“I like goose feather quilts. Blankets make me itch,” Clarissa announced.Alicia’s lips trembled and he scratched both arms. “But I’m allergic to geese.”Yikes, the nitty-gritty details of living together were already a pain in the butt. “I’ve read online there are duvets filled with bamboo which are hypoallergenic.”Both my mates nodded. One problem sorted, hundreds more to go.“But before we do anything, I need permission from your Alpha to stay in the den.”Clarissa let that sink in, his eyes darting from Alicia to me. And while it was probably nothing, he used the word “stay” in the den, not become a member. In order to stay, you had to be a member. It was one word but it repeated in my head. But I shrugged off my concerns and let it go. I wasn’t going to upset my mates by cross-examining our leopard shifter.I couldn’t respond to Clarissa’s statement with, “Piece of cake,” because while Alpha was progressive and forward thinking, what we were suggesting wasn’t the norm. And while
ALICIAThe three of us strode toward Alpha’s two-story cabin with the white fence. I had no desire to have his job but up until Clarissa and Dante mated me, I’d envied Alpha’s family dynamics and his zest for life. He had a mate and a son and he’d reshaped the den into a place where people were allowed to be themselves. As well as making it a hive of creative energy.On the way to Aspen’s, Clarissa mentioned snow leopards were solitary beasts, both in the wild and shifters. I hooked my arm in Dante’s and we did a little jig because prides and dens had rules, and when two kinds of shifters mated, there were often complications.Clarissa stood with arms folded as we danced in one direction and then the other. “This is different. No one has ever been excited that I’m a loner. Glad I’ve made your day.”“Awww. I’m sorry.” I caught Dante’s eye and we grabbed Clarissa in what we called a bear hug, and I related the story of Alpha’s friend Kit who lived in the den.“We’re lucky to have avoide
I tried and failed to recall any warning signals while we were eating. Other than the prospect of me eating chili, there was nothing significant.“So let me get this straight.” Dante’s frustration was rising and I gave him a look that said, “Cool it.” “You were going to ignore your council’s ruling or whatever it’s called and remain here. But as soon as Alpha says you have to become part of the den, you decide to adhere to the rule.”My Beta mate was standing again, hands on hips, and I got in between him and Clarissa. Was this our first fight? If so, I hoped it would be the first of many.Clarissa twirled a bunch of hair around his fingers. “Because there are so few snow leopard shifters, the council understands it’s almost impossible to mate with one of our kind. They expect us to live with our mates while staying under their rule. They implore us to keep our identity and ensure any future cubs will as well.”That was why he couldn’t officially become a Bruin Ridge Den member but he
I hated that my beast was the issue. Not my beast really but the kind of animal that lived inside me. It was such a stupid freaking rule, too. There were so few of us that we should what? Make it impossible for us to be happy? I had wanted to just ignore it—thought I could, but officially becoming a den member was something that could get us all in trouble.More than trouble—it would be seen as a deception to my kind. I left off that part and really shouldn’t have. But I froze, unsure how else to handle things. And that was why I was sneaking off back to the Alpha house while my mates were doing their Beta thing instead of working myself.I climbed up the steps, the door swinging open as I reached it. At first, I thought they saw me coming and were greeting me, but when their cub came running out and crashing into me, I saw it for what it was—interesting timing and nothing more.“Sorry,” I apologized. “I didn’t realize you were coming out.”“You’re a cat.” He looked up at me. “Does th
I maneuvered myself down onto the mat and had Dante move over enough I could be between his legs; the bump in the center where he originally sat was in my way.“Dante, I need you to tell me what he’s doing since I can’t watch.” Alicia kept his eyes on the road. “Don’t want us to hit a tree. Can you imagine Alpha’s reaction if we crash his steel baby?”I didn’t hear Dante’s reply, as my sole focus was to make him come before we got to the feed store, which was “close.” Whatever that meant timewise, I wasn’t sure. Three minutes? Five minutes? One minute? Whatever it was, I was up for the challenge.I worked his zipper like a boss, setting his cock free. “Commando. I like it.” I licked my lips. Liking it was an understatement.Bringing my mouth to his length, I licked around the tip and gathered the precum onto my tongue, making a yummy sound as I did. Theentire time, Dante was describing my every move and Alicia’s hand was sliding up and down Dante’s thigh.A swirl and lick morphed int
DANTEBack in Alicia’s kitchen, the three of us bantered and there was a lot of “accidental” touching, brushing against one another, and flicking with dishcloths as we put the groceries away and planned our dinner.Alicia and I told Clarissa in Barcombe that we’d prepare the main meal because my Beta mate didn’t want to be confronted with chili. And Clarissa had responded with, “I’ll make dessert.”Alicia was convinced he’d be given a chili coated in melted chocolate which Clarissa said was a thing, but our snow leopard mate insisted that wasn’t what he was preparing. “You’ll love it.”“I can always skip dessert,” Alicia whispered as Clarissa had scoured the supermarket aisles in Barcombe.“I heard that.”“Damn.” Alicia stomped his feet as we left the grocery store. “Snow leopard shifters must have better hearing than bears.”As the kitchen was small, Alicia and I sat at the table and waited for Clarissa to prepare his dish as it had to go in the oven, whereas ours was cooked on the s
“Dante is a good stirrer,” Alicia noted.“You say that because you hate doing it.” If I didn’t have to stand at the stove, I would have chased him around the kitchen until I caught him and planted a kiss on his lips. But my job was to ladle stock and stir until it was absorbed.“My turn to ask you questions.” Clarissa leaned on his elbows while Alicia chopped coriander and grated parmesan cheese. “Can you give me details about your life before Aspen became Alpha?”My stirring hand froze and Alicia edged closer to me. “I’ll sum it up by saying our lives were the complete opposite of what they are now.” What I didn’t say was that Clarissa might not have liked who Alicia and I were before Aspen took over.“Maybe another time,” my Beta mate muttered as he checked the seafood and peas had defrosted.“Sorry, that was thoughtless of me,” Clarissa said and changed the subject.While I resumed stirring, we chatted about our favorite food and colors, though when Clarissa asked us to name our fa
ALICIAI didn’t want to go to work and leave our mate. It felt wrong, the two of us going off together and leaving him alone. Except his work was done alone and mine was with Dante. It took a lot to adjust to all the newness in our lives.But not all. My love for Dante wasn’t new. Letting each other know and freely expressing it was, but the feelings had been there for so long. And now that we could be open about them… that love grew.“Are you sure you don’t need anything before we go?” I asked Clarissa, who was attempting to work.“I have to get this done, so you leaving is what I need.” Clarissa rolled his eyes. “This bid could be big monies.”I didn’t fully understand what he did for work, but what I understood had me in awe. He put visuals to people’s dreams. That was pretty amazing.“See you after work.” I bent down and gave him a kiss. “Love you.”He pulled my head closer and kissed me deeper, mumbling, “Love you, too,” against my lips as the kiss broke.“We ready?” Dante came o