Page 28 of Tamed Wolf

I take in the log cabin aesthetic and the soft furnishing as I stand and breathe. I stay rooted there in the middle of their living room, trying to take in what I can, daring myself to understand why I feel safe here.

“Hey, you found— woah. Uh, hi.” One of the other triplets pokes his head out of a bedroom, then walks out in nothing but gym shorts hanging low on his hips, scratching the back of his neck.

“Brooks still awake?” Beckett asks.

“Think so. I’ll grab him.”

I feel a soft touch on my elbow. “I want to put some fresh sheets on the bed for you, can I get you some water or a snack or anything?”

Why is such a simple gesture so overwhelming? “N-no. I’m fine. You don’t have to bother with the sheets, really. You’re already doing so much. Any chance you’d let me take the couch?”

“None at all. And the sheets are necessary; pretty sure there’s baby puke in at least two different spots, I just haven’t gotten around to fixing it yet. Give me one second. Please, make yourself at home.”

Beckett slips away and I try to memorize anything about him to help me tell them all apart, because it would be really embarrassing to call them by the wrong names.

I breathe in the faint scent he leaves behind, my wolf straining to pick it up since we’re weaker. It’s sort of minty, like maybe eucalyptus or something. Whatever it is, it’s fresh and soothing.

The other two come back out now, both with shirts on, approaching me like I’m a wounded animal. “Thought he was just heading out to get his phone. Didn’t realize he’d be coming back with you. Um, shit. I don’t know how to do this; have fun? He’s a good guy? We’ll take the baby tonight so you can just hang out…or whatever.”

They start backing up, eyeing me up and down like they’re still ravenous for me and it takes me too long to process what they’re saying, and then I’m mortified. “No! That’s not why I’m here. He sort of insisted on offering me a safe place to sleep for the night; but if that makes you uncomfortable, I can totally figure something else out. I’ve slept outside before; this hoodie is pretty warm. I can—"

They approach now that I’m spinning words like an idiot, looking concerned. “You needed somewhere safe to sleep? What’s going on at home?”

“Don’t think she really has one,” Beckett explains gently as he walks out and dumps an armful of linens into another room before returning to the living room.

Before I know it, he’s standing behind me with his hands on my shoulders, resting gently to give me a little support. “How much you comfortable telling them, Lark?”

I wave my hand. “If you’re opening up your home to me tonight you deserve to know anything. I’m an open book.”

“We aren’t owed anything simply because we’re doing the right thing; if you don’t feel like talking about it or want to keep things to yourself because they’re personal, that doesn’t change our offer to sleep here. If you need somewhere to stay, and you feel safe here and can promise you can treat our home respectfully and won’t harm our kid, then you’re welcome.”

Tears prick my eyes, because is this how adults are supposed to talk? How they’re supposed to feel? No manipulations? “I uh, usually live at the shelter; that’s my permanent residence, anyway. You know my son, Camden?”

The eyes of the two triplets in front of me bug out of their heads. It’d be funny if this wasn’t the literal story of my life. “You’re his—fuck. Didn’t see that coming. Okay, his reaction earlier makes more sense. Wait, you’re too pretty to be his mom.”

I laugh a little, and it’s actually genuine, to my surprise. “Thanks. His dads and I split when I was pregnant with him, but I’ve been working for them since Camden was about 8. That’s a long, tangled story, but I’ve gotten myself into a bit of a bind. Signed a contract I never should have signed, but if I wanted access to my son’s life, I had to. I didn’t feel like I had any other options at the time.”

“Wait. Back up. I already have so many questions. First and foremost, I need to know; are you working at that club because you love the job, or because you’re contractually obligated to?”

I itch my neck until I feel it getting red from the abuse, beginning to feel a little trapped. “I haven’t been given many choices in my life. I don’t think there are any easy answers when it comes to my situation.”

“Fair enough…” one of them drawls. Then he reaches over to a cup of stuff on a side table and grabs a permanent marker. He turns to his brother on the left and scrawls ‘Brooks’ on the side of his neck, then leans forward to scribble ‘Beckett’ on the triplet behind me, before handing off the marker to Brooks so he can write ‘Blake’ on his neck.

“There, we’re labeled. Might make us slightly less confusing. I trust you can tell the difference between three adult men and an infant? Kind of feel weird about scribbling on Rowan.”

Another laugh falls through my internal filters, which surprises the hell out of me again. “Yeah, think I’m all set there.”

“Good. Now. Where were we? What’s going on with you and your mates? You’re separated?”

“They rejected me after I fell pregnant; long story short, they always told me they wanted the kid. They stayed away mostly for the first little bit, visited once when he was a newborn, but I hated it and refused them after that. Messed up and played outside once, feeling free for once, and they showed up to take my kid. So, I did what I had to do and promised I’d do whatever they needed of me to stay in his life; I could handle anything I figured as long as Camden was still mine in some capacity. Working at the club was one of those stipulations; the deal changed when he turned 16. I had to hand more of myself over, but in return I’d be able to see Camden still. I knew he was technically an adult, but I just couldn’t stand the thought of being somewhere he wasn’t.”

“And he couldn’t have visited you why?”

“His fathers are very…persuasive. It only took a few years of us living with them for Camden to start treating me differently. I think that’s why I hate them the most. Out of all the shit they’ve put me through, that’s my biggest regret.

“But I figured I had made the dancing work that long, what was a little bit more? The contract…was so stupid. But I was desperate.”

When I don’t say anything else, lost to bad memories and suddenly exhausted, Beckett fills in for me. “She had my phone. Camden led me right to her and tried to keep me out of her room…but guys, they had her locked in a dog kennel. It was a big one, granted, but it was still a fucking kennel. There was even a fucking dog bowl for water. I couldn’t leave her there. You get that, right? Camden fought me on letting her leave, had to convince her a fair bit too, but I told her we could help her.”

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