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Chapter Thirteen
I t made no sense for Mo to go back to his apartment. Even he knew that. He also realized there was no good reason for Victor being with him. The bad guys would never believe they had experienced some sort of romantic awakening while Mo was recovering. It wasn’t realistic.
For humans, anyway.
The next best thing was learning that Christopher was stepping up and taking the kids—nearly all of them—to their friends in Tennessee, where Christopher’s wife would be joining them. Alex was already determined to be their eyes and ears in the school if they went that route. Mac was in college and hadn’t bothered refusing, just arched an eyebrow when asked. Noah also had to stay, as his father would return in a few days, and as a temporary foster child had state constraints anyway.
Mo was expecting problems with Noah as his life had been on a merry-go-round for seven years, the hero worship he had for Alex was new to the mix.
So the rest of the kids, including Daniel’s, left with Christopher and most of their parents. Daniel, Riley, Zack, Victor, Mac, Alex, Tyler, and Noah stayed. Luke decided to go visit Roxanne, Raschid’s pregnant mate, as they’d been asking for some advice on the shifter curriculum at the pack school. Asher returned home alone, with his mate and their family firmly ensconced with their grandparents.
Martin Richards seemed to move in, and Mo really liked the ex-FBI agent. His loyalty to the family was absolute and Alex, in particular, seemed to have a lot of respect for his Uncle Martin.
He should have felt guilty driving people out of their home, but if he was honest, he was relieved. He also loved that this family pulled together, circled their wagons, and made sure every child felt heard and valued. He wasn’t surprised that Alex had wanted to stay, but that the adults had listened and valued Tyler’s arguments had surprised him. Tyler had moved back in and was sticking to Alex. It was like the young alpha had a home beacon system. Zack had explained afterwards that even if they hated it, the kids always got a voice, and Mo loved that.
Really loved it.
In fact, in all ways Zack was becoming more irresistible by the second and while he’d tried to hold back from both of them, he was afraid it was a losing battle. By Wednesday afternoon, the place seemed deserted, and not in a good way. He met Luke for the first time while being warned not to touch him.
Luke had chuckled. “It sounds like I have a deadly disease.” Daniel wrapped an arm around him and the kiss should have come with a warning. Now that the kids were away, it was like all bets were off. They still dialed it down for Alex, Tyler, and Noah especially, but as Riley explained, it was a fact of life.
“I want my children to know I find my mate irresistible,” Riley said honestly. “It’s different for shifters. We don’t date unless our self-control is off the charts, or we have other reasons.”
Which made Mo really think about Victor and Zack. Any other point in his life he would have welcomed them both with open arms, and then he scoffed because every waking moment since he’d even finished college had been consumed with finding Khloe. He didn’t have another life, and not one that he would ever swap while she was safe and home. He’d always been unable to even think of bringing a third person into his shit-show, but Victor and Zack were already there.
And then there was the lure of family. To Mo, who’d never really had it, it was like a siren’s song.
In fact, the longer the day went on even after the family clearing out, the more irritated he became. He’d likened them to the freaking Brady Bunch, and he was getting a little sick of their perfection. How dare they be all loving and supportive of each other? Even Victor, who wasn’t one of them, had busied himself taking packed bags down to the cars and holding children when it was required. Although even he’d looked a little startled at that. In fact, if it wasn’t all a little too perfect, it would have been adorable. Alex had been everywhere like the golden child he was, and even Noah had been able to keep his snarky mouth in check.
And Mo was sick of it. In fact, when Zack had teared up hugging his son goodbye, he hadn’t been able to stand watching it anymore and had gone up to his room, firmly closing the door.
Not that he was sulking or anything. He could hardly be blamed for being a little upset because his life was once again spinning out of control. He told Zack and Victor to go away when they knocked on his door. He was way too hot, miserable, frustrated, and uncomfortable. Hadn’t they ever heard of air-conditioning in this place?
Victor woke suddenly, knowing it was the scent of his mate that had jerked him awake. He didn’t know how he knew, but the urgency, the utter, craven need made him catapult out of bed and reach for his door to open it, uncaring that he was barely clothed in sleep shorts and only those because of the number of children that had been in the house up to today.
At the same time that he yanked his door open, Victor sensed Zack before he even saw him, who looked like he had erupted from his room maybe three seconds faster. Victor stalked toward Zack, but even as his pupils distended and Victor could smell the scent of welcome on his skin, Zack croaked out, “It’s not me.”
Victor still had enough presence of mind to catch Zack’s words before he slammed his mouth down on the lips he’d ached for. Zack tasted glorious, and he swallowed every delicious moan from the big bear until Victor’s cock seemed to thump in time to the pulse rushing the blood to it.
