Chapter 24

TWENTY-FOUR

Tara

We're cuddling on the edge of the hot spring, me lying on my belly on the large, smooth rock, my feet dangling in the water, Rinan and Drogo lying on each side next to me, and Arlys sitting on the rock beside Rinan. It's unexpectedly comfortable. The cold water is no longer quite as cold. My body feels relaxed and pleased in every way.

A girl could get used to this.

Rinan runs his fingers along the raised scars on my back, touching one at a time delicately, and I do everything I can not to flinch. "Your poor back," he whispers.

"I can't believe your own mom did that." Arlys sounds like he's feeling absolute disbelief.

"I can't believe any mother would hurt her daughter like that. It's not right," Drogo says angrily.

Shrugging, I try to think of something to say that would make it all make sense. "My dad was gentle. He treated me like his princess, and I never wondered if he loved me. He proved it every day of his life. If I hurt myself while doing something, he was there to comfort me, but to also encourage me to keep trying. He would tell stories of great adventures and heroics, and I would always be in them, saving everyone. He was truly a wonderful father."

"He sounds like a good man," Rinan says, continuing to run his fingertips along my scars.

"He was. But my mother…" I pause, taking in a sharp breath. "My mother never thought I was enough. I'm not a great daughter. I'm the worst witch in the coven at magic. There was just never that mother-daughter bond. I was just a tool to use, and she was okay breaking me and rebuilding me if it got me to become what she wanted."

I wonder, briefly, what she's doing right now. Has she replaced me with Edna? Are they happily chatting about battle and plotting to kill all the shifters when I give word? And do I even care?

"You didn't deserve that treatment. From her, or from us. You deserved better. You're remarkable, and fuck anyone who believes anything different," Drogo tells me as he runs his fingers through my wet hair.

I turn to him, seeing him lying across the rock beside me. I've never seen him look this relaxed before. This happy. I like him like this.

"Yeah, anyone who can't see the gifts you possess, outside of your magic, is blind and not worth your trouble," Arlys adds. He squeezes my hand and gives me a smile.

There's something different about the way they're looking at me now. I can't pinpoint it. Something has changed though. It's like they're more open. When I look at them, I don't see a thousand things hiding behind their eyes. It's just them and me.

It's a nice change.

"I like you guys like this," I tell them.

All three men look surprised.

"Like what?" Arlys asks.

I try to find the right words. "Less guarded. And mean."

They flinch. All three of them.

"We won't be like that ever again," Drogo says. "I know words mean little, but we're going to show you with our actions that we'll make you happy. We'll take care of you."

It's strange. I feel like he's telling the truth, deep in my heart.

I study him, then ruffle his hair. To my surprise, he smiles. "I'm just trying to picture that life with you." Then my thoughts start working. "You know Garrick is part of my future too. My husband. And one of my mates."

Arlys sighs, but then draws his shoulders back. "In one way, the idea of being tied to the bears is horrific. But in another, it'd be nice to be responsible for bringing peace between our peoples. It wasn't in the plan, but we can adjust our plan for you."

I'm happy to hear that. After all their hatred for Garrick, it'd be nice to see them all getting along.

"So, my big men who love planning, what's the new plan? You know, after we fix this curse."

Arlys seems to think for a minute before responding. "As a unit, we'll likely spend time in each shifter territory throughout the year, being seen by all three of our people, and getting to know the bears. To solidify our peace with them. We'll likely travel less when babies start coming–"

"Babies?" I say.

Drogo grins wickedly. "We're going to have so many babies."

Rinan gives my ass a little smack. "I hope you like being pregnant, because you're going to be all the time. Gods willing."

Drogo's hand finds my other asscheek, and he squeezes. "Hell, there may be a baby in there right now."

My cheeks heat. "I think I'd love a large family."

Rinan steals a kiss, and my breath. "You'll have whatever you want."

"Even if it means bonding with the bear," Drogo says with a smile. Then he puts one arm behind his head, looking up at the clouds. "It's strange. Not being angry. It's not like I'm ever going to forget my brothers, but I'm also not honoring them by being a dick all the time."

"Grief is a funny thing," I say.

Our eyes meet. He leans up and kisses me. "I've got some stuff to work out, but I'm going to work on it, and I'm never going to take my grief out on you again. I promise."

"I know," I say, and I do.

Things are different now. Different in every way. It's not just their attitudes. It's like a shift inside us. Like we're puzzle pieces that have come together. There's a harmony between us that I could've never dreamed about before.

"So, round two?" Rinan asks, in a sweet, hopeful voice.

Drogo laughs. "I think our bride might enjoy the end to this mission and a warm bed."

"I would," I admit.

Although the idea of a round two isn't that bad…

Rinan sighs. "So, back to the mission?"

I nod, even though I'm reluctant. "Back to the mission."

