“Other”—Gavin had to swallow before he could finish the question—“shifters?” If he was suffering symptoms of post-traumatic stress, he had one hell of an imagination.
“Sorry,” Hensen said, again using that calm tone. “I know this must all be confusing, but I promise you we’re only trying to help. Maggie would have died if we hadn’t changed her.”
“I know,” Gavin said. That was the one thing he was very sure of. He’d seen enough battle wounds to know that for certain.
Hensen moved to what seemed to be a medical table, placed Maggie carefully in the middle and reached into a cupboard for supplies. “Here,” he said, handing over a bottle of water and a towel, “get cleaned up.”
* * * *
Hensen watched Gavin for a moment. He looked shocked by everything that had happened, but it was obvious that he was doing what needed to be done and pushing everything else aside to deal with later.
Thankfully this den was very well equipped. It actually had concrete floors and walls, several sleeping cots and blankets, plenty of medical supplies—despite the fact that werewolves rarely needed them—and emergency foods stockpiled in a cupboard in the corner. Whoever had built this den had done it with a long-term plan in mind.
Gavin followed Hensen’s lead as they both rinsed the worst of the blood from their hands and then turned to Maggie and did their best to clean her up as well. It was obvious that Maggie’s clothes were ruined, so Hensen reached for the scissors and carefully began to cut the material away from her skin.
As more and more of her soft skin was exposed, it finally occurred to him that he should be feeling some sort of territorial possessiveness that another man was touching his mate. The complete absence of jealousy was a little disconcerting. He glanced at Kade, who seemed to share his confusion, and then turned back to cleaning up his newly made werewolf mate.
“So what brings you to our neck of the woods?” Hensen asked without looking up, trying to keep the conversation casual while learning as much as he could about the human in their midst.
Gavin glanced up, his reaction entirely natural, but for some reason Hensen sensed that he was about to offer a lie, or at the very least omit the truth.
“I was looking up an old friend, actually, but he seems to have left the area.”
“Old army buddy?” Hensen asked too casually. Gavin gave him a hard look.
“Navy SEAL actually.”
“So this old SEAL buddy, did he have a name?”
“Yeah, Jay Holks.”
Hensen would have sworn that he didn’t react to that name, but the gun currently pressed to his head suggested otherwise. Probably the weirdest part was that despite having over half a century’s worth of hand to hand combat training he didn’t want to hurt this man by defending himself.
“Gavin,” Kade said calmly, as he placed his hand on Gavin’s bicep and gently urged him to lower the gun, “we know Jay Holks. He’s a grizzly bear-shifter, not ex-Navy. Why are you really looking for him?”
Gavin breathed out heavily, apparently annoyed by Kade’s willingness to be honest. “Because he was the last person to talk to my sister before she disappeared.”
“What’s your sister’s name?” Hensen asked as a suspicion began to grow in his mind.
“Suzanne Bailey,” Gavin said in a resigned voice as he lowered the gun and finally put it away.
Hensen should have been jealous of the way Kade wrapped his arms around the big human and held on tight, but again the emotion was strangely absent.
“I met Suzanne,” Kade said in a relieved-sounding tone. “She’s mated to Hensen’s best friend.”
Hensen nodded. “She was injured when she tried to save a young child from black bears.” Well that was kind of the truth. Hensen got the impression that Suzanne’s brother didn’t need to know she’d been injured by the child, a very young black bear-shifter, that she’d been trying to save. “She’s a werewolf now, too.”
“Can I see her?” It was obvious that Gavin was expecting him to say no, but a lot had changed since Gideon had taken over as beta of the Shy River pack.
“I should be able to arrange that,” he said simply as he went back to cleaning Maggie’s blood off her. Thankfully she slept soundly, the trauma of her attack and subsequent change into a werewolf obviously leaving her in need of deep rest. “Kade, is there anything salvageable in Maggie’s backpack? I doubt she’ll be thrilled to wake up naked, surrounded by three men.”
* * * *
Kade nodded but had to force himself away from Gavin’s hard body. He wasn’t certain that Gavin had even realized, but the man had wrapped an arm around Kade’s shoulders and held him close as well. It seemed incredible that after more than forty years of loneliness that Kade would suddenly find himself surrounded by three people destined to be his mates.
Of course, he hadn’t discounted a glitch in his werewolf senses. What were the chances that he’d meet all three of his mates in the same place? And why, after avoiding Hensen for the past seven months was he suddenly ready to acknowledge their connection? And truly, after more than the average wild wolf’s lifespan, why would Maggie seek him out now?
It was entirely possible that Kade was imagining it all.
He grabbed Maggie’s backpack as Hensen had asked, and carefully undid the fastenings. He was pleasantly surprised to find the contents undamaged. The outside of the bag looked like it had been dragged through a massacre scene, but the clothes and supplies inside were in good condition. Careful not to smear sticky, drying blood all over everything, Kade emptied out the contents and then quickly rummaged through them.
He found track-pants, socks, panties, a bra, and a warm long-sleeved shirt. After a moment of hesitation he put the bra back into the pile. Maggie would sleep more comfortably without it.
“Without a shower I think that’s probably the best we can do,” Hensen said as he carefully dried Maggie with a towel. She was definitely cleaner than she’d been, but now she was completely naked. Thankfully both Hensen and Gavin worked efficiently, respecting Maggie’s privacy as best they could under the circumstances. Kade was a little sad to see her beautiful body covered from sight, but he knew it was the best way to handle things for now.
Finally, Hensen lifted her into his arms and placed her onto one of the camping cots that were probably far more comfortable than the medical table she’d been on. He wrapped several blankets over her, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and then moved away.
