43. Drew

Chapter forty-three

Drew

I wake to the sound of Sam's and Kieran's voices in the living room. For the first time in a while, there's no lingering sense of dread, and I shift closer to Adam, tightening my arm around his waist. He turns into my embrace, lips skimming my shoulder, and when I look at him, he's blinking sleepily at me.

"Morning," I say.

"Is it?" Adam yawns and rubs his nose against my throat. "Hmm. I like waking up like this."

I grin because I can feel that he does, and I can feel, too, that Sam's aware of both of us, and when Adam tips his face up for a kiss, I indulge him instantly.

He takes control, rolling me onto my back and framing my face with his hands. The duvet slips off us and Adam grinds against me, letting out a hiss of a breath before he starts to stroke my cock.

I want him inside me. Not right now, maybe, but I want it.

Adam fixes me with a curious look. "Would you ever want to fuck me?"

I bite the inside of my cheek. I only ever fooled around with guys in our pack and only had penetrative sex with a couple—and I topped both times. Deep down, I knew it wasn't what I wanted, but I knew, even then, why they assumed I would.

"If you want it," I say and mean it. I think it might be different with him.

Adam frowns. "I want you to want it, too." He squeezes my cock and a groan sticks in my throat; I cover my mouth with my hand when I remember Kieran's out there, and Adam grins. "I mean it, Drew. I'm not doing anything with you that you don't want."

I don't have the words to describe that things are different with us. That I'd like to try it, even if I might not enjoy it—because what if I do? Instead, I let my hand fall aside and lift my chin, exposing my throat.

"I think… If you ride me. I think I'd like that."

Adam's eyes go dark, and he kisses me hungrily, stroking me faster. He keeps his mouth on mine, swallowing every sound, and I come with a strangled cry just as Sam walks into the room.

He leans against the door, watching us both with a smile. "Good to know you can both be quiet."

Adam snorts, wiping his hand on the sheets we changed last night. Sam rolls his eyes and pushes off from the door, moving closer. He's dressed, but I still expect him to climb into bed with us again, so I'm surprised when he drops to his knees next to it, resting his chin on his folded arms.

"Make him come, Drew," Sam says, studying my face. "Be a good boy for me, sweetheart."

My breath shudders out of me, toes curling even though I've just come. I don't know why that does it for me, but it does, and they both seem to enjoy it, too. Adam kisses me and I stroke his cock, squeezing as tightly as I did last night.

He whines and thrusts into my grip, burying his face in my throat. I feel the telltale scrape of his fangs, but my pulse doesn't jump any. I know he won't bite me—even if I know we both wish he could.

Sam hums, watching us. "That's it. A little tighter."

I tighten my grip and Adam chokes out a moan. When he lifts his head, he looks almost wild, and his fangs retract just before he kisses me hard. He comes all over my hip and collapses against me, grunting, "Fucking hell," against my throat.

We're all silent for a moment before Adam lifts his head. "That's so fucking hot, you know," he says.

"I—" I don't know what to say to that, but Adam just grins and kisses me slowly. I look at Sam, hoping he'll join us, but he shakes his head.

"Time to get up, I think," he says.

Adam sighs happily as I nuzzle the top of his head. "I never thought I'd have this," he says.

"Have what?" Sam asks. He pushes Adam's curls back from his forehead, peering into his face.

Adam smiles. "Love like this."

Sam and I both still, but I recover faster. It's not like I've not felt it through the bond. Sam might not be ready to say it—I don't think I am either—but I know I feel it.

"What do you mean?" I ask, stroking a hand down his spine. He arches into the touch, turning so he can rest his chin on my chest. Sam settles properly next to the bed, fingers dancing over Adam's arm.

"Things were very different when I was alive," he says. "I don't think I'd have gone my whole life without it, if—"

He cuts himself off, pursing his lips, and I exchange a look with Sam. "Who were you before?"

Adam grins again. He pushes up onto his elbows. "Nobody."

Sam shakes his head. "You—"

"No!" Adam laughs. "I mean, I was just… Some guy. Some gay guy in his twenties who knew how to scrap but not fight, who'd fooled around with the one other closeted boy at school and a handful of men in secret, who liked the sun, even if it never liked him back."

I swallow hard. Adam's not—upset. At least, I can't feel it down the bond. But I don't think this story ends well.

