Trio of Mates
Chapter 6

Charlie

Zak and I walk into the dining room and immediately lock eyes with Brandon. We haven’t gotten to spend time with our best friend since the morning of Zak’s birthday. Yeah, we’ve been in meetings, led trainings, and completed inspections together. But Brandon has always left immediately after we were done. He refuses to joke around or talk about anything but work. It is literally killing us. Zak and I both miss him.

Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t be happier to have Zak as my mate. We’ve been in each other’s lives since the womb. He is one of my best friends in the entire world. But Zak wasn’t the one that I’d hoped I’d end up with. Even though Brandon is gay, he’s the one that I’d always wanted.

Brandon is hot. I mean, like the hottest guy that I have ever seen. He is a mountain of a man, standing at almost 6’6”, with broad shoulders and muscles everywhere. He spends so much time in the sun, that he has a year round tan. Brandon’s tawny hair is cut short and he keeps it gelled so that his bangs stay off of his face. A light dusting of freckles covers the bridge of his nose underneath sky blue eyes, and he constantly has stubble along his strong, prominent jaw. Just looking at him is enough to make me wet.

He is the one out of our friend group that I felt the closest to, but I never told him how I felt. I mean, what was the point? He’s gay. And the Moon Goddess would give me my mate. I’d forget about him, right? I mean that’s what I’d always been told. Once the Moon Goddess gave you your mate, you forgot about everyone else.

Only that didn’t happen. I mean, I forgot about him for about a month. Zak and I spent a lot of time alone…getting to know each other. Zak wasn’t an Alpha for nothing. His stamina, massive appendage, and f*****g amazing tongue kept me busy for that entire month. We only left our rooms when necessary for training and pack business.

But after that first month, I started to dream about Brandon. The dreams were always intimate in nature. Not always se*xual. Sometimes he held me while we talked. Sometimes it was just fleeting moments of him brushing my hair back from my face or grabbing my hand as we walked out of the packhouse. I woke many mornings with tears staining my cheeks as I reached for him. But he was never there.

I was able to hide it for a while, but eventually Zak noticed.

“Charlie, what’s wrong?” he asked me, shaking me awake.

“No,” I sob, tears rolling down my cheeks. “Come back. Please don’t leave me.”

“Who, baby?” Zak’s arms curled around me and he pulled me into his chest. “Who are you talking to?”

Normally, I wouldn’t have said anything, but I was so broken from my dream that I couldn’t keep it in. “Brandon!” I cried. “Every night, I see him in my dreams and every morning he leaves me!”

Zak sat up, body taut. He turned my face to him, his face filled with shock. “You dream about him, too?” he whispered.

When our gazes meet Brandon’s, my heart leaps in my chest. I take a quick inhale through my nose and immediately pick out his scent. My stomach fills with lead as I can smell Devin’s scent mixed with Brandon’s. If you didn’t know, you’d think it was just that they were hanging out together a lot. Obviously they were sleeping in the same room, but that is common among wolves. We are a social species. We often sleep in the woods in large puppy piles after hunts or runs. But Zak and I know better. Devin came out to me years ago. Brandon to Zak, then to the rest of us. Zak and I know that they were together. We also know how Devin feels about Brandon.

Though Brandon has been actively avoiding us, Devin hasn’t. We meet with him regularly when he is finished with his duties and not with Brandon. But he hasn’t told us why Brandon has stopped talking to us and we haven’t told him about our dreams. Devin must have guessed that something is wrong, but doesn’t push us.

We stare at Brandon and I see the longing in his eyes. For our friendship? For old times? Can I dare hope that it is for more? But just as quickly as our moment begins, it ends. He stands, quickly whispering into Devin’s ear. Then he walks out of the dining hall without looking back. I whimper quietly and Zak’s hand tightens around mine.

Devin follows Brandon a few seconds later and my heart crumbles.


Zak

Watching Devin follow Brandon out of the dining room, my appetite disappears. Goddess, I wish it was me going to Brandon. It is obvious from the way that they both rush from the room and readjusted themselves what they are hurrying to do.

It’s not that I don’t love Charlie. I do. She is the best thing that has happened to me. The Moon Goddess gave me the best mate I could ask for and an amazing Luna for our pack. But these damn dreams! Both Charlie and I have been having them. They are just like the dreams that we had before we found each other as mates.

Which of course makes no f*****g sense! We are mates. Why are we still having these kinds of dreams? It’s a good thing that we are going to the Oracle today. Maybe she can tell us what to do about all of this.

Wrapping my arm around Charlie, I k!ss her forehead before putting on a brave face and greeting our families.

