Six

The four of us spent the rest of the morning shopping. Cole and Finn were actually pretty great company, and seemed to get along well with Sam too. He kept giving me these small, approving glances, and I couldn't help but smile.

Cole and Finn would often take turns to disappear, heading off to different shops and then rejoining us later, which always made the other happy, having me to himself for a bit. They seemed a little competitive, in an endearing kind of way, and I liked getting to know each one better too.

As we stopped to eat, we all exchanged numbers, and they promised they'd have their other brother meet me sometime soon, when all of us could get away again for a while. I hoped it would be soon, but between my steadily increasing training schedule, and a no doubt even busier Alpha's schedule, it might not be for a while, and the thought made my heart sink.

Cole cupped by cheek suddenly, smiling, "Chin up, beautiful," he said softly, "Even if Thane can't get away anytime soon, Finn and I should be able to meet you at the border occasionally." I blushed, smiling again, and Finn nodded too, "We're going to be checking in on you regularly, even if we can't come claim you for ourselves until you have your wolf."

He grinned, and Sam raised an eyebrow sightly, but the brothers didn't notice, their attention completely on me now. "When will that be, little wolf?" Cole asked, some hunger in his voice, and Finn's face turned serious too, waiting for me to answer.

"Uhm.. five days," I said softly, feeling nervous, "on the 23rd." Their faces both turned dark with hunger then, clearly eager for it to happen. "The full moon isn't until the 28th though," Sam said, trying to sound casual, but clearly a little on edge with the way they were looking at me, "Our pack don't shift until the first full moon following our eighteenth."

Finn groaned softly, looking like the wait was already agonising, but Cole just nodded slowly, "We'll make sure at least one of us can be with you the night you turn then," he said, frowning at his brother's reaction until Finn composed himself again.

A waitress came and cleared our plates, and we stood, the brothers insisting on paying again, as they had done all day. It was making me feel guilty, but they wouldn't take no for an answer. "We've a couple of other shops to head to before we go, will you join us?" Cole asked, and I looked at Sam, who just shrugged, so I nodded.

They both beamed, and we spent another nice couple of hours together, before they had to go. It would be a much longer drive for them to head back, around past our territory and up into the mountains, to wherever their pack's town was hidden among those jagged black peaks.

Walking us back to Sam's car, they loaded our shopping into the trunk, though I noticed they snuck a few extra things in there, and l frowned at them. Finn grinned at me, looking mischievous, "Gifts for our little mate," he said.

Cole's face held a different kind of smile, softer, but meaningful, the expression echoed in his beautiful black eyes, as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, black, silk-lined velvet bag. He opened it, pulling out the sweetest little necklace I'd ever seen.

It was simple, but gorgeous. It had a small half-sphere, etched to look like an extract replica of the full moon, with three tiny, sparkly stars across the top, and the tops of three jagged mountains across the bottom, just like the largest three peaks of their territory. The whole pendant could fit on my fingertip, and hung from a thin, but solid-feeling, silvery-grey chain.

It was clearly a very personal gift, and my eyes widened as Cole clasped it around my neck. I started to protest, but his fingers moved upwards and tangled lightly in my hair, his other hand lowering and pulling me close to him as he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.

I gasped, stunned, and he slipped his tongue between my lips, teasing mine. I responded, deepening the kiss, completely lost in the moment, Cole's taste, scent, and feel, becoming my whole world. Until I heard a soft growl from behind him, and he lifted his head, smiling at me.

I stood there completely breathless, both stunned and incredibly aroused. He only stepped back and released me as Finn stepped forward, taking his place. He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling my body close against his, and growled softly again, before his other hand held my head in the same way Cole's had, and he kissed me just as deeply.

He didn't want to stop, only lifting his head when Cole grabbed the collar of his shirt a long minute later, leaving me even more breathless than before. I didn't want either of them to stop, and every single fibre of my being was left wanting more, as I watched them bid Sam farewell, then plant a soft kiss on each of my cheeks at the same time.

Cole whispered in my ear, "See you soon, little wolf," and Finn growled softly in my other ear, "Really soon, little mate," and they both grinned at me as they left. I heard Sam laughing behind me, and realised how flustered I must look, all flushed and breathless, and I quickly opened the door and stepped into his car, pulling it closed and covering my face with my hands.

It only made him laugh louder as he climbed in beside me, closing his door and starting the car. "You've really gone and bit off more than you can handle this time, little sister," he teased, and I had to admit, he was absolutely right.

The ride home was a lot quieter, though no less enjoyable. It was always nice to have these kind of moments with Sam, he understood me better than anyone. Looking over, he gave me a smile, "You okay, Lails?" I nodded, and returned the smile, "Yeah, today was just.."

"A lot?" he finished for me, and I nodded again, my hand reaching for the pendant as I felt the weight of the metal on my skin, my fingers tracing the tiny grooves and outlines. "Yeah, a lot," I said quietly, turning to stare out the front window again, as the first hints of pink began to show in the late afternoon sky.

Sam nodded understanding, falling quiet again, but reaching over to squeeze my knee gently. I put my hand in his, the other still on the necklace, and rested my head back, closing my eyes.

As my fingers continued tracing the shapes in the pendant, I wondered how they came to have it so quickly. Surely they didn't just carry it around, hoping to run into their mate, and there was no way something with such a specific design was something they could just walk in and buy on the spot.

Did they have it made just in the few hours we were there? It seemed unlikely. And they couldn't have expected me to just turn up there, even I didn't even know I was going until this morning. It was as much a mystery as their pack was, and my mind seemed stuck on it, at least until we arrived back home, to a rather unpleasant kind of evening.