Page 3 of Shared With The Pack

"Damn it." Shifting would be faster, but not necessarily safer. Depends on what in the hell is out there. I stomp back inside to grab my jacket...and the shotgun.

"Ridge?" I call out as I load it up. "You stand guard here. Heath and I are gonna find whatever is out there."

Or who.

Chapter 3

Heath

Ifind him easily enough. The storm can't keep him from me, the forest won't hide him. The boy who fell from the sky is more than a boy...he's a witch. His scent is delicious. My mouth fills with saliva as I watch him. I stalk forward, my tail wagging to show him I mean no harm, but the little witch only pays attention to own fear. He slips and stumbles in the mud, trying and failing to run.

He's hurt. A subtle hint of blood clings to the air. The boy carries the unmistakable taint of a witch's magic, but there's something else mixed in. Something...sweet. And that something drives me wild. I could snap his neck as easily as the twigs that break beneath my paws. It would be easy to work to devour him bite by bite. To leave nothing but licked-clean bones for scavengers to gnaw on.

Yet I would never do that. Because even if he tries to flee from me, he's not prey to eat. He's a mate to protect.

All the claws on my paws and fangs in my mouth feel the truth. I lift my head and let out a howl, singing my gratitude to the moon. I have to sing loudly for her to hear me from behind the clouds. The boy has a song to sing as well. He cries out as I pounce upon him, cutting off his feeble attempts to crawl away.

None of that. He's hurt. He's weak. My little mate needs to stay put.

I'm gentle as can be as I grab hold of his shirt and stand over him. Finally, he stops struggling. Yet he still reeks of fear. Can't he feel the connection between us? Does his heart not swell with the love and pride that comes from the discovery of a mate?

No matter. Let him fear for now. So long as he doesn't run. So long as he lets me tend to him. I curl around his shivering body, so thin and pale. With careful teeth and a wet tongue, I lick at his wounds. I'll keep him warm. I'll make sure he's safe. It doesn't matter what brought him into the mountains.

This witch is fated to me. Destined to be mine.

But I won't keep the others from him. No, never. He'll be shared. He'll be ours. A boy between all three of us. We're pack, after all, and an unorthodox one at that. A pack of alphas rightly deserve such a special mate.

I'll play with him. All day. Every day. Morning, noon, and night. Show him all the beauty of the mountains. Ridge will dote on him, and Griff will...well, I'm not sure. Boss him around, probably. Griff is the alpha of alphas. He always knows best and does better.

I stop licking at our mate's wound and softly lick his face. He's stopped crying. One of his hands reaches for me and he buries his fingers into my fur.

Not to push me away, but to hold me close.

Perhaps he's starting to understand. He says something to me, but my wolf has fully taken over. His words are only noise. I can't make sense of what he's trying to tell me. Not that it matters much. I understand exactly what he needs.

I lift my head and let out another howl, but this time it's to call Griff to us.

It's time to take our mate home.

Chapter 4

Griff

Isquint against the rain, breathing steadily as I follow Heath's paw prints in the mud. There's no moon or stars to help light my way, but my keen eyes and keener nose guide my steps. My senses aren't as good as they are in my shifted form, but they're still far better than that of a human.

I'm not lost. I know exactly where I'm going. I heard Heath's howl and close in on him. We're in the deepest part of the forest. Surrounded by old-growth trees covered in moss. I stalk through the cover of darkness, the shotgun already locked and loaded.

"Heath, what do you got there?"

My pack mate huddles around a small shape on the ground. A human? But there's something off about his scent. Heath gets up on all four legs and licks the young man's face. He doesn't move. He's passed out. In silence, I look over him. His fancy outfit is outrageously inappropriate for the woods, but he's got dark hair and pale skin and soft features.

Pretty, I think, but I'm quick to squash it.

I can't go thinking thoughts like that. Those desires are long behind me. They went to the grave years ago with my mate. I only ever had the one. I'll never take another. I huff, nostrils flared and lips parted as I both breathe and taste his scent in the air.

He ain't right. He's more than human.

He's...oh, hell no.