The truth is, things won't feel perfect until we're with Garrick. This harmony isn't real without him.

"Let's head back to the cave," Arlys declares, and then rises to his feet.

The men carefully help me climb out of the hot spring, and use the blanket to dry me off. Their touch is soft. Their care of me is so tender, it warms my heart. When I'm dry, they dress, and I wrap the blanket around myself. Then we head back to Garrick.

As we walk, the men surround me like an army squadron. There's a man less than an arm's length away on either side of me and behind me. And… I feel safe. Cared for. One of them.

It's strange. There's definitely been a shift between us that isn't just because of the sex. If it's the mate stuff, I don't know, but I know it's something.

Anxiety ties my stomach in knots as we approach the cave. We're going to have to tell Garrick what we did, and I don't know how he's going to react. Yes, he agreed to sharing me with the men when we signed the alliance, but I would've felt better if we'd discussed our relationships before having sex with the wolves.

I stop near the cave entrance, unable to take another step forward.

"What's wrong?" Drogo takes my hand.

I don't want to worry them. I need to shake this off. "Nothing," I tell him, giving his hand a squeeze.

When I try to take a step forward, he stops me, those dark eyes of his holding mine. "What's wrong?"

I hesitate, then decide the hell with it. "I don't want what happened between us to hurt Garrick. Garrick was kind and loyal to me when you guys were treating me like garbage."

Their shoulders slump. I didn't want to say it, but it's out there now.

Drogo's gaze meets mine again. "We'll do whatever we have to in order to fix things with Garrick. We know you two are a package deal, and we've accepted it. Hell, we accepted it when we signed the alliance."

I nod, taking a deep breath, and step into the cave.

Garrick is dressed, and our packs are put together again, save for an outfit he's left out for me. He's sitting on a rock, a knowing look on his face.

He stands when we approach. "Did you make nice?" he asks, tilting his head to the side.

My face heats up, and I know I'm red in the face right now. We more than made nice. But I can't bring myself to say that.

Rinan grins. "We made very nice. Now our mate smells like us too."

My wolves seem proud of themselves, but that's not unexpected. I'm focused on Garrick. On his reaction.

Garrick puts his hands on his hips and surveys the four of us, before letting out a deep sigh. His gaze meets mine. "Are they going to treat you right?"

Drogo is quick to answer. "Yes."

"We realized what idiots, what assholes, we've been," Rinan adds, his gaze meeting Garrick's.

The bear shifter looks doubtful.

"She's our mate," Arlys says softly, and his words seem to change something with Garrick. "When she left with you, we realized the truth. It was hell. The worst time in our lives. We won't do anything to lose her ever again."

Garrick gives them a shit-eating grin. "I figured out a long time ago that she was your mate. I just also figured you idiots didn't deserve her for being such shit heads."

"Maybe we didn't." Drogo looks more sad than angry. "But she's working to forgive us. Which is better than we deserve."

Garrick's grin falls away, and he looks thoughtful. "I guess maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks. You guys have actually… grown, huh?"

Rinan gives him a look. "We're wolves, not dogs, and we're always learning. Thus is the fate of the stupid."

Drogo and Arlys don't look amused, but they don't seem to disagree with Rinan either.

"Still," Garrick says, dragging out the words. "As much as I'm not going to take any of my bride's mates away, if you three decide to act like dicks again, I'm going to put you in your place. I'm going to hurt you a thousand times worse than you hurt her beautiful heart." His tone is casual, but his eyes are dangerous.

Drogo offers him his hand. "Agreed."

And to my surprise, the bear shifter takes it. They shake long and hard, eyes locked, before dropping hands. A new energy flows between them, a less tense one that I like.

Garrick picks up my clothes and hands them to me. "I bet you want to get dressed, sweetheart."

"Thanks," I say, moving away from them and then dropping my blanket as I put on the clothes.

Rinan gives a low whistle. "I'll never get sick of seeing that."

"Me neither," Garrick says, crossing his big arms over his chest.

I glance at him, my face hot. All four men are staring, not just looking, but full-on staring at my naked body. Like I'm a steak, and they can't wait to eat me up.

I turn away from them, hiding my face as I dress quickly. "And I'll never get used to this ."

"Trust me, honey," Drogo says in a low voice. "You will."

"So, we're all on the same page about her fine ass," Garrick says, still staring. "Now we all have to make nice. The marriage was one thing, but now it's different. We're officially linked together. This is a real bond, all of us can feel it. And it's enough, if we handle it right, to end the fighting between our people, once and for all."

The energy in the room shifts. It's less about throwing their cocks around, seeing which one is bigger, and more about a deal. An agreement. There's something formal about the way they all regard each other that makes me finish dressing quickly, before sitting down to put on my boots.