"What happened?" Sam asks. There's an edge to his voice that tells me he knows it too.

Adam shrugs. "Same thing that happened to plenty of men and women just like me. I mean, I don't know how they knew. Some people can just tell, I guess. It had been such a nice day. There was a group of us, out at the coast. We spent the day at the beach. I'd gone too red and this man—I had such a crush on him—he put sunscreen on my back and kissed me on the nose when no one was looking."

He sighs fondly, eyes closed, then shakes his head. "I didn't even see it coming. I left the pub early. Probably had a touch of sunstroke, come to think of it. And we were on holiday, so I didn't really know where I was going, and when I turned around, there were three men who made it clear they knew exactly what I was."

Sam shakes his head. "Adam—"

Adam reaches out and runs his fingers through Sam's hair. "It's okay," he says. "I mean, it wasn't. Obviously. But then Lucien was there. I still don't know why. Maybe he wanted to see the ocean at night? He killed them. I'm pretty sure. I've never asked him."

"And he turned you?" I ask.

"Yeah." Adam kisses the hollow of my throat. "I know it's—I'm sad that it happened. It never should, not to anyone. But I get this …" His eyes glitter when he looks at us and Sam looks away, swiping at his eyes. "I'd weather anything for the two of you."

I whine. "Adam…"

Sam kisses him hard, hard enough that I smell blood, though only for a second. He pulls back and they stare at each other for a moment, and Adam's expression softens when he feels just what I can.

Yeah, Sam loves us, too.

I don't know how long we stay there before Adam kisses the underside of my jaw and rolls to the side. He yawns. "Time for me to nap. Don't you both have somewhere to be?"

Sam snorts, shaking his head. I climb out of bed, and he pulls the duvet over Adam, and I can't help the way I reach out, running my hand over Adam's shoulder. He catches my hand in his and squeezes.

"I'm okay, Drew. We're all okay."

"Yeah, I know."

Sam leans against me, burying his face in my chest. He still smells like us, a little, but not the way he did last night. "Come on," he says. "Let's get you cleaned up."

I drag on jogging bottoms and a T-shirt and when we go out into the living room, Kieran waves hello like Sam didn't join us half an hour ago.

Sam snorts and slaps my behind. "Go. Shower."

I shower, and when I'm dressed, I make lunch, and Sam joins me in the kitchen. Ostensibly, he's helping, but I don't know why an autumn salad requires him to feel me up so much or press up against me.

I don't mind, either. Kieran either hasn't noticed or is pretending not to, torn between watching the TV or looking at his phone, and Sam presses a kiss to the back of my neck.

"I was thinking, later—"

There's a strange shudder down our bond, and my head snaps up. Sam strokes my lower back. "It's fine," he says. "It's just Ophelia and Dante."

I can feel his wards? He just kisses my cheek and saunters over to the door, and though I take in the quote on his shorts— what, you egg? —I don't even pretend I'm not watching him as he goes.

Ophelia bounds through the door when Sam opens it, Dante close on her heels. She grins and waves at me, chattering at Sam as she shrugs off her jacket, but Dante sidles over, muttering, "Hi," before he takes a seat at the counter.

"Lunch?" I ask.

He eyes the salad and nods. Kieran switches off the TV and stands, and Ophelia pauses a few feet away from him.

"She's been on about this all morning ," Dante mutters, though a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Told her she had to wait until at least the afternoon. Figured you'd all be… busy."

I can't help my flush, but I don't think he's teasing. I don't know if he's even noticed; he's turned to look at Ophelia, Sam, and Kieran, too.

"What's going on?" Kieran asks.

"You're starting a pack, aren't you?" Ophelia says. She points at Dante and herself. "We want to join."

Sam crosses his arms over his chest. "I didn't tell you about that."

"Yeah, I think she worked it out before you did," Dante says. "But she's right. We would like to join. If we can."

Sam's bedroom door opens and Adam shuffles out, wearing a pair of my jogging bottoms and one of Sam's T-shirts. It's too short on him, basically a crop top, but he doesn't seem to care.

"You're supposed to be sleeping," Kieran says and tugs the curtains closed.

Adam yawns. "Not missing this." He sinks onto the sofa, holding a cushion against his chest, and watches between long, slow blinks.

Kieran throws his hands up into the air. "I don't know where to start."

