Page 19 of Mated to the Pride

“Yes,” I insisted. “Perfect. Just… incredible.”

Sometime in the night, I’d have to take her back to her room. We couldn’t wake up in the morning, still surrounded by the scent of sex, as the other North men made their way through the room — but for now, at least, we could just stay like this, wrapped up in each other. Wrapped up in the moment. At peace.

Hale

The more time passed by, the more all of our lives began to revolve around Jess. Though we hadn’t had time for the group meeting Blake wanted until today, it was growing increasingly obvious that we all felt the same way about her — and that none of us were jealous about that. When she smiled at Preston, or touched Stone’s shoulder as she reached for something beside him, it felt just as natural as it did when she blushed at me.

It also felt particularly obvious that we were all beginning to worry about her. Those smiles and blushes didn’t seem so frequent any more. It could still be the attack frightening her, I figured. It had been less than a week. Still, there was a palpable concern in the air.

I didn’t know whether she could be our One Mate, or if this was just a wild coincidence. It wasn’t my call to make. But judging by Blake’s decision to have us meet outside today, where Jess couldn’t hear us, I could begin to guess.

We stopped in the woods. At intervals of ten meters or so, there were scattered remains to remind our one-time attackers that they were not welcome here. It was unlikely that they’d return, but we all had our guard up in any case — noses filled with the rusted metal scent of old blood, and the occasional cloying hint of decay.

Our eyes all fell on Blake, waiting for him to speak. Normally I’d be making a joke, but now didn’t seem like the time to fool around.

“Alright,” he said, looking between all of us. “We should talk about Jessica.”

“She seems… low,” said Stone, not missing a beat. It didn’t surprise me that he was first to speak up. As much as we all adored her, she and Stone had been totally comfortable around each other right from the very beginning. “That’s my main concern.”

“I agree,” said Blake, holding up a hand. “But I also want to make sure we’re all on the same page here. We’re all feeling something for her.”

Stone nodded, eyes focused and intense. Preston nodded too — but slower, and more deliberate. He cleared his throat.

“I want to be upfront,” Preston said. “We slept together. About a week ago, once I wasn’t so sick. It just kind of… happened. It felt right.”

My heart flipped. I felt no jealousy whatsoever — just a prickle of excitement that she felt comfortable enough to be with Preston like that. To think that sometime soon, she might want to be with me too.

Preston’s eyes darted between all of us, checking for signs of anger or displeasure. He didn’t find any. Instead, Blake nodded.

“Me too.”

“You have?” Stone blinked. If I didn’t know him so well, I might think there was a little envy in his tone, but I heard that uptick in his voice for what it was: surprise. “When?”

“The night of the attack,” said Blake. “She was awake, standing at the window. Of course, I had to make sure she was okay, and… one thing led to another.”

“I think I understand, then,” said Preston. “I assumed she was scared of another attack, but… maybe she just feels guilty. Hasn’t really been looking at me so much recently.”

“Of course,” I piped up. “She wouldn’t know what the hell a One Mate is even if shedidknow we were shifters. She’d just feel like she was… I don’t know, going behind our backs. She probably has no idea what the hell’s going on with her.”

Stone’s lips pressed into a firm line. “We’ve got to tell her.”

“Right now?” I scrubbed at my jaw, unconvinced. “I don’t know. If she’s already down, what’s a shock like that going to do to her? I think we should wait. Maybe she’ll get an instinct for it. Not the shifter stuff, but… with the four of us, at least.”

“Somehow,” said Preston, “I don’t think it’s as easy as that. For all we know, she thinks that being with multiple guys is immoral whether it’s with permission or not.”

“Some humans do it,” Stone pointed out.

“But not all of them.” Blake folded his arms. His voice had that tell-tale firmness; he’d made his decision, and as pride alpha, we were instinctively ready to follow. “Preston is right. Monogamy is pretty much the default setting for humans. She may already feel like she’s doing something wrong; I don’t want to overwhelm her with expectations. Let’s just take it easy and give her some time to come to terms with everything so far. Give her some space. Yes?”

Preston and I nodded. Stone did too, but his eyes were cast down at the ground, and his lips set in a worried line.

“Hey,” said Blake, voice strong but kind. “She’ll be okay. She’s tough, and we’re still going to be there for her. I just think it’s too much to put it all on her in the first couple of weeks she’s here. That’s all.”

“It’s not that I’m impatient,” Stone insisted. He opened his mouth to continue, but closed it again as Blake held up a hand.

“I understand,” said Blake. “I know you. I know you’re looking out for her. I just think this is best for now. We’ll see how things develop from here. We’re not going to leave her to wallow in guilt. Okay?”

Stone nodded again, a little firmer this time. “Okay.” But as we headed back to the cabin, he evidently wasn’t thrilled — and honestly, I wasn’t either. Blake’s decision was probably best. I could see the logic of it, and I knew he was right not to overwhelm her. Still, the image of Jess chewing on her lip and staring off into space, consumed with confusion and guilt, didn’t rest easy on any of our shoulders — human or lion.

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