**Kade’s POV**
When I got the mind link from Phoenix that there was something wrong with Connor, I took off immediately. I didn’t bother to stop and undress, I leaped into the air and shifted mid jump, tearing my clothes to shreds in the process. The moment my gray paws made contact with the ground, Blade, my wolf, took off in the direction of the waterfall. He was just as worried as I was. Was Connor really going through his first shift? He’s not even of age. The only possible explanation would be that he has some powerful alpha blood in him to go through his first shift early.
“Do you think little sister will be safe during his shift? I know they would never intentionally hurt her, but the first shift can be difficult and disorienting”, Blade asks worriedly.
“No, I don’t think they could hurt her even if they tried. Just like us, every fiber in his body screams to protect her”, I answered with complete trust in my alpha.
Blade simply huffed in acknowledgment of my words but proceeded to pick up his pace.
I know he is worried, but I don’t think I have ever seen Blade move so fast in the time we have been together. We made it to the waterfall in no time. He was certainly spent, but nothing was going to stop him from protecting our little sister. He would do anything for her, even if that means standing up to our Alpha. As we approached our spot, I asked him to give back control, but he refused. He was adamant about being ready in case Phoenix needed us; however, the last thing we expected to see was Connor shift into his wolf right in her hands. Perfectly, with not so much of a single scratch on her. She sat there frozen in awe, with our Alpha's giant head in the palms of her hands. To our utter surprise, he took a step forward, sniffed the nape of her neck, and licked her right up the side of her face! That seemed to have shaken her out of her shock because she went on to giggle and toss his fur around.
“Goddess, she never ceases to amaze me” I thought to Blade, he grumbled in agreement. She truly was one of a kind.
Connor’s wolf must have sensed us because he took a protective stance over Phoenix, faced us, and let out a warning growl that radiated pure danger. Had we been anyone else, that warning would have been terrifying. However, for us, it filled our chest with pride. It was proof that he, too, would do anything for her.
Blade cautiously took a step out from behind the bushes to show the Alpha that it was just us. Blade waited patiently to see the recognition cross in his eyes before he made another move. Once his stance over Phoenix relaxed, we continued forward to greet our new Alpha! Even in wolf form, we could see the giant grin on their wolf face, “Hey man! Look at you, guys! Your wolf is HUUGGEE! Congrats, man… what’s his name?” I linked over to Connor.
“Hello, Beta. My name is Shadow - it is good to officially meet my second in command. Thank you for getting here as fast as you could. Although it seems little wolf here was able to help my human through our shift." As Shdow spoke of her, you could see the sparkle in his eyes. It's like she leaves a lasting impression on everyone she meets. Shadow turned back around to face us and said, "Let's go for a run, I am ready to stretch my legs... Phenoix, climb on, let me show you how fast a real wolf can move."
As Phoenix climbs onto Shadow's back, she yells out, "OOOOOHHHHH, YOU HEAR THAT BLADE?! SHADOW IS THROWING DOWN A CHALLENGE!!!!! YOU GONNA LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THAT OR YOU GOING TO SHOW HIM WHAT THIS BETA CAN DO?!
***Third Person POV***
And with those words, they took off! Both Alpha and Beta are giving it their all to see who the top wolf is. Blade thinks he has it in the bag because this isn't their first run together, unlike the Alpha's, who are still getting used to sharing control. However, Connor and Shadow aren't any wolf, they are an Alpha wolf with a strong bond. Where neither are willing to be shown up, with determination shining in their eyes, they push themselves forward and pull ahead of their Beta! And that is much of how their night went, racing through the forest, jumping over fallen trees, running through streams of water, and seeing who could take down the biggest kill.
After playing for hours, the wolves decided to take a break and return to the waterfall to rest. Once they neared the water, Shadow crouched down to let Phoenix slide off his back, and he followed Blade over to grab a drink of water. As they did that, Phoenix walked over to where the blanket they laid out earlier was and sat down, thinking about how much fun the night was with Blade and Shadow. It was clear to her, Blade and Shadow saw each other as brothers, just as Kade and Connor saw one another, and it brought a smile to her face. Wait… this whole night, she felt everything both Wolves felt, she realized… but how? she wondered to herself…
While she was lost in thought, Shadow and Blade trotted over. Blade curled himself around her, and Shadow lay in front of her, resting his giant head on her lap. When that didn’t seem to bring her out of her thoughts, he used his wet nose to nudge her in the stomach, while from behind, Blade licked the side of her face.
“OH! Sorry, guys, I was just thinking about how much fun tonight was! You, too, are so competitive! Hehe”
Both Wolves huffed in agreement.
She laid back against Blade and rubbed the top of Shadow's head. Something was different now; it was like Connors' shift opened some sort of door. Phoenix could feel their emotions. Typically, only fated mates or twins can feel one another like this. But somehow, she could feel both Beta and Alpha, human and wolf. Phoenix tilted her head to the side and asked, “do you guys feel that, too? It's faint for me, probably because I don’t have my wolf, yet… but I can feel your emotions. I can tell you are both exhausted from tonight but also content to stay here for a while… Can you feel me?”
Both wolves looked at each other, mind linking each other, discussing what she asked.
Though it was their human counterparts who answered her, “you’re right, I don’t think any of us thought anything about it, but we all felt your emotions tonight, too”, Kade replied.
“He’s right. Except it wasn’t exactly faint for Shadow. Maybe it’s easier for our wolves to pick on emotions, but he could feel how excited you were riding on us, the thrill you got whenever he leapt over a tree or ran through the water. He felt it all.”
Both wolves nodded their heads in agreement with what their human counterparts said.
They stayed there like that for a while, deep in thought, wondering what this could possibly mean. The three of them can’t be mates, can they? That isn’t how the mate bond worked; two Wolves that aren’t brothers? That’s never happened. Plus, Kade couldn’t be her mate! He was like a brother to her! Phoenix thought… The idea alone sent a shiver down her spine. Gross. With this newly found bond, they picked up on what was going on in her head, and Blade sneezed in response while shaking his head side to side.
“No way, Phoenix! We aren’t mates, that is sick! There is no way the Moon Goddess would do that to us.” Kade chastised her, “whatever this new connection is between the three of us… it isn’t that”.
“You’re right, Kade. I’m just trying to understand what it could be. Maybe the Goddess is simply blessing us with such a connection.” She shrugged, allowing herself to relax further into Blades' luscious warm body. Eventually, she slipped into a peaceful sleep, curled up into a ball, hands fisting his gray fur, feeling completely safe surrounded by the two most important people in her life. And soon after, both boys and wolves followed suit, out cold, curled around the little she wolf they all adored, greatly.