Page 40 of An Alpha's Commitment

For a moment there was perfect silence. Then… a hiccupping sob from Irian. Tears streamed down his face but a radiant smile stretched his lips and plumped his cheeks.

Talius? Isca?

I felt rather than heard his thoughts, streaming through our telepathic bond. Isca twisted his head to look at Irian.

I can feel you. Both of you.

Irian launched himself back down onto us, his arm wrapped around Isca, squeezing tight. I wrapped my arms around both of them, holding us all together. My eyes prickled, and I blinked quickly a couple of times, almost undone.

Finally, we’d done it.

Both Irian and Isca were my bonded mates.

We were a committed triad, with benefits.

Chapter 18

TALIUS

As we made our way through the trees towards the clearing where we usually started our monthly pack run, the hum of conversation seeped between the trees, increasing in volume as we approached. As we got closer the buzz broke up into individual voices that I recognized, the conversations tumbling over each other in a confusion of words.

We stepped out of the trees, and a hush fell over the assembled shifters as one by one they noticed our arrival. Sounds, scents and sights stood out in stark relief: the brush of fabric against fabric, sweat, breaths and quiet snorts, the crickets trilling in the background, the sounds of the forest settling, the stars sparkling so brilliantly it felt like I could reach out and pluck them down with my fingers... the loud thump, thump, thump of my omegas' heartbeats beside me.

Pale faces, darker faces... all watching, wondering, waiting to find out how things had gone.

With Irian on one side of me, and Isca on the other, I grasped each by the hand and raised our joined hands high.

Cheers and whoops erupted across the clearing, and one by one the pack came up to us offering congratulations. The omegas in particular gathered around Isca hugging him and kissing him on the cheeks. Irian watched them greet our new mate, smiling indulgently, the corner of his eyes crinkling, cheeks plumped and round, smile lines creasing from nose to mouth. One of the omegas pulled him into the group hug and he was temporarily lost to my sight.

"I gather it went well, then," said a gruff voice at my shoulder and I turned to find Johnson.

"Very well indeed," I told the beta. "Better than we expected. Xeres is a true miracle worker."

I glanced across to where Xeres and Darius were standing aside from the group, isolated at the edge of the clearing. Johnson's eyes followed my gaze.

"Who'd have thought," he murmured, voice low. "A mage doing something that wasn't for himself or his coven."

"He's a friend of Irian's. And he has Darius' respect. And mine now too. What he's done... well," I shook my head in disbelief, "there's no record of it having been done before. It's amazing!"

"So... a very powerful mage, then."

"Yes, and that despite his age. He's actually very young... I don't know how he could have built up that level of expertise so quickly," I mused.

"Ah, these young things," Johnson shook his head. "They live in a different world to what we grew up in!"

I gave him a filthy look. "Speak for yourself!" I snorted. "I'm not that old!"

A shuffling sound in front of me made me swing my head to see Agel waiting in front of me. As usual when he spoke to me, he kept his head down, his shoulders rounded, reducing his profile. Always trying to fit in. Always making sure I knew he was submissive to me and wouldn't challenge me. I knew he wouldn't speak without permission, so I didn't leave him waiting.

"Hey, Agel. Did you want to talk?" I asked.

"Alpha," he acknowledged. "I wanted to offer congratulations. You have two very fine mates." He hesitated, then drew a deep breath, "If I may say so... you deserve them, Alpha."

I couldn't keep the smile from my face. "Thank you, Agel. I'm proud to be their mate. Just as I'm proud to be Alpha for everyone in this pack. And I do mean everyone, Agel."

I looked at him meaningfully.

He'd been working on the farm and had progressed to helping with our computing needs. As far I was concerned, he'd assimilated well. Even as an alpha, he didn't need to constantly express his submission to me however. Was he still afraid he'd be kicked out of the pack? Maybe. His early life experience of that had to have been traumatizing. We'd taken him in on a trial basis, and he'd fitted in almost seamlessly, but I realized with everything going on in my personal life, I hadn't spoken to him about his permanency here. It was time to rectify that.

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