After breakfast, Charlie and I make our way to the Oracle’s cabin. Though most of our pack lives in cabins and two-story houses around the packhouse or in the barracks, the Oracle, no matter who it is, has always preferred to live apart. Not that she doesn’t take part in the pack festivities and life. As our current Oracle, Lucille, told me, being away from the constant chatter of pack life helps to center her so that the Moon Goddess’s voice can speak.

So Charlie and I walk through the wood surrounding the pack’s main area, following the three mile trail to the Oracle’s cabin. Though we are both anxious and eager to hear what the Oracle will say, we walk slowly. These dreams, these feelings, have taken over our lives. This should be the best time in our lives. We literally just found the one that the Moon Goddess made specifically for us. We should be humping like bunnies, attempting to make an heir for the pack. But we hadn’t had se*x in weeks. These feelings for Brandon had literally taken over every part of our lives. It was to the point that we dreaded sleep, knowing that we would have more dreams.

Charlie and I walked silently down the path. She held my hand as if her life depended on it, her knuckles white. As we walked, Charlie stared absently ahead of us, chewing on her thumbnail. I pulled her to a stop, turning her to face me.

“What?” Charlie says, still looking down the path.

“Baby,” I say, turning her face to me. I pull her hand from her mouth and wrap my arms around her. The fated sparks from our mate bond dance along my skin, soothing me some. Charlie stills against me, but quickly melts into my embrace. “Whatever happens, we will be ok.”

“I know, I just – “ She starts.

“No, love. We are going to be ok. We have each other. I love you more than anything. We will get past this, whatever this is,” I say into her hair.

I hear her sniffle. “I love you so much,” she says, k!ssing my mate mark.

I shiver at the feel of her lips on my skin. “I love you, too, Charlie.” Pulling back, I stare into her eyes and run my hands through her hair. She gives me a sad smile. I bend and k!ss her slowly, thoroughly. Immediately, she wraps her arms around my neck, pushing her tantalizing body into mine. All of the frustration, the sleepless nights, and the unrequited feelings for Brandon pour into that k!ss. For the first time in weeks, the heat between us reignites.

I pick Charlie up and she wraps her legs around my waist. Her arousal scents the air and I growl into her mouth. The k!ss picks up speed and takes on a bruising, punishing ferocity. I stumble to a large oak tree, pushing Charlie’s back against it as my hand travels up her shirt and palms one of her breasts.

Charlie m***s into my mouth. I move my k!sses down her jaw and neck, stopping right above her mate mark. I lightly graze my teeth over the mark and she sighs in pleasure.

“Yes, Zak,” she g****s.

Suddenly, we hear a throat being cleared. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Alpha, Luna. You were running late and I was worried that whatever the problem is had become worse. I came looking for you.”

Turning, I see the Oracle standing approximately 20 yards down the path. I was so focused on Charlie that I didn’t even hear her approach.

Charlie unwraps her legs from my waist and moves from the tree, straightening her shirt. I turn away to adjust myself before turning back.

“Nothing to be worried about, Oracle,” I say, inclining my head in respect. I may be the Alpha, but she was the pack’s spokesperson for the Goddess. “We just got a little…sidetracked.”

Giving me a smirk, the Oracle says, “Please, call me Lucille.”

“Only if you call us Zak and Charlie,” Charlie replies, a small smile and a blush creeping onto her face.

“As you wish,” Lucille says, giving a slight bow. “Please come with me.” Lucille extends her hand down the path towards her cabin. We nod and follow.

The Oracle’s cabin stands in a secluded part of the forest. It is small, but homey, with a beautiful flower and herb garden along the front, bright white curtains blowing in the open windows, and a large porch swing. The cabin stands in the middle of a clearing, giving the Oracle a perfect view of the moon every night. The smell of h0neysuckle and thyme fill the air. It is beautiful and serene. No wonder the Oracle prefers to live out here. My wolf spirit feels closer to the surface out in the secluded piece of nature. I wonder if the Oracle would be willing to trade jobs.

Lucille holds the door of the cabin open for us and we walk inside. Again, the scents of herbs fill the space, calming the senses. Though the place is somewhat cluttered, it is orderly and feels more lived in than messy.

“Please have a seat. I seem to recall that you both prefer coffee over tea,” Lucille says, busying herself with a kettle.

“Oh, you don’t have to bother-“ I begin.

“Nonsense,” Lucille waves off my objection. She runs water into the kettle from the tap and scoops in instant coffee. I see her grab some cinnamon from the table and sprinkle some into the coffee. When she sees me looking, she winks. “My secret to making that instant stuff palatable,” she says. She places the kettle on the stove, turning it on. She then comes to sit with us.

Settling in her seat, Lucille turns to Charlie and me with a smile. “Now, what seems to be the problem?”

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