Page 79 of Dragon's Revenge

They sure could. And if Delton was a little blue-balled after, well, Adar would be the beneficiary, so it wasn’t really a problem, now was it?

ChapterThirty

Four weeks later, Adar was still floating on cloud nine. Which was such a weird expression since he had no idea what clouds one through eight were, but that was beside the point.

He was happy. Stupidly happy to the point of giddy. Hell, his fellow guards were teasing him because he constantly walked around with a big smile now. A goofy smile, as one of them had pointed out, and Adar couldn’t even refute it. Nor did he want to. It was true, wasn’t it? He’d even caught himself whistling a tune, and that was a first.

The cause of his happiness was obvious. Love. He was in love. Crazy, stupid in love with both of his mates. They were his everything now, and he looked forward to every second he got to spend with them.

He had dinner with his mates every day now. Every night, Oliver would fall asleep sometime during their post-dinner conversation, usually on Adar’s or Delton’s lap. And every night, Delton and Adar would tuck Oliver into bed, and then they’d leave together, spending the night either in Delton’s bed or Adar’s.They had sex almost every night, with Adar bottoming most of the time, but he didn’t mind at all. He loved sharing that with Delton.

“You don’t mind sleeping on your own each night?” Adar asked Oliver that night as they were sitting around the dinner table in Delton’s cabin, enjoying a hearty lasagna Oliver had baked that made Adar’s mouth water. The lasagna sat in a ceramic dish, its golden-brown crust covering the layers of cheesy pasta and sauce. The edges were slightly crisp, a sign of a perfectly cooked dish. Specks of green parsley and red tomato could be seen poking through the top layer, adding just the right amount of color.

Oliver shook his head. “I like that you get to spend time together.”

Delton’s eyes narrowed in that way Adar was starting to recognize as his analytical mode, when he was trying to figure something out. Any moment now, he’d ask the question. And yup, the beta opened his mouth. “Why do you like that?”

Adar repressed a smile. He was strangely proud of himself for knowing that was coming, like he was figuring Delton out. Not an easy task since the beta was pretty careful in what he shared and showed of himself. A professional habit, no doubt.

Oliver idly toyed with the food on his plate, his fork gently nudging the lasagna into separate little piles while his eyes remained fixed on the task, avoiding Delton’s probing gaze. Yeah, good luck with that. Adar’s money was on Delton.

“It’s not a criticism, honey,” Delton said softly. “But I want to make sure I understand.”

Oliver raised his head slightly, peeking at Delton from between his eyelashes as if to confirm he wasn’t upset or angry. “Adar spent so much time with me in the beginning. It’s only fair that you two now get to hang out more,” Oliver finally said.

Okay, that made sense. Adar fully expected Delta to say something along those lines, but instead, the beta asked, “Are you sure that’s the only reason?”

“What else could it be?” Oliver asked, but his voice was barely audible, which was a telltale sign that Delton was on to something. How had he picked up on that? He was so damn good at this.

Delton leaned forward, his eyes filled with warmth and sincerity, and gently clasped Oliver’s hand in his own. “What are you afraid to tell us, honey? I promise we won’t be upset.”

Adar nodded. “What Delton said.”

Oliver was quiet for a long time, then finally let out a shaky sigh. “I’m not sure I’ll ever want to sleep with you.”

Sleep with them? Hadn’t they already established that outside of his heat, Oliver wasn’t interested in sex? Or did he mean…?

“You mean literal sleeping, right?” Delton asked. “Like sleeping in the same bed?”

Oliver nodded. Ah, okay. He meant sharing a bed. Adar was starting to understand.

“Okay.”

When nothing else followed, Oliver looked up, puzzled. “Okay?”

“Yes. Okay. As in, that’s okay. Perfectly fine.”

“Y-you don’t want to know why?”

“Not unless you want to tell me. I don’t need a reason to accept your decision. ‘I don’t want to’ is a full sentence that doesn’t require more details to be respected.”

Another drawn-out pause. “I’m afraid I’ll panic. I love cuddling when I’m awake or falling asleep while cuddling. But if I wake up in the middle of the night with either of you touching me, I’m scared I’ll have a panic attack.”

Delton released Oliver’s hand and leaned back in his chair, his eyes thoughtful as he chewed his food. The gentle creak of the chair accompanied his movement, and his gaze seemed to drift into a contemplative distance as he clearly considered Oliver’s words. “You may be right. We’re far more vulnerable in our sleep and more likely to react instinctively to what our brain perceives as a threat. You could very well be triggered into a panic attack.”

Pure relief flooded Oliver’s expression. “So I’m not overreacting?”

“Not at all. It’s a valid concern.”

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