"We're tired of conflict all around. Resolving matters with the bears is a giant step in the right direction," Arlys says, ever the diplomat. "Because who knows what will happen with the witches from here. It'd be nice to know we won't be attacked by the bears."

"Agreed," Garrick says. "The bears meant it when we agreed to this peace treaty. All our people are aware of it and will respect it. There will be no more problems from us."

"Or us," Drogo says.

"Which is a relief," Arlys adds, and he sounds relieved.

"Plus, we have a bigger issue with the Illness and the water that affects us both," Rinan says, then shrugs. "Everyone loves a common enemy. This should help get our people on the same side even more."

"Sounds like we're all on the same page," Drogo says. "Fighting bad. Peace good. We heal our people, and then we have a relationship. All of us. Connected through Tara."

Garrick nods. "It's a deal. Our priority is fixing this curse and focusing on making our wife happy, because she doesn't deserve to live in conflict. This is our official truce. Our promise to our wife. Our promise to make her happy." Garrick puts out his hand for the men to shake, and one by one, they all shake hands.

The air in the cave feels lighter, and there's no tension at all. It's a first for this group. There's just a bond, a closeness, that I never imagined possible. Wow, can I really have a happy home? With all my men?

My whole soul feels happy as I stare at them, relieved I don't have to give any of them up. Relieved that I can have them, together, and happiness. It's not how I pictured my future, but maybe it's even better.

But then I yawn, suddenly feeling the exhaustion from the past few days. "Do you think we could sleep for a little bit? I'm exhausted, and you three must be too since you spent all day searching this mountain."

Gentle eyes run over me, and I get the strangest feeling these men will never tell me no. That they'll give me whatever I want. And they prove that to be right when they easily agree.

We create a space for us all to lay down in a pile of blankets that seem to surround me. It reminds me of our first night sleeping together back in wolf territory, but there's no fighting or growling or fondling. We're all cuddled up together, and it feels so nice.

I look at the faces of each of my husbands. There are no lines of consternation, no snarls, no frowns. There's only peace, and I couldn't ask for more.

Garrick has an arm around me, so does Drogo. "Are you sore from being with all three men… after being with me?" Garrick asks me, loud enough for everyone to hear.

The wolves seem to be alert. Listening.

"No, I feel good." I don't want to tell him how good I feel or how good it was to be with all of them. I'm actually still trying to come to terms with how it felt to be with multiple men at the same time.

He sounds amused. "Are you sure? I imagine it was…a lot."

I laugh. It was a lot, and I loved it.

"I'm so sure."

He leans in and kisses me. His lips brush against mine, soft and gentle. I close my eyes and lean into him, savoring the moment. The warmth of his skin heats my own, and his scent fills my nose. I moan into his mouth, and he puts his other hand on my stomach under my shirt. Slowly, he slides his hand lower until he's right under the waistband of my pants.

"Do you think you can go another round? Maybe with four of us?" he asks.

I move my hips toward him, pushing his hand further into my pants, waiting for him to feel my yes for himself. He complies, sliding between my thighs and stroking me softly. " Hummm , you are wet."

"Fuck. And here we thought we satisfied her," Drogo murmurs, sounding more than a little aroused.

"She smells so damn good when she's turned on," Arlys says, breathless.

Turning to him, I see that he's already got his cock in hand. Hard and ready.

It's difficult to breathe. To catch my breath. "We can really do it again? So soon? Can we?"

"There's nothing stopping us," Rinan whispers.

My nipples are hard. Garrick is so fucking good at stroking my pussy. "There has to be… rules, right? A limit on the number of times we can do this in a day?"

"I've never heard any rules," Garrick says, slipping a finger inside and making me gasp. "You wolves heard any rules?"

"I've heard one," Rinan mutters as he pulls his own dick out. "It says we should be hard and ready every time our mate wants to be fucked."

"That's a good rule," Garrick says, adding a second finger. "Does our little mate want to be fucked?"

I can't seem to catch my breath. "You guys really want me… like this? You want me ?"

"Oh, honey," Drogo says softly. "I hate that we ever made you doubt it, but yes, we want you. We've always wanted you. You're the most beautiful woman we've ever set eyes on."

I sigh, head spinning. "Then we should probably have sex."

"Before the wolves finish without us," Garrick says, followed by a chuckle.

And then they're all undressing me. And once I'm naked, they start undressing themselves. Soon, we're a sea of naked flesh. Their muscles and smooth bodies are everywhere.

Arlys lays down and pulls me on top of him. "I haven't gotten a chance to feel her tight pussy." Then he turns to the others. "But her ass is incredible. I absolutely recommend it."

I'm blushing again when he scoots me down, so his hard cock is right beneath my pussy. He takes a minute, rubbing his length in and out of my folds. Making goosebumps erupt on my skin. Making me so wet I feel myself dripping.

