Chapter Twenty-Two

There was no huge bed in their room, of course, but with all three twins tossed onto the floor into a makeshift king-and-a-half, we had managed to find room for everything we'd done together. I don't know what I expected, no…I had no expectations. Although I felt as if we'd known each other forever, it had been a very short time, and yet, I lay here tangled with three males, and all I could think was when could we do this again?

Trying not to wake them, I lay as still as possible and ran over the night before in my head. After that first time when they took me one after another, we'd slept for a while before waking and doing it all over again. I lost track of how many times I came but wondered if it would be like this every time we came together. Already, even though they lay right with me, I missed them. Missed hearing them talk and missed the pleasure they were able to draw out of me seemingly without any missteps.

If I didn't know better, I'd say they had been with dozens of women, but my wolf insisted they had not.

My wolf! Another new feature of my life. Where had she been all these years before emerging as if we spoke every day?

I've always been here. You just weren't ready to hear me.

I started to snark back, but then I recognized what that meant. How long were you trying to get my attention, and I never heard you?

Since you were ten.

How could that happen? I've wanted to be a full shifter my whole life, and you were trying to get to me, to let me do that, all that time?

Yes.

I'm so sorry. It must have been very lonely in there.I didn't really understand how that worked, but then what did I understand.

We were worth waiting for.

What about the fire? I wondered if this breakthrough related.

I can help you with that. Takes us both to control it.

"You doing okay, mate?" Bodhi shifted me around so he held me against his chest. "I hope we weren't too much for you."

"I was just talking to my wolf. She says she was waiting for me all this time. But I didn't hear her. Was it because my parents didn't think I'd be able to shift? They're both shifters, but they didn't have faith in me."

"Can't speak for your parents. You'll have to ask them yourself, but sounds as if there must be some reason they thought you wouldn't be able to shift. Your wolf was ready at ten."

"She tells me so. Wait, but I didn't tell you. How do you know I was ten when she started trying to reach me?"

"I heard her," he said.

"Then, can I hear your wolves?" I'd not had that ability with my own all this time; the idea of several was overwhelming.

"I'm guessing that will take time," Theron said, snuggling up against my back. "You're pretty new to this and your wolf may not want to share you yet."

"How did you know to find me on the roof earlier? I didn't tell you where I was even going."

"She told us."

"Poor thing probably thought I'd never hear her all those years." I let my head drop back to rest on his shoulder. "Mmm, you smell good."

"I smell like you, little wolf."

"Like us," I corrected him. "It's magical."

"For us." Grim pushed up to sit against the pillows. "But probably not everyone else in the school. We are going to need to shower before class."

"Can't we take the day off? It feels like our mating should be a holiday."

"I'll tell you what we can do, Minx." Theron kissed my cheek. "We can go to the office after school and put in to move into a larger room with space for all four of us."

"We can do that?" It was way better than having one day free. "The school allows people in relationships to shack up?"

"They encourage mates to share their space. Shacking up." Theron's tone was stern, but his voice shook with a hint of laughter. "Mating is a serious business."

One I was longing to invest in.

We showered one at a time because if anyone came in with me, it would definitely slow things down, then we all went to school. During the day, I managed to let Stevie know the plan so she would not feel betrayed by hearing it elsewhere. She was so happy for us! And then came the time we sat outside the dean of housing's office. They were also the teacher of shifter history, so we were all in one or another of her classes. I was so nervous.

But to my surprise, the whole process was the next thing to automated. They had request forms we had to fill out and check the "mates" box about a hundred times. The dean never batted an eye beyond making sure we had everything marked properly, and before we left the office, we had key cards to our new digs. Same floor, bigger room. Win. win.