Chapter Fourteen Calum

E rick and I had gone down to the front lobby that morning to talk to Sam. However, when we arrived, all we found was Gary and Benny making out behind the desk. At first, we were just going to turn around and leave them to their make-out session, but the phone rang, interrupting them before we could. When Gary picked it up, he noticed us watching and turned bright red. I didn’t know a man that age could blush that hard. Then again, it wasn’t every day I saw a man in his mid-forties sucking face like he was in high school. I was happy for them.

Gary rushed through the reservation and let us know that Sam was out for the morning. He said he’d be back by noon. He and Benny exchanged nervous glances the entire time we were there. However, before we’d even gotten back in the elevator, they were at it again. It was adorable.

So, with nothing better to do, we headed back up to our room. Cold pizza was the breakfast of choice, and I was glad for it. The carbs helped soak up some of the alcohol from the night before. I wasn’t exactly hungover, but I was feeling a bit off. Erick, on the other hand, was definitely hungover, and he popped a few headache pills the moment we got back to the room.

Surprisingly, we didn’t talk much more about Sam for the rest of the morning. I was still sifting through a lot of emotions, and I had a good feeling Erick was doing the same. He was doing that mindless scrolling thing on his phone that he always did when he was upset or working through stuff. So, I did what I could to be supportive and scrolled on right next to him.

It wasn’t until afternoon that there came a knock on our door that roused us from our stupor. Erick glanced over at me, one eyebrow raised and I just shrugged.

“Who could that be?” he asked.

“Laundry maybe?”

“I thought Gary said he wasn’t doing that today.”

“I have no idea then.”

I dropped my phone on the side table and hopped out of bed wearing nothing but pajama bottoms that were barely being held up by my dick. I gasped as my bare feet hit the cold floor. All the wolves we’d spoken to hadn’t been joking. Winter in this part of the country was more brutal than I expected. It seemed like the bed and the air were warm enough inside, but the floor and walls were always freezing. I’d need to find slippers eventually, or I was going to lose all my little piggies to the frost.

However, all thoughts of my cold feet were driven away the moment I pulled the door open. A rush of cool air pushed that floral and honey scent right into my face and I breathed it in deeply without thinking. My gaze drifted up the man standing in front of me until my eyes came to rest on that warm smile, dark eyes, and messy bun of hair perched atop his head.

“Hey,” Sam said, his cheeks turning pink immediately. I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or if he was feeling embarrassed. Either way, it was cute. “Can I… uh… talk to you two?”

“Of course,” I said, stepping to the side.

I did my best to keep my jaw from hanging open as I stared at him. But when he glanced down at the visible dick print in the front of my pajamas and then back up at me, I couldn’t help but grin. He returned the expression before stepping inside, his cheeks getting a little pinker in the process.

“Hi Sam,” Erick said, sitting up on the bed. “I… uh…”

“You two didn’t expect to see me again,” Sam said, finishing his sentence.

“Well… yeah. We tried to find you this morning and Gary said you were gone so I figured you were avoiding us.”

Erick’s last words trailed off quietly, but Sam didn’t seem offended by his bluntness. In fact, he looked like he expected a lot worse, possibly even anger.

“We’re not upset about last night,” I added, making sure he knew we didn’t feel that way. “We pushed things too quickly and you weren’t ready for it. I’m sorry I touched you without asking.”

“Me too,” Erick said. “We should’ve talked about things before we got lost in the moment.”

Sam held up his hands, shaking his head. “Honestly, I should be the one apologizing to you two. I led you to believe I wanted more, and I was participating. It wasn’t fair of me to just run off without explanation.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “We are all trying to blame ourselves so damn hard right now.” I glanced at the pair of them. “How about we just chalk this up to a mutual misunderstanding and call it good?”

“Yeah, I think that sounds good,” Sam replied.

“I’m okay with that if you two are.”

“Perfect.” I held out a hand to Sam, gesturing for him to come inside. “Grab a chair if you want to hang out for a while.”

“I did want to talk to you guys if that’s okay.”

“Hell yeah.”

Sam pulled off his coat and hung it over the back of a chair. Turning it around, he straddled it to face us, crossing his arms over the back. I went over to the bed and plopped down next to Erick. We gave each other a confused glance, not sure what we were expecting Sam to say to us. I hoped it was good news, but I had a feeling it might not be. Rare was the day that someone sought me out to talk and it was a happy occasion.

“So, what’s up?” I asked, unable to wait any longer.

“Well…” Sam looked pretty nervous for a guy who ran an entire hotel full of werewolves by himself. I thought nothing would throw him off, but whatever he was about to say was making him anxious. “I wanted to explain what happened last night.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“No explanation needed.”

Erick and I spoke over one another at the same time, but the message got through. Sam held up his hand to hold us back.

“No. I want to. Because, the truth is, I like you two.” My heart nearly leaped out of my chest at those words. “But there are some things about me you need to know first. They’re things I’ve tried to hide away, but I feel like if I don’t share them, they’ll just keep holding me back from enjoying myself.”

If I’d had a tail at the moment, it would’ve been wagging like crazy. And I could feel the same sort of energy rolling off Erick next to me. Both of us were so excited that we could barely contain ourselves. However, we had to. Whatever Sam was about to tell us was important and I wanted all my attention on him, not distracted by my dick or my fluttering heart.

“When I first got kicked out of my pack, there wasn't any place to go. I didn't have a hotel or a town like Shifter Grove to take me in.” Sam's gaze fell to the side, the hurt clear on his face. “I wandered for a few months, hitchhiking my way around the country. It was a way to get around and run from my feelings. But… well, it came at a price.”

Erick and I glanced at one another, wondering what Sam meant. I felt my muscles tense, waiting for the blow he was about to strike us with.

