Page 21

Bastian

“ I ’m so scared that I’ve messed this all up and I just don’t -”

My jaw drops at the scene in front of me. I don’t know if I’m more surprised by Liam’s confession or Rachel’s bravery but either way I’m not going to just stand here staring at my mate kissing her other mate… I’m joining. Stepping forward I run my hands up her arm. I place small kisses on her shoulder, tracing a line up her neck to her ear where I give her a small nip. Her answering groan makes my cock stand at attention but before we can continue, she’s gone. I stand staring at the blank space between us and slowly the other three men fade away as well.

Before I can think much further into the strangeness that’s happening I open my eyes and realize I’m laying in my bed… alone.

It was all a dream. A perfect beautiful amazing dream.

It felt so real, I could have stayed in that forest bathed in moonlight and the presence of my mate and pack forever. Even in the dream, she was breathtaking, those green eyes glowing like fireflies in the dark, framed by that long black hair I can never stop admiring. She looked soft and strong all at once, her body fitting perfectly between us like she was made to belong here.

Now that I’m awake, the urging of my bladder and excitement for the day ahead won’t let me go back to sleep. Standing up I chuck a pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt on before making my way to the bathroom.

I catch my reflection in the mirror as I pass, still tousled from sleep, my dark hair a mess and my jaw shadowed with stubble. I scrub a hand down my face, trying to wake up, but nothing shakes off the aftershocks of that dream. Quickly moving through my morning routine I shower then throw on a dark pair of jeans and a henley before heading for the kitchen.

When I get to the kitchen I’m surprised to find I’m not the only one awake. D is making coffee and Liam is sitting at the counter, head in his hands obviously still being a mopey prick.

“What are you doing awake so early, birthday boy?” I ask, with a smirk. Claiming the stool next to him, I signal to D that I’d like a cup of that bombastic bean juice he’s brewing.

“Why do you care? And more importantly why are you awake. I’m always an early riser but we all know how much you like your cat naps.”

“Hardy har har, jerk,” I respond as D passes my cup to me.

“Now, now, boys no arguing before noon please. You both joining me for coffee is no weirder than the dream I just woke up from.” He turns to Liam and smirks. “ You were there and you actually managed to pull your head out of your ass. You even kissed our mate,” he chuckles.

Everything freezes at his words. How could that be? There’s no way we were both dreaming about Rachel kissing Liam. Hell, why would either of us dream that ? Not that the rest of the dream wasn’t good… until I woke up. But still…

“You dreamed I was kissing your mate? And you’re happy about that?” Liam scoffs feigning his scorn but something seems off about him. “And you think I have issues?”

“Well it wasn’t just you,” Derrick retorts. “I sure as hell wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to touch my mate just because you were touching her.”

Liam’s eyes widen and I know mine do the same.

“Were you in the woods?” I ask slowly.

“Yeah… How’d you know that?” D arches his brow at me.

“Because I had a very similar dream. But before Liam got his first taste of our mate, he actually apologized .”

“You had the same dream? How could that be?” D gapes.

“Not just me. I think all of us had the same dream.”

“You mean, you think it was real ?” D demands.

Liam’s eyes grow impossibly wider as the idea sinks in. “I really said all that to her? I would have never said the things I said if I had known I was really saying them to her. I thought it was a dream. No way would she beg for me like that. Not after how I’ve treated her.”

“She needs you just as much as she needs us, Liam,” I say with conviction.

He paces the room until he suddenly stops and swears.

“I have to get out of here. She’s going to wake up soon and if she sees me… If she finds out the dream was real… I don’t know what I’ll do. I’m not ready yet, guys. I’m trying. God , I’m trying. But I don’t want to rush it. I don’t want to hurt her again,” he mutters.

“Considering what an ass you’ve been, I’m sure you will. But don’t worry, I’ll be there to kick your ass every time you do,” D smirks.

And with that ever so pleasant threat, Liam is running… again. At least this time no doors are slammed.

“I’ll go after him.” D says, shaking his head. “You guys have a fun day planned today, right? Going to the market? Here, buy my Emerald something pretty.”

He tosses a few bills on the counter between us before dumping his coffee into a travel mug and following our reluctant pack member out of the dorm.

Walking into the farmers market, Rachel’s eyes go wide with excitement as she takes in all of the booths. I can’t help but pull her into my side and plant a kiss on her forehead. We take our time strolling past the vendors. Rachel’s joy is contagious and I feel the bond vibrate in my chest with her happiness. The bond has gotten stronger since last night and I wonder for a split second if the dream has anything to do with that. Her head’s on a swivel as we walk, trying to take in all that there is to see. Fresh flowers, handmade candles and soaps, jewelry, clothing, and even some cool looking spray paint paintings.

“Anything catching your eye, Moonbeam?” Lucas asks, voice teasing as he pulls her into his side.

“Everything looks amazing,” she says in awe, eyes darting around. “But I think I want to check out the food vendors first. I’m dying for a coffee, think they have some?”

