Chapter Eleven

"Do you need to get back to work?" Rome asked after our shift.

I couldn't remember a time when shifting had been that fun, where I didn't feel like my beast was somehow less than, when I could just enjoy being in my fur and running around, when I could share that time with others who appreciated me. Our time as our animals had been everything I always wanted. But now it was time for us to figure the rest of this mating thing out.

We didn't even know each other's last names, where we lived, or anything really, and it was time to work on that. Sure I wanted to strip them both naked and beg for their cocks, but more than that, I wanted to get to know them. Fine, maybe not more than that, I was pretty darn hard. But equal to that, maybe.

"I do need to get back." As much as I hated it, my shift was barely half over. "Except…hold on." I fished my phone out of my pocket and messaged my boss, letting him know I found my mates and asking to not come back for the shift. I wouldn't have felt bad, except it was the night of the big party.

My boss instantly replied, "Yes," with a bunch of exclamation points, six hearts, and a cheer sign. I thanked him and then told my mates, "Nope, don't have to work."

"Who lives closer?" Roman asked.

I raised my hand. It didn't matter where they lived; I was the winner on this one. "That would be me. I live down below."

"You live at Animals?" Armel ran his hand down my back. It took me a few seconds to remember the question I was meant to be answering.

"Yup, they have staff housing. It's one of the perks."

"Lead the way," Rome said, and I grabbed each of them by the hand and took them to my apartment. It was small, but we didn't need a lot of space for what we were there for. All we needed was a quiet area to talk and if things went well, a bedroom to share. "This is it."

"Wow, it's so nice." Armel slowly turned around, taking it all in.

"Yeah, they really take care of their staff." It was one of the many things I loved about my job. "So, the reason we're here: we're all mates."

I sat down on the couch, and the two of them sat on either side of me. "We should probably figure things out. I don't know where to begin. This is hard."

"I'm hard, you mean," Rome teased.

"Yeah, that too," I agreed. "In all seriousness, I meant that there are some things you need to know about me, and I'm sure there are things I need to know about you. But also, yeah, I just want to get you both naked and kiss you from head to toe and back again, slowing down in specific spots, of course."

They both let out a groan. Later was going to be fun…really fun.

"Of course. Why don't I start?" Rome let out a long breath. "You guys kind of lost the mate lottery with me."

I found that impossible to believe.

"I'm financially not doing well…like, I am the poorest dragon that ever did dragon. But I work hard, and I'll do what I can to be the alpha you need."

I hated that he thought I'd care about money but also wasn't that the same exact thing I'd been doing with pretty much everyone?

"Since we're talking about money…" I braced myself for their reaction, but before I could get it out, Rome interrupted.

"I have a hoard, but it's...pens." He looked down. "I have a hoard of pens." He made it sound like the worst thing ever. It was far from it.

"Pens?" I asked, intrigued.

"Yeah…pens."

"That's so cool." I jumped up and walked over to my desk and pulled out a pen I got for graduation. It had been a ridiculously expensive trinket from my grandfather, but also something I always felt like I needed to keep. Now I knew why. I brought it over to him. "This is my favorite one. See? It's a fountain pen." I opened it up and showed it to him.

He took it and looked at it. "This is... This is not junk."

"No, it's not."

"I mean, this is one of the most valuable pens I've ever held."

"Yeah, that's the thing I wanted to tell you guys. I might live here in this small apartment and work at a club but…I might also be rich. Not might be. I am. Very."

"Rich rich?" Armel asked.

"Yeah, I'm old-school wealth. I have more money than I…we could spend. I made it into the top list on Forbes last year." It had been so embarrassing.

Both my mates' jaws dropped. "Then why are you living here?" Armel asked, and it was a fair question.

"Because of the people in my life." I hated this part. "For so long, I never knew if they liked me for me or they liked me for my money, and most of the time, it turned out it was my money. Guys who wanted to date me, it was always about the money. And I just wanted to be liked for me, for who I am and what I like, not because of how many zeros I had in my bank account balance." It felt great to get it all out there.

"You know what my favorite part of you being rich is?" Rome said with a grin.

"What?" It was a weird thing to ask after my bombshell. "Security?" Because I could provide us with that. We'd never be homeless, hungry, or without medical care. Heck, we'd never be without anything they might want.

"No." He started to laugh and reeled it back in. "It's because now I can say I have a sugar glider." His mischievous grin was adorable.

I groaned.

Armel groaned. "That's a dad joke."

"I know, and I've been waiting to use it ever since I saw how adorable our mate is. You're welcome."

I fell back against the couch, cracking up. My mates were something, and best of all, they were mine. "Is there anything that you want to tell us about yourself, Armel?"

"Honestly, the only thing I can think about right now is marking you both," Armel said. "Yeah, that's the entirety of my brain."

"Well, I think we can make that happen," I said with a smile.

"Oh, we definitely can."