Kade watched her sleep, praying that she wouldn’t freak out when she woke. Her life had changed irrevocably, and as impossible as the wish seemed right now he wanted her to be happy with her new life. Hopefully she’d accept them as her mates and willingly let them worship her body, mind, and soul for the rest of her life.
That thought was like a punch in the gut. They’d gone so close to losing her. Hell, if Hensen hadn’t arrived, they would have.
“Thank you,” he whispered brokenly as Hensen reached for him. He clung to the other wolf, shaking violently, his emotions overflowing as the events of the past half an hour started to catch up with him.
“It’s okay,” Hensen said in a thick voice. “She’s going to be fine.”
Kade nodded but couldn’t stop the tears that trickled down his face.
* * * *
Gavin knew that he should walk away. For his entire life he’d managed to deny the attraction he was feeling right now, but watching these two men embrace was a little too close to the fantasies that had filled his mind since his discharge from the Navy.
He hadn’t actually been hiding his sexuality. He just hadn’t had time to acknowledge it. And since he’d happily bedded women almost every chance he’d gotten, it hadn’t truly been a concern…until now.
His cock twitched as Hensen lowered his head and pressed a soft kiss to Kade’s mouth. The man’s eyes and lips were swollen from crying, somehow making the tender affection too personal to watch. Gavin turned away, trying to concentrate on anything else, but it seemed that Kade had noticed his reaction when he reached over and placed a hand on Gavin’s forearm. He had no explanation for the way he turned his hand over and linked their fingers together, but somehow it just felt right to do it.
The kiss was slow and sensual, the soft touch of skin against skin very appealing. When Hensen finally lifted his head, he looked straight at Gavin, his gaze following back to where Gavin and Kade were holding hands. Hensen nodded as if somehow giving his approval.
“I need to go and explain this to the alphas. Can you look after them both while I’m gone?”
“Uh…sure,” Gavin said feeling bewildered all over again. It was obvious that the werewolf was attracted to both Maggie and Kade, and if that discussion about mates meant what Gavin thought it meant, then why was Hensen leaving them both in the care of a stranger?
Hensen tilted his head sideways, assessing Gavin a moment before leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to Gavin’s lips. “I’ll be back as quick as I can. Maybe you and Kade should try and get some rest as well.”
Kade moved into his arms before Gavin could think to protest.
“Okay,” he said gruffly, his arms tightening around Kade instinctively. “But do me a favor?”
“Sure, anything.”
“When you come back, make sure you’re in human form before you walk through that archway. I’m liable to shoot at a wolf after what happened to Maggie.”
“Good call,” Hensen said with a nod. “I’ll speak to the alpha about getting the wild pack relocated. If they’re desperate enough to attack humans, we could have a whole lot of attention from the park rangers that we seriously don’t want.”
Gavin almost jolted at the unintentional reminder that he’d come here looking for his sister. “Can you contact Suzanne as well?”
Hensen nodded, touched his arm affectionately, and left the cave.
Maggie woke surrounded by blankets. She gasped for air, her hands immediately going to her throat as memories of the attack thundered through her brain and set her heart pounding with fear.
“Shh…It’s okay, Maggie. We’ve got you. You’re safe here.”
“Wh–Where’s here?” she asked as she glanced around, her movements jerky, her reactions fueled by alarm. It took several terrified moments for her to realize she seemed to be inside some sort of concrete survival bunker, but it was the man hovering over her that stole her breath. “You?”
The blue-eyed stranger shrugged. “You screamed. I came running.”
“But the…it…” She grabbed her throat still expecting to find something other than smooth skin. When she didn’t find signs of injury she looked around worriedly. “What did you do to me?”
The blue-eyed man gave her a frown but stepped back to let another man move closer. Strangely, even though she was certain she’d never laid eyes on this man before there was something familiar about him, something that urged her to trust him.
“Maggie—” he started to say, but she cut him off, glancing nervously between the two men.
“How do you know my name?”
“Eleven years ago you fell off a cliff edge not far from here.”
She went to sit up, planning on pulling her knees to her chest in a childishly protective move, but almost at the last moment she realized she was wearing different clothes. And she was no longer wearing a bra. She closed her eyes, hoping to get her bearings. If she wasn’t in danger from these men, then she was being rude. And well if she was in danger it was probably best not to provoke them by being offensive. “You were one of the people who rescued me?” she asked trying to be polite.
“Not exactly,” the smaller man said. “I kept you warm that night.”
“You? You kept me warm? Then why do I remember a wolf?”
“Because I stayed in wolf form so that I wouldn’t frighten you.”
That made her pause. “You thought I’d be less frightened of a wolf large enough to eat me?”
“Well,” he said blushing slightly, “I thought it would be less confusing than a naked man. You were only a kid.”
“Wait,” she said as what he said finally sank in. “You’re a wolf?”
“Technically, I’m a werewolf, but yes, I can change shapes between wolf and human.”
“Uh-huh,” she said wondering how she managed to find herself in crazy land. “And what’s your story?”
The man with blue eyes actually laughed. “Innocent bystander?” he offered with a shrug.
“Somehow I find it hard to believe either of those claims. You sure don’t seem like a bystander. More like the guy always in the middle of trouble.”
“But I am innocent,” he protested with a wide smile. He watched her for a moment before becoming more serious and asking quietly, “Do you remember what happened?”
“I have memories, but they don’t make a heap of sense. I remember a wolf biting my throat, but there’s no damage, so that can’t be right.”
“Technically it is,” blue-eyes said as he stepped back once more and let the other man explain.
“You were dying. We did what needed to be done to save your life.”
“Ah, I want to say thank you, but somehow I don’t think I’m going to like the method you used.”
“It’s not so bad,” the man said with a shrug. “I’ve been a werewolf for forty years now. Most of the time it’s actually pretty cool.”