Page 27 of Home: Posy 5

"Okay," he said and laid his head on my shoulder.

Wow, dude! Way to set your boy up, Ocean laughed.

Damn right,I grumbled. I'm not talking about hard-ons with him at two in the morning. That conversation with our older brothers was uncomfortable enough. He's had a thousand questions since.

I had no idea why Cole and Wyatt thought we needed to hear the reminder that werewolf law said no sex before age eighteen. It was also interesting that they'd added, "Withanyone, male or female, including each other."

Archer and I didn't think they were observant enough to realize that about us.

I bet luna figured it out and told them, Ocean chuckled.

NowthatI believe. I rolled my eyes.

Archer and I weren't interested in sex, anyway. At least, not with anyone but each other. I'd known I was in love with him for more than a year, but had no clue he felt the same way until he'd been brave enough to tell me first. It was such a relief to admit it, and even more of a relief to know he felt the same way, that I'd cried all over him.

I had never gotten turned on by girls. Boys, either. Only Archer. When he admitted the same, I'd teased him that he must be Wayne-sexual. He shot back that must mean I was Archer-sexual, and we'd fallen into a fit of giggles.

We knew the pack - and maybe even our families - would look at us weird since we were technically step-brothers, but we couldn't help the way we felt. We'd also talked about rejecting our Goddess-given mates - or, if they were girls, asking them to reject us - and choosing each other, even if it earned our family's disapproval.

Rejecting your mate was a dangerous thing, and neither Archer nor I wanted anyone to be hurt because of us, but we couldn't picture our lives going any other way.

Then we met our baby, and we realized we were Thoreau-sexual, too. Problem was, we had no idea what sexualhewas, and we couldn't do anything to push him into something he wasn't ready for or inadvertently lead him down a path he didn't truly want to go.

So we decided we'd continue to be his best friends for now and see what happened when we turned eighteen. If he wanted to be with us, we'd be the first trio of male mates in pack history, and the happiest guys in the world. If he chose to find his Goddess-given mate, we'd support him, no matter how painful it would be to see him with someone else.

That's how much we loved him.

Now, though, another member had been added to our group, and neither Archer nor I had considered how Spring would feel about all this. As Thoreau's bony body relaxed against me, I seized the moment and linked Spring.

How would you feel if—

I hesitated. He was an older, mature wolf and might have a bias against gays or something. Plus, his human, Beta Everett Breckenridge, definitely hadn't been gay, to judge by the number of girls he humped and dumped.

Still, we'll need his input sooner or later, Ocean argued, and I nodded and decided to just go for it.

Um, would you be okay with it if Arch, Reau and I became chosen mates?I asked Spring in a rush.

He was silent for so long, I figured he was either upset or organizing his argument against it.

I do not like the idea of rejecting the Goddess' gift of a mate,he said at last.However, if that is what you three want, I urge you to find and reject your mates before taking each other as chosen ones. Look what happened with the luna's parents. I know that's an extreme example, but I don't want my boy to suffer any more tragedy. I don't want you boys to experience any, either.

Yeah. I hear you. That was a disaster all around, wasn't it?

I know you all love each other.Spring sighed and settled down to sleep.We'll hope the Goddess is kind.

He hadn't answered my question, and I knew why. Beta Everett had a mate out there somewhere. How would that work if Spring found his wolf mate? Would he leave Thoreau for him or her? Thoreau was thoroughly attached to Spring; it would devastate him if the wolf left him, even if he knew it was for his mate.

And what would Spring's mate's human half do? I'd never heard of someone in that position - to have their wolf's mate survive, but not the human one.

How is this all going to work out?I chewed the inside of my cheek as my wide eyes fixed on the stars.I just want us to be together and happy forever, but how can that happen?

I laid my cheek on top of Thoreau's head, wishing I had the answers or knew what our future held.

Stop worrying, Ocean said as he, too, curled up and closed his eyes.There is nothing you can do to change the future. The will of the Moon Goddess will be done regardless of your worrying. All you're doing is working up to an anxiety attack. Breathe, boy. Breathe and enjoy what you have here in your arms right now.

Knowing he was right, I closed my eyes and breathed in and out nice and slowly until my racing mind calmed. Right as I was beginning to drift off, Spring linked me.

Wayne?

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