“Since I had no money, I usually had to pay for my ride with my body.” Sam shook his head, glancing up at us. “Sex work is fine, I'm totally cool with it if that's what someone wants to do. But as a twenty-three-year-old kid with no other choice and no way to eat, it was the only thing I had that was of any value. And it quickly devolved into turning tricks at truck stops and corner stores to get a ride to the next town. Eventually I found myself in the city selling drugs too. It… it got really out of control. I didn't realize until long after that I'd been going through a self-destructive spiral at the time.”

“Is that why you have that rule for tenants?” I asked, keeping my voice soft.

“Yeah. Because I know how easy it is to get lost in something you don't like doing. It helps dull the pain even if it's just creating more.” He took a good long look at both of us. “When we first met, I thought you wanted to use me like those men used to. And well, it scared me. It wasn't until yesterday that I realized that wasn't what you were doing. But those memories wouldn't leave my head. It was like I was stuck in those days again, lost without a friend in the world.”

“How did you get out of it?” Erick asked, leaning forward on the bed. “What made you give up the tricks and the drugs?”

“Believe it or not, I met this old trucker who gave me a ride. It turned out he was some sort of Fae creature, and he knew how much trouble I was in. He brought me to Shifter Grove, set me up with a place to stay for a while, and told me to stop wasting my life.” Sam smiled, chuckling under his breath. “He was kinda mean about it to be honest. But it was the kick in the pants I needed. If I’m not mistaken, I think he’s the same guy that brought in Ace’s mate, Matt, here as well.”

“And you just started the hotel after that?”

“Well, it took me a while to raise the money to buy this place. And it was a real dump to begin with. Even after I bought it I think I spent the better part of two years trying to get the roof to stop leaking. Then there was all the refurbishing and trying to find ways to bring money in when I was giving rooms away for free. But that old trucker and others like him came my way, offering their aid when they could. Eventually the place got bigger, better, and the town grew up around it. Shifter Grove is what it is today because of this hotel and because of that old Fae trucker.”

“So, all of that,” Erick said, leaning forward on the bed. “Your past and what you had to do… that’s why last night bothered you?”

There was a hopeful tone in his voice. Up until that moment, both of us had been blaming ourselves. We weren’t sure what we did wrong, but we were certain it was our fault. However, now that Sam had explained himself, we might’ve been off the hook.

“That,” Sam nodded. “And one other thing.”

I waited, Erick silent at my side anticipating Sam’s next words.

“I… I used to have a mate,” Sam said at last. “And I didn’t think I’d ever feel strongly for another person, let alone two.”

“Is he here in Shifter Grove?” I asked, terrified of the answer.

“No, thankfully. He’s the reason I got kicked out of my pack in the first place. Turns out, sleeping with the Alpha’s son isn’t looked upon well. His family gave him a choice. He could leave with me, or he could remain heir to the pack if he agreed to banish me.” There was a sad look in Sam’s eyes as he shook his head. “I’m sure you can tell which he picked.”

“That’s horrible!” Erick cried. “How could he do that to his own mate?!”

“I don’t know. But he did. And I figured that was it. Mates aren’t something that come around often and I thought I’d spend the rest of my life alone.” He glanced up at us, a terrified look in his eye. “But last night when I was with you two… I… I felt the bond again. With both of you. And… well… it scared the shit out of me. So I ran.”

Both Erick and I got up from the bed at the same time and stepped up to Sam. I crouched down at his knee while Erick went around to the back of the chair. Erick wrapped his arms around Sam’s neck, and I placed mine on his knees.

“Is this okay?” Erick asked.

Sam shivered. “Y-Yeah.”

“I felt the same thing,” I said, looking up at him. “The first time I met you. That’s why, when you took me to the bakery that day, I couldn’t hold back what I felt. It just came pouring out of me. Although, looking back, it was pretty forward.”

“Same with me,” Erick added. “I just felt so drawn to you and it wasn’t until Calum and I sat down to talk that we realized what it was. Hell, we didn’t even think it was possible to have a mutual mate bond in triplicate. It’s statistically improbable at best.”

“But I can’t deny the feeling in my gut I have for you,” I said, squeezing Sam’s leg.

“Neither can I,” Erick nodded.

Sam leaned into Erick’s touch, reaching out at the same time to run his fingers through my hair and beard. He smiled at both of us, his fingers trembling as he took my face.

“I don’t know how to do this,” he said at last. “All those years of reading romance novels and now I don’t know how to take the next step.”

“Whatever you need, we’re here,” Erick replied.

“Anything,” I said softly, kissing Sam’s hand.

“Can… Can we take things slow?”

Erick and I nodded in unison. “Just tell us what you need, and you’ll have it.”

Sam smiled shyly. “Can we pick up where we left off last night?” Then he quickly added. “I don’t want to get railed just yet or anything. That’s a big step. And sealing a mate bond this early…”

I pressed my finger to his lips, silencing the sudden rush of words spilling from his mouth. “We can go slow,” I said. “Let’s get to know each other before we rush into forever, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Can I kiss you?”

Sam shuddered, his eyelashes fluttering. “Please.”

“Then it’s my turn,” Erick grinned. “If that’s okay, of course.”

Sam laughed, the tension broken momentarily. “It only seems fair.”

Reaching up, I placed my hand on Sam’s cheek, running my thumb over his dark stubble. I couldn’t help but smile as I leaned forward, inhaling his scent deeply.

“You are really beautiful, you know that?” I said, getting closer.

Sam’s cheeks turned bright red, but he didn’t look away from me. “You don’t have to say that.”

“No,” I replied, grabbing his chin with my thumb and forefinger. “I do because it’s the truth.”

“It is the truth,” Erick concurred. “You’re exceptionally beautiful.”

Sam’s smile widened. “Will you just kiss me please?”