Jasmine

We’re sitting around discussing what we should do, when a loud yawn escapes my lips. Benji puts a halt to any more discussion at that point. "How about we pick this up tomorrow? Jazzy only just woke up from that magic coma thing. It's obvious she's tired."

I cover another yawn before replying, "I'm fine, we can keep going."

Benji stares me down, his gaze piercing. "You will rest even if I have to tie you down," he growls, sending a shiver of arousal through me.

Josh covers a cough before responding with a barely concealed grin. "I don't know, Alpha, I think she might like that a little too much."

I glare at him but say nothing. I don't like lying and the thought of Benji tying me up and having his way with me, well let's just say I would be one very happy woman.

Neira looks between us with a smile before turning to Benji, drawing his gaze. "Do you have a spare room I could crash in? I wouldn't mind freshening up and getting some rest myself."

Benji nods. "Sure, we can set you up with one of the wolves, or you can stay in the house with us if you like," he offers.

As she's about to respond, Liam pipes up. "Or you could stay in the spare bedroom of my guest house if you'd prefer?"

She reaches out, laying a hand on his arm like she's done it a thousand times before, wearing a sweet smile. "That would be wonderful, Liam. Thank you."

My body stills, and I shut down. He's supposed to be my mate, yet he's inviting this woman back to his house? The jealousy I feel is both surprising and warranted. I mean, I wouldn't invite a man back to my bed given our situation.

Okay, maybe he didn't exactly invite Neira to his bed, but it’s close enough. I mean why? She could have stayed in one of the spare suites here, Benji even offered! She didn't need to stay with Liam.

God, why is this making me feel like a fucking teenager all over again?

I watch as Liam and Neira leave without so much as a goodbye and stay in my seat, stunned by his lack of acknowledgment. I mean, I am supposed to be his mate, right? But if he treats his mate like an afterthought, then I don't know if he's the mate for me.

Josh rises from his seat and wisely keeps his mouth shut as he exits the room. Benji moves around the table to sit beside me. "Talk to me, Jazzy. What’s going on in that head of yours?" he asks, reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

I frown and look down at my hands, unsure what exactly is wrong here. I mean Liam doesn't have to be my mate if he doesn’t want to, but why not be upfront about it? They say actions speak louder than words, but his actions don't exactly scream that of a permanent mate who’s in it for the long haul.

"I'm a little confused by Liam inviting Neira back to his place. Did they use to be a couple or something?"

My tone is one of indifference, but Benji picks up on my change in mood. He could always tell when I was having trouble processing my emotions.

He sighs and moves my chair around to face him, his hand lifting my chin to meet his eyes. "Jazzy, you have to know that nothing will happen between Liam and Neira, right? He's your mate and would never hurt you that way."

Why is Benji defending him right now? It's the last thing I would expect when they are both vying for me to pick them. Shouldn't he be painting him in a negative light? I decide to just ask. I won't know for sure if I don't. "Why are you defending him? Wouldn’t it be better for your chances if you didn’t?"

He frowns and leans back in his chair, making me miss his touch. "It’s a long story, but Liam and I talked while you were out. We started to wonder, what if you're not meant to choose just one of us?"

My brows furrow in confusion. "You mean two mates, permanently? That's absurd."

A soft smile crosses his lips. "Maybe not. We got to talking about how the vampires used to mate with whoever they wanted, regardless of their number. The records talk about women mating with multiple partners, sometimes going as high as having eight mates. It got us thinking, if you were to take us both as mates, we could combine our packs and move us all to one place, maybe somewhere far away from the Order. What do you think?"

I ponder the possibility and won't deny that the prospect of having two men to please me appeals to the deep dark part of me. As far as I have ever known, threesomes are only for sex, though. The emotional commitments of maintaining not one, but two relationships? No, I don't think I could handle it. I'd be worried the whole time that I'd offend one of them, or make one of them jealous.

