Chapter Seventeen Calum

I couldn’t help staring in awe at the Alpha standing in front of me. He was easily a foot taller than me, jacked from head to toe, and that cowboy hat somehow made him seem even more menacing. However, when he spoke in that quiet, low, soft tone of his, it made all my fears melt away. The man was as smooth as butter and beautiful to boot. If I hadn’t been feeling so strongly about Erick and Sam, I might’ve taken a chance. However, Ace didn’t seem the type to do that sort of thing, anyway. And he was wrapped around Matt’s finger like it was nobody’s business.

Matt, for his short stature and lithe form, was easily ten times more frightening than Ace. I knew the first time we shook hands that he wore the pants in the relationship, and he wouldn’t hesitate to put me back in line should I give him any shit.

However, despite all the quick judgements my brain was making, the two of them were actually really cool. And the love between them was strong. Even though Sam said they’d only been mated for about a year, they gave off the kind of energy that I’d expect to feel from wolves who’d spent their entire lives together. And once in a while, it seemed as if they could almost read one another’s minds.

After Sam dropped me off, Ace gave me a tour of the farm while Matt went to put together lunch for the three of us. We were getting a later start thanks to Sam keeping me and Erick in bed too long that morning, but they didn’t seem to mind. Ace walked me through his frozen gardens, showed me the greenhouse that was still vibrant and full of life despite it being January in Michigan. After that he showed me to the barn that was currently in a state of disarray.

From what he told me, he and Matt had come up with the idea to build in the fall and had gotten started as fast as they could. The materials were delivered in a couple of weeks and then their builder backed out. Not a pair to give up easily, they decided they would just do it themselves. And so far, they’d done a good job. The posts were set, the concrete floor had been poured, and they’d even managed to get the roof on before the snow got too bad. However, now they were running out of drive and energy. The barn wasn’t fully enclosed yet and there was still the entire interior that needed to be put together.

That’s where I came in.

I’d never built a barn before, but I’d helped with plenty of houses. I figured they couldn’t be much different. In fact, a barn should be easier considering that the vast majority of it would remain open and not trapped behind a layer of drywall. Plus, it wasn’t like we were building a giant horse training facility or something. All the barn had to do was house poultry and possibly pigs in the future plus give them access to the outside. Easy enough, right?

“I’m thinking we need to get started on the pens themselves before we put the metal siding on,” Ace said, standing in the center of the open barn with a hand on his hip. Cold wind whipped through, and I shivered despite my borrowed jacket. “Or maybe the chicken enclosures for the spring? I’ll have to start putting in chick orders soon.”

“Are you going to keep the chicks in your tiny house?” I asked, nodding toward the tiny building that he and Matt shared.

“I guess?” he said. “They’ve gotta be kept warm, right?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “And they fucking stink.” I didn’t have a lot of experience with chickens, but of that, I was absolutely certain. “They are gonna drive you two right out of that house in less than a week. And they’ve only going to get bigger and smellier.” I gestured at the open barn walls. “We need to get this space enclosed first. Chicken pens can come later. Right now you need a dry place out of the cold to keep these chicks and work on your projects.”

“I suppose you’re probably right.”

“Believe me,” I nodded. “If you guys are tired now, this cold is only gonna make it worse. But if we can close this off and get out of the wind, maybe get a heater out here to drive away the chill, it’s gonna be a hell of a lot easier to get things done.”

“You seem to know more about this than me,” Ace groaned. “I’m kinda ashamed to admit it, but I think I’m in over my head.”

“It happens. But I’ll help you get out of it.”

“Alright.” He gave me a good long look. “You know, I can see why Sam likes you.”

I felt a sudden jolt of embarrassment. Had Sam already told everyone about us? Did Ace know about Erick too? I thought we would keep everything hush-hush for a while considering how non-traditional our relationship was. But then again, it wasn’t like being a bunch of gay werewolves was exactly traditional in the first place. The whole town was full of outcasts.

“Don’t worry,” Ace replied, seeing the look on my face. “He’s not spreading it around town or anything. He just mentioned it is all.”

“It uh… doesn’t bother you?”

