Page 80 of Talk About… History

My mates were different. My exes never had this kind of reaction from me.

Occasionally, it felt like I was near heat with my exes, desperate but unsteady.

With Cohen, Ford, Mason, and Arden, it felt like my body craved them. I was addicted and couldn’t get enough. It was more complex, but less all-consuming than the feral neediness that sent my mind into a fog.

Every sense was heightened and all centered on them. Slick and heat filled me with just a simple touch or gravelly whisper in my ear—hell, sometimes just from their scent alone.

Like right now, we weren’t speaking, but just having those dark azure eyes on mine, silently promising what was to come when he got home, was enough to make me want to jump him here and now.

Before I could let things get too hot and heavy in the middle of his store, I gave him one last peck on the cheek.

“See you tonight,” I said, before practically rushing out.

Editing was the last thing on my mind now. All I wanted to do was get home, take a shower, find something sexy to wear, and head for the packhouse that was eventually going to be mine.

I was ready to take this relationship to the next step—to let them in more.

Tonight, I wanted them to claim me. I wanted to make this official.

My phone call with Lance had reassured me that my exes weren’t getting away with this. The conversation with my brothers and eventually the contractor had proven that an even better plan than my original one was unfolding.

All I needed was to truly feel comfortable with my mates.

Everything had felt too quick, too deep, but maybe that’s how it was supposed to be.

I was tired of playing this game of compare and contrast, seeing the way I reacted to my exes, the way they made me feel, and comparing it to how I feel now with my true pack.

It was night and day and I was ready to let it go, to focus on this new life instead.

That was all I could think about while I took a shower, making sure I was shaved, hair done, and makeup on.

My dress was sexy, but casual enough to fit for a night in. I knew damn well that the moment I walked in, I would have the attention of every alpha and eventually every beta in the room.

I fully intended to have them feral for me.

There was just one more thing I had to do before I could leave.

True to her word, Mama had taken a little extra care with her hair and makeup today. I was a little later than I intended, but I found her exactly where I wanted her to be—in her garden.

“Time for pictures!” I sang out. I had my phone and my professional camera, intending to get a few shots with each.

Mama looked flustered, startled as she wiped the dirt off her hands and onto the apron she always wore.

“I guess I should take this old thing off,” she said.

Her fingers fumbled with it, and I eventually stepped forward, helping her get the knot untied and pull it gently over her hair so I didn’t mess up the curls.

“Don’t be nervous, Mom. It’s going to be fine. Take things slow. You deserve a second chance, and the triplets agree.”

She took a deep breath and nodded, her resolve returning.

“Why don’t you go stand in the archway? Your flowers are creeping up it along the vines—it’ll be a perfect backdrop.”

My mama was a trooper, letting me pose her seventeen different ways and taking a million different photos before I finally let her rest.

“All right, I’ve got enough. I’ll send you some over soon,” I said as I packed it away.

She laughed and grabbed her apron, tying it back on a bit too quickly to come off as nonchalant.

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