He broke off for air, only to find he had pressed Zack to the wall. Just as he bent his head again, desperate to bite that tantalizing piece of skin on Zack’s neck where his blood tempted and pulsed, he heard a tiny whimper from the room next door. Victor’s wolf roared in fury. Their mate. Their mate was hurt. Zack scrambled as fast as Victor to get to the room, and Victor flung the door open. Through his wolf, he could clearly see their mate in bed despite it being dark.
Thrashing and distressed, Victor lunged toward him. Zack moaned. “He’s in heat. Fuck, Victor, he’s in heat. Can you smell that?”
Which was enough of a startling thought to bring Victor up short, even though the alpha wolf in him roared in his head. Victor could practically feel his claws as he fought to be let out, and for too long a moment, he had to stand and just breathe. Not that breathing was much better, as the erotic scent of Mo in full heat made Victor nearly feral.
“Victor,” Zack hissed, and a bunch of some material hit his chest. Reflexively, Victor caught it and, as Zack crooned and pulled the sticky sheet off Mo’s body, Victor shook his head to clear it.
“Run the shower,” Victor ordered, just as there was a knock on the door. Zack stood, and Victor was surprised at the deep warning growl that rumbled from the bear.
“I know,” came Riley’s voice outside. “We’re getting you coolers filled with everything you’ll need, and extra bedding. Zack, I’ll leave your phone out here as well, in case you need us. I’ll make sure you’re not disturbed.”
Victor nodded, knowing Riley’s empath gifts had alerted him, but taking one look at Zack, sweat covering him, shoulders hunched protectively over their mate, Victor turned and went to start the shower himself. Tepid, since they all needed to cool down a little. His cock was still rock hard, and Victor knew it wouldn’t be going down anytime soon, but his head cleared a little and he grabbed towels then called Zack to bring Mo.
Zack appeared with Mo in his arms once more, both of them naked, Mo blinking dazed eyes open. Much as Victor desperately wanted to take him from Zack, it made more sense if they just got in the shower. “Can you manage this time? I’ll get the things in from outside and change the bed.”
“What’s happening?” Mo whispered, and Victor heard Zack hush their mate and step in the shower. Victor moved. Opening the door, he saw a pile of bedding, both their phones, and some water bottles. He knew Riley would be downstairs getting them some more. Victor quickly stripped the bedding and remade it, regretting that these sheets didn’t smell of Mo, but certain with an accompanying shiver of satisfaction, that the bed would soon smell of all three of them.
Victor stepped back into the bathroom, grabbed an enormous towel, and held his arms out for Zack to deposit Mo into them. They worked seamlessly, Victor’s wolf and Zack’s bear not seeming interested in challenging the other.
Mo shivered a little, but his skin was still hot. “What’s happening?” Mo asked again as Victor dried him, but his words dissolved into a moan as Victor rubbed the towel over his groin.
When he’d dried Mo, Zack took over again so Victor could get the fastest shower on record. As he stalked back into the bedroom, Zack had gotten Mo in bed and was trying to get him to drink a little water.
“Mo,” Victor said, because Mo had to understand while they were all at least somewhat coherent.
“I’m sick,” Mo whispered.
“No, baby,” Zack promised. “You’re in heat. This is your body telling you that you want to mate with us.”
“But I wanted to mate with you before,” he almost whined. “You wouldn’t.”
“He doesn’t mean just sex,” Victor said firmly. “He means bonding, and we need your permission.”
Mo looked at Victor in surprise. “Bonding? As in…”
“As in you belong to us and we belong to you,” Zack said. “You know we’re mates.”
Mo looked at them both. Victor wanted to promise not to deliver the mating bite, but he couldn’t do that. In the middle of a rut, Victor’s alpha wolf might take charge.
“And you’ll help me?” He winced and pressed a palm to his leaking cock. Zack followed the movement, and the bear’s brown eyes grew even wider. Such stunning eyes.
Victor shook his head again to clear it, knowing he was hanging on by his fingertips. “You don’t just mean now, do you? You mean to find your sister?”
Mo nodded, seeming past any words.
“I solemnly vow, my mate,” Victor said, “to do all I can—” he looked at Zack “— we can, to find Khloe.”
Mo groaned, then lay back and opened his arms. They both moved quickly. “It hurts,” Mo whispered, and Zack shuffled down to take Mo in his mouth. Victor approved even though he could feel his cock thicken and knew his knot was going to form soon.
He also knew what that meant. Victor knew Mo was aware that omega males could get pregnant, but he couldn’t sense the presence of a wolf in Mo, even having a mom as a wolf shifter, but if his body was preparing to knot Mo, maybe his wolf knew better than all of them.
He had a brief image of Mo, utterly gorgeous as usual, but with an added distended belly protecting their unborn pup. Victor snapped, and he reached for Mo.
Victor’s alpha howled long and low in his head. A challenge for all other shifters. A declaration.
A promise.
And he leaned down and sank his teeth into Mo’s neck.