It doesn't sound like a good way to live, constantly in fear, worried that any affection shown to one would hurt the other.

I shake my head, ready to tell him no when he holds a finger to my lips, stopping me from speaking.

"I can see it in your eyes, Jazzy, you're overthinking it. Just hear me out. The vampires are already extinct, and us wolves are dying out. In fifty years, our population will be in the tens, not hundreds. What if this is a sign from the earth? What if by us trying to make you choose between the two of us, we're disrupting the balance? Liam and I have both agreed that as long as you're open to it, we'd be willing to give the three of us a try. If for any reason you want to back out, then we'd gladly let you choose one of us with no hard feelings."

When he finishes speaking, my heart is racing. "So, this is basically a trial run?"

My nerves racket up at his slow nod, and I find myself leaning forward. I lick my lips, and his eyes follow the movement, heating up with uncontrolled desire. "Okay."

"Okay? Does that mean you want to see where it takes us?"

I place my lips against his, kissing him delicately before pulling away. "Yes, I want to have a try, but before I commit, I would like to talk to Liam and make sure this is definitely what he wants."

“It’s definitely what I want."

I freeze at the sound of Liam's voice and turn in my chair to see him hovering in the doorway. How long has he been standing there, and why didn't I hear him?

He takes two steps into the room before dropping to his knees beside me, forcing me to look down into his violet eyes as he speaks. "This isn't going to be an easy road but, after watching you in that coma, Benji and I both realized neither of us wanted to lose you as a mate."

I reach out and cradle his cheek in my hand, loving the feel of soft stubble as it grazes my palm. "Okay, but I'm not promising anything, though. This is only an acceptance to try, do you understand? This is not permanent unless we get to the binding ceremony, if we even get that far, but I'd be a fool if I didn't even try."

Benji gets to his feet and offers me a small smile. "I'll leave you two to talk. I'll be back later.” He presses a gentle kiss to my cheek before walking out of the dining room, looking back to give a wink before he disappears from sight.

Liam is still crouched down beside me, and I start to feel awkward. Maybe now is the time for some answers about what kind of ‘friendship’ he has with Neira. If it’s some kind of friends with benefits situation, there’s no way in hell I’ll be his mate. I don’t share well, which is why what he suggested is so daunting.

“Ok, so I know you think you both want me as your mate but I need to know where you stand with Neira? I know it shouldn’t bother me but I need to know what’s going on? I mean, she’s staying at your place and I saw you guys hold hands. I’m trying my best not to overreact here but Neira seemed pretty possessive.”

He laughs loudly into the room and I fight not to be offended but he’s making it really easy for me to want to punch him in the face right now.

“Oh Jasmine,” he smirks, finally getting control of his laughter. “Neira is a friend, that’s all. I’ve never had any feelings for her and even if I had once, none of that would matter now that I have you in my life. You are everything to me.”

I open my mouth once, then close it not sure what to say. “Oh, then I’m glad we got that sorted.”

He chuckles and gets to his feet, holding out a hand to me. "Come on, we'll go in the kitchen. I'll cook you some food while we talk, and then you can get some rest."

I let him lead me into the kitchen. I watch as he pulls out a stool at the island. He waits for me to sit down before going about making me food, and I watch fascinated; he owns the kitchen.

This is a man who knows how to cook and is confident and seems truly happy in the role.

"Where did you learn how to cook?" I ask, watching as he slices chicken breasts with slow precision before adding it to a pot on the gas stovetop. He then places the cutting board on the side of the sink, washes his hands and pulls out a new clean board to slice onions and garlic, before adding those to the pot, too.

I would have expected a wolf to just cut everything on one board, regardless of the possible health risks. After all, if they can eat raw flesh from a freshly killed animal, then they don't really have to worry about salmonella or E. coli, do they?

He walks to the fridge and gathers cream, a block of parmesan cheese, and a bottle of white wine.

