Page 35 of Make Me

Holly frowned when Bethany found the group, but Bethany ignored her. Desmond and Zack created light orbs, weaving their fire and air magic into a softly glowing orb and dispersing them to the crowd.

As Frederick started the ceremony, Cody and Zack stepped up on either side of Bethany, and she straightened her spine. While she could enjoy the present, she couldn’t lose sight of reality. She couldn’t have more than a few stolen moments with these men, and she would be wise to remember it.

When she released her orb into the night sky, Bethany whispered her wish. She might not be able to claim her mates, but maybe when she was alpha, she could change things.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CODY

Age 21

Early fall in the shifter/Elven forest

Raspberries and cream.

Cody struggled awake, the sweet scent filling his nostrils. Something was tickling at his nose with every breath he took. He opened his eyes. The dim morning light trickled through the leaves, leaving a pebbled pattern on the forest floor. Warmth pressed against his front and back. As the fuzziness from sleep faded away, he couldn’t help his lips pulling up into a wide grin. Bethany was asleep in his arms, her golden hair tickling his nose. He didn’t have to move his head to know Zack was the heat pressed against his back.

It was so quiet.

Not just the forest in the early morning, but his wolf slept soundly in his chest. His wolf had never been this quiet, even when sleeping. His brow furrowed, and he checked in with the sleepy animal. Contentment radiated off his wolf, deep in his magical center. He had never felt him this quiet and content before. If he wasn’t feeling his wolf snoozing in his chest, it would feel like he was missing from under his skin. It was an odd sensation but a welcome one, and it was all due to the two people sleeping on either side of him.

Movement beyond his feet caught his attention. Mylo was stoking the fire in the early morning. He gave Cody a nod when he saw he was awake. He wasn’t sure what to make of the quiet hybrid. For more than a few moments yesterday, Cody had thoughts that because Mylo was half-panther, Bethany would immediately recognize they were mates and her mom would accept him because even if he was a hybrid, he was a cat, and he smelled powerful.

But then Mylo had outed them all as mates, and Bethany’s reaction and explanation had given Cody hope. She was overwhelmed and in shock, but she hadn’t said she didn’t want them. Just that her mom and the pride made her think she couldn’t have them. He was under no delusion that everything would be automatically fine this morning, but maybe she wanted them as much as they did. He knew she wanted them physically, but the question of whether she believed they could come out to the Realm as mates was a different story.

Bethany shifted in his arms, and his chest rumbled with a purr. Her green eyes slowly blinked awake. The second she registered where she was, her body stiffened. He could let her push them away, or he could show her how good it could be if they were mates. Decision made, he brushed a kiss on her forehead. Her eyes fluttered closed for a second, and he used that opportunity to push up to a crouched position and roll her gently into Zack’s arms.

Zack sleepily opened his eyes and then pulled Bethany closer. He closed them again and buried his face in her hair. Bethany furrowed her brow, and Cody brushed his fingers across the crease, marveling at the feel of her skin under his fingertips.

“Stay here,” he whispered, not giving her time to protest. “We’ll take care of breakfast.”

He stood up and turned around. Mylo was skinning a rabbit, with another one at his feet. He hadn’t even heard the hybrid leave and come back. He rummaged around in one of the packs and pulled a second knife from it. Mylo nodded at him as he sat down. They worked in silence for a few minutes. Once the meat was prepared, Mylo produced some quail eggs from his pocket. Cody let out a quiet laugh. The hybrid seemed to be prepared for anything. Mylo’s eyes twinkled as he started chopping some herbs.

He placed a flat stone in the fire and arranged the meat in strips on it. When the meat had browned a bit, he cracked the eggs over the strips and sprinkled the chopped herbs on it. Cody fetched their meal kits out of their packs, and the two of them worked to finish breakfast. Mylo glanced over at Bethany and Zack, and Cody’s eyes followed his. Zack’s hands were running through Bethany’s hair as her head lay on his chest. Bethany’s eyes were closed, but Cody could hear the soft purr from her chest from here.

“How long have you known you were mates?” Mylo’s question surprised Cody. He had been so quiet up until now.

“With Bethany, three years,” Cody admitted. “With Zack, it was different for my wolf. It wasn’t a singular moment, just a steady knowing.”

Mylo nodded. “From my Elven side, I feel that steady knowing. But my cat knew instantly.” Mylo stared at Bethany, longing clear in his golden eyes. “I don’t know how you stayed away that long.”

Cody let out a humorless laugh. “Well, the Alpha Command helped, but…” He trailed off. “I don’t know. It was hell in some ways, but I was very lucky that we had been friends for so long and were at the Academy together. Her proximity was the only thing that kept my wolf sane.”

“She seems… skittish to the idea of mates?” Mylo’s voice was no more than a whisper.

Cody rubbed a hand over his face. “It’s a long story.”

Mylo nodded. “We’ll have to win her belief.”

Cody’s eyes widened. He had used the same word in his head earlier. Belief.

“I plan to treat her like a mate. The way I wished I could but couldn’t the last few years. Maybe convince her that way.” Maybe he could show her it would be worth the risk.

“Of course,” Mylo said it like that was a given.

He seemed so confident that this would work. Cody wished he had the same confidence, but he knew how the Realm was. With the changes Claire was bringing, however, maybe it wasn’t so out of reach anymore. Although Sadara was probably still going to be a problem. Cody laughed to himself at the thought of the look on Sadara’s face if Bethany showed up with three mates, none of them a true cat. Well, not if, when. Cause he was determined to make her believe. That this would work. That being mates would be worth all the obstacles in front of them.

The eggs finished cooking, and Mylo scraped the food onto the plates. He handed two to Cody. Cody walked over to Zack and Bethany. Bethany’s eyes popped open as he approached, and a hint of a blush dusted her cheeks as she sat up. Zack looked reluctant to let go of her, and Cody understood the feeling. He handed them each a plate. Mylo stepped up next to him and handed Cody a plate before he sank to the ground in front of Bethany and Zack.

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