Ophelia opens her mouth, but I round the counter and shake my head. I'm sure she was raised in a more normal pack than we were, and we've not had a new pack member who wasn't born to us in a couple of decades, but I know how it's supposed to go.

"You just have to let them in," I say. "Mean it. The words, the ritual; they don't matter. It's a new pack, so you can do what you like."

Some packs wait until a full moon. Or a new moon. Some make their new members shift and do it in wolf form. Others burn herbs and chant would-be spells, or dance—

It doesn't matter. Like the mating rites don't really matter, but I know I want to follow tradition for those. Sam's hand nudges mine. He knows it, too.

Kieran's different. His pack is different. Tradition has no place here unless he wants it.

"Fine," Kieran says, but instead of looking at Ophelia, he looks at Sam. "Come here."

Sam stands before Kieran, and I'm not surprised when Kieran's hand wraps around the back of his neck and he presses their foreheads together.

He reaches for Sam's hand, though, and Sam wraps his hand around Kieran's nape, too. They're looking into each other's eyes and Sam doesn't have to fight to hold Kieran's gaze.

"Sam, you're my second. Head of my coven. Will you join my pack and let me be your alpha?"

Sam doesn't hesitate. "Yes."

Something in our bond shifts. Some new connection forged, one that's fuzzy to me but will tie Kieran and Sam together until one of them severs it. Sam squeezes Kieran's neck before he withdraws, and Kieran does the same with Ophelia, then Dante.

Ophelia's eyes are bright when she steps back. Did she leave her parents' pack? Dante seems less moved, but I'm sure he can still feel the weight of it.

I swallow hard when Kieran turns to me. "Drew?"

I step into his space, and when Kieran holds me, I hold him, too. My other pack bonds—tying me to Dad and Quinn and everyone else I grew up with—will shatter as soon as I make this choice. I take a deep breath and let it out. I'm ready for that.

"Drew. Will you join my pack and let me be your alpha?"

"Yes," I say and feel the new connection between us. There's always been one, I realise. Even when I thought Kieran was human, my wolf had known better. We've been connected the whole time; that's why I knew I could run to him.

But now… It's stronger. A true pack bond, stronger than even the one forged through our father.

My wolf surges forwards, just enough that my claws come out, my eyes glowing. "Alpha."

"I've got you," Kieran says.

I don't know how long we stay like that, Kieran's hand on the back of my neck, but when my wolf retreats, I sway on my feet, and he takes hold of my elbow.

"Dad'll feel that," I mutter, not sure why those are the first words out of my mouth.

Sam steers me towards the sofa. Kieran's scented all of us and I breathe it in greedily, my wolf content with the safety of my mates and my packmates.

Adam sits up, watching Kieran intently. I can't read the expression on his face and when I probe the bond, I only feel a faint sense of pride, of some desire…

"Lucien's coming by later," Kieran says. "He wants to talk to you."

Adam frowns and his jaw sets stubbornly. He gets to his feet, taking a decisive step forward. "They're my mates," he says. "If you're their alpha, you're mine, too."

"Adam," I murmur. Sam's hand is tight on my thigh.

"You should talk to him," Kieran says.

"I—"

Kieran shakes his head. "I'm not saying no. I'd have you in a heartbeat. But Lucien needs to talk to Vasile first, and so do I."

"Lucien's going to join you anyway."

"Yes."

"And you've let all this lot join your pack."

"Yes."

Adam crosses his arms over his chest. "Then let me do it, too. I've had as much time to think about it as the rest of them."

Kieran pulls a face, then sighs. "Fine," he says eventually. "But if Lucien yells at me over this, I'm blaming you, got it?"

Adam grins. Kieran grumbles, but when he approaches, Adam reaches for him, moving as instinctually as the rest of us. He can feel it, just like we can. Kieran's full of power, practically brimming with it. He reminds me of Alpha Deacon now, even if there's no wolf hidden under his skin.

"Adam. Will you join my pack and let me be your alpha?"

I hold my breath. Adam's a vampire. What if this doesn't work?

"Yes."

The bond snaps into place, and something tightens between the three of us, tied together as we are, and also to the rest of our pack.

Adam grins again when Kieran steps back. Kieran's phone rings and he groans when he pulls it out of his pocket.

"Oh, I'm not dealing with that," he says, pressing it into Adam's hands.

Sam laughs and Adam answers the call, sinking back onto the sofa on my left-hand side. "Lucien."

