked to his side.

“Hey, baby, this is Jaden, my oldest friend in the world.  He was sent to help us.  How is Ruby?” he asked, and kissed her on top of her head.

Cami looked at Jaden through her lashes shyly, and then turned to Quin.  “Fine, we got her home and settled.  Her mom was calling the counselor to come and talk to her.  Gosh, you have one of everything in this pack, don’t you?”

“No, but what we don’t have, I will get.  Ruby will need all of us in the next few weeks.  So, how about dinner before the meeting?” he said, looking at his friend who was staring at his woman as if she was dinner.  “Dude?” he growled.

Jaden seemed to shake off whatever was bothering him and opened his mouth and said, “We have a little situation, guys.”

“Really?”  Quin frowned and looked at Cami.  “Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of Cami.  She is Alpha of this pack too.”

“Well, bro, I don’t know how to break this to you, but Cami is also my mate.  The spirits must be laughing right now,” Jaden said, and pushed a hand through his hair and waited.  He hadn’t seen his friend in ten years.  He comes here to help, and finds his mate too.  What the hell was going on?  She was already with Quin, and he would never do anything to hurt him.

“Huh?” Cami said, and leaned in closer to Quin.

“Impossible,” Quin said, and pulled her closer.

Grace came into the room, looked at both men, and smiled.  “Jaden, you just get in?  What?”

“We need a few, Grace,” Quin said, and never took his eyes off his friend who was staring at Cami.

“I think I will be needed for this.  Your parents both called me a few minutes ago.  Cami dear, why don’t you come and sit down with me,” she said, and held out her arm for the woman.

“Sure, I think I may have stepped into another reality.  Werewolves, fine, I got that, it took me awhile.  But—two men?  I don’t think so,” Cami said, and dropped to the couch when her legs wouldn’t hold her anymore.

“Boys, if you please,” Grace said, pointing at the couch across from her and Cami.  “I think I may be able to shed some light on the situation.  The Council contacted your parents a few months ago.  They thought that sending Jaden to the U.S. would be prudent, considering the attacks had all but stopped except for in Denver.  They felt there was something going on, and Quin you would need help.  They also asked that you not be told, Quin.  The Seer of the Council had a dream.  She said that events that happened here were meant to be.  You will be an Alpha Triad in order to have the strength for what is to come.  She doesn’t know exactly what is coming, she just knows that it isn’t good, and it will be soon.  You have to deal with this now, so you can help the others prepare.”

Quin sat, listened, and then grinned.  It wasn’t a mistake, it was the way it was supposed to be, and it felt right that he would share a mate with his best friend.  Now, how the hell was he going to convince Cami of it?

“Whoa, three people in a relationship!  What are you talking about?  I need to get a clue here with what I am dealing with.  Are you saying I am going to have two boyfriends—at once?  You are crazy; I can barely keep one man happy,” Cami said with a hint of panic in her voice.

“Baby, you don’t have to keep us happy.  That is our job, we keep you happy,” Jaden said to her.

“I don’t even know your name, why would you want to keep me happy?”  She giggled in panic.

“My name is Jaden.  I am Quin’s childhood friend.  We grew up in France together, and I clearly was sent to you and Quin to complete this Alpha Triad.  No, you don’t know me, but everything that Quin has told you—goes double for me.  I will protect you and keep you happy,” Jaden said smoothly.

Quin stood and came to sit next to her.  He took her hands in his and looked her in the eye.  “I know this is nothing you bargained for, and you have a lot of questions.  I guess the best way to think about it is that Jaden and I will both be your mates.  Together we will run the pack, and we together will keep you happy.  You already took the step to be with me, or you would never have come to the doctor’s office to help.”

“Well yeah, but now you want me to be with two of you, I mean s*x and all,” she whispered, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that two virtual strangers were asking her to mate with both of them, and they were doing it in front of an old woman.  What is wrong with this picture?  She had to be dreaming.

“I need space,” she said, stood, and walked back into the master bedroom that had become her place to think.

Grace stood up and smiled at the pair of men.  “Don’t let her think for too long.  This is a whopper.  Dinner is in the fridge when you are ready.”

“Sh^t,” Quin swore, and leaned back against the couch.

“Yeah,” Jaden said and stood.  “Let me try to talk to her.”

“Go for it,” Quin replied, and stayed where he was.

Jaden walked down the hallway and knocked gently on the door.  He looked around and smiled, his place in France was decorated in the same colors.  Quin and he had always had the same taste in everything, including women.  Though they had never shared one woman before, Jaden had a feeling they were going to have to learn.

“Baby, can I talk to you for a minute?” he said and pushed open the door.

Cami was standing in front of the big wall of windows looking out over the city.

