Page 15 of The Wolves At My Sides

I didn’t know what to say.

“I get it,” Fen said. “Most people don’t have the answers I do to those questions, but either way it’s none of their business. People think they’re being friendly, but they’re really asking me to tell them about the worst parts of my life.”

“I’m going to give you a hug,” I said, and it wasn’t a question.

Fen’s brows went up and his spine went rigid. He didn’t say no or move away. He also didn’t make a move to be hugged or to hug me. Irwin told me to be careful over our mating link, but I figured I knew what I was doing. A childhood at the Sanctuary prepared me for this. I slowly rounded the table and pulled Fen’s chair back. He sat ramrod straight but didn’t object. His scent was confused and amused as I reached out for his hands. He stared at my hands for a long moment and then his eyes shifted to that of his wolf. Then he took my hands. I gently tugged him to his feet and into my arms. He was stiff, but relaxed against me once he was close enough to pick up my scent. I hugged him close as he nuzzled into my shoulder.

“You’re safe here,” I whispered to him as I’d once whispered to Irwin. “I know that’s hard to believe. Hell, you don’t have to believe it right now, but you’re safe here. We’ll do whatever it takes to keep you and each other and the baby safe. That’s what family does.”

“Is that what we are now?” Fen asked, glancing back as Irwin slid his chair away from the table.

“We are,” Irwin nodded.

“Just like that?” Fen asked.

“Like magic,” Irwin grinned.

“It really is magic,” I said. “Well, magical choice.”

Irwin slid his arms around Fen from behind. He tensed for a moment. Then relaxed and leaned back into Irwin’s body. Irwin rested his chin on Fen’s shoulder, and they pressed their cheeks together looking more like their inner beasts than ever.

One group hug wasn’t going to heal Fen’s trauma, but it was a good start and holding him between us was one of the best feelings in the world.

“I’m not ready for all the ---” he started but stopped.

“Go ahead. Take your time,” I said.

“Mating stuff. The bedroom stuff,” Fen said.

“That’s okay,” I said. “We’re not here to rush you into anything. We just met and things take time. Thankfully, we have a lot of that.”

“We’re just a bunch of shifters cuddling,” Irwin said, and Fen actually relaxed.

“This is nice,” Fen said. “I don’t think I’ve ever stood this close to other people on purpose.”

“You can stand as close to us as you want,” I said, squeezing him a little tighter.

“Or as far away as you want,” Irwin added.

“Right here is nice for now,” Fen said and smiled.

Everything inside of me melted and I had to remind myself it was okay to feel that way. Irwin felt it too. I kissed Fen’s forehead and he leaned into my lips. I meant what I had said. I’d do whatever it took to keep all of us and Faran safe and together.

Chapter Ten

Fen

That night I lay awake in the guest room. After I informed the others, I wasn’t ready for sex or romping everything went a lot smoother. At least inside my head. They didn’t seem like the sort of guys to push the issue, but people were strange and lots of them took whatever they wanted.

Marcus’s brother, Daniel, and some other Alphas I didn’t remember the names of moved my stuff from the house I would’ve stayed at. The boxes now sat up against the far wall of the bedroom still unpacked. My brain was too frazzled to go through things at the moment.

My wolf paced inside his inner sanctum wanting to go to Marcus and Irwin, but I couldn’t do it. Sure, sleep was just sleep, but I hadn’t shared a bed with anyone since I was a pup. I was better off on my own for the first night. I wrapped myself around one of the pillows. It smelled like Marcus and Irwin. The whole house smelled like them and their baby. Faran was sleeping over at Daniel’s place. I almost told them they didn’t need to keep the baby away for my sake, but figured maybe it was for their own. Maybe they wanted alone time. New parents didn’t get much of that.

“Or maybe they’re lying in their bed thinking about us. Maybe it’s hard for them to be away from us too,”my wolf said.

The furry guy was right. It probably was. Only I couldn’t budge myself up to go knock on their door. What if they were already asleep? What if they were in the throes of passion and I interrupted? I blushed hard at the thought of Irwin’s limbs wrapped around Marcus, as the fox Alpha sank into him again and again.

My wolf whined, pulling me away from my thoughts and making me realize, now that I was alone, I was hard as hell. That’s why I couldn’t sleep. My body craved them. The magic of the double true-mate response pulled at me, but I couldn’t budge. I couldn’t give into it. I wasn’t capable of letting go enough to surrender to the magic.

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