Page 9 of Doubly Claimed

Chapter 3

“Are you kidding me? He springs this shit on us now?” Misha growled.

He was having a challenging time controlling his Bear as it was, but after the bomb Callan and Landry just dropped on them, the beast was enraged. Maybe from the possibility of finding a mate this weekend, or maybe because he didn’t want to feel trapped into it. Either way, if he couldn’t calm the fuck down, he was going to need space to Shift.

“You heard what he said,” Ross tried to talk Misha down, but it was no use.

The Bear was royally fucking pissed off. Bad enough the Dragon and Liger got in bed with Witches to make this happen, but now there were humans involved. Fucking hell! How was a human female going to react when he got all furry and shit with his beast?

“There are still normals here who don’t know of our existence, Misha.” His eyes swept over the beach where several dozen people were in various states of relaxation on the beautiful sandy shores.

“What the fuck were they thinking using Witchcraft and inviting human women here without our okay?”

“They thought they were helping,” a deep voice said from behind Misha, and the Bear turned around with a snarl on his lips.

Callan and Landry approached the other Triad pair carefully, gesturing to one of the six seats that were arranged around a table to their left. The resort’s tiki bar was dubbed the Moongate Tiki Lounge. Not a very original name, but it was pretty damn awesome. As if it was designed for Shifters. The entire outdoor concept was preferable.

Misha especially hated small, cramped indoor bars and restaurants. He was more at home with cookouts and camping, but that was the same for many of his kind. He accepted Landry’s offer and took a seat. Several such tables had already been set up, more than likely to cater to those visiting Triad pairs, so they could enjoy food and beverages while basking in the tropical sunshine. All with a full view of the excellent water. It was one of the many rewards of the island.

“Come, let’s share a drink and allow me to put your mind at ease,” the Dragon Shifter spoke calmly, but Misha and Ross felt the command in the Alpha’s voice.

“Dammit, Callan, you should’ve told us.” Misha took a seat with Ross beside him.

He nodded his hello to Landry, the rare White Liger Shifter, who was the Omega to Callan’s Alpha. Together, they were the leaders of the Council of the Triads, governing over four thousand pairs of Triads across the globe. Their job was to keep the Triads working toward the same goals, prosperity, and productivity, and to settle any disputes among the Clans, Prides, and Packs. It was a shit job, in Misha’s opinion. He’d much rather take care of his own. He hated traveling and big cities were like a fucking nightmare for the Bear. No, he was best back on his own Kodiak Island.

He felt his Omega brush against his mind. The man’s instinct was to promote calm and understanding. Misha appreciated it, usually, but he was too amped up.

“It’s a mistake. Humans won’t understand,” he growled.

“A moment, if you will, I invited Brody and Mayne to join us.” Landry raised his arm and waved the two Texans over.

“Of course.” Ross nodded as the newcomers sat down.

Almost immediately, members of the wait staff brought food and drink to the table. Always a good idea to distract Shifters with food, Ross pushed the thought at him with a half-grin. Misha chuffed. It would be funny if his beast wasn’t ready to claw someone. The great Kodiak Bear who shared his soul was growing wilder as the years rolled by. It was why he was part of an Alpha Omega Triad.

Misha’s beast was far too dominant for him to be on his own. With Ross helping, he could control the Bear, but it was getting more difficult. They needed their third as an anchor. Only their fated mate would do.

Grrrr. His animal snarled and clawed at his skin, but he wrestled the beast down.

He closed his eyes and fought for control, but still, the Bear wanted out. He wanted to hunt. He wanted to sniff out those females now that he knew they were there. Needed to see if his one was among them.

He could only imagine what a human would think of that behavior. Fear of rejection and disgust had him equal parts sorrowful and furious. Ross pressed a hand to his shoulder. Shifters needed that, needed physical contact to break through to their animals. Touch was not sexual between Alpha and Omega pairs, but it was more common than among human males. He didn’t understand why normals shunned such natural behavior, but whatever. He nodded his head and Ross released his hold.

“Misha,” Callan’s Alpha voice reached him, and his Bear stilled in response, “have a drink, my friend. We can discuss this.”

“Humans, Callan? You invited them here without telling us,” he growled softly.

“Yes, I did. As you know, the number of available Shifter females declines every year. Fewer females are being born too. That means we need to broaden our horizons, my friend. The decision was made at the end of last year’s meeting, and we employed our strongest allies of the Coven Realta to the cause.”

“How will we tell which females are here for us?”

“Ah,” Landry began, “that was my idea, actually. The women who are here willingly to see if they belong to a Triad pair, after being selected and contacted by representatives from the Witch coven, are all wearing special bracelets like this.” He grinned. “So yes, they know the rules and are here willingly. When the Witches interviewed them, if the women declined, their memories of the conversation were erased.”

The blond giant of a man held up a bauble that seemed to be woven of braided silver and gold threads. Misha and Ross looked at each other and his Omega picked up a carrot stick from one of the dishes on the table. Fucking vegetarians. Misha rolled his eyes.

“If you find your fated, you will know, my friends,” Landry said. “The same way Shifters have for thousands of years. But you must remember even though they agreed, these women are human, fragile, not used to our ways.”

“Yet, I saw some pairs here who are more animal than men, Callan,” Misha growled, “How will you control them?”

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