Page 16 of Outcast
She trotted over towards us, as Milo and I both climbed to all fours again, growling lightly at each other. A single growl came from her, but it was packed with authority, surprisingly causing Milo and I to both flatten our ears in submission.
This was unusual. I couldn't recall hearing of an alpha submiting to his bonded mate like my wolf was, and why the fuck was Milo acting the same way I was?
As she neared, she touched her nose to my own, and I shut my eyes, basking in the feeling of her nearness and attention. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect mate.
But who was she? I didn’t recognize her scent, and I should have been able to after growing up with every wolf here.
She gave a gentle nudge with her nose and a warning growl to me before she walked over to Milo. His tail and ears perked as she proceeded to give him the same attention she’d just given me.
While my human mind could not grasp why she would give him the same treatment as me, her mate, my wolf remained shockingly quiet. At my outrage, he sent me calming energy and a single word mentally:
Pack.
Well, yes, of course Milo was pack, but that didn't mean he was allowed to paw all over our mate.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, another wolf identical to Milo approached from the edge of the forest. A warning growl I thought was directed at the newcomer came from my mate, but when I moved to fend him off, she snapped at me.
My wolf forced us to the ground and whined at her, submitting to her request.
Why the hell did Milo and this new wolf both have white fur and a black tuft of fur on their chest? I was the only shifter with white hair. Our hair color always translated to the fur our wolf displayed.
As the new wolf approached and the wind carried his scent to us, my wolf settled at the recognition.
Seth.
Pack.
Was he here because he’d heard my howl and came to help? He had been my natural second in command our whole lives, so I assumed that's how our wolves would behave.
But it became clear that wasn't why he was here when she continued to greet him with the same affection she had us.
Internally I raged, but my wolf appeared settled on accepting this.
Was I not enough for her? Why the hell did she treat all three of us as her mates?
Mate and pack.
My wolf practically growled in my mind as he sensed my rage, but I couldn't find it in me to give a shit. I couldn't accept this. My mate was supposed to be mine and mine alone.
I tried to force our body to leave this situation so we could run in the forest and clear my thoughts. I needed to be anywhere but here, stewing in my anger, but the wolf held his position, refusing to move an inch.
Move.
No. Mate here.
I'd need to force myself to shift back to my human state to leave apparently. Thinking back to how my father told me to do that, I began.
Picturing my human form in my head, I focused on my limbs morphing back. My wolf whined in our head, but I ignored it. We needed to get away for a moment so I could just breathe and think while alone.
A slight discomfort rolled through me as I felt my wolf being tucked into my mind now, control shifting back to me. When I opened my eyes, I stood naked before the remaining three wolves, whose focus was all on me.
I felt no shame in my nudity, knowing my body had been well honed by years of fighting, training, and working within the pack.
Shaking my head at the sight of the three of them huddled close, I scoffed and turned my back on them.
Her whine halted me, and my wolf pleaded with me internally to not walk away from her. We needed to cement our bond tonight or we'd be restless.
Fuck it. I refused to be runner up or third place with my mate. It was me or nothing.
