Page 32 of The Alpha's Triplets

“What is?” Eleanor asked.

“Not a lot of wolves attend these events,” he explained. “I’m just surprised that so many people decided to show up, is all.”

Eleanor shrugged. “Could mean that we’re in for a treat?”

“I guess,” Blake said, turning the handle on the door. He froze as he looked inside. The sitting room was filled with young wolves, and he recognized many of them as mated pairs.

He had a bad feeling that only got worse when one of the spiritualists appeared in front of him and said, “Welcome, Alpha Blake. We are thrilled that you and your mate were able to join our couple’s workshop with the goal of exploring and deepening the mate bond. Please, come in.”

Oh crap.

Eleanor was right. Looks like they really were in for a treat after all.

Chapter 11 - Eleanor

If this was Silver Springs, the gathering could have been mistaken for a regular college mixer. Unlike the other events she’d attended with Blake, most of the wolves present were closer to her age, or only slightly older.

The woman who welcomed them in, Scarlet, was a beautiful woman. Her red, curly hair hung behind her head like a halo, giving her an ethereal look. She had freckles that looked like they jumped every time she smiled, and her yoga pants showed an ample derriere.

Eleanor looked around the room and wondered if she was overdressed. For starters, she was the only woman wearing a dress. Everyone else had on sweatpants, leggings, or tight jeans.

Couple’s workshop with the goal of exploring and deepening the mate bond. What in the world did that even mean? Blake had looked as clueless as she was when Scarlet had made the announcement to them at the door.

Magic showcase, my ass. How could he have missed the most important detail about this event? It seemed unlikely that the invite had not contained specifics about what the gathering was about.

She felt at a loss, because she had no idea what to expect from the rest of the evening. Her primary concern was that she and Blake were not mates. They were married, but they hadn’t mated. Heck, they hadn’t even consummated their marriage.

They had not bonded in the traditional sense, at least not the way that wolves did. They put up appearances and acted smitten with each other, but it was all an act. The entire marriage was a sham. How were they supposed to explore something that didn’t even exist?

Her only consolation was that Blake looked just as uncomfortable as she did. Probably worse, if she was being honest. He looked like he was weighing the option of staying for the event or leaving before it started.

Eleanor knew that leaving wasn’t really an option. They’d worked hard and long to show that things were going smoothly and beautifully between them, regardless of the circumstances of their union. Why would a bonded couple leave when there was a chance for them to deepen the bond that they shared?

After a moment of consideration, Blake had a determined look on his face, which meant that he had gone through his options and arrived at the same conclusion as her. There was no getting out of this, for either of them.

Blake exchanged greetings with the other couples, introducing Eleanor as he did so. Most of the men were younger than him, she noticed. Typically, young wolves didn’t wait too long before they found their mates and settled down. He was clearly the oldest man in the room.

They weaved through the crowd till they found a spot at the back of the room, near a long table with refreshments for the guests.

“Well, this is a mess,” he said, frowning as he scanned the room.

“Oh?” Eleanor replied drily. “Say, what gave that away?”

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, visibly annoyed. “Come on. I didn’t know it was going to be… well,this!”

“You should have known, though,” she shot back. “What are we going to do?”

“Same thing we’ve been doing this past month,” he said. “We show them just how in love and bonded we are. How hard could it be?”

Eleanor had reservations, but she swallowed them. No point telling the man what to believe. “Screw this, I need a drink.”

“You read my mind,” Blake said, turning to the table. “How strong?”

“As strong as you can make it.”

He poured two shots of whiskey into paper cups and handed one to Eleanor. They touched cups and threw back the drinks. He hissed and looked at Eleanor. “One more?”

“Definitely,” she replied, stretching her cup forward. Blake splashed a little more alcohol into both cups than he had the first time, and Eleanor was thankful for it.

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