I don't listen to the other side of the call. Ophelia wanders over to the kitchen to make tea and I drop my head onto Sam's shoulder, probing at the new bonds I now possess.

"No, it's fine. I wanted—No, come on, you knew I'd do this."

Sam huffs another laugh. Sure, we both know Lucien isn't really mad. Besides, he's already pack, whether he's officially accepted Kieran as his alpha or not. He's an alpha mate. I can feel that, even though I don't know if the others can.

When I meet Kieran's gaze, he winks. Adam ends the call and tosses the phone back to him. "Yeah, he's fine."

Kieran laughs. He shoves his phone in his pocket and heads for the kitchen to help Ophelia. "Don't worry, he'll come by later. I'm sure he'll yell at me then."

I raise an eyebrow because I can't imagine Lucien yelling at Kieran… ever. A supremely disappointed look? Sure. That'll get him further.

"We were going to see Vasile tonight, but he's busy," Kieran says. "So we'll try tomorrow. We need to work out where we can put our pack. I'm hoping we can stay here, but we'd have to buy up some flats to make it work."

Ophelia hums. She hands a mug of tea to Dante, then brings another to Sam. "Deacon should give you some money. Like a discretionary fund. I don't know how much, but he's got a powerful pack, so it should be a decent amount. Plus, my family will send some over. It's what we do when we move packs. It'd be nice to live close by."

Kieran hums. He leans against the sink, not really looking at any of us as he thinks. "Hopefully, that'll help," he says, then frowns at Ophelia. "But that money's yours. You need to keep it."

She shakes her head, then tilts it to one side. "Oh, you guys didn't do it? It's for the pack. A gift from my family, to prove I can provide, too. I mean, it won't be loads, but it might help out for a little while."

Next to me, Sam shifts. No, squirms . Uneasiness trickles down the bond and I turn my head, concerned.

"I might be able to help," he says.

Kieran frowns. "How?"

Sam sighs heavily and puts his mug of tea aside. He lifts his chin, but I don't know who he's trying to keep at a distance. Even if Ophelia and Dante can't feel his emotions, they know him well.

Right?

"I-I'm a mage."

No one looks surprised. Sam makes a frustrated sound and shakes his head.

"No, I mean. A fae-blessed mage. My family was killed in the mage wars."

Dante makes a soft sound, but still, he doesn't look surprised. Sam looks at him, then at Ophelia, and frowns.

Ophelia snorts. "Like you'd have stuck with us if we were that unobservant," she says. "What are you actually not telling us?"

Sam scowls at her, but her challenging tone is enough to break through his fear and guilt, and I hide a smile.

"I'm a Selkirk. The last of the Selkirks."

That makes Ophelia's eyes widen, though Dante still only nods. Kieran doesn't look surprised at all, and Adam seems as confused as I am as to what that means.

I reach for Sam's hand. "I don't understand."

He looks down instead of looking at me, so I try to send him as much reassurance as I can. "The Selkirks started the mage wars," Sam murmurs. "My cousin, Jasper. He started it."

"Oh." I don't let go of his hand.

Ophelia sighs. "You know we're not going to blame you for that, right?" she says, and Sam's head shoots up.

"My family—"

Kieran snorts. "You want to talk about family?" From the look that passes between him and Sam, I realise he already knows all this—they spoke about it before. "Come on. No one's gonna hate you for this."

"Not in here, maybe," Sam says. "But there are others who will. Elliot. Nora."

"And we know why," Kieran replies, his voice hard. "But they're gone. We can deal with whoever comes next."

Sam frowns, but his shaken confidence isn't as wobbly as it was a moment ago. Adam reaches around me to pat his shoulder.

"So the last of the Selkirks," Dante says. "What does that mean for us?"

"It means…" Sam huffs. "I never asked Pris, but there's a good chance there's money or something waiting for me somewhere. I didn't want it. Not for me."

"But for our pack?" I ask, and Sam finally looks at me and Adam.

"Yeah, for our pack, I'd do it."

Kieran frowns. "If you're sure… This is stepping into the spotlight. We can try to keep it quiet, but if you're certain people still hate your family name…"

Sam shrugs. "I have to come to terms with it at some point. Ophelia's right. Any mage worth their salt would be able to see what I am. And if you want this coven to grow… They have to know what they're getting into. If they can't trust me, I can't trust them."

