Chapter Ten

Sage

Caspian’s warm body snuggled closer to mine as I woke. For a moment, I forgot where I was. I inhaled wild forest, peppermint, chocolate-orange. The scents mingled. They were a part of me like my own skin. Now I remembered.

Cas and I had found our fated mate. We were three. Fate had me and Cas stay together all these years for a reason.

I wished the wait hadn’t been so long. We were a family now, and I didn’t want to waste a single minute.

I moved my leg and felt a body on my other side. Douglas the reindeer. My chest filled up with longing. It was as if I’d known him forever, the way his presence floated lightly in my mind.

My stomach growled. I had to pee.

I sat up. The room was dark. I had no idea what time it was or where my phone might have ended up. Then I remembered the pile of clothes by the front door.

I extricated myself from my still-sleeping mates.

In the bathroom, I found complimentary robes. I took one and then tiptoed to the living room, following the trail of tossed-off shoes, shirts, pants, and underwear.

I quickly found my phone. It was 1:30 a.m. We’d missed dinner entirely, not that I was complaining. My body ached in a good way, fresh and new from lovemaking. Echoes of euphoria still reeled in my mind, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

I turned on the living room light and immediately saw a menu on the coffee table. The front read: Full kitchen open 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

I grabbed my phone and called in an order. I got a little of everything from chicken wings and chili fries to three full meals of steak that included soup and side salads. For drinks, I ordered two carafes, one with iced tea and the other with soda.

When I looked at the total on my phone, my eyes widened, but I didn’t hesitate to pay. My stomach growled.

I sat back and listened to the silence. No sound came from the bedroom. But when the knock came at the door and a waiter rolled in a cart packed with hot food, the aromas were too strong not to affect my mates.

Before I could get everything laid out on the dining table, Douglas came out wrapped in a blanket.

“I smell something incredible.”

“Food is served.” I waved my hand toward the table.

Seconds later, Cas came out in one of the complimentary robes. We matched.

“Goddess, I’m starved!” In his voice, I heard the happy yip of his wolf.

Before I could take another breath, my men sat at the table and began digging in.

“I ordered just in time. The kitchen’s almost closed,” I explained.

“Good thinking,” Cas said. “There’s no food here. We haven’t had time to go shopping.”

Douglas scooped up some chili fries, speaking with his mouth full. “You’re our hero.”

I laughed, cupping his chin with a caress of my thumb. “Chew your food first, my omega love. Don’t swallow it whole.”

He grunted in response.

Cas held up his entire steak balanced on his fork then took a savage bite.

I sighed. My men had no manners when they were starving.

I filled everyone’s glasses with whatever they wanted to drink then dug in myself. A silence fell over all three of us, except for sounds of chewing and the clink of silverware and ice.

After we slowed down a bit, we began to talk.

“As a reindeer, do you come from somewhere cold like us?” I asked.

Douglas shook his head. “I’m from a herd of regular white-tailed deer.”

“Really?” Cas and I spoke at the same time.

“Never really fit in. It was bad sometimes. I couldn’t wait to get away. When I finally saved enough, I decided to move here.”

Douglas spoke of how his herd members teased him, calling him Prancer, especially around Christmastime. “All I dreamed about was leaving.”

I reached out and patted Douglas’ shoulder.

“Don’t feel sorry for me. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. Got myself a fixer-upper. I’m pretty handy. I never dreamed I’d also find my mates, as well.” He grinned.

“We all got lucky,” Cas said.

Douglas looked from Cas to me. “So, you two grew up together?”

“In the same area,” Cas said. “We met in high school. But it’s not like our communities mixed. He’s a rabbit. I’m a wolf. Predator and prey. My pack and his colony stayed pretty aloof.”

“But we found ways to hang out,” I added. “We were drawn to each other, but being two alphas, we figured it wasn’t fated.”

Cas nodded. “In Alaska, fated mates is a belief held in high esteem. We agreed to wait until we were thirty and then, if nothing happened, we’d marry.”

“We did agree.” I met Cas’ eyes. “But reluctantly.”

“That sounds awful. I can feel your bond from here. It’s like a fire in my mind.”

“And now you’re part of it,” Cas said.

“It feels fantastic.” Douglas tapped his finger to his temple. “Like I’ve known you my whole life.”

“Same,” I said.

Cas nodded, mouth full again, inhaling French onion soup.

I’d snagged nearly half the wings, dousing them in buffalo and ranch. I’d ordered plenty of food for all of us. Even with three hungry men going at it, we weren’t going to run out.

“So, what’s it like being a snowshoe rabbit? Do you sleep in piles with other rabbits?”

I stuck my chest out and lifted my chin. “We certainly do not. We’re pretty solitary as beasts. As humans, just like anyone. But our beasts are nocturnal, so that can sometimes mess with my sleep schedule.”

“You don’t hibernate?”

“Nope. But Alaska has long nights in the winter, which I love. I’m a ranger in a national park.”

“Awesome.” Douglas looked at Cas. “What about you?”

Cas smiled. “Office job. Boring. But it pays well.”

“Ah.” Douglas’ face fell. “So you two plan on going home after a while?”

“Well, we need to talk about all that now, don’t you think?” Cas asked.

“Things have changed so quickly,” I added, picking up another wing and taking a small bite.

“We’re not prepared to leave you behind, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Cas said.

“We won’t force you to move, Douglas.” I licked my fingers as I finished off the wing. “Get that out of your head. As a reindeer, you might like Alaska, but that doesn’t mean you’d want to live there. It’s a harsh place.”

Douglas’ voice lowered, as if he was suddenly shy. “I’d love to show you guys my fixer-upper. It’s coming along.”

“We’d love to see it,” Cas said.

“I can’t wait.” I leaned toward Douglas and kissed him on the cheek.

“Today?” Douglas asked.

“I’d love it.” I ruffled his beautiful dark hair.

“It’s about 2:30 in the morning right now though.” Cas stuck his arms straight up in the air and yawned. “First, I say we get some more sleep. Then we go see your reindeer nest.”

“Agreed,” Douglas and I both said in unison.

I packed away what I could of the leftover food and put it in the fridge. Then I joined my mates back in a warm, comfy twist of arms and legs.

However, it took me a while to fall asleep. My own fault. I’d eaten too much too fast. But no regrets. No regrets at all.