Then Garrick climbs up behind me. I don't know what to expect when his dick begins to play in my pussy too. He seems to be using that hard rod of his to make me wetter and wetter, until I know he must be coated. And as much as these two men seemed to hate each other just a short time ago, they don't seem to mind that sliding in my pussy means sliding against each other.

Rinan and Drogo lay at my sides. They grab a hold of my breasts, playing with them, stroking them, even leaning forward to nibble and suck. I'm left gasping for air, my hands tangling into the back of their hair, pulling them closer, encouraging them to suck harder and longer, sending vibrations shooting straight into my core.

Arlys eases me onto his cock, which I'm surprised I can handle. After having two of them shoved inside me, the fit is still tight, but pleasant, and not nearly as overwhelming. He sinks me in inch by inch deeper until he comes to his hilt. Then he stops, breathing hard.

When Garrick uses his cock, coated in my juices, to press into my ass, I'm overwhelmed. The bear is too big. Fucking huge. There's no way he's going to fit.

"Garrick," I whisper.

"It's okay, little one. I've got you. I'll go slow."

And he does. Every time I think it's going to be too much, he stops. He gives me time. He allows my muscles to loosen and adjust to his impossible size. And by the time he's balls deep inside me, I'm breathing roughly, not moving, wondering how the hell this is even going to be possible.

"We got you, sweetheart," Rinan says, pulling free from my breast.

I don't know what to do when the men start moving inside me, but I let my hands drift to Rinan's and Drogo's cocks and start stroking. They rise to their knees, and I hold on for dear life, stroking them hard and gripping them tightly as Garrick draws himself out of me, and then slowly pushes back in.

Arlys' hands on my hips start to move me, to slide me up and down his cock. The sensation of Garrick and Arlys siding back and forth inside me is overwhelming. Incredible. It's like nerves in my body are awakening, screaming to life, and they're feeling too much. More than I can bear.

But it's good. It's so fucking good. I can't help but start to move between them, to slide on their glorious dicks, to lean into the sensations rather than run away from them. Greedily, wanting more, I lean down and take Drogo's dick in my mouth. He groans and buries a hand in the back of my hair, and I suck him eagerly as the two dicks inside me make me wild.

Breaking from his dick, I take Rinan in my mouth and go to town. Sucking him. Sucking his balls. Licking his tip. Whatever I want when he murmurs my name, and I try not to give into the sensations overwhelming my body.

Garrick and Arlys move faster. Thrust harder. It makes my eyes roll back in my head, makes every hair on my body stand on end. I pull Rinan and Drogo's dicks to me from each side, and start to suck on them at the same time, devouring them, trying to distract myself.

And it works. A little. The feel of them hard and long. The taste of them, salty and sweet. I take them as deep as I can, gagging around them, when Rinan comes, his warm seed filling my mouth.

I suck harder, more eagerly, desperate for every last drop of him, and then Drogo groans and comes too. They might be done, but I'm not. I ride the cocks inside of me harder and faster, loving the pure friction between them. Loving the way my entire body hums.

Drogo and Rinan harden in my mouth once more. Their hands tease my breasts, pinching and working my nipples, sending sparks of pleasure through my body. Garrick thrusts so hard and so fast that my entire body is shaking with the force of his thrusts, and then I come, exploding into pleasure. My vision goes black. Stars dance in my vision.

Garrick and Arlys come, filling me with their seed. Hot and wet. I know it'll be coating my legs and my thighs, and I love it. I love knowing these men are claiming me. That I'll smell like them. That Arlys could be impregnating me, even now.

Rinan and Drogo come again, holding onto the back of my head, making me gag around them as I do. And I love it. I love the taste of them. I love knowing that I'm the one who made them come like this.

I'm about to collapse, but Drogo's hand in my hair doesn't let me. He holds me there until I clean them off, every last drop of them, before he finally murmurs, "Good girl," and lets me collapse onto Arlys.

We're all breathing hard. Rinan and Drogo lay at my sides. But to my shock, Garrick starts working my asshole again, pounding in and out of me until I feel Arlys hard inside me once more. I grasp onto Arlys' shoulders as they pound me into dust, and then I'm orgasming again, screaming their names, every hair on my body standing on end, my nipples hard enough to cut glass.

I'm putty. No muscles. No bones. Garrick is running his hands over my ass, spreading me, whispering about how good I feel, how he never wants to pull out of me. And I don't blame him. I kind of want to ride his giant rod forever. And when he and Arlys come again, I feel amazing. Like the most wanted woman alive.

"So, is this how it's going to be?" I whisper, panting.

Rinan runs a hand along my back. "Yeah, probably this, but with more sex."

I laugh, shaking my head, feeling good. Although I do wonder… was Garrick serious about never pulling out of my ass? Because he seems to be.