Once everything is placed neatly by the stovetop, he goes to the cupboard and pulls out a wine glass, filling it halfway before handing it to me with a grin. I take it and have a sip. I smile, wondering how he knew I was a fan of a good Moscato? Maybe he just guessed, but I don't really believe that.

"My mother taught me," he says as he starts frying up the food. "She believed that a man should know how to cook for his mate. I think she was a little biased, though, since my father could burn even the simplest of meals."

I watch as he adds some wine to the pot, taking a swig from the bottle with a cheeky grin before setting it back down. He pulls a grater from the drawer beside his leg and sets it out so it’s ready to use.

"She used to run a cooking class in the pack, her cooking was just that good. It was her passion. If she wasn't cooking or baking, she wasn't happy. Ironically, that was how we also could tell when she was pissed. If she refused to cook dinner or hadn't baked during the day, we knew she wanted to kill someone.” He chuckles with obvious fondness.

The way he talks about his mother, with a mixture of sadness and happiness, makes me feel the need to ask. "Is she still..." I trail off, realizing how horrible that sounds. “Is she still alive?” God, that's so horrible! Why did I ask that?

He smiles sadly. "It's okay, Jasmine. My mother passed ten years ago. My parents had gone hunting for moose, but they got distracted when they stumbled upon a black bear and her cubs. We don't know exactly what happened; all we know is they came back to the pack on the verge of death. My mother died only moments after I arrived on the scene. My father lasted a day before his injuries finally overwhelmed him. I like to think they both went to the earth at the same time because they couldn't bear to be parted."

I wipe the tears that have fallen during his story. The amount of love and heartbreak in his voice makes me feel for him and makes me resent my relationship with my mother so much more. Obviously, his parents loved each other very much, but loved him even more.

When I gain control of my emotions a little better, I ask. "Do you have any siblings?"

He laughs loudly, the sound making me smile as I feel the mood lift. "I don't have any siblings per se. In my mind, the pack is my family. Each cub that is born, I treat as one of my own. The pack females, I treat as I would a sister. The males are like my brothers. You get the gist." He winks at me, and I feel my heart melting a little.

It's obvious he cares about his pack, which is what an Alpha should do. I sit here sipping my wine, watching him work, and wondering how this relationship thing is going to work. Are we a threesome? Would they be dating each other as well as me?

My breath catches at the image that forms in my mind. Liam dominating Benji, while I lie in bed touching myself as I watch them both.

I shiver and try to clear my mind. I do not need to be thinking of such a vivid image when I'm supposed to be focused on food.

Liam switches off the stove and serves me a bowl filled with pasta before piling on some of the chicken sauce he's just finished making. He then serves up his own bowl, and places a dish of grated parmesan cheese between our two bowls as he sits beside me. "Dig in."

I do as he says, moaning as the rich creamy taste hits my tongue. After I swallow my first mouthful, I take a sip of wine, turning to watch as Liam takes his own bite. "You're a very talented cook," I praise, grabbing another bite.

His cheeks flush, and I hide a smirk, continuing to eat until my bowl is empty. I lean back with a satisfied sigh and take another sip of wine. Liam finishes his pasta shortly after I do, and takes my bowl to the sink, rinsing them both out before stacking them neatly next to the chopping boards.

He grabs the bottle of wine, coming back to the counter and refilling my now empty glass. "So, I told you about my parents, any chance you want to return the favour?" He grins, turning in his seat a little.

"Alright." I sigh, knowing I owe him a little insight. He did reveal a piece of himself to me, even though he didn't have to. "Do you mind if we go out to the lounge, though?" These stools are not exactly comfortable for long periods of time, especially if I'm going to give him my life story.

"Of course we can. Would you like me to grab another bottle of wine? I have a feeling this story may be better with it."

I give a chuckle. "Yes, we may need two bottles, though." While I may have laughed, it’s the god honest truth. My life isn't filled with fond memories like Liam's. I'm not sure about Benji's past, but mine most definitely isn’t filled with fun, loving stories.