Not turning, she said quietly, “You know, when I woke up three days ago, I was happy as a clam.  My life was going along as planned, and everything was normal.  In the span of forty-eight hours, I find out mythical creatures are real, and I’m supposed to assume an important role that I have no idea what it entails.  Fine, go with the flow.  Grace told me what would happen if I refuse you.  I figured, finally, I would have a relationship where the man couldn’t cheat on me, and he would never get sick of me.  At least, that’s what Grace says.  You know it is kind of a heady feeling that I have that much control over Quin.  I didn’t want to be the one who destroyed another person, just because I couldn’t have an open mind.  So it wasn’t moonlight and roses, still nothing I have ever done has been normal, why start now, but two men?  That one is going to be a little hard to accept.” 

Jaden came and stood behind her and rubbed her arms.  She leaned against him instinctively, and sighed.  She felt the same pull for this man as she did for Quin.  How was that possible?  This had to be some kind of mindf^k.

“Baby, I have no clue why things happen.  I only know that I can feel the pull to you and Quin.  It feels right.  I don’t know what the future holds, or what we are supposed to do.  As far as I know, Alpha Triads are rare.  They picked the three of us for a reason.  Right now though, all I can think about is kissing you,” Jaden said and turned her around.

Cami looked up in the face of the man who was supposed to be her mate, and smiled—she wanted to kiss him too.  Cami reached up, pulled his head down to meet hers, and almost came from the feeling of touching his lips.

The kiss started sweet, and gentle, and then Jaden pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.  He explored her mouth with his tongue.  It felt just as good as when she kissed Quin.  She didn’t feel guilty, like she thought she would have, instead it felt right.

Jaden pulled back and smiled at her.  “I want to learn everything about you.  I wish we could shut ourselves in this room for the next week.  Unfortunately, we have a meeting in less than a few hours; we have some things to discuss.  Such as, what your favorite color is.  I have never slept with someone without knowing their favorite color.”

Cami giggled and leaned into him and put her head on his chest.  What the hell was she doing?

“Let's go eat,” Jaden said, pulling her back with him toward the living room.

Quin was still sitting in the same place on the couch, and she went and sat next to him.  She leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips.  “Sorry, had to freak out for a minute.”

“Sweetie, I would be worried if you were not freaked out,” Quin said, looked at her, and then to Jaden.  “We good?”

“Well, if you are talking about the fact that some strange outside mystic source has decided that I am going to mate with two totally gorgeous men.  And obviously, I really don’t have any choice in the matter, and oh yeah, by the way, both of the men are wolves—then yes, we are good,” Cami said and smiled at the men.

“Wow, that makes it sound really sh^tty,” Jaden said, and reached up with a hand and rubbed his neck.

“Yeah, well if I get a little pissy and hormonal, then you know why,” Cami said.  “Let’s eat.”

Quin shook his head, stood up, and pulled Cami with him as he walked to the kitchen.  Cami shooed him out of the way, and pulled three plates from the fridge.  She set the plates on the table, and then pulled a bottle of wine from the wine cooler and pushed it toward Quin, who opened it and poured three glasses.

They sat and ate, making small talk about what they were planning to do at the meeting.  Quin explained the new rules, and talked with Jaden about the security he wanted installed in all the pack businesses and buildings.  During dinner, Cami took the opportunity to stare at the men. 

She shifted uncomfortably, when she started thinking about what it would be like to be with both of them at the same time.  Quin smiled at Jaden because they could smell her arousal.

“Baby, you have to stop that or we will never make it to the meeting.”  Jaden grinned.

“What?” she said, frowning at the men.  Crap—could they read her mind too.

“You are getting aroused, baby, we can smell it,” Quin said, leering at her.

“WHAT?!” she screeched and jumped up.

“Don’t be embarrassed.  I just don’t want the rest of the pack knowing we left you high and dry, unless you want us to take care of you before the meeting?” Jaden said innocently.

“NO!  What do you mean you can smell me?” she cried.

“Wolves have a keen sense of smell and hearing, doll.  I could smell you a mile away,” Quin said.

“Gross, well knock it off.  No sniffing—that is my new rule,” she huffed.

“Yeah, that is going to stop us,” Jaden drawled.

Cami stomped out of the room and went directly to the bedroom where she quickly showered and then dressed for the meeting.  She refused to sit in a room full of wolves who knew she wanted nothing more than to have the two Alphas rip her clothes off and f^k her.

When she emerged in the living area, both men were waiting and smirking.  They looked at her and laughed when they realized she had put on a lot of perfume just in case.  Well tough sh^t, she thought, and stood by the door.

Together they went to announce that they were the new Alphas and the new rules.