“Why would it?” Ace shrugged. “I’m not one to judge.” However, at that moment he took a step closer, his hulking figure casting a shadow over me. “But if you or your mate hurt Sam, you’ll have to answer to me.”

I swallowed hard. “Yep. That seems fair.”

“Glad we understand one another.” Ace tipped his hat and took a step back. “Why don’t we get started on putting this siding up then?”

He made a move toward the pile of tools and sheet metal on the far side of the barn. I cleared my throat, getting him to stop in his tracks as I figured out how I wanted to word what I was about to say. He stopped and lifted an eyebrow in my direction.

“Do… uh… Do you think Sam is okay with all… this ?” I asked, gesturing at myself. “I just… well, he’s been through a lot it seems.” Why was I so fucking bad at talking right now? “I worry about him is all. One minute he seems terrified and the next he’s all over us.” I let out a long sigh. “I’m just worried I’m gonna fuck it all up I guess.”

Ace let out a long sigh. “Sam has a past, just like the rest of us. And his was… well… let’s just say there wasn’t anyone to help him like he’s helped all of us. He had to find his way on his own and that meant there were a few mistakes in the process.” He shook his head, placing a hand on my shoulder. “And in some ways, he’s still getting through it. But as long as you’re honest with him, I don’t think you can go wrong.”

“Do you think his past will ever catch up with him?” I asked, not really sure why the thought was on my mind. “I just want to be prepared.”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about. It’s been over a decade. Those days are long behind him.”

“Alright,” I nodded. “And sorry to spring all this on you. I know you’re not much of a talker and I’m not very eloquent… so I appreciate it.”

Ace just smiled. “No problem.”

“Well?” another voice called from the far end of the barn. “You two get anything figured out?”

I turned around to see Matt striding toward us. His boots were unlaced, and he had a coat draped over his shoulders like a shawl. It was clear he didn’t intend on staying out in the cold for long.

“I think so,” I called back. “We’re gonna put the walls up first so we don’t freeze our asses off out here. And after that we can start fucking around with the chicken shit.”

Matt stopped, a grin curling over his lips. “Simple and to the point. I like it.”

“I figured once we get out of the cold, we can worry about everything else. But those chickens aren’t gonna be here for another couple of months at least and that gives us plenty of time to have a functional space for them.”

“Have you raised chickens before? You seem familiar with this.”

“Nope. I’ve never seen a chicken that wasn’t on a plate.”

“You must be a natural farmer then,” Matt nodded. “Not me. I fucking hated dirt when I first got here.”

“I like getting dirty and doing heavy lifting. It makes me feel alive.”

“Sounds like you’re cut out for this kind of life then.” He glanced up at Ace, giving him a nod. “Looks like we found the help we’ve been needing.”

Ace nodded back. “I guess so.”

“Sam’s gonna have us supplying his entire food supply here soon if he keeps sending us help.”

“Maybe once we get the barn and the chickens taken care of, we can talk about expanding that house,” I added, putting my hands on my hips. “You two could use a little more space.”

“Yep, we’re keeping him,” Matt said, throwing some shade Ace’s way. “I’ve been telling him that for months.”

“It would be nice to have room for more than a loveseat, right?”

“Fuck yes. God, I want a sectional so fucking bad…”

Ace just shook his head. “I wanted help, not more projects.”

“Why not both?” I grinned up at them both. “Looks like I’m gonna be in town for a while, anyway. And if Sam is as serious as Erick and I, then we may never leave.”

Matt walked up to me and hooked his arm through mine, pulling me back toward the house. “Alright, so tell me about this whole triple mate thing. Are y’all a throuple or what? I need the details.”

I glanced back at Ace over my shoulder, but he just gave me a wink.

“I’ll do my best,” I answered. “Although Erick would be better at this than me.”

“You’ll do,” Matt said. “Now give me the details. I want to know everything.”

I took a deep breath and started to share what I was comfortable with. Meanwhile, Matt and Ace led me back to the house and Matt served us a fucking fantastic lunch despite the tiny size of their kitchen. As I piled my second helping onto the plate, I realized something.

A guy like me could get used to life in Shifter Grove. The place was great.