“That’s the best thing you’ve said all morning,” Lucas jokes, rubbing his stomach.

“The best?” Rachel snarks back, raising an eyebrow. “I seem to remember you being pretty intrigued by some of what I had to say this morning.”

Lucas’s cheeks turn red confirming my suspicion that they weren’t sleeping when I knocked this morning. The two of them make such a pair, her in that soft purple dress that makes her glow and Lucas, always effortlessly charming in his casual jeans and worn hoodie. They’re light and dark in every way, and somehow it works. I’m so happy to see Rachel coming out of her shell and accepting us as her pack that I can’t even find it in me to be jealous. We weave through the crowd, the scent of some sort of sweet treat beckoning us forward. Turning the last corner we can finally see the row of food trucks and booths laid out before us. There’s so many options, I’m not sure where to go, but a squeal from Rachel tells me the decision has been made.

“Are those crepes? I’ve read about those before! Can we get some please?” Her excited rambling is adorable and I know there’s no way Lucas or I would say no.

I could never deny her anything she wants but especially not when she looks at me like that.

“Of course, Firefly, want to start with crepes or coffee?” I ask.

“Ummmm…” Her pink tongue pops out adorably as she weighs her options.

“How about you and Bas go grab us some crepes and I’ll go get coffee.” Lucas offers.

“Perfect, thank you!” She exclaims with a little hop before she plants a soft kiss on his cheek.

I feel a flash of jealousy at their easy affection. But it’s quickly wiped away when she wraps herself around my arm and tugs me towards the food truck aptly named Crepe Expectations. When we get to the window to place our order, her eyes go wide again. They have a menu of about fifty predesigned crepes and a whole build your own option as well. I can see the gears in her head turning as she considers which one to get.

“How about you pick out three for us all to share, so that way we can all try more options?” I offer hoping to help her make a decision.

Her eyes light up at that suggestion and this time I'm the one awarded a cheek kiss.

“Thank you, Bas, that’s a great idea,” she says to me before turning to the woman standing behind the window waiting on our order. “Hi, can we please get one Cheddar Affair, one ChocoBerry Dream, and one Cereal Killer.”

The woman jots down our order and takes my card before directing us over to the pick up window to wait for our order. Standing in the bright morning sun next to my mate definitely makes the waiting more fun. The way she looks in the pretty purple dress she’s wearing today nearly steals the breath from my chest. Her black hair is pulled up in a messy bun on top of her head leaving her neck, and by default my mark on her, fully displayed. My eyes trace up the tiger slinking down her neck before landing on her face where I find her chewing on her lower lip.

“What’s on your mind, Firefly?” I ask, gently prying her lip free and planting a soft kiss on her abused lip.

“I already saw something I’d like to get Lucas for his birthday, but I have no idea what to get for Liam. I feel bad, I want to get him something but we haven’t had much time together and I’m not sure what he likes.”

I can’t help the grin that spreads over my face. We are so lucky that fate gave us such an amazing mate. Even with the way Liam has been acting, she’s still concerned about picking him out the perfect gift.

“Liam’s not as complex as he wants everyone to think, Firefly. You want to know what he loves?”

She nods her head enthusiastically.

“Photography,” I tell her. “He’s got a knack for capturing moments, especially nature shots. I’ve seen him get completely lost behind the lens. If you want to get him something he’ll love, get him something related to that.”

Her lips part slightly as if that wasn’t quite what she expected me to say. “Photography… That actually makes a lot of sense.”

Before I can respond, the man in the pick-up window hands over our crepes, and Lucas joins us, carrying a drink holder with three coffees. We find a table, settle in and Lucas passes around the drinks.

“The usual large black coffee, two sugars for Bas,” he says, handing me a large steaming cup. “And for those of us with a more refined palate, I have procured two of the finest iced caramel lattes.”

The cup he hands over to Rachel is an abomination to coffee but when she does a little happy dance once it’s in her hands, I decide to keep my thoughts to myself.

“Thank you, Lucas!” she says before taking a long drink. “It’s delicious. Bas noticed I couldn’t choose just one crepe, so he let me pick out three for us all to try and share. This one is Cheddar Affair, a savory crepe filled with cheese and eggs and bacon and drizzled in hollandaise. Then there’s the two sweet ones, ChocoBerry Dream which is chocolate and strawberry and then Cereal Killer with vanilla ice cream, fresh fruit and fruity cereal sprinkled on top.”

“Sounds delicious, Moonbeam.” Lucas is basically drooling as he looks over the spread laid out before him.

“Where should we start?” I question, smiling at her overexcitement. I feel like we’ve turned a corner in our relationship. She’s really opening up. It feels good to see her so happy.

“I say we start with our savory, then move on to the sweets.” She declares.

With a plan in place, we all grab forks and dig into the crepes spread before us. Sitting around a table sharing breakfast with half of our pack, feels good. It feels like things are finally falling into place.