And neither can you goes unsaid, but we all hear it.

Kieran nods. "Fine," he says and pushes off from the sink to come back into the living room proper and drop into a chair. "Let me talk to Vasile, then Deacon, and then we'll see—"

My phone starts ringing on the coffee table. I frown at it. I must have left it there last night; I'm surprised the battery isn't dead.

"Who is it?" Adam asks.

I lean forwards. My stomach twists when I see the name, and I meet Kieran's gaze first.

"It's Dad."

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," Kieran says.

Sam squeezes my hand.

"No, I—" I can't explain it. I don't want to answer, but at the same time, I know I have to. I've already renounced my bonds to our old pack, and there's no chance Dad didn't feel that. He deserves an explanation.

I swipe to answer before I can think about it for too long, then hit the button to put the call on speakerphone.

I'm not sure I needed to worry about that, though. At first, everything Dad's yelling is incomprehensible, but though my ears heat when I realise what he's saying, the usual accompanying fear is…

Gone?

No. No, not entirely. It's just difficult to feel it when I'm flooded with angry disbelief and affection from Adam and Sam both.

"…Get your arse back up here or I swear, I'll—"

"No," I say, and I'm as surprised as everyone else in the room when he falls silent.

I lean forwards again. The call is still connected. I meet Kieran's gaze again, and he raises his eyebrows, and I have to bite my tongue to keep in the swell of inappropriate laughter that threatens to bubble up.

" What did you just say to me?" Dad's voice is low, meant to be threatening, but I just shake my head.

"I said no. I'm not coming back. Hale's there, right? I'm sure he already told you."

"Andrew Maynor, if you don't—"

"I'm not coming back!" I let out a heavy sigh. Clearly, he's ignoring my new bonds, if he even felt me leave the pack at all. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if he can't. "I'm staying here. I've got a new pack, a new alpha, and I've found my mates. Why would I come back up there?"

I feel a twinge of guilt when I think of Quinn or any of the other handful of wolves I'd consider friends. I can't think about them for too long.

"A new alpha?" A growl reverberates down the phone, and Adam growls lowly on my other side. "Who the fuck —"

Kieran grins, leaning in. If he had a wolf, I know his fangs would be showing. "Hey, Dad."

Silence again. This time, it sounds concerned.

"K—"

"You always said I'd make a good alpha," Kieran interrupts, a laugh in his voice. "Seems Alpha Deacon thought so, too."

"You don't even have a wolf! How can you possibly—"

"If you have a problem with me or my pack, then feel free to petition Alpha Deacon for a visit to London," Kieran says, and now his voice is like ice. "I imagine his betas will be all over you if you try to enter without permission, considering how effusive Hale was in his praise of you."

Ophelia turns away to stifle a laugh. Sam tilts his head to one side, mouthing effusive ? Kieran just shrugs, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"You cannot simply take my son—"

"He didn't take me anywhere." I snarl. "I left. I did. I left the village, and now I'm leaving your pack, too. And if you're wondering why, just take a good look at yourself."

I reach out and end the call before Dad can reply. For a second, we're all silent. My hands shake.

Kieran breaks the silence with a snort, shaking his head. "Well, that's that, then."

Ophelia laughs, and Dante shakes his head, too. I flop back on the sofa, letting out a heavy breath. Sam leans against me for a moment, and he squeezes my hand before he gets up and moves closer to Kieran, the two of them talking about how to approach Vasile and get things moving with their pack.

I tune them out.

Adam shifts closer. He throws one leg over my thigh, pressing his face to my neck, and I laugh, putting an arm around his shoulders. The bond pulses between the three of us.

"How are you feeling?" he asks. It's nice that he does, even though he doesn't need to.

I take one of his hands in my free one, rubbing my thumb over his palm. "You know how."

Adam lifts his head. He looks a little bashful, though I can't quite work out why. Still, he squeezes my hand in return and puts his head on my shoulder as we watch Kieran and his coven plan.

"We're going to be one hell of a pack," Adam says. He turns his head and his lips brush against my throat, over the spot where a mating bite would go.

We have time for that. Truly, I don't mind that I'll never get one from either of them. I can give them my own bite, and I'll still feel the connection between us.

Isn't that the point?

"Yeah," I say instead, snuggling into him. "Yeah, we are."